Broken - 2x01

Broken

                                                           By Amy Degenstein Hood

     I’ll start the review of the season opener with a warning. Hold on to your seats! So much happened, so many new characters and so many old favorites finally back together on our screens! Some of our questions were answered, but new ones arose. Time to get those brains working on theories for this season, looks like there will be plenty of opportunity for theorizing. Broken was a wild ride from beginning to end.

     This week, we started in a totally unfamiliar setting. We see a man walking through what appears to be New York City. (This is actor Michael Raymond-James who is new to the show) He makes it to his apartment where some of the items around the room are; a sign that says “Cleaners & Hatters”, a very bright portrait of an upside down red hand (thought to be a symbol to ward off evil), and an open window. He also has an mp3 player which he is listening too, but everything else in his apartment seems dated. His stereo equipment, the old style phone, all very 1980’s. It begins to rain, and as he tries to close the window, we see a pigeon fly in holding a postcard. The man picks it up and reads the word “BROKEN” written across the back. He flips it over to see that the picture on the front is of Storybrooke. Start the speculating Oncers! Who is this man? Who sent him the post card? I have my theories already, but I would love to hear yours! 

   Next scene flashes to FTL. We see two horsemen riding to a castle. Once inside, one jumps down from his horse, destroys the blanket of thorns and growth surrounding a sleeping princess and then looks to his companion. He says to the warrior whose face is covered, “If this works, we don’t tell her everything right away”. He leans in and kisses the princess who wakes. We find out she is Aurora and he is Prince Philip. Aurora asks how long she’s been asleep, but Philip changes the subject saying that now they will restore their kingdom. Aurora is worried, asking where everyone is and why the kingdom needs to be restored. She asks if it is Maleficent, saying that first Maleficent went after her mother, and then went after her. Phillip tells her it is not Maleficent that they have to fear. This could turn into an interesting plot later on. Why would Maleficent go after Aurora’s mother?  

     We finally get to Storybrooke where we left off. Snow and Charming find Granny and Red who are embracing, overjoyed to have found each other. Snow then turns and sees our favorite group of guys, her dwarves, Team 7. They bow to Snow, she hugs them all. Very emotional moment and one we have been waiting to see for months. Snow turns and sees Emma behind her. The first time they have interacted after realizing they are mother and daughter. Snow begins to cry, hugs Emma and says “You found us”. Charming joins in the family hug, and they are interrupted by Henry, who calls Charming “Grandpa”. Grumpy asks why they are still in SB if the curse is broken, and all the dwarves want to know what the smoke was. Emma suggests they talk to Mr. Gold.

   We then see Gold and Belle near the well. He asks what happened to her. Belle says that Regina abducted her and locked her away, and has had her ever since. Belle begs Gold not to give into his hate and not to kill Regina. She says if he will promise, they can be together. He agrees and they embrace. We finally see the RumBelle kiss we’ve been waiting for.  We then see Emma, Snow, Charming, Blue Fairy, the Dwarves, Granny and Red walking through town. Snow wants to talk about their relationship, but Emma is not ready. We see an angry mob in the distance. Archie runs up and says that Whale has gotten a mob and they are going to kill Regina, to which Grumpy replies “Great, let’s watch.”  Henry begs Emma to help Regina and the group goes to follow the mob.

     In FTL we see the warrior who accompanied Phillip pull a sword as a wraith bursts out of the ground. They are able to fight it off, and it drops a medallion which Phillip picks up.  

     In SB, Mr. Gold pulls a case from the back of the pawn shop. Inside is the same medallion that the wraith dropped. We then see Dr. Whale and the mob at Regina’s. She says to them “You wanted to see your Queen, well here she is” as she tries to cast a spell which does not work. The mob tries to take Regina but Emma, Snow and Charming intervene. Whale argues with Charming, telling him “You’re not my Prince.” Charming asks who he is, but Whale refuses to answer. They take Regina away to jail and lock her up.  

     Gold comes in to see Regina. He tells her that he knows she kept Belle all these years waiting to kill her when it suited her. It was a fate worse than death. He tells Regina he has the same plan for her, and grabs her hand. He places the medallion against it and imprints the symbol there.

    In FTL we finally see that Phillip’s traveling companion is actually Mulan. She tells Aurora about the wraith, explaining that it is a soul sucker and the most feared creature in all the land. Phillip is shocked to discover the medallion has marked him with the symbol of the wraith. He has become the wraith's next prey. Aurora asks Phillip what is wrong but he lies and says everything is fine. 

