Plus, another Storybrooke resident loses their life! (I don’t remember this much death in the original ‘Peter Pan.’)

Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and the gang finally returned to Storybrooke on the Dec. 8 episode of Once Upon A Time, but their homecoming celebration was quickly cut short when “Henry” (Jared Gilmore) unleashed Pan’s shadow on the unsuspecting townsfolk, claiming the life of a beloved character.

In addition to ripping the Blue Fairy’s shadow from her body, Pan (Robbie Kay) also got his hands on the ultimate weapon: Regina’s (Lana Parrilla) original curse, which brought everyone to Storybrooke in the first place! Apparently, if it’s cast again, it’ll force everyone to lose their memories — though I suspect there’s even more to it than that.

Let’s be real: Pan is obviously not going to win this fight, which we’d know even if we didn’t see on-set pictures of his demise. That being said, the curse is sure to have unforeseen consequences, amping up the drama for the second half of season three. Next week is the last new episode until March 2014, for crying out loud; something big is bound to happen!

Hook: 1, Neal: 0

This week’s episode was also a bummer for Neal, who was stood up by Emma, even after Snow and Charming encouraged her to give her baby daddy a second chance. Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) also promised to “back off” from Emma, but judging by how jealous Ms. Swan was of Tinkerbell (Rose McIver), methinks it’ll be more difficult for her to “back off” from Hook.

Where do you stand on the Hook/Neal debate?

If Looks Could Kill

This week’s fairytale flashback brought us back to Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Charming’s (Josh Dallas) honeymoon, which was just as action-packed as you’d expect their post-wedded vacation to be — and no, I’m talking about that kind of action.

Determined to prevent Regina from cursing her kingdom, Snow hunted down Medusa’s head to give herself the competitive edge over her wicked stepmother. And after one seriously close call — Charming was temporarily “stoned,” if you will — Snow bested the snake-haired beast.

Snow didn’t ultimately bring back Medusa’s head, but now I’m wondering: Could the legendary Greek monster be the mysterious villain joining the show during the second half of season three? Rebecca Mader would make one seriously gorgeous Gorgon!

HollywoodLifers, are you worried that we’ll lose another major character during next week’s battle against Pan? And is Medusa really who Rebecca Mader will be playing in 2014? Drop a comment with your review of the episode and predictions for the midseason finale.

— Andy Swift
Follow @AndySwift

More ‘Once Upon A Time’:

1. ‘Once Upon A Time’: Rebecca Mader Joining Season 3 — As Cruella De Vil?
2. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: Peter Pan Hatches His Final, Desperate Plan
3. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Flashback Pics: Regina Adopts Baby Henry