She was a nobleman’s daughter. He’s running his late father’s blacksmith business into the ground. They meet at a tavern and share a few drunken nights together...which ends in a pregnancy with twins.
How tf did Emma know that was her grandfather in the dreamcatcher??? She'd never seen a picture of him in her life??? He doesn't even look like David???
Well. That was unexpected. Not sure how I feel about the ‘gotcha’ moment at the end, though. I know they probably needed a bit of drama to drag the current CS storyline out, but...huh. Maybe it’s best to reserve judgement until I see where A&E plan to go with this new development.
We start off with the night that Charming and James were separated as babies. It turns out that during the winter, the brothers fell ill, and Ruth and Papa Charming (whose name is revealed to have been Robert) didn’t have enough money for medicine. Cue DO Rumple, who offers to give them money for medicine, on the condition they surrender one of their sons to be raised by King George. And I really love Ruth’s initial reaction to this. She actually grabs a knife, ready to defend her two sons with her life. (She did realize she was facing down a man who could reduce her to a pile of dust with just a thought, right?) But Robert decides they have no real choice, as it’s the only way to ensure their sons will live. So they, with great reluctance, agree to the terms, with James being selected via coin toss.
Apparently, that event is what led to Robert becoming an alcoholic, with him turning to the drink in an effort to escape from the pain and regret of giving up James. He admits to the bartender at a local tavern that David, now six, deserves a better father than him. At that moment, Robert is shocked when King George enters the tavern. King George announces that his son, Prince James, had been abducted, and he’s looking for anyone who has information. Robert, wanting to help his biological son, decides to take it upon himself to rescue him. And it was here that I started ‘aww-ing,’ as we see Little Boy David. (He’s so adorable.) It turns out this was the true story behind the tale Shepherd David will one day tell Anna. Little Boy David was under the impression that Malcolm was leaving home to recover from his alcoholism. But in fact, he was trying to rescue long-lost brother James. To give his father a little bit of luck, Little Boy David gives Robert his lucky coin. (Hmm. Was this the same coin used in the coin toss?)
Robert makes his way to the Dark Castle to see Rumpelstiltskin, who reveals James actually ran away. He gives Robert a ticket to the place where James went. In exchange, Robert has to give up a hair from his head. While DO Rumple initially implies he has plans for the hair, it turns out this was all an act and the ticket was a freebee. Because Robert’s determination to see James reminded DO Rumple of his own desire to reunite with his son. (Okay, fine. You get a gold star today, Rumple. I can admit when you act like a halfway decent person.)
The ticket, it turns out, allows the holder access to Pleasure Island of Pinocchio fame. (Interestingly enough, sharp eyes can spot August was actually writing about the place at the end of the last episode. Unfortunately, I can’t locate the post that pointed this out to me, so I can’t currently credit the sleuth for this observation.) Anyway, Robert makes his way there, and is even able to resist the lure of drink in his determination to find James. He does, however, have a run-in with Pinocchio, back when he was still a wooden puppet. (Not sure how Pinocchio was around back then, as he’s only supposed to be roughly ten years older than Emma, who won’t be born for another few decades, but oh well.) Thanks to that pesky trait of his nose being a lie detector, Robert figures out that Pinocchio saw James. Upon locating Little Boy James, we see he’s completely different from his adult self. He’s just a gentle little boy who doesn’t want to become a knight and kill people. Robert offers to bring Little Boy James to live with him, stating he’ll have a brother to play with. Unfortunately, the people who run the place spot them trying to leave, so they have to make a run for it. When they reach the docks, however, they find King George is there. Robert identifies himself as Little Boy James’ real father, and states he has no desire to give up his son again. As such, King George orders his guards to take Robert back to the mainland and kill him, instructing them to make it look like an accident.
I guess this is how James was able to figure out he had a twin brother somewhere. I’d always wondered how he seemed to know that information in the Underworld, despite King George never knowing there was a twin brother until after James’s death. In any event, I feel even more sorry for James than I did before. From the looks of it, all the negative traits he displayed as an adult were most likely due from being raised by King George. If he hadn’t been stuck with such a nasty piece of work, he might have turned out differently. (Seriously, A&E, can we please address those pour souls who got dropped into the River of Lost Souls? It would leave a bitter taste in my mouth if the show ended with them still trapped in there.)
