Poor Unfortunate Soul

"Poor Unfortunate Soul" is the fifteenth episode of Season Four of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Andrew Chambliss & Dana Horgan, and directed by Steve Pearlman. It is the eighty-second episode of the series overall, and premiered on March 22, 2015.

Synopsis
Hook leverages his complicated history with Ursula to find out what she knows about Gold’s endgame. Gold and the Queens of Darkness torture August for information about the Author as Emma, Mary Margaret and David race to find them. Regina grows concerned for Robin Hood’s safety while she struggles to maintain her cover with the villains. In a Fairy Tale Land flashback, when a restless young Ursula enlists Hook’s help to run away from home, she soon learns it isn’t wise to trust a pirate.

Recap
In the past, the Jolly Rogers is sailing to Neverland with another shipment for Pan. As Hook checks on the crew, they hear singing up ahead and fall under the spell. However, the singing stops and Hook realizes that they're about to flounder on the rocks. The pirate swings the ship away just in time and tells Smee that what they heard was the most dangerous creature in the sea: a mermaid.

On shore, a young Ursula watches the Jolly Rogers sail away. Her father Poseidon is furious that she let it go, and Ursula says that she wanted to use her voice to make people happy, not as a weapon. Poseidon reminds his daughter that her mother wanted to use her voice the same way but was killed for it, and insists that his wife would have wanted Ursula to avenge her death. Ursula insists that not all humans are bad and threatens to leave when Poseidon orders her to obey.

At Gold's cabin, Ursula is on the dock listening to a music player when Cruella calls her in. August insists that he doesn't remember where the Author is, and Regina suggests that they torture August using fire. He quickly breaks and says that in Hong Kong he met a mystic named the Dragon. The Dragon had been looking for the Author and died on the quest, but August took his research and brought it to Storybrooke with him. Gold goes to August's trailer to get the pages, and warns Regina that she still has to prove herself. As Regina tends to the fire, she uses the smoke to send a spell to the others.

Mary Margaret, David, Emma, and Hook are following the tracks of Cruella's car, and loses them when the rain wipes them out. A cloud of smoke from the fire flies up and this Mary Margaret, and Regina speaks through her, telling the others that August is fine and Gold is in Storybrooke with his powers restored. She warns that Gold has something bad planned and then ends the spell.

The group goes to the pawnshop and tells Belle that Gold has returned to Storybrooke. She tells them that she gave Hook the dagger, and Hook says that he never met with her. They realize that Gold magically disguised himself as Hook, and Hook tells them to save August while he finds out Gold's secret. When Emma wonders how he'll do it, the pirate explains that he will use his past with Ursula to restore her happy ending. When they wonder how he can do that, Hook admits that he's the one who took it from her in the first place.

At the cabin, Regina asks August about the storybook page. He knows Robin, and tells Regina that he remembers everything that happened to Pinocchio. Ursula notices something outside and goes to investigate, and finds Hook using a magical conch shell to summon her. She grabs him and Hook says that he's there to make a deal. He tells Ursula that she doesn't need to the Author to get what she wants, and offers to recover it for her. However, in return Hook wants to know what Gold is planning. After a moment, the Sea Witch agrees.

Hook finds Ursula singing at a tavern and buys her a drink. He thanks her for sparing his ship and Ursula explains that she stole a bracelet from her father's vault so that she can walk on land. She tells Hook that her father used to be happy until his pirate killed a wife. Now Ursula sings to keep her mother's memory alive. Hook admits that when he heard her sing, he forgot his century of vengeance against the Crocodile for the first time since he lost a loved one as well. When he wonders why she's singing in a tavern, Ursula explains that she's earning enough gold to travel to the Enchanted Forest. Hook volunteers to take her there for free and tells Ursula to meet him the next morning at the docks.

