Once Upon A Time - Ariel

Look at this stuff, isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collection's complete? Wouldn't you think I'm the girl, the girl who has everything?

This week's Once Upon A Time brought Ariel to be part of our world, and she was FANTASTIC!

The episode starts with a flashback in the Enchanted Forest (I think) with Snow being chased by guards. She runs right to a cliff, and because bandit Snow is AWESOME she jumps! She ends up needing a little rescuing and her savior is none other than a plucky mermaid named ARIEL! I am already in love with JoAnna Garcia Swisher in this role.

Neverland - Present

Regina trying to teach Emma magic is quite entertaining. Their conversation about magic, and how to access it is intriguing. Regina was taught to harness it using dark emotions. Can magic harnessed by 'light' emotions like love work too? I think so. Emma wants to try a different way which makes sense as she is the product of true love. Snow and Charming are worried about Emma (and more specifically Regina teaching her) but agree that since she has magic in her, she has to learn how to use it.

Hook comes out, and surprises me by telling Snow and Charming that Neal is alive. At least that Pan told him Neal was anyways. It's smart of him because Emma is already fragile, and this could send her over the edge, and Pan could totally be lying (even though WE know he's not, I get that the characters would think that). It shows character growth. Snow is, not surprisingly, not convinced until she sees some tracks in the ground. Charming doesn't want to tell her immediately, but Snow does. Hook and Charming want to find Neal before telling Emma to prevent her from getting her hopes up. Charming does it out of a sense of nobility and 'protecting' the ones you love, and Hook....well, he still just wants to get with Emma.

Hook, Charming and Snow attempt to stealthy leave the campsite, and go find Neal. Emma, having eyes and being intelligent, questions what is going on. Snow, who would never stand up to hardcore questioning, immediately tells Emma that Neal is alive, well maybe. Emma is skeptical, and Regina is 100 percent convinced this is a trick. They argue and Regina says she's leaving the rest of them to go find Henry on her own. Emma is wavering and Snow tells her not to give up hope, that she owes it to Henry to see if his father is still alive. This is what makes Emma relent.

Enchanted Forest - Flashback

Ariel and Snow talk on the edge of the lake about things that drive you crazy (Snow's is the evil queen, and Ariel's is Eric!). Ariel saved Eric from drowning and has been running to him ever since. She whips out an announcement of a royal ball from her bag of goodies and tells Snow she wants to go to the ball to meet him. Snow is quick to inquire how that's going to happen since Ariel currently has a tail. Ariel turns her fin into legs! Ursula, a sea goddess, blessed the mermaids with legs once a year for twelve hours. They mention Ursula being a myth, which is interesting because it's already so different than the original sea witch version of the story. Snow wants to help Ariel find her prince, and fall in love (too cute). Ariel is like a new born deer on her legs. She's basically perfect.

Neverland - Present

Peter Pan interrupts Rumple trying to see the future. He tells Rumple that because you don't have a future while on Neverland, it's not something you can see (makes sense). Again, Robbie Kay...STOP IT! He's fantastic. Peter's made Rumple's favourite breakfast. This supports my theory of how Peter and Rumple know each other. Peter basically rubs all the ways Rumple's life sucks right now in his face. He reminds Rumple that saving Neal is pointless, because Neal will never forgive him (and says that Rumple has never forgiven his father). He tells Rumple that he's better off packing it in and going home. Going back to Belle and have a kid, and some kind of happy life. Rumple isn't having it (thankfully).

Enchanted Forest - Flashback

Perfect Ariel is perfect! Snow and Ariel are in Price Eric's castle for the ball. Snow is teaching Ariel somethings about the human world. She holds up a fork and asks Ariel to name it. Ariel's reply is 'mini trident' and 'salad trident' after Snow gives a shake of her head. After being corrected by Snow, Ariel promptly tucks one of the forks into her bag of goodies ('They are not that valuable' Snow assures her). She's a clueless, sweet klepto!

Eric makes  his entrance and Ariel dreamily says that he's just as she remembers (except less wet...she's too freaking cute!). Snow urges her to go to Eric. Eric asks her to dance, and recognizes her. He says that he's seen her in his dreams, and that the sea goddess Ursula must have shown him Ariel's face. He thinks Ursula saved him, and showed him his future - Ariel. They are super cute together. Ariel tells Eric that she wants to see the world, and Eric invites her to accompany him on his boat on his own world seeing journey (after like 5 minutes...that true love sure works fast). Ariel is non committal (with the whole not really having legs thing being a problem) and Eric suggests that she not answer now, but instead he'll wait for her. If she wants to go she'll show, and if she doesn't show he'll be heartbroken but understand.

