Once Upon a Time Season 3: Episodes 12-16 (Wicked Part I)

Overview

The first half of this season was intense. Once Upon a Time’s version of Peter Pan was brilliantly dark. While I thought Pan would reveal some qualities of a decent human being, he was even more brutal and evil as the season progressed. As we also learned, he was the father of Rumpelstiltskin (Rumpel). In the end, Rumpel was willing to sacrifice himself by using his dagger to kill Pan. The noble deed sent father and son, who were two very dark characters, to their end. Nevertheless, Pan was able to cast the Dark Curse before his demise. It was the same curse that Regina used to condemn everyone in the Enchanted Forrest to Storybrooke. In order to stop it, Regina had to end the curse once and for all. Unfortunately, it came at a significant price for her as she had to give up the thing she loved most, her adopted son Henry. Ending the curse meant sending everyone back to the Enchanted Forest. However, Henry was not born there so he could not follow. Although Emma could exist in both worlds as she was always meant to be the savior, it was an easy decision for her to stay with Henry in the real world so she could take care of him. In addition, Henry and Emma lost all their memories of Storybrooke. Everyone they met from the Enchanted Forest reverted back to simple stories from fairy tales. Although it was a bitter sweet moment, Regina also decided to give Henry and Emma good memories in which they were always together and Emma never gave him up for adoption. The final episode in the first half of the season ended with Emma and Henry enjoying breakfast in their apartment in New York. However, Emma opened the door to encounter a frantic Hook begging for Emma to come with him to save her family. Naturally, she had no memory of Hook and is disturbed by his request. While he tried to kiss Emma hoping that he was her true love with the magic that could help her regain her memories, it did not work and she responds by kneeing him in the groin and slamming the door shut.

It was a very good cliffhanger. It left me interested to see how Hook would jog Emma’s memories and who the new villain is. Of course, the second question was immediately answered with the preview featuring the Wicked Witch of the West. The first episode of the second half does an excellent job in transitioning from the Peter Pan story line to the Wicked Witch story line. I definitely like the route the show goes with Emma and Henry regarding their memories. Emma recovers them but Henry does not. It is ironic since Henry has always been the true believer. The fact that he does not know to believe is an interesting twist. While the show has done very well to mix in stories from flashbacks to the Enchanted Forest that parallel current stories in Storybrooke to introduce new characters, it has used this format to mainly develop the Wicked Witch’s origin in the first five episodes. However, it has also introduced Rapunzel. I like how her story is linked to David’s [Prince Charming] doubts relating to a second child on the way. Since Prince Charming has been renowned for his courage, I like how the show touches upon how even the most valiant have to overcome their fears. While Rumpel presumably dies during the winter finale, he is too great of a character to stay dead. Accordingly, it is only a matter of time before the show found a way to bring him back. I like how his resurrection is linked to his son. Both men have shared similar pasts: they have tried to redeem themselves for their mistakes and been desperate to make it back to their family. Unfortunately, they both pay for their mistakes with devastating consequences. The parallels of the tragedies of father and son are done very well. I also like how the series has developed the relationship between Emma and Hook. There is definitely sexual tension between the two characters. While Hook hopelessly embraces his feelings for Emma, she continues to resist his advances. It is very intriguing to follow.

While those story lines are great, the main story arcs are built around Regina, the Evil Queen, and Zelena, the Wicked Witch (Rebecca Mader). Regina has been a great character. She started out as the hated Evil Queen that shows no mercy and deserves no sympathy. Her development from a villain to an anti-hero has been one of the best aspects of the show. She is on the brink of becoming a hero. She had a tragic past and was forced into being the Evil Queen by her mother Cora, who believed her daughter was better off with power than love. As evil as Regina became, she was always a good person underneath and it has surfaced. Specifically, I like that the season is developing her relationship with Robin Hood. In the first half, we learned that Tinkerbell casted a spell to locate Regina’s soul mate a long time ago. While Regina and her go to the bar to see that he is a man with a dragon tattoo, Regina chose not to walk through the door to be happy with him. It was a good tease in the first half but we are now rewarded for our patience with a great and complicated love story. I also like that this half of the season is centered on the Evil Queen versus the Wicked Witch. Their rivalry this season has been very fun. Their true relationship is revealed. I did not figure it out beforehand. It is an excellent twist.

