History TearJerker / OnceUponATime

* Sheriff Graham's death at the hands of Regina.

* Kathryn and Regina's last confrontation. Regina goes from warm and friendly to full StepfordSmiler mode.

* Snow and Charming tearfully hugging Emma.

** Regina’s father begging her to show remorse at her execution, in the hopes she’ll be spared.
* The look on Regina's face when Emma tells her that Archie is dead.

* In the flashbacks, Bae [[spoiler:[[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing himself]] [[TakeMeInstead for his newfound family]]]].

* * The look of joy on Rumple's face when he finds out the the curse will lead him to his son. Timelines aside, Emma and even Hook don't have the heart to tell that it will barely be worth it. His son will die shortly after they've made peace with each other.

** Anna resigning herself to drowning in the trunk, tearfully starts reciting her wedding vows so she can die as Kristof’s wife. Thankfully, Kristoff (and, unbeknownst to them, Elsa) will have none of that despair.

** After they’re reunited in the real world, Emma “still” can’t bring herself to tell him. The look of disappointment on Hook’s face is pretty sad.

* Emma giving Regina the dagger, because she knows Regina’s the only one who’d be willing to destroy Emma if they should fail.

* Dark!Emma trying to connect with Hook but he rejects her again, saying she’s no longer the woman he knows and loves.

** After Nimue is stabbed by Vortigan, he can only tearfully cradle her as she dies in his arms. or so he thinks.

* Emma's entire breakdown over Hook's incipient demise, from how she lashes out at everyone, even Snow and Regina, for insisting she use Excalibur and let him die, to her weeping over him, begging him not to give up, before she is finally forced to bind him to Excalibur. And then the horror and agony on her face as Zelena reveals the truth to Killian in the present, and her reaction when he lashes out at her in rage and loathing. If there was any doubt about Jennifer Morrison's acting abilities...
* Where Emma takes Hook to when he's dying from Excalibur's blade. It's the same field of ''Nimue's flowers'' from when they went out riding together in episode 4.

** Just before Emma stabs him, you can see he’s afraid to die but trying to put a brave face.

* Regina shrinking her father and putting him in a box, as punishment for returning Snow White’s heart.

* Hook feels so guilty about his actions as the Dark One that he refuses to believe that he’s worth saving. Emma is very upset about this since she came to rescue him and tearfully tells him that he has to forgive himself.

* The opening shot of Regina sitting in Granny’s, looking completely dumb.

** Henry witnessing the whole fight.

[[AC: Episode 1 - The Saviour]]

* Both Wish!Hook and Weaver returning to their worst places: Weave to his old home, complete with the same hammer he used to hobble himself, and the cove where Wish!Hook drank himself into oblivion after he was cursed by Gothel.

* The fact that Henry is given the blood test proving he's Lucy's father...but because it comes from a total psychopath, he doesn't believe it.

* Regina telling Zelena to go ahead and marry Chad as she's more than earned her happiness.
-->'''Regina''': You get on that bike, monkey and you fly.

* Rumple sacrificing his last best chance to be rid of the dagger so that Alice won't be cursed with immortality and outlive her loved ones the way he has. The last flashback shows him, now fully converted back to his imp form, wandering off [[MadnessMantra muttering "spin, spin, spin" over and over]], clearly having lost his sanity in the process. Even Hook looks sorry for him.

** Hook, eyes full of tears, saying "Goodbye, old friend" over Rumple's dead body, a callback to when Rumple called him the closest thing to a friend he ever had.

* More TearsOfJoy, but getting to see everyone together at the end, celebrating and happy, both Hooks with their daughters, Emma there to see Regina get her happy ending, and Regina becoming the Good Queen she was meant to be, and would have been if not for Cora... All the people we've grown to love are finally together, all with a role (albeit offscreen in many cases), all working together for their common good. And it's ''so'' satisfying.
* 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--[[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments will one or several of the Henrys run it? Or Gideon (as seen under Fiona's Dark Curse)? Perhaps with the help of Alice?]])

* Alice's terror at being unable to touch her father because he's under a curse from a poison mushroom that can potentially kill him if he touches a loved one. She believed that he'd been cured, or at least that Drizella could help cure him. She lied.
* Alice talking to Ella about her mother Cecelia helping her fight the Jabberwock along with many others. Alice was the only survivor.

** The fear in Rapunzel's voice as she screams for her family to help her as Gothel imprisons her in the tower.

* Emma’s state in the Curse. She’s in a mental institution, under the belief that the last few years have all been in her head. Watching her slowly lose her faith throughout the episode until she’s a shell of the strong woman she used to be is heart-wrenching.

** All of Emma’s loved ones [[spoiler: watching her die.]] Hook tries to run to her at one point, but Charming holds him back.

[[AC: Episode 22 - The Final Battle Part 2]]

* Snow has to ''watch her daughter apparently die.'' The look on her face is heartbreaking...

-->’''Emma''': I’m the savior, kid
—>'''Henry''': You’re also my mom.

** And that same kid turns out to be [[spoiler:Geppetto]]. Jiminy's been taking care of the poor guy this whole time.

** Heck, the Genie in general. [[spoiler:He falls in love with a woman and is so enamored by her that he's willing to kill her husband, his friend. He does this all to set her free. And then he finds out that she never loved him to begin with. And just to drive in the last nail, his final wish to remain at her side forever (even after she told him that she was just using him!) comes true in the worst way imaginable. And her face says she's enjoying his pain.]]

* [[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 she is and what she's done.]]

** [[spoiler:The scene with August and Rumplestiltskin's Reunion... ESPECIALLY on a rewatch. Although it turns out August was playing along, no doubt August's words are what he was saving up for his real father]]

* Rumple recalling his love with Belle, describing it as "a brief flicker of light amidst an ocean of 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.]]

* [[spoiler:Prince Phillip's]] death at the hands of [[spoiler:the wraith]] and Mulan and Aurora's reaction to it.
** His face as he walks away from Aurora to face [[spoiler:the wraith]].

* The scene where Belle [[spoiler:leaves Rumplestiltskin, but only for a little while]] after he unleashes the wraith on Regina.

* Gold trashing his shop in a fit of anguish after learning that [[spoiler:even though the curse is broken, no one can leave Storybrooke without losing their Fairy Tale memories again as well. Which means he doesn't dare leave to find Baelfire. All that time, all that planning, all that waiting and desperate hoping, and he's still just as trapped and unable to find his son as ever.]]
* Regina realizing [[spoiler:she's become just as bad as Cora, and letting Henry go until she's worthy of him]]... but still being unable to let go of her magic.
* Sneezy [[spoiler:losing all of his Fairy Tale memories ''again'', perhaps permanently this time.]]
** And imagine how this affects Grumpy, [[spoiler:who actually pushed him over the line when he was too scared to do it himself.]]

* The look of pure joy in [[JerkassWoobie Regina's]] face when Henry calls and asks to meet her for lunch. What we don't see is [[spoiler:her finding out he just said it to get her keys and search the crypt, then sending Charming to get him because she thinks he won't go with her.]] Henry's actions are completely understandable. The woman has seriously crossed the MoralEventHorizon and has [[KickTheDog kicked a whole pound's worth of puppies]] but picturing her waiting at Granny's (probably with a crossbow pointed at her) is ''gut wrenching.''

* Finding out [[spoiler:post-curse Lancelot was really Cora in disguise and that she killed him a long time ago.]]

* ''Captain Hook'', of all people, gets a tragic backstory with [[spoiler:Milah, Rumplestiltskin's wife]], his [[TheLostLenore lost Lenore.]] YMMV considering we see him [[KickTheDog harassing what he thinks is a harmless beggar]], apparently for fun.
* Milah's [[spoiler:death, partially because she had just acknowledged what she did to her husband and son was wrong and sincerely apologized for it, even admitting that she was more of a coward than Rumplestiltskin was, and partially because she dies telling Hook she loves him.]]

* The overjoyed look on Regina's face when [[spoiler:she thinks Daniel is alive.]]
* Regina [[spoiler:performing a MercyKill on Daniel,]] sobbing hysterically while she does it.

* Regina ''begging'' Charming, ''screaming'' at him... not to [[spoiler:hurt Daniel.]]
** [[BreakTheHaughty If you're noticing a pattern in this episode...]]

* The Giant revealing that [[spoiler:the version of the war against him we heard was severely skewed by the victors. His people weren't evil, and now he's the only one left and wears the now useless magic bean on a necklace "as a reminder that you're all killers."]]

* Emma spent two years waiting in Tallahassee for [[spoiler:Neal. Who left her to spend 11 months in jail and (unknowingly) pregnant. Because August told him she was the savior. And he's in love with her. And he gave her the yellow car, plus twenty thousand dollars which August didn't send.]]

* [[spoiler:Red (unintentionally) kills her own mother to keep her from killing Snow]]. Gets even more depressing when you think about Snow's mother issues and how horrified she must be that [[spoiler:she was essentially the cause of her best friend ending up in the same position she's in]].
* The entire episode is basically this about Red. She honestly believes that [[spoiler:she's a monster that deserves to die]]. Even when Belle tries to reason with her, and Red admits that she might be right, she then promptly [[spoiler:handcuffs Belle to a pipe and goes to give herself up to King George]]. The looks on both of their faces are rather upsetting.

* [[spoiler:Charming puts himself under a sleeping curse to talk to Snow, confident that she can just kiss him to break it. Except they're intangible in the dream world, so he has no chance of waking up unless she gets back to Storybrooke. And back there, Henry starts getting worried about how long Charming's been under, while Gold silently shakes his head at Regina.]]
* Aurora [[spoiler:getting her heart ripped out (off screen) on top of everything else she's been through (like being forced to go into the burning netherworld for strangers and essentially suffering from near-suicidal depression). And as far as we've learned, once the heart is out... there no putting it back. So she may never ever be the same again, even if she reclaims her heart. So much for this universe's version of Sleeping Beauty and her prince.]]

* Snow's utterly heartbroken words squeeze the heart: [[spoiler:"I'm waking up..."]]

* Rumple and Regina discussing the possibility that Cora might make it through the portal first. [[spoiler:TearJerker because Rumple does a small scale CorruptTheCutie moment on the reforming Regina and, as always, his words are seeded with just enough truth...]]
** In fairness to him, while it is still an asshole move, it's evident by what happens when Henry shows up that he is legitimately concerned about what will happen if Cora gets through, and honestly doesn't think that Snow and Emma have a chance. [[spoiler:He's only really manipulating her here]] because he doesn't think he has a choice, which somehow just makes it more depressing. And she approached him first and used [[spoiler:his feelings about Belle against him while they talked in the diner.]]

* Regina's face when Henry hugs her... [[spoiler:and then goes off for a celebratory lunch with Emma, Charming and Snow, leaving her alone in Gold's shop.]] And her expression when Henry [[spoiler:calls Emma "Mom"]]. A part of you knows that she deserves it, but ''why does she have to make that face?''
-->'''Rumplestiltskin:''' [[KickTheDog Congratulations.]] [[spoiler:You just reunited mother and son. [[KickTheDog Maybe some day they'll even invite you to dinner.]]]]

