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For the Season One episode, see "The Price of Gold". For the special, see "The Price of Magic". |
"The Price" is the second episode of Season Five of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Andrew Chambliss & Dana Horgan, and directed by Romeo Tirone. It is the ninetieth episode of the series overall, and premiered on October 4, 2015.
Synopsis
In an effort to protect Emma, Regina steps up in a surprising way that will test her mettle as a force for good. King Arthur and Queen Guinevere throw a royal ball to welcome the heroes to Camelot, but when the celebration takes a deadly turn, David and Robin must leap into action or lose a crucial asset in the fight to save Emma. Back in Storybrooke, Hook deploys a tried-and-true technique in hopes of bringing Emma back to the light while the heroes discover that some unexpected baggage has followed them home from Camelot.[2]
Recap
King Arthur and Queen Guinevere announce that they will throw a ball for their Storybrooke guests. They find Merlin is imprisoned in a tree, according to his prophecy, only the Savior can free him. But, the Storybrooke transplants worry that Emma will become darker if she uses her magic, so Regina lies to King Arthur and says that she is the true Savior. Regina and Emma search Merlin's tower for clues but run out of time as the evening's ball approaches. Before the dance, Percival visits Regina and woos her with a necklace to wear and she puts it on, but later decides that she cannot go to the ball, claiming that she needs to continue her research to free Merlin. When she later admits that she does not know how to dance, Mary Margaret helps her find a suitable gown while David teaches her how to dance.
At the ball, everyone makes their grand entrances and the couples dance. At David's encouragement, Henry introduces himself to a girl and shares his iPod Nano. Leroy convinces Belle to stop worrying about Rumpelstiltskin and gets her to dance. Percival reveals that he saw Regina slaughter his family as a child, outing her as the Evil Queen. Observing her through the enchanted necklace confirms suspicions. Percival kept this from Arthur because he would have prevented him from killing Regina. Percival attacks Regina. Robin steps in and fights him, only to be stabbed in the process before David kills Percival. Regina is desperate to save Robin, but her magic does not work due to an enchantment spell placed on Percival's sword. This prompts Regina to ask Emma to help save Robin by using her magic, but Hook does not want Emma to trigger her dark side. King Arthur does not blame them for Percival's death, saying that his action was inexcusable. Arthur suspected Regina's identity but says that Camelot is a place of second chances. He confesses to Guinevere that the new arrivals are suspicious, but they are his only hope of freeing Merlin and finding Excalibur's missing piece. Emma decides to help Regina despite the risk. The magic triggers Emma's Rumpelstiltskin vision, who warns her of a price to save Robin's life. Emma ignores the manifestation and uses her magic to save Robin. But the process triggers her darkness, as forewarned by Hook, with Emma's hand resembling that of a Dark One.
The new curse has the residents fearful of Emma. The Dwarfs attempt to escape the town; Dopey steps over the town line and is immediately turned into a tree. Hook asks Belle for advice on how to deal with loving a Dark One. Belle tells Hook, "It's far easier to hate the Dark One than it is to love one." At the marina, Henry summons Emma and apologizes for whatever happened in Camelot. Emma explains she doesn't blame him. Regina tells Henry to get far away from Emma, then tries to convince Emma that she could save Storybrooke. Emma disagrees.
The Storybrooke residents discover that Arthur and the Camelot empire was transported back with them. David admits to Arthur that Emma had been the Dark One all along. While Robin helping the displaced Arthurian, a ghostly, winged entity grabs him in the woods and takes him away.
Hook summons Emma because he loves her too much to stay away. Emma brings Hook to her new house, where he notices a locked door. Emma attempts to seduce Hook; but when true love's kiss fails to break the darkness's hold on her, he rejects her. Emma is mad that he cannot accept her for who she is now. He is angry at her for keeping what happened at Camelot a secret. Emma says giving it away would be "no fun."
Belle learns the monster that took Robin was a Fury. Someone did not pay the price for saving Robin in Camelot. The monster has arrived to collect Robin's soul as payment. It will return to the Underworld when the moon reaches its zenith but can be stopped if someone gives their life in his place. Regina confronts Emma, believing that she summoned the Fury, but Emma reveals that Regina was the one responsible for its appearance. That night near the pond, the Fury pulls out Robin's soul. Charon appears as the moon reaches its zenith. Regina sacrifices herself for Robin. Mary Margaret, David, Leroy and Arthur join her. As all five band together, they pull Robin from the Fury, which disappears back into the underworld with Charon. While everyone celebrates this latest victory at Granny's, a worried Mary Margaret notes that if they win, Emma will lose. Henry introduces himself to Violet again and shows her what a jukebox is, and plays the same song he had played in Camelot, which, somehow, seems familiar to her. At home, Emma opens the locked door and goes downstairs, at the behest of Rumplestiltskin's manifestation, revealing the stone with the sword Excalibur in it. Rumplestiltskin says she can make it whole again and use it to vanquish all the light forever. Emma tries to pull the sword from the stone but the sword's magic repels her. The Dark One taunts her, and tells her that to complete the task, she will have to pay the steep price.
