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6[[caption-width-right:350:"Go find Tallahassee. Even if it's without me."]]
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14'''As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff as per policy]]. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.'''
15----
16[[foldercontrol]]
17
18[[folder:Season 1]]
19
20[[AC:Episode 1 - Pilot]]
21* The playground scene, especially the part near the end where Emma, close to tears, tells Henry how she was left by the freeway and later rejected by her foster parents and that he's lucky to have someone who wants and loves him.
22** To a lesser extent, Emma blowing out a candle on her birthday cupcake.
23-->Another banner year.
24* Snow White putting on a brave face for Prince Charming before he goes to deliver Emma to the wardrobe, only to break down in cries of agony for her lost baby after he leaves.
25* As he lies dying, Prince Charming's smile when he sees that Emma got away.
26** "[[ArcWords Find us.]]" Who knew what was once so beautiful now has become so sad in 1 episode.
27* Snow White trying to wake up Prince Charming with a kiss.
28* The look on Charming's face in the opening scene when he finds Snow White in the coffin and thinks she's dead. Sure she wakes up, but still...
29* The ending of the episode shows Charming, in Storybrooke, to be comatose, with Mary (Snow White) visiting him. Once the bright side, Charming survived, but on the bad side he is trapped along everyone else in Storybrooke, in what could be probably called a FateWorseThanDeath (the other characters, while brainwashed, are still able to live somehow), and Mary doesn't even know who he is, despite bringing him flowers.
30* Mary Margaret telling Emma that Henry struggles with the most basic question that all adopted children inevitably face: "Why would anyone give me up?" It's subtle, but for a minute Emma looks like someone just stuck a knife through her heart.
31
32[[AC:Episode 2 - The Thing You Love Most]]
33* The Queen's struggle then ultimate decision to kill her ''own'' father.
34** It seems almost worse when you see that her father seems genuinely torn between his obvious desire for her to turn away from the path of self-destructive vengeance (along with a small amount of fear for his own life), and his desire to do whatever it takes to make her as happy as he can, even if that means dying for the sake of her revenge.
35* The reveal that Regina named her adoptive son after the father she killed in the fairy tale realm.
36** Become Fridge Horror when you realize that [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas as much as she loved her father]], it wasn't enough to stop her [[ApocalypseHow from enacting the curse]].
37* Emma's face when she learns that Henry believes Mary Margaret Blanchard is Snow White (and therefore her mother).
38* Henry overhearing Emma say she doesn't believe the curse is real, thanks to Regina.
39
40[[AC:Episode 3 - Snow Falls]]
41* Mary Margaret's utterly crushed look when David's "wife" swoops in after they rescue him.
42* Listening to Snow snarking about arranged marriages and how there's no such thing as true love becomes this on a rewatch, since we later learn what an idealistic girl she used to be. Regina's crusade against her just sucked it right out of her.
43
44[[AC:Episode 4 - The Price of Gold]]
45* Ashley sobbing to Emma that she wants to keep her baby and doesn't want Mr. Gold to take her baby from her as they head back to the hospital in town. She just sounds so afraid.
46* Cinderella tricked Rumplestiltskin and got him locked up, but lost her husband, who had promised to love her no matter what.
47
48[[AC:Episode 5 - That Still Small Voice]]
49* Jiminy not only failing to put a stop to his [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] parents' thievery, but discovering that the ForcedTransformation potion he'd intended to use on them was replaced and that he had unwittingly sold it to the nice couple they had just swindled. As if that weren't enough, after finding the couple has been turned into wooden puppets, their child returns home to find them in this state. The same child who had earlier been cheerfully eager to see the puppet show Jiminy's family put on.
50** And that same kid turns out to be Geppetto. Jiminy's been taking care of the poor guy this whole time.
51** Later, Jiminy is so distraught over what he's done that he can only soft cry to the sky, wishing to return Geppetto's parents to him, especially when Blue says that doing so is impsossible.
52* Regina and Emma's terrified look when Henry is down the mine, and Henry's desperate need to prove himself to Emma.
53** Emma's look when Regina asks her to stop hugging their son and get back to her work after she saved him.
54* The look on Archie's face when Henry runs out of their session. He's nearing tears, only able to silently watch on, and knowing that he willingly ''devastated'' this young boy by telling him his fairy tale theory was nonsense. This is a boy Archie clearly adores and cares deeply about, and to have to hurt him that way because he was threatened by Regina? No wonder he looked so heartbroken.
55** And Archie, the next time we see him, [[DrowningMySorrows is drowning his sorrows.]]
56* That moment in the climax when it seemed certain Archie was going to die when the mine elevator was about to collapse with him still in it. Definitely makes it turn to tears of relief when it's revealed that he saved himself at the last second with his umbrella.
57** Tinged with a slightly heartwarming tear-jerk when Archie told Emma to get Henry out first, instead of trying to save them both, clearly willing to die to give Henry a slightly better chance of surviving.
58
59[[AC:Episode 6 - The Shepherd]]
60* David 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.
61** It gets a little better when, thanks to the magic of fairy tales, his mother's insistence of him taking their family wedding ring ultimately results in a happier ending than they believe at the time.
62* Emma catching Graham sneaking out of Regina's house. After slowly letting her walls down in the previous episodes, she immediately becomes guarded again.
63
64[[AC:Episode 7 - The Heart is a Lonely Hunter]]
65* Graham's death at the hands of Regina.
66** Made worse by the fact that right before he died, Graham had fully regained his memories of being the Huntsman. Emma realizing she had feelings for him right as he died is heartbreaking, especially considering the conversation she had with Mary Margaret about how she was rejecting romance because she was afraid of being hurt again earlier in the episode.
67** Graham's increasing desperation and fear throughout the episode are bad enough--the opening scene where he pleads with Emma to understand that he doesn't feel anything and then the later scene where he insists to her that he doesn't have a heart. And she tries to comfort him by convincing him he does.
68** "It's okay. It's going to be okay." Oh, the irony...
69** The hesitant, almost frightened way Emma approaches Graham before their second kiss. And genuine, unguarded smile on her face after he thanks her. Emma barely ever smiles so freely. Combine that with her heartbroken sobbing about a minute later...
70** Graham being able to feel again and crying with relief after he and Emma kiss.
71* Snow White's resignation at the thought of being killed by Graham, and her letter afterwards.
72
73[[AC:Episode 8 - Desperate Souls]]
74* Gold giving Emma Graham's things. Not only does he genuinely seem to care about Graham as a good man who didn't deserve his fate, he insists Emma take something to remember him by. And then there's what he says when he offers her the walkie-talkies...especially when you consider what ends up happening between him and Bae in Season 3.
75-->'''Gold:''' Please...they grow up so fast. ... You enjoy these with your boy. Your time together is precious, you know? That's the thing about children...before you know it, you lose them.
76** And Emma not only does take them (and use them with Henry for quite some time to come), but she eventually takes Graham's jacket at the end of the episode.
77* Rumplestiltskin's life before getting his powers is depression incarnate: branded a coward for refusing to fight a pointless war, a wife that left him in disgust, and now fighting to keep his son from being conscripted at 14.
78* Morraine's parents screaming, pleading and crying as she is taken away by the guardsmen to be conscripted.
79* [[HopeSpot His efforts to save his son]] being thwarted by Hordor, who then [[KickTheDog humiliates him]].
80* Zoso, the previous Dark One choosing to die to free himself. Probably because no one loves him.
81
82[[AC:Episode 9 - True North]]
83* Emma's unpleasant experience with the foster system might be a tad biased for sending a message, but the way she talks about not finding her parents is so sad what with DramaticIrony that she's telling all this to her own mother.
84* Hansel and Gretel awakening in the woods after The Evil Queen releases them and holding hands as they walk off to find their father. Their determination is heartwarming but the next shot shows just how little chance these two have of finding him. The implication is that they don't... at least, not in the fairy tale world.
85
86[[AC:Episode 10 - 7:15AM]]
87* Snow White's departure from the castle, after making a huge breach in her relationship with Charming.
88* Snow having to tell Charming that she doesn't love him per King George's demands. Charming's hurt face during the scene alone is enough to jerk tears.
89* Snow White unwittingly taking the vial to forget about her feelings for Prince Charming the moment he backs out of his wedding to Abigail to find her. It's all the more crushing when Snow responds to Grumpy's news of this with, "Who?"
90** For that matter, Grumpy is ''smiling'' excitedly about the news himself. And when she says "Who?", you can see the slow horror coming across his eyes and his face fall again.
91* The death of Stealthy, {{Foregone Conclusion}} though it may be. Especially with Doc's statement of "Now we're seven."
92* The whole relationship between David 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.
93
94[[AC:Episode 11 - Fruit of the Poisonous Tree]]
95* Henry's castle being destroyed.
96* Regina confesses that she feels trapped in Leopold's castle, but unable to leave. It's very sad stuff, especially given what you find out later on how she got there.
97* Leopold's disbelief in The Genie's betrayal of him.
98* The Genie, after being free for a while, ended up trapped again by his own wish. HoistByHisOwnPetard with LoveMakesYouStupid.
99** Heck, the Genie in general. 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.
100* Emma, forced to watch Henry from a distance because of her mistake in trusting Sidney and trying to expose Regina.
101
102[[AC:Episode 12 - Skin Deep]]
103* Rumple still keeps his son's clothes.
104* Rumplestiltskin's complete freakout after Belle kisses him. At that moment, he doesn't seem that upset about potentially losing his powers, he's mostly upset because he honestly believes nobody could ever truly love him, therefore Belle must be faking everything in an elaborate ruse to kill him for the Evil Queen. Even sadder because by the time he uncovers the mirror, the proof of Belle's love- the restoration of his human form- has faded away. It gets worse later, when he realizes that she does love him, and decides to stop any possibility of losing his powers (and Bae) by breaking Belle's heart and sending her away. When the Queen drops by to inform him of her fate, he obviously wants nothing more than to have her back in the castle again, because he reciprocates her feelings.
105* When Rumplestiltskin is trashing his castle and he sees that he's about to destroy the chipped cup. He immediately restrains himself, but the look on his face just ''screams'' "[[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Man, I]] ''[[MyGodWhatHaveIDone really]]'' [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone messed this up, didn't I]]?"
106* Rumplestiltskin's small HopeSpot when he hears that Belle has been shunned by her father. His first thought is "[[HopeSpot so she needs a home, then?]]", with a sad/scared/hopeful smile creeping across his face, before the Queen tells him she died (a bluff). Props to Robert Carlyle (Rumple's actor) for the subtle but ever growing wide-eyed look of horror as the Queen tells him that she didn't just die... she was tortured to the point of suicide because of him.
107* Rumple replacing the golden chalice with the chipped tea cup. And weeping. Robert Carlyle really sells the heartbreak.
108* The things that Gold does throughout the episode are pretty creepy, but when you learn he did it all (or at least most of it) to retrieve the only remnant he has of Belle... *sniff*
109** Generally, the saddest part is what the cup symbolizes. In the flashback, Belle warned him that because he chose power over love, he'd be left with nothing but "an empty heart (...) and a chipped cup". Fast forward to the present, and those words have a whole new prophetic meaning: to this day, Gold has nothing but that cup to remind him of his regrets, of what he and Belle might've had.
110* Good news, Belle's not dead! Bad news, Regina's held her captive for who knows how long... and Gold ''has no clue she's even still alive.''
111* This is an odd one, but Gold's beating of Moe French probably counts after a bit of thought. He's just had his last keepsake of the woman he loves stolen by the man he believes was responsible for her death. After the first preliminary questions, he stops mentioning the cup altogether and starts screaming about what Maurice did to his daughter and trying to absolve himself of the blame. It's made even worse by the fact that French clearly has no idea what Gold's on about and that this is the most uncontrolled we see Gold in the entire series.
112** The way the episode switches between Gold beating up Moe and Rumpelstiltskin having his tantrum. It's almost as though the show is saying Gold's pain comes from a place of hurt. And no matter what world he's in, he can't escape the pain that drives him.
113
114[[AC:Episode 13 - What Happened to Frederick?]]
115* Mary Margaret and David breaking up and not knowing Kathryn left a note behind saying they could be together (because Regina burned it).
116* Kathryn/Abigail in general this episode.
117** Kathryn calling Regina the closest thing she has to a friend, and shortly afterwards it's highly probable Regina is the one who made her disappear.
118** Kathryn having to come to terms that her marriage is over, and might have only been an illusion all along (not in the curse sense, but whatever). And that her husband has fallen love with someone else.
119** Abigail having tried to recover Frederick but failed (because she couldn't give him true love's kiss through the grill of a helmet, but tried anyway, over and over again).
120-->'''Charming:''' Have you tried true love's kiss?
121-->'''Abigail:''' Until my lips bled.
122* Prince Charming on the run with Red from King George with no idea how to find Snow White.
123* Kathryn and Regina's last conversation. Regina goes from warm and friendly to full StepfordSmiler mode.
124-->'''Kathryn:''' Have you ever been in love ?
125-->'''Regina:''' Once...
126-->'''Kathryn:''' Well, I've never was. ''({{Beat}})'' I want someone to look at me like that.
127* Storybrooke's treatment of Mary Margaret after they find out about the affair - especially with David seemingly not being given the same. DoubleStandard much?
128* No sign of Mr. Gold; either he's still in jail or THAT messed up from 'Skin Deep'.
129
130[[AC:Episode 14 - Dreamy]]
131* "It's Grumpy now."
132* When it seems all hope is not lost, because Leroy is going to sell his boat, a tearjerker in itself because he seems so proud of it. Then, even though he will only get 3,000, Mr. Gold backing out of the deal entirely because for some unknown reason ([[FreudianExcuse at the time]]) he hates nuns.
133** And subsequently Astrid's face when she discovers all the candles boxed up under a tarp on the dock, meaning [[LiarRevealed Leroy failed to sell them]].
134
135[[AC:Episode 15 - Red-Handed]]
136* 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.
137-->'''Red:''' I don't like this...
138
139[[AC:Episode 16 - Heart of Darkness]]
140* During the "intervention" with the dwarves, there's a glimpse of her vulnerability when Snow pours out her heart saying that from her perspective, she has it pretty rough. Without the memory of Charming, she has no idea why she's with the dwarves and only remembers that her father was murdered.
141* Snow White's back to normal - but first she shot Charming, and now they've been separated yet ''again''. In the real world David has turned against Mary Margaret because his memories are returning with the wrong context entirely, and out of desperation she does a jail break and is presumably on the run.
142
143[[AC:Episode 17 - Hat Trick]]
144* Jefferson spent years in Wonderland trying to build another world-hopping hat in the hopes that he could return to his daughter in the Fairy Tale world. It didn't work, and now he has to watch her Storybrooke counterpart live and be happy with a different family every day, without any memory of him, while he sits in the lap of luxury with full knowledge of everything that's transpired.
145** His reaction when he realizes Regina is abandoning him in Wonderland.
146-->My Grace. She's waiting for me. I promised her I'd be home for tea.
147
148[[AC:Episode 18 - The Stable Boy]]
149* Regina's mother has ignored all of her daughter's wishes for her own personal happiness, has killed Regina's lover Daniel, and is forcing Regina to marry the king. Then Snow comes in and reveals that, yes, she did in fact tell Regina's mother. Regina very quickly puts two and two together, and silently places the blame on Snow, formulating her revenge plot in the process.
150** Regina's abuse at Cora's hands.
151-->'''Regina:''' Please... I'll be good.
152* [[ForegoneConclusion Watching Regina and Daniel's story while knowing that it isn't going to end well.]]
153* The early affection between Regina and young Snow White. [[ForegoneConclusion Will not go well in the future.]]
154* The Regina/Mary Margaret scene in jail. Mary Margaret is terrified, doesn't understand and makes apologies for something she doesn't remember doing. Regina does something reminding of the maternal figure she was supposed to become, then crushes her by telling her that she thinks she is guilty.
155** A DeletedScene which takes place right before this, when Emma comes to tell Mary Margaret that Regina hid the shovel and there's no evidence to prove she framed her. Mary Margaret breaks down, noting how she could have escaped but she came back because she believed in Emma, that Emma could save her...and now she's failed. Not only is Mary Margaret's pain quite clear, but so is Emma's as she desperately apologizes. By the time Mary Margaret demands she leave, both women are in tears. Knowing they are mother and daughter just adds an even more tragic subtext to the scene.
156
157[[AC:Episode 19 - The Return]]
158* Baelfire falls into the portal without Rumplestiltskin.
159** Granted he might've had it coming for choosing to keep his power over being with his son, Baelfire [[CallingTheOldManOut calling Rumplestiltskin a coward]] is [[PartingWordsRegret the last thing he ever told his father]] before he disappeared into the portal. Those words would stay with him for years to come.
160** And then Rumplestiltskin scrabbling in the dirt where the portal was, desperately pleading that he wants to go.
161** And then you find out that everything Rumplestiltskin did was to get his son back.
162** 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.
163* Doubles as heartwarming, Kathryn and David's reunion.
164
165[[AC:Episode 20 - The Stranger]]
166* Emma's stubborn refusal to believe and manipulating her mind to see what she wants to see, despite August's pleas.
167* The realization that Emma ''can't'' let herself believe because her self-esteem is just that low and she's terrified to have people relying on her.
168-->'''August:''' You're our only hope.
169-->'''Emma:''' *very sincerely* Then you're all screwed.
170* The scene in the orphanage where Pinnochio decides to abandon Emma.
171** And you're reminded that even though Jiminy and Gepetto might have prepared him, Pinocchio was still just a kid, and the fact that he was given that much responsibility that early was just too much. Really sad that desperation ended up creating so much sadness and guilt on all parties.
172* Gepetto weeping over the seemingly dead Pinocchio, and reminding Jiminy of exactly why he took the job he has.
173* August seeing his father again, whom he feels he has failed, for the first time in twenty-eight years -- and his dad has no idea who he is.
174-->'''August:''' I don't think I became the man he wanted me to be.
175* Mary Margaret's speech to Regina when she first returns to work.