* Emma has to tell Henry [[spoiler:that Regina murdered Archie.]] Henry's response to all this is to cry in her arms. [[BeingGoodSucks Regina watches this from her car.]] [[BreakTheHaughty Crying.]] LaserGuidedKarma is a ''bitch.''
** Taken further in the details. [[spoiler:Regina didn't kill Archie, rather Cora did, framing her in an effort to completely destroy her, and send her into her arms.]] Judging by the absolutely devastated look on Regina's face, it seems to be working.
* Snow in the Fairy Tale Realm [[spoiler:showing the Evil Queen as much mercy as she could, saving her from execution, freeing her from her cell, ''desperately'' clawing, trying to find some piece, no matter how small, of Regina that she can redeem. And failing. The look on her face tells it all, that she truly wished she would have accepted the truce, and was visibly pained when she didn't.]]

* The look on Regina's face when [[spoiler:Emma tells her that Archie is dead.]]

* The reason Hook doesn't destroy [[spoiler:Baelfire's cloak.]] ''"Because she made it."''
** Made even more sadder when you realize [[spoiler:Baelfire was Hook's surrogate son for a little time]].
* Belle, the town girl who tried her hardest to redeem a beast, ends the episode [[spoiler:shot, over the line, and without her memories.]]

* Gold trying to [[spoiler:get Belle her memories back using the cup Belle chipped in FTL as a talisman]]. Belle, confused and frightened by [[spoiler:the strange man who tried to kiss her earlier]] is at first annoyed. Annoyance quickly changes to frustration, and Belle [[spoiler:smashes the cup against the wall]].

* Heck, pretty much the whole episode. For instance, [[spoiler:Victor Frankenstein explains to his father, Alphonse, that he had tried to bring his brother back to life so he can have two sons again. His father responds harshly that now he has none. It is pretty much a mix of KickTheDog, and IHaveNoSon. It doesn't help that David is really good at making Dr. Whale look sad.]]

** Also, when Victor [[spoiler:shows Alphonse the resurrected Gerhardt, he was filled with joy for what Victor had done and wanted to embrace Gerhardt, only for him to cower over fire and goes into fetal position. He doesn't take this kindly and once again disowns Victor, which became his final words before Gerhardt kills him]]:
--->'''Alphonse:''' [[spoiler:I believed you. The terrible thing is, for a moment, I believed you did it. (pointing at Gerhardt) He's a monster. What a fool I was. That's not my son! ''You'' are not my son! You're a ghoul and a grave robber! A fool and a witch doctor! You're a disgrace to this family!]]
* Every flashback in this episode is sad, since the audience knows how Whale's efforts are going to turn out, but a special mention goes to [[spoiler:him trying to get the nerve to end his resurrected brother's misery.]]
** The reason he can't? [[spoiler:whatever was left of Gerhardt ''recognized'' his older brother, and brokenly whispers "Victor?" as he stares down the gun barrel. Before pressing it to his own head. Victor can't do it.]]

* Gold's reaction to Belle's amnesia are heart-wrenching: at first his somewhat helpless attempts to comfort her, than the kiss in the hospital [[spoiler:(it looks like he was trying for Cure by True Loves Kiss, and if so, what does that mean about the two of them?)]], and his less-than-smart attempts to cure the amnesia, rattling Belle with stories of castles and magic instead of paying attention to what she wants. Given Gold's usual careful behavior around Belle, this is a clear sign of just how precarious his hold on himself is without her belief in him. So is his quick [[FaceHeelTurn reversal to his nastier side]].

* Henry's response to finding out that [[spoiler:Emma lied about his father.]]
-->'''Henry:''' [[spoiler:I thought you were different but you're just like her. Regina. She always lied to me too.]]
* Gold's story gets some pretty tear-worthy details. Talk of his cowardice in the war in earlier episodes implied he [[spoiler:was injured fleeing from actual battle]]. This reveals that, because of the Seer, [[spoiler:he was too terrified to even see a second of it. Instead, he crushes the end of his foot with a sledgehammer to avoid combat.]] This ends up making Milah look even worse. She apparently did know his side of the story the entire time and, as usual, [[NoSympathy didn't care]].

* Emma calls Snow to tell her that [[spoiler:Bae is Henry's father Neal]]. She's practically hyperventilating, and you can hear the shock and fear in her voice as she tries to figure out what to do.

** [[spoiler:Rumple's]] added backstory in this episode reveals it's been a very vicious cycle. His own father abandoned him. Years later, when [[spoiler:a young and idealistic Rumple chooses cowardice to get home to Milah and an infant Bae, not wanting to have Bae grow up without a father. A few years later, Bae has to do just that because of Rumple's cowardice.]] When Emma meets Neal, it seemed like Neal was going to finally be able to turn over past habits in his family line. But, thanks to [[spoiler:August telling him that Emma is TheChosenOne]], Neal chooses to run.
* Rumple gets hit hard in the present day too: His plan succeeded. Every deal, every machination, every little scheme that he pulled came to fruition in this episode. He finally got the reunion with his son that he'd been hoping for, [[spoiler:and said son wants nothing to do with him.]] Damn, writers. That's cold.

-->’''Mr. Gold:''' I'm sorry.

** [[spoiler:And the boy Rumple vowed to kill, to prevent said boy from being his undoing? It's Henry. ''His grandson''.]]

* The reason why Snow is a BirthdayHater. [[spoiler:Her mother died on her birthday.]] Oh, and you know what? [[spoiler:Her caretaker and only link to her mother is flung out of a window by Cora.]] On her birthday. Oh, and it turns out that Cora is hellbent on turning Snow evil as well as Regina. [[spoiler:Because she hates Eva. For some reason.]] [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope And it may or may not be working.]]
** The entire scene with Snow and her mother [[spoiler:on her deathbed]].
** It gets worse. [[spoiler:Cora was the one who killed Eva in the first place.]]

* How absolutely broken Neal looks in the immediate period after [[spoiler:Rumple is stabbed]].

* A retroactive one, given the events of "The Miller's Daughter": [[spoiler:Eva dies without ever getting the chance to apologize for the way she mistreated Cora.]] With how much emphasis she puts on being good and treating people with kindness and respect no matter what their social status, it's not hard to imagine that her relationship with Cora developed to a point where that was now one of her biggest regrets.
** That Cora [[spoiler:does a kissing gesture to Eva's dead body, however twisted it may be, also reinforces the notion that maybe Eva and Cora temporarily bonded despite their rocky start (which Cora did seem to just forget about as "The Miller's Daughter" went on), in which case something must have gone '''horribly wrong''', leaving Eva to [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis become her own antithesis]] out of penance and Cora to bear Eva an eternal grudge and desire for vengeance.]]

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFPTH1sJljk This new promo]]. Just ''try'' watching it without shedding a tear.
** Also, when Bael and Rumple are holding hands, look at Bael's fingers. He's gripping his father's hand so hard his knuckles are white. He ''never'' wants to let go.
* Snow, [[spoiler:blackmailed by Rumple, has to choose between saving Rumplestiltskin's life or letting Henry's grandfather die]]. She uses the candle [[spoiler:that a disguised Cora gave her to curse Cora's heart, and convinces Regina to put Cora's heart back into her body by manipulating Regina's lifelong lack of love from her mother]].
** Also, consider the fact that Snow [[spoiler:quickly realized that this is not who she is and tries to stop it from happening, but it's too late]].
* The fact that right now, [[spoiler:it's over. After Snow tricked Regina into accidentally killing her own mother, now Regina has a new way to hate her, and the redemption of the evil queen is probably over for the rest of the season. All that buildup and work in the first half of the season, is blown to ashes. The queen will probably go right back into evil mode, only much more justified.]]
** Hell, [[spoiler:Cora's death is actually pretty heartbreaking. Regina places her heart back into her body and a smile of genuine love spreads across her face. Then she feels the effects of the candle... and then comes her [[DyingDeclarationOfLove last words]].]]
** Regina's [[spoiler:broken sobbing as Cora dies. "Mother, please don't leave me! What am I going to do now?"]]
** Not to mention [[spoiler:because of what amounts to a petty one-sided feud by Cora and Eva, Regina ends up killing both her parents directly by her own hand (literally) and Snow commits a terrible crime. Worse still, Cora might not have been so eager for power in her misguided quest for love and recognition if her own father wasn't a drunk. For the sins of their parents and their parents before them, Snow and Regina have been tainted and manipulated and played as pawns and now... unless both can find a way to change, the cycle of humiliation and now outright violence might never end. It's become as much a battle between a family with everything and a family on the outside looking in as it is about good and evil.]]

* [[spoiler:Regina is planning to put a spell on Henry to make him love her. By using the heart of the one she hates the most. Snow's heart. Gold points out that the only way to stop the blood feud is to kill Regina. The twisted part of the whole thing is that Henry ''does'' love her.]]
-->'''Henry:''' [[spoiler:Stop! Listen to yourselves! You're talking about killing my ''Mom''!]]
* Thanks to Regina, [[spoiler:Owen loses his father.]]
** Regina crying on the other side of the barrier [[spoiler:while Owen promises his dad that he'll find him. She's either crying because she lost her chance at being a mother to this boy, or because she feels guilt over what has happened. She had to kill her own father in order to cast the curse that made Storybrooke. Now not long afterwards, she's caused someone else to be left without father.]]
** [[spoiler:Probably the latter, as Regina had his father killed immediately after he ran away before. So when this scene transpires, she knows the father he's swearing to find can never be found, and is thus experiencing a rare MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment.]]
* Snow turning up on Regina's doorstep, [[spoiler:begging Regina to kill her for what she did to Cora. Regina is more than willing to grant Snow's request... until she sees the dark spot in Snow's heart. Regina decides to spare Snow, reasoning that letting Snow's inner darkness fester and grow will do a better job of bringing down the Charmings than anything she could come up with herself]].

*** They're both crying. And they're both [[spoiler:initially asking to do what they've spent their entire (almost) lives doing to each other. Snow dying and Regina winning right now. But now, they both want the exact opposite - Snow wants Regina to kill her and Regina wants her to live - and it's somehow even worse. And, they're both acting like each other - Snow being evil (such as it is, demanding a death) and Regina being good. If nothing else, it goes to show how much both of them and their families have paid for the petty feud between Eva and Cora. It says something when Rumple is the only sane man in the episode.]]

* Seeing [[spoiler:August groveling on the streets of Hong Kong after getting the cure for his wooden transformation taken from him by Tamara.]]

* [[spoiler:Watching August die after finally deciding to do the right thing, even though he gets better]].
** Once again, [[spoiler:Gepetto’s son dies in his arms.]]

* Gold finally convincing an amnesiac Belle to [[spoiler:trust him enough to come live with him until she manages to get her memories back]] gets derailed when Regina gives Belle [[spoiler:a Storybrooke identity. Lacey is Belle's complete opposite, and isn't wooed by Gold's sensitive side]].
** But [[spoiler:he does end up winning her heart once more... by indulging in his ''dark side'', which she is now attracted to.]]
* Just Mr. Gold as he [[spoiler:asks "Lacey" (after finding her kissing another man) why the date wasn't going well. Mr. Gold, snarkiest, most stoic man in Storybrooke, is on the verge of crying.]]

* Neal's expression when he realizes that [[spoiler:Tamara was using him from the start and never really loved him]].
** And ''then'' [[spoiler:[[KickTheDog she shoots him.]]]] And ''then'' he [[spoiler:falls through a fiery green portal. [[CallBack Again.]]]]
** [[spoiler: Emma and Neal reaffirming their love just before he disappears]].

