The Garden of Forking Paths

"I'm sorry. I let you all down. I let myself down. And I put this defenseless little garden at risk when I should have protected it. You see, this garden isn't what it was supposed to be. I couldn't see that. But my Lucy did. She never stopped believing in it for a second. We're gonna show Victoria Belfrey that when you truly believe in something... you can change things."

- Jacinda to the people of Hyperion Heights

"The Garden of Forking Paths" is the third episode of Season Seven of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by David H. Goodman & Brigitte Hales, and directed by Ron Underwood. It is the one hundredth and thirty-sixth episode of the series overall and premiered on October 20, 2017.

Synopsis
When Cinderella finds herself staring danger in the eye, she receives help from an unlikely source. Her rescue leads to an alliance that could aid in the defeat of Lady Tremaine's rule and reveals a dark secret from Cinderella's past. In Hyperion Heights, Jacinda goes to extreme measures to stop Victoria Belfrey from destroying Lucy's beloved community garden, while Lucy tries to convince Henry that Victoria is after more than just a plot of land. Meanwhile, Victoria makes a discovery that could alter everyone's fate.

Sabine's Date
As described by Mekia Cox, Sabine uses a dating app where you swipe if it's a frog or if it's a prince (a reference to the Disney movie The Princess and the Frog), and goes on a date with an unnamed person.

Rogers and Sabine
A scene with Rogers and Sabine talking to each other while they're sitting on a bench. Its is the same bench that Rogers was sitting on while observing Michael Griffiths.

Roni and Lucy
A scene with Roni and Lucy, where Roni walks Lucy across the street by the Community Gardens.

Starring

 * Lana Parrilla as Regina Mills/Roni
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook (Wish Realm)/Rogers
 * Andrew J. West as Henry Mills
 * Dania Ramirez as Cinderella/Jacinda
 * Gabrielle Anwar as Lady Tremaine/Victoria Belfrey
 * Alison Fernandez as Lucy
 * Robert Carlyle as Weaver

Guest Starring

 * Emma Booth as Witch
 * Mekia Cox as Tiana/Sabine
 * Adelaide Kane (Press release only)

Co-Starring

 * Simon Arblaster as Michael Griffiths
 * Dalias Blake as Palace Guard
 * Mike Carpenter as Guard #2
 * Jaren Moore as Construction Foreman
 * Richard Newman as Jeremiah

Uncredited

 * Unknown actress as Anastasia

Trivia

 * -|Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * The title card features an excavator.
 * The title of this episode was revealed by Adam Horowitz via his Twitter account on July 24, 2017.
 * The title of this episode is a reference to the short story of the same name by Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges.
 * As she is a fan of the story, Brigitte Hales suggested this title for the episode to David H. Goodman, who loved the idea.
 * Ivy Belfrey's scenes were cut from the episode. However, Adelaide Kane is still credited in the episode's press release.
 * The overhead shot where Lucy jumps down the hole in the Community Gardens was filmed by having Alison Fernandez jump onto a green screen patch placed on an empty flowerbed at the filming location.


 * -|Episode Connections=

Event Chronology

 * The Seattle events take place after "A Pirate's Life".
 * The New Enchanted Forest flashback scenes where Cinderella meets Tiana take place between scenes in "Hyperion Heights", after Cinderella flees the ball and before Henry finds her glass slipper in the same episode. The rest of the flashback scenes take place after "A Pirate's Life" and around a decade before "The Final Battle Part 1".

Episode Connections

 * Henry finds the Glass Slipper in "Hyperion Heights".
 * Cinderella was framed for the murder of the Prince in "Hyperion Heights".
 * Henry is reunited with Regina Mills and is joined by Hook in "A Pirate's Life".
 * Jacinda previously lost custody to Lucy in "Hyperion Heights".
 * Roni, Rogers and Henry agreed to take Victoria Belfrey down in "A Pirate's Life".
 * Lucy mentions the time Henry led Archie into the Storybrooke Mines, an event which happened in "That Still Small Voice".
 * Henry owning the heart of the Truest Believer was explored in "The Heart of the Truest Believer" and "Think Lovely Thoughts".


 * -|Cultural References=

Disney

 * Tiana from The Princess and the Frog appears.

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode is a rendition of the Cinderella fairytale, with Cinderella and the Wicked Stepmother. Also appearing is Captain Hook from the Peter Pan story.
 * Cinderella's stepsister Anastasia also appears, and is revealed to be deceased.

Lost

 * Roni looks up section 8 in the Hyperion Heights Building Codes, a reference to the second Lost number.
 * Roni pours Jacinda a shot of MacCutcheon Scotch Whiskey, a fictional brand on Lost.


 * -|Set Notes=

Props Notes

 * The couch in Jacinda and Sabine's apartment is the same couch that was sitting in the lounge of Granny's Bed and Breakfast in the Season Two episode "Selfless, Brave and True", and the Season Three episodes "Witch Hunt" and "A Curious Thing".
 * If you look at Henry's laptop while Lucy shows him her mother's petition, you can see that he was reading a web page about how to "Build Ties With Local Police".
 * Jacinda's petition includes signatures from Amanda Stone, Ariane Gardner, Pamela Drake, Matthew Martin, Amy MacDonald, Kelly Allen, Tim Ramsey and James Green.

Set Dressing

 * A framed picture seen in the restaurant where Rogers meets Michael Griffiths can also be seen in Regina's living room in the Season Three episode "Bleeding Through".


 * -|Other Notes=

Filming Locations

 * Burnaby's Central Park doubles as the New Enchanted Forest for the opening scenes with Tiana and Cinderella in the woods.
 * The resistance camp scenes were filmed on a camp set built in Vancouver's Stanley Park, at the north end of Pipeline Road.
 * The scene with Rogers on the bench was filmed in New Westminster's Hyack Square. A deleted scene where Sabine is sitting next to him was filmed in the same location.
 * The scene with Henry at the Hyperion Heights Cemetery was filmed at a cemetery set built by the Emmanuel Pentecostal Church in New Westminster, behind Columbia station.
 * The scene outside Belfrey Towers at the end of the episode, where the construction workers deliver Anastasia's coffin to Victoria Belfrey, was filmed in the rear loading bay of the Anvil Centre in New Westminster.
 * Burnaby, British Columbia doubles as Seattle for at least one scene with Henry Mills.