The Doctor

"The Doctor" is the 27th episode of Once Upon a Time.

Summary
While Regina continues to try and stop using her magic in an attempt to win back Henry's affections, she begins seeing what she believes is a ghost from her past. Meanwhile, when Mary Margaret and Emma discover a lone survivor from an ogre massacre, Emma begins to question whether or not he's telling the truth. And in the fairytale land that was, Regina finds herself failing at learning the dark arts from a dark master because something from her past is preventing her from using her magic for evil.

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

Regina shows Snow Daniel's grave and says he died because of her, telling her how it happened. A young Snow sees Regina and Daniel kissing. Cora later rips Daniel's heart out. Regina tells Henry he'll be staying with Charming, insisting she wants to redeem herself. Charming teaches Henry how to sword fight. Rumplestiltskin offers to teach Regina magic. She asks if she'll become like her mother, so he tells her that's up to her. Regina stares at her mother's spell book. Mulan tells Snow that they're not safe as Cora is still out there. Captain Hook watches the safe haven as he's approached by an ally, Cora.

Teaser
In the fairytale land that is, Emma, Snow, Mulan and Aurora are arriving back at their safe haven. Aurora complains that she does not think she'll be able to lie. Snow assures the princess that it isn't really a lie because Lancelot did die an honorable death and Cora did escape. She tells her to leave the particulars to them as they don't want to start unnecessary panic. As Aurora explains it isn't unnecessary, Mulan stops the girls, sensing something is wrong. She points out that the guard tower is empty, explaining they always have someone guarding the entrance. She draws her sword and progresses carefully into the camp, telling the others, who are scared and confused, to stay close. As they enter the camp, they find utter destruction. A massacre has occurred. Everyone once living at the haven is dead amongst remains of destroyed buildings. The four women are horrified. A while later, the girls are examining the area. Mulan is confused and states they were protected in the haven, questioning how the ogres found them. Snow notices something very interesting about the corpses, making her realize ogre's didn't kill the men, but Cora did, as their hearts have been ripped out. Snow tells Mulan they have to stop her, but Mulan explains it's too late as she has killed them all. Snow then says they must stop her from doing this again. Emma suddenly notices some movement coming from underneath some of the corpses. Aurora helps the man out, who is revealed to be Killian Jones. He is acting terrified, so Snow assures him he's safe. Killian then thanks the women, panting heavily with "fear".

ONCE UPON A TIME

Act I
In Storybrooke, outside Granny's Diner, Charming just finishes talking to a man when Dr. Whale approaches him from behind, saying they need to talk. Charming turns around and when he sees the man talking to him is Whale, he throws a strong punch onto his face. "What the hell was that for?" Whale asks, confused. "Sleeping with my wife" Charming answers. Confused, Whale asks if he's talking about Kathryn, but the prince tells him he's talking about Snow. Whale defends himself by saying he was cursed, but Charming admits to knowing that. He then asks the doctor what he wants, so Whale asks if it's true he's trying to build a portal back to his land. Charming claims to have no secrets from the town and confesses that he is doing exactly that. Whale reminds the prince that the land is gone as it was destroyed by the curse. "Apparently not" Charming explains. Whale asks if he's having any luck, but Charming states they haven't yet, but they're working on it. Whale asks if all the lands still exist. After a slight pause, Charming responds with "possibly". Whale points out that the queen lied to them again and asks Charming if he's sure. Charming leans close to Whale and tells him to "remember who we're talking about".