176-->'''Mary Margaret:''' I forgive you. Even if you can't admit what you did, I forgive you anyway. Your life must be filled with such incredible loneliness that your only joy comes from destroying everyone else's happiness. It's so sad, Mayor Mills, because despite what you think, it won't make you happy. It's only going to leave a giant hole in your heart.
177
178[[AC:Episode 21 - An Apple Red as Blood]]
179* Snow and Charming's conversation through the mirror and Snow choosing to take the apple to save Charming.
180** "Then congratulations. You've won."
181* Emma's goodbye to Henry at the end of the episode. She fails to hold back tears as she insists that it's best for her to leave and that Regina will take good care of him.
182** Her defensive posture when she insists that all Regina has ever done is fight for Henry and "it just got out of hand." Emma ''knows'' that's not true (and the audience knows the full-extent of what Regina has done) so seeing her so helpless and just desperate to cling to the belief that her son will be safe is heartbreaking.
183* "You may not believe in the curse--or in me--but I believe in you."
184** Cue GameChanger HeroicSuicide.
185* Regina's nightmare in the opening: A horrifying vision of Emma, Henry, and everyone she's cursed forming a lynch mob and arranging her execution. Even more of one when you realize what it means: somewhere in her dark, twisted soul, Regina realizes just how horrible her actions are. Especially telling is when Dream-Emma plucks an apple from Regina's tree, crushes it so black goop comes out, and says, "Rotten to the core."
186* August's resignation that he couldn't do any more to help Emma. It's so sad to see someone who tried so hard to get Emma to believe just... give up. Practically the only ally Henry had, and now he can't help anymore.
187* Before her confrontation with Snow at the stables, we see Regina fingering the ring Daniel gave her, which she eventually sacrificed to get the poisoned apple. It's just another thing in her life she loses because of revenge.
188
189[[AC:Episode 22 - A Land Without Magic]]
190* Seeing both Emma and Regina heavily distraught over Henry.
191* 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...
192* Henry's DisneyDeath - Yeah, you could see it from a mile off. Didn't make it any less of a hit.
193* Emma breaking into August's room - to see he's turned back into wood.
194* The breaking of the curse, oddly enough. It's weirdly haunting to think that all the Storybrooke personas we've gotten to know and love over the course of the season are just... gone. Good-bye, Mary Margaret the lovelorn schoolteacher. Hello, Snow White the battle princess.
195-->'''Gold:''' You're real? You're alive?
196* And then Belle doesn't even ''remember'' him. The heartbroken face he makes doesn't help.
197* 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 she died. He says it in his usual sing-song voice, but you can tell he's still hurt.
198[[/folder]]
199
200[[folder:Season 2]]
201
202[[AC:Episode 1 - Broken]]
203* Prince Phillip's death at the hands of the wraith and Mulan and Aurora's reaction to it.
204** His face as he walks away from Aurora to face the wraith.
205* Snow and Charming finally hugging their daughter.
206* Snow keeps trying to ask Emma to talk to her, but Emma still resents them for sending her away no matter how good the reason. The looks on Emma's, Snow's and Charming's faces are heartbreaking.
207** More so because, if you think about it, Snow and Charming are used to a world where a long lost child would simply embrace them and HappilyEverAfter would occur. But since Emma is de facto real world, she reacts a lot like a real world person would. So not only are Snow and Charming heartbroken, they're also a bit confused and try to invoke the rules of their world later in the episode.
208* Regina looks completely heartbroken after Henry declares that he wants nothing to do with her until she finds a way to get Emma and Snow (the two people she hates most) back from another dimension.
209-->'''Henry:''' I don't want to ever see you again.
210-->'''Regina:''' ''(trying not to cry)'' No, don't say that.
211* The scene where Belle leaves Rumplestiltskin, but only for a little while after he unleashes the wraith on Regina.
212
213[[AC:Episode 2 - We are Both]]
214* Once again we get to see what a sweet girl Regina was, even after her StartOfDarkness. Whether you think it justifies what she does later on or not, it's still tragic to see the abuse and manipulation she suffers at the hands of Cora and Rumplestiltskin, respectively.
215* Gold trashing his shop in a fit of anguish after learning that 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.
216* Regina realizing 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.
217* Sneezy losing all of his Fairy Tale memories ''again'', perhaps permanently this time.
218** And imagine how this affects Grumpy, who actually pushed him over the line when he was too scared to do it himself.
219* Geppetto's desperation over not knowing where Pinocchio is, and finding that he's already left once he gets to the hotel room.
220
221[[AC:Episode 3 - The Lady of the Lake]]
222* The scene with Emma and Snow in the nursery.
223-->'''Emma:''' I'm sorry I torched our ride home. I couldn't let her get to Henry.
224-->'''Snow:''' You had to put Henry first.
225-->'''Emma:''' I was angry at you for so long. Wondering how you could choose to let me grow up without you. Just seeing all this... you gave up everything... for me. And you're still doing that. [[NotSoStoic *crying*]] I'm sorry, I'm not good at this. I... I guess I just... I-I'm not... I'm not used to someone putting me first.
226-->'''Snow:''' ''(hugs her)'' Well, get used to it.
227* Snow's ImagineSpot of Emma in her crib.
228* 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 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.''
229** Not to mention that this is Regina we're talking about meaning this isn't the first time a child has betrayed her trust. And in this case, it was intentional. To her credit, she did the right thing this time.
230* Jefferson's breakdown in front of Henry and his reunion with Grace.
231-->'''Henry:''' Why won't you go and find her?
232-->'''Jefferson:''' Because I left her... and she'll hate me.
233* Ruth's death. At least she got to see her son married before she died.
234
235[[AC:Episode 4 - The Crocodile]]
236* ''Captain Hook'', of all people, gets a tragic backstory with 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.
237* Milah's 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.
238* Little Baelfire coming into the tavern and calling for his mother is more than a little depressing. It even moves Milah to temporarily break her ParentalNeglect of him... but only temporarily.
239** It's also a tearjerker for Rumple in retrospect... he knows how it feels to be in Bae's position here all too well.
240* Rumplestiltskin, upon being told his wife has been kidnapped, hobbles down to the docks, finds his way aboard a ship full of pirates, and ''begs'' them to let her go. He's challenged to a fight he knows he can't win, cruelly humiliated when he's too terrified to even pick up the sword, and, on top of everything else, has to go home and break the news to his son.
241
242[[AC:Episode 5 - The Doctor]]
243* The overjoyed look on Regina's face when she thinks Daniel is alive.
244* Regina performing a MercyKill on Daniel, sobbing hysterically while she says goodbye. Can you imagine having to watch your beloved die in front of you for a second time, let alone, having to be the reason for it?
245* Regina, still crying, turning up at Archie's door.
246-->'''Regina:''' I used magic.
247* Regina ''begging'' Charming, ''screaming'' at him... not to hurt Daniel.
248** [[BreakTheHaughty If you're noticing a pattern in this episode...]]
249
250[[AC:Episode 6 - Tallahassee]]
251* The Giant revealing that 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."
252* Aurora's argument for why she should climb the beanstalk: she has no one left, so if she fails it'll be no loss.
253* Emma spent two years waiting in Tallahassee for 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.
254** "Where are the other watches?" "They're gone. They're gone and they're never coming back."
255
256[[AC:Episode 7 - Child Of The Moon]]
257* 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 she was essentially the cause of her best friend ending up in the same position she's in.
258* The entire episode is basically this about Red. She honestly believes that 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 handcuffs Belle to a pipe and goes to give herself up to King George. The looks on both of their faces are rather upsetting.
259* Red crying over her mother's grave, and Snow going to hug her.
260* David's breakdown after Spencer throws Jefferson's hat in a fire. This was, so far, David's only hope of getting to Snow and Emma, and the dwarves had ''just'' found the diamonds to make fairy dust to maybe get it to work...
261
262[[AC:Episode 8 - Into The Deep]]
263* 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.
264* Aurora 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.
265** The reveal that Aurora wanted to go with Emma and Snow to Storybrooke to start over and then Cora suggesting that she's forgotten Phillip because of it. Low blow, Cora. Low blow.
266* Snow's utterly heartbroken words squeeze the heart: "I'm waking up..."
267
268[[AC:Episode 9 - Queen of Hearts]]
269* Rumple and Regina discussing the possibility that Cora might make it through the portal first. TearJerker because Rumple does a small scale CorruptTheCutie moment on the reforming Regina and, as always, his words are seeded with just enough truth...
270** 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. 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 his feelings about Belle against him while they talked in the diner.
271*** In short, it's a pretty crappy situation all around. How much Regina's incredibly teary-eyed face impacts you on the matter, YMMV.
272* Regina's face when Henry hugs her... 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 calls Emma "Mom". A part of you knows that she deserves it, but ''why does she have to make that face?''
273-->'''Rumplestiltskin:''' [[KickTheDog Congratulations.]] You just reunited mother and son. [[KickTheDog Maybe some day they'll even invite you to dinner.]]
274* A subtle and sad bit of FridgeBrilliance here: Remember last season in the second episode, when [[{{Foreshadowing}} Maleficent warned Regina that enacting the curse would leave a void in Regina's heart that can never be filled?]] That's what's happening. And Regina is now feeling it. Ouch.
275
276[[AC:Episode 10 - The Cricket Game]]
277* Regina apologizes to Emma using the same line she used on Daniel before her StartOfDarkness, ''"I am sorry I snapped at you"''.
278* Emma has to tell Henry 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.''
279** Taken further in the details. 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.
280* Snow in the Fairy Tale Realm 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.
281* Regina telling her dad, "I could never be angry at the one I love the most". Yeah...
282** Regina's father begging her to show remorse at her execution, in the hopes she'll be spared. She seems to be considering it but when she's brought out before Snow, her pride gets the better of her.
283* The look on Regina's face when Emma tells Henry that Archie is dead.
284
285[[AC:Episode 11 - The Outsider]]
286* The reason Hook doesn't destroy Baelfire's cloak. ''"Because she made it."''
287** Made even more sadder when you realize Baelfire was Hook's surrogate son for a little time.
288* Belle, the town girl who tried her hardest to redeem a beast, ends the episode shot, over the line, and without her memories.
289** Rumplestiltskin's broken cry of, "What you've done cannot be undone!"
290* Seeing Dreamy again, this time knowing the advice he's thanking Belle for will end horribly for him.
291* The entirety of Archie's funeral. Especially Marco's eulogy. Short and sweet.
292
293[[AC:Episode 12 - In The Name Of The Brother]]
294* "For Mommy."
295** Cora using it to manipulate Regina was ''painful'' to watch.
296* Gold trying to get Belle her memories back using the cup Belle chipped as a talisman. Belle, confused and frightened by the strange man who tried to kiss her earlier is at first annoyed. Annoyance quickly changes to frustration, and Belle smashes the cup against the wall.
297** Made worse when you remember that, prior to this, Belle was pretty much ''the only one in multiple worlds'' who didn't view Rumple as a monster. And she, who had previously been the one to assure him that he ''is'' a man, ends up asking him "What are you?"
298* Heck, pretty much the whole episode. For instance, 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.
299** It doesn't help that Alphonse isn't an abusive monstrous villain like King George or King Xavier. He's a broken man too.
300** Also, when Victor 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:
301--->'''Alphonse:''' 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!
302* 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 him trying to get the nerve to end his resurrected brother's misery.
303** The reason he can't? 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.
304** This plotline is never resolved. We have no idea if Victor ever got back to his brother, who would have been trapped in the black and white world alone for 28 years.
305* 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 (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]].
306** True Love's Kiss doesn't work on people with amnesia due to the Curse. (Think about the multiple times Snow and Charming kissed while under the spell, without breaking it.) But that just makes it worse. He has to know that, but he has to try anyway because he's so desperate to get her back.
307** The example of this most on point is probably the time Charming tried to kiss Snow in the EF while she was under the effect of the forgetfulness potion - she full-on punches him in the face.
308* Somewhere between this and Heartwarming is Red saving Whale from suicide and their following conversation, 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.
309
310[[AC:Episode 13 - Tiny]]
311* Watching Regina act like her old Evil Queen self, knowing all the effort she went through to try and redeem herself.
312* The look on Jack's face when James abandons her.
313* Anton's eldest brother Arlo dying in his arms.
314** And the scene before that when Arlo tells Anton to raze the fields and salt the earth so that the humans would not have the beans. Both of them know what Arlo is really saying and you can see the tears in Anton's eyes. What's more, Arlo's telling Anton to burn the fields not to spite the humans or to get Anton to safety. He's telling Anton to do it for entirely noble reasons: preventing the likes of James and King George from getting to other worlds and pillaging them.
315* Anton's situation. All he wanted to do was explore, make friends, and learn about humans. Instead, Jack and James decide to invoke HumansAreTheRealMonsters in the most manipulative and ''evil'' ways possible, being a FalseFriend, trapping him in human size (albeit, a pretty ''big'' human), robbing the giants, killing off Anton's whole family, and then James turns on Jack and gets away with the goods.
316* Mr. Gold in the bathroom, punching the wall until his knuckles bleed. He tries to heal it with magic, but cannot. [[FridgeHorror We basically just watched him self-harming.]]
317
318[[AC:Episode 14 - Manhattan]]
319* Henry's response to finding out that Emma lied about his father.
320-->'''Henry:''' I thought you were different but you're just like her. Regina. She always lied to me too.
321* Gold's story gets some pretty tear-worthy details. Talk of his cowardice in the war in earlier episodes implied he was injured fleeing from actual battle]]. This reveals that, because of the Seer, 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]].
322* Actually, Milah's case IS also sympathetic if one stops to think of it from her perspective: the opening scene shows that she genuinely fell in love with Rumple ''because'' he was the son of a coward who strove to break away from his father's reputation which he suffered from by association. No matter what his justification was, the fact is that he still did something that would brand him a coward and have a negative impact on both Milah and her new child, making them suffer in the same way he had. No wonder she said "I never loved you" later on... from her point of view, the Rumple she fell in love with was a sham and he actually ''was'' just like his father.
323* In hindsight, Rumple's initial reaction to being called to the front, including a singsongy, "I report for training in the mooo-rning." He's so eager to prove himself, and it ends so badly.
324* Emma calls Snow to tell her that 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.
325-->'''Snow:''' (gently) Are you sure this is about protecting Henry, and not yourself?
326* Think about this whole thing from Neal's perspective. He's traumatized from being abandoned by his father, only to find out that he (inadvertently) did the same thing to his own son.
327** Rumple's added backstory in this episode reveals it's been a very vicious cycle. His own father abandoned him. Years later, when 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 August telling him that Emma is TheChosenOne, Neal chooses to run.
328* 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, and said son wants nothing to do with him. Damn, writers. That's cold.
329-->'''Neal:''' You have no idea what I've lived with. You're so worried about you. You know what I've dealt with? Every night for more years than you could know... the last thing I see before sleep is the image of you—You and me over that pit, your hand... wrapped around mine. And then you open your grip. And as I fall away, all I can see is your face. Choosing all... (imitating Rumplestiltskin) this... crap over me. Letting me go... now it's my turn. Now I'm letting you go.
330-->'''Mr. Gold:''' I'm sorry.
331-->'''Neal:''' I don't care. I didn't get closure, so you don't, either.
332** And the boy Rumple vowed to kill, to prevent said boy from being his undoing? It's Henry. ''His grandson''.
333* Rumplestiltskin telling Baelfire that there's magic back in Storybrooke and that he can turn Baelfire back into a fourteen year old again, so they can start over. Bae would be three years older than his own son. As Robert Carlyle noted at a Paleyfest panel, it's been three hundred years since he's seen his son, and that's all he has to offer.
334
335[[AC:Episode 15 - The Queen Is Dead]]
336* The reason why Snow is a BirthdayHater. 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. Because she hates Eva. For some reason. [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope And it may or may not be working.]]
337** The entire scene with Snow and her mother on her deathbed.
338** It gets worse. Cora was the one who killed Eva in the first place.
339** "And what would you know about mothers?" Coming from her stepmother, that's gotta ''burn.''
340* How absolutely broken Neal looks in the immediate period after Rumple is stabbed.
341-->'''Neal:''' "Papa?"
342* A retroactive one, given the events of "The Miller's Daughter": 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.
343** That Cora 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.
344
345[[AC:Episode 16 - The Miller's Daughter]]
346* 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.
347* Snow, blackmailed by Rumple, has to choose between saving Rumplestiltskin's life or letting Henry's grandfather die. She uses the candle 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.
348** Also, consider the fact that Snow quickly realized that this is not who she is and tries to stop it from happening, but it's too late.
349* The fact that right now, 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.
350** Hell, 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]].
351** Regina's broken sobbing as Cora dies. "Mother, please don't leave me! What am I going to do now?"
352** Not to mention 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.
353* Cora's backstory. No excuse for what she does later but you gotta feel bad for her upbringing. A father who does nothing but drink and get bossed around by a monster of a king in Xavier, echoing pre-dark-Rumple's "kiss my boot" situation.
354* Cora is made to choose between picking up the dagger or saving Regina, who Emma has at knife-point. She chooses the dagger. ''While Regina watches.''
355* Given, since Rumplestiltskin and Belle are one of the main couples, every viewer knew that Cora and Rumple weren't going to be a thing. But still, it's kind of hard not to feel bad for Rumple when he finds out that Cora never ''really'' loved him, but was more or less using him. He already lost a wife and son, and now ''this''. He even tries to revert to blackmailing her, telling her that he will kidnap her firstborn because of their deal... before Cora tells him that they changed the deal: Rumple was going to get his and Cora's child out of the contract. ''A child he was never going to have''.
356** In the same sense, the scene where he and Cora are talking about running away together, and he asks if the deal can be changed to ''their'' child. Just... ''gah''.
357
358[[AC:Episode 17 - Welcome to Storybrooke]]
359* 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.
360-->'''Henry:''' Stop! Listen to yourselves! You're talking about killing my ''Mom''!
