History Recap / OnceUponATimeS4E17HeartOfGold

* KickTheDog: After revealing herself via a delicious villainous monologue (see the trope below), Zelena explains that she had originally intended to do this with Robin--implying [[DiabolusExMachina she made the Snow Queen's spell return to force Robin and Regina to separate]], but more directly stating she intended to make Robin fall in love with her and thus deprive Regina of her true love. [[SubvertedTrope However]], his continued devotion to Regina led her to a new plan of horning in on Gold's Author scheme.

** MurderTheHypotenuse

* BiggerBad: Potentially Zelena who is revealed to be manipulating Rumple to find the Author. Having said that, Rumple is looking for the Author to get his own happy ending, with Zelena having hardly anything to do with that.

* MythologyGag: When Rumple creates a doorway to Oz for Robin, it somehow "lands" on one of the witch's guards...leaving him with only his feet showing. Also, once said guard's costume is removed and [[DressingAsTheEnemy worn by Robin]], it's a dead-ringer for the Winkies in the MGM film.

* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Despite the bombshell of last week, this episode sees what happened to Robin Hood, and then there's another flashback showing Robin back in the Enchanted Forest.

* EnemyMine: Of an enforced sort--although he claims to Regina they "came to an understanding", the truth is that he is being forced to work with Zelena (the woman who, as her own sister points out, killed his beloved son) because she is the only one with the potion to cure his heart and only he can find the Author who can give all the villains happy endings. Similarly, Gold forces this with Regina via blackmail, to work with them in corrupting Emma or else Robin Hood dies at Zelena's hands.

** Rumpel is clearly appalled that Zelena's been impersonating Marian.

** Averted with Rumpel. He admits to Robin that he "pushed away every chance of happiness he'd been given".

** Help Gold and the Queens corrupt Emma, the woman who has become your friend and mother of your beloved son...or allow Gold and Zelena to kill your true love. Sadly, it looks like Regina chose the first option, but this is undoubtedly not the end of it.

Emma is still reeling after learning the truth of her parents' history with Maleficent, but she must focus on finding the Author, who is running loose in Storybrooke, before Gold does. When Gold's quest for his happy ending grows more urgent, he blackmails Regina into helping him. In a Fairy Tale Land flashback, Robin Hood learns what it means to be an honorable thief when he accepts a proposition by Rumplestiltskin to travel to Oz to steal a valuable magic elixir from the Wicked Witch.

*** The exact words were "the biggest pain in the ass": Rumple had been the resident MagnificentBastard for centuries ''and'' the most powerful wizard around (and we saw what happened once the Author crossed someone with magical powers), so there might not have been any moral judgment behind that remark, just a consideration about how hard it made meddling with stories and manipulating people.

* FakingTheDead: Sort of; while Gold did kill Zelena's body, her magic was strong enough to allow her spirit to escape and go through the time portal until it could find a body to reconstruct and possess. [[CallBack Zelena]] [[FridgeBrilliance has a history of this]].

* {{Glamour}}: The six-leaf clover pendant allows for this. Unless there was more than one, the implication is that the one Robin stole and gave to Marian is the very one Zelena stole from her body to impersonate her. Humorously, it's implied (through him saying Rumple would "never see his face again") that [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall it's responsible for]] [[TheOtherDarrin him looking very different in his introductory episode]]... [[RetCon And it retroactively explains]] [[FridgeBrilliance how Zelena impersonated Ariel]] in "The Jolly Roger."

* {{Retcon}}:
** The initial explanation for Robin's kiss not working to save Marian from the Snow Queen's spell was that she wasn't his True Love any more. [[KillAndReplace Turns out that was true far more than we knew]].

* UnexpectedCharacter: Nobody really thought Zelena would come back to life.

** Gold meeting up with Robin instead of directly finding Ursula. Although it did say six weeks passed before he met her, which gave plenty of time for him to have met Robin first.

* DeadAllAlong: Zelena killed Marian and possessed her body before Emma and Hook brought her back to the present.

* {{Glamour}}: The six-leaf clover pendant allows for this. Unless there was more than one, the implication is that the one Robin stole and gave to Marian is the very one Zelena stole from her body to impersonate her. Humorously, it's implied (through him saying Rumple would "never see his face again") that [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall it's responsible for]] [[TheOtherDarrin him looking very different in his introductory episode]]... It also, of course, [[TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf can be foiled by a mirror]]. [[RetCon And it retroactively explains]] [[FridgeBrilliance how Zelena impersonated Ariel]] in "The Jolly Roger."

** His last scene does however show him looking at the mirror that reveals Zelena's true form.

* ADayInTheLimelight: For Robin.
* BiggerBad: Potentially Zelena who is revealed to be manipulating Rumple to find The Author. Having said that Rumple is looking for The Author to get his own happy ending with Zelena having hardly anything to do with that.

*** The exact words were "the biggest pain in the ass": Rumple had been the resident MagnificnetBastard for centuries ''and'' the most powerful wizard around (and we saw what happened once the Author crossed someone with magical powers), so there might not have been any moral judgment behind that remark, just a consideration about how hard it made meddling with stories and manipulating people.

* FishOutOfWater: Robin is ''really'' having problems adjsuting to New York City.

* {{Glamour}}: The six-leaf clover pendant allows for this. Unless there was more than one, the implication is that the one Robin stole and gave to Marian is the very one Zelena stole from her body to impersonate her. Humorously, it's implied (through him saying Rumple would "never see his face again") that [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall it's responsible for]] [[TheOtherDarrin him looking very different in his introductory episode]]... It also, of course, [[TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf can be foiled by a mirror]].

** Rumpel is clearly appalled that Zelena's been impersonating Marion.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: The Author complains about having to write about Rumple (although it's possible it was his angst and woobie-ness he was complaining about--that Rumple wasn't evil ''enough''.)

** Gold meeting up with Robin instead of directly finding Ursuala.

** So is Gold, either die or be TheDragon to monster who killed his son. You can tell he wants to tell Robin the truth but if he does, then Zelena will just kill them both.