We open this episode in Belfry Tower, where Victoria is trying to share a spot of tea with her favorite resident captive. She’s miffed that it’s taking so long to destroy Lucy’s belief, and the witch cautions: “Belief is a weed, it grows wild and deep. You have to sever it by the root.”

She also refuses Victoria’s offer of boring old Lipton or Tetley and demands her “special brew” of tea, which Victoria promises to her – once she reveals which “root” Victoria should sever first.

Meanwhile, at Belfry’s main office down below, Sabine/Tiana has shown up with a sack of her famous beignets for a very appreciative Lucy. Ivy is behind the front desk being unnecessarily bitchy, as always. Victoria strolls in to announce that she’s raising Sabine’s rent (without a new lease agreement or without reviewing the legality of the current lease, because . . . magic) and Sabine is not having it. She gives Victoria a strong stare-down (instead of a whine – oh why didn’t they let Henry fall for her instead of Jacinda?) and vows to fight back.

Back we go to the other realm now “Many Years Ago” to find Princess Tiana’s mom auctioning off their family things in a last-ditch effort to save their home, after the death of Tiana’s father. In strolls Drizella to gloat over their misfortune. She spies a medal with a large ruby in a decorative case, but Tiana refuses to sell it, as it belonged to her father – an award from the king for his heroism.

Tiana’s mother lets her know the yard sale may not be enough to save the family castle, and Tiana vows to become a gold-digger and find them a prince who can save them from ruin.

Ahead to Hyperion Heights, Rogers is meeting with Henry and Roni to give them the meager box of clues he has assembled for the case of his missing girl, Eloise Gardner.

He pulls her personal diary out of the box and tells them he likes to “thumb through it” during his down time at the station. I guess he uses the thumb on his supposed fake hand because I swear I’ve seen it move a half-dozen times now.

He takes off, leaving Henry and Roni alone for a heart-to-heart. Roni cautions him about getting too close to Ivy. “I’ve seen this story before,” she warns. “Believe me, it doesn’t end with you happy.”

Back at the station, Rogers shows up just as a wanted criminal wildling from north of the wall is being booked and he gives the guy a right cross when he resists arrest. The man was over at Pleasure Island Cabaret, a place that Rogers observes can “turn you into a jackass” (nice Pinocchio reference). When the guy hits the floor, his tattoo is revealed – a circular pattern of salad forks or somesuch, and it happens to match a drawing in Eloise’s diary exactly.

Coupled with the drawing of a stone arch that looked vaguely familiar to him somehow, I’d say we’ve got a mystery to solve here.

Meanwhile, Sabine is cooking up a plan and drafts Jacinda (and Mr. Cluck’s) to help. She took all of their rent money and bought supplies, and she intends to start her own business selling her amazing beignets. Once they’re successful, she and Jacinda can get out from under Victoria’s well-manicured thumb forever.

Jacinda understandably balks at using her employer’s kitchen to run another business (even though her boss is away) and reminds Sabine that her plans don’t always go so well. Sabine tells her that she loves Lucy like she’s family and when you loves someone, you fight for them. Instead of whine. And cave in. And then whine about caving in. Got it, Jacinda? Please tell me Sabine is infusing those beignet’s with some backbone and will be force-feeding Jacinda. Please.

Back in the other realm, Princess Tiana is seeking out the Traveling Soothsayer, but instead finds a bunch of peasants who think she’s arrived to save them. The crowd breaks up at the arrival of Dr. Facilier, who assures her that there is soon to be a prince in her life. He reads the bones and assures her that she’ll find the “strong ruler” of a prince who will save her kingdom and her people.

She can’t pay the good doctor, but he reassures her that a smile is payment enough, a special discount for a “desperate soul.” Oooooh. I do hope that was an intentional callback to Rumple and the Dark One mythology. He tells her to follow the red crow to her prince.

Ahead in Hyperion Heights, Ivy shows up with a bag of herbs for her mother to use (presumably to brew the witch’s special tea) and gripes about her hair smelling like Burning Man. Are we seeing Regina junior, here? Because I swear she’s got some of the best lines and definitely the best snark.And we really need the snark on this show.

Victoria tells her to mind her own business and then she heads up the elevator to deliver the goods. Ivy watches her ascend via security camera, and then she calls Henry to tell him Mumsy is up to something and she knows where to look.

Henry heads right over to Roni’s to tell her about Ivy’s message and Roni makes it clear again that Henry shouldn’t be falling for this girl, not when there’s a better option.

Sorry Roni, not sharing that opinion. Neither is Henry, who reminds her that she’s not his mother (heh heh). Henry excuses himself to use the facilities and just leaves his phone laying on the counter unattended like we all do when we’re out in public with an expensive phone. Ivy texts Henry to meet her in the lobby of Belfry Towers and Roni responds and then deletes the message.

Time for a Sabine (Tiana) cooking montage with some fabulous jazz in the background! The beignets are selling like crazy. Lucy shows up with a firefly stamp, which they proclaim to be their new logo. Awww, great callback.

Back in the other realm, we see Tiana finding The Crimson Crow tavern and some low life who’s about to rob her. In swoops Prince Marius (aka Robert) to save her. He invites her to have dinner with him, so he can explain how their paths have crossed.

Victoria is enjoying her beignets until she’s suddenly not. She makes a call to Ralph regarding the new beignet shop, and orders him to “wreck it.”

