Emma (Jennifer Morrison) may have finally obtained the golden compass on the Nov 4. episode of Once Upon A Time, but the viewers got an even better treasure of their own: the identity of Henry’s (Jared Gilmore) father!

Through a series of flashbacks — wait, this show has flashbacks now?! — we watched Emma fall in love with Neil Cassidy (Michael Raymond-James) 11 years ago. Like most couples, they met while stealing the same car, and the rest was grand-theft history. But the real twist came when Emma and Neil planned to run away to Tallahassee together, and Neil was stopped by a very familiar face: August (Eion Bailey)!

After showing Neil the contents of his suitcase — what the $%^& was in that suitcase?! — Neil believed August’s story about Emma’s destiny, and arranged to have her caught by the cops. So Emma got two equally precious gifts from Neil in jail: a keychain, and a positive pregnancy test!

(I guess now we know why Henry is so messed up in the head; he was incubated in prison.)

Up the stalk without a hook:

Emma’s history of betrayal with Neil left her with some understandable trust issues, which manifested themselves during her adventure up the beanstalk with Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) in present-day Enchanted Forest. After besting the giant (Jorge Garcia) and getting her hands on the compass, Emma chained Hook up and left him in the castle.

My prediction: Hook and Emma will reunite and fall in love — just in time for Neil to arrive in Storybrooke and force Emma to make a choice. (Seriously, this is one of the only shows on TV without a love triangle. It’s about damn time.)

They dreamed a dream:

It looks like Charming (Josh Dallas) may be on the cusp of finding a way to communicate with Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and her merry band of princesses!

At the end of the episode, Henry woke up from a nightmare in which a windowless room was on fire, and a strange woman was staring at him from across the room. It was a total mirror of the dream Aurora (Sarah Bolger) had earlier in the episode, though in her dream, it was a pair of male eyes staring back at her.

That’s right, the only two character I dislike on this show are now dreaming about each other.

Were you surprised to learn that Neil is Henry’s father? Do you think Henry’s dream is a way of connecting the two worlds? And what do you think was in August’s suitcase? Drop me a comment with your predictions and theories!

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

More Once Upon A Time on HollywoodLife.com:

1. ‘Once Upon A Time’: Jorge Garcia’s Giant Spells Big Trouble For Emma
2. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Scoop: Are Emma & Captain Hook Getting Together?
3. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: Dr. Whale’s Identity Is Finally Revealed

On the April 29 episode of Once Upon a Time, Henry (Jared Gilmore) noticed someone added an unfinished story about Pinocchio to his book of fairytales, and that someone was August W. Boothe (Eion Bailey), aka “The Stranger.” This took us back to pilot to learn about the origin of the wardrobe used to transport “The Savior” Emma (Jennifer Morrison) to the real world. Because Pinocchio would be turned back into a wooden boy once the curse took hold, Geppetto only agreed to build the vessel if Pinocchio could fill the second spot. So on the day of the Evil Queen’s curse, he was transported to the real world with one very important mission: to make “The Savior” believe.

Still eager to build a case against Regina (Lana Parrilla) so she could get Henry back, Emma looked to Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle) for help. But he refused to take Emma’s case, pushing her instead towards August, the only person who could really help her. Because August was sick, and everyone in Storybrooke is stuck there until Emma truly believes and defeats the Evil Queen, he’s determined to push her towards faith. (And wouldn’t every girl want to be convinced to believe in magic by a cute man who rides a motorcycle?)

To make Emma believe, August took Emma to the diner where, according to a newspaper article, she was found as a baby; And the next stop was the magical tree where August found Emma after she’d been transported from the fairytale world. Because Emma remains in denial about all of the magic talk, she couldn’t even see that August was slowly reverting back into his wooded state. Loaded with more responsibility than she could handle, Emma — along with Henry — decided to attempt the impossible: leave Storybrooke.

If they want to break the curse, Henry and August only have a short time to convince Emma to accept her destiny — but I have a feeling that Henry was right in tonight’s episode when he firmly told Regina that “good WILL win!”

What did you think of this week’s episode? Were you satisfied with August’s big reveal? And how do you think the season is going to end in just a few weeks? Hit up the comments section with your reviews and theories!

— Jaymie Bailey

Kathryn’s (Anastasia Griffith) return to Storybrooke may have proven Mary Margaret’s (Ginnifer Goodwin) innocence, but as we saw on the April 22 episode of Once Upon A Time, it also raised the stakes for everyone in town. Not only are things looking even more bleak for David (Josh Dallas) and Mary Margaret, but Regina (Lana Parrilla) and Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle) are back at each other’s throats: Who exactly is working for who now?

OK, now let’s talk about the really annoying part of tonight’s episode: You know, the part where we were all led to believe August W. Booth (Eion Bailey) was Mr. Gold’s son — until the very end. Apparently after Rumpelstiltskin became drunk with power in the fairy tale world, his son was given a magic bean by the Blue Fairy as a means of escape. But because Once Upon A Time can’t leave a fairy tale un-bastardized, the beanstalk was replaced by a giant glowing wormhole. Rumple’s son went through to the world without magic, while Rumple stayed behind, determined to find a way to get him back.

Back in Storybrooke, we were given a heartfelt reunion between “father and son,” complete with man-hugging and big swelling music. The moment, of course, was spoiled when August tried to use Rumple’s magic knife to control Mr. Gold, which led him to realize that August wasn’t his son at all. It turns out he’s just a sick guy who needed magic to cure him — and he happened to be very well-versed in fairy tales.

And what of Storybrooke’s star-crossed lovers? Despite David practically begging Mary Margaret to take him back, she told him it can’t happen. The moment he believed she killed Kathryn was the moment she stopped seeing a future with him. I might get some hate for saying this, but am I the only one tired of this couple’s whining? I didn’t support them as adulterers, but now that they’re free to go about their business, M.M. still finds a way to screw it up? Get over it, lady. Between the box, the knife, and the fingerprints, you did look really really guilty!

The hour ended with Sidney Glass (Giancarlo Esposito) “confessing” to kidnapping Kathryn, though Emma could tell he was clearly covering for Regina. She was so sure, in fact, that she finally stood up to the mayor and told her she’s taking Henry (Jared Gilmore) back!

It’s about damn time.

What did you think of this week’s episode? Were you disappointed by the giant fake-out they pulled with August? Do you agree that David and Mary Margaret need to quit their whining? And who do you think Mr. Gold’s son REALLY is? Hit up the comments section with your best theories!

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift