"Smash the Mirror" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the American fantasy drama series Once Upon a Time, which aired on November 16, 2014.
The episodes were filmed with a single production code, as confirmed by writer and co-executive producer Jane Espenson, and later separated.
[1] In this episode, Emma Swan tries to control her magic, while flashbacks show Ingrid trying to pit Elsa and Anna against each other, and also making a deal with the Apprentice.
Outside of the forest of Arendelle, Ingrid races off to find a place for the box containing the Sorcerer's Hat, freezing it over hiding it under a rock.
Then, she heads to the Enchanted Forest to visit the Apprentice's cabin, and offers to make a deal with him: she'll return the box in exchange for the Sorcerer finding her a perfect match for a third sister she wants.
Unfortunately, Elsa's entrapment was not Ingrid's original plan, and in her anger, she uses her powers to freeze Anna, Kristoff, and the entire Kingdom of Arendelle in solid ice.
Then, he tells her that the Sorcerer has decided to accept her deal, that he has divined that the third sister she wants will arrive in the future, and that she can be sent there - in exchange for the box.
Ingrid walks through it, emerging in 1982 Boston, where she will begin her real world life as Emma Swan's future foster mother.
Gold visits Ingrid and she realizes his plot to trap Emma in the Sorcerer's Hat and absorb her powers, so he can no longer be controlled by the Dark One's Dagger.
Regina then goes downstairs to talk to Mary Margaret and David after overhearing that they believe Emma is doing the right thing in getting rid of her powers.
The two eventually agree with Regina and as they decide to search again for their daughter, they notice that the locator spell and Emma's scarf missing.
As Regina leaves to meet Robin, Mary Margret tells her that happy endings are hard to come by, but that she can have one if she is willing to fight for it.
Regina arrives at the library, where Robin shows her a page that featured the two together at the pub back in the Enchanted Forest, leading to indications that whoever wrote the story wanted them to be together.
Back at the Snow Queen's lair, Ingrid, now free of the force field, follows through with her plan to bring her three sisters together by sending out her ribbons to Emma and Elsa.
As Emma and Elsa are reunited with David, Mary Margaret, and Henry, she unleashed her magic into the sky, which creates colorful auroras and then fireworks.
[2] The Canadian broadcast was watched by 1.86 million viewers, making it the second highest-rated telecast of the night and the fifteenth of the week.
In a review from Entertainment Weekly, Hilary Busis asks a "Serious question: Is a Storybrooke in which everyone's suspicious, caustic, and attacking the people around them really going to be that different from the town's general status quo?
At least Once prepared for its off week by giving us both halves of a two-parter—a story that, when all is said and done, maybe didn't need to be told over the course of two hours, though it was nice to see the show take some time to privilege character over plot tonight.
"[4] Amy Ratcliffe of IGN rated the episodes 8.6 out of 10, saying "Overall, tonight's super serving of Once Upon a Time covered a lot of ground with forward plot movement and character development.
Mitchell was particularly excellent in Ingrid's lack of shoes tonight, and I hope the story can overcome the fact that someone is casting the bajillionth spell on Storybrooke.