‘Once Upon a Time’ season 5, episode 6 review: Who is Nimue?

It’s been well-documented for a while now that Sunday night’s new episode of “Once Upon a Time” was going to be quite a spotlight for the character of Merida. We were going to learn more about her family in the past, and in the present discover whether or not she could truly withstand the influence of the Dark One.

Unfortunately for her, she really had no choice. Her tests of Rumpelstiltskin turned especially dangerous and violet when she turned into a giant bear in hopes of bringing a “heroic” Rumple back to Emma. This was as dangerous a plan as any Emma has figured out, but for the most part, she was confident in her vision that Rumple would be able to pull Excalibur from the stone. This was a very nice story for Belle and Rumple, as it was her love for him that caused him to actually face the Bear versus run away. We’re amazed that these two characters still are figuring out a way to make this work, but isn’t that the power of love?

Rumple was able to pull the sword from the stone, but in doing so he carried with him a warning: He is the sort of hero that can defeat Emma, even if no one else has.

Most of the other main characters this week spent the majority of their time dealing with a spell book in hopes of bringing Merlin to them; ultimately, it took Henry to help them out. The joys of having an Author around! They did summon him, and he gave them a pretty clear warning: Find Nimue, the one person who is capable of stopping the Dark One once and for all. After all, if she already had Merlin, what other hope was there?

For the most part, this episode was paced probably slower than it needed to be, but we do love Robert Carlyle. That made everything worth it. Grade: B+.

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