The Return

The Return is the nineteenth episode of the ABC television series Once Upon a Time. It is the nineteenth episode overall, and first aired on April 22, 2012.

Synopsis
Mr. Gold attempts to uncover the true identity of August Booth, Emma Swan confronts Regina Mills about her involvement in Kathryn Nolan’s disappearance, and David Nolan tries to reconcile with Mary Margaret Blanchard. Meanwhile, in the fairytale land, Rumplestiltskin agrees to do whatever it takes for his son Baelfire, if he can find a way to safely give up his powers and return to being the loving man he used to be.

Recap
In Storybrooke, August wakes up experiencing some sort of pain. He falls from his bed and hobbles over to the phone. He dials the rotary phone in his room and speaks to an unknown person. He says they need to move the plan along faster.

Later, August sends Henry into Mr. Gold's shop. Henry asks for a gift for Mary Margaret Blanchard and says he thinks she would like a bell. This gives August time to sneak in through the back door, but Mr. Gold catches him. August backpedals by claiming he is looking for maps, and Mr. Gold directs him to the front of the shop.

Emma goes to see Kathryn who is in the hospital. Kathryn says she doesn't really remember anything but a few events such as being in the car crash, being surrounded by darkness in a basement, food and drink appearing for her, and she assumes she was drugged. Dr. Whale confirms they are trying to detoxify her of the drugs. Emma tells Kathryn that everyone believed she was dead because the heart in Mary Margaret's jewelry box matched Kathryn's DNA.

Regina is upset about Mr. Gold breaking their deal. He claims he never broke it as "something tragic" did happen to Kathryn. Holding a ball, Mr. Gold reveals that he has broken only one deal in his life, and it wasn't this one. Regina realizes that Mr. Gold set her up and that all the evidence such as the forged DNA test will trace back to her. Regina questions why he made the curse in the first place, and he tells her to figure it out.

In Fairytale Land, Baelfire is playing with the ball we saw Mr. Gold holding in his shop. He chases the ball and nearly gets run over by a cart. The driver confronts him but stops once he realizes who Baelfire is. Rumplestiltskin shows up, frightening the driver. Baelfire calms his father down, but after seeing a cut on Baelfire's knee, Rumplestiltskin turns the man into a snail then crushes him despite Baelfire's pleas.

In Storybrooke, David visits Kathryn and tries to kiss her forehead while she is sleeping but instead startles her. He apologizes for lying and cheating. Kathryn tells David that their relationship was not meant to be and says it wasn't his fault that he was just the first one to recognize it.

Back at Mary Margaret's house, there is a party for her, celebrating her freedom from her legal entanglement. Henry asks August if he found what he was looking for. Although his search was unsuccessful, he believes "it" will find him. David shows up at the door but Mary Margaret signals for Emma to turn him away. Emma tells David to walk Henry home. Emma asks Mr. Gold if he had anything to do with Kathryn's "magical" return, but he changes the subject and asks about August.

In the fairy tale land, Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire return home where tries to heal his son's knee with magic, but Baelfire refuses. Instead, he asks his father if he can get rid of his power. Rumplestiltskin shows Baelfire the dagger he already knows about and explains his powers can disappear only if someone kills him with it. Baelfire asks if he would give up the power if he found a way because he wants his father to return to his old self. Realizing how much he wants his son to be happy, they strike a deal in which if Baelfire can find a way to get rid of Rumplestiltskin's powers, he will give it up for his son's sake.

In Storybrooke, Mr. Gold breaks into August's room and finds a drawing of the dagger with Rumplestiltskin's name on it. Emma meets with Sidney, and she confronts him about the bug he used to spy on her to aid Regina. Emma accuses him of being in love with Regina, which would explain his loyalty to her. She gives him an ultimatum--he can either free himself from trouble by helping her or go down with Regina. Later, Mr. Gold watches August speed off on his motorcycle and follows him behind in his car.

Meanwhile in Fairytale Land, Rumplestiltskin leaves Baelfire to play with some kids, but they all run away. Morraine sits down with Baelfire and says that she is not afraid of him. They talk about Rumplestiltskin's power and how to get rid of it. She suggests he call upon the "Reul Ghorm" she has heard about because her magic is more powerful than his father's. Morraine leaves when Rumplestiltskin returns a moment later. Baelfire notices blood on his boots. Rumplestiltskin admits to killing their maid because she had previously seen the dagger. This outrages Baelfire, who protests she was a mute woman and would have not been able to tell anyone about it. Rumplestiltskin replies that even mutes can draw a picture.

In Storybrooke, August visits the convent to speak with Mother Superior. After August leaves, Mr. Gold confronts her about their conversation. She tells him he is in town looking for his father, but they have not spoken yet.

In the fairy tale land, Baelfire summons Reul Ghorm in the woods. The blue fairy appears and offers him her assistance. He explains his situation, and she says that she can't change Rumplestiltskin back, but she can send him to a place without magic. She gives Baelfire a magic bean that will save them both.

In Storybrooke, David tries to talk to Mary Margaret on the street and apologizes for his actions. She expresses her disappointment in his lack of belief in her innocence and says that they can't move forward. She believes there is something keeping them apart and doesn't want the bad moments to erase the good ones. David proclaims his love for her, but she says that his love is exactly what makes the whole situation so sad.

