In the Name of the Brother

"I will bring you back, my brother. I promise."

- Victor to Gerhardt's dead body

"In the Name of the Brother" is the twelfth episode of Season Two of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Jane Espenson and directed by Milan Cheylov. It is the thirty-fourth episode of the series overall, and premiered on January 20, 2013.

Synopsis
Dr. Whale is tasked with mending Hook’s wounds and performing surgery on the stranger whose car crashed upon entering Storybrooke. But some of the townspeople fear that the stranger may have seen magic—which could expose their true identities to the world—and think that leaving him to die would be the best solution. Meanwhile, as Mr. Gold tries to reunite with a despondent Belle, Cora attempts to reunite with daughter Regina; and in the land that was, Victor desperately wants to prove to his disapproving father that he can, indeed, bring back the dead.

Recap
In the wake of the car accident at the town's border, Belle has lost all of her memories from before her arrival in Storybrooke. Mr. Gold tries to console her and attempts to bring back her memory with magic while Hook lays off the side of the road in agony. The police arrive, which includes Emma Swan, David Nolan, and Mary Margaret Blanchard. Mary Margaret consoles Belle while Emma deals with Hook, who feels victorious even though he has been left marred by the accident. He and Mr. Gold exchange a few argumentative words and a small scuffle ensues. Mr. Gold lunges and is prepared to kill the pirate, but Emma and David convince him that is not the way he wants Belle to see him. An ambulance arrives, and the medics head for the outsider's car. The group realizes that they have never seen him before, because he has driven into town, from the outside; they come to the conclusion that the outside world has come to Storybrooke.

At the Storybrooke General Hospital, the arrival of the ambulance is being called over the intercom while Dr. Whale sits in a secluded room, drinking whiskey ignoring the ambulance calls and the calls for his very own presence. Outside the door, Dr. Whale can hear people searching for him.

Back in his world, Dr. Victor Frankenstein is celebrating Christmas with his father Alphonse and his brother Gerhardt. Alphonse is proud of Gerhardt, a soldier, for earning a medal called the Silver Cross. He gives a gift to each of his sons. Gerhardt's gift is a watch that had been his mother's, and Victor's gift is a commission to join the army as a physician. This will require Victor to abandon his scientific exploits, which have been funded by his father's money and housed in the family's summer home. Even though Victor pleads, his father no longer supports him.

The group from the scene of the accident arrives at the hospital. The outsider and Hook are brought in on stretchers while a very confused Belle is ushered in by Mary Margaret. Emma instructs a nurse to find Hook a room and hide him to prevent Mr. Gold from finding him. Mr. Gold attempts to enter the hospital, but is stopped by David and Leroy. When a fight is about to break out, Dr. Whale arrives and intervenes. He assures Mr. Gold that Belle will be fine.

Back in his world, Frankenstein is leaving his father's home after being forced to abandon his scientific work and join the army. His brother runs after him, and attempts to comfort him by giving him their mother's watch. He tells Gerhardt to keep it, and that he will find a way to complete his work. As the two depart, Rumplestiltskin spies from behind the shrubs.

At the hospital in Storybrooke, Mr. Gold visits Belle. He attempts to bring back her memories by giving her true love's kiss while she is sleeping, but his plan fails. She wakes up and begins screaming in terrible fright. Mr. Gold apologizes and leaves.

Elsewhere in the hospital, Hook is handcuffed to a hospital bed where he is visited by the sheriff, Emma Swan. She gives him no polite greeting, just demands the location of his accomplice, Cora. He claims that he has no idea where Cora is for she is operating on her own agenda. He also states that he has not failed in his task entirely, as he has done considerable damage to his foe by hurting Belle. The sheriff warns the captain however, that he should take caution for Mr. Gold will surely not suffer Hook to live.

Meanwhile, Mary Margaret, David, Leroy, and Ruby attempt to gain access to the outsider's phone in order to learn more about the mysterious man. Emma arrives and tells the group there is also information learned from paperwork in his car, and that the man is named Greg Mendell. She is able to gain access to Greg's phone and based on pictures they see the group comes to the conclusion that this man is a completely normal, average man from the outside world and that whatever has kept random people from finding the cursed town has now been lifted. While discussing the impacts of an outsider in town, Dr. Whale arrives to tell the group that Greg Mendell is bleeding into his chest cavity. Emma tells him to fix it, but unsure of his abilities he walks across the lobby to Mr. Gold who has just come down a flight of stairs. He implores Mr. Gold to fix the man with magic, but Mr. Gold refuses stating that he owes neither Dr. Whale nor any of the group anything. He informs the group that the driver saw him using magic, so he tells them they should be hoping that the man dies instead of trying to save him.

