Once Upon a Time – Ill Bonding Pattern

By: Kelly Kearney

This week on “Once Upon a Time” we learn that sometimes a father’s decision to keep his sons on the path to the straight and narrow, can sometimes lead to unsuspecting evil and a fate, set in stone.

When the episode opens we are at war, but not just any war – the Ogre war. Beowulf (Torsnstein Bjorklund) has the sword fated to kill Emma (Jennifer Morrison). Apparently, this sword has a knack for getting everyone in arms reach of it killed. While Beowulf is playing savior, he charges into battle against the ogres with his army of men right behind him, only his men didn’t make it out alive. Face to face with an ogre and no back up to help him, Beowulf is saved by none other than Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle), who kills not only this ogre but all ogres! He wiped the entire race out! That’s dark even for The Dark One, but the ramifications of that decision last Rumple a lifetime.

Flash-forward to present day and Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) is day drinking his blues away after the realization he murdered David’s (Josh Dallas) father in a robbery. Should he tell Emma or should he keep it from her? Archie (Raphael Sbarge) thinks he should, but Hook’s afraid she will never forgive him so he mulls it over with a bottomless bottle of rum.

A Child Out Of Control and a Backstabbing Thief

While Hook numbs his pain with some 70-proof liquid courage, Rumple and Belle (Emilie de Ravin) decide something must be done about their son before he gets himself killed. The Dark One knows all too well how power and revenge can be a deadly brew so he searches the Storybrooke woods for Gideon (Giles Matthey) in hopes of keeping him from making a mistake he can’t come back from. Gideon’s quest to use dark magic, kill Emma and usurp her Savior role all to take out The Black Fairy (Jaime Murray) could have dire consequences the “Rumbelle” child is not aware of. His father is all too aware when in a flashback we find out that after the ogre genocide Rumple completely lost himself to the darkness. Like always, Bae wanted his father to be good and was not on board with this evil version of dear old dad. With the ogre war over, Bae (Brandon Spink) wants his father to give up the darkness and settle down to family life.

Back in Storybrooke, Gideon is showing no signs of giving up on his quest when he breaks into the Sheriff’s department and steals the hilt of the broken savior ending sword. Rumple catches Gideon, knocks him out and takes the sword’s hilt to stop his son from killing Emma.

Rumple isn’t the only one with thieving loved ones, new Robin (Sean Maguire) stole some of Regina’s (Lana Parrilla) magic from her vault and hasn’t been seen since – until he draws an arrow on her when she runs into him. He’s not acclimating well to Storybrooke, but his major problem is Regina and the pressure she is putting on him to be her Robin. He tells her he can’t handle the pressure to be someone he is not and Regina apologizes. Emma made a terrible mistake convincing her friend she can turn this Robin into the man she lost and the longer he stays in town, the more evident that is. Sneakily, Robin is able to send an apologetic Regina on her way without revealing the box of magic he stole from her. I guess once a thief always a thief, but what is he planning?

Darkness Begets Darkness

After knocking Gideon out and tying him up in the clock tower, Gideon comes to. Rumple explains why he can’t kill Emma, no matter how bad he wants the Black Fairy to pay. Giving into the darkness will only lead to more darkness. Two wrongs don’t make a right, would’ve been an excellent early life lesson for Gideon if Blue (Keegan Connor Tracey) hadn’t of lost him right after his birth. Apparently, Gideon is still salty over his parents handing him over to Mother Superior so he can have his best chance. Instead of protecting him, Blue failed which led to a lifetime of torture at the hands of his grandmother. This “best chance” idea is a running theme on “Once Upon a Time” and not once has it been successful so this is no different.

In a flashback, we find out why Rumple is weary to let his son live out his revenge fantasies when we see a teenage Bae suffering from local bullies. The boy is covered in mud and when Rumple asks what happened, he says the baker’s son did it so he would look more like his monstrous dad. Rumple is livid and ready to make the bully pay, but is interrupted by distraught villagers over a new monster, a Grendel to be exact. What can Rumple do? He promised Bae he wouldn’t use his dark magic after the ogre war and his son thinks he doesn’t need it to fight the monster. Little does Bae now that Rumple was a lifelong coward and the magic is tied to his confidence.

