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"Poor Unfortunate Soul" is the fifteenth episode of Season Four of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Andrew Chambliss & Dana Horgan, and directed by Steve Pearlman. It is the eighty-first episode of the series overall, and premiered on March 22, 2015.
Synopsis
Hook leverages his complicated history with Ursula to find out what she knows about Gold’s endgame. Gold and the Queens of Darkness torture August for information about the Author as Emma, Mary Margaret and David race to find them. Regina grows concerned for Robin Hood’s safety while she struggles to maintain her cover with the villains. In a Fairy Tale Land flashback, when a restless young Ursula enlists Hook's help to run away from home, she soon learns it isn’t wise to trust a pirate.[2]
Recap
In the Neverland realm, Hook and his crew hear a mermaid’s song, which distracts them until they almost strike a series of rocks. Around the same time, the father of the Seas, Poseidon, scolds his daughter, revealed to be Ursula in her youth, for ending the song just in time for the Jolly Roger to escape. Later on at a tavern during a port stop, Hook recognizes the same tune being sung by Ursula, and offers her a drink. She explains to Hook that her father kicked her out of his kingdom for disobeying him, so she stole a magical bracelet that allowed her to walk on land. Ursula also reveals that her mother was killed by a pirate, which is why Poseidon demands Ursula use her voice - the only thing that reminds her of her mother - to steer the ships awry. Hook tells Ursula that listening to her voice was the only thing that has ever taken away his lifelong pain. She shares her plan to sing in Glowerhaven, and he offers to take her there on his ship. Poseidon learns of this and instructs Hook to remove Ursula's ability to sing by using a seashell, in order to ensure that she will never leave the ocean, in exchange for giving Hook a vial of squid ink, which Hook can use to paralyze his enemy Rumplestiltskin.
Later, Hook returns and tells Ursula about her father’s plan. Although he refuses to break his personal code, Hook asks Ursula to steal the squid ink from her father’s storage. Ursula agrees, only to have Poseidon catch her, and in return for Hook betraying him, takes away his only chance to seek revenge on Rumplestiltskin. Hook then counters by stealing Ursula’s singing voice to hurt Poseidon. After Hook leaves with Ursula's singing voice, the rift between father and daughter continues, prompting an enraged Ursula to snap and use Poseidon’s trident to transform herself into the powerful sea goddess for which Ursula was named after, only stronger and more powerful than her father.
At Gold's remote cabin, Regina, Maleficent, Cruella, and Ursula start interrogating adult August Booth about the Author. He explains that he stole the research of a man in Hong Kong named The Dragon, and that the research is still currently in Storybrooke. Gold heads to August's trailer to get the research, and Regina uses her magic to briefly take over Mary Margaret’s body to tell Emma Swan, Captain Hook, and David Nolan that August is safe, Gold is back, and the Queens have something big planned. They later relay this to Belle, who tells them that she gave the Dagger to Hook, only to learn that Gold transformed himself into Hook to retrieve it, leading them to discover that Gold has restored his powers once again with the dagger. This information gives Hook an idea as he reveals his past encounter with Ursula, saying that the time has now come to take advantage of the Sea Goddess and to restore her happy ending.
Later, Hook uses a conch shell to summon Ursula and he offers her a deal: in exchange for finding out Gold's plan involving the Author, Hook will return her voice. When Ursula asks Hook where the magical shell is, he responds that it is located inside the Jolly Roger back in the Enchanted Forest. Ursula opens a portal into the Jolly Roger, which has been turned into a model ship in a bottle. Hook and Ursula, with help from Will Scarlet, restore the Jolly Roger. Hook gathers the shell with Ursula’s voice and returns it to her, but the magic does not work and her voice does not return. A furious Ursula then takes her revenge out on Hook by saying that the deal is over, and uses her tentacles to send Hook overboard. He is rescued by Ariel, who explains that Blackbeard used the Jolly Roger to terrorize many people, including Anna and Kristoff from Arendelle, (as seen in "Fall"), so Queen Elsa contained the ship in a bottle in anger for Blackbeard hurting her family, accidentally trapping Ariel as well in the process, and thanks to Hook, Ariel is now free and repays him with a favor.
