Once Upon A Time - Save Henry

After last week's episode, Henry is campaigning for the Dumbest Decision of the Year Award. Let's see if the Jolly Rodger gang can actually Save Henry (from himself) this week.

Episode starts with Regina coming to gloat to Rumple that she enacted the curse. This flashback is going WAY back to season one. Rumple tells her that the curse made a hole in her heart, that she'll eventually come to him to fill. We also learn that she knew about the savior as Rumple told her during this exchange. Regina quips that killing a baby just made her to do list. How fun is Rumple in this scene? He's deliciously evil and basks in it. Robert Carlyle is amazing. I find it curious that he tells her he is exactly where he wants to be, which is in his jail cell/cage.

Neverland - Present

Scene starts out right after the end of the previous episode. Regina, Emma and Neal are surrounding Henry. Pan flies down to taunt them. Emma wants to know what Pan did. Pan tells her that it's not what he did, but what Henry did. Henry offered up his own heart. Emma declares that she is going to take it back from him. He tells her that she doesn't have it in her, and neither did Rumple. He also reveals that Rumple is in the box before Emma ends up nicking him with her sword, causing Pan to take off.

Storybrooke - Past

Archie comes to visit Regina. He thinks it's about Pongo's dog license, but it quickly becomes apparent that Regina wants to talk to him as a therapist. He tells her that she's driven, and that sometimes that can create a hole. She scoffs, and insists that she is happy. He finally gets her to admit that she feels 'nothing', empty. He asks her to remember a time when that wasn't the case. She admits that it was when Owen came to town (or Greg if you prefer). It's obvious Regina wants a child. WE ARE GOING TO FIND OUT HOW HENRY CAME TO STORYBROOKE!

Regina runs to see Mr Gold telling him she wants a baby. Loved his wisecrack in reply 'I am flattered, but uninterested'. She tells him she wants him to help her adopt a baby, not father one with her. She knows Gold can cut through the red tape so she won't have to wait by taking the regular route. Mr Gold relents, but tells her that he is unsure that it is helping her. He tells her that when you become a parent you have to put the child first (and let's be honest, Regina is kind of selfish). Basically wanting to be a mother, and being one are two different things.

Neverland - Present

Regina puts a spell on Henry that will keep Henry alive for a short time, enough for them to get to Pan. Emma asks Neal if he knows where Pan would have gone. Neal mentions that he doesn't really know, sadly. Regina freaks out, saying that her son is dying. Emma corrects her and says OUR son (which, seriously Regina? Just last episode it was OUR son, WE love you. DO NOT BACK PEDDLE!). Emma says she knows how Regina is feeling. Regina tells her she really doesn't. She points out to Emma "You have your parents, you have this… person, and a pirate who pines for you. You have everything" She is pointing out that Emma has people who love her, and whom she loves. Regina says she ONLY has Henry. Emma backs off, and asks Regina what she wants to do. Emma is being incredibly patient with Regina right now. *side note- The Emma/Neal shipper in me LOVED that even REGINA can sense that there is a bond between Emma and Neal. She doesn't know what it is, but it's obviously there. Hence not knowing what Neal is to Emma and Regina refering to him as 'this person'. She only mentions that Hook pines for Emma, not that it's the other way. INTERESTING*. After Regina admits she doesn't know what to do, they strategize. Neal admits that he is unsure they can hurt Pan. He was powerful enough before, but with Henry's heart he is going to be stronger. Regina notices blood on Emma's sword and realizes they can hurt him. She says if they can hurt him, they can kill him and she vows to do exactly that.

Snow points out that with Gold in the box Charming can't leave the island. Ever the self sacrificing hero, Charming says he's already made peace with that. Henry is what matters. Regina tells them that they have maybe an hour before her spell wears off. Regina, who is getting desperate, goes after Felix. Tries to make him tell her where Pan is. Emma stops her, and tells her that there might be a better way. They need to give the Lost Boys incentive to talk to them. She thinks that you can catch more flies with honey so to speak. She offers the Lost Boys a chance to leave the island. She offers to take them home. She tells them that she is just like them. She was a Lost Girl, but she has plenty of people who love her, and if it can happen to her, it can happen to them. Regina's words must have stayed with Emma. She feels loved now.  She's pretty convincing. Felix is steadfastly loyal to Pan and refuses, but the others are being swayed. Felix is actively trying to get them to remain loyal to Pan. He's a little snarky with his whole 'Not. Telling'. They eventually tell Emma that Pan is at his 'thinking tree'. Is Pan now Winnie the Pooh? My guess is that the tree in questions is the one where he let go of young Rumple. Emma tearfully promises that they are going home, all of them.

