Save Henry

"Save Henry" is the ninth episode of Season Three of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Christine Boylan & Daniel T. Thomsen, and directed by Andy Goddard. It is the fifty-third episode of the series overall, and premiered on December 1, 2013.

Synopsis
While Henry's life hangs in the balance, the race is on to stop Pan from gaining full magical powers from the heart of the truest believer. Meanwhile, in Storybrooke of the past, Regina decides to fill a void in her life and, with Mr. Gold's help, sets out to adopt a baby.

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 (Credit only)
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook
 * Michael Raymond-James as Neal Cassidy
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * Raphael Sbarge as Archie Hopper
 * David Anders as Dr. Whale
 * Beverley Elliott as Granny
 * Robbie Kay as Peter Pan
 * Rose McIver as Tinker Bell
 * Parker Croft as Felix
 * Freya Tingley as Wendy
 * James Immekus as keychain
 * Matt Kane as glasses
 * Julian D. Christopher as adoption agent
 * Giancarlo Esposito as Sidney Glass (Voice)

Co-Starring

 * Jack Di Blasio as Lost Boy #2
 * Darien Provost as Lost Boy #1

Uncredited

 * Lee Arenberg as Grumpy*
 * Unknown baby as Henry Mills

Production Notes

 * The title card features Pan's shadow.
 * Henry's bed cot in Neverland has an Emmie Spets pillowcase and an Emelina Knopp quilt cover from IKEA.
 * In the Storybrooke flashback, Regina wears a Fabrizio Riva Gold Milky Diamond Circle Pendant Necklace.

Event Chronology

 * The Enchanted Forest events take place immediately after "The Thing You Love Most" and concurrently with "Pilot", "The Stranger" and "Queen of Hearts"".
 * The Neverland events occur after "Think Lovely Thoughts".
 * The Storybrooke events take three weeks after "The Heart of the Truest Believer" (according to "Pilot") and ten years before "Pilot", and in the same year as the Snow Queen arrival in Storybrooke in "Shattered Sight". The story also takes place eighteen years after "Welcome to Storybrooke".

Episode Connections

 * Rumplestiltskin mentions that casting the Dark Curse has left a hole in Regina's heart, which Maleficent warned her about in "The Thing You Love Most".
 * Regina mentions her time with Owen Flynn in "Welcome to Storybrooke".
 * Regina's adoption of Henry was first described in "Pilot".
 * This episode reveals the story of how Mr. Gold "procured" Henry for Regina, which was previously alluded to in "The Thing You Love Most" and "Lacey".
 * Ruby's so-called "problems", which Granny is referring to, were explored in "Pilot", "Red-Handed" and "Welcome to Storybrooke".
 * This is not the only time Sidney uses his investigative skills to uncover hidden information for Regina; he also does this in "The Thing You Love Most" and "Desperate Souls".
 * Regina makes a reference to Emma being found as a baby in "The Stranger". This episode reveals Emma was found outside of Storybrooke.
 * Henry is released from Pandora's Box in "The New Neverland".
 * Henry's and Pan's bodies are switched back in "Going Home".

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode features Hook, Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, the shadow, Wendy Darling, John Darling and Michael Darling from the Peter Pan story as well as the Evil Queen from the Snow White fairy tale and Rumplestiltskin from the Rumplestiltskin fairy tale.

Disney

 * Regina mentions the game Space Paranoids from the movie Tron.

Pop Culture

 * Hook's line to Emma, "As you wish, m'lady", is a reference to the movie The Princess Bride where Wesley the Dread Pirate Roberts says, "As you wish" to Princess Buttercup, which actually means "I love you". Colin O'Donoghue's portrayal is inspired by this character.
 * The figurine set in Mr. Gold's pawnshop represents a famed king of the Qin Dynasty of Ancient China whose name, Qin Shi Huang, literally means "First Emperor of Qin". He is identifiable as the figurine wearing a headdress and clothing with a dragon pattern. Surrounding him are the Terracotta Army, which represent the life-size sculptures of the same name that were historically buried with him as funerary art. The kneeling style of the warriors are iconic poses of some of the actual sculptures.