Rapunzel wakes up to find herself back in her room in Corona, with her hair short and brown again. She also finds out it is the day of her coronation, as if the incident with the black rocks never happened. Life seems perfect, but all is not what it seems.
Tropes in this episode:
- Art Evolution: The nightmare version of Mother Gothel has her features drawn as sharper and harsher, as opposed to the softer features from Rapunzel's nightmare in the beginning of the series.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Pascal turns into a giant monstrous version of himself to attack Rapunzel.
- Bittersweet Ending: Both for the episode and the arc. Rapunzel and the gang defeat the villain and manage to escape the House of Yesterday's Tomorrows, but something happened to Cassandra behind the mysterious door, and now, she's much colder towards Rapunzel.
- Call-Back:
- Long hair Rapunzel attacking short hair Rapunzel is like how she first attacked Eugene in the movie.
- Eugene and Rapunzel race through the country to the Corona wall, just like at the start of Tangled Ever After.
- The events of the coronation, of course, mirror Before Ever After, with alterations both because Rapunzel doesn't have her hair back in this version, and to fit the "Be content" message Matthews is trying to give her.
- Collapsing Lair: After Matthews is defeated, the House of Yesterday's Tomorrows falls into dust.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Matthews vs. Rapunzel in the dream/nightmare he created for her. Since it is her own mind, she has the absolute reality-warping power over it; once she realizes this, she rolls him over.
- Determinator: Rapunzel is put into a dreamlike coma by Matthews, with her mind being tricked into thinking she's in a perfect world. Her subconscious tries to warn her main mind to wake up.
- Dream Emergency Exit: In order to free herself, Rapunzel must find the black rocks and touch them.
- Foreshadowing: The fact that Cassandra meets the Enchanted Girl through a door in Tromus's house.
- I Always Wanted to Say That: When Rapunzel knocks the nightmare vision of Gothel out with a frying pan, she admits to herself that she always wanted to do that.
- Let's Split Up, Gang!: Cassandra says this while she, Lance, and Eugene are looking for Rapunzel. Eventually, the guys find Rapunzel while Cassandra is lured into a mysterious door.
- Lotus-Eater Machine: Rapunzel is trapped in an illusion that seems to be a world where everything went right, where she has no problems or serious responsibilities. In reality, she is under a hypnotic deep sleep by Matthews.
- Mirror Routine: One of these occurs at the beginning of the episode, when short-haired Rapunzel meets her long-haired alter ego:Short-haired Rapunzel: Who are you, and what do you want? Ugh, whoa! [finds herself wrapped up in her alter ego's long hair] A frying pan? Who are you? Because, that's kind of... my thing. [the other Rapunzel lowers her hood] Okay...
Other Rapunzel: Try not to freak out.
Short-haired Rapunzel: Try not to freak out? [giggles] Oh, why would I freak out? Meeting myself is perfectly normal, right? Trust me, I am not freaking out. Okay: I'm meeting myself, I'm meeting myself. I'm meeting myself!
Other Rapunzel: Right?
Both Rapunzels: [simultaneously] So neat! You said the same thing I said! Best day... Ha! You thought I was going to say "ever", but I stopped! - Mundane Solution: Eugene and Lance come across a locked door. Lance asks what kind of lock picking technique they should use and suggests a bunch of them. Eugene simply kicks down the door.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Gothel (actually Matthews) mocks Rapunzel that she is trapped in her own mind. Cue Rapunzel realizing that it's her own mind indeed, and therefore, she is the boss here.
- Not So Above It All: Gothel may darken the atmosphere at times with her syrupy-sweet cruelty, but even she makes a funny face (very much like Eugene) when Rapunzel knocks her out with a frying pan.
- Out-of-Character Alert: Downplayed. Although Rapunzel soon thinks nothing more of it, it doesn't fly over the audience's heads that something's not right if Eugene and Cassandra are getting along.
- When Rapunzel relives the moment her mother gifts her a journal, the only difference from the first time is her (and the message in the journal) basically telling her to "be content" and "let others make decisions for you". Even subconsciously, Rapunzel can't help but feel this sounds contrary to what her wise mother would ever tell her.
- Reality Warper: Once Rapunzel realizes that she is in her own dream and she has absolute power over it. She turns her chains into pretty little flowers, turns Matthews' fireball into a pink cupcake that promptly splashes all over the warlock, makes the tower disappear, takes control of the black rocks again, restores her hair, and breaks free.
- Too Good to Be True: Rapunzel's dream world is an alternate reality where she never touched the black rocks and she lives a peaceful life. Rapunzel's subconsciousness tries to warn her of this trope, that it's a trap and if she accepts it she'll be trapped in her own mind.
- Villainous Face Hold: Matthews holds Rapunzel's face while she is asleep under his spell.
- Visions of Another Self: Rapunzel meets her real self trying to warn her that the seemingly perfect world she's in is all fake and she needs to wake up or she'll be trapped there forever.
- Wolverine Publicity: Despite being mentioned in the press synopsis, Varian is neither seen or mentioned at any point in the episode. He did have a scene that was storyboarded, but never made it beyond that point due to time restraints.
