The Return (22 Apr. 2012)

What happened to Baelfire, Rumplestiltskin's son, after he ran away is revealed, on the day his father became The Dark One.

Director:

Paul A. Edwards

Writers:

Edward Kitsis (creator), Adam Horowitz (creator),

Stars:

Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Ginnifer Goodwin	...	Mary Margaret Blanchard
Jennifer Morrison	...	Emma Swan
Lana Parrilla	...	Regina Mills
Josh Dallas	...	David Nolan
Eion Bailey	...	August W. Booth
Jared Gilmore	...	Henry Mills (as Jared S. Gilmore)
Raphael Sbarge	...	Archie Hopper
Robert Carlyle	...	Rumplestiltskin / Mr. Gold
David Anders	...	Dr. Whale
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Sidney Glass
Anastasia Griffith	...	Kathryn Nolan
Meghan Ory	...	Ruby
Beverley Elliott	...	Granny
Dylan Schmid	...	Baelfire
Keegan Connor Tracy	...	Blue Fairy / Mother Superior

Storyline

Mr Gold attempts to find out the true identity of August, Emma confronts Regina about her involvement in Kathryn's disappearance, and David tries to apologize and reconcile with Mary Margaret. Meanwhile, in the fairytale land that was, Rumplestiltskin agrees to comply and do whatever it takes if his son can find a way for him to safely give up his powers and turn back into the loving man he used to be.

---

Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 2012 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kitsis/Horowitz, ABC Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min 45 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

In this episode, Rumplestiltskin's son's name is Baelfire, who at one point speaks to his friend, a young woman in blue named "Morraine." This is possibly a connection to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, in which "balefire" is a powerful magic weapon, and one of the first users of "balefire" is a young woman "Moiraine," who is known for wearing blue.

---

Quotes

Mr. Gold: If you know who I am, then you know who I am.

User Reviews

Rumpel has a heart

Rumpel has the snake-like skin of a reptile, with its green chilly creepiness. He can be the total badass, but caring for his son shows that somewhere he has a heart. Apparently, this is what makes him tick in fairyback and the real world. Rumpel cared for Belle, at least I think so. Keeping her a prisoner was just so selfish. He deserves some happiness, however. IRL, is Gold more powerful than Regina, or just the opposite? Did Regina plan this whole story of Bae coming to Storybrooke as August, just to fake Gold out and break his heart? Why does August have the old typewriter? I hope he is not dying. The show already got rid of that delicious sheriff (the guy offed by Regina), and hope they are not poofing August who seems to have some clues about the storybook and curse. August, so far, has seemed to be a genuinely nice person, and maybe even a future love interest for Emma.

But I want victims of Regina to get their revenge: Emma, Henry, Sidney, dead sheriff, and surely MM/Snow White and David/Prince Charming. There needs to be a final conflict between Rumpel/Gold and Evil Queen/Regina, with Rumpel actually being tamed and coming out the winner. The Queen's backstory was interesting, but whatever heart she had was totally obliterated. I hope Emma legally and literally takes Henry away from Regina.... If everyone in Storybrooke was a character in Fairy Tale, then is Henry really Regina's father?