Once Upon a Time (2011–2018): Season 1, Episode 1 - Pilot - full transcript

You're too late.

No.

No!

Open it.

I'm sorry. She's gone.

At least let me say good-bye.

You.

You found me.

Did you ever doubt I would?

Truthfully...

The glass coffin gave me pause.



Well, you never have to worry.
I will always find you.

Do you promise?

I do.

And do you, snow white,

Promise to take this man to be your husband

And love him for all eternity?

I do.

I now pronounce you husband and wife.

Hey.

Mm?

Sorry I'm late.

It's the queen. Run!

She's not a queen anymore.

She's nothing more than an evil witch.



No, no, no. Don't stoop to her level.
There's no need.

You're wasting your time.

You've already lost,

And I will not let you ruin this wedding.

Oh, I haven't come here to ruin anything.

On the contrary, dear.

I've come to give you a gift.

We want nothing from you.

But you shall have it.

My gift to you...

Is this happy, happy day.

For tomorrow my real work begins.

You've made your vows.

Now I make mine.

Soon everything you love,

And out of your suffering

Will rise my victory.

I shall destroy your happiness,

If it is the last thing I do.

Hey!

That a good book?

This? It's more than just a book.

Oh.

Boston south station.

Thank you for riding greyhound.

I don't know...

Hold on.

Uh, you take credit cards?

Where to, chief?

Emma?

Ryan?

You look relieved.

Uh, well, it is the internet.

Pictures can be...

Fake, outdated,

Stolen from a Victoria's Secret catalog.

Exactly. So...

So... Um, tell me something
about yourself, Emma.

Oh, uh, well...

Today's my birthday.

And you're spending it with me?

What about your friends?

Kind of a loner.

And... You don't like your family?

No family to like.

Oh, come on. Everyone has a family.

Technically, yeah,

But not everyone knows who they are.

Ready to run yet?

Oh, not a chance.

You, Emma, are, by far,

The sexiest friendless
orphan that I have ever met.

Okay. Your turn.

No, wait. Let me guess.

Um, you are handsome, charming...

Go on.

The kind of guy who...

And now stop me if I get this wrong...

Embezzled from your employer,

Got arrested, and skipped town

Before they were able to
throw your ass in jail.

What?

And the worst part of all
of this is your wife.

Your wife loves you so much
that she bailed you out,

And how do you repay that loyalty?

You're on a date.

Who are you?

The chick who put up the rest of the money.

You're a bail bondsman.

A bail bondsperson.

Really?

♪ all right ♪

♪ well, now ♪

♪ I must admit ♪

♪ I can't explain ♪

♪ any of these thoughts
racing through my brain ♪

♪ it's true ♪

♪ baby, I'm howlin' for you ♪

♪ yeah ♪

Come on.

♪ yeah ♪

♪ da-da, da-da, da ♪

♪ da-da, da-da, da ♪

♪ da-da, da-da, da ♪

Look, you don't have to do this, okay?

I can pay you. I've got money.

No, you don't, and if you did,

You should give it to your wife
to take care of your family.

What the hell do you
know about family, huh?

Nothing.

Another banner year.

Uh...

Can I help you?

Are you Emma swan?

Yeah. Who are you?

My name's Henry. I'm your son.

Whoa. Hey, kid. Kid. Kid!

I don't have a son.

Where are your parents?

Ten years ago, did you give
up a baby for adoption?

That was me.

Give me a minute.

Hey, you have any juice?

Never mind. Found some.

You know, we should probably get going.

Going where?

I want you to come home with me.

Okay, kid. I'm calling the cops.

Then I'll tell them you kidnapped me.

And they'll believe you,

Because I'm your birth mother.

Yep.

You're not gonna do that.

Try me.

You're pretty good, but here's the thing.

There's not a lot I'm great at in life,

But I have one skill.

Let's call it a superpower.

I can tell when anyone is lying,

And you, kid, are.

Wait. Please don't call the cops.

Please.

Come home with me.

Where's home?

Storybrooke, Maine.

Storybrooke? Seriously?

