Tonight on ABC their new fantastical, epic adventure ONCE UPON A TIME continues with a new episode called, “Think Lovely Thoughts.” On tonight’s show Alice’s search for Cyrus puts her in harms way in the Black Forest and the knave is awakened by and unlikely ally. Did you watch last week’s episode? We did and we recapped it right here for you.
On last week’s show Mr. Gold and Regina send Ariel back to Storybrooke with an item that would allow Belle to locate a hidden artifact that could help take down Pan. But unbeknownst to them, two men had broken into the town with the intent to stop them – at all costs. Meanwhile, Emma, Neal and Hook attempted to find Dark Hollow, where Peter Pan’s shadow dwells, in order to capture it, and Mary Margaret was upset with David for keeping his poisoning a secret from her.
On tonight’s show Jafar pays a visit to the Asylum and Dr. Lydgate to uncover information about Alice, while in Wonderland, Alice heads to the Black Forest on her quest. Meanwhile, the Knave is awakened by magic with the help of an unlikely ally and he goes in search of Alice only to find her in terrible danger, and Cyrus does his best to evade the Red Queen. In flashback, Alice returns to Victorian England and her father after losing Cyrus.
Guest stars tonight are Sophie Lowe as Alice, Michael Socha as Knave of Hearts, Peter Gadiot as Cyrus, Emma Rigby as The Red Queen with Naveen Andrews as Jafar and John Lithgow as the voice of the White Rabbit.
Tonight’s new episode is going to be exciting, and you won’t want to miss it. So be sure to tune in for our live coverage of the season 3 Episode 8 of Once Upon A Time — tonight at 8PM EST! While you wait for our recap, hit the comments and let us know how your excited you are about Once Upon A Time being back! Check out a sneak peek of tonight’s episode right here.
Tonight’s episode begins now – Refresh Page for Updates
Flashback to a boy watching a man run a shell game con on the street. The man who was conned catches the game runner with a card up his sleeve and attacks. The boy tries to stop the attacker and says that’s his father. The man takes all his money and the boy is distraught. The injured scammer tells his son they will be all right and calls him Rumple. It’s Rumple’s dad that was running the scam!
Henry watches Pan tuck Wendy in and tells her she’s getting worse. Pan tells Henry that if he saves magic he’ll make Wendy all better and save them all. Henry says he truly believes and will help. Pan says there’s not much time and they must act now. Pan tells the Lost Boy that tonight the heart of the truest believer will fulfill its destiny and that Henry will save magic.
Regina tells Gold that no matter what she can always count on him to get things done. She tells him Pan sent Emma on a wild goose chase after Neal. Gold tells her Neal is in fact alive and that Pan wasn’t lying. He says he won’t see his son again until he can put Henry in his arms.
Flashback to Rumple’s dad dumping his son off with a couple of ladies. He says he needs him to stay with them so he can go find a real job. He begs his father not to go. His dad gives him a little straw doll – it’s the one Gold has been plagued with on the island – and tells him to give the doll a name and that it will protect him until he comes back for him. Rumple cries and clutches the doll.
Mary, Neal, Hook, Emma, Tink and David head for Pan’s camp. Mary tells her that she’ll stay with David on this island after they save Henry. Emma tells her there’s always a way and they’ll figure it out. They hear a noise in the jungle and draw swords but it’s just Regina and Gold. They show the gang that they have Pandora’s Box and tell them they can trap Pan in it.
Neal tells them that Gold doesn’t want Henry saved because he’ll be his downfall. They think Gold was plotting to kill Henry to save his own life and everyone – including Regina – turns on him.
Flashback to the two ladies remarking on what a talented spinner Rumple is. They tell him he could work in the finest castles. They tell him he needs to go far away to find work because everyone knows his father is a cheat and it would prevent him from succeeding. They tell him that his dad isn’t job hunting, they tell him he’s just drinking at the pub. They offer him a bean that can open a portal to another land to help him get a fresh start. They tell him family can be a burden.
In the present, Gold promises them he would never hurt Henry even if he’s his downfall. He tells them that they can’t save Henry without him because he’s the strongest among them. Neal says that’s why they can’t trust him. Neal says for him to hand over Pandora’s Box so they can use it on him if they need to and Gold relinquishes it. He tells him that they don’t really know who they’re up against with Pan. He tells him that Pan destroyed his father.
