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New Show Recap: Once Upon a Time 4×18, “Heart of Gold”

Hello, Persephoneers! We’re currently on episode 4×18 of Once Upon a Time, which means that the season is almost over.

Emma is on the hunt for the author in the woods, determined to find him before Rumpel does. Snow and Charming are right behind her, and they have lost him. When Snow reveals that they know him, and that the author manipulated them into taking Maleficent’s child. Emma is very angry because not only did her parents lie to her, but they put sacrificed Maleficent’s child so that she could save the inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest from Regina’s curse.

In the Enchanted Forest, many years ago, Robin has married Marian and they own a tavern. Little John informs Robin of King Midas’s carriage passing through the kingdom. The carriage promises much booty, but Robin has no wish to steal from Midas, as he has decided to quit being a thief for Marian’s sake. The Sheriff of Nottingham appears and remarks on Robin’s new life. He’s there to get the taxes and gives Robin two days to pay them, or else he will have Robin thrown in the debtor’s prison. Rumpel comes to Robin after close and states that he’s looking for a thief to perform a job for him. Rumpel needs Robin to go to Oz and steal the Elixir of the Wounded Heart, which is supposed to cure wounded hearts physically and emotionally. Rumpel promises that he will reward Robin for it. Robin is sent to Oz and runs into Will Scarlet on the Yellow Brick Road outside of the Emerald City. Will helps him to attack a guard, and they steal the guard’s clothing so that Robin might get into the city. Robin breaks into the palace and finds the elixir in the throne room. He obtains a vial of it when Zerlina catches him in the act. She has figured out that Rumpel hired him to steal the elixir. Robin escapes and lies to Will, telling him that he never obtained the elixir. The two part ways and Scarlet congratulates Robin for at least trying. Will reveals to Robin that he was going to take the elixir for himself, but that he changed his mind and let Robin have it. Robin returns to the Enchanted Forest. The Sheriff returns to obtain the taxes from Robin, even though Robin has no money. The Sheriff is about to arrest Robin and take him to the debtors’ prison, but Robin’s Merry Men hold the Sheriff at bay while Robin steals his money. Going forward, Robin will rob from the rich to give to the poor. Marian and Robin know that Rumpel will be after them. Robin has learned that stealing for other people, it makes him a hero. We see that Robin and Marian truly loved each other.

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Rumpel appears before the author and offers him safety in return for writing new endings for the villains. The writer doesn’t want to join him at first, but when Rumpel produces a magic quill, the author agrees to go with him. The two disappear.

Rumpel has imprisoned Regina in her vault and is punishing her for her betrayal. Regina asks Rumpel what happened in his life to make him so ruthless, and Rumpel tells her that he lost everything, just as Regina might. Rumpel urges Regina to call Robin Hood to see what happened to him n New York City.

Flashback to nine weeks ago, when Robin, Marian, and Roland left Storybrooke for New York City. The three of them are overwhelmed and are off to find Rumpel’s son’s old apartment. Suddenly, a mugger takes Marian’s purse. Robin takes off after him, stealing a horse from a buggy in the process. He finds the thief and takes his wife’s purse, scolding the thief for not having any honor for stealing from the poor. Marian feels guilty that Robin chose to leave with her because of his honor. Just as they are discussing this, Rumpel unlocks the apartment, shocked to see that Robin and his family have taken up residence there. They are just as surprised to see Gold. Rumpel wants them out of the apartment, but Robin refuses. Robin deduces that Rumpel has come to New York City to find the author. As both men argue, Rumpel falls to the ground with chest pains. Robin performs CPR on him.

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At the hospital, Robin waits for news of Rumpel while staring at a picture of Regina on his cell phone. Rumpel is awake and Robin goes to see him. Rumpel knows that his fall came not from a hearty attack, but from the darkness of his deeds thickening his blood and wounding his heart. Since he has no magic to protect him, he fell ill as a result of it. While the former inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest can’t use magic in our world, they can still use magical items. Rumpel wants Robin to find the elixir for him in New York City. Rumpel appeals to Robin’s sense of honor to get him to do this. Robin has no choice but to do Rumpel’s bidding. Robin goes to a shop called the Wizard of Oak to procure the potion for Rumpel, and it turns out that Zerlina sent the “great and powerful” wizard to New York City to keep an eye on Emma during the events from last season. Robin breaks in and scrambles to find the potion, only for the police to arrive when the alarm goes off. Robin escapes and returns home. When Marian finds out what Robin has done to hep Rumpel, she is angry about what he has done and declares that Robin should have let Rumpel die.

Rumpel goes to the hospital and strikes a deal with Rumpel. In exchange for the elixir, Rumpel needs to move on and leave Robin and his family alone to live in the apartment. Rumpel agrees and Robin gives him the elixir. Rumpel tries to take the elixir and finds that it doesn’t work. Marian enters the room and tells Rumpel that she switched the elixir. Rumpel demands what he has done to Marian, but it turns out that Marian was Zerlina — the Wicked Witch of the West and Regina’s half-sister — using a glamour spell to disguise herself. Zerlina’s life force followed Emma and Hook back in time last season. Zerlina killed Marian and took her form. She did all of this to ruin Regina’s chance at happiness. Rumpel loses consciousness and flatlines when he discovers this and the doctors and nurses rush it to stabilize him. Once Rumpel regains consciousness, Zerlina tells him more about her plan to find the author. Her plan is to have Rumpel find the author for her in exchange for the real elixir. Rumpel agrees to this, reluctantly.

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Rumpel emerges from the hospital to see Robin waiting for him. Robin only wished to see that Rumpel made it through his illness and to give him what remains of his son’s possessions. Rumpel refuses these since they remind him of how he abandoned his son. Robin confides to Rumpel that Marian seems different and that she is not the woman he married. Rumpel tells Robin that if he knows what his happy ending is, then he ought to go after it and never let it go.

Marian/Zerlina finds Regina’s number in Robin’s phone. She urges Robin to make a choice between the two of them, and Robin chooses Marian because she once gave up everything to be with him. Robin deletes Regina’s information from his phone and vows to live a new life with Marian. As the two kiss, we see their reflection in the mirror, and instead of Marian, we see Zerlina.

Regina calls Robin’s phone, and Zerlina answers it. Regina knows that Zerlina is back and she demands what Zerlina has done with Robin. Zerlina laughingly replies that all she has done is love Robin. Zerlina is living the life Regina wanted with Robin. When the conversation ends, Regina confronts Rumpel. Rumpel tells Regina that she must do everything he asks and that she needs to follow his plan to turn Emma to darkness. If Regina doesn’t do this, Rumpel will call Zerlina with instructions to kill Robin. Rumpel picks up the phone and asks Regina if choosing Emma over Robin is her final answer. Regina stares at him defiantly.

And that’s it for this week. Thank goodness. This show is a train wreck. We’re now to the point one sister is stealing the other’s boyfriend because she was jelly that the other sister supposedly led this fantastic life with a ruthless bitch of a mother. I’m ready for Penny Dreadful.

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