History Awesome / OnceUponATime

* In the second episode when you first realize the epic BatmanGambit Rumplestiltskin[=/=]Mr. Gold is playing you can't help but be impressed. It gets even better when you realize there may even be a MemoryGambit involved. Do we have the show's first MagnificentBastard here?

* Emma's conversation with Ashley in Episode 4
-->'''Emma''': Screw 'em.\\
'''Ashley''': What?\\
'''Emma''': Screw. Them. How old are you?\\
'''Ashley''': Nineteen.\\
'''Emma''': I was eighteen.\\
'''Ashley''': When you had a kid?\\
'''Emma''': Yeah. I know what it's like. Everybody loves to tell what you can and can't do. Especially with a kid. But ultimately, whatever you are considering on doing, or giving up, the choice is ''yours''.\\
'''Ashley''': It's not exactly what you might think it is.\\
'''Emma''': Never is. People are gonna tell you who you are your whole life. You just gotta punch back and say "No, this is who I am." Want people look at you differently, make them. You wanna change things? You have to go out there and change them ''yourself'' - because there are no fairy godmothers in this world.

* Awesome and creepy is the sight of Rumplestiltskin [[spoiler:appearing as the Dark One for the first time, humiliating the soldiers who humiliated him and wiping them out in seconds.]]

** The price for the war's end? [[spoiler:Belle. That's how much Rumplestiltskin wanted her, even before he fell in love with her.]]

* This episode is the most out-of-control we've ever seen Mr. Gold. Yet it's revealed that by the time he's through, [[spoiler:he manages to strike up a deal with Regina, starting the 'Nolan disappearing' scheme that drives the rest of the season's 'real world' plot, a scheme he planned on betraying in the first place. Effectively, he creates a scheme that takes Regina's mook Mr. Glass off the board, at the same time as he's getting out of a jail sentence, drawing Emma closer to the truth, making Regina trust him.]] [[MagnificentBastard All while coolly eating an apple.]]

* Leroy [[spoiler:cutting the power to force everyone to buy candles, saving the nunnery.]]

* Red [[spoiler:''ate her boyfriend'']]. Huge [[TearJerker tear jerking]] horrific imagery aside, Little Red Riding Hood just [[spoiler:ate her boyfriend.]] That was a giant holy crap moment.

** On a related note, Granny casually wielding a bigass crossbow and [[spoiler:coolly shooting Red]].

* Red [[spoiler:staying behind and turning into the wolf to give Charming a chance to catch up to Snow.]]

* Emma's fight switching back and forth with Prince Charming's battle, as both [[spoiler:must fight Maleficent in her dragon form]]. Bonus epic for Emma [[spoiler:finishing the battle by tossing her father's sword into the dragon's heart in the same manner Maleficent was defeated in the original movie]].
** Also, the fact that Emma [[spoiler:pulls a gun on the dragon]], despite the fact that it doesn't work.

* Snow fighting off [[spoiler:the wraith,]] and saving Regina, with a [[AerosolFlamethrower cigarette lighter and hairspray]]. It's even more awesome when you realize she saved a woman who's held a grudge against her for decades and wanted to kill her as well.
* Prince Phillip [[spoiler:sacrificing himself to the wraith]] so Mulan and Princess Aurora could live.
* It was particularly awesome when Henry walked in on Regina [[spoiler:about to kill David with her newly acquired magical powers and stopped her]].
* A minor but still potent one for [[spoiler:Belle]], in that she makes Gold promise not to take revenge against [[spoiler:Regina for imprisoning her]]. This is the woman who had [[spoiler:her locked away in an asylum]] for ''28 years''. Granted, he was as much angry that [[spoiler:Regina]] lied to him out of spite but [[spoiler:Belle]] still made him swear not to seek vengeance. Why? Because she wants him to be better than that. [[spoiler:Doesn't work, but still...]]

* [[spoiler:Regina's]] [[EvilIsHammy delightfully hammy]] entry into the room and subsequent pwning of Granny, Grumpy and everyone else there was fairly badass in a villainous way.
* Red should also get a mention for her efforts, being the only one to walk forward and ask Regina, [[spoiler:who has just used her magic on everyone trying to deal with her]], what she wants. She also delivers a bit of a WhatTheHellHero to Charming to make him realize that he needs to focus on the town and Henry, instead of [[spoiler:burying himself in his efforts to retrieve Snow and Emma from the Enchanted Forest.]]

* Henry [[spoiler:surrendering himself to Regina]] to protect the townspeople from her.

* An Ogre threatens Emma. Cue: *whistle* [[MamaBear "BACK. AWAY. FROM MY. DAUGHTER."]] [[spoiler:Followed by Snow firing an arrow into an ogre's eye and saving Emma.]]

* Emma using gunpowder from one of her bullets and lighting it, setting the magic wardrobe on fire, essentially sacrificing her only chance to return to Storybrooke so that [[spoiler:Cora]] wouldn't use it to go after Henry.

* Belle telling both [[spoiler:Rumplestiltskin and her father]] where to go. No one decides her fate but her.
* Rumplestiltskin [[spoiler:showing off his magical ability]] and saving Belle.

* Rumplestiltskin casually reattaching [[spoiler:Doctor Whale's arm.]] Magic: 1, Science: 0.
* Archie yelling at Dr. Whale to leave during his [[spoiler:therapy session with Regina.]]

* Henry kept a cool head and (despite being justifiably terrified) tried to help a confused and violent [[spoiler:Franken!Daniel.]] The kid's got guts.
* The {{Theremin}} used in the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic background music]] during the scene set in [[spoiler:[[{{Uberwald}} The Land Without Colour]]]] is [[RuleOfCool ten kinds of awesome]].

* King George tries to shoot [[spoiler:a wolfed-out]] Ruby. Granny shoots the gun out of his hand with her crossbow, then says that the next one "goes between [his] eyes." Do ''not'' [[MamaBear mess with her granddaughter]].
** Allow me to reiterate. Granny shot a gun out of King George's hand. A split second before he would have murdered Ruby in cold blood, [[spoiler:after framing her and tricking her into believing that she killed Billy]]. ''With a crossbow''.

* David gets points for having enough faith that [[spoiler:Ruby won't kill him in wolf form]] that he goes up to her, unarmed, and talks her into [[spoiler:letting him get close enough to give her her cloak back.]]
* Crossing over with SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming|Moments}}, the fact that Ruby was willing to [[spoiler:hand herself over to King George and get killed]] in order to protect the people she cares about.
* Granny with a welding torch. Just... yes.

* Hook adds himself to the {{Magnificent Bastard}} list as [[spoiler:he flawlessly plays Aurora to get her under Cora's control.]]

* Emma versus Hook. It look like she's losing the entire time... [[spoiler:and then she gets the compass and knocks him out.]]

