We open tonight on Roni and Henry at the bar, looking over the picture that was found in the last episode. Roni takes extreme offense to being labeled “The Evil Queen” and even reaches for a baseball bat to go whompin’ on Victoria, but she’s interrupted by Jacinda’s arrival.

Henry offers to give Jacinda a hand repairing the new food truck, but Jacinda’s being frosty as f–k and a perplexed Henry has no idea what’s going on. Neither do I, for that matter. Guess it’s too much to hope they’re removing her as a love interest but a girl’s gotta dream.

We flashback now to the magical realm, where Henry is giving a crash course in motorcycle maintenance. They’re attacked by brigands who want to steal the motorcycle, but he and Jacinda beat the crap out of them with tools.

Regina arrives looking AMAZING in tight black leather, but she realizes that Henry is all grown up now (despite the Tron lunchbox he keeps his tools in) and lets him fight his own battles.

Ahead to Hyperion Heights where poor Victoria has a migraine and Ivy makes off with her hyacinths (which as you recall, were grown by magic). She delivers them to the witch upstairs, who is thrilled to have them. She cautions Ivy to be patient and then questions the wisdom of giving Regina the photo. Ivy only reassures her that “by the end of the day, Regina won’t be a problem.”

Back to Roni’s bar now, and Henry has figured out what Jacinda’s so pissed about. It turns out Ivy posted a bunch of pics on social media of her and Henry drinking together. Of course, when she snapped all those pics of the two of them, Henry apparently didn’t question why – so whatever.

Lucy rushes in, demanding to see the picture – Ivy told her all about it – and she’s Team Ivy all the way now, despite how thoroughly awful Ivy has been to her in the very near past. She tells Roni that she’s really Regina, and Roni lets her know she thinks that’s total BS. Lucy begs Henry not to give up, and she rushes off to find something that she is sure will help the two of them remember.

Over at the hospital, Weaver is checking himself out and not terribly thrilled to be stuck on desk duty. He orders Rogers to watch his phone and be ready to jump when he calls. Rogers, in the meantime, enlists the aide of Tilly in the search for his missing girl and we get a really sweet moment of him pushing her in the wheelchair – just like a daddy with a stroller. Nice touch!

Roni and Henry have just finished chowing down at Bella Notte pizza, and Roni confesses that she once tried to adopt a beautiful baby boy. At the last minute the adoption agency decided she wasn’t a good fit, and it broke her heart. She then channels Dr. Archie Hopper, circa season one and suggests that they both go along with Lucy’s fantasy and let it run its course and fade out so that Lucy can begin to heal.

Henry christens this “Operation Heartbreak.” Roni then points out that the food truck is parked right across the street and encourages Henry to go ask Jacinda out. “Be charming and don’t slouch,” she advises, which is adorable because of course, he is part “Charming” after all.

Henry goes all eighties and holds a boom-box over his head, trying to woo the girl. Jacinda agrees and ropes him into helping her fix the truck. They talk eighties and Henry even does an iconic Breakfast Club fist-pump and finally! Finally! A spark of chemistry between these two. It ain’t much, but at least Jacinda’s not whining anymore.

Back now to the alternate realm, where we see Regina spying on a cloaked figure who opens a box that contains a “Little Shop of Horrors” plant that attacks. She discovers the mysterious someone is Drizella, and she’s come to ask Regina’s help in bringing her mother down.

It turns out Drizella was born with magic, but Victoria won’t let her indulge it. Her predicament with her overbearing mother strikes a chord with Regina, and she offers to train Drizella herself.

They practice at the foot of what looks like Rapunzel’s broken-down tower and Drizella is ready to give up on herself. Regina blasts a section of the tower wall, forcing it to fall and Drizella uses her magic to save Regina, proving to herself she can do it. Regina lets Drizella know that learning magic under a dark influence was a bad thing. Drizella is all “Awww, I wish you were my mom” but in strolls Rumple to stop her from getting to maudlin.

Rumple lets Regina know that Belle is dead and he’s ready to pass on the power of The Dark One, “the right way.” Rumple also reminds her that Lady Tremaine quite likely knows Drizella is learning magic, and therefore has a secret agenda if she’s allowing it.

Forward to Belfry Towers, and Ivy has brought the witch some dirt from the magical garden, as requested. The witch sprinkles it with hyacinth petals, and it begins to grow into an ugly, dangerous plant.

