History Awesome / OnceUponaTime

* How Robin escaped the Wicked Witch: since he couldn't fake his way out, and he didn't know [[MesACrowd which Witch]] [[JustForPun was which]], he shoots one of the Wizard's machines, filling the throne room with smoke long enough to cover his escape.

* Gold ripping Tamara's heart out and crushing it, after giving her a {{Hope Spot}} to boot. Technically a {{Kick The Dog}}, but, well, she was {{The Scrappy}}, so [[KickTheSonOfABitch many did not mind.]]

* Zelena keeping her trump card from Rumple when he refuses to have her enact his Dark Curse: the slippers allowing her to go to any realm, including the Land Without Magic that Rumple has been so desperately trying to reach. Rumple was perfectly justified in not having her cast the Curse, but [[KickTheDog his needless dickishness]] toward her about the whole matter [[KickTheSonOfABitch makes Zelena's response oddly satisfying.]]

* Rumplestiltskin 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]].

* It may not have lasted long, but the fact Hook was able to [[KickTheSonOfABitch briefly get one over on Gold by darting him with dreamshade.]]

-->'''Peter Pan:''' [[YouGotSpunk You've got fire, I like fire.]]

* 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. [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 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.

* 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 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 die, all in one big SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome. And please remember that she did all this in ''one night''!

* Emma finally standing up to the Black Fairy. The absolutely badass way she calls her out and proclaims the power inside her, how she recapitulates her parents' story while freeing everyone, is all kinds of amazing, and from the frustration and fury in the Black Fairy (starting from when she couldn't crush her heart), she rather seems on the verge of a VillainousBreakdown. The UltimateEvil, mind you. That's quite a coup for the Savior.

* '''The ending.''' Fiona casts the most dangerous Curse of all, which comes exploding out of the Clock Tower and swirls around, beginning to envelop the entire town in her dark magic. The smiles on the faces of Emma and her friends fade to be replaced by pure and furious determination to face down the UltimateEvil one final time. Emma's beautifully kickass line at the very end sells it.

* So who better to stop TheChessmaster than the man known and beloved 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.

** And on a meta level, this has to be one of the most creative and well-integrated uses of an actress' pregnancy since [[Series/TheXFiles Scully was abducted]].

* Meta: the fact a same-sex couple can be portrayed as one of True Love, complete with the same magical effects when a sleeping curse is broken; that not only Mulan but Snow White and all the Munchkins are so supportive of Dorothy and Ruby (Snow even has tears in her eyes); and we get two onscreen kisses, one of them for much longer, and all of this is played as natural and beautiful, '''''in a Disney production''''', is awesome on so many levels it cannot be understated.

* 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. 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!

* [[AwesomeMcCoolname Stealthy,]] the eighth dwarf. Just days before the prince's wedding, security at its highest, and he stages a break-out from the king's darkest dungeons. And he wears a beret.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Other]]
* Shortly after Season Three's Winter Finale, Michael Coleman, who plays Happy, made some [[https://31.media.tumblr.com/9034df8160e74a86e0ba18f75574ed02/tumblr_my3ga186Z31qcul5oo2_1280.png disparaging]] [[https://24.media.tumblr.com/4a9cded763d0e272519098cc1c2788f3/tumblr_my3ga186Z31qcul5oo3_1280.png comments]] about Swan Queen, saying everyone, including all the writers and actors, doesn't want the ship to happen, that all the fans are rude, and [[https://24.media.tumblr.com/c0b3426b053f32d1d61724d9f7b465e1/tumblr_my3ga186Z31qcul5oo4_1280.png blocked]] [[https://24.media.tumblr.com/bbd260f8303d6db58b77758dda4e14a2/tumblr_my3ga186Z31qcul5oo5_1280.png people]] who called him out. [[http://evilqueenapologist.tumblr.com/image/70601056754 Adam Horowitz]], [[https://24.media.tumblr.com/5100992326c5a7659b00523ba8791a1a/tumblr_my483cLAtb1qdfj29o1_1280.png Lana Parrilla]], and [[http://rylparrilla.tumblr.com/image/70622201722 Jennifer Morrison]] made it clear that he did not speak for them and they were not happy (no pun intended) with what he said. Adam even [[http://evilqueenapologist.tumblr.com/image/70601716126 defended someone who defended Michael's actions.]] Even if you don't ship Swan Queen, everyone deserves respect and kudos to them for choosing to stand up for that.
* Most of the major cast members were already well-established TV actors in their own right -- and some, like Ginnifer Goodwin and Jennifer Morrison, were in the creators' minds from the start as top choices to play their characters. Lana Parrilla, in contrast, was pretty much unknown at the time... but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6YnLV8k3_w her audition was so pants-wettingly terrifying]] that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baE7RPmfF3g she had the part]] after her ''first three words''.
-->'''Lana''': Sorry I'm late.

