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This article focuses on the Season Three episode.
For the Season Three episode with a similar title, see "Going Home."
For the Season Seven episode with a similar name, see "Homecoming."
For the Once Upon a Time in Wonderland episode with a similar name, see "Home."

You don't have a home until you just miss it. Being with my parents the last few days...but not really being with them? I've never missed them more. Storybrooke. That's my home.

Emma to Hook


"There's No Place Like Home" is the twenty-second and final episode of Season Three of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz and directed by Ralph Hemecker. It is the sixty-sixth episode of the series overall, and premiered on May 11, 2014.

This episode is the second part of the season three finale, and premiered immediately following "Snow Drifts."

Synopsis

While Mary Margaret and David celebrate the naming of their son at a coronation in Granny's Diner, Emma and Hook are pulled into Zelena's time portal and find themselves in the Enchanted Forest of the past. But in their quest to discover a way back, they must be careful not to change ANYTHING or risk altering the lives of their friends and family — as well as their very own existence.[2]

Recap

Portland - 2001. Right after Emma Swan and Neal meet, he breaks into a carnival so they can enjoy their coffee sitting on the swing ride. Neal tells Emma his “story” about his bad life and why he left it. This leads to a very important philosophy that Emma has seemed to live by since she met Neal, “You don’t have a home until you just miss it.”

In the Enchanted Forest past, Emma is thrown in a jail cell. In the cell next to Emma is a woman she saw the Queen capture in town. Even though Emma introduces herself, as Princess Leia, the woman doesn’t want to reveal anything because of her family. The woman finally reveals that they will both be killed the next day.

In another part of the forest, Charming captures Snow White asking for the ring she stole. Unfortunately, Snow doesn’t have it. Emma does. Prince Charles tells them that to get the ring they must rescue Leia to get it back.

Hook takes Snow and Charming back towards the Palace, but Snow must stay hidden because there are ‘Wanted’ posters everywhere with her face. Charming notices a pouch around Snow’s neck, which turns out to be dark fairy dust that will turn enemies into bugs. Snow is saving hers for Regina. When they arrive near the palace, Snow goes to look for a friend and will enter at night.

That night, Hook and Charming have a bonding moment when Hook confronts him about marrying Abigail. Charming admits he wanted to marry for love and not for business. Hook admits to Charming that he loves Emma, but doesn’t know if she reciprocates, plus he doesn’t know how her parents feel about him. Suddenly, a figure appears, who was instructed to bring them into castle.

Back in the prison cells, Emma admires her mother’s ring. The woman then talks about wanting to get back to her family, when Emma notices a way out and uses Neal’s technique to help escape her cell. Marian wants Emma to leave without her, but Emma hesitates.

Outside the jail, a wolf appears to distract the guards while Charming attacks him. Hook uses Red’s cloak to return her to a human. Emma appears (with the woman) stopping Hook from his “gallant rescue.” Emma returns the ring to Charming, when Hook notices that Emma saved the woman and is not happy because it messes up the future that they know. After, all of them go searching for Snow in the castle.

Snow shows up in the Queen's apartment trying to use her fairy dust. The Queen, however, sees her and as Snow throws the dust, Regina stops and destroys it. The Black Knights capture Snow and Regina talks about Snow destroying her life leading to Snow allowing Regina to kill her, that night.

Charming, Hook, Emma, and Red search the palace for Snow. Through a window, they see her about to be killed with no way to stop it. Regina sets her body on fire leaving Emma is heartbroken that her mother has ‘died.’

In the forest, Emma continues to grieve the ‘death’ and Hook tries to talk her through it. Suddenly, Emma realizes that if Snow died that means she shouldn’t exist, which means that Snow is alive. A bug then begins to annoy Hook. As they try to think of how to find her, Charming notices the bug and stops Hook from killing it to prove it is Snow, who used the fairy dust. Emma notices the bug is ‘talking’ and it turns out she was summoning the Blue Fairy. Blue appears, but knows that Emma is not ‘Princess Leia.’ Blue returns Snow to a human and Emma greets her with a big hug. But, because Snow doesn’t know Emma, she is very confused by the enthusiastic greeting. Emma, hurt by the reaction, is briefly comforted by Hook.

