Operation Mongoose Part 2

"Thanks to the hero Regina's sacrifice, Isaac's villainous work was undone."

- Henry's first story as the Author

"Operation Mongoose Part 2" is the twenty-second and final episode of Season Four of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz, and directed by Ralph Hemecker. It is the eighty-ninth episode of the series overall, and premiered on May 10, 2015.

This episode is the second part of the season four finale, and premiered immediately following "Operation Mongoose Part 1".

Synopsis
The Author proves to be a formidable wild card and forges an alliance with Gold. Emma, her parents, Hook and Regina scramble to stop them, but when Gold and the Author turn the tables on heroes and villains alike, the prospect of any happy outcome appears worlds away. Henry discovers he has big shoes to fill as he steps up to save his family before the story's final page is turned. It's a race to the finish, and everything culminates with a shocking twist that will leave the residents of Storybrooke reeling.

Recap
In Isaac's Enchanted Forest, the knight Rumplestiltskin rides his horse across the countryside to his cottage, where his beloved wife, Belle. He then goes to check on his infant son but is surprised to be greeted by a man he does not recognize. His house-guest himself as Isaac, a traveler who Belle invited in to slake his thirst. He asks Belle to get him some more water. Rumplestiltskin instantly realizes that Isaac has not come to his home for the water. Isaac explains to the Light One that he is here delivering a warning--a young boy is on the loose and on a mission to help a bandit named Regina. If the boy succeeds, it will destroy the world as Rumplestiltskin knows it. Rumplestiltskin does not believe a word, thinking Isaac is trying to corrupt him into harming the boy and Regina. Isaac tells him that his world is not real, but a creation of Magic, and it is in danger of falling apart if Rumplestiltskin does not so something. He tries to explain by recalling how his story originally went-he was arguably the worst villain of all time, so he asked Isaac to rewrite his story so he would no longer be such. Isaac provides further evidence by revealing he knows secrets about the Light One that not even Belle knows--Baelfire, Rumplestiltskin's first son. He tells him of how Baelfire fell in the first of the Ogre Wars in spite of his father's heroic efforts, but originally, Baelfire met his end through his father's cowardice. The Light One is taken aback at such an idea and sends Isaac on his way, but not before Isaac tells him one last time that he is not really a hero, and unless he kills Regina, everyone, including Belle, will know it.

Elsewhere in the realm, Henry finds his way to the Jolly Roger and Hook, looking for passage across the Bottomless Sea to rescue Emma, but quickly learns that Hook has been rewritten into a far cry from the man Henry knew him as. Instead, Hook is a timid, cowardly deckhand on the Jolly Roger under the orders of Captain Black Beard. Watching Black Beard intimidate and bully Hook, Henry tries to convince Hook to stand up for himself, but Hook is too frightened to help. Taking matters into his own hands, Henry knocks Black Beard unconscious and tells the pirate to set sail to save Emma.

Henry and Hook reach the Emma's remote island prison and successfully defeat the soldier standing guard by knocking the knight out. Henry takes the guard's keys and races to the top of the tower, where he finds his mother. Aware that Isaac has likely rewritten her memories, he slowly approaches her, and is shocked and ecstatic when she recognizes him. As Henry unlocks her shackles, Emma explains that the Dark One and the Author's punishment for her was that she knew about the book's spell but cannot do anything about it, as well as stripped her of her magic. Henry, however, has an idea.

As the three make their getaway, Hook is introduced to Emma and sheepishly tells her he is glad she has reclaimed her freedom, but is cut short when the guard from earlier awakens. As fate--or rather, Isaac Heller--would have it, the knight is none other than Lily Page, a fierce dragoness. Emma and Hook work together and just manage to fire the cannon and knock the dragon into the sea. Curious as to why Emma just trusted him with her life, Emma agrees to tell him her story, but first they need to work on Hook's fighting skills.

At the Dark Palace of Queen Snow White, Her Majesty is not at all happy that her minions have been unable to capture Regina and Henry. Grumpy blames the situation on the Blue Fairy for using her dark fairy dust to render his ax useless, which sparks Widow Lucas to accuse him of being unable to take responsibility for his own actions. Before their argument escalates, the Queen claims not to be angry. She tells them that since she is the leader, it is her duty to motivate her troops, and she provides this "motivation" in the form of ripping out Doc's heart and crushing to to dust. She threatens to reduce the number even further until they complete the simple task of finding and killing Regina and the boy.

