'Once Upon a Time' Season 2, Episode 9: 'Queen of Hearts' Recap

The Winter Finale is here!

A hooded figure ascends torch-lit stairs but is stopped by a guard. A fight ensues. Hook throws back the robe, takes the keys, and enters the room.

Inside, Belle is shackled to a bed. Hook releases her, talking about how she is needed to help disarm a major weapon. They need to kill Rumplestiltskin. Belle tells him she has no idea what he is talking about, or how to kill him—not that she would.

He tells her in that case he isn’t there to rescue her, and knocks her out.

The door open and Regina, in her queen garb, enters. She knows all about him, and she says she will help him kill Rumplestiltskin if he does one thing for her.

They have a drink and she explains her curse to him. She tells him there’s one person she doesn’t want following her to her new land. He will need to dispose of her mother for her.

Modern-day Regina, looking more sympathetic, stands over James, who is not improving. Gold is not optimistic considering they are up against Cora. They need to prepare for her to show up through the portal. They need to find it and destroy it.

Regina wonder if they are wrong, and they might risk killing Emma and Snow rather than Cora. Rumplestiltskin doesn’t seem to see the problem. Regina hesitates, but Gold reminds her that if Cora makes it through, she is a risk to everyone—including Henry.

In the enchanted land, Snow and Emma have found Rumplestiltskin’s cell. They search it. Aurora, controlled by Cora, finds a message hidden in the wall. It is a long scroll, with Emma’s name written over and over.

In Storybrooke, as Henry reads to the unconscious James, Regina tells him that she and Gold have to leave for a while. She promises that she will do everything in her power to get Emma and Snow home safely, while Henry warmly smiles and notes that she really has changed.

Gold and Regina go to the mines, and observe the diamonds in the roof. Gold uses a dead fairy’s wand to collect their magic.

Flashback to Regina, who has enchanted Hook’s hook. It will now be able to rip out Cora’s heart—but it can only remove one heart, so she warns him to do it correctly. She tells him he won’t be going alone. She pulls back a blanket, covering one of the guards that Hook had just killed.

Through the portal, two must go in for two to come back. Hook asks which land he will be visiting, and Regina tells him, “Wonderland.”

She sets the magic hat on the floor and the portal opens.

The guards for the Queen of Hearts bring him to their ruler. He tells her she is in search of someone named Cora—and the mask drops. The queen is Cora. He stabs her heart, but nothing comes out. She laughs and reminds him she wouldn’t be silly enough to leave her heart where someone could find it.

She grabs Hook and demands answers, looking shocked when she finds that Regina wants her dead.

In Rumplestiltskin’s cell, our heroes still cannot find the ink. Finally, Mulan find an empty jar. Aurora hits the gate, activating it, and it imprisons them. Cora comes up and takes the compass from Emma. Hook reveals that he took Aurora's heart for Cora. Emma calls after him as he walks off, pleading for him.

He reminds her she should have considered it before she abandoned him. She tells him he would have done the same, and he says, “Actually, no.”

He shows her the bean he took from the giant, as a symbol.

In the mine, Leroy/Grumpy and Red notice that all the diamonds are missing. Everyone goes to see the sleeping James, asking Henry where Regina and Gold are, and explaining that they stole all the magic. Henry realizes his stepmother lied to him.

In the cell, Emma beats helplessly at the bars. Aurora and Mulan fight over whose fault it is, but Emma decides the blame falls on her. Snow tries to comfort her, reminding her that she broke the curse. Emma believes Gold has used her as a pawn.

“I’m a name on a piece of paper.”

Cora and Hook go to the enchanted lake, whose waters restore what is lost. She believes it will restore magic to the remnants of the wardrobe. The lake is still dry, but Cora twirls her hands idly, and a burst of water comes up from the ground.

Flashback, as Cora still maintains her hold on Hook’s heart. She tells him Regina should have come and killed her herself. She lets him fall, and tells him he will help her, because she is the only one who can give him what he wants.

The new land Regina is bringing them to? No one will remember anything. How will he kill Rumplestiltskin if he doesn’t remember what he is there for? She tells Hook to get her close to Regina, and she will rip her heart out.

Hook brings Regina the “body” of Cora. Regina asks to be left alone in the mausoleum to say goodbye. She steps next to the coffin, and apologizes. She admits she had no choice. Cora herself told her “love is weakness.”

“And mother you are my weakness, because I love you.”

