We Are Both

We Are Both is the second episode of Season Two of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It is the twenty-fourth episode of the series overall, and premiered on October 7, 2012.

Synopsis
While Regina Mills continues to find a way to regain her magical powers, David Nolan continues his quest to uncover the whereabouts of Mary Margaret and Emma whilst also trying to lead the town's inhabitants; and the seven dwarves discover what happens when any of the townspeople try to step past the city limits of Storybrooke. Meanwhile, in the Fairytale Land that was, as her wedding day to King Leopold approaches, Regina is confronted by a man of magic who promises to help her become independent and break free from her mother Cora's clutches.

Recap
In Storybrooke, Leroy, accompanied by the counterparts of the rest of the Seven Dwarves, mark a line on the road leading out of town. The men draw straws to decide who will cross the line, so they may learn what happens. When the others express their doubt and fear, Leroy tells them it is their chance to prove themselves. Mr. Clark draws the shortest straw. When he steps over the line, swirls of magic course over him.

On the main street, Ruby sets out the diner sign, now reading "closed." At the inn, a wooden August Booth lies in his bed. As the camera pans up, he blinks.

In front of the town hall, many of the residents are gathered after the Wraith attack. Marco hangs up a missing poster for his son, Pinocchio, still believing him to be a child. Ruby walks across the lawn, making announcements to the townspeople, informing them where to find beds and counseling. She hands blankets to Mother Superior, who expresses her concern that the townspeople are confused and panicked. Ruby replies that she believes their Prince is working on something.

At Regina Mills' house, David Nolan, with Jefferson's hat in hand, demands to know about it. When Regina asks why there is no guard set on her, he informs her that should she leave, the townspeople would set after her. He tells her that she still lives only because that is what Henry wants. David repeats his question, and Regina claims that she remembers nothing of the hat or where she got it. They begin bickering about the custody of Henry, and Regina refuses to take parental advice from "a man who put his daughter in a box and shipped her to Maine." Still, David is persistent in finding a way to get to the void world of Fairytale Land, where Mary Margaret Blanchard and Emma Swan are trapped. David tells her that she earned every bit of her pain, and she claims that she may not have magic nor her son, but when she gets one, she gets the other. The conversation ends when David tells Regina, "If you have to use magic to keep your son, you don't really have him."

In a flashback of Fairytale Land, a young Regina is attempting to escape her wedding to King Leopold and her mother Cora by riding away on her horse, Rocinante. However, she is thwarted by one of Cora's spells and pulled from her horse as her mother appears behind her. Cora tells her that she has cast a barrier spell; Regina cannot leave without Leopold by her side. Regina tells her mother that she does not want to marry the King, nor does she want power; all she truly wishes for is freedom. However, her mother tells her that power is freedom and tells her not to worry, and that she is there to guide her daughter down the right path.

In Storybrooke, outside the town hall, David asks Henry if he has seen Mother Superior. Henry tells him no but adds that everyone is looking for David. On cue, Ruby, Archie Hopper, Dr. Whale, and Marco all accost David with urgent requests. David spots Mother Superior and heads straight for her asking if there was a tree on this side, like the one they sent Emma through, so that he could follow Emma and Mary Margaret. Mother Superior informs David that it is possible, but without fairy dust to guide them, it's hopeless. David is deflated at this, but Henry jumps in, telling him that he'll find a way to get them. He says that things always look darkest before there is good news. Suddenly, Leroy shouts, "Terrible news!" as he and all the dwarfs rush up. Leroy tells Sneezy to tell everyone who he is. A confused Mr. Clark tells everyone that he's Tom Clark, the owner of the pharmacy. Leroy lays out for everyone what happened—when someone crosses the town line, they lose the memory of their original life; believing their Storybrooke identity to be who they truly are. Everyone is horrified by this revelation, and in an overlapping jumble, they ask David what they should do. Over the panicked din, David tries to maintain order. After they all calm down enough to listen, he tells them to reconvene in two hours. He'll tell them his plan to "fix everything." Ruby catches up to David as he walks off, asking him what his plan is, and he tells her that he's got two hours to figure that out.

