Fall

"Fall" is the ninth episode of Season Four of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Jane Espenson, and directed by Mario Van Peebles. It is the seventy-fifth episode of the series overall, and premiered on November 30, 2014.

Synopsis
As the Spell of Shattered Sight approaches Storybrooke, Mary Margaret and David rally the residents to prepare for the curse while Belle and the fairies work together on an antidote. Gold, with Hook as his reluctant servant, sets about an exit strategy of his own. Regina and Robin Hood ready themselves for the worst while, with the help of a locator spell, Emma and Elsa search desperately for Anna. In Arendelle, Anna and Kristoff awaken to find that their kingdom is once again in danger.

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
 * Michael Socha as Will Scarlet
 * Robert Carlyle as Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * Lee Arenberg as Leroy
 * Scott Michael Foster as Kristoff
 * Georgina Haig as Elsa
 * Elizabeth Lail as Anna
 * Sean Maguire as Robin Hood
 * Elizabeth Mitchell as the Snow Queen
 * Charles Mesure as Black Beard
 * Tyler Jacob Moore as Hans
 * Keegan Connor Tracy as Mother Superior

Co-Starring

 * Raphael Alejandro as Roland
 * Nils Hognestad as Franz
 * Marcus Rosner as Jurgen

Uncredited

 * Unknown baby as Neal Nolan

Quotes
Mr. Gold: If I have to choose between everyone else and me, me wins every time.

Regina: What now? A hope speech? A lecture on the morality of blind faith? Mary Margaret: Well, it seems like Elsa's blind faith is exactly what's screwing us right now! Regina: Coming from you, that's just terrifying.

Production Notes

 * The title card features Gerda and her husband's shipwreck, and Gerda's message in a bottle.
 * During filming of this episode, director Mario Van Peebles was nicknamed Mario Van "Pebbles".
 * According to Adam Horowitz, once Ingrid started the Spell of Shattered Sight, it took all her magic powers, which is the reason why Arendelle defrosted after so many years.
 * The scene where Hook captures the nuns was originally going to be set in the convent.

Event Chronology

 * The Arendelle events take place more than thirty years after "Smash the Mirror", and before "Heroes and Villains".
 * The Enchanted Forest events take place concurrently with the events in Storybrooke, and after the scene with Ariel and Prince Eric on Hangman's Island in "The Jolly Roger".
 * The Storybrooke events take place after "Smash the Mirror" and before "Shattered Sight".

Episode Connections

 * The Spell of Shattered Sight was cast by Ingrid in "Smash the Mirror". It is broken in "Shattered Sight".
 * The ice wall was created by Elsa in "White Out".
 * The reason why Mr. Gold dislikes fairies, is revealed in "The Return".
 * The Jolly Roger is docked in the same harbor as in "Good Form", "The Jolly Roger" and "Snow Drifts" (although the buildings look slightly different in "Good Form" and this episode, since these scenes take place during the day).
 * The nuns are released from the Sorcerer's Hat in "Darkness on the Edge of Town.
 * Black Beard references his past encounter with Hook and Ariel. This event occurs in "The Jolly Roger".
 * Anna and Elsa are reunited. Elsa's quest to find her sister began in "A Tale of Two Sisters".
 * David reunites with Anna and Kristoff. His relationship with each character is explored further in "White Out".
 * Emma's knowledge about the dragon living in the mines is due to events in "A Land Without Magic".
 * Emma mentions how her mother and father reunited once long ago thanks to a locator spell, which happened in "A Land Without Magic".
 * Anna, Elsa and Kristoff return to Arendelle in "Heroes and Villains".

Disney

 * This episode features Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Hans from the movie Frozen, as well as their homeland Arendelle.
 * Anna says to Hans that she sang with him; referring to their duet "Love Is an Open Door" from Frozen. Although there have been nods to Disney musical numbers previously, such as the dwarves and the "Whistle While You Work" song, this is the first time a direct reference to a Disney film's musical sequence has been made.

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode features the titular character from The Snow Queen fairytale and Captain Hook from the Peter Pan story.
 * Hans refers to the area where Anna and Elsa's parents drowned as Poseidon's Boneyard, a reference to the deity from Greek Mythology.

Lost

 * There is a close-up of Mary Margaret's eye after the spell is enacted. This is a recurring theme from Lost.

Popular Culture

 * This episode features Black Beard, the infamous English pirate who is the figure most often associated with the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean, and has been featured heavily in works of fiction across a range of genres.