Flash forward to present day, with Charming leading the Nevengers in a toast commemorating Emma’s safe return from the Wish World and defying the vision of her death at Gideon’s hand. (And I got a huge chuckle from Killian toasting with his flask instead of a wine glass.) However, when Charming later slips outside to mourn the fact that Snow can’t be present, due to the lingering curse on their shared heart, he starts to hallucinate, seeing an image of his dead father. He then collapses for some reason. Wasn’t really clear why, but I guess it’s because he’s currently sleep deprived due to his stubborn refusal to switch off with Snow until the incident with Gideon was dealt with. (Does this variation of the Sleeping Curse prevent Charming from taking a non-cursed nap or something?) Killian apparently noticed his friend collapse from the window, as he hurries out to check up on him. But Charming is too high-strung to be accepting of Killian’s concern, and resorts back to his S3 attitude, dismissing Killian as a pirate. Killian is visibly hurt by the snub, but backs off without a fight. When Killian goes back inside, however, Charming notices something on the ground- his father’s lucky coin, the one he gave his father as a boy.
The next morning, we see Charming had taken Killian’s advice and swapped with Snow, as she pays a visit to Regina. They talk a bit about Robin Clone and Regina’s decision to bring him into Storybrooke. While I am a bit put off we didn’t get to see how Snow reacted to what Emma went through while she was out, I do applaud her for talking sense here. Just because Robin Clone looks like Robin Prime, it doesn’t mean he’s the same person. (Speaking of which, was Robin Clone sleeping in Regina’s living room? With the size of Regina’s mansion, you’d think she’d have a spare bedroom on hand. What are you using all those extra rooms for, Gina?)
Meanwhile, Killian, in a surprising turn of events, pays a visit to Archie’s office. (Is this the first time they’ve interacted since the start of the Revenge arc/2B?) Turns out Killian’s still a bit hurt over the incident the night before and is worried that Charming still views him as the man he used to be, and that Emma deserves better. Killian then admits the reason why he’s so concerned with how Charming views him is because he’s planning to propose to Emma. (Insert the shrill squeeing of the CS fandom.) But, old fashioned gentleman that he is, he wants Charming’s blessing first. Archie assures Killian that everyone knows he’s a better man now, but suggests that Killian should just come out and ask Charming how he feels about him if he’s that worried about it.
Speaking of Charming, when it’s his turn to be awake again, he has another hallucination of Robert. His father accuses Charming of forgetting about him, and Charming retorts that Robert was barely his father and was just a drunk he worked hard to forget. When Charming demands Robert say what he wants, Robert says he wants ‘truth.’ This sets Charming off, and he’s now more determined than ever to solve the mystery behind his father’s death. To achieve his goal, he decides to enlist Killian’s help when the man stops by to follow Archie’s advice. Killian suggests that Charming might be better off going to Emma for help, since she’s the sheriff and has magic, but Charming refuses, stating he doesn’t want to worry her or Snow, and that they might not approve of what he might have to do. He then states he needs a pirate, completely oblivious to how Killian becomes crestfallen at his words.
They make their way to the Swan-Jones house, with Killian saying it should be empty, as Emma took Henry out on a canoe trip. But he briefly balks when he finds out Charming is planning to steal some potion ingredients to conjure up a spell. Gotta say, I’m with Killian on this one. Magic isn’t something you want to mess around with. At least not when you have no formal training. It’s like operating heavy machinery. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you could cause a lot of damage, or get badly hurt. But Charming is not to be swayed and instructs Killian to stand watch. Killian, who is desperate for the man’s approval, reluctantly goes along with it. At the same time, you see how upset he is about this. While Charming is occupied rooting around the shed, Emma returns unexpectedly, as Henry forgot to bring the life jackets. Which leads to a great scene of Killian trying to keep her distracted long enough for Charming to slip away. A task that’s not easy due to Emma’s superpower kicking in. Killian is able to get away with a half-truth, despite how uncomfortable he is with not being 100% honest with her, talking about how her near-death had made him reflect on some stuff. Obviously, we know he’s referring to his intent to propose, but he doesn’t let Emma in on that just yet. In the end, Charming is able to avoid being seen by Emma and the two men head off together.