* Regina [[spoiler:absorbing the magic cast upon the well and saving Emma and Snow.]]
* Emma's HeartIsAnAwesomePower moment. [[spoiler:She's not only immune to Cora's heart-ripping ability but she can also blast Cora back.]]
** The exchange between Cora and Emma when Cora tries to [[spoiler:rip out her heart]]:

** And when she's still depressed that it wasn't actually her, just [[spoiler:something that Rumplestiltskin did to her, he reveals he had nothing to do with it, he only took advantage of what she already had. And then it slowly dawns on her that she used magic. ''Her'' magic]].
* Villainous example. Cora and Hook [[spoiler:arriving in Storybrooke in a ''freaking pirate ship'' was pretty damn cool.]]

* Emma using her "product of true love" magic purposefully for the first time to see Pongo's memories. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, she didn't see ''all'' of the memories]]...
* The gambit Snow and Charming pulled on the imprisoned Regina with Rumple's help. [[spoiler:If Regina agreed to change her ways she would be let free; but if she tried to harm Snow with the dagger Rumple provided, it would activate a protection spell on Snow and Charming and she would be banished. The latter, unfortunately, is what happened.]]

** [[spoiler:Defeating the Yaoguai by dousing it with water and then saving Phillip.]]
** [[spoiler:Figuring out Hook came on his ship, finding the ''invisible'' ship, freeing Archie and getting him to call for help, retrieving Baelfire's cloak, and fighting off Hook who had her gun.]]

-->'''Rumplestiltskin''': ''(laughs)'' Oh no no, [[PreAssKickingOneLiner not magic]]. ''([[CaneFu beats him down with his cane]])''

* Cora goes to try and win Regina to her side, [[spoiler:and Regina doesn't take it for a second]].
** [[spoiler:But then Cora proves she's still much better at manipulating people when she wins her over before the end of the episode.]]

* The townspeople working together to [[spoiler:save the shrunken Anton, who just moments ago was trying to crush them.]]

* Emma chases a man through the streets and tackles him to the ground. [[spoiler:Turns out he's Neal, also known as Henry's biological father and ''Baelfire, Rumplestiltskin's son''.]]

* Captain Hook makes it into the real world, and in a world without magic, [[spoiler:he gives his crocodile a piece of his hook.]]
* YMMV, but Snow White's {{World Of Cardboard Speech}} declaring that she will [[spoiler:kill Cora]].
* Regina calling out Snow White on their [[HeelFaceDoorSlam fake acceptance of her]] and BlackAndWhiteMorality. Regardless of whether or not you [[RootingForTheEmpire agree with]] [[DracoInLeatherPants Regina,]] it was a cool speech. [[spoiler:Made less awesome by the fact that Cora is playing her like a fiddle.]]

** [[spoiler:The fact that she didn't go into the deal intending to trick him almost makes this a TearJerker instead.]]

* August [[spoiler:standing up to Tamara after learning about her ill intent regarding Storybrooke. After years of being cowardly and dishonorable, he finally decides to stand up for other people]].
* Tamara could easily have just come off as a SmugSnake it's impossible to care about after the other great villains the show has given us. But then she shows her stuff by [[spoiler:standing her ground as the Dragon starts going OneWingedAngel on her, and interrupting it with a [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu taser]].]]

* [[spoiler:Hook reveals how big of a MagnificentBastard he is by completely playing Regina.]]
** [[spoiler:And ''[[CassandraTruth telling her to her face]]'' how he's going to play her. Granted, he dismisses the plan out of hand but still...everything he said was ''exactly'' what he did.]]
* [[spoiler:Owen and Tamara taking down Regina with SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic, showing that MugglesDoItBetter.]]
** An OffscreenMomentOfAwesome comes when [[spoiler:Hook]] casually mentions that [[spoiler:Owen and Tamara also quickly managed to take down Maleficent, who had become a virtually invincible shade after her Dragon form was previously "slain" by Emma.]]
** [[spoiler:Owen]] being knowledgeable about the dangers of EvilGloating, so he ''won't'' tell Regina his plan.

* Emma throwing down [[spoiler:Tamara, even though the latter escapes.]]

* [[DefiantToTheEnd Regina's]] [[VillainousValor continued defiance]], despite the ColdBloodedTorture inflicted by [[spoiler:Greg and Tamara.]]

* [[spoiler:Regina is struggling to slow down the trigger. Then Emma adds her power, and they do more than slow it down; they ''shut it off completely''.]]
** Even more awesome is the fact that [[spoiler:Regina held it off as long as she did ''one day'' after being ''brutally tortured.'']]
* The fact that The Evil Queen, Rumplestiltskin, Captain Hook, Snow White, Prince Charming, and the daughter of the latter two are [[spoiler:all going to work together to save Henry]]. Admit it, in your wildest dreams, you never imagined this team-up.
** From ''Peter Pan.'' Whoooaaa.
** Not to mention [[spoiler:the relationships involved to and through Henry. Hook (even though not related to Henry) had an affair with Bae's mother (Henry's paternal grandmother). Regina is Henry's adopted mom/step-great-grandmother. Rumple, Snow, and Charming are his grandparents. Let's face it - Henry really is everyone's MoralityChain.]]
* An offscreen one, but Mulan and Aurora were able to [[spoiler: restore Phillip’s lost soul.]]

* Emma figuring out that [[spoiler:it was the crew's anger, not the mermaid's magic, that was causing the storm. She performs a HeroicSacrifice by throwing herself into the water, forcing the others to stop fighting and unite to rescue her.]]

* Tinker Bell, just Tinker Bell. For starters pulling a CallingTheOldManOut on the Blue Fairy for her hypocritical reasoning for not helping out poor Regina.

* [[spoiler:The real Ursula letting Regina know just how much she appreciates being impersonated.]]
* Regina, fed up with the Charmings, [[spoiler:taking off and teaming up with ''Rumplestiltskin.'']]
* Regina [[spoiler:choking Rumplestiltskin's vision of Belle, revealing it to be Pan's shadow.]]
-->'''Regina:''' What is this? ''Amateur hour?'' Did you really believe [[spoiler:that was Belle?]]
-->'''[[spoiler:Rumplestiltskin:]]''' Why are you here?

* [[spoiler:John and Michael Darling]] unflinchingly driving into Storybrooke just as the protective spell comes down and shears off the back of their car.
* Gold has [[spoiler: Pandora's Box]] stashed away in his shop. One can only speculate on how he got such a powerful item, but it's pretty awesome.
* The entire episode is pretty much a reminder of how much a BadassBookworm Belle is. She figures out where Pandora’s Box is hidden, where [[spoiler: John and Michael]] have taken in, and stops them from destroying it.

* After TheReveal that [[spoiler: Peter Pan is Rumplestiltskin's father]], the two have a confrontation where Pan tries to tell Rumple that they're NotSoDifferent. Rumple's response is basically that [[spoiler: as terrible as his behavior was with Bae, he was still a better father than Pan.]]

