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For the Season Seven episode, see "The Girl in the Tower." For the first iteration of the building, see Rapunzel's tower. For the second iteration of the building, see Gothel's tower. |
"The Tower" is the fourteenth episode of Season Three of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Robert Hull and directed by Ralph Hemecker. It is the fifty-eighth episode of the series overall, and premiered on March 23, 2014.
Synopsis
While Emma, David, Regina and Hook continue their search for the Wicked Witch, she, in turn, is planning a dark surprise for David, and Zelena's prisoner is powerless under her watch as she plots her next course of action against the townspeople. Meanwhile, in the Fairy Tale Land that was in the previous year, Prince Charming stumbles upon Rapunzel, who is trapped inside a tower, and must help her confront her fears in order for her to be free.[2]
Recap
In the Enchanted Forest, Prince Charming dashes inside the Dark Palace. Following the sound of a baby crying, he finds himself in Emma’s nursery. Prince Charming looks around and says this shouldn’t be here. He sees Emma’s crib. He says it’s all wrong. Emma enters and says it’s all wrong because she’s a full-grown princess. Emma confesses she’s looking for a place to practice for the ball and asks her dad to teach her. Charming is confused but can’t resist dancing with his daughter. Charming tells her she’s a natural. Emma says he’s the best teacher. He twirls her and says it’s everything he wanted for her. Emma tells him she never got it and was never there because he failed her. The nursery falls apart and the wardrobe sucks Emma away. She says goodbye and warns him not to fail the next one.
In the Dark Palace, Charming awakens and realizes it was a nightmare. He calls to Snow White, who tells him to come look at the view. Snow White reveals her good news that she is pregnant. Shaken, Charming says he’s thrilled. Snow hugs him but he is stressed.
Nine months later in Storybrooke, David Nolan and Captain Hook talk about how they can find the Wicked Witch. Regina Mills says she’s not green so she’ll look like the rest of them. Regina wants to protect Henry from the witch and flying monkeys. Hook reminds them Neal could be one of the winged apes. Regina offers to protect Henry. Emma reminds her not to slip up since Henry thinks they are there for her case. Regina doesn’t like it but agrees to stick to it. Hook says they need to get busy searching.
In Zelena’s cellar, Gold, clearly mad, chants and spins straw. Zelena heads down. She tells him he looks and sounds awful. She asks if he wants to hurt her and tells him to try it. She unlocks his cage but then shows him she has the dagger so she can control him and he can’t do anything to her. She tells him to be a good boy and sit back down. He does. Gold tells her to go ahead and do it. He tells her all the voices in his head will be quiet when he’s dead. Zelena tells him she’s not there to kill him and that he needs to keep up appearances. He starts spinning again and she tells him to stop because it’s making him crazy. She looks closely at him and then shaves him with the Dagger. She asks if she ever told him about her father. She says his hands would shake when he drank and she had to learn to shave him. Zelena says he told her that no matter what, you had to keep up your looks. She says back in her land, the outsides always showed that you were rotting on the inside. She nicks Gold and he gasps and she tells him he’s handsome as ever. He tells her she doesn’t care about his appearance and asks what he wants. She says she wants what he’s spent a lifetime seeking that goes against his nature. She tells him she won’t have to wait and flips the lights out.
Zelena enters the Pawnshop. She asks Belle if she’s Mrs Gold and then when Belle says she’s not, she asks for Mr Gold. Belle tells her he died and Zelena tells her she’s sorry for her loss. She says she wants a baby gift for someone she met at the diner – Mary – and that she’s helping her with her baby. Belle tells her she has just the thing and when Belle turns her back, Zelena freezes her and goes into Gold’s safe – she uses the drop of blood she got from nicking him and takes a dark object.
In Regina’s office, David, Hook and Emma search the mess left behind. David sees a partial footprint. Emma notices blood. But David says it’s berry like from a bush. He says he saw them on some of the dogs when he worked at the animal hospital. He tells them where the berry bushes are. David gets a text to go home and meet the midwife and Emma sends him off to meet them and tells him to meet them later. He agrees and goes.
