The Shepherd

"The Shepherd" is the sixth episode of Season One of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Andrew Chambliss & Ian Goldberg and directed by Victor Nelli. It is the sixth episode of the series overall, and premiered on December 4, 2011.

Synopsis
David - aka John Doe - must choose between staying with Kathryn or leaving her to be with Mary Margaret, with whom he's fallen deeply, and inexplicably, in love; and Emma catches Sheriff Graham in a lie. Meanwhile, back in the fairytale world that was, Prince Charming is about to encounter a life-changing event that will forever alter his destiny.

Recap
David Nolan is with his wife Kathryn Nolan, and she is showing him their house. She comments about an old windmill which once sat on the front lawn and that he had disliked very much. Everyone is waiting inside for him at a surprise "Welcome Home" party. As David works through the crowd of guests, he does not remember anyone except for people he has met since waking up from his coma. Nolan's doctor, Dr. Whale, is also at the party.

Henry Mills tells Emma Swan that the reason David does not remember anything is because the curse is not working on him as of yet. His "false" memories have not set in. Henry tells Emma they have to jog David’s memory so that he remembers he is Prince Charming. David comes over, and Henry asks him if he ever used a sword, which causes him to laugh.

Alone in the kitchen, David’s wife Kathryn is upset, because she feels like she still does not have her husband back. She confides in Regina Mills about the matter. Regina tells her that she shares a similar experience of losing a lover, who is now dead. Regina consoles Kathryn by saying that she is lucky; David is still alive, and they will have another chance to reconcile. Regina tells her to go back to her husband at the party. However, when Kathryn goes back to the party and looks for David, he has already left.

Meanwhile, David walks over to Mary Margaret Blanchard's house and asks her why she did not come back to the hospital (as a volunteer), suspecting he was the reason she resigned from the hospital. Mary Margaret reminds him that he is married, but David tells her that it is her he is choosing, and not his wife Kathryn.

Back in the Enchanted Forest, Prince James is fighting the Behemoth and apparently he wins and kills his enemy. His father, King George, and the rest of those, who were watching, all congratulate him. King George makes a deal with King Midas for gold and other riches, if Prince James can kill the dragon that terrorizes his kingdom. After Midas leaves, Prince James stands near the body of the Behemoth and speaks of his plans to slay the dragon, the brute who he thought he had killed, suddenly reveals itself to still be alive. It drives a lance into Prince James' back and out through his chest.

The dead Prince James is taken away as his father says goodbye. The knights tell King George that they must move fast to kill the dragon, or else Midas will find another dragon slayer. In turn, the King would lose what Midas promised to him in exchange for slaying the dragon. The King tells the knights he already called for help. Rumplestiltskin shows up and says "nice way to treat a gift I gave to you." It is revealed that Rumplestiltskin found the child for the King, because he and his wife could not have children. The King wants another deal, he tells Rumplestiltskin he will give him anything if he brings his son back to kill the dragon to aid Midas. Rumplestiltskin agrees, but in return, he tells the King he wants the magic wand owned by the Fairy Godmother. She is patron to George's family, and he demands her whereabouts. The King agrees, but Rumplestiltskin tells him that the dead can not be resurrected. The King is upset, because they had an agreement to have Prince James slay the dragon. Rumplestiltskin reveals to the King that Prince James has a twin brother, and they will have him slay the dragon in place of the dead James.

Back in Storybrooke, Mary Margaret is washing the dishes and talking to Emma. She is focused on what David said about choosing her, and not his wife, Kathryn. Emma tells her to stop cleaning and have a drink. Emma advises Mary Margaret that if she thinks doing something is wrong, such as being with a married man, then it is. She tells Mary Margaret to let David figure out his own life.

David is looking through his pictures, and Kathryn tells him he looks different, as he always use to have a buzz cut. His wife tries to convince him to go to bed with her, but David asks her if they can sit and talk some more. They share a kiss, but David pulls her away and tells her it is not right.

In the Enchanted Forest, Prince James' twin brother is chasing a goat as his mother returns from the market. His mother tells him that she had an interesting talk with the grain merchant. He has a daughter that would make a good match, because she has a big dowry and it will save their farm. He insists that true love is the one thing he can not afford to sacrifice, and, when he chooses to marry, it will be for love. Rumplestiltskin shows up and Ruth admits to her son that she gave his twin brother to Rumplestiltskin in exchange for the farm. Asked what he wants, Rumplestiltskin tells him that the King needs someone to slay a dragon. He tells Rumplestiltskin he is not a dragon slayer. Rumplestiltskin states that if he succeeds in slaying the dragon, his mother shall never want for another thing in her life, and he will be the conquering hero.

