It's Not Easy Being Green

"It's Not Easy Being Green" is the sixteenth episode of Season Three of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Andrew Chambliss and directed by Mario Van Peebles. It is the sixtieth episode of the series overall, and premiered on April 6, 2014.

Synopsis
With Rumplestiltskin as her slave, Zelena challenges Regina to a fight to the death and shocks the Evil Queen with the reveal of their familial connection, and the town lays Neal to rest. Meanwhile, back in the past in the land of Oz, a jealous Zelena asks the Wizard to send her to Enchanted Forest after discovering that she has a sister, Regina, and that Rumplestiltskin is training her to become a powerful force to be reckoned with.

Recap
Years ago, a woodcutter and his wife are walking in the woods when suddenly a tornado manifests; dropping a basket containing a beautiful baby girl. The man is hesitant, but his wife accepts the baby readily. While the woman remains unaware, her husband witnesses the infant use magic to move aside a falling tree. The woman names the child Zelena and raises her as their own daughter in Oz.

In Storybrooke, Emma, Henry, Hook, and other townspeople quietly take turns shoveling dirt onto Neal's coffin.

In Zelena's cellar, Mr. Gold mourns for his son while Zelena cruelly taunts him over his death. Mr. Gold retorts that she knows nothing about family.

Many years after Zelena's adoption in Oz, Zelena is shaving her father's facial hair when she accidentally cuts him. Apologetically, she conjures a wiping rag for him, though her use of magic only frighten and angers him. He furiously calls her "wicked" for using witchcraft; driving Zelena to tears, who reasons she can't help her magic use. Abruptly, her adoptive father reveals she is not his biological daughter and recalls how he and her deceased adoptive mother found her as an infant. Hurt by her father's words, she leaves home to see the Wizard of Oz. In the Wizard's audience room, Zelena asks to know about her past. Zelena is shown the day her birth mother, Cora, abandoned her because she wished to gain royal status, and that was something her first-born child could not give her. At first, upon learning she has a half-sister, Regina, Zelena is happy. However, she is troubled that unlike herself, Regina was able to marry into royalty and fulfill Cora's desires. In one image, Zelena sees Regina being taught magic by Rumplestiltskin and becomes angered that he is teaching her sister and not herself.

Starring

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

Guest Starring

 * Beverley Elliott as Granny
 * Christopher Gorham as Walsh
 * Rebecca Mader as Wicked Witch of the West/Zelena
 * Sean Maguire as Robin Hood
 * Keegan Connor Tracy as Mother Superior
 * Adrian Hough as Woodcutter
 * Rose McIver as Tinker Bell

Co-Starring

 * Jack Di Blasio as Lost Boy #1
 * David-Paul Grove as Doc
 * Gabe Khouth as Mr. Clark
 * Maria Marlow as Woodcutter's Wife

Uncredited

 * CGI Flying Monkey
 * Rose McGowan as Cora*
 * Unknown baby as Wicked Witch of the West

Quotes
The Wizard: Be careful: It is one thing to wonder about your past but another to become envious of things you cannot have.

Production Notes

 * The title card features the Wizard's four geysers of fire.
 * The silver slippers are Peter Fox Georgina Bridal Shoes with added glitter (no longer available).
 * According to the poster, Walsh's circus is called The Omaha Circus and Freak Show. The freak show acts listed are the Feejee mermaid, the Bottle Imp, the Dog Faced Boy, the bearded lady and the Flying Monkeys.

Event Chronology

 * The Enchanted Forest flashbacks occur after "We Are Both" and before "The Doctor". The quick flashback of Cora abandoning her first-born child takes place during "Bleeding Through", sometime after "That Still Small Voice" and before "The Miller's Daughter".
 * The Land Without Magic events occur after "Quiet Minds" and before "The Jolly Roger".
 * The Oz flashbacks occur before "The Doctor".

Episode Connections

 * Zelena mentions Mr. Gold spending twenty-eight years waiting for the Dark Curse to be broken; referring to events in "A Land Without Magic".
 * Emma's dart skills have vastly improved since the last time she used them in "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter".
 * Hook tells Emma that vengeance isn't going to make her feel better, alluding to to his own quest for revenge on Rumplestiltskin, a storyline which began in "The Crocodile", and concluded in "And Straight On 'Til Morning".
 * Emma mentions that Neal left her in jail, which occurred in "Tallahassee".
 * Tinker Bell and Regina talk about to the events of "Quite a Common Fairy", in which she attempted to help Regina find her soul mate.
 * Granny's special lasagna is also referred to in "Child of the Moon", "Tiny", "Lacey" and "The New Neverland".
 * Hook tells Henry about the time he spent with young Baelfire, an event which took place in "And Straight On 'Til Morning".
 * The circumstances of Zelena's birth and why Cora gave up her is revealed in "Bleeding Through".
 * Rumplestiltskin first began to teach Regina to use magic in "We Are Both".
 * The Dark Curse that Rumplestiltskin created was cast in "The Thing You Love Most".
 * Rumplestiltskin mentions being abandoned by his father, which is shown in "Think Lovely Thoughts".
 * Zelena's motivation for wanting to steal Regina's heart is revealed in "Bleeding Through".
 * Regina recalls Zelena stealing David's courage, which occurred in "The Tower".
 * How Hook gained the sextant is shown in "Good Form".
 * Hook mentions Baelfire losing his father, an event which took place in "The Return".
 * What became of the magic slippers is revealed in "Kansas", and is referred to in "The Doctor".
 * The origin of the puppets in Rumplestiltskin's castle is explored in "That Still Small Voice".
 * During the fight between Regina and Zelena, Regina lands on Doc's car, damaging it. Doc's car was damaged before during Anton's rampage in "Tiny" and the damage was bemoaned in "Dark Hollow".
 * Henry hopes that Hook will take him sailing again sometime, which Hook does in "Breaking Glass".

Cultural References

 * During the witch fight, Regina lands on top of Doc's Mazda MX-5 Miata car.
 * After Zelena fails to remove Regina's heart, Regina remarks that if their mother taught her one thing it was, "Never bring your heart to a witch fight." This is a reference to the popular saying, "Never bring a knife to a gun fight."

Disney

 * The Wizard's figure looks like James Franco's from Oz the Great and Powerful.
 * The title of the episode comes from a song by Kermit the Frog made famous on Sesame Street in the early 1970s.

Lost

 * Granny pours a customer a glass of MacCutcheon Scotch Whiskey, a brand featured on Lost.

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode is a rendition of the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story, focusing on the origins of the Wicked Witch of the West.
 * Also included are the Wizard and the Flying Monkeys from the same story.
 * This episode also features the Evil Queen from the Snow White fairy tale, Hook from the Peter Pan story as well as the Miller's Daughter and Rumplestiltskin from the Rumplestiltskin fairy tale
 * The silver slippers are from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
 * Zelena calls Mr. Clark a Munchkin.
 * According to the poster, Walsh's circus is called The Omaha Circus and Freak Show. In the novel, Omaha was the name of the Wizard's birthplace.
 * One of the freak show acts listed is The Bottle Imp; the name of a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Goofs

 * When Zelena is dressing up, she has green gloves on. When she puts the necklace on, the gloves are missing, but reappear when she catches the hat.