Back in the Enchanted Forest, Charming sneaks to the stables and secretly drinks. Robin Hood finds him and says he used to keep his secret stash in his quiver. He notes Robin has gold-tipped arrows – a reward the Queen gave him. Charming thinks Regina likes him but Robin isn’t sure. Robin suggests that Charming needs sleep. Charming says he can’t and shares his flask. Robin asks if he needs to talk and Charming says he’s always been an optimist and has always had confidence but can’t escape a feeling of dread he has now and he needs to be there for Snow now without being distracted by fear.
Robin tells him after his wife died that Friar Tuck told him about a root that could make you impervious to fear. Robin tells him to look for the plant called nightroot that’s flecked by crystal and in the Dark Forest. He tells Charming to be careful and he heads off.
Zelena and Mary Margaret chat and she tells the midwife about how she and David met. He’s impatient and Snow wants him to chill. Zelena offers to make them tea and switches on the stove. David says she seems perfect but isn’t sure if they can trust her. Snow says they could have been friends in the lost year. She makes them tea and then pulls something out of her purse and sprinkles it into one of the cups. She hands the spiked cup of tea to David.
In the forest, David finds the nightroot as described and it looks like the same stuff Zelena put into his tea 9 months later. He hears a woman crying out for help and goes to assist. He sees a tall, tall tower and a girl high up yelling for help. She has slung a braid down the side of the tower and David climbs up the ivy and then up the braid to the tower window. He climbs in and sees the hair goes all the way to a woman who says he’s the first person she’s seen in a long time. She tells him she’s lost sight of the years and asks if he’s a prince. He asks if she’s a princess and she tells him to call her Rapunzel.
She tells them her parents are the leaders of her kingdom and says she also came to this area for the nightroot. She says she needed it to be brave to help lead her land. She says her brother died and after that she had overwhelming fear but the nightroot didn’t help her. She tells him a witch attacked her and chased her into the tower. He says he’ll take her away but she says she can’t leave because the witch will stop her. He looks out the window and sees a figure coming for the tower. It climbs up her hair and Rapunzel says the creature knows he’s there.
Zelena talks to Mary Margaret and David about how fast a second pregnancy can progress. She asks how he’s doing and he says he’s fine. Zelena tells him Mary Margaret has some anxiety about the lost year and the baby that’s about to come. Zelena says it’s best to get everything out so it won’t affect the pregnancy. She says if they have any fears at all, it’s best to get it out in the open. David says he has none and they’ll get through it. She says cheers to that and they drink down their tea. Zelena tells her that she’s lucky to have such a brave husband and tells him he can go back to his important business. He leaves her there with Mary Margaret and goes back to work.
Charming pulls up at the woodside with his sword. In the side mirror, we see the same witch from Rapunzel’s tower but then a second later, it’s gone.
Regina and Henry walk by the pond and he tells her the ice cream she got him is good. She tells him she knows Storybrooke must be quaint after NYC and he says he likes the small-town feel. She says a small town is like a big family. He tells her he thinks they are there for more than just the case and that his mom wanted to get out of New York. Henry tells her about Walsh proposing to her and that the next day she pulled him out of school. He says she never likes him to miss school. Regina asks if he liked Walsh and he says it would be nice to have more than two at the table and she tells him one day he’ll have more family than he knows what to do with.
Hook and Emma walk in the woods and he tells her he’s always off courting danger with her. She asks what he was doing the year on his ship and he refuses to tell her. He tells her just to say thanks and he reminds her she was about to be in a loveless marriage. He asks if she would have married him and she says yes. She says as usual, the guy wasn’t who he said he was and her heart was broken. Hook says he’s glad and even if she got her heartbroken, that means it still works. He steps closer to say this, but then she turns away.
They walk on and then come to a farmhouse. David finds the berries and treks on through the woods. The mystery witch seems to be stalking him. He hears a noise and turns. He finally spots it lurking and pulls out his phone. He gets Emma’s voicemail and tells her that he thinks he’s found the witch and is going after her. He pursues.
