For the Land Without Magic location, see Storybrooke. |
"Leaving Storybrooke" is the twenty-second and final episode of Season Seven of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz, and directed by Ralph Hemecker. It is the one hundred and fifty-fifth episode of the series overall, and premiered on May 18, 2018.
This episode is the second part of the season seven finale and the series finale.
Synopsis
Wish Rumple's evil plan is revealed and Regina realizes the only hope to stop him is by turning Wish Henry from his path for vengeance. Meanwhile, Tilly and Margot try to get help in Storybrooke. With his hope of ever being reunited with Belle fading, Weaver struggles to find a way to defeat his evil alter ego; and when Rogers' life is threatened, he is faced with the ultimate sacrifice.[2]
Recap
As Alice and Robin arrive in Storybrooke, they find the dwarves, Granny, Archie and Pongo. They explain that a fifth Dark Curse took them, along with the future versions of Henry, Regina and Mr. Gold to Seattle in the past, which is in the present day. However, due to the numerous outsiders in the past that has caused Storybrooke trouble, they are met with disbelief and hostility. The townspeople chase Alice and Robin into hiding. As they hide from the residents, Alice and Robin encounter Zelena, and Robin figures out that her mother was driving her younger self to daycare. Convinced, Zelena and the other two seek out David and Mary Margaret.
Inside the snow globe prison, Henry is reunited with Ella and Lucy. Weaver explains to Hook that Wish Realm Rumplestiltskin has stripped him of his powers and immortality, and that his Wish Realm counterpart had used them to amplify his own powers. As they attempt to break the glass, Weaver admits to Hook that he trusted him as a loyal partner because of his bravery and his good heart. Suddenly, Maui's fishhook appears in the snowglobe, with the handle sticking up out of the snow. Hook grabs it and uses it to start breaking the glass from the inside; from the outside, a pair of arrows pierce the glass, and they’re freed by Robin and Alice.
Regina is dragged to the location where Wish Snow and Wish Charming had been married, by Sir Henry. Regina pleads with Sir Henry to change his mind despite admitting to having killed his grandparents. Sir Henry responded to her plea by cutting a slit on her hand (that Henry will use to create blood ink) and tells her that they’ll fight each other, which Sir Henry says that will be his happy ending. While locked in a cell, Regina has a dream, in which she meets with Robin Sr's spirit. Robin encourages her, telling her that she can still find happiness without him or Facilier, and that just needs to show Sir Henry that he can still find love. Awakening, Regina discovers that Robin's spirit had left her with a red feather from one of his arrows.
Wish Rumple meets up with Sir Henry to discuss Regina’s fate, offering Sir Henry a new way to deal with every character and their stories from every realm utilizing Regina’s blood ink. He shows Sir Henry that if he raises his emotions, he can banish the heroes into the “Once Upon a Time” books that will serve as their prison. They test it on Wish Blue Fairy, who is then transported to a dark realm where she will be tormented, with her book closing afterwards.
Weaver finds a dream-catcher and views his memories of Belle, fearing that he will never be with her. Meanwhile, Hook and Robin scout the castle, where Robin asks Hook for his blessing to marry Alice, to which Hook approves, as they prepare to face off against the guards. Meanwhile, Henry heads to rescue Regina, but he ends up getting ambushed by the guards. Before the guards can kill Henry, they are taken out by Mary Margaret and David. The group discovers Wish Rumple's plan to trap each and everyone of them in separate realms of unhappy endings, and they come up with a strategy to save all the realms and to stop Wish Rumple from enacting his scheme. As they come up with a plan, Wish Rumple shows up, ready to trap the characters in realms of eternal torment, while Sir Henry shows up in the forest to confront Regina and forces her into a sword fight, which causes the portals to open, powered by Sir Henry’s emotions. When Sir Henry corners Regina, she tells him that if she needs to die to show him that he's loved, it's a worthy end for her story. Sir Henry eventually forfeits, causing the portals to close, saving everyone. Sir Henry and Regina reconcile afterwards.
Meanwhile, as Hook had to hold onto Alice to keep her out of the portals, his heart is now poisoned beyond repair. Weaver, who earlier had found a way to kill his Wish counterpart, decides to sacrifice his heart to save Hook, which erases the Darkness within his own heart when he makes this decision. Ignoring Wish Rumple's protests, Weaver slams his purified heart into Hook's body, saving Hook and causing Wish Rumple to disintegrate into dust. The original Rumple is then reunited with Belle in the afterlife.
Later that evening, Regina is joined by the two Henrys. Having realized that it is time to heal everything, she decides to bring all the realms of story to Storybrooke by enacting a new curse, using small part of the hearts of everyone who loves her and those whom she loves.
Some time later, all the realms are united and now part of Storybrooke, hidden away from the rest of the world. As Zelena and Henry drive Regina to the palace for a surprise, Regina reveals that Zorro is the father of Lily, Maleficent's daughter. Snow and David surprises Regina with the announcement that the people have voted to elect Regina the leader of the newly united realms, and is joined by Emma, the original Hook and their newborn daughter Hope at the last minute. Snow then crowns Regina with the new title of "the Good Queen". Regina then gives a speech about second chances and despite what everyone has been through to find their happiness, lives, and stories will continue on.