In her home, Regina sits before an unlit candle, trying unsuccessfully to use magic to light it. She tosses the candle aside in anger and leaves her house. Outside, as she heads to her car, Archie approaches her, offering his help. She rejects this, and Archie tells her it might do her some good to talk to him, since maybe it will help her find out who she really is. She coldly informs him she knows who she is, then climbs into her car.

In King Leopold's castle, Regina sits with a young Snow White, braiding and adorning her hair with flowers. Snow White admires her new look, then notices a necklace in Regina's jewelry box which she puts on. Snow White asks Regina where she got the necklace, and Regina tells her it was a gift from Daniel. Snow White's face becomes concerned, and she says it's the same Daniel who loved Regina but left her. Regina corrects her, stating he didn't leave but was killed. She says he was killed because Snow White couldn't keep her secret. As a horrified Snow White takes this in, the necklace begins creeping up her neck until it goes taut. Regina begins choking her to death with the bewitched necklace. She tells the dying Snow White that her mother corrupts young souls. Just as it seems the life is going out of her face, the scene changes to show her happily wearing the harmless necklace. It was all in Regina's imagination.

In the castle courtyard, Regina walks with her father Henry. She is desperate because she knows Cora is turning Regina into herself, and she wants her father to help her find a way out. She doesn't want to marry the King and feels like a prisoner. Henry asks if it’s possible she is having cold feet, which Regina rejects. She admits feeling angry all the time now and fears Cora is making her crazy. Henry tells her Cora loves her and wants to give her everything she never had herself. Regina expresses that she wants her own life, not her mother’s. Regina asks Henry how Cora got like this, and Henry, looking around to make sure no one hears, tells Regina that there was a man – well, like a man, whom Cora knew before she even met Henry. He brought magic to her and gave her the book of spells. Regina wants this person’s name, but Henry doesn't know it. It dawns on Regina that the book of spells that Cora uses must actually belong to that man.

Back in Storybrooke, Regina storms into Mr. Gold’s shop, tearing through the inventory and pulling books off the shelves. Gold comes in to find her tearing up his wares and serenely tells her the library is beneath the clock tower. She closed it back up when she still had power. “I need the book. I need to get my son back.” Gold plays at not knowing which book Regina is seeking, then verbally jabs her for not only needing the spell book but also acknowledges how she’s turning into her mother. Regina tells him she doesn't have time to work her way back, and she needs a shortcut. Gold refuses and tells her to leave, adding "please." They both realize that the word no longer has any effect on her, likely another sign that the curse is broken. Taking this in, Gold tells her that jump-starting her magic is not in his best interests. Regina retorts that neither is everyone in the town knowing that their world still exists. Gold lifts an arm, and the spell book magically materializes in his hand. Offering an eager Regina the book, Gold tells her to be careful. However, Regina doesn’t care; she insists on using the book to get her son back. As she storms out of the shop, Gold stops her, telling her that even though he once told Regina she didn’t look like Cora, now he sees it.

In Fairytale Land, in her chamber, Cora is in bed, sleeping peacefully. Regina stands over her and reaches under Cora’s pillow to pull out the spell book. She sneaks off back to her room where she tries to decipher the tome. Discovering a name on one of the pages, she makes an attempt, “Rumple… Rumple-Shtiltskin? I summon thee Rumplestiltskin.” Immediately appearing, he says, “That’s not how you say it, dearie.” A shocked Regina turns to see Rumplestiltskin, reclining leisurely on her couch nearby. He tells her she didn’t say his name correctly, but in truth, she didn't have to say anything at all. Regina approaches, asking him, “What are you?” He takes small umbrage at the “what.” Regina apologizes, admitting she doesn’t really know what she’s doing. With a flourish and a bow, he introduces himself to her. She begins to respond in kind by introducing herself, but Rumplestiltskin interrupts, informing her he already knows who she is. Regina quickly realizes he knows who she is because of her mother, adding that people have told her that she looked like Cora when she was younger. Rumplestiltskin, studying her, tells her that he doesn’t see it and that it's not how he knows her anyway. Regina asks, “Then how?” He tells her he knew her long ago when she was just a baby he held in his arms, and he knew this day would come. He tells her, “And I’m so happy we are back where we belong.” “Where’s that?” Regina asks. “Together,” he replies.

