A Bitter Draught

"A Bitter Draught" is the 113th episode of Once Upon a Time.

Summary
When a mysterious man from the Land of Untold Stories arrives in Storybrooke, Snow and David work together alongside Regina, with whom this man shares a past, to neutralize the threat. Meanwhile, Belle seeks Hook's help in finding a safe place to hide away from her husband, and the Evil Queen continues to try and win Zelena over to her side. Emma, at the same time, resumes her therapy sessions with Archie and shares her terrifying vision of the future.

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

Emma begins getting hand tremors. In a vision, she is killed in a battle with an unknown villain. The oracle confirms that this is the end of her story and she will die. Snow injects Regina with Hyde's serum, separating Regina's good and bad halves. Regina crushes the heart of her evil half, who is manifested as the Evil Queen. Regina says she wants to start a new story that will have a better ending than her last. Zelena scolds Regina for ripping out the part of her that was most like her. Regina's evil half, who is very much alive, visits Zelena for chat.

Teaser
"I agreed to a drink, not a private graveyard tour. Where are we going?" Zelena moans as she walks through the Storybrooke Cemetery with the evil half of her sister. The queen tells her she'll see, and they soon approach Regina's Vault. Zelena refuses to let the Evil Queen in, but the queen points out if Regina didn't want her going inside and taking ingredients then she wouldn't have sealed it with blood magic. They both enter and make their way downstairs, so Zelena asks the Evil Queen how she knows she won't tell Regina about this, "Because you already would have" she responds with a chuckle. As the queen collects a box, Zelena questions why she needs it all, so the queen explains that she already used everything the Dragon had in his shop to get into the town. Zelena asks what happened to him, so Regina vaguely responds that he should've known better than to get in her way, "Sound advice for us all" Zelena comments. Sensing Zelena is uncomfortable, the queen asks if she's worried she'll harm her "better half", but the wicked witch tells her it remains to be seen which half is better. The queen tells her "sister" to relax, claiming she's just going to use the box she's holding to teach Regina a lesson; that she can never escape who she really is. Zelena questions what she'll get out of this, so the Evil Queen promises her a sister that will appreciate all of her "delightfully malevolent" qualities, "A sister like you". The Evil Queen then vanishes in a cloud of purple smoke, leaving behind a conflicted Zelena.

ONCE UPON A TIME

Act I
"Okay, mom. Are you ready for this?" Henry, who is carrying his magical storybook, asks Regina as they approach Granny's Diner. She nervously sighs, but tells him she is, "Everyone listened to me before...because I was the Evil Queen. Now I'm going to show them that I'm just as strong without her". The boy hands his storybook over to his mother, reminding her that they're calling it Operation Cobra: Part Two. Regina wonders why it's part two, so he points out that this time she's the hero. He comfortingly places his hand on her shoulder and then they both share a smile before entering the diner.

Inside the diner, a large group of the newcomers from the Land of Untold Stories are gathered as Snow and David see to them. David announces that the room keys are on the counter, fresh clothes are by the jukebox and lunches are by the front door. With that, Regina and Henry walk through the front door. They're greeted by Hook, who says it's about time because the rabble are getting restless. Regina makes her way to the bar counter and clears her throat before slamming the storybook down, getting everyone's attention. Introducing herself as the mayor, she officially welcomes everyone to Storybrooke. She states that everyone fled to the Land of Untold Stories because they were afraid that whatever was in the storybook would play out, and now they're here, she's sure that they're scared it will. She tells then they don't realise she is just like them as she's also getting a fresh start, and she doesn't know what the future holds, "But I do know one thing. We don't have to be afraid of anything, because whatever comes next, we're going to face it - together. The crowd begin to applaud this speech, and with that, Belle enters the diner, attempting to ask a question. A shocked Emma notices her, "You're here, and you're awake..." she gasps.

The recently awoken beauty points out that she also needs a place to stay, so Hook asks about "The Crocodile". Belle reveals that they're not together at the moment before asking if Granny has a free room. Emma says she wouldn't wish those mattresses on her worst enemy so they'll find her something better. Hook interrupts, claiming to know just the place. He hints for Emma to leave with him to take Belle to her new home, but she reveals she has an appointment with Archie. Impressed, he asks if she's still going to see the cricket, so she wonders if he thought she'd back out. He points out that being vulnerable isn't her strong suit...and she agrees, stating they've been through a lot so it can't hurt to talk about it. Hook tells his love that he's glad before excusing himself to take Belle to her new accommodation. As they exit the diner, a man in rags enters. He nervously looks around, catching the attention of Henry. The young boy stops him, asking who he is, "Beg your pardon?" the man asks, confused. Henry asks for his name, explaining that if he can find his story then they could maybe figure out how to pick up where he left off. The man claims he won't be found in the book because his story isn't important enough to tell. "Don't say that, let me just see if I can find you" Henry says, turning to the book and scrolling through it quickly. With the boys attention diverted, the man mysteriously vanishes, leaving behind a letter stamped with the merged letters "C" and "M".

