Once Upon A Time: A Land Without Magic

YOU GUYS, THAT WAS THE BEST SEASON FINALE I'VE EVER SEEN, EVER!!!!

My brain is like mush right now, that's how amazing that was!!! I sobbed, I laughed, I freaked out, I screamed...Aside from my theory about Emma's kiss waking Henry because it's a kiss of true love (posted that on my Facebook page), I had NO idea what to expect, and I was SO impressed with every single thing about this episode!

Because this episode switched back and forth so often, and because the two worlds overlapped quite a bit, instead of posting the recap of one timeline, then the other like I usually do, I'm going to recap it all at once.
Forgive me if it's a bit messy looking! ;)

Here we go!

We begin in Fairytale Land, with Charming still locked in his cell. The guards come and take him and while they're walking down the hall, Charming fights back, knocking two of them out.
Unfortunately, he runs into two more. Fortunately,one is THE HUNTSMAN!!!! (Did anyone else squeal and tear up when they saw him? No? Just me?)
He kills the second guard and helps Charming escape.

Flash to Storybrooke.
Henry is in the hospital with Dr. Whale checking him out.
He's unconscious, and Emma tells Whale he was poisoned. Whale disagrees because Henry's showing no signs of it.
Whale tells Emma he needs something to treat. That what's wrong with Henry 'It's like..."
"Like magic.", is Emma's reply.
Emma takes the book out of Henry's bag. As she's holding it, she remembers everything Henry's told her about Fairytale Land. All of the stories flash through her mind.
And she believes.

Regina walks in and Emma drags her out of Henry's room.
Regina finally admits that it IS real. The stories, Fairytale Land, all of it.
She tells Emma that she can't wake Henry because she has no magic left, and she has no idea what the sleeping curse will do to Henry.
Regina realizes they need help, and the two go to Mr. Gold.
"Actually, he goes by Rumpelstiltskin."

Back in Fairytale Land, the Hunstman enters the Evil Queen's chambers. He tells her Charming has escaped. He promises to find him, but Regina can see the prince through her magic looking glass.
Charming suddenly finds himself in the woods. The camera pans back and we see he's in the same woods where poor Hansel and Gretel were--Miles away from anything.

Luckily, Charming runs into Rumpelstiltskin.

Rump offers a deal. He'll give Charming his now-enchanted mother's ring that will help him find Snow--Before we can find out what ol' Rumpy wants in exchange, Charming says no and the two do battle! (Who knew Rumple was so good with a sword?!)
With the help of his magic, Rumple wins, of course.

Charming finally agrees to help Rumple when the sorcerer tells him that they want the same thing--For Charming and Snow to be together.

Back to Storybrooke--
David finds Mary Margaret and tries to apologize to her again. And again, he tells her he loves her.
And AGAIN, she turns him down.
He tells her he's leaving Storybrooke.

And back to Fairytale Land!
Rumple tells Charming that he needs help to hide his bottle of true love magic.
He explains that he'd once been in love and so he's not as ignorant on the subject as Charming thinks.
He wants the magic protected inside 'the belly of the beast', because he's 'saving it for a rainy day'.
Charming agrees to help.

In Storybrooke, Regina and Emma go to Gold's shop.
He can see that Emma believes as soon as she walks in.
He agrees to help, and explains about the true love magic.
It seems that when he created the Queen's spell, he put a single drop of true love on the parchment, which is why Emma is the saviour. She was CREATED through true love. The same true love in Rumple's magic potion! (BOOM, there's a HUGE answer to one of the many questions we've had since the pilot!)


Gold tells Emma she has to get the rest of the potion. The bottle that he'd 'saved for a rainy day'.
Dancing around the 'who', exactly, Gold helps Regina figure out where the potion is.
Emma, still clueless, is told she needs to be prepared.
Gold opens a case and tell her she'll need 'this'.
Emma asks what it is.
"Your father's sword." is Gold's reply. (I squealed in glee at that line!)


Back at the hospital, Emma tells the still-sleeping Henry that he was right and leave the book beside his bed.
Regina comes in to see the boy and Emma leaves.
As she's at the bedside, she apologizes aloud, and in walks Jefferson.
He wants Regina to hold up her end of the bargain. He wants his daughter back.
Regina refuses and Jefferson walks away after Regina calls his bluff.

