Once Upon a Time: Mirror Mirror on the Wall

First Aired November 13th, 2016.

Snow White/Mary Margaret (played by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming/David (played by Josh Dallas) adjust to life sharing the Sleeping Curse. They leave notes and gifts for the other as a way of communicating while one is asleep, but visibly struggle being apart.

Regina (played by Lana Parrilla) hatches a plan to trap the Evil Queen inside an enchanted mirror. She enlists Emma (played by Jennifer Morrison) and Henry (played by Jared Gilmore) as bait, who needs a distraction from relationship troubles. However, the Evil Queen anticipated Regina’s plan and replaces Regina’s mirror with a fake, trapping Emma and Regina in the mirror. The Evil Queen poses as Regina while Emma and Regina are unable to contact anyone outside the world of mirrors. Meanwhile, Belle (played by Emilie de Ravin) enlists Zelena/the Wicked Witch (played by Rebecca Mader) for help against Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold (played by Robert Carlyle). They ask Aladdin (played by Deniz Akdeniz) for help with stealing the Sorcerers wand to keep Gold from using the magical scissors on Belle’s baby. Hook (played by Colin O’Donoghue) finds Emma’s phone and realizes something is wrong, but the Evil Queen knocks him unconscious before he can do anything. But after the Evil Queen makes a remark Henry realizes who she really is and sets out to save Emma and Regina.

Mary Margaret and David’s situation is a difficult one; being so close but so far from each other. The montage of them attempting to make it work was great. Keeping this limited to only a few scenes was a smart choice as there was much more action in the episode, and there was only so much that could be milked from watching them pine for the other while they slept. This is the first time in years (maybe ever?) that Henry had a significant and relevant role in an episode’s storyline. Although it was incredulous that he kept going on about his trivial relationship problems while his mothers tried to explain their plan to capture the Evil Queen. Magic mirrors have been a big part of the show, it was interesting getting a peek at what’s on the other side. Zelena is a very unlikely ally for Belle, but at least she’s managed to continue holding her resolve in keeping her distance from Gold. Of the many times Belle has bounced back and forth in her relationship with Gold, this is a personal best in terms of how long she’s stayed strong.

Emma and Regina are surprised to find the Dragon (played by Tzi Ma) trapped months ago by the Evil Queen, and he reveals he found a way to escape, a broken mirror that can act as a portal. Henry confronts the Evil Queen who uses the Dragon’s heart to force him to turn into a dragon and attack Emma and Regina. She then gives Henry an enchanted hammer and tells him to smash the Dragon’s heart in order to save them. Instead, Henry smashes the mirror and, combined with the Dragon’s fire, frees everyone, Henry takes the Dragon’s heart back and the Queen is forced to flee. Meanwhile, Aladdin breaks into Gold’s shop and successfully steals the Sorcerer’s wand. He also steals a magic lamp to help Jasmine (played by Karen David) find Agrabah. Gold steals the wand back immediately and puts an enchanted wrist cuff to keep track of Belle, who furiously states he will never see their child. When he tries to hurt Zelena, however, it hurts him. When she healed his heart back in New York, it left them magically bonded.

The mission to save Agrabah slowly but surely continues, but it’s such an underdeveloped story it’s hard to care. Also, who else was really disappointed we didn’t get a cameo from Genie when Aladdin pulled out that lamp? So far the Evil Queen’s master plan of turning everyone against each other has only brought them closer together as a family and in their opposition to her. She keeps trying to get them to kill innocent people no matter how many times that plan fails. Side note: it’s frustrating this mirror prison which was inescapable had several ways out; we all know they’re going to escape—but don’t make it so easy. At this point it’s clear Gold just doesn’t care about how he comes off to Belle anymore, and since his unborn son already hates him he’s bent on forcing them to be with him. But a fun twist was seeing Zelena pull a fast one on Gold, it’s nice to see someone finally turn the tables on him for a change.

The Evil Queen goes to Gold. Gold proposes they work together in order to get what they want. But before they can celebrate, he reveals he needs her to kill Zelena, which leaves the Evil Queen visibly shocked. I could have sworn these two were already working together, but apparently it wasn’t official without a kiss. And the sisterly bonding between the Evil Queen and Zelena appears to be over; the Evil Queen has a past of killing family members to get what she wants.

Quotes/Thoughts

“Nice try, but you can’t Darth Vader me. I’ll never join you.”

If I were Emma and Regina, I would have spent more time spying on people through their mirrors. It seems like too good an opportunity to pass up.

“Love is weakness.” “Love can be weakness, but it can also be a weapon.”

If there’s one bright side to Mary Margaret and David’s situation, it’s they each always look well-rested.

If you enjoyed Manny’s review, you can find the rest of his work right HERE on Sci-Fi Bloggers. You can also follow him on Twitter @KN_Manny.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Friday Fiction: Snowfall In The Living Room
• “It Came From The Archives” Doctor Who Special Reviews: The Church on Ruby Road
• Review: Lucky Girl, How I Became A Horror Writer by M. Rickert
• Friday Fiction: Frozen Army
• Foundations: The 5 Best Artifact Cards