We see Regina watching this exchange via a magic mirror. She's very unhappy with the guards who let Snow jump off the cliff, and even kills one oft them for failing to assure Snow's death. Seeing Snow with Ariel gives Regina an idea on how to take care of the problem herself.

Snow and Ariel are talking about what she should do. Snow wants her to be honest with Eric, and tell him why she can't go. Ariel doesn't want to because it'll mean asking him to stay here, and she doesn't want to talk him out of his dream. Snow thinks she's just afraid of Eric's decision because she doesn't want to get hurt. Ariel goes outside to speak with Ursula to try to get some assistance with her problem. She thinks Ursula is just a myth after all, and turns to go inside when Ursula pops out of the water. She looks an awful lot like Regina (my guess is that Regina is using the Ursula myth to get Ariel to do something awful to Snow). Lana Parrilla had so much fun as Ursula. I hear that Ursula is her favourite Disney villain. She tempts Ariel with having legs forever, and being part of Eric's world and tells Ariel that she has a way to make that happen. She gives Ariel a bracelet that turns a non-mermaid into a mermaid. Ariel puts it on Snow because in her mind it will allow Snow to escape and as long as Snow wears the bracelet Ariel will have her legs. Snow is, understandably, upset. Ariel's naivete is adorably clueless, but totally going to backfire. Regina shows up as soon as Snow turns into a mermaid and reveals it was her that actually gave Ariel the bracelet and that Ursula doesn't really exist. Ariel is so incredulous that Regina tricked her. It's sweet. She wants to stay and help Snow. Regina says that Ariel can stay and get hurt too or run off with Eric. Snow tells her to go, and Ariel runs off...or so we think. Ariel runs back and stabs Regina with the dinglehopper and grabs Snow pulling them into the water. She swims Snow to safety and is basically my favourite. SHE STABBED REGINA WITH A FORK!

Once they are safe, Snow tells Ariel to go find Eric. She urges her to tell him the truth and go get her man. Ariel swims off ready to tell Eric everything. He's still waiting for her when Ariel swims up. She tries to call to him only to find that her voice is gone. Regina stole it as payback for Ariel rescuing Snow. Eric, unable to see or hear Ariel leaves (and leaving behind a heartbroken Ariel). Regina also calls Ariel a 'little mermaid' which is perfect. Later, back in Regina's castle she hears someone calling her name from her mirror. It's the real Ursula who is not pleased Regina impersonated her, and she threatens Regina if she ever does it again.

Neverland - Present

Emma tells Snow that she kissed Hook. She is quick to tell Snow that it was a one time thing, and that it was 'just a kiss'. Snow mentions that Neal will understand. Emma snarks 'If he's still alive'. Snow tells her to have hope because Emma deserves a happy ending and they always start with hope (I might love Snow just a little here). They arrive at the Echo Caves after following the trail that Peter and the Lost Boys left (Peter had Neal moved to the Echo Caves). Hook tells that they will have to reveal a secret in order to rescue Neal, or anyone that is inside. He also mentions that he lost half his crew inside last time he was there. He says it has to be a secret that they would never admit about themselves, and the deeper the secret the better. Hook says that Peter wants their secrets to destroy them.

They enter the caves and find Neal. He's in a place that they can't reach. Hook realizes that they need to tell their secrets in order to be able to reach Neal. Hook goes first. His secret is that he kissed Emma. Charming's reaction is hilarious 'You did what?' along with Snow's "David, now is not the time'. Emma rolls her eyes and reveals she already told Snow, and that it was just a kiss not some deep dark secret. Hook tells his real secret - that he didn't think he'd ever be able to move on from Milah until he met Emma. Emma made him realize he could love again. Now, I know fans of Hook and Emma will point to this as being some kind of clue that they belong together. I see it differently (and yes, it's due to my Emma/Neal bias). I think Emma opened up Hook's eyes to the fact that he is able to have feelings for someone else. I don't doubt he has feelings for Emma. Are they love? I am not so sure. I think he thinks so. I think he will realize that what Emma really did for him was show him that he could let go of the ghost of Milah and move on from his desire for revenge. Of course he'd be thankful for that. I would love to see him get his happy ending, and I think this is the start of that (just not with Emma).

