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The Storybrooke Wishing Well is a Storybrooke location featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It first appears in the thirteenth episode of the first season. The well is located in the Storybrooke Wilderness Park.
History
Moments after the curse is broken, Mr. Gold leads Belle to the wishing well. He explains the legend of the well's water, which has the ability to bring back something once was lost, and demonstrates by pouring the true love potion down into it. When the water and contents of the potion mix, it creates a purplish smoke that engulfs town and brings magic to Storybrooke. ("A Land Without Magic")
Later, Belle tells him how she spent the years under the curse locked up in the psychiatric ward by Regina. This enrages Mr. Gold, but she makes him promise not to harm Regina in vengeance. ("Broken")
In a race against time, Emma and Mary Margaret fight against Cora and Hook to return to Storybrooke from the Enchanted Forest. However, Mr. Gold and Regina share combined fears over the possibility Cora will be the one to cross into town instead. Using a wand, they take all the diamonds in the mines and convert them into fairy dust to create a trap over the wishing well to kill anyone who attempts to enter Storybrooke. Once Henry is notified by Leroy and the dwarves of the missing diamonds, he rushes over to the well with Ruby to stop them. While Ruby is knocked out by Mr. Gold's magic, Henry pleads with Regina to convince her Cora won't be the one to cross over. Trusting in his belief, Regina lifts the deadly enchantment by absorbing the magic used to create the trap. Immediately afterwards, Mary Margaret and Emma emerge from the well. Henry is ecstatic Regina believed in him enough to remove the barrier. ("Queen of Hearts")
With her mother Cora dead because of Mary Margaret, Regina plans to get both her revenge and happiness by enacting a curse that will force Henry to love her, and in order to cast the curse, she needs the heart of the person she hates most: Mary Margaret. In a desperate move to stop David and Emma from killing Regina, Henry steals dynamite from the mines and heads to the wishing well to blow it up, in the hopes it will eliminate magic for good. While making his way there, Henry bumps into Greg, who is out hiking. After Henry runs off, Greg notifies Regina about her son's whereabouts. Regina then shows up at the well before Henry can light the explosives and magically waves the dynamite away. Henry doesn't want her to kill Mary Margaret and use the curse, but Regina insists she must pay for Cora's death. Suddenly, David, Emma and Neal show up to stop her. Regina displays the curse scroll, and assures Emma she will not be seeing Henry again after it is cast. The trio refuse to get out of Regina's way, and they assert that she will have to go through them in order to reach Mary Margaret. In response, Regina conjures a fireball, to which David points his gun at her. Henry forces everyone to stop by claiming magic needs to be destroyed. Emma states magic is not the problem; Regina is. Henry, however, believes magic makes good people like Mary Margaret and Regina do terrible things, which causes David to lower his gun. Henry begs Regina to help him get rid of magic, which she declines to do, but destroys the curse scroll with a fireball in order to placate him. Henry thanks her, but ultimately leaves with Emma. ("Welcome to Storybrooke")
When Peter Pan and Henry switch bodies, Henry recalls trying to explode the wishing well to destroy magic, which he uses to prove to Emma that he is indeed Henry trapped in Pan's body. ("The New Neverland")
After swiping the Dark Curse scroll from Regina's vault, Pan goes with his underling, Felix, to the wishing well to enact the curse by tossing in various ingredients. As the last ingredient, Pan explains he needs the heart of the thing he loves most, with Felix assuming he requires the son of his son, Mr. Gold. Instead, Pan admits Felix's heart will be fitting as a sacrifice since he has always been so loyal to him. Pan pulls out the heart as Felix uselessly tries to resist, and then crushes the heart to dust into the well. With the requirements fulfilled, the curse begins to come to life from within the well as a engulfing green smoke. ("Going Home")Near the wishing well, Mr. Gold waits for his bride-to-be, Belle, who arrives with her father. Archie presides over the marriage ceremony and witnesses the couple exchange their marriage vows with each other. ("There's No Place Like Home")
To force Mr. Gold into not alerting Zelena about her plans to rescue Robin Hood, Regina takes out Belle's heart and then sends Belle to the wishing well to summon Mr. Gold. When Mr. Gold arrives, Belle demands the truth from him about why he came back to Storybrooke. Mr. Gold pulls out his almost completely darkened heart as proof he is dying, and explains that only the Author can save him or he'll lose his ability to love. Belle is sympathetic to his reasons and reconciles with him. As the pair share a kiss, Regina controls Belle into saying spiteful things to Mr. Gold, such as Will being a better kisser than him and that his attempts to win her back are pathetic. Mr. Gold is, at first, hurt by her words, until Regina steps out to show she has Belle's heart. Regina then makes Mr. Gold swear not to get in her way with Robin or she'll crush the heart. ("Sympathy for the De Vil")Trivia
On-Screen Notes
- August's reference to magical water that can return something once lost refers back to the magical waters of the Enchanted Forest's Lake Nostos. ("What Happened to Frederick")
- The wishing well plaque says:[1]
WELL
For centuries, local legend has claimed
that mystical waters run beneath this great
land. It is said that these waters possess
the power to return that which is lost to its
rightful place. If you have lost something
precious to you, drink from this well and
bear witness to this miracle as what is
missing shall be returned.
