It's Not Easy Being Green

"You're turning green, dearie. Envy will do that to you."

- Rumplestiltskin to Zelena

"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. Emma steps up to shovel some dirt and she stares at her necklace.

In Zelena's cellar, Mr. Gold mourns for his son while Zelena cruelly taunts him over his death, dagger in hand. She asked him if he was worth all the trouble. 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 frightens and angers him. He furiously calls her "wicked" for using witchcraft, driving Zelena to tears, reasoning 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, which 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 angry that he is teaching her sister and not herself.

Back in Storybrooke, Emma is throwing darts at Granny's as Hook tries to comfort her about Neal's death. Hook offers to talk to Henry and tell him stories about his father. Tinker Bell enters, sees Regina looking at the lion tattoo on Robin Hood, and realizes he is Regina's soulmate. Tinker Bell is confused and lectures Regina for not opening herself up to love, and that if she did her life wouldn't end up the way it did. Regina is offended and Tink gives up and walks away. Zelena storms in with the dark one's dagger. Emma tries to attack Zelena but Snow holds her back. David threatens Zelena to not come any closer and Zelena admits she is not here today for their baby but here to pay a visit to her little sister, Regina. Everyone is surprised and confused. Zelena reveals that Cora lied to Regina, that she is not the only child. Zelena demands that Regina meet her on Main Street at sundown. "And then What." Zelena replies that she will destroy the Evil Queen.

Hook is showing Henry his boat and Henry jokes that his mom is always pawning him off with people who have boats. Hook admits to Henry that he was friends with his father Neal when he was a boy. Henry asks what his father was like as a child. Hook invites him on board the ship and he can see for himself.

Back at Granny's everyone is trying to figure out why Zelena wants to kill Regina. They all argue disagreeing with each other when Regina leaves to try to find out what Zelena thinks Regina did to her.

In Oz, Zelena is walking through the castle to meet Oz. The guards quickly pull away their staffs. Oz knows Zelena came because she wants to find her family. Oz offers to help but tells her that it won't be easy. Oz shows Zelena that Cora left her and she was brought there by a cyclone. Zelena asks why Cora abandoned her and Oz tells her that it was because she couldnt give Cora the one thing she wanted, to become royalty. Oz shows Zelena that Regina is her sister and that she was able to give Cora what she wanted. Regina is a Queen and being trained by Rumplestiltskin to do magic. Zelena becomes envious that Rumplestiltskin should be teaching her magic and not Regina. Oz grants her a pair of shoes that she can click the heels three times to find Rumple, demanding she bring something back that belongs to Rumplestiltskin. Zelena clicks her heels three times and appears in Regina's castle. She is rummaging through her closet. Rumplestiltskin appears thinking it was Regina but finds Zelena instead. Zelena admits she is Cora's first born but Rumplestiltskin admits this is a surprise. He holds out a flask to find the truth and find that Zelena was not lying.

Back in Storybroooke, Regina and Snow are looking through her vault to find a letter. After reading the note, it is evident of what Zelena says is true. On Main Street, David, Emma, Snow, Tink and Belle gather to try to protect the town and realize Regina is missing. Belle offered to try and convince Rumpelstiltskin another way Regina is pretty clear she doesn't want help.

In the woods, Regina is looking over the letter she found when Robin Hood appears behind a tree. Robin Hood stole it out of her pocket and asks if he can read the letter. Regina doesn't stop him.

The letter was written by Rumple to Cora letting her know she has found her first born and that he thinks she is even more powerful than Cora. Regina admits to Robin Hood that she has seen the letter a million times before and found comfort in it but only now she realizes the letter wasn't about her. If Rumplestiltskin, the man who taught her everything she knows about magic, thinks Zelena is stronger than her, there is no way she can win the fight with Zelena.

In Oz, Rumple is teaching Zelena magic and she is to find Rumple by channeling her anger and emotions. She quickly loses control and finds Rumple blindfolded. But with anger, she must use happiness to control the magic. Zelena asks Rumple what he thinks about and reveals that it is the meat pie that the spinsters used to make him and let him have the first bite. It was the first bite that always made him forget. Zelena finds her moment of happiness and bakes Rumple a meat pie and asks to be the one to cast the spell. Rumple tells her no because in order to cast the spell, she has to give up something she loves and that thing is him, and he can't have her do that. So the job is Regina's and Zelena starts to turn green with envy. Zelena wants to know what it is that Regina can do that she can't. Rumple tells her she can get him to a place with no magic. Zelena remembers she has the shoes that Oz gave her that can take him wherever he wants to go. When Rumple tries to change his tune, she runs off and tells him it is too late. She will be back to get him.

In Storybrooke, Belle, Emma, David and Snow find Rumple in the cellar in Zelena's barn. Rumple tells her to leave because he is afraid of what Zelena will do to her. Rumple bursts out and threatens them to stay out of Zelena's way of destroying Regina or they will all pay. Hook is seen showing Henry how to use the sextant like he showed Baelfire. Henry only wants to learn about his dad.

Zelena goes to town and gets ready to battle Regina with Rumplestiltskin in tow. Regina shows up and demands to know what she ever did to Zelena. Zelena says her mistake was that she was born.

Rumplestiltskin is wasting his time on teaching her. Zelena wants Regina's heart and when she digs her hand in to try to take it, there is no heart because Regina remembered what her mother taught her, never to bring her heart to a fight, something she would know if Cora didn't abandon her. Zelena threatens she will take everything Regina ever had.