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Deleted Scenes
"Savior Remains" (Scene 1-2A)
This scene is included on Once Upon a Time: The Complete Fifth Season.
In the morning, Regina, while walking on the street, sees Emma's yellow bug near the sheriff's station. As she walks in, she calls for Emma, but one one answers. After she sees her red leather jacket on a chair, she becomes upset and her phone rings. It's David, who tells her that he hasn't found Emma either, but now they have a bigger problem.
Emma and Hook: Alternate
An alternate version of the scene where Hook meets Emma by the yellow bug. Emma is wearing one of her signature black Dark One coats; the same coat that she was wearing at the docks earlier in the episode (in the actual episode, she is wearing a simple black dress). She walks towards Hook with a sinister grin on her face and pulls him in close to her, but Hook is not impressed.[3]
Cast[2]
Starring
Guest Starring |
Co-Starring
Uncredited
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Trivia
Title
- The title card features Merlin's tree.[7]
- The title of this episode was announced by Adam Horowitz via his Twitter account on July 20, 2015.[8]
Production Notes
- RECYCLED CGI SET: The computer-generated set used for the Camelot castle courtyard is recycled from the computer-generated imagery model for the King's castle in the Season One episode "The Price of Gold," King Xavier's castle in the Season Two episode "The Miller's Daughter" and Prince Eric's castle in the Season Three episode "Ariel." This can be seen from the archways[9] and the railing on top of them,[10] which have a very similar design.
- The new courtyard in the King's castle in the Season Six episode "The Other Shoe," and the courtyard in the Prince's castle in the Season Seven premiere "Hyperion Heights," are both recycled from the CGI model for the Camelot castle (itself recycled from the other courtyard in the King's castle in "The Price of Gold"), which can be seen from the identical design of the architecture.[11] The area by the stairs in both castle courtyards were also recycled from the Camelot castle, which can be seen from the almost identical design of the windows and balustrades.[12]
- HIDDEN DETAILS: The part where Hook says to Emma, "Swan, you look..." and Emma answers, "I know," is a reference to the scene in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back where Princess Leia tells Han Solo that she loves him, and he answers, "I know."[13] The show creators have stated that they look at Hook as their version of Han Solo.[14] In the Season Three finale "Snow Drifts" and "There's No Place Like Home," Emma's alias in the Enchanted Forest is Princess Leia.
- During rehearsals for their dance sequences, Lana Parrilla, Sean Maguire and Andrew Jenkins were coached by choreographer Paul Becker.[15]
- While waiting to shoot the dancing sequences, Colin O'Donoghue asked Beverley Elliott to dance.[16]
- REUSED ACTOR: Donald Adams, who plays the Footman, was previously listed as playing a vendor in the press release for the Season One episode "Hat Trick."[17] However, his character was cut from the episode.
- During filming of the scene where an injured Robin Hood is lying on the table, Sean Maguire made up silly songs to make everyone giggle.[18]
- REUSED FOOTAGE: The shot of the ferryman coming through the portal in the Storybrooke Heritage Park[19] is re-used in "Swan Song,"[20] but with a different color hue.
Event Chronology
- The Camelot flashbacks take place after "The Dark Swan" and before "Siege Perilous." (For more details, see the Camelot timeline)
- The Storybrooke events take place after "The Dark Swan" and before "Siege Perilous." (For more details, see the Land Without Magic timeline)
Episode Connections
- Granny's Diner returned to Storybrooke in "The Dark Swan."
- This is the second time that one of the Dwarves was forced to cross the border to discover what happens when they leave Storybrooke. The first one happened in "We Are Both."
- At the town line, Happy says "I don't want to turn into a flying monkey," a reference to the events of "Witch Hunt."
- Leroy mentions facing Peter Pan (between "The New Neverland" and "Going Home"), the Snow Queen (between "White Out" and "Shattered Sight") and the Trio of Terror (between "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "Mother") in Storybrooke.
- Dopey has been transformed back into his old self by the time of "The Other Shoe."
- Who cast the new curse, is revealed in "Broken Heart."
- How Merlin was trapped inside the tree, is revealed in "Dreamcatcher." Merlin is freed from the tree in the same episode.
- Henry's question about what happened in Camelot, is answered in "Birth" and "Broken Heart."
- The reason why Emma took away everyone's memories, is revealed in "Broken Heart."
- Regina removes Zelena's voice, just like she did with Ariel in "Ariel."
- Hook and Belle's friendship was first shown in "Darkness on the Edge of Town."
- Belle and Hook discuss Belle and Rumplestiltskin's failed true love's kiss from "Skin Deep."
- Mary Margaret talks about her dreams of sending Emma to her first ball, something that was previously brought up in "Lady of the Lake" and "The Apprentice."
- The dress Regina magics up when selecting a dress for the ball[21] is the same dress that she magicked up when under the influence of the Spell of Shattered Sight in "Shattered Sight."[22]
- Regina mentions losing her first love, an event which occurred in "The Stable Boy."