In Storybrooke, Regina sits on a bench, looking over the spell book she just procured from Gold.

David, in close-up as he makes a speech, starts with, “People of Storybrooke. I know we’re trapped again and things look bleak…” He hesitates, and his hands go to his forehead. David isn’t talking to the residents of Storybrooke; he’s talking to a mirror in Emma and Mary Margaret’s apartment, rehearsing, but not to his satisfaction. Henry jumps in, telling him to keep going because he was on to something. But David is too frustrated, telling Henry that he did the fighting, Snow did the talking. David pulls out Jefferson’s tattered hat from his satchel. Henry asks to see it, telling David he thinks he knows what it is. Henry goes to his Story Book, flipping through to a drawing of a wild-looking Jefferson and his hat. Henry tells David the hat belongs to the Mad Hatter. David, eager to find this man, asks Henry who the Mad Hatter is in Storybrooke. Henry’s not sure and thinks maybe the man will check in at the crisis center with everything that is going on in town. David, distracted, asks, “What thing?” Henry means the big speech where David was going to tell everyone his plan. David, grabbing his coat, tells Henry he’ll be back for that and quickly leaves. Henry implores him to let him help, but David is already gone, heading to Mr. Gold's shop.

Gold is packing a series of maps into his tote bag, including ones for New York and Massachusetts. He’s clearly planning a trip, when David barges in. Gold makes light that he wasted his money on a "closed" sign and turns to see a determined David, who agrees. Gold, surprised to see him, tells him he’s sorry about his wife and daughter, but portal jumping is a bit outside of his purview. Gold asks David about what’s going on outside, and David lets him know about the problem with the town line. Gold, curious, asks for more details, but David tells him he’s looking for magic. He needs to find someone in the same way Gold helped him find Snow earlier. Gold understands and asks if David has anything belonging to the person. David says yes but demurs when Gold asks him to see it. Sensing the impasse, Gold offers David a potion. Pouring it on the object should lead him right to whom he’s looking for. David asks his price, but all Gold wants is peace and non-interference. David agrees, under the condition that Gold does the same for him. The deal is struck, but as David leaves, Gold asks him what happens at the border. David tells him that once someone crosses the town border, that person loses all memory of his or her former self. As David says, “It looks like we’re stuck here,” Gold reacts coolly, but after he leaves, Gold smashes his cane into nearby glass cases, shattering them. He braces himself against one of the fallen cases. It is clear he was not aware of the restrictions of being stuck in Storybrooke, despite the curse being broken.

In Regina’s fairytale quarters, she continues her conversation with Rumplestiltskin. He tells her that he’s known her since she was a child. He and her family have quite a bit of history, both in the past and in the future. Regina asks him if he can help her. He tells her possibly and then guesses she seeks the death of an enemy or a friend. She tells she doesn’t want to hurt anyone. He’s taken aback, telling her it’s hard to believe she’s from the same family as Cora. Caressing her face, he acknowledges her gentleness but also her innate power. “You can do so much, if you just let yourself." She turns away, admitting she doesn’t know how. He implores her to let him show her then points her toward a tall, shrouded object that has magically appeared behind her. Rumplestiltskin tells her it’s magic, and that magic will set her free. Regina still rejects it. It’s what her mother did, and she doesn’t want to end up like her. Rumplestiltskin assures her she doesn’t have to. He tells her the object is a portal between worlds, in this case, a specific and annoying little world. Rumplestiltskin tells her she probably will never see her mother again, and all she needs is a little push. The question is, can she do it? Regina is still contemplating this as the scene cuts away.

In Storybrooke, Regina has been considering her spell book in the courtyard. She opens the book, then blows the words off the page, only to inhale them again. A shock of purple energy crosses her eyes, and the apples on her tree go from black to red.

David is standing on the main street as he pours Gold’s potion onto Jefferson’s hat, which now has a hole burned through it. He waits a moment. Nothing. Suddenly, the hat flies into the air, propelled by an unseen force. The hat lands on an overturned car where a cry for help is heard from underneath. David tosses debris away from the door of the car, throwing it open to reveal Jefferson. He’s been trapped inside since the Wraith attack and is grateful for rescue. David makes sure he’s okay but then tells him they need to talk.

