Follow TV Tropes

Following

Recap / Once Upon a Time S7 E5 Greenbacks

Go To

Season 7, Episode 5:

Greenbacks

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/05_greenbacks.jpg

In the Enchanted Forest, Tiana seeks help from the traveling soothsayer, Dr. Facilier, to save her family's fortune, only to learn the hard way why you don't make deals with the Shadow Man. In Hyperion Heights, Sabine and Jacinda take on a risky business venture to protect themselves from Victoria's rent manipulation, only for her to test the strength of their friendship while still working to bring down Lucy's belief from within. Roni, suspicious of Ivy's newfound friendship with Henry and alliance to bring down her mother, instead makes a shocking discovery. And Rogers uncovers a crucial clue in his search for Eloise Gardener.

Tropes

  • Adaptation Deviation: Unlike the animated movie, where Tiana was a 20th century girl in New Orleans, this version is an actual princess. However, see the Mythology Gag list below.
    • In the film, Tiana was a lower-class New Orleans girl and Naveen was a prince who was down on his luck (because his family cut him off from their fortune). Here it's inverted: the "prince" is actually a commoner and it's Tiana who has fallen on hard times (because of her father's death).
  • Backstory: Aside from Tiana's overall origin story, we also find out the beginnings of how and why she ended up leading the resistance—not only did she too plan to take advantage of the king's ball for his son, the reason for this is that after falling on hard times due to the death of her father, she learned from her mother that the king was actually oppressing and unfairly taxing all his people, and after seeing the plight of the less fortunate instead of just her "dresses and hairbrushes" she was urged to act on their behalf.
  • Bait-and-Switch: 'Prince Marius' leads Tiana to believe that his wife was turned into a frog and that kissing her will restore her humanity. But, in fact, he was a frog who was transformed into a human. The kiss thus transforms him back into one so as to be reunited with his love.
  • Chekhov's Gunman: The man Rogers arrests just happens to have a tattoo that links him to the case of his missing daughter, and is working for Victoria since he warns her of someone trying to find the girl.
  • Couch Gag: The title card features a fire truck.
  • Distinguishing Mark: The drunk that Rogers arrests has one of these on his wrist, which just so happens to match one drawn in the book that had belonged to Eloise. Judging by its appearance and stated purpose (to keep away a great evil), it would seem to have some connection to Facilier and his Friends on the Other Side (although the actual mark itself is called the Seidr and is a symbol from Old Norse magic relating to fate).
    • The tattoo is later revealed to actually be the symbol of the Coven of the Eight - a group of evil witches and has nothing to do with Facilier or his Friends on the Other Side. Although later still, Gold does surmise that Facilier showing up right when the Coven has made itself known cannot be a coincidence, implying that while there is no connection, Facilier would be happy to make use of the Coven for his own purposes if he could.
  • Dragon with an Agenda: Not only does Ivy have all her memories but she is playing both sides for her own plans. The witch even says she is only making Tremaine think she is in charge.
  • Dramatic Irony: Henry says that Roni isn't his mother. She promptly responds with a "what your mother would say if she were standing right in front of you" lecture.
  • Evil Is Petty: Despite openly admitting aloud that Sabine's beignets are indeed excellent, Victoria still has someone burn down the restaurant where Jacinda works, just to stop her and Sabine from raising the extra money for their rent.
    • Facilier wants to keep Robert's mate in a cage even after Tiana gives him the ruby, as he enjoys hearing her plaintive cries.
  • Gambit Pileup: Victoria Belfry has her scheme to bring back Anastasia, Rumple regained his memories in the previous episode and hints at his intentions to subvert Victoria, Victoria has the witch as a prisoner in the attic who clearly has plans for her captor, and now this episode adds another gambit with Ivy being in collusion with the witch in some plan against Victoria, while also acting as the mole in Henry's group with the potential it is she who is the biggest threat. Phew!
  • Hope Spot: It appears that Jacinda and Sabine will raise enough money from the beignets to pay their increased rent and stop Victoria from driving them out. But then Victoria learns of their plan (via Lucy's ballet teacher, presumably) and has someone burn the restaurant down to stop them, and also drive a wedge between Sabine and Jacinda so as to destroy Lucy's belief. Luckily Lucy gets through to her mother, leading to an apology and a new Hope Spot at episode's end.
