‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: A Major Character Dies On Midseason Finale

Plus, we got our first look at one of the most sinister characters in storybook history... and she's coming to 'Once Upon A Time!' A new curse was unleashed on the Dec. 15 midseason finale of Once Upon A Time, requiring some of the show's most villainous characters to make their most selfless sacrifices yet -- including the ultimate sacrifice for a fan-favorite resident of Storybrooke.

By:
Reading Time: 3 minutes
December 15, 2013 9:18PM EST
Once Upon A Time
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC

Returning Pan (Robbie Kay) and Henry (Jared Gilmore) to the correct bodies — which involved the gang destroying Pan’s shadow, restoring Tinkerbell’s (Rose McIver) wings and reviving the Blue Fairy — was merely step one. And believe it or not, even with all of those steps, that was the easy part.

The hard part came next, when Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle) discovered that killing Pan also required him to give up his own life, which he did. (HollywoodLife.com already showed you what was going to happen with those sneaky on-set photos, but watching it actually happen during the episode made it seem so much more real.)

And lastly, the hardest part of all; stopping Pan’s new curse would require Regina (Lana Parrilla) to give up the one thing she loves most, preventing her from ever seeing Henry again. In addition, everyone would return to the land they came from, except Emma (Jennifer Morrison), who Regina ordered to remain in the real world to take care of her son.

To sweeten the pot, Regina even promised to give Emma and Henry fake memories of their lives together, making it as though she never gave him up for adoption in the first place.

One Year Later…

We’re used to being bombarded by flashbacks on Once Upon A Time, but the midseason finale decided to throw us for a loop by jumping forward in time at the end of the hour.

Emma and Henry are now living in a New York City apartment — a much nicer one than she could ever afford in her situation, let’s be honest — and they seem to have a nice life together. But wait, there’s a knock at the door. It’s Captain Hook (Colin O’Donoghue), warning Emma that her family is in grave danger!

(Too bad she has no idea who Hook is, so she sends the guyliner-sporting stranger packing. March 2014 can’t come soon enough!)

Rebecca Mader’s Mysterious Role Revealed

Earlier this month, we learned that Lost alumna Rebecca Mader is joining Once Upon A Time in the second half of season three, and that her top-secret role would be revealed immediately following the midseason finale.

Though most people — myself included — wrongly speculated that she’d be playing Cruella de Vil, we learned in the Season 3B promo that she’ll actually be playing none other than the Wicked Witch of the West!

HollywoodLifers, what did you think of the midseason finale? Are you sad about Rumpelstiltskin’s death — and do you actually think it’ll stick? Plus, how stoked are you for the arrival of the Wicked Witch?! Drop your comments below!

— Andy Swift

More ‘Once Upon A Time’:

  1. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: Peter Pan Gets Revenge In Storybrooke
  2. ‘Once Upon A Time’: Rebecca Mader Joining Season 3 — As Cruella De Vil?
  3. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: Peter Pan Hatches His Final, Desperate Plan