Back at the tower, the witch climbs up and Rapunzel begs him to go. She tells him there’s nothing he can do and he says he can and will save her. He pulls his sword and gestures her back. He slashes at the creature but it’s above him on the roof and pounces on him. Back in the present, he slashes at it and then it’s there in front of him and it throws David into a tree knocking him out cold.
Emma and Hook prowl around the house peeking in windows. She says it looks like there is someone living there. She whispers and he asks why and she says people hiding out can be there. She notices a bicycle with a basket on the porch and then a storm cellar. She goes to open it but Hook stops her -she asks if he’s scared and he says fear and strategy are two different things. He tells her they need magical backup and she agrees to call Regina. She sees the voice mail and checks the message.
David wakes and stabs the sword into the creature. He rips back the hood and sees his own face! Back in the tower, the creature is coming for Rapunzel and he tells it to get away from her but it says she is her and he sees they share the same face. He tells Rapunzel the root allows her to overcome her fear by facing them. He tells her only she can defeat her fear. Back in the now, his doppelganger challenges him to a fight to overcome his fear. They go at it with swords and evil David gets the edge.
Back in the tower, he grabs Rapunzel’s bad side and jumps out the window with it. They both cling to her hair. He tells her to cut away the hair and let it go and she can leave the tower. She says she doesn’t want to leave and he says he understand fear of the future but she will die there alone if she doesn’t cut it. The creature is almost back to the window when she chops off her braid. The hair and the thing fall and dissolve in a puff of smoke.
Now, bad David cuts off good David’s sword and tells him his fear makes him weak and he says he will die to protect his family. His other-self chokes him and he sees Emma’s car and he says he’s afraid he won’t be a good father but that won’t stop him. He murders his doppelganger who disappears in a puff of smoke. The broken sword disappears in a puff of green smoke.
Regina, Hook and Emma show up. David explains he was fighting with himself. Regina says it was the witch doing it. David says it’s time to finish her and send her back to Oz.
In the Enchanted Forest, Rapunzel is free from the tower. She tells Chrming she was in the river and got caught in the rapids where her parents told her not to play. Her brother died saving her. She says she didn’t know if she could lead and be queen and he tells her they’ll forgive her. He comes into the castle with her and her parents rush to her. They embrace her warmly.
Back at the castle, Snow asks why Charming was out all night and he tells her he was afraid. He says they lost Emma twice – once as a baby and once as an adult. He says he never got to be Emma’s father and the new child scares him. He says he doesn’t know if he’ll be a good father. Snow says they’ll do it the way they do everything – together. They leave to go work on the nursery for the new baby.
David tells Regina the creature knew all his deepest fears and then tells her he had to speak his fears and then when he killed his fears, his courage went into it and then she stole it away. Zelena checks her purse and is pleased to see the broken sword’s handle there. She tells Snow she feels so lucky to meet her and that she’s there to help her.
Emma sees the lock on the cellar is busted now but wasn’t before. They open the door and Emma heads down into the space. Regina says there’s dark magic there. She asks if Emma can feel it and they see the cage. David flips the light on and they see the wheel and a piece of straw. He asks them who they know who can spin straw into gold. Emma says Rumplestilskin.
Deleted Scenes
Granny's Diner
A scene with Archie, Regina and Henry with the storybook in Granny's Diner was cut from the episode. However, Raphael Sbarge is still listed in the episode's press release.[2] The scene can be seen in promotional photos for the episode.[3]
Cast[2]
Starring
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Guest Starring
Co-Starring
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Trivia
Title
- The title card features Rapunzel's tower.[4]
- The title of this episode was announced by Adam Horowitz via his Twitter account on December 20, 2013.[5]
Production Notes
- During rehearsals for their dance scene, Jennifer Morrison and Josh Dallas were coached by choreographer, Paul Becker.[6]
- REAL WORLD FACTS: Zelena serves Mary Margaret some chamomile tea, saying that it's "excellent for the nerves." Chamomile, an old medical herb, can actually be used to reduce stress, and has been stated to have a soothing and calming effect.[7]
Event Chronology
- The Enchanted Forest flashbacks occur in various places of the overall timeline.
