This episode marks the introduction of Michael Socha as Will Scarlet to the main cast, who recently featured in the spin-off series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.
Elsa then receives news that Prince Hans is leading an army straight to Arendelle, so she has to stay and prevent him from attempting to take control of the kingdom once again.
Smugly, Hans remarks that a monster like Elsa shouldn't rule Arendelle, and he uncaps the relic, only to discover that a person was already inside: the Snow Queen, who forms out of a white liquid.
Belle uses the fake dagger to “command” Gold to tell the truth but it fails, as he knows nothing about Elsa or Anna, and wishes them the best of luck finding her.
Mary Margaret then tells the residents about Elsa's presence in Storybrooke and is trying to reassure everyone that she is not dangerous, only to have Marian beginning to start feeling as if something was glossing over her and she passes out.
With the entire town ready to go after their newest addition, Emma (who starts to question her abilities as Savior) and Hook decide to hide Elsa at the sheriff's office while she and David search for the real suspect.
Regina then tells Henry to bring her a box and pulls her heart out before her body freezes, indicating it is alive and promises Robin that she will find a cure for his wife.
As it turns out, Gold tells her that Emma will remember her eventually, but when he asks if she needs his help, the Snow Queen declines, and states that when she's ready to make a deal, she'll come to him.
This episode marks the introduction of Michael Socha as Will Scarlet/the Knave of Hearts to the main cast, who previously starred in the spin-off series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.
In a review from Entertainment Weekly, Hilary Busis mentioned several good points about this episode, including this one: "And so Once continues to play its favorite game: Families Are Complicated, Y'all!
)"[6] Amy Ratcliffe of IGN rated the episode 7.5 out of 10, saying "Tonight's Once had entertaining points and featured an intriguing entrance for the Snow Queen.
We inched closer to finding out how Elsa got trapped in the urn and where Anna is, but the episode fell flat in a few places because characters didn't act like themselves.