In a village square, Emma teaches Killian how to use a sword. She tells him more of her alternate world she hopes to return to, and he is captivated to hear that the two of them were close. The moment is cut short when Lily appears with the Queen and Charming, along with many soldiers of the Black Guard. Emma tries to reason with her parents, telling them they were the ones who taught her to be a hero and believe in hope, and tells them they need to believe too. For a moment, Snow White's tone changes and it appears Emma's power may still be intact to get through to her mother, but Her Majesty quickly turns the tables. She tells Emma that hope is a very powerful thing, which is exactly why she must crush it out of Emma and her dreadful son. At that moment, Charming spots Henry and a sword fight ensues. Emma rushes to protect her son as Killian discovers he is a natural with a sword and disarms Charming. Unfortunately, during his boast to Her Majesty, Charming gets to his feet and runs the pirate through. Emma is devastated, but Henry manages to get her to run before the Queen aims a fireball at them.

At their cottage, Rumplestiltskin tells Belle that he has learned of a threat to the realm which could undo everything they have. While she believes her husband can overcome it, he further explains that in order to stop this threat, he must make a hard decision and fears making the wrong one. She tries to console her husband with a cup of tea, but he drops and chips the cup. Belle reassures him that it can be fixed, but he ominously wonders if it is that easy.

At Regina's hideaway, Henry introduces Emma to Regina. Emma tries to convince Regina that her happiness is still a possibility, and the first step is opening her heart to love and going after Robin Hood. Regina doubts this, reminding her that she will have to crash his wedding to Zelena. Emma can tell that those are Regina's insecurities speaking and tells her own story of watching the man she love die before she told him she loved him. She encourages her friend not to make the same mistake, that this is a risk worth making.

Emma, Henry, and Regina race to the church and Regina readies herself to tell Robin how she feels when Rumplestiltskin appears and declares that no one is going to disturb this wedding. Emma duels the Light One while Regina heads for the church. Eventually, Rumplestiltskin manages to disarm her and knock her to the ground. Refusing to let his mother die, Henry takes up her sword, but he is no match for Rumplestiltskin. Driven to remain a hero, he lunges at the boy, but at the last second Regina comes through and takes the sword's deadly strike herself. Realizing what he has done, Rumplestiltskin vanishes and the wedding bells toll, meaning the book has ended and Emma fears there is not way to fix things now. Robin rushes to Regina's aid, and is shocked when Zelena expresses bitterness at Regina for ruining her big day for getting blood on her dress. This causes Zelena's skin to turn green and her to flee in surprise. Robin tries to console Regina, but Isaac mocks them for being too late. Angry, Emma punches the Author and demands he undo the book and save Regina. He replies that he cannot since he is no longer the Author. As if in a trance, Henry takes the Author's quill, which gives off a strange blue glow, and Henry realizes he is the next Author. Isaac smugly continues that he is still powerless without any ink, but Henry figures that in this reality, he doesn't need the blood of a dark savior, but a light one. He takes some from Regina's wound and writes:

Thanks to the hero Regina's sacrifice, Isaac's villainous work was undone. This breaks the book's hold on everyone and in a blast of blue magic, everyone returns to Storybrooke.

After being returned to town, Emma rushes to the loft and is happy to see that Hook is alive and well. She prepares to tell him that she loves him, but at the last moment takes it back and simply thanks him for helping her.

At Mr. Gold Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer, Isaac realizes that he has failed and tries to run, but Mary Margaret and David stop him. Before bringing him to justice for what he did to an entire world of people, they ask him what drove him to do that. Isaac explains he holds no grudge against them, but what they are symbols of: heroes. After a lifetime of bosses who fancied themselves heroes and pushing around people like him, Isaac wanted his chance to win and be the hero. Mary Margaret responds that instead, he has become a villain--choosing himself over others. She further tells him that making others miserable for your own gain just makes you more unhappy. As someone who knows how it feels to have your heart darken, she tells him that is not something she would idolize, but pity.

At the mayor's office, Henry stares at the quill and two storybooks when the Apprentice enters. Henry reveals that he has been contemplating if he could use the quill to revive his father, as he did with Hook. The Apprentice explains that not even an Author can undo death, and Hook did not really die, as the world of Heroes and Villains was a work of fiction Isaac created and Henry erased. He comforts the boy by telling him the best way to honor lost loved ones is to tell their stories. Turning his attention to Once Upon a Time, the Apprentice explains that these stories cannot be erased because they are not merely stories, but the truth, which the Author must write. He hopes that Henry will be able to resist the temptation of the quill, for the power to change reality is only outweighed by the price. Realizing he is right, Henry snaps the quill in two, deciding nobody should be that powerful. The Apprentice smiles, saying that it seems they have found the right person for the job.

