Broken Heart

"Broken Heart" is the 98th episode of Once Upon a Time.

Summary
In flashbacks to Camelot, Hook, having just become a Dark One, finds himself once again out for Rumplestiltskin's blood. When he and Emma disagree about their best course of action, the final pieces of the puzzle are revealed as the events of the past catch up to the present and we witness a charged confrontation between the forces of light and dark that sends our heroes on a collision course with destiny. Meanwhile, in Storybrooke, Hook's centuries old lust for revenge against Gold puts both of their fates in jeopardy. At the same time, the Dark Swan's love faces the ultimate test as she tries to convince Hook to turn away from the darkness before she, her parents and Regina embark on a new mission, and an unsuspected evil is released.

Plot
"Previously on Once Upon a Time..."

Just as Emma is about to reunite both halves of Excalibur during the missing six weeks, a wound on Hook's neck reopens, and Merlin reveals that it can never be healed. However, Emma believes that she can use the Flame of Prometheus to release Merlin from Excalibur and tether Hook's life to it instead. Hook is dying in the field of middlemist flowers, bemoaning that he's not as strong as Emma is and that he's succumbed to darkness before. She is more concerned about their future together, determined to save him. In the present, Hook freezes the Dark Swan with a vial of squid ink, ensnaring her. Zelena then reveals that she found the pirate's dreamcatcher outside, proceeding to restore his memories of everything that happened in Camelot; he learns that he became a Dark One, seeing his name is on Excalibur, and when the Wicked Witch asks him if he's ready to learn the rest of what happened, he says he is, "But first we have to take care of her." Emma appears heartbroken.

Teaser
A close-up of Emma's eyes as she remains immobilized in her own home, thanks to Hook, who is told by Zelena to get on with what he's planning to do before the squid ink wears off. The new Dark One takes a step forward and Emma begs to know what he's doing, to which he replies that in penance for her taking his memories in an attempt to stop him from knowing the truth, he's going to return the favor. He then lifts up the dreamcatcher which used to contain his own memories and uses his newfound magic to pull thoughts from his now ex-girlfriend's head. Zelena giggles at this, commenting that, by the look on the Dark Swan's face, it would appear someone needs restraining. She proceeds to place her old cuff on Emma's wrist, thereby blocking her magic, before asking the captain if, due to her helpfulness, he'll allow her to go about her business unperturbed. "As long as you don't get in my way, I won't get in yours," Hook promises, and the Wicked Witch decides that she likes this new him, finally wondering aloud what it's like to be a Dark One. "Feels like I've been reborn," says the pirate, an eerie smile on his face as his attention returns to Emma.

Hook's eyes open in flashback as he wakes up within the depths of the Dark One's vault, surrounded by an unsettling amount of nothingness as he gets to his feet. Before long, tendrils of darkness wrap around his ankles, soon swarming their way up his entire body and making it so that he's trapped within a vortex of inky blackness, much like Emma when she became the Dark One. He begins to scream for help, his voice half drowned-out by the sound of swirling evil, and, as he does so, flashes begin to run through his mind. He recalls the day he lost his first true love, forced to re-witness the murder of Milah by Rumplestiltskin. We are once again shown as the former Dark One crushes his wife's heart to dust, and she falls dead into the arms of her lover Killian Jones (see "The Crocodile"). Hook continues to scream within the whirlwind of darkness, more painful memories apparently filling his head. Again, we are taken into them. We see more of the earlier seen, re-watching as Rumplestiltskin uses Killian's own cutlass to cut off his hand, molding him into Captain Hook. Killian tries using the hook on the deck of the Jolly Roger to kill the Dark One, to no avail (see "The Crocodile").