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* Regina may be evil, but it's still pretty impressive how she pulls not one, but TWO [[BatmanGambit Batman Gambits]] in ''Fruit From the Poisonous Tree". As Regina, the entire thing with Sidney Glass turning on Regina and trying to expose her ends up with cementing Sidney as someone Emma can trust, allowing him to spy on her, with the added bonus of making Emma look like a fool in front of the town for attacking what ends up being Regina's proposal for a playhouse. And back in the fairy tale land, Regina seduces the Genie, gets him to murder her husband, and then set him up for the blame by having him use vipers that come from his hometown. Regina might tend to not be very subtle, but in this episode, we learn that she might just have the makings of a TheChestmaster after all.

* Villains though they both may be, but both Regina and Cora prove themselves to be [[TheChestmaster chestmasters]], with how they masterfully manipulate events in their favor throughout the episode, in both the present and past, respectively.

** Pan forgets one major point with his son, which is why he loses: Pan himself is, undoubtedly, a TheChestmaster... but Rumple is a MagnificentBastard.

* A villianous example. Ingrid the Snow Queen is every bit a MagnificentBastard. So far her plan had worked perfectly except a slight curveball that was Rumple's hat. However, previous Big Bad Zelena showed much TheChestmaster cunning in the early phase of her plan.

* Regina may be evil, but it's still pretty impressive how she pulls not one, but TWO [[BatmanGambit Batman Gambits]] in ''Fruit From the Poisonous Tree". As Regina, the entire thing with Sidney Glass turning on Regina and trying to expose her ends up with cementing Sidney as someone Emma can trust, allowing him to spy on her, with the added bonus of making Emma look like a fool in front of the town for attacking what ends up being Regina's proposal for a playhouse. And back in the fairy tale land, Regina seduces the Genie, gets him to murder her husband, and then set him up for the blame by having him use vipers that come from his hometown. Regina might tend to not be very subtle, but in this episode, we learn that she might just have the makings of a [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent Bitch]] after all.

* Villains though they both may be, but both Regina and Cora prove themselves to be {{Magnificent Bitch}}es, with how they masterfully manipulate events in their favor throughout the episode, in both the present and past, respectively.

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

* Hook reveals how big of a MagnificentBastard he is by completely playing Regina.

* Neal laces an arrow with AntiMagic squid ink and fires it at Pan, who promptly catches it and mocks Neal for the effort. Neal then reveals that he coated the shaft instead of the tip. Cue Pan freezing up from the effects of the ink. [[MagnificentBastard Like father, like son.]]

* Pan once again shows how much a MagnificentBastard he his. He trick Henry into helping him by playing on his ChronicHeroSyndrome.

** Pan forgets one major point with his son, which is why he loses: Pan himself is, undoubtedly, a MagnificentBastard... but Rumple is even ''more'' of a MagnificentBastard.

* A villianous example. Ingrid the Snow Queen is every bit a MagnificentBastard. So far her plan had worked perfectly except a slight curveball that was Rumple's hat. However, previous Big Bad Zelena also showed that much [[MagnificentBastard magnificent bastardry]] in the early phase of her plan.

* In a MagnificentBastard way, Gideon. Not only did he set off the Nautilus's engines and use the last of the Kraken's blood to trap it and Hook in the Enchanted Forest, but he disguises himself as Aesop and makes use of TheBartender's [[TheConfidant usual role]] to play on Emma's grief until she cries into a napkin...thus giving him the tears he needs to block all portals to Storybrooke and put her right where he wants her for his plans. Like father, like son.

** 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.

* After TheReveal that 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 as terrible as his behavior was with Bae, he was still a better father than Pan.

