'Once Upon a Time' season 3 episode 15 recap: A life for a life (2025)

After learning that Rumplestiltskin is alive in last week's "Once Upon a Time"episode, the big question this week became how did Rumple comeback to life and where is he now?

Hook tells Emma and the others that he remembers Nealbelieving that bringing his father back was the key to bringing everything backto normal when they were in the Enchanted Forest a year ago. He believed his father would help him getEmma and Henry back, and they could be a family again.

Since Neal -- the prime suspect in resurrecting Rumple --has been missing since everyone returned to Storybrooke, Emma doesn't reallyhave any leads to go off of. Shedecides to go look for Rumple, while Regina goes back to the farmhouse wherethe Wicked Witch had been staying to look for clues she may have left behind.

The first place on the list for Emma is Belle's house. Belle is shocked that Rumple could be alive,but she agrees to help look for any clues that may show that he hasreturned. As Belle looks through hercollection of books, a big clue comes barreling through Belle's door: Neal.

He stumbles through the door, falls and hits his head. When he wakes up in the hospital, it's nothis memories that give Emma the next piece of information. It's a burn mark on his hand. Belle immediately hits the books to discoverwhat this symbol on his hand could mean.

Since Neal has also lost his memories, Emma catches him upon what has happened over the past year with the curse and her life with Henryin New York. Neal desperately wants tosee his son, but realizes this is not possible because Henry still thinks hisfather abandoned him. On top of this, Neal finds out that Emma doesn't wantHenry to get his memories back. Henrywas very happy in his New York life, and once everything is over with theWicked Witch and her family is safe again, Emma may want to return to thatlife. Once Emma leaves the hospital,Neal sneaks out to try to find his father.

After all of the sneaking around Emma has had to do inStorybrooke, the awkward stares from the townspeople and the whispering any timeHenry walks into a room, Henry realizes that Emma is lying to him about thistrip. He just doesn't know why. Emma promises that she'll tell Henry thetruth as soon as she can, and he promises to trust her.

Meanwhile, Robin Hood accidentally meets up with Regina onher trip to the Wicked Witch's former dwelling place. He shoots an arrow at Regina, thinking thatshe was the Wicked Witch. But eventhough the Evil Queen doesn't sound much better than the Wicked Witch, Reginaand Robin Hood hit it off. She evenallows him to accompany her in her search for clues. They hit it off so wellthat their all-business search quickly leads to flirtatious comments, which bringsup a flashback in Regina's head. Sheremembers the time that Tinker Bell tried to show Regina her true love, and sherealizes that her true love could be Robin Hood. Regina immediately gets cold feet and runsoff, just like she did in her flashback.

After searching the forest, Emma and David find Rumplerunning through forest. He wants to tellthem who the Wicked Witch truly is, but he can't. He's gone insane and doesn't seem to be incontrol of his own mind. There are toomany voices in his head, he shouts. A flyingmonkey attacks them, but Rumple and Emma get away while David fends off themonkey beast.

As Emma continues searching for answers, "Once Upon a Time" flashesback to a year ago in the Enchanted Forest.Neal and Belle go to the library Rumple built for Belle to try to figureout how to bring Rumple back.

While they're there, they meet Lumiere, a man who says hewas turned into a candelabra by Rumplestiltskin. However, he agrees to help Neal and Bellebring Rumple back if they promise to set him free and turn him back into ahuman.

Lumiere shows them a key and leads them to the Dark One'svault. Opening the vault is the only wayto bring Rumple back. Neal is about toopen the vault, which bears the same symbol found on his hand a year later inStorybrooke, when Belle realizes that Lumiere is lying. He confesses, saying that he was actuallyturned into a candelabra by the Wicked Witch and was asked to help Neal andBelle bring Rumple back so the Wicked Witch could control Rumple with hisdagger.

But Neal doesn't care that the Wicked Witch wants to controlhis father. He just wants to see hisfather alive again, so he opens the vault.But what Lumiere didn't tell them was that opening the vault comes witha price: a life for a life.

By this logic, Neal should be dead. But a year later, Neal is walking through theforest in Storybrooke with Emma. However,right on cue, as Belle finally figures out that the marking on Neal's hand isfrom opening the Dark One's vault, Neal collapses in pain. His face contorts, and Emma comes to theconclusion that his father is inside him, which is how Neal has been able tostay alive this whole time. Neal ordersEmma to separate them even though it means he'll die. He knows Emma needs to find out who theWicked Witch is, and Rumple is the only one with this answer.

So, Emma reluctantly does as she's told, and Neal dies minuteslater in her arms, saying that now it's his turn to make a true sacrifice justas his father had done.

"I love you, son," Rumple says as Neal dies.

But Neal doesn't die for nothing. Rumple comes through by telling Emma thatZelena is the Wicked Witch.

The remainder of the episode is filled with sad music andcrying. Emma and Rumple mourn the loss of Rumple. Regina sheds a tear as she watches Robin Hoodplay with his son, probably thinking that she could have been a part of theirfamily. And Mary Margaret is upset tolearn that her midwife is the Wicked Witch.

Emma and David go to Mary Margaret's house to search forZelena, but she's not there. Instead,she's in the forest, delighted to have found Rumple and return him to his cage. She says that it doesn't matter if everyoneknows who she is because she has Rumple's brain.

As the episode ends, Emma finally tells Henry that thereason she brought him to Storybrooke is to help his father who was introuble. He was a really good man, sheexplains, but she was too late, and the person who killed him got away.

"They got away, but I'm going to find them," she says.

Now that she knowsZelena's true identity, will Emma be able to stop the Wicked Witch? What did you think of tonight's episode? Letus know your thoughts in the comments.

DETAILS: Sundays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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