Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25315804-20180409035927/@comment-1826156-20180410215452

It's possible that Nick had made preparations before the curse (either by striking up a deal with a witch or witch doctor or some item he has maybe).

As for Alice, I'm still not clear on her. She seemed to be coming out of the curse before going back on the medication. Perhaps Rumple needs her on the medication still to prevent her from trying to wake the others up before all the pieces are set. I've a feeling she would still be a wildcard and try immediately to wake up Robin and Hook. The writers obviously remember that scene where she remembers Rumple's name (who wouldn't, it's one of the most powerful thise season, by far!) since they had the scene where he's trying to fix Chip after Alice broke it.

Also, I need more of the NEF scenes where Alice is working for Henry's grandfather. That was so intriguing.