I've never been a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland. I think it's something about a world where the rules make no sense that I don't like. It feels like being the one sane person in an asylum. Eventually it will drive you mad.

So after last week's "Heart of Darkness," I didn't expect to enjoy "Hat Trick" as much as I did. Jefferson's plight absolutely broke my heart. In the fairy tale world, I knew the Evil Queen was eventually going to do him wrong, I just didn't imagine that she'd do it with such fervor.

When I saw the Evil Queen as the ugly old merchant, I wondered if that's what she looked like when she fed Snow White the apple and if that's what she'll eventually be. You know how your mother told you if you made that face too long it would stay that way? Perhaps that's Regina's future.

As soon as I heard that once the hat let two people into Wonderland it would only let two people out, I knew Jefferson was stuck. What I didn't expect was that the Evil Queen would be so unapologetic about it. She basically told Jefferson his daughter being orphaned was all his own fault. She was just downright... evil.

Back in Storybrooke, the big surprise was that Jefferson knew about the curse. He knew about the fairy tale world and that Emma was the key to the curse. Was it because he was half insane? Will the group that believes grow larger?

As Jefferson argued with Emma he made some good points. We live in a world where everyone yearns for an almost magical solution but no one is willing to believe in magic. That's certainly a conundrum and it's part of the reason we all love Once Upon a Time. As much as the real world tells us otherwise, there's a part of us all that wants to believe in magic.

And as much as I loved Emma getting back to her roots and kicking a little ass as she battled Jefferson, my favorite moment was Mary Margaret punting him through the window. Looks like she's retained a little more of our spunky Snow White than I expected.

In one of the great Once Upon a Time quotes, even Emma noticed:

By the way, have you been taking kick boxing and not telling me about it? | permalink

Even if Emma wasn't ready to admit that there might be something to this story about the curse, she was accepting that there's a connection between her and Mary Margaret. She even referred to her as family. For someone who has never had any, that was a big deal.

That Regina obviously expected Mary Margaret to be gone wasn't a surprise, but the fact that Mr. Gold was in on it was. Why is he working with Regina and what's in this for him?

So, is Mr. Gold playing both sides or is he really out to see Mary Margaret head to prison? Is Emma starting to believe in magic? And if other characters begin to remember both worlds, could it actually drive them mad?

C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.