Forces of good and evil come to a head as the town of Storybrooke is threatened. In a desperate attempt to make Emma believe last episode, Henry ate the poison apple (turnover). After trying to convince Emma something magical is afoot in Storybrooke with no progress for the last 21 episodes, all of a sudden she believes the stories are real as Henry falls into a coma.
With Emma coming to her fairytale senses, everything in Storybrooke gets turned upside down. Regina and Emma, after an initial violent and scary confrontation, join forces in an attempt to save Henry and seek out the only other cognizant and magical person: Rumpelstiltskin. He directs them to the only magic left, his own hidden secret, but quickly turns the tables and steals it from them.
An unexpected call brings an empty-handed Regina and Emma back to the hospital to find they are too late, and Henry has died. As in every fairytale, tears are shed, but as Emma apologizes and kisses him, a magical mushroom cloud envelopes the town. True love has broken the curse. Regina is startled as everyone remembers who they are and what she has done to them, and Henry is brought back to life. Regina, not as evil as she seems, only seeks love, as she apologizes to Henry and says she has always loved him before she runs away.
Rumpelstiltskin realizes he has the ultimate upper hand as Belle recognizing him again confirms the broken curse. He drops his last ounce of magic – true love bottled – in a well in the forest, releasing magic into Storybrooke, for better or worse.
Cleanly, if not suddenly and quickly, wrapping up the season in a neat little bow, the writers clearly prepared for a concise conclusion and knew the viewers could not wait any longer to see Emma believe.
The episodic nature formed in this season, however, cannot really be replicated in the second season (the show has been officially renewed for another), which leaves one to wonder how the writers will tackle to integration of the magical world into the “real” world of Storybrooke.
The show has proven its merit, however. The interwoven storylines of all the characters and flashbacks to the their lives in the fairytale world is fantastic. The CGI technique ranges from repulsive to riveting, and the actors, especially Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla and Robert Carlyle, really hold the show together. Whatever the writers have in store for the second season, the cast and crew are sure to make it magical.
