The small New England town of Storybrooke may be in trouble in the mid-season premiere of ABC’s hit series, Once Upon A Time. The show, which revolves around fairytale characters that come to our world because of a curse, left us on the edge of our seats before going on hiatus in December.
In the finale, Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle) disappointed his true love, Belle (Emilie de Ravin), when she held the dagger that controlled Rumpel and she commanded him to step over the town line. Rumpel had no choice and did as he was told, but once he stepped foot over that line, he would never be able to enter Storybrooke again. We were left hanging when we saw Rumpel reunite with an old, evil friend, Ursula, the sea witch (Merrin Dungey).
In Once Upon A Time’s mid-season premiere, which aired on March 1, fans’ questions were finally answered. The episode began with a flashback in Storybook Land. We see how Ursula, Cruella DeVille (Victoria Smurfit), and Maleficent (Kristin Bauer van Straten) all meet one another through Rumpelstiltskin and his mischievous plans. We learn that the three villains were invited into the mansion by Rumpel so that they could all work together to find the dark curse.
The show then flashes to current time in our world, where we learn that Rumpel is now living with Ursula in New York City. It is not long before Rumpel reunites with Cruella and convinces her to take him and Ursula to the small town of Storybrooke.
Meanwhile, in Storybrooke, Belle and Captain Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) are continuing their research in the town library to try and find a way to free the fairies that became trapped inside the sorcerer’s hat earlier in the season. They report their findings to Regina (Lana Parrilla), who, after performing a spell, is able to open up the hat and free the fairies. What they don’t realize is that someone else was also released: Chernabog.
Flashing back to Storybook Land, we soon learn that Rumpel only brought the three villains together so he could get the dark curse, which was being guarded by Chernabog. He uses Ursula, Maleficent, and Cruella’s powers to obtain the dark curse, and then leaves them behind to fight off Chernabog alone—a typical Rumpelstiltskin move.
Back at the diner in Storybrooke, Regina approaches the Blue Fairy (Keegan Connor Tracy) to ask if she knows any details on the sorcerer. Regina is in search of the author of the ‘Storybook’ so that she can try and get her own happy ending with Robin Hood (Sean Maguire). In the midst of this conversation, they hear a loud moan and rattle come from outside the diner, startling everyone. When they run outside to see what was happening, they all find someone they were never expecting: Chernabog.
Regina and Emma (Jennifer Morrison) put their magical powers together and are able to scare off Chernabog for now.
The show then flashes to Rumpel handing Ursula and Cruella his phone so they can give Regina a call. They convince Regina that they have “changed” and are no longer evil. In order to prove they are not lying, they all agree that if Ursula and Cruella help get rid of Chernabog for good, then Regina will allow them to enter Storybrooke.
Emma and Regina put their heads together and find a way to get rid of Chernabog. They lead him to the town line, where they force him to leave Storybrooke, destroying him forever. This also leads them directly to Ursula and Cruella, who are waiting at the town border to be invited into Storybrooke.
Although Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) are completely against the idea, Regina decides to give the ladies a chance and throws a spell over the town line, allowing the two villains to enter the small New England town and join the other storybook characters. Ursula and Cruella are then able to bring Rumpel back into Storybrooke as well so that they can complete their evil plan together.
We learn that Chernabog was after the heart filled with the most evil, which everyone assumed was Regina’s, but Rumpel knows otherwise. He informs Ursula and Cruella that he was after Emma’s heart.
There are still a ton of unanswered questions. Will Belle ever forgive Rumpel? Will Maleficent show up in Storybrooke to complete the trio of villains? What happened in Snow and Prince Charming’s past that involved the villain trio? Why is Emma’s heart filled with evil? The end of this season is going to be filled with drama, battles, secrets, and much, much more.
IMAGE TAKEN from spoilertv.com
