Non Spoiler Review- This episode of 'Once Upon A Time' manages to answer all the questions involving the flashbacks and another very intriguing episode of the series that will as the episode title implies will indeed break your heart if you're a fan of the show. A great episode that really sets the stage for next week's midseason finale.
*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******
Highlights of the episode
1. Hook brings back previous Dark Ones- At the end of the episode after Hook's duel with Rumple, he is able to use Rumple's blood to open the door to the Underworld and bring all of the Dark Ones back for an army or something. I'm curious to see what Hook will use the Dark One's for and what his grand scheme is aside from extinguishing the light. I have a theory that this is a subtle hint that the Underworld will have significant importance for the next half of the season and that Hades will be the villain of that half especially after seeing that Hercules was cast on the show.
2. Hook was responsible for the curse- The episode also comes full circle answering every question from the season premiere when everyone awoke in Storybrooke confused. We learn that Hook killed Merlin to create a curse so he could seek revenge once again. The reasoning behind this is that a a curse requires the death of the person you love most and since Hook is a Dark One and all of the previous Dark Ones are inside him technically Merlin is the thing that Nimue loved most and so it worked. Emma then arrives and wipes everyone's memory so that she can stop Hook and make him the man he was before he became a Dark One. I felt that this made Emma seem less like a villain as her motivations were very pure and revealed that she never really did anything that was very evil.
3. Hook and Emma splintered apart- One interesting subplot was seeing Emma's mistrust of Hook drove him away from her as he gave into the darkness and then in Storybrooke seeing Hook vengeful of what had happened to him so he wants to both stop Emma and seek his revenge. It was very sad to see their relationship destroyed in some aspects and I think it's led to next week's midseason finale will result in someone's death given the stakes.
4. Gold bests Hook- I liked how Gold managed to best Hook despite being at a significant disadvantage with no magic while Hook is a Dark One and he uses his wit to win and seizes Excalibur, which is revealed can no longer control either Hook or Emma but can harm them. I'm curious to see if Gold will become more of a hero in the coming episodes and if he will strike the final blow wiping out darkness.
5. Belle breaks Rumple- At the end of the episode Gold had told Belle to meet him at the well if she did love him and she does arrive but instead tells him that she's tired of having her heart broken by him and needs time to figure herself out really breaking his heart. To me this made absolutely no sense since Rumple is clearly changed, his heart is pure and he is a hero now with noble intentions. This was a very sad moment and I'm curious to see if she'll change her mind and how Gold will be affected by her words.
6. Emma restores everyone's memories- Emma finally returns everyone's memories after working with Henry and gains everyone's trust once again, which I was very happy to see because I worried that could be dragged out. I also liked that Henry has restored faith and confidence in Emma as that was slightly annoying.
7. Zelena is allowed to see her child- One very small subplot involved Regina and Robin allowing Zelena to see the child. I liked that they still don't trust her and say that one of the two must be present for her to see her daughter. I'm curious to see if the child will have any greater significance later in the season. I really liked Regina's speech telling Zelena that Henry made her good and she has hope that Zelena's daughter can do the same for her. I'm curious to see if that development will take place throughout the season.
Promo
