Once Upon a Time: ‘The Girl in the Tower’ Recap & Review

In the latest episode of Once Upon a Time, we see how Robin and Alice first meet. Both in the past and the present. Meanwhile, Regina gets Lucy’s help to figure out Dr. Facilier’s true intentions. And lastly, Rogers and Henry work to prove Tilly’s innocence.

Full Recap

In the enchanted forest, Robin catches Alice spying on Hook and the rest of the team. But she stops chasing her after she discovers who she really is: Hook’s daughter. Robin mentions the fact that she’s hunting a troll and Alice protests. She tells her she can’t kill him because he’s her friend. Then, they come across some other hunters in a tavern. Despite their earlier disagreement, Robin stands up for Alice when they call her a troll lover. And she sends them into prison in the process. At first, Robin gets herself out to kill the troll but Alice eventually breaks free. And it’s then when Alice is able to scare the troll away again.

After the hunters crowd them again, Robin stands up for Alice again. By then, Robin realizes that her father’s legacy isn’t about killing a troll. Rather, it’s about helping people who need it. Later they find out that the troll only exists because Alice created him. She has magic within her and didn’t even know it. Because she created it, she’s able to make it disappear and reappear at will. Then, Alice and Robin talk about how they feel trapped. Both in their own ways. Either way, it’s a sweet start to their love story.

Lucy Finds Tarot Cards

Back in Hyperion Heights, Regina distracts Dr. Facilier while Lucy recons his apartment. But they do this without Zelena’s knowledge, Later, it leads to her finding out that Dr. Facilier is indeed awake, therefore disrupting the distraction. Unfortunately, Lucy gets caught after leaving her jacket in his apartment. But she still manages to find Dr. Facilier’s tarot cards. One of which is the death card.

Then, he confronts Regina and tells her his plan outright. He plans on obtaining the Dark One’s dagger. But it’s still unknown what he wants to use it for and why. However, I suspect it has something to do with Tiana. But what does she have to do with the dagger? Plus, why didn’t Regina just tell Zelena about him and her plan?

Proving Tilly’s Innocence

Meanwhile, Rogers and Henry work together to find Tilly an alibi. Especially since Rogers took her away from the crime scene from last week’s episode. However, Tilly doesn’t remember where she was a the time of the murder. Plus, no one else in this town seems to know her. Even though she seems to know everyone. Eventually, they discover that the troll statue at the bridge has a camera in its eye. And we (as in the audience) find out that troll reflects the troll she created in the fairytale realm. Once they take a look at the footage, it places Tilly at the bridge at the time of the murder. Before then, Tilly meets Robin, AKA Margot (her cursed name). Apparently, she just got back from Tibet after Zelena left her a dozen messages for her to come home.

Final Thoughts

I’m not quite sure what the writers are doing with Alice/Tilly in the present time. Other than the nice tiebacks to the past with her feeling alone. But it’s confusing how Tilly’s confused sometimes but somehow knows Eloise (AKA Mother Gothel) is evil. I never know if she’s actually clueless or if she’s just pretending not to know what’s going on. Or if she needs to be kept on medication for her not to remember everything. Either way, I hope she figures it out soon.

As far as the Alice and Robin storyline, it’s absolutely adorable. And it finally looks like the writers are giving us the LGBTQ+ storyline we’ve all been asking for. And we finally get to see one last more than just an episode. However, I’m not into the Regina and Dr. Facilier storyline. There’s still a lot we don’t know about their relationship but they clearly still have feelings for each other. But it’s probably smart that Regina’s being cautious, considering it’s Dr. Facilier. However, I still have a soft spot for Regina and Robin Hood’s romance. And it gives me comfort to know that their romance lives on in the Enchanted Forest. Even if they are the dream realm versions.