October is the spooky season with tricks, treats, and terror filling the air. It’s also when ghosts, ghouls, and supernatural beings make themselves known. Halloween is the perfect time for horror films and TV specials with most TV shows having at least one Halloween themed episode, while others have more and sometimes these episodes are linked. Here are a variety of fun and scary episodes from 31 TV shows, so sit back, relax and enjoy watching your favourite characters on this frightening feast day!

1. Friends: The One with the Halloween Party (Season 8 Episode 6)

Halloween arrives in New York as Monica and Chandler throw a costume party for the gang. Chandler has a costume mishap resulting in him wearing a pink bunny costume, Joey comes as Chandler, Phoebe as Supergirl, Monica as Catwoman and Ross as “Spud-Nik”, Rachel wears a fancy dress before she can no longer fit in it due to her pregnancy. Her maternal feelings cause her to give out all the candy resorting to giving money instead. Sean Penn guest stars as Ursula’s fiancé.

2. Modern Family: Halloween, The Last Halloween (Season 2 Episode 6, Season 11 Episode 5)

Spooky season is a big deal in suburban Los Angeles resulting in seven different Halloween episodes in this series. The first Halloween episode showcases Claire’s love for Halloween as she turns her home into an elaborate haunted house for trick or treaters. Mitchell goes to work dressed up as Spiderman with unexpected results, Cameron repeatedly tells a traumatic childhood story of why he is scared of Halloween. Meanwhile Gloria starts talking with an English accent. This episode marks the 30th episode overall. In the final Halloween episode, the audience sees Phil trying to scare Claire until he eventually succeeds. Alex and Luke both go through a break up and Gloria wins a Drag Queen contest. (See also Season 4 Episode 5, S6 E6, S8 E5, S9 E5, S10 E5)

3. Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Halloween (Season 1 Episode 6)

This episode starts an iconic Halloween tradition in the precinct between Jake and Captain Holt that continues throughout every season. Jake bets Holt he can steal his Medal of Valor from Holt’s locked office before midnight. His efforts are hilarious. Amy and Charles have to go undercover in costume much to her dismay and Terry discovers Rosa’s secret. Although this episode is not particularly scary, it is fun to watch these beloved characters celebrate Halloween. (See also Season 2 Episode 4, S3 E5, S4 E5, S5 E4, S6 E16)

4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Halloween, Fear Itself, All the Way (Season 2 Episode 6, Season 4 Episode 4, Season 6 Episode 6)

Being the chosen one means Buffy fights off Vampires on a day-to-day basis alongside any other demon that decides to rise up over Sunnydale. Therefore, it’s no surprise that there are three Halloween episodes across the seven seasons. The first Halloween episode takes place when the gang are still in high school: the costume shop owner performs a spell that turns everyone who bought their costume from him into their characters, for example, Buffy loses her slaying powers and becomes a weak debutante in her pretty dress. The second episode is at a college haunted house frat party where everyone’s worst fears come to life and the third showcases Buffy’s role as a parent in her sister Dawn’s life. Regardless of Halloween, these three episodes are worth a rewatch as they show Buffy’s character development from high school student, college student and legal guardian.

5. The Vampire Diaries: Haunted, The Five (Season 1 Episode 7, Season 4 Episode 4)

 Mystic Falls is home to vampires, hybrids, doppelgangers, werewolves and witches: everyday is like Halloween. However, there are two specific episodes in the series to note: the first takes place at a Halloween dance at the high school. Vicki, Jeremy’s girlfriend, is a new vampire with an addictive personality but Stefan kills her because she  attacked Elena. Damon compels Jeremy to forget about Vicki. Stefan’s good guy personality and Damon’s bad boy persona are played against each other in both of these episodes and the rest of the series. In Season 4, Damon dressed as Jack the Ripper with Elena and Bonnie as his victims attend a Halloween frat party at Whitmore College. Damon helps Elena master her new bloodlust and she begins to feel things she shouldn’t. *blares feel so close by Calvin Harris* Meanwhile, Klaus acts as a puppeteer controlling Stefan and tortures Connor, a vampire hunter belonging to the group, The Five.

6. Pretty Little Liars: The First Secret, This is a Dark Ride, Grave New World. (Season 2 Episode 13, Season 3 Episode 13, Season 4 Episode 13)

Anonymous texts from a creepy stalker that knows way too much about you and your friends is enough to scare anyone on a regular day. Therefore, these Halloween specials are extra terrifying. It also cannot be a coincidence that each Halloween special falls on the thirteenth episode. This first episode is a prequel to the pilot. The Halloween before Ali goes missing, Alison and the girls get invited to Noel Kahn’s Halloween party until a worrying text from Alison causes the liars to leave and go to an abandoned house. The next episode unfolds on a terrifying ghost train with the girls dressed up as Marilyn Monroe, Daisy Buchanan, Marie Slim Browning and Barbarella with interference from A. The last Halloween episode takes place first in a graveyard, then underground tunnels which leads the girls to a creepy old mansion. The end of the episode confirms that Alison is alive and wants to come home to Rosewood.

7. One Tree Hill: An Attempt to Tip the Scales, Not Afraid (Season 3 Episode 4, Season 8 Episode 6). 

Tric is the perfect setting for Halloween in both of these episodes. In the first, a masquerade ball leads everyone to dress up as who they would like to be rather than who they are. For example, Hayley dresses up as Sandy from Grease. Stolen kisses, practical jokes and commitment issues are at the heart of this episode as Fall Out Boy perform. In the second one, although in their adult life, the gang enjoy an open mic night at Tric on Halloween with some funny costumes as Julian arrives as a Dalmatian with his mother as Cruella and Hayley comes as herself in high school; a pregnant cheerleader.

8. Ugly Betty: The Lyin, the Watch and the Wardrobe  (Season 1 Episode 5) 

The Suarez house is transformed with Halloween decorations by Ignacio. Betty arrives at Mode dressed as a butterfly for the costume contest only to learn that Marc only sent the email to her. She takes it in her stride and decides she has won. Marc finds a new way to make fun of Betty by dressing up as her. Henry, secretly dressed as Superman, grows closer to Betty, much to Walter’s dismay. Amanda tries to get her claws into Daniel by keeping his watch from their night together but Betty figures it out. Meanwhile, Daniel visits Claire in rehab and Wilhelmina’s wicked  witch personality thrives in this episode as she can’t fit into a designer gown and has been slandered for dating a younger man.

9. Sabrina the Teenage Witch: A River of Candy Corn Runs Through It (Season 2 Episode 31)

This tv show has many Halloween themed episodes to choose from due to the realm between living and the dead being at its weakest on All Hallows Eve. Also, it being Hilda and Zelda Spellman’s favourite holiday. Episode 31 shows an unexpected Halloween party being thrown at Sabrina’s enchanted house for all of her fellow, mortal students. Although she was the last to know, Sabrina decides to let the party go ahead. The arrival of talking furniture, Ghouls from the closet, termites, overflowing cauldrons, and an attention seeking, talking cat make this Halloween party one to remember. (See also Season 1 Episode 5, S3 E56, S4 E81, S5 E103, S6 E120, 123)

10. How I Met Your Mother: The Slutty Pumpkin, The Slutty Pumpkin Returns (Season 1 Episode 6, Season 7 Episode 8)

Although there are three Halloween episodes in this series,  the first and the last are the ones to note because they are linked. The first Halloween episode of the series highlights Ted’s hopeless romantic personality trait as he goes to the party on the roof hoping he will meet this girl in a slutty pumpkin costume four years earlier. Marshall and Lily enter the costume contest as a parrot and a Captain Sparrow character at MacLaren’s and win with surprising results. Barney must change his costume multiple times as his pick up lines keep failing him. Robin doesn’t like to share which causes Mike to break up with her. The last Halloween episode is a continuation of the first as the title suggests, The Slutty Pumpkin Returns. Ted discovers the slutty pumpkin costume in a shop window and finds out the identity of the girl, Naomi (guest star Katie Holmes). They begin dating until they both agree they have no chemistry and break up. Barney’s worst nightmare comes through as Robin discovers he is one quarter Canadian. (See also Season 6 Episode 7)

