Heart of Darkness
In SB, Gold comes to the jail, offering to serve as MM’s attorney. When Emma asks if he’s a lawyer, in typical Gold fashion he answers with another question (“Ever wonder why I’m so adept at contracts?”). He cites as proof of his ability the fact that he “nearly beat a man to death” and claims he persuaded the judge to drop the charges [Is this a lie? An upcoming episode will suggest it was Regina who got the charges dropped.] Gold and Emma get into a small debate about ethics, with Emma saying an investigation is the best approach, so that MM’s name can be cleared, but Gold takes the position of the end justifying the means–if he can get MM’s charges dropped by means of influence, that’s just as good as getting them dropped by presentation of evidence. MM decides to try both: she asks Emma to proceed with the investigation while Gold comes on as MM’s counsel (“practical help”). Gold urges, “Trust me” but Emma openly indicates she doesn’t. Gold merely smiles. MM challenges Gold by saying she can’t pay him; he seems insulted (“I didn’t ask for money.”) He will take the case because he’s “invested in [her] future.”
In FTL, a rather distracted Snow and a frustrated Grumpy come to Rumple’s castle. He seems more subdued, less giggly and showy, than we’ve seen him before. Rumple explains why Snow’s been cranky: the potion he gave her “took away her love, left a big hole in her heart. There is no cure for what she’s got. . . No potion can bring back true love. Love is the most powerful magic of all, the only magic I haven’t been able to bottle. If you can bottle love, you can do anything.”
He then turns to Snow: “What is it that you really want?” When she says she wants help to kill the queen, he is satisfied: “Now we’re talkin’, dearie.” He strings a bow and presents it to her: “This is how you kill the queen.” He strategizes the attack. “An arrow fired from this bow will do exactly what you need. It always finds its target.” Snow asks his price: “Everything comes with a price with you.” His answer is “Let’s just say I’m invested in your future.”
In FTL, Charming bursts into the Dark Castle, shouting for Rumple, who pops up and puts in a dig about Charming not being a prince any more. “You ran away from the life I gave you. How’s that for gratitude?” He cautions Charming to be careful of King George’s wrath. Upon learning that Snow came to Rumple for help, Charming threatens Rumple with a sword, which Rumple slaps away. It’s Charming’s fault that Snow drank the potion, Rumple points out. But the magic can be broken with “twu wuv.” Rumple then makes a deal: info on Snow’s whereabouts in exchange for Charming’s cloak (because “it’s drafty in here”). It’s interesting that Charming (along with Snow, earlier) is one of the few people to show any curiosity about the objects Rumple wants.
Rumple cautions, “If she kills the queen, she becomes as evil as the woman whose life she takes.” Charming denies that; Rumple instructs, “Evil isn’t born, dearie, it’s made.” As Charming leaves, Rumple takes up the cloak and sniffs it.
In the forest, Snow shoots an arrow at the queen but hits Charming. The arrow’s found its target; Snow remembers her love. And she’s avoided becoming evil, since her arrow didn’t kill the queen.
In SB, Emma storms into the pawnshop and asks for help with MM’s case. Emma’s sure that Regina is framing MM: so is Gold. He greets with request for help with mock surprise; she says he’s the only one who can beat Regina. Gold counters, “You don’t exactly approve of my methods” but Emma is willing now to let him do whatever it takes to free MM. “Now we’re talking,” he says, echoing his own words to her mother back in FTL. “Regina may be powerful, but something tells me you may be more powerful than you know.”
In FTL, Rumple uses a magnifying glass to extract hair from Charming’s cloak. He places the hair in a bottle, along with Snow’s hair, and magic happens. He coos in admiration of his creation.