Wish You Were Here

"Wish You Were Here" is the 121st episode of Once Upon a Time.

Summary
Upon learning that our heroes possess a weapon capable of defeating her, the Evil Queen steals Aladdin's magic lamp from Jasmine and makes a wish that could sideline the savior forever. David, unwilling to wake Snow while their daughter is missing, works with Henry and Hook to hold the Queen at bay in Storybrooke. Meanwhile, Gold and Belle face a surprising danger to their newborn son, and Regina goes on a rogue rescue mission.

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

The genie lamp is rubbed by Jasmine but only a pair of cuffs poof out, leading the princess to fret that, without a genie, she can't use a wish to get back to Agrabah. However, Aladdin thinks that she will, proceeding to place the cuffs on himself and become the new genie of the lamp. In the backroom of Gold's shop, Emma and Hook discover the sword - with a red jewel embedded in the hilt - from the former's visions. We once again see Emma, in the future, being stabbed by the same sword wielded by an unknown figure in a hood. Hook points out that it's the sword that kills her, but Emma believes that now that they have it then maybe they can finally find out who's responsible and how to stop them.

Teaser
The sword from Emma's vision remains in her possession as, in the present, she, Regina and Hook are seen making their way through the town cemetery at night. The latter asks the Mayor if she really thinks there might be something in her vault which can destroy the weapon, but she replies that they don't want to destroy it - they want to understand it. Hook doesn't follow, exclaiming that it's fated to kill his love, but said love states that the hooded figure who uses it is fated to kill her, meaning they have to figure out who that is. "And then we can worry about destroying things," Regina adds as the three of them continue to trek; however, they all soon find themselves stopping dead in their tracks at the sight of something shocking, with the pirate even espousing one of his usual "bloody hell"s. Indeed, right now, the Evil Queen is kneeling down before the grave of Robin Hood, which is emblazoned with a lion, and an offended Regina screams for her other half to get away from him. The Queen turns in a state of mild surprise as Regina comes running, then slowly getting to her feet as she assures that the heroes have no need to worry, for she's not there to desecrate Robin's final resting place. She loved him too, after all.

An evil smirk works its way across her face as she decides to put emphasis on the word "loved" - past tense - because she believes that losing Robin Hood was the best thing that ever happened to them. It pushed Regina to liberate her; to free her from the prison of her self-loathing; "To make me the best version of us." This only makes Regina angrier, and the savior begs her friend not to let the Queen get to her. It's too late for that though, as Regina states herself, and then she summons a ball of fire into her palm. The Queen smirks and cackles some more, asking Regina what exactly she plans on doing, such as throwing a fireball at herself. She then uses her magic to extinguish the flame, reminding the Mayor that the only way to hurt her is to hurt herself, which is why her friends won't be able to stop her. "See? Love is weakness." With Regina sufficiently subdued, the Queen decides to move on to Emma, requesting that she say "hi" to sleeping beauty. She then asks if it's in fact sleeping daddy, a reference to the two-say sleeping curse she enacted on her mortal enemies, and this talk of Emma's parents really gets to her.

More enraged than ever and in spite of Hook's protest, the savior takes the sword and goes for the Queen, even managing to slice her cheek with the blade. The malevolent monarch is left with a nasty gash on her face, at which point Emma realizes what she's done and turns to Regina in worry, needing to know if she's okay. However, as she feels her own cheek, Regina is surprised to report that she's fine, for harming the Queen with the sword seems to have had no effect on her. The Queen is equally surprised as she touches her wound and sees blood, then attempting to heal it with her magic. The purple glow is ineffective though - it seems scars from this sword don't heal - and so Emma then attempts to use the weapon to run the villainess through once and for all. In the nick of time, the Queen is able to poof away in one of her regular flurries of purple smoke, leaving Emma standing there with the sword in tow and staring down at the blade. She then revels in an out-loud realization: "We can kill her." ONCE UPON A TIME