Back at the Charming loft, Charming and Killian proceed to conjure up a spell that will show them where Robert’s lucky coin was the day that he died. (Insert cute moment with a beaker.) Despite their lack of magical training, the spell works, pointing them in the direction of Pleasure Island. Now that they have a lead, they go see August, who explains the last he saw of Robert was of him escaping Pleasure Island with Little Boy James, and that he never connected them with Charming. The knowledge that his father had been trying to save his twin brother clearly stuns Charming. August then explains that he took some pages out of Henry’s book waaaayyyy back in S1, as those pages chronicled his time in Pleasure Island, something he’s not proud of. He offers to look for them in case they reveal more about Charming’s father.
After leaving August’s place, Charming deduces who may have killed his father. However, Killian, realizing that Charming is out for blood, tries to talk him out of it, as he knows better than most what a quest for vengeance can do to you. Unfortunately, Charming takes this as a cue to handcuff Killian to a nearby bike rack in order to keep him from stopping him. He then heads right to the psychiatric ward beneath the hospital, which I guess is now used to hold long-term prisoners. There, he confronts King George/Albert Spencer, who admits he ordered Robert’s death. Charming proceeds to challenge his former adoptive father to a duel to the death. But just as Charming gains the upper hand, Killian arrives, having broken out of the handcuffs off-screen, and quickly returns King George/Albert Spencer back to his cell. Killian proceeds to try and talk Charming down, stating that while the man did admit responsibility for Robert’s death, he also told Charming that his father resisted temptation in the end, and became a father Charming could be proud of. This leads to Charming to have a full-on emotional breakdown, admitting his fears that he’ll lose everything. Killian then presents Charming with a choice. He can proceed to kill George/Albert, but first he has to remember that Robert did everything in his power to be able to look his son in the eye. He asks Charming if he wants to be a man who can look his father in the eye, too. With these words, Charming collapses and cries on Killian’s shoulder, completely overwhelmed.
Sometime later, Charming makes his way to the docks, where he makes peace with his father’s memory as he now knows that Robert did come through in the end, overcoming his vices. Killian, once again concerned for his friend, sticks around to make sure he’s okay. Charming proceeds to apologize for his behavior throughout the episode, stating that Killian was the noble one that day, and that he’s sorry for how much he risked that day, including Killian’s relationship with Emma. Upon receiving confirmation that Charming believes he’s is good enough for his daughter, Killian gathers up the courage to ask for his blessing to propose to Emma. After a brief pause that clearly makes Killian very nervous, a smiling Charming grants that blessing and the two men head off together.
However, that’s when the ‘gotcha’ moment happens. When Killian is making his way back home to Emma, blissful that there’s nothing holding him back from proposing, he’s approached by August, who located the pages pertaining to Pleasure Island. Even though he didn’t find any new information about Robert, he figured Charming might want them anyway. Killian agrees to pass them along. But after August leaves, Killian spots an illustration of Robert and is horrified to realize he recognizes him. It turns out the two guards who were hired to stage Robert’s fatal ‘accident’ were interrupted before they could complete their task. Killian, back when he was still the infamous Captain Hook (and apparently taking a slight detour during his time under Pan’s employ, as this took place when Charming/David was only six), had targeted the cart that was to be used in the frame-up with the intention of making off with some of the king’s gold. In the processes, Hook kills the two guards and then, in a tragic turn of events, he proceeds to kill Robert as well, stating he can’t afford to risk the older man keeping silent about what he’d seen on his own.
