‘Once Upon a Time’: Hope and light are revealed in ‘A Curious Thing’

The Wicked Witch Zelena has proved to be not only crazy and powerful but cunning, and the “A Curious Thing” episode reveals all parts of her. The revelations didn’t stop there, as Henry finally joins the party and Hook’s lethal lips are discovered.

In the Enchanted Forest realm, the heroes -- Regina, Charming, Snow, Philip and Aurora -- are deciding to tell the world about Snow’s baby. Could be dangerous but also could be something to rally around. Aurora says no, then reveals (our word for the day) that Zelena wants her baby and it would best to keep it secret -- like they were supposed to do. As soon as she and Philip utter the words that they promised Zelena they wouldn’t say, poof, Zelena is there and they are turned into flying monkeys. Argh, and again, the heroes are powerless to help as Zelena touches Snow’s belly and says she’s coming back for the child. No belly-touching allowed!

The belly touch made it serious, so now enters Belle, who says that maybe Rumpel, or the shell of the creature that Zelena is holding in Rumpel’s castle, can help them find a way to defeat the Wicked Witch. Robin Hood will lead them into Rumpel’s castle to find some kind of weakness. After Robin saves her from an unseen barrier, Regina utters the great line: “Where you come from people bathe in the river and use pine cones for money,” instead of the obligatory “Thank You.” Hood and Regina, still hot, heavy and heartless. Once inside, they find a crazed Rumpel who, through riddles, lets on that light magic and Glinda (played by actress Sunny Mabrey) the Good Witch of the South, could help. “Through the door, step inside. If pure of heart then she won’t hide.” Huh? Oh well, another adventure.

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In Storybrooke, Grumpy reports that Tinkerbell, the Blue Fairy and the fairies are looking for a way to defeat Zelena -- but nothing yet. Henry sees Regina and Robin making out, and even without a heart, still sparks something in Regina. As does Robin Hood.

The Storybrooke group figures that the “Once Upon a Time” storybook is key to making people believe in happy endings, and possibly get back their memories of their lost year. They could’ve figured out a way to defeat Zelena and not even know it, but they have to break the curse with love’s true kiss. Again. It worked with Henry before, why not again? The heart of the truest believer is, I guess, about to be tested. But before that, Emma snaps at him with the whole “I’m-your-mom-and-I-know-best” speech when he demands to know what’s been going on this whole time and know about her investigation into his dad’s death. Hook catches Henry trying to take Emma’s car to go back to New York. Argh, teenagers.

Snow utters another gem while they’re looking for the story book at her place: “After true love, there is no more powerful magic than footwear.” The storybook is found, but Henry and Hook are gone.

Back in the Enchanted Forest, Snow and Charming and Regina find a door in the forest. Because only pure hearts can pass, it’s a no-go for Regina. And there she is: Glinda the Good Witch. Glinda tells them that she was banished, and that only a practitioner of light magic, a witch created by true love, can defeat Zelena. So, Emma is the savior once again. But she’s not in the Enchanted Forest since she and Henry went back to New York. Uh-oh. Snow says that they’ll have to redo the dark curse that took them all to Storybrooke in the first place. Wow.

Back in the real world, Emma uses her GPS, not a magical one, to find Henry, who has gone off with Hook to steal a ship with Smee to get back to New York. That Hook’s an awesome role model. But, for all you kids reading, when you think about stealing things, flying monkeys will come and get you. Luckily for Henry, Charming (and his sword), Regina (and her fire balls) and Emma (and her gun) arrive to blow up flying monkeys left and right. Awesome save! And Henry’s reward is getting back all of his memories by touching Emma and the storybook -- and then almost being killed by Zelena. The Wicked Witch comes, again, right at the opportune moment. She knocks out the big gun, Regina, but thanks to some magical mojo by Emma, Henry is able to squirm free from her grasp. Luckily Regina wasn’t killed, and she and Henry have a joyous reunion, complete with a kiss of true love on the forehead that brings back everyone’s memories. Emma has to save them all, and is upset at Hook for not telling her that Zelena had cursed his lips to do her harm. Charming and Snow are mad at Hook for saying they sent him to get Emma. they did not. So, we also get to see a flashback of Emma’s other love, Neal, as he heroically jumped out of Rumpel’s body to send Hook the message to go get Emma from the real world.

Emma knows that the only way the curse could’ve worked would’ve been to sacrifice someone, so we go back to the Enchanted Forest. Snow has to help enact the dark curse by taking Charming’s heart, since that’s the thing she loves most. They have to get Emma back, or Zelena will beat them all. They take Charming’s heart, crushing it, and the curse is set. As it brews, Snow asks Regina to take her own heart and break it, using one heart for Snow and Charming. Symbolic, and successful, and Charming is brought back to life just in time to see Zelena mess up the plans once again. She can’t stop the curse, but she can taint it. And there’s how everyone who was returned to Storybrooke forgot the last year of their lives.

Zelena has been thwarted at many turns, and one of them obviously involves Dorothy Gale. In a preview of next week, we see a glimpse of her, and a certain powerful bucket of water. Flashback or future glimpse? We don’t know, but we do know that a reckoning is at hand.

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