Once Upon a Time 1x07: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Original Air Date: 11 December 2011

Storyline: One of the town's residents begins to remember their fairy tale past, and Storybrooke mourns the loss of one of their own. Meanwhile, in the fairy tale world that was, the Evil Queen attempts to find a heartless assassin to murder Snow White.Trivia: Behind the opening title, the Huntsman's wolf guide can be seen.

The title is referencing the 1940 novel of the same name by Carson McCullers, about a deaf man, Josh Singer, and his four friends: Dr. Benedict Copeland, Biff Brannon, Jake Blount, and Mick Kelly. Each of them has their own troubles and fails to perceive those of Josh's. It was adapted into a film in 1968. 

Best Quote:

Mr. Gold: You know, Sheriff, they say that dreams - dreams are memories ...memories of another life.
Graham: Uh, wh-what do you believe?
Mr. Gold: I never rule out anything.

Review: One Upon a Time took a very big chance this week in letting go of one of its popular characters in order to make an important revelation and plant the seed of belief in Emma Swan's mind. 

We got used to having one central fairy tale character a week and this episode is all about the Huntsman - the one with no compassion, sent by the Evil Queen to kill Snow White and bring her her heart. The reason behind the Evil Queen's desire for vengeance is still a mystery, but we're getting closer and closer to finding out what that is. She mentions that she confided in her stepdaughter with a secret, which this one couldn't keep, leading most probably to the king's death. Keeping us guessing is what this show does best, and I'm glad some things are revealed to us slowly.
I mentioned before that the Huntsman was the central character of the week. The attention was shifted between his chase of Snow White and his decision to spare her life - which, as we know from the tale, costed him his own heart, and Sheriff Graham's real life struggles to feel something. It's this desire that makes him kiss Emma and start, through that kiss, having flashes of a different life. This makes Graham the first Storybrooke inhabitant to become aware of his other existence. Or does it?
We've been wondering ever since this show started if Regina and Mr. Gold remember their old life - and how much of this they actually do. When it came to Mr. Gold, I believe the consensus was that he's very much aware of everything that went down in the fairy tale world and the only unknown is his end game. Sometimes, it seems like he's supportive of Regina's plan, sometimes it looks like he's discreetly tipping the balance in the other direction. And his conversation with Graham in the woods points to that.
As for Regina, things have not been as clear, not until this week's episode, when she revealed not only that she knows who everyone is, but she is willing to go to extremes to keep the world as it is, even if that means sacrificing the people that are closest to her.
As entertaining as the episode was - and Graham's story and his chase after his heart was immensely entertaining, I'm not sure killing him off (yes, that was the sacrifice Regina made to keep her new world intact... gasp!) was the best move, especially not this early in the season. For once, Jamie Dornan and his sexy Irish accent will be greatly missed by yours truly. Also, Graham was one of Emma's few allies - not to mention the one person that could make her more bearable. Cause in this group of amazing characters, Emma's is the only annoying one. I honestly hope we'll get to see him at least in flashbacks from the fairy tale world, otherwise I'll get mad.
Once Upon a Time returns in January with new episodes; until then, I just have one last question: what is Mr. Gold planting in the woods?
Once Upon a Time 1x06: The Shepherd Back to Season 1