So, yeah. That stinks. I think this is the first time we’ve actually seen Killian/Hook at his most ruthless. Up until now, while we have certainly seen him do some underhanded stuff, they just….never seemed all that bad to me. Not that what he did in the past wasn’t bad, of course. But there was always something that made it not seem unforgivingly bad. It was usually just him reacting to something that set him off. But this? Yeah, this is completely different. This wasn’t just another spur-of-the moment thing. This was straight up cruelty. I think this is the first time you actually can see why he earned the reputation he had as Captain Hook. And I am wondering how Charming’s going to react if he finds out this new tidbit about his future son-in-law. I admit, I won’t be surprised if he’s initially put off by this. But I’ll also be disappointed if he doesn’t eventually come around and remember what he said about Killian in this very episode- that he has changed since then. Besides, it’s clear that Killian is deeply remorseful now that he realizes what he’s done, as he’s now back to feeling unworthy and therefore reluctant to propose to Emma. And you know, seeing as Snow forgave Regina for killing her father despite there being nothing substantial to suggest she’s remorseful for it, I expect Charming to eventually forgive Killian for this as well. Especially since Killian/Hook hadn’t realized he was responsible until just now. Unlike Regina, who knew perfectly well she was killing Snow’s father, Killian/Hook had no way of knowing this man was the father of someone he’d eventually view as a friend and brother, as well as the future grandfather of the woman he’d one day fall completely in love with.
This right here, while it is an upsetting revelation, can also serve to be the final step in Killian’s redemption. While he has admitted he’s deeply remorseful about the murders he committed during his time as vengeful Captain Hook, this is probably the first time he’s being directly confronted with the people who suffered because of it. Sure, he’s faced down people he’s hurt in the past, like Ursula and Liam 2.0. But those were either easy fixes or, in the case of Liam 2.0, more about putting an end to a vicious cycle of blood and revenge. This time, there’s no easy fix. Granted Robert was going to die regardless, but Killian/Hook had the chance to spare his life and didn’t take it. As a result, he unknowingly caused a lot of pain for people he would one day love dearly. When he gathers the courage to admit the truth to Charming and Emma, and they forgive him for it (because it’s obvious they will, with the only question being how many episodes it’ll take), it’ll be symbolic of Killian being fully absolved of his past.
Come to think of it, I think it’s a huge testament to Killian’s character that he was able to recognize Robert when he saw the illustration. Just think about it for a moment. When he killed Robert, the man was nothing to him. As far as Hook/Killian was concerned, he was just some random stranger that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And yet, he is clearly able to remember what that man looked like, even though it’s been years since that night. I can’t see how anyone wouldn’t find that impressive.
Meanwhile, in subplot B, Regina, following Snow’s advice, starts trying to help Robin Clone acclimate himself into Storybrooke. Unfortunately, Regina gets momentarily distracted by Zelena popping by to say she won’t allow Robin Clone anywhere near Baby Robyn, stating he has no rights to his sorta-daughter. (I know, dead horse, but technically you shouldn’t have any rights to her, either, Zelena. You know, seeing as how you were Robin Prime’s rapist.) By the time Zelena leaves, Robin Clone has gone and scarpered. While out and about, Robin Clone runs into Keith/Sheriff of Nottingham. (Ah, so I guess he didn’t die at the end of ‘Lacey.’ I’ve always wondered if Gold beat him to death after the cutaway. Looks like he didn’t.) Regina steps in before Robin Clone could kill him, but this leads to a small confrontation between the two, which leads to Regina stating that, even if Robin Clone didn’t regret killing Keith now, he might later on. Okay, I’m completely okay with that line. It’s nice to see brief glimpses of redeemed Regina. If only they weren’t so rare to see. And it gets better. When Regina takes Robin Clone to her vault to tend to his hand, which was slightly injured in the struggle with Keith, we learn that Regina still hasn’t returned the hearts she collected. Finally, someone addresses that! I’m starting to like Robin Clone. He actually calls Regina out on stuff. Regina even states she knows she sounds like a hypocrite. (Did I mention I really like this Regina subplot? How’s that for a novel concept?) However, Regina insists she has changed, (then why haven’t you gotten around to returning those hearts in your possession to their rightful owners?) and that she brought Robin Clone back with her because she was hoping she could be a part of his fresh start, too. The two proceed to kiss, but it’s visibly obvious Regina feels something is off about the kiss. It doesn’t feel the same as when she kissed Robin Prime. Regina later talks to Snow about the matter. (So we get two scenes with Snow’s interactions with Regina in this episode, but none between Snow and Emma? Yeah, that’s lovely.) She begins to acknowledge that this isn’t her Robin. But that leads to her wondering who this Robin Clone is, and what he could possibly want. That question is made even worse when we see Robin Clone swiping a fancy-looking box from Regina’s vault. What he plans to do with it remains a mystery at the moment, but I doubt it’s good.
