Spoiler Discussion: The apple was poisoned?!

[Souris]

The one shot I saw of Regina with it appears to have the hat box thing in front of her. So are the Nevengers going to try to rescue Blue and Crew?

 

I think you mean Regina. Regina will rescue them. The others are there simply to bask in the glory that is her powerful, radiant light magic. It's like Anna's Bliss on "V." For the other three people who watched that.

[retrograde]

I apparently get less annoyed by these interviews than others here, but this bugged me:

 

The Knave/Will (Michael Socha) was a character that was brought over from Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, but he didn't have a whole lot to do in the first half of the season. What can you tease about his arc going forward?
Kitsis: For us, Will was a new character on the show. He was coming from Wonderland. We wanted to slowly ease him into our world, so hopefully people would start saying, "Hey, what about him?" We're definitely going to get more of him in the second half.

Why even lie about this? It's quite clear that his storyline got pushed back when Frozen came in. That's fine. I think most viewers understand. Why pretend this was deliberate, though? When have they ever "slowly eased" a new character into the world otherwise? 

[KingOfHearts]

A&E must live in some fantasy world. They seem so out of touch. I understand trying to put positive spins on things, but being real and transparent with your audience is just as important. It seems arrogant to proclaim that you're "mistakes" were planned all along and that they're justified.

[Bluerang1]

So it's Merlin not Yen Sid then? I've wondered if Ursula had similar powers to Red. And yay Ariel! Glad they're not ignoring characters.

[retrograde]

If it is Merlin and that ultimately leads to Camelot or thereabouts in 5A, I will be more on board with this storyline. 

 

Who do we think are the non-Ariel characters they're allegedly bringing back from the past? 

[Curio]

Who do we think are the non-Ariel characters they're allegedly bringing back from the past?

Depending on when we see Ariel, she could be with Eric, too. It would be kind of funny if they needed to reach out to Ariel and Eric to ask them about how to defeat Ursula in the present day, and the first thing she does is slap Hook. And then we can finally get him to confess about what he did during the lost year to Emma.

 

If we ever find out who Hook traded the Jolly Roger to, they could also bring back Blackbeard.

[Serena]

I'm pretty sure they also said we'd see Aurora. I remember because they were like "YES AURORA - Mulan? I guess we like her but I don't know..." and it pissed me off.

[YaddaYadda]

If we ever find out who Hook traded the Jolly Roger to, they could also bring back Blackbeard.

 

I was like oh will Hook know anything about the Jolly Roger's whereabouts?  Will he find out about it from Anna and Kristoff?

 

That was so silly of me since Elsa didn't find out about Hans the Usurper until the day after.  The girl was always rambling, but that information wasn't vital enough.

[Rumsy4]

I was like oh will Hook know anything about the Jolly Roger's whereabouts? Will he find out about it from Anna and Kristoff?

That was so silly of me since Elsa didn't find out about Hans the Usurper until the day after. The girl was always rambling, but that information wasn't vital enough.

It was infuriating!! I tell ya--these characters are like characters in a video game. They don't have off-screen lives. And on-screen, they're too busy with plot.

[sharky]

I'm wondering about that scene with Regina and the hat box. I'm kind of hoping that perhaps that's where we get the extra heart payoff after they left us hanging in the finale. It would be a great place to bring Hook's heartless story in and have Emma finally have a discussion with him about it. I know that's reaching, but I'm trying to find something optimistic in this mess.

[YaddaYadda]

She has both the hat box and the dagger.  I'm guessing she's going to open it.  Actually, I've been wondering if those BTS that we saw of Belle with Hook and Emma heading into the library doesn't have to do with that and how to reverse the hat and free up the people who were sucked into it.  That library has all sorts of books that pop out of nowhere.  I'm sure Hook wants to reverse whatever bad he was forced to do.

 

Sharky, I'm not expecting any kind of discussion just because this show refuses to do them and that's really what I miss the most.  Season 1 we had these talks between Emma and Mary Margaret and Season 3, it was discussions between Emma and Hook (they did a little of that in S2 as well) and we had these moments where Emma is walking with David and they're having a talk about moments and it's all so nice because that's how it should be.  But it's not.

 

This is me throwing my hands up in the air and giving up on this show never ever not being plot driven.

