Quite a Common Fairy

"Quite a Common Fairy" is the third episode of Season Three of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Jane Espenson and directed by Alex Zakrzewksi. It is the forty-seventh episode of the series overall, and premiered on October 13, 2013.

Synopsis
In their continuing quest to find Peter Pan's hideout and save Henry, Hook suggests tracking down Tinker Bell in the hope that she will lead them straight to his camp. Pan reveals to Henry why he has brought him to Neverland and in the Enchanted Forest, Neal has a plan that could transport him to Emma, but it would involve using one of Robin Hood's most precious possessions. Meanwhile, in the Fairy Tale Land that was, Tinker Bell offers to help Regina improve her life.

Recap
In Neverland, Mary Margaret, David, Regina, Emma, and Hook continue on their search for Henry. Emma now has a map to lead them to Peter Pan's camp, but she notices the location changes as Pan is moving his camp to throw the group off.

Meanwhile elsewhere in Neverland, Pan wakes a sleeping Henry. Pan wants Henry to play a game he calls "target practice".

In the Enchanted Forest, Mulan and Robin Hood look on as Neal rummages through the Dark Castle trying to find something that will enable him to travel to Neverland. Little John soon arrives along with Robin Hood's son Roland. Upon seeing Roland, Neal figures out a way to get to Neverland.

The group in Neverland looks over the map attempting to figure out a way to get to Pan and Henry. A frustrated Regina once again suggests she use magic to teleport them to Pan's camp instead of walking. Hook believes that Pan will have shields up against magic so attempting to teleport there will result in their deaths. Instead Hook proposes that they uses someone Pan trusts to get close to him, namely a fairy that lives on the island named Tinker Bell. Regina dislikes the idea, claiming that Tinker Bell will not be able to save them.

In the past in the Enchanted Forest, the Queen dines on a lonely feast as her husband and step-daughter are away travelling. She is visited by Rumplestiltskin, who is there to reprimand her for missing her magic lessons. She tells him that she is unsure of continuing her magic lessons as she does not want a future like her masters. The Queen also complains she lives like a prisoner in the castle. The Dark One tells her there is no stopping her magic lessons now that she has begun and she should just embrace the darkness. Feeling angry, the Queen goes to her chamber's balcony and takes her anger out on the fence. She loses her balance and falls. Just before she hits the ground, Regina is stopped by a fairy. The fairy tells Regina she is giving her a second chance. Using magic the fairy levitates the Queen back up into her Chambers and tells the Queen her name is Tinker Bell.

Starring

 * Ginnifer Goodwin as Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan
 * Lana Parrilla as Evil Queen/Regina Mills
 * Josh Dallas as David Nolan
 * Emilie de Ravin (Credit only)
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook
 * Michael Raymond-James as Neal Cassidy
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin

Guest Starring

 * Sarah Bolger as Aurora
 * Jamie Chung as Mulan
 * Robbie Kay as Peter Pan
 * Sean Maguire as Robin Hood
 * Rose McIver as Tinker Bell
 * Keegan Connor Tracy as Blue Fairy

Co-Starring

 * Raphael Alejandro as Roland
 * Jason Burkart as Little John
 * Parker Croft as Felix
 * Dominic Downer as knight

Uncredited

 * The Shadow (CGI)

Quotes
Evil Queen: My happy ending looks like Snow's head on a plate.

Tinker Bell: Did you ever go back and find him? The man with the lion tattoo?

Regina: No.

Tinker Bell: Unreal. Do you know how selfish that is?

Regina: It's a lot of things. But how was it selfish?

Tinker Bell: Because you didn't just ruin your life. You ruined his.

Production Notes

 * The title card features Tinker Bell.

Event Chronology

 * The past Enchanted Forest events occur after "The Doctor" and before "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree".
 * The present day Enchanted Forest events take place after "The Heart of the Truest Believer".
 * The Neverland events occur after "Lost Girl" and before "Nasty Habits".

Episode Connections

 * Neal's knowledge of The Shadow is gained in "Second Star to the Right".
 * The drawing of Henry Mills was first seen in "And Straight On 'Til Morning".

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode is a rendition of the Peter Pan story, focusing on the appearance of Tinker Bell.
 * Also included are Peter Pan, Captain Hook, the Lost Boys and the shadow from the same story.
 * This episode features the Evil Queen from the Snow White fairytale, Rumplestiltskin from the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale, Princess Aurora from the Sleeping Beauty fairytale, Little John and Robin Hood from the Robin Hood ballad as well as Mulan from the Mulan legend.
 * When offered a place as the first woman among the Merry Men, Mulan tells Robin Hood that she has been in that position before, referring to her past as a woman in the army.
 * Emma shows recognition of Tinker Bell's name from the story of Peter Pan.
 * Neal's mention of ruby slippers and Tinker Bell's use of poppy dust are references to the tale of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.