The next day, Snow and Charming start to get to know each other and when Snow offers to go get some water for Charming he allows it. Hook explains to Emma the issues of having the woman stay alive when she wasn’t supposed to. Emma’s idea is to bring her back with them to the future. The woman refuses, but Emma knocks her out so she’ll have to agree. When Snow doesn’t return, Charming realizes she stole the ring, again, and is heading towards the Troll Bridge. Bad news: Snow does not have the fairy dust to stop the trolls. So, Hook and Emma go try and help them.

At the Troll Bridge, Charming saves the day as Snow is sent away without him, but since she can’t use the dust, she improvises. She takes a handful of sand and tricks the trolls into letting Charming go and they leave the bridge. Hook and Emma catch up to them, but instead, watch on as Snowing say their goodbyes. Snow finally tries on Ruth’s ring and fate is sealed because that is the moment Charming fell for Snow. Once they leave each other, Hook and Emma check and now that Snow and Charming met, everything in the storybook goes back to normal.

Emma and Hook, with the passed out woman over his shoulders, return to the Dark Castle hoping they can get Back to the Future. Rumple reveals that the portal he had promised to open, can only be opened by the person who used the portal. Instead, Rumple makes a potion so he won’t remember their visit and the things they told him about his son.

Rumple sends his visitors to his vault of dangerous items where they are returned to their original clothes. Hook peruses the vault and takes out an urn. Hook gives a little pep talk to get Emma to use her magic to open the portal. Emma realizes she wants to stay in Storybrooke and not go back to New York. She says that she missed her parents and that they are her home. Once she accepts that Storybrooke is home, her magic works and can use the wand to open a portal.

Hook heads back with the woman, but Rumple appears and stops Emma from returning until he learns more about his son. Emma is forced to tell him that Neal died, and he can’t change the outcome. Emma forces Rumple to take the potion as he lets her enter the portal. Once Rumple forgets, he leaves the vault.

Hook, Emma, and the woman return to Storybrooke in the present time. Emma rushes to the diner. Once there, she tells her parents that she is staying in Storybrooke, and finally calls them Mom and Dad. Emma finds out she made the storybook and now she wants to know her brother’s name. So, David stops the festivities and announces that their new son’s name is Prince Neal. Gold and Emma are touched. Emma has a sweet little moment with her brother.

Emma joins Hook outside to discuss what happened to them. Emma thanks Hook for bringing her back to Storybrooke and asks how he got to her. Turns out, after he got Neal's letter, he traded the Jolly Roger for a magic bean and got himself to New York. Emma realizes the sacrifice and the two share a kiss.

Later in the forest, Archie officiates Gold and Belle's wedding where Belle’s father is a witness. The two share their vows as we see shots of Mary Margaret, David and the baby, Hook and Emma kissing, and Robin, Regina, and Roland happy together arriving at Granny’s. Also we return to Rumple’s lie of switching the dagger’s possession. But finally, they are married.

Back at Granny’s, Regina and Robin enter with Roland and the woman realizes who Regina is. Afraid that the Evil Queen is casually at Granny’s, Emma offers to introduce them. As the introductions begins, Robin realizes who the woman is…his wife, Maid Marian. Regina is downright pissed to see her new boyfriend reunited with his wife. Emma not sure how to react just apologizes for what she did, but Regina doesn’t want to accept it. Regina just hopes she didn’t bring anything else back.

Cue, a return to the barn where the urn was brought back to Storybrooke. Suddenly, we see what was in the urn as some blue goo makes its way through the barn. The goo slides through the labyrinth that Zelena made and transforms into a woman.

Deleted Scenes

These scenes are included on Once Upon a Time: The Complete Third Season.

"Princess Leia"

After she has been arrested, Emma, while still under the disguise of Rumplestiltskin's glamour spell, is led in front of the Evil Queen by two black knights. One black knight orders her to kneel before the queen, but Emma is incredulous at his demand. Regina retorts she needs to, and the two guards push Emma down to the queen's feet. Then, Regina asks the blonde for Snow White's whereabouts, but Emma replies she already told the guards she does not know. The Evil Queen replies she does not know what kingdom she comes from, but in her realm, the price for aiding Snow White is steep. Trying to defend herself, Emma hesitatingly states she doesn't know where Snow White is, but if Regina desires it, she can help her find the fugitive. The Queen sizes her up for a beat, and remarks that Emma isn't a princess as she recognizes a "dirty street rat" when she sees one. Additionally, the Queen remarks that Emma is not trustworthy, and then has the guards send her to the dungeon.[3]

"Liar, Liar"

Realizing Snow is not with them, Emma asks Red where she is. After some prodding, Red reluctantly admits that Snow isn't coming with them, while Charming realizes that she's using the dark fairy dust to go after Regina.

