Once Upon A Fan

1x09 - True North

                                                

Recap by Amy Taylor

  

We start out in Storybrook, Maine at the grocery store.  Henry is there reading a comic book and meets Ava. She is introducing herself to Henry while her brother Nicholas is stealing. The store clerk (whom we assume to be Sneezy the dwarf) catches them as they are leaving the store. He demands to look in Nicholas's backpack and finds candy and other items. He calls Emma and Regina. "you were just distracting me." Henry says to Ava.  
 
We jump into FTL where we see a man chopping down a tree.  his daughter asks him if she can help, saying she is old enough for an axe. He tells her to take the cart and fill it with kindling. As she goes to leave, he gives her his compass and says, "this is so you don't get lost. A family always needs to find one another".  The woodcutter tells her to take her brother and be safe. They gather wood until it starts to get late, then go back to where they left their father, only to find he isn't there.  They start screaming and looking for him. Instead of finding their father they run into the EQ's soldiers. The EQ steps out of her carriage and asks them what they are doing in her forest?
 
  
Back in SBM, Regina has shown up at the store.  The store owner accuses Henry of stealing, and Regina states that he doesn't eat candy so the other kids were at fault. Emma shows up and the store clerk tells Emma the number the children gave him was disconnected.  They tell Emma their parents couldn't pay the phone bill and begs the sheriff not to arrest them. 
  
Back in FTL, we see the same scenario being played out. The children are begging the EQ not to arrest them. Gretel tells the EQ they just lost their father, but the EQ tells the guards to seize them.  Gretle pulls a sling shot out and tells Hansel to run.  The EQ suddenly appears and as she is laughing, she tells them that it is foolish to run from her.  She catches them with the roots of a tree.  Once she has them captured, she calls them both foolish and brave and declares that she is going to find their father in return for a favor.

Back in SBM. Emma takes the children to the address they gave her. She goes to get out of the car and the children beg her not to go to the house. She tells the kids that she has a super power and is able to tell when someone is lying to her.  She asks the kids if there are any other problems besides money and the children tell her no.  They get out of the car and watch Emma drive away.  Once she is gone the kids go inside the basement to hide.  

 Emma breaks inside the house and finds the kids. "where are your parents?" she asks Ava. Ava then tells her that they don't have any.  Emma decides to take the kids home with her. Mary asks Emma what social services said and Emma admits she has not called them yet.  She tells Mary that being a foster kid is just being a meal ticket.  Ava overhears the conversation but Emma promises that they will not be separated and that she will find their father.

The next day Emma goes to the courthouse to get the kids birth certificates, only to find that they are gone. Regina has them.  Emma heads to her house and Regina tells her not to worry and that she has already called Social Services. Emma tells Regina she was going to try to find their father.  Regina informs Emma that he doesn't exist and that the kids are going to a boys and girls home in Boston. She gives Emma the task of taking the children to the home. Emma tells Regina that she promised the kids that she wouldn't separate them.  Regina replies that she should stop making promises she can't keep, and that she was giving them the best home she could. 
 
Back to FTL, where the EQ is taking the kids on a walk through the forest. She sees Gretel holding the compass and asks her what it is. Gretel tells her that it is her father's compass and that he had given it to her so they could find him.  The EQ tells the children they are close enough to the home of the BW. She tells them the BW has a black satchel that belongs to her inside the house.  EQ tells them that the house is protected by magic and that she couldn't go in, but that the spell didn't work on children.  "Wait until nightfall. Once the BW is asleep you can sneak in.", says the EQ.  Gretle asks the EQ if they did help her, would she help them find their father. The EQ promises she will. EQ tells the children that the house is unique and once inside, they are not to eat anything. She pulls back the branches and reveals the BW's gingerbread house.   
 

 Back in SBM,  Henry tells Emma that they are Hanzel and Gretle in fairy tale land and their father abandoned them.  Henry asks Emma if she could tell him about his father.  She tells him she had a job at a diner and his dad was training to be a fireman.  They both had late shifts and that's how they met. She then tells Henry that his dads life got better and her's got worse.  She got into trouble but before she went to jail she found out she was pregnant.  She tried to find his father but found out he died trying to save a family.  She tells Henry his father was a real hero.  Henry asks her if she has anything he could remember him by, but she doesn't.  However, Henry's questions give Emma an idea. Back at her apartment, she shows the kids her baby blanket, and asks if they have anything of their fathers. Ava shows Emma her compass and asks again if they could stay together, and once again Emma says yes. Ava tell Emma that her mother gave her the compass and that it was her dad's.  Emma tells the children that she will find their father.