Regina is still trying to control her feelings for Robin Hood, and has a nightmare in which she fights the "Evil Queen" version of herself over the affections of her former love. Gold suddenly returns from August's trailer to inform her that August lied about The Dragon. He feeds August a temporary, painful potion that turns August back into wood and causes his nose to grow every time he lies, and holds August's nose to the fire. August says that the Sorcerer trapped the Author behind a door but he does not know where the door is, except that it is in Storybrooke and that Regina has seen it before in one of the pages. Gold, Regina, and Maleficent head to the Sorcerer's mansion to look for the door. Moments later, Emma, Mary Margaret, and David break into Gold’s cabin and knock out Cruella. They are then surprised by Ursula, who briefly uses her tentacles to strangle Mary Margaret before being surprised by Hook, who tells Ursula that only the person who enchanted the shell can reverse it. Poseidon appears, having been brought through a portal by Ariel. Poseidon apologizes to his daughter for everything, and returns her singing voice so that he can hear the voice of his wife one last time. After Ursula and Poseidon are reunited and leave, Hook tells Emma that his happy ending is to be with her, but he fears he will lose her because he is a villain. August is rescued but Cruella has escaped, and later meets up with Gold, Regina, and Maleficent, saying that Ursula was a mole, much to Regina’s relief.
Hook learns from Ursula about Gold's plans, revealing that as long as Emma is in Storybrooke to give everyone their happy endings, the Author will be unable to give villains theirs, and the only way to change that is for Gold to fill Emma’s heart with darkness. At the same time, Regina meets with Emma to ask her if she can help track down Robin Hood and later asks August about the door; August says that the picture of the door is not just an illustration, but is the door itself. The Author is actually trapped inside the "Once Upon a Time" book.
Deleted Scenes
This scene is included on Once Upon a Time: The Complete Fourth Season.
"A Cow Named Nan"
While Regina is interrogating August, he tells her about an old story he heard in Phuket, about a cow named Nan. The farmer who owned Nan, whipped her, and when the farmer's wife saw the lashes across Nan's back, her husband's cruelty chilled her soul and she left the farmer. August warns Regina that if she keeps working with Mr. Gold and the witches, by the time she is reunited with Robin Hood, she will no longer be the woman he wants to be with.
Cast[2]
Starring |
Guest Starring
Uncredited
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Trivia
Title
- The title card features Ursula.[3]
- The title of this episode was announced by Adam Horowitz via his Twitter account on December 24, 2014.[4]
- The episode is named after the song "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from the Disney film The Little Mermaid. The villainous Ursula sings this song to Ariel, referring to her as a "poor, unfortunate soul" three times in the track.
Production Notes
- CAST NOTES: This episode is one of seven episodes of the entire series to not feature a co-starring cast member. The other are "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree," "Red-Handed," "The Stable Boy," "Into the Deep," "A Curious Thing" and "Her Handsome Hero."
- REUSED FOOTAGE: A wide shot of the Jolly Roger sailing on Poseidon's ocean[5] was flipped and reused for the opening shot of the Season Six episode "Dark Waters."[6]
- Ursula's singing voice was neither Tiffany Boone's voice[7] nor Merrin Dungey's voice.[8]
- For the scene where Regina is speaking through Mary Margaret, Lana Parrilla did a reading of the lines, so Ginnifer Goodwin could practice to it.[9]
- The cabin scenes took three days to shoot. Eion Bailey had rope burns on his hands by the end of the shooting, from being tied up all the time.[9]
- Regina's dream about Robin Hood was not originally in the script. It was added later, because the network wanted to make sure that the viewers knew that Robin would come back at some point.[9]
- For the scene where Mr. Gold interrogates August by holding him close to the fire, the flames in the fireplace were actually real. Test were performed to make sure that it was safe for the actors.[9]
- For the part where Ariel slaps Hook, director Steve Pearlman was reluctant to film the slap, but Colin O'Donoghue and JoAnna Garcia Swisher both insisted that that it remained in the episode.[10]
Event Chronology
- The Enchanted Forest flashbacks take place almost a century after "The Crocodile,"[nb 1] and many years before "Darkness on the Edge of Town." (For more details, see the Enchanted Forest timeline)
- The Storybrooke events take place after "Enter the Dragon" and before "Best Laid Plans." (For more details, see the Land Without Magic timeline)
Episode Connections
- This is the first time Hook has been featured on-screen as Pan's employee; something that was first implied in "Good Form."