I also like the contrast between Peter Pan and the Wicked Witch. Pan had boyish charm that still made him fun and entertaining. Nevertheless, he was completely evil and twisted. He had no redeeming qualities and became darker with more we learned about him. In the end, he was a morbid villain. On the other hand, the Wicked Witch provides a lighter tone as a villain. I agree with the decision to balance Pan with the Wicked Witch. Pan is definitely the better character and made the story intense. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what other evil thing he would do and what else would be revealed about his origin to make me hate him more. He was a miserable, selfish villain that needed to be stopped at all cost. His actions were nothing but brutal and vicious. The Wicked Witch pulls the series back so it does not become too dark. While she is definitely wicked, she has a sympathetic story. Her actions are clearly self serving. However, I am more entertained than disturbed by her bravado. I also like how the choice of the Wicked Witch as the main antagonist in the second half stays consistent with the green theme of the season. Rebecca Mader has done a fine job with her character to date.

In Depth Analysis

The first episode of the second half does a great job in linking to and transitioning from the first half. As we know, Emma and Henry lost their memories of Storybrooke and the people from the Enchanted Forest. Regina showed her goodness underneath the rough exterior by giving them pleasant memories. In their altered past, Emma never gives up Henry and they have always been together. Accordingly, they have a happy year together in New York with no recollection of the horrors and the joys they experienced in Storybrooke, the Enchanted Forest, and Neverland. In addition, Emma has begun dating a man named Walsh. It has quickly gotten serious and he has asked her to marry him. She has had tough luck with men in her life. Naturally, she is hesitant to make this serious decision. As a result, I was definitely intrigued to see how Hook was able to convince Emma to give up her happy life and how he could bring back her memories. Of course, Emma is absolutely skeptical of Hook’s story and thinks he is a crazy person. Without any of her memories, his tale clearly appears insane. It is reminiscent of Henry spending most of the first season trying to convince Emma of magic and the reality of fairy tales. On the other hand, any rational person from the real world would not believe. While I like the reuse of this idea, I appreciate that the show accomplishes it in one episode instead of dragging it for multiple episodes as we have already watched a full season of Emma not believing.

Hook’s first attempt to persuade Emma of the truth is to send her to Neal’s apartment in New York where Neal had an item from Henry. As Emma knows she never informed Neal about Henry, she is utterly confused. However, she becomes more suspicious rather than trusting of Hook and she has him arrested. Nevertheless, she relents once she sees pictures of Henry and her in Storybrooke, a town of which she has no recollection. Consequently, she finally agrees to take memory potion that Hook provides her and remembers everything. She journeys back to Storybrooke with Hook and brings Henry with her. When she returns, she does not anticipate her parents remembering her as the last curse wiped their memories away. However, Emma is stunned to learn that her parents recognize her. In addition, she is surprised to see her mother, Snow White, is well into pregnancy with a second child. From David and Snow White’s perspectives, they just saw Emma leave Storybrooke with Henry as the curse was about to end. As such, they realize they have no recollection of the last year. On the other hand, there is only enough memory potion for Emma so Henry still does not have his memories. It is ironic because he has always been a true believer in the fairy tales. As Henry’s mother, Emma does not know if she wants Henry to regain his memories. He has a great life in New York with a ton of friends. The truth includes some frightening villains and nightmares. It is a difficult decision as his mother since parents need to protect their child from the truth at times to safeguard his innocence as he grows up. However, a child uncovering the truth on his own can backfire as well if he distrusts his parents. While there is always an inappropriate and appropriate time, a person deserves to know the truth about his past. While there may be some terrible realities, there are also great triumphs in a past. Life is a combination of both. Hiding from bad memories also results in hiding from the good memories. Having both is part of living a full life. Despite Emma’s reservations of returning to Storybrooke instead of staying and allowing Henry to live happily in New York, her main reason for returning is that Henry would say “A hero would come back “. It should be interesting to see how this story arc plays out the rest of the season.

