Eloise Gardener

Eloise Gardener
Season 7, Episode 7
Airdate	November 17, 2017
Written by	David H. Goodman Brigitte Hales
Directed by	Alex Kalymnios
Episode Guide
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Eloise Gardener is the seventh episode of the seventh season and the 140th episode overall of the American fantasy-drama series Once Upon a Time. Written by David H. Goodman & Brigitte Hales and directed by Alex Kalymnios, it premiered on ABC in the United States on November 17, 2017.

In the episode, the first of a two hour outing, Hook’s encounter with Rapunzel and its ties to Alice is revealed in a flashback, while Rogers search for a missing woman comes into play in the present day, and Ivy’s scheme to take down Victoria accelerates into disarray.

Plot

Opening sequence

The Witch’s secret garden and a magic stone is featured in the background.

In the Characters' Past

In the Wish Realm, shortly after Snow White and Prince Charming have stopped the Evil Queen from casting her curse, Hook agrees to procure magic for her from a tower in the Magical Forest, which is guarded by an evil witch. When he arrives at the witch's tower, he finds Rapunzel instead. She instructs him to retrieve a golden flower from the witch's garden. When he returns with it to help her, they spend a night together. The next morning, it is revealed that Rapunzel is actually the witch named Gothel and their night together produced a baby with the help of the magic flower to speed up the process, Gothel leaves her behind so she can escape the tower. Hook then gives the Jolly Roger to Smee and decides to stay with his daughter, who is unable to leave due to the tower's spell. He names her Alice after his mother.

In Seattle

In between the events, Regina/Roni tries to put some distance between Henry and Jacinda, who are working together on the food truck. Heeding Drizella's warning to keep them apart, Regina offers Jacinda a job as away to keep an eye on her as well as keeping Child Protective Services from looking in on her in regards to having a boyfriend which could improve her chances. Later that evening, Henry visits Regina to thank her for giving Jacinda a job, but a planned date between him and Jacinda is put on hold as Jacinda has agreed to take a second shift.

In the present day, Rogers is on a mad and relentless hunt for the missing Eloise Gardener. Henry and Tilly decided to help Rogers find her. Around the same time, Victoria/Tremaine is looking a camera as she suspects that someone else is visiting the Witch, and learns that Ivy is the one, but Weaver interrupted Victoria to inform her about Eloise and Rogers’ search for her, and she warned Weaver to put a end to it or else she’ll do it and even threatened Weaver as well. Tilly is deceiving Rogers by giving him false information provided by Weaver that Eloise had died in a effort to throw him off the case. Weaver warns Rogers that Eloise isn't the person he thinks she is. When Rogers finds Gothel, he mistakenly believes that she is Eloise and frees her from Victoria, who gets locked up for kidnapping. After Victoria is arrested, she discovered that Drizella is awake and tells her she has no idea what she has released into this world.

Casting

• Mekia Cox was credited in this episode, but does not appear.

Reception

Reviews

The episode received positive reviews from critics.

Paul Dailly of TV Fanatic gave it a 3.5 out of 5 stars

Entertainment Weekly's Justin Kirkland gave it a B.

Trivia

• When Tilly is talking to the man under the bridge selling stolen watches the face of her watch has a black and white Mickey Mouse on it.
• This is the first episode to have a TV-14 rating
• Roni always wore rock and roll tee shirts. In this episode since Drizella woke her she is dressed in an outfit more like Regina would wear.

Quotes

Captain Killian 'Hook' Jones: Your Majesty, shouldn't you be casting your curse? Evil Queen: Well, I would be. If that insipid Snow White and her Charm-less Prince hadn't stopped me. Captain Killian 'Hook' Jones: How the bloody hell did they do that? Evil Queen: They stole my magic. William Smee: Snow White defeated the Evil Queen? I did not see that coming.

William Smee: So, how do we find the flower then? Captain Killian 'Hook' Jones: Well, according to Rapunzel, we, uh... we sing. Something to do with the power of music revealing the heart. [sings] Captain Killian 'Hook' Jones: "Fifteen men on a dead man's chest Yo-ho-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum..." [nothing happens] Captain Killian 'Hook' Jones: Doesn't appear to have worked. William Smee: Maybe you need some rum first.

Victoria Belfrey: Why is women's footwear the constant bane of my existence?

Evil Queen: What is more important than revenge?

Captain Killian 'Hook' Jones: [cradling his baby daughter in his arms] Well, I suppose I, um... I should, I should call you something. I've only ever known one person good enough to pass on their name. My mother. Yeah. She, uh, she tried to stay with me as long as she could. And I vow to do the same for you... Alice.

Victoria Belfrey: [to Eloise Gardener] With that green thumb of yours, you must know the thing about ivy. In order for it to grow, it has to cling to something else. I've long known she would seek aid, and approval. And now? I'm going to take away every little pillar that she clings to. Beginning... with you. You will never feel... the warm light of day... again.

[with her daughter's contribution, Victoria Belfrey has been arrested for kidnapping and imprisoning Eloise Gardener] Victoria Belfrey: Why did you do this, Drizella? Ivy Belfrey: So I could finally be free of you. And now she's free of you, too; and you're the prisoner. Victoria Belfrey: You stupid child. You have no idea what you just let crawl out into this world. But you will find out. Yes, you will. You will find out!