Archie Hopper opens his office door and is shocked to see Regina on the other side of it. He asks if she's come to see him, so she explains she's been trying to keep her promise to Henry, but it's been difficult. Dr. Hopper asks if that's to not use magic, so she tells him it's been two days. Hopper commends this and then asks her into his office. A short while into the therapy session, Regina explains that magic is the way she has always got everything. Archie points out that it appears to be the way she's also lost everything. He then tells Regina this is her chance to start over and earn Henry. With that, the office door suddenly opens and Dr. Whale bursts in. Archie tells him he's being highly inappropriate, but he just ignores this. Whale tells Regina to send him back, bemusing Regina. He sternly demands the queen send him back to his brother. Regina suggests checking the "missing board", but Whale points out that Regina's curse only brought the living. She sarcastically apologizes for his loss and then explains she can't send anyone anywhere. Whale asks if she "can't or won't". Archie stands up from his chair and insists Whale leave. Whale looks at him, so Archie yells "go!". Whale finally obliges and Archie closes the door behind him. He apologizes to Regina for the incident and then sits back down. "What you said isn't entirely true, is it?" Archie awkwardly asks. Regina asks what he's talking about, so he explains she said the curse only brought the living. He then points out that her father's grave is here. "I don't care about Whale or his brother, I brought who I wanted" Regina states. Archie asks if she brought anyone else. Regina seems reluctant to answer, so he tells her that if she wants to get help, she'll have to trust him, as stopping magic is a lot harder than starting.

In the fairytale land that was, Regina and Rumplestiltskin are stood in the middle of the enchanted forest beside a distressed unicorn that keeps jumping onto its hind legs. Rumple tells Regina to show him what she's learned and immobilize the creature. Regina casts a spell that freezes the unicorn as it stands on it's back two legs. He giggles cheerfully and Regina excitedly claims she did it. "Excellent work, my apprentice. Now, there's just one last tiny, tiny, tiny little detail...take it's heart" Rumple says. Disgusted, Regina asks if he means like her mother did to Daniel. Rumple states that she'll already know how it's done. Regina hesitantly moves closer to the animal and readies her hand. Rumple states that if she does it gently and right, no harm will befall it...unless she wills it. Regina prepares herself to take the animals heart, but when she looks into its innocent eyes, she draws her hand away, stating she can't because it's innocent. "Nothing...is innocent" Rumple growls. Rumple moves towards the animal and rips out it's heart, which is now glowing. Regina looks away in disgust. The freezing spell disappears and the unicorn falls to the floor, weak. Rumple explains the creature belongs to him, because when you take a heart, it becomes strong and enchanted. He points out that you aren't hurting the animal, but controlling it. He then throws Regina the heart and tells her to show him what she can do with that power and kill it. Regina is shocked, so Rumple says she's seen it done, so she can do it herself now. "Show me you can take the next step in your training...crush it". Regina begins to crush the heart and it starts to crack, but when the unicorn cries out in pain, she stops and shakes her head, very upset. Disappointed, Rumple explains he had such high hopes. Regina tells him she didn't sign up to kill unicorns. "Magic is power! Until you can take power, you're not learning anything. Do you want me to teach you or not?" Rumple huffs. Regina instantly says "yes", so Rumple asks her one simple question as she is in need of the answer... "What's holding you back?" A while later, Regina enters a room with a glass coffin in it. Inside the coffin is Daniel's body, preserved by a preservation spell. Still upset over his death, Regina tries to hold back her tears.

Back in Storybrooke, in Archie's office, Regina tells Dr. Hopper about Daniel and explains that she preserved his body with an enchantment spell. "He's dead but frozen...and I've kept him in my family mausoleum" Regina continues. Dr. Hopper realizes this is because she is unable to let go of him. He tells Regina that if she can't let go of the past, it is still going to haunt her. Getting upset, Regina soon becomes unable to hide her tears so she tells Dr. Hopper that she thinks they've talked enough. As she walks out of the office, Archie begs her to wait, stating he can help her. "I doubt it" Regina growls before closing the door behind her. As Regina drives home in the pouring rain late at night, as thunder and lightning crash, she is stopped when an careless driver speeds past her, causing her to brake. Suddenly, something catches Regina's sight on the sidewalk...a man, standing and staring at her. It's Daniel. Unable to see clearly because of the rain on her windscreen, Regina leans in closer...but her suspicions are confirmed when it is indeed Daniel. Regina looks away for a split second and when she turns back to Daniel, he is gone. Leading her to believe she's being haunted by ghosts of her past.

