Once Upon a Time Recap: “The Evil Queen”

by Tracy Ladd:

Once Upon a Time Recap: “The Evil Queen”
Original Air Date (ABC): Sunday April 28, 2013
Season 2 Episode 20

With Cora gone, it’s up to Regina to return to her status as the Big Bad of the show.  This week focuses on Regina’s past once again and the Evil Queen’s quest to find and kill Snow White.  Yes we know.  The Evil Queen hates Snow White.  Tell us something we don’t already know.  This time around however, the show looks a little bit deeper into Regina’s quest for acceptance and love; a theme that plays out in both Fairytale Land and Storybrooke.

On the plus side however, Hook is back.  Thank goodness.  Oh how I’ve missed his sarcasm and generally snarky disposition.  On the negative side, we also got some wretched CGI….again.  They really need to do something about that.  But, enough of all that, let’s talk about Greg and Tamara.  We know he’s looking for his father, but her reasoning hasn’t been revealed yet.  What is her story and how does it relate to what’s going on?  This damned show…even though I’m mad at it right now, it still manages to make me ask questions.  I guess that says something doesn’t it.

Fairytale Land

In FTL, the Evil Queen is hunting Snow White.  She’s led to a small village in the forest and the locals are less than helpful.  Since no one is stepping forward with answers, Regina’s solution is to kill everyone.  What a gal.  Back at her castle, she can’t understand why people fear her instead of loving her.  She is their Queen after all and questions why she’s been dubbed the “Evil Queen”.  Of course Rumpelstiltskin is there to lend an ear, as well as some answers reminding her that she did in fact, just slaughter a gaggle of innocent villagers.

She asks Rumps to teach her how to transform, like he did with Cora, but he tells her it will take too long for her to learn the spell.  Instead he offers to change her into someone unrecognizable so she can get close to Snow.  The catch is that only he can change her back, and she won’t be able to use magic.  After she agrees with his price, and he changes her into a lowly peasant girl.

On a mission to find Snow, Regina heads to the town square where she comes upon a man running a carnival type game of throw-the-arrow-at-an-effigy-of-the-queen and is appalled that people are doing things like this behind her back.  She tries to stop the madness and is relieved with her guards arrive.  Small issue though, her guards don’t recognize her and mistake her for the one committing blasphemy against the crown.  So she’s arrested, but before they take her head for treason, arrows fly.  A hooded figure shows up and fights off the guards and saves Regina.

Later on, Regina wakes up, injured in a camp hidden in the woods.  She’s shocked to find that the person who saved her is none other than Snow White.  Snow tends to her wounds and tells her the story of how when she was younger, she was saved from a runaway horse by a total stranger.  It was that moment that made her realize that everyone has goodness in their heart.  Regina is shocked to learn how Snow sees her, and even may have shed a tear.  Snow finishes up and tell Regina to rest, not like she has much choice.  Once she’s able to move, Snow helps Regina up telling her they have to keep moving.  Along the way, Regina questions Snow about her feelings toward the Evil Queen and Snow tells her that there is goodness there and if Regina were to come to her right then and ask to start fresh, Snow would welcome it.  Regina seems like she’s on the verge of doing just that, but then they come upon the piles of bodies.  Horrified, Snow tells Regina that she takes back everything she just said, because this proves how evil Regina truly is.

Regina tries to make Snow see the goodness and brings up the incident with the runaway horse, naming Regina as the one who saved her.  Small problem though, Snow never told the girl it was Regina.  Snow catches on that the peasant girl IS Regina and notches an arrow, preparing to shoot, but Regina calls for Rumpelstiltskin and disappears.  It’s the fail safe to the spell you know.

Back at the castle, she demands to be changed back, but Rumpelstiltskin takes his time.  Regina admits that the people will never love her and that the Queen is dead.  Long live the Queen.  Back in her leather and high collars, she’s all business now.

Storybrooke

Greg and Tamara have Hook tied to a chair in the clock tower.  Instead of making demands of him, they decide to offer him a job.  They want his help in finding Greg’s father and tell him that they know how to counteract magic.  Hook, being the opportunist he is, gives them a listen.