* [[spoiler:Emma's ''face'' when when Neal lets her hand go. First Graham, now Neal.]]
-->'''[[spoiler:Emma]]:''' ''(shellshocked)'' How am I going to tell ''Henry?''
* Greg might be a [[spoiler:KnightTemplar OmnicidalManiac]] but [[spoiler:when he finds his father's bones...]]

* [[spoiler:Belle gets her memories back, and Gold proceeding to collapse in her arms, sobbing about Bae's death and saying only "I failed."]]
** [[spoiler:She and Gold saying goodbye is also heartbreaking, especially since Gold is sure he won't see her again.]]
* Henry realizing that [[spoiler:Regina is staying behind to allow everyone to escape. Him hugging her later also counts.]]

* The way [[spoiler:Hook and Bae's story ends. Hook desperately tries to get Bae to stay on his ship and accept him as his new father, but Bae refuses, so Hook sells him out to the Lost Boys. Hook then goes to the steering wheel and furiously uses his hook to scratch an X through the directions he had carved out for teaching Bae to steer with. Even worse is that it immediately shifts to the present day, where Hook is looking at the crossed-out carvings with sadness.]]
** We actually see the heart of gold we know Hook has. He [[spoiler:genuinely began to care about the boy. You could tell selling Baelfire to the boys wasn't something he didn't want to do, but what he ''feels'' like he needs to do because all he sees in himself is a coward. Just look at the fast transition from his caring self to his nastier side when he gives up trying to get Bae be his new family. The fact that Bae compares him to Rumplestiltskin for this is just icing on the cake.]]
** Made even worse when he finds out [[spoiler:about Bae's/Neal's fate.]] Further emphasized by a DeletedScene where, after examining the cannery and discovering Regina has been rescued, he gets caught by Greg and Tamara and asks the latter about "trouble in paradise" when Neal found out her true nature. [[spoiler:Although he tries to brush it off as nothing, both his initial reaction when she says no because she killed him, and the look on his face as he turns away, says it all.]]
* [[spoiler:[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mEpvkd7t9E This.]] Regina decides to invoke RedemptionEqualsDeath.]]
* [[spoiler:[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgR92YasOVE Also this.]] Gold thinks he is responsible for Bae's death.]]

** Especially one for Snow, who proceeds to get in a vicious fist fight with Regina, while telling her how sick and tired she is of her. [[spoiler:Looks like she hasn't kicked that darkness out of her heart just yet.]]

* Mulan's AbortedDeclarationOfLove [[spoiler:to Aurora.]] The moment she finds out that Aurora and Phillip [[spoiler:are having a baby]], you can see her heart breaking. [[StepfordSmiler But she smiles, pretends to have good news,]] and tells Aurora she's [[spoiler:joining the Merry Men.]] [[NotSoStoic As she walks away, she starts to cry]] and the general audience reaction was an urge to wrap her in a blanket and hug her until she stops.
** [[spoiler:Aurora's reaction is also quite sad. She's [[ObliviousToLove oblivious to Mulan's true feelings for her]], but still loves her deeply as a friend, and is visibly confused and saddened that such a close friend is leaving and she has no idea why.]]

* The whole confrontation between [[spoiler:Regina and Tinker Bell; Tink is ''furious'' at Regina, seeing her as the root of all her misfortune and seriously considering squeezing Regina's heart to dust. Regina, meanwhile, is remorseful for what she did and fully acknowledges she was afraid to be happy, while begging Tink not to make the same mistake she did.]]
** [[spoiler:Tink's comment to Regina]] while reminiscing about their shared past, and how Regina never tried to make up for it:
--> '''[[spoiler:Tink]]:''' Do you know how selfish that is? ... You didn't just ruin your life. You ruined ''his''.

* Gold [[spoiler:reunites with Baelfire]] and immediately attacks him, believing him to be a vision.

* What Pan tells Rumple in the flashback. [[spoiler:Once you learn who Pan really is and what his connection to Rumple is, this just becomes horrible and disgusting.]]

* Emma's tearful breakdown about [[spoiler:losing Neal]]:

* Bae is kidnapped by Peter Pan, who offers to let him go if he'll just say he wants to go back to his father. But Rumplestiltskin doesn't want to take the chance and removes him by force... [[spoiler:only for Bae to reveal he ''would'' have gone back if given the option. He just destroyed the last vestige of his son's respect for him, for nothing.]]

* The very end, when [[spoiler:Henry hears the music.]] [[NightmareFuel He looks so]] ''[[NightmareFuel happy...]]''

* Killian's brother being poisoned by Dreamshade, only to be given the mystical healing water by Pan. [[spoiler:But that's just a HopeSpot because he dies as soon as he leaves the island]].
* Oddly enough, [[spoiler:the kiss between Emma and Killian. Because as hot as it might be, you know there's going to be trouble once Emma finds Baelfire in Neverland as well.]]

* Thanks to Regina, Gold learns that [[spoiler:the encouraging vision of Belle that he's been seeing since arriving in Neverland was just Pan's shadow in disguise.]]
* Mary Margaret's darkest secret: [[spoiler:She feels that she got cheated out of experiencing Emma's childhood.]]
** And the subsequent reveal of David's secret: [[spoiler:That he won't be able to leave Neverland without dying, thanks to the Dreamshade cure, meaning that Mary Margaret's dream of having another child can't happen with him.]]
** Hook is the first one to reveal his secret: [[spoiler:He's falling for Emma, despite having thought he could never get over Milah and love again. The problem? He was forced to confess to this ''in the middle of the rescue operation to bring Emma and Neal back together again.'']] That man seriously needs a hug.
** Emma's may be the mother of them all: [[spoiler:She secretly hoped that Neal was dead, so she wouldn't have to face another round of the pain they went through.]]
* The end of the episode: Ariel saved Snow from Regina and went back to Eric to tell him the truth about her, [[spoiler:only to find that Regina took her voice away as payback. She helplessly calls out to Eric, who walks away, thinking she isn't coming to their designated meeting.]]

* [[spoiler:John and Michael Darling's desperation to save Wendy. And even if they do, their relationship will be forever changed as she's still the same age while they've grown into adults.]]

* The true backstory of Rumplestiltskin and Peter Pan. [[spoiler:Pan is his father, who gave up any idea of Rumple as his son so he could stay in Neverland as a child himself. Literally every one of Rumple's issues in his entire life started with this emotionally scarring experience.]]
** Young Rumplestilskin returning to the two spinsters in tears after [[spoiler: his father abandons him.]]

** This is the first time in the season that Regina actually [[BreakTheHaughty Breaks The Haughty]], telling Emma that she has everything: her parents, Neal, and Hook's affections. Meanwhile, after [[spoiler:murdering her own father, unintentionally doing so to her mother as well, and said mother murdering the only man she's ever loved,]] Henry is ''all'' Regina has. Even Emma looks guilty.

** [[spoiler:The price of breaking the curse? Same as it was for Regina casting it. The thing Regina loves most. She can't see Henry ever again.]]

** Rumplestiltskin's [[spoiler:RedemptionEqualsDeath moment in which he pulls a HeroicSacrifice that kills himself and his horrible father. What makes it worse is right before they die, Rumplestiltskin gives his father a kiss on the cheek, as if to say, "I forgive you."]]
*** [[spoiler:It's especially sad since his father finally broke down earlier and admitted that he'd always resented and despised Rumple from the day he was born. And yet Rumple, even after hearing this, still had love for his father even to the bitter end.]]
** Belle [[spoiler:sobbing when Rumplestiltskin dies.]] [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther Regina looked pretty miserable too.]]

** [[spoiler:Emma and Henry lose their memories of their time in Storybrooke. Of their family and friends. And Regina... ''Regina freakin' Mills''... [[PetTheDog gives them new happy memories.]] Memories in which Emma didn't give up Henry.]]
*** [[spoiler:Emma and Regina in general, doubling as a Heartwarming Moment. They're both on the verge of tears when saying goodbye to each other. These two women that started off as mortal enemies because they shared the same son are now friends because of that exact same reason.]]
** Once again, [[spoiler: Snow and Charming have to say goodbye to their daughter because of an incoming curse.]] But this time, it’s indefinite.

* In its own warped way [[spoiler:Pan killing Felix to fuel the new curse. The casualness that he does it shows that even the one he loves the most is so utterly disposable to him, and it shows just how shallow the ties he forms with others are... even the one he loves the most is just a tool to be discarded when no longer needed. And the look of absolute betrayal in Felix's eyes...]]

* Regina has gone missing from the group, so Snow goes looking for her. She finds her [[spoiler:in the woods, burying her own heart so that she doesn't have to suffer the pain of being separated from Henry.]]
* So Emma's lost her memories of Storybrooke and her friends and family from there. That's pretty bad, but it's balanced by the fact that she has a happy life with Henry and a pretty awesome new boyfriend... [[spoiler:until it all goes straight to Hell. She gets her memories of said friends and family back just in time to learn that they're in danger, she has to abandon her new life to go and save them, and to top it all off, her awesome new boyfriend turns out to be a flying monkey sent by The Wicked Witch of The West to keep her occupied.]] Come on, writers, that's just wrong.
** Not to mention [[spoiler:Walsh's]] [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Disney/Frozen Hans-esque]] one-liner before [[spoiler:assaulting Emma.]]

* Zelena was abandoned by her mother in another world, and later given up by Rumplestiltskin as a teacher in favor of Regina. And no matter how much Regina protests that she lucked out in [[spoiler:avoiding being raised by Cora]], she insists that growing up alone in Oz was worse.

* Rapunzel's background story. [[spoiler:Her older brother died trying to save her. After his death, she tried to conquer her fears. Except, her own fears overpowered her and trapped her in a tower]].

* Emma finally finds Neal again in Storybrooke... [[spoiler:only to lose him yet again, this time for good]].
** 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]] ([[HistoryRepeats exactly the way she held Graham!]]), 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.

--> Go find Tallahassee. [[spoiler: Even if it’s without me.]]
** Just the fact that [[spoiler: Neal never got to see Henry again. Even worse, Henry doesn’t remember him.]]
** His last words: [[spoiler: I love you Papa.]] Cue the waterworks.
* The true circumstances regarding [[spoiler:Rumplestiltskin's revival. Restoring the Dark One involves the cruelest of trades: a life for a life. Being the Dark One's son makes that trade infinitely more heartbreaking]]. And in a desperate attempt to save his son, [[spoiler:Rumple absorbs Neal, rendering him insane in the process. Meanwhile, Zelena now wields Rumple's dagger. And Belle can't do anything but watch helplessly as all this unfolds in front of her. Yes, Rumple does the ''right thing'' and the universe ''still'' fucks him over like its cosmic plaything!]]
* Regina's [[spoiler:reluctance to find happiness again]] after finding out exactly who the man with the lion tattoo really was.
* Belle gets to [[spoiler:see her recently deceased True Love revived for the better part of three minutes before she has to desert him so he won't kill her. She's just shaking her head as she stumbles away into the forest.]]

* Poor Rumplestiltskin can't even [[spoiler:attend his own son's funeral, and is still being browbeaten by Zelena while mourning his son]].