[Curio]

I forget which interview it was from - so I can't direct quote it - but Adam & Eddy basically confirmed that all of 4B will primarily take place in Storybrooke, with only some jumps to other lands in the flashbacks. I don't know why, but this bugs me a lot. Storybrooke is getting boring and this will now be the third story arc in a row where a villain waltzes into town and the good guys have to stop them. Why can't we have some more portal travel to other lands? We have a freaking door now that can apparently just plop you anywhere, so it wouldn't even be a plot contrivance. (Speaking of that door, they should probably have a door guard watching that thing 24/7.) The Season 3 finale had so much more adventure and excitement because of the Enchanted Forest setting. Storybrooke can always be a home base for these people, but why not have more adventures to Wonderland, or Agrabah, or Camelot? I don't want flashbacks to these places, I want to see our "core characters" interact in realms they aren't used to. 

[Mari]

From a TVGuide.com article:

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Once-Upon-Time-Scoop-Cruella-1090932.aspx

One Belle is heartbroken. What's next for her?
Horowitz::  One of the things we loved about [the midseason finale] was that she finally got to stand up for herself. Belle is going to realize that she started out as
someone who wanted to be a hero and save the world. She met Rumple, and then she was immediately married. So I think Belle has a lot of exploration as an
individual to do first.

 

She met Rumple and was immediately married?  They knew each other about five years--without curse time--before they got married.  What is he talking about?

[retrograde]

I forget which interview it was from - so I can't direct quote it - but Adam & Eddy basically confirmed that all of 4B will primarily take place in Storybrooke, with only some jumps to other lands in the flashbacks. I don't know why, but this bugs me a lot. 

Agreed. I was really looking forward to at least some of the characters going off on an adventure somewhere. Even if just for a few episodes, or like in the 3B finale.

[YaddaYadda]

I'm assuming Regina will probably end up leaving with Emma to find Robin.  He's too dim to be able to find his way back to Storybrooke.

[shipperx]

Why is it assumed that Regina is right about the author? It seems to be classic set-up to me. Regina--Queen of the Blameshift--is convinced that someone is preventing her from having a happy ending. Rumple says he's going to take one but he's doing it the entirely wrong way. The trio believe that someone is preventing them from 'winning'... But why do we think that they are not all wrong? There is always a twist.

Emma and Hook changed the book when they went back in time. The text flowed the action not the other way. Remember the pages became blank once they changed things. The books Henry found were also blank. Destinies are very probably made, not fixed. You can change it and make your own. Yes the picture Regina has of her and Hood was possible, but she CHOSE a different path. No one forced her away from him. In fact Tink led her to him, but Regina took a different path. So the picture was a path not taken. It wasn't taken because of interference. It was a result of her actions. She closed that door out of fear and a desire to cling to anger and vengeance.

I expect shenanigans in 4b with Villains trying to manipulate things much as Rumple has been doing (which has landed him Belle-less in NYC) and villains may come out on top for a while. But heroes and villains are titles, they are actions and choices. There's constant griping about Regina-- who admittedly is a pathological blameshifter-- but her refusal to admit her culpability is the personality flaw/obstacle she must overcome. It is perhaps the emotional flaw that most facilitated her becoming a villain (good grief, she blameshifted onto a 10 year old). This is the flaw she must overcome... If she can. She has made changes on other scores. She has Henry in her life because she made changes in how she looks at him and in how she deals with Emma, so good things come out of better choices. But she's still blame shifting. I don't forsee the plot resulting in discovering the author penned her destiny for her. With all the Camelot references I halfway expect something along the lines of the end of Indiana Jones and the search for the Holy Grail where The knight tasks each seeker to 'choose wisely'. There are infinite futures, but only one past. The present is where you close the door to alternate possibilities because you must choose one. So for a better future-- choose wisely.

I'm not assuming that villains are operating on correct assumptions re the author. The book is magical in that it records. But it records the past. The pages/books are blank because the future has not been written yet. For Regina to overcome herself she must overcome her flaws (they all do. This isn't Regina specific). Regina must stop blame shifting. Rumple must stop manipulating everyone, callus to the consequences to everyone who is not him, hook needs to stop keeping secrets that leave him a way of being manipulated by others, Emma needs to focus on the here and now rather than avoiding vulnerability by focusing on action, etc.

