History Recap / OnceUponATimeS4E16BestLaidPlans

* AdultFear: Rumple realizes that Henry would be immune to the sleeping curse and starts talking to Regina. The next shot of this scene has Henry holding the book and running to the Sorcerer's house while Rumple in a voice-over heavily implies what will happen to him if he gets found by the villains.

* GenreSavvy: Turns out Gold knew all along that Regina was the ReverseMole (probably because he knew how determined she'd been to be a hero, prior to his exile) and was just waiting for her to give herself away so he could take her out at the right moment. Whether Cruella knew too and thus claimed it was Ursula to give Regina a false sense of security, or was actually ignorant, is yet to be seen.

* BiggerBad: The Author, it turns out, since for the sake of drama he had been deliberately twisting and manipulating everyone's stories rather than simply recording them.

* CallBack: Remember when [[Recap/OnceUponATimeS2E17WelcomeToStorybrooke Regina ripped out Snow's heart and it was darkened]]? Regina thought that it was blackened by her (at the time) recent murder of Cora, but now Snow figures it was darkened all along by their actions in taking away Maleficent's baby.

* JustAFriend: Emma has to give this speech to Killian regarding August; it's actually true.

** "Author" was a job title. The one that was trapped by the Sorcerer was only the newest. He was also a {{Jerkass}} who meddled with people's fate because it would make a better story.

* StrangeSecretEntrance: The way to release the Author? Using a real key to unlock a drawn door.

* CallBack: Remember when [[Recap/OnceUponATimeS2E17WelcomeToStorybrooke Regina ripped out Snow's heart and it was darkened?]] Regina thought that it was blackened by her (at the time) recent murder of Cora, but now Snow figures it was darkened all along by their actions in taking away Maleficent's baby.

* FakinMacGuffin: When Regina first tells the heroes she needs to take the page with the Author's door back to the LegionOfDoom, Emma creates a perfect replica (it even reflects magic, when Regina takes a picture of it with her cell phone). Later, when the Queens confront Henry and he is forced to give up the page, Regina gives him a significant look which he interprets correctly; to Mary Margaret and David [[StolenMacguffinReveal he reveals he switched the real page with the fake]]. Unfortunately, [[GenreSavvy Gold]] [[NoSell catches on instantly]].

* JerkassGenie: Played with. The Apprentice tells Snow and Charming of the spell to ensure their child's heroic status, but neglects to inform them either that the egg they bring contains a baby or that the 'vessel' he puts the darkness into will be sent to another world (presumably because [[YouDidntAsk they didn't ask]]). However, this too was enforced by the Author, and the Apprentice was [[TranquilFury quite displeased]] once he realized the truth.

* YourDaysAreNumbered: It isn't clear why yet, but based on his words to a sleeping Belle and the way he clutches his chest, it seems the reason Gold was so determined to break free of the dagger and is now equally determined to have the Author change his story is because he doesn't have much longer to live.
** Explained in the next episode: his evil deeds are catching up with him and corrupting his heart. Being in the magic of Storybrooke holds it off, but unless he can get the Author to change his story, eventually it will kill him.

* AnAesop: It's better to take the right path than to take the easy one.

** "Author" was a job title. The one that was trapped by the Sorcerer was only the newest. He was also a {{Jerkass}} who meddled with people's fate because it would make better story.

*** Likewise, Cruella and Ursula came to our wold by falling into the same portal that the newborn Lily fell through.

* AdultFear: Rumple realizes that Henry would be immune to the sleeping curse and starts talking to Regina. The next shot of this scene has Henry holding the book and running to the Sorcerer's house while a Rumple in a voice-over heavily implies what will happen to him if he gets found by the villains.

* YourDaysAreNumbered: It isn't clear why yet, but based on his words to a sleeping Belle and the way he clutches his chest, it seems the reason Gold was so determined to break free of the dagger and is now equally determined to have the Author change his story is because he doesn't have much longer to live.

* BiggerBad: The Author, it turns out, since for the sake of drama he had been deliberately twisting and manipulating everyone's stories rather than simply recording them, meaning [[HijackedByGanon he is likely responsible for]] ''everything''--not just what the Apprentice and the Charmings did, but Regina and Gold's lack of a happy ending, and specifically things like the Seer's prophecy, Pan getting Henry's image, what happened to Baelfire, everything that happened to Cora and Zelena...even developments like Ingrid's backstory, Hans, and the curse on Marian returning could be his doing, since they [[CrazyPrepared could have been set in place in the book before he was imprisoned]]. (A ''literal'' AuthorsSavingThrow?)

* ChekhovsGun: The fact Lily had a star-shaped birthmark on her wrist ''screamed'' it to be this, but it's here that it's finally used to identify Maleficent's missing baby.

* CerebusRetcon: Remember when [[Recap/OnceUponATimeS2E17WelcomeToStorybrooke Regina ripped out Snow's heart and it was darkened?]] Regina thought that it was blackened by her (at the time) recent murder of Cora, but now Snow figures it was darkened all along by their actions in taking away Maleficent's baby.

* VillainHasAPoint: Depending on when the current Author assumed the position, the villains may be right in blaming him for their lack of happy endings.

* {{Unicorn}}: In the Enchanted Forest, touching one's horn after taming it with food will allow you to see a vision of the future, revealing whether ill or good lies in store for you.

* CerebusRetcon: Remember when [[Recap/OnceUponATimeS2E17WelcomeToStorybrooke Regina ripped out Snow's heart and it was darkened?]] Regina thought that it was blackened by her (at the time) recent murder of Cora, but now she figures it was darkened all along by their actions in taking away Maleficent's baby.