r/OnceUponATime

Most of the time Regina's anger was directed at Snow while Cora got off relatively easily (aside from being pushed to Wonderland). So when this episode aired and Regina yelled at Cora it felt very satisfying, she deserved it. It was also interesting to see Cora's horrified face at the realization that Regina wouldn't be able to have kids, she understood that children were a way to consolidate and maintain power in the royal world, but Regina was so obsessed with her revenge that I don't think she was thinking about who was going to rule the kingdom in future generations. Although she did try to adopt Hansel & Gretel, but I think that was something she wanted out of loneliness.

Season 4B might not be one of the show's best arcs, but I have to say the dynamic between these four women kept me glued to the screen. I love villains, especially Disney villains, and seeing the Evil Queen (who was already my favorite even before I watched OUAT) alongside Maleficent, Cruella, and Ursula was such a treat. Now that I'm older, I actually wish we'd gotten even more scenes of them together.

One thing I've always wondered is how Regina met Ursula and Cruella.

It's implied that they'd all crossed paths before. Maybe Maleficent introduced them, maybe Regina met them separately, or maybe they even confronted each other when the Queens of Darkness tried to stop her from casting the Curse. If they were ever allies, it's pretty clear Regina clashed with Cruella the most, I still can't get "I was torturing people when you were still playing with puppies" out of my head.

I like to imagine the four of them doing far worse than just drinking and burning a car: terrorizing entire villages together, hunting mermaids, hunting fairies, riding on Maleficent's back while she sets a kingdom on fire, or controlling a pack of wolves to wreak havoc everywhere. I know that's a bit extreme, but then again... these women were extreme XD

A song that always reminds me of this group is "CANCELLED!" by Taylor Swift. I especially think it fits Regina's perspective, which I find funny.

Watch out for Charlie’s girl is playing in season 2 in episode one was a reference to Claire Littleton, a young women who is dating a guy named Charlie… from a TV show called Lost. OUAT have so many references to that show that they could follow the same universal rules… it’s old but give it a watch

I know the Blue fairy refers to her as "the one that rips out hearts" when talking to Tinkerbell, but fairies tend to know more things than the general populace. Did the people of the enchanted forest and the royal families knew what she was capable of? We know she turned straw into gold in front of the kingdom, but did she actually perform any other kind of magic in front of them ever again? In Wonderland she became queen (most likely by force) and Alice tells Will "I've heard of people like you..." when she realizes Will Scarlet may have had his heart taken by the Queen of Hearts after he continuously tries to kill her. So it seems she garnered a reputation there, but in the Enchanted Forest it seemed like she was always scheming in the background and going up the social ladder in a different way. I wonder if there were whispers about a powerful sorceress who was ripping out people's hearts (since she did have a vault full of them).

1. Regina vs Maleficent

2. Zelena vs Regina

3. Amara vs Jafar

4. Emma vs Merlin

5. Black Fairy vs Zelena

I noticed a lot on my rewatch! Did I miss any?

1. Charming, in Tho

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1. James' Father, in Winter Solider
2. Sidney, in Brave New World
3. Mad Hatter, obviously Bucky Barnes
4. Jacinda, mutant in X-Men I believe
5. Zelena, in Iron Man 3
6. Blind Witch, in Wandavision
7. Voice of OG Ursula is Yvette Nicole Brown
8. Young Emma, young Captain Marvel

With long hair or not, I truly find Ginny incredibly beautiful, and the way she portrayed Snow and Mary Margaret was amazing, her performance is one of my favorites on this show; when she's angry, when she's happy, when she's sad, Ginny gave it her all, I feel like people overlook her or simply don't care about her moments.

I've seen many derogatory comments about her appearance after her pregnancy, and it just makes me think about how cruel people can be. After pregnancy, you can't expect someone to look the same as before, and yet, to me, she's fabulous. I mean, just look at her!

