TV

“Once Upon A Time” recap: Stranger Danger (2.12)

Previously on Once Upon A Time, Regina was wrongly accused of killing Archie, Emma owed Rumpelstiltskin a favor for helping Cinderella (where the hell did Ashley go, anyway?) and the town was afraid that outsiders would be able to get into Storybrooke now that the curse is broken.

We pick up where we last left Storybrooke, with a mind-erased Belle lying shot on the ground, and Hook also on his back after A ran under him with a car.

Then there’s some chaos. Rumpelstiltskin heals Belle with a magic ball of purple, Emma shows up in her sheriff’s car and the ambulance arrives, sirens blaring. Emma goes over to Hook, who is being smarmy despite the fact that he’s bleeding and broken. Their banter is interrupted, however, when Rumple attacks Hook, until he is reminded that this is the opposite of what Belle would want, even if she doesn’t remember it now.

Emma takes in the scene around her – Hook a bloody mess, Belle scared and confused, a stranger no one recognizes unconscious in his car – and, in her dramatically understated way, says, “The world just came to Storybrooke.” A tinny voice in the hospital warns its employees that the ambulance will be arriving within seconds. Dr. Whale is beckoned to the ER, but the good doctor is sippin’ scotch in the backroom, having black-and-white flashbacks.

It’s Christmastime in the Frankenstein household, and Father Frankenstein is doling out presents. A younger, handsomer version of our doctor, clad in the same type of frilly-shouldered outfit Cinderella’s prince usually wears, gets his present first. It’s a pocket watch, handed down from his mother. Our friend Viktor, however, gets a one-way ticket far, far away. Apparently it’s a good opportunity, but not when he’s so close to actually raising the dead. Vik’s brother is supportive, but his father is decidedly not and insists he stop with this tomfoolery.

Back in Storybrooke, there is more chaos. This time, in the ER. Belle has been sedated, the Stranger wheeled off, Hook being treated. Mr. Gold goes in to visit his unconscious princess and resorts to the default way of trying to fix things in this town – he kisses her. But it seems crossing the border made her finally comes to her senses, and when she realizes what’s happening, she freaks the freak out. Meanwhile, Emma goes to visit Hook to find out where his partner in crime is. When he continues to just make icky jokes and one too many references to his “member” instead of answering, Emma drops her voice an octave, possibly trying to impersonate Regina’s husky voice, and tries again. “Where’s Cora?” Hook is, unsurprisingly, not cooperative, but Emma warns him that he’s not exactly winning popularity contests with the townspeople. In fact, she reckons he’s downright doomed.

In the hallway of the hospital, Team Charming is in a tizzy. Random strangers can come to Storybrooke after all this time, Ruby can’t sniff out Regina (wanky) and they’re scared of what us common folk will do to them if they find a town full of werewolves and magic and dwarves, oh my! The Team snoops through the Stranger’s things and finds out his name is Greg. He likes to do touristy things alone, take selfies with landmarks and photo document his food choices…in other words, he’s one pretty cool dude.

Dr. Whale comes out and lets them know that Cool Greg is about to drown in his own blood. Just then, Mr. Gold comes limping out of Belle’s room and drops the bomb that the Stranger had seen him use magic, so it would probably be best to just let him die. But really he doesn’t give a damn because what should he care what Greg remembers when Belle doesn’t even know who he is?

Without hesitation, Snow White, always pure and good, insists they save Greg. The rest of Team Charming seems to be in agreement, except Grumpy. They argue a bit about it when, from Greg’s phone, comes nerdy proof that this Stranger does know other human beings who will indeed miss him if he disappears into the ether. In another black and white flashback, Dr. Frankenstein has a visitor. His visitor his not black and white, however – he’s shiny gold and dressed in red and introduces himself as Rumpel Von Stiltskin. He’s curious about this magic they call “science” and offers him piles of gold coins in exchange for his knowledge.

Gold is back in his shop, sulking around, holding Chip and remembering the good old days when he held Belle hostage. Suddenly, Cora appears. She wants a trade – a child for a child, Regina for Baelfire. For proof she can help him, she offers up something that is part crystal ball, part globe and whatever it is makes Gold smile his mischievous smile and make it a deal.

Cora then calls him “master,” and while I gag and avert my eyes as they seal their truce with a kiss, I wonder which bad guys on this show WEREN’T the direct result of Rumpelstiltskin’s evil schemes.

Since Team Charming had officially decided that Stranger Greg should live, they go to check on Dr. Whale’s progress, but they can’t seem to find him – just his pager in the trash.