Speaking of cowards, Robin shows up at Zelena’s (Rebecca Mader) and she immediately assumes he wants to get his grubby hands on her…their…baby. He assures her he has no interest in babies or really being a decent person in general. He tells her he’s there to offer her a deal. He stole black magic from her sister and he wants Zelena, the town outcast, to help him leave Storybrooke and Regina’s do- good pressures behind. There is nothing for Zelena in Storybrooke so she agrees to wield the magic that can set them both free.

Father-Son Talks Give Way to Big Reveals

Over in the bell tower, Rumple unties Gideon and the two talk about what the Black Fairy put him through. How can his father understand his quest if he doesn’t know the hell his mother put the boy through? Gideon tells him Belle’s book, The Handsome Hero, was his only life line that got him though the torture of being granny’s prisoner. When the Black Fairy caught Gideon with the book, she mocked him for thinking he could ever be a hero. He was her prisoner after all. Now, Gideon wants to show her just what kind of hero he can be by defeating her and setting the people she tortures free. His father agrees to help him stop his evil mother but winds up tricking Gideon with a memory potion in hopes he will forget her, his past and his quest to become the savior. Apparently, Gideon is well versed in his father’s trickery when he laughs off the potion and reveals the Dark One’s dagger from within his cloak. Now, dear old dad must do whatever his son says.

Rumple understands how the darkness can make you feel invincible when we flashback to Bae finding out Rumple brought his dagger to the Grendel fight. He just didn’t believe in himself without his powers and Bae is beyond disappointed. After a serious guilt trip, Rumple hands his dagger over to his son just in case he might need to call on Rumple during the search. While looking in the woods for Grendel, Beowulf comes out of nowhere and tackles Bae. There is no Grendel, it was just a way to lure Rumple to Beowulf so he can be the savior and kill him! What better way to lure the Dark One than threaten his son’s life? Beowulf lunges at Bae with the sword and POOF! Rumple shows up to protect his boy. Only, Bae doesn’t need protecting when he whips out the dagger and orders his father to kill Beowulf! With the power of the dagger making Rumple beholden to the keeper’s wishes, he kills Beowulf and later, gives him a memory potion to forget his first taste of darkness. Poor Rumple, he’s been taking the blame and deflecting Bae’s shade for hundreds of years just to protect him. When Bae wakes up, he sees Beowulf’s sword and instantly assumes his evil father betrayed their no magic pact. Rumple lets him think this rather than upset him with the truth.

All is Fair in Love and Deciet

Speaking of upset, Regina busts Zelena and Robin trying to magically leave town for the big apple and a new life away from the other fairytale characters. Regina is upset that Robin stole and lied to her, but she gets the last laugh when she tells them both even her magic can’t break the curse that’s keeping all of Storybrooke within the town line. The old Regina would’ve fireballed these traitors instantly, but this Regina is without her evil half so she forgives them and even offers to help them find a way out. Who is this person and what have they done with our snarky Regina?

During the father-son chat in the clock tower, Rumple admitted that sword fated to kill the savior is useless since it’s been shattered. Gideon demands to know who forged the blade and Rumple has no choice, but to tell him Blue. Yes, that’s right – Blue, the fairy, turned blacksmith, turned nun, is the one who forged the sword fated to kill the daughter of her beloved Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin)! Gideon takes off to find her because the magic of the swords maker is the only way to restore it to its full savior killing greatness. The desperate man finds her but she refuses to help him. In one crazy twist, Gideon tries to steal her magic because he is not one for hearing “no,” but his dad stops him bleeds Blue of her magic and father and son join forces to take on the evil Black Fairy!

With evil constantly battling good, Storybrooke could use some good news and what better than an engagement? After an entire day of marinating his liver in rum, Hook thinks it’s a good idea to come clean to Emma about his past. Luckily, he gets stopped by Emma who was waiting for him with some news of her own. The savior found the engagement ring Hook had been hiding and she instantly says yes before Hook can tell her the truth or even pop the question. In true Hook fashion, he accepts the odd proposal from Emma and continues to withhold the truth about David’s father. Not exactly the best way to start a happily ever after.

Will Hook come clean before he ties the knot with Emma? Will this quest to kill the Black Fairy end in unexpected tragedy for Rumple and family? Can Regina and Zelena get over their past and work together to break the curse holding everyone in Storybrooke? Find out the answer to these questions and more on next week’s “Once Upon a Time.”