In this episode, the events of Emma Swan being consumed by the Darkness have left the residents of Storybrooke without "The Savior," leaving Regina, Mary Margaret, Hook, David, Henry, Robin, and Belle to find a way to save her, even if it means turning to an unlikely individual that they cannot trust.
Meanwhile, Emma finds herself in the Enchanted Forest where she encounters Merida en route to Camelot in her search for Merlin before the darkness consumes her for good.
The Camelot flashbacks take place immediately before the scene where King Arthur shows Excalibur to his subjects in "The Broken Kingdom" and before Lancelot's banishment in the same episode.
Continuing from the previous episode's events, everyone is left stunned after Emma absorbs the powers of the Dark One and vanishes, leaving behind only the Dagger with her name on it.
Emma learns that Merida needs the wisp in order to restore her family’s kingdom and save her triplet younger brothers who were kidnapped by the United Clans of her country after they refused to let her rule as queen.
Emma catches up with her in the morning and is goaded by Rumplestiltskin's manifestation, against her better judgment and good nature, to rip Merida's heart out.
Once everything has settled down, Merida thanks Emma (much to the latter's shock) for showing her that she has darkness in her, too; she was about to kill the clan leaders who kidnapped her brothers and the experience has convinced her to spare them.
She decides to give the dagger to Regina, due to her previous dark deeds, which makes her the only one capable of killing Emma if necessary.
Six weeks later after the group entered Camelot, they awaken in Granny's Diner, back in Storybrooke, where they find themselves wearing Arthurian attire.
This episode officially marked the additions of Rebecca Mader and Sean Maguire to the regular cast after recurring for the past two seasons.
Last year, we spent months entombed in a Frozen arc that seemed to stretch on for so long, it made even the warmest of fans feel icy.
Putting Emma in the spotlight as the Dark One seems like an attempt to bring some focus back to the show's themes as well as its central characters, despite the fact there are certainly going to be many new ones popping in (and out) over the season.
The possibilities are endless… "[4] Amy Ratcliffe of IGN said of the episode, "Once Upon a Time got right to the main event in the Season 5 premiere: Emma's transformation into the Dark Swan.
They could have dragged the will she/won't she aspect out for several episodes but going this route means a more interesting take on the story and seeing more of Morrison playing the villain.
[5] In a review from Rickey.org, Nick Roman said, "“The Dark Swan” was a tremendous premiere for Once Upon a Time, because it played with the structure of the series to breathe new life into it.
[7] She said that the Camelot storyline "is a 4,000-percent improvement over last year's Frozen plot," and added that "if the show goes full-on Dark Emma, it will be hard to turn away.
[8] In a review from Blogcritics, Barbara Bennett praised the changes in the storyline and unique twists in this episode and the upcoming season: "I have to say, I really loved the way series creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis have merged bits of Arthurian legend into the Once Upon a Time landscape.