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"Street Rats" is the fifth episode of Season Six of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz, and directed by Norman Buckley. It is the one hundred and sixteenth episode of the series overall, and premiered on October 23, 2016.
Synopsis
In a flashback to Agrabah, Princess Jasmine recruits Aladdin to help her recover a secret weapon capable of breaking Jafar’s hold on the Sultan and saving the city from ruin. Their quest takes them to the Cave of Wonders where Aladdin’s fate is revealed. In Storybrooke, the Evil Queen tricks Hook and the Charmings and forces Emma to reveal her secret in an effort to divide the family. While the Evil Queen pampers Zelena, elsewhere in town, Regina and our heroes scramble to learn what became of Aladdin.[2]
Recap
"Many years ago" in the capital of Agrabah, Jafar is lecturing the common people about theft, and proves to them that it will not be tolerated, by turning the ones he suspects of thievery into street rats. At the same time, Aladdin, who has managed to outsmart Jafar so far but is reluctant to fight against him, is recruited by Jasmine to help steal a powerful and magical weapon in the world called “the Diamond in the Rough.” While en route to the Cave of Wonders, which is where the weapon is located based on the books Jasmine has with her, both Jasmine and Aladdin are bickering over the claims until they reach the location, where upon their arrival, Aladdin yells “open sesame,” and opens the cave. As the two enter, they discover the gem balancing on a sword. Taking no chances as they believe the item to be cursed, Aladdin replaces the gem’s weight with another object, when a crumbling column falls on them. Suddenly, Aladdin conjures magic to save them both, and Jasmine soon discovers that Aladdin was the Diamond in the Rough all along.
Later on, after Jasmine gives Aladdin a gift, which is a scarab that represents heroism, Jafar appears to show Aladdin his future by using the red bird, revealed to be the “Oracle” to show Aladdin that he will face an untimely death, and there is one way to alter his destiny, with a pair of golden shears that once belonged to the Fates and go back to living a normal life as a rich man. However, it turns out that Jafar has deceived Aladdin. When Jasmine returns to seek help from her father, he is already under Jafar's command, as Jafar arrives and places Jasmine in his hourglass prison. Aladdin saves the day by flying into the castle on a magic carpet, and begins his new destiny as The Savior. However, when Aladdin later asks Jasmine to run away with him and help him fight Jafar, she turns him down, saying she wants to defend her kingdom.
In the present day, Emma and Archie follow the red bird that leads to the Oracle, but they're too late and they find her dead body, and when they see Shirin escape they catch her. She is taken to the Sheriff's station, where during an interrogation Shirin reveals herself to be Jasmine. Emma, Snow, and David immediately believe in her innocence, until Jasmine shocks them when she refers to Aladdin as “the Savior.” When Archie gets back to his office, the Evil Queen is waiting, ready to take advantage of The Oracle's death to manipulate Emma. When Archie refuses to help her, she ties up Archie and transforms into a lookalike Archie, sending the real one to Zelena’s house. The "Fake" Archie (Evil Queen in disguise) then chats with Emma, who believes there is hope for her yet. As The Evil Queen continues her role as Archie, she confronts Emma in front of her family and implores her to tell them about her secret visions, before "he" leaves and turns back into the Evil Queen. Emma’s family are angry with her for not telling the truth to them.
While the family started wondering where the real Archie went, he was at Zelena’s, watching the baby while she and The Evil Queen went to the spa and catch up on the bonding with the Evil Queen convincing Zelena that she can embrace her wickedness without losing her daughter, as she admits to having lied to Henry about caring for him as a son. When they return home, Zelena turns Archie into a cricket once again, putting him in a cage that hangs above her baby’s crib.
Later on, Regina makes a potion that links the magic of two Saviors, and once Emma drinks it, she will be able to track Aladdin. They follow his traces to a cemetery crypt, where Jasmine is devastated to find the scarab, believing Aladdin had died and Emma worried about her fate. When Emma and Henry have a conversation about what the future holds for them, Aladdin appears out of hiding, admitting that he used the scarab to throw them off, but heard them talk so he changed his mind. Aladdin explains that he ended up using the shears that ultimately doomed Agrabah. He gives the shears to Emma, letting her choose if she wants to use them someday. Emma and Henry then convince Aladdin to go back to Jasmine, but the reunion is cut short when Jasmine explains that she needs his help to defend Agrabah again, only to have Aladdin try to explain his reason why he might not. As for the fate shears, Emma gives them to Hook, who plans to bury them "20,000 Leagues under the sea." Unfortunately, after Emma kissed him as she is about to order dinner, Hook lied to her as he kept the fate shears inside his jacket.