After Regina gives her speech with unanimous cheers as Emma, Hook, and Hope look on in support, the camera zooms out of the castle and moves toward Storybrooke, where it shows different parts of town including Granny's Diner, Gold's shop, stores along the main street, and the clock tower. The camera soon shows a shot of the town line, where it zooms in on the "Leaving Storybrooke" sign, concluding the episode and the series.
Deleted Scenes
"In a Hurry"
This scene is included on Once Upon a Time: The Complete Seventh and Final Season.
In Storybrooke, in the newly created United Realms, Roni tries to run the engine of her car, while Kelly asks why they don't just poof where they are trying to go because they're getting late. Roni asks her what they are getting late for, but Kelly avoids the question, only saying that it's a meeting Roni does not want to miss. Kelly magically fixes the car and advises her sister to get dressed.
United Realms: Extended
The scene where Henry is riding down Storybrooke Main Street in the newly created United Realms was originally accompanied with a sequence with Tilly, Margot and Rogers in front of Granny's Diner.[3] There are a couple of lines where they say that they are heading somewhere (meaning Roni's coronation) and Rogers asks Henry, "Did you get it?", meaning Roni's crown.[4] At the same time, Archie and Pongo are walking down the street.[3] There was also a sequence where Henry is wearing the same costume and riding through a forest,[5] presumably on his way to Roni's coronation.
Most of the footage was deleted in post-production, although Archie and Pongo can still be glimpsed in the lower left hand corner of the screen as Henry rides through Storybrooke.[6] While shooting the Main Street segment, Andrew J. West rode a fake horse on a flatbed truck while a stunt double rode a real horse. The actor also rode the horse while it wasn't in full gallop.[3]
Cast[2]
Note:
*: Only in archive footage
Trivia
Title
- The title card features the "Leaving Storybrooke" sign.[10]
- It is also the third and last Season Seven title card to not feature the Seattle skyline. The two other are from "The Guardian" and "Homecoming".
- The title of this episode was revealed by Adam Horowitz via his Twitter account on March 14, 2018.[11]
- This episode is named after the road sign with the same message at the Storybrooke town line.[12]
Production Notes
- CAST NOTES: This episode contains the most number of guest starring and uncredited cast members in the whole series.
- PRESS RELEASE: Sleepy and Dr. Whale's names are misspelled "Sleep" and "Dr. Wale", respectively, in the press release.[2]
- The credit of Dr. Whale is a mistake in itself as David Anders does not appear in the episode. It is likely that the release was meant to read David Avalon instead, since Doc does appear and is missing in the press release.
- PRESS RELEASE: This is the only episode of the series where the press release solely credits Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas as Snow White and Prince Charming, despite the fact only Mary Margaret Blanchard and David Nolan appear outside of archive footage.[2]
- Keegan Connor Tracy and Rebecca Mader are also credited as the Blue Fairy and Zelena respectively, despite the fact Mother Superior and Kelly West also appear.[2]
- ABANDONED IDEAS: The show makers asked Meghan Ory to reprise her role as Red Riding Hood / Ruby for the finale, but she was unable to appear because of the scheduling conflicts.[13]
- REUSED FOOTAGE: An establishing shot of the Wish Realm version of the dark castle[14] is stock footage from the background plate used for the view of the Dream World version of the original Dark Castle in the Season Six premiere "The Savior",[15] and from an establishing shot of the same building in the Enchanted Forest in the Season Six episode "Changelings".[16]
- Another establishing shot[17] is taken from a shot of original Dark Castle in the Season Two episode "Lacey".[18]
- Fans and harnesses were used to achieve the scenes where Tilly and Rogers are being sucked into their prison realms.[19][20]
- CUT CONTENT: Footage of a male Munchkin on the streets of Storybrooke after it became part of the United Realms was filmed,[21] but this ended up being cut from the episode.
- Jakob Davies, who portrayed Pinocchio for most of the show, being replaced by his younger brother Jack Davies by the time of the Season Six episode "The Song in Your Heart",[22] accompanied Jack to the set on the last day of filming for the series finale.[23]
- It is also confusing for Pinocchio to be there, since both August and Wish Pinocchio were adults by the time of when there were last seen.
- ABANDONED IDEAS: Originally, Emma and Hook's baby was not going to appear on the show.[24]
- Roni's coronation took two days to film.[25] Each side of the crowds were filmed separately.[20] According to Adam Horowitz, everyone, including Jennifer Morrison and Lana Parrilla, worked the first day.[25] Rose Reynolds was not present when Jennifer filmed her segments[20] on the first day.[25] Ginnifer Goodwin's and Josh Dallas' portion of the scene was shot on the second day. By that time, Jennifer had left for scheduling reasons. The only interactions that had to be digitally "faked" were between Emma, Snow and David.[25]
- At a fan convention in 2018, Rebecca Mader proposed the series finale would involve everyone from all the realms ending up all together in Storybrooke, despite not knowing at the time that this is exactly what would happen in the episode script.[26]
- REUSED FOOTAGE: The shot of a garden pinwheel of Tinker Bell on a house lawn in Storybrooke at the end of the episode[27] is stock footage from the Season One premiere "Pilot".[28]
- It is unclear when the ending of the episode takes place. The fact that Roni seems to cast the Dark Curse right after the events of the death of Weaver makes it a time paradox, since the events of this episode occurs before Henry graduates from high school, making it impossible for some of the characters existing in the Royal Castle. However, there is also no explanation if the group first finds a way to get back to their original timeline, or the Dark Curse that Roni casts automatically sends them to that time. Regardless, it remains unknown.
