With Sheriff Graham dead, an election is held to determine who will be the new Sheriff of Storybrooke. The candidates are Emma and Sidney Glass (The Magic Mirror), a reporter for the local paper and Regina’s biggest crony. The owner of the local pawn shop, Mr. Gold (Rumplestiltskin), offers to help Emma win the election, but she’s reluctant to make a deal with him due to his reputation around town. When Regina and Sidney run a story in The Daily Mirror about how she gave birth to Henry while in prison, she resolves to do whatever it takes to win. Mr. Gold sets fire to Regina’s office and Emma rescues her, winning the loyalty of the town. But when Emma realizes what Gold did, she comes clean to everyone at the debate. Despite the revelation, she still wins the election—it turns out the town respects someone with the guts to stand up to Mr. Gold—which it seems was exactly Gold’s plan from the start.

It seems as though Regina is through with Sidney after he fails to win the election, and he manages to convince Emma he wants to work with her to bring Regina down. But it’s all another one of Regina’s schemes, and now she has her closest ally spying on her greatest enemy.