The Dark Swan
| "The Dark Swan" | |
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| Once Upon a Time episode | |
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| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Ron Underwood |
| Written by | Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz |
| Production code | 501 |
| Original air date | September 27, 2015 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
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"The Dark Swan" is the first episode of the fifth season of the American fantasy drama series Once Upon a Time, which aired on September 27, 2015.
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 Hood, 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.
Commentators gave the episode positive reviews, citing the episode's dark and more human tone following the events of the fourth season finale.
Granny's Diner is shown in the forest.
The Land Without Magic flashbacks take place in 1989, a few years after the events of "The Stranger" and a few years before "Snow Drifts". 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. The Enchanted Forest events take place after "Fall" and before "The Broken Kingdom". The Storybrooke events take place after "Operation Mongoose Part 2" and the present Camelot events take place years after Lancelot's banishment, and before "The Price".
In a movie theater in 1989 Minneapolis, Minnesota, a young Emma is watching The Sword in the Stone. She steals a woman's candy bar, and is approached by an usher, who tells Emma "Don't do it". She expects him to reprimand her, but he instead offers her advice by saying, "When you do something that you're not supposed to do, even if you're doing it for the right reason, bad things will happen". He also mentions that she will have the opportunity to remove Excalibur from its stone and warns her not to touch it, just before he disappears.
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