Street Rats

"Aladdin: She was the first person to believe I could be more than just a selfish street rat. I can't see the look in her eyes, when she realizes that's exactly what I am. Emma Swan: I was... I am a street rat, too. I made plenty of mistakes, but I've known people who kept me strong. Who cared about me as much as Jasmine clearly cares about you. Maybe the real mistake was keeping the savior burden to yourself?"

"Street Rats" is the fifth episode of Season Six of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz, and directed by Norman Buckley. It is the one-hundredth and sixteenth episode of the series overall, and premiered on October 23, 2016.

Synopsis
In a flashback to Agrabah, Princess Jasmine recruits Aladdin to help her recover a secret weapon capable of breaking Jafar’s hold on the Sultan and saving the city from ruin. Their quest takes them to the Cave of Wonders where Aladdin’s fate is revealed. In Storybrooke, the Evil Queen tricks Hook and the Charmings and forces Emma to reveal her secret in an effort to divide the family. While the Evil Queen pampers Zelena, elsewhere in town, Regina and our heroes scramble to learn what became of Aladdin.

Starring

 * Ginnifer Goodwin as Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan
 * Lana Parrilla as Regina Mills/Evil Queen (Serum)
 * Josh Dallas as David Nolan
 * Emilie de Ravin (Credit only)
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Rebecca Mader as Zelena
 * Robert Carlyle (Credit only)

Guest Starring

 * Deniz Akdeniz as Aladdin
 * Karen David as Jasmine
 * Beverley Elliott (Press release only)
 * Oded Fehr as Jafar
 * Raphael Sbarge as Archie Hopper

Co-Starring

 * Cedric De Souza as Sultan
 * Kate Dion-Richard as Goldilocks
 * David Forts as Burly Man
 * Gabe Khouth as Mr. Clark
 * Jordyn Ashley Olson as Oracle

Uncredited

 * Cinder as Pongo
 * Unknown baby as Robin
 * Unknown bird as Red Bird
 * Unknown as Gideon*

Note: *: Only in archive footage.

Trivia

 * -|Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * The title card features the hourglass used by Jafar on Jasmine.
 * The title of this episode was leaked as "Diamond in the Rough" by director Norman Buckley via his Instagram account on August 11, 2016. The same day, Adam Horowitz officially announced that the title was "Street Rats" via his Twitter account.
 * Leading up to the premiere, several sources incorrectly used the name "Diamond in the Rough".
 * Jordyn Ashley Olson is misspelled as "Jordan", instead of "Jordyn" in the press release, a mistake that also occurred in the release for "The Savior".
 * Cedric De Souza, who plays the Sultan, also plays Akil in the Once Upon a Time in Wonderland episode "The Serpent".
 * This episode premiered on the fifth anniversary of "Pilot"'s first airing.
 * When Hook is pretending to have gotten rid of the Fates' Shears, he says to Emma that "They're thousands of leagues under the sea", foreshadowing the events of the next episode, where Captain Nemo and the Nautilus from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea arrive in Storybrooke.


 * -|Episode Connections=

Event Chronology

 * The Agrabah flashbacks take place after "The Serpent" and before "The Savior" and "A Wondrous Place".
 * The Storybrooke events take place after "Strange Case" and before "Dark Waters".

Episode Connections

 * Archie offered therapy to Emma in "The Savior" and she began having sessions with him in "A Bitter Draught".
 * The first time Emma followed the red bird to the Oracle was in "The Savior".
 * When the Oracle is found dead, she shows the same symptoms that Charlotte did when the latter was found dead in "A Bitter Draught".
 * Emma first started having visions in "The Savior".
 * Mary Margaret became acquainted with Shirin in "Strange Case".
 * Mr. Hyde died in "Strange Case".
 * Jasmine and the Oracle's mission to find Aladdin was first seen in "Strange Case".
 * Zelena and the Evil Queen first made an alliance in "The Savior".
 * "Archie" alludes to the secret Emma is deciding to keep from her loved ones. Emma first told Archie about this secret in "The Other Shoe".
 * Regina speculates that she is the hooded person in Emma's vision, but the true identity of this person is revealed in "Wish You Were Here".
 * Henry recalls convincing Emma to accept her role as a Savior, which began in "Pilot" and was finally achieved in "A Land Without Magic".
 * Mr. Gold had a haircut in "Strange Case".
 * Leroy was first seen with Archie in therapy was during "The Other Shoe".
 * Zelena mentions that she tried to become involved with Mr. Gold, referring the events of "Bleeding Through".
 * Jafar suggests Aladdin can buy himself the new title of prince after stripping himself of his Savior status. It is implied in "The Savior" that Aladdin did become a prince because he is addressed as such.
 * The backstory of how Jafar acquired powers from the serpent staff is revealed in the spinoff series episode "The Serpent".
 * The magic carpet later becomes a means of transportation for Jafar in the spinoff series.
 * Cricket Archie is freed from his cage in "Dark Waters".
 * Hook comes clean to Emma about the Fates' Shears in "Dark Waters".


 * -|Cultural References=

Disney

 * The Cave of Wonders from Aladdin appears.
 * The monkey figurine that Aladdin finds in the cave is a reference to Abu from the movie.

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode is a rendition of the Aladdin story, with Aladdin, the princess, the sultan and the sorcerer. It also features Captain Hook from the Peter Pan story, the Evil Queen from the Snow White fairytale, and the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story.
 * Also featured is Goldilocks from "Goldilocks and the Three Bears". The spa that Zelena and the Evil Queen visit is called The Three Bears Day Spa.
 * The shears of the Fates from Greek Mythology appear, while the Three Fates themselves are mentioned by Jafar.
 * Aladdin makes a reference to Ali Baba, and uses the phrase Open Sesame to open the Cave of Wonders. This phrase comes from the story of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" in One Thousand and One Nights.


 * -|Set notes=

Props Notes

 * Despite the Fates' Shears being originally from Greek Mythology, symbols from Egyptian mythology can be seen on them.
 * The miniature castle that the Sultan is playing with was sitting on top of a commode in Mr. Gold's pawnshop after the Dark Curse was broken. It is still there after the third curse.

Costume Notes

 * Zelena is wearing a BCBG Max Azria 'Richie' Caped Jacket (no longer available).
 * Emma is wearing a Derek Lam Embroidered Silk Top and Helmut Lang Supple Leather Jacket in Baltic Teal (both are no longer available).
 * The same jacket was worn by the character Sydney Roberts on an episode of the sitcom series The Crazy Ones, Peri Westmore on an episode of the comedy drama series Devious Maids and Annie Walker on an episode of the action drama series Covert Affairs.
 * Mary Margaret is wearing an Equipment Adalyn Floral Silk Shirt (no longer available).


 * -|Other Notes=

Filming Locations

 * The former site of Artisans Galleria on Moncton Street in Steveston Village doubles as The Three Bears Day Spa for both exterior and interior scenes.