- Kevin Santarosa, a production staff member on the show, appears as a guest at Roni's coronation.[9] He can be seen standing behind Rogers and next to Marco.[29]
Event Chronology
- The Wish Realm events take place after "Homecoming" and (due to the time travel revealed in "Is This Henry Mills?") several years before "Breadcrumbs".
- The Storybrooke events take place after "Homecoming" and (due to the time travel) before "Hyperion Heights". (For more details, see the Land Without Magic timeline)
- The United Realms events take place several years later, several months after "A Pirate's Life" (where Emma was pregnant with baby Hope, who is an infant in this episode).
- The Mount Olympus events take place after "Last Rites".[30]
Episode Connections
- The Wish Realm version of Rumplestiltskin kidnapped Lucy and Jacinda in "Homecoming", with Roni, Henry, Weaver, and Rogers attempting to rescue them in the same episode.
- Leroy whistles the song "Heigh-Ho" when going to the Granny's Diner. He also whistles the same song in "Dreamy", "We Are Both", "Tiny" and "Siege Perilous".
- Tilly and Margot arrived in Storybrooke in "Homecoming".
- The Dark Curse was cast in "The Eighth Witch". It was broken in "Is This Henry Mills?".
- Henry's graduation takes place in "Is This Henry Mills?".
- Robin told Alice about Storybrooke in "The Girl in the Tower".
- Zelena lost her magic in "Where Bluebirds Fly".
- Zelena learned how to drive in "The Black Fairy"
- She also expressed her hatred against driving, comparing the cars to "deathtraps" in "A Bitter Draught".
- The Wish Realm version of Belle was found to be dead in "Tougher Than the Rest".
- Belle died in "Beauty".
- Wish Hook's heart is poisoned with the Curse of the Poisoned Heart by Gothel in "Knightfall".
- The Evil Queen declared that she would cast the Dark Curse in "Pilot".
- Regina killed Queen Snow and King David in "Wish You Were Here".
- Robin Hood was killed by Hades in "Last Rites".
- Robin and Regina first met in "New York City Serenade".
- Robin's feather plays a plot point in this episode. It also did in "The Savior".
- Mr. Gold and Wish Hook first became friends in "The Guardian".
- Maui's Fish Hook was first seen in "Knightfall".
- The reason of Rumplestiltskin's hatred against the fairies was seen in "Dreamy", "The Return", "Fall", "Changelings" and "The Black Fairy".
- Weaver uses a dreamcatcher even though he has no magic at the time. Hook uses the same method in "Page 23".
- Mr. Gold and Belle got married in "There's No Place Like Home".
- The Wish Realm version of Henry removed the power of the Guardians in "Homecoming".
- Robin chose using a bow over magic in "Secret Garden".
- Robin and Alice first met and fell in love in "The Girl in the Tower".
- Mary Margaret and David were last seen in "The Final Battle Part 2".
- Prince Charming and Snow White led the war council in "Pilot".
- Wish Rumplestiltskin uses the word "Guilty" to describe himself when Weaver confronts him. Rumplestiltskin also used the exact word when confronted by Maleficent, Ursula and Cruella De Vil in "Darkness on the Edge of Town".
- Rumplestiltskin became the Dark One in "Desperate Souls".
- Weaver's plan to destroy the Darkness is finally concluded, which he began in "Beauty".
- Regina's lessons with Rumplestiltskin take place in "We Are Both", "The Doctor", "Quite a Common Fairy" and "Enter the Dragon".
- The Dark Curse was also cast in "Pilot", "Going Home", "A Curious Thing", "Broken Heart", "The Song in Your Heart" and "The Eighth Witch".
- Lily wanted to find her father in "Operation Mongoose Part 2".
- Zelena regained her magic in "Secret Garden".
- Emma opens the door of the Royal Castle and says, "Sorry, I'm late", just like the Evil Queen did in "Pilot".
- Emma revealed that she was pregnant in "A Pirate's Life".
- While Regina is giving a speech to the kingdom, clips from "Pilot", "Snow Falls", "The Price of Gold", "That Still Small Voice", "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter", "Dreamy", "The Stable Boy", "The Stranger", "A Land Without Magic", "Broken", "Queen of Hearts", "The Outsider", "The Miller's Daughter", "The Heart of the Truest Believer", "Good Form", "Going Home", "New York City Serenade", "Quiet Minds", "Snow Drifts", "There's No Place Like Home", "A Tale of Two Sisters", "Breaking Glass", "Darkness on the Edge of Town", "Poor Unfortunate Soul", "Sympathy for the De Vil", "Operation Mongoose Part 1", "Dreamcatcher", "The Bear and the Bow", "Souls of the Departed", "Last Rites", "A Wondrous Place" and "The Final Battle Part 2" are seen.
Disney
- A garden pinwheel of Disney's Tinker Bell appears on a house lawn in Storybrooke.[27]
- This episode contains a number of other references to Disney works. See the list of Disney references for more.