     In the forest outside of SB, Gold raises the dagger and says “The Dark One summons thee.”, he drops the medallion and the wraith comes out of it. In the jail cell, Regina sees the symbol on her hand become more prominent. The wraith is coming for her.

     Emma sends Henry with Ruby, and Snow wants to talk to Emma about their relationship. Emma is still hesitant. Snow says they are finally together, but it seems that Emma is not happy. Emma says she is happy, but that for 28 years she only knew that her parents sent her away. For her entire life she has been alone. Snow says “If we hadn’t sent you away you would have been cursed.” Emma replies “But we would have been together, so which curse is worse?”

     In FTL, Mulan, Phillip and Aurora make camp in the woods. Phillip says he’s going to find wood and will be back in 5 minutes. He has tears as he walks away, and he does not return.  

     Snow, Emma and Charming confront Gold. Emma says “Maybe I don’t need answers maybe I just need to punch you in the face.” Gold responds that she should be thanking him. He says the purple haze was magic, but he won’t tell why he brought it. The town starts to shake and spark outside. Gold says it’s his gift; it’s going to take care of Regina. Emma tells him they are not done and he says “Oh I know, you still owe me a favor.”  As the 3 leave the shop, Belle comes from the back room. She is very upset, saying that Gold lied to her. He is still a man who makes wrong choices and has not changed. He quips backs “Oh, in the hour you’ve known me?” Gold tries to stop her, but Belle storms out of the shop. 

   In FTL, Mulan and Aurora hear the wraith and they realize that Phillip never came back. Mulan leaves to look for him, but Aurora follows. 

     In SB the wraith bursts into the jail. It rips the cell door off and begins to suck Regina’s soul from her. Charming, Emma and Snow run in and begin to fight it. Snow blasts it with a hairspray torch and it flies out of a window. Regina says it will be back, that it doesn’t stop until it devours its prey. Charming says it’s not their problem, it is Regina’s. Emma reminds them that she made a promise to Henry to protect Regina. Regina says they can send it to another world. Back in Regina’s office, Regina pulls out Jefferson’s hat, and pretends not to know who Jefferson is. The wraith comes back, but Regina cannot get the hat to work. She still has no magic. 

     In FTL we see Mulan and Aurora tracking Phillip. Aurora figures out that Mulan loves Phillip. She denies it, but Aurora knows it is true. They find Phillip and the wraith. Phillip tells Aurora he loves her, then drops his weapon he can sacrifice himself to the wraith. It sucks his soul, and he falls dead to the ground. 

     In SB, they fight the wraith with fire to try and hold it back. Emma touches Regina’s arm and suddenly the hat begins to spin. Emma’s touch has given Regina her magic back. The wraith is pulled into the hat and back to FTL, but it grabs Emma and pulls her along as well. Snow says she will not lose Emma again, and jumps in after her. Charming tries to follow, but the porthole closes and he is left alone with Regina. They argue, and Regina uses powers to fling him like a rag doll against the wall. She creates vines to hold and choke him. She is about to rip his heart our when Henry runs in with Red. He is very upset to see Regina is still evil. Crying, he tells her “You really are the Evil Queen. I don’t want to see you again.” Charming says that Henry will come live with him. 

Aurora and Mulan lay Phillip out in the place where Aurora had slept for so long. Mulan gives Aurora the wraith’s medallion in a bag. 

    At Gold’s pawn shop, Belle returns. Gold is spinning at the wheel. Belle says she was worried about him. Belle discovers that Rumple kept the chipped cup, and he tells her it is the only thing that he cherishes. Gold tells Belle she must leave, because despite what she hopes, he is still a monster. She tells him that is the exact reason she must stay.   

 In Snow and Emma’s apartment, Charming tells Henry that he knows they are still alive and that he has faith. He says he will always find them. 

     Mulan finally tells Aurora the truth. After Aurora slept, Regina cast her curse on the land. Everyone was taken away, except for the people in this corner of the land. For 28 years, these people were also frozen, until time started again. (When Emma arrived in SB). She says the land is dangerous now. They hear a noise and go to check the debris from where the wraith broke through the ground in the beginning of this episode. They move some pieces aside and Aurora asks what Mulan sees. She says it is what brought the wraith, what caused them to lose their prince. We pan down and see Emma and Mary Margret/Snow unconscious in the debris. The wraith from SB and the wraith from FTL were one and the same. When Regina sent it through the hat, it appeared at the beginning of this episode and started the chain of events with Phillip, Mulan and Aurora that lead to Phillip eventually being killed by it.