The series has been great at paralleling a past story from the Enchanted Forest with a plot in the present in Storybrooke.  However, the beginning of this half of the season has only yielded an introduction of a minor character, Rapunzel. As we know from her fairy tale, she is trapped in a tower and has very long hair. Although she has a minor story arc so far, it fits in perfectly with David’s fear in regards to being a parent again. In regards to Rapunzel, she has difficulty overcoming her fears of the responsibilities in succeeding her parents as the heir to the throne. As such, she searches for night root which is supposed to help one face and overcome one’s fears. Although she finds and ingests the root, it does not work. Instead, she is chased by a witch who keeps her cornered in a tower. At the same time, David also deals with fears with being a father again. It is not unwarranted. He loses Emma once when Snow White and he decide to send her to the real world to escape the curse and give Emma her best chance. Even when they reunite and start to become a family, he loses her again when the curse ends. While neither situation is his fault, he feels powerless and loses his confidence to be a good father as there will always be things outside of his control from which he cannot protect his child. Accordingly, he is told about the night root and also looks for it. In his quest, he finds Rapunzel in the tower and decides to help her. He realizes that the night root did work for Rapunzel. The witch she is trapped by is an image of herself. As a result, it is a metaphor for how overcoming your fear requires overcoming yourself. Once she is able to face her fears of failing as a ruler and accept her responsibilities and herself, she is able to defeat the “witch”. Many times in life, challenges are more psychological than real. Without the confidence to overcome your own fears, you are limited by your own mind. I really like the metaphor the night root and this story provide. Similarly in the present in Storybrooke, the Wicked Witch tricks David into consuming the night root. Like Rapunzel, he has to face his fears of failing as a father before defeating the evil projection of himself. However, the Wicked Witch does not do it to help David. Once he shows his courage, it transfers to the hilt of his sword after he is triumphant. The Wicked Witch uses her magic to obtain the hilt. It is the first ingredient in her scheme to cast a spell I will discuss later.

It did not take long for the series to bring back Rumpelstiltskin. He has been an incredible character and a star of the series. As a result, it is no surprise that the show would find a way to resurrect him quickly. In addition, I really enjoy how it accomplished the feat. In the first half of the season, the show did a wonderful job with the parallels of Peter Pan’s failures as a father with his son’s [Rumpel] same mistakes as a father to Balefire/ Neal. While Pan willingly abandoned Rumpel for power, Rumpel could not overcome his dependence and need for magic for his son. Nevertheless, Rumpel redeems himself by sacrificing himself to save all his loved ones from Pan. Accordingly, Neal finally recognizes that Rumpel is still the good man he is underneath. Similarly, I like how the story creates a parallel between Rumpel and Neal. While Neal abandons Emma to allow her to fulfill her destiny, he unknowingly also orphans his son Henry. As such, he accidentally makes the same mistake his grandfather and father made, continuing the family trend. I like how the show continues the analogy between father and son. In Rumpel’s desperation to find Neal again, he engineered Regina casting the curse to bring him into the real world for his search. Neal faces the same scenario as he is unwillingly separated from Emma and Henry. Like Rumpel, he resorts to using magic to try to accomplish this impossible quest. He begins a journey to resurrect his father from the dead and is manipulated by the Wicked Witch. His mission brings him to the location of where the first dark one was created.