- Hook's never-ending desire to destroy Rumplestiltskin was due to the events of "The Crocodile."
- Some of the mermaids native to Neverland appeared on-screen for the first time in "The Heart of the Truest Believer."
- Regina began her undercover work in "Enter the Dragon."
- Regina mentions that she has tortured people, something that she also said in "Save Henry."
- Pinocchio was reverted into August in "Enter the Dragon."
- Mr. Gold notes a time when August previously lied to him. This occurred in "The Return."
- August mentions meeting the Dragon in Hong Kong and the man's subsequent death; events that occurred in "Selfless, Brave and True."
- The trailer where August used to hide was last seen in "Selfless, Brave and True."
- What Regina's dream really means, is revealed in "Heart of Gold."
- Emma recalls Regina ditching her so she couldn't track her movements. She also mentions Regina kidnapping Pinocchio. Both events happened in "Enter the Dragon."
- Belle gave the dagger to a disguised Mr. Gold in "Enter the Dragon."
- Hook remembers Belle used the dagger to force Mr. Gold to leave Storybrooke. This occurred in "Heroes and Villains."
- Belle expresses disappointment over Mr. Gold tricking her again. The first time he betrayed her began in "A Tale of Two Sisters" and ended in "Heroes and Villains."
- Regina shows August the taped together storybook page of herself and Robin Hood. The illustration first appeared to Robin Hood in "Smash the Mirror," and it was torn to pieces by Regina in "Heroes and Villains." She then repaired the page sometime before or during "Darkness on the Edge of Town."
- Hook uses a conch shell to summon Ursula to the woods. The last time this method was used was in "Ariel."
- The bracelet, used to gain human legs, was first used by a mermaid in "Ariel."
- Hook mentions Milah's death, which happened in "The Crocodile."
- Poseidon stated Squid ink can immobilize Rumplestiltskin; a feat accomplished in "The Price of Gold." Squid ink is used on Rumplestiltskin's counterpart in "Nasty Habits."
- Belle and Will's relationship was first made known in "Enter the Dragon."
- Hook mentions Will has been to Wonderland many times before. These events are featured on Once Upon a Time's spinoff series.
- Robin Hood left Storybrooke in "Heroes and Villains."
- Henry received the storybook page of the door in "Unforgiven."
- This is the first time magic mushrooms have been featured in a liquid form and used to enlarge an object. For all prior times the mushrooms have been used in this series during "Hat Trick," "Tiny" and "Down the Rabbit Hole," the mushrooms have always appeared as fungi that need to be ingested to enlarge or shrink a person.
- Ariel references her past adventure with Hook and Black Beard, which occurred in "The Jolly Roger." She also speaks about the Queen of Arendelle punishing Black Beard for conspiring against royals, which references the pirate's actions against Anna and Kristoff in "Fall."
- Emma recalls August telling her to believe in herself; something he said in "A Land Without Magic."
- Hook tells Ursula that he's good at surviving. Hook said the same thing to Regina in "The Evil Queen," and to Emma in "Rocky Road" and "Heroes and Villains." Pan described him the same way in "Good Form." Weaver also tells the Seattle persona of Hook's Wish Realm counterpart that he's a survivor in "Is This Henry Mills?"
- The Author is freed from the storybook in "Best Laid Plans."
Disney
- Ursula's backstory is largely based on Ariel's backstory from the Disney film, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning. They are both mermaids who love singing/music due to their mothers' influence. Both have lost their mothers during a pirate attack and have fathers who have a problem with singing/music because it reminds them of their wives' death. Ultimately, their fathers both realize they were wrong and decide to accept singing/music in their lives. In addition, both decide to go against their fathers' orders because they love singing/music.
- Ursula vocalizes the reprise of "Part of Your World" and sings "Fathoms Below" during the episode. Both are from the Disney film The Little Mermaid.
- This episode contains a number of other references to Disney works. See the list of Disney references for more.
Fairytales and Folklore
- This episode features Captain Hook and Mr. Smee from the Peter Pan story, the sea witch, the sea king and the little mermaid from "The Little Mermaid" fairytale (the sea witch also takes on the role of the little mermaid from the fairytale), Poseidon and one of his daughters from Greek mythology, the ugly duckling from the titular fairytale, Cruella De Vil from The Hundred and One Dalmatians story, and Robin Hood and Will Scarlet from the Robin Hood ballads.