Meanwhile, back in the town hall, the townspeople, including Dr. Whale, Granny, Ruby, the dwarfs, and Henry all await David’s arrival. Ruby reassures the crowd as they grow more concerned since David has not yet arrived. Suddenly, the doors fly open. Expecting their hero, everyone turns to see Regina, entering the hall just like the Evil Queen they remember in their own world. Sensing danger, Archie tries to reason with her, but she uses magic to toss him aside and does the same for Leroy as he charges. Granny fires a crossbow bolt, but Regina catches it and returns it to the crowd as a ball of fire. Ruby, leaping forward into the danger, stands fast and asks Regina what she wants, but it’s Henry who answers, “Me. She wants me.” He comes forward, telling Regina he’ll go with her if she leaves everyone else alone. Regina strokes his chin tenderly and says,“That’s my boy.” Satisfied, she leads Henry out of the room, magically shutting the doors behind her.

Now at the outdoor seating at Granny’s, David interrogates Jefferson about the ruined hat. David throws the hat on the table and asks Jefferson if he can get him through. Jefferson says no. David asks if he can get Emma and Mary Margaret back, and he says no to that as well. David, frustrated, asks, “Can you get it to work?” Jefferson simply laughs at David’s lack of understanding. He tells Jefferson he saw the tea set in his car and thinks he also has a daughter. From one father to another, he needs help. Jefferson tells David that Emma and Mary Margaret are in Fairytale Land. This shocks David, who thought it no longer existed. Jefferson assures him it does but tells him it doesn’t matter, because they can no longer go there. David, upping the ante, tells Jefferson that he’s the sheriff, so unless he wants to end up in jail, he better figure out a way. However, this does not faze Jefferson, who tells them they’re both doomed to powerlessness. He suddenly flips over the table and makes a run for it, with David giving chase until he runs straight into Ruby. David tells her to get out of his way, until Ruby shocks him into awareness by telling him that Regina has her powers back and has taken Henry. What’s worse, because David was a no-show at his meeting, the people of the town are terrified and desperate and are therefore planning to leave Storybrooke, sacrificing their true identities to escape Regina. David, still fighting for his family, tells her that he’ll deal with this once he captures Jefferson. He needs to get his wife and daughter back. Ruby asks, “Back to what? This town is about to come apart.” She tells him he has to do something now.

A satisfied Regina returns home with Henry, telling him she doesn’t want him to think that things are going to go back to the way they used to be, but Henry dashes to his room, where he digs under his bed to produce a mound of blankets. He attaches one blanket to a nearby radiator and throws a chain of tied blankets out the window. He hops out of the window and starts climbing down his makeshift escape apparatus, when the branches of a nearby tree come to life and snatch him up, holding him in place just as Cora once did to Regina. Regina, at his window, tells an angry Henry, “Don’t fight it, honey. You’ll get a splinter.”

Moments later, with Henry back in his room, sitting across from Regina, Henry asks her how long he has to be imprisoned by her. She tells him she rescued him because she loves him, but Henry’s not buying it. She retorts that the place she came from was far less fair than this. Henry accuses her of sending away Emma and Mary Margaret, which Regina insists was an accident; however, he reminds her that everybody thought Henry was making up the stories about Fairytale Land, which made him feel like he was crazy. Regina is eager to make amends, telling him everything can change now and that he can know all the secrets of magic. To illustrate, with a puff into her palm, Regina makes a delicious cupcake materialize out of thin air. She promises him she can teach him. (It’s almost similar to Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire's talk from The Return.) She tells him that he can have his friends over and show off his magic. He tells her that his friends won’t want to come over because they’ll be too afraid. Regina, her eyes flashing a familiar anger, tells him he can make them not be afraid. Then, more gently, she assures him, “You can make them love you.” Henry tells her he doesn’t want that and that he doesn’t want to be like her. He leaves, and an uncertain Regina becomes pensive.