Act II
The next morning, at the stables in Storybrooke, Charming and Henry pull up in their car and then get out. As they walk into the stables, Henry yawns, so his grandfather laughs, asking what he's yawning for as he isn't at school, but having fun instead. Henry explains he couldn't sleep, alarming Charming. He tells his grandson that he misses Snow and Emma too. To cheer Henry up, Charming playful tells him how happy Snow and Emma will be when they return home to find he's become a proper knight. They then walk around a corner to see several stables with horses in them. "Say hello to your steed" Charming tells Henry. Henry excitedly walks over to a grey horse in one of the stables, asking if it's his. Charming makes a clicking sound with his tongue, calling over another horse, a spotty one, stating that one is his. Henry eagerly asks how he gets onto him, but Charming explains he won't be riding today, confusing Henry. The prince tells the boy there's much to learn before he gets on the saddle, so Henry asks what. Charming tells Henry that he'll have to muck out the stall, brush him and feed him everyday twice a day. Henry points out that that isn't riding, but babysitting. Charming states it's "horse sitting" and it builds an essential bond...trust between knight and steed. Henry asks when he will ride, so Charming replies "when the horse tells you". The prince then excuses himself so he can go check on the dwarfs and their mining, stating he'll pick Henry up later. When Charming is gone, Henry asks the horse if he has anything to say. The horse rapidly shakes its head and neighs.

Meanwhile, in the graveyard in Storybrooke, Regina walks towards her family mausoleum, holding the bundle of keys in her hands. She walks closer to the mausoleum, looking very nervous. She then stops walking and stares at it, building up the courage to go in. She eventually heads inside. As she walks down the stairs into the underground secret room, she looks at her collection of enchanted hearts and then over to her collection of other magical items. She then turns around to go into another room. She opens two big white doors that lead into a large room. She sees something in that room that horrifies her, and she stands in the doorway, absolutely mortified. She silently walks into the room, staring at a large empty glass coffin... the same one that she had preserved Daniel's body in. She walks around the coffin, not believing what she is seeing, but, it's true. Daniel's body is gone, meaning she wasn't hallucinating the night before. She then runs out of the mausoleum, knowing exactly who is responsible.

At Rumplestiltskin's castle, Rumple is spinning wool into gold when Regina asks him if he's ready to begin. He tells his apprentice that he is ready, but then asks if she is. She tells him she is, so he asks her why she's really here. She tries to tell him she wants power, but he stops her, angrily telling her to stop wasting his time. He asks her to tell him the truth, so she asks if he can teach her how to bring back the dead. Rumple mocks her intentions, but she claims to want true happiness. He tells her she'll have to look elsewhere then, as magic can do much, but not bring back the dead...because "dead is dead". Disappointed, Regina falls back onto a table, explaining she's lost. He states he's had his time wasted and then apologizes for the death, stating transcending death is beyond his reach. Suddenly, a voice is heard from the room. It's Jefferson. He mockingly tells Rumple he thought nothing was beyond his reach. Seeing Rumple is busy, Jefferson asks if he should leave, but Rumple assures him nothing important is happening. As the two men begin to talk, Regina tries to get Rumple's attention, but he just ignores her. Pulling out a crystal ball, Jefferson tells Rumple he got what he wanted. Rumple asks "what about the slippers", so Jefferson explains he couldn't find them. Angry, Rumple says he needed them to get to another land. Jefferson offers to take Rumple through his hat, but Rumple explains he needs to get to a land without magic...and his hat cannot do that. Jefferson asks why he'd want that, but Rumple secretively states that it's his business. Jefferson sighs and then asks if Rumple wants the ball or not. After a slight hesitation, he greedily takes it and then tells Jefferson to take as much gold as he sees appropriate.

