“No, No, No!” I wanted to shout at the television screen last night while watching ABC’s Once Upon a Time. We knew all along that Sidney was the man in the magic mirror, but now we got the backstory as well as a little bit of Regina’s own.
What made the evil queen so evil? A man she loved who didn’t love her back? Prisoned in a life of unhappiness that ultimately damaged her to the point of no return? We’d like to think that there was a good reason, an excuse behind the evil deeds of Regina, wouldn’t we? We ultimately want to like her or at least to excuse her, don’t we?
Last night’s episode seemed to be leading us down that path, until the twist at the end, where we see that Regina, while not always as powerful, was just as cold and calculating. Her father’s statement that he would do anything for his daughter, that he would give his life for her, was a reminder of how evil she really is.
I love how the writers want to keep us guessing, but there is danger in that too. There are so many loose ends now that we, as viewers, are in danger of getting bogged down and frustrated. For example, while Mary Margaret and David have committed themselves to each other, well at least to cheat secretly on his wife, the romance hasn’t really progressed to the level that Snow and Charming deserve. Then again, Snow and Charming are stalled in their reality as well.
I enjoyed the Sydney/Genie story line very much. It has all of makings of a morality tale of old, with a couple of twists thrown in for good measure.
Finally there is the stranger in town who made another appearance. Who do you think he is? I’m ready to reveal my thoughts. I believe his is some version of Henry, and the author of the book. The foreshadowing of Henry trying to recreate the book on his own to replace the real one that he lost lends some bit of strength to my theory, but we will see if I am right or wrong as the story unfolds.
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