Lost
- In the beginning of the episode, the time on the clock tower in Storybrooke is 8:15,[31] a reference to Oceanic Flight 815. The same time is on the clock at the end of the episode.[32]
Fairytales and Folklore
- This episode features Rumplestiltskin from the "Rumplestiltskin" fairytale, Captain Hook and Smee from the Peter Pan story, Robin Hood from the ballads, Pinocchio and the fairy with the turquoise hair from The Adventures of Pinocchio, the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story, the wicked fairy from the "Sleeping Beauty" fairytale, Pongo from The Hundred and One Dalmatians story, and the ugly duckling from the titular fairytale.
- Maui's fish hook from Polynesian mythology appears.
- STORYBOOK CONTENT: When Roni opens her prison book, a micro-excerpt from the Brothers Grimm's version of the "Cinderella" fairytale can be glimpsed.[33] The excerpt is taken from a 1884 edition of Grimms' Fairy Tales called Household Tales by the Brothers Grimm (or a similar translation), translated by Margaret Hunt.[34] The following is the excerpt in its entirety, with the unseen text set in fuchsia:
"the step-mother said, "If thou canst pick two dishes of
lentils out of the ashes for me in one hour, thou shalt go with us." And she
thought to herself, "That she most certainly cannot do."
When the step-mother had emptied the two dishes of lentils
amongst the ashes, the maiden went through the"
- *Note that the book contains a misprint: Between row one and two, the words "went through the" appear, even though they are supposed to appear – and do appear – later in the excerpt.
- STORYBOOK CONTENT: An excerpt from the Grimm fairytale "The Pink" can be seen in Mary Margaret's prison book.[35] The translation is taken from The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, a 1909 edition of Grimms' Fairy Tales published by Doubleday, Page & New York, translated by a "Mrs. Edgar Lucas" and illustrated by the famous book illustrator Arthur Rackham (link to text). Some of the text in Mary Margaret's storybook is obscured or illegible; the following is the excerpt in its entirety (note that the excerpt on page one actually takes place before the excerpt on page two; also note that the topmost line glimpsed on the first page, which ends with "for the", is not from "The Pink"; most of the text on page one is obscured, but an identical text can be seen on the back of a prop page created for Lucy's book, auctioned off on eBay.[36] The prop page reveals that page one in Mary Margaret's book actually consists of excerpts from no less than three fairytales: "The Four Skillful Brothers", "The Seven Ravens" and "The Pink"; the top line glimpsed on-screen is actually from "The Seven Ravens". Also note that the prop page concludes with an excerpt from "The Four Skillful Brothers"; however, this excerpt does not appear on-screen. In addition, the second page opens with the words "A long time ago", which were added by the prop makers; they are not in the original fairytale.):
PAGE ONE |
- STORYBOOK CONTENT: When the portals to the storybook realms are open and everyone hangs on to prevent themselves from being sucked in, pages from Wish Rumplestiltskin's storybooks are turning in the wind:
- One book contains an excerpt from the Grimm fairy tale "Little Brother and Little Sister".[37]
- The opposite page contains another excerpt from "The Pink".[37] The same excerpt can be seen in the storybook lying next to Weaver.[38]
- Another page contains a blurred excerpt from the Grimm version of the "Cinderella" fairytale.[39] The opposite page contains another excerpt from "Little Brother and Little Sister".[39]
- A third excerpt from "The Pink" can be glimpsed on another page.[40]
- Yet another excerpt from "The Pink" is printed in the storybook next to Rogers.[41]
- Maleficent takes the form of a dragon, a mythological creature from European, Asian and Middle Eastern folklore.[42]
- Zorro, the well-known hero first featured in the novel The Curse of Capistrano, is mentioned and revealed to be Lily's father.
- According to Edward Kitsis, they couldn't get the rights to the character, which is the reason why he doesn't appear in the episode.[30]
Props Notes
- REUSED PROPS: The council table first seen in the Royal Castle in the Season One premiere[43] reappears in the Wish Evil Queen's palace[44] in the same color scheme from the alternate reality in the Season Four finale "Operation Mongoose Part 2",[45] but with a new centerpiece.
- STORYBOOK CONTENT: The illustrations in Wish Rumplestiltskin's prison books were created from frames and promotional images from the show:
- The illustration in Roni's book[46] is based on a frame of Regina from the Season Four premiere "A Tale of Two Sisters".[47]
- The illustration in Mary Margaret's book[48] is based on a frame of Snow White from the Season One episode "Red-Handed".[49]
- The illustration in Kelly's book[50] is based on a promotional image of Zelena for Season Three.[51]
- The text page next to Snow White's picture reads (some of the text appears on-screen,[52] while the rest of it can be seen on a prop page which was auctioned off online in November 2019;[53] text that cannot be seen (or is indecipherable) on-screen is set in fuchsia, or, in the case of links, is underlined):
trekked through the endless deserts of Agrabah. Things
were looking dire. The oasis she imagined had turned
out to be nothing but a mirage, a cruel trick of sunlight
and fatigue, and she was in desperate need of some water.