* The heroes are cornered by Pan, and he uses magic to lash them all to a tree, saying they'll be bound by the strength of their own regrets. Snow and Emma are strugging to free themselves... [[TokenEvilTeammate Regina]] tears through the bonds like they were made of tissue paper. Despite arguably being the one with the party to regret the most? She regrets not a ''single damned thing'' - because it got her Henry. She then grabs Henry's heart right out of Pan and drops him.

* Just when it looked like he was about to be sucked into Pandora's Box, Pan pulled one last trick: [[spoiler: He swapped bodies with Henry.]]

* Tinker Bell confronting the Blue Fairy and demanding her wings back. Nice to see her having to deal with just one of the people she's screwed over [[spoiler:before her death.]]

* Rumple [[spoiler: pulling a TakingYouWithMe on Pan by calling his shadow back to him and using the Dark One dagger to stab both himself and Pan, through Pan's back.]]

** Also, when [[spoiler: Pan, who has been reverted back to his adult form by Rumple, tries one last attempt at manipulating Rumple, saying he can give the two of them a happy ending if Rumple removes the dagger from them, Rumple's response?]]

* ''Regina Mills'' [[spoiler: destroys the curse and gives up the thing she loves most to do so.]]
* Gold was willing [[spoiler:to cut off his own hand just to save everyone.]] He ended up not doing it, but still.

* Snow and Regina get attacked in the woods by a flying monkey, and it almost drags Regina away. Who saves them, almost out of nowhere? [[spoiler: The Man with the Lion Tattoo himself, Robin Hood]].

* Hook has Emma meet him in the park to help her jog her memory. Emma goes to the meeting, [[spoiler: [[RealityEnsues only to have him arrested for forcing a kiss on her in the last episode]].]]
** Especially awesome given the character development it entails. [[spoiler: Previously, Emma preferred to handle situations all on her own, and when things got too much for her she turned to Rumplestiltskin and Regina more than her own parents. Not only did she go to proper authorities, she was unashamed to admit to them that Hook had forced a kiss on her.]] Emma changed over the last year. Nobody saw it coming.

* Emma dressed like a true Disney princess. Jennifer Morrison looks positively ''stunning'' in that dress. Charming teaching his daughter how to dance. [[spoiler:Too bad it's just a nightmare]], but still.

** We later see it was on purpose because she uses his blood to open the safe in his shop and retreive the nightroot.

** Subverted in the next episode: [[spoiler: it wasn't Rumple who escaped, it was ''Neal''.]]

* Neal [[spoiler:willingly sacrificing himself to save his father and the rest of Storybrooke]]. He even implies that [[spoiler:he's just following his father's example. Despite Rumplestiltskin losing his son in the most tragic way possible, at the very least, he has finally been vindicated as a parent]].

* Ariel giving Hook a well-deserved slap on the face after ruining her one good chance at finding her prince. She then immediately sets out to find him on her own, [[spoiler:and succeeds]].
* A passive one for Emma: She represents such a threat to Zelena's plan that Zelena feels the need to [[spoiler: curse Hook so that if he kisses Emma, her powers will go away.]] Given how powerful Zelena is, there is obviously much more to Emma's magical powers than we have previously seen, which is no small statement considering the multiple CMOA's that Emma has managed to pull off when she truly puts her mind to doing magic.

* How the curse was cast. [[spoiler: Snow and Charming realized they needed Emma to stop Zelena, so ''they'' cast the curse. Charming [[HeroicSacrifice volunteers to have his heart crushed]] because he is the thing Snow loves most, and Snow goes through with it no matter how much it hurts because she knows it needs to be done. Zelena interrupting them and altering the curse so that they won't remember her is pretty awesome, too, in a villainous way, as well as to make sure that the new Dark Curse very closely mirrors the first one]].
* How the curse was broken. [[spoiler: [[HistoryRepeats Once again]] it was broken by a mother's love for a child. Except this time it wasn't Emma's love for Henry, it was [[LoveRedeems Regina's.]]]]
* [[spoiler: Neal managing to break free of his father’s body to send a message to Hook. If it hadn’t been for him, Emma would have never returned.]]

* Rumplestiltskin [[spoiler:killing Zelena by secretly switching the dagger Belle thought she had. [[KickTheSonOfABitch The brief moments of Zelena begging for mercy are cruelly satisfying to watch as well]]]].

* Snow surviving [[spoiler:Regina's execution by fire using the dark fairy dust to change into a ladybug]].
* Emma picking the lock to her own cell, and getting out. Then deciding ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight in rescuing [[spoiler: Maid Marian]], timeline be damned. [[Series/DoctorWho The Doctor]] would be proud.

* Hook [[spoiler:revealing how he managed to get to the real world and help Emma regain her memories: he traded his precious ship. Considering how he would never let go of that thing, that's pretty amazing.]]
* The final minute: water starts gathering around a sigil-like marking on the floor and pools up. A form starts to take shape and solidifies. [[spoiler:[[Disney/{{Frozen}} And Elsa]] makes her presence known, pulling off a glove and firing off a burst of ice to obliterate her erstwhile prison before walking off.]]

* Anna was [[spoiler: Prince Charming's]] swordfighting teacher and given what we know about his skill with a sword, she was one hell of a teacher.

* The reveal of the true BigBad of the season, [[spoiler:the ''original'' Snow Queen. Who introduces herself by refreezing a tub of melted ice cream in a combination of MundaneUtility and MundaneMadeAwesome, then casually leans against a wall that turns to ice as she does.]]

* The Snow Queen cutting off what appeared to be a season-long plot at the knees by [[spoiler:freezing Hans as soon as she's out of the urn, throwing back at him how he was just talking about Elsa]]. It also doubles as long-overdue LaserGuidedKarma from the movie.
** And right after that, she makes [[spoiler:Hans' brothers]] back off with just one look.

** [[spoiler:It also becomes more awesome when you realize that the Sorcerer's prediction about Ingrid reuniting with her sisters became true in ''Shattered Sight'', just not in the way she expected.]]

* Cursed!Snow and Cursed!Regina's sword fight. [[spoiler:With Snow effectively kicking Regina's ass. Especially when [[MamaBear she threatens baby Neal]].]]

* Belle [[spoiler: stopping Rumple from crushing Hook's heart with the dagger and then making her husband take them both to the town line]] where she lays down the mother of all [[ReasonYouSuckSpeech Reason You Suck Speeches]] on him and proceeds to [[spoiler: use the dagger to force him over the town line and into the world without magic to strip him of his power, knowing that he won't be able to get back into Storybrooke afterward.]]
** [[spoiler:For that matter, Rumple's OhCrap expression when Belle shows up.]]
* Hook gets a great verbal one when Rumple, about to be ready to crush Hook's heart, says that he's surprised Hook hasn't crumbled and started begging for his life by now. Hook replies that he wouldn't ever do that because between the two of them, ''he'' isn't the one who's a coward. [[spoiler: Made better since Rumple's later reaction to being banished to the world without magic validates Hook's insult.]]
** When Rumple [[spoiler: starts to crush his heart, Hook is visibly afraid but still refuses to give his enemy the satisfaction.]]
* Hook briefly [[spoiler: fighting Rumple’s control to grab Emma’s arm.]] It clearly took a lot of effort to do so.
* [[OffscreenMomentofAwesome Although we don't get to see it]], [[spoiler:the Frozen trio reclaiming Arendelle in roughly two days definitely counts. Anna even gets to punch Hans in the face again!]]
In the flashback, Belle [[spoiler: mouthing off to Rumplestilskin, despite technically being his prisoner and know what he’s capable of.]]