Meanwhile, Emma goes to Granny's to see August. He can't open the door, so Emma breaks in.
She can now see that he's Pinocchio, and that he's turning to wood.
She asks for help because she doesn't think she can do it alone.
He gives her a confidence boost--and then completely turns to wood before Emma's eyes.
(I really hope he's not dead and is able to return next season!)


Regina and Emma meet at the abandoned library and Emma goes down in the hidden cage elevator.
In the 'basement' (it's more a cave, really), Emma spies a glass coffin (*gasp*) and a HUGE fire-breathing dragon!

In Fairytale Land, Charming is in Maleficent's castle looking for the 'beast'.
It turns our Maleficent IS the beast, and she turns into a HUGE fire-breathing dragon! (*gasp*)

In a series of EPIC, wonderful, parallel scenes, we watch father and daughter battle the same dragon, with the same sword (well, mostly) in two different timelines and two different worlds.
I LOVED everything about this part of the episode!!

Finally, Charming stuffs the jeweled egg containing the true love potion into the dragon's..er...gills?

And in the Storybrooke timeline, Emma THROWS her father's sword into the dragon's heart and kills it, then finds the jeweled egg in its ashes. (Please forgive me if I'm wrong. It's been years since I've seen it, but doesn't Prince Charming kill the dragon the same way in Disney's Sleeping Beauty?)


At the hospital, Mary is reading the Snow White story to the unconscious Henry when he takes a turn for the worse.
Alarms beep and Doctor Whale rushes in to start CPR.

Also in the hospital, Jefferson, now wearing the white scrubs of an orderly, gives the basement nurse a drugged tea.
When she passes out, he rescues Belle (who now lives next door to Sidney Glass, apparently!) and tells her to 'Find Mr. Gold and tell him Regina locked you up.'
He tells her Gold will protect her and he sends her off.

In Fairytale Land, Rumple is waiting for the now-wet (wet leather pants...Oh my) Charming as he climbs out of the water after fulfilling his part of the bargain.
Gold gives Charming the ring--and changes his clothing into something a bit more regal. ;)
When Charming asks why Rumple is doing this, Rumple replies, "I'm a fan of true love, dearie. And more important, of what it creates."

Charming finally finds Snow, but he's too late. She's dead in her coffin, surrounded by her dwarfs.
He leans in to say goodbye--and kisses her.
She wakes, as we already know. :)

Charming proposes, Snow accepts, and she then suggests they take back the kingdom. (EFF YEAH!)

In Storybrooke, Emma is almost to the top of the elevator when it stops.
Gold calls down to her that is's been sabotaged and that Regina has left her. He convinces her to throw the egg up to him. Emma does and Gold takes off.
Emma climbs to the top and spies Regina tied and gagged. The two go off after Gold, but they're stopped when both get calls from the hospital.
They arrive at Henry's room and they're told he's dead.

Back at Gold's shop, he now has the potion--And in walks Belle. (HIS FACE! OMG HIS FACE IS PRICELESS!!)
Of course, she doesn't know him...but he knows her. :)
Belle tells him what Jefferson said, and Gold hugs her and promises to protect her.
She asks if she knows him and he replies, "No. But you will."
(Was anyone else completely fooled into thinking ol' Rumpy would change now? Become a good person? Just me again? Bah!)


Back at the hospital, Emma and Regina are in tears. Emma leans in to kiss Henry and tells him she loves him.

As her lips meet his forehead, THE CURSE IS BROKEN!!!!!!!!!

The WHOLE TOWN remembers! Snow on the street, Charming on his way out of town, Archie in front of his office, the Blue Fairy in the hospital--THEY ALL REMEMBER!!!
(Oh, God, did I SOB!!!)


Before she flees, Regina tells Henry that she DOES love him.

