Desperate Souls

Desperate Souls is the eighth episode of Season One of Once Upon a Time.

Synopsis
As the citizens of Storybrooke continue mourning Sheriff Graham's death, Emma makes her decision to run for Sheriff against Daily Mirror chief editor Sidney Glass and Regina engages in dirty politics with Mr. Gold while Rumpelstiltskin's back story is revealed.

Recap
Rumpelstiltskin is sewing and a girl from his village is taken to serve as a soldier by The Duke and his knights. He is frightened his son will be taken since he reaches the age of the draft for the Ogre Wars in a couple of days.

In Storybrooke, Mr. Gold expresses his condolences to Emma Swan about the late Sheriff Graham's untimely death, and offers her his support if she chooses to run for sheriff.

The show opens with Emma meeting Henry at his fort and she gives him a walkie talkie and Henry tells Emma that he thinks they should stop Operation Cobra. He tells her they should not mess with a curse. Henry tells Emma that the Evil Queen killed Sheriff Graham because he was good and he is worried about Emma because she is good. Henry does not want to upset the Evil Queen - otherwise known as Regina - anymore.

Emma is in the Sheriff’s office and she is looking at the sheriff’s badge. Regina comes in and tells Emma it is not for her, as she intends to appoint Sidney Glass as the new Sheriff. Regina tells Emma she has not earned the right to wear the badge. She fires Emma and takes the badge.

Emma is at home trying to fix the toaster. (She needed to hit something so she hit the toaster.) She tells Mary Margaret that Regina fired her. Mr. Gold comes to the door, wanting to discuss something with her. She invites him in – he tells her he heard what happened and he feels it is an injustice. He tells her two people with a common goal can accomplish a lot, but two people with a common enemy can do much more. He asks her if she has checked out the town charter. Perhaps the mayor is not as strong as she thinks she is.

In Happily Ever After, Rumpelstiltskin and his son are leaving, he tells his son that he does not know what war is like. Knights on horses find them on the King’s road and they ask where they are going. Rumpelstiltskin is meek and tries to come up with a lie. The lead knight asks Baelfire how old he is and he finds out he is 13 and will be 14 in two days.

The knights tell his son that Rumpelstiltskin ran during the war of the Ogres. The knight tells him that it is treason to avoid service and they want to take his son who will be old enough to serve. He asks what he has to do to save his son and the knight tells him to kiss his boot in front of his boy. Rumpelstiltskin bends down and kisses his boot and the knight kicks him. The knights leave and an old man comes to help them. Rumpelstiltskin tells the old man he has nothing more to give him, and the old man tells him not to worry.

In Storybrooke the Mayor is holding a press conference to introduce the new sheriff, Sidney Glass. Emma interrupts the press conference and tells Regina she has no power to appoint a sheriff, she can only appoint a candidate. Emma tells Regina she is running for sheriff and Regina tells Emma that Sydney is running too with her full support.

The old man tells Rumpelstiltskin that he has to find another way but Rumpstiltskin does not think he has a choice because he is the town coward. The old man tells him there is always a choice. The old man tells him if he has power he can save his son. The old man tells Rumpelstiltskin that the Duke has the ‘Dark One’ enslaved with a dagger. The old man tells Rumpelstiltskin if he steals the dagger he controls the ‘Dark One’ and then he could save his son.

In Storybrooke at Mr. Gold’s shop Regina comes in and accuses Mr. Gold of finding the clause in the town charter. Mr. Gold tells her it is a shame Sheriff Graham died. Regina asks if he is going up against her. Mr. Gold tells her no, not directly. Regina tells him he is backing a losing horse.

Emma comes to see Henry and asks him how school is and she sees he is reading something. It is a newspaper that Sidney printed and Emma is on the front page and it is a story about her being in jail and having Henry in jail. Henry tells Emma that his mother is evil and she is not. Emma tells him Mr. Gold is helping her and Henry tells her she already owes Mr. Gold one favor; she does not want to owe him two.

Emma goes to visit the Mayor and she is mad Regina had her juvenile records printed in the newspaper. Emma tells her it is not good for Henry to see his adopted and natural mother fighting. Regina tells Emma she can talk to Sidney about it all in the debate - much to Emma's surprise, as she didn't realize there would be a debate. They go to open the door and the door explodes with a huge fire behind it. Regina falls, hurting her ankle, and she tells Emma she has to help her get up.

In the fairytale Rumpelstiltskin is working with his son on something that will help him get to the castle to steal the dagger from the Duke. He tells his son if he can get the dagger, he can get the power and he can redeem himself. Then he can save his son and all the children of the land. His sons asks if it is true that he ran and that his mother left him. Rumpelstiltskin tells his son his mother did die as he said before.

Back in Storybrooke Regina tells Emma she knows she is going to leave her. However, Emma grabs a fire extinguisher and helps Regina out of the building. As they walk out of the building, someone takes a picture of Emma helping Regina out, and Regina complains when Emma does not set her down gently enough. Sidney comes over and takes Regina’s picture. Regina asks Sidney if he is trying to give the campaign to Emma. All the people of Storybrooke are calling Emma a hero. Emma tells Henry they don’t have to fight dirty.

