Once Upon a Time Review: Murder Most Foul (Season 6 Episode 12)

The saying goes, “What’s past is prologue.” But for Hook, his “prologue” might be cropping up soon enough to wreck the life he’s built with Emma.

Once Upon a Time Season 6 Episode 12 is a powerhouse hour for David, and for the David/Hook friendship. Unfortunately, the great note they almost leave things on is shattered in the episode’s final moments.

The subplot about David’s father’s mysterious death was introduced earlier this season, as part of the Evil Queen’s scheme to stir up trouble, and then essentially abandoned as more prominent and pressing storylines took the stage.

With “Murder Most Foul,” we see the return of that storyline – with a vengeance. Literally.

In a good use of flashbacks, this installment turns on its head everything we think we know about the death of the man who fathered David and James. Rather than a useless drunkard who died accidentally, it turns out that Robert was a good man who cared deeply about his family and was left in an impossible situation.

The reveal that Robert died in the process of trying to fix his mistake (selling off James to the King) is heartbreaking. Surprising as this turn is, it’s not wholly unexpected – in an earlier season, David’s mother Ruth did tell him that his father had regretted selling James the moment the transaction with Rumplestiltskin was completed.

The inclusion of Pleasure Island is clever and a fun way to tie Pinocchio into that storyline and those flashbacks.

Aesthetically, I love the idea of turning Pleasure Island into a carnival (of sorts) inhabited by wayward children. It’s very fitting.

Of course, Robert’s fate isn’t a surprise, though the circumstances (and all the twists along the way) are shocking. We knew already that Robert never actually managed to rescue James.

The idea that Robert did find James and interact with him briefly (getting so close to taking him home before being intercepted by the King and his guards) makes the situation all the more poignant. It also manages to contextualize just a bit of why James grew up to be so awful.

In the present, David becomes obsessed with tracking down his father’s killer, a storyline set in motion (but sidebarred for a bit) the moment the Evil Queen handed him his father’s coin and suggested there was more to Robert’s death than David knew.

While David promised Snow earlier this season, before the hiatus, that he would resist the urge to seek vengeance and focus on their family, it was always clear that David would eventually need to know the truth. The sudden appearance of his father’s ghost on “Murder Most Foul” acts as the nudge he needs, setting him off an a mission to figure out what happened.

There are a great many layers to David’s story this week, and I love how they all intermingle to make this one of the strongest character arcs we’ve seen so far this year.

On the surface, it’s the story of David finding closure for his father’s death. Beneath that, as is revealed during David’s emotional confrontation with Hook (a stunning scene and great work from both Colin O’Donoghue and Josh Dallas), is David’s anxiety that he (like his father) will lose it all and suffer his father’s fate.

Intertwined with all of David’s conscious and subconscious drama is the development of Hook’s friendship with his would-be father-in-law.

It’s obvious that Hook and David have made great strides since initially meeting in Season 2. I’ve grown to love their camaraderie, and it’s clear that the two are now solidly friends. That much is underscored by their interaction on “Murder Most Foul.”

By hesitantly going along with David’s revenge plot but pulling him back from actually killing George in the end, Hook manages to prove once and for all that he’s changed, even managing to snag David’s blessing to propose to Emma. The actual scene where Hook nervously tells David his intention to propose is one of the cutest things this show has ever done.

Unfortunately, that all goes caput in the show’s final moments, when Hook realizes that he’s the one who actually mindlessly killed David’s father Robert all those years ago – not King George or the king’s men. Awkward.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t squee with excited delight at the sight of the ring Killian bought to give Emma. Now, I sincerely doubt he’ll go through with it, knowing that David would never forgive him if he knew the truth.

Meanwhile, across town, Regina struggles with helping Robin 2.0 adjust to life in Storybrooke.

Luckily, Snow is awake for parts of this episode and is able to give Regina valuable advice. I always love Regina and Snow’s BFF moments – it’s a reminder of just how far they’ve come.

As expected, Snow’s first inclination is right – this Robin isn’t Regina’s Robin at all. I suspected, when Robin successfully came back from the alternate reality wishverse on Once Upon a Time Season 6 Episode 11 that this would be the case, so it’s not too surprising that it’s actually unfolding this way.

I had been hoping that Robin 2.0 and Regina would give it a go, but based on their decidedly lackluster kiss (and Robin’s preoccupation with murder and thievery), a relationship between the two is pretty much a no-go.

Which is fine – it’s actually more interesting this way and will definitely help Regina come to terms with the fact that her Robin is truly gone and is irreplaceable.

But now, the big question is, what does this Robin want?

In the episode’s final moments, he stole something valuable from Regina. My biggest fear, right now, is that this Robin will end up falling for Zelena or something ridiculous like that. I don’t think my heart could handle it.

Other thoughts:

• Is this how it’s going to be with August from now on? He’ll pop up intermittently, but only for convenient plot-related reasons? Not crazy about that. MORE AUGUST.
• On the other hand, the visual of him scootering up to Emma’s house and casually handing Hook some life-destroying information is admittedly hilarious.
• The idea of Emma and Henry going on a canoeing trip (of all things!) makes me laugh so much, for some reason. Also, what season is it supposed to be in present-day Storybrooke at this point?!
• I know that Belle, Rumple, and Gideon don’t really have a part to play on this episode, but I find it very odd that they’re just MIA with no mention whatsoever.
• King George is pretty spry for an old man who’s been locked up in jail for a while now, isn’t he? He very nearly gets a leg up on David!
• The Pinocchio CGI is still embarrassingly bad.

What did you think of this episode of Once Upon a Time? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Once Upon a Time airs Sunday at 8/7c on ABC.

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