Cast[2]

Starring

Guest Starring

Co-Starring

Uncredited


Trivia

Title

  • The title card features Zelena's time spell.[4]
    • During the original airing, "Snow Drifts" and "There's No Place Like Home" were separated by a different title card featuring a swan.[5] The manner in which the letters form to make the show logo is different from the other episodes, as is the musical accompaniment.
    • On the Blu-ray/DVD, the swan title card is used as a menu background.
  • The title of this episode was announced by Adam Horowitz via his Twitter account on March 25, 2014.[6]
  • The title is a reference to the famous line by Dorothy Gale from the movie The Wizard of Oz.
    • It is also a reference to the novel, where Dorothy tells the Scarecrow, "No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home."

Production Notes

  • The Season Three finale was Jennifer Morrison and Colin O'Donoghue's favorite episodes to film.[7]
  • ABANDONED IDEAS: The flashback scene where Neal and Emma break into the fairground was originally scripted to be them breaking through the gate to a view of Portland at night. The production team found an abandoned amusement park, and felt that Neal showing this kind of place to Emma was something that the character would do.[8]
  • REUSED FOOTAGE: The "past" scenes with Snow White and Prince Charming were a mixture of reshoots and old footage from "Snow Falls."[8][9]
  • ABANDONED IDEAS: The show's producers asked Jamie Dornan to reprise his role as the Huntsman for the season finale, but he was unavailable due to his packed filming schedule for the movie Fifty Shades of Grey and the drama television series The Fall.[10] He would have been spotted by Emma in the Evil Queen's dungeon and Emma would have felt tempted to reach out to him.[11]
  • For the scene where Snow White is trapped in the net, the new close-ups were shot by having Ginnifer Goodwin sitting on a chair, with a net around her.[8]
  • In order to keep the ending scene with Elsa a secret, Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis scripted an alternate ending, so that very few people knew about Elsa's appearance in the season finale.[12] Only the show creators and a small crew that filmed the end scene, knew about the secret ending. The scripted ending featured the Sorcerer's Hat coming out of the urn instead of Elsa.[13]

Event Chronology

Episode Connections

Disney

Lost

Fairy Tales and Folkore

  • The same excerpt appears in dozens of episodes; read the trivia section in the article for Henry's storybook for more information and a transcript.
  • 🍎 APPLES: When Snow White sneaks up on the the Evil Queen, the latter is studying a red apple, a reference to the queen's weapon of choice in the fairy tale.
  • Mr. Gold, the cursed counterpart of Rumplestiltskin (aka Beast), marries Belle, similar to how the titular characters marry in the fairy tale of "Beauty and the Beast."

Popular Culture

  • The opening scene where Emma and Neal are sitting in the swings of a carousel at the fairground and Neal handles Emma's glove is an homage to the famous scene from the 1954 crime drama film On the Waterfront,[8][19] where Marlon Brando is sitting in a swing in a children's park and handles a white glove dropped by Eva Marie Saint as they recall earlier days.

Props Notes

Costume Notes

  • The hat was made by Canadian-based fine headwear maker Kelly Dunlap. The hat fabric is a very high quality millinery fur felt called Deco Cloche in Winter White.[29]
  • USE IT AGAIN: In the Season Five episode "Siege Perilous," the hat[30] is on display behind the counter in the pawnshop,[31] seemingly for sale.
  • BRAND INFO: Belle's wedding shoes[32] are Dolly Spectator Platform Pumps from Charlotte Olympia[33] (no longer available).

