Once Upon a Time Finale Spoilers Expected

The Finale of Once Upon a Time was on Sunday and I missed it, but I just caught up on Hulu. The third season's Peter Pan arc has been what feels like a meager attempt for the writer's to glean what's left of a faltering storyline. The first season there was this beautiful premise of a town locked under a curse by a wicked queen and now the inhabitants of Storybrooke can't remember who they are or where they came from. The first season was phenomenal to say the least, but then it did something unexpected and broke the curse right at the end of the season. The huge mistake at the end of the first season was that the inhabitants of Storybroke were still stuck in the town and were unable to return to their true land. While this may have been an interesting premise it had the writers scrambling for a new and very weak plot arc. The town is threatened by an outside source and Emma, who suddenly remembers she has magic, and Regina save the town and get their son back. The third season left the audience gasping for air as the story fumbled through the sweltering jungle Neverland Arc for one too many episodes and when the season at last took its first big gulp of air by returning to Storybrooke it felt like the show could be redeemed. Finally after an entire season it feels that the show can and will be saved. On the Finale of Once Upon a Time our heroes are struggling against Pan who plans to enact the same wretched curse that Regina put on the town in the first place, which was the same curse that was broken in the first season.

This idea of reenacting the curse felt like the writers weak attempt and ultimate way to clamber out of the huge hole they dug themselves into after two seasons, a way to end and reset everything. A way to return everything to the way it should be.

In the dramatic conclusion Pan sacrifices the heart of the thing he loves most and rips out the heart of his loyal friend creating a curse, that will not destroy memories, but instead kill everyone and all the inhabitants in Storybrooke. In a desperate attempt to save everyone Neal, Hook, and Tink go on a side quest to retrieve the black fairy's wand. Its mentioned the black fairy was this super evil woman and the Blue Fairy had to take away her wand and perhaps her wings to stop her. With the recent promo I'm assuming the Black Fairy is none other then the most notorious children's villain ever, the Wicked Witch of the West.

After a bout with Pan's shadow Tink believes in herself floats up catches the shadow in a magical coconut (not the best plot device ever, but I'll go with it) and redeems herself. She tosses the holy coconut and incinerates it into a holy fire. Taada the Blue fairy reveals she's not dead and somehow her shadow returned to her body. If this is true does this mean that Greg and Tamara are still alive? After this the Blue Fairy gives Tink her wings back.

They return to the shop and Rumple uses the Black Fairy's wand to expel Henry's soul from Pan's body. Everyone leaves Rumple alone with Pan because that's always the smart thing to do and they go in search of Henry. Pan wakes up back in his body with a magic bracer on his wrist so he can't use magic. Rumple confronts him and they have it out with angry words. Pan compares Rumple to a "wriggling pink worm" and then reveals he made the bracer. Whapow he blasts the bracer onto Rumple and renders him incapable of using his magic. Pan promises to let him suffer by watching everything he loves die.

Pan goes back to gang and freezes them confronting them in a slow dramatic twist promising them that they will all die as soon as the curse dissipates throughout the town. Just then Rumple comes back and Pan is somehow not threatened by him because let's face it Rumple doesn't have any powers so he is useless. Rumple reveals that he is finally willing to accept the prophecy and he doesn't need magic to defeat pan. Enter Rumple's shadow. The shadow throws Rumple the Dark One's dagger and Rumple embraces pan literally stabbing him in the back. I'm assuming the sword went through Pan's shoulder and into Rumple as well. Rumple sacrifices himself and the two burst into magical powdery dust. We know that Pan is dead, but we are not sure if Rumple is truly dead, he might be redeemed for performing a selfless act.

After this brave act of sacrifice everyone weeps and its very heart wrenching. Grumpy runs in and tells them the curse is closing in all sides of them. Regina tells Emma that Henry can't go to the magical land with them because he was born in our world and rules of magic state that he must stay in his world. Because Emma is the savior and she is of both worlds she can choose to go or stay with Henry. Regina is no longer the evil queen and she urges Emma to stay with their son and she explains that by returning to their world the town will cease to exist and therefore their memories of the town will be now more. Snow and Charming exclaim that right after they get their daughter they lose her again. Regina further explains that she will create new memories for them. They somehow make it to the border even though grumpy stated the curse was closing in on all sides. At the border Emma bids everyone goodbye. She climbs into her yellow bug Volkswagen and she drives off while Regina uses her magic. The green curse cloud of Pan turns purple and swallows the inhabitants of Storybrooke right as Emma's car crosses the boarder.

In Emma's new memories she decided to keep Henry after all and not give him up. They live a happy life in New York eating scrambled eggs, pancakes, and hot chocolate with cream and cinnamon on the top. It seems too perfect and right on cue there is a loud knock on the door. Emma opens it to find Hook and he tells her that her family is trouble assailed by a new threat. Emma tells him that her family is right here and Hook explains that he knew she wouldn't be able to remember so he hopes a kiss will help jog her memory. Emma knees him in the crotch and slams the door on his face. When she returns to Henry he asks if everything okay and Emma simply replies that someone must have left the door open downstairs and basically let all the crazies in.          

This new premise changes everything. This means that last three seasons haven't existed. If that's true then does that mean that Rumple never died? Basically the finale makes up for all the mistakes, hits the reset button, and sets everything back right where it should be with huge sacrifices involved proving that villains are only what we make them to be. So does this mean Regina is now a good queen or is she back to her old ways? In fact does she even remember or know that Storybrooke existed or are her memories reset as well?