11. New Girl: Halloween (Season 2 Episode 6)

 This Halloween episode marks the 20th episode in the series. Jess goes to work at a haunted house, dressed up as a zombie. She develops feelings for Dr Sam even though their relationship was meant to be just physical. Nick is stressed out because his college crush, Amelia, is coming to visit him. He also faces his fear of haunted houses with entertaining results. Schimdt tries to get close to Cece but realises she’s happy with Robby. Winston and Shelby fight about their costumes. (See also Season 3 episode 6)

12. Desperate Housewives: Now I Know, Don’t be Scared (Season 4 Episode 6)

Halloween arrives on Wisteria Lane with consequences for all. Gaby continues her affair with Carlos while trying to break up with potential governor candidate Victor. Bree forbids Danielle from attending Bob and Lee’s Halloween party because she’s pregnant. In true Danielle fashion, she disobeys and her water breaks at the party. Lynette beats cancer but becomes obsessed with a possum in the garden. Edie’s biggest fear comes through as Carlos ends their relationship. Susan meets a living ghost, Mike’s father, who she thought was dead. Secrets past, present and future come to light on Halloween night. (See also Season 7 episode 6)

13. Sister, Sister: Halloween (Season 3 Episode 7)

In an effort to be different, both Tia and Tamera buy the most outrageous costume they can find only to end up dressed the same as each other. The twins borrow Roger’s brand new Mercedes convertible to drop their friends at a Halloween rave even though they are grounded. The girls end up at the Canada US border and on the late night news leading to a hilarious reaction from a furious Ray in his pink bunny costume.

14. Glee: Rocky Horror Glee Show (Season 2 Episode 5)

Music and holidays go hand in hand. McKinley’s high school Glee club pays tribute to the 1973 Rocky Horror Picture Show Musical. Carl and Emma attend a midnight screening of the film which prompts Will’s decision to make this the school play. Finn and Rachel are cast as the leads but Finn struggles with body image issues due to his role. With the play cancelled, Glee performed it for themselves. Seven cover songs are featured in this episode, ending with the Glee club singing Time Warp.

15. Stranger Things: Trick or Treat, Freak  (Season 2 Episode 2)

There is a clue in the title that ‘strange things’ are always happening in the town of Hawkins. Halloween is no different. The boys dress up as Ghostbusters paying homage to the film at that time while nobody else at school is in costume. That’s a nightmare in itself. The kids continue to fight monsters from the upside down in this spooky episode filled with 80’s references.

16. The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: The Ghost in Suite 613 (Season 1 Episode 19)

Since Stephen King’s The Shining and subsequent film version, hotels can have a creepy element with abandoned rooms, long corridors and basements. In this episode, The Tipton hotel is the perfect setting to discover a haunted room. After Muriel tells a ghost story about suite 613, Zack, Cody, London, Maddie and Esteban decide to spend the night. Esteban holds a séance, Arwin detects paranormal activity while the rest of the gang wait patiently to hear from ghost Irene.

17. Bones: Mummy in the Maze (Season 3 Episode 5)

Bones episodes mainly consist of finding human remains in a strange situation. This episode is like every other one with an added Halloween twist. At a Halloween hay maze, a mummified corpse was found by a lost kid. A second body shows up at Shoreline Amusement Park and Booth and Bones rescue another girl from becoming the third body. There’s a Halloween party for the Jeffersonian Institute which Cam insists everyone must go to because there will be sponsors in attendance. Booth is dressed up as a squint and Bones is Wonder Woman. What a team.

18. Teen Wolf: Illuminated  (Season 3 Episode 16)

Werewolves are the first supernatural species introduced to Beacon Hills although it is home to other mysterious beings. A power outage puts a curfew on the town, however, Danny and Ethan manage to throw a blacklight Halloween party in Derek’s empty loft. The mystery surrounding the hooded figures is still at large as Ethan and Lydia are attacked and marked in the same way Isaac was; with a reverse number 5 as the symbol. This is a good episode to watch before the upcoming film.

19. American Horror Story: Murder House (Season 1 Episode 4, 5)

Each episode of AHS is scary but the two part Halloween special highlights the fine line between the living and the dead: the ghosts of anyone who died in the murder house can finally leave on Halloween night. Five mangled teens from a school shooting haunt Tate to find out why he killed them while he’s on a date with Violet. After seeing an ultrasound of Vivien’s baby, the doctor collapses leading the audience to believe there is something seriously wrong. Ouija boards, the return of the rubber man, and the revelation that Constance is Tate’s mother sums up some of the action.

20. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air: Hex and the Single Guy (Season 4 Episode 7)

Bel Air is bewitched on this scary holiday as the Banks’ family attend a séance with a spiritualist to help Hilary make contact with Trevor, her dead fiancé. Will’s scepticism leads to a hex being put on the whole family as they all experience bouts of bad luck. The next morning, Will wakes up thinking it was a bad nightmare until the day begins to repeat itself.  (See also Season 1 Episode 8,9)

21. Dawson’s Creek: Four Scary Stories (Season 5 Episode 9)

Joey, Jack, and Pacey return to Grams’ house unsatisfied after seeing a horror film. Joey suggests maybe she can’t be scared anymore which is music to Jack and Pacey’s ears as they play a prank on her. To prove she’s not as scared as they think, she tells them a frightening story that happened to her. The boys follow suit and in true Grams fashion, she joins in and tells the scariest story of all, Jennifer’s story. The episode flashbacks to the time of each of their stories. Jen takes over Charlie’s (Chad Michael Murray) radio station on Halloween night and horror ensues. Gram’s retelling leaves Jack, Joey, and Pacey terrified. (See also Season 1 Episode 11, S3 E7, S6 E6)

22. That’s So Raven: Don’t Have A Cow (Season 2 Episode 2)

Raven and Chelsea find an old spell book in grandma Viv’s old trunk. They perform a spell and wish for an invite to Alana’s Halloween party. After the first spell works, they perform another to have the best costumes. However, a mishap during the potion making causes them to start developing cow features. Raven didn’t see this coming as she’s got cow ears and Chelsea’s got a tail. They rush to the party to stop the spell before they turn into livestock. Meanwhile, Cory decides he’s old enough to go trick or treating with his friends rather than his parents.

23. Hannah Montana: Torn Between Two Hannahs (Season 1 Episode 17)

Deception and mistaken identities take over Malibu in this Halloween special. Robby Ray’s niece, Luann, who looks like Miley, comes to visit from Tennessee. At first, she fools everyone (except Miley) with her sweet and innocent act. She ties Miley up and leaves her in the closet then goes to a party dressed as Hannah with an unsuspecting Lola. Terrified she’s going to ruin her secret, Miley escapes and rushes to the party. The two Hannah’s get mixed up and it’s up to Lily and Oliver to determine who’s the real Miley. Meanwhile, Jackson and Bobby Ray are annoying their neighbours with their Halloween decorations. 

24. The Big Bang Theory: The Middle Earth Paradigm (Season 1 Episode 6)

Penny throws a Halloween costume party and invites the gang which is a test of their social skills. After The Flash costume disaster, they must change outfits: Leonard is Frodo, Raj is a Norse God Thor, Sheldon is The Doppler Effect and Howard is Robin Hood. Penny kisses Leonard for the first time. Although this Halloween episode is not scary, it is fun to watch. (See also S2 E6, S6 E5, S12 E6).

25. This is Us: The 20’s (Season 2 Episode 6)

Halloween is here and the Pearson family are back in this fun filled flashback episode. It shows the big three at aged ten and then again in their twenties. Jack and Rebecca take the kids trick or treating dressed as Sonny and Cher while Kate is Sandy from Grease, Kevin is a cigar-smoking bum and Randall is Michael Jackson. The big three struggle in their twenties: Beth and Randall are awaiting the birth of baby Tess not long after Randall’s nervous breakdown; Kate is working as a waitress and involved with a married man and Kevin attempts to steal an acting role from his roommate and friend. Miguel reaches out to Rebecca for the first time in years. There are no present day scenes as this episode offers an insightful journey into the past lives of Kate, Kevin and Randall on Halloween.

