ONCE UPON A TIME, the Savior lost faith to fight the final battle. With help from her family, love was able to conquer all. And everyone got a happy beginning…
Related: Five More Actors to Leave ONCE UPON A TIME at the Conclusion of Season Six
Part 1
A young man (Andrew J. West) runs through the enchanted forest. He goes into a cabin and wakes his daughter (Alison Fernandez). He tells her to run. She says she will stay and fight with him. He tells her to go. He will be fine. She has a storybook that she promises to guard with her life. She runs and he faces the darkness.
After the darkness clears over Storybrooke, Henry (Jared Gilmore) wakes up with his storybook. He sees Archie (Raphael Sbarge) and asks what the Black Fairy’s curse did to them. Archie acts as if Henry is crazy. Henry asks for his mom. Emma (Jennifer Morrison) is in the mental health facility.
Henry visits Emma. She tells him that Snow White, Prince Charming, and Captain Hook do not exist. She’s in the nuthouse because she believed Henry. She says none of his stories are true. He needs to get over it or his other mom won’t let him see her anymore. Henry mentions Regina. Emma doesn’t recognize that name.
The Black Fairy (Jaime Murray) shows up. Emma call her Madame Mayor and apologizes to her saying she didn’t know that Henry was visiting that day. The Black Fairy tells her to call her Fiona.
Fiona sees Henry’s book and takes it away. The book causes too much trouble. Fiona tells Henry to run along. She sits across Emma and tells her to take her medicine.
Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) wakes up with Neal. David (Josh Dallas), Regina (Lana Parrilla), and Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) wake up next to them. They are in the Enchanted Forest. The Black Fairy did say she would separate Emma from her family. The group doesn’t know where Emma or Henry was sent.
Fiona tells Emma that she is concerned about her well being. Archie says Emma has been doing well. Emma thinks Fiona is interested in her case because of Henry. Fiona says it’s true. She has a 14 year old who believes in fairy tales thanks to Emma.
Fiona wants Emma to burn the storybook. She says it may be the best way to make Henry forget about the stories. Emma doesn’t want to. The book means so much to Henry. Fiona tells her to think about it. If she can’t let go of the stories, she can’t be released.
Fiona looks into the mirror and smiles back at Regina, Hook and the Charmings who can see her on the other side. They try to figure out what the Black Fairy is up to.
Zelena (Rebecca Mader) shows up saying she had to escape Oz. She pulls out one of the Mad Hatter’s hat. They use it to transport to Oz. There’s just one problem…Oz has disappeared.
The Black Fairy is trying to make Emma, the Savior stop believing in fairy tales. All of the realms will disappear when Emma stops believing.
Fiona visits Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle) and Gideon (Giles Matthey). She asks them to fix her watch. She also brought them lunch. Gold thanks her for always thinking of Gideon. She mentions the loss of his mother. Gold says it has been hard losing Belle (Emilie De Ravin).
Storybook characters all gather at Snow and Charming’s castle. Aladdin (Deniz Akdeniz) and Jasmine (Karen David) show up saying they barely escaped. Hook says he has a theory about how to get back to Storybrooke. Regina says they need magic. She uses her magic to transport everyone to her castle.
Hook leaves the group and goes to a beanstalk. David tries to stop him. Hook says he and Emma weren’t pre-destined to be together. They had to fight for their love and they won. Now he’s going to fight for Emma. They climb the beanstalk to look for a magic bean.
Henry helps Emma escape from the hospital. He takes her to the rooftop where she married Hook. Emma still doesn’t believe him. Henry reenacts the wedding. She puts her where the altar was. Emma has flashes of memories, but she doesn’t believe these are memories. Henry tells her that the Black Fairy cursed her.
Emma says she wants to go back to Boston. Henry says okay, but she has to wait until dark. He says he will always help her. She doesn’t deserve to be locked up. He tells her he will give her the life she always wanted.
