Welcome to Storybrooke: Difference between revisions

"**Welcome to Storybrooke**"
"Welcome to Storybrooke"
Once Upon a Time episode
Episode no.	Season 2; Episode 17
Directed by	David M. Barrett
Written by	Ian Goldberg; Andrew Chambliss
Original air date	March 17, 2013
Guest appearances
	Tony Amendola as Geppetto/Marco; Jamie Dornan as The Huntsman/Sheriff Graham; Beverley Elliott as Granny; Ethan Embry as Greg Mendell/Owen Flyyn; John Pyper-Ferguson as Kurt Flynn; Michael Raymond-James as Baelfire/Neal Cassidy; Raphael Sbarge as Jiminy Cricket/Dr. Archibald "Archie" Hopper; Benjamin Stockham as young Owen Flynn;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Miller's Daughter"	Next →; "Selfless, Brave and True"
	Once Upon a Time season 2
	List of episodes

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Latest revision as of 03:52, 5 January 2025

"Welcome to Storybrooke" is the 17th episode of the second season of the American ABC fantasy/drama television series Once Upon a Time, and the show's 39th episode overall. It aired on March 17, 2013.

It was co-written by Ian Goldberg and Andrew Chambliss, and was directed by David M. Barrett.

This episode centers around Regina as she tries to get revenge on Mary Margaret, while flashbacks show Regina's past with Greg Mendell.

Plot

In the Characters' Past

In 1983, Kurt Flynn and his young son Owen are camping in the Maine woods when they stumble upon Storybrooke. Regina invites Kurt and Owen to dine at her home and invites them to relocate to Storybrooke. The next day, Regina learns the Flynns are leaving. She uses Graham's heart to order him to arrest Kurt and abduct Owen for her. Kurt orders Owen to run as far as he can, which he does while Graham arrests Kurt. Owen returns with police officers, but Storybrooke is no longer evident. Owen vows never to stop looking for his father, while Regina weeps as she reaches out to him from inside Storybrooke.

In Storybrooke

As Regina prepares to bury Cora, Gold comes to pay his respects. Regina intends to kill Snow White, but Gold points out that would cost her Henry.

Emma reveals that Mary Margaret had a role in Cora's death, but Henry doesn't believe Snow White would hurt someone. Gold arrives to warn them that Regina plans to kill Mary Margaret, and David demands that Gold save her as repayment for Mary Margaret for saving his life.

A distraught Regina ransacks her mother's belongings until she finds the ingredients for a love spell for which the final ingredient is the heart of the person the caster hates most—Mary Margaret. Henry realizes Regina plans to use the curse on him. Regina tells Henry that he means too much to her for her to lose him; he asks her to prove it by not casting the curse. She insists that the imitation of love created by the curse will make them happy, but he refuses her offer, his response echoing Owen's in 1983. It is revealed that Greg is the adult Owen Flynn.

Reception

Ratings

The outing saw a slight increase in the ratings, placing 2.3/6 among 18-49s with 7.45 million viewers tuning in.^[1]

Reviews

The episode was met with positive reviews.

Oliver Sava of The A.V. Club gave this episode a "B+" and wrote, "After two strong episodes, it’s beginning to seem like Once Upon A Time is preparing to end the season on a high note, but things can fall apart at any instant. And that’s the big problem with shows as inconsistent as this one."^[2]

References

^ "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'The Amazing Race', 'Family Guy', 'The Cleveland Show, 'The Simpsons, 'Bob's Burgers' & 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Up" from TV by The Numbers/Zap2It (March 19, 2013)
^ Once Upon a Time "Welcome to Storybrooke" S2/E16 Retrieved March 17, 2013

External links

"Welcome to Storybrooke" at IMDb

[1] "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'The Amazing Race', 'Family Guy', 'The Cleveland Show, 'The Simpsons, 'Bob's Burgers' & 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Up" from TV by The Numbers/Zap2It (March 19, 2013)