  • I Have Your Wife: How Facilier got Marius to steal the Firefly Ruby from Tiana for him—by imprisoning his true love.
  • Madwoman in the Attic: While she already seemed to be this on her first appearance, the witch Victoria is keeping prisoner really starts exemplifying the trope in this episode.
  • Manipulative Bitch: Ivy. After bonding with Henry in the previous episode, she seems willing to help him as a way to get back at her mother. Roni, understandably, is wary of her and intercepts her text so as to meet her instead. Ivy then leads her to the tower and convinces her of her trustworthiness by revealing Victoria had been meeting with someone secretly there, and allowing her to find the photo of her as Regina with young Henry. Then she plays the subservient daughter again to earn Victoria's forgiveness and convince her she is still her indispensable servant and no threat. In actuality she played both of them, becoming The Mole to Operation: Next Chapter and misdirecting Victoria as to her true deviousness and goals—and she has her memories and is working with the witch. By the time she's leading Roni up into the tower, her manipulative cunning is in full force; she certainly seems to be headed toward Dragon with an Agenda territory.
  • Mythology Gag: Despite the number of changes and reversals from the animated The Princess and the Frog, there are still a number of Shout Outs and connections.
    • Both the Firefly Ruby and the firefly design Lucy comes up with to stamp on Jacinda and Sabine's pastry bags refer to Ray.
    • Like the animated Tiana, this one is known for making delicious and incomparable beignets—and where in the film she was selling them to raise money for her own restaurant (and aided by a big purchase by her friend Charlotte), here she is using them to help pay for her and her friend Jacinda's rent. And, after the restaurant fire, to start up their own food truck business.
    • Tiana's father was still a cook—in the king's army, and after helping save the day after everyone else in camp was dead, he earned a medal for his heroism and caught her mother's eye. The episode also revolves around what Tiana inherited from him (in this case, his heroism and tenacity rather than love or his cooking skills, though she clearly has the latter to some degree as well).
    • Like in the movie, kissing a frog results in the human becoming a frog instead—but not because he isn't a prince or they aren't true loves, it's because his true love was a frog; the kiss was to return him to his original form so he could be with her.
    • Facilier's outfit is straight from the movie. His first line of dialogue in this episode is exactly the same as his opening line in The Princess and the Frog. He also directly quotes his line about "having friends on the Other Side", as well as obliquely referencing his "hop from place to place" line by telling the beggars accosting Tiana to "hop on out of here", and makes use of voodoo when using the straw doll and its pins on Tiana.
    • The episode title, while also referencing greenback frogs and the money Sabine and Jacinda need to pay their raised rent, is a reference to Facilier telling Naveen "freedom takes green."
  • Shout-Out:
    • Upon learning that Sabine's beignet venture at the Mr. Cluck's could prove successful, Victoria Belfry phones a fellow called 'Ralph' and instructs him to 'wreck it.'
    • Dr. Facilier says that Tiana's family's wealth dried up "like A Raisin in the Sun". A rather fitting reference, considering this story also features a black family struggling with poverty.
    • The drunk that Rogers has brought in was found at the Pleasure Island cabaret. Rogers comments that alcohol can make jackasses out of people.
  • The Reveal:
    • Contrary to what Victoria thinks, Ivy is fully awake from the Curse and allied with the witch against her own mother.
    • Also, whatever happened to Hook's daughter. Victoria knows all about it and is trying to keep her from being found.
    • Judging by the way the darkness surrounds him when he vanishes, Facilier and his Friends on the Other Side seem to have a connection with the Darkness of the Dark One.
  • Wham Line: Two of them:
    • First, Henry seeing the kid in the photo with Roni. "That's me."
    • Then, Ivy talking to the witch and snapping "Don't call me Ivy, it's Drizella."
  • Wham Shot
    • The photograph Roni picks up turns out to be one of Regina and Henry in Storybrooke.
    • The witch appearing before Ivy.

Top