'Once Upon a Time' Season 3, Episode 7: 'Dark Hollow' Recap
by Shannon Keirnan
Belle cries as the ship goes off in search of Henry, leaving her behind. The townspeople all run up, certain they have been saved. Belle explains that the destructive spell has been foiled, but that the group has gone off looking for Henry. She shows them the cloaking spell, and warns them she has been told others are coming to destroy the town.
Those others drive down the road.
The town goes to the mines to get the spell up. The Blue Fairy tells them they need to open up a vein of fairy dust in the walls. Belle casts the spell, and it sweeps over Storybrooke. As the two men in the car get closer, the spell chases them. They just make it inside, the bumper of their car hacked off as the spell hits the edge of the town.
Back to today. Gold and Regina show Ariel how to get to Storybrooke and how to get through the cloaking spell. He gives her an object to give to Belle. She will know what it means, and get what they need to defeat Belle. Regina gives her a bracelet that will give her legs for 24 hours.
Pan and Felix decide they need to hurry things along a bit and get Henry ready. They also need to connect with their people in Storybrooke.
Neal can navigate the stars, but they can't fly without Pan's shadow. Neal knows how they can sneak up on it and capture it.
Grumpy and the dwarves eat lunch on the beach, musing that things have been fairly peaceful with Snow and Charming gone. Ariel surfaces and asks for Belle. The two boys from the car observe her from a distance. They have to follow the orders of the Home Office - find out why she came, and make sure she never leaves.
Belle eats at the diner, bummed. Archie comforts her but she feels she has done the wrong thing. Luckily, Grumpy comes in with Ariel - she was needed after all. Ariel gives her the object, a sand dollar, but Belle is not sure what that means.
When she sets it down, however, Gold appears and delivers his message. The object is hidden, but she can find it with the strength of their love.
Snow is furious with Charming, and refuses to talk to him. Emma tries to talk to her about it, but Snow interrupts to tell her she needs to be careful of Neal and Hook. Their feelings for her may complicate things.
Pan tries to get Henry to go for a walk with him, but Henry refuses. He thinks Pan is lying to him and that his family is on the island. Pan promises he's not holding them prisoner, but Henry thinks he has something hidden and he'll find out what it is.
Hook thanks Neal for being understanding about the dalliance between himself and Emma, but Neal did not know about it. Neal says their focus needs to be on finding Henry. Emma brings him back his coconut map, which he says he will use to capture Pan's shadow. They need to go to Dark Hollow.
Ariel and Belle search through Gold's shop, when Ariel finds one of Eric's buttons. Belle finds her chipped cup, and puts it back in its spot in the cupboard. That unlocks a spell which reveals the hidden object - Pandora's Box. The two men bust in, guns drawn, and demand it.
The ladies get tied up. They tell Ariel to tell them about the box. Belle finds out the two men know exactly who they work for, and their mission: to make sure the box never makes it to Neverland.
Henry follows Felix as he goes to the other side of the island.
Neal, Emma, and Hook go through the jungle. There is tension between Hook and Neal, and Emma demands to know what happened. Hook explains, and hoped the kiss meant something. Emma tells him it meant something that he revealed Neal was alive. He explains the deal Pan offered. He declares he is going to win her heart.
They reach Dark Hollow, where the victims of Pan's shadow are trapped.
Belle and Ariel try to escape. Ariel takes her bracelet off, and with her fin instead of legs, they can untie themselves. She puts her bracelet back on and they go off to destroy the box. Belle thinks they will break the box open, and for that they will need a dwarf's pick-axe.
Snow and Charming think they may have found Tinker Bell. Snow rips into him for not telling her about the poison, and he admits he was scared. He doesn't want her to be stuck on the island. She tells him he needed to believe in them, and they hug.
In the Dark Hollow, Neal tries to light the candle in the coconut, which will draw in the shadow. He and Hook tussle over lighting the candle, as the shadows creep in. Hook and Emma are both grabbed by shadows. Their own are ripped away. Emma uses her magic to light the candle, which sucks in the shadows in the nick of time. She puts the lid on, trapping them and freeing Hook and Neal.
Ariel and Belle find the boys in the cave, about to break the box. Belle pleads with them, and they reveal that they have to destroy the box or someone they love will die. Belle knocks them down with a cart and steals the box. They tell her they're not trying to destroy magic, they're trying to save their sister. She has been his prisoner for over a century, and they his slaves. Belle tells them they can defeat Pan with the box and they can get their sister back.
They tell Ariel if she sees Wendy Darling, tell her John and Michael are waiting for her.
Pan releases Wendy and tells her it's time to play.
Ariel prepares to go back to Gold, with a message from Belle.
Henry hears coughing. He goes into a treehouse, and finds Wendy in bed. She says Pan moved her from the camp because she is sick and he is worried someone will catch it. She says the power of the island is fading. She notes he looks like his father, who was her friend long ago and saved her brothers from danger. She makes Henry leave before he gets sick, and he promises to come back for her. Pan congratulates her performance. Pan explains he needs Henry to believe in him, and brings Wendy back to her cage.
Gold and Regina wait for Ariel, who brings the box. Regina puts a new spell on Ariel's bracelet, so she can have legs whenever she wants. Ariel tells Gold about Wendy. She says Belle wants him to rescue her. He tells her to tell Belle he loves her and she was right - she will see him again.
Emma chews out Hook and Neal for putting them all in danger. She says she chooses Henry.
Snow and Charming make it to Tink's. They tell her they have a way off the island - Pan's shadow. Those with the shadow appear and tell her they're ready. Tink is surprised to see Bae, and agrees to help. Neal tells Emma she is right - Henry is all that matters.
Pan finds Henry in the jungle. He tells her that Wendy is dying because the magic is slipping away. Henry is the only one that can save magic. Henry agrees to do it. Pan takes him to an overlook and shows him Skull Rock, where salvation waits. Only the heart of the truest believer can save them all.