361* Thanks to Regina, Owen loses his father.
362** Regina crying on the other side of the barrier 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.
363** 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.
364* Snow turning up on Regina's doorstep, 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.
365** Regina is crying through the entire thing. They're less tears of triumph than they are tears of "really, REALLY screwed up".
366*** They're both crying. And they're both 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.
367* "You're supposed to be heroes!"
368* A lot of it with Regina, really - even after paying the terrible cost to cast the curse, she was satisfied for no more than a few days, before realizing otherwise. She hurts so many people, and she can't quite grasp how much she's hurting herself as well.
369* Rumplestiltskin's surprisingly honest answer when Snow asks how he lives with himself.
370-->"Well, you tell yourself you did the right thing. And if you say it often enough, one day you might actually believe it."
371* The realization that Regina ''knows'' Cora was playing her but goes along with it anyway. She ''knows'' that the spell will not make Henry truly love her but still tries to cast it. All because "it will be something." How ''desperate'' is this woman?
372* Regina telling Owen she just wants him to stay with her and that she won't hurt him. She sounds like a child trying to convince another girl to be her friend, she has no idea that she can't just ''force'' a child and his dad to stay. Lana Parrilla's delivery makes Regina's twisted logic come across as sympathetic.
373
374[[AC:Episode 18 - Selfless, Brave, and True]]
375* Seeing August groveling on the streets of Hong Kong after getting the cure for his wooden transformation taken from him by Tamara.
376* Marco/Geppetto confessing to Snow that the wardrobe he built for Emma had enough magic to transport two people but he made the Blue Fairy keep it a secret so he could send his son Pinocchio with her. The look on both Snow and Emma's face when they realize they could have been together all these years is heartbreaking.
377** Mary Margaret punches Marco. She immediately regrets it and is panicking at the darkness taking over her heart. Even worse, Marco accepts it and says he deserved it.
378* Watching August die after finally deciding to do the right thing, even though he gets better.
379** Once again, Gepetto's son dies in his arms.
380
381[[AC:Episode 19 - Lacey]]
382* Gold finally convincing an amnesiac Belle to trust him enough to come live with him until she manages to get her memories back gets derailed when Regina gives Belle a Storybrooke identity. Lacey is Belle's complete opposite, and isn't wooed by Gold's sensitive side.
383** But he does end up winning her heart once more... by indulging in his ''dark side'', which she is now attracted to.
384* Just Mr. Gold as he 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.
385
386[[AC:Episode 20 - The Evil Queen]]
387* [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds "Because I don't have anyone else to talk to."]]
388* Henry's eager hopefulness that Regina has found a way to be together with him again that doesn't involve hurting the rest of his family... only for Regina to reveal that her way not only involves killing them, but killing everyone in Storybrooke. To see him so horrified, [[YankTheDogsChain all his hopes for his adoptive mother dashed]], is very sad to witness. And then, to top it all off, Regina casts a spell on him that wipes his memory of the event.
389* Bizarrely, the scene where Regina finds the FTL version of a carny running a game where people try to put arrows through the heart of a likeness of her:
390-->'''Carny:''' It's fixed actually. You can't get an arrow into her heart. *{{beat}}* cause she hasn't got one.
391* In the flashback, Regina's desperation to be forgiven by Snow and welcomed back as a member of her family, and it ''almost'' happening... only for Snow, in a moment of very justifiable anguish, to say the ''worst possible thing'' that could be said in the situation: "she takes it back, she ''won't'' forgive Regina, Regina is evil, always has been, and always will be". Fate is '''cruel'''.
392* Regina having an entire village slaughtered because they wouldn't tell her where her innocent step daughter was. There was no warning. There was no threat. She lied about Snow's 'misdeeds' (deeds of her own) and when the village wouldn't bite, she has them all slaughtered. Innocent men, women and children died.
393* Hook's monologue about what will happen if he gets his revenge.
394-->You ever wonder if this constant pursuit for revenge is the reason we have no one who cares for us? I mean, when all this is over, and I know the Crocodile is dead, for good and all, I'll have nothing to look forward to. My life will be empty.
395
396[[AC:Episode 21 - Second Star to the Right]]
397* Neal's expression when he realizes that Tamara was using him from the start and never really loved him.
398** And ''then'' [[KickTheDog she shoots him.]] And ''then'' he falls through a fiery green portal. [[CallBack Again.]]
399** Emma and Neal reaffirming their love just before he disappears.
400* In the flashbacks, Bae [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing himself]] [[TakeMeInstead for his newfound family]].
401* Gold has one of Regina's tears in his cupboard. Why? Because he does. And considering all that Regina's been through, that's all the explanation we need. Although considering everything, [[FridgeHorror the implication may be]] he got it when Cora died, since that happened right there in the pawn shop. Which is even worse, since he's the one who manipulated Snow into killing her, ''and'' he would have to have claimed the tear right after he got up from bed and Regina was cradling Cora's body. Just because he thought he might need it someday. PragmaticVillainy, but a very low, vile blow, too.
402* When Mary Margaret uses the spell to link with Regina... right as she's going through ElectricTorture. Her agonized screams, and David rushing to her side, are bad enough, but when she comes out of it, and describes it as the worst pain she's ever felt... and considering she's gone through losing her mother, her father, being put under the Sleeping Curse (and experiencing the nightmare dimension), almost losing Charming several times...
403* Emma's ''face'' when when Neal lets her hand go. First Graham, now Neal.
404-->'''Emma:''' ''(shellshocked)'' How am I going to tell ''Henry?''
405* Greg might be a [[KnightTemplar OmnicidalManiac]] but when he finds his father's bones...
406** Many have expressed no sympathy for the man himself, but have nothing but pity for the boy he used to be. This was the moment where that boy died for good.
407
408[[AC:Episode 22 - And Straight On Til Morning]]
409* Belle gets her memories back, and Gold proceeding to collapse in her arms, sobbing about Bae's death and saying only "I failed."
410** She and Gold saying goodbye is also heartbreaking, especially since Gold is sure he won't see her again.
411* Henry realizing that Regina is staying behind to allow everyone to escape. Him hugging her later also counts.
412* Emma finally calls Snow and Charming "Mom" and "Dad" as her parents hug her close. Doubles as a heartwarming moment.
413* The way 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.
414** We actually see the heart of gold we know Hook has. He 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.
415** Made even worse when he finds out 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. 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.
416* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mEpvkd7t9E This.]] Regina decides to invoke RedemptionEqualsDeath.
417* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgR92YasOVE Also this.]] Gold thinks he is responsible for Bae's death.
418
419[[AC:Deleted Scenes]]
420It's not made clear which episode it would have been in (most likely "We are Both"), but a DeletedScene after things start getting back to normal in Storybrooke again involves Archie stopping outside the window of Gold's pawn shop and seeing ''those puppets''. The look on his face is indescribable, and makes the scene an important acknowledgement of something otherwise glossed over throughout the show, that not only are Geppetto's parents still there, they're apparently stuck like that forever since there are plenty of times Gold would have restored them if he could have. It's no wonder this is never revisited and Archie is never seen confronting Gold or being anything but a good friend to Marco.
421[[/folder]]
422
423[[folder:Season 3]]
424[[AC:Episode 1- The Heart Of The Truest Believer]]
425* The one minute flashback in the beginning. It shows Emma giving birth to Henry. The doctor happily tells her it's a boy, then a nurse whispers in his ear. He tentatively suggests it's not too late to change her mind. The clincher comes with Emma, on the verge of tears, saying she can't be a mother. It's not even brought up whether she wants him or not, she ''truly believes'' she would be a bad mother.
426** Just that scene of an eighteen year old Emma, giving birth, ''shackled to the bed''. And then being too traumatized and broken and lacking in self-worth to even hold her child. If you don't feel bad for her after that, call Cora to get your heart back, man.
427** Emma refuses to even ''look'' at Henry. This means that their meeting in Episode 1 was the very first time she saw her son.
428* Regina and Hook's banter.
429-->'''Regina:''' "Henry called me a villain, and villains don't get happy endings. You believe that?"
430-->'''Hook:''' "I hope not, or we've wasted our lives."
431* Neal finding the stick Rumplestilskin used to keep track of his height while growing up.
432* The demonstration of just how tenuous and fragile the EnemyMine between the main characters is. Last season, they were determined to rescue Henry and prepared to work together to do it. Come the season 3 premiere, they've barely started and they're already at each other's throats over how they should accomplish the job.
433** 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. Looks like she hasn't kicked that darkness out of her heart just yet.
434
435[[AC:Episode 2- Lost Girl]]
436* Emma revealing to Snow that she didn't kill a Lost Boy because she recognized the look of despair in his eyes from when she was growing up alone and abandoned in the foster system. She tells her even after being reunited with her and Charming she still feels like an orphan.
437** Even more than that, Snow puts the pieces together before Emma and then has to tease it out of her.
438* Peter Pan telling Emma that just like she hasn't forgiven her parents for abandoning her, Henry hasn't forgiven Emma for giving him up, and that by the time they find Henry, he won't want to come back.
439* Charming being poisoned with Dreamshade by one of the Lost Boys' arrows.
440
441[[AC:Episode 3- Quite a Common Fairy]]
442* The Blue Fairy taking away Tinker Bell's wings.
443* Mulan's AbortedDeclarationOfLove to Aurora. The moment she finds out that Aurora and Phillip are having a baby, you can see her heart breaking. [[StepfordSmiler But she smiles, pretends to have good news,]] and tells Aurora she's 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.
444** 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.
445* Regina in the flashback denying herself a chance at happiness with a new love, because she's grown so accustomed to defining herself by anger and hatred that the thought of starting over with a clean slate ''frightens'' her, especially if it ends up in tragedy again like with Daniel.
446* The whole confrontation between 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.
447** Tink's comment to Regina while reminiscing about their shared past, and how Regina never tried to make up for it:
448-->'''Tink:''' Do you know how selfish that is? ... You didn't just ruin your life. You ruined ''his''.
449
450[[AC:Episode 4 - Nasty Habits]]
451* Gold reunites with Baelfire and immediately attacks him, believing him to be a vision.
452-->'''Gold:''' I ''will'' sacrifice my life to save Henry and nothing is going to stop me!
453* What Pan tells Rumple in the flashback. Once you learn who Pan really is and what his connection to Rumple is, this just becomes horrible and disgusting.
454-->'''Pan:''' You're not afraid of your son being taken from you. No, you're afraid that he'll leave you! After all, being abandoned is what you're best at. Everyone you've ever loved has abandoned you. Your wife, Milah... not to mention ''your own father.''
455* Emma's tearful breakdown about losing Neal:
456-->'''Emma:''' I knew the moment I saw him that I never stopped loving him.
457* Snow White having no idea how to comfort her own daughter. Followed by the expression on Charming's face when Snow hugs him, saying nothing will happen to him.
458* 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... 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.
459* Neal rejecting his father's attempt at a HeelFaceTurn. You can't even blame him, because he makes some very valid points. Rumple genuinely does want to change today, but what about tomorrow, especially now that he has something to live for that could bring back that nasty 'self-preservation habit'?
460* The very end, when Henry hears the music. [[NightmareFuel He looks so]] ''[[NightmareFuel happy...]]''
461
462[[AC:Episode 5 - Good Form]]
463* Hook's attempts at bonding with Emma being rejected. Doesn't help that David tells him he's "nothing but a pirate".
464* Killian's brother being poisoned by Dreamshade, only to be given the mystical healing water by Pan. But that's just a HopeSpot because he dies as soon as he leaves the island.
465* Oddly enough, 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.
466** Immediately after, Pan tells Hook that Neal is alive and here in Neverland. Talk about KickTheDog.
467* Emma holding Snow back so Regina can take the Lost Boy's heart. Showing that when pushed to the line between doing the right thing and saving Henry, Emma is going to take Regina's side over her own mother's.
468
469[[AC:Episode 6 - Ariel]]
470* Thanks to Regina, Gold learns that the encouraging vision of Belle that he's been seeing since arriving in Neverland was just Pan's shadow in disguise.
471* Mary Margaret's darkest secret: She feels that she got cheated out of experiencing Emma's childhood and wants to have another child.
472** And the subsequent reveal of David's secret: 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.
473** Hook is the first one to reveal his secret: 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.
474** Emma's may be the mother of them all: She secretly hoped that Neal was dead, so she wouldn't have to face another round of the pain they went through.
475* The end of the episode: Ariel saved Snow from Regina and went back to Eric to tell him the truth about her, 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.
476
477[[AC:Episode 7 - Dark Hollow]]
478* Snow gives Charming the silent treatment for half the episode, and when she finally does let her feelings out, it's a painfully realistic treatment of such an argument, both sides having sympathetic points so that you wish this didn't have to come between them.
479* 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.
480
481[[AC:Episode 8 - Think Lovely Thoughts]]
482* The true backstory of Rumplestiltskin and Peter Pan. 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.
483** Young Rumplestilskin returning to the two spinsters in tears after his father abandons him.
484* The reaction of Henry's parents to Pan telling him that they're lying to him because adults always lie. The lies they told him for various reasons backfire horribly.
485* Snow telling Emma she wants to stay in Neverland with Charming, while Emma goes back to Storybrooke. Although Snow's acting out of love for Charming and Emma's old enough to get along without parents, she's been doing that her whole life, so hearing her parent tell her she might get abandoned again just when she finally had a family had to be really hard to hear for Emma. No wonder she begged for them to find another way.
486
487[[AC:Episode 9 - Save Henry]]
488* Something pointed out by one reviewer. What could have happened that turned Regina the slowly devoted mother into Regina the cold-hearted mother between when she got Henry and when Emma came into her life? What turned the woman finally putting someone else first into the woman who Emma had doubts about her sincerity towards Henry?
489** Judging from Eddy and Adam's treatment of the situation, on the one hand, it seems that her characterization as a parent in season 1 was not completely meant to appear as heinous as that in the end (it was clear as early as episode 5 that she loved Henry, and Emma's power had failed after 11 episodes), and there are clues that she was happy with Henry and him with her at some point earlier in Henry's life (the objects Cora looks at when trying to find how to persuade her to do a FaceHeelTurn). On the other hand, this might classify under ObliviouslyEvil in her characterization. She ''is'' putting him before her, to make him live the life ''she'' would have wanted in his place. [[TheChainOfHarm Just like her mother did to her]]...
490** Maybe the memory loss potion caused her to forget how to properly and constructively love, because it made her forget why having him was a sacrifice: because he was an obstacle to her avenging the Stable Boy and because she loved Daniel. Also, remember what Rumple's memory loss potion did to Snow's personality? It looks like a similar case here, only worse because Regina was already evil to start with.
491* When Regina says that Henry is all she has and she's not about to lose him is heart-wrenching enough, but it becomes even HarsherInHindsight with what happens two episodes later.
492** 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 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.
493
494[[AC:Episode 10 - The New Neverland]]
495* Regina crumpling to the ground as she realizes all of Henry's wanting to be around her were lies by Pan. Luckily, the real Henry saves it by telling her he really does need her.
496* When Emma tries to warn Regina about Henry and Regina takes it to mean she doesn't think Henry would want to be around her. It was so painful to see both of them at odds on this because judging by the way Emma immediately backtracked and let Henry stay with her the night before, she ''does'' see her as Henry's mom as well, and Regina was clearly hurt that she would think differently.
497
498[[AC:Episode 11 - Going Home]]
499* [[BittersweetEnding All of it. The entire bloody thing.]] But a few scenes stand out.
500** 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.
501-->'''Henry:''' This isn't fair. This is all my fault.
502-->'''Regina:''' ''(genuinely confused)'' What do you mean?
503-->'''Henry:''' If I had never gone to get Emma... if I just lived under the curse with you... none of this would have ever happened. I thought I was alone. I thought you didn't love me. But I was wrong.
504-->'''Regina:''' ''Henry'', I was wrong too. [[CharacterDevelopment It wasn't you're fault, it's mine. I cast a curse out of vengeance. I'm... I'm a villain.]] And you heard Mr. Gold. Villains don't get happy endings.
505-->'''Henry:''' You're not a villain. You're my Mom.
506*** RealitySubtext makes it worse: Lana Parrilla is, by Jared Gilmore's own admission, his second mom. It wouldn't have been hard for either of them to tap into the tearing grief of being separated forever.
507** Rumplestiltskin's 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."
508*** 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.
509** Belle sobbing when Rumplestiltskin dies. [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther Regina looked pretty miserable too.]]
510*** Not just sobbing, she dropped to her knees and looked like she was having a full-blown emotional breakdown...
511** 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.
512*** 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.
513** Once again, Snow and Charming have to say goodbye to their daughter because of an incoming curse. But this time, it's indefinite.
514* Despite the fact the place wasn't their home, it came from a curse, and everyone was unhappy there for 28 years, it's actually quite sad to see Storybrooke disappear into the smoke at the end, considering how long we've all been with it, come to know it and become fond of it. The very last shot is especially sad, since it shows the storybook being swept away too.
515* In its own warped way 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...
516
517[[AC:Episode 12 - New York City Serenade]]
518* Regina has gone missing from the group, so Snow goes looking for her. She finds her in the woods, burying her own heart so that she doesn't have to suffer the pain of being separated from Henry.
519* 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... 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.
520** Not to mention Walsh's [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Disney/Frozen Hans-esque]] one-liner before assaulting Emma.
521* Poor Hook has it rough this episode. He and Emma were at least friends when they parted, and now she's treating him like a stranger at best and a crazy stalker at worst, when all he wants is to help her. By the end of the episode his feelings are made very clear when the first thing he does when he's alone is [[DrowningMySorrows reach for a bottle of alcohol]].
522** Emma telling him that she has "a guy I love". The look on his face is heartbreaking, because AllLoveIsUnrequited ''yet again'', he knows it, and while [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy he wants her to be happy]] he needs to take her away from that happiness to save everyone in Storybrooke.
523
524[[AC:Episode 13 - Witch Hunt]]
525* Regina's [[DropWhatYouAreDoing reaction]] to seeing Henry for the first time since she broke the curse - and realizing that he has no idea who she is.
