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The New York Public Library is a Land Without Magic location featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It first appears in the twenty-second episode of the fifth season.
History
After Emma and Henry are given new memories by Regina, they settle down New York City, where they live a happy life together. Sometimes when Henry is upset, they go to the fountain outside the New York Public Library, where Emma gives Henry a coin and tells him to wish her problems away. One day Henry is upset because he notices that his mother is lonely. When Emma takes him to the fountain, he wishes that their family would be complete. A few days later, Hook shows up at Emma's doorstep and brings the two of them back to Storybrooke, where they are reunited with their family. ("New York City Serenade," "An Untold Story")
Mr. Gold suggests to Belle that they go to New York for a proper honeymoon, which Belle agrees to. While helping Belle pack, Henry recommends that she goes to the public library, saying how it "blows the Storybrooke version away" and has lion statues in front of it. ("Heroes and Villains")
Henry and Violet embark on a quest to destroy magic once and for all. They travel to New York City, where Henry reveals his father Neal once told him about his past research on destroying magic. He intends to finish what Neal couldn't, and from reading his father's journal, he and Violet are led to the Midtown Library's rear reading room. Henry finds storybooks that look like the one he owns, except they contain different stories, but none of them reveal how to destroy magic. Violet spots a replica of the Holy Grail, which she deems the source of all magic. Henry places the grail next to the Olympian Crystal, and when the crystal begins to be absorbed into the grail, it proves magic can be destroyed. As they leave, Mr. Gold shows up and magicks them unconscious and steals the crystal. When his moms arrive, Henry convinces Emma that she was wrong for not believing in Regina, and he defends his decision to destroy magic because he doesn't want to lose either of them to magic. Regina uses Henry's blood to locate Mr. Gold, which fails because Mr. Gold has disabled magic. ("Only You")
Despite being told to wait in the library, Henry rushes off to find his moms, who left to confront Mr. Gold. After spotting a magic storm cloud above the Hotel d'Or, he and Violet reach Mr. Gold's hotel room, where Henry absorbs the crystal's magic into the grail. Only then, he learns Emma, Regina, and Mr. Gold all needed the crystal to rescue their families, as they are trapped in another realm. Henry blames Mr. Gold for the mess they are in, and storms off to sulk at a fountain outside the library. Violet keeps him company until Emma stops by to talk. Emma gives him a penny to make a wish on the fountain since making wishes used to cheer him up, but Henry reminds her that only worked when he was living in New York with no memory of Storybrooke or magic. He expresses guilt over destroying magic, as he believed it would help their family, but now, he's made things worse. With the Dragon's help, Henry and the others are able to see their families in the other realm, but unable to open a portal. To find more magic, the Dragon advises that they seek magic with the power of belief. Back at the fountain, Henry persuades his family to make wishes on pennies, which creates magic in the crystal, but not enough. In order to acquire more, he rallies a whole crowd of New Yorkers into believing in magic and making wishes, causing a geyser and then a portal to appear in the fountain, allowing Henry's family to come through. Mr. Gold slips into the portal without anyone's notice, intending to confront Mr. Hyde about Belle. When Henry's family returns, the crowd applauds over the display, but a disappointed Henry realizes the people mistook real magic for a street act. Emma assures him that it was still worth it because, for a moment in time, he helped people to believe in magic. ("An Untold Story")
Trivia
Production Notes
- The computer-generated imagery model used for the rear reading room in the New York Public Library[1] is recycled from the model created for the Dark Castle great hall,[2] foyer[3] and vault.[4] This can easily be seen from the identical design of the columns and archways. The same model was used for the Netherworld in "Child of the Moon" and "Into the Deep."[5] ("Only You")
- Stock footage of the Seward Park Branch of the New York Public Library from the website Getty Images was used for the exterior of the library in "Only You."[6]
Filming Locations
- The Vancouver Art Gallery doubles as the New York Public Library for the episode "An Untold Story."[7] While a wishing fountain is present in front of the show's version of the New York Public Library's Midtown Manhattan building, the real-life library location does not have one.