After part of a bridge appears, Snow goes next. She says that while Emma is smart, beautiful amazing woman and that Snow love her very much, she's all grown up. Snow is not okay with it, even though she tries to pretend she is. They missed EVERYTHING with Emma. Snow reveals that she wants another baby. As soon as they leave the island she wants to try and expand their family. With that secret revealed another part of the bridge appears.

Charming goes next. He (finally) admits that he can't leave the island. He tells her about the dreamshade poison and that Hook cured him with the water. He tearfully tells her that he'll die if he leaves Neverland, and with that reveal the bridge is complete.

Emma crosses it to Neal's cage. She tries to hack it open with the sword (which is Neal's old sword...squee!). Neal tells her that it won't work that way, and she knows it. It's Emma's turn to tell her secret and Neal tells her that she can tell him anything. Her secret is heartbreaking, and beautiful, and filled me with so many emotions.

When I heard you might be here, that you might still be alive, I knew I should be happy but I wasn't. I was terrified. I didn't understand why until now. From the moment I saw you in New York, from the instant you stepped back in my life I knew...I knew, I never stopped loving you. Before I even got a chance to take a breath I lost you once more, and all that pain that I had pushed down for all those years, it just came rushing back. I don't know if I can go through it again. I love you, I probably always will, but my secret is that I was hoping this was a trick. I was hoping you were dead because it would be easier for me to put you behind me than to face all the pain that we went through all over again.

Emma wanted to take the cowards way out. She wanted to not deal with the pain that BOTH she and Neal had to go through if he is going to be in her life. People are saying that she wished Neal dead and that she wants to put him behind her, but they are missing the MOST important part. She doesn't want that. She just said it would be the easier option to put him behind her (if he were dead because that's the only way it would happen) because she doesn't want to 'face all the pain that THEY went through all over again'. She acknowledges that Neal was hurt in all this too. She does want a second chance and that scares her. He has hurt her yes, and terribly. She wanted to run from that, and push it all back down. She was hoping that those feelings he bubbled the surface by showing back up would be easily pushed away. Now he's back, and in front of her, and she loves him and has to deal with it. She wanted the cowards way out and now she can't take it. It's the most vulnerable I've seen Emma, and Jennifer played it beautifully. Neal does the right thing and keeps quiet. He takes everything Emma says, because he knows he deserves this. He deserves her hurt, anger, and he's understanding of those feelings. He is taking responsibility for his role in hurting her. This secret opens his cage. They hug, and I think, it's filled with comfort.

They leave the caves and Neal thanks all of them for saving him. Neal says he knows a way off the island and that prompts Hook to say that they should retrieve the boy (Henry) and leave.

Emma stops Neal as everyone goes to leave to apologize for what she said. Neal tells her she doesn't need to apologize and that it's okay. She says that she wishes she could change how she feels ('more than anything'...my heart! These two! GAH!). She apologizes again, and he tells her to not apologize. He tells her that after everything that he's put her through she never has to apologize to him again (so freaking cute). He also tells her that he has his own secret - he's never going to stop fighting for her, ever. (swoon!). I think it's beyond romantic. Of course Hook overhears this. This triangle is just starting to heat up!

Snow and Charming are walking ahead and he's trying to explain and apologize, and Snow is having none of it. I hope these secrets don't distract them from finding Henry and getting home. I loved the notion of secrets and the Echo Cave because it made our characters admit things, and confront things they may not have wanted to. Every show should do this. The plot was moved forward so much in this episode.

Neverland - present

Rumple is seeing another vision of Belle. She's tempting him to come home by telling him that she wants a family with him, and that he needs to come home to her. He tells her that she shouldn't want anything because she's a figment of his subconscious. Vision Belle starts to choke, and Regina enters the clearing. She shows Rumple that's been a shadow impersonating Belle the whole time. Poor Rumple. :( Regina is being pretty snippy with him, and hurtful. Regina wants to team up with Rumple to get Henry back and thinks she can provoke the Dark One out this way. She wants Rumple to be his most vicious. Rumple says that if he does it'll be the death of him because if he kills Pan it'll kill him too. Regain scoffs and says she's the only one that will be killing Rumple, and she wants to find another way than death. They mention a 'fate worse than death' and it prompts Rumple to remember something he has back in Storybrooke. Regina just so happens to know someone who can cross realms- ARIEL! They are sending Ariel to Storybrooke!!! Also, apparently mermaids can cross realms. This opens up many possibilities and questions. I am excited that Ariel has her voice back and even more excited that we get to see Storybrooke. Regina gave Ariel legs, and a little bit of hope because Eric is also in Storybrooke! Perhaps she'll get her happy ending yet.

Until next Wednesday... Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust.