Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Once Upon a Tome, Season 6, Episode 19: The Black Fairy




Time for an episode with some pretty huge revelations

Starting with a flashback with Fiona – the Black Fairy – giving birth to Rumple and meeting his new fairy godmother: Tiger Lilly. And her child was extra special because he was the Saviour

The Saviour. Yes, Rumple was a Saviour

And because of that there was a big prophecy saying that the Saviour is doomed to die when he confronts his big bad enemy: created at the same time of him with a crescent scar on their wrist

Time to check every baby around to look for this scar… it’s probably a good thing that they didn’t find anyone because if they had that would raise the question of what Fiona the desperate mother would do to that baby.

In desperation Fiona badgers Tiger Lilly into giving her access to the fairies psychedelic vault of secret stuff so she can design a spell – a black curse – that will banish all children to a land without magic (a curse which will end up in Rumple’s hands and he in turn would eventually pass on to Regina – yes, that curse).

Tiger Lilly draws the line at banishing all these babies – and Fiona rips out her heart and threatens to crush it. Apparently wanting to crush fairy hearts and banishing babies is the catalyst for turning someone into the Black Fairy. Which also puts a crescent mark on her wrist – yes she is the evil her son must die defeating. Showing what an arsehole prophecy really is.

Blue decides to step in: restoring Tiger Lilly’s heart and drawing a line under all this. Tiger Lilly offers Fiona one more solution – the shears of fate severing. Black Fairy could sever her fate, give up her powers and then she will never be a threat to her Saviour child… instead Fiona demands she keeps her powers and severs Rumple’s Saviour fate instead. Preventing him from becoming the Saviour he was destined to be

Blue puts her foot down and banishes Fiona the Black Fairy – who is dragged through the portal promising that eventually she will return to her beloved son. Tiger Lilly and Blue decide to drop baby Rumple back on his father who now blames him for the loss of his wife. And lo begins Rumple’s less than happy childhood.


In the present world everyone is looking to try and restore Blue so she could share her secrets and help find the other half of the magic wand they’ve found (it’s at Granny’s, but we’ll get to that). We get lots of snarking from Rumple about how effective the Saviour is. Black Fairy makes her move and kidnaps Blue but in the process she loses Gideon to Rumple who puts one his bracelets of magic cancelling (hey these things would have been so useful in previous seasons, just saying) so they can find out where Gideon’s heart is


Since Gideon can’t stay it’s time for Rumple, Emma (because why not) and Gideon to go to dreamland to find out – that he can’t say either because he doesn’t know. Well that’s awkward

It’s not a wasted trip though because it gives Rumple chance to enter his deep dark dreams to find Fiona’s deepest secret – why she abandoned him. This takes a lot from Rumple and Emma making some excellent common cause with him about being an orphan and having to be vulnerable to confront this great well of pain and abandonment – especially since Rumple believed his mother had always hated him.

He access the dreams – and sees the scene from the vault. That he’s supposed to be a Saviour and that his mother loved him and was banished. That’s a whoooole lot to absorb

While this has been happening Regina has taught Zelena how to drive – because she’s desperately hoping a magicless Zelena can leave the city and take Henry and Robin with her. This is a major lea in their relationship – Regina is willing to trust Zelena with Henry. That speaks volumes as to how much Regina now trusts her sister

It also gives Zelena the skill to drive a car which is necessary to run over the Black Fairy when she and is facing off against Regina. I do wonder why the Black Fairy runs off here. This is twice she’s had the chance to kill Regina and Zelena but she just leaves and refuses to do so. Villain decision making.

With everyone back from the dream world Emma gives the newly rebuilt wand to Rumplestiltskin to go and face the Black Fairy; he is the Saviour who will face his mother. (Oh and Belle is now raising to Snow White levels of sogginess convinced that this all proves Rumple was good all along. Uh-huh).

And it’s poignant because it’s so very clear that Rumple and the Black Fairy have basically had the same storyline. They both embraced black magic to protect their children yet, at the same time, when it came to a choice between their power and their children, they both chose their power. They love their children but cannot think of how to live/protect their children without having magic.

I’m, less impressed with Rumple blaming his mother’s de-Saviouring of him for him forever being a coward (it would be interesting to explore if this is why he always sought magic – because of the magic he should have had but was denied him) since it feels like an absolution of all of Rumple’s bad decisions and transferring them to her

Of course I’d be more upset if it turned out to be actual absolution – but Rumple returns to his family and assures Belle and Gideon everything he does is for them (which is ominous – because it sounds like an excuse/justification). Before restoring Gideon’s heart and presenting to everyone else what he claims is the Black Fairy’s heart


Before going back to her, his mother and their deep dark plans to kill Emma tomorrow on her wedding day. Yes, Rumple has gone dark side. Again. Are we shocked? Anyone? Anyone at all? After all, as Black Fairy puts it – Rumple may have been born a Saviour but he adores being the Dark One