Siege Perilous

"This is the Siege Perilous. Reserved for the knight with the purest heart... The one destined to carry out the most sacred quests."

- King Arthur to David Nolan

"Siege Perilous" is the third episode of Season Five of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Jane Espenson, and directed by Ralph Hemecker. It is the ninety-first episode of the series overall, and premiered on October 11, 2015.

Synopsis
In Camelot, the heroes feverishly work to free Merlin. Determined to help Emma, David embarks on a quest to retrieve a magical relic that Regina could use to communicate with the imprisoned sorcerer, but, when David leaves, Arthur insists on joining him because the dangers ahead are greater than he can imagine. Meanwhile, Mary Margaret discovers the fate of her old friend Lancelot. Back in Storybrooke, Arthur seeks David's help to catch a thief who threatens the safety of the citizens of Camelot. Across town, Emma reaches out to a conflicted Hook as she sets about her plan to draw Excalibur from the stone.

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
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Rebecca Mader as Zelena
 * Sean Maguire as Robin Hood
 * Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * Lee Arenberg as Leroy
 * Giacomo Baessato as Grif
 * Beverley Elliott as Granny
 * Liam Garrigan as King Arthur
 * Joana Metrass as Guinevere
 * Sinqua Walls as Lancelot

Co-Starring

 * David-Paul Grove as Doc
 * Gabe Khouth as Mr. Clark
 * Faustino Di Bauda as Walter
 * Michael Coleman as Happy
 * Mig Macario as Bashful
 * Jeffrey Kaiser (Press release only)

Uncredited

 * Unknown baby as Prince Neal
 * Unknown as Floyd

Trivia

 * -|Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * The title card features Brocéliande.
 * In Arthurian Legend, Siege Perilous is a vacant seat at the Round Table reserved for the knight who would one day be successful in the quest for the Holy Grail. The seat is so strictly reserved that it is fatal to anyone else who sits in it.
 * The herb that Regina is trying to find for a potion to free Merlin, is called witchbane. During the middle ages, witchbane was a nickname for the rue herb, because people carried them to ward off witches. In magic lore, the rue herb is often used in spells of protection against witchcraft and bad luck. It can be used for hex breaking and warding off the evil eye, and is a classic herb for protection magic and to increase one's psychic powers. It is also used in some love spells.
 * The scenes between Emma and Hook was supposed to happen on the deck of the Jolly Roger. However, for budget reasons, their scenes were moved to inside the ship.
 * The sentiment of Arthur needing the Round Table to remind him to be humble was inspired by T. H. White's The Once and Future King.
 * The line about Merlin in the tree - "...snap off a twig and it turns into a finger..." - was pitched in the writers' room by Andrew Chambliss.
 * In the Arthurian Legend, Grif's original name is "Giflet", and one alternative form of this name is "Griflet". Jane Espenson decided to change it because it "sounded weird".
 * -|Episode Connections=

Event Chronology

 * The Storybrooke events take place after "The Price".
 * The Camelot events take place after "The Price".

Episode Connections

 * Emma first began to see the manifestation of Rumplestiltskin in "The Dark Swan".
 * The Storybrooke heroes learnt that Merlin was trapped in a tree in "The Price".
 * Regina began to pose as the savior in "The Price".
 * The dwarves first posed their concerns about the newly-dark Emma in "The Price".
 * David expresses his regret over not trying to stop Emma from absorbing the Darkness, which occurred in "Operation Mongoose Part 2".
 * This is the third time someone tries to use Happy's pick ax on a magical object. Greg Mendell used Happy's pick ax to enable the trigger in "And Straight On 'Til Morning", and John Darling attempted to break Pandora's Box using Happy's pick ax in "Dark Hollow".
 * Emma first tried to remove the sword from the stone in "The Price".
 * Regina first rendered Zelena mute in "The Price".
 * Zelena tried to go back to Oz in "The Dark Swan".
 * Zelena was discovered to be pregnant with Robin's child in "Lily".
 * Regina points out that Zelena had a second chance, and a second second chance, referring to events in "A Curious Thing" and "Kansas".
 * David stabbed Percival to death in "The Price".
 * David tells Arthur about Lancelot's supposed death, which was mentioned in "Lady of the Lake".
 * Hook found the locked door in Emma's house in "The Price".
 * Emma and Hook relive their first date, which took place in "The Apprentice".
 * Belle discusses Gold's coma, a condition he succumbed to in "Operation Mongoose Part 2".
 * Hook recounts his relationship with Rumplestiltskin from before he was the Dark One, which occurred in "The Crocodile".
 * The sword that Emma takes from Hook's ship is the one he threatened Rumplestiltskin with in "The Crocodile".
 * Emma asks Hook if he remembers when they were in the Storybook and she taught him how to swordplay, which took place in "Operation Mongoose Part 2".
 * David says that his father drank his life away; something that was first touched upon in "White Out".
 * David says that his brother accomplished nothing but evil; a reference to the events in "Tiny".
 * David says that he doesn't want to only be remembered as the man who kissed a sleeping princess awake thirty years ago; referring to the events in "Pilot".
 * Mary Margaret learns that Lancelot is alive, which debunks the notion that he was dead in "Lady of the Lake."
 * Arthur asks his squire to drink a poison of the Agrabahn Viper, a magical species first seen in "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree".
 * Belle notices the petals of the rose in a jar are reforming into the rose, which was given to her by Mother Superior in "The Dark Swan".
 * Emma talks about Mr. Gold's heart now being a blank slate, which was discovered in "Operation Mongoose Part 2".


