What happened in Camelot that caused Emma to embrace the dark side?! Tonight we’ll start piecing together the puzzle. Get a sneak peek of Once Upon a Time, airing at 8:00pm ET|PT on ABC.
While last week’s Once Upon a Time premiere began with the hope of being able to save Emma from darkness, by the end of the hour, that hope was extinguished.
“The Dark Swan” kicked off with young Emma in Minneapolis in 1989. She was at the movie theater watching The Sword in the Stone. When Emma stole a candy bar from another moviegoer, she was approached by an theater usher. But rather than reprimanding her, the usher told her that a time would come when she would have the opportunity to remove Excalibur from its stone, and Emma must leave the sword alone: “When you do something that you’re not supposed to do, even if you do it for the right reasons, bad things will happen.” Then the man disappeared…
…we then flashed forward to Camelot, where King Arthur, Lancelot, and other knights were riding to find Excalibur where Merlin’s prophecy foretold. When they came upon the sword in the stone, another knight (Sir Kay) was already there and tried to take Excalibur for himself. Kay grabbed for it, but the sword’s magic turned him to dust. Now Arthur was able to take Excalibur for himself. Yet when he did pull the sword from the stone, a portion of the tip was gone…that tip now was the dagger that controlled the Dark One a.k.a. Emma Swan.
In Storybrooke, Killian, Regina and the others tried to figure out where Emma had gone. When Killian tried to use the dagger to call Emma to him, they realized she was in the Enchanted World. They rushed to the Sorcerer’s Apprentice who confirmed where Emma was. He also gave them then a wand filled with light magic. Someone evil would have to wield it to create a portal to take them to the Enchanted Forrest. At that point the Apprentice died 🙁 . Regina assumed she would be able to use the wand, but Killian quickly reminded her that she no longer had the blackness. They needed Zelena, and Killian was willing to take the risk.
Interestingly, Zelena agreed to help, but that meant removing the bracelet that neutralized her power. Regina totally refused, but Killian wasn’t deterred. He (and Henry) would go around Regina’s rules. Killian and Henry went back to Zelena, but their plan backfired. Zelena freed herself from the bracelet (by chopping off her hand with Killian’s knife!) and absconded with the wand. She kidnapped Robin and used him to trade for the Apprentice’s wand. Zelena planned to create a portal back to Oz where she would be happy with her baby. Regina gave up the wand, but when Zelena used it, she was weakened. Regina took that opportunity to slap the bracelet back on Zelena and seize the wand. So the gang, accompanied by Granny and the dwarves, journeyed to the Enchanted Forrest.
Elsewhere, Emma emerged in the Enchanted Forrest and was joined by a guide of sorts…the dark voice in her head, embodied by Rumplestiltskin. He meant to help Emma embrace her powers, but she didn’t want anything to do with the darkness. Emma was going to search for Merlin, who could help her. As she tried to find Camelot, Emma struggled with her powers. She almost killed a traveling salesman for refusing to give her directions. Emma also got into an altercation with a princess named Merida because they were both trying to catch a will-o’-the-wisp. Of course, Emma planned to use it to find Merlin, while Merida needed to find her three brothers who were kidnapped. They agreed to help one another and share the wisp. When they made camp for the night Emma realized she couldn’t sleep. While having a conversation with her Dark Guide, Merida overheard plans to potentially kill her.
The next morning Merida went to the Hill of Stones and used the wisp without Emma. Emma was upset, but trying to fight it. Unfortunately, Merida kept trying to shoot Emma with arrows. This was the last straw; Emma snatched Merida’s heart from her chest, but before crushing it, the gang arrived from Storybrooke. Killian promised they would help Emma overcome the darkness. She returned Merida’s heart, and then asked Regina to take the dagger. When the time came, if the darkness overwhelmed Emma, Regina would destroy her.
In the midst of their conversation, King Arthur and the knights arrived to escort Emma to Camelot. It was prophesied that she would reunite them with Merlin. Everyone was all smiles as the entered the city…
…and six weeks later they all landed back in Storybrooke dressed in medieval clothing and having no memories of anything after walking into Camelot. Yet, unfortunately, Emma was 100% the Dark One and she was in possession of her dagger.
What in the world happened in Camelot during those six weeks that caused Emma to embrace the dark side?! Why is she so angry at her family and friends? And why can no one remember?
In tonight’s episode “The Price”, written by Andrew Chambliss and Dana Horgan, directed by Romeo Tirone, and guest-starring Liam Garrigan as King Arthur and Joana Metrass as Guinevere:
THERE IS NO CHEATING THE PRICE OF MAGIC AS THE HEROES CONTINUE THEIR SEARCH FOR MERLIN— In an effort to protect Emma, Regina steps up in a surprising way that will test her mettle as a force for good. King Arthur and Queen Guinevere throw a royal ball to welcome the heroes to Camelot, but when the celebration takes a deadly turn, David and Robin must leap into action or lose a crucial asset in the fight to save Emma. Back in Storybrooke, Hook deploys a tried-and-true technique in hopes of bringing Emma back to the light while the heroes discover that some unexpected baggage has followed them home from Camelot. (via ABC)
So it seems the episode will have two timelines, one in the past in the Camelot and the second in present-day Storybrooke, six weeks later.
Take a look at two sneak peeks from the upcoming show.
In the first clip, King Arthur tells the Storybrooke gang that Merlin is trapped inside of a tree and he the prophecy foretold that a “Savior” would arrive to free him. Regina then makes a bold move to protect Emma. The second video brings us back to the present, with Regina trying to protect the town from the new Dark One. While setting up camp for those transported from Camelot, a dark presence descends:
I’m not quite sure why Regina felt like Emma was in danger, so she needed to say she was the Savior. Perhaps it’s already clear that King Arthur cannot be trusted. Did you notice Arthur and Guinevere’s reaction to Charming in the second video? It’s like they have something to hide…something to do with Excalibur.
The new Once Upon a Time airs at 8:00pm ET|PT on ABC, so tune in and come live tweet “The Price” with us!
[Featured Image Source: @OnceABC]