If only her camel hadn't run off! She could have been
back in the city by now and sought shelter from this
dreadful storm. Snow looked at the ground to see
her footprints had disappeared. Now she knew not in
which direction she had come or which direction she was
going. Which way was forward and which way was
back? It was quite impossible to tell. Snow sunk to the
ground in defeat when a golden scarab landed on her
hand. She gazed at it, eyebrows furrowed in confusion,
when the scarab flitted off. Snow took after it --perhaps if
she followed, the desert creature would lead her to a
source of water. Snow wrapped the scarf around her to
protect herself as best as she could from the elements as she
followed the little bug darting though the air. When
suddenly, the ground began to shake around her! The
sand beneath Snow's feet began to rise in mounds,
threatening to bury her alive as Snow backed away on
terror. She watched as the mounds of sands began to take
shape -- forming the head of a giant tiger! Snow
gasped. Was this the legendary Cave of Wonders?
Suddenly, the Tiger spoke to her with a deep, rumbling,
intimidating voice. "Who disturbs my slumber?" the
Tiger roared down at Snow. Snow faced him uncertain-
ly. "It is I, Snow White. And it is not treasure that I
seek, merely shelter from this storm." The Tiger con-
sidered her for a moment. "I will allow you to pass.
But touch nothing within or you will never see the open
sky again." Snow shuddered at the thought. It seemed
a dangerous proposition to walk into the jaws of this
Tiger, but what choice did she have? Perhaps if she
could wait out the storm, the skies would be clear again
tomorrow and she would be able to find her way out of
this desert. Snow took a deep breath and thanked the
Tiger for its hospitality. And with that, she walked into
his jaws and into the gaping darkness.
but his own heart [sic]
- The accompanying illustration shows Snow White in the middle of the Agrabah desert. The caption reads "The shifting sands had Snow disorientated and heartsick with yearning."[52]
- The character being trapped in a desert realm is ironic, given that her first name is Snow.
- The story is based on Disney's Aladdin, where the Disney version of the Cave of Wonders is a hidden cavern filled with riches. It is protected by a sand guardian taking the form of a massive tiger's head, which kills anyone besides the chosen individual who attempts to enter. The location of the cave is revealed by using a magical golden scarab beetle.
- The back of the prop page that was auctioned off contains an excerpt from the Grimm fairytale of "The Seven Ravens".[53]
- The illustration in Roni's book shows her sitting alone on a rock in the middle of the ocean, with a shipwreck in the background. The caption reads "Regina knew the most important thing was not to lose hope. She would see her son again.[46]
- According to a prop page auctioned off online, Roni's unhappy ending reads:[54]
she stood on a slippery rock. She squint-
ed through the brightness, trying to get
a sense of where this other, darker Rum-
plestiltskin had sent her. All around her,
in every direction, was an endless expanse of ocean.
Regina looked out at the horizon, but there was no land
in sight, no sign of life. She yelled out to the watery
void, "Hello? Can anyone hear me?" But there was no
response, not even an echo of her own voice. Just the
crashing of waves on this lonely rock she now called
home.
Regina knew the most important thing she could
do was not lose hope. There had to be a way to escape,
a way back to Henry and her family. Maybe, she thought,
she could use magic to conjure a rowboat. She extended
her arm toward the sea, flexed her hand... but nothing
happened. Regina realized in this realm, she was
powerless. Her magic was gone.
Ever determined, Regina would not let this setback
stop her from escaping this prison. She took a deep
breath, and without hesitation, she dove into the water.
Regina swam, every stroke and kick filled with the prom-
ise of seeing her son. But the currents grew stronger and
stronger, until Regina became swept up in a massive
wave that took her right back to her barren rock. She
tried again. And again. But no matter how hard she
swam, the water would always pull her right back where
she started.
Regina collapsed onto the rock in exhaustion. "A
ship will come," she thought. So she watched the hori-
zon. But a ship never came. And as days turned to
weeks turned to months, any speck of hope in Regina
faded away, and she came to realize she would never
see her family again.
- The back of the page contains a combination of excerpts from the Grimm fairytales "The Seven Ravens" and "The Pink".[54]
- An unseen page from Roni's book also contains a combination of excerpts from "The Seven Ravens" and "The Pink".[55] Another unseen page contains an excerpt from the Grimm fairytale "Little Sister and Little Brother" combined with another excerpt from "The Pink".[55] Another unseen page contains another excerpt from "The Pink", while a third page contains another excerpt from "Little Sister and Little Brother".[56]
tain's Chambers of the Nautilus, cursing the bloody
heroes, mocking the gumption that got her into this
mess. "Let's save the world! Things will always work
out! The good guys always win!" Well, they didn't
win this time. Wish Rumplestiltskin had his way and
now they were all separated. and sure, a large part of
Zelena didn't mind the solitude. She often took to her
farmhouse for weeks on end just to recharge. But her
farmhouse was infinitely better than this rat-infested hole,
and this time, Zelena was separated from her own daugh-
ter. It destroyed her to think of little Robin, left all
alone in Storybrooke, wondering what happened to
Mummy. Zelena vowed to get back to her, even if she
had to break through one of these portals and swim
there. Although Zelena didn't know how to swim. It
was a secret she had long held from the others, fearing an
enemy might use it against her... or that someone might
mock her. Not that any one should be surprised that
Zelena was water-shy; she was the bloody Wicked Witch
of the West, after all. Some might say water was her
Achilles Heel. Although she'd probably say it was the
backstroke that she feared most.