[2] Once Upon a Time "Welcome to Storybrooke" S2/E16 Retrieved March 17, 2013

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{plot|date=September 2013}}
+{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
+{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
 {{Infobox television episode
+| series       = [[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]
-| Title        = Welcome to Storybrooke
+| image        =
-| Series       = [[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]
-| Image        =
+| caption      =
-| Caption      =
+| season       = 2
-| Season       = 2
+| production   =
-| Production   =
+| episode      = 17
-| Episode      = 17
+| airdate      = {{start date|2013|3|17}}
+| writer       = [[Ian B. Goldberg|Ian Goldberg]]<br/>[[Andrew Chambliss]]
-| Airdate      = {{start date|2013|3|17}}
-| Writer       = [[Ian B. Goldberg|Ian Goldberg]]<br/>[[Andrew Chambliss]]
+| director     = [[David Barrett (director)|David M. Barrett]]
+| guests       =*[[Tony Amendola]] as Geppetto/Marco
-| Director     = [[David Barrett (director)|David M. Barrett]]
-| Guests       =*[[Tony Amendola]] as Geppetto/Marco
 *[[Jamie Dornan]] as The Huntsman/Sheriff Graham
 *Beverley Elliott as Granny
-*[[Ethan Embry]] as Owen Flynn/Greg Mendell
+*[[Ethan Embry]] as Greg Mendell/Owen Flyyn
 *[[John Pyper-Ferguson]] as Kurt Flynn
 *[[Michael Raymond-James]] as Baelfire/Neal Cassidy
 *[[Raphael Sbarge]] as Jiminy Cricket/Dr. Archibald "Archie" Hopper
-*Benjamin Stockham as young Owen Flynn
+*[[Benjamin Stockham]] as young Owen Flynn
+| season_article = Once Upon a Time season 2
-| Episode list = [[Once Upon a Time (season 2)|''Once Upon a Time'' (season 2)]]<br>[[List of Once Upon a Time episodes|List of ''Once Upon a Time'' episodes]]
-| Prev         = [[The Miller's Daughter (Once Upon a Time)|The Miller's Daughter]]
+| episode_list = List of Once Upon a Time episodes
-| Next         = [[Selfless, Brave and True]]
+| prev         = [[The Miller's Daughter (Once Upon a Time)|The Miller's Daughter]]
+| next         = [[Selfless, Brave and True]]
 }}
-"'''Welcome to Storybrooke'''" is the 17th episode of the [[Once Upon a Time (season 2)|second season]] of the American [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] [[Fantasy (genre)|fantasy]]/[[Drama (genre)|drama]] television series ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'', and the show's 39th episode overall. It aired on March 17, 2013.
+"'''Welcome to Storybrooke'''" is the 17th episode of the [[Once Upon a Time season 2|second season]] of the American [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] [[Fantasy (genre)|fantasy]]/[[Drama (genre)|drama]] television series ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'', and the show's 39th episode overall. It aired on March 17, 2013.
 It was co-written by [[Ian B. Goldberg|Ian Goldberg]] and [[Andrew Chambliss]], and was directed by [[David Barrett (director)|David M. Barrett]].
@@ Line 31: / Line 33: @@
 ==Plot==
-===Opening Sequence===
-A tree falls on Kurt's truck in the forest.
 ===In the Characters' Past===
-In 1983, Kurt Flynn ([[John Pyper-Ferguson]]) and his young son Owen (Benjamin James Stockham) are camping in the [[Maine]] woods and Kurt gives Owen a lanyard he made as a child. Then the Dark Curse, which they perceive as a storm, strikes and damages Kurt's truck. They plan to hike to find help, but soon discover that the town of Storybrooke has appeared in a wilderness area through which they recently drove; Sheriff Graham ([[Jamie Dornan]]) welcomes them to town.
+In 1983, Kurt Flynn and his young son Owen are camping in the [[Maine]] woods when they stumble upon Storybrooke. Regina invites Kurt and Owen to dine at her home and invites them to relocate to Storybrooke. The next day, Regina learns the Flynns are leaving. She uses Graham's heart to order him to arrest Kurt and abduct Owen for her. Kurt orders Owen to run as far as he can, which he does while Graham arrests Kurt. Owen returns with police officers, but Storybrooke is no longer evident. Owen vows never to stop looking for his father, while Regina weeps as she reaches out to him from inside Storybrooke.