26. Supernatural: Family Remains (Season 4 Episode 11)

Having already discussed the Salvatore brothers, it’s time to talk about the Winchester brothers: monster hunting duo Dean and Sam. In this episode, they investigate the appearance of a ghost girl after a man called Bill Gibson was murdered in a locked room in an abandoned house. His wife died in childbirth, and his daughter hung herself in this attic. The boys try to warn the Carter family who are going to move into the house but they don’t pay any attention until their son, Danny,  is kidnapped through the walls. Disturbing facts about the Gibson family makes this a horrifying episode.

27. Once Upon A Time: The Doctor (Season 2 Episode 5)

Storybrooke becomes home to a new monster, Frankenstein, otherwise known as Dr Whale, in this episode. Frankenstein is the first character to appear from literature that is not for children. The scene in the lab is a reference to the 1931 film, Frankenstein. In the present day, Dr Whale wants Regina’s help in bringing his brother back but she refuses because she’s trying not to use magic for Henry’s sake. Dr Whale revives Regina’s first love Daniel Colter by giving him an enchanted heart with disastrous results. Torn Limbs, hearts inserted and removed and an ogre massacre is just a  part of the action in this episode.

28. 13 Reasons Why: Tape 2 Side B (Season 1 Episode 4)

The ghost of Hannah haunts every episode of this show as the audience are brought through her thought process before her death. This episode takes place on Halloween. It focuses on the character Tyler Down who is on the fourth tape which documents the reasons Hannah committed suicide. He was stalking Hannah and taking unwanted pictures of her. He took a picture of her and Courtney Crimsen kissing and showed everyone at school which ended the girls’ friendship. Clay helps to clean the outside of Hannah’s house as it has been toilet papered and chats with her mom. He delivers his own form of revenge by sending a naked picture of Tyler to the whole school.

29. Heartland: The Haunting of Hanley Barn (Season 3 Episode 4)

Hooded figures, thunder crashing and a power cut make this episode a spooky one. Hudson’s favourite ghost story takes place at Hanley barn. Mr Hanley’s horses are being spooked at night by the supposed ghost that’s been haunting the place. During a thunderstorm, Ty and Amy spend the night keeping an eye on the horses while Caleb, Soraya and Ashley try to frighten them. A tragic love story from years ago comes to light at the end.

30. That 70’s Show: Too Old to Trick or Treat, Too Young to Die (Season 3 Episode 4)

Hitchcock’s horror influence infiltrates Point Place Wisconsin as the gang fall victim to different comic spoofs from the films.  Laurie attacks Kelso in the shower while her red shampoo goes down the drain. Fez thinks Bob killed Midge and disposed of her body. Eric has vertigo after falling from the garage roof and Kitty is left in charge of birds which does not end well. (See also Season 2 Episode 5)

31. Dynasty : Wild Ghost Chase (Season 3 Episode 3)

The Carringtons have a flair for the dramatics and this Halloween spectacle lives up to their reputation. What better way to celebrate the scary season than with a party at the manor. Fallon is dressed as Marie Antoinette and Adam is Louis XVI and ironically they both end up in Halloween cake following their fight. After his sister’s body is found in the Carrington Lake a few episodes back, Evan destroys Fallon’s garden which is part of her community service to try and ensure she goes to jail but later apologises.

Do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

The post 31 Spooky Halloween TV Episodes To Watch appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The episode begins with Alice and Robin arriving in Storybrooke expecting a warm welcome, but instead they almost run over Leroy with the food truck, marked as intruders and chased into hiding. No one knows who they are because they are from a whole different time.

Meanwhile, Henry is able to get Lucy and Ella into a warm house, but they still can’t escape their fate. Hook refuses to give up. Although Gold has been stripped of his powers and immortality, they can still fight their way out of this death sentence.

The other Henry Mills is also trapped. He is so upset with the Evil Queen and can’t see any humanity or redemption in Regina. Despite a plea for her forgiveness and that she’s a changed person, he gives her a warning and a preview of what he plans to do with her the next day in front of the whole kingdom.

While Regina is in the cave awaiting her execution, she gets a dream visit from Robin Hood. She fills him in on her plight and he reminds her that he saw the good in her when it was very out of focus. They lament on how short their story was and kiss before she wakes up.

Hook and Gold’s attempt to break free of the snow globe is a mess as they’re more likely to freeze to death. But there’s hope because Robin ran into her mother (and herself) and asked for her help. Zelena is very freaked out at first, but accepts the story and helps them access a magic bean to help Hook break the snow globe. But not before he and Gold have a quick talk about how they’re really the two best friends that anyone could have in this circumstance.

Upon making their escape, the work is not done. Henry’s still intent on making an example of the Evil Queen and Rumple has other plans for Regina and her pals. Thanks to Henry’s observation that the queen’s blood can substitute for magic ink, all Henry needs to do is to kill her and use her blood to sign off on the pages he’s written to isolate and torture everyone. He brings in a fairy to make an example of her, and using Regina’s blood from his dagger and casts her off to who knows where.

On the other side of this coin is a man who’s just as determined to do right by the world. Rumple looks in a dreamcatcher and remembers a moment from his history with Belle and makes peace with the idea that he may never get to see her again and he accepts it.

First they have to spring Regina from her cage. Hook and Robin distract the guards at the castle gates, and as Hook prepares to storm the group, he gets a question from Robin: “Can I have your blessing to marry Alice?” The timing is strange but she wants to secure this in case something happens. He is approving of their relationship and wants to make it through this so he can walk his daughter down the aisle. Henry sneaks into Regina’s cell below grounds to sneak her out. He doesn’t manage to get the keys however, but Snow and Charming hear and arrive just in time to help their grandson and get Regina out.

Snow and Charming then lead a roundtable discussion about how to defeat Rumple. They say that they’ve done it before, even though allies and enemies are all mixed up. They get the job of keeping the kingdom in the know while Gold finds a real solution to their issue: hidden magic. He sprinkles his hand with it and decides to get close enough to Rumple to rip out his heart. Yes, this is all very confusing, stay with me!

Regina also has to convince the young fairytale version of Henry that she loves him and is capable of love and goodness, but he doesn’t want to hear or believe it and challenges her to a duel to the death. While this is going on, Rumple arrives to open portals that aim to take all the heroes to an isolated story realm just for them. Alice’s nearly takes her, but Hook jeopardises himself to save his daughter despite the immense pain it is causing him.

Regina arms and defends herself once Henry starts swinging his sword and Rumple is just watching on the side. Henry manages to disarm Regina and get her into the death stance so she surrenders and says she’s willing to die if it means he’ll know he’s loved by someone and doesn’t need Rumple to give him a different life. Suddenly, Henry drops his blade and accepts her hug.

The heroes’ portals disappear and everyone is saved except Hook. His sacrifice has brought him almost to death and Rumple is delighted. Gold’s hand is still filled with magic and since he can’t get close enough to Rumple, he has a backup plan. Instead of ripping out Rumple’s heart, he rips out his own and gives it to Hook, who can now embrace his daughter without killing himself. Gold knows that this won’t bring him back to Belle but he says, “you don’t do the right thing for a reward; you do it because it’s right.” Cue the tears. Then his body falls limp and his body disappears. Regina arrives just in time to give Gold a sappy send off wishing him the peace no one knows he can have now. The Dark One is done.

Turns out Rumple/Gold finds himself in a foggy place, greeted by Belle who is delighted to see him. She’s wearing her iconic yellow dress and the two kiss. Gold has proven himself so many times since her passing and giving up his chance at eternal happiness for Hook’s was the icing on the cake. I am not going to lie, I started sobbing at this point.

Regina is treated to a surprise by both versions of Henry who accompany her to a secret party that turns out to be her coronation. Regina’s good deed after Gold’s sacrifice was to unite all the storybook kingdoms into one peaceful unit of people and creatures so everyone can be together. These realms once had their own monarchs, but they want to unite under one crown and they’ve decided to elect Regina as the Good Queen.

