Once Upon a Time Round Table: Is the Evil Queen REALLY Evil?
Christine Laskodi
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Remember that time when the Evil Queen stole Regina's identity, and Hook was the only one who noticed, but then he pretty much disappeared for the entire episode?
On Once Upon a Time Season 6 Episode 8, “I'll Be Your Mirror,” the Evil Queen did her very best to trap Emma and Regina in the world behind the mirror, but she couldn't do it without Henry's help.
Were we able to come up with a favorite moment? Will the Evil Queen kill Zelena? Is this new sleeping curse working for us?
TV Fanatics Allison Nichols, Steve Ford, and Robin Harry, joined by Once Upon a Fan's Mauri Lazaro, discuss these questions and more!
What was your favorite moment from "I'll Be Your Mirror?"
Allison: I honestly don't have a favorite moment....if I had to pick, it would be the scene between Aladdin, Jasmine, Belle, and Zelena.
Steve: Definitely the conversation between Henry and the Evil Queen. His comment about her not being able to "Darth Vader" him was great. It was a great stand he took against her.
Mauri: Mine too. Henry being the hero was my favorite part. He was awesome!
Robin: Like Allison, nothing really stands out to me. I did enjoy the tension in that moment when Henry was faced with the decision to destroy the Dragon's heart. By the way, did the Dragon come inside after that? Where is he?
Were you surprised that the Evil Queen couldn't "Darth Vader" Henry?
Allison: Not really. Henry's a smart kid. He knew what angle she was trying to play at, and he knew a way to get around it. This isn't Henry's first rodeo.
Steve: Not at all, Henry is smart, has experience in being deceived and is easily underestimated. Henry knows better, especially when you're talking about the evil side of his mother, he saw right through it, and that of itself shows how much Henry has grown over the years. Mama didn't raise no fool!
Mauri: No. Henry is a smart kid and was raised by two strong women. The Evil Queen didn't have a chance.
Robin: I wasn't surprised at all. Henry has grown up to be much smarter and savvier than the Evil Queen gave him credit for. The days when Peter Pan took advantage of him are long gone, and he's not about to go over to the dark side.
What are your first impressions of Snow and David's sleeping curse?
Allison: It lost its appeal rather quickly. Watching Snow and David leave each other notes, flowers, and breakfast was really cute, and it was heartbreaking when Snow gave up, basically, and didn't leave him a note.
Steve: Honestly, when the Evil Queen mentioned this during last weeks episode, I rolled my eyes. I was thinking, "Yawn, not another sleeping curse. Then when she revealed the twist that one will always be asleep while the other is awake, I thought this could have some promise. However, in this episode I wasn't really feeling it. They're going to find a way out of it eventually just as they always do, so it's difficult for me to feel invested in this struggle.
Mauri: I thought it was cute how they were still trying to be together, although the sleeping curse really shouldn't work on them. It was established on Once Upon a Time Season 4 Episode 17 that they were immune to sleeping curses and spells since they've already been under one once before.
Robin: Mauri, I did not remember that at all! I actually quite like how they did it, how they tried their best to make the most of it until it was just too hard. It was quite in keeping with their characters.
If the Evil Queen can love Henry so much, is she REALLY Evil?
Allison: I think you can be evil and still love. Hades cared for and apparently loved Zelena, and he was evil. Gold loves Belle and Neal, and he's evil. The thing about evil people is that they will manipulate the ones they love without a second thought.
Steve: This is something I've been struggling with. I've been saying for weeks that if the is the complete evil side of Regina, how could she be able to love? I'm still not sold on the Evil Queen actually caring about Henry, but the possibility is there. However, I heavily feel this is just straight up manipulation.
Mauri: Yes. Even though she can love Henry, it's a twisted love.
Robin: One of the running themes on OUAT is that of true love. We've seen true love between parents and children, between romantic partners. I think the simple explanation is that what the Evil Queen has for Henry, what Rumple has for Belle - that's not true love. It's not the kind of love that is selfless, kind, patient, sacrificing. It's crooked, delusional, forced and manipulative.
What did you think of Rumple's golden GPS for Belle?
Allison: I mean, I can understand why he thought he needed to do it. It's still a terrible thing to do. I just wish I didn't have to watch any more Rumple and Belle scenes ever again because he's awful to her. They both need to move on to better and actually entertaining storylines.
Steve: Where can I buy one? That was a nifty little gadget. Having said that, I'm getting a little tired of how awful he's been treating Belle. It seems like it's all spite and I'm not a fan of the direction their relationship is heading.
Mauri: I think Rumple is truly trying to look out for Belle and the baby's best interest. He knows something maybe we don't that's causing him to act so seemingly awful. I think he has had some key lines this seasons that sound like double meanings, but when he tries to tell Belle these, she cuts him off. But then, she has been unreasonable, unwilling to listen, and out of control for a long time, in my opinion.
Robin: Oh my goodness, that was awful. Rumple is manipulative, coercing, controlling, demanding and at this point is basically forcing himself into her life. Belle can't seem to figure out whether she wants to give him a chance or run away from him. These two are messy and messed up, and I find it both fascinating and painful to watch.
Will the Evil Queen actually kill her sister for Rumple?
Allison: If she feels like there is something in it for her, yes. She killed her father because she had to for the dark curse. I don't know that Rumple is really offering up something that's worth killing Zelena for. All the Evil Queen will get out of it is a partnership with Rumple, right? She can hold her own without him, so I don't think she will kill Zelena.
Steve: I wouldn't put it past her, especially since Zelena seems to have lost her purpose and direction on this show. That was a neat little insurance policy she took out on Rumple, but like he said, Rumple's the master at finding loop holes.
Mauri: Hopefully she will because Zelena needs to die. Her character has been redeemed too quickly, and every time we see her with the baby we're reminded of what she did to Robin Hood to get that baby. It's disgusting.
Robin: If Rumple is the Queen's ticket to getting what she wants, Zelena's as good as dead. I'd have no problem with that, really. It's no secret how much Zelena irritates me.
Don't forget, you can watch Once Upon a Time right here at TV Fanatic, and never miss a moment of the action!
Once Upon a Time is taking a week off! Once Upon a Time Season 6 Episode 9, "Changelings," will air on Sunday, November 27th at 8/7c on ABC!