Mary Margaret is at the restaurant, and Dr. Whale shows up and asks if she quit the volunteer position at the hospital because of him. Dr. Whale leaves just as Regina shows up to talk to Mary Margaret about David. She tells Mary Margaret that she and David do not belong together. Regina tells Mary Margaret that David has left his wife, she should stay away, because he is fragile, and she is close to destroying many lives.

In the Enchanted Forest, King Midas comes up to Prince Charming and tells him if he kills the dragon he will be a legend. Prince Charming is nervous because he does not know how to fight with a sword, or be a knight - let alone slay a dragon. The knights, who are being sent with him to the dragon's lair, tell him to stay out of the cave, as they will take care of killing the dragon. Even though Prince Charming may not literally slay the dragon himself, as long as Midas sees the head of the slain dragon it will be sufficient to save the kingdom.

As Prince Charming and the knights walk to the dragon's lair high up the mountains, they pass many burned bones and ashes of past dragon slayers who were unsuccessful. Although Prince Charming is supposed to stay out of the caves as they need him to return alive, he finds that he cannot just stand around having several knights dying in his place, while not trying to help them in slaying the dragon. He runs towards the dragon's lair as the dragon flies around and spits fire. Prince Charming manages to pull the Head Knight out of the cave and drags him to safety behind a stone. The dragon spots Prince Charming and starts going after him. He grabs a sword, runs to entrap the dragon's neck in a narrow cave, and chops its head off with the golden sword.

David shows up at Mary Margaret's classroom, and she is upset that he left his wife. He tells Mary Margaret that his wife Kathryn needs someone who feels for her the way he feels for Mary Margaret. David tells her he wants her. He asks Mary Margaret to meet him at the toll bridge, where she found him, at 8 p.m.

At the Sheriff Station, Sheriff Graham brings Emma donuts and asks her to work that night in his place. He volunteers at the Storybrooke Pet Shelter and needs to feed the dogs for the shelter's supervisor who is sick. Mary Margaret shows up at the station and tells Emma that David left his wife Kathryn. She tells Emma he wants to meet her that night. She asks Emma what to do, and Emma tells her to go and meet him, because David has made a choice.

The King tells King Midas that his son has slain the dragon. Midas tells the Prince they respect him, because of what he did. Midas tells them he thinks big and not small, and then they bring in a girl who Midas introduces as his daughter, Abigail. He tells them he values her more than gold, and he wants to offer her hand in marriage to Prince Charming. As the one who slayed the dragon, he is worthy to marry Midas' daughter and unite the kingdoms. Prince Charming is humbled, but begins to decline the offer, his "father" quickly pulls him aside and tells him he must marry her. If he chooses not to, he will be responsible for the destruction of everyone and everything in their kingdom. The King will also kill him and his mother.

At around 7:45 p.m., David sets out to find the toll bridge with a map in his hands. On the way, he encounters Regina. She asks him if he is lost, and he tells her that he is looking for the toll bridge. When Regina asks why he is looking for the bridge, he tells her that he is looking for someone. She realizes who he is looking for and says "So you made your choice." He tells her that he cannot change his feelings. Regina gives him instructions to the toll bridge and wishes him luck.

Meanwhile, Mary Margaret is waiting at the toll bridge for David. David is lost – Regina actually gave him false directions to the bridge. Regina's directions takes David to Mr. Gold's pawn shop. He goes into Mr. Gold's shop and asks him where the toll bridge is. Mr. Gold gives him the correct directions, but on his way out, David sees a windmill, and he asks Mr. Gold where he got it. Mr. Gold replies that it has been gathering dust forever. David realizes that this is the windmill Kathryn told him about which used to belong to them, and that suddenly he remembers everything.

Prince Charming comes back to his mother who is happy he is alive. She is excited about how good he looks and how he looks like a Prince. Ruth tells Prince Charming the King is taking care of them and has made improvements to their house. He tells his mother that Midas wants to unite the kingdoms and wants him to marry his daughter. His mother says he was right to refuse the offer, assuming he turned down Midas' offer, as he did to the grain merchant's daughter. But in order to save the whole kingdom, he tells her that he must take the place of his dead brother James and marry Midas' daughter Abigail. He tells her no one can truly know his identity. He also tells her in his new identity as Prince James, he will never be able to see her again. He came to say goodbye. His mother gives him her ring which was given to her by his father. She says that the ring follows true love wherever it goes; they embrace and say goodbye.

David finally shows up at the toll bridge, and Mary Margaret is waiting – wearing a ring exactly like the one Ruth gave her son – but David tells her that he has remembered everything. Mary Margaret asks if he loves his wife, and he says he does not know, although he knows he did have feelings for her once, and he has to honor his marriage vows. He tells Mary Margaret that he has intense feelings for her, but he is going back to his wife, because it is the right thing to do. Mary Margaret is hurt and upset, and tells David the right thing to do was to not lead her on. She leaves the bridge hurriedly in disappointment and tears.

