*****SPOILERS*****
As the season nears the end, we see Once Upon a Time finally gather enough steam to really be enjoyable. This week’s episode had some really stellar moments. Some of it was a bit hard to follow and clichéd, but at least it’s beginning to answer some questions.
The episode centered around August the mysterious writer with the bad leg and serious interest in Emma, and tonight we find out why.
(Need to catch up? Check out previous Once Upon a Time recaps: Episode 14 | Episode 15 |Episode 16 | Episode 17 | Episode 18 | Episode 19)
We open the story with Henry telling Emma that there is a new story in the book, about Pinocchio, and it’s unfinished.
What we find out~
We see Pinocchio and Geppetto fighting off giant Whale Monstro; they are nearly swallowed but survive and are washed up on to the shore. The fairy comes and turns Pinocchio into a “real boy,” but says he must stay brave and true. To me, real boy Pinocchio looks kind of evil.
Mr. Gold dangles the ’Geppetto is your father’ carrot in front of August, in a Star Wars-type scene in the pawnshop. After Geppetto leaves, Gold gets really nasty and reminds August that his time is short and he has not persuaded Emma to stand up for the town. Gold goes a bit overboard on the “crazy train,” but I guess you can’t really blame him, since last week August pretended to be Gold’s lost son.
Geppetto learns about the curse from the blue fairy and also sees the wardrobe tree for the first time. Since the tree only has room for two, he coerces the fairy into letting one of those two people be Pinocchio. If she doesn’t agree to it—and lie to the council about it—he will not make the wardrobe.
August can leave Storybrook, and so can Emma! He takes her to a diner, where she was found as a baby. He tells her he was the one who found her and brought her to the diner in the first place. She is skeptical!
August/Pinocchio is turning back into wood because he hasn’t been true to himself or kept his promises. He takes Emma to the forest to see where the wardrobe came through, hoping it will jog her memory. He tells her she is the whole town’s only chance to be free and they need her! Emma melts down in another “Luke, I am your father" scene. He shows her how he is turning into wood again, and she looks at him like he’s gone over to crazy town. He realizes she can’t see it, because her denial is so strong. She leaves him there and denies everything.
We see that Pinocchio is taking care of Emma in a orphanage, and is miserable and treated cruelly. He gets the chance to leave Emma, but remembers he has promised to keep her safe. He breaks his promise and leaves, thus setting more of the curse into action.
August goes to Geppetto and asks to be his helper. It is a really touching scene where I might or might not have cried... I mean NO, I didn’t... no crying.
Emma decides she’s had enough, takes Henry in a new amber alert low. Kidnapping.
What we wish we didn’t find out~
David helps Regina with a dead battery and then she invites him to dinner. At first he declines, and then feels sorry for her and accepts. After dinner they have a romantic moment. It’s so not good..and I may have thrown up in my mouth a little.
Henry has a talk with Regina, where he is very accusatory and tells her she’s evil and he doesn’t like her. I didn’t like this, it made Henry look like an ungrateful spoiled child.
All in all the episode was intense and full of answers. I have found myself enjoying the last few episodes with less snark and more interest.
What did you think?
Synde Korman talks music and books on her website Tombstone Tails, along with creating a line of literary jewelry on her etsy site Cemetery Cat Designs.
When she’s not herding cats or creating art, she works as a part-time bookseller. You can find her on twitter as @psynde.