Hook leads Ursula to the docks and tells her that her happy ending is aboard the Jolly Roger. He needs her to open a portal to bring the ship through, giving her a piece of the rigging to focus on. Ursula hesitates, admitting that she hasn't been in the ocean since she was banished. She finally dips a tentacle into the harbor and opens the portal... and a bottle containing a shrunken Jolly Roger emerges.

When Hook leaves the tavern, two of Poseidon's men grab him and drag him to the ship. Poseidon is there and says that he wants Hook to change Ursula's mind so that she stays. He gives Hook an enchanted sea shell and explains that it will take Ursula's voice. Once it is gone, she will have no choice but to return to the sea. Hook refuses to betray Ursula, but Poseidon offers him a drop of squid ink capable of paralyzing Rumpelstiltskin and letting Hook take his revenge. Hook considers and Poseidon tells him that all he wants him to do is show Ursula how awful humans can really be.

Hook and Ursula go to the pawnshop and find Belle with Will. They quickly convince Belle that Hook is the real thing this time, and the pirate asks Will if he has something from Wonderland that can restore the Jolly Roger to its normal. Will admits that he might.

Regina dreams of meeting Robin the forest, only for herself as the Evil Queen to arrive and order her away. Waking up from her nightmare, Regina discovers that Gold has returned. He says that he knew August was lying so he didn't bother going to the trailer. Instead he took some of the fairies' store of magic and created a potion that will undo the spell that transformed August from a puppet into a real person. Gold then forces August to drink it and he transforms back into wood.

Emma, Mary Margaret, and David head for the cabin to rescue August. Hook hasn't checked in with them, and Emma says that she understands why Hook is willing to do whatever it takes to kill Gold.

The transformation ends after a moment and August reverts back to his human form. However, Gold says that the spell has restored August's curse that his nose grows when he lies. August tries to deny knowing anything about the Author, but his nose grows and Gold threatens to throw him into the fire if he doesn't tell the truth. August finally admits that the Sorcerer trapped the Author behind the door, the door from the storybook illustration. He doesn't know where the door is, but he says that Regina does because he remembers Marco giving Regina the illustration of it. Regina says that she gave the illustration to Henry and can't show it to them, but August describes it and says that it's somewhere in Storybrooke. Gold says that they'll start their search at the Sorcerer's mansion, and takes Regina and Maleficent with him. Regina wants to stay and watch August by herself, but Gold assigns Cruella to do it because Regina is the only one who knows what the door looks like.

At the docks, Ursula and Hook apply a potion of Wonderland mushrooms to the bottle. Hook throws it into the harbor and it grows back to its normal.

The next morning, Hook brings Ursula aboard and then shows Ursula the shell. She begs him not to use it, and Hook says that he won't. The pirate explains that Poseidon tried to make a deal with him, but Hook couldn't bear to take it from her knowing what it means to her. He promises to never take Ursula's voice, and asks her to steal the squid ink from Poseidon's vault.

Hook and Ursula go to Hook's cabin and he removes the shell from the safe. She tries to release her voice but it doesn't work. Ursula says that villains can't get their happy ending without the Author, and refuses to tell Hook about Gold's plans since she didn't get her voice back. When Hook draws a gun on her, Ursula knocks him unconscious and throws him overboard. However, Ariel waits until Ursula leaves and then saves Hook.

When Hook wakes up aboard the Jolly Roger, Ariel slaps him for betraying her. She then thanks him, explaining that Black Beard used the Jolly Roger to attack Arendelle until Elsa shrank it down. Ariel was caught in the spell, and released when Hook used the Wonderland potion. Hook tells the mermaid what happened and says that he'll need her help.

Ursula brings Hook the squid ink, but Poseidon arrives and says that he knows Hook only wants his vengeance. He traps Hook's sword in its scabbard, but Hook draws out the shell and takes Ursula's voice. Ursula, furious, says that Hook is no better than her father. She tells the pirate to keep her voice, and she swims away. Poseidon orders Hook to give him the shell, but the pirate refuses and threatens to destroy it if Poseidon doesn't leave.

