"The Tower" is an episode all about facing your fears - your guarded, most personal anxieties. We see a parallel in the Storybrooke tale and the Enchanted Forest story.
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Rapunzel's Tower
The episode begins with a pleasant surprise - a sweet father-daughter scene with Charming and Emma. We see Emma looking stunning in a gown (which clued us in immediately that this must be a dream) and Charming teaching his daughter how to dance for her first ball. This is Charming's dream of the life he wished his daughter could have; the opportunity to have raised her and watch her grow up, to teach her to dance and surround her with the love she grew up without. But before the teaching can continue, the dream turns dark as Charming's fears take over. Emma is pulled toward the wardrobe, and despite Charming's best efforts to hold her back, she is sucked through the portal, urging her father to do better with the next child. Charming jolts awake, only to be met with a glowing Snow who informs him that she is expecting a baby. Though thrilled, Charming can't escape the feeling of inadequacy - that he will somehow fail this child as he did the last.
He goes to the stables, where Robin Hood informs him of a plant called Night Root, sworn to help one escape his fears. Charming vows to find the plant and rides off, where he finds some of the Night Root in the heart of the woods. But before he can retrieve any, he hears a cry for help. There, in the clearing, is a high tower, with no way in or out, other than a long braid leading to a window at the top. Charming sets the root aside and scales the tower, where he meets Rapunzel.
The princess has been imprisoned in the tower for many years, and has never escaped, for every time she tries, a witch stops her. It seems that she unsuccessfully took the Night Root before her capture, afraid to take the throne after her brother's death. Charming makes a move to help Rapunzel escape, but just as she warned, the witch begins to climb the tower. Charming cuts the hair away, but the witch comes inside. While strangling Rapunzel, Charming begs the witch to let the princess go, when the witch is revealed to be Rapunzel herself. The Night Root had worked; it enabled one's fears to come in tangible form to be defeated. Charming urges Rapunzel to face her deepest fear, encouraging her that she will be a good ruler and that she must defeat her fear or die in the tower alone. Rapunzel cuts her braid, destroying her fear and the witch.
The episode begins with a pleasant surprise - a sweet father-daughter scene with Charming and Emma. We see Emma looking stunning in a gown (which clued us in immediately that this must be a dream) and Charming teaching his daughter how to dance for her first ball. This is Charming's dream of the life he wished his daughter could have; the opportunity to have raised her and watch her grow up, to teach her to dance and surround her with the love she grew up without. But before the teaching can continue, the dream turns dark as Charming's fears take over. Emma is pulled toward the wardrobe, and despite Charming's best efforts to hold her back, she is sucked through the portal, urging her father to do better with the next child. Charming jolts awake, only to be met with a glowing Snow who informs him that she is expecting a baby. Though thrilled, Charming can't escape the feeling of inadequacy - that he will somehow fail this child as he did the last.
He goes to the stables, where Robin Hood informs him of a plant called Night Root, sworn to help one escape his fears. Charming vows to find the plant and rides off, where he finds some of the Night Root in the heart of the woods. But before he can retrieve any, he hears a cry for help. There, in the clearing, is a high tower, with no way in or out, other than a long braid leading to a window at the top. Charming sets the root aside and scales the tower, where he meets Rapunzel.
The princess has been imprisoned in the tower for many years, and has never escaped, for every time she tries, a witch stops her. It seems that she unsuccessfully took the Night Root before her capture, afraid to take the throne after her brother's death. Charming makes a move to help Rapunzel escape, but just as she warned, the witch begins to climb the tower. Charming cuts the hair away, but the witch comes inside. While strangling Rapunzel, Charming begs the witch to let the princess go, when the witch is revealed to be Rapunzel herself. The Night Root had worked; it enabled one's fears to come in tangible form to be defeated. Charming urges Rapunzel to face her deepest fear, encouraging her that she will be a good ruler and that she must defeat her fear or die in the tower alone. Rapunzel cuts her braid, destroying her fear and the witch.
![Picture](/uploads/2/7/3/8/27383753/527396.jpg?396)
David Faces His Fear
Emma, Hook, and David go to Regina's office to see if any clue was missed about the Wicked Witch. David is called back to the apartment to meet the midwife, and Hook and Emma go out to the farmhouse to investigate. Zelena meets David at the door, and puts the same Night Root in his tea, stolen from Gold's vault. He then goes to the woods to search for the witch. He sees something, and a hooded figure approaches. David draws his sword to fight, but as with Rapunzel, the cloaked person isn't the witch; it's David himself. His fear is personified, and it throws him around effortlessly. Because David is afraid of failing with this child, he is unable to defend himself. That is, until Emma drives up. Charming then realizes that happened with Emma had to be done, and that he will do his best with the next one as he did with her. He stabs his fear, and it disappears in a cloud of smoke. Then the shaft of his sword that broke is taken away as well, being added to Zelena's collection of important ingredients.
Emma and Hook have just come from the witch's farmhouse, only to come up against a locked storm cellar door. They call for Regina in case of anything harmful lurking in the basement, and return to help David based on a voicemail he left Emma. Regina figures out that the sword shard disappearing is much more than a strange occurrence - it's part of a recipe for magic. The four return to the farmhouse, only to discover that the cellar door has been broken open, apparently from the inside. They go down into the cellar and find a spinning wheel with gold thread. They deduce correctly: Rumplestiltskin. He's back, an he's escaped. Although glad that the Dark One is alive, they anxiously wonder: what does the witch want with him? And why has he been imprisoned in a basement?
Emma, Hook, and David go to Regina's office to see if any clue was missed about the Wicked Witch. David is called back to the apartment to meet the midwife, and Hook and Emma go out to the farmhouse to investigate. Zelena meets David at the door, and puts the same Night Root in his tea, stolen from Gold's vault. He then goes to the woods to search for the witch. He sees something, and a hooded figure approaches. David draws his sword to fight, but as with Rapunzel, the cloaked person isn't the witch; it's David himself. His fear is personified, and it throws him around effortlessly. Because David is afraid of failing with this child, he is unable to defend himself. That is, until Emma drives up. Charming then realizes that happened with Emma had to be done, and that he will do his best with the next one as he did with her. He stabs his fear, and it disappears in a cloud of smoke. Then the shaft of his sword that broke is taken away as well, being added to Zelena's collection of important ingredients.
Emma and Hook have just come from the witch's farmhouse, only to come up against a locked storm cellar door. They call for Regina in case of anything harmful lurking in the basement, and return to help David based on a voicemail he left Emma. Regina figures out that the sword shard disappearing is much more than a strange occurrence - it's part of a recipe for magic. The four return to the farmhouse, only to discover that the cellar door has been broken open, apparently from the inside. They go down into the cellar and find a spinning wheel with gold thread. They deduce correctly: Rumplestiltskin. He's back, an he's escaped. Although glad that the Dark One is alive, they anxiously wonder: what does the witch want with him? And why has he been imprisoned in a basement?