Everything in this episode leads up to the final moment when Mary Margaret and David kiss at last — more evidence that the curse over Storybrooke continues to grow weaker.
It’s a Snow White/Prince Charming episode all the way, interrupted only by a brief appearance of Storybrooke’s mysterious stranger.
Mary Margaret goes to the diner every morning at 7:15 to catch a glimpse of David, who stops by every day at that time. She doesn’t know the reason David is there is to catch a glimpse of her. Awwww. When she finds out — in the most romantic setting imaginable, a cabin deep in the woods during a storm — she and David almost kiss, but she stops because she thinks Katherine, David’s wife, is pregnant.
Later, after finding out that Katherine isn’t pregnant after all, they finally kiss. Regina sees them, and scowls.
The story also features a bird (city-dweller that I am, I kept on thinking “pigeon,” but I assume it was meant to be a dove) that we are told mates for life. It was separated from its flock and will be doomed to a lifetime alone without love, unless Mary Margaret can find the other birds and bring them all back together. She does find the flock, but the poor dove is so weighed down by all its symbolic significance that it can no longer lift itself off the ground. No, I kid. The dove gets reunited with its love-for-life, just as Mary M and David get reunited with each other.
In Fairytale land, though, Snow White and Prince Charming don’t fare as well. Just as Snow had given up, she gets a note from Prince C saying he can’t get her out of his mind, and that if she meets him within two days, he will run off with her and forget about the wedding to the proto-Katherine.
Getting there isn’t so easy, but once she escapes from the King’s dungeon, she meets the King himself, who earlier told Prince C that “love is a disease.” Nice guy. He sets a tricky trap for Snow. Unless she tells Prince C that she doesn’t love him, the King will kill not her, but the Prince.
Snow White, having no choice, does the King’s bidding. Prince C cries, and Snow goes off with the seven dwarfs. Prince C decides to call off the wedding anyway, and comes looking for Snow White, but it’s too late. She has taken Rumpelstiltskin’s “forget your love” potion, and no longer knows who Prince C is.
The other thing that happens in this episode is that the Mysterious Stranger teases Emma about how much she wants to know what is in his Mysterious Briefcase — and then he opens it up after all, revealing an ancient manual typewriter. He says he is a writer, but I have my doubts.
LOST references
The Apollo candy bar is back, bigger than ever, in the scene where Mary Margaret is grocery shopping. This is the third episode where an Apollo bar appears. Also back is Alan Dale, who used to be Charles Widmore, as the hard-hearted king.
Questions
David is still married, right?
In earlier episodes, Mary Margaret has been adamant about not getting involved with a married man. This time, she draws the line at not getting involved with a married man who has a pregnant wife. Once she finds out his wife isn’t pregnant, then she feels free to show her love — even though he is still married and living with his wife. What do you make of this?
The kiss
I thought they were going to make us wait at least until the end of the season to see Mary M and David kiss. Were you surprised it happened in this episode?
The Mysterious Stranger
Any guesses on who he might be?
Hi! Maybe the mysterious stranger is the author of Henry’s spellbook….
That’s a very intriguing idea! Maybe he came to town to write the next chapter …
I agree…he did tell Henry that whatever was in the box was necessary for him to do what he had come to do…so if it’s a typewriter, he presumably needs it to write…and maybe he’s appeared now because since Emma’s arrived and things have started to change, he needs to record the changes, and therefore write the new chapters. I wonder why Emma didn’t bother to ask him what his name was.
I Had the same thought
Yes, so did my sister…I guess it IS pretty logical! Still, we might be surprised. I was sure he would have something to do with red riding hood, based on a snapshot of the upcoming episode, and apparently I was way off the mark!
Oops I meant storybook not spellbook, but you got my meaning anyway! I had been asking myself who might have written the book (the author probably knows something as the pictures resemble the characters themselves, etc…unless the book was simply created by magic) and when the stranger showed Emma the typewriter I thought “now THAT would be cool…”! We’ll just have to wait and see…
Long shot here. What if he was one of the Grimm brothers? And he still could’ve wrote the storybook. I said it was a long shot.
I like that idea — that would be an amazing twist!
Maybe it’s the ultimate LOST shout-out — he’s J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, or Carlton Cuse. 😉
So happy they shared that kiss.
This show makes me crazy. Since its two stories, by the end I was smiling and crying at the same time! Either way, this episode was incredible, and the show is a masterpiece. I’m more of a sitcom girl most of the time, but this show is really changing my outlook on dramas.
I like that idea…of him being the author, and also a potential love interest for Zoey…I mean Emma. Sorry, I always see her a Zoey.
ok another long shot but hey this is OUaT. i believe that snow white fell in love with both “james” and his brother. the one who died. As it turns out, “James” wasn’t the original Prince Charming. writers are not showing everything in chronological order so, snow white first fell in love with prince charming’s brother who died. then came james who also fell in love with her and visa versa.
Oh no that would be awful! So sad! Anyway, the first time they meet is when James is travelling through the woods with his fiancée, so, time-wise, the original prince is already dead. And even if, in another LOST similarity, there’s some time travelling or something, I think Snow White would notice that at a certain point the Prince doesn’t remember her. Interesting idea, though!
First episode without Rumple making an appearance. I miss him!
Wendy, Rumple gave Snow White the magic potion. Mr. Gold, however, was MIA….and I missed him as well. I love “the poor dove is so weighed down by all its symbolic significance that it can no longer lift itself off the ground”. Very good metaphor but that’s an even better line.
Thanks. And I too hope to see a lot more of Mr. Gold soon.
we also came up with a theory that the stranger is rumple’s son. he wanted something before he showed emma what was in the box(to buy her a drink). when she asked for her drink he said “i said someday” just like mr gold and that favor she owes him. he didnt want to use it right away.
That’s very interesting! Yes, he did show a Rumpel-like interest in bargaining. And if he was Rumpel’s son, that might explain how he got into Storybrooke from the outside.
Nobody mentioned that when the stranger came into town on his motorcycle that his license plate was “23”.
Good catch!
what do you think that means?
23 is one of "the numbers" from LOST. The producers of Once Upon a Time have been sprinkling in LOST references from the very first episode. I think it’s a game the OUAT producers are playing with LOST fans.
If the Mysterious Stanger does not makeout with the sheriff he is the boy from the future ikf he does he is one of the Grimm brothers 😉
Deacon