Once upon a time in a land far away there is a kite flying and two little girls run hand in hand with a third running behind them. Two are blonde and one little redhead. They all look joyous and happy until the kite gets caught in a tree and ruined. The girls fight over the ribbon that was used as the tail when the man who owns the kite comes to them playing nice until he tries to kidnap three royal Princesses. When she gets upset and kicked the eldest shoots ice from her hands and the man is crushed under a branch. The three girls it turns out, are Ingrid, Helga and Girda of Arendell. They use the three ribbons as a sisterly pact, but clearly it is not one that held.
In Storybrooke our Evil Ice Queen Ingrid goes up the tower and puts what appears to be her evil mirror up with a wave of her hands. Meanwhile Regina gets a visit from Robin. He is conflicted and does not know what to do he wants to save his wife but he still loves Robin. Regina pushes him away again of course and leaves her own lair.
While back at the Sheriff’s office Emma via Bell seems to have found a spell that will help to hold the Snow Queen. It is an interesting spell using a candle and Emma’s magic which does not go off as well as it should have but it was a first attempt after all. Elsa wants to try again but Emma has to go babysit for her Mom. Elsa seems a little depressed at being left alone, but you can’t blame her she is all alone in this place and desperately trying to find her sister.
Emma misses the goodbye song with the baby group for the Moms of Storybrooke. She finds that she is collecting a lot of stuff for baby Bro and gets a little frusterated when it appears that Snow is doing the first time Mom thing. It is when she is going over all of that as she is holding baby Brother’s bottle that is starts to bubble. Everyone looks at her with a bit of fear and worry and Snow even shifts away to not hand her the baby ouch. Charming saves the day in a way when he calls to say there is an ice trail leading up into the clock tower. Emma uses the spell she found and this time it appears to work forming fire chains that then go firm and into chains.
Arendell again shows the three Sister’s now all grown up and preparing for a ball. Ingrid will not go down to the ball with her Sister’s that is celebrating her parents Birthday. She is worried about her powers and thinks that it is best for her to stay away. The other two try to get her to come but they go without her after she encourages it. Anyone who has seen Frozen (and who hasn’t) will get a big laugh at the red haired sister’s suitor a Duke from a little place called Wessleton and oh that dancing is brought to life! Ingrid goes down and is watching from the sidelines, she clearly gets emotional because flurries start around her.
Emma and Elsa meantime, go and are ready to talk to the Snow Queen. Elsa demands wanting her sister Anna while the Evil Snow Queen keeps trying to put her off. Playing the right chords to upset Elsa. Emma sends her to go help Charming and Hook while she deals with the Snow Queen. Ingrid tries to push her buttons as well right down to telling her to use her superpower, that sets Emma a bit off kilter. The Evil Queen is beyond sure that at the end of the day Emma will let her go after seeing that she is right.
Henry and Regina have a sweet moment when Henry has to have a tie tied so he can go work at Rumple’s place. She says she is moving on and that operation mongoose is her main focus from now on. Henry has some ideas on where to help look to find the author of the book and he heads off to work.
The Evil Snow Queen pushes more buttons on Emma and reminds her that her family is not like her. That haven’t you ever seen them flinch away from your powers? That one hit home and we go back into another flashback. Ingrid is planning to run away from her Sisters and family. Then Girda says she has heard of a man that might be able to control Ingrid’s powers, that man is the one and only Rumple. Off go the girls to meet our deal maker.
The trio back in the clock tower is trying to decide why the mirror is so dangerous. When Belle arrives and tells them not to look into it that is dangerous they all look confused. Hook even says he has been looking into it all day and thinks nothing but that he is more devilishly handsome than usual. The mirror they find out is a fake and when they go running to the Sheriff station the doors have been frozen over. Just what Ingrid wanted.
Henry is hoping to ge to do some magic and Rumple says he has a potion to turn something old new again. It turns out to be furniture polish! Got to give him props on that one. The group with Charming and Hook and Belle go to ask help to get Emma out of the Sheriffs office, he can’t say no to his lovely Wife so he goes with Hook being very suspicious.
The Sister’s have gone to Rumple and he tries to talk her out of the deal. That the bond of Sisterly love is as strong as any true love and that love is free, but all magic comes with a price. He makes a pair of gloves appear (that look like Elsa’s) and the urn. He wants in exchange the three ribbons. Ingrid’s two sister’s don’t want to give them up, but she convinces them to do it.
Emma is pacing like a caged animal and does not seem to notice that Ingrid is pushing all of the right buttons. She keeps on pushing about how Emma’s parents could have chosen something different, found another way instead of being sent away. The biggest moment that presses home, “All it takes is one mistake and your powers go from being there salvation to their biggest fear.” then the last push is to comment that they have a new child and don’t you think they are happy he was born normal. Emma snaps and when she slams her hands down on the table the whole wall of the Sheriff’s building gets blown away. The evil Snow Queen releases herself from the chains then and is gone leaving Emma scared and alone. Everyone arrives then and Emma tries to get them to stay back because she does not want to hurt anyone. Hook tries to grab for her and she ends up sending sparks through things, a light pole fall and Charming pushes Hook out of the way and gets hit. Snow snaps at Emma and then realises her mistake, they were looking at her with fear. The Evil Snow Queen just got what she wanted and Emma flees.
While back in Arendell Ingrid in the outfit we are used to seeing her in now is enjoying a spring day and the Duke approaches her and of course comes on to her. He says that Helga will never know and pushes himself on her so when she pushes him away, he gets blasted some and calls her a monster. The Duke tries to turn it on Ingrid when Helga arrives and she of course sides with her Sister. He threatens to out Ingrid and continues to push buttons. Ingrid gets upset and scared and reaches out her hands to make him stop Helga steps in front and the ice blast hits her It freezes her solid and then she crumbles into ice cubes. Oh my.
We get a brief interlude from that drama back in Storybooke Robin comes to Regina and says he has always tried to live his life by a code. Honor and all of that. When she asks him why he is there he announces because today is not one of those days and descends on her for a kiss. She does not push him away. The gang were out looking for Emma and have not found her coming back and telling Snow that she clearly does not want to be found. Elsa also says she has been through it too and she saw the fear on her parents’ faces too. Emma is somewhere in the woods alone and crying. Ingrid is in her cave with her mirror and looking rather happy and smug with herself.
The Ingrid back in Arendell is confronted by her remaining sister. She is horrified at seeing what happened and tells Ingrid to stay away from her. There is a lot of pleading and begging on Ingrid’s part, but Girda says you killed our Sister you are a monster and she puts Ingrid in the urn. She also picks up the gloves. Then she goes to talk to Grandpapi and asks for a potion to make everyone forget the two sisters. He reminds her that all magic comes with a price, but she thinks it has been paid already.
Ingrid back in Storybrooke goes to Rumple’s shop where he says he is very impressed by the number she did on Emma. She is there to make a deal. Turns out to get himself away from the dagger so he can leave the town and not have his powers attacked Rumple needs one more thing. Ingrid however, needs something too, the ribbons. Ingrid wants Storybrooke and says he can have the rest of the world. She whispers what he needs into his ear and he gives the ribbons up. Whatever it was she said he is willing to do with pleasure. Make’s you wonder what it is.
A good and strong episode this week, although I don’t think trying to paint The Evil Snow Queen as misunderstood was useful at all. You can see why they did it most Villains don’t start out that way after all. Next week promises to me a goodie as it is two hours long.