-Regina ([[Lana Parrilla]]) is delighted to discover that her plan has succeeded. She revels in the townspeople's mundane and repetitive lives; every day, Regina wakes in bed with Graham, Mr. Gold ([[Robert Carlyle]]) limps along the sidewalk, Marco ([[Tony Amendola]]) repairs the sign over his shop, Granny ([[Beverley Elliott]]) and Ruby ([[Meghan Ory]]) argue, Dr. Hopper ([[Raphael Sbarge]]) walks Pongo, and Mary Margaret ([[Ginnifer Goodwin]]) volunteers at the hospital where she does not recognize the comatose David Nolan ([[Joshua Dallas|Josh Dallas]]). Regina is displeased that the Flynns are present, and hastens the repair of the truck so they can return home to [[New Jersey]]. However, Regina quickly becomes bored herself as the days pass, and Mary Margaret's meekness makes her realize that everyone's obedience is not real. She confronts Mr. Gold about her displeasure but leaves his shop unsatisfied as he seems to not know what she is talking about. She invites Kurt and Owen to dine at her home that evening. There, Regina learns that Kurt's wife died six months earlier and Owen is no longer happy at home. She shares that she, too, wanted a fresh start but that it hasn't been meaningful as she has no one with whom to share it. Owen tells Regina she'd make a good mother. She invites them to relocate to Storybrooke and Owen is enthusiastic about the idea, but Kurt insists that their life is in New Jersey.
-The next day, Regina learns the Flynns are leaving. She uses Graham's heart to order him to arrest Kurt and abduct Owen for her. Kurt witnesses this and escapes Regina's office, but Regina and Graham cut off the Flynns' escape from town after a car chase. Kurt orders Owen to run as far as he can, which he does while Graham arrests Kurt. Regina tells Owen she just wants him to stay with her, but he refuses under these circumstances; she apologizes and he runs. Owen returns with police officers, but Storybrooke is no longer evident. Owen vows never to stop looking for his father, while Regina weeps as she reaches out to him from inside Storybrooke.
 ===In Storybrooke===
-As Regina prepares to bury Cora, Gold comes to pay his respects as Cora has a place in his heart.  Regina intends to kill Snow White, but Gold points out that would cost her Henry ([[Jared S. Gilmore]]); he tells her she can't have everything, but she vows to have both Henry and vengeance.
+As Regina prepares to bury Cora, Gold comes to pay his respects.  Regina intends to kill Snow White, but Gold points out that would cost her Henry.
-Mary Margaret is near-catatonic and refusing to eat. In light of [[Emma Swan]]'s ([[Jennifer Morrison]]) lies about Neal, Henry demands to know the real reason for her condition. Emma reveals that Mary Margaret had a role in Cora's death, but Henry doesn't believe Snow White would hurt someone. Gold arrives to warn them that Regina plans to kill Mary Margaret, and David demands that Gold save her as repayment for Mary Margaret for saving his life.
+Emma reveals that Mary Margaret had a role in Cora's death, but Henry doesn't believe Snow White would hurt someone. Gold arrives to warn them that Regina plans to kill Mary Margaret, and David demands that Gold save her as repayment for Mary Margaret for saving his life.