* Rumplestiltskin fully regains his MagnificentBastard bona fides by [[spoiler:getting himself and his new allies into Storybrooke ''without'' his magic. He poses as a professor to give Belle the method of getting the fairies back out of the hat, but also slips in the release of Chernabog, allowing Ursula and Cruella to pose as fellow redeemed villains when they give Regina the method to defeat it.]]
** [[spoiler: His entry back over the town line - throwing aside his stick that he's had to rely on since losing his magic, clearly showing that the Dark One's ''back.'' ]]

* Cruella and Ursula [[spoiler:[[BatmanGambit out-gambitting Snow and Charming]] via BaitAndSwitch, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero allowing them to resurrect Maleficent]].]] Just how smoothly it goes off is a good sign about their competence as villains.

* Hook shows his potential for redemption before actually obtaining it by ''not'' taking Poseidon's deal for the means for his revenge. He knows how much he would treasure having any remnant of the person he loved, like Ursula's singing voice is to Ursula due to coming from her mother.[[spoiler: Unfortunately subverted when Poseidon returns and takes away his chance for revenge.]]

* How is an unconscious Hook rescued from drowning? [[spoiler:Ariel]] returning out of nowhere.
* Although [[spoiler:Ariel being trapped due to Elsa's shrinking of the Jolly Roger isn't awesome]], knowing that the royal family of Arendelle was able to get back at Blackbeard for helping Hans conspire against them is nice to hear.

* A massive villainous one -- [[spoiler: Zelena survived Gold's attempt on her life last season, followed Emma and Hook back in time, [[KillAndReplace killed and replaced]] Marian, and has been successfully impersonating her ever since. And we only find this out in the scene where she reveals herself to a dying Gold, and forces him to agree to spare her and help find the Author in exchange for a potion to save his life]]. Yeah, you read that right, [[spoiler: this time, it's ''Rumplestiltskin'' who's forced to accept a DealWithTheDevil, one that makes him someone else's pawn.]]
** For added NightmareFuel [[spoiler: she even does the Dark One high, mocking voice and giggle at him while she's doing it. And fiddling with his respirator. Yeah, suffice to say, he was BringMyBrownPants levels of terrified.]]
** It gets even better the more you think about everything she had to do [[spoiler:while playing said role: call Regina a monster while pretending to be someone without magic, who therefore couldn't do anything to defend herself if Regina decided to try and kill her; try to help save her from Marshmallow (which also required real knowledge of archery); let herself be frozen by Ingrid; be nice and forgiving to Regina after being saved, and pull an IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy; then make the curse come back to separate Regina and Robin without anyone catching on; then feign love for Robin (and make out with him) while also being a mother to Roland]]. And all this, without Gold or Regina ever catching on! [[spoiler:Zelena, I read your book!]]

* Isaac taking away what Cruella loves the most: [[spoiler: her ability to kill.]]

** [[spoiler: Becoming The Author, reversing what Isaac did and rejecting the path Isaac took.]]
* Regina [[spoiler:taking the sword for Henry, the one she's always loved and the only one to help her retain any goodness as Mayor Mills, rather than stop the wedding and kiss Robin. That's right, the woman who fought so hard for True Love and went evil because of being denied it just gave it up...for her son. Because as we've seen, maternal love is just as powerful and good, and because she knows her happy ending is about more than just a man. Not only is that act so heroic that it starts unraveling the book, allows there to be another Author, and provides the blood of a Light Savior to fix everything...but she still gets Robin anyway. Virtue is its own reward, but you can still be rewarded for your virtue.]]

** Convincing Regina to try for her True Love, not just by appealing to her that it's the only way to save them all, but by telling her how she had [[spoiler:watched Hook die in front of her without telling him she loved him]], and she didn't want Regina to make the same mistake she did. Regina, who doesn't even know who she is at this point, is visibly moved.

** Finally getting the courage to [[spoiler:tell Hook she loves him, the three words she fears most in the world because they signify commitment.]]
** And finally, [[spoiler:tearing the Darkness away from Regina and taking it into herself to become the Dark One. Why? Because "I'm not going to let you lose your happy ending!" Despite the fact she's just become the vessel of pure evil, all she says to Hook and her parents is that they saved her from darkness before, so she knows they can do it again. It's even a reversal of what happened the first time the Dark Curse was cast--now they have to find her. And she clearly believes they will.]]

* The reveal that [[spoiler: Lancelot survived his encounter with Cora]].

* Regina calling out Dark!Emma for [[spoiler: manipulating Violet into breaking Henry’s heart]], pointing out what she did is no different than what Cora did to Daniel, then refusing to let her see Henry.

* [[spoiler: Dark!Emma successfully reforging Excalibur in the present]]

* Gold's defeat of Dark!Hook is awesome no matter how you look at it. It's proof he truly isn't a coward any more and also that he can be a hero, even if he does use CruelMercy. [[spoiler: It's awesomeness is admittedly somewhat neutered in the following episode when Hook reveals his true plan and Gold his true colors, but it's still an impressive feat.]]

* [[spoiler:Hook's sacrifice. Doubles as a massive Tearjerker]]

-->'''Emma''': All right then, [[spoiler:Dark One]]. Then you're going to do something for me.

** And the end result of this is not only getting him to [[spoiler:open the portal for her to go to the underworld, but to ''come with her'', to the place he openly admitted his fear of earlier in the episode]]. Bad. Ass.

* Hades shows just what a MagnificentBastard he is by using Rumpelstiltskin's own love of LoopholeAbuse against him. [[spoiler:Back when he was mortal, Rumpel sold his second-born child to save Bae's life, figuring he would simply never have another child. Except now Belle is newly pregnant, and Hades has gotten his hands on that old contract.]]

* Belle managing to defuse the fight between her husband and her ex-lover. [[spoiler: Sadly, tragedy strikes afterward...]]

* [[spoiler: Young]] Zelena [[spoiler: healing young Regina]] all without any instructions.

* Cora finally doing the right thing by her daughters by restoring the memories she took from them. Not only does this let them recover the love they once had and become true sisters, [[spoiler:it provides her the redemption that will let her go to Heaven--''Cora'', who prior to this was someone no one ever expected or believed could regret, let alone seek and find absolution]].

