Once Upon a Time: The Guardian (7x18)

Tilly and Margot... so freaking cute.

Cons:

I actually find myself a little bit confused about what is going on with Facilier. Why did he take the dagger? Or did he take it? Why did he want it in the past? And why did Rumple need that magic that Regina had received for helping Henry? It all seems a bit convoluted, and unnecessarily so for what is mostly a very focused, deep episode.

Pros:

As I said, Tilly and Margot are adorable. They go on a super sweet date, and we also see the two of them beginning their courtship in the Wish realm, so we get to see Alice and Robin at the same time as we see Tilly and Margot. I'd watch so many episodes just about the two of them if I could. Tilly taking Margot to the bookstore, the "Pop and Pop" bookstore, as she calls it, to her favorite place, the travel section... Margot giving Tilly a bracelet, and promising to be there even on Tilly's bad days... these two are so sweet they are rotting my teeth. In a good way. I can't stand it.

I continue to maintain that what happened with Belle and Rumple is almost too depressing for this show. Still, it has led to a lot of really meaty material for Rumple, which can only be a good thing. Essentially, we see that he came very close to giving up the darkness within him, when he discovered that Alice is pure of heart and can serve as a Guardian. The only thing is, if Alice takes on the darkness, she will become immortal. She won't be the new Dark One, but still. That's a heavy burden, and Rumple, at the last moment, can't go through with it. This causes him to take on more of the Dark One aspects, his skin becoming leathery once more as the darkness continues to eat away at him from within. He makes this sacrifice for the sake of Alice, so she can grow old with the one she loves.

We see Hook and Rumple in the Wish Realm actually forming a tentative alliance. Wish!Hook has not been seeking revenge on Rumple the way that original Hook was, but he still thought of him as a villain. When he saw what this supposedly evil man was willing to give up for his daughter, he decides to turn over a new leaf. It was nice to see this moment, because it adds more nuance to Weaver and Rogers' partnership in Hyperion Heights.

And speaking of complicated relationships involving Rumple, I also really enjoyed the exchanges between Rumple and Regina this episode. They have such a fraught history together, and you can see the full impact of it in the moment when Rumple dismisses Regina's concern for her son, and Regina retorts: "you mean, your grandson?" That was quite the slap in the face, and I like the conflict within Rumple. He needs to avoid the darkness within him if he wants any hope of getting back to Belle, but the longer that takes him, the more desperate he becomes, and therefore the more likely he is to cross the line.

Henry spends the episode coming to terms with what happened with Nick, and as the episode ends, he is showing Jacinda the proof that he is indeed Lucy's father. Both of them are bound to be confused and startled by this, and mostly this episode just served as setup for whatever they will do with this startling information now that they have it. Still, any step forward into revealing the full truth is a good one in my opinion!

We're getting close to saying goodbye to this show for good. The only question is, will they wrap everything up in a satisfactory way? I hope so!

8.5/10