In King Leopold’s castle, Regina is dressed in a beautiful, shimmering wedding gown. It is almost time for the wedding. Staring off at the balcony, Regina is pulled back into reality by her mother, who asks, “What’s this?” Regina turns to face her mother as well as a large, covered object in the room. She tells Cora she’s not sure; it is a gift. With a sweep of her hand, Cora removes the covering and is disappointed for her daughter that it’s not a portrait but rather an impersonal mirror. Cora cruelly wonders aloud if the people really love Regina. Hurt, Regina says she’s doing her best. Cora apologizes and leads her to the glass to admire her beauty and reminds her of the life she has ahead of her. “It’s going to be better than you can imagine.” Then, in a hushed tone, Cora tells her daughter that Leopold is not a strong man, and the kingdom will be hers. Cora encourages her to start planning for her future rule now, by signaling to those around her where the real power will soon lie. Regina, turning away, asks if that’s what Cora would do, and her mother confirms this. Regina tells Cora she has just one qualm—she doesn’t want to be her. As Regina lunges at her mother, Cora, scoffing, freezes her in a magic spell. Cora tells her it won’t be that easy to get rid of her. She’s her mother, and she knows best. Just then, Regina sees Rumplestiltskin appear in the mirror behind Cora, motioning gleefully for Regina to push her mother into the mirror. Regina, uncertain, but then with growing rage, she lunges forward and pushes Cora into the mirror, which has now become a liquid portal. A stunned Cora flies into its maw, catching herself on the frame for just a moment before she’s sucked through, disappearing before the mirror shatters. Regina looks on in shock at what she's done.

The road leading out of Storybrooke is now emblazoned with Leroy’s spray-painted line. David’s pick-up hurtles down the road in front of other cars heading for the edge of town and then power-slides into a barricade. He and Ruby quickly get out and confront a line of cars filled with townspeople who are all ready to give in. David climbs into the bed of his truck and stands before the crowd. He tells the people what they’ll lose if they cross the line, namely the ones they love and themselves. He understands why they want to leave the bad memories behind, but those memories are a part of them. He acknowledges his own shortcomings as David Nolan; still, he insists he wouldn't give up Prince James just to be him, but he wouldn’t make the other trade either. He owns his weaknesses and his strengths, just as they must. He encourages the people to be both their fairytale and Storybrooke identities. He challenges them to make this town whole again—to open the school, Granny’s, everything. He promises to protect them from Regina and that she won’t harm them while he’s alive. He reminds them that they all need to come together as they did before in their own world. They take in David’s words and then agree, heading to their cars to begin the hard work of facing and rebuilding their lives.

Regina rides her horse down a path, with Leopold’s castle disappearing behind her, until she hears a voice ask, “Leaving, are we?” She looks up to see none other than Rumplestiltskin standing in the middle of the road. She dismounts her horse as she replies that leaving was always the idea. She gives Rumplestiltskin back his spell book. As Regina turns to leave, he asks her, “How did it feel?” She tells him she loved her mother, but he presses her, asking her how it felt to use magic. Regina tells him it doesn’t matter because she’ll never do it again. However, she admits to him, and to herself, that she enjoyed using it. Rumplestiltskin responds to this with glee. She has such potential, and he could teach her how to unlock it if she lets him. She asks him what he gets out of it, and Rumplestiltskin tells her ominously that one day she’ll do something for him. He offers the book once more, asking her to let him guide her. Regina accepts, but half-asks, half-tells Rumplestiltskinthat she won’t become like her mother. Rumplestiltskin tells her that’s entirely up to her. Regina holds up the spell book, considering the offer.

Mirroring the scene in present day Storybrooke, Regina sits at her dinner table contemplating that same spell book. Just then, David bursts in, sword in hand, demanding to see Henry. Regina calls Henry down and tells David that he won’t need his sword. He slowly lowers his weapon as Henry comes down the stairs. Regina takes a painful moment before telling him he’s going to go home with David. Henry is skeptical, but Regina tells him she means it. She admits to him that she doesn’t know how to love very well. It’s been so long since she’s felt real love, but she remembers that if you hold onto someone too hard, it doesn’t make them love back. She apologizes for lying and making him feel like he was wrong. Now she only wants him to be with her because he wants to be there, not because she forced him or because of magic. Regina tearfully tells Henry she wants to redeem herself. After sending him up to pack, David tells Regina to prove what she just told Henry and wants her to answer one question: does their home still exist? She confirms it still exists but that she has no idea how to get back there. Seeing the look in David’s eyes, she knows she just launched him into another heroic quest; however, she implores him to make sure he also takes care of her son. David agrees. Moments later, Regina watches, heartbroken, as David leads Henry away.