I love that she wears a pixie cut. Female characters usually have long hair, and well, Ginnifer Goodwin took a risk and showed us this style on screen, and for me, it was the best thing she could have done to make her unique. I think the pixie cut looks better on her when it's not as short as in the sixth picture. And what can I say about her long hair? It makes her feel like a princess. I love how she looks with it in the fourth picture; that hairstyle was beautiful.

Of course, beauty is subjective; not everyone will be attractive to everyone. But who else thinks our hopeful and optimistic girl is truly beautiful?

First of all, it is insane to expect a ten year old keep such a large secret and more when Cora was a cunning and manipulative person who knew how to fool her and hiw was Snow supposed to know that at that age?

Yet it still makes me sad that actual fans still blame her or still defend how she should've kept her mouth. A child should keep her mouth shut?

A child has to know about long term consequences when even adults messed up?

To me you have to be insane to hate on a child and to blame her for the actions that someone else took.

HELLO EVERYONE.

Today I'm bringing a somewhat controversial topic that I've decided to analyze. There are many interpretations of the situation involving the Charmings and Maleficent: that the Author manipulated them, that they did it on purpose because they're heroes and, since they're heroes, they believed it was the right thing to do.

But, to me, this situation goes far beyond the oversimplification that "Snow and Charming just wanted a perfect life." I want to analyze it from the perspective of the character who receives the most hate because of all this: Snow White.

Before I begin, I want to clarify something: this post is not meant to downplay the Charmings' actions, especially Snow's. Nor is it meant to justify her. What I want to do is explain the character's logic and understand what led her to make that decision.

Many opinions on this topic are limited to seeing her as a monster; I think it's more interesting to analyze how a desperate person ended up making such a terrible decision.

Let's get started.

As we know, when they find the Tree of Wisdom, it rejects the Charmings. That's when Maleficent explains that the tree didn't reject them because of who they are, but because of the baby Snow is carrying. As the product of true love, the child has the potential to become either a great hero or a great villain. In other words, she is born with the same ability to choose between good and evil as anyone else.

Up to that point, Snow still believes that future can be avoided. After all, we're talking about her and David: two good people who, although they've made mistakes, could raise a daughter with good values.

Maleficent appears later to ask for help, from one mother to another. She proposes that they work together to find a way to stop the curse.

This is where many people interpret that Snow simply sees herself as morally superior. But I think it's worth analyzing her background before jumping to that conclusion.

Everything revolves around Regina.

Regina is the person who has hurt Snow the most: she murdered her father, forced her to live on the run like prey, killed many people for protecting her, and kept trying to end her life for years. Snow knows firsthand how far someone consumed by darkness can go.

On top of that, she herself says that Maleficent, Ursula, and Cruella are even worse than Regina. So the question is: why would she trust someone she considers just as dangerous—or even more—than the person who destroyed her life?

And even if Snow does come across as morally superior in this moment… is that really so unreasonable? Especially if you see yourself as someone who hasn’t crossed those lines—someone who hasn’t killed, hasn’t destroyed lives. When you’re faced with a person who has done exactly that, does moral neutrality even feel like an option?

That's why I believe Snow would never have agreed to work with her if it meant doing evil in order to save the kingdom. And, from her perspective, she also would have felt that this wasn't the example she wanted to set for her daughter.

That doesn't mean her decision wasn't selfish.

Because yes, prioritizing your daughter being good over saving the kingdom can be seen as a selfish act. But I think that, considering all the context above, it at least becomes a decision that's understandable from the character's point of view, even if it was still wrong.

After this, Charming and Snow White seek out the unicorn to make sure that the path Emma will take is not the path of evil. There they receive two visions, which you all already know: the one of the baby in the basket that David sees, and the one of teenage Emma that Snow sees, where Emma rips out her heart and crushes it.

When they arrive at the Sorcerer (thanks to that damn Isaac—because yes, on this account we hate Isaac; he took advantage of their fear and showed them the way), that's when the real problems begin.

The Sorcerer (manipulated by Isaac) tells them that both visions can come true. Everyone is born as a blank slate, with the potential for either good or evil. But what's the problem? David's vision shows a baby. A baby represents exactly that: a blank slate, someone who can still choose either path. Snow's vision, however, shows a teenage Emma who has already made her choice. I mean, she even looks like she took lessons from Cora, lol. Just look at her.