- The Vancouver Art Gallery has also doubled as locations for other productions:
- The Sioux City Library in the The X-Files episode "Conduit."[8]
- The Air Force Administration Building in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Secrets."[9]
- The Metropolis Museum in the Smallville episode "Rogue."[10]
- The Coolsonian Criminology Museum in the 2004 family horror comedy film Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (a movie which features Once Upon a Time guest stars C. Ernst Harth, Catherine Lough Haggquist, Christopher Gauthier, Emily Tennant and Ingrid Torrance).
- The Santa Barbara Courthouse in the Psych episode "Cloudy... With a Chance of Murder (an episode which features Once Upon a Time guest stars Keegan Connor Tracy and Sage Brocklebank).[11]
- The Starling City Superior Court throughout the series of Arrow,[8] the Starling Metro Police Department and Malcolm Merlyn's office in the Arrow episode "Damaged,"[8] the Starling City Park[8] and a gallery in the Arrow episode "Dodger" (an episode which features Once Upon a Time guest stars Christie Laing, Jarod Joseph and Paul Lazenby and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland guest star Rekha Sharma)[12] and Celia Castle's office in the Arrow episodes "Midnight City," "Suicidal Tendencies" and "Public Enemy."[8]
- The location of a court house in The Tomorrow People episode "Superhero."[13]
- The location of the judges's chambers in the 2015 science-fiction mystery adventure film Tomorrowland (a movie which features Once Upon a Time guest star Paul McGillion).
- The location of a building in Central City in the The Flash episode "Fast Enough,"[14] a robbery[8] and an art gallery in the The Flash episode "Potential Energy" (an episode which features Once Upon a Time guest star Aaron Douglas),[15] a courthouse in The Flash episode "Cause and Effect,"[8] the Central City Jewelry in The Flash episode "Null and Annoyed" (an episode which features Once Upon a Time guest star Paul McGillion)[16] and a building overlooking a plaza in The Flash episode "Elseworlds, Part 1" (an episode which features Once Upon a Time guest star Paul Lazenby).[8]
- The Los Angeles County Courthouse in the Lucifer episode "Quid Pro Ho" (a show which stars Once Upon a Time guest star Tom Ellis).[8]
- The King County Superior Court[17] and the location of a coffee cart in the iZombie episode "Dead Beat" (a show which stars Once Upon a Time guest stars David Anders and Rose McIver).[8]
- The Capitol Building in the Timeless episode "The Red Scare."[18]
- The location of a building in downtown National City in the Supergirl episode "Battles Lost and Won"[19] and the location of a press conference,[20] the Madrid Art Gallery and the National City Courthouse in the Supergirl episode "American Alien" (a show which stars Once Upon a Time guest star Sam Witwer).[8]
- The location of the department of literature in the Charmed episode "Exorcise Your Demons."[21]
- The Vancouver Art Gallery has also doubled as locations for other productions:
- For other uses of this location, see Movies Filmed at Vancouver Art Gallery
Appearances
| Once Upon a Time: Season Four | ||||||||||
| "A Tale of Two Sisters": |
"White Out": |
"Rocky Road": |
"The Apprentice": |
"Breaking Glass": |
"Family Business": | "The Snow Queen": |
"Smash the Mirror": |
"Fall": | "Shattered Sight": |
"Heroes and Villains": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned |
| "Darkness on the Edge of Town": |
"Unforgiven": | "Enter the Dragon": | "Poor Unfortunate Soul": |
"Best Laid Plans": | "Heart of Gold": | "Sympathy for the De Vil": |
"Lily": | "Mother": | "Operation Mongoose Part 1": |
"Operation Mongoose Part 2": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Once Upon a Time: Season Five | |||||||||||
| "The Dark Swan": | "The Price": | "Siege Perilous": | "The Broken Kingdom": | "Dreamcatcher": | "The Bear and the Bow": | "Nimue": | "Birth": | "The Bear King": | "Broken Heart": | "Swan Song": | |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | |
| "Souls of the Departed": | "Labor of Love": | "Devil's Due": | "The Brothers Jones": | "Our Decay": | "Her Handsome Hero": | "Ruby Slippers": | "Sisters": | "Firebird": | "Last Rites": | "Only You": | "An Untold Story": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Appears |