She accepts this. Her coronation is interrupted as Emma, the OG Hook and her new baby, Hope arrive late and of course, Emma is in her leather jacket. Regina embraces everyone and it’s a great send-off, gooey and cute. Regina tells the crowd, “I thought my story came to an end a long time ago, and then you people came into my life, people who gave me a second chance. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for me next, or for everyone,” and throughout her speech we view a montage of many moments we’ve experienced on this show and needless to say there was probably not a dry eye for anyone watching. She continues with, “I refuse to believe there won’t be more adventures, more love, more family, and yes, there will be more loss. Because that’s just a part of life. And in the end, we can get past it all. With hope.”

The End.

Final Thoughts?

I am very satisfied with the last episode of Once Upon a Time, ever. I am so glad that we got to see everyone come together even if it was just for a quick cameo (like with Emma). Basically, I was sobbing at the end of this and I still haven’t recovered as it was so bittersweet.

What did you think of ‘Leaving Storybrooke’? Did you like the way this series ended? Sound off in the comments below!

The post Once Upon A Time Recap: 7.22 ‘Leaving Storybrooke’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

We begin with a flashback to the wish realm where Henry Mills is riding to rescue the princess from her otherwise eternal slumber, but he’s beaten to the job of slaying the dragon and left loveless once more. However, now that the Hyperion Heights curse has been lifted for practically everyone, he is free to enjoy his family.

Back in the wish world, Rumple has laid the foundation for something very sinister to follow the young hero later on. He offered Henry a chance at true love and a castle, but there was a price. Thankfully, Henry knew better than to make a deal.

Now, everything seems great for Henry and the others, but as they blow out their candles to keep Lucy happy, Lucy and Ella disappear and Rumple is there to antagonise Henry instead. He’s sent them back to the wish realm and won’t let them return until he’s obtained the Dark One’s dagger. Rumple has to stop Gold from giving the source of their power away to the Guardian.

Regina also gets some news when she goes to visit Facilier to find his place trashed with Gold locked away and with the news that he is gone and her worst enemy has joined their realm to ruin everything. Henry alerts Regina and Gold about Ella and Lucy’s disappearance and they form a plan. They won’t give up the dagger because they don’t negotiate with villains and they decide to return to the wish realm along with Hook. They find themselves separated after going through the portal, but Rumple anticipated this move and sent Hook and Gold to Gold’s former home, which is so full of terrible memories. Meanwhile, Regina and Henry find themselves in Rumple’s castle and warned by a locked-up Peter Pan that they won’t make it out alive.

Hook takes Gold to his old stomping grounds and remembers when he too was facing difficulties and only made it through thanks to a friendly neighbour. He summons Ariel to ask for some spare squid ink, but she’s upset to see Gold standing there, unaware there’s a version of the Dark One who isn’t a mass murderer. Luckily, she gives them the goods and sends them on their way.

Henry and Regina ignore Pan’s warnings and search the place for Ella and Lucy, but run into Cruella who’s laid a trap. She takes a shine to Henry, but she’s also insulted by his rejection and challenges him to a duel. Henry easily disarms her and they learn that his family are down in the dungeon, but there’s a catch. Ella and Lucy are trapped in a snow globe and Rumple arrives just in time to let Henry and Regina know that no amount of magic will get the girls out without his help. He starts filling the globe with actual snow and if the Dark One doesn’t get his dagger, they’ll either be frozen or buried by the night’s end

Regina’s magic doesn’t work, and luckily Hook and Gold arrive to stop Henry from handing over the dagger. Henry calls out Gold for his unwilling to make a sacrifice for Lucy when he would have done the same for Gideon. While Regina sends Henry and Hook off to the library to look up spell, Gold returns to his childhood home and confronts Rumple.

Gold tricks Rumple into believing he’ll hand over the dagger in exchange for setting him free to be with Belle. Gold reasons that he’s never been able to defeat Rumple, and it seems almost genuine, but the piece has been covered with squid ink to paralyse the Dark One temporarily. Killing Rumple may cost Gold his future with Belle, but getting rid of his darkness is a favour to all the world, so that’s the price he has to pay.

Timing is everything and Regina runs in just before Gold can plant the piece into Rumple’s heart and the Dark One frees himself and steals the dagger. Despite his victory, there’s still one thing he needs, and it looks like he’s already got Henry well on his way to completing his plan, whether the kid knows it or not.

Henry grows frustrated with homework and sees a quill, which reminds him of his place in the world as he’s the storybook writer. After knocking Hook out for threatening to join him on this next leg of his journey, Henry ventures out into the woods and convinces the old blind pen-keeper that he’s the true author and deserves the instrument. Upon touching him and reviewing his memories, the old man gives the pen to Henry. The man warns Henry that his job isn’t to create stories, but to record them. Boy, these timelines are confusing!

Henry steals the ink he needs and goes to pen a new chapter to the story and finds himself face to face with himself as Rumple introduces him to the wish realm version of Henry. That earlier scene with Rumple taunting young Henry was actually the present too—I know, confusing.

Rumple’s status as an eternal figure is now no longer threatened by Gold’s do-gooder personality. Despite winning, he still vanquishes Hyperion Heights Henry and everyone else into the snow globe with Ella and Lucy and leaves Regina in the castle. She’s been spared because it was wish realm Henry’s request. This Henry recognizes her as the Evil Queen who killed off his family, and he’s ready to avenge their deaths.

Back in Hyperion Heights, Alice feels something has happened to her father, and she and Robin rally the help of Tiana. Tiana hasn’t been feeling very queenly, but she rises to the occasion of summoning her people to help. As it turns out Remy has a little bit of magic saved up in the form of a bean and with it, Alice and Robin are able to ride off into a magic portal using the now-unnecessary food truck and they head to Storybrooke to recruit old friends.

Final Thoughts?

I am so excited for the reunion of everyone in Storybrooke. That being said, I am also confused with all the Henry’s so I hope everything works out. Also, this is the second last episode of Once Upon a Time ever!

What did you think of ‘Homecoming’? What about the twists? Sound off in the comments below!

The post Once Upon A Time Recap: 7.21 ‘Homecoming’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The episode begins with Lucy panicking over Henry and Jacinda’s kiss not breaking the curse. Everything seems even more doomed when the sky ignites with fire and Mother Gothel arrives to tell Lucy and Regina that the balance of nature is resetting and humanity will not survive it. Regina and her loved ones can escape if she agrees to be Gothel’s eighth witch, but Regina refuses. Regina still thinks Henry can pull them through, but Gothel assures her that her son doesn’t believe.

In a flashback to Storybrooke, Henry is off to his senior year of high school and decides he wants to apply to colleges outside of Storybrooke. He’s the only one in his class who isn’t a magical person from the Fairytale Land so he thinks he should give the outside world a chance.

Meanwhile in Hyperion Heights, Rumple has a change of mind and decides to help Henry. Although he doesn’t have any magic, he siphons off some memory juice from Nick in order to help Henry get his thoughts together. Rumple is worried that he’ll never return to Belle so he thinks that if he helps his family here, he won’t be alone.

Tilly is still working with Gothel even though Rogers tries his best to convince her to stop casting spells. One of the witches shrinks into a tree right in front of them and explains that she’s fulfilled her duty and awarded a place in the “Eternal Grove”. Rogers decides to grab Tilly and run, but he’s still cursed and unable to move her so he promises to come back for her and runs off to get help.

Back in Storybrooke, Regina brings Henry a bunch of college applications from outside of the area. She’s not very pleased when he suggests that he’s interested in going to film school in Los Angeles, but Regina says that “being a parent also means learning to let go”. Does Emma get no say in any of this? Little does this version of Regina know, that her other version is trying so hard not to let go of her child.

In Hyperion Heights, Roni is trying to jog Henry’s memory by offering him a grilled cheese sandwich and spiking his coffee with Rumple’s memory serum. She’s disappointed when nothing happens and he can see it on her face. He decides again, that they aren’t fairytale characters and he’s just going to live his life the way it is.

But Lucy is not and alerts Jacinda and Sabine who are currently worried about Drew being MIA. They think that Dr. Facilier might have something to do with his disappearance.