Act I
Across town, the Queen re-materializes in another flurry of smoke, still clutching her wounded cheek following her brief confrontation with Emma. She then leans against the car she's appeared in front of, needing a moment to ponder over the implications of everything, only to end up startled by the sudden appearance of Mr. Gold. He looms over her, for the car she's sitting on is in fact his, and then he asks if she was thinking of going for a drive. The Queen replies that she's in no mood and, upon taking a moment to inspect her face, the Dark One comments that it appears as though the savior's found a weapon. Normally he'd be upset that someone stole from him but, in this case, he thinks he'll let Miss Swan's pilfering slide, and he can focus on finding his son. "And you," he steps closer, "can prepare to die." With that, he slaps something on her wrist, managing to catch her off-guard. It glows briefly with magic and he states that now, no matter where she goes, he can find her. When he takes a step back, we see that the Queen has just been tagged with one of the same golden bracelets that currently adorns Belle's wrist; she tries to take it off but can't, with Rumple adding that what the Queen did to him - and to Belle - was unforgivable. So if, at the end of the day, the savior has yet to dispatch of her... she can rest assured that, after he finds his son, he will gladly finish the job. Threat made and understood, he then poofs away in his own preferred shade of red, leaving the Queen reeling as she stares down at her cuffed wrist.

"So it can hurt the Queen without hurting Regina," David repeats back at the loft, having just received the rundown of events, while his daughter tends to a sleeping Snow. She then looks up at her father, and to Regina, and states that the Evil Queen needs to die, and Regina nods in agreement. David's cell phone then starts to ring and he leaves the other heroes to go answer it, giving Hook a moment to approach his girlfriend and ask if she's alright. She responds that, in this case, the cliche is true: "I was... born for this." And Hook accept that. Henry, however, calls out for his mother, begging her not to do it. Emma shoots a look to Hook and Regina, signifying that she and her son need a moment alone, and so they join David in the other room while the savior, sword still in tow, gets up to approach Henry, telling him that she has the ability to stop the Queen. With the sword, she can save all of them, but Henry points out that that sword is what kills her, then asking how she knows that this isn't how she dies - by facing her. "What if she's the figure under the hood from your vision?" However, Emma points out in turn that she can't miss out on every battle because she thinks it might be her last, for she's the savior.

Henry exclaims that she's also his mom, before storming off, while Emma looks down at her hand beginning to shake. As per usual, when the tremors start, we receive flashes of the battle Emma is fated to be in. Her brandishing a sword against a mystery assailant on Main Street, at some point in the future which seems ever-nearer. The battle doesn't exactly go well, but Emma tries her best to ignore this as she clenches her fist in an attempt to force the visions to stop. It works, and then she receives a much-needed distraction from David as he comes to inform her that that was Leroy on the phone and the Evil Queen's been spotted in Main Street. While Henry heads upstairs, David and Hook head out the door, with Regina eager to follow along with Emma. However, Emma stops the Mayor and tells her that she can't, for the only way for her to hurt the Queen is to hurt herself and she can't let her do that. "I've got this," she assures, "You just stay here with Henry." This appears difficult for the Mayor to accept, but eventually she's able to simply wish her friend good luck in defeating her evil half, and Emma nods before finally heading out the door too.

Emma leads Hook and David down Main Street and past the clock tower, her grip never wavering on the apparently magical sword. She looks down at it again as she readies herself to do battle with the Queen, only the Queen doesn't seem to actually be there, and the heroes soon grow distracted by someone crying, "Help me!" over in Granny's Diner. They rush to this person's aid, hightailing it into the diner, and soon discover that the damsel in distress is none other than Jasmine, who's been bound to a chair. Emma calls out her name and begins to approach, wanting to save her, but the Queen soon emerges from the backroom with a certain something in tow, warding the savior off with a wag of her finger and an "ah-ah". "This is about me. It's always about me!" the Queen roars as she parks herself next to her hostage, that certain something in her hand in fact being the genie lamp that Aladdin stole for his princess. Emma tells the Queen that she's damn right as she prepares to wield the sword against her, but the Queen is quick to extend her arm and use her magic to begin choking Jasmine, assuring the blonde that she can snap her neck before she gets a step closer.

This makes Emma hesitant, and so she draws herself back a bit, meaning the Queen relinquishes her grip and allows her poor victim to breathe again. While Jasmine catches her breath, her captor begins to rub the side of the lamp, causing orange smoke to fire from the spout. From this orange smoke, Aladdin himself takes shape, now decked out in appropriate genie attire as his binds remain firmly on his wrists. He looks to Jasmine and the Queen in shock at the positions they're both in, while Hook exclaims, "What the devil?!" The Queen then takes it upon herself to inform the pirate that it's not the devil, but rather, her genie, and Aladdin finds himself apologizing to the heroes. "I believe I have three wishes," the Queen goes on, stepping out in front of the kidnapped princess and the magical slave and pacing up and down to intimidate the enemies that stand before her. Aladdin encourages her to go ahead and wish, for they always come with a price, but the Queen is well-aware of this, which is why she's not going to wish for something for herself. Instead, she's going to give Emma something. Something she's always wanted. Something she confided about to Aladdin (see "Dark Waters").

