‘Once Upon a Time’ recap: Tinkerbell debuts in ‘Quite a Common Fairy’

“Once Upon a Time” continues to bring together unique pairings of characters seemingly from different walks of fairy tale life. In “Quite a Common Fairy,” we get our first look at the sassy fairy and onetime partner of Peter Pan -- as far as we know -- Tinkerbell.

In Neverland, Henry is still fighting Peter Pan, and tries to shoot him with a crossbow when he forces Henry to shoot an apple off the head of a lost boy, William Tell style. Pan grabs the arrow, mid-air, though. And he laughs. Well, at least Henry hasn’t succumbed to Pan’s charms yet.

Henry’s rescuers (Snow White, Captain Hook, Emma Swan, Prince Charming and Regina “Evil Queen” Mills) realize that Peter Pan continues to move his base camp, making it almost impossible to find Henry using the map Pan gave them. They won’t be able to find it without strong magic. Hook suggests they should find Tinkerbell, and maybe use her pixie dust (“nuclear fairy dust”) to help them out. Regina quickly dismisses it -- we thinks she doth protest too much?

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In past Enchanted Forest, Regina is confronted by Rumpelstiltskin, always the catalyst in evil doings, and he tells her that she can’t escape the darkness she’s embraced. After he leaves, Regina falls from her balcony -- and that’s when she meets Tinkerbell, a good green fairy who wants to help. A spunky fairy. Tinkerbell and Regina bond, and Tink decides to help Regina find love.

Hook saw what happened to Charming in present day Neverland (last episode’s minor skirmish) -- a poison-tipped arrow grazed him. Charming may have only days to live, so there’s even more reason to find Tinkerbell and to defeat Pan. Pixie dust could save him.

The Blue Fairy is Tinkerbell’s mentor! She calls Tinkerbell “Green,” but the name is not appreciated. Tinkerbell is a bit of a troublemaker and a wild card. She explains the “Regina” situation, but is forbidden to help her. She does it anyway ...

Back in the Enchanted Forest, Neal has been trying to find a way to Neverland. He’s found it, but he’ll have to use Robin Hood’s child as bait. Robin doesn’t like it, but agrees anyway.

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The intuitive Emma finds that Regina does have a history with Tinkerbell -- and that it’s probably best to find Tinkerbell without Regina showing her face and upsetting the fairy.

In the past, Tink gives Regina some stolen fairy dust, though she was warned not to. She leads Regina to what should be her true love -- a man with a lion tattoo on his wrist/forearm. Regina can’t handle it, though, and runs away before even meeting the man.

In the present, Tinkerbell takes out Regina, knocking her out with poppy dust, kidnapping her and threatening her life with another poison arrow. Regina wants to make it even easier for Tinkerbell, and she pulls out her own heart and gives it to Tinkerbell to crush -- that is, if she really wants the queen dead.

In the past, Regina ran from her true love, fearing the loss of the rage and hurt that she’d become so comfortable with, and to a degree, strengthened her. Tinkerbell sacrificed a lot to get her the possibility of happiness, stealing pixie dust, but Regina pushes her away by calling her “a terrible fairy.” The Blue Fairy strips Tinkerbell of her powers for her unpardonable crime.

Meanwhile, Neal has found a way to get back to Neverland. By getting Robin Hood’s son to say that he “believes,” one of the Peter Pan shadows comes to take the boy back to Neverland. Instead, Mulan stops it from taking the child, and Neal hitches a ride back to Neverland on the fleeing creature.

Pan is still at it with Henry. He says that Henry, not Emma, is the savior who’s going to bring magic back. Not just stronger in Neverland, but everywhere. Pan believes it, and has a prophet scroll with a picture of Henry on it that he’s had for a long time. Henry still doesn’t believe it. Pan says he’s just like his father. Finally, we may get to see what the Pan-Neal relationship is as Neal separately lands on the island.

Tinkerbell decides not to kill Regina, but doesn’t want to help her either. The group enlists Tink to help, promising to take her back with them once they leave Neverland. She’ll show them where Pan’s lair is. She tells Regina that she destroyed two lives by not following the spell and finding her true love.

Mulan, on the advice of Neal, seems as if she’s about to tell Prince Philip and Aurora about her feelings for ... one of them? Most likely Philip, but who knows. She keeps it to herself once she finds out that Aurora is pregnant. She instead chooses to join Robin Hood’s merry band. As she shakes hands with Robin, his lion tattoo is revealed, making him the unrequited true love whom Regina never bothered to meet.

Next episode, seems the group finally catches up to Pan, and may get to see the extent of his power on the island.

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