Back at the station, Rogers demands information from Rumple about what is happening as he knows Rumple knows everything. Rumple tells him, “Magic is real. All of it, everything you read in Henry Mills’ book. We are all from another realm.” Rogers is confused, but he can’t deny what he’s seen. His next question is which character is he? They pay a visit to Margot and ask her to help talk Tilly out of what she is doing.

Lucy joins Regina at the graveyard where Victoria is buried and Regina tells her that since the potion and memory juice didn’t work, she’s got another idea. She thinks he should see the book and maybe it’s the wake-up call he needs. But this proves to also not work as Henry’s mind is too set on his cursed sense of reality.

Storybrooke Henry is having a hard time with the fact that he’s gotten into every school he applied to except all his admissions essays had nothing to do with his actual life. Regina refuses to agree that he should stay home in Storybrooke and says he needs to get out into the world.

Meanwhile, despite Margot pleading with Tilly to give her a chance to turn this day into something else, she casts her aside leaving them to watch as the witches turn into saplings for the sake of Gothel’s ultimate plan.

When Sabine and Jacinda show up in Samdi’s office, they reunite with Drew, but also get locked into the same containment closet because of the magical voodoo doll he stabs to incapacitate Sabine. No one knows what Samdi wants from them including us.

Back at Jacinda’s house, Lucy melts down over Henry refusing to believe. She wishes he had never grown up and doesn’t want to be thought of as a stepdaughter or something of that sort. She locks herself in her room in a fit of frustration and he sees the adoption papers that Roni had sworn belonged to them in another lifetime. Henry decides to take a closer look at the evidence and beside his name, there’s a number which he dials.

Storybrooke Henry is readying himself for graduation when the phone rings. Upon answering, the sound of his own voice stirs up memories that adult Henry had lost. He remembers his mothers, time with Ella, his friends, family and experiences. Oh, and he remembers hearing a key piece of advice that he shares with his younger self, “Home isn’t a place. It’s the people in it. And they’ll always be with you.” Yes, I might have teared up a bit at this.

Regina has decided to fight Gothel one-on-one as she’s sure she has nothing left to lose due to her son not believing anything she’s told him. Regina has no magic, but she has her baseball bat and anger. Of course, she’s easily defeated until Henry arrives with his fully restored memory, he saves his mother with a kiss on the forehead. Since it’s technically true love’s kiss, the town’s curse is lifted!

Now, out of her trance, Tilly becomes Alice once again and Margot remembers herself to be Robin before sharing a kiss and it’s adorable! Rogers realises he’s Captain Hook and he’s been partners with the crocodile this whole time.

Unfortunately, there’s still work to be done. Gothel is transforming the two into her own little tree village and only Alice can stop her. Gothel thinks Alice is on her side, but Alice decides to fight her and says that she chooses love while her mother chose hate. The two fight like Harry Potter and Voldemort and it doesn’t take long for Alice to defeat her. Gothel is transformed into a dark, twisted, and ugly tree and Alice sprinkles the base with blue flowers before bidding her mother farewell.

Everyone reunites and the curse is broken. Storybrooke Henry leaves a lovely note for his mother that tells him his real personal essay. Sabine, Jacinda, and Drew reclaim their identities but can’t fight Facilier because he takes off. Jacinda reunites with Henry and Lucy as a family and Roni joins in. It’s an absolutely beautiful scene!

Rumple finds that his memory book has been stolen by the witch doctor and it has brought Rumplestiltskin back into the world so that Rumple can face his biggest enemy who turns out to be himself.

Final Thoughts?

I love how they broke the curse in this episode instead of the series finale. I loved Gothel as a villain and how everything wrapped up! I cannot believe that there are two more episodes left! I am so not ready for this show to end.

Once Upon A Time returns next week for its two-part series finale!

What did you think of ‘Is This Henry Mills’? What about the breaking of the curse and Rumple’s true enemy? Sound off in the comments below!

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Gothel’s Backstory

The episode begins with young Gothel watching a group of girls try on fancy dresses and she later sneaks into their home to touch and admire the dresses. When she sees a damaged flower on a dress, she uses magic to fix it, but is caught in the act by the girls. They are intrigued by her magic and ask her if she’ll teach them. They also invite her to a fancy party that is being thrown the next day, which is not suspicious at all…

When Gothel returns home, we can see that she lives in a magical grove and Gothel has altered her appearance in order to look human, but she is actually a tree nymph. Her mother tells her she will never belong and says that she has a destiny to be the future leader of their people aka the ‘Mother’ of all magic. Gothel’s mother says that she has faith that Gothel will embrace her destiny.

The next day, Gothel is thrilled to be attending the party, but it turns out that her ‘friends’ lured her to the party so they could harass her and call her an abomination. Gothel returns home to find the grove destroyed and rushes to her dying mother’s side and her mother explains that humans attacked their home and killed everyone. With her dying breath, she encourages Gothel not to seek revenge, but to take the magic inside of her and start anew.

Gothel ignores the advice and heads back to the party to confront the people who took everything from her. She starts attacking the humans with her magic, but when she targets one girl, she counters with her own magic. She says that she hid her powers for years because she was afraid the humans would come after her so Gothel asks the girl to join her and she becomes Gothel’s first new ‘sister’. Gothel then finishes what she started and kills the remaining humans—reminds me so much of Carrie the Musical!

Gothel and her new sister return to the destroyed grove and explains that she has turned this realm into a Land Without Magic, and they will return to it one day. Now, they have to find others like them. According to the episode, these flashbacks all took place thousands of years ago.

Gothel Makes a Move

In Hyperion Heights, Gothel arrives at the police station to compel a cop to help her wake up the rest of her coven. It works and she tells her sisters that it is time to get back what was once theirs.

Rogers is questioning Drew at the station and realises that something impossible happened to Nick. Drew explains that Nick was killed with magic by Samdi, but Rogers isn’t ready to buy into the magic stuff although he knows something weird is happening. Naveen tells him that a war is coming and no one is safe.

Later, Gothel stalks Tilly and tells Tilly that she is her mother. Gothel claims she wants a second chance, but Tilly doesn’t want this and says she already has people who care for her. Tilly goes to see Rogers afterwards and tells him what happens so they go to see Henry because they want his help to figure out what is going on with Gothel. They arrive to see Henry already putting together information about everything happening in the Heights. Henry tells them that his book might be true and he’s looking for proof.

Gothel is heading to the bar to see Margot and chats her up before using magic to compel her into giving up a drop of blood.

Rogers and Tilly discuss their theories about Gothel with Henry who easily believes she’s a witch and thinks that she doesn’t have a lot of magic in this realm. Henry says that they if they prevent the coven from restoring their magic, they can stop Gothel. Unfortunately, Rogers gets a call from the same cop Gothel compelled who gives Rogers a ‘lead’ in order to lure them into a trap.

Gothel Manipulates Tilly

Tilly talks to Rogers about how she always wanted a mother and he tells her that biology doesn’t make someone a parent. He then promises her that he will help her figure out the truth and she says she’s so lucky that he shows so much kindness to her even though she’s a stranger to him. When they spot Gothel, they follow her right into the trap she set up. The compelled cop grabs Tilly and Gothel and her sisters capture Rogers. Gothel tells them that she is a witch and claims that if she knew Tilly was ‘special’ like them, things would’ve been different for her. Gothel claims that they are Tilly’s family, but Tilly asks who her father is. Gothel reveals that Rogers is her father and threatens to kill Rogers unless Tilly helps her with a spell.

After taking a drop of blood from both Tilly and Rogers, Gothel says they have all the ingredients they need for the spell. Rogers pleads with Tilly not to help Gothel, but she says that she can’t be responsible for his death. Tilly then joins the rest of Gothel’s coven and they cast the spell.

Lucy Turns to Facilier For Help

Earlier in the episode, Henry and Jacinda (Ella) are discussing the blood test results that reveal Henry as Lucy’s father. While Henry is convinced the test results are real, Jacinda is not sure. Henry believes the book is real and Lucy was right. He tells Jacinda that he loved her from the moment they met and thinks it’s because they knew each other before. Henry ends up freaking her out and she leaves.