One thing I don't believe is that the author is going to be this omnipotent force that Regina has convinced herself that he is. Just don't believe it. Nope.

[Shanna Marie]

Why is it assumed that Regina is right about the author?

Because it's this show, and Regina is always right. We see her as a pathological blame-shifter, but the writers don't seem to realize they're writing her that way. They see her as a true victim. And then just about everyone she's mentioned this idea about the author to has immediately endorsed it, even the people like Emma that we expect to have common sense. When Emma learned about it and instead of saying, "Regina, you moron, you write your own happy ending. The only stuff in the book is what actually happened. I saw that when we were in the past and the rest of the book became blank," she says it's an awesome idea and is on board with it, we knew that the show was actually saying Regina was right.

 

I would be overjoyed if they found the author and he told them they write their own endings, but I see no indication that they're heading that way, and their history doesn't make me optimistic.

[RadioGirl27]

All this quotes are from The Hollywood Reporter interview:
 

As you're looking at the second half of the season, what theme are you most excited to play out?
Kitsis: I would say that right now, the thing we're excited about is what makes a hero and what makes a villain. And what is a happy ending.

Is this something you think fans will be debating? Or, because we've known so many of these heroes for so long, do you expect fans to be biased toward the characters they've grown to love over the past few years?
Kitsis: I think fans will be much more biased because they're our fans. But I think we'll have some surprises in store because of some new information they didn't have.

So, by the end of this arc, Regina would be considered the only one worthy of being called a hero (there is nothing more heroic than rape and mass murder) and of having a happy ending, while all the other characters would be seen as a terrible villain who have done horrible things, like telling secrets and refuse Regina's lasagna.
 

In your minds, especially given her history with Regina, is Maleficent the most dangerous of these Queens of Darkness?
Kitsis: I would say she is probably the most dangerous. But what Regina did to her is secondary to what someone else did to her. And that we're going to explain pretty quickly. And it will be, probably, someone you didn't expect.

See, Regina had Maleficent trapped in Storybrooke in dragon form for almost 30 years, but someone else (probably Snow or Charming) did something worse to her.

Edited December 16, 2014 by RadioGirl27

[sharky]

Agreed. I was really looking forward to at least some of the characters going off on an adventure somewhere. Even if just for a few episodes, or like in the 3B finale.

I'm actually glad they're doing it this way. We've seen what happens when they leave town -- lots of plot plot plot. Perhaps we need a little bit of calm to actually maybe develop the characters.

[Crimson Belle]

Snow probably stepped on her foot in the town market. Screw these fools that write this show.

Edited December 16, 2014 by Crimson Belle

[YaddaYadda]

When Emma learned about it and instead of saying, "Regina, you moron, you write your own happy ending. The only stuff in the book is what actually happened. I saw that when we were in the past and the rest of the book became blank," she says it's an awesome idea and is on board with it, we knew that the show was actually saying Regina was right.

 

Replying in Thread for All Seasons

[Curio]

I'm actually glad they're doing it this way. We've seen what happens when they leave town -- lots of plot plot plot. Perhaps we need a little bit of calm to actually maybe develop the characters.

 

Isn't it plot plot plot even when they're in Storybrooke? ;) It doesn't matter what the location is, it's always going to be plot > characterization with these writers. There will never be a point where they can calm down and develop the characters. So I say at least have the plot/action happen in places that are new and exciting and unpredictable.

 

Edit: Also, forgot to mention earlier -- I really really hope that if everyone in Storybrooke jumps on board "Operation Mongoose" like Adam & Eddy seem to be teasing, that at least Hook puts his foot down and disagrees to the plan. The guy has been working hard to change his destiny by himself, so you'd think this whole Operation Why-Is-This-A-Real-Plot would be insulting to his hard work. If there's going to be some kind of drama between him and Emma, I'd rather it be something like him being against the plan and her being for it instead of some contrived angst via a cursed body part plot again. If we're going to be subjected to this stupid predestination stuff, can I please get one character who can say: "What the hell is wrong with all of you?! You make your own damn life choices. Bloody hell!"

 

Oh, and calling it now: since we now know the author is going to be a real person, dollars to donuts the villains end up capturing him and forcing him to write happy endings for them.