- The first part of the story where Prince Charming finds out that Snow White is pregnant occur after "The Jolly Roger" and before Belle returns to the others in "A Curious Thing."
- The second part of the story occur after Belle returns to the others in "A Curious Thing"[8] and 8 months before the casting of the Dark Curse in "A Curious Thing."
- The Storybrooke events take place after "Witch Hunt" and before "Quiet Minds." (For more details, see the Land Without Magic timeline)
Episode Connections
- The Royal Castle and the magic wardrobe first appeared in "Pilot."
- How Zelena came to possess the Dark One Dagger and the reason for the voices in Mr. Gold's head is revealed in "Quiet Minds."
- Zelena tells Mr. Gold about her relationship with her adoptive father, which is shown in "It's Not Easy Being Green."
- Emma mentions the Wicked Witch breaking into Regina's office, which occurred in "Witch Hunt."
- Both Regina and Hook allude to the events in "Witch Hunt," in which town residents began turning into flying monkeys.
- Emma recalls the lie she told Henry that their trip to Storybrooke is work-related, which occurred in "New York City Serenade."
- Belle states that Mr. Gold died, which happened in "Going Home."
- Zelena mentions meeting Mary Margaret at Granny's Diner in "Witch Hunt."
- David mentions his time working at the pet shelter, which began in "Desperate Souls."
- Robin Hood receives gold-tipped arrows for helping Regina break into her palace, which occurred in "Witch Hunt."
- Robin Hood references the death of Roland's mother, Marian, which was first mentioned in "The Heart of the Truest Believer."
- Mary Margaret mentions, during her life as Snow White, how she robbed Prince Charming's carriage and he later entrapped her in a net, which occurred in "Snow Falls."
- Zelena states Mary Margaret has already been in labor once, which occurred in "Pilot."
- Zelena brings up to David the matter in which he lost his first child the day the Dark Curse was cast, an event shown in "Pilot."
- chamomile tea is used to make someone ingest a magical substance, again, in "Changelings."
- What Hook is hiding from Emma, is revealed in "The Jolly Roger."
- Hook references Emma's ex-boyfriend, Walsh, who was introduced in "New York City Serenade."
- Hook speaks of Walsh proposing to Emma and her discovery of his true identity in "New York City Serenade."
- Snow White remembers losing Emma twice, once during the day the Dark Curse was cast in "Pilot," and when they were sent back to the Enchanted Forest in "Going Home."
- Mary Margaret's desire for a second child was first mentioned in "Ariel."
Disney
- When Rapunzel's doppelganger enters the tower, the doppelganger ties up Prince Charming with Rapunzel's hair, just like Disney's Rapunzel does with Flynn Rider in the movie Tangled.
- This episode contains a number of other references to Disney works. See the list of Disney references for more.
Lost
- There is a close-up of Prince Charming's eye as he awakens from the dream.[9] Close-ups of eyes are a recurring theme on Lost.
- There are close-ups of Zelena's[10] and Mr. Gold's eyes[11] as she shaves him.
Fairy Tales and Folklore
- This episode is a rendition of the "Rapunzel" fairy tale, focusing on Rapunzel's entrapment in her tower.
- Also featured are Rapunzel's parents from the same story, while Prince Charming takes the place of the prince.
- This episode features the ugly duckling from the titular fairy tale, the evil queen, the prince and Snow White from the "Snow White" fairy tale, Robin Hood from the ballads, and Beauty from the "Beauty and the Beast" fairy tale.
- 🍎 APPLES: A bowl of red apples is sitting on the table in Regina's office,[12] a reference to the evil queen's weapon of choice in the "Snow White" story.
- When Emma finds Zelena's farmhouse, she says that people have to appreciate the irony; a reference to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, where the Wicked Witch's adversary, Dorothy Gale, lives in a farmhouse.
Popular Culture
- Regina says to David, "If you want to waste your time playing Nancy Drew, be my guest," a reference to the titular character of the book series of the same name.