The group relocates to a private room where they discuss the possibility of allowing Greg to die in order to spare the town from the outside world's potentially harmful curiosity. They decide they should save the man and deal with the implications of his arrival when the time comes. They notice that Dr. Whale is highly intoxicated when Greg's cell phone gets a call. Emma realizes that someone is looking for Greg and it may not be long before that person comes to Storybrooke looking for him.

Back in Frankenstein's world, the doctor is in his lab packing up his equipment when he is visited by a stranger to his world named Rumplestiltskin. He tells Dr. Frankenstein that he is interested in the scientists work, even though he has lost his funding. Rumplestiltskin tells him that he is not interested in what he does, but how he does it, for in his land magic is very powerful but cannot reawaken the dead. He offers Dr. Frankenstein a heaping pile of gold coins in exchange for more information on restoring life. Victor agrees to the deal when Igor reenters the lab and Rumplestiltskin disappears. The doctor orders Igor to bring the equipment back and tells him they are going in search of a body.

In his shop in Storybrooke, Mr. Gold is examining the chipped cup when he hears the door open. He examines the door to see that there is no one there. When he turns to head back to the counter, he sees that a large wooden box has appeared. Upon inspecting the box he turns around to see that Cora has entered. She has come to offer him the contents of the box in exchange for her daughter. She points out that now he is in this land he does not need Regina anymore but he will need whatever is inside this box in order to find his son. He opens the box and its contents are revealed to be a magic globe that will indeed locate Baelfire. He asks Cora if she has any spells that can return memory, to which she replies that she only knows what he has taught her. He then agrees to the truce and the two share a kiss.

At the hospital, Dr. Whale is examining a watch he found among Greg Mendell's possessions and he stands in the hall staring at it reminiscing of his brother. David approaches and asks him why he is not in surgery. He assures David that he is not drunk, and David assures him that they must save the outsider no matter what he has seen.

Back in Frankenstein's world, the doctor is in a graveyard exhuming a body for his experiment when Gerhardt finds him. Gerhardt shares his disbelief that Victor's work has progressed to the point of working with human corpses. A soldier appears in the graveyard's gate and shouts at the trespassers. A gunshot is fired and the two brother's run to the carriage. The carriage is leaving when Victor notices that his brother has been shot and is now dead.

Emma and the group of heroes is standing in the hospital lobby when Greg Mendell gets another phone call from a contact he has labeled "Her". They debate answering the call, but decide that with technology that could trace the call to Storybrooke they should not. An orderly approaches, and the group learns that Dr. Whale's whereabouts are unknown, even though they think he is operating on Greg. The orderly pages Whale, but the doctor's beeper is discovered along with his lab coat in a nearby laundry bin. Ruby takes the lab coat and uses it to track down the missing doctor. Dr. Whale is seen running through town.

Back in his world, Dr. Frankenstein attempts to revive his brother in his lab but the procedure is a failure. He reaches into Gerhardt's chest and pulls out his heart, which is blackened and burnt. Alphonse then descends the flight of stairs into Victor's laboratory inquiring about the body he was seen bringing into the house. His father approaches the lab table and sees that his younger son is dead and now a subject to his older son's experiments. Alphonse is deeply disturbed by this and leaves after telling Victor that he has been left with no sons at all.

In Storybrooke, Cora has proceeded to invade Regina's home. She seems to be searching for something as she goes through her pantry, her closet, and her desk. She seems to have found what she has been looking for when she finds a piece of artwork made for Regina by Henry.

What seems to be Henry is walking through the graveyard to his deceased grandfather's grave which houses his mother's secret vault. He enters the vault and searches for his mother. On the other side of an enchanted mirror, Regina sees her son and makes her presence known. Henry then enters her secret lair. She embraces her son and tells him that she has nothing to do with Archie's fraudulent murder, to which he replies that he has always known she is innocent. Henry is then revealed to be Cora in disguise and she reveals that she has framed Regina.

