History Recap / OnceUponATimeS1E3SnowFalls

{{FLASHBACK}}! Prince Charming rides in a carriage with his fiancée, Princess Abigail, who is constantly complaining about the trip. The carriage is stopped by a fallen tree. Charming discovers the tree was cut down just as a cloaked thief robs Abigail and escapes on horseback. Charming follows and takes down the thief, but is surprised to find that it's a woman - Snow White, though he doesn't know her yet. She takes advantage of his moment of shock to slap him with a rock and get away, after which he promises to find her.

Mary Margaret tells Emma and Henry about what happened, and agrees with Henry that she needs to read to him again. Upon arriving at the hospital, they find that John Doe has disappeared, with Whale, Graham and Regina in a commotion over it. Regina reveals that she is his emergency contact as she was the one who found him and brought him to the hospital. Emma and Graham go over the security footage as security guard Walter[[labelnote:*]]Sleepy[[/labelnote]] had fallen asleep during his shift and didn't see it. They find that John Doe got up and left for the woods.

{{FLASHBACK}}! Charming points out Snow's necklace, she tells him it's full of dark fairy dust which can turn one into an easily squashed form. Charming deduces she's saving it for the Queen. She explains that she became a bandit after the Queen ordered her huntsman to execute her, but took pity and released her, and now the Queen is doing all she can the kill her while Snow robs the carriages she sends along the road, having mistaken Charming's for such. Charming inquires what Snow had done to have the Queen hate her so much, and Snow responds that she ruined the Queen's life. She tricks Charming and gets away, only to be apprehended by the Queen's guards.

Graham, Emma and Mary Margaret search the woods for John Doe, and Emma and Mary Margaret have a conversation about how Emma's life revolves around searching for people after years of searching for her parents. Henry catches up to them and tells them that John Doe is trying to find Mary Margaret.

{{FLASHBACK}}! Snow and Charming arrive at the trolls' bridge. Snow returns their money in exchange for the wedding ring, but the trolls see that Charming is a royal and think its a setup. They fight, and Charming is overpowered by the trolls. Snow uses the fairy dust to turn the trolls into bugs. Charming thanks her and tells her his real name: James.

Graham, Emma, Mary Margaret and Henry find John Doe by the old toll bridge, in the water. Graham calls an ambulance while Mary Margaret does CPR, and he revives when their lips touch. Back at the hospital, a woman[[labelnote:*]]Princess Abigail[[/labelnote]] bursts into John Doe's room, calling him David. Regina shortly follows and informs Mary Margaret that she is his wife.

Mary Margaret is on a date at Granny's Diner with Dr. Whale, but after he continually is [[{{DistractedByTheSexy}}distracted by the scantily clad waitress Ruby]][[labelnote:*]]Red Riding Hood[[/labelnote]], she cuts the night short. On the walk home she finds Emma living out of her car, as there were no vacancies outside of Granny's. She offers Emma her spare room, but is turned down as Emma is "not really the roommate type". The next day, Mary Margaret's class is on a field trip to the hospital to decorate. Henry asks Mary Margaret about the comatose John Doe, and she claims not to know him outside of when she brings flowers to patients. The camera pans to show the man is [[WhamShot Charming]]. Henry tells Emma about him, insisting that they tell Mary Margaret that he's her true love. Emma presents her less awkward alternative in having Mary Margaret read to John Doe from Henry's storybook. Mary Margaret agrees to it despite realizing Henry's intention, thinking that it could help him ease into reality. That night she begins to read to him, and during the story of Snow White and Prince Charming, John Doe unconsciously grabs her hand. Dr. Whale tells her that she must have dozed off and dreamt it as there are no changes in his life support's records. After she leaves, Whale calls Regina to inform her of the happenings.

Regina introduces the couple and David and Kathryn Nolan. Kathryn reveals that she and David were having marital problems and figured that he had ghosted her when he disappeared, but is now relieved that he's alive and well. Whale presents his theory that when David awoke, he couldn't remember much of anything and felt that he had to seek something out, which is why he left, with Henry insisting that it was Mary Margaret. Emma confronts Regina about conveniently finding out who David was and where Kathryn was, but Regina waves it away, saying that Emma and Mary Margaret should be glad that they brought the couple back together. Afterwards, Emma goes to Mary Margaret's apartment to accept her previous offer.

Emma convinces Henry's school teacher, Mary Margaret Blanchard, to visit a comatose John Doe at Storybrooke General Hospital and read to him from the book of fairytales - unaware that something unexpected will happen - while the unexpected first meeting between Snow White and Prince Charming is revealed along with the beginning of their forbidden romance.

* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent[=/=]GettingCrapPastTheRadar: While Mary Margaret talks to Dr. Whale Ruby can be seen in her ''very'' short skirted waitress outfit stretching and bending over a table, and it's not just one shot, but multiple poses, establishing that she's not only MsFanservice but this is not a typical fairy tale, or Disney fare for that matter.