Recap: ‘Once Upon a Time,’ Season 1, Episode 8, ‘Desperate Souls’

“Once Upon a Time,” Season 1, Episode 8, “Desperate Souls,” begins in the quaint town of Storybrook with the aftermath of the death of Sheriff Graham. In the fairy tale world, we find a shepherd named Rumplestiltskin.

Spoilers surely follow.

Emma has been operating as acting sheriff and wants to be permanent sheriff. Mayor Regina has other plans, as she has decided to appoint one of her own minions, Sydney Glass, aka the Mirror, and in the real world the local newspaper editor. But Mr. Gold finds a loophole in the town charter that calls for an election. Gold, who has his own reasons to strike at Regina, backs Emma in the contest.

Gold, naturally, likes to play dirty. He arranges for Emma to save Regina from a sudden fire (which he sets) and to have the fire department and people with cameras witness. Emma, being an unusual politician, decides that she doesn’t need to win based on a campaign dirty trick. So she confesses what happened at the town hall debate. However, the good people of Storybrook seem to like refreshing honesty in their politicians, so they elect her anyway. Gold suggests that was his plan all along.

Back in the fairy tale world, we find Rumplestiltskin a shepherd, a single father, and a war veteran with a bad case of post traumatic stress syndrome. The local duke, with the help of an evil being named “the Dark One” is grabbing children for the Ogre Wars as they turn 14. Rumplestiltkin’s son is going to be next.

An old beggar convinces Rumplestiltskin that the thing to do is to steal a magic dagger from the Dark One. He could use it to control the being or he can kill the being with it and assume its powers. He performs the operation with alacrity and winds up killing the Dark One, who turns out to be the beggar.

Now Rumplestiltskin is a dangerous man indeed. He is a weak, cowardly little man who suddenly finds that he has great power. He is well on his well to becoming the twisted being who makes deals with princesses and delves into dangerous magic.

Source: Once Upon a Time, Desperate Souls, TV.Rage


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