[s4e23] Operation Mongoose (2) May 2026

: Gold is dying because his heart has turned completely black from his dark deeds. The Apprentice attempts to draw the darkness out and trap it in the Sorcerer's Hat, but the darkness is too powerful to be contained.

is the 23rd episode and second half of the two-hour Season 4 finale of Once Upon a Time , which originally aired on May 10, 2015. The episode concludes the "Heroes and Villains" arc, following Henry’s quest to restore reality after the Author, Isaac Heller, rewrote the lives of the residents of Storybrooke into a "Bizarro" Enchanted Forest where villains win and heroes lose. Plot Summary [S4E23] Operation Mongoose (2)

: As the only person from the real world besides the Author, Henry enters the book to save his family. He rescues Emma and recruits Hook and Regina to stop the wedding of Robin Hood and Zelena, which would make the Author's changes permanent. : Gold is dying because his heart has

: In the rewritten world, familiar characters have swapped roles: Snow White is a cruel Evil Queen, Regina is a powerless bandit, and Rumplestiltskin is a valiant "Light One" knight. Emma is imprisoned in a tower without magic, while Hook is a cowardly deckhand. The episode concludes the "Heroes and Villains" arc,

: The freed darkness attempts to possess Regina. To protect her friend’s hard-earned happy ending, Emma Swan sacrifices herself by tethering her soul to the darkness. She vanishes, leaving behind the Dark One's dagger, which now bears her name.

: Because Isaac broke the Author's code by writing himself a happy ending, he loses his powers. Henry is chosen as the new Author and uses Regina's "Light Savior" blood as ink to restore the world to its original state. The Storybrooke Aftermath