Once Upon A Time – Ruby Slippers

By: Stacy Miller

“Once Upon a Time” takes what we know about fairytales and Disney stories and turns the information on its ear by changing the stories and character dynamics, allowing characters who have never met find a new and interesting connection. Such is the case with The Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy Gale and Little Red Riding Hood’s Red. Who would have ever imagined that these two characters would meet much less have a romance?

Picking up from last week’s episode, David, Emma, Snow, Regina and Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) wonder how Red (Megan Ory) ended up in the Underworld. The last they heard from her, she’d left Storybrooke to find her path. David (Josh Dallas) sees she’s holding a blue checked piece of material that is familiar to anyone who’s ever read The Wizard Oz as it is the fabric of the dress worn by farm girl Dorothy Gale.

In Oz some time ago, we see Red and Mulan (Jamie Chung) where Mulan makes a comment about how there was singing in Oz in the movie. Then, a dog approaches and starts barking at them. Dorothy (Teri Reeves) says Toto only barks when he sniffs out a witch. Cool, Toto is Dorothy’s witch tracker. Red tells Dorothy though that she’s not witch, she’s a wolf.

Zelena (Rebecca Mader) looks at the dead flower she received from Hades (Greg Germann). “Would you prefer I’d send you chocolate?” Hades asks. I really like Hades and how he is in love with Zelena. They’re a match made in Hell or the Underworld. Hades also tells Zelena that her wolf nemesis is in the Underworld. Zelena worries what Regina (Lana Parilla) will think when she finds out what she did. Hades promises to take care of the wolf.

Meanwhile, Belle (Emilie de Ravin) is feeling guilty for not showing Gaston compassion. Rumple (Robert Carlyle) reminds she was trying to save their child.

Red explains to the Storybrooke heroes that she used a tracking spell to locate Zelena, which lead to her to the Underworld. She needs to find out what happened to Dorothy. In Oz, Zelena has captured Toto and offers Dorothy a trade: Her slippers for Dorothy’s mutt.

Cruella (Victoria Smurfit) tells David and Henry (Jared Gilmore) that Hades has ordered all the phones in the Underworld be ripped out because he feels that the calls were giving the souls peace and contentment.

Zelena admits she put Dorothy in a sleeping curse and she can only be wakened by true love’s kiss – an unmarried virgin. “Good luck with that,” Zelena snickers. Red tells Emma, Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Regina that Dorothy’s true love is her Aunt Em. Back in Oz, Dorothy tells Red that her Auntie Em gave her Toto who is the only one who ever understood her.

Emma (Jennifer Morris) urges her parents to return home to Neal, but Snow reminds she can’t leave because of the tombstone. So, David’s going to have to play Mr. Mom.

Belle visits Zelena and the two talk about Hades. When Belle learns of Zelena’s accelerated pregnancy, she worries Hades will do the same thing to her to get her baby sooner.

In Oz, while getting poppies for the sleeping spell to use against Zelena, Red and Dorothy are attacked by flying monkeys. Red transforms into the wolf so she and Dorothy can get away.

In the Underworld, Emma tells Auntie Em (Gina Stockdale) about Dorothy’s plight. But while attempting to blow true love’s kiss in a bottle, Auntie Em melts into a puddle of water. “I guess the soup didn’t agree with her,” says Hades revealing that he mixed the soup with water from the River of Souls. Hades then warns the people of the Underworld that the same fate will befall anyone who helps the “so-called heroes.” “It’s tough be the savior when no one wants saving,” Hades sneers triumphantly.

Red is worried without Auntie Em that Dorothy will sleep forever. Snow notes Red’s worry about Dorothy and gets Red to admit she loves Dorothy. Unfortunately, Snow doesn’t think kissing Dorothy will work if the feeling isn’t reciprocated.

Back in Storybrooke, David has scratched Snow’s name off the tombstone so she could go home to be with their son. But, the first step is off to Oz where Red has a sleeping love to kiss. In Oz, Red kisses Dorothy and the spell is broken. Thankfully, Dorothy admits that she loves Red, too.

Henry reads the pages he wrote and happily shows David that Snow made it back to Neal. However, Hades and Zelena have no idea of this development and celebrate Dorothy’s demise.

At Gold’s Antique Store, Belle tells Rumple her plan: She’ll take the sleeping potion to slow down her pregnancy to give Rumple time to get out of Hades’ contract. Then, he’s to find her father to give her love’s true kiss. Tune in next week to find out their fate…