Filming Locations

  • The opening scene with Emma and Neal at the Portland amusement park, was filmed in Vancouver's Playland amusement park. The carousel that Emma and Neal sit in, is called the Wave Swinger, while The Crazy Beach Party and the Wooden Roller Coaster are sitting next to it.[36]

Goofs

International Titles


Videos

References

  1. Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'American Dad' & 'America's Funniest Home Videos' Adjusted Up; 'Revenge', 'Cosmos' & 'Dateline' Adjusted Down. TV by the Numbers (May 13, 2014). "Once Upon A Time (8-10:01PM) – Season Finale (...) 6.80"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 LISTINGS: ONCE UPON A TIME. The Futon Critic. "Air Date: Sunday, May 11, 2014. Time Slot: 8:00 PM-10:01 PM EST on ABC. Episode Title: (#321/322) "Snow Drifts / There's No Place Like Home""
  3. Adam Horowitz (@AdamHorowitzLA) on X, formerly Twitter: Here it is. Thank you all! Without you, there would be no #OnceUponATime -- hope to see ya in the fall for season 4! (May 11, 2014). (backup link) (archive screenshot) (script photo)
  4. File:322TitleAlternate.png
  5. File:322TitleOriginal.png
  6. Adam Horowitz (@AdamHorowitzLA) on X, formerly Twitter: Here's the #OnceUponATime season 3 finale #titlespoiler! All new ep this Sunday! Hope ya check it out! #WickedVsEvil (March 25, 2014). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
  7. Some call me...Carrie? (@CarrieLynne2323) on X, formerly Twitter: Jen and Colin's fav thing to film was the CS movie and Jen even called it a "Captain Swan" movie. (March 25, 2017). (backup link; the user's account and the original post have been deleted) (archive screenshot)
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis on the Season Three Blu-ray exclusive Audio Commentary
  9. nicole ☺︎ (@OhMyOUAT) on X, formerly Twitter: .@AdamHorowitzLADid you reshoot the (old) past scenes of Snow and Charming for 3x21/22? (July 19, 2014). (backup link) (archive screenshot; note that latter was created when the author's name was listed as "JOKERnic ☺︎")
    Adam Horowitz (@AdamHorowitzLA) on X, formerly Twitter: .@OhMyOUAT mixture of reshoots and old footage. it was one of the trickiest eps ever on a tech level (July 19, 2014). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
  10. Schumann, Rebecca (February 20, 2014). Jamie Dornan Too Busy With 'Fifty Shades' To Film 'Once Upon A Time' Season 3, Says 'OUAT' Producers. International Business Times. "While Dornan, 31, returned to the show last March in a cameo for the season two flashback episode "Welcome to Storybrooke," producers claim Dornan's packed filming schedule, with the erotic romance flick "Fifty Shades of Grey" and his hit drama series "The Fall," made him unavailable to film future "OUAT" episodes. (...) Unfortunately for fans of "OUAT," a series that follows storybook characters stuck in our world, details of Dornan's planned reappearance won't be revealed until the end of season three. "Ask us that after the finale and then we will tell you exactly what we wanted to do," said Kitsis, adding, "You will be so bummed that we didn't get to do it.""
  11. Abrams, Natalie (September 22, 2014). If Jamie Dornan had returned to 'Once Upon a Time': What would've been. Entertainment Weekly. ""We wanted a Peggy Sue Got Married moment," Kitsis tells EW, explaining that Emma would've seen Graham when she was locked up in the Evil Queen's castle. "He would've been one of the guards because it would've been during that period," adds Horowitz. "She would've seen him, and it would've been heartbreaking for her because she would've wanted to reach out to him, but knowing that—because she's on a mission—she couldn't. It wasn't a big plot thing, but it was an emotional moment that we wanted to do.""
  12. Ratcliffe, Amy (May 13, 2014). ONCE UPON A TIME'S SEASON FINALE HAD AN ALTERNATE ENDING. Nerdist Industries. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. "Wonderful a surprise as it was, you've got to ask: was the season always going to end with Elsa? Yes and no. Kitsis and Horowitz saw a connection to their work when they first saw Frozen back in November. Kitsis told Time that Elsa is a natural fit for the series because she's perceived as a villain but is really just misunderstood. They had Elsa in the back of their minds and pitched it through the hierarchy of approval in February. After they got permission to go ahead with the storyline, it was all about keeping the icy reveal a secret. To that end, they employed one of the oldest and most effective tricks in the book: they scripted an alternate ending. Very few people got to learn about Elsa's grand entrance. Horowitz and Kitsis didn't use a throwaway plot for the trick though. They won't divulge what was in the scene because as they told Time, they're "probably going to want to use" it according to Horowitz. Kitsis teased, "It's another iconic Disney totem. We'll leave it at that" Who or what could it be? Our sources say it's the sorcerer's hat from Fantasia. I'll let that sink in."