Storybrooke - Past

Mr Gold calls Regina to see him. He's gotten her a baby that can be adopted because the people who were going to adopt him changed their minds. Regina goes to the adoption agency herself. This opens up so many questions. Regina could always leave Storybrooke? Really? I didn't get that from the previous seasons, but okay. I always figured someone brought Henry to Storybrooke (like August, maybe). Regina charms the gentleman at the agency and he agrees to allow her to adopt Henry. There's a funny line about Storybrooke being like a fairytale. He tells her the adoption is a 'closed adoption' so she won't have access to the birth parent information, including medical history. Regina says that she is only concerned with her son's future, not his past. Cute moment where Regina first holds Henry.

Henry isn't adjusting well at home. He's a fussy, crying baby and Regina really has no clue. The best part is that she seems like EVERY other parent. She has no clue, and is learning as she goes along. Regina is also not a fan of baby spit up. She ends up taking him to see Dr Whale, who informs her that Henry is simply a crying baby. His prescription is '10 ccs of maternal love' which prompts Regina to get sassy. She insists that there is something wrong. Dr Whale says if he had the medical history of the birth parents it might show anything that is genetic that might be the cause. Regina, who is desperate, gets Sidney to look up the mother's name. She hands the baby off to Snow (er... Mary Margaret) and Henry immediately stops crying. The second Regina takes him back, Henry starts crying again.

Regina is a typical new mother which certainly makes her seem more caring and pleasant. Her pleading with baby Henry to give her a chance is instantly recognizable as a stressed out mother who hasn't done this before. It's nice knowing she actually cares about Henry and he wasn't just a means to her revenge. He was someone she wanted to love.

She finds out Emma is the mother, and that the mother was found on the side of the road exactly 18 years ago. Regina immediately puts it together and  goes after Mr Gold.  He doesn't remember anything. He has no clue why she is freaking out. It's already been established that he had none of his Rumple memories until he heard Emma's name in season 1, so Regina's freakout is pointless. It's kind of funny seeing her saying things that Gold has no idea about. She seems like a crazy person. I will give her that it seems awfully convenient that she ended up with Henry. *sigh* Maybe I spoke too soon. Of course Regina wants to send Henry back to Boston. That will fix everything. She's so focused on her revenge, it's unhealthy. Also, she clearly doesn't know Emma when she arrives into town in the pilot, so what the heck?!

Regina bringing Henry back is all kinds of sad. Especially when baby Henry smiles at her. The adoption agency guy tries to make her feel better about making this decision (and honestly, it might have been better for Henry in the long run considering everything that has happened) but ultimately she's broken up about it. She decides to keep him, regardless of what it means. The adoption agency had set up new parents for Henry already, and (to nobody's surprise) it was....... the Darling brothers. Pan really wanted to get his hands on Henry, and has known where he was for a long time.

Later on, Archie goes to check in on Regina. She confesses that she is afraid that Henry's birth mother will show up to 'take Henry back'. She says that she fears fate, destiny and it's basically a thinly veiled conversation about Emma breaking the curse. He tells her to focus on being a mother, and not worry about the other stuff. She takes his advice and conjures up a forgetting potion so she can focus on Henry, and being a good mother without worrying about Emma coming. She does so while telling Henry a bedtime story. She calls the curse 'glorious'. Sure, Regina. At least this explains why she didn't react to Emma in the pilot. If anything this episode showed it's one step forward, 10 steps back for Regina.

Neverland - Present

Now that they know the location Emma starts putting a plan in motion. Emma asks Neal to stay behind and be with Henry. She wants him safe, and wants Neal to get everyone ready to leave. Neal immediately takes control and tells everyone staying behind to get the Lost Boys on Hook's ship. Hook and Neal snark at each other again (over something that isn't Emma,but is actually Emma). God this triangle. PLEASE STOP IT! Neal promises Emma that Henry will be safe. Snow says that she is going with Emma because if she's stuck on the island for the rest of eternity she wants to spend the last few moments she can with her daughter. Regina, Emma and Snow take off to go get Pan. Three kick ass women going to save the day. I love it. 

The find Pandora's Box and immediately try to grab it because it's David's only way home. A tree immediately grabs them and wraps them in it's vines. Peter comes out and tells them that he never fails. Taunts them with the fact that they'll only see Henry again in death. Have I mentioned he's a jerk? Luckily Robbie Kay KILLS it in every scene and makes me love him.