Charming fills Emma and Mary Margaret in on what Whale had been up to in their absence – the whole bringing Daniel back from the dead, getting his arm ripped off, etc. Emma has gotten better about finding out her casual pop-culture references are actual real people, though she does now worry that they’ll be sending back the Stranger with bolts in his neck. She makes Ruby sniff Whale’s coat (ew) and sends her off to find him.

Back in Mayor Regina’s abandoned house, Cora is rifling through her room, sniffing things (which is really only okay when Ruby does it) and comes across something Henry made for Regina once. She gets that light-bulb look that makes me nervous and suddenly we’re watching Henry walk directly towards Regina’s Tomb of Hearts, all by himself. Seems suspicious.

Henry wanders around, calling out to Regina, while Regina watches from her gorgeously creepy room of mirrors and mannequins. Soon after she invites him in, however, she discovers it’s really Cora. She swears she loves her and that she regrets forcing her to marry the king. She brings up the time Regina cried over her coffin as a turning point for her, but she never apologized for killing Daniel right in front of her, so I’m not inclined to believe her. I think Cora is trying really hard to emulate genuine remorse, but I don’t think she’s capable of actually feeling it.

Regina says that the only way they have a chance of fixing their relationship is if Cora tells the truth about Jiminy, and Cora agrees. Regina doesn’t care that it’s the middle of the night – she wants to talk to Emma immediately. I’m not kidding. This isn’t me and my lesbian-colored glasses (this time). Cora asks her where she’s going and she literally says, with a tear in her eye, that she’s going to find “Emma. And Henry. And the Two Idiots.” Out on the docks, Ruby has used that pretty little nose of hers to track down Whale. She uses her super-speed to stop him from jumping into the lake and then uses her super-words to calm him down. He points out the real-life fact that everyone thinks Frankenstein is the monster, not the scientist, and that maybe they’re right because, like magic, science has its price. Ruby doesn’t stand for pity and is like, “You raised your brother from the dead and he killed your father? Pssh. I literally ate my boyfriend. Ate him right up. Like he was one of Granny’s apple pies.” She tells him that they have the chance to start over and that they should take it and I swoon all over the place as Ruby quietly saves the day. Finally emerged from her underground lair, Regina is driving Cora to confess her sins. Cora spews more manipulative stories and I really hope that Regina is just playing along and sees all of this for what it is. I truly feel like she must – in a student surpasses the teacher kind of way.

In Black and White World, Frankenstein is attacked by his zombie brother, who he is keeping in a cell. Just like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Viktor’s brother can’t control himself and fears his own strength. The good doctor attempts to put him out of his misery – but he can’t do it. He’s determined to save him.

Whether or not he’s able to save his brother is left to be determined, but in present-day Storybrooke, Dr. Whale has saved Greg’s life. Relieved, the group wants to storm in as Team Charming, like they always do, but Emma is the only one with real-world experience, so she knows it’s best not to scare poor Greg.

Gold returns to Belle’s side with Chip. He tries to get Belle to remember who she once was, but she is truly terrified of this creepy man. Then, in what may be the most horrific thing that has happened on this show to date – BELLE MURDERED CHIP! Just threw her little companion clear across the room! He shattered to pieces. He may have been inanimate in this story, but somewhere deep inside, a five-year-old me wept. Gold goes back to his shop and uses his new toy to play a quick game of “Where in the World is Baelfire San Diego?”. Armed with knowledge, he storms off to Casa Charming, where the big, happy family is chatting about Whale – Snow pulling a Ross again and exclaiming “We were cursed!” in defense of her sleeping with him. Rumple is there to cash in on the favor Emma owes him and is taking her with him on his hunt for his son.

At the hospital, after Emma does her awkward, not-obvious-at-all Sheriff impersonation, Greg gets off with a warning for texting and driving, but is free to go as soon as the doctor clears him. But as soon as she leaves, Greg calls someone in his phone labeled just “Her” and says he saw something she wouldn’t believe. DAMMIT GREG. And knowing Greg, he’s probably the type that always dreamed he’d be the one to find out something supernatural was real, which means he’s about to bring a heap of trouble to Storybrooke.

Here are a few of our favorite #SwanQueen tweets this week!

And just as a reminder that evil is real, Once Upon A Time isn’t going to be on for three more weeks… So hash out your feels in the comments! Let us know what you thought of this week’s episode, and what your hopes and dreams are for the rest of the season!

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button