In the fairy tale land, Rumplestiltskin spins gold in his home when Baelfire returns and tells him about the bean. He asks if he has heard of Reul Ghorm whom he recognizes as the Blue Fairy. Rumplestiltskin says that fairy magic doesn't mix with his magic. Baelfire reminds him of their deal and says that he isn't backing out.

In Storybrooke, Mr. Gold goes to see Mr. Hopper, much to his surprise. He tells Hopper about his son and isn't sure if he has actually met him yet. Mr. Gold admits his son still may be angry with him and wonders if he has come to kill him. Mr. Hopper tells him to be honest with his son and ask for forgiveness. August is out by Mr. Gold's, and the two meet. Mr. Gold says he knows who he is to which August replies that the lying can stop and calls him "Papa."

In the fairy tale world, Rumplestiltskin has second thoughts about living in a world without magic. Baelfire throws the bean, and a portal opens. Rumplestiltskin backs out of their deal. He tries to keep Baelfire from getting sucked into the portal and uses his dagger as an anchor, but in the end, he lets go of his son. Baelfire calls him a coward before disappearing. Realizing his mistake, he tries to dig into the ground to get to him with no luck.

Back in Storybrooke, Mr. Gold apologizes to August and confesses that he never should have let him go. He tells August he has been looking for him ever since and asks him to be the bigger man and forgive him. The two embrace, and August sobs that he forgives him. Mr. Gold tells him he buried the dagger so Regina wouldn't find out. He offers it to August saying that he doesn't need it anymore. August takes the knife but points it toward Mr. Gold and tries to use an incantation against him. Mr. Gold is livid at the betrayal and realizes this person is not his son.

Mr. Gold questions August and recognizes he is from Fairytale Land. August says that a little fairy told him about the dagger and who Mr. Gold really is. Mr. Gold threatens to kill August. Pinned against a tree by Mr. Gold, August tells him he is sick and needs magic. He is trying to get Emma to believe in magic, but he fears he doesn't have enough time. Mr. Gold allows August to live, scoffing that either way, he will eventually die.

In the fairy tale world, Rumplestiltskin is still in the woods when he calls for the Blue Fairy. When she arrives, he asks if there is another way to get to the world Baelfire is in. He mentions a curse which the Blue Fairy acknowledges, but she tells him he cannot pull it off because the price is higher than he can imagine. However, he vows to find a way. He blames her for taking away his son, but she tells him that he drove Baelfire away himself.

In Storybrooke, Regina meets Emma at the sheriff's station under the pretense of giving her a confession. Then she calls Sidney in, who goes into detail about everything because he had hoped he would get his job back by kidnapping Kathryn. Emma doesn't buy his confession and asks to speak with Regina privately in the hallway. She is furious Regina is having someone else take the fall for her actions. Emma says that Regina tried to take away a person she loves, so now she will take away someone Regina loves. She vows to get her son, Henry, back.

Appearances

 * Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Emma Swan
 * Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold
 * Regina Mills
 * David Nolan
 * Archie Hopper
 * August Booth
 * Henry Mills
 * Ruby
 * Ruby's Grandmother
 * Baelfire
 * Honora (the mute maid)
 * Dr. Whale
 * Mr. Clark
 * Bashful's Counterpart
 * Happy's Counterpart
 * Kathryn Nolan
 * Blue Fairy/Mother Superior
 * Sidney Glass
 * Morraine

Trivia

 * Behind the opening title, August is driving a motorcycle through the woods.
 * Rumplestiltskin's creation of the Dark Curse is shown to be fueled by his desire to find Baelfire. Getting Regina to enact the curse was part of his plan to go to "A Land Without Magic" in hopes of finding his son.
 * Rumplestiltskin's hatred of fairies stems from the blame he holds on the Blue Fairy for giving Baelfire the magic bean that separated them.
 * Curiously, when Baelfire first summons the Blue Fairy, she neglects to tell him that "true love's kiss" would cure his father's curse, as it was shown to do in Skin Deep. This may be because she believes Rumplestiltskin to be irredeemable due to his evil deeds or else unworthy of understanding "true love's" power.
 * August is revealed to be dying from an illness and is actually from Fairytale Land.
 * Bashful and Happy's counterparts are finally seen in Storybrooke during a party at Mary Margaret Blanchard's place.
 * Reul Ghorm is Scottish Gaelic for "blue star" which is also the name of the Blue Fairy in the 1940 film version of Pinocchio by Walt Disney.
 * The magic bean the Blue Fairy gave Baelfire might be a reference to Jack and the Beanstalk .
 * It is revealed that the object Mr. Gold buried in the woods in The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter is the Dark One's dagger, which he hid for safekeeping when he learned that Emma had arrived in Storybrooke.
 * Mr. Gold mentions to Regina that he has broken only one deal in his life which turns out to be the one he struck with his son Baelfire in Fairytale Land.
 * While dealing with Regina in his pawnshop, Mr. Gold is shown to be holding the very same ball Baelfire was seen playing with in the Fairytale Land flashback.
 * Though the episode implys that it was part of his deception it is revealed in The Stranger that August's conversation with Mother Superior about reconciling with his father was actually true.

1x19 The Return The Return The Return