Once Upon a Time 5.06: "The Bear and the Bow"

“What do you say, will you help me show the clans they messed with the wrong Queen?”
- Merida

For those of you who are astute, you’ll realize that the title of this week’s episode was the original title for “Brave”. I have to admit that’s kind of clever on the writers’ part. In Camelot, Merlin, Charming, Hook and Belle head down to the dungeons to free Lancelot and happen upon Merida as well. They think it is only fair they let her out given what Emma did. Unfortunately, they are going to regret their actions shortly. Belle had given Merlin a spell to use to get rid of the cell bars and so Merida thinks it is a brilliant idea to kidnap Belle to help find her brothers. I have a feeling that isn’t going to work quite as well as she’s hoping. After a little verbal sparring in a canoe, Merida and Belle agree to join forces, especially since Merida is kind of crabby about the clans being sexists pigs. They head to the witch’s hovel (where she figured out how to change her mother back from a bear in the movie) and they find that the clans plan to kill her brothers to punish her for not abdicating her throne. So Merida wants Belle to change her brothers’ fate. It happens to be the exact same spell that turned her mother into a bear. Belle tries to talk Merida out of using the magic, trying to show her that using Merida’s skill with a bow will do more to convince the clans that she is fit to rule than magic but Merida isn’t having it. She explains to Belle that the clans were attacked and an enemy knight was going for her father and she failed to save him. So Belle hands over the potion, even though she’s not happy to do it. But the girl is clever. She gave Merida a fake potion and Merida manages to stand up the clansmen with just her bow and her sword and they all bow down to her. So her family is reunited and she overcomes her fear of not being good enough to lead her people.

In Storybrooke Regina drops the news on the team that they had freed Merlin in Camelot. They think they need to use Arthur to communicate with Merlin now using the crimson crown so they can find out why Merlin was unable to free Emma. Belle isn’t interested in that plan. Rumple probably knows what happened or at least why it might not have worked and she isn’t going to sit around while Emma could be hurting him. Sure she is not happy with her husband but she still feels a pull to him. Speaking of, he is in the woods and uses the chipped cup to free himself from his binds. This only prompts Emma to force Merida to kill Belle. How that will turn Rumple into a hero is anyone’s guess. The Charmings are complete idiots. They think Arthur is on their side and then agree to leave him alone to “communicate” with Merlin. They don’t see Arthur burn the mushroom and then he flat out lies to them. The bastard.

Belle is trying to search the library for a way to find Rumple when the elevator starts working of its own accord. Of course, it’s Rumple and he’s grateful to his wife for standing by him while he was in the coma (and ready to give up the ghost given all he’d done). She gave him hope but they need to get out of the library and to the shop. Emma is no doubt after Belle to force Rumple’s hand. Rumple is scared to make a run to his shop because of his leg and what it represents but Belle reminds him that he hobbled himself for his son and that is one of the things he did that was not a mistake. They make it to the shop but don’t have enough time to find what he wants before Merida shows up intent on killing Belle.

And for some reason Emma thinks taking Zelena out for a little jaunt is a good idea. Yeah, the Dark Swan and the Wicked Witch in league is never going to end well. Not even a little bit. She wants Zelena to help her wield Merlin’s wand when the time is right but Zelena’s not interested. Not only is she okay being alone but she warns Emma that Henry won’t be quick to forgive her for the betrayal. She even drops the “I kill Neal” bit on Emma but Emma doesn’t really blink (that made me sad).

Belle knocks Merida out before she can deliver the final shot which gives them time to get out of the shop. Rumple’s plan of course is to run away. The magic he grabbed will keep them from turning into trees. Belle can’t believe he’s running away yet again. He tells her that he didn’t cripple himself for Bae but because he was scared and will always be a coward. Emma isn’t letting him get away that easily though. It seems Merida didn’t drink the potion in Camelot because Emma forces her to drink it now and she turns into a giant hulking bear. After running through the woods for a bit, Belle gets corned by Merida the Bear until Rumple shows up. He doesn’t really fight (he kind of gets batted around like a cat toy actually) but he manages to use some of the dust he had intended to keep them save crossing the town line to turn Merida back into a person. He proclaims that Belle saved him (so he still isn’t really a hero).

So I was wrong and Rumple does manage to pull Excalibur from the stone. But he gets Merida’s heart returned in exchange and he promises to kick Emma’s butt now that he’s a hero. This is going to be interesting. And briefly in Camelot we see Emma make the connection on Merlin being the usher at the movie theater when she’s a kid. Too bad she isn’t going to heed his warning. And as the idiot Charmings realize what Arthur did, Regina realizes that Henry can talk to Merlin since he’s been chosen as the Author. They get the magician’s voicemail though and it’s not good. Merlin instructs them to find Nimue if they want to defeat the darkness. This makes me want to go back and rewatch the first season of “Merlin”. Anyway, I’m excited to see where the story goes.