Across town, Lucy goes to visit Facilier and tells him that she needs more magic. He says magic is hard to find here, but wants Lucy to find an object to represent her parents’ love. Facilier also wants to break the curse as he needs magic to survive whatever Gothel is planning. Lucy goes home and starts searching through boxes of Jacinda’s things. When Jacinda gets suspicious, Lucy says that she’s looking for proof that Henry is her father. They both search and find items from Granny’s diner. In a bag, Lucy finds the rest of the glass slipper and takes it as proof that her mom is Cinderella. Lucy gives it to Facilier and he uses the magic found inside to draw the poison out of Henry’s heart. Apparently it did work as Henry is now cured.

Jacinda invites Henry over to her place to tell him about the slipper. Jacinda is only starting to believe but she tells Henry that she wants to kiss him as Jacinda and they finally share their first kiss (it’s been forever, guys). But something must have gone wrong because the curse is still intact and Lucy is both shocked and disappointed.

Final Thoughts?

This episode was pretty good. I am surprised by Tilly’s immediate acceptance finding out who her parents are!

What did you think of ‘Flower Child’? What about why the curse didn’t break with Henry and Jacinda’s kiss? Sound off in the comments below!

The post Once Upon A Time Recap: 7.19 ‘Flower Child’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The episode begins with Rumple on a mission to reconnect with Belle by visiting his private photo shrine to her. Dr. Facilier is lurking in wait and listening as he updates Belle on Gideon’s studies and how much everyone misses her. Facilier says that he can hear her and offers to bridge the divide that exists with Rumple talking into the void. Rumple puts him to the test and hoists Facilier up by his neck and demands to know what Belle is saying, if he can actually hear her.

Facilier tells him that Belle wants him to hurry up in finding the Guardian. If he doesn’t hurry, he might resort to being a terrible person and risk never seeing her again. Hidden beneath all that family drama is Facilier’s threat that he’d lie to get his hands on the dagger and we all know that that’s a terrible idea.

In real-time, Weaver and Rogers find Nick dead in the interrogation room that supposedly no one else had access to (RIP to another hot character who deserved better). Weaver knows that this death can only be due to magic and he thinks it will spell trouble in his hopes of a reunion with Belle. When he checks the evidence locker for his dagger, it’s missing. He is sure that Facilier used the magic from Anastasia to locate the dagger.

Meanwhile, Jacinda and Henry have to keep a safe distance because of his curse (but they don’t know that). Tilly/Alice and Margo/Robin are free to spend time together in both lands. In Fairytale Land, Robin gives Alice a bracelet. Rumple watches it all and wonders if Alice is really the fabled Guardian who can relieve him of the daggers burden, but Hook runs interference to prevent him from going near his dagger. He doesn’t want Rumple burdening her but he can’t do much because of the curse.

Regina is very close to finishing her potion to break Henry of his curse, but Weaver wants to get his hands on that magic. Now that his dagger is missing, he thinks it’s of more importance than her family reunion. I mean, it’s not like Henry could die if he kisses the woman he loves right now. Regina promises to help Weaver, even if she has to ask Samdi but she’s not giving him the dagger.

Meanwhile, Margot and Tilly have a date that shows their similarities and differences. Tilly has been hearing voices all day, but Margot thinks roaming the town for a day is just what she needs. They eat candied fruit and visit the library’s travel section since Tilly can’t afford to travel yet.

In Fairy Tale land, Rumple manages to sneak in and talk to Alice. She’s been warned by Hook not to speak to him but he easily outwits her into listening. He promises her that there’s a way to break her father’s curse, and that’s all she needs to hear to follow along with his plan to entrap Facilier.

At first she acts like a patron and asks about listening in on the dead, but Facilier can tell that something’s off, and that’s when Rumple arrives to distract him while Alice rips out his heart. Rumple instructs her to destroy it so she can free her father and she’s out. Apparently this is the test and she’s passed. Now, he says she’s ready to be a hero and she’s all ears.

Meanwhile, Samdi is confronted by Regina who asks about the dagger. She doesn’t care why he took it but she wants him to admit it and return it otherwise their relationship can’t continue. Samdi swears he doesn’t have it but Weaver (who’s listening) doesn’t believe him. Weaver threatens Samdi with a gun and only backs down when he’s reminded that if he kills him, he’ll never see Belle again. Weaver is then magically whisked to his car to think about his threat.

Rogers is doing his detective work the old-fashioned way; unlike Weaver he’s trying to solve the mystery of Nick and he’s got a lead. While the security footage from the station conveniently went out when the murder took place, he snags the timeline from the neighbour’s camera which shows Drew/Naveen waiting outside by the car, obviously helping the murderer.

Henry, who’s still shaken up decides to visit the station and ask Rogers a favour. He wants to talk to Nick but Nick is dead so he settles for a visit to Nick’s apartment to find answers. When he gets there, he finds the paternity test results that Nick showed him which confirms that he is Lucy’s dad. That is all they find but Rogers catches Drew slinking away from the scene. Drew swears his innocence and said he visited Nick’s home to find something to protect himself from Samdi.

Tilly has to make an awkward exit from Margot when the voices return, and then Weaver sneaks in to steal Regina’s vial of magic. He empties it onto a map, which reveals that the missing dagger is with Tilly in her spot by the bridge troll.

In Fairy Tale Land, Rumple is ready to hand the burden to Alice but he doesn’t know how. Somehow, Alice can hear the dagger and she snatches it from him. The room is suddenly swarming with dark magic that escapes from Rumple and transfers to the dagger for Alice to take.

That’s when Rumple hears Belle’s voice saying that this isn’t the way to return to her. This is just as bad as throwing Alice back in the tower because she watches everyone she dies grow old and die while she never ages. She can have love and find a way to reunite with her father and Rumple can shed this dagger without taking someone else’s happiness away from them.

Alice promises to help Rumple to remember his good side so that his return to Belle is not out of reach and Hook is grateful for his kindness. They shake hands and even though Rumple skitters off, he’s nowhere near the maniac he once was.

Regina thinks that Weaver’s decision to deprive her of the only chance to save Henry is as villainous as it gets. After Weaver finds out that Tilly somehow took it without even knowing she did (which explains the voices), Regina gives him a piece of her mind. He’s not a good person. He’s still the same old selfish person and whatever friendship they had forged is through.

At least one thing seems to be rectifying itself, even without magic. Henry and Rogers both appear to be waking up. Rogers is shaken by what Drew said to him and doesn’t understand Facilier’s dangers, and he’s even more unnerved by the fact that Nick’s coroner’s report shows his heart was pierced from the inside. Meanwhile, Henry can’t get over the DNA test and how Lucy has been right this whole time. If she was right this time, what else in the book is the truth?

Final Thoughts?

This episode had it’s ups and downs. I really liked the cute date between Tilly and Margot which is a ship that I am so here for! I was really sad that Nick died though.

What did you think of ‘The Guardian’? What about Weaver’s antics? Sound off in the comments below!

The post Once Upon A Time Recap: 7.18 ‘The Guardian’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

This episode begins with Hansel and Gretel’s past where they are filled with gingerbread cookies in the hopes that they will get plump before the full moon feast. The witch gets a visit from Zelena who isn’t interested in helping the siblings and Zelena is easily vanquished by the Gingerbread Witch and sent into the woods with her innards cursed.

Back in Hyperion Heights, Zelena is realizing that her life as Kelly was a better fit for her as it was plain and simple.  Nick hijacks Henry’s phone to check in with Jacinda so that everything seems great. As far as she’s concerned, he’s still in new York and her biggest problem is whether he’ll get the job and how they’ll continue their long-distance relationship. But little does she know, it’s Nick texting her. He doesn’t seem to want to hurt her so Henry is trying to figure out what he does want to do. Henry says he can help Nick rewrite his story but Nick knows that he only offers this to villains and says he’s not bad. He explains that is Aunt “Kelly”, is really the Wicked Witch in disguise and that she’s the baddie. Henry, who is still cursed thinks of his own stories as complete fiction and refuses to help Nick with killing her. Except he told him a lot of details about her which wasn’t the best decision.