* Gold finally, ''finally'' [[spoiler:getting rid of Pan]]. How? [[spoiler:Tricking him into thinking he still had Robin's heart, when he had put it back in Robin's chest and put a wineskin he had filled with water from the River of Lost Souls and glamoured as a heart into Pan's chest]]. One last use of "Follow the Lady"!

* Hades again shows what a MagnificentBastard he is by [[spoiler:faking a HeelFaceTurn (in the process taking full advantage of how rushed some of the real ones on the show have been, much to the fans' discontent) to get his happy ending with his true love free of the Underworld, while all his enemies are left trapped there. He comes darn close to winning for good.]]

* Hook, hands down. Actually working with the man who killed him, because he is so determined to stop Hades and save Emma before he passes on, is awesome enough, but in doing so (and showing his true love for Emma and his heroism) he actually inspires Arthur to reform, realizing what an awful king he was and doing what he can to atone. It's enough to [[spoiler:earn him a restoration to life, since ''Zeus himself'' acknowledges him as a true hero]].

* It's obviously also a major TearJerker, but seeing Zelena [[spoiler:kill Hades]] was awesome on a number of levels--it showed she finally trusted and believed in her sister; it showed she understood the importance of [[spoiler:Robin's sacrifice]]; it was her refusing once again to be manipulated, lied to, and abused by those who supposedly love her; and it was her rejecting what Hades was offering her in favor of finding a different kind of love with Regina and her baby. Oh, and of course [[spoiler:she killed a ''god'']].

* [[spoiler: Robin’s HeroicSacrifice]]

* The method used to make it happen may be questionable, and it sadly doesn't take thanks to AsLongAsThereIsEvil, but seeing [[spoiler:Regina destroy the Evil Queen]] is absolutely awesome.
-->'''[[spoiler:Evil Queen]]''': You need me.
-->'''[[spoiler:Regina]]''': No, I don't. ''[[spoiler:(crushes her heart, turning her to dust)]]''

* An evil sort of awesome on the part of the Evil Queen, courtesy of the curse she puts on Snow White--because she shares her heart with Charming [[spoiler:the Sleeping Curse applies to them both. Meaning they can never be awake together, because whoever does the kissing will then immediately fall asleep]].

** ''Zelena''. Turns out [[spoiler:she had a failsafe put on Gold's heart back in Season 4, so now he can't kill or even hurt her without suffering a heart attack]]. Wicked ''does'' always win!

* Emma deciding [[ScrewDestiny not to wait around]] for her vision to come true and going to Gold’s shop to find the sword [[spoiler: that’s supposed to kill her.]]

* A villainous example. [[spoiler: Gideon]], the hooded figure, makes his entrance by turning the Evil Queen into a viper.

* Emma faces her fated fatal duel with [[spoiler: Gideon]], and [[ScrewDestiny refuses to accept her doom]], forcing her way through the HeroicRROD that's meant to disable her before the finishing blow, and she blasts [[spoiler: Gideon]] across the street, shattering the sword that's meant to kill her in the process.
-->'''Emma''': If I'm fated to die, I will. But ''not today''.

-->'''Regina''': But I don't. Not any more. I ''love'' myself. So I'm going to do for you what I should have done a long time ago.

* The fact that Gideon [[spoiler: has been attempting his hardest to resist his kidnapper the Black Fairy's influence on him for over 28 years, and that he sounds smug when Emma survives the spider ordeal that Black set up for her]].
* The Black Fairy. [[spoiler: She proves why she is TheChessmaster of the entire season, using Gideon's heart to direct all attention to him and make everyone believe that he is the villain. Even better, the spider did its job even if it didn't kill Emma - the portal stayed open long enough for Black to arrive in Storybrooke to begin her final battle with Emma.]]

* How do the heroes finally free Snow and Charming from the Sleeping Curse once and for all? [[spoiler: Asking all Storybrooke inhabitants to drink a potion that will distribute the Curse equally among ''everyone''. Snow and Charming awake to find everyone else asleep - for about ten seconds, with the Curse now so weak that it has become completely negated.]]
* Black orders Gideon to destroy the flowers to prevent the heroes from using them. [[spoiler: He can resist just enough to leave one intact for the good guys, Gold proudly declaring that Gideon made it possible through his love for and a desire to be more like his real mother, Belle.]]

* Henry is willing to take on Fiona all by himself with only a sword. [[spoiler: Turns out he didn't need to.]]
* Hook and Charming [[spoiler: ''scaling the Beanstalk together and fighting yet another dragon'' - and not just any dragon, but [[TheBusCameBack THE Dragon]]- to get the beans to Regina]].
* The Evil Queen- no, not Regina, '''The Evil Queen'''- [[spoiler: holding back the destruction of the Enchanted Forest and performing a HeroicSacrifice to give Regina time to get the bean to work. And Emma stops it herself once belief finally returns to her. How? The answer is that Henry wrote his own miniature version of the Storybook, including her arrival to the town, her defeat of Dragon Maleficent, and her awakening of Henry]].

** [[spoiler: By forcing Emma to stop believing, she will cause the destruction of all the realms forever. She even gets Emma to ''burn the Storybook.'']]
** [[spoiler: Upon regaining her wand and with no more laws of magic due to the realms' destruction, she will create a new universe where she reigns supreme with her family (Gold and Gideon) at her side and she'll have the power to bring back the dead as she pleases.]]
** [[spoiler: She uses her wand to read the runes and learn that Gideon ''must'' be the one to fight Emma, effectively meaning that if one kills the other, ''it's the end of Light Magic forever.'' So she uses Gideon's heart, hides it in the Mines and remote-controls him with her magic, telling him to kill Emma at any and all costs - even if she dies before he can complete his mission, '''he cannot stop.''']]
** Out of ''every villain'' we have ever seen in the franchise, Fiona is by far [[spoiler: the one who came closest to eternal victory]]. An excellent display of power and intelligence for the BigBad and [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] of the entire series.
* So who better to stop TheChessmaster than [[spoiler: the man we all know and love for being TheChessmaster since Season 1? Gold finds out the details of his mother's plan, she embraces him after telling it all to him, and he understands deep within him that he cannot let her ruin everyone's lives around him. He takes the wand (mirroring how she first transformed herself from human to fairy by stealing Tiger Lily's wand) and slowly forces his mother to the ground ''with her very own wand'', and when she reveals that she will not allow Gideon to stop even if she dies (in fact she suspects her death will only make it certain), Gold decides to test that theory and '''unleashes the full power of the wand on the UltimateEvil... and [[HoistByHisOwnPetard she slowly disintegrates out of existence once and for all.]]''' See you in the Underworld, Fiona.]]

