Poor Unfortunate Soul

"Your voice can soothe even the most haunted soul."

- Hook to Ursula

"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.

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

Quotes
Hook: Maybe she was right. Maybe villains can't get their happy endings.

Ariel: Maybe that's because villains always go about getting them the wrong way.

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.
 * Ursula's singing voice was neither Tiffany Boone's voice nor Merrin Dungey's voice.
 * -|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" and before "Best Laid Plans".

Episode Connections

 * This is the first time Hook has been featured on-screen as Pan's employee; something that was first implied in "Good Form".
 * Hook's never-ending desire to destroy Rumplestiltskin was due to the events of "The Crocodile".
 * Some of the mermaids native to Neverland appeared on-screen for the first time in "The Heart of the Truest Believer".
 * Regina began her undercover work in "Enter the Dragon".
 * Regina mentions that she has tortured people, something that she also said in "Save Henry".
 * Pinocchio was reverted into August in "Enter the Dragon".
 * Mr. Gold notes a time when August previously lied to him. This occurred in "The Return".
 * August mentions meeting the Dragon in Hong Kong and the man's subsequent death; events that occurred in "Selfless, Brave and True".
 * The trailer where August used to hide was last seen in "Selfless, Brave and True".
 * What Regina's dream really means, is revealed in "Heart of Gold".
 * Emma recalls Regina ditching her so she couldn't track her movements. She also mentions Regina kidnapping Pinocchio. Both events happened in "Enter the Dragon".
 * The Jolly Roger is docked in the same harbor as in "Good Form", "The Jolly Roger", "Snow Drifts" and "Fall".
 * Belle gave the dagger to a disguised Mr. Gold in "Enter the Dragon".
 * Hook remembers Belle used the dagger to force Mr. Gold to leave Storybrooke. This occurred in "Heroes and Villains".
 * Belle expresses disappointment over Mr. Gold tricking her again. The first time he betrayed her began in "A Tale of Two Sisters" and ended in "Heroes and Villains".
 * Regina shows August the taped together storybook page of herself and Robin Hood. The illustration first appeared to Robin Hood in "Smash the Mirror", and it was torn to pieces by Regina in "Heroes and Villains". She then repaired the page sometime before or during "Darkness on the Edge of Town".
 * Hook uses a conch shell to summon Ursula to the woods. The last time this method was used was in "Ariel".
 * The bracelet, used to gain human legs, was first used by a mermaid in "Ariel".
 * Hook mentions Milah's death, which happened in "The Crocodile".
 * Poseidon stated Squid ink can immobilize Rumplestiltskin; a feat accomplished in "The Price of Gold". Squid ink is used on Rumplestiltskin's counterpart in "Nasty Habits".
 * Belle and Will's relationship was first made known in "Enter the Dragon".
 * Hook mentions Will has been to Wonderland many times before. These events are featured on Once Upon a Time's spinoff series.
 * Robin Hood left Storybrooke in "Heroes and Villains".
 * Henry received the storybook page of the door in "Unforgiven".
 * This is the first time magic mushrooms have been featured in a liquid form and used to enlarge an object. For all prior times the mushrooms have been used in this series during "Hat Trick", "Tiny" and "Down the Rabbit Hole", the mushrooms have always appeared as fungi that need to be ingested to enlarge or shrink a person.
 * Ariel references her past adventure with Hook and Black Beard, which occurred in "The Jolly Roger". She also speaks about the Queen of Arendelle punishing Black Beard for conspiring against royals, which references the pirate's actions against Anna and Kristoff in "Fall".
 * Emma recalls August telling her to believe in herself; something he said in "A Land Without Magic".
 * The Author is freed from the storybook in "Best Laid Plans".
 * -|Cultural References=

Disney

 * Ursula's backstory is largely based on Ariel's backstory from the Disney film, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning.
 * Both are mermaids.
 * Both love singing/music due to their mothers' influence.
 * Both have lost their mothers during a pirate attack.
 * Both have fathers who have a problem with singing/music because it reminds them their wives' death. Ultimately, their fathers both realize they were wrong and decide to accept singing/music in their lives.
 * Both decide to go against their fathers' orders because they love singing/music.
 * Ursula vocalizes the reprise of "Part of Your World" and sings "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.