The episode starts in the Enchanted Forest, with Charming riding in a carriage with an uptight blonde princess. A fallen tree blocks the road, but it’s a ruse that allows a thief to grab a satchel from the carriage. Charming gives chase and tackles the thief, who is actually Snow. She clocks him with a rock and escapes; he promises to find her.
Ms. Blanchard is on a date with an inattentive blonde (my love David Anders, of Alias and Heroes), babbling about wanting true love before she gives up and calls for a check. On the walk home, she spots Emma sleeping in her car and offers her a spare room, but she declines.
Ms. Blanchard’s class is volunteering at the hospital when she catches Henry in John Doe’s room. Despite his hints, she doesn’t recognize him, and only comments on how sad it is to be alone. Later, Henry tells Emma he’s found her father, and they need to make her parents remember.
Emma asks Ms. Blanchard to read the book to John Doe (or JD as I will now call him), telling her Henry thinks he’s Prince Charming. At first she’s reluctant, but Emma argues it’s the best way to break Henry of his delusions – when JD doesn’t revive, it will act as a reality check. The three will meet for breakfast to discuss the results.
That night, Ms. Blanchard is reading to JD at the hospital when he grabs her hand, but when she retrieves Dr. Whale (her date), he suggests she’s imagining it. Immediately after, he calls the mayor to report JD showed some activity. Regina would crush the phone in her hand if she could.
Snow raids some artifacts from a cave only to be caught and suspended in a rope trap on the way out. Charming appears, with a cocky reminder that he would find her, and she sarcastically dubs him “Prince Charming.” He strikes a deal: help him recover his stolen property – including a ring he was about to give the blonde – and he won’t reveal she is Snow White, wanted by the Queen.
Emma (in a stolen shirt of Regina’s) meets Henry at the café and Ms. Blanchard joins them, shocking them both with what happened. Henry immediately wants to go back. Ms. Blanchard does too, despite Emma’s reservations. However, JD is missing, and both the Sheriff and Regina are present. The mayor reveals she is JD’s emergency contact since she’s the one who found him. Dr. Whale warns if they don’t find him soon, he could die. Regina takes Henry home. A review of security footage shows JD walked into the woods.
Snow and Charming are heading through the woods when he notices the vial she has around her neck. He steals it, and she warns it’s a weapon that can squash a powerful adversary. Snow insists the claims against her are lies, and when he mentions her theft, she counters she has only stolen from Queen and mistook his carriage for hers. She wants only enough to get out the realm, and admits to ruining the Queen’s life. They stop for a drink of water. Snow gets away from Charming only to be caught by the Queen’s goons.
Sheriff Graham, Emma, and Ms. Blanchard are in the woods. The Sheriff goes off ahead and Ms. Blanchard asks Emma why she got into “finding people,” she replies it’s something she’s always done. Ms. Blanchard wonders if it was about her parents, and asks if she found them, to which Emma jokes, “depends who you ask.” Henry appears, and tells Ms. Blanchard JD is searching for her.
Snow is about to have her heart cut out when Charming saves her. She is clearly surprised and touched by his gesture. He says it was the honorable thing to do.
Henry tries to convince Ms. Blanchard that JD loves her. Emma wants to take him home, insisting that Regina will “kill me, then you, then me again.” Sheriff Graham finds JD’s bloody wristband.
Snow and Charming reach the troll’s bridge. She tries to negotiate for the jewels, but the trolls are suspicious of Charming and soon both he and Snow are at knifepoint (swordpoint?). They search Charming and find Snow’s wanted poster. Charming gets a sword and tells Snow to run, but he is overwhelmed and she is forced to use her magic vial to defeat the trolls. Charming reveals his name is James.
Sheriff Graham, Emma, Ms. Blanchard and Henry arrive at a t(r)oll bridge, where JD is in shallow water. Ms. Blanchard performs CPR, and when she places her mouth to his, he revives and coughs up water. Henry exclaims that she brought him back to life, and even Emma agrees.
At the hospital, Dr. Whale is tending to JD when the Storybrooke equivalent of the blonde princess shows up, calling him “David.” Regina pops out of nowhere to inform the trio that the blonde is JD’s wife.
Snow and Charming prepare to part ways. Snow tries on his ring for a minute, before claiming it’s not her style. He’ll find her again, and she almost believes him.
Regina explains that JD is really David Nolan, and the blonde is his wife, Katherine. Katherine thanks them. Ms. Blanchard asks how she could not know he was in coma, but she explains they parted on bad terms and she assumed he had left town. Dr. Whale says JD’s recovery is a miracle – which he just got up and went searching for something. “Someone,” Henry corrects.
Regina collects Henry and leaves. Emma of course confronts Regina with how convenient it is Katherine showed up, but the mayor acts oblivious. She throws in a jab, saying how the whole situation has made her glad she has Henry, and how awful it is to be alone.
Ms. Blanchard is twirling a ring on her finger, which happens to be the same ring Charming intended to give to his blonde princess. There is a knock at the door, Emma asks for the spare room, and Ms. Blanchard lets her in.
What we know so far:
Prince Charming is named James and John Doe is named David Nolan. Snow is responsible for ruining the Queen’s life, but how is still uncertain. It almost feels like nothing much happened. John Doe woke up, but he had barely three lines. Also, will Emma ever get fresh clothes?
A reader mentioned in my last post that the mysterious Sheriff Graham is one of the Queen’s guards from the pilot; we don’t see him but we hear his voice. After watching the scene again, I’m not quite sold. One theory I like is that Graham is the Huntsman who spared Snow. What do you think?
Next week is babies, ball gowns, and Mr. Gold (finally), oh my!
[…] to start their new life together. As their carriage travels towards the palace, we leave them where ”Snow Falls” […]
[…] pining over David (and therefore stalking him). In the Enchanted Forest, we finally pick up where Snow Falls left off. Snow is unable to get her Prince Charming out of her mind, and that same Prince is torn […]