Kelly decides to get some help and heads to the police. Although Rogers jumps to her assistance, she knows that Weaver will really understand what kind of mess she’s in. He has no desire to help her considering their history, but he wants to see Belle again, so he has to play nice. Instead of arming her with a weapon, he decides to give her back her old necklace. This fight means defeating her past to create her better future.

Back in Oz, Zelena wakes up and finds that she’s been rescued by a blind man. He’s nice and mended her necklace for her, but he’s the father of Hansel and Gretel who she refused to rescue before.

Prince Naveen is still working for Dr. Facilier but he’s gotten Sabine to fully trust him and she taught him her special recipe for beignets which is just what Facilier wanted.  He uses it to light up his voodoo doll and while we aren’t sure what he’s doing, Regina is right to not trust him.

Zelena accepts his hospitality by day and watches him go out in search of his children at night. She’s amazed by his ability to “see” her for her good and decides to set out in search of the children herself. She gets revenge on the witch but she manages to get into the Gingerbread House to spring the kids from their fate. They’re already gone and she finds out that they managed to escape and fill their dad in on Zelena’s wicked ways. She’s desperate to keep the connection with him but she can’t.  She didn’t tell him where the kids were or if they were alive. She tries to redeem herself by saying she knew he’d surely die if he faced the witch but it isn’t enough. He banishes her from his house and his life. Zelena decides to teach Hansel a lesson by wrapping coils of hot fire around his wrists which is where he got his scars.

Rogers proves useful in connecting with Jacinda to discover an abnormality in “Henry’s text” to her. He called her “J” which is something Henry doesn’t do so Rogers infers that it was Nick who sent the text. They head to the house and spring Henry from his trappings but Nick has already left.

Nick captures Chad (Zelena’s fiance) and lures Zelena into a trap in the bar basement. She doesn’t want Chad to pay for her mistakes and she and Nick square off. Zelena easily gets the upper hand but instead of killing him, she hands him over to the authorities.That moment of mercy shows Chad that she’s changed and he can still love and marry her. With Roni and Margot’s blessing, she goes back to San Francisco.

However, Mother Gothel is still high on the must-kill list and since Nick couldn’t do it, Dr. Facilier is determined to.

Final Thoughts?

I really enjoyed this episode and I loved seeing Zelena’s happy ending. I am a little sad to see Nick go as I really enjoyed his character, bad or not.

What did you think of ‘Chosen’? What about Zelena’s backstory? Sound off in the comments below!

The post Once Upon A Time Recap: 7.17 ‘Chosen’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

This episode begins with Henry, Hook, and Ella out on a dragon-slaying mission. When they get to the cave that used to contain it, they find out that the beast has been gone for weeks. There is someone left to enjoy the spoils though, and Ella quickly corrects him and fixes up the situation while Henry tells Hook why he’s disappointed he doesn’t get to slay the dragon. He wants to live up to his family’s legacy and have a good story to tell about the ring that he proposes to Ella with.

Hook has an idea, and he’s been saving a trick up his sleeve which turns out to be the map to Davy Jones’ locker. He has been saving it as he hopes to sell it to someone who can cure his curse heart but this seemed like a worthy occasion, however, they do have to sneak on the Jolly Roger to get it.

In Hyperion Heights, Henry pays Roni’s bar a visit and meets Robin who is a huge fan of his podcast. Apparently, this program has gotten him a lot of attention and he’s been invited to New York to do an interview. Jacinda isn’t delighted but she attempts to ask supportive. Rogers is trying to get Tilly a job because her organic orange marmalade habit is getting too expensive for his salary alone, so he gets Sabine to let her join the beignet line at her food truck. Tilly runs into Margot who has had it out with her mother as she knows her mother is hiding stuff from her. There are definite sparks between the two and Margot appreciates her wisdom on the subject of Kelly’s lies.

Henry gets a visit from Weaver before he leaves for New York, who wants his help figuring out a piece of the puzzle. Weaver found a copy of Henry’s book which is all marked up with notes and he thinks that Henry can infer something from it. Henry acts like he wants to get to the airport but Weaver starts complimenting his book so Henry agrees to help.

Henry quickly discovers a diversion from the notes pattern. In the chapter about Hansel and Gretel, there are a lot of corrections. According to the notes, there was no happy ending for the two twins, only terrible misery and oven burns. Henry thinks that this killer believes he’s Hansel and is avenging his long-lost sister.

Back in the fairytale land, Henry and Hook sneak onto the Jolly Roger and get soaked to the skin with pork fat as that’s how they got in. They run into Smee who informs him that only a few aboard the ship are still loyal to its old captain, but Hook is sure that they’ll return to his side once he retrieves the map. Unfortunately, Blackbeard is woken up by the commotion and decides to claim the parchment and its treasure for himself.

With Hook and Henry all tied up, they get a giant chest of treasure from the depths where there’s Star Sapphire of Davy Jones (a ring that the seamen once gave to his own bride). Blackbeard thanks them for directions and decides to finish off his charges but Hook unties them and puts up a fight. Henry somehow gets the upper hand on Blackbeard and wins the fight as well as the bauble but the old captain tips his hand when he tells him he won’t get such a nice ring for his bride next time and everything falls apart. The whole thing was set up by Hook and his friends to give Henry some fake adventure tale to feel good about.

However, the treasure is real and so when Davy Jones starts a whirlpool around the ship, Henry has to figure out a way to stop it. He throws the ring into the eye of the whirlpool (we’re getting some real Lord of the Rings action here) and the storm subsides. Henry decides it’s okay to let it go as Ella would just want him to be safe. He finds a quiet patch of waterside earth and tells Ella that he wants to make their own history together. His speech is literally so cute and she says yes (of course!).

Hyperion Henry is having some issues though. He hesitates to go to the airport but decides to anyways but his car gains a flat tire. When Nick comes by and offers him a ride, he decides not to make his flight after all. Nick asks why he was cutting it so close to his boarding time and Henry talks about the cult killer. Nick jokes about how he could follow a lead and asks “breadcrumbs”. Nick has some burn marks on his exposed forearm and Henry immediately asks to be let out (wow, real cool).

Nick stabs him in the neck with something and when Henry wakes up in Nick’s apartment, Nick doesn’t know what to do with him yet. (Why do bad guys have to be so damn attractive?).  Henry suggests that he can tell everyone that he thinks he’s Hansel which will get him off but Nick decides to kill Henry first.

Final Thoughts?

Wow, I had suspicions about Nick but I did not know he was Hansel which is crazy!

What did you think of ‘Chosen’? What about that Nick revelation? Sound off in the comments below!

The post Once Upon A Time Recap: 7.16 ‘Breadcrumbs’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The episode begins with a flashback to a young Drizella and Anastasia playing hide and seek in the creepy woods. Drizella loses track of her sister, but thanks to their shared magic, some lanterns pop up to show her the way.

Many years later, Drizella is talking to a sleeping Anastasia, “You said you’d never leave me.” She says she wants to punish their mother and she thinks her sister is the way to do that. The Evil Queen shows up to offer her help with the curse, but Drizella declines. Then the Evil Queen is revealed to be Gothel who is testing Drizella for how committed she is to the cause. She then invites her to join her coven, or spend the rest of her days alone.

In Hyperion Heights, Ivy gets a visit from Gothel offering her to join her quest for the Dark One’s dagger. She’s in danger and if she doesn’t want to become the next witchy victim on the serial killer’s list, she needs to join Gothel. Drizella hesitates knowing Gothel never means what she says.

Meanwhile, Roni receives a visit from Jacinda and Lucy. Jacinda is looking forward to a night out with Sabine which gives Lucy and Regina a moment to talk. Regina reveals that before the town enchantment, he used to be close to Hook and Jack aka Officer Rogers and Nick. Lucy decides to get the three together at Flynn’s, where they can play arcade games and hang out.

