OUAT Recap: Heartbreak Hotel

***Warning this recap contains spoilers – if you have not seen tonight’s episode of Once Upon A Time, do not read, turn around and just walk away!! For the rest of you, go ahead and click below to to read away!***

Well Emma and Regina actually managed to get Merlin out of the tree, HOW it happened is a much sadder tale. Let’s recap shall we.

Camelot: The hour opened with a look of just wizard Merlin be tree Merlin. It’s the age old story of Dark One killed a loved one and used the tear of heartbreak to cast a curse. How did we learn of this you ask? Well looks like Emma is tapping into that dark power within to make her late night hobby of dreamcatcher weaving into a way to look at people’s memories. And it’s a good thing she did, Emma was also able to see that Mommy and Daddy had been Avoln’d and froze them right as Snow was getting a little testy with Regina when trying to get the D.O. dagger for Little Bitch King Arthur.

While Emma and Regina put their collective magical heads together to get Merlin un-treed, Henry was working on asking Violet out on a date. Too bad he never listened to David when he said to not play with swords as he wound up getting a self-esteem kicking talk from Sir Morgan (V’s dad) who basically said his daughter would only be worthy of a knight’s hand aka writers need not apply.  After a little chat with the mother units, Henry set up the cutest date ever at Granny’s, introducing Violet to soda, movies, and diner food. Speaking of movies, how have Henry’s devices not died yet? Is he using Granny’s generator’s to charge them up or did pack away a few external chargers?? Anywho, as Henry goes on about date worthy moments, Violet swoops in for the kill and tells him that he has been friend zoned, thus breaking his heart.

Turns out that heartbreak had a silver lining as in order to free Merlin, Emma and Regina needed a tear of heartbreak to free the tree dweller. Since Regina’s old Daniel heartbreak isn’t what it used to be, first crush heartbreak will do the trick. So right as Arthur comes up, demanding the dagger, Emma casts the spell and frees Merlin, who promptly tells Arthur to go sit down.  After Merlin sets Snow and Charming right again, Hook asks the all important question, can Merlin truly rid Emma of the darkness. The answer is “sure” but only if Emma’s is truly ready to free her heart from the darkness.

Storybrooke: Emma has Rumple tied up in her basement and has charged Merida with making him brave, but the really troubling discovery is her dreamcatcher workshop in the garage.

Once again Madam Mayor needs to put up the cash for a security upgrade to the sheriff’s station as the gang is yet again trying to figure out how someone in lock-up just up and vanished. It’s during that conversation that the gang decides what the town needs is a dance/block party to raise everyone’s spirits. This leads Henry to ask Violet to the dance but she informs him she is far too worried about her runaway horse to attend a party. Whats a lad to do? Ask is Dark One mother for help giving his friend her happy ending which she agrees to. Turns out the horse likes pumpkin and there just happens to be a pumpkin patch called Peter Peter’s nearby that the horse is headed straight for, too easy right.

While Henry and Emma went horse hunting, Regina, Hook and gang broke into the D.O.’s house and found excalibur in the basement while also figuring out that Emma took Rumple. Before they could really explore the house, Henry informs the group that Emma is headed back but before they leave, Hook finds one of Emma’s dreamcatchers.

At the party, the gang informs Arthur that excalibur is back in the stone but demand to know why excalibur and the D.O. dagger look so similar. This shocks Arthur a bit and while he tries to give them some line of bullshit, Hook isn’t having it, informing Arthur that he knows quite a bit about the dagger but nothing about “his” blade, so bro better start explaining. While the adults keep trying to bullshit each other, Henry returns the horse to Violet earning him some admiration both from the young lady and her father.

While all this is going on, Merida is having “fun” in the woods dealing with coward Rumple. I will say, he at least picked up the sword this go around, which is a big leap from the last time on The Jolly Rodger. Media quickly determines that Rumple needs something to fight for so she channels her inner Belle, does some research and uses the infamous chipped cup to light a fire within Rumple and force him to fight.

Big Reveal: The biggest “WTF” moment of the night came when Regina and Robin take a look at the memory held within the dreamcatcher they pilfered from Emma’s house. Turns out it’s Violet’s memory, of the night of her date with Henry at Granny’s in Camelot.  Emma knew they needed a plan B incase Regina’s tear didn’t work so she took a page from Cora’s book of parenting. She ripped out Violet’s heart and forced her to break Henry’s heart so they could use his tear to free Merlin. Naturally Henry saw this as he came home early. This just reinforced by Rumple told Emma earlier in the hour, you’ll always lose the ones you love the most.

Mentionable’s/Quotable’s:

“Emma, is your heart truly ready to be free?” – Merlin

“Well if it’s dating tips you need lad, I know my way around a woman” – Hook (to Henry)

“Over your dead body” – Regina (to Hook)

“I know much about the dagger. But want I DON’T know it is, your blade. Care to enlighten us?” – Hook (to Arthur)

“All you need is a sword and one good hand” – Merida (to Rumple)

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