Once Upon a Time Review: Killing Magic

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Tonight's Once Upon a Time may have been all about "The Evil Queen," but one of the things it drove home to me was that Hook can't trust anyone. He's been used by Emma, Cora, Regina, and now Tamara and Greg.  

Completely Hooked

He may frequently end up on the losing end, but I've got to give him credit. He wasn't kidding when he said he excelled at surviving to fight another day. He certainly never gives up. If he had more of a heart I might even like him paired up with Emma instead of Neal.

But this hour was about Regina's story, both past and future.

In the fairytale past... the queen was still hunting Snow and would leave no stone unturned, no matter what it took. Yet somehow her warped view of reality wouldn't allow her to understand why she could never inspire love from her people. As Rumpelstiltskin tried to explain to her in this Once Upon a Time quote...

 You did just slaughter an entire village. Maybe that's why they call you the Evil Queen. | permalink

The queen was so used to using magic to get what she wanted she forgot that she had none due to the shape shifting spell several times and it almost cost her her head... literally.

It was fascinating how Snow's story about the woman who saved her from the runaway horse moved Regina. All she's ever wanted was to be loved but since Regina's never had real love, not even from her own mother, she can't figure out that love can't be forced upon someone. 

Just as Regina was about to ask for forgiveness, they stumbled upon that village and all hope was lost. As she later told Rumpelstiltskin…

The queen is dead. Long live the evil queen. | permalink

And long does she live. Fast forward to present day Storybrooke and she's still alive, well, and evil as ever.  

I couldn't believe she told Henry about her plan to destroy Storybrooke, kill all of its residents and take him back to the Enchanted Forest. Did she really believe he'd go willingly? But then again, that's just another example of how twisted Regina's view of the world can be. 

Hook tried to warn her that revenge was an end, not a beginning. But Regina believes that she can still start over with Henry, so she repaid Hook by shoving him off a ledge to be destroyed by the demon-like Maleficent. Evil, indeed.

When she walked back into her office to not only find Hook but Greg and Tamara, it was fun to see that they had squelched her magic. What will that mean for our evil queen?

Other moments worth mentioning…

  • Neal telling Henry, "Oh, hell no. I taught her that," when he realized Henry was trying to warn Emma. Very funny.
  • Emma telling Henry to duck so they wouldn't be spotted. As though the yellow VW bug is somehow stealthy.
  • Operation Cobra has become Operation Praying Mantis. Only Henry could come up with that.
  • Did Snow really ask who would steal the magic beans? Duh. Who do you think?

So what the heck is Greg/Owen's mission? If Regina's magic is on the fritz, will Henry remember her evil plan? And is Snow naive enough to give Regina yet another second chance?  Only a couple of episodes left in Once Upon a Time season 2 to find out.

The Evil Queen Review

Editor Rating: 4.6 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.3 / 5.0 (84 Votes)

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

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