** Certainly not her mother [[spoiler:Cora]], who abandoned her in the woods as a baby because she ruined her plan for social advancement, and never mentioned her to [[spoiler:Rumplestiltskin]] or anyone else before Zelena met him. Even as [[spoiler:the Queen of Hearts]], she never bothered to try to find her, [[spoiler:and in the spin-off series, she mentions Regina as her only daughter, and a disappointment, which she seeks to replace with the Red Queen]]. This leads to the following possibilities:

*** She won't bother looking her up, despite her powers, because unlike [[spoiler:Anastasia and Regina]], Zelena was most likely not a queen.

** Not even Rumplestiltskin, who reveals his own abandonment issues [[KickTheDog only to laugh at her over hers later on]], for his own petty satisfaction of scorning a woman who loves him, [[spoiler:maybe enacting some twisted revenge on Cora]]. To top it off, Zelena might have been seeking a father figure, not a lover. If she was indeed seeking a lover, her role as a replacement for her mother, taking care of a man who displays no paternal feelings towards her, seems to have severely screwed up her expectations: there are several callbacks to her adoptive father in her relationship with Rumple, such as the shaving scene. It seems that their interactions were preparing her for an AllTakeAndNoGive relationship with anyone who accepts her.
* She learns the extent of her misfortune in quick succession, because [[TheScapegoat her father snaps at her]], [[UnwittingPawn a negligent con man needs magical items and a great wizard needs her to cast a curse]]. As remarked on the character page, [[spoiler:Walsh]] denounces all the mistreatments she endured rather bluntly, perhaps using it to convince her to go to her sister's palace. His warning about envy was nice, but came a bit too late, and while he seemed to genuinely ''believe'' he was helping her, he still used her and lied to her like everyone else in the episode, while she was undergoing an identity crisis.
** It's no wonder her true goal is [[spoiler:to change the past so that Cora would accept her as her daughter]]. She cannot get acceptance from her in the present, and [[spoiler:Rumple]] and her adoptive father were only ever interested in what she could do, not her. After the lies her [[GoodParents actually caring]] foster mother told her, [[spoiler:Cora]] is the only one left to idealize.
* The proof that Zelena is indeed [[spoiler:Regina's sister]]. Regina has been looking at that letter all her life as validation of her power, that Rumplestiltskin regarded her as a force to be reckoned with. With the revelation that [[spoiler:Zelena is Cora's true firstborn]], Regina realized that she was nothing but a point of comparison.

* Oddly enough, the true story behind [[spoiler:Walsh, the flying monkey sent by Zelena to play the role of Emma's boyfriend. He ''is'' the Wizard of Oz, or rather, a guy who pretends to be a wizard and keeps the charade up by collecting magical items. Zelena found out his secret and forcibly transformed him into a flying monkey to be her servant.]] Even if you think the guy is kind of a dick, that's pretty sad.

* The ending [[spoiler:where Hook looks longingly at Emma through his telescope, knowing that he can't be close to her, because of the curse the Wicked Witch put on him.]]
* Hook admitting to Ariel [[spoiler:who is really Zelena in disguise]] the wrong he did to her in the Enchanted Forest during the missing year. There are actually tears in his eyes and his voice is breaking as he says he'd do anything to take it back now.

* Cora [[spoiler:abandons baby Zelena in the woods, telling her that the word is cruel and full of betrayal, and that she has to give her up to give ''herself'' her best chance, a very selfish twist on one of the show's signature phrases. And then as she leaves, baby Zelena starts crying and reaching out after her]].
* [[spoiler:Cora's ghost]] knocking Regina around like a ragdoll, while she's desperately trying to protect Snow.

* Poor Dorothy never meant Zelena any harm, and yet [[spoiler:she was made to believe that she killed Zelena by throwing water on her]].

** The desperation in her voice as she [[spoiler:begs Hook not to die on her. All three of her previous [[LoveInterest Love Interests]] have ended up dead and she's clearly about to have a breakdown at the prospect of losing the fourth.]]
-->'''Emma:''' [[spoiler:Hook... Hook... Hook, wake up! ''(getting louder and more desperate)'' Killian! Killian, come back to me! Oh God...]]
* Rumplestiltskin [[spoiler:lying to Belle about trusting her with his dagger, and succumbing to his need for revenge against Zelena]].
** [[spoiler:Zelena's death and [[AlasPoorVillain how she acted during it,]] not so much scared that she was about to die (since she earlier was fine with the possibility of Regina doing it) as grief-stricken that her beloved [[TheDogBitesBack "Rumplestiltskin'']] is the one who's going to kill her.]]

* * The look of joy on Rumple's face when he finds out the the curse will lead him to his son. Timelines aside, Emma and even Hook don't have the heart to tell that [[spoiler:it will barely be worth it. His son will die shortly after they've made peace with each other.]]

** Her watching as Snow White is [[spoiler:seemingly being burned at the stake by Regina]] and breaking down in Hook's arms.

** Her final words to Rumplestiltskin as he tries to stop her from going back through the time portal: telling him that yes, [[spoiler:Neal died]], but he was a hero, and that Rumple needs to take the potion, forget everything, and let her go back so that [[spoiler:he won't have died for nothing]].
** The look on her face when she realizes [[spoiler:the woman she saved and brought to present-day Storybrooke is Marian, Robin Hood's love, and that she's thus pretty much ruined any chance for him and Regina]]. The look on Regina's face afterward, and how she pronounces she's "just like her mother, never learning actions have consequences", is just as heartbreaking, especially if this indicates Regina's HeelFaceTurn may not stick.
** [[spoiler: It has already happened as Zelena took over as Marian at some point while Emma and Hook were in the past. The sad part is while the moment Emma knocks Marian out is played for laughs, that is the real Marian's last moment alive.]]

* The [[spoiler:Snow Queen]] looks ''devastated'' each time she mentions her backstory or that Elsa and Emma can't remember her. It seems we have yet another WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds, and a good one at that.

** Also, his horrified, remorseful reaction to Rumple's TheReasonYouSuckSpeech telling him that [[spoiler:the hand was never cursed and that Hook's misdeeds were done of his own free will. While Rumple tricked him into thinking it was cursed, Hook isn't as changed as he wants to believe. And right after that revelation, Hook threatens Belle by "crushing her heart". After all his trying to be a good man for Emma, he was willing to give in to his darkness to hurt an innocent woman to spite Rumple. Just like he would do in season 2.]]

* Anna learned that her parents did go on that voyage [[spoiler:because they were afraid of Elsa and wanted to remove her power permanently]]. Her stunned expression at the time and helplessness at the end of the episode are really painful to watch.
* Will Scarlet broke into Storybrooke Public Library and stole a book, he was later found drunk, holding said book to his chest and had a torn page in his jacket. [[spoiler:The book in question is "Alice's adventures in Wonderland" and the page is a picture of the Red Queen. For those that have watched the Wonderland spinoff, this suddenly takes on a new meaning. Every character in "Alice" were his friends and the Red Queen was his True Love. For some reason he couldn't be with them anymore and the book was his only way to remember them by.]]
** Made even sadder by Emma's off-handed comment "and celebrate with all your friends" while holding the book to his face. [[spoiler:Because he really was celebrating with his friends, it just that they can't interact because they're just characters in the book.]] His expression's just so sad.

* The Apprentice's final fate. After spending his whole life (thousands of years) guarding the Magic Hat, he was forced to watch it fall into the hands of the Dark One. Even worse, he was forced to become a part of the very thing that he was tasked to prevent. [[spoiler:He was sucked into the hat, his power added to the magic inside, and brought Rumplestiltskin one step further to completing his plan.]]

* The reason why the Snow Queen was so surprised to see Emma again in Storybrooke. [[spoiler:She was one of Emma's foster mothers, and had even talked with Emma during her early days in Storybrooke. Yet it turns out Emma remembered none of it--which later turns out to be the Snow Queen's own doing, but the reason she did it (Emma still hating her and thinking her crazy for going on about magic), after she had been going to adopt her, makes it even more of a TearJerker]]. Made more painful when the Snow Queen admits her deepest longing: a family that wouldn't leave her.

* Emma [[spoiler:accidentally hurting Henry, who was trying to help her. Their reactions won't help.]]
** [[spoiler:It wasn't that Henry was afraid of her. It was that he feels he's useless to help her because he doesn't have magic. There are characters who don't think much about themselves because of having magic, and there are characters who don't think much about themselves ''because'' of their lack of magic.]]

* Ingrid capturing Anna [[spoiler:and using the spell of shattered sight on Anna to turn her against Elsa. Elsa refuses to hurt Anna, while Anna opens the urn and traps Elsa in the urn as Elsa tells Anna to remember that she loves her.]]
** It gets worse. [[spoiler:Elsa wasn't facing a possessed Anna. She was seeing Anna's darkest feelings come to light. Knowing her sister, who's as pure as one could ever be, revealing to her about her feelings of abandonment and blaming it on Elsa, is too heartbreaking, and all Elsa can say is, through a tone of helplessness:]]
--->[[spoiler:"Do what you will, but know that no matter what, Anna, I love you."]]
*** [[spoiler:Then, there's Anna's immediate regret of her actions. Hell, just to see Anna in that state, who audiences have come to known as innocent and pure as one can be, lashing out and becoming very bitter is too much to watch.]]
** [[spoiler:What happens next is even worse: Ingrid freezes Anna and Kristoff! While it's very unclear if they can be thawed from the curse - and unfortunately Hans - after defeating the Snow Queen (the fact Anna's heartbeat could still be heard with Bo Peep's staff gives us hope), when you think back to Frozen and how much of the movie focused on Anna not dying from Elsa's magic, to see her now frozen again possibly forever makes this moment even sadder. Coupled with the fact that a few episodes before, Elsa was worrying she'll never see Anna again.]]
** [[spoiler:When Ingrid sees into Anna and Kristoff's eyes, she realizes she will always be a monster to everyone because of her powers, which is the last straw for her because she finally gives in and accepts herself as nothing more than a monster and then freezes them and removes Elsa's memories of all she had discovered of her.]]

* Hook calling Emma, over and over, desperate to reach her before she [[spoiler:sacrifices her magic]]. Each time he gets her voicemail, he leaves a long, heart-felt message explaining [[spoiler:what Gold is making him do, that he wants to be a better man for her but can't because of Gold, and that she ''must not'' trust Gold. He ends the messages by begging her to ''call him back'' so he knows she's alright.]] And each time, [[spoiler:[[KickTheDog Gold somehow deletes the message before Emma hears it]].]]

** Anna [[spoiler: resigning herself to drowning in the trunk, tearfully starts reciting her wedding vows so she can die as Kristof’s wife. Thankfully, Kristoff (and, unbeknownst to them, Elsa) will have none of that despair]].

** Hook/Emma is ''particularly'' soul-crushing. She starts to yell at him for sticking around despite the curse being minutes away. He responds that he just had to see her one more time before he chained himself up. That simple statement makes her break down in tears. What really makes it hurt, though, is [[spoiler:remembering that Rumplestiltskin promised Hook he'd kill him once this was over. So that line about having to see her one more time? Was ''literal''. ''He thought this was the last time he'd see her''. That goodbye was ''an actual goodbye''.]]

* Hook's [[spoiler:trapping of the fairies is a huge one for 2 reasons:]]
** [[spoiler:The sheer horror on Mother Superior's face when she is getting sucked into the hat.]]
** [[spoiler:Hook's extreme regret for this, sitting behind the counter with tears in his eyes.]]

* Anything and everything to do with [[spoiler:Ingrid and her HeroicSacrifice.]] And the letter from Gerda. And the flashbacks to when Ingrid was Emma's foster mother.
--> All I wanted was to have my sister's love, and... Now I have it. [[spoiler:Now… I get to join them.]]

