‘Once Upon a Time’: The history of the Snow Queen, and a fear of Emma

Without using any magic at all, “The Snow Queen” episode of “Once Upon a Time” shows how dangerous the Snow Queen is, and how much even the inhabitants of Storybrooke still don’t know about Emma Swan’s magical powers.

We get a glimpse into Snow Queen Ingrid’s past, along with her sisters Helga and Gerta (Anna and Elsa’s mom). As royal children, they were almost snatched when Ingrid’s ice power manifested. She caused a frozen branch to fall on their kidnapper. The sisters make a pact to never reveal that Ingrid has these powers. Flash-forward, and the sisters continue to hide Ingrid’s icy powers from everyone even as young adults, when Ingrid decides to leave. Instead, Greta hears of a powerful wizard who may be able to help: Rumpelstiltskin. Ugh!

Side note: More uncanny casting with the little girls playing the sisters. Lil’ Ingrid looks a lot like Elizabeth Mitchell. Casting Emmys all around -- or should be.

In present-day Storybrooke, Elsa and Emma practice a spell that could bind the Snow Queen. Almost works, but Emma has to go. Baby-sitting duties await. Emma is a little emotional watching Mary Margaret with baby Neal, and she kind of makes a baby bottle glow, casting it off as remnants of her practicing magic. Mary Margaret fliches a bit, pulling back baby Neal from Emma after the display. Clearly, it affects Emma a bit. But, saved by the bell tower.

Emma and David and Elsa go to the bell tower, and there, Emma uses a magic candle to imprison the Snow Queen. Yay, they got her!

Or not yay. She obviously wanted to be captured, and now she’s pushing buttons. Elsa’s, Emma’s ... and herding them along a path that she’s predetermined. David, Hook, Elsa and Belle realize that the magic mirror planted in the bell tower was a fake and that she wanted to get Emma alone. She freezes the entrance to the police station so the crew can’t get in to help Emma. In their interrogation, all Ingrid needed was to mention how Emma’s normal family (Mary Margaret) flinched when confronted with her powers, and the seed was planted.

The group runs to get Rumpel to help out, and he reluctantly follows. Hook is smart enough to see that Rumpelstiltskin and the Snow Queen have a history.

As for Regina and Robin Hood: Robin can’t stay away from Regina and can’t seem to forget her so that he can summon true love’s kiss for his dying wife, Marion. Regina is still looking for a cure, and looking into finding the author of the Once Upon a Time book. She and Henry are still hangin’ together, and that’s cool to see.

Meanwhile, Robin is missing the bull’s-eye, totally, in the diner. He and Will the troublemaking thief sit down for a chat, mending the brotherhood of the merry men. They reminisce about when Robin met Marion, and Will tells Robin that he should sacrifice anything for true love when it comes. Uh-oh.

In Misthaven/the Enchanted Forest past, Ingrid, Helga and Gerta go to see Rumpelstiltskin. He gives them gloves that will help Ingrid control her powers and an urn that we’ve seen before. One that can hold dangerous powers, with Rumpel not telling them that it will hold the individual as well. They have to give him the ribbons that they’ve worn, symbols of their sisterly love, as payment. They do.

Storybrooke. The Snow Queen easily presses Emma’s emotional buttons and somehow causes Emma’s powers to begin rising uncontrollably. This was apparently her whole reason for letting herself be taken prisoner, so she easily frees herself and teleports away, leaving Emma to panic. When the crew finds her, she’s in full “don’t touch me” mode, and knocks down a light pole accidentally, almost smushing David. Emma bugs out and the Snow Queen is pleased.

The Duke of Weselton -- not weaseltown -- tries to kiss Ingrid, even though he’s supposed to be in love with her sister Helga. Bad choice, dude. Luckily, Helga comes just in time. She knows the weasel is lying and stands by her sister. But emotions get the best of Ingrid, and when the duke threatens to tell the world about Ingrid’s monstrous powers, she lashes out -- and Helga is the unlucky recipient of a freezing blast. Her heart is frozen, then her body becomes ice, and she dies.

Greta comes, horrified at finding one sister nothing but a pile of ice and another sister reaching out to her for help. She’s scared to touch Ingrid and scared of what she may do, so she opens the urn and lets it suck Ingrid in. The whole scene was very reminiscent of “Frozen” until Greta kind of betrays Ingrid. Greta later goes to Grandpabbie the rock troll and asks him to make everyone in Arendelle forget that Ingrid and Helga ever existed. He’ll do it, but as usual, magic comes with a price.

Back in the present, the Snow Queen has mostly done what she came to do, and now she needs Rumpel’s help to finish up. Rumpel and the Snow Queen make a deal: He’ll give her back the ribbons she and sisters once wore, and she’ll tell him how he can get beyond the borders of Storybrooke while keeping his power intact.

Did Anna really put Elsa in the urn? Can Robin and Regina ever stop kissing? And is the Dark One still so completely evil?

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