- Will Scarlet is also the Knave of Hearts from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
- Ursula lures sailors at sea to their doom with her singing voice, just like the Sirens from Greek mythology.
- On Once Upon a Time, Poseidon has a daughter who is a mermaid. In Greek mythology, one of Poseidon many children was Triton, a merman;[11] in the Disney film The Little Mermaid, King Triton takes the role of the titular character's father. None of Poseidon's daughters were mermaids; however, two of them, Kymopoleia and Benthesikyme, were sea nymphs,[12] also known as Nereids.
- Hook and Ursula use distilled extract from mushrooms from Wonderland to make Hook's ship grown in size. In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the titular character eats magic mushroom from Wonderland to grown and shrink in size.
- Gold says regarding August "Let's see if we can pull this puppet's strings"; a reference to The Adventures of Pinocchio, where the titular character is a marionette.
- August's (Pinocchio's) nose grows whenever he lies, an important plot point from The Adventures of Pinocchio.
- Ariel finds Hook unconscious in the sea and pulls him to safety, just like the little mermaid does with the prince in the fairytale.
- Hook takes Ursula's singing voice, similar to the way the sea witch takes the titular character's voice in the fairytale of "The Little Mermaid."
- Ursula says to her father, "All you ever wanted was for me to remain your precious, little mermaid"; a reference to "The Little Mermaid."
Popular Culture
- The aria "Soave sia il vento" (meaning "may the winds the gentle") from Mozart's opera "Così fan tutte" is playing on Ursula's radio as she's enjoying a quiet moment outside Mr. Gold's cabin in the morning.
Props Notes
- Christopher Gauthier, who plays William Smee, went through 4-5 boxes of cakes while shooting the opening scene.[13]
- REUSED PROPS: The knife Ursula is using to threaten August[14] is the same knife Regina wields in the alternate reality in "Operation Mongoose Part 1."[15][16]
- The Jolly Roger in a bottle prop was a real replica of Hook's ship.[9][17]
- HIDDEN DETAILS: The inscription on Hook's safe says "Liverpool."[18]
- According to a prop photograph by an online auction from 2018, the complete inscription reads "LIVERPOOL · W.M. SOPARLO & SONS LTD."[19] However, excerpt for the "Liverpool" part, the entire text is obscured by Hook's hand.
- CREW NAMES ON PROPS: "W.M. Soparlo" is a reference to Mark Soparlo, a member of the production staff on the show.
- Emma kicking in the door to Mr. Gold's cabin, was Jennifer Morrison's idea.[9]
- REUSED PROPS: Poseidon's trident[20] is the same prop used by Wish Ariel when the later meets the Dark One in the Season Seven episode "Homecoming."[21]
- The same prop is on display in the Dark Castle in the Season One episode "Skin Deep."[22]
Set Dressing
- HIDDEN DETAILS: One of the boats at the harbor is called Lofoten,[23] the name of an archipelago and district in Norway.
Costume Notes
- ABANDONED IDEAS: Poseidon's costume was originally different, and included a big purple feathery boa around his neck. However, it didn't look quite right, and they ended up with a more metallic version of the original costume.[9]
- BRAND INFO: Emma is wearing[24] an Aran Short-Sleeved Sweater from Ralph Lauren[25] (no longer available).
Filming Locations
- The opening scene with the Jolly Roger, was filmed over eight hours on a sound stage with lots of theatrical smoke. The crew members were wearing masks so they wouldn't have to breathe in smoke all day.[9]
- The scenes with Ursula and Poseidon at the cliffs, were filmed in hot tubs built with fake rocks.[26]
- The scenes at the Storybrooke harbor was filmed on a real floating dock in Steveston Village. The crew had to move their cameras according to the tide.[9]
International Titles
| International Titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Title | Translation |
| Finnish | "Surkeiden sielujen laulu" | "The Song of the Poor Souls" |
| French | "La Voix de la Liberté" | "The Voice of Freedom" |
| German | "Ursulas Geschichte" | "Ursula's Story" |
| Italian | "La storia di Ursula" | "Ursula's Story" |
| Polish | "Biedna, nieszczęsna dusza" | "Poor Unfortunate Soul" |
| Portuguese | "Pobre alma" | "Poor soul" |
| Spanish | "Pobre alma en desgracia" | "Poor Unfortunate Soul" |
Videos
References
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