The television fairytale drama Once Upon A Time returned on Sunday, Jan. 6 at 8 p.m. on ABC after a midseason hiatus to air the 'The Cricket Game', the tenth episode of the second season. The last episode ended with all the beloved fairytale characters being united in Storybrooke without realizing their home was still under threat.
The episode opens with Captain Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) and Cora (Barbara Hershey) finally arriving Storybrooke under the cover of darkness on Hook's ship. They decide to stay together to help hide their arrival from the town.
After being reunited, Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin) and David (Josh Dallas) spend time together and manage to traumatize both Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Henry (Jared Gilmore) with their happiness. However, there are tacos to be made.
The flashbacks to twenty-eight years prior have returned with Queen Regina (Lana Parrilla) on her horse watching a town go up in flames. She learns that Snow and Charming have won, but Regina manages to corner Snow. Regina ends up walking into a trap and is captured by Snow and Charming after turning down a peace agreement.
Fast forward to Storybrooke and everyone is celebrating Mary Margaret and Emma's return at Granny's diner. Regina shows up with a lasagna, but everyone believes her to still be evil and wanting to poison them except Emma and Henry.
Regina asks Emma to let Henry stay with her sometimes, which Emma disagrees with, despite knowing Regina is seeking help with Dr. Hopper (Raphael Sbarge). Regina apologizes and shows she is trying to change. Hook and Cora witness the exchange.
The next day, Regina confronts Dr. Hopper about revealing her desire to change with the town. Back in the past, Jimmy Cricket tells the royal court that the Queen will not change her ways, so Snow and Charming decide to kill her.
Regina decides to pay a late night visit to Dr. Hopper, which is witnessed by Ruby (Meghan Ory). Regina kills the doctor in his office, but just moments later it's revealed that Cora was disguised as Regina by using magic. Emma and Henry then spend some quality mother and son time together, before Ruby's senses lead them to the body of Dr. Hopper.
Back in fairytale land, Regina is imprisoned. She is set to pay for her crimes in the land and will finally be killed by Snow and Charming. As Regina is brought out to die, Jimmy Cricket tries to help her clear her conscience. Regina reveals she regrets she could not cause more death and complete her wish of killing Snow White. Snow stops the execution.
In Storybrooke, Emma and Mary Margaret argue about Regina's innocence after questioning her. Emma must find the truth about what happened, so Regina is innocent until proving guilty and let go. Snow White decides the Queen could change and Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle) offers Snow a deal that will allow her to know for sure whether or not Regina can change.
David, Mary Margaret, and Emma search Dr. Hopper's office and after finding overwhelming evidence, Emma believes Regina was framed. Emma turns to Mr. Gold because he is the only one who would benefit from Regina's death. Mr. Gold takes the dreams from the only witness to the crime, a dog, and Emma uses magic to reveal that Regina did kill him.
Snow visits Regina and offers her the chance to go free and change her ways. However, Regina turns the tables, steals Snow's dagger and uses it against her. Turns out that the dagger was the deal Snow made with Rumplestiltskin, so Snow and Charming now have a protection spell so Regina can't harm them.
Emma confronts Regina about killing the doctor and Regina avoids a magical trap by Mary Margaret and David to be captured. She disappears in a puff of smoke after vowing to still be in Henry's life. Emma meets Henry after school and tells him what Regina did, while she watched tearfully in a nearby car.
Rumplestiltskin shows his true colors to Regina by revealing the day as Snow and Charming's wedding day. He reveals a loophole in the deal with Snow, so Regina can harm Snow and Charming again in a different land. Regina then hurries to the ceremony.
Meanwhile, Cora and Hook are hiding out on the now invisible ship. Cora then shows a captured Dr. Hopper to Hook, explaining that he knows all of Rumplestiklin's secrets.
The episode really brings more questions than answers with the mystery deepening more and more each day. What will Regina do next? What will Hook do with Dr. Hopper? Stay tuned for future episodes to find out.
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