Recap / Once Upon a Time S2 E10 "The Cricket Game"

Season 2, Episode 10:

The Cricket Game

Snow White: You're so sure of her black soul? Sure enough to kill? Because there's no going back from killing.
Prince Charming: If you think that is the right thing to do, then it's what we shall do. But know that your path is one that we cannot come back from either.

Regina: Doctor? Need I remind you, you got your Ph.D. from a curse.

Regina is accused of murdering one of the town's most beloved fairytale characters, but only Emma senses that she may be innocent. Meanwhile, back in the Enchanted Forest that was, after capturing the Evil Queen, Snow White and Prince Charming set about planning her public execution in order to rid the land of her murderous tyranny.

Tropes

• Abusive Parents: Lampshaded by Hook when Cora announces her success in framing her daughter for murder.
  Hook: You’re back. So, did you get what you wanted?
  Cora: Yes. My daughter’s lost everything now.
  Hook: Well, aren't you mum of the year.
• Arrow Catch: Well, a magical version thereof. After Snow yells "Stop!", Blue has time to stop the arrows fired at Regina.
• Black Humor: Cora, after she reveals to Hook that the man she killed wasn't Archie and the real one is in Hook's brig:
  Hook: Well, if that's him, then who did you kill?
  Cora: How do I know? It's my first day in town.
• Bound and Gagged: Archie, in Hook's ship.
• The Chessmaster:
  • Rumple, as usual. Aside from the fact he wants Regina alive to cast the Dark Curse, but he knows Snow White would never believe he doesn't want such a powerful evil rival dead, he creates the test for her to prove whether Regina can redeem herself—knowing she will never take the forgiveness offered her or give up the chance to try and kill Snow again. And the result of this is her being unable to harm the Charmings directly, thus requiring her to cast the curse...particularly since it will take them to another land, when he had by Exact Words guaranteed she could only not harm them in the Enchanted Forest.
  • Subverted in Storybrooke however, where he genuinely did not do anything to change Pongo's memories or frame Regina, with instead Cora taking up the role to isolate Regina and make her easy prey to her manipulations (and net Hook a means to learn Gold's weaknesses in the bargain).
• Cliffhanger: Archie isn't dead...instead he's the prisoner of Hook and Cora, who intend to use him to learn Gold's weaknesses. There are a lot of these this season.
• Couch Gag: The title card features Pongo.
• Description Cut: After Archie's "murder" is discovered but Emma doesn't believe Regina did it, she zeroes in on the only other likely suspect in town (since they don't know yet about Hook or Cora). "There's only one name on that list who would resort to killing to get what they want." Cut to Gold opening a picnic basket from Belle.
• Dramatic Irony: As usual between the past and present segments, where Regina's previous atrocities are used to make Cora's Frame-Up seem entirely too plausible no matter how much she is currently trying to change, but specifically there's the cut between Archie telling Regina he believes she can change and has done so, only to see Jiminy tell the Council of Good that she can never change.
• Evil-Detecting Dog: Archie may have no idea that "Regina" is not actually Regina when she comes to visit his office, but Pongo seems to know right away.
• Flash Step: Regina does this to Archie. Then she kills him - except she's actually Cora, magically disguised in order to frame her daughter, and the corpse left behind isn't Archie, because the real Archie is being held prisoner in Hook's brig.
• Forced Transformation: Played for Comedic Sociopathy in the opening. A hapless Storybrooke resident sees Cora and Hook coming into port and rushes to welcome them, so Cora, who doesn't want their element of surprise to be spoiled, turns him into a fish and Hook kicks him into the sea.
• Foregone Conclusion: Regina doesn't die in the flashbacks. Obviously.
• Frame-Up: Set up by Cora, to turn everyone against Regina. And thanks to the fact Pongo's memories only serve to show the same Lie to the Beholder illusion she created, plus the fact no one knows she (the only other who can use such disguise magic) is in town, Emma and the others fall for it.
• Interrupted Intimacy: Henry and Emma walk in on Snow and Charming in bed at the start of the episode.
  Henry: What are you guys doing in bed? It's the middle of the afternoon!
• In the End, You Are on Your Own: Villainous version, and enforced by Cora—by making everyone think Regina killed Archie and is reverting to her old ways, she ensures her daughter has no one to depend on any more except her, so that she can manipulate her into evil once again and thus rule through her as she always wanted.
• Kill and Replace: Inversion; after making it seem that Regina killed Archie, Cora replaces him with some unknown Storybrooke resident and then kills him instead.
• Laser-Guided Karma: In Season 1, Regina had Snow White (Mary Margaret) framed for the murder of Abigail (Kathryn); so it’s only right that she get a taste of her own medicine with being framed with the murder of Dr. Hopper.
• Never Trust a Trailer: One of the preview clips for this episode (shown before the midseason break) shows an argument between Regina and Emma that, in the context of the preview clips, seems to suggest that Regina has reverted to her old ways. In the actual context of the episode, this is almost the opposite of how the scene actually plays out; she comes dangerously close to being invokedThe Woobie, given everything this episode puts her through.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Anti-Villain: Gold's magic is meant to clarify who killed Archie. Naturally, it only puts the characters further on the wrong track. Of course, all magic comes with a price, so perhaps the characters should have been more Genre Savvy.
  • This in turn enables the actual heroes (Emma, Snow, and Charming) to also "break it" by falling for the Frame-Up. By the time they learn Archie isn't dead and Cora is responsible, them turning on Regina (and turning Henry against her too) means she's easy pickings for Cora, thus turning to villainy again for real.
• Not Me This Time: Gold's response to Emma's belief that he's responsible for framing Regina for Archie's murder. For once, he's telling the truth — he's just having sandwiches with Belle.
• Orgy of Evidence: There's so much reason to believe that Regina killed Archie that Emma, quite possibly the person in Storybrooke most familiar with this world's law enforcement and crime (and who also had experience with this scenario already thanks to Regina's Frameup of Mary Margaret for Kathryn's murder), finds it difficult to believe that Regina's actually guilty. She's right.
• Pet the Dog: Literally. Rumple shows a rather unexpected amount of affection towards Pongo.
  Belle: I didn't know you were such a dog person.
  • After Cora turns a random man into a fish, Hook kicks him into the water rather than letting him die on land.
• Public Execution: Regina nearly dies this way.
• Secret Test of Character: Snow and Charming pull one of these on Regina. She fails. All arranged by Rumple, of course.

• There Are No Therapists: As of the end of this episode, this trope is being played with. There still is one in Storybrooke, but as Cora and Hook's prisoner, he won't be of much use to anyone he actually wants to help.