More screaming from inside the Vault of the Dark One as Hook prepares to rise from it, his old rivalry with Mr. Gold apparently dominating his brain. Mr. Gold lunges forward in a memory and removes Hook's heart from his chest, with Hook himself being restrained against a fence thanks to the Dark One's magic (see "Smash the Mirror"). The screaming is silent now, and all we're able to hear are the words of his memories, which grow evermore difficult to have to reflect upon. Gold prepares to crush Hook's heart inside the clock tower of Storybrooke to service his own devilish desires (see "Heroes and Villains"). We once again see the Apprentice using the Sorcerer's hat to remove the darkness from Rumple's heart, only for it to swarm Storybrooke and for Emma to have to sacrifice herself to stop it, becoming the new Dark One. Hook begs her not to (see "Operation Mongoose, Part 2").

The inky blackness fills the Vault of the Dark One, writhing around within its lid before, finally, a dark figure begins to rise. In this familiar scene, the darkness drips away to reveal its newest disciple: Killian Jones (see "Birth"). With his hook still firmly attached, he has risen as a new Dark One, having had his usual leather garb swapped out for an embossed hooded cloak. The first thing he sees after his grand emergence is the face of Rumplestiltskin, who crouches down to greet the pirate with a small wave and an elongated "hi". Removing his hood, Hook expresses annoyance at being faced with the "bloody crocodile"; however, Rumple assures that it isn't him, although he understands the confusion. Ruled by anger, the new Dark One attempts running at his nemesis, only for the vision to disappear and reappear on the other side of the vault. He comments that that's not going to work; "I'm not out here. I'm in there. I am your guide. The voice in your head." Hook advises him to save his speech, for he knows who he is. He is well-aware that all the Dark Ones are in his head, but it doesn't matter because he won't listen to them. Rumple points out though that if they work together then he can get him what he's been after for hundreds of years: his revenge. Having been trying to walk away, Hook suddenly stops, to the vision's amusement. Rumple says that that's right - he saw what Hook saw and he saw his pain, and he can ease it. "Stick with me and you will finally do what you never could before," the darkness adds as it approaches. Hook wonders just what that is, to which his new guide replies, "Why, kill me, of course." The pirate is intrigued. ONCE UPON A TIME

Act I
"Emma!" Mary Margaret exclaims as she and David run up the porch to her house, the latter of which saying that he'll check the basement while Regina, who's not far behind, says that she's got the upstairs. The three of them soon enter, with Emma's mother once again calling out her name and, as her husband and stepmother run to their designated floors, she finally spots her daughter lying on the couch with her hands tied. Worried, Mary Margaret quickly approaches, asking to be told by the depressed-looking Dark One what happened. After having been told the full story, Regina expresses shock over the fact that Emma turned Hook into a Dark One, and, as Mary Margaret hands her a cup of hot cocoa, the darkened savior replies that it was the only way to save him. Regina wonders if she thought of the consequences to everyone else but Emma argues that she couldn't just let him die, thinking Regina should be able to understand that.

She does, but points out that now they have a bigger problem, which Emma knows; she says that she didn't think any of this would happen and that she was trying to get rid of the darkness for good, adding that, after all Zelena's done to Regina, she was just doing the latter a favor by making her gone. Mary Margaret informs her daughter that what she planned on doing was premeditated murder and insists that there had to be another way, wondering why she didn't come to them. Emma explains that she didn't want to risk losing someone else, having thought that the best way to control the darkness was to isolate herself; but, when she did that, there was no one around to give her hope or tell her when she was being stupid. "Fine, you're being stupid! So stop it," Regina orders, getting up and saying that, right now, they have to clean up this mess, but Mary Margaret states otherwise, telling Emma to give them back their memories, "Your dreamcatchers. Regina can access them, can't she? We can piece together Hook's plan and stop him." However, David reenters and tells his wife that that idea is a no-go, for the dreamcatchers that Emma said were in the shed are gone. "What the hell is Captain Dark One up to?" Regina would like to know.

