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"The Bear and the Bow" is the sixth episode of Season Five of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Andrew Chambliss & Tze Chun, and directed by Ralph Hemecker. It is the ninety-fourth episode of the series overall, and premiered on November 1, 2015.
Synopsis
In a Camelot flashback, a chance encounter with Merlin, David, Hook and Belle gives Merida new hope in her quest to save her brothers from the usurping clans of DunBroch. Unwilling to leave anything up to fate, Merida brings Belle along on a dangerous journey that culminates with an invaluable lesson in bravery. In Storybrooke, Regina, Mary Margaret and David discover the spell that would allow one of Merlin's chosen to communicate with him, but when Arthur fails to reach the missing sorcerer the heroes grow suspicious. Meanwhile, Emma commands Merida to kill Belle in hopes of forcing Mr. Gold's heroic transformation. With Merida unable to disobey Emma's orders, Gold must find the courage to fight for Belle's life or risk losing her forever.[2]
Recap
In Camelot, the Enchanted Forest and DunBroch
Six weeks earlier in the Camelot dungeon, David, Hook, Merlin and Belle waste no time at all in defeating Arthur's guards, with Hook impressed by Merlin's ability to see the future. They then reach the cell where Lancelot and Merida are being held, with Merlin telling the others that it is enchanted. Belle then gives Merlin a book of spells and makes the bars disappear.
Merida tells the rescuers that Arthur took the wisps which she needed to find her brothers, so Merlin suggests that they need to come up with another way to find them. When Belle asks Merida why she was in the dungeon, Merida tells her that the wisps led her to the sea, but the boat she hid out in belonged to Arthur, and that when he found her he then threw her in the cell. Merida then knocks Belle out with a rock and hours later Belle awakes to find herself in a rowboat with Merida. Belle learns that Merida needs Belle's magic to find her brothers. She further explains that the clans kidnapped her brothers so they can force her to relinquish the throne as she is not married.
Merida and Belle later stumble upon a witch's home, where they sneak inside to use a cauldron to do a locator spell, which conjures up a futuristic vision of a Southern moor where three men are vying for Merida's hand in marriage, followed by her three brothers brought in by their captors who remove the bags off their heads. Unfortunately, the United Clans also plan to kills Merida's brothers and take DunBroch from Merida. Belle tells Merida it's time to change fate, so Belle reads the scroll. As Belle watches Merida practices her archery skills, she's just finished up creating the potion, which will turn Merida into a bear so she can save her brothers. Belle is skeptical about using the spell to change fate, but Merida says otherwise.
As they reach the United Clans, Merida threatens to take them out but as she drinks the potion, Belle told her it wasn't the actual potion, then tells Merida that she should have faith in her own fate without magic. When the United Clans' archers aim their arrows at her brothers and fire, Merida showed them who was in charge by aiming and firing her arrow at the executioners' arrows, destroying them, before bluffing her way out of a swordfight with them. The clans then bow down to Merida to acknowledge her as the Queen of DunBroch. With that out of the way, Merida lets Belle return to Camelot to join the others.
Finally, back in Camelot, Merlin looks at a candy bar when Emma arrives, and Emma remembers Merlin from their encounter in the real world. Merlin reminds Emma of his warning not to pull Excalibur, in order to protect her loved ones, and continues to stress that because of the darkness now within her, it is imperative for her to heed this warning more than ever before.
In Storybrooke
In the Present Day, Regina informs Mary Margaret that Emma has slipped out information about Merlin, then confirms that she has the Crimson Crown which can be used to summon Merlin, but it has to be the one that was chosen by the sorcerer. When Belle suggests Gold, believing that he is no worse than Emma, everyone else turns a deaf ear saying it's a risk they have to take if Gold gets hurt, and a furious Belle storms out.
Out in the woods, Gold stares at the chipped tea cup in his hands and says "Forgive Me, Belle," then kisses it and breaks the glass in order to take the shards to free himself from the ropes. When Emma arrives to the spot to see if Gold has made any progress, they discovered Gold has escaped. Emma then forces Merida to find him, and threatens the archer by destroying her heart by having Merida kill Belle in order to turn Gold into the hero she needs to release Excalibur. As for Belle, she uses a street map to find out where Emma is keeping Gold, then hears a noise from the elevator, prompting her to take a weapon. She opens it and it's Gold, who warns Belle that Merida's after her by using Gold to turn him into a hero but in order to do that Emma has made Belle a target, and the two race back to the pawn shop to find magic.
Around the same time, Regina conjures up a potion with Arthur watching, telling her that David explained everything, then Regina gives Arthur the mushroom. Arthur hesitates and says its best to do it alone, and adds that Merlin only delivered prophecies when he was alone with him. David then tells everyone to step aside so he can be alone, but after Arthur tosses the Crown into the fire instead the cauldron, he tells them the spell did not work.