Rumple approaches Regina, telling her to let herself out as their work is done. She asks if that he won't teach her anymore, so he explains that as long as she harbors foolish notions of bringing back the dead, so long as she lives in the past, she'll never find her future. "Teach you is a waste of time" Rumple hisses before leaving. Regina is left in the room, looking sad. Jefferson, who is still there, approaches her from behind and loudly pardons himself for eavesdropping. He tells Regina that she might need to look elsewhere for assistance. She asks what he knows about the situation, so he tells the queen that he hears things. He suddenly introduces himself as Jefferson, a man who travels and sees much, claiming to know the man who can do what she wants...to bring back the dead. He describes the man as a sort of wizard, offering to bring him to her. Regina curiously asks at what price, so he explains that during his many travels he's made many enemies, so he'd like a "royal passport", so he can have free range to traverse her kingdom. Regina asks how she'd do that, so he points out that she's the queen. Regina smiles and then winks at Jefferson, stating she is. Regina then asks if the "wizard" can really bring someone back from the dead. Jefferson tells her that if he can't, then nobody can. Jefferson then leaves the room, leaving Regina smiling.

Act III
In the fairytale land that is, Killian is sat at a table, looking shadily as he rubs his head with his hand. Emma and Mulan are walking and talking nearby. Emma asks if Mulan recognizes the man as she must have seen him around before. The warrior explains that he's a blacksmith who joined their camp a few months ago claiming to have lost his hand in an ogre attack. Emma suspiciously asks why Cora would leave a survivor, stating it's "messy". Mulan asks Emma if she think's he's lying, so Emma reminds her that Cora has tricked them before and she doesn't want that to happen again. Emma then passes a cup of water to Killian and Aurora. The man thanks them and then explains that fortune seems to have decided to show him favor. Emma tells him that there's an island full of corpses and he's the only one to escape, so she asks how that happened. The man explains that Cora attacked at night and slaughtered everyone in one fair swoop. He explains that when she started to rip out peoples hearts he hid under the bodies of those who'd already been killed and pretended to be dead himself. "So much for fortune favoring the brave" Emma states, but Killian defends himself by saying it was the only way he could survive. Emma leans closely to Killian and then gently tells him a secret; she's pretty good at detecting when someone is lying to her. The man still claims to be telling the truth. Emma looks almost sadly at Killian and then gives him a sort of smile. Mulan then tells the group that they should leave in case Cora returns. Snow says they should start searching for a new portal as she didn't spend much time with her husband or grandson. Noticing her age, Killian is shocked at her statement of having a grandson; she tells him it's a long story. Killian then tells the girls that he knows the land well and offers to guide them, however, Emma moves behind him and grabs his hair, pulling his head back. She puts a knife to his throat, stating he's not guiding them anywhere until he tells them who he really is. Killian looks nervous and slightly panics.

Back in Storybrooke, at the hospital in the underground section, Regina opens a door to find a dark empty corridor. She looks at the service desk, but it's empty, so proceeds down the hall, walking past an empty cell which once held a patient. She then continues to walk down the hall and walks past another cell, however, this one has not been opened. She then makes it to the end of the hall to find two large metal doors slightly opened. She looks inside the room, which is also dark and seemingly empty. She slowly moves into the room and cautiously calls out for Dr. Whale, asking where he is.

Back in the fairytale land that was, Regina and Jefferson are walking through the halls of the former’s castle. Regina asks where the “wizard” is, claiming he promised to bring him to her. Jefferson says that’s true and then explains they’re off to see him. However, he warns to queen to be cautious. Scared, she stops walking and asks if he’s dangerous. Jefferson assures her he isn’t dangeous to them, but explains the wizard hasn’t been to a world like theirs before, so he’s unfamiliar with their ways and their magic. They both continue walking and Regina states that she only cares about his ways and if they’ll do what she requires. Jefferson presents Regina to her “salvation” as they head outside to the garden to meet the wizard. Outside, a man wearing a long coat and rose-tinted glasses, is examining some of the plants nearby. Confused by his appearance, Regina asks if he’s the wizard. The man turns to her and removes his glasses, stating that he prefers to be called “doctor”, but politely allows Regina to call him whatever makes her comfortable. Regina asks the doctor if he understands why he’s been brought to her world. “Of course” the doctor smiles before asking to be shown the “patient”.

