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This article focuses on the second iteration of the Tower.
For the first iteration, see Rapunzel's tower.


I built the tower to imprison Rapunzel, but she managed to turn the tables and trapped me instead.

Gothel to Wish Hook src

Gothel's Tower is a New Enchanted Forest location featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It first appears in the sixth episode of the seventh season.

Gothel's tower is based on Rapunzel's tower from the fairytale "Rapunzel", and Rapunzel's tower from the Disney film Tangled.

History

After Third Curse

After making a deal with Rapunzel, who wants to save her family from illness and starvation, Gothel traps her in the tower. Rapunzel, only finding out after her imprisonment that her freedom is the cost for her family's happiness, makes a futile attempt to shout out the tower window for her husband Marcus and her daughters. After six years of being locked up, Rapunzel's hair has grown very long and she keeps it braided while also making tally marks on a stone to track the passing days. One night, she spots floating lanterns in the night sky and decides to escape by cutting her braid and using it as an anchor to climb out down the tower wall. Later on, a desperate Rapunzel asks Gothel to heal her elder daughter, Anastasia, who is hovering between life and death. Gothel preserves the body but reveals she intends to keep Anastasia in the tower, as Rapunzel already failed to be pure-hearted enough to become the Guardian, however, she believes perhaps someone else in Rapunzel's bloodline will suffice. However, Rapunzel manages to turn the tables on her as she stole the magic that Gothel once used to imprison her and then uses it to put Gothel in the tower. This leaves Gothel incapacitated; unable to leave the tower unless she can obtain someone of her own bloodline to leave behind in her place. ("One Little Tear")

Later, by ship, Hook and his crewmate Smee travel to the tower in search of a rare flower, which Hook needs to kill Rumplestiltskin. While Smee waits outside, Hook scales the tower alone and enters through the window. He meets Rapunzel, who is actually Gothel in disguise, and she spins him a fabricated tale about how a witch trapped her in the tower using the flower. After Rapunzel informs him of a garden where the flower can be found, Hook promises to return for her once he has gotten it. With Smee, Hook goes to the garden and follows Rapunzel's advice by singing a tale of a drunken sailor, triggering a giant garden gnome into attacking them, however, Hook manages to locate the flower by singing his mother's lullaby. After the gnome's destruction, Smee returns to wait on the ship while Hook climbs up the tower again and gives Rapunzel the flower. Using her womanly wiles, Rapunzel then seduces Hook and spends a night of passion with him. The morning after, Hook is shocked to hear a baby's cry in the tower, with Rapunzel revealing the child is his. She then takes off her disguise, showing herself to be Gothel, and explains how the flower sped up her pregnancy once she conceived the child and her reasons for needing someone of her own bloodline. Hook frowns upon her decision to abandon the infant girl, and after he refuses to go with her, Gothel departs from the tower on her own. Afterwards, Hook leaves the tower temporarily to return to the Wish Realm to fulfill his bargain with the Evil Queen and then comes back to raise his child, whom he names after his mother Alice. ("Eloise Gardener")

As Alice grows up in the tower, Hook frequently keeps her company by playing chess with her and admiring her paintings. As Alice begins to have dreams of Gothel returning for her, Hook decides to return to his home in the Enchanted Forest to ask Rumplestiltskin for help, despite knowing that he may fall to the temptation of returning to his life as a pirate, while Alice waits for him in the tower. When Hook finally does return, he has Maui's Fish Hook, which can free Alice, but when they attempt to embrace, Hook is knocked back and Gothel appears, revealing to Alice that Hook did, indeed, fall back to his old ways while he was gone and due to this, she was able to poison him with the Curse of the Poisoned Heart. She teleports Hook away and takes the Fish Hook as Alice cries in vain for him to help her. ("Knightfall")

Alice celebrates her 17th birthday alone, besides the company of a hat and various toys which she holds a tea party with. She lights a candle on a cupcake and wishes to be free and not alone as she blows it out, but nothing happens at first, causing her to forlornly say to her hat friend that perhaps her wish will come true next year. However, unbeknownst to her, her wish magically conjures a troll, which approaches the tower and rips its roof off. Alice is afraid at first, but realizes the troll means her no harm and climbs into its hand, finally free from the tower. ("The Girl in the Tower")

After Fourth Curse

Rapunzel’s younger daughter Drizella desires magic so she can be free of her mother. She goes to the tower, which is now in ruins, to sift through discarded magical items and happens to open a box which releases a giant flytrap. Regina witnesses this and manages to save her in time before she is eaten alive. After hearing Drizella's reasons for wanting magic, Regina decides to train her in witchcraft. Outside the tower, Drizella tries her hand at lifting a large stone but cannot hold it for more than a few seconds. Regina gives her a boost by purposely breaking off a debris from the tower, and as it begins falling down, Drizella manages to pulverize it into pieces. Following the successful lesson, they are interrupted by the appearance of Mr. Gold, who persuades Regina that Drizella's mother may be allowing her to learn magic for a sinister reason. Regina and Drizella then spy on Rapunzel through a mirror, where they discover the woman wanted Drizella's heart to be full of belief so she can sacrifice it to revive Anastasia. Heartbroken that she will never obtain her mother's love or be free of her, Drizella begs Regina to help kill her. Regina refuses, not wanting her heart to become dark, but a hardened Drizella makes up her mind to get someone else to do it instead. ("Wake Up Call")

While still on a quest to find Alice, Hook asks Regina about what she saw at the tower and is saddened to learn that it is in shambles, but then Alice unexpectedly shows up to reunite with him. ("Pretty in Blue")

When the troll that once freed Alice goes on a rampage on her birthday years later, it begins to smash the already destroyed tower further. However, it is stopped when Alice assures it that she is no longer alone and it doesn't need to worry about her, turning it to stone. ("The Girl in the Tower")

After Sixth Curse
After the uniting of the realms, the giant troll becomes animated once more and is transported to the United Realms, where it's briefly seen near Gothel's tower, which has been rebuilt. ("Leaving Storybrooke")

Trivia

On-Screen Notes

Disney

Props Notes

Set Dressing

Filming Locations

Goofs

  • In the episode "Wake Up Call", the tower looks completely destroyed. However, in "The Girl in the Tower", it looks partially destroyed, even though the episode takes place after "Wake Up Call". It should have been the other way around, with the tower being partially destroyed in "Wake Up Call", and completely in "The Girl in the Tower".

Appearances

References

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