--> ''Emma:''' I should've known the only person willing to adopt me would turn out to be a nut job.
** Ingrid also realizing too late that [[spoiler:she didn't became a monster due to her magical powers, but she became one by using her powers to harm others.]]
** The moment where we see the three sisters as children again[[spoiler:, TogetherInDeath. Look closely--Ingrid is ''running to catch up'' with Gerda and Helga. And it's Gerda's hand she takes...]]

* Belle [[spoiler:banishing Gold from Storybrooke.]]
** [[spoiler:The entire breakdown. She finds the gauntlet she'd thought he'd traded away for her safety, realizing he went back to get it later and that he's never truly given up on anything, especially power, for her.]]
** [[spoiler:Gold's final words before she forces him across: "''I'm afraid!''"]]
** [[spoiler:Gold desperately promising Belle that he can change and Belle not believing him, with good reason. Indeed, the fact that Gold is getting ''exactly what he deserves'' just makes the whole thing more tragic, as if he had only stuck to his promise at the beginning of the season, this wouldn't have happened.]]
** When he finally gets [[spoiler:pushed over the line, his crippled leg crumples and he falls. All he can do is sit on the road, calling for Belle despite the fact that to him, she's no longer there.]]
** [[spoiler:Right before Rumple is pushed completely over, Belle just turns away. She still holds the dagger at him, but her arm is shaking and she starts crying. This has one of two interpretations, both equally depressing: that she was too disgusted to even look at him, or that she couldn't bear to see his sorrow but also couldn't back down from doing the right thing.]]

---> [[spoiler:'''Gold:''' We can have it all.]]
---> [[spoiler:'''Belle:''' I just wanted you.]]
** What makes things even worse? [[spoiler:The latter half of Season 4B reveals that, outside of Storybrooke, Rumple's heart, corrupted and damaged by darkness, is killing him. Everything he did with the hat was to tear himself from the dagger and, probably, heal his heart. In banishing him, Belle has, indirectly and unintentionally, killed him. Yes - Belle has officially become a murderer.]]
* Regina gets a massive YankTheDogsChain. Robin is willing to continue his relationship with her and Marian has given her blessing, not wanting to trap Robin when he doesn't love her. Then [[spoiler:the curse they thought was gone kicks in on Marian again and she has to cross the town line to save her life... and never come back, because the town line is cursed. Unwilling to let Robin lose his son or Roland his mother, Regina lets them go, ripping up the page from the book about her and Robin afterwards.]]
* Hook [[spoiler:clinging to Emma's arm, not wanting to let go, when Gold is controlling him and the words he says with his heart. It's a desperate move toward his loved one from a man who is essentially stuck in a horrific AndIMustScream scenario.]]

* When Rumple is [[spoiler:waiting outside the border line of the town, and thinks for a minute that Ursula and Cruella have ditched him, he clearly gives into despair as he turns and walks away, thinking he'll never see Belle again.]]

* In a flashback, [[spoiler:Maleficent]] reveals that [[spoiler:she is pregnant, just like Snow White]]. Towards the end of the episode, we see [[spoiler:a newly-resurrected Maleficent take out a baby rattle and tearfully give it a shake]]. Moments later, Snow White confesses to Regina that [[spoiler:because of her and Prince Charming, [[AlasPoorVillain Maleficent had lost her baby.]]]]
** What drives it home is that when you first see David holding the trinket, you'd think it would be some kind-of powerful magical item. Nope. It's a [[spoiler:simple baby rattle that Maleficent probably made herself, judging by how it matches her staff]].
** Just look at the way her face ''breaks'' when she puts it together. This is someone who harnesses great and evil power. And in this moment all she is is a [[spoiler:mother that never got to see her child]]. And the way Snow says it too; you can tell how heartbroken she is that she's responsible for such a thing.
* The look on Rumplestiltskin's face when he sees [[spoiler:Belle with Will.]]

* Hook [[spoiler:taking Ursula's voice. After swearing not to do such a thing, knowing how much it meant to her, he does so in a fit of rage to spite her father. The look on poor Ursula's face and the way she grasps her throat sells it]].
** [[spoiler:Hook's genuinely remorseful later, and he tries to return her voice.]] It looks like it's going to work…[[spoiler:[[YankTheDogsChain only for the magic to be sucked back into the seashell]], leaving Ursula to bitterly restate that villains don't get happy endings.]]
** And then [[spoiler:Ursula tries to drown him, and taunts Emma about it. Emma, who already has a fear of losing him to her CartwrightCurse.]]

* The major reveal of the episode is one on multiple levels: [[spoiler:Zelena killed Marian so as to replace her--imagine how Robin will react when he finds out, and poor little Roland! Which makes all his speeches to her about their love, his angsty dilemma about whom to choose to spend his life with, and his ultimate decision to stay with her and delete Regina's number from his phone a horrible, cruel knife-twist. To add the icing, we get to see what he gave up for the real Marian, and how they really were once a wonderful couple, plus we get to see how awesome Marian really was in standing up to the Sheriff of Nottingham and deciding to be an outlaw too, all in the episode in which we find out she's dead.]]
** There's also a bit of related FridgeHorror that makes this even sadder because of the specific circumstances surrounding this reveal: [[spoiler:Zelena killed and replaced Marian right after Emma knocked her out to keep her from going back to her family and changing the past. Which means since she died instead, she did so believing Emma was the one who killed her, a woman whom she had believed to be a good person unfairly imprisoned by Regina and a friend who had helped break her out of jail. She never woke up to realize this, of course, but think of how Emma would feel if Gold or Zelena told her how and when the switch happened...]]
* Even before [[spoiler:Zelena]] starts taunting him in his bed, and despite everything he's done this season, there's something very painful and desperately sad about seeing Gold in a hospital bed and finding out he's dying thanks to all the awful things he's done...a good portion of which we already know he did either in reaction to being thought a coward all his life (and what Malcolm did to him) or to try and get Baelfire back.
** And then [[spoiler:when the Zelena taunting actually starts, it's just depressing. Yes, Rumple can be and has been a horrible person - but watching him cower in terror as the lady who killed his son and held him prisoner for a year, clearly having a panic attack, until he literally goes into cardiac arrest is just sad.]]
* Gold's speeches to Robin about Neal, and about holding on to happiness when you find it... knowing what happened to Baelfire, and how he's lost Belle too, is bad enough. But no matter what Robin chooses to do because of his advice, it's sad. He either stays with Marian [[spoiler:who is actually Zelena]] and deprives Regina of her happiness, or he goes back to her but has to leave Roland.

** In their first scene together, when Madeline asks her daughter to be a good girl and come back home, Cruella's incredibly firm "You can't make me!" isn't just a brave child resisting an abusive parent. It's [[spoiler:from a would-be sociopath refusing to reform]]. Madeline's answer ("As a matter of fact, I can.") isn't so much intimidation as an attempt to change her daughter, whatever the means and cost.
** She's really trying to keep her voice even, but you can tell she's pained and angry when she says Cruella's father is gone, because she is. Still, [[spoiler:Cruella's hateful look in return]] is what makes it worse.
** "So you're just going to lock me up here, like one of your dogs?". Cruella probably [[spoiler:isn't really that sad. She's just manipulating her mother using a WoundedGazelleGambit]]. Madeline deliberately avoids to look at her daughter when sentencing her to what's essentially long-term emprisonment. She still has some sort of plans or hopes for her at that point, since she only wants it to last untill "one day, [Cruella learns] to do as [she] says".
** "You stole it, did you?". [[spoiler:The rest of the episode makes it clear that this isn't an isolated incident and Madeline, who by that point looks like she's aged a bit, has to go through her daughter's misbehaviors alone. Made even worse by the fact she still protects her daughter, insisting she remain in her room when she has visitors who could find out her secret]].
** Madeline's fit of rage when the Author mentions her husbands. Of course, he's bluntly and carelessly reminding her of her losses, but he's also curious about the crimes [[spoiler:her daughter committed, and she's still trying to protect her]].
* Isaac realizing [[spoiler: Cruella used him and never loved him like he did.]]
* Rumple finally revealing to Belle why he’s doing all of this. [[spoiler: The Darkness is overtaking his heart and he’s slowly losing his humanity.]] The only hope for him now is some form of divine intervention, like the Author’s power.

* Lily's life in general. She's the CosmicPlaything, incapable of making any right decisions in her life because of something that happened before she was even born. In fact, her EstablishingCharacterMoment as an adult were apologizing profusedly to a customer for a minor mistake and paying some girl to pretend to be her daughter so she could appear to have a life. [[spoiler:This could all be an act to fool Emma, but still...]]

** What makes it even worse is [[spoiler:Cora ''did genuinely come back to help her'', but a screw-up on her part made Regina think she was out to get her...leading to her sterilizing herself to spite her.]]

* Hook's [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice. He knows he has no chance against evil Charming and Snow but stays behind to fight them anyway so Emma and Henry can live. Things look set to actually end well when Charming is disarmed and Hook turns his attention to Snow, but Charming comes from behind and literally stabs him in the back, making Emma's ''parents'' responsible for his death. Emma is so devastated that Henry has to pull her away.]]
** Later, when trying to convince Regina to go after Robin, Emma brings up [[spoiler:how she never told Hook how she felt about him, tears falling from her eyes as she does]].
-->'''Emma:''' [[spoiler:The worst part is that I never told him I loved him. I was too scared...too scared that saying it would make it real...and change everything...but now I'll never be able to take that next step with him because he's gone...my only chance with him...is if you don't make the same mistake I did.]]

* Just as, if not even, worse is [[spoiler:Regina's HeroicSacrifice. She has a chance to for once get her happy ending in the right way but chooses to save Henry, in this world a boy she thinks is just some crazy wanderer, instead. Isaac points out that this essentially means the world as it is will stay as he has written it, delegating it to a SenselessSacrifice in the long run. The fact it actually turns out to be the key to saving the day, both through a hero (Rumple) killing her being an unheroic act to unravel the book and allow a new Author to be chosen and by providing the blood of a Light Savior for the ink, turns it into a moment of glorious triumph.]]
* After returning to the real world, Henry considers [[spoiler:using the pen one last time to bring his dad back to life]]. It shows that for all he has done Henry is still just a young boy, a young boy that just wants his father back.

* [[spoiler:Emma's HeroicSacrifice. Just when it looks like everything is going to be alright and that she and her family and friends can ''finally'' rest, they learn that if the darkness from Rumple is taken out of him, the darkness tethered to him for centuries will be free. So they take it out of him and [[HopeSpot seal it in the Apprentice's hat]]...only for it to break out minutes later, kill the Apprentice, and try to possess Regina. Emma tearfully, finally tells Killian she loves him (during which he begs her not to do this), and, resolved to protect the town, uses her magic to seal the darkness threatening to consume everything. After a blinding blast of light, she vanishes, [[NeverFoundTheBody leaving only the dagger behind with her name on it.]]]] Pretty much the most emotional, climatic moment of an already emotional episode.