On the street, Charming, now back in town, spies his love.
"Snow!"
"Charming! You found me!"
"Did you ever doubt I would?"
And the two kiss in the middle of the street.
(And I cried even harder, if that's possible)

At the same time, Gold and Belle are walking through the woods when the curse breaks.
"Wait."
"No, no, we're very close."
'Rumpelstiltskin, wait."
He realizes the curse is broken and she remembers.
The two hug and declare their love for each other, but first, there's something he must do.
They arrive at the magic well. The well who's waters have the power to restore that which has been lost.
Rumple drops the true love potion in the water....and a purple smoke drifts across the town.

Regina, looking through her window, smiles.

Magic has once again returned to Storybrooke--And magic is power.

The town clock once again ticks to 8:15.





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So...
HOLY CRAP THAT WAS THE EPICEST MOST EPIC THING OF EPICNESS, EVER!!!!

I was SO worried about how they'd answer all the questions, how they'd NOT leave us hanging regarding Snow/Charming and how'd they'd close out the season...WHY was I worried?!
I'll never doubt you again, OUAT writers! I swear!

Best lines:

"Actually, he goes by Rumpelstiltskin."--Regina

"It was a brief flicker of light amidst an ocean of darkness."--Rumple

"What is that?"--Emma
"Your father's sword."-Gold

"You can see it now. You believe."--August

"Now you're ready for your big moment!"--Rumple

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"--Belle
"No. But you will."--Gold

What questions do we have after this episode?
-Is the magic only in Storybrooke?
-Are the townsfolk still trapped?
-Is Emma now trapped, too?
-How will they get back to Fairytale Land?
-What does this mean for Regina? Is she once again in control of the town?
-Will Rumple go back to his ugly old self?
-Will Belle stay with Rumple?
-Will August survive now that there's magic in the town?
-Now that they all remember, what does that mean for the town? Are there consequences? Repercussions?
-Will Jefferson reunite with his daughter?
-How did Jefferson know Belle was being held prisoner?
-How will Snow and Charming relate to their daughter, who's now all grown up?
-Why does Rumple want to bring magic to Storybrooke instead of going home?
-What will season two bring???


Let's Talk Theories!
It's obviously REALLY early for anything but guesses, but here are my thoughts!

It's going to be the town against Regina, with a bit of Rumple thrown in. ;)

Regina will once again be the scary Evil Queen with control over the land, but I think that, somehow, Emma will  now have magic to rival the Queen.

I think August will be okay...but he'll still be wood. At least for a little while.

And I think that we'll meet Henry's father...who will turn out to be Rumple's son, Bae.

Speaking of Rumple, he'll be conflicted. He'll want the power he once had, but he'll also want Belle. There will be many episodes showing his conflicting sides.
And he'll declare an all out war against the Queen for what she did to Belle.

If my theory about Henry's father is right, I believe Henry will turn out to be the most powerful of them all...but he'll have to grow into his power.
And, of course, the Queen and Rumple will fight over Henry and that power.

What Stories Would I Like To See Next Season?
-Alice in Wonderland from Alice's point of view
-The little mermaid!
-Sleeping beauty!
-Peter Pan!
-More Pinocchio, with Jiminy
-More of the dwarfs stories
-Grumpy and Nova in Storybrooke now that they remember!
-Who is Dr. Whale?


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And now a note from me. :)

You guys, there are no words for how much you've all meant to me during this amazing, awesome OUAT season.
Because of you, this little blog has grown into exactly what I dreamed it would be.
A place for me to geek out. A place for me to 'talk' about my crazy little obsessions. A place of comfort and fun and friendship.

While I don't get a ton of comments (I'm okay with that!), I can SEE that you guys DO read these posts, and my OUAT recaps have quickly become my most popular posts, getting hundreds of views each week.

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU.

I've made a bunch of new friends with the help of this little blog (Hi, Laurie and Mary!), and I look forward every week to my 'regulars' posts (Hi, EB, Sheena-Kay, Deborah, Sophia!), and to all the newbie posts I do receive.

I'll still be here, reviewing books, movies and summer shows (yet to be determined), and I hope you'll all join me again in the fall when season two of our beloved show begins.

Now, lets hear YOUR theories on season two! What do YOU think will happen now that magic has returned? What did you think of A Land Without Magic? What stories do you hope to see next season?


And with that, I sadly bid you adieu for the last time this season, Oncers. Thank you for making this show such fun for me to watch.
I heart you all. :)