Heart of Gold

"Heart of Gold" is the seventeenth episode of Season Four of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Tze Chun & Scott Nimerfro, and directed by Billy Gierhart. It is the eighty-third episode of the series overall, and premiered on April 12, 2015.

Synopsis
Emma is still reeling after learning the truth of her parents' history with Maleficent, but she must focus on finding the Author, who is running loose in Storybrooke, before Gold does. When Gold's quest for his happy ending grows more urgent, he blackmails Regina into helping him. In a Fairy Tale Land flashback, Robin Hood learns what it means to be an honorable thief when he accepts a proposition by Rumplestiltskin to travel to Oz to steal a valuable magic elixir from the Wicked Witch.

Recap
Regina wakes up and discovers Rumple is holding her hostage. He says she will do whatever he wants. She asks what happened to Robin, and he hands her a phone telling her to call him herself. Nine weeks ago, Regina says goodbye to Robin and sends them away. Arrving in New York, they are unsure. Robin mentions they have keys to Rumple's son's apartment. Marian mentions that he was also from the Enchanted Forest and survived there for many years so they can too. They are trying to adjust to life in the city when Rumplestitlskin opens the door and asks what they are doing there. After verbally arguing, Rumple clutches his chest and falls to the ground. At the hospital, Rumple tells Robin that all his dark deeds poisoned his heart. He was able to use magic to protect himself but without it in this land he will die. He tells Robin because he has a code that he must go and retrieve some of the elixir of a wounded heart which he was sent to get in Oz in the past. Robin breaks into Walsh's furniture shop and steals it; he gets away just as the police arrive. He brings it to Rumple and tells him the apartment is his and he never wants to see him again. Rumple drinks it but says it isn't working. Marian comes in and tells him it's because it isn't the magic elixir. Rumple asks her why she switched it as he did nothing to her. "Well that's not exactly true," she says. She pulls out a necklace which glows green and reveals it is Zelena. Rumple asks how it is possible since he killed her. She explains that her life force left her body before hand and she went through the portal with Emma and Hook. She killed Marian and assumed her form to come back and steal Regina's happy ending. Rumple's heart fails and they resuscitate him. Zelena tells him she will give him the elixir if he finds the author, forces him to write her a happy ending and stops trying to kill her. He reluctantly agrees. Nine weeks later, in Storybrooke, Rumple finds the author, shows him a magic quill and convinces him to come with him. Regina calls Robin's phone and discovers Zelena is alive and acting as Robin's wife. Rumple tells her if she doesn't help him turn Emma dark he will call Zelena and tell her to kill Robin.

In the Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood owns and operates a tavern. Little John wants him to return to thieving with him but he explains that is no longer who he is after marrying Marian. The Sheriff of Nottingham enters and tells him his taxes are overdue. He says he will give Robin Hood two days or he will shut down the tavern and put Robin in jail. The Dark One enters later and tells Robin if he goes to Oz and steals the Elixir of a Wounded Heart, which can cure hearts physically and emotionally, he will take care of his tax problems. Robin enters through a door to Oz and meets Will Scarlet, who is tied up on the road. He releases him and Will tells Robin if he brings back some of the Elixir for him he will keep his mouth shut and not tell the guard. Robin Hood agrees and dresses as an Ozian guard. In the Emerald City, Robin is trying to find the elixir in the vault. He also finds a set of ornaments bearing a six-leaf clover and steals one, then puts some of the elixir in a vial and is finishing filling another vial when he hears a voice say "What are you doing?" He looks in the mirror and sees the Wicked Witch. He tries to hail her but she knows he is not a guard because he spoke to her, and they are not supposed to; Robin then spots a nearby bow with set of arrows and takes them, trying to take the Wicked Witch hostage, only to find that she's cast an illusionary spell and now there's three of them. She asks him why Rumplestiltskin sent him because she knows he is the only one bold enough to steal from her. She throws a fireball at him and he shoots an arrow towards a pillar and smoke hisses out. While she is coughing in the fog, he escapes. Back at the door, he lies and tells Will it was a trap and he got none of the elixir. Will explains he wanted it for him because his sister died and he wanted the hurt to go away. He tells Robin his wife will understand. Robin goes through the door and Will walks away. Will discovers Robin left the vile of the elixir in his pocket. The Sheriff comes to arrest Robin Hood but Robin's men prevent that from happening. Robin explains he understands being a thief with honor is to steal from those who have too much and give to those who have too little and he takes the Sheriff's bag of gold pieces.

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 (Credit only)
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Michael Socha as Will Scarlet
 * Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * Patrick Fischler as The Author
 * Christie Laing as Maid Marian
 * Rebecca Mader as the Wicked Witch/Zelena
 * Sean Maguire as Robin Hood/Robin Hood
 * Wil Traval as Sheriff of Nottingham

Co-Starring

 * Raphael Alejandro as Roland
 * Jason Burkart as Little John
 * Jennifer Cheon as Nurse
 * Leif Havdale as Purse Snatcher
 * Paul Kloegman as Carriage Driver
 * Tristan Shire as Oz Guard (Press release only)

Trivia
Production Notes=
 * The title card features the Emerald City.
 * During a concept meeting, the production team was described as "aflutter" because of something "outrageous" in the script.
 * The streets of New York City were filmed on West Hasting Street, Victory Square and Gastown in Vancouver, where production for Once Upon a Time is based.
 * Vancouver Community College doubles as the Lady of Providence Medical Center for exterior shots.
 * The empty Pappas Furs building on the west side of Victory Square doubles as The Wizard of Oak furniture shop.
 * The container with the Elixir of the Wounded Heart, is engraved with the words "cor aut mors", Latin for "heart or death".
 * According to Sean Maguire, he did not know Marian was going to be revealed as Zelena until the show runners told him.
 * -|Episode Connections=

Event Chronology

 * The main Enchanted Forest events take place before "Lacey", "Forget Me Not", and "Heart of Stone ".
 * The Enchanted Forest flashback scene where the Wicked Witch of the West steals Marian's identity, takes place between scenes in "There's No Place Like Home".
 * The Oz events take place after "Kansas".
 * The Land Without Magic flashback take place shortly after Robin Hood and his family leaves Storybrooke in "Heroes and Villains" and before the epilogue where Mr. Gold recruits Ursula.
 * The present day Storybrooke events take place after "Best Laid Plans".


 * -|Cultural References=

Disney

 * In The Wizard of Oak furniture shop, there is a set of Mickey Mouse ears cast in steel, inside a drawer.

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode is a rendition of the Robin Hood ballad, with Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Will Scarlet, Little John, and the Sheriff.
 * Also featured is Rumplestiltskin from the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale, and the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wonderful Wizard of Oz story.
 * The Wizard of Oak furniture shop is a reference to the titular character from the novel.
 * When Robin enters Oz, the magic portal lands on the guard, and his feet are sticking out, just like the Wicked Witch of the East from the novel.
 * The six-leaved clover is from L. Frank Baum's children's novel The Patchwork Girl of Oz.

Popular Culture

 * As the episode transitions to New York, someone can be heard shouting, "I'm walkin' here, I'm walkin' here!"; an homage to the famous quote from the 1969 drama film Midnight Cowboy.
 * While Robin Hood is waiting for Mr. Gold outside the hospital, an advertisement for the Broadway production of Aladdin can be seen in the background.