Kansas (Episode)

"Kansas" is the twentieth episode of Season Three of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Andrew Chambliss & Kalinda Vazquez and directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton. It is the sixty-fourth episode of the series overall, and premiered on May 4, 2014.

Synopsis
With Mary Margaret in labor and due to give birth at any moment, the residents of Storybrooke go on high alert in an attempt to ensure that Zelena doesn't try to steal her newborn baby for use in her ultimate game plan to turn back time and change her destiny -- while obliterating Regina's existence. Meanwhile, in the land of Oz of the past, Glinda tries to convince Zelena to fight her evil tendencies and join her and her sister witches as a protector of Oz. But the appearance of a young girl from Kansas could turn out to be her undoing.

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 as Belle
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Michael Raymond-James (Credit only)
 * Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * David Anders as Dr. Whale
 * Lee Arenberg as Leroy
 * Christopher Gorham as Walsh (Voice)
 * Rebecca Mader as the Wicked Witch of the West/Zelena
 * Sean Maguire as Robin Hood
 * Raphael Sbarge as Archie Hopper
 * Sunny Mabrey as Glinda
 * Matreya Scarrwener as Dorothy

Co-Starring

 * Jason Burkart as Little John
 * Karen Holness as the Witch of the North
 * Gabe Khouth as Mr. Clark
 * Sharon Taylor as the Witch of the East

Uncredited

 * CGI Flying Monkeys
 * Unknown baby as Neal Nolan

Quotes
Mr. Gold: Whether it works or not, is irrelevant, dearie. Because, no matter what you change of your past, one thing shall remain the same: Who you are. And that is a fate, you can never escape.

Zelena: Don't you see? Dorothy is meant to take my seat, which makes me the greatest evil.

Glinda: You don’t know, if that’s what the prophecy actually means. Remember what I said: Only you can shape your destiny. But, if you believe you’re evil, then that is what you’ll become.

Mr. Gold: She killed my son.

Regina Mills: How many lives have we taken trying to get what we want?

Mr. Gold: You can't be serious.

Regina: I am. Heroes don't kill.

Zelena: So, now you're a hero?

Regina: Today I am.

Regina: Evil isn’t born. It’s made. And so is good. If I were you, I’d consider creating a new destiny.

Production Notes

 * The title card features the Emerald City.
 * The design on Zelena's compass is the same as the witches' table in Oz except that the colors are different.
 * When Henry is looking at apartments, one of the classified ads says:

Apartment for rent Two bedroom, two bath, clocktower views, was a master woodworker in the Enchanted Forest so all cabinets are custom.


 * One of the apartments is described as "charming newly renovated". The ad says, "For enquiries please call Jeanne 604.264.1001 ext. 418". This is a real phone number, which belongs to Noble & Associates Realty Ltd, a property management company in Vancouver, British Columbia, where Once Upon a Time is filmed.
 * There is also an ad for a company called the "Royal Carpet Cleaning".
 * Another ad says:

SIGN, EMBROIDERY SCREENING and Sporting Goods business for sale in Storybrooke, owners are highly motivated $40,000 obo, can be seen on the web, call Jim at 555-0131.


 * Alchemical signs for the four elements are carved into the witches' table and the stone pillars. Each element represent one of the four witches:
 * Air (upward-pointing triangle, bisected by an horizontal line): The Witch of the North
 * Earth (downward-pointing triangle, bisected by a horizontal line): The Witch of the East
 * Fire (upward-pointing triangle): The Good Witch of the South
 * Water (downward-pointing triangle): Fittingly enough, the Wicked Witch of the West, and the seat that Dorothy Gale was offered.
 * The element of fire is associated with the south, and water is related to the west. Curiously, earth is connected to the north, and air is the element of the east —the exact opposite of what the two other witches represent. It is not known whether this was a mistake on the show-creators' part.
 * The inscriptions on the pillars behind the witches contain letters from the Theban alphabet, which is also known as the Witches' Alphabet. There are four sections, each with two pillars. The text translates as:
 * GUARDIAN OF THE SOUTHERN LANDS (upward-pointing triangle)
 * KEEPER OF THE WESTERN REALM (downward-pointing triangle)
 * PROTECTOR OF THE [image ends]
 * DEFE[obscured] OF THE [obscured]THERN [obscured]DS (presumably "defender of the northern lands")
 * The painting in Mary Margaret's hospital room is Morning Creekside by American artist Megan Lightell.
 * There is another copy of the painting in the hospital common room in "Tiny" and Belle's hospital room in "Lacey."

Event Chronology

 * The Oz events take place after "It's Not Easy Being Green" and around the same time as "The Doctor".
 * The quick Enchanted Forest flashbacks take place right before and during "The Doctor".
 * The Storybrooke events take place after "A Curious Thing" and before "Snow Drifts".

Episode Connections

 * Zelena states that spinning straw into gold helps Mr. Gold clear his mind, which is a claim he made in "Skin Deep".
 * Mary Margaret's fears about losing her infant son are due to events she experienced in "Pilot".
 * Emma references David's Dreamshade poisoning and how he kept it a secret from his loved ones, which occurred in "Lost Girl".
 * Henry has selected what he feels is the right apartment in "Snow Drifts".
 * When Zelena is spying on Regina, she sees a scene from "The Doctor".
 * Throughout the episode, Emma mentions her desire to return to life in New York City, which was first seen in "Going Home" and "New York City Serenade".
 * Hook's lips were cursed by Zelena in "The Jolly Roger".
 * Emma gets her magical powers back in "There's No Place Like Home".
 * David recalls his visit to Glinda, which occurred in "A Curious Thing".
 * Regina mentions how she lost her true love, Daniel, in "The Stable Boy".
 * Mr. Gold blames Zelena for his son's death, which was explored in "Quiet Minds".
 * Zelena came into possession of David's sword and Regina's heart in "The Tower" and "Bleeding Through".
 * The lights flicker when Mary Margaret gives birth to her child as they did when her daughter Emma gave birth to Henry in "The Heart of the Truest Believer".
 * Little John first became a flying monkey in "Witch Hunt".
 * Glinda mentions Zelena turning the Wizard of Oz into a monkey, which happened in "It's Not Easy Being Green".
 * Belle and Mr. Gold get married in "There's No Place Like Home".
 * Mr. Gold replaces the fake dagger that he gives to Belle, with the real version, in "A Tale of Two Sisters". However, he then changes his mind during the same episode.
 * Belle finds out about Mr. Gold's deception, and gets hold of the real dagger, in "Heroes and Villains". This episode also explores the consequences of Mr. Gold's actions.
 * Mr. Gold recalls the "follow-the-lady" game he learned from his father in "Think Lovely Thoughts".
 * Mr. Gold kills Zelena in the same manner he killed Henry in his dream in "Lacey".

Lost

 * When David is talking to Emma at the hospital, the sign on the wall says "suite 4". 4 is the first Lost number.

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode is a rendition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story, focusing on Dorothy's relationship with the Wicked Witch of the West.
 * Also included are the Good Witch of the South, Witch of the North, Witch of the East, the Wizard and the Flying Monkeys from the same story.
 * The episode also features Captain Hook from the Peter Pan story.

Popular culture

 * When Zelena is carrying the baby to her house, she hums the lullaby, "Hush, Little Baby".
 * Mr. Gold mentions that his father taught him a sleight of hand called "Follow the Lady"; a gambling card game of Spanish origin.