Patrolling the streets on the night shift, Emma is driving in the deputy's car, when she sees a dark figure climbing out of the second story window of the Mayor's house. She confronts and stops the dark figure walking out the driveway, by hitting him with a baton. However, she is shocked to find that is Sheriff Graham. Emma questions what type of "volunteering" Graham does, as she figures out that Regina and the Sheriff are having an affair. The Sheriff tells her he was sneaking out of the window, because Regina does not want Henry to know they are sleeping together.

David rings the doorbell and his wife Kathryn answers the door, and he tells her that he remembers everything. He admits that he knows that they were not at a good place when he got hurt. He tells her that he remembers the windmill which he hated, and how it triggered his "memory" in Mr. Gold's shop. He tells her they have work to do on their relationship and it will take time, but he wants to see what happens.

Prince Charming and Midas' daughter Abigail are betrothed to be married. King George tells him that he is confident that he has made the right decision. King George calls Prince Charming "son", and Prince Charming calls him "father." Abigail does not look pleased with Prince Charming, and King George tells him to smile, since he is on the route to true love. Prince Charming and Abigail are in the carriage driving as Snow White is hiding in the trees.

Back at Granny's Diner, Mary Margaret sits alone in silent thought, and is approached by Dr. Whale. After a bit of prodding, Mary Margaret reluctantly asks him if he ever went into a situation which he knew would have a negative outcome, does it anyways, and regrets said outcome. Quickly, Dr. Whale say no, prompting Mary Margaret to ask how he can do that. He replies that he refused to do what is expected, because it keeps life "interesting". He then offers to buy her a drink, to which she replies "You can buy me two."

Starring

 * Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan
 * Lana Parrilla as Regina Mills
 * Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David Nolan
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Raphael Sbarge (Credit only)
 * Jamie Dornan as Sheriff Graham
 * Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * David Anders as Dr. Whale
 * Alan Dale as King George
 * Anastasia Griffith as Regal Blond/Kathryn Nolan
 * Gabrielle Rose as Ruth
 * Alex Zahara as King Midas

Co-Starring

 * Ian Butcher as Burly Knight
 * Demord Dann as Aide
 * Matthew MacCaull as Knight #1
 * Robert Maillet as Behemoth

Uncredited

 * Josh Dallas as Prince James

Quotes
Mary Margaret: You ever walk into a situation where you know exactly what's going to happen: And then you go into it anyway... and then when what you're afraid of happens, you kick yourself, because you should have known better. But that's just who you are, so you keep punishing yourself. Dr. Whale: No. Mary Margaret: How do you do that? Dr. Whale: By never doing what's expected. It keeps life interesting.

King George: He was not a gift, he was my SON!

Dr. Whale: The smallest thing can trigger your memories.

King Midas: Careful, remember what happened to Frederick.

Ruth: True love follows this ring wherever it goes, my son. I had it with your father, and I've had it as your mother. Now, you will have it. Take it, and I'll know, even if I never see you again, I'll know you'll find love. I'll know you'll be happy.

Production Notes

 * The title card features the dragon.

Episode Chronology

 * The Enchanted Forest scenes appear to occur after, and possibly concurrent with, those of "The Evil Queen" and directly before the flashbacks seen in "Snow Falls".
 * The Storybrooke events occur after "That Still Small Voice" and before "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter".

Episode Connections

 * The back story of the royal twin, James, is explored in "Tiny".
 * The fate of Frederick is explored in the episode "What Happened to Frederick".
 * The unicorn mobile from Emma's nursery at her parents' castle in "Pilot" is seen again.
 * The reason for King George's kingdom necessity for gold is explored in "The Evil Queen".
 * Further storylines involving Ruth's ring are shown in "Snow Falls" and "A Land Without Magic".
 * The end scene of "The Shepherd" is continued in the opening scene of "Snow Falls".
 * Ruth's fate is revealed in "Lady of the Lake".

Biblical

 * James duels a man named Behemoth, which is the same name of a creature in the Bible.

Disney

 * When zoomed up close, the back of the dish Mary Margaret is washing has a Disney logo on it.

Lost

 * Emma and Mary Margaret share glasses of MacCutcheon Scotch Whiskey.

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode is a rendition of The Prince and the Pauper, focusing on a shepherd named David who fills the princely role of his deceased brother James.
 * It is also a rendition of the Midas myth, deriving from King Midas and his power to turn anything into gold with a touch.
 * This episode features Snow White from the Snow White fairytale.

Goofs

 * In camp, David is preparing for the journey to fight the dragon and unsheathes his sword for King Midas to see. When King Midas says, "You do this and you'll be a legend", the camera zooms for a close-up of David's face, which shows a visible scar on the right side of his chin. Before and after this scene, he has no scar.

Reawakened: A Once Upon a Time Tale

 * Mary Margaret wears the ring as a necklace.