Once Upon a Time: Quiet Minds (3x15)

Okay. Goodbye, Neal. I think. On this show, I'm not sure whether we can trust any of the deaths... but it sure seems like Neal is gone now. I don't know exactly how to feel about that. But let's take a look.

In the Enchanted Forest, Belle and Neal decide to try and find a way to bring Rumple back. Belle misses the love of her life, of course, and while Neal is sad that his father is dead, his motivations are a bit more specific. he needs the Dark One back, because he believes it will be the way to get back to Emma and Henry. The two of them go to Rumple's castle, where they meet Lumiere, a candle. Lumiere says that Rumplestiltskin cursed him to this form. He helps them find information on how to bring Rumple back, and the two of them go to complete a ritual that will restore the Dark One. However, we learn that Lumiere was never Rumple's prisoner - he was the Wicked Witch's man the whole time. She wanted Rumple returned from the dead for her own nefarious purposes. Neal doesn't care - he wants to bring him back, anyway, so he completes the ritual. This leads to Rumple returning, but Zelena gets the dagger. Belle runs off, and Rumple is under the control of Zelena, the Wicked Witch.

In Storybrooke, everyone is trying to search for Rumplestiltskin. Hook and Belle are in Gold's shop, looking for a way he might have come back, when suddenly someone shows up: Neal, very much alive. Hook and Neal share a moment of reconciliation in the hospital, and then Hook lets Neal go help look for his father, even though he is still weak.

Emma does manage to find Rumple, but not for long. When Neal shows up, something crazy happens - we find out that Rumple is in Neal's head! Emma uses her magic to separate the two of them, but this means Neal has to die (to complete the ritual he started in the Enchanted Forest). Emma and Rumple say their tearful goodbyes, as Neal dies. Emma tells Henry a part of the truth: she says that this isn't a normal job, and that it concerned Henry's father. However, she tells him, regretfully she was too late, and his father is now dead. She tells Henry that he was a hero, and would have been a good father.

Meanwhile, on the hunt for Zelena, Regina and Robin Hood form a connection. Regina notices the tattoo on Robin's arm.

So... what do I think? Let us start with the bad stuff.

First of all, Henry. Sorry, kid, but your acting isn't really up to snuff. Or... more accurately, the script isn't up to snuff. Henry has spent his whole life believing his father abandoned him, and then his mother randomly tells him his father is dead, and Henry's response is to say "I wish I could have known him." Or something like that. It's trite and stupid and not at all realistic. I just don't know what else to say.

On another note, is anyone else really confused about the rules of all this magic stuff? Neal and Rumple were... what? Sharing a mind? How did Neal even end up in Storybrooke again, and why was his experience different from everyone else's? Now that they all know that Rumple is alive, why aren't they mounting a full-out attack to get Zelena and free him?

But hey. I thought there were some great moments in this episode, and most of them had to do with interesting character dynamics.

First of all, Neal and Hook. Be still my beating heart. I'm really glad they chose to have a moment of reconciliation between these two characters. After all, their relationship existed long before either of them knew Emma. That hug was just so sweet. And Neal calling him Killian... awwww.

Belle and Hook. Sometimes, I feel like this show forgets that many of their characters used to be bad guys, or at least very morally grey. This was an example of the show remembering that, and making an effort to address it. Belle doesn't really know Hook very well. She just remembers him as the guy who once tried to kill her. I like how we can see some real shifts in Hook's character, as he grows and changes.

Neal and Emma. I honestly felt like their last scenes together wouldn't have led up to a romantic conclusion, even if Neal hadn't been killed. It seemed more like getting closure, to me. They talked about Emma's almost-fiance, and about the fact that Neal almost made the same kind of mistake with Tamara. They talked about Henry, and Emma revealed that she might not want Henry to get his memories back. And when Neal was dying in Emma's arms, you could really feel Emma's terrible grief. Good acting job.

Rumple and Neal. Again, that death scene was a real kicker. Poor Rumple. He just has to keep losing the people he loves most. And as we know, Rumple doesn't deal too well with grief.

I'll also mention that I loved Mary Margaret in this episode. She got pushed to the sideline because of her pregnancy, but she wasn't happy about it - she reminds David that she's the best tracker of all of them, and should really be helping out. I love it when everyone rushes into Mary Margaret's home and tells her that Zelena is the Wicked Witch. She's shocked, but she manages to compartmentalize her reaction and keep going strong. She's such a bad ass.

So. I'm glad that everyone knows the truth about Zelena, now. One of the best things about this show is how they always push forward instead of leaving things in a rut for too long. Now, I want to know what Zelena is planning with Rumple, and why she wanted Mary Margaret's baby...

7.5/10