Zelena had to admit that Wish Rumplestiltskin had a
flare for dramatics and pain, trapping her in this water-
tight sardine can. Not only was she surrounded by
water, but he knew very well that she found fish bloody
disgusting and that traditional was her very least favorite
type of interior design. She dug her toes into the elabo-
rate rug beneath her. "Repulsive," she thought. And
that music! The Captain's pipe organ magically droned
on incessantly day and night. How many sea chanteys
must one listen to until they go mad? "What I
wouldn't give for one bloody round of Chopsticks,"
Zelena thought.
Suddenly the Nautilus shuddered, as if hit with ten
thousand pounds of force. The screws popped from the
walls and water sprouted in, spraying Zelena in the face.
"I'm under attack," she thought, terrified. Zelena ran
to the portal to see what hit her. And then she saw it...
"Giant bloody squid," Zelena sighed. As if this
under the sea entrapment couldn't get any worse...
- The giant squid is a reference to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, the original story that the Nautilus is from (on Once Upon a Time, they are replaced by krakens, even though the show introduced giant squids before). The pipe organ is also based on the novel, where Captain Nemo has a piano-organ aboard the Nautilus and likes to play it.
- Another unseen page from Zelena's book contains an excerpt from the Grimm fairytale "The Seven Ravens", while a third page contains an excerpt from an alternate version of the Brothers Grimm's version of the "Cinderella" fairytale, where the titular character is known as Ash-Maiden.[58]
- A somewhat blurred version of Rogers' illustration can be seen upside-down when he holds his own book.[59]
- For David, Rogers and Lucy's books, green fields were used so that the illustrations could be digitally added in post-production. According to a prop photograph posted on an online auction, the captions read:[60]
- "Charming knew exactly where he was, and yet had never felt so lost."
- "Captain Hook climbed atop a large mushroom and surveyed the land around him."
- "“My hair will never grow long enough. Not in a thousand years,” thought Lucy."
time. "That makes about a thousand
since I got here," she thought, despon-
dently. It had only been a day, but that
day had felt like a year. Lucy wondered
if eventually her hair, like Rapunzel's, would grow long
enough that it would allow her to escape. But she had an
idea that Rumplestiltskin wouldn't make it that easy.
Probably, she would be old before her hair got that long.
Or perhaps escaping the tower would only set her free in
a realm where she was a friendless stranger, still without
a way to get back to those who loved and cared for her.
At least the basic necessities were provide for her.
There as a hearth with a warm fire that seemed to
magically regenerate itself without either consuming
wood or filling the air with smoke. The flue had at first
struck her as a possible route for escape, but even if she
could make it to the roof of the tall tower, there was still
no safe way to the ground.
Food was provided as well, a small haunch of meat
at midday, along with an out gruel and a bucket of fresh
well water, all provided by magic. And there was a soft
bed waiting for her when she exhausted herself with
pacing the room and exploring every inch of it for a way
out. She wondered if she'd cry herself to sleep tonight
and wowed that she would not. She wouldn't give
Rumple, or the universe, the satisfaction.
She knew she should keep up hope right now.
But it was hard to have hope in this moment, with her
father and mother so far away, no doubt trapped in their
own stories of isolation. "I'm thinking of you," she said
to the sky outside the window as the first star
began to appear. "I'm with you," she added. But she
didn't say, "I have hope." She didn't want to lie.
- Lucy's unhappy ending is a reference to her step grandmother's imprisonment in Gothel's tower in "One Little Tear".
- The back of the page contains another excerpt from "The Seven Ravens".
of skirmishes. He was quite experienced in the common
tavern brawl. And the Jolly Roger had been boarded by
enemy pirates more times than he liked to recall. But
perhaps he had met his match in Wonderland, where
nothing made any bloody sense to him. In fact it was all
quite upside-down. Hook feared he would be lost in this
absurd place forever. It was a miracle at all that he
managed to escape from the rabid Bandersnatch. If only
that ridiculous Caterpillar hadn't been so out of his mind
as to point Hook into a bloody den of them! Hook
climbed atop a large mushroom and surveyed the land
around him. In the distance, he could see the Infinite
Maze. Should he try his luck in that dastardly labyrinth?
Maybe the only way out was to go in.But Hook shook
his head to himself. There had to be some other way.
Hook turned and faced east where the Tulgey Woods lay
before him. The trees grew thick and menacingly in
those parts shrouding the woods in a perpetual darkness.
As Hook most often used the stars to navigate this way,
not being able to see them would present quite the prob-
lem. Perhaps his best chance would be to go through
the Meadow of Living Flowers. Hook had heard tales of
Bread-and-Butterflies large enough to swallow a grown
man whole. But with his cutlass by his side, this seemed
like a fight that he could win. The Meadow of Living
Flowers it would be. Hook climbed down from his
perch on the giant mushroom -- only to find himself
surrounded by more Bandersnatches! Bloody hell. Hook
raised his cutlass threateningly, but the Bandersnatches
only circled him more tightly. Should he fight them off
or make a run for it? Hook slowly counted down in
his head. Three.... two... one. And with that, he
bolted, the pack of Bandersnatches hot on his heel.
