A Land Without Magic

A Land Without Magic is the twenty-second episode of Once Upon A Time. This episode is the Season One finale. It aired on May 13, 2012.

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Synopsis
Emma Swan and Regina Mills team together in order to find a way to save Henry's life. Meanwhile, in the fairytale land that was, Prince Charming attempts to escape from the Evil Queen's clutches in order to reunite with Snow White who, unbeknownst to him, has already taken a bite of the Queen's poison apple.

Recap
Prince Charming is trying to break out of his cell. The guards come to collect him because they are going to execute him; however, he manages to escape while he is being moved, with help from a guard. The guard is revealed to be the Huntsman, who guides Prince Charming out of the castle and gives him a sword.

Emma rushes to the hospital with Henry. Dr. Whale asks what happened and Emma shows him the apple turn-over that Henry has eaten. Emma believes it was poisoned, but Dr. Whale dismisses this theory saying Henry shows no visible signs of poisoning. Emma is panicking and demands an answer, but he doesn't have one for her. As she dumps open Henry's bag and sees his Henry's book, Dr. Whale says it's almost as if Henry has been struck by magic. Starting to believe, Emma picks up the book and the book flashes red - she witnesses a montage of events which occurred when she was a baby in Fairytale Land. Regina walks in and Emma attacks her. She drags her to a storage closet, where she furiously accuses Regina of poisoning Henry. Distressed, Regina tells her the truth and Emma is further shocked. Regina adds that magic in this world is unpredictable and Emma questions what they should do. Regina says that they need help from the only other person who knows about magic. Emma alludes to Mr. Gold, to which Regina says that he prefers to be called Rumplestiltskin.

The Queen is pacing back and forth as the Huntsman enters. She questions why the Huntsman let Prince James escape and the Huntsman says that he will find him. The Mirror shows Prince James running in the forest and the Queen magically transports him elsewhere. While running, James meets Rumplestiltskin who explains that he is trapped in the Infinite Forest which is inescapable - however, he offers his help. Rumplestiltskin enchants Prince James' mother's ring so that it will glow bright as he gets closer to Snow. Prince James fights Rumplestiltskin for the ring, but Rumplestiltskin is able to heal himself and easily overpowers Prince James. Rumplestiltskin says he wants Snow and Charming to be together, and that he will help them on one condition.

David meets Mary Margaret by her car and apologises for not believing in her, explaining that he doesn't understand why he doesn't make the right choices. David says he feels love for her and reveals that he is leaving Storybrooke to go to Boston, unless she can give him a reason not to. Mary Margaret, still hurt, cannot give him that reason.

Rumplestiltskin shows Prince James the bottled potion of true love, created from Snow and James' hair. He admits that he loved someone once a long time ago, but that she had died, which is why he seemingly wants to protect true love. Rumplestiltskin asks Prince James to hide it in the belly of the Beast, for a rainy day.

Regina and Emma go to see Mr. Gold and ask for his help. He says that he has a bottle of true love that he smuggled from Fairytale Land. However, he warns them that retrieving it is the main problem and that it is Emma who must obtain the potion of true love. Mr. Gold asks Regina if their 'friend' is still in the basement because he hid it in her. To equip her for the quest, Mr. Gold gives Emma her father, Prince James', sword.

Before retrieving the potion, Emma is seen talking to Henry, who is in a coma and she apologizes to him for not believing. As she goes, she leaves the book with him for when he wakes up, and Regina walks in to say something. She cries and says she is sorry. Jefferson appears in the room but Regina wants him to leave. Regina says the deal wasn't completed as Emma didn't eat the apple. Spitefully, Regina says she knows Jefferson can't kill her and she leaves. Emma goes to see August for help, but she discovers him slowly turning back to wood. August is happy that Emma finally believes. Emma says she can't do it without his help, but he believes that she can save Henry. Unfortunately, August's transformation to wood completes as she looks on helplessly. Next, Regina and Emma meet outside on the street, and enter an abandoned, locked building. There, Regina reveals an elevator hidden behind the wall and explains that she must operate it whilst Emma goes down. She also explains that she trapped a 'friend' as punishment, but in a different form. Emma unsheathes the sword and goes down in the elevator.

Prince James goes to find the Beast, who is revealed to be Maleficent the witch. She quickly repels him and magically extinguishes all the candles, leaving him swinging his sword wildly in the dark. She then transforms into a dragon and the two start to fight. Prince Charming is trying to find a way to get Maleficent to eat the egg. He jumps on her back and implants the egg in her before jumping out a window into the lake. Later, Prince James rejoins Rumplestiltskin, who is waiting on shore and he obtains the ring from him. He says that with the ring, he will find her. Rumplestiltskin says something is missing and magically transforms the Prince's outfit into royal attire.

Emma descends down the elevator shaft and exits into a large cavern, where she finds Snow White's coffin. She backs up against a wall, when a giant green eye appears. The wall turns out to be a dragon and Emma backs away, briefly overwhelmed and frightened. She casts the sword aside and draws her gun, shooting at Maleficent but it doesn't work. Maleficent slips down into a chasm and Emma thinks that she is gone but she re-appears.