Emma seems shocked that the Queen heard them, only for her to exclaim, "Don't you know by now? I hear everything." This makes her very worried, with the Queen proceeding to recount that she wished she wasn't the savior. As such, that's exactly what she's going to get. Her loved ones look just as taken aback; the Queen, though, prepares to voice her first wish. "Genie of Agrabah," she commands, to Aladdin's dismay, "I wish that Emma Swan's wish to have never been he savior... be granted." A moment goes by as the genie holds off the inevitable for as long as he can, and Emma uses this time to yell out in defiance and run at the Queen with the sword in tow. Her loved ones call out too, but the Queen just smiles, for Aladdin is finally compelled to outstretch his arm and make it so that the blonde just... vanishes. Sword and all. "What happened?! Where did she go?!" Hook yells, him and David looking equally horrified at the fact that Emma has just disappeared into thin air upon the wish being granted, and the Queen's smile doesn't drop - only grows in the wake of her victory.

Act II
A candle in the shape of a blue star, its wick lit atop its uppermost point, and then we focus on the face of Emma Swan as she prepares to make a wish... and then blows. The flame dies, leaving only smoke in its wake, and then her eyes open, which is met by several cries of, "Happy birthday!" With the shot taking us out, we are soon able to see that the candle was perched in a small cake which Emma was hunched over, for she is currently in a regal pink-white gown at the center of attention among the royal guests which fill the castle hall on behalf of her special day. Everyone is clapping now and Emma smiles as she returns to her full height, her cascading blonde curls held back only by a dainty headband designed to match her dress. She then utters, "Mommy... Daddy..." and we are shown that, at the front of the crowd, Snow White and Prince Charming are clapping with the most enthusiasm. Only, they don't quite look like themselves anymore. They are aged now, their grey hair and wrinkled faces showing every decade that they previously missed out on due to the curse, and they are decorated in a far more grand fashion than normal. Emma just continues to smile as Queen Snow, King David and the rest of the kingdom clap for her, and then Grumpy - though in this realm he appears less grumpy and more old - begs the princess to tell them what she wished for. The Granny of this land also seems eager to find out, along with the other assembled guests, and Emma's smile can't help but grow as she responds, "Not a thing. Everything I could ever want is right here." Her parents are touched to hear this, and then Granny snaps her fingers to signal for the guards to open up the room's extravagant doors. Caterers then begin to enter with more food for everyone and, as the guests congregate around them, Emma finds herself moving beyond the table, and Snow approaches her to one side in worry. She can tell that something's bothering her daughter and would like to know what's wrong and, as David joins them, Emma admits that, last night, she had a dream that the Queen did cast her curse and she was "the savior" as her parents told her. With a smile, Snow reminds her daughter that all of that was avoided when the Queen was defeated, and Emma knows this. However, she elaborates on her dream, explaining how she was in this strange fantastical land unlike any she's ever seen before and they were still fighting her; all of them. And this place, it had a name. It was called... Storybrooke. The King and Queen don't really know how to respond to this, with the former reaching out his hand and assuring the princess that it was only a dream. At this, Emma tells them that, when she woke up, she found "this", and then she takes out the very same sword that, back before her wish was granted via the Evil Queen, she was about to wield in battle: the one from her visions with the red jewel in the hilt. This new Emma doesn't quite know how to hold it, and she maintains a worried expression as she exclaims that it was under her bed. Snow figures that one of the servants must have put it there, recalling how they were just cleaning the armory, and then a familiar young man interrupts them by repeatedly calling out "oh no" as he rushes to join. The young man is Henry, also dressed in regal attire, and he worriedly asks his mother if he missed her birthday celebrations. Emma doesn't seem to mind that he did though, for he soon explains that he was practicing for tomorrow and lost track of time, begging that his mother please forgive him. "Of course, Henry," she cries, embracing him, and then she takes his hand as she proclaims that she wants his knighting ceremony to be perfect. "You are going to be the noblest knight the kingdom has ever seen." Henry takes great joy in his mother's support, but he soon grows confused when he looks down and notices the sword still in her other hand, asking if it's for him, for tomorrow. Without really waiting for an answer, he takes it, with Emma turning to her parents and not really knowing what to say. The soon-to-be knight then lifts it up and pretends to be wielding