Mr. Gold finds the book that Belle gave to Gideon. He shows it to Gideon. Gideon doesn’t seem to care. He says Fiona is more of a mother to him. Gold asks what Gideon remembers of Belle. Gideon says that his father told him that his mother went to the store and never returned. Gold is having a hard time believing that Belle would leave them. Belle loved Gideon and wanted to be a part of his life. Gideon tells him to leave it alone. They are better off without her.
Zelena and Regina are trying to come up with a spell to get everyone back to Storybrooke. Regina is missing some ingredients. She hears someone coming in and it’s the Evil Queen (Parrilla). The Evil Queen has been living in that realm since Regina sent her back to find her happy ending. The Evil Queen ran into some trouble. She had to relocate to Regina’s castle. The Evil Queen asks why Regina is there. Regina tells her they have some Fairy trouble.
Someone calls Fiona, and tells her that Emma escaped.
Henry is there and he has found his book. Fiona shows up. She knows he’s awake and he has his book. He tries to run from her. He tells her that his mom is strong and there’s nothing she can do to stop him. Fiona pushes him down the stairs. Henry is left unconscious.
Mr. Gold sees Henry taken away on a stretcher. Fiona tells him that Henry had an accident. Gold asks her to reopen the investigation of Belle’s disappearance. She tells him that he and Gideon don’t need that kind of stress. He pleads with her and she tells him to follow her.
Hook and David are in the giant’s house. David doesn’t think Hook can climb the table because he has one hand.. Hook reminds him that he’s a pirate. He has to be teh one to retrieve the bean so he can save Emma. David says he trust his son in law and helps him climb the table.
Hook finds the bean, but it’s inside of a glass case. Hook shatters the glass and gets the bean. The something big is coming for him. David and Hook see fire and then a dragon. The dragon chases them.
Fiona gives Gold evidence that Belle abandoned them. The evidence is pictures of Belle in different places around the world. Fiona says that Gold could never be the man that Belle wanted to be. He has a chance to be the man that Gideon needs him to be. He needs to move on.
Gold leaves. Fiona looks at the storybook. She finds the piece of paper with runes written on it. She recognizes it, but can’t read it.
Emma rushes to the hospital. Henry wakes up. Fiona shows up and tells Emma that he fell. She even has security footage of his fall. Henry tells her that Fiona used magic to push him. Henry tries to make Emma believe. He tells her to touch the book. Emma touches the book and nothing happens. Emma says it’s time for Henry to grow up. Henry pleads with her not to destroy the book.
Hook and David are descending down the beanstalk. David says they have a bigger problem than the dragon.
Fiona takes Emma to a boiler room. Fiona coaxes her to burn the book saying it the only way to save Henry.
She see a picture of Hook and watches it burn.
The Enchanted Forest is disappearing. Hook and David fall from the beanstalk.
Part 2
The little girl from the beginning returns to her home. It looks as if it has been burnt down. She pulls her father’s sword from the rubble. Tiger Lily appears and tells the girl that her father wouldn’t want her to cry. The girl asks where her father is. Tiger Lily says it looks like he fought valiantly. They have to get the book to the girl’s mother. She says that the girl will be reunited with her father one day. The girl asks if they will be okay. Tiger Lily tells her not to lose hope.
Fiona takes the ashes of the book to Henry. He doesn’t believe that she has won. Fiona tells him that Emma is packing for Boston. Henry’s family cannot save themselves or Emma.
Hook and David are still on the beanstalk. Hook falls. The the beanstalk falls with David.
Snow senses that something is wrong. Jasmine summons her magic carpet and they go find the guys.
They find Hook first. He greets Snow with, “Hello Mummy!” (Ha!) Hooks shows Snow the bean. She’s glad he found it. Now they can go back to Storybrooke and find Emma and Henry.
They don’t know where David is though. Hook says they should find him. Snow stops him. The realms are disappearing. Snow says she will find David. She tells Hook to go to Emma and make her believe again.
Henry catches Emma leaving town. Emma tells him that he is on a dangerous path. There’s nothing to believe. They both have to move on with their lives. Emma leaves for Boston.
