Season 3, Episode 14:
The Tower
Emma, David, Hook, and Regina continue their quest to track down the Wicked Witch, even as Mary Margaret prepares for her coming child with the help of her new midwife, Zelena.
Meanwhile, in the Enchanted Forest of a year ago, Charming attempts to overcome his fears of impending fatherhood through the use of the legendary nightroot and encounters a lost princess just as in need of courage.
Tropes
- Catapult Nightmare: Charming has one representing his fears of fatherhood—at first simply dancing with an Emma he got to raise as a princess, only to have it turn chilling and creepy as Emma chastises him for failing her, disappears into the wardrobe, and pleads with him not to fail his next child.
- The Chains of Commanding: Being an Unexpected Successor, Rapunzel was terrified she wouldn't be able to handle ruling, leading to her present conundrum.
- Combat Tentacles: Rapunzel's fear twin turns the real Rapunzel's hair-braids into these to entrap Charming.
- Composite Character:
- A bizarre example. The witch that holds Rapunzel captive is combined with Rapunzel herself - or rather a manifestation of her own fear.
- Charming is combined with the unnamed prince who rescues Rapunzel.
- Couch Gag: The title card features Rapunzel's tower.
- Doppelgänger Attack/Evil Twin: What the nightroot creates to enable you to overcome your fears in physical form.
- Dramatic Irony:
- Lampshaded by Robin Hood when he points out that if the forest he goes to is haunted, Charming will need the very nightroot he's fetching to make it back safely.
- Zelena living in a farmhouse. Lampshaded by Emma, and surely intentional on Zelena's part.
- Face Your Fears: Rapunzel's witch was a manifestation of her own fear as a result of ingesting the night root, and her arc in "The Tower" is about facing her and accepting her position as heir apparent. In the modern day, Prince Charming has to learn the same lesson in the face of finally getting to father a child.
- Genre Savvy: Emma, when Hook asks why she's whispering if the farmhouse is empty. "Because good hideouts always look empty."
- Girl in the Tower: As per legend. This Rapunzel's stuck in a tower because she is chased up it by a witch, who won't let her leave. Except there's a twist: The "witch" is actually the physical embodiment of her fear. It won't let her leave until she deals with it. In other words, the only one really keeping her there is herself.
- Hikikomori: Rapunzel is terrified of trying to leave the tower.
- Important Haircut: Rapunzel severs her famous long hair in order to finally vanquish her witch, which coincides with her "letting go" of her fears and letting her fear-double fall.
- It's All My Fault: Rapunzel's brother jumped into a river to save her and he died in the process, leaving Rapunzel to carry the blame.
- Letting Her Hair Down: Rapunzel's braided hair is symbolic of her fearful state. When she returns to her parents, her hair is now down.
- Madness Mantra: Rumple has another now: "It cleans the mind and soothes the soul."
- Manipulative Bitch: Zelena, throughout the whole episode.
- She shaves Rumple with his own dagger so as to "accidentally" nick him and get his blood, but also uses the opportunity to mock and taunt him.
- She pretends to be seeking a baby gift for Mary Margaret so she can get into Gold's safe with the blood, but also gets Belle to let her guard down by "assuming" she was Mrs. Gold, thus causing her to reveal Gold is dead so she can feign sympathy.
- She uses the midwife meeting with Mary Margaret and David to slip him the nightroot she got from the safe, the whole time acting as charming, caring, and understanding as can be.
- Mirror Scare: When Charming first encounters the fear creature.
- My Greatest Failure: The root causes of both Rapunzel and Charming's fears—Rapunzel was saved by her brother from drowning at the cost of his own life, thus turning her into an Unexpected Successor she was not ready to be; Charming never got to actually raise Emma and was separated from her twice, so now he fears being a father since he didn't truly get to be one.
- Mythology Gag:
- Even before the end of the episode, Zelena's constant references to Charming's bravery called The Wizard of Oz to mind; as soon as Regina revealed that his sword became a symbol of his courage, the implication that the other gifts of Dorothy's companions would figure into the plot was planted.
- Also, Hook's reference to Emma's heart working because it can be broken sounds a great deal like the Tin Woodsman's parting line to Dorothy in the film.
- Pimped-Out Dress: Charming's dream of Emma as a princess has her in a very fancy ballgown, with lots of fringe and beads on the bodice.
- Race Lift: Rapunzel and her parents are black. What's more is that the script explicitly called for a black actress to play the character.
- Reluctant Ruler: It seems Rapunzel was always insecure regarding her leadership skills, after growing up sure that her older brother would inherit the kingdom. When he dies rescuing her from drowning, she realizes she's terrified of ruling and consumes the nightroot, compounding her fears further.
- Remember the New Guy?: Snow and Regina are at the ball with Rapunzel's parents, as if they are acquaintances to this kingdom we have never seen before.
- Signature Item Clue: How Charming and the others discover whom Zelena was holding prisoner—not only the spinning wheel but the straw spun into gold.
- Spare to the Throne: Rapunzel lived a spoiled and carefree life because of this, leaving her unprepared for ruling upon her brother's death.
- Too Good to Be True: Said word for word by Mary Margaret in regards to Zelena. Despite this, her idealistic nature coupled with the missing year of memories makes her willing to give her "perfect" new midwife the benefit of the doubt. Charming even lampshades the It's a Small World, After All nature of her just happening to (claim to) know Snow's old servant Johanna (who also is conveniently dead as far as corroborating her story goes).
- Unexpected Successor: After the death of her older brother, Rapunzel was suddenly in the position of the heir to her parents' kingdom.
- "What Do They Fear?" Episode: For Charming and Rapunzel. Rapunzel fears that she won't be a good ruler and Charming fears that he will fail his new child the same way he failed Emma.
- Wrecked Weapon: Charming's sword breaks while fighting the fear creature. Stabbing the creature with it turns it into a symbol of his courage, which Zelena then steals as one of the ingredients for her Revenge -based spell.