Belle enters the pawnshop to make sure Gold will not inflict harm to anyone else, but instead finds her ex-husband getting weaker by the moment. He muses that at least he had one last taste in the book with a happy marriage and good life. Belle reveals that she had loved him either way, and they could have had a good marriage in Storybrooke, asking him why he threw it away. Heartbroken and feeble, he tells her that he could not bring himself to believe in it. He tells her to go with Will, but she admits that she does not love Will, and has no intention of letting him die alone. Frightened for her safety, he tells her to run far away. Once he dies, all that will be left is the Dark One. Without a human soul to weigh it down, the darkness will be unstoppable.

At Granny's Diner, the residents of Storybrooke are gathered for a celebration. Hook, Emma, Mary Margaret, and David patch up over the chaos and violence that ensued between them in Isaac's world. While hugging her parents, Emma spots Lily sitting alone across the diner. She walks over to her old friend, who explains that she was hoping to stick around town for a while, hoping to find her biological dragon father. Not even her mother knows who he is, as Lily's conception occurred while in dragon form. Emma smiles and tells her she would be happy to have her stay. The moment is cut short when Belle races in, telling the townspeople what Gold told her--his heart is nearly gone, and the town is in more danger than ever.

At the pawnshop, the Apprentice opens the Sorcerer's Hat, removes the nearly coal-black heart from Gold's chest, and casts a spell. He explains that the spell should remove the darkness from the heart and contain it in the Hat. With the spell, the Dark One's curse ends and the dagger is blank, and Mr. Gold's heart is now pure white. Since Rumplestiltskin has been the Dark One for so long, his heart has contained more darkness than possibly any other in existence, so it is unclear if he will be healed. He casts a preservation spell on the man's frail body to protect him until they can discern if he can be helped. Before he can explain any further, the darkness breaks free and attacks him. Emma manages to repel it with a blast of light magic, but she cannot stop it from spiraling out into town. As David and Mary Margaret run to chase it down, the Apprentice tells the others the tale of the Darkness. Long ago, the Sorcerer battled the Darkness and was able to stop it from consuming the realms by tying it down to a human soul and controlling it with an enchanted dagger--the birth of the Dark One's curse. Believing the Sorcerer to be the only one who can destroy the Darkness forever, he tells them to find the Sorcerer--a wizard called Merlin.

Back in town, the Darkness has seemingly vanished as Emma, Mary Margaret, David, and Hook run into Regina and Robin, who are out on a walk in the moonlight. Emma, however, realizes that the Darkness has not gone anywhere, but is surrounding them. It comes winding down toward Regina, and the group realizes the Darkness has chosen its new host. Knowing how hard Regina has worked for her happiness, Emma refuses to let this happen to her friend and takes up the Dark One's dagger. Her loved ones protest, and she assures her parents that they can find a way to take this new darkness from her. She tells Killian she loves him and picks up the cursed dagger. The Darkness encircles her, binding her soul to the Darkness before both it and she vanish into thin air. The Dark One's dagger drops to the ground. The camera pans toward the knife to see the new Dark One's name engraved across it--EMMA SWAN.

"We Can Fix It!"


TBA.

Starring

 * Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan
 * Lana Parrilla as Evil Queen/Regina Mills
 * Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David Nolan
 * Emilie de Ravin as Belle/Belle French
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Michael Socha as Will Scarlet
 * Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * Lee Arenberg as Grumpy/Leroy
 * Agnes Bruckner as Lily
 * Beverley Elliott as Granny/Granny
 * Patrick Fischler as Isaac
 * Rebecca Mader as Zelena
 * Sean Maguire as Robin Hood
 * Charles Mesure as Black Beard
 * Timothy Webber as the Apprentice

Co-Starring

 * Dante Arias as Child #1
 * Jason Burkart as Little John
 * Michael Coleman as Happy/Happy
 * Faustino Di Bauda as Sleepy/Walter
 * David-Paul Grove as Doc/Doc
 * Jeffrey Kaiser as Dopey
 * Octavian Kaul as Child #2
 * Gabe Khouth as Sneezy/Mr. Clark
 * Mig Macario as Bashful
 * Tom Pickett as Bishop

Uncredited

 * Unknown baby as Prince Neal
 * Unknown as Tony

Trivia
Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * The title card features Emma's tower.
 * During the original airing, the two parts were separated by a different title card featuring a swan. The swan title card also appears in the DVD and Blu-ray version of this episode. The same title card was used in the original airing of "There's No Place Like Home".
 * Rumplestiltskin and Belle's son in the alternate reality is actually baby Neal, Mary Margaret and David's infant son.


