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3×07 Dark Hollow – First Thoughts “What’s a Gun?”
Important Topics Discussed

Thank you Kelsey for the fantastic synopsis of First Thoughts. Check out Kelsey’s Tumblr: http://lanamariaparillas.tumblr.com/

A. “Dark Hollow” begins five days prior to present Neverland time, bringing us back to what has been happening meanwhile in Storybrooke:
• Colleen mentions that it seems a lot longer.
• Belle is seen crying on the pier as Rumple and the others have just left to find Henry.
• We catch up with Team 7 (the Dwarves), Mother Superior, and Archie, who are happily cheering that they and Storybrooke were saved.
• A scene with two men in a car, driving towards Storybrooke with a map and X on Storybrooke are seen.
• Jeff mentions that Greg had a smartphone to locate the town while the two men only have a map.
• The car is red (which is foreshadowing ‘danger’) and is a 1960s or 70s looking model.
• Belle tells them that Rumple left her with the cloaking spell and they needed to hurry so ‘the others’ don’t come into town.
• Mother Superior/The Blue Fairy tells them that fairy dust runs through the walls of the mine, similar to diamond or gold dust.
• Grumpy tells them no whistling boys, just get to work.
• Belle is very unsure of whether or not she can do this, and asks the Blue Fairy to do it for her. Blue Fairy says that it needs to be Belle and that Belle needs to believe in herself.
• By entrusting Belle with the spell, it proves that Rumple truly loves her and trusts her.
• Jeff compares Belle’s situation to that of Star Wars.
• The spell works once Belle ‘believes in herself a little harder’ and it creates a dome over Storybrooke, but not before the others’ car bumper gets cut off.
• The license plate of their car is from Minnesota.

B. Back in Neverland, Regina and Rumple are trying to get Ariel to go to Storybrooke:
• Ariel was very suspicious of Regina but eventually agreed to trust her, despite their past. There was no bitterness and Ariel had no desire for revenge.
• Peter Pan can sense when people leave the island.
• Pan says that he is going to go check on who is in the other box.
• The shadow that is most active on the island is, in fact, Pan’s.
• We do not know if Felix has his shadow or not.

C. Back in Storybrooke, the dwarves are sitting around having lunch:
• The Seven Dwarfs are sitting around and talking.
• Sleepy is sitting apart from everyone else.
• It seemed like a lot of the people in Storybrooke were not like themselves.
• Grumpy told everyone to relax.
• Granny was very grumpy as well.
• Belle has been worried, won’t eat her hamburger. Archie steps in to help out Belle and calls her a ‘hero.’

• Belle is now on a Hero’s Journey.
• Granny told Ariel, “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service” and Grumpy mentions that Ruby had a lot of outfits that broke dress code.
• The two strangers mention a ‘home office.’
• There is a McCutchan Whiskey bottle in Gold’s office, perhaps a representation of Belle’s old life.
• Belle places the sand dollar that Ariel gave her from Rumple down and Jeff mentions that it is a lot like Star Wars Jedi hologram ways of talking when he appears to give her a cryptic message.
• “The strength of our love” will guide Belle to the object she needs to give Ariel to save them in Neverland. He mentions that he has found a way to come home.

D. Back in Neverland, the Love Triangle and The Charmings agree to split up:
• Charming and Snow are still fighting/not speaking to each other over Charming not telling Snow he was dying.
• Emma agrees with Charming in saying that telling Snow would only be distracted from the real journey.
• Henry is starting to wake up from the Lost Boy spell; he tells Pan that he is keeping his family and secrets from Henry.
• Pan tells Henry that he isn’t holding his family prisoner.
• This is technically the truth, but Pan is hiding the real truth.
• The romance love triangle between Hook, Emma, and Neal continues.
• Hook tells Neal in good form that he is grateful that Neal is taking his kiss with Emma well. Neal had no idea this happened, and it causes a rift.