Mm-hmm.

All righty then.

Let's get you back to Storybrooke.

What's wrong?

Nothing.

You're thinking about
what the queen said again,

Aren't you?

Snow, please. I can't keep
having this conversation.

You have to let it go.

We're about to have a baby.

I haven't had a restful
night since our wedding.

That's what she wants, to get in your head,

But they're only words.

She can't hurt us.

She poisoned an apple

Because she thought I
was prettier than her.

You have no idea of what she's capable.

What can I do to ease your mind?

Let me talk... To him.

Him?

You don't mean... I do.

No. No, no. It's too dangerous.

He sees the future.

There's a reason he's locked up.

Can you promise me that
our child will be safe?

Can you guarantee it?

Because he can.

All right.

For our child.

I'm hungry. Do you want to stop somewhere?

This is not a road trip.
We're not stopping for snacks.

Why not?

Quit complaining, kid.

Remember, I could have
put your butt on a bus.

I still could.

You know, I have a name. It's Henry.

What's that?

I'm not sure you're ready.

Ready for some fairy tales?

They're not fairy tales.

They're true.

Every story in this book actually happened.

Of course it did.

Use your superpower. See if I'm lying.

Just because you believe
something doesn't make it true.

That's exactly what makes it true.

You should know more than anyone.

Why is that?

Because you're in this book.

Oh, kid. You've got problems.

Yep, and you're gonna fix 'em.

When we reach the cell,
stay out of the light,

And whatever you do,
do not let him know your name.

If he knows your name,
he will have power over you.

Rumplestiltskin.

Rumplestiltskin!

I have a question for you.

No, you don't.

They do...

Snow white and... prince charming.

You insult me.

Step into the light and take
off those ridiculous robes.

Ah.

That's much better.

We've come to ask you about the...

Yes, yes! I know why you're here.

You want to know about the queen's threat.

Tell us what you know!

Ohh. Tense, aren't we?

Fear not, for I can ease your mind,

But it's gonna cost you
something in return.

No. This is a waste of time.

What do you want?

Oh...

The name of your unborn child?

Absolutely not.

Deal. What do you know?

Ah.

The queen has created a powerful curse,

And it's coming.

Soon you'll all be in a prison,

Just like me, only worse,

For your prison, all of our prisons

Will be time,

For time will stop,

And we will be trapped someplace horrible,

Where everything we hold dear,

Everything we love will be ripped from us,

While we suffer for all eternity,

While the queen celebrates,

Victorious at last!

No more happy endings.

What can we do?

We can't do anything.

Who can?

That little thing growing
inside your belly.

Next time I cut it off.

The infant is our only hope.

Get the child to safety.

Get the child to safety,

And on its... 28th birthday,

The child will return.

The child will find you,

And the final battle will begin!

I've heard enough. We're leaving.

Oh, ho! Ooh! Yoo-hoo!

Hey! You! We made a deal!

I want her name! We had a deal!

I need her name! H-h-her name!

"her"? It's a boy.

Missy. Missy, you know I'm right.

Tell me. What's her name?

Emma.

Her name is Emma.

Emma.

Ah.

Okay, kid. How about an address?

44 I'm-not-telling-you street.

Look, it's been a long night,

And it's almost...

8:15?

That clock hasn't moved in my whole life.

Time's frozen here.

Excuse me?

The evil queen did it with her curse.

She sent everyone from the
enchanted forest here.

Hang on.

An evil queen sent a bunch of
fairy tale characters here?

Yeah, and now they're trapped.

Frozen in time

And stuck in Storybrooke, maine...

That's what you're going with?

It's true.

Then why doesn't everybody just leave?

They can't. If they try, bad things happen.

Henry.

What are you doing here?

Is everything all right?

I'm fine, archie.

Who is this?

Just someone trying to
give him a ride home.

Oh, she's my mom, archie.

Oh. I see.

Do you know where he lives?

Uh, yeah, sure. Just, uh,
right up on mifflin street.

The mayor's house is the
biggest one on the block.

You're the mayor's kid?