And this is the real problem for Snow.

The purpose of seeking out the unicorn was to find out whether Emma would be good. However, the vision only shows her two things: a baby and an Emma who has already chosen evil. So which one do you think Snow is going to believe? Obviously, the second one.

A baby probably doesn't tell her much because it represents possibilities. But a teenage Emma does. That vision is showing her daughter becoming a villain, and it never shows her a version of herself choosing the path of good. No matter how much the Sorcerer tells her that Emma has the potential for both, the only concrete image she receives is of her daughter choosing the wrong side, becoming someone very much like the woman who has caused her the most pain in her entire life.

And that terrifies her.

A desperate situation like that, in which any mother would want to prevent her child from becoming a bad person, presents her with a very tempting option. They knew they wouldn't be able to prevent the darkness from being passed on to another recipient. The Sorcerer assures them that it's the only way to save Emma, and David says it clearly: it wouldn't be right to save their daughter at the expense of someone else.

Snow knows that.

And this is where, in my opinion, her logic begins to fall apart.

When the idea of the dragon egg comes up, something very interesting happens. Snow knows Maleficent is a horrible person, and, based on the way she understands the world, she reaches a conclusion: if a good person like herself wants her daughter to be good, why wouldn't someone as evil as Maleficent want her child to be just like her?

Something similar happened with Cora and Regina, so, from Snow's perspective, that idea makes sense. It's the closest thing to something she can understand.

(Although, honestly... DO YOU KNOW WHAT I CALL THIS? BAD WRITING BY THE SCREENWRITERS AND A COMPLETELY OUT-OF-CHARACTER MOMENT. BUT LET'S KEEP GOING.)

That's why she suggests that it shouldn't be a child, but a dragon egg. She believes that what will hatch from that egg won't be a human baby, but a monster like Maleficent. She even tells Charming that they know Maleficent both in her human form and in her dragon form, so she assumes her child will be the same.

Charming agrees, and that's when they kidnap the baby.

This is where one of the scenes that has broken my heart the most in the entire show happens: Maleficent begging for mercy for her child.

But, even believing that the baby would grow up to become a villain like her, the Charmings promise to return the child to its mother.

AND, GUYS, I WANT TO MAKE A POINT HERE.

JUST BECAUSE THE GORGEOUS PRINCE CHARMING DIDN'T COME UP WITH THE IDEA DOESN'T MAKE HIM ANY LESS GUILTY.

People usually mention only Snow, but Charming is just as responsible. He agreed with it, took part in the entire plan, and helped carry it out.

The fact that the original idea wasn't his doesn't make him any less guilty or any more aware than Snow.

They both agreed. They both carried out the plan. End of story.

If you notice, when the egg is finally with the Sorcerer, you can still see a hint of doubt in both Charming and Snow. They both continue questioning whether they're really doing the right thing. Even so, they go through with the spell.

However, according to the Sorcerer (once again manipulated by the Author), the baby can no longer stay there.

AND THE CHARMINGS TELL HIM NO. They tell him that they have to return the baby to its mother because, even though they consider Maleficent a villain, they also understand that she's still a mother.

Then comes the moment that, to me, completely changes the scene. The eggshell begins to crack.

And when they see the baby's tiny hand, everything they had been trying to convince themselves was necessary no longer feels that way.

At that moment, they're no longer looking at a monster. They're looking at an innocent baby. Just as they wanted their own daughter to be.

And that's when everything they did stops feeling like a necessary decision and becomes something profoundly cruel and unjust.

We all know what happens to the egg in the end, but there's still something the Sorcerer says that has always stuck with me. He says, "Now your daughter has the potential for both good and evil. It's your job to guide her toward doing what's right." WOULDN'T THAT BE BASICALLY THE SAME AS BEFORE?

Yes... but not quite.