* Hook has Emma meet him in the park to help her jog her memory. Emma goes to the meeting, [[RealityEnsues only to have him arrested for forcing a kiss on her in the last episode]].

* YMMV, but Snow White's {{World Of Cardboard Speech}} declaring that she will 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. Made less awesome by the fact that Cora is playing her like a fiddle.

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

* Mr. Gold revealing to Regina how he used her {{Exact Words}} against her in the deal about Kathryn, and has controlled things so that all the evidence points to her. Her "Oh shit" face as she realizes the situation she's in is delicious.

* Mr. Gold figuring out exactly who August is and getting his father to show up at the shop at exactly the right time to confirm it.

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

* King George tries to shoot 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]].

** 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.''

* Gold finally, ''finally'' getting rid of Pan. How? 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"!

* Rogers recognizing Nick as Henry’s abductor just by the text he sent to Jacinda.

* Emma accidentally finding Sidney’s bug in her office.

* Hook officially cementing his character development by risking his life to save David, Tink, and Neal. He gets hurt in the process but shrugs it off.

* Zelena using Rumplestiltskin's own dagger to ''shave'' him is a nice demonstration of how powerful she is. Her control over the dagger is a chilling sight to behold. whether actually shaving him or nicking him accidentally on purpose.
** We later see it was on purpose because she uses his blood to open the safe in his shop and retrieve the nightroot.

* Hook fighting Blackbeard for the Jolly Roger. After seeing glimpses of his fighting prowess, here we see just how much of a badass he is. Hook wins by outwitting Blackbeard into stepping on a weak floorboard, clearly demonstrating who knows the Jolly Roger better.

* Georgina Haig's Elsa was already an impressive live action adaptation in her Snow Queen outfit, but seeing her in her coronation dress with her hair up may well get you thinking for a second that you're actually seeing the CGI version.

* Lana Parrilla ''tears the house down'' with her fantastic performance of "Love Doesn't Stand a Chance," showing the power of Regina's evil even in a musical.
** Likewise, Rebecca Mader absolutely ''selling'' "Wicked Always Wins", to the point where it could be mistaken for a CutSong from ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}''.
** Let's not forget Hook's number: "Revenge, Revenge, REVENGE is gonna be mine!"
** And Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin's duet, "Love Is The Most Powerful Magic Of All".
** And to round it off, the DancePartyEnding song "A Happy Beginning."

* Drizella plays Alice like a fiddle, pretending to remove her "heart curse" and tricking her into leading Henry and Ella into Wonderlando that she can trap Henry and place the same curse on him.

* Not only is Samdi awake but he was able to do so for Drew and Nick.

*** Rumple ''out-Rumpled himself.''

* Henry successfully sailing the Jolly Roger out of the storm. Killian taught him well!

—>'''Regina:''' Get away from my son!
—>'''Henry:''' It’s okay mom. I got this.

* Drizella 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.

* 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 necessarily. 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.
* Regina cast the new curse. This is why Lucy remembers - Regina has ''some'' control over the curse, even if Drizella sets the main terms... so what does she do? ''She makes sure that her beloved granddaughter remembers so that she can break the curse.'' It's official - Regina has cast this curse so many times now that she knows how to make it do her bidding, even when she's not in full control of it.

* Henry and Cinderella taking on a group of brigands, no Regina necessary. Bonus points, they used the tools Henry uses to repair his motorcycle to do it.

* It's taken about about four decades just since enacting the Dark Curse, but Regina has ''finally'' learned: ripping out someone's heart is ''never'' a good thing or the right thing and there is always a second, third and fourth option. She uses this, ''with aplomb'' to win over Cinderella. She's speaking from experience, dear - ''many years of it''. Also, without modern technology, her hair seems to have developed a life of its own and has become ''incredibly curly'' - it's awesome because of ''just how beautiful it is.''

[[AC: Episode 21 - Operation Mongoose]]

* 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. [[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.

--> Nimue: What do you think you’re doing?
--> Hook: Being the man I want to be.

* The fact that ''even the Black Freakin' Fairy'', '''the UltimateEvil of the series''', has ''some'' love in her - specifically her love for her son. EvenEvilHasLovedOnes indeed.