Uh, maybe.

Hey, where were you today, Henry?

'cause you missed our session.

Oh, well, I forgot to tell you,
I went on a field trip.

Henry...

What did I tell you about lying?

Giving in to one's dark side
never accomplishes anything.

Okay.

Well, I really should be getting him home.

Yeah, sure.

Well, listen, um, have a good night,

And, uh, you be good, Henry.

Yeah.

So that's your shrink?

I'm not crazy. Didn't say that.

Just... He doesn't seem cursed to me.

Maybe he's just trying to help you.

He's the one who needs help,
because he doesn't know.

That he's a fairy tale character?

None of them do.

They don't remember who they are.

Convenient.

All right. I'll play.
Who's he supposed to be?

Jiminy Cricket.

Right. The lying thing.

I thought your nose grew a little bit.

I'm not pinocchio.

Of course you're not,
'cause that would be ridiculous.

I say, we fight!

Fighting is a bad idea.

Giving in to one's dark side
never accomplishes anything.

And how many wars has a
clear conscience won?

We need to take the queen out

Before she can inflict her curse.

Can we even trust rumplestiltskin?

I've sent my men into the forest.

The animals are abuzz
with the queen's plan.

This is going to happen,
unless we do something.

There's no point. The future is written.

No. I refuse to believe that.

Good can't just lose.

Maybe it can.

No. No. Not as long as we have each other.

If you believe him about the curse,

Then you must believe him about our child.

She will be the savior.

What the hell is this?

Our only hope of saving that child.

A tree? Our fate rests on a tree?

Let's get back to the fighting thing.

The tree is enchanted.

If fashioned into a vessel,
it can ward off any curse.

Geppetto, can you build such a thing?

Me and my boy... we can do it.

This will work. We all must have faith.

There is, however, a catch.

The enchantment is indeed powerful,

But all power has its limits,

And this tree can protect only one.

Please don't take me back there.

I have to. I'm sure your parents
are worried sick about you.

I don't have parents... just a mom,
and she's evil.

Evil? That's a bit extreme, isn't it?

She is. She doesn't love me.
She only pretends to.

Kid. I'm sure that's not true.

Henry?

Oh, Henry.

Ohh. Are you okay?

Where have you been?!

What happened?

I found my real mom!

Y-you're Henry’s birth mother?

Hi.

I'll just go and check on the lad,

Make sure he's all right.

How would you like a glass

Of the best apple cider you ever tasted?

Got anything stronger?

How did he find me?

No idea.

When I adopted him,
he was only 3 weeks old.

The records were sealed.

I was told the birth mother didn't want

To have any contact.

You were told right.

And the father?

There was one.

Do I need to be worried about him?

Nope. He doesn't even know.

Do I need to be worried
about you, Ms. Swan?

Absolutely not.

Madame mayor, you can relax.

Other than being a tired little boy,

Henry's fine.

Thank you, sheriff.

I'm sorry he dragged you out of your life.

I really don't know what's gotten into him.

Kid's having a rough time. It happens.

You have to understand,
ever since I became mayor,

Balancing things has been tricky.

You have a job, I assume?

Uh, I keep busy, yeah.

Imagine having another one on top of it.

That's being a single mom,
so I push for order.

Am I strict?

I suppose, but I do it for his own good.

I want Henry to excel in life.

I don't think that makes me evil, do you?

I'm sure he's just saying that

Because of the fairy tale thing.

What fairy tale thing?

Oh, you know, his book,

How he thinks everyone's a
cartoon character from it,

Like his shrink is Jiminy Cricket.

I'm sorry. I really have no
idea what you're talking about.

You know what? it's none of my business.

He's your kid,

And I really should be heading back.

Of course.

Sneaky bastard.

♪

I don't want to do this.

It has to be you.

I'm not leaving you.

It's the only way.

You'll go in there,

And you'll be safe from the curse.

He said it would be on her 28th birthday.

What's 28 years,
when you have eternal love?

I got faith.

You will save me, as I did you.

What is it?

The baby.

She's coming.

Wake up.