 * -|Cultural References=

Biblical

 * The Unquenchable Flame, used by Arthur and David in Brocéliande, is said to be a part of the burning bush itself.

Disney

 * While working down in the mines, the Dwarves whistle the song "Heigh-Ho" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Fairytales and Folklores

 * This episode features King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot and Giflet from the Arthurian Legend,, Rumplestiltskin from the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale, Robin Hood from the ballad, Captain Hook from the Peter Pan story, and the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story.
 * This episode features Brocéliande Forest, a legendary forest in France that first appears in the 1106 verse chronicle Roman de Rou. It has also appeared several times in Arthurian romance.


 * -|Props Notes=

Props Notes

 * The illustration of the magical toadstool says "The Crimson Crown - Veraticalas Coronaat". While the other word seems to be gibberish, "coronat" is Catalan for "crowned".
 * The book Regina is reading, says:

[obscured]as as

[obscured]at brings [obscured]fate [obscured]nd to the [obscured]at if [obscured]minister a

[obscured]operties [obscured]tool doth [obscured]al roperties [obscured]ence when one [obscured]municate across [obscured]in through [obscured] grow in [obscured] The Forest of [obscured]ght

[obscured]son Crown has masculine correspondence and is aligned with the planet Mercury and the air element. It may be used as a fertility charm. Some use this toadstool to aid with astral travel. This can be dangerous.

Some associate this fungus with Dionysus.

There are a number of other folk magic uses for The Crimson Crown, and one may incorporate them at a symbolic level, rather than actually eating them.

In many areas, the appearance of a ring of

[obscured] crowns on the [obscured] is cause for either [obscured]rns or alarm. In The Northern Lands, these circles are known as fairy rings - and they are where the fae come to dance and cavort after a rainstorm.

Moreover, like many other locations associated with faeries [sic], humans who, perchance, dare to enter such a ring may find themseves asleep for a hundred years, or worse yet, whisked off to the land of the little folk, never to return.

In the Western Mountains, these rings are formed when an ogre sets down his milk churn - once he picks it up, there's a big circle left in the grass.

In some ridings, such as The Enchanted Forest and the wetlands to the East, these rings are associated with sorcery and malevolent magic, and travelers are well-advised to steer clear of them.


 * Some of the text, is adapted from Witchipedia.com's article "Magical and Spiritual Considerations", about the mushroom  Amanita muscaria. The original text reads thus:
 * "Magic mushroom has masculine and is aligned with the planet Mercury and the air element. It may be used as a fertility charm. Some use this mushroom to aid with astral travel. However, it should be noted that using chemical assistance is never advised and can be dangerous. Some associate this fungus with Dionysus, mainly because of its intoxicating potential."


 * Other parts of the text, are adapted from the following excerpts from the About.com article "Mushroom Magic and Folklore":
 * "In Holland, these rings are believed to be left when the Devil sets down his milk churn - once he picks it up, there's a big circle left in the grass. In some countries, such as France and Austria, these rings are associated with sorcery and malevolent magic, and travelers are well-advised to steer clear of them."
 * "In many areas, the appearance of a ring of mushrooms on the ground is cause for either rejoicing or alarm. In Great Britain, these circles are known as fairy rings - and they are where the Fae come to dance and frolic after a rainstorm. However, like many other locations associated with faeries, humans who dare to enter such a ring may find themselves asleep for a hundred years, or worse yet, whisked off to the land of the wee folk, never to return."