- Rogers' unhappy ending is a reference to his daughter Alice's trips to New Wonderland, as described in "Hyperion Heights" and "Pretty in Blue".
- The Bread-and-Butterfly, which does not appear on the show, is a creature from Lewis Carroll's novel Through the Looking-Glass.
- The Meadow of Living Flowers, which also does not appear on the show, is based on the garden of live flowers from the second chapter of the novel Through the Looking Glass, and the meadow based on the same garden from the animated Disney film Alice in Wonderland.
- The back of the prop page contains yet another excerpt from "Little Sister and Little Brother".
- A prop photo posted on Instagram reveals that Tilly's book shows Alice in a winter forest with a frozen waterfall in the background.[62] The illustration was created from a frame of Alice in the New Enchanted Forest in "The Girl in the Tower".[63]
Alice hadn't seen her breath like that since last winter in
Hyperion Heights. She watched as the breath floated off
into the starry night. A moment ago she had thought
she saw the light of a city in the distance, but as her
eyes adjusted she came to realize it was simply the moon
reflected off the frozen tundra that stretched away to
forever. Alice wasn't just cold, she was alone. Alice
slumped on a rock, hugging herself, trying to keep warm.
She wondered if she would survive the night. And more
than that, she wondered if she would ever see her father,
or Robin, again. She had spent so much of her life alone,
now it looked like that's how she would end her life.
Only just then, the rock beneath her bum began to
quake. Startled, Alice sprung to her feet, but the rock
rolled toward her as if in pursuit! She turned to fee, but
another rock from nearby her side rolled her way. And
another from behind her. And a dozen more, from all
directions. They circled, herding Alice through an obvi-
ous attack pattern! Alice readied herself. For what, she
did not know when -- The rocks unfurled themselves, as
rocks almost never do. Arms and legs formed on each as
one after the other they revealed themselves to be little
stone men. None were taller than Alice's knee, but
together they made an intimidating force. Alice knew
exactly what they were: Trolls. She had experience with
trolls, but she didn't know what to make of this little
army that surrounded her now. She was scared --
- The back of the prop page contains another excerpt from "The Seven Ravens".
- A behind the scenes photograph posted by Keegan Connor Tracy on Twitter,[65] and a prop page auctioned off on eBay,[66] reveal that the Wish Blue Fairy's book shows Blue crying in a forest. The caption reads "The Blue Fairy soon realized she wasn't in her home anymore".
- According to the eBay auction, the back of the illustration contains another excerpt from "The Seven Ravens".[66]
- An alternate prop page auctioned off on a different website, contains a different story on the back of the page, in the form of yet another excerpt from "The Pink".[67]
- According to another prop page, auctioned off on eBay, Blue's story reads:[68]
home anymore. In fact, she wasn't anywhere near her
home. She was in another realm entirely, and that
wasn't even the worst part of all of this. Not only had the
spell ripped her away from home, it had brought her
somewhere very dark, and very dangerous. Because this
was not an ordinary forest, and these trees that surround-
ed her, nearly blotting the sky, certainly weren't ordinary
tress. They were moving, slow at first, then faster, their
branches starting to articulate like limbs, their knotted
trunks forming what began to look almost like a face if
you squinted just right. The Blue Fairy thought for a
moment of flying into the air for safety, but saw the
branches closing over her like some kind of net, meant
to catch things that foolishly sailed into the sky. She set
herself for a battle, realizing that she may need every bit
of magic she possessed to make it out alive. As
she prepared herself, she tried to remember the lessons
that had been taught to her as a novice fairy, all those
years ago. To be confident and brave and remember that
fairies are emblems of goodness in the world. And what-
ever forces of darkness may be arrayed against them, the
goodness will l always win. She said those words over and
over in her mind trying to give herself the strength,
trying to imagine that her sisters were with her. But she
found that courage was hard to summon as self doubt
crept in. If only she hadn't been so foolish, she
thought, allowing herself to be captured. She shook
those thoughts out of her mind, knowing that no
time for negative self talk. This was a time to be reso-
lute and strong, and everything a fairy must be to sur-
vive.
- David's unhappy ending appears in a storybook page which was auctioned off online in October 2019:[69]
to have brothers. He had dreamed of hacing a pack of
other boys to run around with and play games and rogh-
house. He had always through that would be the idyllic
childhood. And yet here he ways, trapped with the Lost
Boys, as they lived out the dark and twisted version of
that childhood fantasy. Here, the "brothers" always
seemed to be in some sort of competition with each
other, and more often than not, the competition turned
deadly. They all dreamed of being the first among the boys,
and they would do anything to prove that they were the
most capable, the strongest, the deadliest.They tried to
drag Charming into their dark games, but he wanted
nothing to do with them, or this place. All he wanted
was to be back home. To see his wife and children
again. But he had learned through bitter experience,
that was impossible now. The magic that brought him to
this realm insured [sic] that he would never escape from it. So
he had nothing to do but look out into the dark water,
completely alone, dreaming of the life he once had. All
he wanted was to be back in his comfortable home in
Storybrooke, telling this tale along with the others.
Tales about impossible moment, the close calls, the
daring escapes. And yet, something told him that this
time was different. That something her was per-
manent. After all, it was always family working
together that got each other out if trouble. But for the
first time in many year he felt alone. Like maybe
this time, hope would not win the day.