it defensively, stating that his name is Sir Henry, Knight of the Realm, and he shall defend all of them. His family all smile, taking pride in him, and Emma proceeds to utter that his father would be very proud of him. "I wish... I wish I'd known him," Henry utters in turn as he turns his attention to a portrait on the wall, and soon the others all turn to it as well, at which point we are shown that the portrait is of Neal Cassidy - or rather, Baelfire - dressed in Enchanted Forest style clothing and also wielding a sword. It seems he's dead in this world too, but Emma promises her son that he's watching over him. "He's always watching over you." And a moment of sweetness is shared. David intervenes to say that he believes they have some celebrating to do, holding out his arm for his daughter to take. As she does, he adds that the party's only just begun, and she replies with, "Of course, daddy," as she heads off with him. Henry continues to hold the sword Emma found and Snow begs that he put it away, for this family is done fighting. She then heads off in pursuit of her husband and daughter, who themselves are in pursuit of the table of gifts, while Henry just smiles at his new weapon. Henry of the real world, however, has now joined the heroes in Granny's Diner and demands to know where his birth mother has gone. Hook responds that they have no idea, but Regina, who's also grouped with the others, hopes that they're trying to figure it out - after all, she didn't stay behind just so that they could screw things up. David requests that she take it easy on them, for it was the Queen, at which Regina snaps that she knows who it was, then suggesting that perhaps the prince use some of that defensive energy to find out where Emma is. "You're her father! You must have some idea," she declaims, and David yells in response that, yes, he is her father, but that doesn't mean he knows everything. Instead he turns to Hook, pointing out that he lives with her now, and asks if he has any ideas. The pirate cries that if he had an idea then he would have "bloody well" mentioned it by now, only for David to angrily ask how he's able to share a home with someone and not know their secrets. "Because we don't stand around and talk about what happens when a bloody genie appears, mate!" Hook barks. Jasmine, who's since been freed from her binds, attempts to intermediate by insisting that the heroes stop fighting, and then Regina realizes that, right now, they're doing exactly what the Evil Queen wants. She recalls how she said they would tear themselves apart (see "A Bitter Draught") and that's exactly what they're doing. "The Evil Queen has thrown a lot of punches today," the Mayor goes on to state, "But now... I think I know a way to throw one back." She smiles as an idea formulates, and the others look intrigued. The bell on the door of Mr. Gold Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer dings as Mr. Gold himself enters in a rush, swiftly heading over to the counter where his magic globe awaits. Holding out his hand, he makes it so that one of Belle's hairbrushes magically appears in his palm, then taking some strands of hair from it while he plucks some of his own from the back of his scalp. He mixes them together by rubbing both hands, working some sort of spell to devolve them into pure essence, and then he pours this essence into the globe, using his magic in an attempt to lock onto the location of someone who shares both their DNA - their son. Black swirls form on the surface of the globe as a map attempts to take shape, with Rumple even commanding aloud that it show him their son, but the map fails, and the swirls simply continue to be just that. They do attempt to make a configuration of sorts, but then they just disperse and evaporate, and Rumple is most displeased. More than that, though: he is worried. Over at the mayoral office, a cocktail shaker moves up and down as Aladdin finds himself compelled to mix drinks for the Evil Queen. She is sitting in her better half's chair, legs up, admiring the genie lamp in her hands. As he completes the shaking process, Aladdin asks his master if she's sure she wants an appletini, wondering if it's not a little on the nose even for her, but the Queen replies that she likes what she likes, and so the genie goes to pour. As he begins to fill the apple-wedged glass with the red alcoholic liquid, he asks if this is her wish, only for her to make clear that it's in fact a request. She then suggests that he heat it, lest he wants things to get even less pleasant than they already are, but Aladdin views this concept as ambitious. The Queen smiles at this and twirls her hand, making it so that she poofs behind her genie in the usual purple cloud. She is very much in his personal space now, excitedly pointing out that there's much they can explore in this "master-genie relationship", and then she begins trailing her fingers down the exposed parts of his chest. "Ambition," he takes her hand and puts the appletini in it, "met." Regina then bursts in, to the Queen's only mild surprise, and asks her evil other self if she's having fun in her office. The Queen replies that, as a matter of fact, she was about