-A distraught Regina ransacks her mother's belongings until she finds a small scroll. Gold and David later investigate the vault and Gold determines that Regina has taken the ingredients for "the Curse of the Empty-Hearted." He explains to Mary Margaret's family that this spell makes its victim believe they love somebody, and that the final ingredient is the heart of the person the caster hates most--Mary Margaret. Henry realizes Regina plans to use the curse on him, and Gold explains that Regina will get everything she wants by killing Mary Margaret to compel Henry's love. Gold refuses to intervene further and advises them to kill Regina, at which point Henry denounces them and runs off with Emma in pursuit. She brings him to the diner where Neal ([[Michael Raymond-James]]) is waiting.  Neal asks Henry to go with him to [[New York]] where he'll be safe from the curse. Henry would rather work to eliminate magic from Storybrooke, but he agrees to Neal's plan for the time being. Greg ([[Ethan Embry]]) buys a sandwich to take on a hike, and he tells Emma that he hasn't left town yet because he's enjoying his time there. Emma and Neal then realize that Henry's quick agreement was a ruse; he has given them the slip.
+A distraught Regina ransacks her mother's belongings until she finds the ingredients for a love spell for which the final ingredient is the heart of the person the caster hates most—Mary Margaret. Henry realizes Regina plans to use the curse on him. Regina tells Henry that he means too much to her for her to lose him; he asks her to prove it by not casting the curse. She insists that the imitation of love created by the curse will make them happy, but he refuses her offer, his response echoing Owen's in 1983. It is revealed that Greg is the adult Owen Flynn.
-Regina breaks into Mary Margaret's apartment, but Gold stops her from attacking. Regina leaves after warning Mary Margaret that Gold can't watch her forever.
-Henry literally runs into Greg in the woods, and Greg contacts Regina about the boy's whereabouts. With David, Emma, and Neal in tow, Ruby tracks Henry; they discover he took dynamite from the mine, and Neal believes he plans to use it to destroy magic. At the wishing well, Regina interrupts Henry before he can light the dynamite. He explains that he wants to get rid of magic because it's ruining everything. Regina magically eliminates the dynamite and tells Henry that he means too much to her for her to lose him; he asks her to prove it by not casting the curse. She insists that the imitation of love created by the curse will make them happy, but he refuses her offer, his response echoing Owen's in 1983. Emma, Neal, and David arrive; a battle seems imminent until Henry steps between them and demands that they help him destroy magic because of what it has done to everyone. Regina explains that what he's asking is impossible, but she destroys the curse scroll. Henry thanks her, but leaves with the others.
-Gold receives a call from David and updates Mary Margaret. She asks how he can live with his own misdeeds, and he explains that he convinces himself he has done the right thing. Mary Margaret goes to Regina's house and tearfully begs Regina to kill her. Despite acknowledging that Henry would never forgive her, she takes Mary Margaret's heart. Upon discovering that it now contains a spot of darkness, she restores it to Mary Margaret rather than putting her out of her misery; she declares that Mary Margaret will destroy herself and her family, and Regina will have everything after all. Hidden nearby, Greg has captured video of the incident. He promises to find his father and is revealed to possess Kurt Flynn's lanyard; Greg is Owen Flynn.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://abc.go.com/shows/once-upon-a-time/episode-guide/season-02/217-welcome-to-storybrooke#recap|title = Once Upon a Time <nowiki>: Welcome to Storybrooke | Season 2 Episode 17 Recap - ABC.com</nowiki>|date = |accessdate = 2014-12-30|website = |publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref>
-==Production==
-"Welcome to Storybrooke" was co-written by producers [[Andrew Chambliss]] and [[Ian B. Goldberg|Ian Goldberg]]. ''[[Nikita (2010 TV series)|Nikita]]'' veteran [[David Barrett (director)|David M. Barrett]] served as the episode's director.
-==Cultural references==
-Owen refers to the green and red [[lightsaber]]s of ''[[Star Wars]]'' characters [[Luke Skywalker]] and [[Darth Vader]].
-Owen is the name of Luke Skywalker's uncle in ''Star Wars''.