However, Belle realizes that they are being tricked by the Wicked Witch and begs Neal to stop. She reminds him that Rumpel made a terrible mistake and paid a terrible price in his desperation to find Neal that cursed an entire people. Nevertheless, Neal’s despair from his separation from Emma and Henry causes him to make the same mistake Rumpel made. Consequently, he is willing to pay any price to bring his father back since he may have the answer to finding a way back to the real world. Unfortunately, the price is a life for a life. As such, he needs to forfeit his life to bring Rumpel back. Rumpel immediately realizes the horror and the treachery of the Wicked Witch. He uses all of his power in an attempt to keep Balefire alive. However, he is only able to fuse his son and him together into one person to preserve the presence of his son. Once they are back in Storybrooke, they split back into two people. Nevertheless, they are in pain as they are in each other’s heads and their bodies are trying to merge again. Neal knows he needs to save his father, Rumpel, since he has knowledge of the identity of the Wicked Witch. Accordingly, Neal makes a selfless decision to sacrifice his life in an attempt to save his loved ones. He pleads with Emma to use her magic to separate him and his father. As Neal is unable to survive as a separate person due to the cost of resurrecting Rumpel, he passes away. Before he dies, he proclaims his pride of his father for overcoming his darkness to show the good man he is underneath. Moreover, he thanks Rumpel for showing him the meaning of true sacrifice. The story comes full circle as Neal makes similar mistakes to his father and also pays the ultimate price. It is a fascinating that they are two men who despised their fathers’ decisions but could not avoid making similar ones themselves. It does present a good question about genetics or fate. How much of our future is in our control and how much of it is predetermined? Another interesting element in this situation is that both men redeemed themselves in the end even though it may have been a little too late.

Neal’s death is also a significant moment in the series. While villains such as Cora, Pan, and Rumpel have died, the show has yet to kill a good person until Neal. He is a supporting character but an important one. He has had his faults but even his mistakes were well intentioned (e.g. allowing Emma to take the fall for his crimes and go to jail as he was instructed by Pinocchio that it needed to happen for her to fulfill her destiny). I am surprised by the death but it makes the show more realistic as bad things happen to good people in real life. Ultimately, Once Upon a Time is a show that tries to provide a realistic take on fairy tale stories. On the other hand, I do not believe they have opened up Pandora’s box and will be killing the main heroes anytime soon. His death also sets up many story arcs that may be in line for the future of the show. First, Henry has no recollection of his father. Emma tries to explain to Henry that the story of Neal abandoning them is untrue and that Neal is actually a good man. Although it is a substitute for now, Henry will regain his memories at some point. Accordingly, it will be interesting to see his reaction when he gets his memories of Neal back. In the meantime, Hook knew Neal as a child and tells Henry the stories so he can feel something for his father and his death. While Hook and Neal have competed for Emma’s affection, Hook did care for Neal when he was a child and Balefire. As such, Neal’s death hits Hook hard. On the other hand, it allows Hook to pursue Emma without hesitation. Before Neal’s death, Hook and Emma have an interesting conversation. After Emma regains her memories, she declines Walsh’s marriage proposal. At this point, Walsh turns into a flying monkey revealing he is henchman of the Wicked Witch. Emma admits to Hook that her heart has been broken again as Walsh is another man who has lied to her about who he really is. Nevertheless, Hook responds that it is actually a good thing and smoothly explains that it still works if it can be broken. In my opinion, it is an interesting relationship that is fun to watch but it seems to be a forbidden love that will never come to fruition. Of course, the death of Neal is devastating for Rumpel. He has spent most of his life trying to find his son to make up for his mistakes as a father. It is tragic that he will never get a chance to truly make amends with Neal’s demise. At least, it is solace for Rumpel that Neal dies knowing his father is a good man.

Despite all these other great story lines, the second half of the season is centered on Regina vs. Zelena, the Evil Queen vs the Wicked Witch. Regina has been a tremendous character in the series. She started out as pure evil and I hated her. However, she is a victim of circumstance and her evilness was forged by a mother who thought power was more important than love. Slowly but surely, the good person she naturally is has surfaced and is inspired by her love for Henry. The transformation has been fascinating to watch. After she ends the curse at the end of the first half of the season and returns everyone back to the Enchanted Forest, she proves that she has completely turned the corner and reformed. She has settled her differences with Snow White and agrees to allow everyone to stay at her castle. On the other hand, she is also heartbroken that she will never see Henry again. Even worse, he will not have any memories of her. To relieve her pain, she rips out her heart and intends to bury it so she no longer feels anything. However, Snow White convinces Regina to keep it as she will need her heart to be happy and that Henry would want her to finally find happiness. It is very good foreshadowing of the future. While she is on the brink of being a hero, the townspeople still distrust her and suspect her of casting the new curse once they return to Storybrooke without their memories. When Emma returns to town, she knows that Regina is telling the truth as she always knows when Regina is lying. Their relationship has come a long way in the series. They were bitter adversaries at the beginning. However, they are united by their love of Henry and they ultimately respect each other as both are strong women. Regina’s current relationship with Snow White and Emma as well as her good intentions are enough evdience for me to finally call her a hero. On the other hand, it is saddening for Regina that Henry has no recollection of her. Her love for him leads to her redemption. While she can at least see him now that he has returned to Storybrooke, it is perhaps even more torture for her that she sees him but does not have the relationship she wants to have with him.