In between the events, Zelena, annoyed with Regina sending healthy food and reading "What to Expect When You're Expecting" at the hospital, is interrupted by Emma, who then materialized the Wicked Witch to her home for onion rings and take out food, as Zelena asks Emma about why she's important. Emma shows Zelena the Apprentice's wand, as Zelena was the only person to wield it and lived, then offers Zelena freedom and protection in exchange for her assistance, but Zelena tells Emma that she is a bad influence as her darkness is already causing Henry to resent her, and a broken heart can't be forgiven. Claiming to be busy with own family problems, Zelena asks to be sent back to her cell; despite this, Emma tells Zelena that she will take the deal soon.
Meanwhile, Belle tells Gold that the coast is clear but before they can make a run for it, Gold tells Belle about his past in the Enchanted Forest during the events of the Ogre Wars and why he sees himself as a coward, but Belle now sees Gold as a hero. When they make it back to the pawn shop, Merida shows up to shoot arrows at Belle, saying that he can't resist the magic. When Merida breaks open the door she walks into a mirror but after she sees their reflection Belle yanks the rug from under her and they escape with a bag containing a potion, then drive to the town line so they can use it, but Belle, worried that Emma will still go after them, demands that she be left out of the car.
After she gets out, Belle tells Gold that he still a coward and walks away. Belle then runs into Merida, who then drinks a potion and she turns into a bear and starts chasing Belle, but before she can convince Merida to listen the bear is distracted by Gold, who told Belle to go so he can fight Merida. As the bear sniffs down Gold, he uses an antidote powder to restore Merida back to normal. Despite telling Belle that he didn't know how it worked, Gold told Belle that she saved him. The three return to the basement, where Gold agrees to pull Excalibur in exchange for Merida's heart and find out where her brothers are. Gold then pulls Excalibur then places it at Emma's feet, only to have Emma warn Gold that there are heroes around Storybrooke that haven't stopped her, but Gold tells her they're not him.
As for the spell, Regina told Mary Margaret that the spell did work, and as suspected by David, Arthur lied to them, believing that he did not want to contact Merlin. Regina believes the only other person who was chosen by Merlin was the Author, meaning Henry, who is brought in to help them, adding that Emma is still inside the darkness and they can save her. Henry then places the mushroom in the cauldron and an image of Merlin appears, informing them that things are worse than he feared. Regina sourly notes they've gotten Merlin's "voicemail". Merlin says the only way the Dark One can be defeated is by the Nimue, but before he can go any further, Merlin says the Dark One has found him already, and the message is cut short, leading the others to believe that Emma has done something to Merlin.
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Cast[2]
Starring
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Guest Starring
Co-Starring
Uncredited
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Note:
*: Only in archive footage
Trivia
Title
- The title card features a shooting arrow.[3]
- The title of this episode was announced by Adam Horowitz via his Twitter account on September 2, 2015.[4]
- HIDDEN DETAILS: The title of this episode was the original title of Brave.[5]
Production Notes
- The flashback scene where Merida is rowing the boat with Belle present through the Ivory Sea was filmed on Amy Manson's birthday.[6]
- HIDDEN DETAILS: Ramalina siliquosa, better known as "sea ivory," is a tufted and branched lichen which is widely found on siliceous rocks and stone walls on coastlands round the British Isles, where Camelot is based in the legend.
- CUT CONTENT: A segment with Merida outside the pawnshop as she shoots the arrow through the door before she proceeds to enter the building, was deleted from the scene where she first attacks Belle and Mr. Gold.[7]
- ABANDONED IDEAS: A scene with Belle, Henry and Merlin was either not filmed or deleted in post-production. The scene involved the two men talking about the jukebox at Granny's Diner and Merlin wandering about the fuss around Pet Sounds. Belle eventually walks in and asks if anybody was worried about her whereabouts. Merlin reveals he knew Merida would need her help and assured everyone Belle was fine.[8]
- ABANDONED IDEAS: A piece of concept art by Neil Westlake reveals an unused page of instructions on how to communicate through magical barriers:[9]
the
Crimson Crown
There is a Forme of
true Divination, for
speaking through
barriers, of both
material and that of
the spirit worlde.
For the workings, the adept will need the
Crimson Crowne toadstool which is then
renderede down into complete morsels.
The Nine Woods in the Cauldron go, burn them
fast and burn them slow. When is ebullient and
steaming, add some comfrey horsetail yarrow
and the umbilicus of a mooncalf. Mix well in a
deosil fashion.
Into theis [sic] melange the mushroom should be
thrown and soon thereafter a portal cloud will
start to forme. It is in [unknown word] of the cloud that
the adept will speke [sic] and communicate with
those as according to her will.
- "Nine Woods in the Cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow" is taken directly from the Wiccan Rede,[10] an official statement that provides the key moral system of Wicca.