In FTL night has fallen and the children sneak into the BW's house.  Hanzel is worried.  "how can we be sure she is sleeping?" he asks.  "We can't, but remember what the queen said, not even a lick," Gretel replies.  They find the satchel and Gretel tries to get it.  However, Hansel becomes tempted and takes a cupcake off the table.  As Gretel reaches for the satchel, Hansel takes a bite of the cupcake and the BW wakes up.  The children see skulls in the fire and run to the door, but the witch locks them in.  "I smell dinner." she says with glee.  
 
Back to SBM and Emma goes to Mr. Gold's pawn shop. She asks him if he had any idea where the compass had come from.  He tells Emma the compass was unique and the person had bought it there. He goes to his records and pulls out the receipt.  Emma asks him what his price was for the information.  "forgiveness" he replies, "how bout tolerance," Emma states back.  Mr. Gold gives her the name. 

Emma finds the father at a garage.  He refuses to admit that he has twins. Emma tells him that they will go into foster care unless he steps up and takes responsibility. Emma asks if he has ever seen the compass.  He tells her he had lost it.  Emma pleads with him to take the children but he refuses.   

 In FTL, we find Hansel and Gretel being locked up by the BW.  "A succulent roast you'll make." she says and starts preparing dinner.  Gretel tells Hansel to hide.  "Gravy or butter," the BW says, "what shall it be.?". She tells the little boy to come but grabs Gretel instead.  Gretel grabs the key off the BW's belt and throws it to Hansel. The BW hears Hansel escape and realises there is two children in the house.  She uses her magic to toss a stick out of Hansel's hand and asks, "how shall I baste you?". Gretel knocks down the BW and with Hansel's help, they threw her into the oven and lock her in. The BW screams to be let out , but the EQ is watching through her magic mirror .  She throws a fireball into the house and the house bursts into flames.   "I would have gone gravy," the EQ says with a look of satisfaction on her face.  

The children arrive back at the EQ's castle and they gave her the satchel.  "I've waited a long time for this, let's hope you didn't let me down." The EQ pulls an apple out of the bag. She tells Gretel she has a strong heart and reminds her of herself at that age.  Hansel is confused,  "we did all that for an apple?" he asks. The EQ tells him that it was no ordinary apple and that it was a weapon for a powerful enemy.  Gretel tells the EQ that they have done what she asked and now she had to keep her promise and find her father. The EQ replies that their father abandoned them.  She informs them that they were the first children to emerge out of that house and invites them to stay with her in the castle.  Gretel refuses stating that their father would never abandon them and that she would never live with someone so terrible.  The EQ uses her magic to send a purple tornado around the children.  

Back in SBM, Emma gets the kids in the car to take them to Boston.  Henry tells Emma that she should not take them out of Storybrook because something bad would happen.  "something bad has  already happened," she replies, and drives away.   As the approach the exit to Storybrooke, Emma's car engine stalls and she calls for help.  

In FTL, the EQ sees Snow in her mirror. "now she's cavorting with dwarfs. When did that happen?", she mutters to herself. The EQ's soldiers bring in a prisoner, which is revealed to be the woodcutter. He demands to be released, and that his children were in the forest all alone.  The EQ tells him the children were gone and that she told them he abandoned them.  The EQ wants to know why the children refused her for uncertainty.  "Because we are family, and family always finds one another." he replies.  She tells the guards to release him.  The children wake up at night in the forest.  Gretel reassures her brother  they will be fine and set off through the forest.  In Storybrook Emma is waiting on the side of the road for a tow truck, which happens to be Michael, the kids father.  "those are them." Emma states as he gets out of the truck. Emma persuades him to finally take responsibility and he agrees to look after them. 

Back at the apartment Emma tells Mary about Henry's theory regarding her parents putting her in a magical wardrobe and sending her to this world to save them.  Mary laughs and asks who Henry thought her parents were.  One of them is you, Snow White. Emma goes outside to think, while Mary spots Emma's blanket, smells it, shakes her head and shudders, then puts it back.

Outside, Henry brings Emma some pumpkin pie.  She still can't bring herself to tell Henry the truth about his father.  As they are standing on the side of the road, a man on a motorcycle drives up and asks if he in in Storybrook.  He asks if there is a place to get a room and Emma directs him to grannies.  "hey I didn't catch your name," she shouts as he walks away,  "thats cause I didn't give it." he replies.  "I thought you said strangers don't come to Storybrook.". Emma asks Henry, "they don't." he replies!  

  

 

Did You Notice?

 

Mr. Gold told Emma he wasn't good with names but gets the receipt from his records.  He gives her the name of the children's father.  Then the camera turns and the card is blank.

 

When Emma and Mary are sitting on the bed, did you notice the writing on the wall? 

 

When Henry comes up to the car and asks Emma what she is reading, we see that it is a newspaper article about a seven year boy who found a baby by the side of the road. 

Lost's Apollo candy bars also make another appearance 

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