Peter reveals that the tree they are at is an important place to him. It's where he abandoned his son. He makes jokes about being 'older than he looks' when they girls seem to not believe him. He reveals that his son is currently in Pandora's Box, revealing that he is Rumple's father (and also THE WORST FATHER EVER). Regina taunts him with the fact that his magic is weak and that he wouldn't be able to take them or Rumple if he was out of the box. Peter agrees and says that the tree will protect him until he has absorbed Neverland's magic with Henry's heart. He says that the tree attacks anyone who has regrets and that all the women have them. He takes a few digs at Emma and Snow about their parenting skills but it doesn't work on Regina. She tells him that she regrets NOTHING. Not the curse. Not all the torture. Not the deaths at her hand. NOTHING. So, where's the character growth? I am not sure I like this. Regina SHOULD regret things. She manages to get free and rip Henry's heart out of Peter (so yay, but REALLY Regina?! NOTHING?!). She claims it's because it got her Henry, but still. The look on Peter's face when she gets free though... can we just keep Robbie Kay forever? Please!

They make it back to the Jolly Rodger in record time, and rush to Henry to give him back his heart. There is a tense moment where they think (but none of the viewers fall for it) that Henry might not wake up. He, of course, does and is happy to see everyone. He tells them he wanted to be a hero. Charming tells him he has plenty of time for that. Hook, being a complete gentleman, offers Henry the captain's quarters to rest in. 

Regina tucks Henry in, and it's a sweet moment between them. She casts a protection spell on his heart so nobody can take it ever again. Um....did she miss that HENRY gave away his heart. ARGH!  Nobody took it. It's awfully convenient that she puts this on him now though. Now it can not be proven if Henry's heart could have been taken previously. Emma's heart can't be, and many theorize it's because of the whole being a 'true love' baby thing. If Henry's heart can't be taken that indicates that he is, like Emma, the product of true love. Sigh....No sooner has Regina left than Peter reveals himself to be on the ship with everyone. 

As all this is going on Neal lets Rumple out of the box (YAY!) and they have a VERY touching heart to heart. Neal wants to know why Rumple never told him that Pan was his father. Rumple says it's because he didn't want Neal to know he was just as bad a father as Pan is. Neal tells him that he is nothing like Pan. He came back for Neal and they hug. Emma sees this and is smiling and happy. She gets how important this is to Neal because all her and Neal ever wanted was a home (shipper bias, totally). She in turn hugs her parents. They realize that David can be cured now, and that they can be a family. Sigh... all the tears.

Meanwhile, Peter is trying to rip out Henry's heart again, but when it doesn't work he tries to take his shadow. Rumple comes in and tells Pan that 'blood magic works both ways' and opens Pandora's Box. Before he's sucked in he does something that causes his eyes and Heny's eyes to glow (so they totally switched places). Poor Henry! I wonder if we will find out what it's like inside that box. 

After getting everyone on the ship Emma and Neal put the coconut holding the shadow in a canon and light it on fire. The shadow launches and Regina attaches it to the sail to make the ship fly. (Typing this out, it sounds so weird). Emma says what everyone is thinking and enthuses "let's get the hell out of Neverland". 

Emma and Charming have the best conversation. He tells her that he is proud of her for bringing them together, and being the leader they needed. Emma reiterates what it's always been about. She was glad they could work together to get Henry home. That's all that matters.

Wendy and Tink share a moment where Wendy gives Tink some pixie dust. Tink tells Wendy she can't make it work because she's got no magic. Wendy says that Tink will figure it out, because she believes in her (I do believe in fairies! I do, I do!). Tink goes to talk to Regina and they discuss Henry and how maybe the Evil Queen could love someone after all. Tink's pixie dust starts to glow, and Regina tells her that perhaps for a moment Tink believed. Can we have more of this friendship?! I love their interactions, so much. Regina needs a friend like Tink.

Henry/Pan comes up to the deck and Neal takes a moment to tell him that he is not going to leave Henry ever. He'll be there for him forever. I love how much Neal has stepped up as a father since he's found out about Henry. Henry/Pan hugs Neal and after goes to talk to Felix. It becomes obvious that Pan did in fact make the switch and there is a lot of Pan's 'catch phrases' tossed around by Jared Gilmore. I hope this doesn't last too long. Felix is obviously happy though!

I am sad that the genuine moment Neal shared wasn't really with Henry. I wonder how many other moments Pan is going to 'steal' and what this means for Henry in the upcoming episodes. 

Two episodes left before the Winter hiatus (that lasts until MARCH) and they still haven't saved Henry. I am excited to see how Robbie Kay plays Henry though. 

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