ONCE UPON A TIME: “The Shepherd” Who Would Be Prince

Once Upon a Time dared to give Prince Charming a history this week, and it’s one that hinges on a huge secret. Plus, David makes a choice…twice. “The Shepherd” put David/Prince Charming in the spotlight and dropped clues for a couple other characters along the way. Josh Dallas shone in this episode, playing not one, not two, but three characters!

We open on the Fairy Tale world with James battling a very large, very scary looking man. James prevails, and we learn that this was something of an exhibition match for the benefit of King Midas. James has a reputation as a dragonslayer, and King Midas is having trouble with a dragon. As it happens, James’ father’s kingdom is having a shortage of gold, which King Midas has in abundance, of course. A deal is struck, but just as the kingdom is ready to celebrate, the man James was battling plunges a spear through his heart.

As the Prince is carried away to burial, Rumplestiltskin arrives to visit the King. We learn that the King and Queen could not conceive an heir, so they struck a deal with Rumplestiltskin for a son, secretly adopted. To save the kingdom, a dragon needs to be slain, and the King is ready to strike another deal with the craftiest man in all of Fairy Tale land. And what do you know, there’s a twin brother! All Rumplestiltskin wants in return for bringing him to the King is the location of the fairy godmother whose magic wand he covets (ah, so that’s why he showed up in Cinderella’s courtyard and killed her fairy godmother).

NotJames (they do an excellent job of not calling him by his real name throughout the episode, but in the script his name is Will Richard) and his mother live on a small farm, one that’s about to go under. A possible bride, with a dowry, could save them, but then along comes Rumplestiltskin with a story about a dead twin brother, a dragon that needs slaying, and unimaginable wealth. NotJames is, of course, devastated by the revelation of this secret. His mother explains that the offer came at another time when they were about to lose everything, and that she and their father regretted agreeing to it every day. It doesn’t seem to have paid off in the long run, either. The farm is on the brink again, and the family faces another choice. (In case you didn’t catch it, this episode was all about choices.)

To save his farm, and his kingdom, NotJames agrees to the charade. The plan is for the other soldiers accompanying him to kill the dragon, but that plan goes awry and NotJames steps up. It seems being a hero runs in the family. With some quick thinking and a golden sword (courtesy of Midas), the dragon is slain. Hurrah, the kingdom is saved!

NotJames is ready to return home, but King Midas unknowingly complicates that when he presents another proposal: uniting the two kingdoms in marriage. In addition to the gold he promised, he presents his daughter to be married to NotJames. Enter Princess Abigail, the bratty princess we saw in episode 3, and Kathryn’s alter-ego. Is she good friends with the Evil Queen, as Kathryn and Regina are in Storybrooke? Is that why the Evil Queen is out for vengeance on Snow?

NotJames agrees to the plan and travels home to tell his mother of his choice. They will never be able to see each other again, in order to maintain the charade that NotJames is the real Prince James, but both agree that it’s for the best. I don’t know, this all seemed a little too easy. She gives him her ring, promising that it will lead to true love, and sends him on his way while viewers exclaim, “Ah ha! It’s Snow’s ring! And the one Mary Margaret wears in Storybrooke!” The Prince returns to the castle to collect his fiancee and travel back to her kingdom to prepare for the wedding. “Let’s take the scenic route,” he suggests, and we find ourselves on a very familiar road. One with a “fallen” tree and a certain bandit waiting to ambush a wealthy traveler.

In Storybrooke, David comes home from the hospital, but he still doesn’t feel like this is his real life. Kathryn has thrown him a surprise welcome home party, and everyone’s there except Mary Margaret. Regina and Kathryn have a moment in the kitchen when Regina reveals that she also lost someone, and nothing will bring him back. Another clue!

David leaves the party to find Mary Margaret and tells her that he chooses her. Mary Margaret turns him down. He’s married. It’s a case of falling for the woman who saved him. It’s wrong. Good for you, Mary Margaret. And bless Kathryn’s heart; she may have been a spoiled, bratty would-be-princess in the Fairy Tale world, but in Storybrooke she’s a woman struggling with a husband who doesn’t remember her. Or want her. David leaves Kathryn and tells Mary Margaret he wants to be with her. The man who married Kathryn is gone. If Mary Margaret wants him, she’s to meet David at the toll bridge where she found him.

On his way to the bridge, consulting a map, David encounters Regina, who had previously warned Mary Margaret away from him. “So, you’ve made your choice,” she states. Then gives him the wrong directions to the bridge, directions that send him to Mr. Gold’s Pawn Shop*. It doesn’t take long for Mr. Gold to realize why she sent him there, and when he notices an old windmill on his way out the door, sure enough, David’s memories return.

“I remember.” With those two words, Mary Margaret knows that her hopes have been dashed. David admits that he does have feelings for her, but that the honorable thing is for him to try to work things out with his wife. Mary Margaret rightfully calls him out for leading her on and getting her hopes up, but in the end, she knows that he has to give Kathryn a chance. While wallowing in misery at the diner, she’s joined by Dr. Whale (he of the horrible first date a few episodes back) who tells her that the secret to not getting your hopes dashed is to do the unexpected. From the look on Mary Margaret’s face, I have a feeling she just found some of Snow’s courage and daring. This should be interesting.

Meanwhile, setting us up for next week’s episode, Emma catches Sheriff Graham leaving Regina’s house via the window. He stammers a bit, but to his credit, he owns up quickly to the relationship. Emma is disgusted and quits her job as deputy on the spot.

New characters this week: King Midas, James (since we’ve actually been seeing NotJames so far), James’ father

Next week: Sheriff Graham’s story takes centerstage, and he’s starting to remember his Fairy Tale past.

*A note about Mr. Gold’s Pawn Shop: I have a feeling if we were to screencap every scene in there, we’d find a treasure trove of visual links to stories we’ve seen already and that are still to come. This week we saw the mobile from baby Emma’s Fairy Tale nursery; last week we saw the wooden puppets from Jiminy’s backstory.