Back in the Land Without Color, Gerhardt's body is preserved in liquid while Victor tries to create a new method to bring his brother back from the dead. Rumplestiltskin then arrives wondering if the experiment has worked. Dr. Frankenstein tells Rumplestiltskin that the procedure has failed due to the heart not being able to withstand the electricity required to revive the body. Rumplestiltskin then tells Victor of the especially durable hearts that can be found in his land. He tells the doctor that he will send a man to bring him back to his land where he will "put on a show" for a woman named Regina and then fetch one of these special hearts.

In Regina's vault in Storybrooke, Cora and Regina share an emotional moment. Cora tells Regina that she understands why she has sent her to Wonderland, that she never should have made her marry King Leopold, and that she still loves her daughter. She apologizes to Regina, and tells her that her crying over her coffin has changed everything. Regina tells her mother that they are going into town to tell Emma, Henry, Mary Margaret, and David the truth about Archie's incident.

At the docks, Whale is standing at the edge of the water looking at Mendell's watch. Ruby finds him as he is about to jump to his death, but she is able to save him with her wolf-like speed.

Back in the Land Without Color, Victor returns from the Enchanted Forest and is able to use a heart from that world to revive his brother. He goes to his father with the good news, but Alphonse is incredulous. Victor presents his father with his resurrected brother, albeit with notable differences. The differences are blamed on the slow process of bringing someone back from the dead. These abnormalities do not go unnoticed by Alphonse, who at first is overjoyed by his son's return. Frightened by the flame, Gerhardt knocks a candle out of his father's hand when he tries to embrace him. At this point Alphonse realizes that Victor has not brought back his younger son, but has created a monster. He begins to physically assault Victor, which greatly upsets Gerhardt. The monster lunges at Alphonse and throws him to the floor where he proceeds to beat the man to death. When Victor stops his creation, Gerhardt runs off.

At the docks in Storybrooke, Whale shares his heartache with Ruby. He tells her that he has always wanted his name to stand for life, but instead everybody associates the name Frankenstein with a monster. While magic does come with a price, Whale believes that science comes with a price as well. Ruby tells him that she has issues with her past life as well. She tells him that they have a chance to start anew and he should take it, that there is still time for him to do good.

Regina is driving into town with her mother so she can explain to the town folk what exactly has happened to Dr. Hopper. Cora is able to manipulate Regina into not going through with her plan by reminding her that as long as Emma and her parents are near Henry, Regina will never truly have her son back. Regina pulls the car over and Cora apologizes for what she has done yet again. She implores her daughter to let her into her heart, and she promises that together they will be able to get Henry back. In a bonding moment the two embrace.

Ruby and Whale have returned to the hospital. Emma, Mary Margaret, and David are glad to see the doctor has come back to perform the surgery on Greg. The doctor then leaves the group to perform his task.

Back in the Land Without Color, Victor visits his creation in the cell in which he has imprisoned his brother. He tries to speak with the monster, but he reacts violently and attacks Victor throwing him to the ground. In the midst of his assault, Gerhardt suddenly remembers who he is and is frightened by who has become and what he has done. In order to relieve his brother of the pain he has caused him by bringing him back, Victor draws a gun and is prepared to send his brother back to death. Gerhardt shows that he does indeed wish for his suffering to end by grabbing the gun and forcing Victor to aim it at his forehead. However Victor cannot go through with it; he promises Gerhardt that he will find a way to save him, and leaves the cell.

In the hospital, Dr. Whale encounters Ruby in the hallway where he tells her that Greg will survive. He thanks her, and the two go out into the lobby where he shares the news with Mary Margaret, David, Emma, and Leroy. He tells them that Greg is ready to talk. Initially David and Mary Margaret wish to accompany their daughter, but Emma convinces them that the best way to convince Greg that Storybrooke is a normal town will be her talking to him alone.

In Belle's room in the hospital, Mr. Gold is still attempting to bring back her lost memories. He presents her with the chipped cup, thinking that it will help her remember. She takes the cup and he asks her to focus on it. However, the plan does not work yet again and in a rage the cup is thrown across the room and smashes on the floor. A disappointed Mr. Gold leaves Belle alone in her room.

Emma enters Greg's room. She returns his personal effects and gives him a glass of water before asking him about the accident he has caused. He is concerned that he has hurt someone, which Emma confirms, but she assures Greg that Hook will be fine. Even though everything will be fine, she still needs a statement from him. Emma is concerned that she may have to explain away magic, but Greg is only concerned that he may go to jail for causing the accident, because he was texting while driving, which is illegal in Maine. Emma is relieved that he has not seen magic and lets him off with a warning. She tells him that he may leave as soon as he is physically able.