Wake up!

Look!

The curse! It's here!

What are you looking at, sister?

Hey, leroy. Manners. We have a guest.

So you are, uh, Henry’s mother?

How lovely for him to
have you back in his life.

Actually I was just dropping him off.

Don't blame ya.

They're all brats. Who needs 'em?

Well, I'd give anything for one.

My wife and I... we tried for many years,

But, uh... It was not meant to be.

Well, cry me a river.

Leroy, I'm going to let you out.
You need to behave.

Put on a smile, and stay out of trouble.

Seriously?

Regina's drinks...

A little stronger than we thought.

I wasn't drunk.

There was a wolf standing
in the middle of the road.

A wolf. Right.

Graham, Henry’s run away again.
We have to...

What is she doing here?

Do you know where he is?

Lady, I haven't seen him since
I dropped him at your house,

And I have a pretty good alibi.

Yeah, well, he wasn't in
his room this morning.

Did you try his friends?

He doesn't really have any.
He's kind of a loner.

Every kid has friends.
Did you check his computer?

If he's close to someone,
he'd be e-mailing them.

And you know this how?

Finding people is what I do.
Here's an idea.

How about you guys let me out,
and I'll help you find him?

Smart kid. He cleared his in-box.

I'm smart, too.

A little hard disk recovery
utility I like to use.

I'm a bit more old-fashioned
in my techniques...

Pounding the pavement, knocking on doors,

That sort of thing.

You're on salary.

I get paid for delivery.

Pounding the pavement is
not a luxury that I get.

Huh. There's a receipt for a web site...

It's expensive.

He has a credit card?

He's 10.

Well, he used one.

Let's pull up a transaction record.

"mary margaret blanchard."

Who's mary margaret blanchard?

Henry's teacher.

As we build our birdhouses, remember,

What you're making is a home, not a cage.

The bird is free and will do what it will.

This is for them, not us.

They're loyal creatures.

Ohh.

Wow.

If you love them and they love you,

They will always find you.

We'll pick this up after
recess. No running.

Why, thank you.

Ms. Mills, what are you doing here?

Where's my son?

Henry? I assumed he was home sick with you.

You think I'd be here if he was?

Did you give him your credit
card so he can find her?

I'm sorry. Who are you?

I'm his... I'm his...

The woman who gave him up for adoption.

You don't know anything about this, do you?

No, unfortunately not.

Clever boy.

I should never have given him that book.

What in the hell is this
book I keep hearing about?

Just some old stories I gave him.

As you well know, Henry is a special boy...

So smart, so creative,

And as you might be aware...

Lonely.

He needed it.

What he needs is a dose of reality.

This is a waste of time.

Have a nice trip back to boston.

Sorry to bother you. No, it's...

It's okay. I fear this
is partially my fault.

How's a book supposed to help?

What do you think stories are for?

These stories...

The classics?

There's a reason we all know them.

They're a way for us
to deal with our world,

A world that doesn't always make sense.

See, Henry hasn't had the eaesiest life.

Yeah, she's kind of a hard-ass.

No, it's more than her.

He's like any adopted child.

He wrestles with that most basic question

They all inevitably face...

"why would anyone give me away?"

I am so sorry.

I'm so sorry. I didn't mean
in any way to judge you.

It's okay.

Look, I gave the book to
him because I wanted Henry

To have the most important
thing anyone can have...

Hope.

Believing in even the possibility

Of a happy ending is a very powerful thing.

You know where he is, don't you?

You might want to check his castle.

Aah! Aah! No.

No. I can't...

Have this baby now.

Doc, please help me.

It's gonna be okay.

The wardrobe's almost finished.
Just... just hold on.

It's ready.

It's too late. We can't move her.

Push.

Aah!

The wardrobe.

It only takes one.

Then our plan has failed.

At least we're together.

No. You have to take her.

Take the baby to the wardrobe.

Are you out of your mind? No. It's the
only way. You have to send her. No.

No, no, no, no. You don't
know what you're saying.

No, I do. We have to believe
that she'll come back for us.