to, then turning back to Aladdin and placing a hand on his muscular arm. She winks as well, and he utters, "Ew," before Regina states that she's not there for the Queen's perversions - rather, she's there to get Emma back. Aladdin moves around the desk while the Queen perches herself upon it, believing Regina is going to need some good luck with that. She grabs the lamp and assures that the Mayor is not going to get a hold of it, but, even if she did, one can't undo wishes. "Sadly true," Aladdin adds, and the Queen, smiling with her appletini in tow, kicks out a chair for Regina to take a seat. She then approaches the redeemed version of herself and adds that she should have a drink, offering her her own, and give thanks where thanks is due. Regina, now stuck clutching the appletini, asks the Queen what the hell she's talking about, at which the vile villainess re-grabs the lamp and re-positions herself to be back behind the desk, telling Aladdin while she moves to be a dear and mix her another drink. He goes to do this as Regina moves forward, and the Queen finally replies that her better half shouldn't forget: she knows her better than anyone. She is her. And there was a time when all she wanted was to tear Snow and Charming apart and kick Emma Swan out of her town, and she (she outstretches her hand to receive the other appletini from Aladdin) just did both. She then cackles and raises her glass in an attempt to toast, "To you. To me. To us." Regina smiles in return, making it look as though she might actually clink glasses with her serum counterpart, but then her smile becomes a grimace and she just places her drink firmly down on the desk. This disappoints the Queen, who sighs, and then she states that that's why Regina will never be happy - she's won, and she can't even admit it. If she could, she'd see that victory feels luxurious, and, to demonstrate this, the Queen returns to sitting on the mayoral chair, holding both the lamp and her beverage with her feet once again raised. "Yes, I may not be able to get a hold of that genie lamp," Regina responds, "But you're right. We are the same person, which means... you're not the only master of the lamp." Aladdin seems greatly happy with this realization, while the Queen's sense of victory is finally threatened. She utters, "No," but Aladdin utters, "Yes," and then Regina commands, "Genie of the lamp, I wish to be sent to the same place as Emma Swan." "No!" the Queen begs, but Aladdin tells his other master that her wish is his command, then flaying his arm and using his genie magic to make it so. Regina disappears in the same fashion that Emma did earlier, off to join her friend in the wish realm, while the Queen bangs down on the desk and lets out another cry of, "No!" as her anger forces her to expel luxury and return to her feet. It's too late, though. Her second wish is gone, and so is Regina. When Regina reappears, she finds herself standing in what looks like the Enchanted Forest; the same fairytale-esque locale with birds tweeting and nature blossoming everywhere. Thankful that she has successfully made it to the wish realm, she then begins to call out for Emma, hoping to find her there, but she receives no response. Instead, all she hears as she begins to move through the woodland clearing... is whistling. Through the trees, she's able to spot a line of dwarfs, led by Stealthy, chiming their "Heigh-Ho" tune as they head off to work with their pickaxes in tow. She's actually somewhat relieved to see them, and calls out with a smile as she approaches them on the road. Grumpy is the first to spot her from the back of the line, and then the others stop in turn, watching in shock as Regina just stands there and claims to be looking for Emma. She asks if they've seen her, but they don't reply, making her more annoyed. She asks again, this time more pointedly, only for Grumpy to respond by exclaiming, "The Evil Queen is back!" In this world, it seems she was never anything more than a villainous tyrant, and thanks to her infamy it also seems that the dwarfs are able to recognize her in spite of her short hair and modern equestrienne fashion. Realizing this, Regina tries assuring them that they don't understand, but they just flinch as she takes a step towards them and tries to proclaim that she's not the Evil Queen anymore. "Move! Move! We must warn them!" Grumpy yells to his brothers, backing away, "The war is not over!" And then they run in fear, off to alert the rest of the kingdom that the villain they fought so hard to defeat has apparently returned. "No!" Regina tries, but it's no use, and then she's left to realize that this rogue rescue mission of hers is going to be a lot tougher than first thought.

Trivia

 * The title card of this episode features the commemorative statue of Snow and David from the alternate reality.

Production

 * The title of this episode was officially confirmed by executive producer/co-creator Adam Horowitz, via his Twitter account, on October 14, 2016.
 * This episode marks the thirty-second writing credit for the series' co-creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz.

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the episode.