- Title: Once Upon a Time – Dreamcatcher
- wiki: link
Henry‘s (Jared Gilmore) love life plays a central role in this week’s episode, both in Storybrooke and in the flashbacks to Camelot, as his burgeoning relationship with Violet (Olivia Steele Falconer) will not only prove to be the final piece of the puzzle to releasing Merlin (Elliot Knight) but also break the young man’s heart in two different timelines. In the past Violet’s rejection gives the young man the heartbreak necessary to break the Dark One’s curse and back in the present, while his relationship goes much more smoothly, poor Henry’s heartbreak comes from the discovery of Emma‘s (Jennifer Morrison) treatment of his first love.
While Emma attempts to reconnect with her son, an exercise which is undermined by Regina‘s (Lana Parrilla) discovery of her underhanded methods, the new Dark One also puts Brave‘s Merida (Amy Manson) to work to transform the cowardly Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle) into a hero worthy to pull Excalibur from the stone. Let’s just say she’s got her hands full.
The best Rumpelstiltskin stories have focused on the dichotomy of the character. With “Dreamcatcher” Once Upon a Time finally begins exploring the same subject where Emma is concerned. We see her love for Henry and attempts to make her son happy but also her selfish means and manipulation. As to Camelot, Merlin may be freed but that obviously didn’t save Emma (who used equal parts light and dark magic to break the spell). Is Merlin any more trustworthy than Arthur (Liam Garrigan), or will his betrayal be what leads Emma down the dark path?