-Kurt mentions that [[New Jersey]] is the home of "The Boss," musician [[Bruce Springsteen]].
-Kurt and Owen's last name, Flynn, is a reference to ''[[Tron: Legacy]]'', written by series co-creators [[Adam Horowitz (screenwriter)|Adam Horowitz]] and [[Edward Kitsis]]. In that film, Sam Flynn searches for his father Kevin in a hidden world. In addition, a street bench has a 1983 advertisement for ENCOM personal computers, the fictional computer corporation in both ''[[Tron]]'' and ''[[Tron: Legacy]]''.
-The name Greg Mendell is a reference to Gregor Mendel "the father of modern genetics"
 ==Reception==
 ===Ratings===
-The outing saw a slight increase in the ratings, placing 2.3/6 among 18-49s with 7.45 million viewers tuning in.<ref>[http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/03/19/sunday-final-ratings-once-upon-a-time-the-amazing-race-family-guy-the-cleveland-show-the-simpsons-bobs-burgers-the-mentalist-adjusted-up/173714/ "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'The Amazing Race', 'Family Guy', 'The Cleveland Show, 'The Simpsons, 'Bob's Burgers' & 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Up"] from TV by The Numbers/Zap2It (March 19, 2013)</ref>
+The outing saw a slight increase in the ratings, placing 2.3/6 among 18-49s with 7.45 million viewers tuning in.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130322071502/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/03/19/sunday-final-ratings-once-upon-a-time-the-amazing-race-family-guy-the-cleveland-show-the-simpsons-bobs-burgers-the-mentalist-adjusted-up/173714/ "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'The Amazing Race', 'Family Guy', 'The Cleveland Show, 'The Simpsons, 'Bob's Burgers' & 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Up"] from TV by The Numbers/Zap2It (March 19, 2013)</ref>
 ===Reviews===
 The episode was met with positive reviews.
-Hilary Busis from ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' gave this outing good marks: "Juggling work, childcare, a social life, gardening, high-tech surveillance, and an insatiable thirst for vengeance is no easy task. (Just ask the Internet!) But tonight, Regina discovered that it really is possible for a modern woman to Have It All -- as long as said woman's mortal enemy is kind enough to take care of the vengeance factor. Also, magic helps."<ref>[http://tvrecaps.ew.com/recap/once-upon-a-time-season-2-episode-17/ "''Once Upon a Time'' recap: That '80s Show"] from [[Entertainment Weekly]] (March 17, 2013)</ref>
+Oliver Sava of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' gave this episode a "B+" and wrote, "After two strong episodes, it’s beginning to seem like ''Once Upon A Time'' is preparing to end the season on a high note, but things can fall apart at any instant. And that’s the big problem with shows as inconsistent as this one."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130321001454/http://www.avclub.com/articles/welcome-to-storybrooke%2C93448/ ''Once Upon a Time'' "Welcome to Storybrooke" S2/E16] Retrieved March 17, 2013</ref>
-Oliver Sava of ''[[A.V. Club]]'' gave this episode a "B+" and wrote, "After two strong episodes, it’s beginning to seem like ''Once Upon A Time'' is preparing to end the season on a high note, but things can fall apart at any instant. And that’s the big problem with shows as inconsistent as this one."<ref>[http://www.avclub.com/articles/welcome-to-storybrooke,93448/ ''Once Upon a Time'' "Welcome to Storybrooke" S2/E16] Retrieved March 17, 2013</ref>
 ==References==
 {{Reflist}}
+==External links==
+* {{IMDb episode|2633182}}
 {{Once Upon a Time episodes}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Welcome To Storybrooke}}
-[[Category:2013 television episodes]]
+[[Category:2013 American television episodes]]
-[[Category:Once Upon a Time (TV series) episodes]]
+[[Category:Once Upon a Time season 2 episodes]]
+[[Category:Television episodes set in Maine]]
+[[Category:Television episodes set in the 1980s]]
+[[Category:Fiction set in 1983]]