Lucy, meanwhile, is at Jacinda’s apartment, and Roni just strolls in. Lucy was hoping the story book would appear, but no such luck. Roni offers to help Lucy prove her theory.

Roni then heads to the police station with a bottle of cheer for Weaver, and asks for his help in locating an adoption record in Boston for Regina Mills. Roni says she’ll owe him one and Weaver, true to his nature, calls it a deal.

Across town, Tilly takes Rogers to her warehouse and invites him to play chess. He asks why she doesn’t reset the board and she shrugs. “Things are always more fun when you start in the middle,” she tells him – a great little hat tip to the writing style of the show. Rogers goes into Eloise Gardner’s backstory and Tilly encourages him to “look at all the pieces” again.

Weaver, meantime, shows up at Roni’s bar with the adoption record, and Regina Mills did indeed adopt Henry Mills in Boston. He drops some veiled references to being “old friends” and then reminds Roni that she owes him one before he strolls out. Roni recognizes her own handwriting on those adoption papers and she’s definitely getting an odd feeling about all this stuff.

Back in the other realm, Regina and Drizella observe Lady Tremaine through a magic mirror, practicing heart removal on the fallen Anastasia. Regina lets Drizella know that the only way to wake her sister is to replace her heart with one full of belief. That’s why Lady Tremaine wanted Henry’s heart – and now she wants Drizella’s heart since she can’t have Henry.

A tearful Drizella knows that mumsy always loved Anastasia more, and frets that she’ll never get away from mom. Regina offers to protect her heart, but that’s not enough for Drizella. She wants mom dead, dead, dead. Regina balks, and Drizella storms off, intent on finding a willing prince and enlisting him instead.

Ahead to Hyperion Heights, and Rogers is taking Tilly’s advice and reviewing his evidence. He comes upon the photo of the wildling with the freaky wheel tattoo and decides to pay him a visit.

No one answers the door, but he does find the wildling is not yet a whitewalker and his corpse is lying on the floor. I promise, that’s the last Game of Thrones reference. But damn, the guy has a certain look about him.

Back in the other realm, Drizella shows up with Prince Gregor, who is ready to kill Lady Tremaine, but gets stopped by Regina. Drizella lets her know that she’s not ready to let go of her pain and darkness, and cements that by killing off the prince. She’s getting a serious charge out of it, too.

Her heart is now black so it’s useless to her mother, and furthermore, she’s going to cast a dark curse just for funsies. She pledges to take her mother to another realm where she’ll give mom a life of endless pain. Regina vows to break whatever curse Drizella tosses down.

Back at the rebel camp, Regina is beating herself up over trusting Drizella. Henry tells her not to take it so hard, and reassures her that even though he’s all grown up, he’ll always need her. “You’re the first person who loved me,” he reminds her.

“Whatever else I do with my life,” Regina tells him. “I’m your mother first. Without that, I just don’t know how to be.”

Forward to Roni’s bar, and Drizella shows up and pours Roni a drink. She slipped something into it of course, and Roni -make that Regina – now remembers it all.

Henry calls, and just as Regina reaches for the phone, Drizella reminds her that the curse is hero-proof and cannot ever be broken without something truly awful happening to the people that Regina loves. Regina is clearly heartbroken at the sound of that.

It turns out Drizella woke her so that Regina can stop True Love’s Kiss between Henry and Jacinda, because she can’t have this curse broken before she’s tortured Mommy to the fullest extent.

Regina and Henry end the episode with a scene on a bench, where Henry confesses that he was born in prison and raised in the foster system, just like the character of Emma in his book. All he’s ever wanted was a family. Regina doesn’t blow her cover, but you can see it’s killing her.

I’m going to give this one four and a half sets of crazy eyes out of five.





Ivy is freaking awesome. And I knew she cast the curse! I told you so!

My thoughts:

The only thing almost as good as Captain Swan feels are Daddy Killian feels.

I liked Jacinda more this episode but I’m not sure if that’s because she wasn’t whining or because we just plain didn’t see much of her.

I can’t wait for Regina and Rumple to settle down and have a talk.

How did Drizella hero-proof the curse? I’m interested in finding out.

I still can’t decide if Tilly is awake or not. I’m not sure she’s back on her meds.

I loved all the motherly moments Regina had in this episode, with Henry, and with Lucy. It’s going to be sweet to see her now that she remembers what Lucy is to her.

What did you think about Ivy? Bish is cray! And I love it! Did this win your interest?