E. Back in Storybrooke, Ariel and Belle are searching through Rumple’s shop:
• Ariel is a kelpto. She finds a button in Rumple’s shop that is like the ones that were on Eric’s jacket. Colleen says that this will probably come into play later on.
• Belle puts the tea cup (the symbol of their love) on its saucer and it opens a trap door.
• Inside the trap door in the floor, they find Pandora’s box.
• Pandora’s box has a red ruby on top.
• The box has two symbols on it: A for alpha and Ω for Omega, which are symbols of the beginning and the end.
• The box has gears etched into it as well.
• Pandora’s box is from Greek Mythology. Zues gave it to Pandora, told her not to open it, but she did anyway and all the evils of the world were released into the universe, leaving only hope at the bottom.
• Jeff and Colleen talk about the difference between jewels for us and for the OUAT universe.
• Belle tells Ariel about the different things in the shop, the corkscrew and the button.

F. Back in Neverland:
• Hook and Neal were talking about the secrets and how it was a test from Pan.
• Henry is following Felix through the forest.
• Hook and Emma have a conversation and Hook says that he just wanted to have good form.
• A crow or raven sound was heard while the love triangle went into the Dark Hollow.
• Many times in Season 1, there was a crow or raven sound.
• Dark Hollow is where the shadows hang out.
• Hook mentions that Pan’s shadow is almost never with him and Pan has full control over this other entity.

G. Back in Storybrooke, the Others have tied up Belle and Ariel:
• Belle realizes that the others are going to destroy Pandora’s Box by using the pickaxes in the mine because they are powerful enough to crush everything and anything.

H. Back in Neverland, Snow and Charming are making their way to Tinkerbell’s house:
• Charming is fed up with Snow ignoring him and holds a “Charmvention.”
• Snow is stepping around talking to Charming.
• She unleashes all her anger against him and ultimately Snow tells him that she would build a tree house and live on the island forever with Charming and it hurts her that he didn’t trust her enough to tell him.
• How will Charming get off the island?
• Jeff mentions that it is very much like Season 1 David.
• The fight proves that they are not perfect and love requires a lot of effort and time.
• When you light a candle in the dark hollow, the shadow is attracted to it.
• There are three shadows. The other two shadows appear to be lost souls and are controlled by Pan’s shadow.
• Hook and Neal are fighting over a lighter in order to prove that they are better to Emma.
• The shadows started to rip the shadows out of Neal and Hook.
• Out of desperation, Emma lights the candle with the magic that Regina taught her the day before.
• The shadow gets trapped in Neal’s coconut.

I. Back in Storybrooke, Ariel and Belle try to stop the Others from destroying Pandora’s Box:
• There is an anvil on Pandora’s box as well.
• The Others are actually Michael and John, Wendy’s brothers. Pan has been keeping them young and alive to do his bidding while Wendy is held in captivity.
• They have tried to rescue Wendy before to no avail.
• Michael and John know they work for Pan.

J. Back in Neverland, Wendy is in bed and Henry finds her:
• We now know that Wendy is the one that is in the box.
• Peter Pan lets Wendy out to ‘play’ though she is still captured.
• Wendy is laying in the bed in a tree house and Pan uses Felix to lure Henry there.
• Wendy tells Henry the island’s magic is dying because no one believes and she is very sick.
• Regina seems like a new version of herself because she is counseling Rumple and she notices that he is very much in love.
• Because she fulfilled her end of the bargain with Ariel, Regina proves that could be trusted, finally.
• Emma says that if she had to choose between Neal and Hook, she chooses Henry.
• The Charmings and The Love Triangle meet up at Tink’s.
• Tink meets Bae for the first time.
• Pan meets back up with Henry and asks him, “Why so glum, Chum?”
• We see Skull Rock.
• Pan says that for Henry to help, he needs to go to Skull Rock.
• It is hard to trust anything Pan says because he bends the truth.
• What is inside Skull Rock?
• Jeff thinks there is something Lost-esque inside.
• Colleen thinks there is a monster inside of Skull Rock and that it is going to require a major sacrifice to go to Skull Rock, perhaps a death.
• Because of Wendy’s lies, Henry agrees to go to Skull Rock.
• Pan knows Henry is the truest believer but he also has a big rock.
• Pan is cheating because he is tricking Henry.

SPECULATION: Colleen wonders if Eric is Regina’s brother or cousin since the castles are very similar.

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