When she arrives, finds a notebook that Henry put in her bag. It’s a condensed version of Emma’s story. The phone rings and it’s Emma’s boss. He sends her on an assignment.
Hook takes the bean to Regina, but the bean has no magic. Regina doesn’t have enough magic to do anything. Zelena reminds her that she does have enough…with the Evil Queen.
Snow looks for David. She finds him under a leaf. He looks dead. She kisses him and he wakes up. There is some magic left in their story.
Henry goes to Gold’s shop. He tells Gold that he’s his grandson. Henry goes to the back room and uncovers a lot of books and cups and cauldrons and spells. He knows Gold is awake. He asks why Gold is pretending. Gold says that he didn’t trust his mother. Their agreement wasn’t to be in Storybrooke without Belle. The Black Fairy betrayed him.
Henry asks Gold to help him stop The Black Fairy. She made Emma stop believing. Now everyone in the Enchanted Forest is in danger.
Gold says he can’t help Henry. He only cares about finding Belle.
Henry asks him to give him something that will help. Gold asks what he needs. Henry says he needs two things. A mirror and a sword.
Henry talks into a mirror. He knows that his family can see him in the Enchanted Forest. Henry apologizes that he wasn’t able to make Emma believe again. He pulls out a sword and says he will defeat the Black Fairy and save them.
The darkness is getting closer to Regina’s castle. The Evil Queen tells Regina that she will hold off the darkness as long as she can. Regina take everyone downstairs. She tries to use her magic to revitalize the bean. The darkness takes over the Evil Queen. The darkness surrounds the characters of the Enchanted Forest.
Henry is at the mayor’s office and is stopped by Emma. She tells him his book made her want to be the person he wrote about. She says she doesn’t remember all the stuff he told her, but she believes him.
The darkness stops. Snow White knows Emma is back.
Gold uses Belle’s book to locate her. The book takes him to an old house. He enters and finds her hiding from him. She tells him that she doesn’t want to leave. She’s safe there and to leave her alone. Belle doesn’t remember him. Gold says he is going to make the Black Fairy pay for what she’s done to Belle.
The Black Fairy goes back to Gold’s shop. She is looking for a fairy wand. Gideon thinks she’s crazy. He says he is going to call Gold. She tells him to put down the phone. He does as she obeys, but is confused. He didn’t want to do that. Which means she still has his heart.
Fiona needs the fairy wand to translate the ruins that Henry wrote. It’s the key to winning the final battle. Gideon finds the wand and gives it to her. She says it’s time for them to go to work.
Gold returns and Fiona says she is there to pick up her watch. Gold calls her mother and Fiona stops pretending. She says she’s after a power that is greater than magic.
Gold says he won’t trust her again. Not after what she did to Belle.
Fiona says she hid Belle because Belle keeps Gold from his darkness. With her new magic, she can make Belle and Gideon love Gold unconditionally. He wouldn’t have to give up being the Dark One. She says she can also bring back Baelfire.
Gold reminds her that all magic comes with a price. He takes the Fairy Wand and holds it to her neck.
She says he can’t stop her. The runes told her that darkness isn’t strong enough to defeat light. Only light can defeat light.
Gold knows that Fiona still has Gideon’s heart. She commanded Gideon to kill Emma. Fiona says that her death cannot stop it.
Gold uses the fairy wand to disintegrate the Black Fairy. All of the magic returns to Storybrooke. Emma remembers everything.
Gideon arrives at the mayor’s office. He tells her that she remembered just in time. Emma tells Henry to run.
Belle returns to Gold’s store. She remembers everything. He tells her that he killed his mother. She asks for Gideon. Gold calls Henry to find out where he is.
Emma tells Gideon he doesn’t want to fight her. He has no choice. Henry hits him over the head with a fire extinguisher. Emma puts a barrier spell on the mayor’s office. It won’t hold Gideon for long.