Meanwhile, downtown Storybrooke is coming back to life. Stores are opening, and the dwarfs are already busy at work. Leroy leads his five brethren out of the hardware store, all of them carrying new pickaxes. They run into a confused Mr. Clark on the street. He asks them what they need the axes for, and Leroy tells him not to worry. He’s lost something, but they’re going to help him get it back by finding fairy dust. With an iconic, “Come on, boys, it’s off to work we go,” Leroy leads his dwarfs off in search of the fairy dust.

In Granny’s Diner, a despondent looking Marco sits at a booth until David and Henry enter. After Henry whispers in his ear, Marco’s face lights up. Later, he enters August’s room, but there’s no sign of his boy there, except for his alpine hat from childhood. While Mr. Gold muses at the boundary line of Storybrooke, Regina considers tossing her spell book in the fireplace at home but instead locks it in a cabinet. Back in the diner, David tells Henry Fairytale Land is still out there. When Henry questions if Mary Margaret and Emma might have died on the way, David assures him they didn’t. He can feel it.

In present-day Fairytale Land, Emma and Mary Margaret, very much alive and tied up, are being pulled along unceremoniously behind a horse, as they stumble across the rough terrain. They are prisoners of Mulan and Aurora. They look up and see that they are approaching an island encampment. Mary Margaret asks where they are to which Mulan simply replies, “Our home.” Inside the camp, Emma and Mary Margaret are taken aback at the nearly medieval living standards of these refugees. When Mulan defends her people as survivors, Mary Margaret attacks, knocking Aurora away and telling Emma to make a run for it. They both do, but Mulan coolly picks up a bolo weapon, spins it, and hurls it at Mary Margaret, who takes a strong hit and goes down. Emma rushes to her side, and as Mulan approaches them, she instructs the other guards to take them to the pit. Soon after, when Emma tends to a still unconscious Mary Margaret in a dark and foreboding underground prison, she hears a voice asking her if she needs help. Emma, still unable to see much around her, asks who the speaker is. “A friend,” comes the reply. The stranger steps forward, and it is revealed to be Cora.

Appearances

 * Evil Queen/Regina Mills
 * Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold
 * Emma Swan
 * Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * David Nolan
 * Henry Mills
 * Ruby
 * Archie Hopper


 * Leroy
 * Dr. Whale
 * Marco
 * August Booth
 * Cora
 * Mother Superior
 * Henry (Father)
 * Granny
 * Princess Aurora


 * Mulan
 * Doc (Storybrooke)
 * Mr. Clark
 * Walter
 * Dopey (Storybrooke)
 * Happy (Storybrooke)
 * Bashful (Storybrooke)
 * Jefferson

Trivia

 * The opening title card features the magical branches used in the imprisonment spell.
 * The scene where Regina walks into the town meeting is a call back to the first episode when she interrupts Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding. Both scenes also use the same background music.
 * Regina uses the line "fairest of them all," from the Disney film.
 * This episode's title is taken from David's speech while referring to the residents of Storybrooke past memories and present ones coming together, "We are both".
 * On the notice board where Geppetto posts his drawing, several other posters for missing persons are visible.


 * "PIERRE ABELARD" - a real-world medieval philosopher whose love affair with the scholar Heloise became a legendary story of tragic lovers doomed to be apart
 * "Desperately Looking For Peasblossom" - a fairy of few lines from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
 * "Pyramus and Thisbee come home" - a (originally Roman) pair of doomed lovers, whose story inspired 'Romeo & Juliet' and also showed up as a play-within-the-play in "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
 * Also, on the notice board opposite Geppetto's, the word "TITANIA" ('Midsummer's queen of the fairies) is visible but no details.
 * The circular necklace the Evil Queen wears has an apple tree in the center.
 * Regina calls her horse by the name Rocinante.
 * Leroy's statement, "It's off to work we go", is a line from the song "Heigh Ho", from the Disney film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
 * When Jefferson is rescued from his wrecked car by David Nolan, he has a toy tea set in his car; referencing the Mad Hatter and his tea parties with his daughter, Grace.

We Are Both