Mary Margaret is reading the story book to Henry as he lies comatose in the hospital. She sadly explains to him why she gave him the book - to help him understand that life doesn't always have a happy ending. Henry's heart rate starts to fall and doctors rush into the ward. Amidst the rush, a man, shown to be Jefferson, walks through a secured door, leading to the cell where Belle is confined. After drugging the duty nurse and releasing Belle, he instructs her to find Mr. Gold and tell him Regina had locked her up.

Emma continues fighting Maleficent to no effect. She decides to use the sword and the moment before she is attacked, hurls it at the dragon and hits it in the heart. Maleficent is destroyed, and amongst the ashy remains lies the egg.

Prince James gallops horse-back in the forest down a path and comes across Snow's glass coffin, surrounded by the Dwarves who are mourning. They tell him that he is too late, but he gives her one farewell kiss and magically, she awakens and they are reunited. She asks him how he found her and James shows her the enchanted ring. Later, on the seashore, Prince Charming proposes to Snow White and she joyfully accepts. She suggests that they should take back the kingdom and she says they will do it together.

David is packing up and begins to drive out of Storybrooke forever. Emma is coming up when the elevator stops and Mr. Gold shows up and takes the egg and promises Emma that her boy will be fine. Regina is tied up and she says that Mr. Gold tricked them into retrieving the egg for him. The hospital calls Emma. They both rush to the hospital but are confronted with the news that Henry has died. Emma walks in and is distraught.

Mr. Gold is opening up the egg in his shop and extracts the bottle of true love. As he hides the bottle, he hears someone enter. It is Belle, who stumbles in and says that Regina locked her up. He is shocked but overwhelmingly happy that she is alive and promises her that he will protect her. Confused, she asks if she is supposed to know him, to which he replies that she will.

Back in the hospital, Regina looks on Henry's lifeless body and breaks down crying. Emma, still shocked, slowly goes up to Henry's body, silently weeping, and says she loves him. She bends over and kisses him gently on the forehead. As her tears fall on Henry, a wave of magical light radiates out from them, similar to what occurred with Snow White when she was kissed by Prince Charming. Henry then wakes up to the amazement of everyone. The wave of magic covers all of Storybrooke, and Henry tells Emma that she has broken the curse, much to Regina's dismay. Everyone in the room looks at Regina and Mother Superior advises 'Her Majesty' to hide. Before she leaves, Regina tells Henry that she really does love him. David returns to Storybrooke and he and Mary Margaret call to each other on the street by their true names, Snow and Charming. The two then kiss.

Meanwhile, an upset Regina is crying in Henry's bedroom. Belle and Mr. Gold are walking in the forest and she abruptly tells him to wait, using his true name Rumplestiltskin. She says she remembers everything and that she loves him. Mr. Gold replies that he loves her too but there will be "plenty of time for that." The two hug and they then continue to walk. They arrive at Storybrooke Wishing Well. Mr. Gold drops the bottle of true love down into its waters. A pink mist begins to form from it and quickly covers the countryside. Everyone in Storybrooke takes notice as, "something bad" as Henry calls it, begins to come to Storybrooke. Mr. Gold explains to Belle that magic is coming to Storybrooke. Belle questions why he would want that, and he replies "because magic is power."

Regina looks out of Henry's window and smiles wickedly as she sees the purple mist approaching and spreading over Storybrooke. The final scene zooms in on the town clock as it ticks for a final time before it is engulfed by the mist.

Appearances

 * Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Emma Swan
 * Henry Mills
 * Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold
 * Evil Queen/Regina Mills
 * Prince James/David Nolan
 * August Booth
 * Archie Hopper
 * Grumpy
 * Sneezy
 * Happy
 * Doc
 * Bashful
 * Sleepy
 * Dopey
 * Ruby
 * Ruby's Grandmother
 * Mother Superior
 * Dr. Whale
 * Jefferson
 * The Huntsman
 * Maleficent/Maleficent's Dragon Form
 * Belle's Counterpart

Quotes
Mr. Gold: I've been saving it for a rainy day.

Emma: Well, it's storming like a bitch.

Prince Charming: I'm gonna need a smaller egg.

Belle: I'm sorry...do I...do I know you?"

Gold: No. But you will.

Regina: Gold. He manipulated all of this.

Mother Superior: If I were you, your majesty, I'd find a place to hide.

Trivia

 * The opening title features the Dark Curse.
 * Maleficent turns into a dragon like in the Disney movie Sleeping Beauty.
 * In Maleficent's Cave under the Storybrooke Clock Tower, Snow's Glass Coffin is seen to be resting there.
 * Emma throws the sword at the dragon like Prince Phillip does in Sleeping Beauty, as well as when her father Prince Charming threw his sword to the Evil Queen.
 * The clock stops at the time of 8:15 in the final scene, which are two of the Numbers in the ABC show LOST. 8:15 was also the time where the clock had stopped before the season began and Emma got it moving again.
 * Since the series was renewed, the next episode will be the Season Two premiere.

1x22 A Land Without Magic