- In the Season Seven episode "A Pirate's Life," Weaver finds the Nancy Drew book The Secret of the Golden Pavilion in Henry's apartment.[13]
- Henry mentions that Emma used to buy him gelato in Little Italy, a neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City.
- Henry also mentions that Emma "wouldn't take a job in Queens if it meant I'd miss school"; a reference to one of the five boroughs of New York City.
- There is a bicycle with a basket on Zelena's porch, which references Miss Gulch, the Wicked Witch of the West's Kansas counterpart from the 1939 The Wizard of Oz film, who has a similar bicycle.
Prop Notes
- REUSED PROPS: The dagger Prince Charming is wielding during his quest for night root[14] is the same dagger his cursed counterpart is using in the Season Six episode "Murder Most Foul."[15] The weapon is also used by Belle in the Season Two episode "The Outsider"[16][17] and by Alice in several episodes of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.[18][19]
Costume Notes
- HIDDEN DETAILS: The dress Emma wears in Prince Charming's nightmare has swan-like feathers.[20]
- Emma's tiara[21] is the same one worn by Emma at King Midas' ball in "Snow Drifts."[22]
- SECONDHAND CLOTHING: The brown doublet and white undershirt worn by Prince Charming in this episode[23] (and several others) was later worn by Robert in the Season Seven episode "Greenbacks."[24] Robert's west[24] is closely modeled on the west Charming wears over the doublet in the same episodes.[25]
- BRAND INFO: Belle is wearing[26] an alternatively colored Bow-Appliqued Lace Jersey Tee by RED Valentino[27] (no longer available).
- BRAND INFO: Emma is wearing[28] a Coach Cashmere Solid Knit Hat in Gray[29] (no longer available). She wears the same headgear in the next episode, "Quiet Minds."[30]
- SECONDHAND CLOTHING: Rapunzel's yellow dress[31] is the same outfit that Guinevere wears for her birthday celebration in the Season Five episode "The Broken Kingdom."[32]
- The dress is also worn by an attendee of the ball held at the Camelot castle in the Season Five episode "The Price."[33]
- SECONDHAND CLOTHING: The pink cloak worn by Rapunzel when she escapes the tower[34] is the same cloak worn by Isla in the scene where she pours mud on Gothel in the Season Seven episode "Flower Child."[35] For Isla's scene, the white fur trimming on Rapunzel's cloak was replaced with golden fabric and the golden clasp was replaced with a similar but different clasp.
Filming Locations
- Some of the outdoor scenes with Josh Dallas were filmed on a foresty mountaintop in mud and snow over the course of a week.[36]
- The scenes at the bottom of Rapunzel's tower were filmed in Burnaby's Central Park.[37] The bottom of the tower was a real set set, while the rest was added digitally in post-production.[38] In addition, a tower set was built in studio,[39] presumably for the scenes where the characters are scaling the walls.
- RECYCLED SET: The set used to film the interior of Rapunzel's tower also doubles as the dungeon where Rumplestiltskin tortures Robin Hood in the Season Two episode "Lacey," and the Arendelle castle tower where Anna tries on the wedding dress in the Season Four premiere "A Tale of Two Sisters."[40]
- Central Park also doubles as Storybrooke for the scene with Henry and Regina by the duck pond, the scene with Emma and Hook in the forest, and the scene where Emma, Hook, Regina and David walk through the forest at the end of the episode.[37]
Goofs
- David explains gaining knowledge about holly berries from previously working in the animal shelter and frequently seeing dogs track them. However, that appears to be unlikely to happen in a real life scenario, as holly berries are poisonous to dogs.[41]
International Titles
| International Titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Title | Translation |
| Finnish | "Torni" | "The Tower" |
| French | "Le Fantôme de la Peur" | "The Ghost of Fear" |
| German | "Rapunzels Turm der Angst" | "Rapunzel's Tower of Fear" |
| Hungarian | "A torony" | "The Tower" |
| Italian | "La torre" | "The Tower" |
| Portuguese | "A Torre" | "The Tower" |
| Spanish | "La Torre" | "The Tower" |
Videos
References
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