We have to give her her best chance.

Good-bye, Emma.

Uhh!

Aah!

Uhh!

Find us.

Uhh!

You left this in my car.

Still hasn't moved, huh?

I was hoping that when I brought you back,

Things would change here,

That the final battle would begin.

I'm not fighting any battles, kid.

Yes, you are. You're here
because it's your destiny.

You're gonna bring back the happy endings.

Can you cut it with the book crap?

You don't have to be hostile.
I know you like me. I can tell.

You're just pushing me away
because I make you feel guilty.

It's okay.

I know why you gave me away.

You wanted to give me my best chance.

How do you know that?

It's the same reason snow
white gave you away.

Listen to me, kid.

I am not in any book.

I'm a real person.

And I'm no savior.

You were right about one thing, though.

I wanted you to have your best chance.

But it's not with me.

Come on. Let's go.

Please don't take me back there.

Just stay with me for one week.
That's all I ask.

One week, and you'll see I'm not crazy.

I have to get you back to your mom.

You don't know what it's
like with her. My life sucks.

Oh, you want to know what sucking is?

Being left abandoned on
the side of a freeway.

My parents didn't even bother
to drop me off at a hospital.

I ended up in the foster system

And I had a family until I was 3,

But then they had their own kid,
so they sent me back.

Look...

Your mom is trying her best.

I know it's hard,

And I know sometimes you
think she doesn't love you,

But at least she wants you.

Your parents didn't leave you
on the side of the freeway.

That's just where you came through.

What?

The wardrobe. When you
went through the wardrobe,

You appeared in the street.

Your parents were trying
to save you from the curse.

Sure they were.

Come on, Henry.

No.

No.

No!

No!

No. No.

No. No. No. No.

Please.

Please come back to me.

What?

Oh, don't worry, dear.

In a few moments,
you won't remember you knew him,

Let alone loved him.

Why did you do this?

Because this is my happy ending.

The child?

Gone.

It was in the wardrobe,
and then it was gone.

It's nowhere to be found. Where is she?

She got away.

You're going to lose.

I know that now.

Good will always win.

We'll see about that.

Where are we going?

Somewhere horrible.

Absolutely horrible.

A place where the only
happy ending will be mine.

Thank you.

No problem.

He seemed to have taken
quite a shine to you.

You know what's kinda crazy?

Yesterday was my birthday,

And when I blew out the candle
on this cupcake I bought myself,

I actually made a wish

That I didn't have to
be alone on my birthday.

And then Henry showed up.

I hope there's no
misunderstanding here.

I'm sorry?

Don't mistake all this

As an invitation back into his life.

Oh.

Ms. Swan, you made a
decision ten years ago.

And in the last decade,
while you've been...

Well, who knows what you've been doing?

I've changed every diaper,

Soothed every fever,

Endured every tantrum.

You may have given birth to him,
but he is my son.

I was not...

No, you don't get to speak.
You don't get to do anything.

You gave up that right
when you toss him away.

Do you know what a closed adoption is?

It's what you asked for.

You have no legal right to Henry,

And you're gonna be held to that.

So I suggest you get in your
car and you leave this town,

Because if you don't,

I will destroy you if it is
the last thing I do.

Good-bye, Ms. Swan.

Do you love him?

Excuse me?

Henry.

Do you love him?

Of course I love him.

You're out all night,
and now you're going out again.

I should've moved to boston!

I'm sorry that my heart attack
interfered with your plans

To sleep your way down
the eastern seaboard.

Excuse me?

I'd like a room.

Really?

Would you like a forest
view or a square view?

Normally, there's an
upgrade fee for the square,

But as rent is due, I'll waive it.

Square is fine.

Now... What's the name?

Swan. Emma Swan.

Emma.

What a lovely name.

Thanks.

It's all here.

Yes, yes, of course. Yes, dear, thank you.

You enjoy your stay...

Emma.

Who's that?

Mr. Gold. He owns this place.

The inn?

No. The town.

So how long will you be with us?

A week.

Just a week.

Great.

Welcome to Storybrooke.