“The Heart of the Truest Believer” is the 45th episode of ABC’s Once Upon a Time, as well as its third season’s premiere. The title of this episode was revealed by executive producer/co-creator Adam Horowitz, via his Twitter account, on July 2, 2013, along with a photograph of the script’s cover.
Here we go! The premiere. Can't believe we're here! #onceuponatime #301 pic.twitter.com/rYFYSQ4rRe
— Adam Horowitz (@AdamHorowitzLA) July 2, 2013
Back at the end of last season, the inhabitants of Storybrooke braced themselves for the end when Greg and Tamara detonated the trigger Regina had placed within the curse, with the annihilation of the town and its residents imminent; and Mr. Gold mourns the loss of his son, Bae/Neal. Meanwhile, back in Neverland of the past, Hook discovers his connection to a young Bae after he rescued him from the sea and soon realized that the Lost Boys were in hot pursuit of the boy. Things looked perilous as Neal ended up getting injured and sent through a portal, and Henry was kidnapped by Felix and Tamara as they attempted to destroy all magic.
Emma, Mary Margaret, David, Regina, Mr. Gold and Hook enter Neverland to search for a kidnapped Henry. Gold and Emma have words, and after he accuses Emma of not being woman enough to find her son, Gold magics himself off to find his grandson. The rest of the party is in for more than a bit of a challenge when they’re greeted by a school of not-too-friendly mermaids who threaten to end their search before it begins. They struggle to get Hook’s ship through the ensuing storm to land to begin their search for Henry.
Meanwhile, Henry escapes his captors, Felix and Tamara, when they come under attack and finds himself on the run from the Lost Boys with another escapee from Peter Pan’s encampment. Neal, who is recovering from his wounds, travels through the Enchanted Forest with Mulan in an attempt to learn the fates of Emma and Henry. We meet another new character when Henry and Mulan visit the Dark One’s castle in hopes of finding a way to help their search with magic.
“Heart of the Truest Believer” is a great kick off for the show’s third season. We get to see the relationships between the show’s recurring characters continue to develop, and remarkably, the creators are giving us new characters in a way that makes sense within the show’s universe (be sure and keep an eye out for a small humorous nod toward the show’s corporate overlords in the final third of the episode) Though pacing has been a bit hit and miss previously, this episode has quick action and a lot of exciting dramatic moments. If things keep up, Season 3 could be the best yet for Once Upon A Time. Check out some photos from the episode below.
The season premiere of Once Upon A Time airs TONIGHT (SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29) from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET/PT.