Regina admits her mother’s grip on her heart is too strong. For what she needs to do, she cannot have any weakness. She lays a rose on Cora’s body, and says goodbye.

As she leaves, Cora holds the rose. Hook comes back in and asks why she didn’t kill Regina. Cora says there has been a change in plans. The curse is coming, and they need to protect themselves.

Cora casts magic, and as the curse sweeps across the land, the magical bubble protects a small area for them. Cora tells Hook in twenty-eight years the curse will be broken, and they will resume the quest then. Regina will lose everything, and then—Regina will need Cora. She will help her pick up the pieces.

Cut to Gold and Regina. Gold is showing her the wishing well, where things that are lost return.

Snow takes the scroll they found in the cell, realizing something. She blows on the words, and the ink floats through the air, destroying the gate. Aurora reminds them they have to tie her up; as long as Cora has her heart, she can’t be trusted. They leave her there, Mulan promising to get her heart back.

Cora and Hook stand over the water, and Hook throws in the ashes of the wardrobe. A portal opens. Cora assures him they will be in Storybrooke soon—and she is looking forward to seeing her daughter.

Gold takes the wand, and a storm creeps over the forest. Green lightning strikes the well. No one can survive that upon coming through.

The compass flies from Hook’s hand as he is preparing to jump into the portal—Snow’s arrow. They all fight. Aurora’s heart almost falls into the portal, but Hook saves it, surprisingly. Mulan rushes off to restore it to Aurora.

Hook and Emma fight, while Cora taunts Snow. Hook gets Emma down, but she has the compass and makes her way back up, knocking him out.

At the flashing well, Henry and his posse show up. Gold flings Red aside. Regina tries to explain to Henry that they can’t let Cora come through. Henry insists it will be Emma coming through, but Regina won't let Cora come and destroy them all.

Emma and Snow continue to fight Cora. Snow asks why she wants to go to Storybrooke, and Cora says because Regina needs her. She will give her the one thing Regina has always wanted—Snow’s heart. She goes to grab it but Emma jumps in the way.

Cora’s hand goes into her chest. She laughs at her foolishness, reminding her that love is weakness. She tries to pull Emma’s heart out, but she meets resistance. Emma seems to rally. She says no, it is strength, and a wave of power knocks Cora away from her.

Emma and Snow jump into the portal.

Regina hangs onto Henry, who tries to get to the flashing well, screaming. He insists that Snow and Emma will come through. He tells Regina that if she wants him to have faith in her, she has to have faith in him.

Regina goes to the well and absorbs the green lightning into her body. It throws her down, but the well is quiet.

Regina apologizes to Henry, who stares in horror at the empty well, nothing happening.

Hands hit the edge—it is Emma and Snow. They embrace Henry, while Gold and Regina exchange a look. Snow asks what happened, and Henry explains that Regina saved them.

Red rights herself, and she and Snow rush off to find James.

“Your mom, she’s uh… she’s a piece of work, you know?” Emma tells Regina. Regina welcomes her back.

Snow rushes to the sleeping James, and as everyone gathers around, she kisses him. The flash of magic from the kiss sweeps over everyone, and James wakes. They kiss again, happily.

Emma finds Gold, telling him they need to talk. He admits apologizes are in order, and he shouldn’t bet against her in the future. She tells him the game is rigged. That ink was there, on the scroll, the whole time. He could have escaped. He made her the savior. He created the curse.

He tells her he didn’t make her, he simply used her for what she is—the product of true love. She tells him Cora tried to rip her heart out but couldn’t.

Gold told her it was magic—not of his doing. Of hers.

Mulan brings Aurora’s heart back to her, and nervously jabs it back into the princess’ chest.

“What now?”

Aurora tells her what Cora said about the wraiths, and how the souls they destroy can be reunited with their bodies. They go off to try and save their prince.

Cora stands beside the water, at a loss. Hook reminds her to have faith in him. He shows her the giant’s bean, but she notes it is petrified—but no match against the regenerative water.

Henry hugs Regina and tells her she has changed. Everyone hugs, everyone is happy. Emma wants to go to Granny’s for dinner, and Henry goes to her, his hand slipping out of Regina’s. She is wounded as he leaves her there.

Gold congratulates her on reuniting mother and son. Maybe one day they will invite her to dinner.

Everyone—except Regina and Gold—go off together.

A fog is rolling in on Storybrooke, concealing the large pirate ship making its way toward them.

Hook and Cora stand on the deck as they slide into Storybrooke.