Let me explain. Before, Emma had the same choices, but her path, as we saw in the vision, was leaning more toward darkness. Now, however, she leaned more toward the light, and we can see that in Emma herself—in how she always tries to find a way to do the right thing. That's not only because Snow White, David, and later Henry inspired her to do good; it's also, in part, because by removing most of that darkness, they changed the path she might have taken.

After this comes their redemption, and I think a lot of people overlook it because it isn't the kind of redemption people usually expect. I mean, it all begins in a flashback during Season 4, and we're meant to understand that everything good they've done in the present—in Storybrooke—has been part of making up for what they did.

Remember this well: Snow cannot find peace because of what they did. She admits that they became monsters and that what they did was unforgivable. Charming tells her there's no way to undo it, but they can make things right by helping others become better people and avoid repeating their mistakes.

From that point on, it's clear that Snow and Charming begin spreading messages of hope and doing good. They choose to change and become better people.

That was the closest thing they believed they could do to make up for their mistakes.

And they did it all to become what Emma needed: better parents. Regina herself mentions that Snow told her to believe she could deserve forgiveness and earn it, and Snow truly believed that. That doesn't make her a hypocrite or a bad person. To me—as I already said in another post where I defended Snow—it makes her someone who genuinely tries to make up for her mistakes.

Everything they did was to protect Emma, not because they wanted her to be the most perfect little person in the world, but because they wanted to save her from something as terrible as darkness and from living the kind of miserable life villains usually end up having.

To me, the real problem with both of them begins because they lied. If they had been honest about the sins they committed when Ursula and Cruella arrived, or when Maleficent came back, everything would have been fine. They would have been able to admit, in front of everyone and in front of their own daughter, that what they did was wrong—even though they had already admitted it to each other.

But, they didn't.

Snow, the woman so many people call a bad mother, only wanted one thing now: not to disappoint Emma. She knew how hard it had been for Emma to connect with them in the first place. She's her mother, and mothers never want to hurt their children—especially when their children look up to them so much.

Even so, it was still wrong, and that's why I can't help but side with Emma throughout all of her anger over not being told the truth.

In the end, Snow and David did, in some way, repair what they had done. They helped Maleficent find Lily and even apologized. It may not seem like much, but this is OUAT, guys. This is a world that believes in happy endings and second chances.

I don't know if everyone will agree with that, but seriously, the Charmings were genuinely remorseful.

You know something I find really interesting?

When they're looking for Lily, Charming calls her "it," just like they once believed she was—a monster. But Snow corrects him and reminds him that she's her, because she refuses to make the same mistake again.

Before that, Snow and Charming could have done something even worse by burning the page with the Author trapped inside it, but they didn't because they knew it would cost Regina her happy ending. In the end, they chose to talk instead.

I think the way people judge Snow and Charming is extremely harsh.

Yes, they messed up—badly. But who hasn't in this show? Every single character has made terrible mistakes at some point. I understand that no one is obligated to like a character, but attacking them forever over a mistake they sincerely regret, clearly show remorse for, and genuinely tried to fix—even after so much time had passed—feels like someone worthy of forgiveness, and that's how the series treats them.

Of course, no one is obligated to forgive them. Everyone sees things differently, and this is simply where I stand.

Snow and Charming probably aren't the best people, but I understand them. I understand why they did everything they did, and I can sympathize with them. But in the end, we still can't justify their actions, and that's the right conclusion.

At first I said that this was actually an out of character moment, not because Snow and Charming can’t make mistakes, but because the show had already shown Snow’s darker side—like the forgetting potion for revenge on Regina and killing Cora to protect her family. Still, this storyline jumps too quickly from that complexity to something as extreme as stealing another mother’s child, which is why it feels forced rather than developed. They're human, and just like all humans make mistakes, they're a clear example of morally gray, complex characters. Unfortunately, those sides of them were never explored deeply enough and that's probably why this storyline ends up feeling so out of character.

I'd love to hear your opinions. If you're only going to comment with hate or disrespect, please don't. I invite you to share your thoughts and tell me what you think.