Once Upon A Time - Recap: A Helping Hand

Of course, there would be no show if everyone always did what they were supposed to do. Sure, Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) probably should tell Emma (Jennifer Morrison) about his "possessed" hand, if only because she's seen enough in her time that it probably wouldn't be too hard for her to believe. And Gold/Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle) probably should tell Belle (Emilie de Ravin) that he switched out the daggers, if only to do preemptive damage control. But these are prideful men we're dealing with. Sure, they're better now than they were before, as people. But they're far from perfect. Then again, that's what makes them interesting, and it's also what gives us our plot for this episode, as Hook and Gold blackmail each other into getting what they want -- and they do this by threatening to reveal the other's secrets to the woman they love. It's a solid episode, although it doesn't feel like we get that much advancement on the overarching plot of the season so far, as the Snow Queen (Elizabeth Mitchell) is AWOL except for a brief moment where Emma notices the witch in the distance and gives chase. Census records reveal that she didn't come to Storybrooke via the Curse, and Emma is convinced she has something to do with the woman's presence, but she has no idea what, nor does anyone else. And that's hardly the only mystery we dig into...

Credit: ABC

I suppose if I had watched Once Upon A Time In Wonderland, I might know why Will Scarlet/The Knave of Hearts (Michael Socha) is here in Storybrooke, but the show premiered during an outrageously hectic time for me, so I just never managed to get around to watching it. Granted, I don't expect this show would rely on its audience having seen the spinoff to understand what's going on, but it's clear that his presence is a lot more than just an Easter egg. He not only gets knocked out by Hook while trying to break into Granny's, he gets thrown in the slammer by Emma, who reveals she found a book on him: Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. It's one of many mysteries the episode presents but doesn't try to solve. But it's just as well, since this is a pretty busy hour of television as it is.

Credit: ABC

I liked Gold's side of things more than Hook's, as we get some indication of what that golden box in his shop is: The Sorcerer's Hat (from Fantasia), an object that will allow Gold to be free of the dagger's hold on him, while also allowing him to retain all his power, and then some. In the past, we see the Zoso the Dark One (Brad Dourif) try to access the hat, only to be blocked by an old man, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, who serves as its guardian. Years pass, and Anna (Elizabeth Lail) finds herself on Rumpel's doorstep, seeking answers about her parents. What follows is a circuitous storyline that's far more engaging in execution than it is in theory, even knowing that it involves Rumpel deceiving the hell out of the hopelessly naive Anna, tricking her into fulfilling the requirements he needs to bypass the Sorcerer's Apprentice and access the hat. Inevitably, the hat ends up with Anna, who uses the dagger to not only escape Rumpel's grasp, but order him never to hurt herself or Elsa (Georgina Haig). In the process, she learns that her parents sought out the Dark One to learn how to rid Elsa of her powers. So now we have the question of how the Sorcerer's Hat wound up back in Rumpel's possession, and what circumstances could possibly result in Anna trapping Elsa in the magical urn. It's plot intrigue that goes nicely with the character intrigue at the center of "The Apprentice," as Gold gives Hook his hand back for his date with Emma, only to warn him that the hand is possessed by the darkness of the old Hook.

Credit: ABC

It's a thoroughly ridiculous development, but it adds to Hook's development this season as someone who is forthrightly committed to bettering himself, and not just paying lip service to the concept. The idea that his hand could be forcing him to turn back into the villain he once was is an intriguing concept, particularly since Gold is able to use this to get Hook to agree to help him trap the Apprentice's Storybrooke counterpart. Worse for Hook, Gold recorded the whole thing, so he can never reveal the truth about Gold to Belle, or else he'll show the tape to Emma. Blackmail rules the day in Storybrooke, and while it seems a bit cliche, at least it's interesting. I can't really say the same about Operation Mongoose, the plan Henry (Jared S. Gilmore) hatches to go undercover as an apprentice at Gold's shop in order to learn how to rewrite Regina's (Lana Parrilla) ending into a happy one. It's almost kind of silly, since he only comes to this realization after noting that Regina should be stoked that True Love's Kiss failed to revive Marian, since it means Robin Hood still loves her, somehow overlooking that Regina's happiness means an innocent woman stays frozen. Somehow, Regina has the good sense not to be pleased about this, and it actually shows how far she's come from her former evildoing ways. But it's the least interesting plot of the episode.

Credit: ABC

Thankfully, that misstep isn't enough to derail the hour. "The Apprentice" is a busy episode, but it flies by. And I mean that in a good way. The show is incrementally developing its plots for the season, sure, but it doesn't feel like Once Upon A Time is spinning its wheels. There's a feeling of progress, even in episodes like this, where we don't know much more about where we're headed than we did the week before. And there were tons of amusing Disney nods here and there, from The Sorcerer's Apprentice being turned into a mouse, to the quick nod to the spaghetti kiss from Lady and the Tramp during Emma and Hook's date, even the walking broom from Fantasia that led Hook and Gold directly to The Sorcerer's Apprentice in Storybrooke. It might be a groaner for some, but I'm an absolute sucker for those types of Easter eggs, and the show employs them with enough moderation that it's a pleasant little wink-and-nod. Thankfully, "The Apprentice" is more than the sum of its Easter eggs. Once Upon A Time is still early into Season 4, but I'm anxious to see where this is all headed.