Event Chronology
- The Camelot flashbacks take place after "Dreamcatcher" and before "Nimue." (For more details, see the Camelot timeline)
- The DunBroch flashbacks take place 2 years after "The Bear King," and before the events surrounding Merida's coronation in the same episode.
- The Enchanted Forest flashbacks at Granny's Diner take place after "Dreamcatcher" and before "Nimue." (For more details, see the Enchanted Forest timeline)
- The Storybrooke events take place after "Dreamcatcher" and before "Nimue." (For more details, see the Land Without Magic timeline)
Episode Connections
- This is not the first time Merlin predicts something. He prophesied that Arthur would pull Excalibur out of the stone and be king in "The Broken Kingdom."
- Mary Margaret and David came under the effects of Sands of Avalon in "The Broken Kingdom," were still under Arthur's control in "Dreamcatcher" and were fixed by Merlin in the same episode.
- Merida recalls the events of what Emma did to her in "The Dark Swan."
- Merida says Arthur took her wisp, a magical being that was first seen in "The Dark Swan."
- Merida has been looking for her brothers since "The Dark Swan."
- Regina recalls Emma's and her speech about freeing Merlin back in Camelot which takes place in "Dreamcatcher."
- David and Arthur acquired the crimson crown back in Camelot, and then David found it in Storybrooke. Both events took place in "Siege Perilous."
- Emma ripped Violet Morgan's heart from her chest in "Dreamcatcher."
- Merida used the chipped cup to make Mr. Gold brave in "Dreamcatcher."
- This is the second time the chipped cup has been shattered. The first time was in "In the Name of the Brother," where Belle smashed it by hurling it against a wall.
- The chipped cup has been repaired by the time of "Beauty." Ironically, it is smashed to pieces once again in the same episode.
- Mr. Gold uses the shards of a broken tea cup to cut himself loose, just like Emma did when she was Jefferson's prisoner in "Hat Trick."
- Merida was forced by Emma to help her with her "dirty" work in "The Broken Kingdom."
- Merida recalls the clans not wanting a woman to be queen, which was first mentioned in "The Dark Swan."
- Merida mentioned her father's death in "The Dark Swan."
- Mr. Gold fell into a coma in "Operation Mongoose Part 2" and Emma woke him up in "Siege Perilous."
- A pregnant Zelena is reading What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff in her cell.[11] Belle is reading the same book while pregnant in "The Other Shoe."[12]
- Emma tells Zelena that she knows what it's like to be pregnant behind bars; referring to events in "Tallahassee."
- What Emma really wants from Zelena, and the real reason why she gives her onion rings, is revealed in "Birth."
- Zelena wielded the Apprentice's wand in "The Dark Swan."
- Zelena says that she's been on the receiving end of a mother's betrayal; referring to how Cora gave her up in "Bleeding Through."
- Zelena indirectly killed Neal in "Quiet Minds."
- Mr. Gold escapes by going through the mines, before using the elevator to get inside the library. The tunnels beneath the library are connected to the mines, something that was previously established in "Fall."
- Mr. Gold talks about how he broke his foot and fled the Ogre Wars, an event shown in "Manhattan." Belle recalls Mr. Gold telling her that he did this so that his son wouldn't grow up fatherless; the same excuse that Rumplestiltskin told his first wife, Milah. In this episode, however, Mr. Gold admits that he ran away from the war because he was frightened of dying.
- Belle complains about her father being not supportive of her adventures, which was seen in "Family Business."
- Mr. Gold gave up his old cane stick in "The New Neverland."
- Belle mentions how she lost her mother in the Ogre Wars in "Family Business."
- The story surrounding King Fergus's death, and the identity of his killer, is revealed in "The Bear King."
- This is the second time that Belle and Mr. Gold argue at the town line about his cowardice. The first one happened in "Heroes and Villains."
- Merida says, "You're lucky someone once taught me the value of mercy," which she learned from Emma in "The Dark Swan."
- Emma remembers when the Usher told her to leave the sword alone, which happened in "The Dark Swan."
- Emma mentions a time when Belle was Rumplestiltskin's maid, which was shown in "Skin Deep," "Lacey," "Going Home" and "Heroes and Villains."
- Emma tells Belle, "Then you will be sweeping his remains," if Mr. Gold can't pull the sword out of the stone. The first time someone died after attempting and failing to pull out the sword was in "The Dark Swan."
- Henry was chosen to be the Author by the Apprentice and the Sorcerer in "Operation Mongoose Part 2."
- Merlin's message was recorded in "Broken Heart."
- How Nimue (inadvertently and indirectly) "helps" defeat the Dark One is revealed in "Swan Song."
