The Wicked Witch has Storybrooke right where she wants it – at the centre of her big green plot. Yet also slap bang in the centre of the plot for this episode is Captain Hook and his band of pirates.
What happened in the missing year? What has Hook neglected to share with the class? There be a storm on the horizon Mr Smee…
Could it be that you truly don’t need a ship to be a pirate?
No. And that is the key storyline for this week. Although his fiery romance with Emma (Jennifer Morrison), the Saviour and daughter of goodie-two-shoes Snow White and Prince Charming, had significantly shifted his views on piracy, his connection with the Jolly Roger became his priority post-curse.
Ariel (Joanna Garcia) is on the trail of Prince Eric and enlists Hook as her assistant, primarily for his experience of piracy, as an established expert. Their search takes them to the Jolly Roger only to be confronted by the new master of the ship, Edward Teach a.k.a. Blackbeard. After a brief swordfight Blackbeard walks the plank. We have to assume he met his sticky end in the frothing shark infested waters, however there is so much potential for his character perhaps he will make a later appearance in Storybrooke – the owner of the tackle shop perhaps? His purpose in the story was to act as a catalyst for Hook embracing his life of piracy, choosing his ship over saving Prince Eric (betraying Ariel in the process), to recover from losing a life with Emma.
Speaking of Magic, Regina (Lana Parrilla) teaches Emma how to channel her magic, using the Rumplestiltskin method of ‘do-it-or-die’. This involves the destruction and rebuilding of a bridge and hints at what Emma is/will be capable of – more CGI and creative column building please.
This episode left a lot of questions floating around. How many more ‘ingredients’ does Zelena need for her curse: Charming’s courage, Hook’s kiss, Regina’s heart, Rumplestiltskin… Does she plan on taking Granny’s berry cobbler recipe too? Where is the band of flying monkeys? And will the Blackbeard reappear?