* Emma and Gideon have it out one last time. [[spoiler: Emma gives one final speech about the Savior and Light Magic and tosses her sword aside, figuring out that Light Magic won't be destroyed if she ''allows'' Gideon to kill her with the express purpose of saving him. Gideon gives [[ApologeticAttacker one final tearful apology]] before running her through, causing Light Magic to explode through the air, Emma to seemingly die, and Adult Gideon to vanish from existence and return to life as an infant - the work of Light Magic, reinforcing that ''Emma was right'' and, even if it cost her life, she beat Fiona's plan.]]
** At the same time, [[spoiler: Gold actually stands up to his dark side, defying it by doing the right thing and using Gideon's heart to order Gideon to not kill Emma. While the command couldn't override the Black Fairy's, it seems to be the reason Gideon's killing strike on Emma didn't succeed completely, which allows the following moment to transpire:]]
** Henry [[spoiler: ''performs TrueLovesKiss on Emma, reviving her BackFromTheDead on the spot and bringing back the Storybook'', the final page noting that with Good and Evil (Emma and Gold respectively) both doing the right thing, the Final Battle had been completed.]] A perfect BookEnds from the first season finale.

* [[spoiler:At the end of the episode, Weaver calls Victoria "[[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay dearie]]," and she doesn't react. ''Rumpelstiltskin'' ''[[HesBack is back]]'', and Lady Tremaine is none the wiser.]]

* Not only does [=Drizella/Ivy=] have magic, [[spoiler: it was she who cast the Dark Curse and she did something to make it unbreakable.]]
** She was trained by [[spoiler: ''Regina'' in her classic sink-or-swim method - Regina breaks a section of the tower they are standing under, and Drizella unleashes her magic without thinking, ''destroying the flying pieces and saving both of them.'' Shame she took Regina's teachings the wrong way.]]
** [[spoiler: The conversation between Drizella and her mother in the Tremaine manor is mostly TearJerker and even a bit NightmareFuel, but it also counts as this due to Drizella, who was once constantly [[AbusiveParents abused]] by her controlling mother, now being not only free of her, but sentencing her mother to a '''FateWorseThanDeath'''. It really hits home to people who grew up with AbusiveParents.]]

* Drizella [[spoiler: plays Alice like a fiddle, pretending to remove her "heart curse" and tricking her into leading Henry and Ella into Wonderland. She traps Henry and plans to place the same curse on him, however Ella ''socks her in the face'' and Alice sends her home by dropping a mirror on her.]]

* Tremaine not only manages to get out of jail by revealing to Weaver she knows he is Rumplestiltskin and he is awake, she [[spoiler: revives Anastasia]]. All while tricking Ivy.

* [[spoiler:Gothel reveals that she was actually the true BigBad of the season the whole time, letting both Tremaine and Drizella think they were the one controlling her while pushing just the right buttons in both so they'd do all her work for her.]]
* [[spoiler:Regina and Zelena are intending to break the curse. This means magic will return to Hyperion Heights. Who's in Hyperion Heights? ''Rumplestiltskin'', who isn't just searching for death – he's also going to be ''very pissed off'' that his great-granddaughter has been harmed, and when an angry Rumple, armed with magic, comes at you, the one thing you do is run away really fast. Given that Gothel is against the heroes, Rumple can get away with killing her scot free!]]

* [[spoiler: Victoria overcoming her pointless, petty hatred of Ivy and even ''[[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing her life]]'' to save her.]]
-->'''Ivy:''' [[spoiler: My mother. She saved me. It was meant to be me.]]

* TheReveal that Alice possesses some form of wish-based magic that's so strong she can create a troll to break out of her tower (which even her mother couldn't do) and [[spoiler: summon an exact replica of a car she only saw a picture of once]].

* [[spoiler:Ivy convincing Anastasia to betray Gothel and not kill her by telling her of the consequences of what happens if she kills her, while also leaving her with her choice.]]

* While it's also NightmareFuel, [[spoiler:Nick managing to kidnap Henry and hold him captive in his apartment.]]

* Isla managed to [[ManipulativeBitch manipulate]] Gothel into becoming her friend and thinking that humans are good, only to [[EtTuBrute stab her in the back]] and humiliate her by having her minions hold her as she dumps mud on her. Then, she [[spoiler:uses Gothel's key to access the Tree Nymphs' grove and ''[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu murders]] [[KillEmAll them all]]'' without breaking a sweat (in the ball scene, she's shown to be perfectly fine despite having just murdered numerous magical creatures); it's also implied that she ''deliberately'' left Flora alive, albeit severely wounded, so Gothel can [[ForcedToWatch watch]] her mother dying, all in one big SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome]]. And please remember that she did all this in ''one night''!
* Upon finding out what Isla did, Gothel manages to reduce her into a begging wreck as she murders her by snapping her neck with roots, before [[spoiler:''[[OmnicidalManiac killing the remaining humains in the realm]]'' except Seraphina]]. [[NightmareFuel Sweet dreams!]]

* While it's also NightmareFuel, [[spoiler: Wish!Realm Rumple coming out of nowhere to shank Facilier and claim the mantle of the series' TrueFinalBoss.]]

* Rumple's [[spoiler: HeroicSacrifice to save Wish!Hook and destroy Wish!Rumple.]]

* It's a subjective opinion, but the fact the writers found a way to tie everything up even when they didn't go into this season knowing it was going to be the last one. [[spoiler: Whatever can be said about the characters and plot of the last season versus the previous six, the way this finale ties up Henry, Gold, Regina, and Emma's arcs is by turns heartwarming, awesome, and extremely tear-inducing, where everyone somehow gets their happiness, even in ways we could never have imagined (and in some cases, they never would have wanted, once upon a time). And as much as the show has been about Henry and Emma, it's quite fitting that in the end the major acts made to save everyone and bring everyone together are by the two original villains--the point of the show has always been hope, and what greater hope can there be than in redemption? Regina gets to be the Good Queen she was always meant to be, beloved by the people, while Rumple proves once and for all that he's no longer a coward, that he can act out of love and sacrifice, and gets his well-earned reward as a result. In a meta sense, the way this allows for parallels with how and why the Dark Curse was originally cast, and that the final ending comes from reversing it into a Light Curse (or blessing), is simply awesome in terms of the writing. Well done, Adam and Eddy!]]

* Emma saves Hook from Neverland. Oh, and '''he finally gets to propose.''' Naturally, her answer is "yes".

* Robin manages to do what no other woman in her magical bloodline has: come back before the darkness can actually take her. How? Because Zelena 'also' does what no other woman in their magical bloodline has: save her daughter before it's too late for her.

* Snow helps the Prince track down Cinderella. They think she's gone but mouse Gus is able to get Snow's attention to help them rescue her.
* Emma uses a lot of magic in this episode. Perhaps her most prominent use is the spell that lets her track down Cinderella.

** ''Zelena''. Turns out [[spoiler:she had a failsafe put on Gold's heart after she healed it back in Season 4, so now he can't kill or even hurt her without suffering a heart attack]]. Wicked ''does'' always win!

* Fantasy!Henry stands his ground when Regina interrupts his knighting ceremony.