Flashback to Rumple finding his dad in a pub and saying the ladies were right about him. He runs out of the pub and his dad chases him. He says he can’t find a job because no one trusts him. Rumple asks what if there was a place they could start over together and he shows him the magic bean. His dad asks where he got it and tells him it could fetch a lot of money. His dad wants to gamble with it.
Rumple wants to use it for a fresh start where they can be a family together. Rumple tells him he trusts him and hands him the bean. They discuss where they can go. Rumple’s dad tells him to think lovely thoughts. He tells him that when he was boy and was sold to a blacksmith he would always dream of a lovely place called Neverland. They agree that’s where they should go. They toss the bean, open the portal, hold hands and jump in.
Back in the jungle, Emma tells Hook they need to talk. She says there must be a way for David to leave. She asks him about his brother’s death. She wonders if bringing some of the water along will help. Gold says there may be another cure. He tells them that he was poisoned with dreamshade and she says she knows it took another life to save him (Regina’s mom). He says since then he has studied the poison and may be able to blend an elixir. He says he expects something in return but Neal says he must do it because it’s the right thing to do and Gold agrees to these terms.
Tink tells them they are at the camp perimeter. They plan to grab Henry and dash in and out. Gold draws a sword and says he needs a weapon since they don’t want him using magic. There are a bunch of Lost Boys there and Gold asks if he can use magic on them. Neal says no but Regina says she can do it. She knocks them all out with the spell Gold taught her. They rush in to camp and don’t’ find Henry or Pan but then hear Wendy call to them from her cage.
Neal comes up and Wendy tells her it’s Baelfire. She’s thrilled and he breaks open the cage. He asks why she’s there and she says she came back to save him. He can’t believe it. He had told her his father was dead and Gold is appalled. He tells him it was better than saying his dad abandoned him.
Flashback to Rumple and his dad tumbling onto the beach in Neverland through the portal. He tells his son to think of what he wants to eat and he does and it appears. He says they can have anything they wish for and can even fly there. He says all you have to do is believe and the impossible is possible. His dad climbs up a rock and jumps off but crashes to the sand. He says he could always fly when he visited as a boy and Rumple says maybe you must be a boy. Then his dad says you need pixie dust and they head off to get some. Pan’s loathsome shadow follows them!
In the present, Neal asks if she’s seen Henry. She says Pan wants his heart and Wendy lies and says he never mentioned a heart. Gold says she’s lying. He says he’s lied enough in his life to recognize lies. She tells them she has to do what Pan says to save her brother’s lives. Gold says her brothers will be safe only if they beat Pan. They beg for her help. She tells them about Pan needing his heart to save magic. She says Pan needs it so save himself. She says that it will make Pan immortal and all-powerful and that Henry will die.
Pan rows he and Henry out to Skull Rock. Henry is fascinated by the structure and smiles as they enter. Pan says it’s been a long time since he was there. He draws a line in the sand and says it’s a protection spell. He tells him it’s time and to come on with him.
Wendy tells them Pan has taken Henry to Skull Rock. Emma tells her parents that Gold can cure David and that they need to get a supply of the curative water to take back with them. Mary hugs her daughter and thanks Gold. He says not a problem. Emma says all of them are going back together.
Flashback to Rumple’s dad dragging him through the island on a quest for pixie dust. They come to a tall tree and he says they’re at the right spot. He says they have to climb to the top of the trees where the flowers only bloom at night. He tells Rumple it will be fun and his son says he doesn’t care about flying. He says he will once he tries it. He says flying makes you free and tells his son to come on. His dad promises he won’t let him fall and Rumple begs him not to go and says he’s scared.
His dad says he’ll go get dust for both of them and his dad promises to be back soon. He says he’ll show him how wonderful Neverland can be. His dad climbs up the tree to where the blossoms are. He reaches in and pulls out the dust and sprinkles it on himself and wishes to fly. The shadow whips by him and then comes to lurk in front of him. He asks the shadow why he can’t fly and he says it’s because he doesn’t belong. Rumple cries out for his father.
