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“Once Upon A Time” recap (5.6): Beauty and the Brave

Previously on Once Upon A Time, the Camelot version of Team Charming freed Merlin from the tree, but somehow the present-day Storybrooke version does not include Merlin, and somewhere in between, Emma went dark. The Dark Swan wants to remove Excalibur from the stone, but needs a hero to do it, so she stole Merida’s heart and instead of using her, an actual hero, she makes Merida train Gold to become a hero. Merida has a hard time doing this, since Rumple is the worst, but she decides to use Belle as incentive.

We begin in Camelot, where Merlin and Team Charming go down to the dungeons to free Lancelot and Merida. Merlin is a little rusty and can’t figure out the magic on the cell bars, but Belle finds a spell in a very large book she’s lugging around that will solve the problem. Merlin calls her clever and Belle is grateful that someone finally realized she’s the brains behind this operation.

As soon as they’re released, Merida wants to continue her quest to save her brothers by following the wisps, but Merlin says there’s another way. One that won’t get her dead.

In Storybrooke, Regina tells Team Charming that Emma revealed they had released Merlin back in Camelot, so they decide to use the magic mushroom to talk to Merlin. He will only talk to a chosen one, and since they don’t know Arthur is the worst, they call him in to help. Belle thinks Rumple could help too but Team Charming is like, “You’re literally the only person in the world who cares about Rumpelstiltskin. This is about Emma.” But that doesn’t deter Belle from wanting to protect her beast.

Speaking of Rumple, he’s tied up in the forest, caressing and kissing Chip, which is creepy if you think too much about it, so we’ll just move on along. He smashes the cup and uses the shards to set himself free.

Camelot Merida also compliments Belle on her magic skills, and pretends to hear a noise to break off from the pack.

Unfortunately it was not for snogging, and Merida knocks Belle out with a rock to the head.

Present-day Merida leads Emma to where she had been keeping Rumple, but he’s gone. Merida swears she did as she was told, but Emma isn’t done with her yet; her next task is to kill Belle to try to get Rumple back.

Flashback Belle wakes up on Merida’s boat, furious. Merida compliments the fire in her, and Belle says if she needed help, all she had to do is ask. But Merida’s more then hit-first/ask-later kind of girl. Merida gets Belle up to date on her own story, about how not wanting to get married is calling her crown into question, which is making her angry. She looks at Belle and says, “Would you give up everything you ever dreamed just because a man said you didn’t deserve it?” And Belle remembers her feminist roots and is ready to fight with the fiery queen.

In the Storybrooke Library, Belle opens a magic door and Gold comes tumbling out of it, trembling in fear. He’s relieved when he realizes it’s Belle, and immediately starts whining all over her. He says the obvious thing, which is that she’s the best part of him, and then realizes that this puts her in danger because of Emma’s quest to heroify him.

Camelot Merida and Belle head to the witch’s cabin from the movie, hoping the old woman isn’t home.

The cauldron shows Merida the dopes that want to marry her, and her three brothers tied to posts-teenagers now-who are slotted for execution by day’s end. Belle’s confident they can save them; she uses the word “fate” which gives Merida an idea. Merida needs to change fate, but needs Belle’s help to do so.

In Storybrooke, Zelena and Emma have a conversation that I’m sure will matter eventually but wasn’t relevant to this week’s plot. Basically Emma asks for Zelena’s help but Z won’t have it. She’s perfectly content in her cell with her unborn child.

In the forests of…Scotland? I guess? They rowed from Camelot to Scotland? Anyway, Belle goes out to find Merida shooting arrows like the champ she is.

Belle is hella impressed, and wants to know why this beautiful badass wants to turn into a bear. Merida thinks it’s all she can do to save her brothers, but Belle points to the arrows she’s split by hitting a perfect bullseye over and over. Belle says her true strength is better than magic, but Merida can’t take any chances.

In Storybrooke, Belle tries to escape with Rumple, but his leg is worse than ever, a constant reminder of the time he broke his own foot to get out of the war. Belle, for some reason, still believes he can fight the coward within, and gets him to his shop eventually. Rumple says another obvious truth, that he should know better than to argue with her. But before they can hide properly, Merida busts in, unable to fight the Dark One’s control over her heart, and out for Belle’s blood.

Across town, Regina gives Arthur the mushroom to contact Merlin, but Arthur hesitates, saying Merlin will only talk to him if he’s alone. Regina makes a face that says, “That sounds fake, but okay,” but David is like WOW THAT SOUNDS SO LEGIT COME ON EVERYONE LET’S GO. Of course, as soon as everyone’s gone, Arthur throws the mushroom into the fire instead of into the potion.

When he comes out to say he failed, Regina looks even more suspicious than ever, but seems to be the only one.