Meanwhile Gold goes to find Gideon’s heart in the dwarf mines. Belle twists her ankle, but tells Gold to go on without her.
The Charmings, Regina, Zelena, and Hook all show up back in Storybrooke. Henry tells them that they Black Fairy ordered Gideon to kill Emma no matter what. Regina tells them that it’s a trap. If Gideon kills her, light is defeated. If Emma kills Gideon, she is darkened and light is defeated. Regina reminds her that Emma found another way for both Regina and Emma to be henry’s Moms. She will find a third option to defeat the Black Fairy’s final move.
Gideon appears and holds Snow White hostage. Emma moves toward him to fight him. He let’s Snow go.
Gold finds Gideon’s heart. Rumpelstiltskin shows up and tells him to let Gideon kill Emma. He can have all of the power. Gold doesn’t want the power, he wants to protect his family. Gold says he was meant to be the Savior, so now he will do the right thing. He tells Gideon not kill Emma Swan. The heart turns grey. Gold thinks he has lost. Rumpelstiltskin tells Gold, “we don’t always get what we want.”
Emma talks her way through the fight. She says she is the Savior and the Savior gives people hope…no matter what the cost. Emma drops her sword. Gideon looks sad. He says he’s sorry. He hoped Emma could save them both. Gideon stabs Emma and the light within her is released.
Everyone rushes to her side. She appears to be dead. Henry tells her that he loves her and kisses her on the head. Emma wakes up. She tells Henry she loves him too. She stands up. The family is happy that they didn’t lose her.
Gold tells Belle that he tried to do the right thing and failed. Belle is proud of him and hugs him. They hear a baby cooing. There is a basket in the entrance of the cave. It’s baby Gideon. Emma sacrifice gave them all a new beginning.
Snow picks up the storybook. She gives it to Henry. He looks at the last page. It says “When good and evil do the right thing, faith is restored. The final battle is won.”
That’s the end of that book.
What now?
Snow says they keep living with the people they love. Snow says an ending isn’t happiness…being together is.
The stories are restored. Even the Evil Queen is happy.
David and Neal wave goodbye to Snow and go about their day.
Emma and Regina see Henry off to school where Violet is waiting for him.
Mary Margaret shows her class a bluebird.
Hook rides along with Emma on police business.
The dwarfs have fixed Regina’s door and put a new title on it…Queen.
Robin Hood shoots an arrow to the Evil Queen with a ring and a note. “Ready for a new adventure”
Belle and Gold dance…to the Beauty and the Beast theme song. (I’m not crying, you’re crying!)
Granny prepares a dinner for everyone as they talk and laugh. Belle and Gold arrive with Baby Gideon. And the story goes on…in a new book.
Seattle, WA…years later…
The girl from the beginning is reading the storybook on a train.
She walks down a hall, looking for the right door.
She knocks and a man opens the door. The girl asks if he is Henry Mills. He says “Yes.” Her name is Lucy. She’s his daughter.
Henry says he doesn’t have a daughter and tries to close the door. She pushes the door open. She says his family needs him!
And there we are…back to a familiar beginning…
Quick Thoughts…
This was great! I’m definitely satisfied with the ending of this storybook and looking forward to the next. If it really was the end of the show, it would have ended well.
I’m sad to see some of the characters go, but very excited about where the next season will take us.
Catch up with Once Upon a Time Season Six here!
It was great to see Mr. Gold do the right thing. His good deed got him what he always wanted. He got Belle back and a second chance to raise Gideon. That was a nice surprise.
Overall this season was a little slow, but the finale made up for the distractions along the way.
News Editor, Senior Contributor, and Press Editor. Coordinate breaking news, trailers and press releases. I also contribute reviews, recaps and interviews. Creator of the Indigenerd Wire, a column dedicated to the Indigenous creatives in pop culture.
GGA's resident Indigenerd, a little bit rez, a little bit classy...with a love for all things Star Wars, zombies, science fiction, and Indigenous. My ultimate goal is to start my own podcast.
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