 * -|Episode Connections=

Event Chronology

 * The Storybrooke events take place after "Operation Mongoose Part 1" and before "The Dark Swan".

Episode Connections

 * In Isaac's story, Belle is Neal's mother. This is fitting, since Belle is often his babysitter in Storybrooke in episodes such as "Breaking Glass", "Smash the Mirror", and "Lily".
 * Isaac recalls Mr. Gold asking him to rewrite his story in "Mother" and "Operation Mongoose Part 1".
 * As per Rumplestiltskin's false memories, he was an honored hero in the Ogre Wars, in direct contrast to his actual cowardice in "Manhattan".
 * Baelfire's actual death occurred in "Quiet Minds".
 * Once again, Black Beard is in control of the Jolly Roger, just as he was in "The Jolly Roger" and "Fall".
 * Black Beard challenges Hook to duel him for the Jolly Roger, which the two pirates did in "The Jolly Roger".
 * Henry recalls Hook teaching him about navigating ships in "It's Not Easy Being Green" and they went sailing, albeit off-screen, in "Breaking Glass".
 * Emma's fate in the world of Heroes and Villains is very similar to Jefferson's "punishment" under the first Dark Curse in "Hat Trick".
 * Lily is not the first dragon that Emma has fought; she previously battled Maleficent in "A Land Without Magic".
 * Emma recalls Hook's frequent utilization of rum, something she first became familiar with in "Tallahassee".
 * Queen Snow White's assembly of her underlings mirrors the council of her allies seen in "Pilot".
 * In the alternate reality, Grumpy seems to strongly dislike fairies. His true self also has history with the fairies, as seen in "Dreamy".
 * Grumpy refers to Granny as a wolf, the context of which is explained in "Red-Handed".
 * Emma first used a sword in "A Land Without Magic".
 * This is not the first time Hook has been jealous of himself; he previously expressed envy when Emma flirted with his past self in "Snow Drifts".
 * Emma tells her parents she believes in hope and now they need to believe too. This is reminiscent of Henry's monologue to Regina when telling her that he believes she can defeat Zelena in "Kansas".
 * Hook is killed after defeating an enemy, then boasting about it, giving the enemy enough time to get back up and impale him. Prince James met his fate the same way against the Behemoth in "The Shepherd".
 * The conversation between Belle and Rumplestiltskin about a threat to their happiness reflects a conversation he had with Lacey in "Second Star to the Right".
 * While drinking tea, Rumplestiltskin drops and chips his teacup. Belle did the same to a now-iconic piece of china in "Skin Deep".
 * Regina declares that her happy ending is not a man. She previously stated this in "Mother".
 * Emma promised to get Regina her happy ending in "A Tale of Two Sisters".
 * The priest who serves as the marriage officiant at Zelena and Robin Hood's wedding is the same priest that oversaw Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding in "Pilot".
 * Rumplestiltskin's flaw of self-preservation, choosing himself over others, was first addressed in "The Return".
 * Zelena's skin turns green when her envy takes over, just as it did in "It's Not Easy Being Green".
 * Isaac tricked Snow White and Prince Charming into doing something horrible to Maleficent and her daughter Lily in "Best Laid Plans".
 * Mr. Gold learned his heart was blackening at a dangerous rate in "Heart of Gold".
 * The Apprentice opens the storybook to an illustration of Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding in "Pilot".
 * Belle and Will Scarlet started dating between "Heroes and Villains" and "Unforgiven".
 * Zelena's pregnancy was made known in "Lily".
 * Lily's necklace, a piece of her eggshell, first appeared in "Lily".
 * Mr. Gold tried to use the Sorcerer's Hat to free himself from the Dark One's Dagger in "Heroes and Villains".
 * Hook calls Mr. Gold "the Crocodile". The origin of this nickname is explored in "The Crocodile".
 * Emma's parents found a way to protect her from succumbing to darkness in "Best Laid Plans".


 * -|Cultural References=

Biblical

 * The priest at Zelena and Robin Hood's wedding is dressed in robes similar to the robes worn by Christian Deacons.