Emma returns to the lobby where she tells her parents, Ruby, and Leroy that Greg has seen no magic, and all are relieved that the obstacle has been overcome.

The next morning in his shop, Mr. Gold brings the globe given to him by Cora and lays it on a table. He pricks his finger on the needle at the top and his blood creates a map of the world and shows him the location of Baelfire.

At Blanchard Loft, Henry descends the stairs, inquiring about the previous night's events. They explain to him what has happened, and Henry is intrigued by Whale's past identity as Dr. Frankenstein. He brings out his book and comes to the conclusion that his adoptive mother's curse must have gone to other worlds and has brought people to Storybrooke he is not aware of. Mr. Gold arrives at the front door. He reminds Emma of the favor she owes him and tells her the time has come for her to supply it. He tells her that they are leaving at noon to go find someone. He also warns that if any harm comes to Belle in his absence, he will kill all of them.

Back at the hospital, Greg pulls his cell phone out of the plastic bag Emma has left it in and makes a call. He tells the woman on the other end that she will not believe what he has seen.

"Hallucinations"


In the midst of all the chaos in the hospital, Hook finds his way out of the handcuff and begins roaming around. He expresses confusion at seeing the blue food product Jell-O. Then, he sees Ruby and says to her, "Well, hello, you're quite real, aren't you?"

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 French
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Meghan Ory as Ruby
 * Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * David Anders as Victor Frankenstein/Dr. Whale
 * Lee Arenberg as Leroy
 * Chad Michael Collins as Gerhardt
 * Ethan Embry as Stranger
 * Barbara Hershey as Cora
 * Gregory Itzin as Alphonse
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook

Co-Starring

 * Ian Harmon as Graveyard Sentry
 * Yurij Kis as Igor
 * Scott McAdam as Orderly
 * Janet Pinnick as Nurse
 * Nelson Wong as Paramedic

Trivia
Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * The title card features a fully-colored Rumplestiltskin against the monochromatic, Frankenstein-style forest. It is the first titlecard to feature a fully-colored subject.
 * This is the first episode in which the Enchanted Forest does not appear in any form.
 * The scene in which Gerhardt kills his father was done by Gregory Itzin laying down with sandbags on his chest and Chad Michael Collins pummeling them.
 * According to David Anders, the show creators were originally planning to explore a relationship between Ruby and Dr. Whale, but the plans were scrapped when Meghan Ory left the cast at the end of the second season, to focus on her new show Intelligence.
 * Greg Mendell correctly states that it's against the law to send text messages while driving in Maine. This ban went into effect in September 2011.


 * -|Episode Connections=

Event Chronology

 * The Storybrooke events take place after "The Outsider" and before "Tiny".
 * The Land Without Color events occur after, before and concurrently with those in "The Doctor".

Episode Connections

 * The stranger's car crash, Hook's injuries, and Belle's memory loss is a direct result of events in "The Outsider".
 * Dr. Frankenstein and Igor first appeared in "The Doctor".
 * Cora and Hook's journey to Storybrooke is shown in "Queen of Hearts".
 * Dr. Whale mentions how Mr. Gold magically healed him after Daniel injured his arm in "The Doctor".
 * Hook makes a reference to the last time Emma chained him up, which occurred in "Tallahassee".
 * The Magic Globe is used for another purpose in "And Straight On 'Til Morning".
 * The identity of "her" on Greg's cell phone is revealed in "Selfless, Brave and True".
 * At the hospital, the supply room where Dr. whale and Emma's group go to discuss the Greg Mendell's situation is number R2 42. Kathryn's hospital room in "The Return" (which was the same room where Henry stayed in "A Land Without Magic") had the same number.
 * In Regina's hideout, many of the Evil Queen's outfits can be seen, including those from "Pilot", "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter", "An Apple Red as Blood", and "The Cricket Game".
 * The fake death of Archie occurred in "The Cricket Game".
 * Dr. Frankenstein's reason for needing a heart in "The Doctor" is explained in this episode.
 * Cora regrets making Regina marry King Leopold; a plot succeeded in "The Stable Boy" and "We Are Both".
 * Cora references how she ended up in Wonderland from "We Are Both".
 * Regina's farewell to Cora when she feigned death is referenced from "Into the Deep".
 * Dr. Whale speaks of his life as a scientist in resurrecting his dead brother in "The Doctor".
 * Ruby talks about discovery of herself as a wolf and Peter's death in "Red-Handed".
 * The Rabbit Hole first appeared in "Skin Deep" as the unnamed bar Ashley, Mary Margaret and Ruby went out for girls' night.
 * The chipped cup is used for a future purpose in "And Straight On 'Til Morning".
 * Baelfire's current identity is revealed in "Manhattan".
 * Henry references the casting of the Dark Curse in "Pilot".
 * Emma's favor to Mr. Gold was made in "The Price of Gold".
 * Mary Margaret and Dr. Whale's one night stand, which occurred in "The Shepherd" and was mentioned in "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter", is referenced again in this episode.