Emma, David and Snow show up and reveal to them that Zelena wants her heart, David's courage, and Gold's brain and they are ingredients for something.

Regina runs through the forest to find Robin Hood guarding her heart, but asks Robin Hood to hold on to it. Hook returns Henry to his mother and tells Emma that she needs to tell Henry about Neal.

Zelena locks Rumple back in the cell and he tells her that he would still pick Regina. Whatever spell she is casting won't change anything. She tells him she's not casting a spell but a second chance. Zelena goes back to see Oz to demand he bring her back to the past to the moment where her mother abandoned her. He tells her he can't do that; even his powers have limits. Zelena rips off his curtain to reveal that Oz is really Walsh and he was behind it. He tells her that the shoes are real even though he has no magic. He collects things that can do magic to carry on his charade. He tells her no magic is strong enugh to do what she wants. She then tells him she has no use for him. What she needs is someone to do whatever she wants without any question, like a circus animal, and turns him into a flying monkey.

In Oz, Zelena sees Rumple praising Regina as the best student he has ever had and Zelena vows to take it away and turns fully green.

"Force Fed"
Zelena forces Mr. Gold to eat using the dagger. While he eats his meat pie dinner, she exclaims that soon, he will obey her of his own volition rather than being forced to.

"Connected"
Trying to feel some connection with the father he no longer remembers, Henry tells Emma that being on the boat with Hook was the closest he's felt to his father. Emma then takes off her swan necklace and asks Henry if he wants to hear about how Neal gave it to her.

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 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

 * Rose McGowan as Cora*
 * Unknown baby as Zelena

Trivia
Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * The title card features the Wizard's four geysers of fire.
 * The title of this episode was announced by Adam Horowitz via his Twitter account on January 14, 2014.
 * During filming for the showdown scene with Lana Parrilla, Rebecca Mader was ill with bronchitis.
 * This is the third time that an episode ended with a flashback, after "The Doctor", and "New York City Serenade".


 * -|Episode Connections=

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 opening scene takes place several years before "Sisters". The rest of the Oz flashbacks, occur several years after "Sisters", and before "Kansas".

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 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", "The New Neverland", "Dreamcatcher" and "An Untold Story".
 * Zelena tells Regina and others: "My gift to you, is this sad sad day.", slightly different from the line that Evil Queen used at Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding, "My gift to you, is this happy happy day." in "Pilot".
 * Henry says to Hook that Emma always seems to put him off to friends that have boats when she's working on a case; referring to his fishing trip with Leroy in "Quiet Minds".
 * 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=

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.

Popular Culture

 * 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."
 * The Wicked Witch's envy dyes her skin; making her literally "green with envy".


 * -|Set Notes=

Props Notes

 * Rumplestiltskin's mirror is the same prop used for Zelena's mirror in "Our Decay" and "Ruby Slippers". The same prop is used for one of the mirrors in the World Behind the Mirror in "I'll Be Your Mirror". It is best seen in the shot where Regina says, "There is no way out", where the mirror can be seen behind her.

Set Dressing

 * According to the poster, Walsh's circus is called The Omaha Circus and Freak Show ("The Conjurer's Black Tent"). The freak show acts listed are the Feejee mermaid, the Bottle Imp ("living human head confined in a glass bottle"), the Dog Faced Boy, the bearded lady and the Flying Monkeys.
 * The Feejee mermaid was an object comprising the torso and head of a juvenile monkey sewn to the back half of a fish. During the 1800s, it was a common feature of sideshows, where it was presented as a version of a mermaid.
 * Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy was a famous Russian sideshow performer during the 1800s, who suffered from the medical condition hypertrichosis.
 * Bearded ladies (women with visible beard) have a rich history in the sideshows of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
 * "The Bottle Imp" is an 1891 short story by Robert Louis Stevenson. In it, the protagonist buys a bottle with an imp inside that grants wishes. However, the bottle is cursed; if the holder dies bearing it, their soul is forfeit to hell.

Costume Notes

 * The silver slippers are Peter Fox Georgina Bridal Shoes with added glitter (no longer available).
 * During Neal's funeral, Emma wears an Alexander McQueen Black/White Crochet Knit Cardigan (no longer available).
 * During the funeral, Regina wears a Contrast Sleeve V-Neck Dress by Victoria Beckham (no longer available).
 * Belle is wearing RED Valentino Uva Tweed Coat over an Alice + Olivia Houndstooth Top with Collar (no longer available). Note that the coat was hemmed and the middle button was removed by the costume department.
 * Belle also wears the coat in "Snow Drifts" and the Season Four episode "Sympathy for the De Vil".
 * Tinker Bell is wearing a Francis Leon Stevie Black And Stone Leather Jacket.


 * -|Goofs=

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.
 * When Regina is placing her heart in a bag after retrieving it from a hiding place in the woods with Robin Hood, the image is mirrored when the camera is focused on her during her line "she said I don't always realize what I have right in front of me". This can be seen as the parting in her hair changes from her left to her right and her lip scar is not visible.


 * -|Other Notes=

Filming Locations

 * The Storybrooke beach scene with Hook and Henry was filmed in Garry Point Park, a large 75 acre waterfront park located close to Steveston Village, which doubles as the town of Storybrooke on Once Upon a Time.