In the first half of the season, we learn that Tinkerbell used magic to lead Regina to her soul mate a long time ago. However, Regina lacked the courage to pursue true love. As the audience, we know he is the man with the dragon tattoo or Robin Hood. The development of this relationship has been great this half of the season so far. While she is the Evil Queen, he is a thief. Accordingly, there is distrust between the two that naturally leads to tension when they meet in the Enchanted Forest and again when they meet in the real world. Their first encounter is when she is attacked by the Wicked Witch’s flying monkey in the forest. While Robin Hood saves her, she is unappreciative because she did not ask for help and is an independent, strong woman. Accordingly, she is very snarky to Robin. However, he is able to stand up to her with some charm. Since Regina is accustomed to people cowering in her presence, I believe she respects Robin for standing up to her. As a viewer, it is intriguing as we know they were predestined to be true lovers. He begins to fall for her when she saves his son from a flying monkey. In the moment, he can see Regina’s motherly instincts, which is her sweeter side. Another good moment between the two is when Regina tries to cast a sleeping curse on herself. It is the same curse that she used on Snow White and can only be broken by her true love’s kiss. As she cannot live without Henry, she only wants to awaken if he kisses her to break the curse. Ironically, she explains her rationale to Robin who is actually her true love. He pleads with her that she has been given a second chance in life and will find a reason to live. Although he is correct, she decides to move forward with her decision but is stopped by the Wicked Witch. However, the Wicked Witch only does it because she wants to torment Regina. Consequently, this adversary gives Regina something to live for as the Witch provides Regina “someone to destroy”. Although Regina is now a hero, the Evil Queen is a part of her past. As such, it is exciting for her to be able to unleash that part of her without remorse on a villain.

Regina’s relationship with Robin Hood also develops in a similar manner once they are in Storybrooke and start from scratch again since they have no recollection of the last year. She begins to be charmed by Robin’s personality and enjoys his company. However, she pulls back when she sees his dragon tattoo. It is interesting to see Regina hesitant even though she needs love in her life and knows Robin is supposed to be her soul mate. Things have gone wrong in Regina’s life for a long time. Even when a great opportunity is presented to her, she is still too scared to pursue it because of the other traumatic moments. It reminds me of Bruce Wayne in the Dark Knight Rises when he becomes a recluse for years after the death of his love, Rachel Dawes. His trusted butler, Alfred, tries to talk sense into him by saying “I know, and you lost her. But that’s all part of living, sir. But you’re not living. You’re just waiting, hoping for things to go bad again.” It is a similar situation with Regina. However, she longs for a family and love. As she sees Robin with his son, she daydreams about being part of the family. As such, she begins to trust Robin Hood and let him in. She confides in him the fears and reservations she has leading up to her confrontation with the Wicked Witch. She even trusts him with safeguarding her heart. He is surprised that she would allow a thief to take her heart as he could steal it. However, she notes that he “can’t steal something that’s been given to you”. It is symbolic of the fact that Robin has won her over and she is finally willing to accept destiny and try to be happy. She has suffered enough in her story and finally deserves a happy ending. I am looking forward to seeing how this relationship culminates.