 * -|Cultural References=

Biblical

 * Victor, Gerhardt and their father Alphonse celebrate the Christian-based holiday Christmas.

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode is a rendition of the Frankenstein novel, focusing on Dr. Frankenstein's desperate attempt at reviving the dead and creating a monster.
 * Also included is Frankenstein's assistant, father and monster.
 * This episode features Rumplestiltskin and the miller's daughter from the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale as well as Captain Hook from the Peter Pan story.
 * When Regina is in the car with her mother, she pulls up outside an establishment called "The Rabbit Hole", a reference to the story Alice in Wonderland.

Pop Culture

 * According to show creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, Greg Mendell's name is a direct reference to the genetic scientist, Gregor Mendel.
 * The ringtone on Greg's cellphone is the Star Wars opening theme.
 * At the hospital, Leroy mentions the movies E.T. and Splash as examples of how magical beings discovered in the real world are likely to be "studied to death".
 * The boardgames Balderdash, Outburst II, Battleship, Aggravation and Stratego are sitting on a shelf in Henry's room.


 * -|Props Notes=

Props Notes

 * Victor's commission letter is written in German. It transliterates as:

"Dear Doctor Victor Frankenstein, by the force of power and authority, which are invested in me by the Chancellor of Austria, and the emperor's commission, I appoint you FIELD MEDIC. You are expected to carefully and conscientiously execute the duties of the medical field and to serve as an example to lower ranked officers and soldiers. We expect you to follow said instructions to keep order and discipline and execute future commands. Posted in arms, written by me and sealed on the third of March. By order of the Emperor invested in me, T Herman Captain T Herman, 34th Mobile Division Klagenfurt, Carinthia Klagenfurt-Land County in the name of the Minister-President of the Austrian Empire"


 * The paintings in the hospital waiting room are Morning Creekside by American artist Megan Lightell and Waterlilies by Canadian artist Philip Craig. The paintings also appear in other rooms at the hospital in "Tiny", "Manhattan", "Lacey" and "Kansas".
 * The sign on the Land Without Color graveyard says "Soldatenfriedhof", which is German for "military cemetery".
 * According to the monitor screen over Greg's hospital bed, Emma questions him at 3:09 AM. The date, however, is incorrect: It says "04 Jul 09", but "Selfless, Brave and True" establishes that the "Pilot" episode takes place in October 2011.
 * In addition, Greg correctly states that it's against the law to send text messages while driving in Maine. This ban went into effect in September 2011.
 * This is not the first time a monitor screen on the hospital shows the wrong date. In "A Land Without Magic", the date on the monitor screen over Henry's bed is "10 Nov 08".


 * -|Goofs=

Goofs

 * When Ruby runs toward Dr. Whale on the Storybrooke Dock, the name of the Gulf of Georgia Cannery, which doubles as the Storybrooke Cannery on the show, can clearly be seen on the building.
 * The date on the monitor screen over Greg's hospital bed is incorrect: It says "04 Jul 09", but "Selfless, Brave and True" establishes that the "Pilot" episode takes place in October 2011.


 * -|Other Notes=

Filming Locations

 * Victor's lab, the cell Gerhardt is held in as well as the Frankenstein manor were all real-life sets used for filming, despite that the backgrounds and surrounding elements were CGI-made.
 * The exterior shots in the Land Without Color were shot in a wooded area in Vancouver and the tent and lab scenes were filmed on a sound stage. The Special Effects Department mimicked a storm with fans, shaking trees and the tent as well as adding bolts of electricity during the operation scene.