‘Once Upon A Time’ Season 7 Series Finale ‘Leaving Storybrooke’ Recap: All Hail The Villains [SPOILERS]

“Once Upon A Time” is finally on its last run. After seven long years and a thousand adventures, I think it’s safe to say that it’s finally time to end this story. In this last episode “Leaving Storybrooke,” our heroes are finally getting the endings that they deserve.

Last episode, Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle) gained the upper hand. And now, he’s wasting no time to keep that victory from perishing. With young Henry (Jared Gilmore) by his side, his plan to drag everyone to the darkness is coming near to success. But, what Rumple keeps forgetting is that his greatest enemy, his “weaker” version, is still at large. And maybe he spoke too soon when he said that love had made Weaver the weakest version of them all.

Triggers of Hope

Alice (Rose Reynolds) and Margot (Tiera Skovbye) successfully reach Storybrooke. However, when they try to explain what’s happening to the citizens, they’re thought of as intruders. The citizens chase them into hiding. But, fortunately, they spot Zelena (Rebecca Mader) taking a young Margot to school. Through Margot’s incredible knowledge of her mother’s pet peeves, they convince Zelena to believe them.

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On the other hand, Henry (Andrew J. West) and the group find a small cottage to shelter themselves from the snowstorm. Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) realizes that Weaver is shivering and the Dark One isn’t supposed to feel cold. Weaver explains that Rumple has used the pen to strip him of his immortality. The next thing he’ll do would be to drag them all to the darkness where he wallows.

Meanwhile, Regina (Lana Parrilla) is brought to the very same room where she declared her first curse on Snow White and Prince Charming. Young Henry once again reminds her of her crimes but, Regina insists that she’s changed. However, no matter what kind of declaration of change she does, young Henry refuses to believe her. He takes her hand and cuts her reminding her that in that realm, stories are written in blood. Before Henry parts with her, young Henry tells Regina of their duel where he’ll finally get his happy ending: his mother’s death.

Later on, the old lovers, Robin Hood (Sean Maguire) and Regina reunite in her dream. He gives Regina hope and tells her to use her life as an example to show young Henry that no one’s path is set. There is hope for everyone. They part with a kiss and Regina wakes up with a red feather in her hand.

The New Storybooks

Back in the globe, Hook and Weaver are trying to find the glass’ weak spots but, to no avail. Weaver commends Hook’s fierce determination and his good heart. And it leads Hook to ask, with all that power in him, why didn’t Weaver ever try to destroy him? With great sincerity, Weaver tells Hook that it’s because he’s the closest thing he has to a friend. Suddenly, Maui’s hook magically appears. Hook uses it to break the glass and set them all free. Setting Hook’s guess right, Alice, Margot, and Zelena were right there waiting for them as they all dispersed from the globe. The team splits up to find a way to deal with two alter ego’s gone rogue.

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Speaking of these alter egos, Rumple has set up a new spell. He takes a fairy, his test subject, to young Henry and asks the lad to use his author’s emotions to power up the spell. The spell works and the fairy is trapped in a miserable story in her storybook. Rumple then reveals that he’s prepared the same kind of faith for every hero in all the realms.

In another part of the castle, Weaver digs up his old memories with Belle through a dreamcatcher. With tears flowing down his cheeks, he apologizes to his beloved. He’s given up hope that he’ll ever be reunited with her ever again.

Old Foes To The Rescue

Meanwhile, Hook and Margot prepare to provide the distraction for Henry and the others to break Regina out of prison. Before that, Hook makes Margot promise to take care of Alice no matter what happens to him. She promises of course but, she also asks for Hook’s blessing to marry Alice. He happily agrees. In turn, Margot fiercely declares that he’s walking Alice down that aisle no matter what. Then together, they charge the gates.

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While that’s happening, Henry finds Regina’s prison. Two guards almost defeat him. However, his grandparents, Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) come to the rescue.

Snow and Charming take everyone back to their castle where they regroup. They also reveal the new storybooks Rumple has created. For every one of them is a storybook with a cruel fate waiting where they’re all alone. With this in mind, they all split up again to warn everyone and to get all the help they need.