526** Then after their first face to face meeting in a year, they part ways by shaking hands. Regina is clearly trying to restrain herself from giving him a hug.
527* In the flashback segment, Robin Hood discovers that Regina is preparing a Sleeping Curse and asks who she plans to use it on. Her response? "No one you'll miss. No one ''anyone'' will miss." Then she plucks some of her own hair from her head and you quickly realize that she was talking about ''herself.'' If you read it in such a way, you could probably interpret this as her being DrivenToSuicide.
528-->'''Regina:''' This curse can be broken by the only true love of my life and the only reason I would ever want to wake: my son.
529* 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 avoiding being raised by Cora, she insists that growing up alone in Oz was worse.
530** She looks ''crushed'' when she learns about Cora and Rumple's demise. Then, she [[HarsherInHindsight puts on]] [[StepfordSmiler a good face]], and goes on with her ObviouslyEvil routine, stating that she does not need them alive, just Regina. Envy is literally all she has.
531
532[[AC:Episode 14 - The Tower]]
533* David's nightmare in the opening. He's already lost one child and now he's terrified that he's going to lose the next one.
534* Belle's reaction to being called "Mrs. Gold" by Zelena.
535-->'''Zelena:''' Where's Mr. Gold?\
536'''Belle:''' He--he's gone.
537* Rapunzel's background story. 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.
538
539[[AC:Episode 15 - Quiet Minds]]
540* Emma finally finds Neal again in Storybrooke... only to lose him yet again, this time for good.
541** This requires a little more unpacking. 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.
542** Neal giving Emma back the swan necklace.
543-->Go find Tallahassee. Even if it's without me.
544** Just the fact that Neal never got to see Henry again. Even worse, Henry doesn't remember him.
545** His last words: I love you Papa. Cue the waterworks.
546* The true circumstances regarding 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, 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!
547* Regina's reluctance to find happiness again after finding out exactly who the man with the lion tattoo really was.
548* Belle gets to 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.
549
550[[AC:Episode 16 - It's Not Easy Being Green]]
551* Poor Rumplestiltskin can't even attend his own son's funeral, and is still being browbeaten by Zelena while mourning his son.
552** Belle tries to rescue him, but it turns out that Zelena is toying with them.
553** For better or worse, he knows it and greets her with a GET OUT. After everything she's done, Belle can't catch a break either.
554* Zelena's backstory. Seems like nobody ever really wanted her; Case in point:
555** Certainly not her mother Cora, who abandoned her in the woods as a baby because she ruined her plan for social advancement, and never mentioned her to Rumplestiltskin or anyone else before Zelena met him. Even as the Queen of Hearts, she never bothered to try to find her, 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:
556*** She thinks that Zelena is dead because she knew about the cyclone, but didn't bother to leave her in a safe place.
557*** She thinks that Zelena is dead because she knew about the cyclone, and knowingly left her there to die.
558*** She won't bother looking her up, despite her powers, because unlike Anastasia and Regina, Zelena was most likely not a queen.
559** Not her adoptive father (who was even the first one to call her "wicked", both for trying to patch his wounds with magic and for ''saving his life'' in this fashion ''as a baby''). He generally acts like an EntitledBastard and revealed his wife's lies about her origins either shortly after her funeral or after a long, unhealthy mourning (both his "now there's only us", "now I can say it" indicate that he hasn't moved on, and that's without mentioning the red eyes and his scary drinking problem). And the last thing that drives Zelena to finally leave him is his blaming ''her'' for his own alcoholism!
560** 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, 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.
561* 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, 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.
562** It's no wonder her true goal is to change the past so that Cora would accept her as her daughter. She cannot get acceptance from her in the present, and 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, Cora is the only one left to idealize.
563* The proof that Zelena is indeed 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 Zelena is Cora's true firstborn, Regina realized that she was nothing but a point of comparison.
564-->'''Regina:''' I've seen that letter a hundred times before. In my darkest moments, I'd go to it for comfort, solace, or a boost when I needed it. Because I... because I always thought it was about ''me''.
565** Even worse: if Zelena had somehow gotten a hand on the letter, she might have gotten the same feeling from it since it is exactly what she has been looking for for years, and despite the humiliation, Regina would have avoided being targeted ''yet again'' because of her mother.
566* Oddly enough, the true story behind 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.
567* Neal's funeral in general. Nobody said anything during it but that made it sadder. Especially since the one reason they can't memorialize him properly is because his own son doesn't even remember him, and couldn't mourn him the way he's supposed to.
568* Hook in this episode; he's been helping out Emma so much these few episodes when it came to protecting her son from the Wicked Witch, but due to her stubborn attitude (and the fact that Neal just died), she really can't reciprocate those feelings.
569** Henry is a TearJerker precisely because of how sad he ''isn't''. Neal had bonded well with him, but it didn't leave the expected mark for both of them since Henry doesn't remember.
570
571[[AC:Episode 17 - The Jolly Roger]]
572* The ending 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.
573* Hook admitting to Ariel 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.
574
575[[AC:Episode 18 - Bleeding Through]]
576* Cora taking out her straw ring. Her feelings were probably shallow and partly due to the fact that he was dashing and respected her despite supposedly being a superior, but they were real.
577* Cora bandons 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.
578* Cora's ghost knocking Regina around like a ragdoll, while she's desperately trying to protect Snow.
579-->'''Regina:''' *to Snow* You officially have a less damaging relationship with my mother than I do. And you killed her.
580* Rumple's clear pain at having to use Robin's child in order to get Regina's heart, he truly hated having to threaten someone's child after losing his own.
581
582[[AC:Episode 19 - A Curious Thing]]
583* The next pair of characters revealed to have been turned into flying monkeys? Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora. Seeing Hook, Emma, Charming and Regina fight off a bunch of them later really doesn't help matters, especially as they're doing so without a second thought as to whether any of them might be someone they knew.
584* Belle's clearly doing everything not to break down as she approaches a very unhinged Rumplestiltskin and tries to get him to tell them how to defeat Zelena.
585* Charming and Snow's tearful goodbyes before enacting the new Dark Curse so they can return to Emma and stop Zelena. Even though we know they both survive somehow despite one of them having to sacrifice the heart of the one they love most, it's really heartrending to watch.
586** There's also the way Snow literally falls on her knees before Regina and begs her to break her heart in two to save Charming, as a child to her mother, because that's what Regina was to her once and is becoming again. The look on Regina's face says it all.
587* After regaining his memories, Henry finally recognizes his father's sacrifice and visits his grave.
588* Emma snapping at Henry that she's ''not'' going to explain anything to him, essentially having turned into pre-redemption Regina.
589* Emma telling Hook that she just can't trust him anymore after his attempt to take Henry back to New York without her knowledge, since that resulted in Zelena nearly killing Henry. She sounds especially hurt that he didn't bother to tell her about the curse Zelena put on him.
590** The look in his eyes as she says this. He's spent so long building up their friendship and trying to be a better person, for her, and hearing that she doesn't want to see him just crushes him.
591
592[[AC:Episode 20 - Kansas]]
593* Snow immediately losing her newborn child yet again. Thankfully, the separation doesn't last as long this time.
594* During the Enchanted Forest flashbacks in this episode we see the moment when Dorothy first arrives in Oz via the cyclone. Zelena and Glinda are there to greet her. Glinda states that few would be able to survive a storm like that, and that Dorothy must be very special and powerful. Zelena is silent during that exchange, but look at her face, particularly when Glinda says that Dorothy is special. You can practically feel Zelena's envy starting to grow. As we see during the flashbacks, Zelena has the capacity to be good, much like we've seen with Regina, Hook, and Gold, but unlike her sister, she threw that chance away for a very petty reason: she's jealous of a girl with no known magical powers who is not even a threat to her. It's quite sad, because considering the current-day Storybrooke events, we are well aware of the dark path on which Zelena is heading.
595* Poor Dorothy never meant Zelena any harm, and yet she was made to believe that she killed Zelena by throwing water on her.
596* Glinda's banishment to the Enchanted Forest, after all her efforts to keep Zelena from giving in to her evil.
597* Emma losing her magic, seemingly for good. Made worse by how she doesn't miss it, and is still determined to take Henry back to New York and leave Storybrooke behind.
598** The desperation in her voice as she 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.
599-->'''Emma:''' Hook... Hook... Hook, wake up! ''(getting louder and more desperate)'' Killian! Killian, come back to me! Oh God...
600* Rumplestiltskin lying to Belle about trusting her with his dagger, and succumbing to his need for revenge against Zelena.
601** 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.
602** During her talk with Regina, Zelena refuses to believe that she lucked out on having Cora as a mother. Even after Regina tells her about Daniel, she still thinks that was better than what she got.
603
604[[AC:Episode 21 - Snow Drifts]]
605* 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.
606* Emma's 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.
607* 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.
608
609[[AC:Episode 22 - There's No Place Like Home]]
610* Emma has a number of these.
611** Her watching as Snow White is seemingly being burned at the stake by Regina and breaking down in Hook's arms.
612** Her realizing Snow didn't know who she was, that she had lost her even as she saved her... and that this was the same way she'd been treating Snow, acting as if she didn't know her or she didn't matter just because she hadn't raised her.
613** Her final words to Rumplestiltskin as he tries to stop her from going back through the time portal: telling him that yes, Neal died, but he was a hero, and that Rumple needs to take the potion, forget everything, and let her go back so that he won't have died for nothing.
614** The look on her face when she realizes 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.
615** 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.
616
617[[AC:Season 3 Deleted Scenes]]
618* The letter Regina leaves for Snow White, after she stops her from burying her heart and as she's on her way into the castle to cast the Sleeping Curse on herself:
619-->"The day we met I saved your life. [[TheWoobie Thank you for trying to save mine]]."
620[[/folder]]
621
622
623[[folder:Season 4]]
624[[AC:Episode 1 - A Tale of Two Sisters]]
625* 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.
626** The actual premiere sheds a different tear-jerky light on it. She tries to put a plot in play to kill Marian in the past rather than in the present, because doing it now would put all suspicion on her. But when she sees her first encounter with Marian as the Evil Queen, Regina is [[IHatePastMe noticeably shaken by what she used to be.]] By the end of the episode she's decided that Marian doesn't need to die, but now she wants to find the author of the book and have them change how it's written so that the villains can get happy endings. After all she's done, after everybody believing she was the hero, she still thinks of herself as the villain.
627** Not to mention that this course of action is likely delusional and doomed to failure, as all we've seen of the book so far indicates that it records what happens rather than causes it, so the writer probably ''can't'' give Regina what she wants. Once again, she's chasing a lost cause.
628* Robin is visibly distressed over the fact that he is still madly in love with Regina, but has to stay with Marian because he made a vow and he cannot break his code of honour.
629* Elsa regressing into a bit of PowerIncontinence when she finds her mother's diary and learns her parents' fatal trip was because of her.
630* Rumple's speech at Neal's grave. His happiest memory was of comforting young Bae one night because it made him feel that for once he capable of defending his child. Then he got the dagger and it turned him into a monster. Despite having a fresh start with Belle, he feels guilty for lying to Belle and starting their marriage off on deception. He vows to Neal to set things right. It just makes it even more depressing when he gives into temptation again later.
631* The sight of Regina sitting against her office door crying into her arms is saddening. Here is a woman who has gone to great lengths to earn her happy ending and has never given up, doing just that. It's clear that Robin breaking up with her has broken her heart and now she knows that killing Marian won't bring her happiness. Even when Emma is right on the other side of the door trying to get through to her, she just sits there and doesn't respond. The scene turns heartwarming when Emma declares that if Regina won't fight for her happy ending, then Emma will get it for her, which seems to inspire Regina to find the Author to get villains their happy endings.
632
633[[AC:Episode 2 - White Out]]
634* Hook becomes desperate to get Emma out of the ice cave that Elsa accidentally creates that he starts digging a hole in the wall using his own hook (twice). Charming has to pull Hook away from the wall both times in order to stop Hook's futile attempt, as Elsa's magic created the wall and only Elsa can take it down.
635* David's story to Anna that his father often struggled with alcoholism throughout his childhood. He left on a two week journey, promising that he'd be sober when he returned. David eagerly waited until the last day only to find out that on the last night, his father gave in to temptation and drank himself to death. Considering how insecure he usually is at being a father, this scene puts everything into perspective.
636* Elsa yells at Charming that she'll freeze the whole town if Anna isn't found. As Emma later points out, it wasn't a threat, but a warning. Elsa is terrified that without Anna, she won't be able to control her ability and will freeze this town full of (mostly) innocent people.
637** Elsa become more terrified once Emma starts freezing to death due to the coolness of the ice cave, and tries very hard to keep Emma awake.
638* Henry's reaction to Regina's message about her not seeing him for a while. He looked devastated and interpreted that his mother didn't want to see him again period. Nothing Emma says or does can cheer him up. There is something about seeing someone as optimistic as Henry look utterly defeated.
639** One of the two deleted scenes from the episode shows how bad Henry is hurting from what he perceives as Regina's rejection. He goes to Gold's shop and asks him to give him back his fake memories so he can forget about Regina and have simpler life back. The scene explores the extent of how the events of the series have taken its toll on Henry and how much of the optimistic kid is disappearing.
640
641[[AC:Episode 3 - Rocky Road]]
642* The 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.
643* Hook confronts Emma over her distance from him, demanding to know if she doesn't trust him. Instead, it turns out that she ''knows'' she has a CartwrightCurse and is ''terrified'' of losing him too.
644
645[[AC:Episode 4 - The Apprentice]]
646For an episode whose premise is a date, 4x04 is a surprisingly dark and sad episode.
647* Hook. Hook wants to get his hand back for his date with Emma, and he does. However, he does this by blackmailing Rumple: if he doesn't do what he wants, he'll tell Belle about the dagger being fake. He begins to act strangely and is terrified by this. He then confronts Rumple and begs for him to remove his new/old hand and Rumple refused to do so, [[ManipulativeBastard unless Hook does something for him.]] Hook then does Rumple's dirty work for him and Rumple uses this to blackmail Hook. ''And there is nothing he can do about it.'' Granted, Hook had it coming but just the way Rumple maliciously gloats about it gives you some sympathy for him.
648** Also, his horrified, remorseful reaction to Rumple's TheReasonYouSuckSpeech telling him that 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.
649* Anna rejecting her inner darkness, thus allowing Rumplestiltskin to collect the box. Shows usually treat the hero doing this as a victory; unfortunately, due to the circumstances, it turns out to be Rumple's win, rather than Anna's. There's as much despair as disgust in the way she says this line:
650-->"You take the most precious thing in the world -- love -- and you use it as a weapon."
651* Anna learned that her parents did go on that voyage 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.
652* 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. 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.
653** Made even sadder by Emma's off-handed comment "and celebrate with all your friends" while holding the book to his face. 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.
654* Rumplestiltskin's [[SlowlySlippingIntoEvil slipping back in to evil]] deserved special mention. It's depressing to see after all his [[CharacterDevelopment development]], it only took a hat to turn him back into the evil, power-hoarding maniac that everyone feared. And the fact that his own ''wife'' Belle has absolutely no say in things.
655* 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. He was sucked into the hat, his power added to the magic inside, and brought Rumplestiltskin one step further to completing his plan.
656
657[[AC:Episode 5 - Breaking Glass]]
658* Elsa getting lured by the Snow Queen using an illusion of Anna, and then being bound by chains that would tighten the more afraid she became, bringing her down to her knees by the time the Snow Queen leaves her.
659* The abrupt end to Emma and Lily's friendship. Although it's easy to understand how betrayed Emma may have felt at the time, the heartbreak on Lily's face as Emma spitefully walks away is just painful to watch.
660** And it apparently still haunts present day Emma, since she tells Regina that she wishes she'd been able to forgive Lily back then.
661* The reason why the Snow Queen was so surprised to see Emma again in Storybrooke. 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.
662* Hook looking at a photo of Emma and Neal together. His face says it all: grief for his friend.
663** Emma notices the change in his demeanor, and shares a look with him. You could swear an entire conversation's worth of emotions were exchanged between them, and they didn't even have to say a word.
664* Regina's constantly putting Emma down over saving Marian throughout the episode. After all her hard work, she's still falling back into her old patterns of behavior, just like Rumple.
665
666[[AC:Episode 6 - Family Business]]
667* Belle finding out her mother died.
668* Belle's tearful confession to Mr Gold about a secret she kept from him all the while showing a deep trust in him. Rumple's reaction is both conflicted and painful, particularly when he knows quite well he's lying to her about the dagger.
669* Regina, telling Robin Hood that he needed to forget about her to save his wife, effectively sacrificing her own happiness to ensure that of her beloved. Both a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}} and TearJerker at the same time.
670* Anna being captured by Ingrid, and the particularly cruel speech she gives about Anna being "the odd woman out", and how she can't be part of her and Elsa's family.
671* Elsa beginning to wonder if Anna really did put her in the urn and worrying that she might never see her sister again. Someone give that poor girl a hug.
672
673[[AC:Episode 7 - The Snow Queen]]Much tears were shed this episode.
674* Ingrid's youth was much like Elsa's, which means she was a loner, lived in fear of hurting the one she loves. And then she accidentally froze/shattered/killed her sister Helga in a bout of uncontrolled magic triggered by [[DomesticAbuser the Duke of Weselton]] attempting to woo/rape her. Then her other sister showed up, accused her of being a monster and locked her away in a magical urn indefinitely. TragicVillain at its finest.
675** Of special mention though is the actual moment of Helga's death. She collapses, freezing over and turning to ice, her expression only one of stunned disbelief that Ingrid had done this to her. Ingrid desperately tries to save her, pleading that there's still a chance, and then she ''breaks apart right in Ingrid's hands''. Follow this up with the way Ingrid pleads with Gerda that it was just an accident, that she loved her and promised she would never turn on her, before being sealed in the urn... '''''God''''', the tears...