Deleted Scenes
These scenes are included on Once Upon a Time: The Complete Sixth Season.
"Table For One" (Scene 7)
Zelena sits in a table outside Granny's Diner. Granny comes and asks her what she would like to order, but also mocks her about her baby crying. Zelena then sees Mr. Gold in front of a table looking at her. He comments on how her life turned out: Defeated not by magic or a warrior, but a baby bottle. Zelena tells him to look at his own life instead, but Mr. Gold explains that he made his own choice, yet Zelena did not. After Zelena says that his "new haircut" cannot fool her, Mr. Gold remarks that her Evil Queen does like it, implying that they are working together and she just takes what she wants, just like Zelena was doing in the past.
"Open Sesame" (Scene 12)
An extended version of the scene where Aladdin opens the Cave of Wonders, featuring additional dialogue between Aladdin and Jasmine.
"Savior Vision" (Scene 25)
As Jasmine, Hook, Emma, Henry and Regina walk through the forest to find Aladdin (thanks to Emma leading the way with a locator spell), they find an underground cemetery, which shocks Regina who didn't know about this place. Emma asks Hook if he's still upset because Emma didn't tell him about her visions. Hook answers that it's about a trust issue. Emma tells him to let her earn his trust back, but sadly, Hook doesn't believe it.
Cast[2]
Starring
Guest Starring
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Co-Starring
Uncredited
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Note:
*: Only in archive footage.
Trivia
Title
- The title card features the hourglass used by Jafar on Jasmine.[3]
- The title of the episode is a reference to the 1992 Disney film Aladdin, where the titular character is continuously referred to as a street rat.
- ABANDONED IDEAS: The original title of this episode was "Diamond in the Rough,"[4] another term used about Aladdin in the Disney film. The original title was leaked by director Norman Buckley via his Instagram account on August 11, 2016[4] and can also be seen on concept art by illustrator Douglas McLean.[5] The same day, Adam Horowitz officially announced that the title was "Street Rats" via his Twitter account.[6]
- Leading up to the premiere, several sources incorrectly used the name "Diamond in the Rough."[7]
Production Notes
- PRESS RELEASE: Jordyn Ashley Olson is misspelled as "Jordan," instead of "Jordyn" in the press release,[2] a mistake that also occurred in the release for "The Savior."[8]
- REUSED ACTOR: Cedric De Souza, who plays the Sultan, also plays Akil in the Once Upon a Time in Wonderland episode "The Serpent."
- This episode premiered on the fifth anniversary of "Pilot"'s first airing.
- HIDDEN DETAILS: When Hook is pretending to have gotten rid of the Shears of Destiny, he says to Emma that "They're thousands of leagues under the sea," foreshadowing the events of the next episode, where Captain Nemo and the Nautilus from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea arrive in Storybrooke.
Event Chronology
- The Agrabah flashbacks take place after "The Serpent" and before "The Savior" and "A Wondrous Place."
- The Storybrooke events take place after "Strange Case" and before "Dark Waters." (For more details, see the Land Without Magic timeline)
Episode Connections
- Archie offered therapy to Emma in "The Savior" and she began having sessions with him in "A Bitter Draught."
- The first time Emma followed the red bird to the Oracle was in "The Savior."
- When the Oracle is found dead, she shows the same symptoms that Charlotte did when the latter was found dead in "A Bitter Draught."
- Emma first started having visions in "The Savior."
- Mary Margaret became acquainted with Shirin in "Strange Case."
- Mr. Hyde died in "Strange Case."
- Jasmine and the Oracle's mission to find Aladdin was first seen in "Strange Case."
- Zelena and the Evil Queen first made an alliance in "The Savior."
- "Archie" alludes to the secret Emma is deciding to keep from her loved ones. Emma first told Archie about this secret in "The Other Shoe."
- Regina speculates that she is the hooded person in Emma's vision, but the true identity of this person is revealed in "Wish You Were Here."
- Henry recalls convincing Emma to accept her role as a Savior, which began in "Pilot" and was finally achieved in "A Land Without Magic."
- Mr. Gold had a haircut in "Strange Case."
- Leroy was first seen with Archie in therapy was during "The Other Shoe."
- Zelena mentions that she tried to become involved with Mr. Gold, referring the events of "Bleeding Through."
- Jafar suggests Aladdin can buy himself the new title of prince after stripping himself of his Savior status. It is implied in "The Savior" that Aladdin did become a prince because he is addressed as such.
