Once Upon a Time: 7:15 A.M.

Oh, there is so much in this episode, so much! 

And it's going to be another long post, and not in the exact same order as the episode. It just bounced around from Storybrooke to Fairy Tale Land too much.

So, here goes (big breath).

A storm is brewing, and it brings more than rain.

Henry is talking to the stranger in front of his house, and there is a suspicious looking box on the back of his motorcycle. He tells Henry that the box has to do with what he came there to do. Ooo, a mystery, as if there aren't enough already.

Mary Margaret is getting a late start to her morning, and rushes out of the house telling Emma that she is working with the kids on a science fair project, but she's really rushing out to make sure she gets to the diner (Granny's) in time to see David, who comes in every morning to get coffee at 7:15. Boy, that longing look she gives him. She is so in love with him. And the look he gives her. Ditto.

In Fairy Tale Land, Red tells Snow that James is marrying Abigail in two days. Snow asks Red for her help in finding a way to forget James, reminding Red that she helped when no one else would. I wonder how Snow helped Red. Have I missed that one, or is it still in a future episode? Red tells her that she's heard whispers of a man who can do things. Of course it's Rumplestilskin.

When Snow meets Rumplestilskin, he gives her a potion that will make her forget all about the one she loves. The only price is a lock of her hair. I hate to think of what he's going to do with that, but I am curious.

In Storybrooke, Mary Margaret literally runs into Kathryn, David's "wife," and notices that she is buying a pregnancy test. Oh, that's a game changer for Mary Margaret.  She won't go after David if he's going to be a father. (I love that Mary Margaret is buying chocolate. That's a magic cure for a lot of things.)

Mary Margaret finds a dove that's been caught in a net, and wants to release it back with its flock before the storm comes in.

In Fairy Tale Land, James wants to give Snow a chance to tell him how she feels before he marries Abigail, so he writes Snow a letter and sends a dove with the letter to find her.

As Snow is looking at the potion, the dove lands on her arm, and she reads James's note. He wants her to come to him before the wedding so he will know how she feels about him. She is ecstatic to know he loves her!

Snow tries to sneak into the castle to talk to James and she is caught and put in the prisons. She meets another prisoner, and his name is Grumpy. Ah, it's our first meeting of one of the dwarves. Another dwarf, Stealthy (what a great name for a dwarf), helps them escape. It doesn't bode well to be the eighth dwarf, something bad is bound to happen, and it does. Snow, Grumpy, and Stealthy are caught escaping, and Stealthy is killed. Snow sacrifices her freedom for Grumpy's and they let him go.

The King gives Snow an ultimatum. Ultimatums are never good for the good guys. Snow must tell James that she doesn't love him or the King will kill James. Snow is shocked that the King would kill his own son, but then the King tells her the truth: James is not his son. Now Snow knows he is serious.

In Storybrooke, Mary Margaret loses her footing while trying to set the dove free, and is hanging over side of a cliff with only a root keeping her from certain death. Right on cue our hero comes to save Mary Margaret. We know he's going to come, but it's so wonderful to see him, just in time!

The dove is set free and it finally starts to rain. The couple find a cabin to get out of the rain, where they almost kiss. Almost! Mary Margaret tells David that she knows about Kathryn's pregnancy. Mary Margaret does the noble thing. David looks shocked. (That Kathryn is pregnant, not that Mary Margaret is doing the noble thing.) James is conflicted by the memories he has of Kathryn, and the real feelings he has for Mary Margaret.

In Fairy Tale Land, Snow goes to see James. He is so happy to see her. It's heartbreaking to know what Snow has to do to save his life. Snow tells James that she doesn't love him. It's so sad to see that tear that running down James's cheek. Snow, how can you break Charming's heart like that? Can't you see you're killing him anyway? She gives James the note back, and walks away; and she finally can't keep her own tears from falling.

In Storybrooke, Emma finally corners the stranger and asks him why he's in Storybrooke and what is in the mysterious box. I love how he furthers the suspense by telling Emma exactly what we think will happen, that he will carry the box around for a long time, hauling it around to strange and mysterious places, inflaming our imagination and frustration, trying to guess what's inside that box! (Cue lightening flashing on the box.) But then, after getting Emma's promise that she'll have a drink with him, he opens the mysterious box. It's a typewriter. An old manual typewriter. He's a writer and he's come to Storybrooke for inspiration. Of course it had to be a manual typewriter, it's more mysterious than a laptop, and all serious writers use a manual typewriter, don't they? I wonder what he's writing about.

It's 7:10am. David and Kathryn are at home, and he asks her if there's something she wants to tell him. She says that she isn't pregnant. David tells Kathryn that he wants to make their marriage work. Darn him. He's not going to Granny's for coffee.

Emma and Mary Margaret sit in their kitchen. They look at the clock and it is 7:15. Emma takes Snow's hand. It's another sweet "mother-daughter" moment.

In Fairy Tale Land, Snow walks away from the castle and runs into Grumpy, and the six other dwarves. Grumpy invites Snow to live with them because they all lost someone too. Snow wants to erase her pain and forget James. Grumpy tells her she shouldn't do it. He says our pain makes us who we are. "It makes me Grumpy." I'm going to like the dwarves!

James rides to Snow's cottage, and runs into Red (when will we finally see her fairy tale story?) who tells him that Snow never came home. James says he will always find her. This is one of those points when I think what a great job the writers are doing, because, although we know that Snow and James find each other again, since the pilot opens with their wedding, the next scene makes us wonder how that will happen. Grumpy tells Snow that James married and Abigail, and Snow says, "Who?" Ahhhh! She took the potion!

Back in Storybrooke, Mary Margaret sees David and she runs away from him. David runs after her. I love Mary Margaret's response. "I'm trying not to see you." David tells her that Kathryn is not pregnant; they can't hold back any longer, and they kiss.

However, the Mayor, a.k.a. Evil Queen, sees them and she is not happy.

I loved this episode. I love the Snow/Charming-centric plots, and we finally got to meet the dwarves! The frustrating thing is that it's a series, so happy ever after is not coming anytime soon for these two. 

But I'll be watching until it does.