v t e Once Upon a Time episodes
Season 1	"Pilot" "The Thing You Love Most" "Snow Falls" "The Price of Gold" "That Still Small Voice" "The Shepherd" "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" "Desperate Souls" "True North" "7:15 A.M." "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree" "Skin Deep" "What Happened to Frederick" "Dreamy" "Red-Handed" "Heart of Darkness" "Hat Trick" "The Stable Boy" "The Return" "The Stranger" "An Apple Red as Blood" "A Land Without Magic"
Season 2	"Broken" "We Are Both" "Lady of the Lake" "The Crocodile" "The Doctor" "Tallahassee" "Child of the Moon" "Into the Deep" "Queen of Hearts" "The Cricket Game" "The Outsider" "In the Name of the Brother" "Tiny" "Manhattan" "The Queen Is Dead" "The Miller's Daughter" "Welcome to Storybrooke" "Selfless, Brave and True" "Lacey" "The Evil Queen" "Second Star to the Right" "And Straight On 'til Morning"
Season 3	"The Heart of the Truest Believer" "Lost Girl" "Quite a Common Fairy" "Nasty Habits" "Good Form" "Ariel" "Dark Hollow" "Think Lovely Thoughts" "Save Henry" "The New Neverland" "Going Home" "New York City Serenade" "Witch Hunt" "The Tower" "Quiet Minds" "It's Not Easy Being Green" "The Jolly Roger" "Bleeding Through" "A Curious Thing" "Kansas" "Snow Drifts" "There's No Place Like Home"
Season 4	"A Tale of Two Sisters" "White Out" "Rocky Road" "The Apprentice" "Breaking Glass" "Family Business" "The Snow Queen" "Smash the Mirror" "Fall" "Shattered Sight" "Heroes and Villains" "Darkness on the Edge of Town" "Unforgiven" "Enter the Dragon" "Poor Unfortunate Soul" "Best Laid Plans" "Heart of Gold" "Sympathy for the De Vil" "Lily" "Mother" "Operation Mongoose"
Season 5	"The Dark Swan" "The Price" "Siege Perilous" "The Broken Kingdom" "Dreamcatcher" "The Bear and the Bow" "Nimue" "Birth" "The Bear King" "Broken Heart" "Swan Song" "Souls of the Departed" "Labor of Love" "Devil's Due" "The Brothers Jones" "Our Decay" "Her Handsome Hero" "Ruby Slippers" "Sisters" "Firebird" "Last Rites" "Only You" "An Untold Story"
Season 6	"The Savior" "A Bitter Draught" "The Other Shoe" "Strange Case" "Street Rats" "Dark Waters" "Heartless" "I'll Be Your Mirror" "Changelings" "Wish You Were Here" "Tougher Than the Rest" "Murder Most Foul" "Ill-Boding Patterns" "Page 23" "A Wondrous Place" "Mother's Little Helper" "Awake" "Where Bluebirds Fly" "The Black Fairy" "The Song in Your Heart" "The Final Battle"
Season 7	"Hyperion Heights" "A Pirate's Life" "The Garden of Forking Paths" "Beauty" "Greenbacks" "Wake Up Call" "Eloise Gardener" "Pretty in Blue" "One Little Tear" "The Eighth Witch" "Secret Garden" "A Taste of the Heights" "Knightfall" "The Girl in the Tower" "Sisterhood" "Breadcrumbs" "Chosen" "The Guardian" "Flower Child" "Is This Henry Mills?" "Homecoming" "Leaving Storybrooke"
Wonderland	"Down the Rabbit Hole" "Trust Me" "Forget Me Not" "The Serpent" "Heart of Stone" "Who's Alice" "Bad Blood" "Home" "Nothing to Fear" "Dirty Little Secrets" "Heart of the Matter" "To Catch a Thief" "And They Lived..."