David and Mary Margaret sit on the docks with a woobie (if you’ve seen Mr. Mom you know that is (it’s a blanket)) and a hot beverage (which if it were me, it’d have booze in it) and discuss their plans for going back to the Enchanted Forest.  To take Regina or not to take her, that is the question.  David tells Mary Margaret that they can offer Regina a choice.  As they discuss matters, an old crusty fisherman walks out of sight and turns into Regina.

The next morning, Regina sees Henry tending to a bird house and stops to talk, telling him that she wanted to see him.  She then goes on and tells him about David and Mary Margaret’s plan to take him to FLT and leave her behind.  She tells him of her plan to take him there instead, and that the curse had a failsafe in place just in case.  When Henry asks what happens to Storybrooke, she tells him that the failsafe will kill everyone who’s left behind.  I was kind of shocked that she was telling him all this, and he was as well.  When he asks why she’s telling him everything, she tells him that he’s the only one she can talk to.  Which I found sort of sad.  Anyway, with a wave of her hand, she wipes his memory clean and starts over telling him she wanted to see him.

After her chat with Henry, Regina gets an unexpected visit from Hook.  He tells her that Greg and Tamara enlisted his help to get to her, but he’d rather help her instead.  And since he couldn’t get his revenge on Gold, helping her get her revenge is the next best thing.  Especially since he considered Cora a friend.  Regina notices a leather bracelet on his wrist and comments on how it was Cora’s and demands that he give it to her.

Back at the crowded loft, Emma tries to convince Mary Margaret that Tamara is the “she” that August was trying to warn her about.  Mary Margaret thinks it has to do with Neal, and to not let Henry know about her suspicions because he’ll think Emma and Neal will get back together.  Emma tells her it’s not about Neal, but Mary Margaret tells her to proceed carefully.  Once Mary Margaret is gone, Henry tells Emma that he heard everything and Operation Cobra is back on.

Emma and Henry go on a stake out and once they know it’s clear, Emma breaks into Neal’s room looking for evidence, while Henry keeps a look out.  Neal shows up and knows right away what’s going on and demands answers.  Emma tells him that she thinks Tamara is up to no good, but she can’t find the evidence to prove it.

Mary Margaret, David and Leroy head to the crop to check in on the beans, but find that they’ve been destroyed.  Mary Margaret questions who would do such a thing, and all I could think was really? Really Mary Margaret? You have to ask??

Meanwhile, Regina tells Hook about the failsafe to the curse and takes him with her to get the trigger, which is hidden in the bowels of the town where Emma defeated the dragon.  Regina uses Hook as more of an offering to a haggard looking Malificent and while he fights her off in a horrible display of CGI, Regina retrieves the trigger and goes topside, leaving Hook to his own devices.

However, once Regina steps off the elevator, she find Hook waiting for her in the library.  She’s shocked to see him there and he tells her that he almost put an end to his plan, but then she betrayed him.  Greg and Tamara show up and Regina tries to use her magic, but nothing happens.  Greg tells her that they found a way to counteract magic, and it all has to do with the bracelet she took from Hook.  Even if she removes it, the metals are already in her system and there’s no counteracting it.  Apparently they blinded her magic with science.  SCIENCE!  Tamara whips our her list and Greg tells her that Regina was the Evil Queen.

So I’m really curious about this science that can defeat magic.  So help me God, if Tamara busts out that stupid taser again, I’m going to go into a rage induced breaking things session.  At least we get a break from Gold and Belle.  Sorry…..I mean Lacey.  It pains me to say it, but this show is slowly losing me with each passing week.  Perhaps it’s a good thing that the season is drawing to a close.  Perhaps the hiatus will breathe some new life back in to the series.  While a third season has yet to be announced, I did read somewhere about a possible production start date.  The renewal announcement came in May last year, so it’s not surprising word hasn’t come down the pipeline just yet.  Since we’re headed to Neverland in the final two episodes of the season, I would like to see where they go with that storyline.  We’ll just have to wait and see.

DarkMedia contributor Tracy Ladd has been writing about film since her days on the her high school newspaper. Even though she took a decade or two off to explore other things, she’s back to doing what she loves. She also bakes, can knit a pretty nifty scarf and makes lightsaber sounds with her knitting needles. Or chopsticks. Especially with the lightsaber chopsticks.

You can find her on Facebook, on Twitter @ReelGoddess, and on her website The Reel Goddess.