676* Gerda. Although the audience knows Helga's death was an accident, Gerda has no idea, and she is clearly distraught with grief when she puts Ingrid in that urn.
677** When she asks Grandpabbie to cast the spell she says she lost ''both'' her sisters.
678** It may or may not eventually be shown onscreen, but Gerda's encounter with Ingrid suddenly casts her relationship with her daughter Elsa in a whole new light.
679* After Emma accidentally hurts David, Mary Margaret yells at Emma and immediately regrets it.
680** Snow admitting to herself and David that they failed being Emma's parents when she needed them most.
681** Emma being terrified at what she did and runs away. Elsa sadly relates to that.
682* Snow being called a "first-time mother" in front of Emma. She tries to say that she's fine with it, but she is also unconsciously boiling the milk in the bottle she's holding.
683* The way Ingrid draws out Emma's powers by inciting her anger. For a girl who's the product of true love and a wielder of light magic, it's incredibly cruel how Ingrid manages to turn that into something scary enough to unsettle even her parents.
684
685[[AC:Episode 8 - Smash The Mirror]]
686* Emma accidentally hurting Henry, who was trying to help her. Their reactions won't help.
687** 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.
688* Elsa learning about the truth of her parents' trip. She's completely shocked.
689* Ingrid capturing Anna 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.
690** It gets worse. 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:
691--->"Do what you will, but know that no matter what, Anna, I love you."
692*** 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.
693** 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.
694** 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.
695* Mr. Gold is downright scary in this episode, but during his scenes with Emma, he reveals that he genuinely believes that he'll never be able to overcome his villainous tendencies, despite Belle's faith in him.
696** Mr. Gold made a lot of progress in the last three seasons. Now all of that is gone, and he's back to his old self. Even his marriage to Belle isn't enough to keep him grounded anymore. It's too clear that losing his son for good has utterly destroyed him.
697** It says something when Hook points out that Emma is the mother of his beloved grandson, and it doesn't faze him in the slightest.
698* Hook calling Emma, over and over, desperate to reach her before she sacrifices her magic. Each time he gets her voicemail, he leaves a long, heart-felt message explaining 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, [[KickTheDog Gold somehow deletes the message before Emma hears it]].
699
700[[AC:Episode 9 - Fall]]
701* The moment the light from Anna's necklace suddenly stops shining, Elsa breaks down, thinking she'd lost her sister forever, while Emma comforts her, herself in tears as well.
702** Anna resigned to drown 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.
703* All the scenes of the parting couples/families...Regina and Henry, Regina and Robin, Emma and Killian, Anna and Kristoff...and then...
704** 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 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''.
705** Regina seals herself in the vault, not because she's afraid of everyone hunting her down, but because she's afraid of hurting everyone. She may have conquered her dark side, but she sadly knows just how dark it is.
706-->'''Robin Hood:''' I'm not afraid of you.
707-->'''Regina:''' *eyes shiny with tears* ''You really, really should be.''
708** Emma practically has a breakdown over the prospect of locking her parents in jail cells so they don't hurt each other. The whole time ''they're'' reassuring ''her'' and literally have to talk her into jailing them.
709** Snow and Charming crying as they hand over Neal to Emma, because they're afraid they'll hurt him. As she takes him from them and locks them up, they clasp hands through the bars and give a forced, teary smile.
710** Regina and Rumplestiltsken lock 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''.
711** Anna is one of the perkiest, most {{Adorkable}}, most optimistic characters ever, yet even she starts crying as she chains her fiancé Kristoff to a desk for his own safety.
712* The final scene with Prince Charming and Snow White. The two of them are the most prominent example of TrueLove, they have been to hell and back to be together, they are ''literally'' of one heart. And even they can't overcome Shattered Sight. No one in Storybrooke is safe anymore. The last scene of them unlocking their hands and the cold look they give to each other after the spell hits highlights how dark the situation is.
713** Just prior to this, as the spell is arriving, there's the moment where Elsa is embracing Anna while covering her face with her hand, and Emma is sinking to her knees, desperately protecting baby Neal. There's just something so sad and despairing, watching this and knowing ''nothing'' can stop the spell from taking effect, and all they can do is huddle and hold each other till it's over.
714* Hook's trapping of the fairies is a huge one for 2 reasons:
715** The sheer horror on Mother Superior's face when she is getting sucked into the hat.
716** Hook's extreme regret for this, sitting behind the counter with tears in his eyes.
717* Much like how Hook pleaded with Gold to spare Emma for the sake of his grandson, he pleads with him yet again, pointing out that Belle truly loves him and that he can have that forever. Again, doesn't faze him at all.
718
719[[AC:Episode 10 - Shattered Sight]]
720* Anything and everything to do with Ingrid and her HeroicSacrifice. And the letter from Gerda. And the flashbacks to when Ingrid was Emma's foster mother.
721-->All I wanted was to have my sister's love, and... Now I have it. Now... I get to join them.
722** The music during this scene is especially tear-jerking, and the special effects were quite beautiful and moving.
723** The {{Irony}} of Emma and Ingrid's past is particularly cruel: Ingrid spent most of her life believing that she could only have a family that truly loved her if she surrounded herself with people who had magic... then she became Emma's foster mother and Emma honestly did love her... until Ingrid drove her away because of her obsession with awakening Emma's magic. If she'd just left it alone, then she would have had a little sister (from her perspective) who loved her, magic or no magic. Everything that happened this season could have been avoided.
724-->'''Emma:''' I should've known the only person willing to adopt me would turn out to be a nut job.
725** Ingrid also realizing too late that she didn't became a monster due to her magical powers, but she became one by using her powers to harm others.
726** The moment where we see the three sisters as children again, TogetherInDeath. Look closely--Ingrid is ''running to catch up'' with Gerda and Helga. And it's Gerda's hand she takes...
727* There was something sad about Gold telling Hook, "I won't be a villain. I'll be a hero," after plotting to save Belle and Henry while leaving the rest of the town to die. He wants to be a hero, but he doesn't think he can anymore and so is resigned to tricking people into believing he is.
728* S.Sight!Kristoff telling Anna he's glad they never got married and that his haircut "wasn't the only bad decision" he's made, which visibly upsets her.
729-->'''Anna:''' I know this is just the spell talking and not you, but it's still upsetting, so I'm just going to go over there with my sister. You stay here where you can't hurt anyone. Except me, with your words.
730
731[[AC:Episode 11 - Heroes and Villains]]
732* Belle banishing Gold from Storybrooke.
733** 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.
734** Gold's final words before she forces him across: "''I'm afraid!''"
735** 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.
736** When he finally gets 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.
737** 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.
738** This exchange really hammers it home:
739--->'''Gold:''' We can have it all.
740--->'''Belle:''' I just wanted you.
741* 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 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.
742* Hook 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.
743
744[[AC:Episode 12 - Darkness on the Edge of Town]]
745* Belle clearly is still devastated by losing Rumple, even while she recognizes that she did the right thing.
746** Similarly, even though he's aware that Rumple forced him to do it, Hook is still regretful and blames ''himself'' for trapping the Apprentice and the fairies in the hat, to the point of not considering himself a hero when Emma claims he is.
747* When Rumple is 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.
748* When Emma is searching in Regina's office and comes across the alternate page from the storybook--we'd last seen Regina tear it up after being forced to lose Robin, but here it's revealed she rescued the pieces and taped them back together. As if that isn't bad enough, when Emma asks her what it is, the way Regina just dismisses it as having any value or meaning, and claims it only existed as a way for the Author to taunt her, was heartbreaking.
749
750[[AC:Episode 13 - Unforgiven]]
751* In a flashback, Maleficent reveals that she is pregnant, just like Snow White. Towards the end of the episode, we see a newly-resurrected Maleficent take out a baby rattle and tearfully give it a shake. Moments later, Snow White confesses to Regina that because of her and Prince Charming, [[AlasPoorVillain Maleficent had lost her baby.]]
752** 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 simple baby rattle that Maleficent probably made herself, judging by how it matches her staff.
753** 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 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.
754* The look on Rumplestiltskin's face when he sees Belle with Will.
755
756[[AC:Episode 14 - Enter the Dragon]]
757* The look on Regina's face when she has to knock out Marco and Pinocchio, then kidnap the latter.
758** There's also, for Pinocchio and Marco, being separated yet ''again''.
759* After spending the last two episodes being lied to by her parents, Hook and Regina, Emma finally snaps. She tells Regina that she feels like she is either being lied to or losing her mind, as her superpower is sensing lies from everyone. It's sad to see someone usually so sure of herself, being filled with doubt on if she can trust herself or her loved ones. Regina even looks sad to have to lie to her and tries to reassure her that no one is lying to her.
760
761[[AC:Episode 15 - Poor Unfortunate Soul]]
762* Hook 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.
763** Hook's genuinely remorseful later, and he tries to return her voice. It looks like it's going to work...[[YankTheDogsChain only for the magic to be sucked back into the seashell]], leaving Ursula to bitterly restate that villains don't get happy endings.
764** And then Ursula tries to drown him, and taunts Emma about it. Emma, who already has a fear of losing him to her CartwrightCurse.
765* Poseidon's FreudianExcuse for why he wants Ursula's voice: it's the last reminder he has of his wife.
766
767[[AC:Episode 16 - Best Laid Plans]]
768* Possibly the biggest TearJerker of all. ''Every'' character from the Enchanted Forest was implied to be a CosmicPlaything to the current Author. Everything they had to endure was because the Author was a JerkassGod who wanted "a better story".
769* Maleficent begging for Snow and Charming not to kidnap her child. The fact that Snow failed her promise to return the egg after it was sent to ''another world''. Therefore, the situation becomes even more tragic.
770** Snow's guilt about it afterwards. She truly believes what they've done is unforgivable and there's no way to redeem themselves.
771-->I thought we were doing something brave for our child, and we were brave, but we weren't kind. We were selfish. And I think we're not heroes anymore.
772* The fulfillment of Snow's vision.
773-->'''Mary Margaret:''' I'm your mother.
774-->'''Emma:''' [[GutPunch I don't care]].
775** Almost as bad, when Hook goes to comfort Emma out on the docks, she realizes he's there because her parents sent him. He explains that "they thought you wouldn't listen to them." Even as she's hugging him, she agrees she wouldn't have.
776* Gold's speech to a sleeping Belle.
777
778[[AC:Episode 17 - Heart of Gold]]
779* The major reveal of the episode is one on multiple levels: 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.
780** There's also a bit of related FridgeHorror that makes this even sadder because of the specific circumstances surrounding this reveal: 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...
781* Even before 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.
782** And then 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.
783* 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 who is actually Zelena and deprives Regina of her happiness, or he goes back to her but has to leave Roland.
784** His refusal to take what's left on Neal's belongings: it's too painful of a reminder that he failed his son.
785* The look on Regina's face when she is given her SadisticChoice is absolutely awful... Lana Parilla really outdid herself. The look right after that, when she makes her choice, is even worse.
786* As awful as what Snow and Charming did is, and as much as they can't evade the truth by trying to blame the Author for it, seeing Emma lash out at them, and them desperately trying to get her to see they're sorry, that they're only human, and they want to atone for what they did, is heartbreaking.
787* Will revealing to Robin that he never intended to sell the potion but rather use it on himself because he's still grieving the loss of his sister.
788
789[[AC:Episode 18 - Sympathy For The De Vil]]
790* On rewatch, all scenes with or about Madeline and Cruella count.
791** 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 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.
792** 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, Cruella's hateful look in return is what makes it worse.
793** "So you're just going to lock me up here, like one of your dogs?". Cruella probably 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".
794** "You stole it, did you?". 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.
795** 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 her daughter committed, and she's still trying to protect her.
796* Isaac realizing Cruella used him and never loved him like he did.
797* Rumple finally revealing to Belle why he's doing all of this. 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.
798* Emma telling her parents she no longer trusts them.
799
800[[AC:Episode 19 - Lily]]
801* 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. This could all be an act to fool Emma, but still...
802* Even by Once's usual TrueLoveIsBoring standard, Regina and Robin's situation was arguably the worst ordeal any couple in the show had to endure. They both know that Zelena was Marian, but Robin couldn't leave her because she was carrying his child. So now, not only they couldn't reunite, Regina must knowingly leave her love with a crazy bitch of a sister who would kill him if she so much as looked at her wrong and Robin had to live with the woman who killed his wife, wanted to destroyed his TrueLove and probably would hurt him or Roland at any moment just to spite her sister. Compared to that, David and Mary Margaret's affair in season 1 seemed downright cuddly.
803** Related to this, the moment when Regina had to tell Robin the truth (before Zelena showed up)--you can see on her face and hear in her voice how upset she is to have to tell Robin Marian is dead, and has been the whole time. In fact considering Zelena's whole scheme was engineered as a way to get back at Regina and get her happy ending, that means her killing and replacing Marian is indirectly Regina's fault. So no matter if you go by the original timeline or the new one, she's to blame...
804* In the flashback, Emma once again having her dreams of being with a family dashed when Lily steals her foster family's money. The father, in the heat of the moment, chastises her for endangering his children which makes Emma run away.
805* Seeing Emma abandon Lily again in the flashback, especially when you remember her earlier conversation with Regina about how she never forgave herself for breaking off their friendship.
806* Cruella's funeral. Sure, she's a horrible, despicable woman, but you can't help but feel bad for her when the only attendants to her funeral are Gold and the Author. There's a dark skinned man there too - possibly her husband?
807* The look on Belle's face as Rumple walks out of the pawn shop, and out of her life, having explained that he has now realized he's unworthy of her, given his actions. There's apologies, but no expectation of forgiveness from her. He actually is stepping aside and encouraging her to have her happy ending with Will - but Belle, as angry as she is with Rumple, drops Will's hand and stares after her ex with this utterly devastating look of what might have been. (Also tearjerking was Rumple's entire speech, considering it's probably the most sincere we've ever heard him.)
808
809[[AC:Episode 20 - Mother]]
810* When Lily wants Maleficent to help her get revenge on the Charmings and instead her mother only wants to get to know her and concentrate on a future, she immediately rejects her in as scathing and contemptuous a manner as possible. Then she makes it clear she will leave town...and when Maleficent desperately warns her if she crosses the town line she'll never be able to come back, and that she can't follow her without turning to dust, Lily callously says she'll send a postcard and leaves anyway. The look on Maleficent's face is absolutely heartbreaking...as is the next time we see her at the door of the loft, begging Snow and Charming to help her find her daughter before it's too late.
811* When Cora claims to have found Robin Hood for Regina, and puts her in her fancy dress of old, for a moment Regina really does think her mother loves her and has learned her lesson. For the audience who knows better, it's a cruel twist of the knife...and when Regina learns the truth too...
812** What makes it even worse is 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.
813** That Cora's idea of genuinely helping her daughter is to throw a boy toy at her that fits her sense of propriety, without bothering to think about what might be bothering her daughter. With parents like these...
814* In a flashback, a couple is shown having a wedding in a meadow near Regina's castle. She comes up to them, and rips the groom's heart out. Her father tries to reason with her, but he only ends up angering her further, and she crushes the heart. The cries of his would-be-bride and his family on what was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives is gut wrenching.
815* Robin's distraught reaction to Marian actually being Zelena and his worry for Roland losing his mother once again.
816
817[[AC:Episodes 21 & 22 – Operation Mongoose]]
818* The Apprentice's quiet grief while telling Isaac the last Author has just passed away. Without being showy at all, Timothy Webber nails with devastating precision what a blow Walt Disney's death was.
819* Hook still feels guilty about trapping the Apprentice in the hat, despite Emma's assurances.
820* Henry manages to find Regina, but she doesn't remember him. Instead, she thinks he's a spy sent by Snow White.
821** Likewise, Emma has a similar situation when she finds her parents.
822* Hook's 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.
823** Later, when trying to convince Regina to go after Robin, Emma brings up how she never told Hook how she felt about him, tears falling from her eyes as she does.
824-->'''Emma:''' 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.
825** 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.
826* Just as, if not even, worse is 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.
827* After returning to the real world, Henry considers 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.
828* Belle and Gold's anguished exchange on the floor of the pawn shop, just before she rushes to the others for help: he starts to tell her he's glad he at least got to have her and her love one last time, in the alternate reality, only for her to cut him off and say he ''did'' have it, that everything he wanted he could have had there in Storybrooke, if he had just let go of his need to be powerful and in control. She asks him why he couldn't accept what they had and he tearfully admits "Because I couldn't believe it." And then she promises he won't die alone. Rumple's right back to being TheWoobie again...but thanks to the Apprentice, his heart is pure once more and he's back to the man he used to be before the Dark One's Curse.
829* 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, climactic moment of an already emotional episode.
830* Rumplestiltskin had ''that much darkness in him''. No wonder he went crackers in the jail cell back in the Enchanted Forest - who ''wouldn't?''
831
832[[/folder]]
833
834[[folder:Season 5]]
835
836[[AC:Episode 1 - The Dark Swan]]
837* Hook all throughout this episode. He just lost Emma; the thing he had been dreading since Season 4B.
838** The episode ends with a heart melting speech to Emma by Hook about how the heroes are going to help her beat the darkness. Six weeks later, they failed.
839*** 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 those six weeks, Emma is dark now. What's more is that this is the FIRST time Killian has even 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.
840* Merida's HappyEndingOverride. Her father has died and her three brothers have been kidnapped by the clans because they don't think she's fit to rule.
841* Emma giving Regina the dagger, because she knows Regina's the only one who'd be willing to destroy her if they should fail.
842
843[[AC:Episode 2 - The Price]]
844* Hook failing to use True Love's Kiss on Dark!Emma.
845* Regina revealing to the Charmings that she doesn't know how to dance because at the royal balls, Leopold would only dance with Snow.
846* Regina begging Emma to save Robin, despite knowing if Emma uses magic, it'll push her closer to going dark.
847* In present day, Regina struggling with the weight of being the town's "savior". It's clear she wants to be the hero but is grappling with past mistakes and a lack of faith from the others.
