History TearJerker / OnceUponATime

[[AC: Episode 15 - Breadcrumbs]]

* [[OmicidalManiac Got]][[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds hel]]'s backstory. She was a tree nymph in the Land Without Magic [[TimeAbyss thousands of years ago]] and was curious about humans. The first human she meets, [[AlphaBitch Is]][[BitchInSheepsClothing la]], [[FalseFriend pretends to befriend her]], before humiliating her by [[KickTheDog pouring a bucket of mud on her head]] and [[FantasticRacism calling her an "abomination"]] even going as far as to [[LackOfEmpathy destroy Gothel's home and murder her entire family/species]]. Gothel manages to get revenge on Isla by killing her and the rest of humanity except for a magical girl named Seraphina before leaving to the New Enchanted Forest with her, vowing revenge on humanity once they evolve again. In the present, she seems '''far''' too wounded to learn the error of her ways and make a HeelFaceTurn, unlike Victoria and Ivy.

* The whole slew of {{Montage}}s at the end. For anyone who's been a fan of this show throughout all the years, through its ups and downs (of story quality as well as actual events), it's quite the moving and overwhelming thing, getting to see so many memorable and iconic shots, as well as all the love stories and families displayed one last time, and especially all the deaths and losses. Even seeing all the realms together, and all the places and things in Storybrooke one last time, can be enough to set off the waterworks. (Though one wonders what will happen to the pawnshop now--[[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming will one or several of the Henrys run it? Perhaps with the help of Alice?]])

** This requires a little more unpacking. [[spoiler:Several times before this Emma had thought she'd lost Neal, or that he was dead, only for him to turn up all right and often helping save the day. Now after thinking he might have become a Winged Monkey, she instead learns he gave his life to bring his father back from the dead, that the only thing keeping him alive is being trapped inside Gold's body--and he insists she use her magic to separate them so that Gold can tell them how to stop the Wicked Witch. So ''she'' is forced to commit the act that finally ends his life. Then she and Gold get to both [[DiedInYourArmsTonight hold him in their arms as he dies]], while he insists his HeroicSacrifice is worth it so they can save everyone and tells his father he finally taught him what was important, about sacrifice. Then we get her giving the news to Snow, the MomentOfSilence where Snow and David tell Belle and Hook--Belle breaks down and even Hook is shedding ManlyTears--and finally Emma has to break the news to Henry... who still doesn't even remember Neal or their time together.]] It's utterly, utterly heartbreaking.

* [[spoiler:Red's a werewolf, she's killed and half eaten her true love Peter, the villagers are coming to kill her, she has to go on the run and leave Granny behind, and all this while she's still reeling, confused and horrified at what's happened to her.]]

** Abigail having tried to get over Frederick but failed.

* King George's fate is sad, no matter how much you end up hating him.

** Tinged with a slightly heartwarming tear-jerk when Archie told Emma to get Henry out first,not bothering to try and save him too, clearly willing to fall to his death to give Henry a slightly better chance of being rescued in time.

* And what's Archie doing the next time we see him? [[DrowningMySorrows Having a drink.]]
* That moment in the climax when it seemed certain Archie was going to die when the mine elevator was about to collapse with him still in it. Definitely makes it turn to tears of relief when it's revealed that he saved himself at the last second with his umbrella.

* The Queen's struggle then ultimate decision to kill her ''own'' father. There's no going back for her after that.

* The playground scene, especially the part near the end where Emma, close to tears, tells Henry how she was left by the freeway and later rejected by her foster parents and that he's lucky to have someone who wants him never mind loves him.

** Made even worse when he finds out [[spoiler:about Bae's/Neal's fate.]]

* Rumple recalling his love with Belle, describing it as "a shimmer of light in his darkness". Charming asks what happened, to which Rumple replies that [[spoiler:she died. He says it in his usual sing-song voice, but you can tell he's still hurt.]]

* Ivy's palpable fear of being the next victim of the Candy Killer.

* That moment in the climax when it seemed certain Archie was going to die when the mine elevator was about to collapse with him still in it.

* It's a brief moment, and played for BlackHumor, but when Wish!Rumple has the Blue Fairy dragged in to see the effects of Regina's blood and Prince Henry's darkened heart on his storybooks, he comments that fairies always make for good torture and experimentation. Which, since this version of him never learned the truth about Fiona, means he's still acting out of his rage and hate toward the mother he believes he abandoned him (and the fact that without the Dark Curse, he never got reunited with Bae, who also still died, and he blames this on Blue as well).

* The fact that Anastasia and Drizella used to have a great sisterly bond that held them through tough times but the fact that Drizella was made TheUnfavorite by her mother made her hate Anastasia. [[spoiler:Luckily, their sisterly bond is eventually restored and they return to the New Enchanted Forest together.]]
* Drizella's regret over [[spoiler:killing Gretel]]. Gothel then congratulates her and welcomes her into the Coven, but Drizella says that she didn't want to do it.

** In a different sense, [[spoiler: Wish!Rumple's death, as deserved as it was. Wish!Rumple still has the same background that made Rumple a TragicVillain, but was never able to overcome it and stayed evil to the end. As he dies, he reveals himself as the coward he is, even whimpering "No more Rumple?" as he turns to dust. If that wasn't bad enough, the dust blows into the fireplace, a clear visual showing that he's ''not'' going to be reuniting with Wish!Belle in the afterlife.]]

* [[spoiler:Rumple's death. After all these years, seeing him finally do the right thing, not be a coward, and save everyone (and having it stick), it's both very sad and extremely moving for him to truly sacrifice himself. The fact he does it for (a version of) Hook and Alice, that it lets him be TogetherInDeath with Belle, and that Regina thanks him for his last lesson about darkness and light as she kisses his forehead, is the icing on the cake. The only way it could have been better is if he'd gotten to be reunited with Neal/Bae too, but then everything had been about his romantic love with Belle, and presumably Michael James-Raymond wasn't available.]]

* [[spoiler:Rumple's death. After all these years, seeing him finally do the right thing, not be a coward, and save everyone {and having it stick), it's both very sad and extremely moving for him to truly sacrifice himself. The fact he does it for (a version of) Hook and Alice, that it lets him be TogetherInDeath with Belle, and that Regina thanks him for his last lesson about darkness and light as she kisses his forehead, is the icing on the cake. The only way it could have been better is if he'd gotten to be reunited with Neal/Bae too, but then everything had been about his romantic love with Belle, and presumably Michael James-Raymond wasn't available.]]

** In order to free Merlin, Emma needs to use a tear of lost love. How does she try to get one? [[spoiler: Regina chooses to re-live the memory of watching her mother kill her first love, Daniel. Even after all those years and having managed to find love again with Robin Hood, it's clear that Regina never forgot how much she misses her stable boy.]]