A while later, the doctor, Regina and Jefferson are gathered around Daniel’s glass coffin as the doctor examines the body. He is astonished by the condition of the body, stating it’s as if he died just moments ago. Regina explains that it’s due to a preservation spell and then asks if he can be brought back. The doctor tells her “perhaps” and then takes further examination. He uses a scalpel to slice a small cut into Daniel’s hand and then examines the blood. He tells Regina it’s “wonderful” and that his condition is ideal. Curious, Regina asks how many times he’s brought back the dead before. The doctor asks Jefferson if he hadn’t “told her”, confusing Regina. She asks what she needed to be told, so the doctor explains that the procedure is experimental and success is yet to occur. However, he explains if certain conditions are met then he is optimistic. Regina is angry at his choice of word “optimistic”, but Jefferson begs Regina to hear the doctor out. Regina accuses the doctor of being a charlatan, but he defends himself. He explains that he was told the last remaining piece of the “puzzle” remains in this land. She asks what he needs, so he tells her a heart…but a strong one. He claims to have heard of hearts in this land enchanted by magic that become so powerful that they glow. He asks Regina how one enchants the heart, so Jefferson explains that a person practicing the dark arts does it by ripping it out of the body whilst it beats. The doctor asks Regina if she can do this, but she tells him she can’t as she won’t use magic for evil. The doctor packs his bag and asks if he’s wasted his time, but Regina stops him, claiming to know exactly where they can get a heart.

Back in Storybrooke, Regina moves further into the room, revealed to be Dr. Whale’s office. The lights are broken and hanging from the ceiling, flickering as they spark electricity. She calls out for Whale again, but there is no answer. She looks around the room, but cannot see any sign of him. She then, however, notices a white cloth covering something on a gurney. She removes the cloth, but is disgusted to see a severed arm underneath it. She falls back with fear and knocks into one of the hanging lights, startling her. She then looks back in the direction of the arm and notices something behind it on the floor. She rushes towards it, pushing the gurney out of the way. It’s Dr. Whale, and he is missing his left arm. She kneels down beside him, shocked, but snaps out of it and tells him she knows he took Daniel’s body and one of her hearts. She asks why, but he doesn’t reply. She asks if he brought Daniel back, so, in pain, he tells her he “did it”. With conflicted emotions, she asks if Daniel is alive; he confirms. However, he tells Regina, highly frightened, that Daniel isn’t the same…”he’s a monster”. Regina is horrified.

Act IV
Back in the fairytale land that was, Regina, the doctor and Jefferson are at Regina’s countryside home. They’re in the living area of the house, stood infront of a fireplace. She tells the men that it was her mothers. They both become suddenly disinterested; Jefferson flops onto a chair and the doctor explains it’s sweet but says he isn’t interested in heirlooms. Regina says he will be and then tells him to listen. They do so, but cannot hear anything, so she tells them to listen again. This time, the sound of hearts beating is much more audible. Jefferson asks where it’s coming from, so Regina tells him from her mother’s vault. After using magic to open a secret passage in the fireplace, the trio make their way down into the vault. As they head down the stairs, the sound of heart beating becomes much, much louder, and understandable as there are dozens of hearts locked away in chests in the walls. She the doctor to take his pick. Slightly unnerved, the doctor asks if they’re all hearts; Regina simply states her mother was a collector. Also unnerved, Jefferson asks whose hearts they are, but Regina tells him she doesn’t know as her mother took so many and caused so much pain, making it impossible to keep track. “She was a monster” Regina states. The doctor walks over to a wall and takes out one of the chests. He opens it to find an enchanted glowing heart. “Finally, after all this time… It’s perfect” he grins.