* [[WesternAnimation/{{Brave}} Merida's]] first trailer showed her shoot an arrow, hit the bulleye, then cleave that arrow in half with another arrow.
** On a meta level, the casting department once again did an awesome job with Merida. Actress Amy Manson is a perfect fit for the role, just like Elizabeth Lail and Anna in the previous season.
** Even better, it's a MythologyGag to ''Brave'', where she did the same thing (although in that movie, the first arrow wasn't hers.)

* Dark Emma's CreepyAwesome personified entrance at the end of the episode, showing that she managed to get her dagger back from Regina during their time in Camelot, no one can touch her, and now they're all going to be punished.

* Arthur and his knights facing down Grumpy and the other dwarves in Storybrooke's main street. Grumpy tries for the BadassBoast about daring to go against a dwarf and his pick-ax...and then Arthur promptly disarms him and has him at swordpoint. "And is that how you would dare speak to a king?"

* Emma blasting Regina out of her house after pretty much daring her to woman up and be the Savior.

* Emma's plan is pretty brilliantly awesome too: not only does she have Gold as a blank slate to fashion into the hero she needs to draw Excalibur, now she has someone to train him, via heart-control: Merida.

* Belle, hands down, is a walking CMOA. To sum up: her very first scene involves her working out from a spellbook how to undo magic ''Merlin'' couldn't comprehend (because he'd been sealed in a tree for a thousand years), causing him to give her genuine and admiring praise for her cleverness. (Her response? "About time ''someone'' noticed.") This causes Merida to zero in on her for assistance in rescuing her brothers, and while she does get tricked and knocked out, as soon as she wakes up she reads Merida the riot act for her actions. Then she succeeds in recreating the Witch's Potion of Mor'du (even while trying to talk Merida out of using it); switches it for plain water so that Merida will have to save her brothers on her own; and when it looks like Merida will have to fight her way out of the clans' camp, seems ready and willing to fight at her side. Then in present-day Storybrooke, she a) stands up to Regina and the others when they refuse to help her with Gold in order to focus on Merlin b) helps Gold escape from Merida in the pawn shop (first by tricking her with a mirror, then by literally pulling a rug out from under her, knocking her out), and c) forces Gold to stop the car when he tries to flee with her across the town line, proves she still won't stand for his cowardice or selfishness, then turns and heads back into town because there are people she cares about back there and she won't leave them to face Emma alone. Bad. Ass.

* Gold himself, ''finally''. His very first act in the episode, as quiet and painful as it is, takes a huge amount of courage even if it is to aid him in a seemingly cowardly act (running away, though it ''does'' save his life and lets him warn Belle): breaking the teacup, symbol of his love for Belle, to give him something to cut his bonds. He then somehow makes it all the way back into town to the library to meet up with Belle. After once again succumbing to his cowardice in trying to flee Storybrooke, he eventually shows up JustInTime to save Belle from Bear!Merida, clearly ready to sacrifice his life before he fortuitously discovers the bag of anti-transformation powder Belle took with her--and then, not even knowing it would work, ''throws it in the mouth of a raging, snarling, colossal bear''. Is it any wonder he proved worthy of drawing Excalibur from the stone? And then of course there's his epic speech to Emma afterward.
* ''Zelena'', of all people, in how ballsy she was standing up to Emma. While her taunt about Neal was typically cruel and low, everything else she said about villainy, the danger of joining with Emma, how important it was to be devoted to her baby, and how unforgivable betrayal can be (particularly between a parent and their child) was absolutely on the money--and Emma's face clearly showed the points she scored against her. And she did all of this while having no magic with which to defend herself. Whatever else can be said about Zelena, she's not nearly as cowardly as she seemed. You almost have to admire her.

* Emma, this time around, in how she resists the Darkness and stands up to the spirit of Nimue by declaring that no, she was never nothing, and if she lost the dark powers (even, by implication, had no magic at all) she would still not be nothing. To hear this come from the abandoned orphan who for the past four seasons has been struggling with her identity as the Savior and her self-worth, this has to be the biggest SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for her to date. Merlin's discussion with her afterward about whether a person might one day come who was strong enough to resist the Darkness and use its powers for good, but that he would never wish that burden upon anyone, also makes for some interesting implications for Emma--if she doesn't simply turn out to be able to resist the voices in her head and use the reforged Excalibur to destroy the Darkness and free herself.

* Emma being powerful enough to kick-start Zelena's pregnancy to full labor is impressive. More so as she just wants Zelena without child to pull off her big plan.

* Gold's defeat of Hook is awesome no matter how you look at it. If you like Gold, it's proof he truly isn't a coward any more and also that he can be a hero, even if he does use CruelMercy. If you don't like Hook, or didn't like what happened with Milah, he gets humiliated and held accountable for one of the major acts that set Rumple on his path to villainy and the Dark One. [[spoiler: It's awesomeness is admittedly somewhat neutered in the following episode when Hook reveals his true plan and Gold his true colors, but it's still an impressive feat.]]

* [[spoiler:Hook's sacrifice, and the one Emma intended before him.]]
* Regina calling out Hook for intending to destroy yet another family for his revenge. This sparks Hook's memory of what happened between him and his father, which (along with Emma being tortured by Nimue) is what finally gets through to him.

* Hook choosing to stay behind as bait for Cerberus to let Meg escape. If there were any doubts about him being a true hero before this...

* Liam's sacrifice, since it allows him and all the souls of the sailors he betrayed to pass on to Heaven and inspires Killian to believe in himself as a hero and fight for life again so he can be with Emma. It's enough to totally infuriate Hades into a VillainousBreakdown.

** Also, when [[spoiler: Pan tries one last attempt at manipulating Rumple, saying he can give the two of them a happy ending if Rumple removes the dagger from them, Rumple's response?]]

* While it's also NightmareFuel, [[spoiler: Wish!Realm Rumple comes out of nowhere to shank Facilier and claim the mantle of the series' TrueFinalBoss.]]

* Gold finally, ''finally'' [[spoiler:getting rid of Pan]]. How? [[spoiler:Tricking him into thinking he still had Robin's heart, when he had put it back and replaced it with a pigskin filled with water from the River of Lost Souls]]. One last use of "Follow the Lady"!

* [[spoiler:Regina and Zelena are intending to break the curse. This means magic will return to Hyperion Heights. Who's in Hyperion Heights? ''Rumplestiltskin'', who isn't just searching for death - he's also going to be ''very pissed off'' that his great-granddaughter has been harmed, and when an angry Rumple, armed with magic, comes at you, the one thing you do is run away really fast. Given that Gothel is against the heroes, Rumple can get away with killing her scot free!]]

* What's the first thing Cinderella and Tiana do after the curse is broken? Bust out of the closet Facilier locked them in and sent him running.
* While it's also NightmareFuel, [[spoiler: Wish!Realm Rumple coming out of nowhere to shank Facilier and claim the mantle of the series' TrueFinalBoss.]]