848* Emma desperately kissing Hook after she saves Robin, hoping to quiet the Darkness in her head.
849* Dark!Emma standing outside of Granny's, watching everyone be together.
850
851[[AC:Episode 3 - Siege Perilous]]
852* David angrily ranting to Snow about how worried he is about Emma and how helpless he feels.
853* Hook rejecting Dark!Emma, saying she's no longer the woman he knows and loves. While he doesn't mean it, it clearly hurt both of them.
854* Arthur cruelly manipulating his squire Grif into taking the fall for the stolen items and committing suicide. The poor boy's fearful face before he drinks the poison says it all.
855
856[[AC:Episode 4 - The Broken Kingdom]]
857* Emma's SanitySlippage in the beginning of the episode. She keeps being drawn to the dagger but then pushed away, thanks to Regina's protection spell. Since she can't sleep anymore, she's been making dreamcatchers non-stop. The Darkness is constantly needling her until finally she snaps and almost accidentally hits Hook with magic. When her family finds her later, she's practically catatonic.
858* Snow and Charming's fight is pretty hard to watch, especially when Snow accuses Charming of trusting Arthur because he wants to feel like a hero again.
859* Arthur slowly alienating Guinevere in the flashback, becoming more and more obsessed with finding the Dark One's dagger.
860** Their fight when she returns without the dagger. Guinevere realizes that Arthur is no longer the man she loves and decides to leave him. But Arthur uses the magic sands to make her stay and love him again.
861* Lancelot and Guinevere agreeing that they can't be together, for Arthur's sake.
862* The look on Lancelot's face when Guinevere under the control of the Sands of Avalon denounces him and their love.
863
864[[AC:Episode 5 - Dreamcatcher]]
865* 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. 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.
866* Sir Morgan (Violet's father) harshly rejecting Henry as a possible suitor for Violet.
867** Violet telling Henry she likes him as a friend, not romantically. The heartbroken look on his face says it all. 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.
868* In order to free Merlin, Emma needs to use a tear of lost love. How does she try to get one? 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.
869-->'''Regina:''' It was like it was happening all over again.
870** When that doesn't work, however, because the loss isn't fresh enough 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 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...
871* Dark!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.
872** Alternately, she could be expressing guilt for 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.
873
874[[AC:Episode 6 - The Bear and the Bow]]
875* Rumple breaking Belle's teacup so he can use the shards to cut the ropes around his wrist. He even whispers "Forgive me, Belle." before doing so.
876* Merida begging Rumple to stop her from killing Belle. She clearly doesn't want to but Dark!Emma isn't giving her a choice.
877* When Belle and Merida enter the Crafty Carver, Merida learns that the Lords are preparing to execute Harris, Hubert, and Hamish. Also NightmareFuel; imagine yourself as Merida, and you just learned that your triplet brothers are sentenced to the death penalty. Shudder *sniff*.
878* While spying 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".
879* Rumple admitting to Belle he didn't cripple himself in the Ogre Wars to get back to his son, but because he was scared.
880* Merida's BigNo when she fires an arrow that shoots the Lords' arrows to save her brothers most definitely qualifies. One can tell with her dramatically sad, but courageous look on her face when she yells the aforementioned BigNo.
881
882[[AC:Episode 7 - Nimue]]
883* Merlin's entire backstory.
884** Despite being all-powerful, Merlin hates that he can't have a future with Nimue because he is immortal and she'll grow old and die.
885** After Nimue is stabbed by Vortigan, he can only tearfully cradle her as she dies in his arms. Or so he thinks.
886** 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.
887* Nimue returning to her destroyed village. It's such bad disarray, she can't remember which of the buildings used to be her house.
888* During Emma's test, Merlin actually sees Nimue and it's heartbreaking for him. He still loves her but she's no longer the woman he knew.
889* Merlin and Arthur's entire confrontation.
890
891[[AC:Episode 8 - Birth]]
892* Surprisingly, the scene where Zelena, about to give birth prematurely, begs Regina and Robin to help her shows genuine fear and anguish, and it's hard not to feel sorry for her--Regina and Robin certainly did, even if they were mostly concerned for the baby.
893* The ring Hook gave Emma back in Camelot belonged to his brother Liam. The look on his face says it all.
894* The [[AndIMustScream look on Merlin's face]] as he is forced to kill Snow White...and on Emma's.
895* 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 Hook 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...
896** 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.
897** Hook begging Emma 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.
898-->'''Emma:''' But our future together...
899-->'''Hook:''' I'll just be happy knowing you have one. (He passes out)
900-->'''Emma:''' (tearfully) That's not enough for me!
901* The look of anger and betrayal on Hook's face when he learns Emma made him into a Dark One.
902
903[[AC:Episode 9 - The Bear King]]
904* Merida saying her final goodbye to 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.
905* Mulan. Dear Lord, Mulan. While she has always been a very stoic character, rarely displaying strong emotion, seeing her so closed off after being (unknowingly) rejected by Aurora is just sad. She's lost all of the energy and focus that she had in her previous episodes.
906* Merida helplessly watching Fergus' death in the flashback. Mulan has to physically drag her away.
907* Zelena [[KickTheDog taking]] Merida's bow. It's the last thing of her father's that she has.
908* Elinor begging Merida not to go looking for Fergus's killer because she can't bear losing her daughter as well.
909* Ruby admitting to Mary Margaret that she doesn't feel like she fits in in Storybrooke.
910
911[[AC:Episode 10 - Broken Heart]]
912* Hook turning on Emma because she didn't trust him, and giving in to the darkness, is bad enough. But the speech he gives her out in the field, the one in Granny's Diner, and especially the one at her house, is utterly heartbreaking. The fact it drives Emma to tears proves how devastating it truly is, since as the Dark Swan she had previously been all about controlling and concealing her emotions.
913-->'''Emma:''' Why are you doing this?
914-->'''Dark!Hook:''' I want to hurt you like you hurt me.
915* On a related note, Henry's ReasonYouSuckSpeech breaks Emma just as badly, especially since he's absolutely right. The only relief from this is that her realizing this leads her to make amends, and once she starts doing right, he's willing to trust again.
916* Belle breaking things off with Gold ''again''. It makes absolute sense, it's a great mark of CharacterDevelopment 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 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 and give Belle her time and space, but [[TheWoobie his face]]. [[YankTheDogsChain Even when he does everything right, he still suffers]].
917** The next episode rather suggests that it's this loss which motivates him to 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. And then of course she comes back to him, so now he has her back...and is lying to her once again.
918* Merlin finds out what Emma told him was true, Nimue really does still love him. But then she, through Hook, crushes his heart.
919* How giddily happy Hook was at the thought of being under no one's control again. It's revealed in the next episode that he spent his childhood in slavery.
920* Emma tenderly kissing and holding 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.
921-->When you wake up, you'll be the man you were. The man I love. The man who loves me.
922* It's a brief moment but during Zelena and Regina's hallway fight, Zelena agrees that she wants to stop fighting with her sister but doesn't think she can.
923
924[[AC:Episode 11 - Swan Song]]
925* Emma deciding that they can't hold back when fighting against Dark!Hook. When Snow tries to argue that he's the man she loves, Emma says that man died in Camelot.
926* The opening scene where young Killian and Liam Jones are abandoned by their father and sold into slavery.
927* Hands down, the scene where Hook 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]]...
928** Just before Emma stabs him, he whispers to her "It's okay" and tries to comfort her afterwards..
929* 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.
930* Snow asking Emma to look after baby Neal when the Dark Ones come to collect them. That's right folks. Snow White, the epitome of Hope, is ready to give up.
931* Again it is undermined by what he does later, but the scene where Gold sends Belle away, and after she leaves sits crying in his shop, is terribly sad.
932* Emma leaving a note for her family, apologizing for everything she did, before she goes to sacrifice herself.
933* The scene where Hook kills his father. After deciding to spare him, he arrives with the travel papers and overhears Brennan saying to his son (named Liam) the same thing when he abandoned Hook and it's enough to reignite his anger.
934* Emma face when she learns Rumple betrayed them and negated Hook's sacrifice.
935
936[[AC:Episode 12 - Souls of the Departed]]
937* Emma's reunion with Neal.
938** The first thing Neal does is ask about Henry.
939** Both of them reaffirming their love to each other.
940* While looking for Hook, Henry goes to Granny's and checks the room Neal stayed in, hoping to find his father. Emma sadly tells him that Neal is not in the Underworld but in a better place.
941* Regina summons her father, Henry, and sobs as she says she's sorry for killing him. Henry just hugs her and tells Regina she needs to stay and help Emma, no matter what happens to him. When Regina says she can't let Cora hurt Henry, he replies that seeing her do the right thing is worth any fate waiting for him.
942* Just when it looks like Henry Sr. is about to be engulfed in flames, they recede and a bridge forms to a glowing light. Henry says that this was his unfinished business, to make sure Regina could make the right choices. He bids farewell to her and Henry Jr. and walks into the light as Regina cries with both loss and happiness over seeing her father finally at peace.
943
944[[AC:Episode 13 - Labors of Love]]
945* Snow walking through the graveyard, looking at all the headstones that belong to her father's subjects, until she finds Hercules'.
946* Young Snow getting overwhelmed by the pressures of being a leader and fleeing the throne room.
947* Snow and Hercules' reunion. Snow is sad to see how young Hercules looks while Hercules is shocked to learn that Snow is grown up and has children.
948* Just how defeated and afraid Hercules is in the Underworld.
949
950[[AC:Episode 14 - Devil's Due]]
951* 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: 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.
952** 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? 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.
953** Hook's reaction when he learns Milah helped Rumple and Emma find him.
954* In the Underworld version of Emma's house, there's a nursery including her crib and unicorn mobile, covered in cobwebs. It's a sad reminder of the childhood she never got.
955* Regina finding out Daniel has moved on and is happy. Not only is Snow right there with her and supporting her throughout it all as she looks for his grave, but afterwards her happiness and peace over it is enough to allow her to control her magic again and heal a wounded horse. At the same time, there's still a sadness involved, since while she is glad for him, Regina does regret not getting to see Daniel one more time.
956-->'''Regina:''' You were my first love. And you'll always have a special place in my heart.
957
958[[AC:Episode 15 - The Brothers Jones]]
959* Hook feels so guilty about his actions as the Dark One that he refuses to believe that he's worth saving and considers moving on instead. Emma is very upset about this since she came to rescue him and tearfully tells him that he has to forgive himself.
960* Hook is shaken to discover his brother Liam made a deal with Hades long ago that cost the lives of their shipmates in return for fame and fortune.
961-->'''Liam:''' I'm sorry, Killian. I just wanted to be a hero to you, set a good example.
962-->'''Hook:''' All you did was raise the bar so high, I could never measure up.
963* 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 Hook bid farewell with Liam telling his brother "forget that bar. You've surpassed it and become a better hero than I ever could."
964* Charming learning that his brother James hates him because James thinks their mother loved Charming more.
965
966[[AC:Episode 16 - Our Decay]]
967* The Underworld half of the episode spends most of its time making you go "poor Zelena" but the biggest is when she realises her actions have accidentally injured her daughter and that she has no real way of protecting her.
968** Much like with Emma in the pilot, we see Zelena celebrating her birthday alone.
969* Belle learning that Gold is the Dark One again.
970* Zelena refusing to believe that Hades or anyone could love her.
971
972[[AC:Episode 17 - Her Handsome Hero]]
973* Belle's struggles throughout the episode, culminating in 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.
974* Losing Hook has affected Emma so badly that she's afraid of being unable to protect her loved ones. She spends most of the episode worrying about Mary Margaret dying like in her vision.
975
976[[AC:Episode 18 - Ruby Slippers]]
977* 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.
978* We learn why Dorothy has become so hardened since her first visit to Oz: no one believed where she had been and her family strongly considered sending her to an asylum. Her dog Toto is the only thing she has left of her beloved Aunt Em.
979* The removal of the phone that lets the dead communicate with the living. While it's done to keep Charming and Snow from contacting their baby, the huge line of upset and disappointed spirits is rather upsetting.
980* David and Snow being so upset about not being able to be there for Neal. As David himself said, they couldn't be there for Emma and now the same thing is happening again. It's enough to make Hook apologize for them being there, and to eventually decide to change Snow's name to David's on the headstone so their baby can have his mother (and Storybrooke can have the one who can best lead it).
981* On a related note, when it's time for Snow and Ruby to go to Oz and from there back to Storybrooke, Regina asks Snow to tell Roland for her that Robin is coming back as soon as he can. Snow unhesitatingly says of course.
982* The look on Gold's face when Belle falls into the Sleeping Curse in front of him--right after declaring she knew he wouldn't and couldn't be the one to kiss her awake, and she expected him to take her to her father instead. The imp is realizing just what he's done and what line he's crossed with her.
983
984[[AC:Episode 19 - Sisters]]
985* Turns out Zelena's stepfather was also physically abusive in addition to emotionally.
986* After finding out they're sisters, Regina and Zelena are horrified as Cora tells them she can't let them be "weakened" by love and Zelena dragged away by guards. Regina yells she'll find her sister but Cora reveals how she'll be using magic waters to ensure the girls never even remember each other.
987* Seeing the two ready to kill each other in the present, Cora finally restores their memories of what happened, the two rocked to realize they once loved each other. Cora then tells them how she's sorry for all she did and was wrong to gain their forgiveness.
988* Cora hugging the girls, telling Regina she never got to say goodbye and never even told Zelena "hello."
989* Bidding both of her daughters farewell, Cora walks the bridge, at first covered in flame but then finding her way to light to achieve redemption at last.
990** After Cora passes on, Zelena turns to her sister and tells her how she's waited her whole life to have a mother, but now she's gone forever.
991* Charming finally meets his brother James. He wants a chance to start over but James isn't interested. His twin immediately tries to replace him and harm Emma. The two are forced to fight and it ends with Charming having to throw James into the River of Lost Souls.
992
993[[AC:Episode 20 - Firebird]]
994* Emma, in the flashback, desperately searching for her birth parents.
995* The heart split failing to work on Hook and Emma because Hook has been dead too long.
996* Hook staying behind so that Emma can get back to Storybrooke. It's just as heartbreaking as his death scene. Both of them are crying.
997** Their final requests to each other: Hook begging Emma not to put her "armor" on when she returns and Emma telling Hook to move on from the Underworld.
998** Hook kissing Emma's hand before the elevator carries her out of reach.
999* Gold trying to wake Belle with True Love's Kiss and failing.
1000* Before going through the portal, Emma turns and looks back, as if hoping to see Hook running to join them.
1001-->'''David:''' You did your best for Hook.
1002-->'''Emma:''' I don't know. Did I? All I know is that I can't lose anyone else.
1003
1004[[AC:Episode 21 - Last Rites]]
1005* Emma struggling with her grief throughout the episode.
1006* Robin being not only killed, but no longer even being able to go to an afterlife. Thankfully, WordOfGod heavily implied the latter was {{Jossed}} because Hades invoked ILied.
1007** The look Regina and Robin share before his spirit disappears.
1008* Zelena having to kill Hades. She's spent her entire life wanting to be loved, and when she finally meets her true love he tries to manipulate her into destroying everyone else, including her sister with whom she had only just made up with. All she wanted now was to life happily with Hades and her daughter, but that would never be enough for Hades.
1009-->'''Regina''', ''in tears'': Zelena, I do believe in you. I defended you when no one else did. I wanted ''so'' badly for you to find love. But sometimes love...blinds us. Hades tried to kill me already...Robin died to protect me. That's what true love is. It's sacrifice. It's giving up everything for the person you love. But Hades won't give up a single thing for you. Like he said...he wants it all.
1010-->'''Zelena''', ''to Hades, also in tears'': All I ever wanted was love. You told me that was enough for you, but now I realize...'''''nothing ever will be!'''''
1011*** The way Zelena's voice breaks as she says that last part. There's none of her fury, trolling or usual shameless evil badassery. She sounds so hopeless as she comprehends that her first true love still wanted to use her just like everyone else has ever done.
1012** And then afterward they both can't do anything but kneel on the floor, holding each other and crying over the loves they've lost.
1013* The whole funeral scene. Everyone places arrows on Robin's casket including the Merry Men, Regina, Emma and Henry, the Charmings, and even young Roland, who's now lost both his mother ''and'' his father. Also during the funeral Zelena reveals to Regina the only name that's fitting for their daughter: Robin.
1014** The look on Regina's face during all this. She doesn't sob, cry, or otherwise lose her composure. She just stares, completely numb from losing her happiness yet again.
1015** A bit of Fridge Sadness: remember how Robin was so happy to meet Belle again, after the curse was ended in Season 3B? She isn't here to attend the funeral because she's both still under the Sleeping Curse and inside Pandora's Box. Imagine her reaction after she's free and awake next season. We never see it, but...
1016* It ends up becoming TearsOfJoy once he's restored to life, but seeing Emma break down over Hook's grave.
1017** Hook returning to life but then learning about Robin's death.
1018
1019[[AC:Episode 22 - Only You]]
1020* The opening shot of Regina sitting in Granny's, looking completely numb.
1021* After seeing Regina come so far and change so much, it's so sad to see her start to slide back into her old personality.
1022** Henry witnessing the whole fight between his mothers.
1023* Henry deciding that to destroy magic because it's destroying his family. He's no longer the innocent boy from Season 1. Now he truly believes magic is responsible for his unhappiness.
1024* The Merry Men deciding to return to the Enchanted Forest so they can raise Roland there.
1025* Regina's speech in the apartment. She's realized that she's never going to find peace because the Evil Queen is always a part of her. While it's great that she's made progress with herself, she now is constantly fighting to make sure she does the right thing.
1026* When Hyde opens a portal to Gold's hotel room, Gold decides to grab the crystal, which results in Pandora's Box (containing Belle) fall through. Once again, Gold chose power over a loved one and it had tragic consequences.
1027
1028[[AC:Episode 23 - An Untold Story]]
1029* Hyde and Jekyll's confrontation especially after watching "Strange Case". Hyde is actually confronting his love's murderer.