Over at the station, Rogers is interrogating the wildling about his tattoo, which he at first claims to be a Seattle Mariner’s logo (and Google tells me its not and yes, I had to Google because I don’t sports. Like, at all). He questions the man about Eloise, but the man was serving time ten years ago so he wasn’t around when Eloise went missing.

The man then claims he got his tattoo in prison, and it’s meant to ward off evil. He further warns that if Rogers’ missing girl was drawing that rune, she must have been facing some powerful evil.

Over at Mr. Cluck’s, the kitchen is suddenly on fire and of course, there’s no sprinkler system installed and there are no fire extinguishers.

As the firemen are cleaning up the gutted place, Jacinda unleashes the full force of her whining on Sabine, who’s had enough. She gives Jacinda the money they made and tells her it’s enough to tide her over as she looks for a new job – and a new roommate. Lucy is terribly upset that her mother would rather whine than take action, and I’m ready to help her drug mommy’s coffee and roll her off a cliff.

Back in the other realm, Tiana takes prince Marius to her castle even though it’s the first date (Girl! Did your mama raise you stupid??) and once again shows off her Daddy’s “Firefly Medal” for bravery. She even takes it out of it’s case, puts it in this stranger guy’s hand, and walks the hell away.

He steals the medal, of course, and when she stops him, he confesses that he’s really a commoner and Dr. Facilier put him up to the theft. Marius is trying to save his true love, whom Dr. Facilier has turned into a frog. He tells her there’s no one else to turn to in the kingdom, and she sends him packing.

Mama shows up with a mint julep, and admits that she’s shielded Tiana from all the realities of the ugly state in the kingdom. “Your father’s legacy is in you,” she tells her, as she pins the medal on Tiana’s dress. Tiana realizes that she’s the one who’s got to save the kingdom.

Tiana confronts Dr. Facilier, offering the Firefly Ruby in exchange for the frog. As it turns out, the ruby is his key to returning to full power. He takes it, but refuses to give up his frog captive. After a brief standoff involving swords and voodoo dolls, Tiana leaves with the frog, but Dr. Facilier disappears in a swirl of black smoke, clutching the ruby.

Tiana takes the frog to Marius, asking for his help, and also that of his princess because she plans to show up at the palace to confront the king (during the ball for the Prince – so now we have the backstory of why she was there). Marius tells her he hasn’t been truthful with her, then he kisses the frog and turns into a frog himself. They hop off to live happily ever after.

Damn, I was hoping his true love was another prince. Guess we’ll never see a gay male on this show.

Roni shows up to address Ivy and tell her to keep her claws out of Henry. Ivy assures Roni that she’s for real about wanting to take her mother down, and agrees to prove it. She takes Roni to the top of the tower, where there’s no witch but there is a tea party set for two. Roni pokes around and finds a picture half-hanging out of an open safe, and of course, she has to pull it out and look at it – only to find a picture of herself and young Henry in Storybrooke.

Over at the apartment, Lucy begs Sabine to stay but Sabine refuses, claiming that some things in life you just can’t fight. Just as she’s heading out the door, Jacinda shows up, claiming Lucy talked some sense into her and apologizing for her endless whining and wallowing. She used the money Sabine gave her and bought a truck they can convert to a food truck – thanks to the impound lot and some help from Detective Rogers.

Sabine takes Rogers some beignets and he lets her know that the fire at Mr. Cluck’s was deliberate and they both agree that Victoria was somehow behind it. Meanwhile, the wildling with the tattoo is outside the station making a call to Victoria to let her know that Rogers is looking for his missing girl.

Across town at the bar, Roni confesses to Henry that she intercepted Ivy’s text and met with her and possibly even trusts her now. Henry is taken aback, but only momentarily before he’s good and perplexed by the picture of a younger him and Regina/Roni standing in the middle of Storybrooke – a town that’s unfamiliar to the both of them.

Up in Belfry Towers, Ivy approaches an obviously unhappy Victoria and offers to help her, but Victoria merely points out her faults and strolls out, leaving Ivy to lick her proverbial wounds.

She doesn’t wallow long. She ascends to the tower, where we discover that she’s in league with the witch, playing both Mom and Roni & Henry, to an end we have yet to discover. With her parting words we also learn that she is in fact, not under the curse and knows exactly who she is.

Well, well, well. I’m going to give this one 4 frog legs out of 5.

I have enjoyed the simmering intrigue of Ivy and the well-honed backbone of Sabine, without which I would have abandoned this show a few episodes back. Other than the original three, they’re the only good things about this season so far.

My thoughts:

I really liked Dr. Facilier, and I’m interesting his seeing how he fits in. Is he a Dark One? Or something just as sinister? How is it that Drizella is awake? And what is her game? Could she be the one who actually cast the curse, and not Victoria? The witch is looking better, but still needs a good conditioner. I’m interested in how she knows Ivy/Drizella and that whole backstory. I was hoping the picture would wake Regina, but it’s going to be fun watching her and Henry team up to track this down. I’ve gone from being really annoyed by Jacinda to outright can’t stand her now, especially with Ivy and Tiana outshining her at every turn. Henry I am still “meh” about and Lucy is starting to get grating with her persistently pouty perkiness. We have seven more episodes till mid-season break and next week is titled “Wake Up Call.” From the look of next week’s promo, Regin and Henry figure things out to a degree. I would imagine that if Regina wakes, she’ll find a way to wake Hook, and we all know Rumple’s clued in. Here’s hoping.

What did you think? Are you intrigued, or just biding your time until the real players are in the game?