Street Rats

"Street Rats" is the 116th episode of Once Upon a Time.

Summary
In flashbacks to Agrabah, the princess, Jasmine, recruits a supposed street rat, Aladdin, to help her recover a secret weapon capable of breaking Jafar's hold on the Sultan and saving the city from ruin; their quest takes them to the Cave of Wonders, where Aladdin's fate is revealed. Over in Storybrooke, the Evil Queen tricks Emma's loved ones and forces the savior to reveal her secret in an effort to divide the family. The Queen also takes to pampering Zelena while, elsewhere in town, Regina and our heroes scramble to learn what became of a certain diamond in the rough.

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

Emma gets hand tremors and visions of herself having a battle which leads to her death. She tells Archie that it's hard to keep this secret from her family and her happiness is an illusion. Hook and Emma lovingly stroke faces. The Evil Queen tells Emma she wants her to see how pointless she is once she's off the chessboard. Zelena tells the Evil Queen she thought she was different than Regina. The Evil Queen insists she's the sister Zelena wants, telling her she'd never settle for less. Now a teacher again, Snow bumps into "Shirin" while walking down the school corridor. Shirin introduces herself as Snow's new teacher's aid. "Shirin" meets up with the Oracle and claims she didn't come this far to give up on looking for Aladdin. The Oracle assures her she will find him, addressing her as Jasmine, revealing her true identity.

Trivia

 * The title card of this episode features the giant hourglass created by Jafar to trap Jasmine.
 * Although credited, Emilie de Ravin (Belle Gold/Belle) and Robert Carlyle (Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin) are absent from the episode.

Production

 * The title of this episode was revealed as "Diamond in the Rough" by Norman Buckley, via his Instagram account, on August 11, 2015.
 * The same day, Adam Horowitz officially announced that the title was changed to "Street Rats" via his Twitter account.
 * This episode marks the thirty-first writing credit for the series' co-creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, as well as the first directing credit for Norman Buckley.

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the episode.