In a flashback, we're taken to 19th Century France, where a woman holds out an invite for a party she's attending. Numerous guests enjoy the party as classical music is played, but they all go silent at the ring of a tiny bell. A butler speaks out and introduces the guests to their host for the evening; the Count of Monte Cristo. Two doors open and in walks the Count, who is the same man as the one who visited Henry in the diner, who welcomes his guests to a "memorable evening". A Baron tells the Count they should be thanking him since he's throwing it, but the Count claims this to be nonsense, stating this evening wouldn't be possible if not for the Baron. "To the baron" the Count toasts, followed by everyone else. Confused, the Baron wonders to what he owes the honor. The Count chuckles and asks the Baron if he doesn't recognise him, "What is it? Clothes? The gold? Perhaps the scar above my eye?" he asks. The Baron suddenly recognises the Count as Edmond Dantès, to which he's sarcastically congratulated for. The Baron is in disbelief, claiming Edmond to be in prison and he put him their himself. "Indeed you did. Right after you burnt down his home, squandered his family fortune and murdered his fiancée. But he escape that dungeon. Rebuilt his fortune piece by piece. It may have taken more than a decade, but he became the man you see before you, and all for one reason" Edmond says, circling the Baron. When he comes to a halt, he draws his sword, swipes at the Baron's holster, causing his weapon to drop, and he grabs his foe by the neck.

As Edmond points the sword at the Baron's face, he demands to know who helped destroy his life, for he's not clever to have done it on his own. The Baron coldly tells Edmond to kill him, but points out this masquerade won't bring him justice. "Oh, I'm after something much more satisfying..." Edmond whispers before thrusting his sword into the Baron, "...Revenge" he finishes. As the people around begin to panic and flee, Edmond pulls out his sword and drops the deceased Baron to the floor. With everyone gone, Edmond takes a satisfying sigh, but is soon interrupted by the sound of clapping, "Ah, nothing quite like the first kill" an amused Evil Queen laughs out. Edmond asks who she is, but she simply responds that she's a fan of his work before asking if he really spent a decade setting this up. Edmond claims with the vengeance in his heart it went by in the blink of an eye, impressing the Queen, who says it's hard to find commitment like that. "Pity the baron didn't name names. Hmmm. I can't imagine how long it will take you to find the next victim deserving of your revenge" Regina smiles. Edmond says he's prepared to spend the rest of his life avenging his love, but Regina supposes he won't have to before pulling out a life of names of every person who wrong him and his fiancée. Noting that she doesn't seem like the benevolent sort, he asks what she wants in return. "Just a little help getting some..." she start, flicking out her fan, "r-r-revenge of my own".

Back in the present, in Storybrooke, outside Granny's Diner, Henry is stood with Snow and David, showing them the envelope that the mysterious man from earlier left behind, as it is adressed to both of them. David asks if the man just left it on the counter, "And then he vanished" Henry confirms, handing the note over. As the letter is opened, Henry supposes that he's the Invisible Man or Dracula. "Wrong Count" Snow corrects, "Monte Cristo?" she asks, puzzled. Overhearing the conversation, Granny interrupts and claims it's not on the menu because she was never a fan of the eggy bread. Chamring corrects the old lady, saying it's a place and its Count has quite a reputation, "Why would he want to meet with us?" he wonders before Regina turns up. She reveals the Count wants them dead because he wants his revenge and that's the only way he can get it. A confused Snow claims it doesn't make sense because they haven't met him, "Why would he want to kill us?". "Because I hired him to do it" Regina confesses with a look of guilt.

Act II
Emma is sat silently and uncomfortably in Archie's office as the tick of a clock fills the room. The therapist assures her she's in a safe place and she can trust him, so she confides that her tremors come with a vision, one vision. Archie wonders what she sees in this vision, so she nervously explains that it shows Henry, her family and Hook on main street and she's in a battle. Archie asks who she's fighting, but she tells him she doesn't know, but they're strong. She explains that she almost starts to win, but when her hand starts shaking she dies, "That's the first time I've said that out loud" Emma whispers, in shock. The therapist takes a deep breath and tells her the more she talks about it, the less it will haunt her. She wonders if she should tell her family, but Archie asks why she hasn't done so already, "Because I know exactly what they would do. They would tell me to stop doing what I'm doing until they could save the day" she responds. Archie asks why it'd be wrong for them to protect her, so she tells him she's the Savior. "And the Savior can't take a day off?" he rebuts, leading her to ask who she is if she cannot help people. Archie claims he doesn't know, telling her that's a question she must ask herself. Emma claims she's not here for an identity crisis, she just wants to know how to win her fight and protect the people she loves. Archie points out that she's here for him to help her deal with whatever is troubling her, and if that is an identity crisis -- Emma interrupts the therapist before he can finish his sentence and gets up from her seat, claiming this to have been a mistake. Archie attempts to stop his patient from leaving, but she soon rushes out of the room.

Meanwhile, over at Granny's Bed & Breakfast, David cba

Trivia

 * The title card of this episode features Regina's palace.
 * The same title card was featured in "The Evil Queen".

Production

 * The title of this episode was officially confirmed by executive producer/co-creator Adam Horowitz, via his Twitter account, on July 13, 2016.
 * This episode marks the twenty-fourth writing credit for Andrew Chambliss and the eighth for Dana Horgan, as well as the eleventh directing credit for Ron Underwood.

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the episode.