Heroes and Villains

"Heroes and Villains" is the eleventh episode of Season Four of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and directed by Ralph Hemecker. It is the seventy-seventh episode of the series overall, and premiered on December 14, 2014.

Synopsis
In the aftermath of the Snow Queen’s spell, our heroes try to pick up the pieces and Regina has to make a difficult choice. Hook’s fate hangs in the balance as Gold’s quest for power threatens everything he holds dear. And, in the Enchanted Forest flashback, an intrusion during Belle's stay at Rumplestiltskin's dark castle will wreak havoc in both the past and the future.

Starring

 * Ginnifer Goodwin as Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan
 * Lana Parrilla as Regina Mills
 * Josh Dallas as David Nolan
 * Emilie de Ravin as Belle/Belle French
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Michael Socha as Will Scarlet
 * Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * Kristin Bauer van Straten as Maleficent
 * Beverley Elliott (Credit only)
 * Merrin Dungey as Ursula
 * Scott Michael Foster as Kristoff
 * Georgina Haig as Elsa
 * Elizabeth Lail as Anna
 * Christie Laing as Marian
 * Sean Maguire as Robin Hood
 * Victoria Smurfit as Cruella De Vil

Co-Starring

 * Raphael Alejandro as Roland

Quotes
Regina: I'm not in the mood for a hope speech, Emma. Emma: You mistake me for my mother. Besides, you don't need a speech. You need a drinking buddy.

Ursula: So this is what a man who always wins looks like. Mr. Gold: I assure you, Ursula, my situation is only temporary. Ursula: Really? How you gonna fix that? Play the lotto?

Cruella: Whatever you're up to, it'll never work. The game is rigged. The villains never win. Why don't you join us? Perhaps we can change the game together. Rumplestiltskin: You severely underestimate me, dearie. I always win. And I win alone. I certainly don't need to join you "Queens of Darkness".

Marian: I see the way you two look at one another. And I understand. For me, it's only a short time that I've been away. But for him, years have passed. His heart moved on. He's in love with you, Regina. And I think that you're in love with him. Regina: Well, it doesn't really matter. He's a man of honor. He made a vow to you, and he's going to keep it. Marian: I don't want him to be with me out of obligation. I want to be chosen. If his heart leads him to me, fine. But if it does what I suspect and leads to you...I will step out of the way.

Production Notes

 * The title card features the portal door to Arendelle aspiring the snow fall.
 * The episode is named after The Beach Boys song of the same name.
 * Demon's Bluff is a real place in Anglesea, Australia. Angelsea lies in the state Victoria where the actress Emilie de Ravin was born.

Events Chronology

 * The Enchanted Forest events take place after "Lacey" and before Belle is banished from Rumplestiltskin's castle in "Skin Deep".
 * The Storybrooke events take place after "Shattered Sight".
 * The Arendelle events take place after "Fall".

Episode Connections

 * The story behind the marionettes in Rumplestiltskin's castle is told in "That Still Small Voice".
 * Sand dollars were last used to deliver messages in "Dark Hollow".

Disney

 * This episode features Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff from Frozen, as well as their homeland Arendelle.
 * The fact that Maleficent sends her message through a raven and later shapeshifts from a flock of ravens is a reference to the Disney film, where Maleficent owns a pet raven named Diablo.
 * Right before the wedding, Elsa says "What is that amazing smell?" and then she and Anna say "Chocolate" in unison, just like they do in the film Frozen.

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode features Rumplestiltskin from the "Rumpelstiltskin" fairytale and Belle from the "Beauty and the Beast" fairytale. It also features the Wicked Fairy from "Sleeping Beauty", the Sea Witch from "The Little Mermaid", Cruella De Vil from "The Hundred and One Dalmatians" and Captain Hook from the "Peter Pan" story.

Religious References

 * An angry Hook promises Mr. Gold that Mr. Gold's next life won't be so pleasant for him. Reincarnation is a shared element of various religious, spiritual and philosophical communities.
 * Still, Mr. Gold believes he doesn't need to care about Hook's promise, telling the pirate, "Given my immortality, you'll have quite the wait amongst the fire and brimstone". "Fire and brimstone" is a figurative expression of signs of God's wrath in the Bible.