Rogers being tied up leaves Weaver to investigate a new lead all alone, after working on repairs to a cup that looks like Belle’s. They’ve found Anastasia running around by herself, but by the time he arrives, she’s gone. Instead he finds Regina whom he’s wary against, considering she hasn’t told him about Facilier’s plans to take his dagger. She hopes to change him before it was too late, but since she is on Team Gold now, she knows just how dangerous Facilier can and will be if he gets Anastasia first.

Ivy’s decision to go forth alone, proves problematic as she’s attacked in the parking garage with a knife. Fortunately, she’s able to fight them off fast and take shelter at Roni’s. She gets sympathy from Regina because she knows that she was coaxed into cursing the whole town by Gothel. But they still aren’t on good terms.

Facilier shows her how he knew of her garage attack (from his cards) and he wants to be her best pal (weird!). He says she’s going to end up in the ground right next to her sister unless she’s willing to sacrifice Anastasia to get back to the other side. She feels like she has no choice but to raise some new lanterns to hopefully get her sister’s attention.

Back in the other realm, she faces a similar test. She decides to take Gothel up on the offer of joining her coven to get some help with the enchantment on Anastasia, but she finds out that there’s some competition. Several girls are told to scatter through the woods and the first two to find some special flower she’s hidden will win the chance to join her club.

Drizella meets Gretel who wants to pair up. After all, Gothel did say that two of them could make it through. The two have an immediate kinship, and they make good partners, too. The problem comes when they separate and Gothel offers each a psi with the promise that each is the one she wants and must kill the other to pass the real test. Drizella doesn’t want to kill Gretel, but when Gretel produces her own weapon and refuses to back down, she stabs her in the back. Gruesome.

This is all very symbolic for what happens in Hyperion Heights, as Drizella takes advantage of Anastasia’s belief that she has a magic bean that can take them to a new realm together. Instead, she poisons her sister mid-hug and hands her to Facilier. She says she’d choose herself, every time.

Henry, Rogers and Nick are hanging a blast but they want to shake Henry out of his slump. They tell him to ask out the next girl who walks through the door and he agrees. But it just so happens to be Jacinda who walks through the door next. The two proceed to argue about whether they’re meant to be and if true love is real and Jacinda challenges him to make a token shot into a cup to prove there’s something to this idea of fate, but the bartender pulls the glass back before his coin lands. Jacinda takes off to have her dinner with Sabine and leaves Henry.

Ivy doesn’t seem to mind that she just sealed Ana’s fate by giving her to Facilier, but she asks if it’ll hurt (does she care?). Gothel arrives out of nowhere to wake her up and interrupt them. If Drizella is out of the picture, Gothel can steal Ana’s power way more easily. Basically she wants Ana to kill Drizella, but Ana doesn’t kill people. Drizella also says she’s been manipulated into doing everything and loves Ana and wants to take the punishment. Ana forgives her and puts down her weapon. Gothel’s left to run away and Facilier takes off.

By the time Weaver and Regina show up, the fun’s over, and instead they get to send the sisters off with farewells to their home realms. Regina is not happy because the curse is still in place and her son is in mortal danger, but she is willing to overlook Drizella’s bad deeds. She promises that they can break the curse as they’ve done it before. Meanwhile, Weaver is willing to let the guardian go without a fight, knowing it means he’s less likely to be reunited with Belle, because he thinks tallying up good deeds gives him more of a chance. Drizella and Ana embrace and use their magic bean to go and face the world together. Honestly, I was very sad to see Drizella go as she’s one of my favorite characters on this show.

Upon returning to her bar, Regina is wondering why Facilier is there. It turns out that the whole reason he wanted time with Anastasia was to get some of her magic to give to Regina so she could rescue her son. Gold is not charmed by Facilier and he approaches him on the street to warn that he’ll never get his hands on the dagger.

As for Henry and his friends, when they leave the bar Nick finds a flat tire. He decides to change it alone and wishes the others farewell and even tells Rogers that the answer to his case is probably right under his nose. When Nick opens the trunk, we see chocolate boxes and a mask that looks exactly like the one that Drizella’s attacker wore.

At the same time, Jacinda convinces herself that fate exists and she throws a token behind her head into a cup on the kitchen counter. So, where’s the happily ever after?

Final Thoughts:

I thought this episode was interesting, but I’m really going to miss Drizella though as she was great in every episode!

What did you think of ‘Sisterhood’? What about the separate storylines? Sound off in the comments below!

The post Once Upon A Time Recap: 7.15 ‘Sisterhood’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Back in the past, Alice observes her father through a telescope, but Robin thinks she’s a spy and of course she gets caught in a cage. Robin figures out that she’s the daughter of “Nook” (“New Hook”) and Robin mentions that she’s spent her whole life trying to live up to the legacy of her late namesake. Their differences then become clear as Robin is out to kill the troll who is messing up things, but Alice has him to thank for her cage-free existence.

Meanwhile, Lucy and Regina are plotting how to spy on Facilier/Samdi. On the one hand, Facilier might be the person to help them break the curse, but on the other, Regina needs some details on what he’s really here for, plus she also doesn’t want Zelena to know about their ‘extracurricular activities’. Henry is talking to Ivy and suggests that she apologises to Anna, so Ivy decides that she’s ready to make amends for everything that she’s done, but it looks like everything isn’t going to go to plan.

Meanwhile, Rogers still believes that Tilly couldn’t have killed the Blind Baker and he is out on a mission to find Tilly’s alibi. Tilly is doing some investigating as well as she is unwilling to be locked in Henry’s apartment and ends up discovering that as far as her hometown is concerned, she doesn’t exist. The grocer who sells her daily marmalade sandwiches doesn’t remember her and neither does the lady who sells her apples (huh, weird!).

At the same time, Alice compares with Robin in order to discover who’s the loneliest of all. Alice apparently ‘talked to a hat’, but Robin says she had to grow up without a dad. Robin steals yellow VW bugs and Alice dresses her toys up for tea. Despite this, Robin is still on a mission to kill the troll, and after they are captured by an angry mob who are on the same mission, Robin springs herself from the cell, but leaves Alice behind.

Meanwhile, Regina is busy coaxing Facilier out by asking him on a lunch date, so Lucy can go through his place, but Zelena tails them and figures out that Facilier is awake and knows that Regina is not ‘Roni’. She causes a scene, not knowing that she’s put her grandniece in danger.

Now, back to the troll who is surrounded by the mob and Robin steps in front of the line to take him. She introduces herself as Robin Hood, the daughter of the same fabled one, and claims the honour of shooting the troll herself. However, Alice storms in to save the troll. The villagers lose it, and Robin rushes to Alice’s defence. They’re about to be swarmed, but Robin’s old stolen vehicle springs them from their peril, and brings them face to face with Alice’s old grounds. She’s upset to see it, but she admits that ever since she escaped, she’s wanted nothing but to go back. Robin challenges Alice to confront the troll a she shows the troll that she is alive, well and free and the troll disappears. Alice is now left to wander the world with anyone she likes.

In Hyperion Heights, Tilly starts finding weird things in her backpack such as locks of hair. Rogers still doesn’t believe that she’s the killer, but Tilly isn’t convinced. She wants to leave before she hurts anyone else, but visits her troll spot first where she ran into Margot (Robin’s counterpart) who agrees that strange people are awesome. She realises that the troll has a security camera buried inside which might be able to tell her where she was at the time of the murder. Convenient, huh?

Samdi figures out that Lucy has been rifling through his things and she did snap a photo of his tarot card layout that includes the death card. He tells Regina she can have a great love in her future if she chooses it, but she’ll have to step aside and let him complete his business in town. And what’s this business? Why, it’s to recover Rumple’s dagger and Regina does not like that one bit.

She confesses to Zelena, who is a lot less hurt upon hearing it (especially once Robin comes back), and the two have to figure out how to navigate the tricky waters of Regina’s affection for Facilier and his dark desires.

Final Thoughts?

I really liked this episode especially the whole new romance for Alice which is beyond adorable.

What did you think of ‘The Girl in the Tower’? What about the Alice centric episode? Sound off in the comments below!

The post Once Upon A Time: 7.14 ‘The Girl In The Tower’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.