Back in Storybrooke, on the main floor of the hospital, Dr. Whale is now lying in a hospital bed being seen to by nurses. Regina watches from afar when she’s approached by Charming, who asks what’s going on as he heard Whale was attacked. She tells him to ask the doctors, but he demands to hear it from Regina. Regina snarkly tells Charming that she came to talk to Whale and discovered he’d been attacked. He looks at her with disbelief, but she insists that’s the truth. Beleiving her, he asks “What else? What did you come here to speak with him about?”. She explains that she believes someone from her past has come back; Daniel. Charming recognizes this name as the man Regina was supposed to marry. Confused, Charming tells Regina that Snow explained what had happened and how it was her fault that he died, putting emphasis on the fact that he died. Regina confirms that he did, so Charming asks how he could be back. Regina explains that Whale believed he could bring him back. She states she doesn’t know how, but he has. Charming demands Regina guess how he brought Daniel back. She tells the prince that Whale practices something more powerful than magic and all he needed was a heart, so he took one of hers. Shocked, Charming asks if she has hearts in Storybrooke, so she explains they’re in her vault from their land. Horrified, Charming asks whose heart he took. She tells him she has no idea as she took so many it became impossible to keep track. She then tries to leave, wanting to help Daniel. Charming stops her and asks where he is reminding her that he’s dangerous. Regina assures the prince that he won’t be dangerous to her and promises he won’t hurt anyone else. Charming says he cannot take that chance and then gives Regina two choices; she either reveals Daniel’s location or she’s going to jail. She tells the prince she believes Daniel is acting the same way David did when he awoke from his coma, going to the last place he remembered…the stables. Charming is mortified at this news and tells Regina that Henry is at the stables. They both instantly run out of the hospital to save the young boy.

Meanwhile, over at the stables, Henry is in the stall with his white and brown spotted horse. He’s stood on a stool, brushing the horse’s mane. He innocently tells the horse that his grandfather said it would tell him when he’s ready to ride on it. Henry impatiently tells the horse “anytime…like soon”. Suddenly, the horse becomes very aggitated and starts neighing and bucking. Henry tries to calm the horse down, but then all the other horses in the stable become unnerved too and start crying out…almost as if they can sense danger approaching. Henry’s horse bucks again, but this time knocks the young boy off of his stool and onto the floor, causing him to hit against the stable wall. The horse then runs out of the stall and a shadowy figure appears in the doorway. Henry looks up at the man, Daniel, with fear as he slowly walks towards him.

Act V
In the fairytale land that is, Mulan tightens ropes that are keeping Killian tied to a tree. Keeping up his act, he explains he’s just a blacksmith. “Sure you are” Emma huffs before whistling loudly, gaining the attention of nearby ogres. Emma tells the man that if he won’t tell them the truth, she’ll leave him to the mercy of the ogres. The four ladies then prepare to leave, but the man begs them not to leave him. Aurora is worried he may be telling the truth, but Emma insists he isn’t. “Good for you! You bested me” Killian hesitantly calls out to Emma, causing her to stop. Snow asks him who he is, so he introduces himself as Killian Jones, more commonly known as Hook. Both Snow and Emma recognize him. For confirmation, he tells them to check his bag… Snow finds a silver hook. The roars of the ogres get loud, alarming everyone. Emma tells Hook to hurry up as the ogres are coming closer. He explains that Cora wanted him to gain their trust to learn about Storybrooke as she doesn’t want any surprises when she goes there. Snow states Cora can’t get there as the wardrobe is destroyed. Hook explains that the enchantment remains in the ashes so she’ll use them to make a portal. As the ogres roar in the distance again, he asks to be cut lose. Mulan suggests leaving him to die as punishment for the lives he took. As they all prepare to leave, he yells at them, stating they need him alive. Emma asks why, so Hook explains they both want to get to Storybrooke. He offers to help the girls if they take him along. Snow wonders how he could help, so he tells them the ashes will open a portal, but the find Storybrooke, a magical compass is needed. He offers to help them get it before Cora. Emma is tempted, but Snow is sceptical. He tells the girls there’s only one way to find out. Pointing a knife at Hook, Emma asks him one last question and tells him he hopes she believes his answer. She asks why he wants to go to Storybrooke, so he tells her he wants to seek revenge on the man who took his hand; Rumplestiltskin. The ogres roars get closer and closer.

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the episode.