Disney

 * Emma calls Hook a "regular Jack Sparrow"; a reference to the famous pirate from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
 * In Isaac's story, Emma is locked in a tower by her "mother", just like Rapunzel was in the movie Tangled. Following the rescue, Emma is dressed in an outfit which resembles the one worn by Flynn Rider.

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode features Snow White, Prince Charming, the Evil Queen, and the Seven Dwarves from the Snow White fairytale, Captain Hook from the Peter Pan story, Rumplestiltskin from the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale, Robin Hood, Little John, and Will Scarlet from the Robin Hood ballad, Belle from the Beauty and the Beast fairytale, Granny from the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale, the Apprentice from The Sorcerer's Apprentice and the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wonderful Wizard of Oz story.
 * In Isaac's storybook, Hook works as a deckhand for Black Beard, the same occupation he once held in the Peter Pan novel, where Captain Hook is described as a "boatswain to Blackbeard".

Lost

 * The song playing at Granny's Diner, "Shambala" by Three Dog Night, was also featured in the Lost episode "Tricia Tanaka Is Dead", which was also written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz.

Popular Culture

 * Black Beard is based on the character of the same name from popular culture.
 * When Henry and Hook knock out the guard at Emma's prison, Henry refers to this as the "Wookiee prisoner transfer" ploy. This is a reference to the scene from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, where Han Solo and Luke Skywalker pretend Chewbacca is their prisoner in order to enter the Death Star's detention area and rescue Princess Leia. Also, Hook tells the guard his prisoner is "from the kingdom of Kashyyyk", referencing the Wookiee home planet from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
 * This reference is particularly interesting since the show creators have stated that they look at Hook as their version of Han Solo. In addition, Emma's alias in the Enchanted Forest in "Snow Drifts" and "There's No Place Like Home" was Princess Leia.
 * The newspaper that Isaac reads is called the "New York Ledger". This was a real, weekly story paper published in New York City from 1855 to 1898.
 * In the newspaper, there is an article about the Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan and his book Understanding Media (1964), a pioneering study in media theory.
 * The song playing at Granny's Diner after everything returns to normal, is "Shambala" by Three Dog Night.


 * -|Props Notes=

Props Notes

 * In the alternate reality, Emma is wearing a pair of dagger-shaped earrings.
 * The fictional novel pictured in the newspaper that Isaac is reading is The Stellar Jay by "Justice Greybridge".
 * The bestseller list includes the following titles:
 * Two Punks in Paris by Bill Burd; a reference to the property master on the show. Bill Burd is also the author of one of the novels on a shelf, next to the Heroes and Villains paperback, in "Operation Mongoose Part 1".
 * La Marionetta by Antonine Hepanza
 * Olivia Marque's Funeral by Americus Van Resenee. This novel can also be seen next to the Heroes and Villains paperback in "Operation Mongoose Part 1".
 * The Cicada Tree by Terence Barnwright
 * All the Unusual Places' by Elizabeth Harpinster
 * Project Nimbus by Fred Danzetti
 * Hidden Informant by Klaus Jandermann. The novel can also be seen next to the Heroes and Villains paperback in "Operation Mongoose Part 1".
 * The Triad Undertow by Ron West. The book is about a secret agent called G. Venturi, a reference to art director Greg Venturi.
 * The Tattooed Demon by Jim Grange
 * The Undiscovered By Antonette Dollante
 * The Ladder
 * The Marzipan Rose. The book can also be seen next to the Heroes and Villains paperback in "Operation Mongoose Part 1".
 * The Shipwrecked Dutchman
 * My Spirited Heretic
 * The Sorcerers of Xandor
 * A news reporter is called "M. Soparlo", a reference to production staff member Mark Soparlo. M. Soparlo is also the name of an author of one of the books on a shelf where Cora finds Mr. Gold's map in "Manhattan", and the news reporter in a newspaper clipping about baby Emma in "True North" and "Family Business".
 * Another news reporter is D. McLean, a reference to production staff member Douglas McLean. D. McLean is also the name of the author of the nautical guide book which Belle consults in "The Outsider".
 * When Isaac is caught in Storybrooke, a direction sign in the background says "Sperling".
 * An excerpt from the fairy tale of "The Golden Bird" can be seen when Regina flips through Henry's storybook.

Goofs

 * After Hook dies in the alternate reality, as he lays motionless on the ground, actor Colin O'Donoghue takes an obvious breath.