Meanwhile, Merida is hunting Belle like Elmer Fudd hunting Bugs Bunny during wabbit season.

Merida begs Rumple to stop her, but Rumple is literally the most useless. Belle decides to save herself and pulls the rug out from under Merida, knocking the archer queen out. Rumple grabs something from the vault that he thinks will keep them safe and they start to run again.

In Camelot, Merida and Belle go off to find Merida’s brothers, and Merida explains why she doesn’t just trust her own skills to save her brothers. In the Ogres’ War, Merida tried to stop a knight heading for her father, and missed. So she blames herself for her father’s death. Belle tries to explain that it’s not her fault, but Merida says that even if she believed that, it’s when the other clans lost faith in her.

So Belle gives her the potion, and they get ready to kick some arse.

Back to Storybrooke. (Have whiplash yet?) Belle realizes that Rumple plans on driving them across the town line, and he says the powder he grabbed will help protect them from the side effects. Belle isn’t ready to quit on this godforsaken town though; their friends need her. She’s not a coward, she won’t run. Rumple says he is one and really, really wants to run, but Belle isn’t having it and walks away.

Belle meets up with Merida, and isn’t afraid. Merida says she should be, because the Dark One made her drink the potion to that turns her into a bear to make sure Belle gets good and dead.

In Scotland, the Macintosh Clan has Merida’s brothers, and thinks Merida is in hiding, and that they’ll have the throne soon. Merida shows up and drinks the potion, but Belle whispers that they only had the CGI budget for one bear transformation, so she switched the potion with water. Belle says she believes in Merida, in her true and natural abilities, and tells her to be the queen she knows she can be. The dudes loose arrows at her brothers, and Merida sends a perfectly aimed and timed arrow that stops all three at once.

The dumb apples drop their bows and arrows and pull out their swords, but Merida warns them that her skills don’t end at the arrow. They all start to take a knee for their Queen, except the three men who run to release her brothers. Merida looks down on the bros and sneers at them, but says she was taught mercy, so won’t behead them where she stands. She hugs her brothers, who have a full head on her, and it’s adorable. Belle is proud of herself and of Merida and they share happy expressions.

Present-day Belle looks less happy as she runs from Bear!Merida. She eventually gets tired of running and tries to reason with the bear, but before she becomes lunch, Rumple shows up to distract Bearida. She paws him down but good, then gets all up in his face. But he says he’s not afraid, and throws the powder from his shop on her, which successfully de-bearifies her. Belle says he saved her, but he knows it was really her that did the saving.

Flashback Merida offers to stay on to help Belle, but Belle knows that Merida needs to be queen now and can’t come with her on any more adventures just yet.

Belle says she hopes their paths cross again. Belle hops into a boat and rows away, hopefully with a map since she was unconscious for most of the ride there.

Across the lake in Camelot, Merlin helps Emma remember that one time in the movie theatre when he warned her about the sword in the stone…during the movie Sword in the Stone. Emma is like, “Wait, weren’t you a tree at that point?”

But Merlin tells her to stop trying to apply logic to storylines on this show, she’ll just hurt herself. Merlin reiterates that his warning still stands, even though right now Excalibur isn’t in the stone.

But present-day Emma obviously isn’t listening to that advice, as she stares longingly at the sword in the stone. Rumple and Belle drag a tied-up Merida into Emma’s dungeon, and Rumple offers to pull the sword from the stone with a promise to return Merida’s heart. Emma does return it, and promises her brothers are safe with their mother. Belle asks what happens if Rumple can’t pull the sword out, and Emma is ruthlessly truthful in saying she’ll sweep up his remains the way she used to sweep his castle.

Rumple says a quick goodbye/apology to Belle that would have felt more meaningful if I believed the show had the guts to kill Rumple for real.

Rumple successfully pulls the sword from the stone, still broken, and throws it to Emma’s feet. Rumple says she better watch her back, because he’s a hero now, which means he’ll be even more insufferable than David, but Emma’s not worried about it.

Across town, Regina is confused as to why her spell didn’t work because she’s flawless, but they figure it out right quick when they find the mushroom in the ashes of the fire. They think this is shady, but luckily they have another of Merlin’s chosen ones on hand. The Author.

Henry comes, ready and willing to help, because he still believes Emma is in the Dark Swan, just further down than previously imagined. He dunks the mushroom in the potion, and a pre-recorded message from Merlin appears, instructing them to find the only person who can help. Nimue, the legendary woman better known as the Lady of the Lake.

What did you think of The Bear and the Bow? Do you think Nimue is someone we already know?

Two more weeks until Mulan and Little Red come back!

Here are some of our favorite #queerytales tweets from this week (seriously, you guys make this show for me; you’re all hilarious):

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

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