- The backstory of how Jafar acquired powers from the serpent staff is revealed in the spinoff series episode "The Serpent."
- The magic carpet later becomes a means of transportation for Jafar in the spinoff series.
- Cricket Archie is freed from his cage in "Dark Waters."
- Hook comes clean to Emma about the Shears of Destiny in "Dark Waters."
Disney
- The Cave of Wonders from Aladdin appears.
- The monkey figurine that Aladdin finds in the cave[9] is a reference to Abu from the movie.
- This episode contains a number of other references to Disney works. See the list of Disney references for more.
Fairytales and Folklore
- This episode is a rendition of the "Aladdin" story, with Aladdin, the princess, the sultan and the magician.
- This episode features the ugly duckling from the titular fairytale, Captain Hook from the Peter Pan story, the evil queen from the "Snow White" fairytale, the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story, and Pongo from The Hundred and One Dalmatians story.
- Also featured is Goldilocks from "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." The spa that Zelena and the Serum Queen visit is called The Three Bears Day Spa.
- The shears of the Fates from Greek mythology appear, while the Three Fates themselves are mentioned by Jafar.
- Aladdin makes a reference to Ali Baba, and uses the phrase Open Sesame to open the Cave of Wonders. This phrase comes from the story of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" in One Thousand and One Nights.
Props Notes
- HIDDEN DETAILS: Despite the Fates' shears being originally from Greek mythology, symbols from Egyptian mythology can be seen on them.[10]
- REUSED PROPS: The miniature castle that the Sultan is playing with[11] is the same prop used for one of the toys sitting on a shelf in Emma's nursery room in the Season One premiere "Pilot"[12] and the Season Three episode "The Tower."[13] The same miniature was sitting on top of a commode in Mr. Gold's pawnshop after the Dark Curse was broken, beginning with the Season Two episode "We Are Both."[14] It was still there after the third curse, as seen in "A Bitter Draught."[15]
Set Dressing
- REUSED PROPS: Several treasures scattered around the Cave of Wonders are also used as treasure in the giants' lair in the Season Two episode "Tallahassee" and in Davy Jones' locker in the Season Seven episode "Breadcrumbs."[16][17]
- BRAND INFO: A white Sockerärt vase/jug from IKEA[18] is sitting in a bowl in the kitchen of Zelena's farmhouse.[19]
- USE IT AGAIN: The same jug was sitting on the kitchen shelf in Emma's New York loft in the Season Three episode "New York City Serenade."[20] and in Wandering Oaken's Trading Post in the Season Four episode "Family Business."[21]
Costume Notes
- SECONDHAND CLOTHING: A customer at the Agrabah marketplace is wearing[22] the same doublet worn by Cyrus in several episodes of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.[23]
- BRAND INFO: Zelena is wearing[24] a BCBG Max Azria Richie Caped Jacket[25] (no longer available).
- The same jacket was worn by the character Alison DiLaurentis on the Pretty Little Liars episode "'Til Death Do Us Part."[26]
- BRAND INFO: Emma is wearing[27] a Derek Lam Embroidered Silk Top[28] and Helmut Lang Supple Leather Jacket in Baltic Teal[29] (both are no longer available).
- The same jacket was worn by the character Sydney Roberts on an episode of the sitcom series The Crazy Ones,[30] Peri Westmore on an episode of the comedy drama series Devious Maids[31] and Annie Walker on an episode of the action drama series Covert Affairs.[32]
- BRAND INFO: Mary Margaret is wearing[33] an Equipment Adalyn Floral Silk Shirt[34] (no longer available).
- HIDDEN DETAILS: When Jasmine is in Mary Margaret's apartment with the others, discussing a plan to find Aladdin, Aladdin's fez is sitting on the table.[35]
Filming Locations
- The former site of Artisans Galleria on Moncton Street in Steveston Village[36] doubles as The Three Bears Day Spa for both exterior and interior scenes.[37]
- A green-screen set at The Bridge Studios was used to film the scenes inside the Cave of Wonders.[38] While some of the background props were real, the rest of the surroundings were added digitally in post-production.
International Titles
| International Titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Title | Translation |
| French | "Jasmine et Aladdin" | "Jasmine and Aladdin" |
| German | "Der ungeschliffene Diamant" | "The Unpolished Diamond" |
| Italian | "Straccioni" | "Ragamuffins" |
| Portuguese | "Ratos de Rua" | "Street Rats" |
Videos
