'Once Upon a Time': Season 2, Episode 20: 'The Evil Queen' Recap

In the clock tower, Tamara and Greg offer Hook a job. He says he’s done his job—killing Rumplestiltskin.

They show him that he is alive. They say they can help--they know how to kill magical creatures. In exchange for help finding Greg/Owen’s father.

In the Enchanted Forest, Regina is on the hunt for Snow White. She has the villagers brought to her and tells them Snow White poisoned the king. None of them will betray her, having hidden her. Regina orders her soldiers to kill them all.

At the dock’s, Snow and Charming talk about going home. Will they leave Regina? Charming thinks they must, but Snow knows Henry will be upset.

Regina consults with Rumple about the problem—no one in the kingdom will accept her. She thinks the death of Snow White will endear them to her. She wants to know her mothers’ shape-shifting spell. He thinks she won’t have time to learn it, so she tells him to put it on her.

Rumple casts the spell, telling her she will have no magic.

“’bout as regal as a potato!”

Disguised as a plain, poor woman, she goes on her mission.

Regina greets Henry. She tells them that she knows Snow and Charming are planning to go to the Enchanted Forest without her. She wants to go back and start over—to be the hero. She tells him there is a failsafe built into the curse. She tells him Storybrooke will disappear…. But she and Henry can escape to the Enchanted Forest.

However, the other people will die.

“Why would you even tell me this?” Henry asks. It’s an astute question. She tells him she has no one else to talk to, and erases his memory.

In the market, Regina, in her disguise, sees villagers hitting arrows at a dummy of the queen. She yells at them for treason, but as soldiers come in and accuse her of the action. She insults them, and they arrest her. She forgets she has lost her magic.

Captain Hook enters Regina’s office. He asks for her protection. He tells her about Greg and Tamara and their suggestion of an alliance. He tells her he would rather have an alliance with her and her mother.

She has to inform him Cora died. He asks about her escape, and she reassures him Rumplestiltskin would die.

At Granny’s, Emma runs into Tamara—literally. As they pick up her fallen things, Emma finds a list of the citizens and their magical alternatives. Emma hints that things would be bad for Henry and Neal if people found out about Storybrooke, and Tamara reassures her that she can be trusted.

Emma goes to Snow and tells her that she thinks Tamara is the “she” August was trying to warn them about. She knows she lied when she said she could be trusted. Snow wants her to keep it to herself… I case Henry thinks that Emma and Neal could get back together. She leaves.

Henry has hold the whole thing, and is ready to go investigate Tamara.

In the market, Regina’s soldiers are more than ready to behead her, when an arrow hits one. A hooded figure fights them, freeing Regina. Regina is horrified to see that her savior is Snow White.

As Hook and Regina go to the caverns under the library, Hook wonders about their need for revenge. What will he do once he has killed the Crocodile. Regina notices the enchanted bracelet Cora gave Hook to climb the beanstalk, and demands it back.

Hook wonders what his purpose is, when Regina tells him he is the distraction. She shoves him off a fall, and he watches as Regina’s “friend” forms.

Maleficent, no longer a dragon but some screeching beast, attacks. He kills her, but she reforms. Regina finds Snow’s coffin, smashing the glass. She pulls out a small bag with a gem inside.

Awaking from her swoon, Snow has been attending to her. Regina says her name is Wilma. Regina is mildly rounded. Snow White tells her about how Regina saved her on the horse, but does not use her name.

“It changed me,” she admits. Regina/Wilma cries as Snow talks about the selfless connection between strangers.

Henry is trying to come up with a new name for their Operation as they stake out Granny’s. Henry says stakeouts are cool, but he always thought by now they’d be over in the Enchanted Forest. He can tell by Emma’s reaction there is a way to get back.

They see Neal and Tamara. They go and sneak into her hotel room. Henry is considering how Emma and Neal can get back together with Tamara out of the picture. Emma leaves him on lookout.

As Emma finds something suspicious, Neal comes around the corner. Henry kicks the door—Neal recognizes the move he taught Emma. He asks Emma what’s going on and Emma admits she thinks Tamara is playing him. She tells him about the list and Neal said he helped her with it to try and help her come to terms.

Emma wants to look under the loose floorboard to prove it. There’s nothing in there.

With Wilma feeling better and soldiers nearby, Snow gives Wilma a sword. Wilma says that the queen wanted Snow’s heart—if she were standing before her, would she kill her now?

Snow says Regina is guided by revenge, and Snow is guided by love. She says she knows there is good in Regina and it’s not too late for her. Wilma asks if Regina wanted to be forgiven and be a family again…? Snow says she would happily take her back.

That is until they stumble across the slaughtered villagers. She decides it is too late. Snow can never forgive her.

Regina reminds her that she was rescued on the horse… Snow realizes she never said Regina was the one who saved her.

Snow draws her bow on Regina. Without magic, Regina calls for Rumplestiltskin. She drops the sword and runs. Snow does not chase her.

Regina comes back to the library, finding Hook. He admits he almost stopped his plan with her words, but her treatment of him made him realize he is not on her side. Greg and Tamara come out—Regina tries to summon magic but she has been disabled.

Emma and Henry eat ice cream. He tells her he thinks she is telling the truth—and when it is proven, they can go back to the Enchanted Forest.

Leroy, Charming, and Snow go to check on the beans—they have been destroyed.

Regina goes to see Rumplestiltskin and demands he remove the spell. She admits he was right—the people will never love her. He asks what she will do.

“Punish them.”

Greg has disabled Regina with the cuff—science, he says. She tells him she doesn’t know where his father is, but he says that’s not his mission anymore.