Emma, Regina, Gold and Neal row out to the island. Emma is knocked back by the protection spell. Regina says there must be a way to break it. She shoots fire at it and it rebounds. Gold crosses through it and says it only keeps out people with a shadow. He says the spell was about drawing Gold in and he says they need to trust him with the box. Neal hands it over and Regina tells him he had better save Henry or she’ll make what Pan had planned for him look like child’s play.
Regina paces and Neal asks if she knows the spell to rip off a shadow. Emma says if they can block the moon, their shadows wouldn’t exist. Regina says they’re about to find out how well her lessons with Emma went. The two lift their hands to work the spell to block out the moonlight.
Up in the cave, Pan tells Henry this is the place where he’ll save magic. He says this is the place where the magic of Neverland emanate. There’s an hourglass that tracks the magic of Neverland and Henry comments that it’s almost empty. He sits Henry down and tells him there’s something he needs to take care of before they get started. Gold pulls out the little doll and looks at it.
Flashback to the past with Rumple crying as a child. He tells his son that he’s fine and got the pixie dust but that it didn’t work because he’s not a boy anymore. He says adults don’t belong there. Rumple says they can leave and go someplace else together because that’s all that matters. His dad says he’ll never be the father he needs because he’s too weak. His dad says there is a way he can stay. He says if he lets go of what’s holding him back he can be free.
The shadow swoops down and grabs Rumple and he begs his father to stop it. His dad tells him not to fight it and says he was never meant to be a father. His dad slaps him away, the doll falls and the shadow rears back with Rumple. The shadow wipes its arm, a green spell rises up and suddenly Rumple’s dad is gone and has turned into Pan! OMG Pan is Rumple’s dad and Henry’s great grand-dad!!!
Now, Pan waits for his son in the cave. He sees the doll in his hand and Gold asks where Henry is. He asks why he hasn’t told the others who Pan really is. Pan says Gold is a coward and that he’d be in that box already if he wasn’t. Pan tells him they can start over and Gold asks if he thinks he could ever forgive him. Pan says he’s disappointed and said he thought the years would have made him more understanding since he traded Neal for the power of the Dark One.
Pan says neither of them was cut out to be a father. Gold says he spent his whole life searching for Neal. Pan says that he still cares and that all that Gold has to do it put down the box and they can have the fresh start he always wanted just as they planned. Gold says he’s going to make a fresh start but not with him. He tries to open the box but it won’t happen. Pan switched the boxes! He reminds him that all you have to do is think of something and you’ll have it. He triggers the box and it starts to consume Gold. Pan tells him sorry Rumple and reminds him he had a chance. Gold turns into red smoke and is sucked into the box!
Flashback to Rumple as a child knocking on the door of the spinning ladies. He cries in their arms. He tells them his father took the bean and abandoned him. He tells them he lost his doll and they promise to make him a new one and they say he can give it the same name. He tells them Peter Pan is gone forever.
On the island, the newly minted Peter Pan flies up into the sky smiling and comes to land on Skull Island. He meets the shadow there and says it was created when he decided to stay. He sees the hourglass and the shadow says it’s the magic that allows him to stay there and stay young. He says when it runs out he’ll grow old and die. He says Neverland is only for children to visit, not to stay and live. Pan says there must be a way for him to stay there forever and the shadow says perhaps.
Now, Pan comes back for Henry and tells him it’s time. He says he must give him his heart and Henry says he must believe and Pan says no – he must physically give him his heart and that he’ll become the greatest of heroes. Pan tells him the price of this spell is that Henry will have to stay there forever with him. Henry agrees and says heroes have to make sacrifices. He says that Henry is about to save them all and asks if he’s ready. Pan takes his hand and starts a spell. Henry touches his hand to his heart and pulls it away.
Neal and the others rush in and tell Henry that he’s lied to all of them. Emma tells him to get away from Pan. Regina tells him that the only person the spell will save is Pan. He says Pan can’t live without him dying. Pan tells him every hero is tested. Emma tells him that this is not what being a hero looks like. Pan tells him that adults lie and that he knows that to be true. Regina begs him to believe him. Pan says they’re selfish and just don’t want him to stay. Emma says to trust her. Pan says he’s the only one who ever believed in Henry. He tells him to choose. Neal tells him they believe in him because they love him more than anything. Henry says he has to save magic and shoves his heart into Pan’s body.
The spell explodes all over the island and Henry collapses. Pan rises up above them all grinning evilly…
