Once Upon A Time S2 E6- Beanstalk Troubles & Tallahassee

Holy beanstalk, batman! Once Upon A Time S2 E6 does not disappoint when it adds another fairytale to their story.

The Jack of this beanstalk is not the story fans remember from childhood. It seems that Jack was no simple farmer, but a “giant slayer”.  Who would have thought!

Episode six centers around Emma and her past. Finally! Emma fans get a chance to find out about her life before Storybrooke. Emma’s story, was the only story OUAT writers had not touched on yet. Yes, there were small stories here and there about Emma’s past life, but fans know Emma has a lot more to tell.

This episode begins with Emma, Snow, Mulan, Princess Aurora, and Hook getting ready to get the enchanted compass. Their obstacles are a gigantic beanstalk, which is enchanted to repel intruders, and of course – the giant (Jorge Garcia of “Lost”).

So, how does one get up an enchanted beanstalk? Hook explains that Cora provided him a couple of bracelets with a counter spell. Since there are only two bracelets, only one of the women can climb the beanstalk with Hook.

As the ladies argue on who should face the giant, Hook reminds them that time is of the essence. Emma decides she will be the one who goes up the beanstalk to get the enchanted compass that will get them home.

Before going up the beanstalk Emma has a private word with Mulan. Emma tells Mulan if she doesn’t return in ten hours to go ahead without her. Mulan must  find a way to get Snow home.

Mulan, ever the soldier, promises she will do as Emma asks, however, she knows that Snow would not go for the plan. Mulan goes about making a sun dial and telling Snow and Princess Aurora that it’s to tell time so they can take shifts sleeping.

Flashback to an 18 year old Emma pre-Storybrooke. Emma, it seems, was a bit of an outlaw. Stealing cars and living on the streets by her wits. She is alone until she meets Neil Cassidy. Neil also a thief, but on a much bigger scale.

Later, fans learn just how big, as Neil finds a wanted poster of himself in the post office. Neil was captured on camera pulling off a jewel store robbery long before he met Emma.

The two have a romantic story that is the kind that becomes legend among thieves (ie: Bonnie and Clyde). Emma steals a car (the same yellow VW she currently drives) and is given the scare of her life when Neil pops out of the back seat. Whoa, this can’t be good, until viewers find out that Niel had stolen the car first.

Ahhh, true love, nothing brings two people together more than a common bond.

From that time on the two become a couple. Stealing and scamming their way through life. One scam has Emma wearing a fake pregnant belly to steal food while Neil distracts the owner of the store. They almost get caught when a customer comes in and catches them in the act. In order to save the day, Emma claims she is in labor and both her and Neil make their escape.

Having escaped with their booty, they go to a motel and wait for a family to leave so they can sneak into the room before housekeeping gets to it, putting up a “DO NOT DISTURB” sign. It’s here that Neil proposes that they go legit and asks Emma where she wants to make a home. Emma says Tallahassee.

Back at the beanstalk, Hook and Emma continue their arduous climb. On the way up, Hook, always the gentleman rogue, can’t help but flirt with Emma. Hook tells Emma that she has the look of the Lost Boys from Neverland.

Emma, always wary, tells him he knows nothing about her. Hook asks Emma if she has ever been in love and she says no. Hook gives his devilishly handsome smile, knowing that this time, it’s Emma who is not telling the truth.

Finally done with their climb, Emma notices a tattoo on Hook’s arm with the name “Milah”, when he insists he bandages her cut. When she asks Hook who Milah was, he gets defensive she puts two and two together.

Emma realizes that Hook is out for revenge ,not just for his hand, but for Milah (but Emma still doesn’t know that Milah was once Gold’s wife).

Hook says that Emma is very perceptive for someone who has never been in love. Emma, in a rare moment of softness, admits that she was in love once. While she and Hook work to get the compass and fell a giant, there is a bit of chemistry between Hook and Emma.

Hook almost sets off a tripwire. Emma grabs him in a close embrace to keep him from setting off the trap. Hook replies with a sly, “It’s about time.”

Emma, always business, insists she was only saving him from being caught in a trap and they needed to find the compass. As the two look for the compass the giant awakens. He is not happy and gets Emma in his clutches while Hook is stuck under some rubble. Eek!

But Emma, never one to give up, bites the giant, who lets go of her lickety-split . Emma, always the fast thinker, uses the giant’s own trap against him. Apparently, the giants were the victims and the humans were evil. Emma sees that the giant is telling the truth and lets the giant live after she gets the compass. The giant, grateful for her kindness, shows her a way out. He tells her to go before he takes back his favor, but Emma says the giant owes her two favors for not killing him twice.

Emma goes back for Hook and digs him out of the rubble. Unfortunately for Hook, she hand cuffs him to a wall. He is angry at her betrayal and says she is leaving him there to die. Emma tells him he won’t die, she just needs a head start.

Before leaving, she tells Hook she can’t take a chance she’s wrong about him. Is it possible she was wrong about another man?

As the hours count down, Snow gets Princess Aurora to sleep. But she has a bad dream. It seems to be a side effect from the sleeping spell. Everyone is on pins and needles and Mulan sees that time is up for Emma. Mulan goes to cut down the beanstalk, but when Snow catches her doing this there is a struggle.

Snow demands Mulan wait for Emma, but Mulan tells Snow Emma wished for her to cut the stalk down by a certain time. Before anyone gets hurt, Emma comes tumbling down the beanstalk.

In the real world, Emma and Neil are supposed to run off together, but with the finding of the wanted poster, Neil says they can’t. Neil feels he must leave her and go to Canada because doesn’t want Emma to be get in trouble if he gets caught. Young Emma divulges her love and helps Neil recover the stolen watches from a locker at the train station. While Emma waits in the car Neil goes to get cash for the goods. He suddenly gets ambushed in a dark alley.

Neil thinks the cops are on to him, but surprise! Yes, August Booth aka Pinochio, claims to be Emma’s so called guardian angel. He was put in place when the curse happened to make sure Emma fulfilled her destiny to break the curse.

August tells Neil the story, and shows him something (we don’t get to see it) that makes Neil believe his story. August tells Neil to do the right thing and leave Emma, no matter how much he loves her, so she can fulfill the destiny.

Unbelievably, Neil does, and also frames Emma for the heist. Emma gets an eleven month stint in prison and finds out she’s pregnant. Gasp. No wonder she doesn’t trust men.

In the end, Henry wakes screaming from a horrid nightmare. When James comes running to the rescue, he lights a candle ( he did this for Snow when she had nightmares, James claimed it took away the bad dreams). When James asks Henry what his dream was, Henry gives a vivid description. The room has no doors or windows and is covered with red curtains.The curtains are on fire, and someone watches him from the other end of the room. There is no escape.

James, unaware that Henry describes the exact nightmare Princess Aurora described to Snow, tells Henry it’s just a nightmare.

How does the nightmare connect to both worlds? How will  Hook get to Stroybrooke now that Emma has betrayed him? Only the next episode will tell.

Once Upon A Time season 1 is available for streaming on Netflix. Season1 and 2 are available on iTunes and Amazon Instant Video.

What did you think of this episode? Leave your comments below!

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