Over at Mr. Gold Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer, the new Dark One stares down at his hook after having just explained to Rumple and Belle what Emma did to him, with the former figuring that now he's come for his revenge. Hook admits that the thought had crossed his mind; "For this lovely piece of hardware, I think I'll take your hand. For Milah, your heart. For filling Emma with the darkness, hmm... I think your head will do quite nicely!" Gold wonders what the pirate is waiting for, beckoning him to get on with it, but, with a copious amount of "no"s, Hook refuses, pointing out that he's been waiting centuries for this moment and really wants to savor it. He grabs a cutlass from one of the shop's shelves and slides it across the floor of the establishment to its proprietor, then doing his best Rumple impression as he tells the former Dark One to get his affairs in order, "dearie", for they duel at noon on his ship... where it all began. Gold points out the poetry in this, but also that they both know the weapon he's been provided with cannot kill him, which Hook confirms as true - "That sword can't kill me, but this one can." Excalibur has appeared in his hand, and both Rumple and Belle seem shocked that he has it. Hook looks excited as he goes on to say that now that Excalibur's whole it can no longer control him, but, it can kill him. Ergo, all Rumple has to do is take it from him. "So, what say you, Crocodile? Shall we finish what we started?" the new Dark One queries. "Indeed," his predecessor replies. Hook smiles impishly.

Act II
"Once a pirate, always a pirate," Regina concludes as she stares down at the cutlass on her table, having been laid there by Mr. Gold who adds that, as a man, Hook spent centuries trying to kill him so it makes sense that revenge would be on his mind. Emma wonders why he wiped her memory if he was going to announce his plan anyway, thinking that there must be more to it, but Belle says that, even if there is, they only have until noon to stop him, and to save Gold. David wonders about Merlin's message (see "The Bear and the Bow") and Mary Margaret recalls the Sorcerer saying that someone called Nimue is the key to stopping the Dark One. Emma explains that Nimue was Merlin's true love, and Rumple adds that she was also the first Dark One, which the blonde knows; she wonders how they can find out more about her. Gold advises them to start their search with the Dark One chronicles, for there are many texts about her, but Emma interjects that, as much as she appreciates devotion to scholarship, there is an easier way. "I am still a Dark One. I can protect you, Gold. You just have to take off the cuff," she begs, outstretching her bound wrist, but no one does anything, leading her to infer that none of them trust her. Gold asks if she would trust him if the situation was reversed, but, before he can be answered, Henry enters the room, unhappy to see his birth mother in his and his adoptive mother's home. The Dark Swan begs her son to tell everyone that it's okay for them to remove the cuff, believing it to be the only way to figure it all out, but Henry point blank refuses, to her saddened surprise. He points out that she lied to them about Hook and about everything and asks why they should trust her now, at which she simply exclaims that she's his mother. "Are you?" he questions, "Because the mom I knew wouldn't keep things from me." Emma says that she thought he was the one person who would understand and he says he turn that he thought she was the one person he could trust. She wonders why he can forgive Regina and Gold for everything they've done but not her, and he argues that they've changed; they showed him they changed. "So did I..." Emma utters. "When we first met, yeah. But the minute things got tough, you didn't come to anybody. You decided you would figure it out on your own. We were a team." She indeed recalls Operation Cobra, but he adds that she just wants her dark magic back so she can do everything alone, and he's seen what she does with dark magic. With this, he runs off upstairs; Emma goes to follow him but Regina tells her that he needs time. Belle announces that they should really be getting to the library, for they have a lot to do, and Regina says that she has a stop to make first and will meet them all there. "Let me guess, I'm not invited," Emma says desolately as everyone prepares to leave. Mary Margaret assures her daughter that they love her, but... "You don't trust me," the Dark Swan finishes. David assures that they don't trust the darkness, then telling her to stay there and let them save her. He adds that it's for the best.

Trivia

 * The title card of this episode features the Jolly Roger.
 * The same title card was featured in "The Crocodile" and "Good Form".

Production

 * The title of this episode was officially confirmed by executive producer/co-creator Adam Horowitz, via his Twitter account, on October 7, 2015.

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the episode.