  13. Adam Horowitz (@AdamHorowitzLA) on X, formerly Twitter: Same scene only it described the sorcerer's hat coming out of the bottle. [sic] Only the small crew that filmed Elsa knew and we did it at the very end of shoot. Was really happy the secret held (August 22, 2018). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
  14. File:322Look.png
    File:322WeDidIt.png
  15. 15.0 15.1 File:322Wait.png
  16. File:322ALongTime.png
  17. Werewolf. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved on November 23, 2021. "werewolf, in European folklore, a man who turns into a wolf at night and devours animals, people, or corpses but returns to human form by day."
  18. File:322Portal.png
  19. SallyT (@sallyspeaks892) on X, formerly Twitter: @AdamHorowitzLA adamhorowitz Question: Season finale. Emma and Neil on the carousel. Neil and the glove. Homage to On the Waterfront? (July 18, 2014). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
    Adam Horowitz (@AdamHorowitzLA) on X, formerly Twitter: @sallyspeaks892 yes! good catch! (July 18, 2014). (backup link) (archive screenshot)}
  20. File:321SkulkingAround.png
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  22. File:202Push.png
  23. File:205TakeYourPick.png
    File:205TakeYourPick2.png
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  26. File:322WeDidIt2.png
  27. File:210YesIDo.png
  28. File:501ThreeTimes.png
  29. A Saucy Belle! Once Upon A Time Season 3 Finale Features my Deco Cloche!. The Saucy Milliner (May 12, 2014). "I made this romantic, 'Deco Cloche', using a very high quality millinery fur felt (shown here in Winter White) (...) I might have to rename it, 'Belle's Bell' - which of course is what 'cloche' means in French."
  30. File:322NeverBeenEasy.png
    File:322IRealize.png
  31. File:503StillAMan.png
  32. File:322YourVows.png
  33. Charlotte Olympia Dolly Spectator Platform Pump. Neiman Marcus. Retrieved on October 13, 2018.
  34. File:401OurFirstDance.png
  35. KATE'S BLACK ZIP FRONT DRESS AND TWO TONE HEELS ON FRIENDS WITH BETTER LIVES. WornOnTV. Retrieved on October 13, 2018.
  36. File:322HopOn.png
    'Wave Swinger' Amusement Park Ride at Playland, Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), Vancouver, BC, British Columbia, Canada. Alamy. Retrieved on October 13, 2018.
    Rides. Pacific National Exhibition. Retrieved on October 13, 2018.
  37. Gittins, Susan (October 21, 2014). SHOOT: ONCE UPON A TIME Goes Back to the 1980s with the Snow Queen (Elizabeth Mitchell) in Gastown Tonight. Hollywood North Buzz. "Is Salmgundi in Gastown a 1980s/1990s flashback like earlier scenes on Granville Street [when the Snow Queen arrives in Boston], at the Playland amusement park [with Mitchell as Sarah Fisher and teen Emma] and at a bus stop in east Vancouver [with Mitchell as Sarah Fisher and teen Emma]."
  38. File:512IAlwaysWill.png
    Revelation. Theme Park Archive. Retrieved on October 13, 2018.
  39. Mitovich, Matt Webb (February 22, 2016). Once Upon a Time Season 5B Brings Back Michael Raymond-James as Neal. TVLine. "As a final safeguard, Raymond-James' scenes were filmed indoors on a soundstage — away from the ever-looming paparazzi known to spoil many an outdoor shoot."
  40. Gittins, Susan (April 8, 2014). SHOOT: ONCE UPON A TIME in Burnaby's Central Park with #CaptainSwan, The Charmings, Little Red & the Big Bosses. Hollywood North Buzz.
  41. File:322SnowWhite.png
  42. File:322Relax.png
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  45. Furminger, Sabrina (August 20, 2014). Once Upon a Time stuntwoman rolls with the punches. Vancouver Courier. "Her work was particularly critical in the final episodes of the third season, when Goodwin was eight months pregnant. "I actually had to learn all of her dialogue for all those episodes because I was doing her dialogue with the actors and then they'd ADR her in," she says."