"Breaking Glass" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American fantasy drama series Once Upon a Time, which aired on October 26, 2014.
The Land Without Magic events take place in 1998, after "Snow Drifts", and the year before "Lily" and the flashbacks with Ingrid and young Emma in "Shattered Sight".
Afterwards, the girl tells Emma she needs a stolen credit card to steal smarter, and when they see a man chasing after them, a van pulls up, allowing them to escape.
Later on Lily sees Emma eating her sandwich fast, as Emma explains that bigger kids would steal food at the orphanage, and added that she ran away from Boston after Cecilia (who was previously seen driving away from the orphanage in a flashback from the previous season) found a family, while Lily admits that the person chasing them was from Social Services.
After taking break from playing video games, Lily shows Emma a star on her wrist and makes her a copy.
As Emma is about to be taken into custody by Social Services, she refuses Lily's note, wipes the drawn star from her wrist and walks away.
In the forest, Ingrid has started conjuring an ice warrior in an icy lair, as she prepares to make another move on both Emma and Elsa, who are looking through files to find out more about their connection to the Snow Queen.
As Hook helps the ladies by bringing in more files, a neglected Will complains they've forgotten his dinner, but instead of the bangers and mash he was demanding, Emma hands him a pop tart she's already nibbled on instead.
Emma then races out and finds her missing, followed by Regina, who then opens her compact mirror to see Sidney, who informs her that he found Ingrid.
After Elsa overcome her fears by talking her way out of the chain allowing her to break free, she comes to Emma and Regina's aid and saves them.
And as Hook returns to a surprised Emma and to offer a drink, she takes out a file box and opens the contents, among them a video camera which featured Lily.
"Breaking Glass" easily could have been renamed "The SwanQueen Hour," given how much of it was devoted to Emma and Regina teaming up and navigating the tricky waters of their relationship.
As fans of one of OUAT's most venerable 'ships will be pleased to know, that journey ends with the queen and the savior in a place of mutual understanding and, perhaps, even friendship.
"[5] Amy Ratcliffe of IGN rated the episode 7.6 out of 10, saying "Tonight's Once featured some great exploration of Emma and Regina's relationship, and the series shines when it focuses on those interactions.
"[6] Seat 42F had a mixed but positive take on the episode: "ONCE UPON A TIME is having a rough fall, better than last spring's batch, but lacking the cohesiveness and the rich layers of the previous autumn's Neverland arc.