By: Kelly Kearney

Season Six began in a whole new world (cue song) where we meet rather shaky Aladdin (Deniz Akdeniz) who just happens to be a savior like Emma (Jennifer Morrison). Unfortunately, it looks like our favorite flaxen haired sheriff is in for a real wakeup call when we learn a savior’s job eventually ends in their death! That’s right, you thought only villains were robbed of their happy endings? Well, it looks saviors are too, dearies.

Just like anyone would be after finding out all their hard work was for nothing, Aladdin’s shaken up…like literally shaking and none of this looks good for Emma, who’s back in Storybrooke trying to get her groove on with her one handed wonder. Mattress mambo will be tough if one of them is in the Storybrooke cemetery pushing up snowdrops. Hopefully, Emma gets lucky and this prophecy skips a generation.

Houston We Have A Problem

While Captain Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) and Emma are attempting to get a little alone time, they’re interrupted by a giant blimp type ship floating through the sky. No, it’s not a Goodyear. It’s the first sign there’s a new big bad in town and our heroes are in for another fight. Does anyone get the feeling the universe is against these two? Whenever the Captain and his savior try to “get down to business,” all hell breaks loose. Literally!

Everyone runs out to get a look at this Unidentified Flying Blimp or U.F.B. and that’s when Mr. Hyde (Sam Witwer) lets our heroes in on a little secret. The U.F.B. is from The Land of Untold Stories. Emma and Regina (Lana Parrilla) try and stop the maniacal man, but the former queen questions her abilities. Emma reminds her that evil isn’t what made her strong. The savior’s pep talk works but Hyde seems impervious to their magic. He sides steps their magic blast and both Emma and Regina look shocked. Hyde takes off and the heroes find the U.F.B crash landed in the wood and Emma has some kind of vision that leaves her shaken.

Dream A Little Dream For Me

Rumple (Robert Carlyle) can never say no to a deal, especially if said deal benefits him. That’s why I wasn’t surprised when he traded Hyde in Storybrooke for a way to bring Belle (Emilie de Ravin) back. The key to bringing Belle back is magical sand in the Temple of Morpheus. The sand allows him to go inside Belle’s dreams and wake her. These naps are becoming more and more complex though. First, we needed true love’s kiss, then a spinning wheel, a sleeping potion and a burning room. Now, we need a box, a temple, a pile of sand and true love’s kiss? Things are getting complicated!

Evil Sister Roommates

Back in Storybrooke Regina heads to the mansion where Zelena and her daughter are staying. It looks like the sisters have called a truce until Zelena (Rebecca Madar) lets little sis in on a secret. Before Robin (Sean Maguire) died, he gave her a feather. Unfortunately, with the stress of new motherhood and portal hopping from hell to Maine, she lost it. Regina’s not happy and heads to her tomb to magically seal it. Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) finds her and lends Regina a friendly ear to rant about her sister. The lost feather is upsetting but the real danger is Hyde and his pack of peeps riding into town on a decked out Goodyear. The heroes come together to devise a plan to offer up Dr. Jekyll (Hank Harris) to his evil twin Mr. Hyde. Jekyll created a magical weapon that should take Hyde down, if they can only distract him long enough to get a good clean shot. Too bad Hyde isn’t buying what the heroes are selling. He lets them in on a little secret – the mayor can threaten him all she wants, but he’s not nearly as afraid of her as he is her evil side. That’s when he grabs Regina by the throat, which sets off Emma’s shaking and visions that distracts her from taking Hyde down. Emma snaps out of it in the nick of time, blasts Hyde and saves Regina, like the good little doomed savior she is. Regina notices something isn’t right with the sheriff, mostly because she didn’t rescue the Mayor immediately. Emma blows her off and says she’s fine. Oh Emma, remember last season? You can lie to everyone else, but you can’t lie to Regina. She might say she’s fine but after Hyde baits her with a secret about the savior, Emma’s both shaken and curious. What could he know that the savior herself doesn’t? The heroes shackle Hyde in the sanitarium and Emma pumps him for information. Unfortunately, Hyde likes to play games. He’s not too forthcoming with the details but tells her to follow the red bird. Follow the red bird? What kind of vague clue is that?

A Tale As Old As Time

Back to Rumple and Belle’s sleeping problems, Morpheus (Giles Matthey) leads the dark one into his wife’s dreams and she’s back in their castle playing servant and the beast. Morpheus tells Rumple he has one hour to wake Belle before she spends eternity in a fiery dreamscape. Rumple always has a plan to get what he wants so he decides to make dream Belle fall in love with him all over again. Rumple tries his best to woo his wife. he even plays their song and changes Belle’s dress into the iconic yellow ball gown. The two dance and Rumple’s plan seems to be working but let’s be real, this is “Once Upon a Time,” villains rarely get their happy endings even if their tale is as old as time.

Back at the Mifflin street mansion, Regina’s still struggling over Robin’s death and Zelena gets the brunt of her anger. Regina blames her wicked sister for making Robin chase her and their baby. Zelena fires back about Regina being in the Underworld too and the former Queen says she willingly went for her Emma but Robin had no choice – she forced his hand. The argument shifts to Zelena feeling betrayed by Regina for tossing out her evil side. Why is Zelena angry the queen is gone? She’s insulted that Regina removed the one part of her that identifies them as sisters; her evil ways. Zelena is all about that age old adage, “Misery loves company.”

Follow The Red Bird

While searching the U.F.B. crash site for any signs of life, Emma notices a red bird and remembers the clue Hyde told her. “Follow the Red Bird.” Emma follows Hyde’s advice and follows the bird until she comes upon a blonde girl in the woods. The girl tells Emma some pretty heartbreaking news. Those shaky visions she keeps having are a peek inside her future and that future looks pretty bleak.

While Emma’s chasing birds, Regina’s getting a pep talk from their son about faith, family and friendship. Regina’s desperate to find Robin’s feather and was using a locator spell to find it. Henry (Jared Gilmore) reminds her that faith and love is what’s important now. Robin’s gone and she has to have faith that he is happy, wherever he is.

Speaking of faith and love, Rumple’s still trying to convince Belle to love him and I have to say, his half-truths are probably proof this isn’t going to work. He makes up some vague story about Balefire, proving he hasn’t changed a bit. Playing fast and loose with the truth is what put Belle in this predicament in the first place. The two kiss, but instead of waking her up from a deep sleep it wakes her up to Rumple’s lies. That’s when Morpheus reveals who he truly is – Rumple and Belle’s grown son! He applauds his mother for not falling for his father’s tricks. Then, Morpheus kisses his mother’s forehead, effectively breaking her curse and sending her home to Storybrooke. The town may have missed their spunky librarian but she hasn’t missed her life with Rumple. She’s done with his schemes and has no intention of getting caught up in them again.

making your own fate

Back in the woods, Emma has a vision of a cloaked figure gutting her with a sword. The girl in the woods tells her that she can’t outrun a savior’s fate. All saviors give and give and, in the end, pay with their life. She can change the path she takes but her fate will be the same, she will die. Emma’s scared but she doesn’t let on to Hook, who wonders if there’s something wrong. As the episode closes, Snow and Regina have a heart to heart about their past. The two make amends, but things might change when they see who’s back. Zelena comes home to find the Evil Queen drinking tea in her sister’s living room. Things are about to get Evil!