** The episode ends with a heart melting speech to Emma by Hook about how [[spoiler:the heroes are going to help her beat the darkness.]] Six weeks later, [[spoiler:they failed.]]
*** Hook's state throughout this whole season fits it. The guy spent 300 years in Neverland, trying to find a way to vanquish the Dark One (aka Rumplestiltskin) who murdered the woman he loves. NOW, the Dark One is POSSESSING the woman he loves and despite all his hard efforts along with the Charmings and Henry in [[spoiler: those six weeks, Emma is dark now.]] What's more is that this is the FIRST time Killian has even [[spoiler: lost his memories]]. So now, he has to deal with heartbreak, amnesia, and utter confusion all at the same time...when all he wanted was a future with his "happy ending", with his Savior...Emma Swan.

* Arthur [[spoiler: cruelly manipulating his squire Grif into taking the fall for the stolen items and committing suicide.]] The poor boy’s fearful face [[spoiler: before he drinks the poison]] says it all.

** Their fight when she returns without the dagger. Guinevere realizes that Arthur is no longer the man she loves and decides to leave him. [[spoiler: But Arthur uses the magic sands to make her stay and love him again.]]

* The look on Lancelot's face when Guinevere [[spoiler:under the control of the Sands of Avalon]] denounces him and their love.

* The episode opens showing how Merlin became trapped inside of the tree in the first place. He chases down the original Dark One and confronts them over the death of the woman he loved, and when he weeps over her the Dark One seizes the dagger and uses one of Merlin's heartbroken tears to trap him. [[spoiler:This becomes even more of a TearJerker after episode 7, when we find out the first Dark One ''was'' Nimue. So he was pleading with her to be the woman he loved again, crying over the tragedy of her awful choice that corrupted her, and then she callously used his tear to trap him despite still loving him, albeit in a "twisted" way.]]

** Violet telling Henry she likes him as a friend, not romantically. The heartbroken look on his face says it all. [[spoiler: Becomes even more heartbreaking when we learn this is NOT the case and Violet does return some feelings but was forced to turn Henry down because of Emma.]]
* 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.]]
-->'''[[spoiler: Regina]]''': It was like it was happening all over again.
** When that doesn't work, however, because the loss isn't fresh enough [[spoiler:and Regina has moved on with Robin and healed]], Henry shows up, having been devastated by Violet turning him down, and that provides the tear they need. But then [[spoiler:Regina and Robin discover Emma's dreamcatcher in the present, and learn that Emma took Violet's heart (complete with echoing some of Cora's and young Regina's dialogue) and forced her to hurt Henry because she believed it to be the only way they could win. The look on Regina's face is bad enough, compounding as it does the betrayal of Henry with a betrayal of herself (since Emma clearly got the idea from witnessing her traumatic memory of Daniel). But then we see Henry over her shoulder, having witnessed the whole thing. The DramaticDrop is absolutely warranted. And the look on Henry's face in the window later, gazing down at Emma...]]

** Alternately, she could be expressing guilt for [[spoiler: using Violet's heart to hurt Henry, since it's the dreamcatcher with Violet's memories she's clutching]]. Either way it's pretty sad.

** After Nimue is stabbed by Vortigan, he can only tearfully cradle her as she dies in his arms. [[spoiler: or so he thinks.]]
** [[spoiler: Nimue betraying Merlin by drinking from the Grail and ripping out Vortigan’s heart. Merlin tearfully begs her not to kill him, but Nimue’s thirst for vengeance is stronger than Merlin’s love. She crushes the warlord’s heart and becomes the first Dark One.]]

* Emma's entire breakdown over [[spoiler:Killian's incipient demise, from how she lashes out at everyone, even Snow and Regina, for insisting she use Excalibur and let him die, to her weeping over him, begging him not to give up, before she is finally forced to bind him to Excalibur]]. And then the horror and agony on her face as Zelena reveals the truth to Killian in the present, and her reaction when he lashes out at her in rage and loathing. If there was any doubt about Jennifer Morrison's acting abilities...
* Where Emma takes Hook to when [[spoiler: he's dying from Excalibur's blade.]] It's the same field of ''Nimue's flowers'' from when they went out riding together in episode 4.
** Hook begging Emma [[spoiler: to not turn him into a Dark One. But Emma has lost so many loved ones, she’s can’t bear to lose one more.]]

* The look of anger and betrayal on Hook’s face when he learns [[spoiler: Emma made him into a Dark One.]]

* Merida saying her final goodbye to [[spoiler: the spirit of her father, King Fergus. She spent the episode doubting if she could lead the clans of her land, only to learn that her father thought the same way about leading them into battle and to certain death. Fergus planned on using the magic helm to order his men to fight for him, but his talk with Merida the night before made him change his mind, wanting to show her what a true leader was like instead.]]

* Belle [[spoiler:breaking things off with Gold ''again'']]. It makes absolute sense, it's a great mark of CharacterDevelopment [[spoiler:and showing Gold isn't EasilyForgiven after all he did throughout Season 4]], and there is still a chance for things to get better in the future. But [[spoiler:showing up at the well just to give him that HopeSpot, only to refuse him and say she needs time to herself to protect her own heart, is just cruel.]] Some may say Gold deserves it, and if he truly has changed he will understand [[spoiler:and give Belle her time and space]], but [[TheWoobie his face]]. [[YankTheDogsChain Even when he does everything right, he still suffers]].
** The next episode rather suggests that it's this loss which motivates him to [[spoiler:once again find a way to become the Dark One]]. Some of it is selfishness again, not wanting to go back to the underworld, but there's also a hint of there being nothing left for him now. [[spoiler:And then of course she comes back to him, so now he has her back...and is lying to her once again.]]
* Merlin [[spoiler:finds out what Emma told him was true, Nimue really does still love him. But then she, through Hook, crushes his heart]].
* How giddily happy Hook was at the thought of being under no one's control again. It's revealed in the next episode that [[spoiler: he spent his childhood in slavery.]]

* Hands down, the scene where Hook [[spoiler:makes his HeroicSacrifice, insisting Emma do the deed. The whole thing is so prolonged...the HeldGaze, him pleading for DyingAsYourself, to be strong rather than weak, the DyingDeclarationOfLove, the embrace after she stabs him that mirrors how he held his father after stabbing him, her weeping over him as he [[DiedInYourArmsTonight dies in her arms]]...]]
** Just before Emma [[spoiler: stabs him, you can see he’s afraid to die but trying to put a brave face.]]
* [[spoiler:The entire scene of Emma reacting to Hook's body being taken away on a gurney. How devastated she was when being forced to let go of his hand. All she can do is cry into her mother’s chest. There's no dialogue, no background noise, only music but ''damn'' was that a powerful moment.]]

* Emma face when she learns [[spoiler: Rumple betrayed them and negated Hook’s sacrifice.]]

* As if seeing Rumple and Milah working together to save Bae's life isn't bad enough, we get to see how things finally fell apart: [[spoiler:Rumple made a deal giving away his second-born. The disgust over this, and how he was making choices for her to further limit and ruin her life, is what drives Milah into Hook's arms]].
** And ''then'' we have the scene in the boat where the two of them seem to be working toward some kind of reconciliation, with Milah tearfully confessing that she should not have punished Bae just because she had come to hate his father, and that she hoped by generously helping them save Hook, she could earn the chance to go to Heaven and tell Bae she was sorry. Gold confesses to her that he had betrayed Bae too, but that as a grown man Bae had forgiven him, so he would forgive her too. And then he asks her to tell Bae "hello from his Papa." But what is the final cruel twist? [[spoiler:In order to keep Hades from killing them all, so that he would never get back to Storybrooke and Belle, Gold is forced to destroy the boat...and casts Milah into the River of Lost Souls so she can't tell anyone or stop him]]. To see someone who was hated by many in the fandom for so long finally get further characterization, humanization, and what looked like the start of an atonement be given such a fate is a horrible knife-twist, and enough to possibly even make Gold into a JerkassWoobie once again for some fans (unless it pushes him even farther over the MoralEventHorizon in their eyes). Even Hades is shocked when Gold tells him he did not at all enjoy what he was forced to do, he would ''never'' do anything like it again, and ''means'' it.

* Belle's struggles throughout the episode, culminating in [[spoiler: her accidentally knocking Gaston into the River of Souls. Gaston was a jerk, but a more sympathetic and humanzied one than in the Disney movie, and he certainly didn't deserve that fate, which is why Belle is so distraught after it happens, even well into the next episode.]]

* Hook staying behind so that Emma can get back to Storybrooke. It’s just as heartbreaking as [[spoiler: his death scene]]. Both of them are crying.

* Robin being not only killed, but no longer even being able to go to an afterlife. [[spoiler:Thankfully, WordOfGod heavily implied the latter was {{Jossed}} because Hades invoked ILied.]]
** The look Regina and Robin share before [[spoiler: his spirit disappears.]]

** Hook [[spoiler: returning to life but then learning about Robin’s death.]]

* Hyde and Jekyll’s confrontation [[spoiler: especially after watching “Strange Case”. Hyde is actually confronting his love’s murderer.]]

* Mr. Jekyll [[spoiler: accidentally kills his love Mary in a fit of jealous rage, then immediately takes the potion to [[KickTheDog frame Mr. Hyde for the deed.]] Once Hyde has a chance to take the whole situation in, he is absolutely sobbing his eyes out over Mary's death, confirming that he truly loved her.]]

* In a way, [[spoiler: Hyde's death. Unlike Jekyll, he genuinely loved Mary and the episode makes him completely sympathetic. It honestly makes you think that he never deserved to die.]]

* Nemo [[spoiler: pleading with Liam Jr. not to kill Hook and accidentally getting stabbed.]]

* After having spent so long trying to exact her revenge on Snow White, the Evil Queen finally succeeds. Said revenge is a particularly cruel one: [[spoiler: she places a sleeping curse on the heart that Snow and David share, causing Snow to fall unconscious and then sends her away into a glass coffin like the first time. David rushes to her and manages to awaken her with True Love's Kiss... only for David to fall asleep instead. As long as the curse on their shared heart persists, only one of them will be awake at the same time and they can never be together.]]

* Snow's fatigue [[spoiler:of trying to maintain her life with Charming while both are under the Sleeping Curse. ]]

* Belle being forced to [[spoiler: send her newborn son away with Blue in order to protect him from his father]]. Absolutely heartbreaking. Even Blue seems to be fighting back tears as well.
--> [[spoiler: My Gideon, strong and brave; a hero for all time. Don’t you ever forget that I love you.]]
** Rumple's reaction to finding out that [[spoiler: he's lost ''another'' son]] is tough to watch too, especially when you find out near the end that [[spoiler:he never actually put the potion in Belle's drink; the Evil Queen did it to frame him, and now thanks to these events [[CassandraTruth Belle will never believe him]]]].
* The reveal that [[spoiler: the Black Fairy is Rumple's biological mother and she abandoned him when he was young. It's especially sad when you learn that [[ActorSharedBackground Robert Carlyle was actually abandoned by his mother when he was a child as well]]]].
** The Black Fairy’s reaction [[spoiler: when she realizes Rumple is her child.]]
** Rumple genuinely asking The Black Fairy [[spoiler: why she abandoned him.]] Her response is to cruelly laugh in his face and say “sometimes, you have to choose power over love”.
* Zelena starts crying after Regina explains that she will never forgive her for [[spoiler: Robin's death.]] What's worse is that Zelena actually started to apologise.

* The fact that, [[spoiler: in giving up her son, Belle ''fucks up all the shit, lets the Black Fairy end up in Storybrooke'' and ''destroys Gideon's life for nearly three decades.'']] Trying to do the right thing was, in this case, the ''wrong'' thing.