Emma burst into the cabin and Cruella goes for her gun. However, Mary Margaret knocks her out from behind with a pan and they free August. As they start to go, Ursula arrives and grabs Mary Margaret with a tentacle. When Emma threatens to unleash a spell, Ursula warns her to stop or she'll kill Mary Margaret.

Poseidon confronts Ursula, who tells her father that she's choosing her side and no one else's. She grabs his trident and transforms herself into the likeness of the legendary Sea Goddess Ursula that her father named her after. Ursula then tells her father that the sea will be at the mercy of her every whim.

Hook arrives and explains that the shell failed because only the one who enchanted the shell can release the voice. Poseidon comes in and Ursula releases Mary Margaret and asks her father why he's there. He says that Ariel brought him there through a portal, and apologizes for making her use her voice as a weapon. He explains that when he heard Ursula's voice, it reminded him of his wife, it brought him nothing but pain and the pain fueled his desire for vengeance. Poseidon says that he wants to hear his wife's voice one last time and uses the shell to return Ursula's voice, and she sings. The Sea god starts to go, but Ursula says that she won't let him lose the last reminder of his wife and her mother. They hug and the others realize that Cruella has slipped away in the confusion.

As the others leave, Hook tells Emma that he almost gave into the darkness to get his revenge against Gold. Emma says that he's changed, but Hook figures that since he was a villain, he will eventually lose his happy ending. She wonders what his happy ending is, and Hook tells Emma that it's her. Surprised, Emma hesitates and then kisses him.

That night, Gold, Regina, and Maleficent leave the manor. They've found nothing, but Gold is sure that they'll find it eventually. Cruella arrives and tells them what happened, and says that they have a mole among them. However, she tells the others that it's Ursula that betrayed them. Gold tells them to get the illustration from Henry and bring it to her.

At the docks, Ursula tells Hook that Gold plans to unleash the darkness in Emma. Emma is the one who gave everyone their happy endings in the present, and the Author can't give the villains what they want as long as Emma is the savior.

Regina goes to the apartment where Henry and Emma are looking after August. She tells Emma that she needs her help, and believes that the Evil Queen in her dream wanted to protect Robin. However, Regina doesn't know what her other self was trying to protect Robin from. She then asks Emma to get her Robin's phone number, and Emma immediately agrees. Regina then tells August that they didn't find the door, and August says that he knows where it is now that Henry showed him the storybook page. The page is the door, and the Author is trapped behind it.

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 French
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Michael Socha as Will Scarlet
 * Robert Carlyle as Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * Eion Bailey as August Booth
 * Kristin Bauer van Straten as Maleficent
 * Tiffany Boone as young Ursula
 * Merrin Dungey as Ursula
 * Chris Gauthier as William Smee
 * Ernie Hudson as Poseidon
 * Sean Maguire as Robin Hood
 * Victoria Smurfit as Cruella De Vil
 * JoAnna Garcia Swisher as Ariel

Trivia
Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * The title card features Ursula.
 * The episode is named after a song from the Disney film The Little Mermaid. The song is sung by Ursula to Ariel.


 * -|Episode Connections=

Event Chronology

 * The Enchanted Forest events take place almost a century after "The Crocodile" and "And Straight On 'Til Morning", and before Hook's return to the Enchanted Forest in "Snow Drifts".
 * The Storybrooke events take place after "Enter the Dragon".
 * -|Cultural References=

Disney

 * Ursula sings "Part of Your World" and "Fathoms Below" during the episode. Both are from the Disney film The Little Mermaid.

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode features the Sea Witch and the Little Mermaid from the Little Mermaid fairytale, Cruella De Vil from the Hundred and One Dalmatians story, Captain Hook and William Smee from the Peter Pan story.
 * Also featured is Poseidon from Greek Mythology.