1030* * Henry's horror when he realizes he's trapped his family in another realm instead of destroying magic.
1031
1032[[/folder]]
1033
1034[[folder:Season 6]]
1035
1036[[AC:Episode 1 - The Savior]]
1037* Aladdin, living as recluse, afraid to help anyone. Jafar's BreakingSpeech to him really hammers just how exhausting it is as a Savior.
1038* Regina returning to her office for the first time since Robin died.
1039* After spending almost all of the last season trying to become allies, Zelena and Regina nearly lose that bond when they argue about the role Zelena played in Robin's death. Zelena meanwhile hated it when Regina went to Snow instead of her, her sister, for comfort and felt that Regina destroyed the part of her that Zelena felt most of an attachment to.
1040* Emma learns that she is fated, as a Savior, to die in battle. Even worse, her killer is someone already in town. This info leads her to not tell her family about her visions.
1041* Belle breaking things off completely with Rumplestiltskin.
1042** Rumple learning that "Morpheus" is actually his unborn son, who already hates him.
1043
1044[[AC:Episode 2 - A Bitter Draught]]
1045* It turns out the Count of Monte Cristo isn't still after Snow and Charming because of Regina hiring him--the Evil Queen has his heart and is making him. In the end Regina is forced to kill him to save them.
1046** On a related note, the Evil Queen shows up afterward to taunt her, and after Regina claims she just wants to hurt them and ruin their happiness, the Evil Queen proclaims that no, she wanted to remind Regina of the darkness in her heart. Not only does she suggest that splitting them didn't get rid of Regina's darkness, she's actively encouraging SlowlySlippingIntoEvil...and says that it's ''Regina'' who will ruin everyone's happiness. Snow refuses to believe it and stands by Regina, but the look on her face is heartbreaking.
1047** The Count's [[AndIMustScream face]] while he's attacking Snow and Charming.
1048* The fact Emma is afraid the figure in her vision might be Regina...and what the Evil Queen said above semi-confirms it.
1049* Charlotte's death from the Agrabahn viper venom, thanks to the Count leaving the Land of Untold Stories.
1050
1051[[AC:Episode 3 - The Other Shoe]]
1052* Clorinda cruelly burning Ella's dress (that belonged to her late mother) and giving her the nickname "Cinderella".
1053* In a twist on the classic fairy tale, Cinderella dances with the Prince at the ball only to see him giving a rose to her stepsister. Her stepmother (recognizing Cinderella right off) tells her the dance was just a grand joke, causing Cinderella to race out of the ball in tears.
1054* Snow wondering if things will ever return to normal, since they always seem to be facing a new threat.
1055* Emma's session with Archie, when she tells him how guilty she feels for not telling her loved ones that she might die soon, and her fear of her impending fate.
1056-->'''Emma:''' I went and fought for everyone else's happy endings and then... I don't get mine.
1057** Emma's magic failing her while trying to stop Ashley from going after her sister. All she can do is apologize to Hook and Henry repeatedly.
1058* Despite his father being a sad drunk, David admits it was harder when he was gone.
1059
1060[[AC:Episode 4 - Strange Case]]
1061* Mr. Jekyll 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.]]
1062* Belle's entire situation in this episode, as Rumple crosses into the most blatantly abusive territory he ever has, particularly when he threatens her toward the end of the episode, saying that she ''will'' "love him" again because of the child they share and she will have no choice in the matter.
1063* In a way, 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.
1064* Much like in Camelot, Regina asking Emma to promise that she'll destroy her if she becomes evil again.
1065
1066[[AC:Episode 5 - Street Rats]]
1067* Jasmine is with the gang as they trail Aladdin's magic to a crypt. Finding the golden scarab of her kingdom she gifted to Aladdin laying next to a skeleton, a heartbroken Jasmine cries as she believes it's his remains.
1068* Emma finally telling her family the truth about her visions. Hook is so upset he can't even look at her.
1069* Henry blaming himself for Emma's current predicament and wondering if it would've been better if he hadn't brought her Storybrooke.
1070
1071[[AC:Episode 6 - Dark Waters]]
1072* Nemo's backstory: His family was brutally murdered while he was at sea. He spent years searching for the person responsible. When he finally got his vengeance, it left him feeling empty.
1073* Nemo pleading with Liam Jr. not to kill Hook and accidentally getting stabbed.
1074* Hook's face when Henry (in the middle of an argument) says he's not part of the family.
1075* While escaping, Hook forces Henry to leave him behind because Emma needs her son more. Luckily, Henry comes back.
1076
1077[[AC:Episode 7 - Heartless]]
1078* Emma tearfully watching her parents surrender themselves to the Evil Queen.
1079* 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: 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.
1080
1081[[AC:Episode 8 - I'll Be Your Mirror]]
1082* Snow's fatigue of trying to maintain her life with Charming while both are under the Sleeping Curse.
1083* The reason Violet has been dodging Henry turns out to be because she is having major issues with finding out how to fit in now that she lives in Storybrooke.
1084* Emma and Regina finding Sidney's "home" in the Land Behind the Mirror. It's a sad reminder of how trapped he must have felt.
1085* Rumple once again crosses into abusive territory when he forces a magical bracelet on to Belle, that will let him know wherever she is.
1086* Regina admitting that she's afraid to raise Henry alone, because the Evil Queen is a reminder of how horrible a mother she could've been.
1087
1088[[AC:Episode 9 - Changelings]]
1089* Belle being forced to 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.
1090-->My Gideon, strong and brave; a hero for all time. Don't you ever forget that I love you.
1091** Rumple's reaction to finding out that he's lost ''another'' son is tough to watch too, especially when you find out near the end that 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]].
1092* The reveal that the Black Fairy is Rumple's biological mother and she abandoned him when he was young.
1093** The Black Fairy's reaction when she realizes Rumple is her child.
1094** Rumple genuinely asking The Black Fairy why she abandoned him. Her response is to cruelly laugh in his face and say "sometimes, you have to choose power over love".
1095* Zelena starts crying after Regina explains that she will never forgive her for Robin's death. What's worse is that Zelena actually started to apologise.
1096* The Evil Queen, if you think about it. She's Regina's "evil" side and like her, has a "hole in her heart". While Regina has Henry to fill it, the Evil Queen has no one. She's so desperate to fill it that she's willing to kill Zelena because Rumple told her to.
1097* The fact that, 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.
1098* Rumple and Belle's entire conversation in the elevator. Rumple genuinely believes that no one can love him and by doing this to his son is the only way.
1099
1100[[AC:Episode 10 - Wish You Were Here]]
1101* Henry begs Emma not to face the Evil Queen because he's afraid she might die.
1102-->'''Emma:''' I'm the savior, kid
1103-->'''Henry:''' You're also my mom.
1104* In the Wish!Realm, Neal is still dead and Henry never had the chance to meet him.
1105* Regina is clearly heartbroken when she sees that Emma doesn't remember who she is and is afraid of her. Her desperate plea for Emma to believe her before being forced to teleport away by David only makes it sadder.
1106* Seeing Princess!Emma reduced to a DamselInDistress, begging for mercy and willing to surrender the kingdom to save her parents, makes Regina angry, and visibly disturbed; to us, knowing how strong and brave and badass Emma is and can be, it's heartbreaking (even if it does show how much her parents mean to her).
1107** Regina's face afterwards. She clearly didn't want to do it but had no choice.
1108* David struggling with his lust for vengeance against the Evil Queen, worrying that he's becoming just like his brother.
1109* Belle and Rumple's conversation in the shop. They both lament how far the relationship has fallen and how their son has paid the price for it.
1110** Their reactions when the hooded figure strides in and reveals himself to be Gideon.
1111* Regina's face when she see Wish!Robin.
1112
1113[[AC:Episode 11 - Tougher Than the Rest]]
1114* Little Emma sitting alone, in front of a trashcan fire, burning pages from a fairytale book, trying to keep warm.
1115* In the Wish!Realm, Geppetto died of old age and Wish!Pinocchio still greatly misses him.
1116-->I'm not my father. I'm not good enough.
1117* The abuse Gideon suffered at the hands of the Black Fairy. Even worse, he's convinced himself that if he kills Emma, he will finally become the hero his mother always talked about.
1118* Regina wanting to know if Wish!Robin is better off without her.
1119
1120[[AC:Episode 12 - Murder Most Foul]]
1121* Turns out James wasn't given away because he was TheUnfavorite. Both him and David were sick and their father, Robert, couldn't afford the medicine needed to save them. Rumplestiltskin offered money for the medicine in exchange for one of the babies. Robert ultimately decided who by flipping a coin. This act haunted him for several years and drove to drink for comfort.
1122* 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 breaks down and gives 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.
1123** What makes this even worse is when we find out 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.
1124** Even worse, Hook had no idea that he killed David's father. He only realized it when August showed him the page from the storybook.
1125* Regina's reaction after kissing Wish!Robin and finding out she felt nothing: "It was like kissing a photograph.".
1126* 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 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.
1127** More tragic irony: James' whole reason for running away was that he didn't want to become a knight and "kill things." But because he was taken back by King George, he grew up to not only "kill things" but commit outright genocide on the entire Giants race.
1128
1129[[AC:Episode 13 - Ill Boding Patterns]]
1130* Baelfire comes home, covered in mud. When Rumple asks what happened, he says the baker's son did it so he'd "look like a monster too".
1131* In flashback, Beowulf is ready to frame Rumple as a monster but Bae gets the Dagger away. Beowulf sniffs that people will never believe them as he marches off. Rumple looks at Bae and realizes what the boy is planning and begs him not to. Angered, Bae 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.
1132* Rumple then uses a potion to make Bae forget what happened. Realizing his father killed Beowulf, Bae snaps he's turning into a monster. He leaves as a sad Rumple realizes it's better his son hate him then remember what truly happened.
1133* 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 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 this happen to Blue. Not so much TheScrappy anymore.
1134* Gideon's recalling the time the Black Fairy tortured a boy whose cell was across from his and how he wanted to help but was too afraid to do so. Even worse, the Black Fairy purposely left his cell unlocked to test him and see if he could be a hero.
1135* Hook wrestling with the knowledge that 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.
1136* Wish!Robin tries to leave Storybrooke because he's constantly reminded of the other Robin and how heroic he was.
1137
1138[[AC:Episode 14 - Page 23]]
1139* 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 rages at his betrayal.
1140* That, however, is topped by the look when she gazes in the mirror and realizes, thanks to the arrow, that she is the person she hates most. Her cry of rage as she breaks it is absolutely devastating.
1141** 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. 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.
1142* And finally, when the Evil Queen genuinely apologizes to everyone and promises never to hurt them again, there's the moment she shares with a tearful Snow, and when Henry finally calls her "Mom" and they embrace.
1143* Emma giving Hook back the ring, after she catches him trying to burn his memories of murdering David's father. She's not mad for what he did but that he tried to hide it from her.
1144* Emma sadly turning off the lights in her house when Hook doesn't return after their fight.
1145
1146[[AC:Episode 15 - A Wondrous Place]]
1147* Hook's desperation to get back to Emma.
1148-->Every moment I spend here is killing me.
1149* Jafar cruelly revealing to Jasmine that he was never planning on sparing Agrabah despite their agreement and trapping her home into the very ring she gave to him.
1150* Jasmine struggling with her fear of facing Jafar again after she failed the first time.
1151* Emma spends the entire episode genuinely believing that Hook has run off. After all the growth she's gone through, it's so sad to see those walls she's brought down slowly come back up. Luckily, Hook's message snaps her out of this.
1152
1153[[AC:Episode 16 - Mother's Little Helper]]
1154* All of Gideon's childhood.
1155* Gideon coming face to face with Roderick, the boy he was unable to save from the Black Fairy's beatings.
1156* The children the Black Fairy has taken being forced to work in the mines, harvesting pixie dust.
1157* The Black Fairy turning Roderick into a beetle and squishing him.
1158
1159[[AC:Episode 17 - Awake]]
1160* TheReveal that Snow and Charming had a chance to be with a young Emma but instead chose to go back under the curse in order to save everyone else.
1161* Snow breaking down in tears before they drink the forgetting potion.
1162-->I didn't think we'd be saying goodbye again so soon.
1163
1164[[AC:Episode 18 - Where Bluebirds Fly]]
1165* In addition to an abusive adoptive father, Zelena was also bullied as a child.
1166* The Tin Woodsman pleading with Zelena to give up her magic and save him.
1167-->'''Zelena:''' I thought you said my magic was what made me special.
1168-->'''Tin Woodsman:''' No. It's the fact you used it for good that made you special.
1169* While down in the minds, Zelena calls Regina on the fact that, in all her mourning of Robin, she forgets that Zelena had to lose the man she loved too. And Zelena had to kill Hades, and she specifically says "I sacrificed Hades for you!" and her only thanks was to be blamed by the sister she gave up her first love to save.
1170* The Black Fairy takes Zelena's insecurities and desperation for love, and uses them as a weapon to doom the entire town. Zelena knows she was set up, and gets NoSympathy from anyone because of it.
1171* The look on the Lion's face after Zelena has made him cowardly, before he slinks away.
1172* Zelena, all alone at her dinner table in the Emerald City. Earlier in the episode it was merely pathetic (if amusing) when she had to order one of the guards to bring her the salt from down the table. At the end, when she's sacrificed her childhood friend for her magic, only to have no one and nothing else...?
1173* Regina angrily telling Zelena to go back to Oz after their disastrous confrontation with the Black Fairy. Zelena is clearly hurt by this.
1174* David and Snow discussing Emma's upcoming wedding. David doesn't want them to rush the wedding because it's supposed to be the happiest day of Emma's life, but Snow is worried that there's a chance that they'll die before it can happen. Ultimately, Emma agrees with David and decides to postpone the wedding until the Black Fairy is defeated.
1175* Zelena comes back after it seemed she had left for Oz.
1176-->'''Zelena:''' You were wrong. There's nothing back there for me in Oz, only people who hate me. You're all I have left.
1177* While it's a powerful moment for her, she sounds very pained as she reveals that the Crystal Heart will "destroy my magic". She has to give up a part of herself that was all she had for a long time in order to do the right thing.
1178** And before she does this, she softly asks Regina and Emma to look after baby Robin in case something happens. She's clearly worrying about what the Black Fairy might do to her in retaliation once her plan gets foiled, and she'll have no way of protecting her daughter.
1179
1180[[AC:Episode 19 - The Black Fairy]]
1181* Doubles as Heartwarming but Regina asking Zelena to take care of Henry in case they fail the Final Battle.
1182* The simple fact that not only did 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? 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.
1183
1184[[AC:Episode 20 - The Song in Your Heart]]
1185* Hook instantly knowing Emma is going to sacrifice herself to the Black Fairy, despite her assurances that she'll be there for their wedding, and begging her to let him help.
1186* Emma's goodbye to Henry before she goes to surrender herself to the Black Fairy.
1187** Her kissing a frozen Hook.
1188
1189[[AC:Episode 21 & 22- The Final Battle]]
1190* 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 back to guarded, jaded woman she was in Season 1 is heart-wrenching.
1191** Fiona manipulating her into burning the iconic storybook.
1192* Hook's speech to Charming at the beanstalk. He's so desperate to get back to Emma and is more terrified about losing her than his own life.
1193* Gideon, under the curse, thinks Belle has run off and now views Fiona as his mother figure, much to Rumple's horror.
1194* Snow finding Charming's seemingly dead after the beanstalk collapses. Luckily, he turns out to be alive.
1195* 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.]]
1196** Fiona briefly tries to tempt Rumple by offering to bring Baelfire back from the dead. Even though he still says no, you can see he still misses his first born.
1197* 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.
1198* [[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.
1199** All of Emma's loved ones watching her die. Hook tries to run to her at one point, but Charming holds him back.
1200
1201[[AC:Deleted Scenes]]
1202* In two separate scenes, both Charming and Snow find they can't take the separation of their Sleeping Curse any longer. Charming can't bring himself to wake Snow to the nightmare of Regina and Emma being gone, and the Hooded Figure being in town. Snow can't write another note to him because she is brought to tears by the fact little Neal spoke his first word...and Charming wasn't awake to hear it.
1203* When Rumple goes to collect Jack and Jill's baby to lure in the Black Fairy, we find out that the deal Jill struck with him was to save Jack after his fall from the well...and the price was her most precious possession. At the time this was a ring, but when he came to collect it was of course their baby. And when the Blue Fairy as its godmother comes to try and stop Rumple, she is powerless due to the contract. Jack and Jill are only left to weep on their knees as Rumple saunters away. Luckily Belle returning the baby later turns it back to TearsOfJoy.
1204[[/folder]]
1205
1206[[folder:Season 7]]
1207
1208[[AC:Episode 1 - Hyperion Heights]]
1209* Regina saying goodbye to Henry in the opening scene. He only has one magic bean with him and for all she knows, this is the last time she'll see him.
1210* Jacinda's boss giving her a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. It clearly stings but she refuses to swallow her pride and apologize, so she quits instead, despite needing the job.
1211* The fact that Henry's cursed self thinks he lost his wife and daughter in a fire, and how broken he is.
1212* Lucy's reaction when she finds out Henry told her step-grandmother where she and Jacinda were.
1213* Victoria telling Jacinda that Lucy will be moving in with her.
1214
1215[[AC:Episode 2 - A Pirate's Life]]
1216* Victoria raising the prices of tickets to Lucy's ballet recital so that Jacinda can't attend, just out of spite.
1217* Wish!Hook's face when he learns that Emma is pregnant. He knows what it's like to be separated from your child and he can't bring himself to put Killian through the same thing.
1218* After accidentally stabbing himself in their fight, Wish!Hook telling Killian why he tried to trade places with him: he hoped True Love's Kiss would break the curse on his heart, so that he could finally be with his daughter.
1219** Him giving Killian his daughter's rook and asking him to return it to her. Luckily, Emma has no intention of letting him die.
1220* Emma tearfully saying goodbye to Henry. As much as she wants him to go find his own story, she's going to miss him.