** Their reactions when the hooded figure strides in and reveals himself to be [[spoiler: Gideon]].

** What makes this even worse is when we find out [[spoiler:George's men didn't kill David's father: Hook did, after saving him, just so he could steal the king's gold and there would be no witnesses. Not only does this make the previous scene more heartbreaking, it leads to Hook being overcome by remorse and unable to propose to Emma out of fear of what will happen if David finds out the truth]].
** Even worse, Hook had no idea that [[spoiler: he killed David’s father. He only realized it when August showed him the page from the storybook.]]
* Regina's reaction after kissing Wish!Robin [[spoiler:and finding out she felt nothing: "It was like kissing a photograph."]].
* The WhatCouldHaveBeen that the episode revolves around: not only could David's father have come back to him and they could have had a real family if not for George [[spoiler:and Hook]], but he had been about to give James a life with them too, after the boy had run away from George's cruelty. There was a chance he didn't have to grow up to become the spoiled, arrogant, nasty prince he did, but it was dashed. It makes his fate in the Underworld retroactively a lot more sad.

* In flashback, Beowulf is ready to frame Rumple as a monster but Bael gets the Dagger away. Beowulf sniffs that people will never believe them as he marches off. Rumple looks at Bael and realizes what the boy is planning and begs him not to. [[spoiler:Angered, Bael orders the Dark One to stop Beowulf. Forced to obey, Rumple snaps the man's neck, then looks at Bael in sadness to realize his own power turned his son to darkness.]]
* Rumple then uses a potion to make Bael forget what happened. Realizing his father killed Beowulf, Bael snaps he's turning into a monster. He leaves as a sad Rumple realizes [[spoiler:it's better his son hate him then remember what truly happened]].
* The whole scene with Blue. Not only does she genuinely, even tearfully, apologize for not having been able to save Gideon from the Black Fairy, his previous scene with Gold shows he genuinely does care about her, and actually hesitated when finding out it was her blood he'd need to restore the sword...but he did it anyway, because he "has" to. Then Gold shows up, and with true regret [[spoiler:drains her blood and all her magic, because he didn't want Gideon to take on that kind of corruption and darkness, and he believes she can be saved once the Black Fairy is killed]]. Seeing how far Gold has come after all, that even with the darkness of all the Dark Ones in him he was able to regret this, and did it ''only'' to save Gideon rather than out of malice and power, is tear-inducing enough. But amazingly, after all this time, it's actually a TearJerker to see [[spoiler:this happen to Blue. Not so much a BitchInSheepsClothing, TheScrappy, or a HateSink anymore]].

* Hook wrestling with the knowledge that [[spoiler: he killed David’s father]] and if he should tell Emma the truth. When he finally works up the courage to do so, Emma shows him the engagement ring she found. Unable to ruin her happy mood, he proposes to her.

* Emma giving Hook back the ring, after she catches him trying to burn his memories of [[spoiler: murdering David’s father.]] She’s not mad for what he did but that he tried to hide it from her.

* Snow breaking down in tears before [[spoiler: they drink the forgetting potion]].

* The simple fact that not only did [[spoiler:Fiona love Rumple, enough to give up both her mortality and morality and sacrifice anything and anyone to protect him...only to end up being ''forced'' to abandon him by Blue exiling her, is bad enough. (The thing she wanted to do was rather awful, but it was still incredibly painful seeing her insist she would come back to him and would always love him.) As is the fact that throughout the episode (including in Rumple's subconscious in the dream realm) we keep hearing her lullaby she sang over his cradle, proving how much she really did love him]]. But on top of all this? [[spoiler:Malcolm actually did love both of them as well, it can easily be seen on his face after the birth. Which makes how this turns to disgust and resentment after he thinks Fiona died for the baby, and gives him his nasty name, utterly heartbreaking.]]

* [[spoiler: Rumple has to kill his mother. The look on his face after he does so plus the fact that his arm is shaking drives home the fact that, despite everything she did, he truly loved her just as she loved him and didn't want it to come to this. He even lingers in a VillainousBSOD until Belle snaps him out of it. [[SelfMadeOrphan He's now been forced to destroy both his parents.]]]]
* [[spoiler: Gideon's tough-guy facade crumbles into nothingness and is replaced with pure and absolute misery when Emma drops her sword, because it means even though she may be physically dead, Fiona still wins. He gives [[ApologeticAttacker a final tearful apology]] before running her through.]]
* [[spoiler: [[TheHeroDies Emma actually dies. The prophecy came true.]] Thank goodness it doesn't last due to both Rumple's intervention with Gideon's heart and Henry administering TrueLovesKiss.]]
* Snow [[spoiler: has to ''watch her daughter apparently die.'' The look on her face is heartbreaking...]]

* [[spoiler:Belle's death from old age.]] Especially painful because [[spoiler:she and Rumple had gone to the Edge of Realms so he could be mortal again and grow old with her, but she eventually realized that ''she'' had to die if Rumple were to ever be free. And she ''didn't tell Rumple this until she was on her deathbed''. The fact that this was all preceded by a heartwarming homage of the famously tearjerky opening to "Up", you just knew something was about to make you cry. That on its own is sad enough, [[BrokenTears Rumple's reaction]] makes it so much worse.]]
* Henry walks up to Ivy sitting on a bench while he's looking for Lucy (whom Ivy lost), and Ivy wipes her eyes and her voice shakes when she tries to be a jerk to him - her mother verbally abused and threatened her so bad it brought her to tears. [[spoiler: And yes, even though Ivy is the BigBad behind the Curse, those weren't CrocodileTears - she was genuinely hurt and stressed by her mother's harshness. If she were faking, she would have pretended to cry only when she saw Henry approaching; the evidence is that she'd been doing it for a while.]]

* Ivy tries to offer her mother help, and for a moment [[HopeSpot it looks like Victoria is going to praise her,]] [[spoiler: then she subverts it and goes right to being her usual bitchy self. Clearly, this hurts Ivy beyond repair as though she'd been considering not punishing Victoria as much as planned, but being called an embarrassment and being told off for "flailing around" convinced her that there was no hope for their mother-daughter relationship.]]

* Gothel [[spoiler: trapped her newborn child (Alice) in the tower she (and previously Rapunzel) had been in. Alice presumably stays there for ''years'' and Wish!Hook has to raise her all alone.]]

* Alice's terror at being unable to touch her father because he's under a curse from a poison mushroom that can potentially kill him if he touches a loved one. She believed that he'd been cured, or at least that Drizella could help cure him. [[spoiler: She lied.]]

** Even when Rapunzel was younger and Drizella was little, they were never properly attached; Drizella learned to become attached to Cecelia while Rapunzel was gone for six years. Rapunzel expresses clear resentment towards Cecelia for this and notes to Marcus that Drizella barely reacted to Rapunzel's gift while she excitedly thanks and hugs her stepmom. [[spoiler: This leads Rapunzel to shatter a mirror and use Gothel's poison mushroom on Cecelia, causing her to run away to Wonderland.]]
** Some time later, Ella and Ana fall through an ice pond while helping Drizella build a snowman. Marcus dives in but could only save Ella in time, and Ana is near-death when she is recovered. Luckily, Gothel saves her last breath but tries to imprison ''her'' next. [[spoiler: Good thing Rapunzel stole the magic from her before using it on her instead.]]

* Victoria [[spoiler: causing Lucy to lose hope by showing her a comatose Anastasia and footage of Jacinda kissing Nick as well as saying that Henry left and never looked back (he did leave, but it would only be brief), and that some happy endings don't come true. She then collects the tear spilled by Lucy and lets her run off. She kisses Ana on the forehead and drops the tear on her, reviving her - at the exchange of Lucy falling under the curse now right in front of her mother.]]
* [[spoiler: Anastasia's revival and Victoria's joy]] is equal parts TearJerker and a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}} - until we see how it affected poor Ivy, who was watching through the window. The realization hits her that she failed to [[spoiler: wake her sister before her mother did]], and that Victoria got one over her yet again even though ''she'' should be the one in control, and seeing Victoria coo and almost break down with happiness over [[spoiler: Anastasia]] in comparison [[TheUnfavorite to how unloved]] or [[AbusiveParents even downright]] ''[[WellDoneSonGuy despised]]'' Ivy is [[IJustWantToBeLoved shoves this girl over]] the DespairEventHorizon hard. She then walks away and [[BrokenTears begins to cry]] as the episode ends, marking yet another of many KickTheDog moments towards her. [[TheWoobie Ultimate Woobie, thy name is Ivy]] (even if she is a JerkassWoobie for many things she did up to here). [[TragicVillain Someone just give her]] [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds a hug already.]]
* There's an edge of desperation to Weaver as he [[spoiler: tries to find Lucy before Victoria can break her belief]]. After multiple seasons of only caring about Belle and his sons, it looks like Rumplestiltskin's HeelFaceTurn has finally stuck for good... [[spoiler: but he can't save his own great-granddaughter]].

* Alice and [[spoiler:Robin]]'s final conversation before the curse strikes.
* [[spoiler:When Gothel betrays Ivy, the latter has a clear look of sadness on her face, especially when she says “You betrayed me”. YankTheDogsChain, indeed. And then she ends up stuck in a well, magicless, with [[ArchEnemy her mother]], who is so disgusted and angry she can't even look at her.]]
* [[spoiler:A bit FridgeHorror, but how will Anastasia react when she finds out about the terrible things her mother and sister did?]]

* [[spoiler:Doubles as SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming|Moments}}, Victoria sacrificing herself to save Ivy and Lucy (mostly Ivy). ''[[TheUnfavorite Ivy]]''. Just ''try'' to not feel sorry for Victoria and Ivy during that scene. Ivy's still a {{Woobie}}, but for different reasons this time.]]

* In the flashbacks, Alice has reached the DespairEventHorizon so badly that she accidentally [[spoiler: summoned a troll that ended up attacking villages]] because she doesn't want to be alone.

* 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, and Anastasia's recent apprenticeship under Gothel has made her hate Drizella. ManipulativeBastard Dr. Facilier [[KickTheDog only makes this worse between them.]] [[spoiler:Luckily, their sisterly bond is eventually restored and they return to the New Enchanted Forest together.]]
* Drizella's regret over [[spoiler:killing Gretel, even if it was out of self-defense]]. Gothel then congratulates her and welcomes her into the Coven, but Drizella says that she didn't want to do it.

* Seeing Zelena and Margot argue again is quite painful to watch; luckily, they make amends at the end of the episode, [[spoiler:but then it's revealed that Zelena is Nick's next target...]]

* Twisted as he is, you have to feel a bit for [[spoiler: Nick]] talking of all the great times he and Henry have shared and Henry thinking him a psycho.

* Zelena's guilt over what she did to Nick, [[spoiler: aka Hansel]] in the past and wanting to make up for it now.

* The moment when it looks like [[spoiler:Regina has been killed by Gothel]] and Henry is kneeling over her, crying and apologizing for not believing and coming too late.

* [[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 Raymond James wasn't available.]]
** The fact that Alice ''squeaks in shock and reaches out to stop him'' before he [[spoiler:tears out his heart.]] She knows the goodness in him, has seen the man behind the beast, knows everything - and she doesn't want her friend to die.
** Hook, eyes full of tears, saying "Goodbye, old friend" [[spoiler: over Rumple's dead body, a callback to when Rumple called him the closest thing to a friend he ever had.]]
*** 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.]]

