User:X-Men Are Cool/The Needs of the Few

"The Needs of the Few" is the eighteenth and final episode of Season Eight of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Colton M.. It is the one hundred and seventy-third of the series overall, and was released September 7, 2018.

This episode is the second part of the season eight finale.

Synopsis
As the curse has broken, the citizens of Hyperion Heights attempt to rescue Drew from prison and reunite with their families. Emma, Lily, Maleficent, and Zorro try to rescue Roni and August so they can go back to Storybrooke, while Victoria calls Hook and Chad to make an interesting offer. In flashbacks, Henry arrives in the New Enchanted Forest.

Recap
Emma Swan, Lily Page, Maleficent, and Zorro stand in the lobby of Emma and Lily's apartment building. They decide to go back to Storybrooke, but break August Booth out of prison first. They make it to the prison, where they see Roni is there too. They rescue both of them and decide that once they get their magic back in Storybrooke, they can get everyone still missing back to Storybrooke.

Sabine, Ivy, Tilly, and Margot leave for the Hyperion Heights Police Station, while Henry Mills and Gideon talk to the witnesses about keeping quiet, which they are able to do, because of Ivy's high place in the neighborhood. Sabine, Ivy, Tilly, and Margot demand to the police that Drew be released, but after they refuse, Ivy realizes that they just have to break him out and they leave.

Chad and Hook call Victoria, who is still in her penthouse. Hook tells her that because she is pregnant with his child, they will keep her in jail until she has the baby, and once she does, Hook will take it and Victoria will live the rest of her days in a cell. Victoria, however, instead says that she will be allowed to have her baby in peace and then live the rest of her days in a nice house in Storybrooke, without her magic, and gets to see her child two days a week. Hook laughs at her offer until she says that she has a magic bean, and can escape to any realm she wants to unless they agree. Hook does not choose, so Victoria decides to drive to Storybrooke so they can decide there.

In flashbacks, Henry arrives in the New Enchanted Forest, where he drives past several places, including Edward's house, where he sees Ivy and Anastasia. He also sees Cinderella at her father's manor. Eventually he makes his way to a large castle, where he sees Snow White looking over the ledge before she runs back inside. Henry smiles as he gets off his motorcycle.

User:X-Men Are Cool/Will Turner and User:X-Men Are Cool/Elizabeth Swann find each other in the streets of Vancouver, British Columbia. They realize where they are and that they need to get back to Storybrooke.

Jacinda Vidrio and Lucy are walking along the streets when they see Ivy, Margot, Tilly, Sabine, and Drew. Jacinda realizes they broke him out and ask how the curse was broken. Tilly reveals her kiss with Margot. Lucy reminds them that they need to get everyone back to Storybrooke. Henry and Gideon find them and Henry, Jacinda, and Lucy reunite.

Victoria checks out of her penthouse, saying she won't be back for a while and gets in her car. After setting a brief address to where Storybrooke is, she begins driving. On her way, she realizes she is behind Emma, Lily, Zorro, Maleficent, Roni, and August in two separate cars and that she needs to get back first.

In flashbacks, Henry meets Snow White in the front of the palace. Snow asks him who he is and Henry tells her that he is someone who fixes stories and asks her what she is doing. Snow reveals that her father recently passed away and her step-mother is awful. Henry tells her that her step-mother is going to send a Huntsman after her and she needs to escape into the woods and find a cottage. Snow asks how he knows this, but before he can answer, Snow's mother calls her. Snow thanks Henry and runs into the woods.

Emma, Roni, and August make it Storybrooke, with Lily, Maleficent, and Zorro just behind them. The six find Hook, Chad, and the children. Emma reunites with Hook and Hope Jones. Chad asks where Kelly West is and Roni tells everyone that she is going to use the magic of the curse to send a connected portal to every city involved in the curse, meaning everyone from Storybrooke in the cities will see the portal and be able to return home. Roni uses Emma and Hook's hair to start the portal for true love and has Maleficent turn into a dragon and use her fire-breath in the portal, which sets it alive.

In Hyperion Heights, Jacinda, Sabine, Ivy, Drew, Tilly, Margot, Lucy, Henry, and Gideon see the portal and realize they need to get everyone from Hyperion Heights to the portal. Henry, Jacinda, and Lucy stay with the portal to make sure it doesn't go away, while everyone else splits up to find the New Enchanted Forest citizens.

Victoria returns to Storybrooke just as everyone from Hyperion Heights does. Henry prepares to fight Victoria, until Hook reveals that Victoria is pregnant, with his child. Everyone is shocked, with Emma being the most shocked. Victoria smiles as Emma arrests her for the time being.

In flashbacks, a few months later, Henry attends Snow's wedding with Prince Charming. Snow thanks him for setting her on the right path. The Evil Queen arrives, but Charming manages to stop her. The seven dwarves keep her from using her magic with their pickaxes. The Royal Guards take the former queen to the dungeon. Henry smiles that the Evil Queen couldn't get her way in this realm.

In Los Angeles, Wish Hook, Sir Henry, Wish Violet, Serum Queen, and Wish Robin lead the other Wish Realm inhabitants to the portal and they go through. Once in Storybrooke, Nook reunites with Margot, while Henry and Violet remember Henry and Gideon visiting them and apologize for not remembering.

The rest of New York City cursed inhabitants arrive. Kelly and Chad reunite, as do Snow White, David Nolan, and Emma. They realize everyone from the main realms (FTL, NEF, WR) are accounted for. They just need all the other realms, New and Old Wonderland, Oz, and wherever Will and Elizabeth went, due to them being the only ones of their realm. Both Wonderlands and Oz arrive at the same moment, with all three being in one city, due to each land having a lower population.