- Emma finally gets her "own place" in this episode. It was first mentioned in "The Apprentice."
- What Emma is hiding from Hook, is revealed in "Birth" and "Broken Heart."
- Hook tells Emma, "Swan, you look..." and Emma says "I know.," just like they told each other in "The Apprentice."
- The reason why Henry is fond of the song "Only You," is explained in "Dreamcatcher."
- Regina tells Mr. Gold, "You made me like this. You made me the Evil Queen," which began in "We Are Both."
- Mother Superior gave Belle the magical rose in "The Dark Swan."
- Emma looks at her family yearningly outside the Granny's Diner, just like Hook did in "The Jolly Roger."
- Leroy gives Belle advice about love just as she gave him in "Dreamy" and "The Outsider."
- The reason why Emma is isolating herself from her loved ones, is explained in "Broken Heart."
- The reason why Excalibur is inside the stone again, is revealed in "Broken Heart."
- Excalibur is pulled from the stone in "The Bear and the Bow."
- Emma succeeds in making Excalibur whole again in "Nimue."
- The real reason why Emma wants to make Excalibur whole, is revealed in "Birth."
Disney
- The petals of the rose in a jar, given to Belle by Mother Superior, fall and float around in the same manner as the iconic object from Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
- The segment where Regina, Mary Margaret, David, King Arthur and Leroy take each other's hands, making a human chain against the Fury, is similar to one of the final scenes of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.
- This episode contains a number of other references to Disney works. See the list of Disney references for more.
Lost
- Dopey is wearing a Geronimo Jackson T-shirt.[23] This was a fictional band on Lost.
Fairytales and Folklore
- This episode features the ugly duckling from the titular fairytale, King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, and Percival from the Arthurian legend, Robin Hood from the Robin Hood ballads, the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story, the ugly duckling from the fairytale of the same name, Rumplestiltskin from the "Rumpelstiltskin" fairytale, Hank's daughter from the novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and Charon and a Fury from Greek mythology.
- Merlin being trapped inside a tree is a reference to Arthurian legend, where the Lady of the Lake trapped Merlin inside an oak tree.
- Belle's magical rose is a reference to the rose that Beauty's father steals from the Beast's garden in "Beauty and the Beast."
- 🍎 APPLES: A bowl of red apples is sitting in Regina's office,[24] a reference to the poisoned apple from the "Snow White" fairytale.
- PAUSE AND READ: The book that Belle uses to identify the Fury seems to be an alphabetical guidebook on mythological creatures. The following monsters and creatures (barely readable) are listed:[25]
- Futakuchi-onna, a monster from Japanese mythology, in the form of type a woman with two mouths – a normal one located on her face, and a second one on the back of the head, beneath the hair
- Fury
- Gallu, demons of the Underworld in Sumerian and Akkadian mythology
- Galtzagorriak, a type of iratxoak, or imp, in Basque mythology
- Gana, the attendants of Shiva in Hinduism
Popular Culture
Props Notes
- According to concept art by graphics designer Neil Westlake, the Footman's guest list reads:[26]
| Lady Emma Lady Mary Margaret The Savior Henry Daniel Mills Captain Killian Jones Prince James Robin of Locksley Lady Belle The Widow Lucas Lady Violet Sir Lancelot Sir Gawain Sir Geraint Sir Percival Sir Bors the Younger Sir Lamorak Sir Gareth Sir Bedivere Sir Galahad Sir Tristan Le Roy [sic] Doc |
Rolande [sic] Kontento Sir Breunor Sir Karadoe Lady Dadelcune Sir Daniel Lady Felice Sir Hector Sir Hector De Maris Sir Elyan the White Sir Haberio Sir Galehault Sir Galeschin Sir Geraint Sir Gingalain King Leodegrance Sir Lionel Lady Darse Lady Elisabeth Lady Konstance Lady Francoscoe |
Costume Notes
- BRAND INFO: Emma is wearing[27] a James Perse 'Blouson' Tank Dress[28] (no longer available).
- SECONDHAND CLOTHING: An attendee of the ball at the Camelot castle[29] is wearing the same dress Rapunzel wore in the Season Three episode "The Tower."[30] It is also the same dress Guinevere wears in the episode "The Broken Kingdom."[31]
Filming Locations
- The opening scene at the Storybrooke town line was filmed in Burnaby Lake Regional Park.[32]
- The Camelot scene by the Merlin tree,[33] the Storybrooke camp scene[34] and the showdown by the pond[33][35] were all filmed in Burnaby's Central Park.
Goofs
- King Arthur's herald incorrectly announces him as "His Royal Highness, King Arthur," and not the proper title of "His Majesty."
International Titles
| International Titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Title | Translation |
| Finnish | "Hinta" | "The Price" |
| French | "Excalibur" | "Excalibur" |
| German | "Die Tribute des Lebens" | "The tributes of life" |
| Italian | "Il prezzo" | "The Price" |
| Polish | "Cena" | "The Price" |
| Portuguese | "O Preço" | "The Price" |
| Spanish | "El Precio" | "The Price" |
Videos
References
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