TV Review: Once Upon a Time (4×18) “Heart of Gold”

This week’s episode did what Once Upon a Time seemingly hasn’t done for a long time…it focused on one character, and it wasn’t one of the major one. In fact it was Robin, who we kinda seem to forget about or deem as unimportant. Sure, Regina is still in love with him, but I just assumed he’d never really come back, but alas, I was proven wrong. I love when shows do that.

Basically, the episode starts with us, along with Regina, finding out that something happened to our dear Robin. “Call him for yourself.” Rumple tells Regina and she does, but like every Once Upon a Time “big” reveal, we are taken back in time in order to fit the puzzle pieces together and find out for ourselves.

We’re taken back nine weeks to NYC, when Robin and his family arrive for the first time. The New York City scenes are always my favorite. First, because I love NYC, and second, because watching all these characters adjust to a city as crazy as NYC is hilarious–it’s like an episode of that movie Enchanted. Like any stereotypical ole New York City episode, a person (which I think was his wife Marian’s) purse is stolen when she leaves it on the ground. Don’t you know not to leave your purse unattended in NYC?? Sheesh. Robin saves the day though, because he’s hot and has an accent and those people always save the day. Basically, he takes one of those horses that are meant to take people on carriage rides and follows the guy whole stole the purse, beats him up, and gets his shit back. That’s how it’s done!

But this is Once Upon a Time, guys, so happily ever after isn’t just going to happen. Robin and family take up Neil Cassidy who was Bae’s (Baelfire, not actually “bae”, guys but I guess he was kind of bae…) apartment. However, Rumple is still living there so you could imagine the confrontation.

At some point in the episode, which is still set in NYC, Rumple has a heart attack and is taken to the hospital. Obviously, the doctors say it’s a heart attack, but Rumple knows that he’s used magic so many times that living in a world without magic is screwing with his heart. So he asks Robin to go and steal a potion/magic that will heal him. You’d think only an idiot would save that old man after everything’s he’s caused but nope, Robin is to much of an honorable man and Rumple knows that and he uses it to his advantage.

Now come’s the major plot twist. This was my favorite part of the episode. Like I mentioned in previous reviews, I love it when this show comes out with something you would have never, ever guessed. Robin brings Rumple the potion, Rumple drinks the potion and it literally has no effect on him. In walks Marian, the one character we didn’t really think was THAT important and in her hand is a potion. She basically tells Rumple that the potion he has isn’t the real one, and that she has the real one. What??!?! At first, I was thinking. “Holy shit, Marian is evil!!” but then she turned into Zelena—the Wicked Witch from past episodes. Turns out that Marian had died a long time ago and Zelena took her form.

So now we’re faced with this whole new conflict. We have Zelena back—because three villians just wasn’t enough, and now Regina is faced with a whole new conflict. Rumple basically gives her an ultimatum—save her true love (Robin) from the witch who he still thinks is Marian and help Emma turn dark, or not help Robin so that Emma will stay a hero. I think Regina’s face at the end of the episode says it all, but we won’t find out her decision until next week.

This episode made Robin become one of my favorite characters. I loved the unexpected twist, Robin’s story line, and also when Rumple had a heart attack (sorry, I can’t stand him). All I will complain about is that I miss Hook, because come on, Colin O’Donoghue—am I right?

What did you guys think of the episode?