- David's unhappy ending is a reference to the first half of Season Three, where he was poisoned with dreamshade during his stay in Neverland and the cost of the cure was that he could never leave the island.
- The backside of the page contains yet another excerpt from "The Pink".[69]
- According to a different prop auction from October 2020, the back of the page with the illustration (mentioned earlier in the trivia) contains another excerpt from "The Seven Ravens".[70]
- STORYBOOK CONTENT: When the portals to the storybook realms are open and everyone hangs on to prevent themselves from being sucked in, pages from Wish Rumplestiltskin's storybooks are turning in the wind. One page contains a blurred illustration of Sleeping Beauty lying on a bed.[71] It is called "The Sleeping Princess" and is from the 1916 fairy tale collection The Allies' Fairy Book (link to page), illustrated by the famous book English book illustrator Arthur Rackham.
- HIDDEN DETAILS: When Regina is crowned the leader of the United Realms, Wish Henry is wearing Storybrooke's deputy sheriff's badge.[72]
Set Dressing
- USE IT AGAIN: The birch-three wallpaper used as a window display backdrop in the Storybrooke clothing store Modern Fashions, seen when Margot and Tilly are hiding,[73] is the same as the one in the Mayor's office in the Storybrooke Town Hall.[74]
Costume Notes
- BRAND INFO: Mary Margaret is wearing[75] a pink Ted Baker Embellished Collar Sweater[76] (no longer available).
- USE IT AGAIN: The suit worn by Mr. Gold when he is reunited with Belle on Mount Olympus[77] is the same suit that he wore in the New Enchanted Forest in "Beauty",[78] "Wake Up Call"[79] and "The Guardian".[80] The yellow dress that Belle is wearing[81] is the same dress that she wore in her Dream World in the Season Six premiere "The Savior".[82]
- ABANDONED IDEAS: Henry was originally supposed to wear a fairytale outfit for Roni's coronation, but they went with a contemporary suit instead.[83]
- USE IT AGAIN: The dress Kelly is wearing during Roni's coronation[84] is the same dress worn by her Enchanted Forest counterpart in the Season Three episode "Kansas".[85]
- SECONDHAND CLOTHING: The dress Mary Margaret is wearing during Roni's coronation[86] is the same dress worn by the Wish Realm counterpart of her original persona in the Season Six episode "Wish You Were Here".[87]
- USE IT AGAIN: The ensemble David is wearing during Roni's coronation[88] is the same attire worn by his Enchanted Forest counterpart in the Season One episodes "Pilot"[89] and "A Land Without Magic".[90]
- USE IT AGAIN: The dress Sabine is wearing during Roni's coronation[91] is the same dress worn by her New Enchanted Forest counterpart in "The Eighth Witch",[92] but with a collar.
- SECONDHAND CLOTHING: The purple coat worn by a spectator at Roni's coronation[93] is the same as the coats worn by the Genovia footmen in the 2004 romantic comedy film The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.[94] The same coats were previously worn by a bunch of servants throughout the series:
- The King's servants in the Season One episode "The Price of Gold"[95]
- King Xavier's servants in the Season Two episode "The Miller's Daughter"[96]
- The Red Queen's servants in the Once Upon a Time in Wonderland episode "Trust Me",[97]
- The Red King's servants in the Once Upon a Time in Wonderland episode "Heart of Stone"[98]
- King Midas' servants in the Season Three episode "Snow Drifts"[99]
- Prince Thomas' servants in the Season Six episode "The Other Shoe"[100]
- King David and Queen Snow's servants in the Season Six episode "Wish You Were Here"[101]
- The King's servants "Hyperion Heights"[102]
- Tiana's servants in "The Eighth Witch"[103]
Filming Locations
- The Dream World tavern scene with Roni and Robin Hood[104] and the scene in the snow globe cabin[105] were both filmed on a television set at The Bridge Studios.
- The scene where everyone is gathered around the council table in the Wish Realm version of the Royal Castle,[106] the scenes in Wish Rumplestiltskin's great hall[19][107] and Roni's coronation in the actual Royal Castle,[108][109] were all filmed on green-screen sets at The Bridge Studios.
- Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas couldn't be there when the others filmed and instead filmed their part later with a body double for Emma, and the family was reunited digitally in post-production.[108]
- Burnaby's Central Park doubles as the Wish Realm for the scene with Rogers, Margot and the Black Knights.[110]
- The scene where Weaver is reunited with Belle on Mount Olympus was filmed on a smoke-filled television set with the Storybrooke Wishing Well prop against a black background at The Bridge Studios.[111]
Goofs
- In the scene where Leroy, Doc, and Walter arrive in front of Granny's Diner to receive their packed lunches from Granny, Archie is nowhere to be seen. After Leroy accepts the lunch bags and turns around as the Rollin' Bayou comes down the street, the next shot shows Archie is suddenly there with his dog Pongo.
International Titles
International Titles | |||
---|---|---|---|
Language | Title | Translation | Notes |
French | "La Réunion des Mondes" | "The Merging of Worlds" | |
German | "...Dann leben sie noch heute" | "...Then They Still Live to This Day" | German equivalent of "...Happily Ever After" |
Italian | "In un angolo del Maine" | "In a Corner of Maine" |
Videos
References
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