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"To Catch a Thief" is the twelfth episode of ABC's Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. It was written by A. Nussdorf and J. Schwartz, and directed by Billy Gierhart. It premiered on March 27, 2014.
Synopsis
In flashback, the Knave hunts Alice per Cora’s directive and he finds himself striking a deal to get his heart back, while in present day Wonderland, Alice and the Knave’s friendship is tested as he does Jafar’s bidding and steals from her. Meanwhile, the Jabberwocky attempts to free herself from Jafar’s control and Jafar is confronted by his former partner.[2]
Recap
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The Red Queen is dead and the Knave of Hearts is heartbroken. Jafar suggests there’s a way Anastasia can come back to him. We jump to the past when the Knave was part of a group of soldiers hunting down a murderous monster. In truth, they are hunting Alice. The label of “murderer” was attached to her by the lying queen.
The Knave gets caught in Alice’s trap as he tries to sneak up on her. He admits that he must do whatever the Queen of Hearts says. Alice offers to steal his heart back for him. After all, everyone deserves a second chance. Once Alice steals the heart, the Knave must do whatever she says. She asks him to help her show her father that she’s not crazy. She then reconsiders and gives the Knave his heart back. But that doesn’t mean they have to part ways.
In the present, Cyrus knows that he must return the water to the Well of Wonders to free his brothers and mother. His conversation with Alice is interrupted when the Knave returns to reveal the Red Queen’s fate. There is a way to get her back though. The only catch is they must return the staff to Jafar. Alice and Cyrus can’t do that. They invite the Knave to join him on their journey to the Well of Wonders. That turns out to be a mistake. The Knave swipes the staff.
When Alice catches up with the Knave after giving chase, she falls into dangerous waters. The Knave saves her. He says she’d have done the same for him. This much is true. Alice, Cyrus and the Knave meet up with the Jabberwocky, who says she wants her freedom. The four of them consider joining forces to defeat Jafar. They also want bring back the Red Queen. The Jabberwocky can’t help with that, but Amara can.
The Jabberwocky brings Cyrus to the castle. She wants her freedom for this gesture. Jafar doesn’t oblige. Elsewhere in the castle, Alice and the Knave make their way to the cells. The Knave is chased by guards while Alice frees the old man. Jafar summons the Knave to his chamber where Amara appears as well. It’s time for a showdown.
Jafar and Amara do battle in the chamber while Alice battles guards elsewhere. One of the fights takes a dire turn. Jafar realizes Amara is trying to save her family. He shoots a large piece of jagged glass into Cyrus’s chest. Only one thing can save him—the spell of two sorcerers that will change the rules of magic. Amara has no choice but to give Jafar what he wants—ultimate power.
Cast[2]
Starring
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Guest Starring
Co-Starring
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Trivia
Production Notes
- The title card features the Queen of Hearts' vault.
- Building material from Regina's Heart Vault on Once Upon a Time.[3] was re-used to build the entrance to the Wonderland Vault. The door, the bricks, the steps, the columns and the beam across the columns are exactly the same as Regina's vault.[4]
Event Chronology
- The past Wonderland events occur after "Heart of the Matter" and before "Down the Rabbit Hole".
- The present day Wonderland events occur after "Heart of the Matter" and before "And They Lived...". (For more details, see the Wonderland timeline)
Fairytales and Folklore
- This episode features Alice and the Knave of Hearts from the Alice in Wonderland story, the Red Queen and the Jabberwocky from the story's sequel, as well as the genie, the sorcerer and the Sultan from the Aladdin story.
Props Notes
- Jafar's spell book contains an illustration[5] by the sixteenth century Italian naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi, from his book History of Monsters (Monstrorum historia cum Paralipomenis historiae omnium animalium), published posthumously in 1642. The illustration, known as "Monstrum tetrachiron alatum capite humano aurito", shows a monster with four arms, wings and large ears.
- The table on the opposite page[5] contains symbols from a page in Key of Solomon, an old grimoire incorrectly attributed to King Solomon. This particular page is from one of the earliest manuscript of the grimoire, entitled The Clavicle of Solomon, revealed by Ptolomy the Grecian, dated 1572. (The three symbols used in Jafar's book can be seen in the lower right hand corner of the grimoire page.)
- Below the table,[5] there are characters from the reconstruction[6] of the mysterious Emerald Tablet, one of the pillars of Western alchemy, and said to be inscribed with the secrets of the universe. One interpretation suggests that the inscription describes seven stages of alchemical transformation—calcination, dissolution, separation, conjunction, fermentation, distillation and coagulation.[7] Curiously, many of the character's in Jafar's book are mirror-inverted.
- Below these characters[5] there is a Latin excerpt from Ars grammatica by Aelius Donatus, a fourth century Roman grammarian and teacher of rhetoric. It says: "Vt docte; conparativi, ut doctius; superlativi, ut doctissime. Magis doctius et tam doctissime non dicimus, quia magis et tam positivo gradui tantum iungitur, licet veteres dixerint tam magis et quam magis. Figurae adverbiorum quot sunt?"[8]
International Titles
| International Titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Title | Translation |
| French | "L'Union fait la Force" | "Unity Makes Strength" |
| German | "Diebe und Liebe" | "Thieves and Love" |
| Italian | "Per prendere un ladro" | "To Catch a Thief" |
Videos
References
- ↑ http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/03/28/thursday-final-ratings-hells-kitchen-once-upon-a-time-in-wonderland-the-vampire-diaries-greys-anatomy-adjusted-up-final-ncaa-basketball-ratings/248757/
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20140310abc10/
- ↑ File:205HeartVault.png
- ↑ File:W112VaultDoor.png
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 File:W112SpellBook.png
- ↑ http://www.ancient-origins.net/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/Emerald-Tablet.jpg?itok=jp4s101O
- ↑ http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/legendary-emerald-tablet-001956#sthash.MawjQqAF.dpuf
- ↑ http://www.logospoetry.org/document.php?document_id=91&code_language=LA&sequencer=2853