Edited December 16, 2014 by Curio

[Bluerang1]

Finally watched Maleficent, a very Once type story right down to the resolution. Also watched Sleeping Beauty because of the Disney princess movies it's the one I'm most unfamiliar with. I feel like it was on but I never paid attention when I was younger so it was all fresh info to me now.

 

Also where did it say Aurora's mother was the original Sleeping Beauty in Once? I know people were speculating someone (EM maybe) to be the orignal Sleeping Beauty/Aurora's mother so I was wondering were this thought came from. I guess I don't remember the scene this was mentioned.

 

I'm looking forward to King Stefan then, as well as the three good fairies making an appearance. Also an explanation as to "The Original Sleeping Beauty" whom I'm guessing will be called Briar Rose, or just Rose.

 

I was thinking that the King they were casting is Stefan but it's for the same episode as the African American princess right? So it's probably just Trident then.

[legaleagle53]

Finally watched Maleficent, a very Once type story right down to the resolution. Also watched Sleeping Beauty because of the Disney princess movies it's the one I'm most unfamiliar with. I feel like it was on but I never paid attention when I was younger so it was all fresh info to me now.

 

Also where did it say Aurora's mother was the original Sleeping Beauty in Once? I know people were speculating someone (EM maybe) to be the orignal Sleeping Beauty/Aurora's mother so I was wondering were this thought came from. I guess I don't remember the scene this was mentioned.

 

I'm looking forward to King Stefan then, as well as the three good fairies making an appearance. Also an explanation as to "The Original Sleeping Beauty" whom I'm guessing will be called Briar Rose, or just Rose.

 

I was thinking that the King they were casting is Stefan but it's for the same episode as the African American princess right? So it's probably just Trident then.

 

If I remember correctly, "Broken" (the episode that introduced Aurora, Phillip, and Mulan) was the episode in which it was stated that Aurora's mother was the original Sleeping Beauty.  Evidently Maleficent can hold a grudge even longer than Regina can!

[SilverShadow]

Also where did it say Aurora's mother was the original Sleeping Beauty in Once? I know people were speculating someone (EM maybe) to be the orignal Sleeping Beauty/Aurora's mother so I was wondering were this thought came from. I guess I don't remember the scene this was mentioned.

 

Two things. In 1X02 Regina said that Maleficient was about Snow's age when "that little sleeping beauty" got the better of her. Then in 2X01 when they did Sleeping Beauty concurrently they had Aurora say Maleficient first came for her mother and then for her, to prevent a contradiction.

[KingOfHearts]

 

Two things. In 1X02 Regina said that Maleficient was about Snow's age when "that little sleeping beauty" got the better of her. Then in 2X01 when they did Sleeping Beauty concurrently they had Aurora say Maleficient first came for her mother and then for her, to prevent a contradiction.

iirc, in Disney's Sleeping Beauty, Aurora's mother is actually named Aurora as well.

 

 

 

In your minds, especially given her history with Regina, is Maleficent the most dangerous of these Queens of Darkness?

Kitsis: I would say she is probably the most dangerous. But what Regina did to her is secondary to what someone else did to her. And that we're going to explain pretty quickly. And it will be, probably, someone you didn't expect.

 

Maleficent is more than likely going to be the Black Fairy. Since Blue exiled her, I have a hunch the conflict between them was much bigger than Blue and Tinkerbell's. Even in the Sleeping Beauty tale, Maleficent had this huge beef with the rest of the fairies and only cursed Aurora because the other fairies didn't invite her to the party. I believe we found a match for Regina's pettiness. 

Edited December 16, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[DeLurker]

I'm not a Belle fan, but I actually liked her with Ariel when they were doing the Neverland stuff.  I'd be in favor of more Belle-Ariel.

[buildmeupbuttercup]

Edit: Also, forgot to mention earlier -- I really really hope that if everyone in Storybrooke jumps on board "Operation Mongoose" like Adam & Eddy seem to be teasing, that at least Hook puts his foot down and disagrees to the plan. The guy has been working hard to change his destiny by himself, so you'd think this whole Operation Why-Is-This-A-Real-Plot would be insulting to his hard work. If there's going to be some kind of drama between him and Emma, I'd rather it be something like him being against the plan and her being for it instead of some contrived angst via a cursed body part plot again. If we're going to be subjected to this stupid predestination stuff, can I please get one character who can say: "What the hell is wrong with all of you?! You make your own damn life choices. Bloody hell!"