("What Happened to Frederick")
Production Notes
- The wishing well seen in "What Happened to Frederick"[2] appears in a different location than the wishing well seen in the rest of the series.
- This location was also used to film the scenes where Lily transforms back into a human and reconciles with her mother in "Mother"[3] and the sparring scenes with Merida and Mr. Gold in "Dreamcatcher."[4]
Props Notes
- Before its first appearance in "What Happened to Frederick," the wishing well prop[5] was used for the well where Prince Thomas disappears in "The Price of Gold"[6] and the well in Rumplestiltskin's Frontlands village in "Desperate Souls."[7] The supporting structure for the pulley, and the pulley itself, were replaced for the wishing well prop, and a roof was added to the top.
- The wishing well prop[5] has also doubled as a well in several other locations:
- It was used for the well outside Granny's cottage, the one where Red Riding Hood goes to collect water with Snow White and sees that the water is full of blood, in "Red-Handed."[8]
- It appears outside the Mad Hatter's cottage in "Hat Trick."[9]
- It is seen outside outside Ruth's cabin in "Lady of the Lake."[10]
- It was used for the well where Zelena reads the Book of Records and Dorothy collects water in Oz in "Kansas."[11] The roof over the wishing well was removed and a different supporting structure for the pulley was added for this episode, while protruding stone carvings were added to the bottom of the well.
- It appears in Arthur's village in "The Broken Kingdom"[12] and "Nimue."[13]
- It appears in the village that was attacked by the Evil Queen in "A Bitter Draught."[14] The roof over the wishing well was removed for this episode.
- The main section of the well with the roof and supports removed was used as the Community Gardens wishing well in Seattle in Season Seven.[15]
- A duplicate of the wishing well appears on Mount Olympus.[16] ("Leaving Storybrooke")
Filming Locations
- The scene with Emma and August at the wishing well in "What Happened to Frederick" was filmed in the North 40 Park Reserve in Delta, British Columbia.[17] Note that in later episodes, the well appears in a different location.
- The Bear Trail, a 4.3 kilometer moderately trafficked loop trail located near North Vancouver,[18] doubles as the Storybrooke forest for the scenes by the wishing well in "Going Home."[19]
Appearances
| Once Upon a Time: Season One | ||||||||||
| "Pilot": | "The Thing You Love Most": | "Snow Falls": | "The Price of Gold": | "That Still Small Voice": | "The Shepherd": | "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter": | "Desperate Souls": | "True North": | "7:15 A.M.": | "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Skin Deep": | "What Happened to Frederick": | "Dreamy": | "Red-Handed": | "Heart of Darkness": | "Hat Trick": | "The Stable Boy": | "The Return": | "The Stranger": | "An Apple Red as Blood": | "A Land Without Magic": |
| Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears |
| Once Upon a Time: Season Two | ||||||||||
| "Broken": | "We Are Both": | "Lady of the Lake": | "The Crocodile": | "The Doctor": | "Tallahassee": | "Child of the Moon": | "Into the Deep": | "Queen of Hearts": | "The Cricket Game": | "The Outsider": |
| Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent |
| "In the Name of the Brother": | "Tiny": | "Manhattan": | "The Queen Is Dead": | "The Miller's Daughter": | "Welcome to Storybrooke": | "Selfless, Brave and True": | "Lacey": | "The Evil Queen": | "Second Star to the Right": | "And Straight On 'Til Morning": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Once Upon a Time: Season Three | ||||||||||
| "The Heart of the Truest Believer": | "Lost Girl": | "Quite a Common Fairy": | "Nasty Habits": | "Good Form": | "Ariel": | "Dark Hollow": | "Think Lovely Thoughts": | "Save Henry": | "The New Neverland": | "Going Home": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Appears |
| "New York City Serenade": | "Witch Hunt": | "The Tower": | "Quiet Minds": | "It's Not Easy Being Green": | "The Jolly Roger": | "Bleeding Through": | "A Curious Thing": | "Kansas": | "Snow Drifts": | "There's No Place Like Home": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears |
| 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 | Absent |
| "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 | Appears | 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 | Appears | 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 | Absent | Absent |
| Once Upon a Time: Season Six | ||||||||||
| "The Savior": | "A Bitter Draught": | "The Other Shoe": | "Strange Case": | "Street Rats": | "Dark Waters": | "Heartless": | "I'll Be Your Mirror": | "Changelings": | "Wish You Were Here": | "Tougher Than the Rest": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears |
| "Murder Most Foul": | "Ill-Boding Patterns": | "Page 23": | "A Wondrous Place": | "Mother's Little Helper": | "Awake": | "Where Bluebirds Fly": | "The Black Fairy": | "The Song in Your Heart": | "The Final Battle Part 1": | "The Final Battle Part 2": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Once Upon a Time: Specials | ||||||||||
| "Magic is Coming": |
"The Price of Magic": | "Journey to Neverland": | "Wicked is Coming": | "Storybrooke Has Frozen Over": | ||||||
| Archive | Archive | Archive | Archive | Archive | ||||||
| "Secrets of Storybrooke": | "Dark Swan Rises": | "Evil Reigns Once More": | "The Final Battle Begins": | |||||||
| Archive | Archive | Archive | Absent | |||||||
| Other Appearances | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.
