“I’m not used to somebody putting me first!” – Emma
“Lady of the Lake” was the first episode to have all of the three timelines that have been playing out this season. There is the past and the two presents, one in fairy tale land and the other in Storybrooke. I was kind of dreading this scenario, worried that there would be too much in one episode. They pulled it off though and the key is keeping up all the stuff that is happening! Let’s tackle each timeline, one by one.
Last episode it was revealed that Cora, Regina’s mother, is still alive and being held captive at the safe haven in fairy tale land. She tries to sweet talk Emma, but Snow wakes up in time to warn Emma that Cora is much worse than Regina. Mulan pulls Emma and Snow from the pit they are being held in and she delivers them to the leader of the group, Lancelot. He and Snow have a joyful reunion. He agrees to let her go to her castle to see if the magic wardrobe still exists and is still a portal. Mulan is instructed to go with them and Aurora secretly follows them wanting revenge for Phillip’s death.
The trio make their way through the enchanted forest and decide to make camp. Aurora makes the decision to attack Snow, but Snow is a much better fighter and takes Aurora down. Snow advises Aurora to channel her anger elsewhere, so Aurora decides to drop her vengeance quest and help them. Emma tries to come to her mother’s aid, but when she shoots off her gun it attracts an ogre. Emma is clearly way out of her league, but Snow once again saves the day and they make their way to the castle.
The castle is partly in ruins, but they manage to find the wardrobe in the nursery. After seeing her room, Emma realizes how much Snow and Charming gave up for her. It was pretty sad to think about how they missed every important event in Emma’s life thanks to Regina and couldn’t be a family. She didn’t even get to spend one night in the amazing nursery!
As Emma and Snow are trying to figure out how to get the wardrobe out of the castle, Lancelot shows up to help. Snow realizes that it is not Lancelot, but Cora using her magic. Side note, how has her magic stayed intact all this time? She admits she killed Lancelot a while ago and has been posing as him. She followed them to get access to the wardrobe and make her way to Storybrooke. As Cora is attacking Snow, Emma lights the wardrobe on fire. Cora vanishes and Emma apologizes for destroying their way home. They leave and Cora reappears to steal some ash from the burnt wardrobe.
In the past, we are shown how Snow met Lancelot. Her and Charming are plotting to take the kingdom back when Lancelot captures Snow and takes her to King George. The king tells her how his wife was cursed to not have children and after having Lancelot get her some water, he reveals he has done the same to Snow. Lancelot takes her back to her camp and tells her that he didn’t know what the king was going to do. They realize the next target will be Charming’s mother Ruth.
Charming is already at his mother’s cottage when a band of soldiers’ attacks and Ruth is hit with an arrow during the altercation. Snow and Lancelot show up and help Charming take his mom to Lake Nostos, the lake with the magical water. Since Charming had killed the siren of the lake last season, the lake is now dried up, but Lancelot finds one last sip. When she and Ruth are alone, Snow admits she won’t be able to have children when Ruth gives her a pendant that supposedly reveals if a couple will have a boy or girl. Ruth wants her to have the water, but Snow declines it.
After taking a drink, the water doesn’t work and Ruth’s regret is that she won’t see them marry. Snow asks Lancelot to perform a ceremony and Ruth dies as Snow and Charming kiss. As Snow is about to tell Charming about the curse put upon her, Ruth’s pendant swings to reveal they will have a girl. Snow doesn’t tell Charming the gender, if it is indeed correct, and figures out that Lancelot had given Snow the water instead during the wedding ceremony.
The last timeline, Storybrooke, seemed like minor details compared to the other two. Henry wants to help Charming with the portal problem, but Charming insists that Henry should go to school instead. Of course Henry isn’t going to listen! He doesn’t even listen to his mother. He instead goes to find Jefferson who lets it slip that Regina’s vault is somewhere in town. Henry urges Jefferson to find his daughter Grace and then goes to steal Regina’s keys. He finds the vault, complete with the snakes she used to kill Snow’s father, but Regina figured it out and sent Charming to get Henry. Jefferson has a reunion with Grace and as Charming is teaching Henry how to fight with a sword, King George looks on from a car.
I was disappointed that Lancelot is dead, but hopefully they will find a way to bring him back. It will be interesting to see if Cora can find a way back to Regina. That is one reunion I do not want to miss! The reveal of King George at the end spiced things up and makes me wonder who else is in Storybrooke that we have yet to see. Also of note is how Regina is no longer mayor, but her successor was not revealed. This episode was one of the best because there were many awesome people in it like Barbara Hershey (Cora) and Alan Dale (King George), plus I love it when Sebastian Stan makes an appearance as the Mad Hatter. Next week is the anticipated appearance of Captain Hook!
Some stats and info about Once Upon a Time, “Lady of the Lake”
TV SHOW – Once Upon a Time
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 2, Episode 3
AIRED ON – October 14th, 2012
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – ABC/Disney+
GENRE – Drama, Fantasy
CREATED BY – Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis
CAST – Lana Parrilla, Robert Carlyle, Jared Gilmore, Jennifer Morrison, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas, Colin O’Donoghue, Emilie de Ravin, Rebecca Mader, Beverley Elliott, Sean Maguire, Lee Arenberg,
This review originally appeared on TV Geek Army.