As everyone has been reunited, the Board of Rulers attempt to decide what to do with Victoria. However, Will and Elizabeth arrive and attempt to kill Victoria. Hook and Roni stop them, with the former revealing Victoria is pregnant. Will apologizes, but Elizabeth does not care, as she killed Jack Sparrow.

In flashbacks, approximately five years later, Henry visits a large empty castle. There, he finds a different version of Rumplestiltskin. Rumplestiltskin tells Henry that very soon he will meet his wife, and he needs to continue travelling his dirt road path to find her. Henry asks how this will lead him to his wife. Rumplestiltskin tells him he must join the Resistance or else the entire realm will be in deep, deep trouble. Henry thanks him but before he leaves, Rumplestiltskin gives him a necklace and tells him that when he needs it most, it will show Henry the events of the future. He gets back on his path and as he drives, he crashes into Cinderella's carriage, leading to the events of Hyperion Heights.

In Storybrooke, the Board of Directors decide Victoria is too dangerous to be let go and she must be imprisoned. However, Victoria breaks out of her handcuffs and prepares to leave this realm. However, Hook stops her and has Roni put an anti-magic cuff on her arm. Hook promises her that if she gives the magic bean, they will let her have her way. Victoria reluctantly hands over the magic bean.

Sabine and Drew find Charlotte among all the children and reunite with her. She asks where her father is, and they tell her that they are her real parents and Charlotte embraces them.

As everyone from all the realms are now reunited in the tiny town of Storybrooke, Roni reveals that there is simply too many people and Victoria has made it so the United Realms cannot be recreated, so instead, Roni will use their final magic bean to send everyone back to where they came from, except everyone from the Enchanted Forest, as they were already living in Storybrooke, and Henry's family from the New Enchanted Forest. Roni, Emma, Hook, Snow, David, Kelly, Chad, Henry, Jacinda, and Lucy part ways with Sabine, Drew, and Charlotte, who return to the New Enchanted Forest to rule over them there, and Ivy and Anastasia, who are returning as well, along with Nook, Tilly, and Margot.

Victoria is given a house in Storybrooke to stay in, while Roni, Emma, Hook, Hope, Snow, David, Kelly, Chad, Henry, Jacinda, and Lucy have dinner at Granny's. Henry talks with Hope, making Henry realize something terrible at his half-sister. Henry talks with Emma in the back, revealing Hope has been born with the potential of darkness, just as Emma was. Emma asks how he knows this, and Henry reveals that when he was in the New Enchanted Forest, before he met Jacinda, he met with a strange man, who gave him a future-seeing necklace. Henry never carried it around for fear of knowing the future, but somehow it is now in his pocket and it gave Henry the knowledge of Hope's possible futures, one where she grows up to be even more powerful than Emma and saves lives, and another where she become the most powerful magic user in the world and brings back the darkness to spread across the entire Land Without Magic. Emma sees the necklace and steps on it, breaking it, telling Henry they shouldn't know the future and Hope will be just fine.

Five years later, Mother Superior enters the Convent of the Sisters of Saint Meissa and chants an ancient passage into a fiery pot. Suddenly, the fire blazes and the face of an ancient dark magic user, Baba Yaga, appears in the fire. Superior tells Baba Yaga that it is time.

Starring

 * Lana Parrilla as Roni
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Killian Jones
 * Andrew J. West as Henry Mills
 * Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan
 * Eion Bailey as August Booth
 * Rose Reynolds as Tilly
 * Dania Ramirez as Cinderella/Jacinda Vidrio
 * Agnes Bruckner as Lily Page
 * Giles Matthey as Gideon
 * Odette Annable as Victoria Jones

Guest Starring

 * Tiera Skovbye as Margot
 * Ginnifer Goodwin as Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Josh Dallas as David Nolan
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills/Sir Henry
 * Rebecca Mader as Kelly West
 * Kip Pardue as Chad
 * Kristin Bauer van Straten as Maleficent
 * Goran Višnjić as Zorro
 * Meghan Ory as Ruby
 * Michael Socha as Will Scarlet
 * Mekia Cox as Sabine
 * Jeff Pierre as Drew
 * Lee Arenberg as Leroy
 * Beverley Elliott as Granny
 * Emma Rigby as Anastasia
 * Keegan Connor Tracy as Mother Superior
 * Georgina Haig as Elsa
 * Elizabeth Lail as Anna
 * Scott Michael Foster as Kristoff
 * Olivia Steele Falconer as Violet (Wish Realm)
 * Deniz Akdeniz as Aladdin
 * Karen David as Jasmine
 * Teri Reeves as Dorothy Gale
 * Adelaide Kane as Ivy Belfrey
 * Yael Yurman as Anastasia
 * Chad Michael Murray as Edward
 * Maggie Grace as Elizabeth Swann
 * Mike Vogel as Will Turner
 * Katie McGrath as Snow White

Co-Starring

 * Hartley Sawyer as Prince Charming
 * Erin Richards as the Evil Queen
 * Willow Shields as Alexandra
 * Jacob Tremblay as Neal Nolan
 * Maxwell Simkins as Phillip Jr.
 * Bailey Skodje as Hope Jones

Trivia

 * -|Title=

Title

 * The title refers to the Board of Rulers deciding what to do with Victoria, with them being just a few of the fairytale inhabitants.


 * -|Episode Connections=

Event Chronology

 * The Storybrooke events take place after "The Needs of the Many"
 * The New York City events take place after "The Needs of the Many".
 * The Hyperion Heights events take place after "The Needs of the Many".
 * The first three flashbacksNew Enchanted Forest events take place after "One Little Tear", while the last flashback takes place just before and during "Hyperion Heights".
 * The Los Angeles events take place after "Past Life".