1221
1222[[AC:Episode 3 - The Garden of Forking Paths]]
1223* Lucy catching Jacinda burning the petition.
1224* Lady Tremaine not only murdered Ella's father but she also blames her stepdaughter for Anastasia's death.
1225* Henry finding the graves of his (cursed) wife and daughter.
1226
1227[[AC:Episode 4 - Beauty]]
1228* Rumple attempting to throw the dagger away so that he can live a normal life but it simply reappears in his hand.
1229* Belle's death from old age. Especially painful because 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 ''WesternAnimation/{{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.
1230** Rumple begging Belle not to leave him because he's afraid.
1231* 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. 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.
1232* Tilly's breakdown to Weaver in the car. Anyone who's struggled with mental illness can completely relate to her.
1233
1234[[AC:Episode 5 - Greenbacks]]
1235* Tiana and her mother having to auction off many of their items in order to save their home.
1236* Ivy tries to offer her mother help, and for a moment [[HopeSpot it looks like Victoria is going to praise her,]] 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.
1237
1238[[AC:Episode 6 - Wake Up Call]]
1239* Even though all the memories are fake, Roni trying to adopt and it falling through and Henry's memories of living in the system and never getting out.
1240** Likewise, Henry's fake memories of growing up in the system and feeling unwanted.
1241* Drizella realizes all her mother wants is her heart to resurrect Anastasia. She cries she always knew she wasn't her mother's favorite daughter but never knew how badly until now and sobs on Regina's shoulder. While it is the start of her path to darkness, it's hard not to feel sorry for her at this moment. The conversation between her and her mother during the confrontation makes it even worse.
1242-->'''Drizella:''' Y'know, I've been trying my whole life to win your approval, but now I realize I'm never going to get it... because I'm not her.
1243-->'''Tremaine:''' You're most certainly ''not.''
1244-->(Real look of hurt on Drizella's face)
1245* Regina's misery at Drizella going down the same path she herself went through as the Evil Queen, despite Regina trying to teach her to go in the opposite direction.
1246* Regina awakening but realizing that she can't reach out to Henry because of how the new Curse is set up and thus must deny him the truth.
1247
1248[[AC:Episode 7 - Eloise Gardner]]
1249* Rogers' reaction to believing that Eloise is dead.
1250* Regina having to break apart Henry and Jacinda - from the way she goes about it, one can easily tell that's the last thing she wants to do.
1251* Gothel 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.
1252* Wish!Regina failed to cast the curse; this means that she ''murdered her father for nothing'' and was exiled away to wallow in her own sadness at having failed. And then, of course, this means that Cora didn't die, so she probably spends time pestering her failure of a daughter.
1253* Doubles as Heartwarming but Wish!Hook naming his daughter after his mother: Alice.
1254* Rogers telling Tilly that he's disappointed at her for lying to him. The teary look on her face afterwards says it all.
1255* Social Services separating Jacinda and Lucy. Even Ivy feels bad for her.
1256
1257[[AC:Episode 8 - Pretty in Blue]]
1258* Wish!Hook learning that Alice's tower has been destroyed. Luckily, Alice is right there to assure him she's alive.
1259* Alice's reaction when her father's curse activates again as she tries to hug him. She believed that he'd been cured, or at least that Drizella could help cure him. She lied.
1260* Ella learning that her mother did not abandon them but was cursed and forced to flee to Wonderland. Unfortunately, any hopes of a reunion between the two are dashed when Alice tells her that her mother died saving Alice's life from the Jabberwocky.
1261-->'''Alice:''' Trust me, if your touch could kill the one you love, you'd want to be lost too.
1262* Jacinda revealing that Victoria convinced her into giving up Lucy voluntarily. Worst part is that Lucy has no idea about this.
1263
1264[[AC:Episode 9 - One Little Tear]]
1265* Victoria cruelly mocking Ivy's desire to be loved by her mother.
1266* Weaver trying to explain to Rogers that [[DeathSeeker he (Rumple) needs to]] [[IJustWantToBeNormal get back to his wife.]]
1267* The Tremaine family backstory. '''All of it.'''
1268** Rapunzel's family is starving and she asks Gothel for food; in return for her services, Gothel quite literally builds a tower around the woman.
1269*** The fear in Rapunzel's voice as she screams for her family to help her as Gothel imprisons her in the tower.
1270** Six years later, little Drizella has lost all hope of her mom returning, but Anastasia has faith and uses the floating lanterns in the hopes that she will find them. When she does, she embraces Ana and then Marcus while Drizella walks away, sad and confused (she was very little when her mother was trapped, so she doesn't remember much about her and therefore cannot have proper attachment; in addition it's strongly implied that Ana was always Rapunzel's favorite).
1271** Then Rapunzel meets stepdaughter Ella and upon seeing Cecelia realizes that Marcus remarried thinking she'd never come back. There was also the fact that he loved Cecelia more than her.
1272** 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. This leads Rapunzel to shatter a mirror and use Gothel's poison mushroom on Cecelia, causing her to run away to Wonderland.
1273** 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. Good thing Rapunzel stole the magic from her before using it on her instead.
1274* Weaver trying to get through to Victoria that she shouldn't lose hope or actively further attempt to worsen her relationship with Ivy, reminiscing about how it took Neal a long time to forgive him.
1275* Victoria 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.
1276* 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 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 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.]]
1277* There's an edge of desperation to Weaver as he 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... but he can't save his own great-granddaughter.
1278
1279[[AC:Episode 10 - The Eighth Witch]]
1280* The entire opening of Jacinda rushing an unconscious Lucy to the hospital.
1281* Henry's sadness over being unable to awaken Lucy.
1282-->Now I get it. I really get it. Because I would do anything to save you, no matter how crazy. So, Lucy, if that means there's some other world where I really am your dad, then... I believe it, Lucy. I believe.
1283* According to Kelly (Zelena's cursed self), she and her daughter have had a falling out and are no longer speaking.
1284* Alice and Robin's final conversation before the curse strikes.
1285** Alice maintains hope, but Robin is clearly already expecting the worst. Given her family's history with similar curses, she would know just how long it might be before they get to see each other again. The first curse lasted longer than either girl has been alive at this point.
1286* 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.
1287* In order to save a poisoned Henry, Regina is forced to cast the Dark Curse once again.
1288
1289[[AC:Episode 11 - Secret Garden]]
1290* Wish!Hook sadly watching Henry and Ella coo over the newborn child, thinking of his own daughter.
1291* Gothel manipulates Robin's teenage rebellion and comes ''uncomfortably close'' to corrupting her down the same path of darkness that Robin's grandmother, aunt, and mother all fell down. Zelena is at a point of near-panic throughout all of the flashback scenes, terrified that she's lost her daughter for good.
1292* Lady Tremaine learns that Drizella, not Anastasia, was the one who came up with the idea to use lanterns as a beacon of hope for her mother when she was trapped.
1293* 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.
1294** Anastasia learns what her mother did. She does not take it well and the look on Victoria's face is a major case of MyGodWhatHaveIDone.
1295
1296[[AC:Episode 12 - A Taste of the Heights]]
1297* Sabine getting her food truck shut down mere hours before opening.
1298** Turns out Drew was the one who called in the anonymous tip, due to be blackmailed by Samdi.
1299* Lucy finding the page that explains what will happen to Henry if the curse is broken and stopping her parents from kissing.
1300
1301[[AC:Episode 13 - Knightfall]]
1302* Young Alice wishing to see the real ocean instead of painting it.
1303* You just desperately want to give poor Ivy a hug.
1304** It's been a week since Victoria's death, and Ivy doesn't even know what to do with her life anymore. She sincerely believes Henry's all she's got, confirming that she doesn't just have a VillainousCrush on him, she's completely in love with him.
1305** When Ivy returns Jacinda her stuff, the two have a meaningful conversation and a hug. Jacinda also returns Ivy her old doll; the implication exists that the doll was Ella's gift to Drizella on her birthday in "One Little Tear".
1306** Ivy's meaningful conversations with Henry and Jacinda convince her to want to make up with Anastasia, whom she believes now hates her.
1307* Tilly, too. Neither Rogers nor Weaver believe her about Gothel, and it's implied she hasn't been taking her pills again.
1308** Rogers dismissing her earlier when she comes by to play chess.
1309* The entire flashback is pretty much a KickTheDog for Wish!Hook. He manages to get Maui's hook to free Alice from the tower only Gothel surprises him and curses his heart so that he can't be anywhere near Alice. The look on his face after being thrown out of the tower while his daughter screams for him is heartbreaking.
1310* Lucy telling her mother she doesn't believe in magic anymore.
1311* Wish!Rumple is genuinely upset when Wish!Hook goes back on his promise to free him.
1312
1313[[AC:Episode 14 - The Girl In The Tower]]
1314* In the flashbacks, Alice has reached the DespairEventHorizon so badly that she accidentally summoned a troll that ended up attacking villages because she doesn't want to be alone.
1315* Alice watching her father play with baby Lucy from afar.
1316* Tilly slowly realizing that none of the citizens "know" her, despite her having observed them all this time.
1317* Robin [[WhatYouAreInTheDark leaving Alice in the cell]]. It's clear that she hates doing it, especially after hearing Alice talk about how miserable it was to be locked up in the tower, but she's so desperate to prove herself that she doesn't see another option.
1318** In "Secret Garden", Robin managed to let go of the stress to live up to her mother's legacy. But instead of being free of it completely, she's now weighed down by her ''father's'' legacy, made even worse for her since she shares his name. Until she bonds with Alice, the poor girl has no concept of her own identity.
1319* Alice seeing her tower again and admitting to Robin that as much as she hates it, she's wanted to come back.
1320-->I'll never be free of it, will I?
1321
1322[[AC:Episode 15 - Sisterhood]]
1323* The fact that Anastasia and Drizella used to have a great sisterly bond [[HistoryRepeats (just like Regina and Zelena)]] 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.]] Luckily, their sisterly bond is eventually restored and they return to the New Enchanted Forest together.
1324* Drizella's regret over 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.
1325* Ivy's palpable fear of being the next victim of the Candy Killer, especially since it leaves her open to being manipulated into doing the wrong thing ''again'' (this time by Dr. Facilier) and almost ruining all of her [[TheAtoner attempts at atonement.]]
1326* TheReveal that Nick, Henry's friend, is the Candy Killer.
1327
1328[[AC:Episode 16 - Breadcrumbs]]
1329* Henry realizing that this entire adventure was a ruse by Wish!Hook because he wanted to have a good story with him, much like his Storybrooke counterpart.
1330* Seeing Zelena and Margot argue again is quite painful to watch; luckily, they make amends at the end of the episode, but then it's revealed that Zelena is Nick's next target...
1331** Zelena's side has been sad from the moment Margot came back to town, similar to Lucy with her mom and Regina with Henry. But Margot's side is also upsetting - as far as she knows, she came back to repair her relationship with her mother, and instead Kelly is being secretive and seems to barely hold full conversations with her. (Which makes sense, since Zelena would have a hard time avoiding addressing her as Robin, but isn't fair to either of them.)
1332* One of the notes in Henry's book says "Remember Gretel." Despite Gretel previously saying that the two of them had a falling out, Hansel clearly still misses her.
1333
1334[[AC:Episode 17 - Chosen]]
1335* Zelena finally showing remorse for her wicked deeds, and much like her sister, struggling with her desire to change for the better only to have the past come back to haunt her.
1336** Regina notes that the curse was mostly a good thing for Zelena since she was able to start over and find love.
1337* After spending time with Ivo, Zelena tries to repay his kindness by rescuing his children and returning his eyesight. Unfortunately, the kids escape before she gets there and by the time she returns, they've already told their father who she really is and that she abandoned them to the Witch before, and he wants nothing to do with her.
1338* Twisted as he is, you have to feel a bit for Nick talking of all the great times he and Henry have shared and Henry thinking him a psycho.
1339* 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. Worst of all, Nick wasn't trying to be sadistic. He was genuinely trying to show his friend the truth.
1340* Zelena's guilt over what she did to Nick aka Hansel in the past and wanting to make up for it now.
1341
1342[[AC:Episode 18 - The Guardian]]
1343* The episode opens with Rumple visiting Belle's shrine, still mourning her death.
1344* Tilly having an episode in front of Margot and running off embarrassed.
1345* 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 Wish!Hook looks sorry for him.
1346* Regina calling out Weaver for going behind her back and ruining her chance to save Henry, and AllForNothing too. She tells him their friendship is over.
1347* Weaver realizing that Tilly had the dagger all along and breaking down into tears.
1348
1349[[AC:Episode 19 - Flower Child]]
1350* [[OmnicidalManiac Got]][[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds hel]]'s backstory. She was a tree nymph in the Land Without Magic [[TimeAbyss thousands of years ago]] and was curious about humans. The first human she meets, [[AlphaBitch Is]][[BitchInSheepsClothing la]], [[FalseFriend pretends to befriend her]], before humiliating her by [[KickTheDog pouring a bucket of mud on her head]] and [[FantasticRacism calling her an "abomination"]] even going as far as to [[LackOfEmpathy destroy Gothel's home and murder her entire family/species]]. Gothel manages to get revenge on Isla by killing her and the rest of humanity except for a magical girl named Seraphina before leaving to the New Enchanted Forest with her, vowing revenge on humanity once they evolve again. In the present, she seems '''far''' too wounded to learn the error of her ways and make a HeelFaceTurn, unlike Victoria and Ivy.
1351** Seraphina helplessly watching Isla torment Gothel, too afraid to help.
1352** Flora begging Gothel not to seek revenge on humanity, but Gothel being too heartbroken and betrayed to listen.
1353* Gothel forces Tilly to join her cult by threatening to murder Rogers [[InternalReveal after telling them that they're father and daughter]]. Rogers begs her not to, but Tilly tearfully tells him that she can't be responsible for his death.
1354* Tilly clearly is panicked over Gothel having Margot's blood. She already knows that the cult has Rogers and is willing to kill him, and now the woman she's falling in love with might be in the same (or worse) situation.
1355* True Love's kiss failing to work between Henry and Jacinda.
1356
1357[[AC:Episode 20 - Is This Henry Mills?]]
1358* Everything Henry says to Lucy and Regina as they keep futilely trying to convince him to believe again is painful, particularly when he begs to know why, if everything Regina told him is true, all those heroic friends and family members haven't come to save them--you can hear him come close to tears. Lucy's reaction, to declare she wishes he'd never grown up and slam her bedroom door, is also saddening (as was her initial tearful flight from Roni's bar when the storybook didn't work). But probably the worst is when Regina pours her heart out to Henry, explaining how the events from the day of the curse being cast have led to his very real pain. She holds his face in her hands, stares into his eyes, and declares she believes in him, knows he can save them...and all he does is flatly say, "Bye, Roni," pull away, and leave.
1359** Likewise, Henry admitting that he wants to believe but doing so means letting go of the pain he carries of his fake family.
1360* Despite getting into every school he applied to, Henry is still hesitant to leave Storybrooke because it means having to always lie about himself.
1361* The moment when it looks like Regina has been killed by Gothel and Henry is kneeling over her, crying and apologizing for not believing and coming too late.
1362
1363[[AC:Episode 21 - Homecoming]]
1364* Wish!Henry's failing to slay the dragon and rescue the princess.
1365* Because his curse is still active, the closest thing Wish!Hook and Alice can have to a reunion is a phone conversation across the street.
1366* Regina learning that Facilier is dead. Once again, she's lost someone she cares about.
1367* Both Wish!Hook and Weaver returning to their worst places: Weaver 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.
1368
1369[[AC:Episode 22 - Leaving Storybrooke]]
1370* Regina briefly having a vision of Robin Hood.
1371-->'''Regina:''' It's not fair, Robin. Our story was so short.
1372-->'''Robin Hood:''' That doesn't make it any less epic.
1373* Rumple tearfully looking at a dreamcatcher with the memory of his wedding with Belle.
1374* 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.
1375** The fact that Alice ''squeaks in shock and reaches out to stop him'' before he 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.
1376** Wish!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.
1377*** In a different sense, 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 (due to the lack of the love of Belle and reuniting with Bae) 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.
1378* It's a brief moment, and played for BlackHumor, but when Wish!Rumple has the Blue Fairy dragged in to see the effects of Regina's blood and Prince Henry's darkened heart on his storybooks, he comments that fairies always make for good torture and experimentation. Which, since this version of him never learned the truth about Fiona, means he's still acting out of his rage and hate toward the mother he believes abandoned him (and the fact that without the Dark Curse, he never got reunited with Bae, who also still died, and he blames this on Blue as well).
1379* When it looks like Emma and Hook might not make it to Regina's coronation, Regina is noticeably saddened and remains so when Snow tries to explain that they were busy with the baby. It's clear that she hoped her friends would be there to see her be crowned the Good Queen and was upset at them not being there. Thankfully Emma and Hook arrive, which quickly turns it heartwarming.
1380* 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.
1381
1382[[AC:Deleted Scenes]]
1383* Now knowing Ivy's true identity as Drizella, Lucy expresses hope that she can make a HeelFaceTurn... [[InnocentlyInsensitive while she is in the middle of grieving her mother]]. When Ivy rejects her, Lucy tells her that [[ShipSinking she will never be with Henry]] and he'll be with Jacinda instead before storming off. Afterwards, Lucy calls Henry.
1384* While attempting to find Anastasia, Ivy assumes Gothel trapped her into the same well she pushed her in [[CainAndAbel (and tried to push Anastasia in herself)]], but Gothel reveals that Anastasia is safe with her and rebukes and taunts Ivy for thinking she could win Anastasia back to her side. After Gothel wins the argument, Ivy tells her this isn't over.
1385* Ivy finds Gothel and Anastasia and attempts to make amends with the latter while trying to get her {{Revenge}} on the former, but just when it looks like Ana will return to Ivy and reject Gothel, [[BaitAndSwitch she chooses neither Ivy nor Gothel]] and pushes them away before fleeing.

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