*** It's not just that. Rumple was ''this'' close to winning, for keeps. Anna basically saved everyone, forced him not to come after her or Elsa, and made him ''lose his composure''. After sending Anna back home, the normally calm and cheerful Rumplestiltskin ''grabs his dagger and screams in frustration''. Read the list above? Good, Anna driving him into a rage, and the facial twitch beforehand when she has him by the balls, makes her perhaps the biggest hero of the series, or season four at the very least.

* Henry's marble trap used on Hook, reminiscent of something out of ''Film/HomeAlone'', and his escape. Made even better when Gold mocks Hook for failing to capture a kid.

* Hook shows his potential for redemption before actually obtaining it by ''not'' taking Poseidon's deal for the means for his revenge. He knows how much he would treasure having any remnant of the person he loved, like Ursula's singing voice is to Ursula due to coming from her mother.

* It won't last (based on the previews for the next episodes) but for a hot moment it was pretty awesome seeing Maleficent on the heroes' side.

** Finally getting the courage to [[spoiler:tell Killian she loves him, the three words she fears most in the world because they signify commitment.]]

* Gold was willing [[spoiler:to cut off his own hand just to save everyone.]]

* Hook fighting Blackbeard for the Jolly Roger. Hook wins by outwitting Blackbeard into stepping on a weak floorboard, clearly demonstrating who knows the Jolly Roger better.

* Emma being forced to blend in and wear Enchanted Forest-appropriate clothes, which do nothing to hide her beauty. Past Hook certainly agrees!
** Later, Emma in a beautiful red dress worthy of a royal ball, courtesy of Rumplestiltskin.

* Snow White being able to fend off Prince Charming during Episode Three and giving him the scar that makes him easily recognizable.

* Emma versus Hook. It look like she's losing the entire time... [[spoiler:and then she gets the compass and starts kicking his arse.]]

* This is from the promos before the episode, but the Monday before the episode aired, Disney released [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYcKzYtElrc this]] to chronicle all the Evil Queen has done in her life. Regardless of what happens in the episode, it's still awesome.

** Let's not forget Hook's number: [[EarWorm "Revenge, Revenge, REVENGE is gonna be mine!"]]

* The Apprentice finds out that the Author has gained a GodComplex and has been manipulating events all for the sake of a "better" story. When the Author is unrepentant, the Apprentice decides enough is enough and [[IronicHell traps him in his own book as punishment.]]

*** Imagine if you will that this were Archie back in the Enchanted Forest, facing off his parents. Now imagine that not only do they try to pull their usual manipulative stunt, but they even blackmail him. It's so cathartic to imagine Story Brook Archie is saying to Regina what he should've said to his parents all those years ago.

* Isla managed to [[ManipulativeBitch manipulate]] Gothel into becoming her friend and thinking that humans are good, only to [[EtTuBrute stab her in the back]] and humiliate her by having her minions hold her as she dumps mud on her. Then, she [[spoiler:uses Gothel's key to access the Tree Nymphs' grove and ''[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu murders]] [[KillEmAll them all]]'' without breaking a sweat (in the ball scene, she's shown to be perfectly fine despite having just murdered numerous magical creatures); it's also implied that she ''deliberately'' left Flora alive, albeit severly wounded, so Gothel can [[ForcedToWatch watch]] her mother dying, all in one big SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome]]. And please remember that she did all this in ''one night''!

* The fact Cruella's [[TheBeastmaster Beastmaster]] power was strong enough it could even control Maleficent in her dragon form.

* The so far unseen Sorcerer was able to create a door to take the Snow Queen to the Land Without Magic. Given how difficult it is to move between worlds it says something about how powerful he is that he can do this almost on a whim just to get his hat back.
** He can also see ''every possibility'' of the future, and apparently with complete ease (unlike the Seer and Rumplestiltskin). He foresees Emma's birth and gives the Snow Queen a scroll with her name on it, strongly implying that he's also where Peter Pan got the scroll with Henry's face on it from.

* [[Disney/{{Brave}} Merida's]] first trailer showed her shoot an arrow, hit the bulleye, then cleave that arrow in half with another arrow.

* [[spoiler:Regina and Zelena are intending to break the curse. This means magic will return to Hyperion Heights. Who's in Hyperion Heights? ''Rumplestiltskin'', who isn't just searching for death - he's also going to be ''very pissed off'' that his great-granddaughter has been harmed and when an angry Rumple, armed with magic, comes at you the one thing you do is run away really fast. Given that Gothel is against the heroes, Rumple can get away with killing her scot free!]]
** Not nessecarily. A few episodes later hints that Rumple can't kill anyone without losing his chance to be with Belle in the afterlife due to the Darkness inside him.

* The {{Theremin}} used in the [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome background music]] during the scene set in [[spoiler:[[{{Uberwald}} The Land Without Colour]]]] is [[RuleOfCool ten kinds of awesome]].

* Crossing over with [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming Heartwarming]], the fact that Ruby was willing to [[spoiler:hand herself over to King George and get killed]] in order to protect the people she cares about.

** Think about it. In our world Snow is a schoolteacher. She resorts to the old ways to get over what she's done. While rocking out on her iPod. [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Only in this show would that be something that you wouldn't bat an eye at.]] And, to make it better: iPods only exist in our world. Yes, ''Mary Margaret'' is the one who is the Joan Jett fan.

* The spell Zelena enacts once she has all her ingredients counts as VisualEffectsOfAwesome.

* The VisualEffectsOfAwesome for Chernabog, perfectly replicating the look and movement of a Ray Harryhausen creation.

* Regina successfully talking Emma out of killing Lily is both this and a HeartwarmingMoment:

* Emma, this time around, in how she resists the Darkness and stands up to the spirit of Nimue by declaring that no, she was never nothing, and if she lost the dark powers (even, by implication, had no magic at all) she would still not be nothing. To hear this come from the abandoned orphan who for the past four seasons has been struggling with her identity as the Savior and her self-worth, this has to be the biggest CrowningMomentOfAwesome for her to date. Merlin's discussion with her afterward about whether a person might one day come who was strong enough to resist the Darkness and use its powers for good, but that he would never wish that burden upon anyone, also makes for some interesting implications for Emma--if she doesn't simply turn out to be able to resist the voices in her head and use the reforged Excalibur to destroy the Darkness and free herself.

* Isla managed to [[ManipulativeBitch manipulate]] Gothel into becoming her friend and thinking that humans are good, only to [[EtTuBrute stab her in the back]] and humiliate her by having her minions hold her as she dumps mud on her. Then, she [[spoiler:uses Gothel's key to access the Tree Nymphs' grove and ''[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu murders]] [[KillEmAll them all]]'' without breaking a sweat (in the ball scene, she's shown to be perfectly fine despite having just murdered numerous magical creatures); it's also implied that she ''deliberately'' left Flora alive, albeit severly wounded, so Gothel can [[ForcedToWatch watch]] her mother dying, all in one big CrowningMomentOfAwesome]]. And please remember that she did all this in ''one night''!

** [[spoiler:The fact that she didn't go into the deal intending to trick him almost makes this a CrowningMomentOfSadness instead.]]