A-freaking-MEN. Hook and a hopefully snarky author/Sorcerer who repeats the same "you make your own damn luck/ending" are the only slim hope I have left that this show's founding premise since the pilot (from Henry's "They're not fairy tales. They're true. Every story in this book actually happened." on through the 3B finale when the book went blank when Emma and Hook messed with the timeline) won't be utterly decimated by the end of 4B. To completely rewrite such a pivotal piece of the show's foundation ("nah Regina didn't assassinate an entire village the author just said she assassinated an entire village") is such a cheap and lazy copout instead of actually taking the time and making Woegina redeemable. Also, what was the point of her "sorry not sorry" shit with Pan and Neverland if this is all a "I'm not bad I'm just drawn that way" in the end? The sad part is they are capable of redeeming villains (Hook and DQ) which is why I continue to be baffled by how poorly they have bumbled Woegina's redemption, seeing as it should be the most important one for them.

 

Also, every interview A&E have given the last couple days played the "evil isn't born it's made" card and "you will be surprised/won't believe who screwed them over and made them evil" shit with all three Queens of Darkness. That and the whole "we're going to examine what make a hero and what makes a villain" has me worried they may actually do more damage in 4B ("See what we did here? The 'heroes' are actually the villains who caused all the pain and our 'villains' are actually the victims. See what we did??? You don't know these fairy tales at all!") than they did in 2B, which I never in a million years believed would be possible.

[Guest]

Oh, and calling it now: since we now know the author is going to be a real person, dollars to donuts the villains end up capturing him and forcing him to write happy endings for them.

 

Since we've seen an alternate page for Regina's story I think we may get a couple parallel universe episodes.  Something along the lines of them (Rumpel, Regina)making a different choice in a fairyback, the one they think will be their happy ending, and then seeing it play out no happier because their subsequent choices ruin the happiness.  As someone mentioned, Regina going to meet Robin while married to the King was not going to work out well.

[Serena]

If we get another "CS go on an adventure in the finale" kind of deal in the last two episodes, where they go to this "alternative universe" where villains get happy endings and they must fix shit, I may overlook the pure crap of the "Snow and Charming screwed over the Queens of Lameness, have been secretly evil all along" plot that is sure to come.

[KingOfHearts]

 

If we get another "CS go on an adventure in the finale" kind of deal in the last two episodes, where they go to this "alternative universe" where villains get happy endings and they must fix shit, I may overlook the pure crap of the "Snow and Charming screwed over the Queens of Lameness, have been secretly evil all along" plot that is sure to come.

Throw Regina in there too so she can see how absurd it truly is. Make her powerless, al a peasant shapeshift in 2x20.

Edited December 17, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[YaddaYadda]

Let's keep Regina away from CS.  It's enough that Emma is about to be mongoosed.  The only reason I'd want her to ever have one scene with them is so that she can see what a villain who turned his life around looks like.

[KingOfHearts]

 

Let's keep Regina away from CS.  It's enough that Emma is about to be mongoosed.  The only reason I'd want her to ever have one scene with them is so that she can see what a villain who turned his life around looks like.

She doesn't have to be with CS the whole time. They can get separated after they go through the portal, like Regina gets arrested by Zelena's guards or something. They could have separate storylines.

Edited December 17, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Minneapple]

So what's worse than keeping Maleficent trapped for 30 years that Snow and/or Charming did to her? Give her decaf when she wanted regular coffee?

 

I imagine the writers think they're being clever and meta with this whole Operation Stupid plot. Regina's not evil, we just wrote her that way! The Author will be an avatar for the writers or something stupid like that. It's going to make my head hurt. It's already making my head hurt.  

[Curio]

Since we've seen an alternate page for Regina's story I think we may get a couple parallel universe episodes. Something along the lines of them (Rumpel, Regina)making a different choice in a fairyback, the one they think will be their happy ending, and then seeing it play out no happier because their subsequent choices ruin the happiness. As someone mentioned, Regina going to meet Robin while married to the King was not going to work out well.