Biblical
- When Mr. Gold takes Excalibur, a cross pattée can be seen on the hilt.[13]
Disney
- This episode features Merida, young Macintosh, young Macguffin, Wee Dingwall and Merida's Brothers, as well as their homeland DunBroch, from the movie Brave.
- Merida is transformed into a bear, just like her mother was in the movie.
- This episode contains a number of other references to Disney works. See the list of Disney references for more.
Lost
- Merlin picks up an Apollo bar in Granny's Diner.[14]
- This episode contains a number of other references to ABC's Lost. See the list of Lost references for more.
Fairy Tales and Folklore
- This episode features the ugly duckling from the titular fairy tale, King Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot from the Arthurian legend, Captain Hook from the Peter Pan story, and the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story.
- Zelena affectionately refers to her unborn baby as her little Munchkin, a reference to the natives of Munchkin Country from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
- Mr. Gold pulls Excalibur from the stone, just like King Arthur does in the legend.
Popular Culture
- Zelena is reading Heidi Murkoff's bestselling pregnancy guide What to Expect When You're Expecting in her cell at the psychiatric ward.[11]
- This episode features Nurse Ratched from the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The character's look is modeled on the 1975 movie of the same name.
- Zelena makes a reference to "that patient with a mop," who is actually Chief Bromden from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and says that he actually loves to talk. In the novel, Bromden opens up to the main character late one night and reveals that he can actually speak.
Props Notes
- ABANDONED IDEAS: A prop page auctioned off on eBay in June 2019, reveals that the unseen page that Belle shows to Merlin in the Camelot castle dungeons reads:[15]
may prevent one from moving forward.
This spell will prove eficacious [sic]
on either the astral plane or the corporeal
real.
Close your eyes slowly
and venture inwardly to your habitual
visualization circle.
Therein place a stoat yellow candle on the altar
in your mind and slowly chant, wordlessly, in
your working space.
Impediment to my passage, dissolve against the
bulwark of my will and be gone!
In the name of the venerable old ones, by those
doughty guardians of the cardinal points,
I say, crumble and evanesce
into inconsequentiality!
Thereforth, hold out your hand afore you
and brash the obstacle into nothingness.
You are now free to proceed
along your path unhindered.
- USE IT AGAIN: The spell book that Belle and Merida bring to DunBroch and use to perform magic[16] is the same book that Regina was seen closing in the beginning of the scene where she talks to Zelena in "Siege Perilous."[17]
- REUSED PROPS: The sword Lord MacGuffin uses when Merida confronts the United Clans[18] is the same sword David is wielding when confronting Mr. Gold in his shop in the Season Six episode "Awake."[19][20]
- USE IT AGAIN: Lord MacGuffin also continues to use the sword in "The Bear King."[21]
- REUSED PROPS: The ax an United Clan member is wielding during the execution of Merida's brothers[22] is the same prop Smee is wielding in the Season Three episode "The Jolly Roger."[23][24]
Costume Notes
- BRAND INFO: Belle is wearing[25] a Zara Crepe Blazer[26] (no longer available).
- The tartan worn by Lord Dingwall[27] and some of the clansmen,[28] with a yellow field, black squares and a red stripe, is the tartan worn by the real Scottish Clan MacLeod of Lewis.[29]
- BRAND INFO: Regina is wearing[30] an Alexander Wang Fitted Tank Zip Dress[31] (no longer available).
- A red version of the dress was worn by the character Felicity Smoak on the Arrow episode "Dark Waters."[32]
- BRAND INFO: David is wearing[33] an AllSaints 'Hough' Jacket[34] (no longer available).
- BRAND INFO: Mary Margaret is wearing[35] a Sanna Blouse from Anthropologie[36] (no longer available).
Filming Locations
- Robert Burnaby Park in East Burnaby doubles as Camelot for the scene where the heroes are strolling through the woods after freeing the prisoners from Arthur's dungeon.[41] It also doubles as DunBroch for the scenes outside the Witch's cottage, and as the Storybrooke graveyard for the scene outside the heart vault.[42]
- The scene where Belle wakes up in Merida's rowing boat, and the rowing boat scene where Merida says goodbye to Belle, were filmed in British Columbia's Golden Ears Provincial Park.[8]
International Titles
| International Titles | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Title | Translation | Notes |
| Finnish | "Karhunpalvelus" | "The Disservice" | The Finnish translation of "The Bear and the Bow" is a pun: it is an idiom based on the Finnish word "karhu," which means "bear." It is impossible to give an exact translation in English. |
| French | "La Quête de Merida" | "Merida's Quest" | |
| German | "Der Bär und der Bogen" | "The Bear and the Bow" | |
| Italian | "L'orso e l'arco" | "The Bear and the Bow" | |
| Portuguese | "O urso e o arco" | "The Bear and the Bow" | |
| Spanish | "El Oso y el Arco" | "The Bear and the Bow" | |
Videos