The Right Way

Henry, Alice, Hook, and Margot find Weaver who in turn has seen a stash of magic in Rumple’s castle. He pours it onto his hand and prepares to use this one time chance to rip our Rumple’s heart.  Right on cue, Rumple appears and reveals young Henry’s newfound loyalties.

In the forest, Regina confronts young Henry and tries to change his mind once again. However, young Henry only leaves her with a sword by her side and no choice as he attacks. As Regina fights for her life, the dark portals open up for each hero back in the castle. Everyone is forced to grip the table tight. Unfortunately for Alice, she’s on the wrong side of the table, and she has no corners to grasp onto. Hook immediately comes to her aid despite the poison and pain in his heart.

Young Henry manages to slip Regina’s sword away from her hand. With the sword point blank at Regina’s throat, Henry hesitates. Regina tells him that all that matters to her is him, all versions included. And if she has to die to show him that there are people who love him no matter what he does, then so be it. Henry draws back and prepares to strike but, in the end, he drops the sword and accepts his mother’s embrace.

The Rumple The World Will Remember

At the same time, the portals threatening the others diminish and Hook’s heart fails him. No matter, Rumple declares that he’ll be the Rumplestiltskin that the world will remember. But, Weaver’s not having any of that. Weaver realizes that people don’t do the right thing for a reward but because it’s right.

Alice realizes his plan and reminds him that the power of the guardian is gone and he’ll never be with Belle. But, Weaver pushes through with it and rips out his own heart. He takes it and shoves it into Hook’s chest. As Weaver takes his last breath, the evil Rumple crumbles away to dust.

Hook wakes up and finds that he’s cured. Alice tells him that Weaver saved him then Hook says his final goodbye to his friend. Regina arrives and finds her mentor gone. Hook explains that Weaver did it for him and everyone. For one last time, Regina thanks him for one last lesson and one last gift before wishing him the happy ending he deserves. Like Hook, she sorrowfully says goodbye to a loved one.

Somewhere in the afterlife, Weaver finds Belle waiting for him. Finally, after so much struggle, Weaver finds the happy ending he truly deserves.  

A New Once Upon A Time

Now that there is peace, everyone’s looking for what’s next. As the two Henry’s look to their mother for the answer, Regina realizes that it’s time to cast another curse. She insists that a curse is a blueprint for something great. But instead of it crushing the heart of who she loves most, Regina’s uses the curse to bring all the realms together, to bring all the people and their loved ones together. In one small boring town called Storybrooke, Regina brings all the realms together, with each realm having a corner of their own.

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Sometime later, Zelena and Henry lead Regina down the same path she’s walked through the very first time she’s declared a curse. They open the doors and reveal a whole room full of people applauding her. As Regina stands before Prince Charming and Snow White, they reveal that the people have elected her as their new queen.

Regina accepts the role as the new ruler of the newly unified realms. But, before Snow could seal the deal and put the crown on her head, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) bursts into the room with another version of Hook carrying their baby girl, Hope. Henry gives his stepdad a hand (pun always intended), and they get on with the ceremony. Snow declares Regina as the Good Queen, and the people rejoice. Regina tells them all that she refuses to believe that there won’t be more adventures, more family, more loss and more hard times. But, her greatest belief is that they’ll get through it all over and over again with hope.

In one little town called Storybrooke, the magic begins.

‘Once Upon A Time’ Overall Verdict

No matter how wonky a series gets in the middle, once you’ve been there from the start, it’s difficult not to get even a little bit emotional over the end. It was a strange seventh season in general. And for a lot of times, it was hard to know where “Once Upon A Time” was exactly going to end. The show just had a million open opportunities at every corner.

This last episode, for example, felt rushed. It was beautiful how the events focused on Weaver’s sacrifice. And it was also amazing how the producers put in the time to include beloved characters of the past. But, all these were only to grant the fans last wishes of seeing it all come to fruition as they’d like. It’s the epitome of the kind of unrealistic happy endings. But, it’s the kind of silly happy ending that the characters and the show deserved.

“Once Upon A Time” was a volatile show, I could say. The plotline was wonky. New characters always popped up here and there. And there’s still an abundance of flashbacks to answer some plot holes. It wasn’t perfect. But, it’s just the kind of imperfect that makes it fun and something I’ll want to go through all over again in the future.