The Heart of the Truest Believer

"The Heart of the Truest Believer" is the first episode of Season Three of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz and directed by Ralph Hemecker. It is the forty-fifth episode of the series overall, and premiered on September 29, 2013. This episode is the third season premiere.

Synopsis
As Emma, Mary Margaret, David, Regina, Mr. Gold and Hook enter Neverland to search for a kidnapped Henry, they're greeted by a school of not-too-friendly mermaids who threaten to end their search before it begins; Henry finds himself on the run from the Lost Boys with another escapee from Peter Pan's encampment; and Neal, recovering from his wounds, travels through the Enchanted Forest with Mulan in an attempt to learn the fates of Emma and Henry.

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 (Credit only)
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook
 * Michael Raymond-James as Neal Cassidy
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Robert Carlyle as Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * Sarah Bolger as Aurora
 * Jamie Chung as Mulan
 * Ethan Embry as Greg Mendell
 * Robbie Kay as fugitive boy
 * Sean Maguire as Robin Hood
 * Sonequa Martin-Green as Tamara
 * Julian Morris as Prince Phillip

Co-Starring

 * Alex Barima as Lost Boy #1
 * Joy Castro as Nurse
 * Parker Croft as Felix
 * Jack di Blasio as Lost Boy #2
 * Dave Mathews as Doctor
 * Natasha Wilson as Mermaid

Uncredited

 * Unknown baby as Henry Mills

Quotes
Hook: The irony...

Regina: What irony?

Hook: I spent more time than I care to remember trying to leave this place and to kill Rumplestiltskin. And here I am, sailing right back into its heart with him as my guest of honor. It's not quite the happy ending I was hoping for.

Regina: Greg Mendell said something funny to me. He said I'm a villain. And that villains don't get happy endings. Do you believe that?

Hook: I hope not... or we wasted our lives.

Emma: How can you two be so infuriatingly optimistic?

David: It's who we are.

Emma: Why? Ever since you got your memories back, ever since you remember that you're Snow White and Prince Charming, your lives, they've... they've sucked!

Hook: Oh, that's a great use of our time, a wardrobe change!

Mulan: What's it like? The other world?

Neal: Well, for starters, they think that this place is just a fairytale. Like a legend, like we're all just characters in a story.

Mulan: I'm in a story?

Neal: Yeah, they made a movie about you. It's actually pretty good.

Mulan: What's a movie?

Production Notes

 * This episode's title card features Henry Mills and the Fugitive Boy in flight.
 * This is the first episode in which Storybrooke does not appear.

Event Chronology

 * The Land Without Magic events take place after "Tallahassee" and before "Pilot".
 * The Enchanted Forest events occur after "And Straight On 'Til Morning".
 * The Neverland events take place after "And Straight On 'Til Morning".