* More TearsOfJoy, but getting to see everyone together at the end, celebrating and happy, both Hooks with their daughters, Emma there to see Regina get her happy ending, and Regina [[spoiler:becoming the Good Queen she was meant to be, and would have been if not for Cora]]... All the people we've grown to love are finally together, all with a role (albeit offscreen in many cases), all working together for their common good. And it's ''so'' satisfying.

** Well, [[spoiler:Alice ''does'' have a thing for shiny things. She'd be in paradise...]]

[[AC:Episodes 21-22 – Operation Mongoose]]

* [[spoiler:John and Michael Darling's desperation to save Wendy. And even if they do, their relationship will be forever changed as she's stil
l the same age while they've grown into adults.]]

* Snow helps the Prince find Ella, who makes it clear that he doesn't care what the people think, he wants her. They get engaged on the spot.

* A deleted scene shows Rumple taking Jack and Jill's newborn son and it's as heartbreaking as it sounds.
* Belle being forced to [[spoiler: send her newborn son away with Blue in order to protect him from his father]]. Absolutely heartbreaking.

* David realizing his father came back to save him and change their life but was killed by George. He goes to kill the man but Hook stops him, David doing a massive speech showing how terrified he is of failing Snow and Emma and losing it all. Hook tells David that if he thinks killing George is what his father would want, to do it. Instead, David falls to his knees, crying with Hook offering a comforting arm.

*** Killian's state throughout this whole season fits it. The guy spent 300 years in Neverland, trying to find a way to vanquish the Dark One (aka Rumplestiltskin) who murdered the woman he loves. NOW, the Dark One is POSSESSING the woman he loves and despite all his hard efforts along with the Charmings and Henry in [[spoiler: those six weeks, Emma is dark now.]] What's more is that this is the FIRST time Killian has even [[spoiler: lost his memories]]. So now, he has to deal with heartbreak, amnesia, and utter confusion all at the same time...when all he wanted was a future with his "happy ending", with his Savior...Emma Swan.

** Emma and her dreamcatcher room. While she did find love again with Hook, it's clear that she still misses Neal because he was the one who introduced her to them.
*** Alternately, she could be expressing guilt for [[spoiler: using Violet's heart to hurt Henry, since it's the dreamcatcher with Violet's memories she's clutching]]. Either way it's pretty sad.

* When she and Belle spy on the Lords at the Southern Moor in Dunbroch, Merida gives Belle a synopsis of her backstory about [[MyGreatestFailure her greatest failure to save her father]] and blaming herself for this. It's heart wrenching to learn such a tragic story like this one, and it is simple to feel sorrow for poor Merida in her flashback in "The Bear King".

* How tenderly Emma kissed and held Hook after she rendered him unconscious and removed his memories of becoming a Dark One. The sheer vulnerability on her face as she gently rested her cheek on his forehead.
** "When you wake up, you'll be the man you were. The man I love. The man who loves me."

* Hands down, the scene where Hook [[spoiler:makes his HeroicSacrifice, insisting Emma do the deed. The whole thing is so prolonged...the HeldGaze, him pleading for DyingAsYourself, to be strong rather than weak, the DyingDeclarationOfLove, the embrace after she stabs him that mirrors how he held his father after stabbing him, her weeping over him as he [[DiedInYourArmsTonight dies in her arms]]...]] They milk all of it for what it's worth, and it ''works''.
* [[spoiler:The entire scene of Emma reacting to Hook being taken away on a gurney. How devastated she was when being forced to let go of his hand. There's no dialogue, no background noise, only music but ''damn'' was that a powerful moment.]]

* Emma reuniting with Neal who tells her he's at peace and not in the Underworld.
* Emma telling Henry that Neal isn't there and both happy to know that.

* As if seeing Rumple and Milah working together to save Bae's life isn't bad enough, we get to see how things finally fell apart: [[spoiler:Rumple made a deal giving away his second-born. The disgust over this, and how he was making choices for her to further limit and ruin her life, is what drives Milah into Hook's arms]]. And ''then'' we have the scene in the boat where the two of them seem to be working toward some kind of reconciliation, with Milah tearfully confessing that she should not have punished Bae just because she had come to hate his father, and that she hoped by generously helping them save Hook, she could earn the chance to go to Heaven and tell Bae she was sorry. Gold confesses to her that he had betrayed Bae too, but that as a grown man Bae had forgiven him, so he would forgive her too. And then he asks her to tell Bae "hello from his Papa." But what is the final cruel twist? [[spoiler:In order to keep Hades from killing them all, so that he would never get back to Storybrooke and Belle, Gold is forced to destroy the boat...and casts Milah into the River of Lost Souls so she can't tell anyone or stop him]]. To see someone who was hated by many in the fandom for so long finally get further characterization, humanization, and what looked like the start of an atonement be given such a fate is a horrible knife-twist, and enough to possibly even make Gold into a JerkassWoobie once again for some fans (unless it pushes him even farther over the MoralEventHorizon in their eyes). Even Hades is shocked when Gold tells him he did not at all enjoy what he was forced to do, he would ''never'' do anything like it again, and ''means'' it.

-->'''Killian''': All you did was raise the bar so high, I could never measure up.
* Hades sends Liam over the edge of the flames, Hook grabbing him and saying he forgives Liam but Liam has to forgive himself. Liam decides to make amends by letting go into the flames but finds himself on a boat on water. This is the sacrifice needed to let him and the souls of the other sailors go to their own reward. He and Killian bid farewell with Liam telling his brother "forget that bar. You've surpassed it and become a better hero than I ever could."

* What Hades does to Aunt Em, just to deprive the Underworld of hope and keep anyone there from trying to help Emma and the others, is horrifying and tragic. It's no surprise Emma gives him such a DeathGlare afterward; the Lord of the Dead had better watch antagonizing one with light magic...

* Killian letting Emma go in order for her to get back to Storybrooke.

* It ends up becoming TearsOfJoy once he's restored to life, but seeing Emma break down over Killian's grave.

* Henry walks up to Ivy sitting on a bench while he's looking for Lucy (whom Ivy lost), and Ivy wipes her eyes and [[JerkassFacade her voice shakes when she tries to be a jerk to him]] - her mother verbally abused and threatened her so bad it brought her to tears. [[spoiler: And yes, even though Ivy is the BigBad behind the Curse, those weren't CrocodileTears - she was genuinely hurt and stressed by her mother's harshness. If she were faking, she would have pretended to cry only when she saw Henry approaching; the evidence is that she'd been doing it for a while.]]

* [[spoiler:John and Michael Darling's desperation to save Wendy. And even if they do, their relationship will be forever changed as she's still the same age while they've grown into adults.]]

* The footage from Comic-Con has Regina visting Sidney in the Storybrooke Asylum, where he's been locked since the end of Season 1. Does Regina come there for a friendly visit or to release him our of the goodness of her heart? Nope. Instead she releases him because, as she says, "There's someone standing in the way of my happiness. I need your help getting rid of them." Regina's regressed back to her old self, and things are going to get ugly.

[[AC: Episode 7 - The Snow Queen]]
* Much tears were shed this episode.

** Anna [[spoiler:having given up on hope herself, such that she's resigned herself to drowning in the trunk, and only wishes to die as Kristoff's wife. Thankfully, Kristoff (and, unbeknownst to them, Elsa) will have none of that despair]].

** Killian/Emma is ''particularly'' soul-crushing. She starts to yell at him for sticking around despite the curse being minutes away. He responds that he just had to see her one more time before he chained himself up. That simple statement makes her break down in tears. What really makes it hurt, though, is [[spoiler:remembering that Rumplestiltskin promised Killian he'd kill him once this was over. So that line about having to see her one more time? Was ''literal''. ''He thought this was the last time he'd see her''. That goodbye was ''an actual goodbye''.]]

** Regina and Rumplestiltsken locks Henry and Belle, respectively and separately, in rooms under protection spells so they can't get out and hurt someone...and more importantly, so no one can get in and hurt ''them''.

** [[spoiler:Hook's extreme regret for this and his sorrowful apology.]]

* Belle clearly is still devastated by losing Rumple, even while she recognises that she did the right thing.

* The ending of the episode. [[spoiler:Ursula gets her happy ending. She gets her father ''and'' her voice back. Yes, a villain ''finally'' did it.]]

** Later, when trying to convince Regina to go after Robin, Emma brings up [[spoiler:how she never told Killian how she felt about him, tears falling from her eyes as she does]].

** Little Emma's heartbroken look on her face as another child in the children's home is adopted. Especially since she's the oldest of the remaining kids.
** Her confession to Hook, that she has always run away and will keep doing so until she finds a place that when she leaves it, she misses it, and then she'll know that's home... is revealed to be something Neal taught her.

*** Earlier, the look of joy on Rumple's face when he found out the the curse would lead him to his son. Timelines aside, Emma and even Hook don't have the heart to tell that [[spoiler:it will barely be worth it. His son will die shortly after they've made peace with each other.]]

*** WordOfGod is that [[spoiler:Regina's HeelFaceTurn will stick, thankfully... but one of the main components to it, her friendship with Emma, will have been totally set back, which is also very disheartening.]]
** It also helps somewhat that the pixie dust confirmed that [[spoiler:Robin is ''Regina's'' true love and that was when Marian was still alive]]. So this does mean bad news for [[spoiler:Marian]] somewhere down the line.

* James saying goodbye to his mother. Not only will he never see her again, but he's being forced into the one concession he swore he'd never make by marrying for a reason besides love.

* Sheriff Graham's death at the hands of The Evil Queen/Regina Mills.

* Everything about Graham and Emma.

* The whole relationship between James and Mary Margaret from Kathryn's perspective: she finally got her husband back, and he says he is willing to work things out despite his amnesia, but he keeps running off with another woman.

** Kathryn/Abigail being kept from her true love (Frederick) in Storybrooke due to Regina's plan for no happily ever afters.

* Kathryn/Regina's last confrontation. Regina goes from warm and friendly to full StepfordSmiler mode.

* Graham/the Huntsman not only spared Emma's mother, he actively defied the Queen to save her dad. And he's the only one who's dead here...

* Charming's mother's death.

* ''Hook'', of all people, gets a tragic backstory with [[spoiler:Milah, Rumplestiltskin's wife]], his [[TheLostLenore lost Lenore.]] YMMV considering we see him [[KickTheDog harassing what he thinks is a harmless beggar]], apparently for fun.

** Which in turns leads to Regina seeing/remembering the same look in the mirror shards, as she's about to crush the Evil Queen's heart...so that instead she declares she doesn't hate her, that instead she loves herself, and she shares the goodness and darkness in their hearts to achieve balance. In the end, as the Evil Queen is baffled and even seems quite scared at what new feelings she's experiencing, Regina tells her now she can love herself, too. In the end they end up embracing, both crying.

* When Henry Sr. tells Regina he's found a way to help her locate Snow so she can be happy, the tearful look where she calls him Daddy and thanks him is heartbreaking, knowing what the future holds. And is immediately undone when they get to the grove, she finds out it's actually about locating the man with the lion tattoo, and she furiously ages at his betrayal.

* Somewhere between this and Heartwarming is the conversation between Whale and Red, particularly when Red admits that the Curse wasn't all that bad for people like the two of them, who have so much crap they would like to be able to forget.