- Title: Once Upon a Time – The Dark Swan
- wiki: link
Between the opening scene which teases Emma‘s (Jennifer Morrison) role in Arthurian legend and the closing scene which gives us our first look at a truly evil new Dark One, “The Dark Swan” features our small group of heroes working together to save Emma who has been reborn in the Enchanted Forrest. Realizing Emma needs their help, Regina (Lana Parrilla), Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin), Robin (Sean Maguire), David (Josh Dallas), Henry (Jared Gilmore), Hook (Colin O’Donoghue), Granny (Beverley Elliott), and the Dwarves, will do whatever it takes to find their savior – even if that means relying on the help of Zelena (Rebecca Mader).
Along Emma’s journey to seek out Merlin, and struggle to not give into the darkness which tempts her in the form of Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle), Emma will encounter Brave‘s Merida (Amy Manson). The show’s smart casting continues with Manson’s version of the woodland princess even if her involvement in the episode isn’t nearly as well integrated into the overall story as the Frozen‘s arc from last season. The episode ends on a bit of down note with another flash forward sequence and temporary memory loss by the group (the show’s favorite plot device) leaving the events after the travelers reached Camelot a mystery to be slowly revealed in flashbacks over the course of the show’s new season.
Based on the events in “The Dark Swan” its obvious the season (at least the first-half) will be centered around two storylines. The first will be the dangerous new Dark One’s reign of terror in Storybooke. The second will focus on the flashbacks to Camelot allowing viewers to witness Emma’s fall into darkness. Personally, I would be more interested in the second if the show hadn’t already ruined the ending, but I understand why the show’s producers would want to give us the evil Emma as soon as possible.
