'Once Upon a Time' Hero and Villain of the Week: Trust Issues
Warning: This recap for the “Broken Heart” episode of Once Upon a Time contains spoilers.
Love does not conquer all — at least, when that love is not accompanied by trust.
That’s the harsh lesson several denizens of Storybrooke learn this week, particularly Emma, Hook, and Mr. Gold. Hook is now a full-on Dark One, and seems bent on revenge against Mr. Gold for killing Milah (we later learn he’s got an even darker agenda in mind).
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Meanwhile, Emma is handcuffed from stopping him — literally, she’s got the magic-blocking bracelet on — and her family doesn’t trust her anymore. Even Henry dresses her down for trying to do everything on her own. She didn’t have faith in them, so why should they give her theirs? Emma has to earn their trust back, which is important since it becomes clear that no single person is going to be able to stop Hook.
In fact, it might take every hero in the book to save Storybrooke from Hook — and his legion of Dark Ones!
Hero of the Week: Mr. Gold
In Camelot, after Hook becomes a Dark One, Fake Rumplestiltskin shows up to initiate him into dark ways, and he’s got a very tempting proposal for Hook — killing the real Rumple!
In Storybrooke time, that’s just what Hook wants to do as soon as he has his memories back. He shows up at Gold’s shop to challenge him to a swordfight on the deck of the Jolly Roger. Emma offers to protect him, if they take off the magic-blocking cuff, but nobody trusts her to use dark magic.
Gold wants to fight; he’s been a coward too many times in his life. He’s a hero now, and he wants to be the kind of man Belle deserves. He battles Hook and manages to win, gaining Excalibur in the process.
Sadly, though, when he goes to meet Belle at their well (where they got married), she breaks up with him for good. Though she loves him and recognizes he’s good now, he’s broken her trust — and heart — too many times. Love is not enough.
Villain of the Week: Hook
This dastardly pirate is quite enjoying his Dark One status. In Camelot time, he plays Emma and pretends to fight the darkness in order to get Excalibur. Then he crushes Merlin’s heart to enact the curse to take them back to Storybrooke. Then he duels Gold to get his revenge.
He loses, but it turns out that the duel was just a ruse. Hook has an even more evil plan in mind: He uses Gold’s blood (on his hook) to open the portal to the underworld that resides in the pond. A boat floats out of hell, and a figure arrives on the bank, where Hook and Fake Rumple are waiting.
The figure opens its hood — and turns out to be Nimue. And she’s brought ALL of the former Dark Ones with her to wreak havoc on Storybrooke.
This is war, and things aren’t looking good for the forces of light.
Once Upon a Time airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on ABC.