Emma sees a rag on the ground and suspects someone set the fire. She goes to Mr. Gold and accuses him of doing it. Mr. Gold tells her if he did it, it is because Emma cannot win unless she does something big. Emma tells him she cannot go along with this. Mr. Gold tells her if she exposes him, think of what she is walking away from and who she is disappointing.

In the fairytale Rumpelstiltskin and his son are setting fire to hay around the castle. Rumpelstiltskin goes into the burning castle and finds the dagger.

The debate for sheriff is drawing near in Storybrooke. David meets Mary Margaret and she asks David how things are. He tells her he has a job at the animal shelter. David is posting campaign pictures of Sidney and Mary Margaret is posting photos of Emma. Mary sees the pictures of Sidney and leaves, saying she ran out of Emma's pictures and needed to get more.

Mary Margaret goes to see Emma and Emma tells her she cannot win, she does not fight dirty like Regina. Emma tells Mary Margaret she wants to show Henry that a hero can win.

In the fairytale Rumpelstiltskin comes back and asks his son to go home and wait for him, his son has a bad feeling. Rumpelstiltskin looks at the dagger and repeats the words and summons whatever is in the dagger. He turns around and the Dark One is there and Rumpelstiltskin tells him he controls him. The Dark One implies that Rumpelstiltskin’s son is not his. The Dark One asks Rumpelstiltskin what would he have him do and he says die. Rumpelstiltskin stabs him and The Dark One falls to the ground and it is the old man. He tells Rumpelstiltskin magic always comes with a price and now it is Rumpelstiltskins. He looks at the dagger and now his name is engraved on it.

In Storybrooke the candidates are at town-hall and are about to debate. Sidney makes his opening statements and then Emma gets up to make hers. She tells them she has had a troubled past and they have overlooked it because she was a hero. She tells everyone that the fire was a setup, that Mr. Gold said he would support her and he set the fire, she has no definitive proof off it but she knows it is true. She tells them she cannot win that way and she apologizes. Mr. Gold gets up and leaves.

Emma is in the cafe and Henry comes in and gives Emma a walkie-talkie and he tells her she is a hero because she stood up to Mr. Gold. Regina comes in with Sidney. They tell her she won and she is the Sheriff. It was a very close race but people were impressed because she stood up to Mr. Gold. Regina tells Emma Mr. Gold doesn't make a good friend, but is a superlative enemy. She then tells her to enjoy it.

The knights come to get Rumpelstiltskin’s son and the newly changed Rumpelstiltskin stabs one. The knight gets down on one knee thinking he is the old 'Dark One', but then realizes its not the same man and asks who he is. The Knight realizes it's Rumpelstiltskin and he tells him he is the new dark one. He asks the knight to kiss his boot and then he kills him and the remaining Knights. His son asks what has happened to him. He tells his son he is safe and asks if he feels safe. His son tells him he feels frightened as he backs away. Rumpelstiltskin tells him he protected what is his and he is not afraid of anything.

Mr. Gold comes to visit Emma and tells her it was all an act. He had to give her a higher form of bravery, the people had to see her defy Mr. Gold. He tells her by standing up to him the people feel she could stand up to Regina. Emma asks why he did it. Mr. Gold said because they made a deal a while ago that she owed him a favor (strongly echoing the deceased Dark One's words right before he die from Rumpelstiltskin stabbing him). Now that she is sheriff he is sure she can find a way to repay him.

Appearances

 * Emma Swan
 * Henry
 * Mr. Gold
 * Regina Mills
 * Sidney Glass
 * Ruby
 * Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * David Nolan
 * Archie Hopper
 * Granny
 * Rumpelstiltskin
 * Baelfire
 * Miss Ginger

Quote

 * Zoso: My life was such a burden. You'll see -- magic always comes with a price. And now it's yours to pay.

Trivia

 * Behind the opening title, the Dark One can be seen.
 * Among the box of Graham's belongings that Gold has is a graduation certificate, confirming that his last name was Humbert, a nod to Humbert the Huntsman in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of 1937.
 * The names Herder, the duke's knight, called Rumpelstiltskin in the forest and he used near the end, when he showed himself as the new Dark One, are some of the names the miller's daughter tried in the original fairy tale when she had to guess his name.
 * The Dark One's name, Zoso, refers to a nickname for Led Zeppelin guitarist/songwriter Jimmy Page, who was represented on Led Zeppelin's fourth (unnamed) album by a symbol resembling the letters ZoSo. This episode premiered on the night before Page's 68th birthday.
 * The short speech that Sydney Glass gives in the town hall contains references to his being the alternate of the Magic Mirror; examples include the use of the word 'reflection' and the fact that he chose best qualities to state just as he would to the Evil Queen.

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