Bleeding Through

"Bleeding Through" is the eighteenth episode of Season Three of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Jane Espenson and Daniel T. Thomsen and directed by Romeo Tirone. It is the sixty-second episode of the series overall, and premiered on April 20, 2014.

Synopsis
After Zelena steals Regina's heart, Regina casts a spell so that she can speak across the realms to her dead mother, Cora, to discover the truth about why she abandoned Zelena, and Belle stumbles across what Zelena's ultimate end game is. Meanwhile, in the Fairy Tale Land that was, young Cora is duped by a man claiming to be a prince and finds herself alone and pregnant. But a chance meeting with a real prince could lead Cora to the royal life she's always craved, but she must keep her pregnancy a secret or risk losing everything.

Recap
In front of a mirror, Regina is seen putting on earrings. The doorbell rings, and she goes to answer. She sees nothing but a basket of green apples. Immediately, Zelena appears behind her. She says it's a gift, because Regina's red apples are "sickly sweet," and that she came to give "sisterly advice." They both then have an argument, and it is revealed that she actually came to make sure Regina was not at the location where she put her heart, which is where she has Mr. Gold go to acquire at the same time Zelena and Regina are speaking. Zelena then disappears.

In the forest, Robin Hood and his Merry Men are told by a remorseful Mr. Gold to give him the heart. When they refuse, he threatens to kill Roland. Robin Hood agrees and gives him the heart. Regina comes onto the scene and understands why Robin Hood gave up the heart. Realizing she herself is still alive, Regina deducts that Zelena is planning something worse and vows to stop her.

Regina is in Gold's shop looking for something to help her deafeat Zelena, knocking books off the shelf in the proccess. Belle runs out from the back room, telling Regina to stop making a mess and then asks what she's looking for. Regina tells her that she needs Belle's help to stop her sister, who currently has her heart. Belle gives her a nervous look but Regina says her heart is enchanted, hence Zelena can't control her. Regina asks Belle what she has in the shop to help her but Belle refuses to give her anything. Belle tells her that she has self respect, and questions Regina on why she would help a woman who has been so cruel to her. Regina tells her that Zelena has Belle's true love, Rumple, and if Belle doesn't help her then she may never see him again. Belle reluctantly agrees to help Regina and tells her that she has been doing reasearch on Zelena's curse. She asks Regina what is so special about her heart, and why Zelena would want it. Regina says she doesn't know, before asking Belle where "the candle" is. Belle holds up Lumiere's candles but Regina corrects her by saying it's the one that Mary Margaret used to kill her mother. Belle opens up a drawer and takes it out, but tells her it doesn't have any power anymore. Regina tells her that this isn't about how her mother died but about how she lived.

In the Enchanted Forest, young Cora works in a tavern to support herself. One of the customers, Jonathan, is a mysterious man who claims he's a prince and seduces Cora by asking her hand in marriage. After giving Cora a straw ring, he promises a real gold one upon his return in two months. Cora agrees, but not before escorting him to his room; where it is implied off-screen that they consummated the "marriage". Two months later, Cora is standing by the crossroads waiting for Jonathan's return. Finally, after some searching, she finds him under a pavilion on the royal estate, but to her shock, she discovers he is not a prince, but only a gardener. Jonathan admits he's not a prince and never wanted to marry her. As he attempts to walk off, Cora demands that he give financial support for his unborn child whom she is pregnant with. She desires enough money for both herself and the child so they can live well, and warns him of the consequences should the prince he is employed under find out that he is treating her this way.

Starring

 * Ginnifer Goodwin as Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan
 * Lana Parrilla as Regina Mills
 * Josh Dallas as David Nolan
 * Emilie de Ravin as Belle
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook
 * Michael Raymond-James (Credit only)
 * Jared S. Gilmore (Credit only)
 * Robert Carlyle as Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * David De Lautour as Jonathan
 * Eric Lange as Prince Leopold
 * Rebecca Mader as Zelena
 * Sean Maguire as Robin Hood
 * Rose McGowan as young Cora

Co-Starring

 * Raphael Alejandro as Roland
 * Eva Bourne as Princess Eva
 * Yvette Dudley-Neuman as Mid-Wife
 * Steve Elliott as Drunk
 * Gabrielle Giraud as Royal Aide
 * Brian Knox McGugan as Drunk Charlie’s Friend
 * Michael P. Northey as Friar Tuck

Uncredited

 * CGI Flying Monkey
 * Unknown baby as the Wicked Witch of the West

Production Notes

 * The title card features a cyclone.
 * "To: W. B S[image ends] 14-25-27th West" is written on the lid of the chest in Zelena's home.

Event Chronology

 * The Enchanted Forest flashbacks occur after "That Still Small Voice" before "The Miller's Daughter".
 * The Land Without Magic events occur after "The Jolly Roger" and before "A Curious Thing".

Episode Connections

 * Mr. Gold uses magic to force Roland into the ground, which is the same thing that he did to Belle in "Lacey".
 * Belle mentions her abduction and twenty-eight year imprisonment, courtesy of Regina, which was revealed in "The Outsider" and "Skin Deep".
 * The candelabra Belle picks up at the pawnshop is actually Lumiere, whose story is explained in "Quiet Minds".
 * The music playing in the tavern where young Cora is working is the same music playing in the pub Anton visited in "Tiny".
 * Mary Margaret killed Cora with the enchanted candle in "The Miller's Daughter".
 * Zelena stole David's courage in "The Tower".
 * Neal's death is referenced, which occurred in "Quiet Minds".
 * Regina gave Robin Hood her heart in "It's Not Easy Being Green".
 * Regina mentions Cora killing Snow White's mother, which occurred in "The Queen Is Dead".
 * Mary Margaret mentions a secret she did not keep, referencing to Regina's plans to run away with Daniel, which was shown in "The Stable Boy".
 * The fate of Cora's abandoned baby is revealed in "It's Not Easy Being Green".

Lost

 * The clock in Granny's Diner shows 09:35 PM. 3 plus 5 equals 8, the second Lost number.

Fairy Tales and Folklore

 * This episode features the heroine's mother and father from the fairy tale "Snow White", the miller's daughter from the "Rumplestiltskin" fairy tale, the Wicked Witch of the West from the novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", as well as Captain Hook from the "Peter Pan" story.
 * Eva promises to produce a child as pure as snow. This is a reference to the "Snow White" fairy tale.

Popular Culture

 * While helping Regina look for the Enchanted Candle, Belle picks up a candelabra, to which Regina sarcastically calls the latter Liberace, as referring to the pianist.
 * Artworks by French engraver Bernard Picart can be seen in Regina's study: Semele is Consumed by Jupiter's Thunder and Pygmalion is Enamored with a Statue He Had Made (1733).