Of course, the villain of this season is the Wicked Witch. While I think Peter Pan is the better villain and is much darker, the Wicked Witch is still very good and a good choice to end the season on a lighter note. She reveals herself as Regina’s half sister in Regina’s castle during the forgotten year in the Enchanted Forest. While I did not put the pieces together at the beginning, it made total sense once it is revealed. However, she becomes a very mysterious character in Storybrooke once she casts her curse and erases everyone’s memories of the past year. She goes by Zelena and is also very cunning, charming as she conceals her identity as a sweet midwife. She also gains the trust of Snow White. Accordingly, she is asked by Snow to be the midwife for her baby. In the fifth episode of this half of the season, we learn a lot about her origins. First, she is the daughter of Cora and Regina’s half sister. Cora abandons Zelena at birth. She is carried away to Oz by a cyclone. She is found by a couple and adopted. While her adopted mother sees her as beautiful and loves her unconditionally, her adopted father despises her as he sees the wickedness in her. Once the mother dies, the father reveals the truth to Zelena and admits that she is wicked and he never wanted her as a daughter. This origin makes Zelena a sympathetic character. You can tell the pain she has been through in her life as she was not wanted and abandoned by both her birth mother and adopted father. While you can never condone her actions, you can understand the reasons for them. Heartbroken by the truth, she seeks the Wizard of Oz for guidance. He reveals the identity of her mother. Moreover, he notes that Zelena was abandoned in favor of her half sister, Regina, because Regina gave Cora a path to becoming royalty. In addition, she learns that Regina is getting magic lessons from the most powerful wizard of all the realms, Rumpelstiltskin. Naturally, she becomes very jealous of Regina. While Zelena was abandoned, Regina was given everything by their mother. Accordingly, the Wizard provides Zelena with magical slippers [the same ones that Dorothy wears in the Wizards of Oz] to travel to the Enchanted Forest. She discloses to Rumpel that she is Cora’s older daughter and convinces him to train her. He is intrigued because Regina has been a slow learner and Zelena is a natural. Zelena also knows about Rumpel’s desire to cast the curse to get to his son. Accordingly, she wants the job. Nevertheless, Rumpel ultimately selects Regina. As we know, the curse requires the caster to sacrifice the thing she loves the most. For Regina, it was her father Henry. For Zelena, Rumpel realizes the thing she loves most is him. Accordingly, he picks Regina by default.

Rumpel’s decision only adds fuel to Zelena’s fire. She is completely corrupted by envy for Regina. Her adopted father always taught her to “No matter what you feel on the inside Zelena. Remember always to put on a good face”. However, she is unable to hide her jealousy and disdain for Regina’s entitled life and it turns Zelena green with envy. I think it is a brilliant way to explain why she is green. Zelena also obtains control of Rumpel. During her manipulation of Neal to surrender his life to resurrect his father, the Wicked Witch steals Rumpel’s dagger as his focus is completely on saving his son. As we know, the person who controls the dagger controls the Dark One so the Wicked Witch has complete power over Rumpel. Zelena’s plan is to turn back time to the moment her mother abandoned her to change history. When she asks the Wizard of Oz how, he simply laughs at her. However, she realizes that he is a fraud and only uses tricks and magical items for his charade. Accordingly, she turns him into a flying monkey to be of use to her. The wizard turns out to be Walsh, Emma’s future boyfriend. While I did not see this twist coming, it makes perfect sense. After Zelena’s identity is revealed, she challenges Regina to a fight in front of everyone in the town. It has a feel of a Wild West shootout. However, Zelena does well to point out that it is the “Wicked West”. Zelena is a formidable foe and may even be stronger than Regina. However, Regina is very crafty. Zelena gets the upper hand in the confrontation and attempts to take Regina’s heart. However, Regina knows better than to bring her heart to a “witch fight”. Regina’s heart is an ingredient for Zelena to cast her spell to travel to the past. As noted above, David’s courage was another ingredient. The sibling rivalry and cat fight element between the Wicked Witch and Regina is fantastic and a lot of fun. It should be entertaining to see which woman prevails. From Zelena’s perspective, “I’m wicked and wicked always wins”.

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