 

You have no idea how much I've been wanting a parallel universe episode on this show. Sure, it'd feel pretty similar to the Season 3 finale, but I've always wanted to see the "what if" situation where Emma never left the Enchanted Forest and got to grow up as a princess in the castle with Charming and Snow. Even if it was just for an episode. If Regina could somehow force the author to make that ripped up page of her and Robin from the story book come true, that could actually make the princess scenario work. But then of course everyone would be like oh no but Henry doesn't exist in this timeline! and I'd just be sitting over here thinking and this is a bad thing... why?

 

I'd laugh if the author only had the power to re-write one person's happy ending, so all the villains end up turning on each other and killing one another to be the last person standing. If that were the case, the heroes wouldn't even need to lift a finger to defeat them. All they'd have to do is annoyingly remind the villains that only one of them can get a happy ending, so which one will it be?

[Mathius]

I'm actually glad they're doing it this way. We've seen what happens when they leave town -- lots of plot plot plot.

Except that not only is their plot plot plot IN town as well, but I think there was actually significantly LESS of it and more character stuff when they left the town, so you're incorrect.

Edited December 17, 2014 by Mathius

[snarkastic]

We see Regina with the dagger in the promo, right? So how much do you want to bet she's only trying to un-hat everyone to interrogate the Sorcerer's Apprentice on how she can get her happy ending from The Pretentious Author.

 

Also, filming pics showed all of Rumple and his Angels back in Storybrooke for 4.12, right? But Rumpel has to go find the other 2 at this point still, so might there be even another mini-time jump? Like, it can't still be 6 weeks later when he's gotten 2 more Angels, travelled to town, and figured out how to get back in, right. At least another week or 2.

Edited December 17, 2014 by snarkastic

[OnceUponAJen]

It'll be sort of a "It's a Wonderful Life" where we get to see what would actually happen if the villians had done things they thought would lead to their happy ending. A do over! But, it will end up all screwed up (all sorts of unintended consequences) and maybe Regina will finally realize that she did have a pretty good ending to begin with.

[The Cake is a Pie]

Maleficent is still under the library, so Rumple and Ursula only have to find Cruella. Who is getting a collection ready for Fashion Week, right?

[retrograde]

TVGuide:

Now that Rumplestiltskin has joined forces with the Queens of Darkness on Once Upon a Time, how will they invade Storybrooke to find The Author? — Erin
"That's something that will be addressed pretty quickly," executive producer Adam Horowitz tells TVGuide.com. "It's going to require some guile on all of their parts." And just as Regina had a history with Maleficent, we'll discover that other Storybrooke residents have had run-ins with the Queens in the past. "Snow and Charming had a very interesting period of time with the Queens of Darkness," executive producer Edward Kitsis adds. "As we always learn on the show, the past will come back to haunt you, and that is no different for Snow and Charming."

 

[Emma]

This arc sounds like shit. The more I read the more I drink.

I've given up on anything good happening to the characters I care about. I'm in for Cruella and her snarky ways. Let her rip darling.

[Rumsy4]

It definitely looks like they're going to crap on Snow and Charming to make Regina look better.

[Souris]

Of course they are. They crap on EVERYBODY to make Regina look better.

[KingOfHearts]

They really should have went for more of a game changer for 4B. The Queens of Darkness really aren't going to pull this show out of the water. The lack of change in the format is going to dip the ratings quite a bit. There's really nothing to get excited about, especially for shippers. The QoD should be the side dish, not the main course. We didn't get much to munch on with our core characters at all in 4x11.

These spoilers just make it worse for me. They're boring as all get out. Who cares if Storybrooke gets invaded? All we need is a gauntlet or a message in the bottle and we're back drinking at Granny's.

Edited December 17, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Guest]

It'll be sort of a "It's a Wonderful Life" where we get to see what would actually happen if the villians had done things they thought would lead to their happy ending. A do over! But, it will end up all screwed up (all sorts of unintended consequences) and maybe Regina will finally realize that she did have a pretty good ending to begin with.

 

If they do something like this, I think there is a good chance that Regina meets Robin at the pub and still does the curse but kills Robin to do it instead of her father because Snow was such a rotten stepchild that it ruined her marriage to Snow's father and she lost her position as Queen.

Edited December 17, 2014 by ParadoxLost

[kili]

If they do something like this, I think there is a good chance that Regina meets Robin at the pub and still does the curse but kills Robin to do it instead of her father because Snow was such a rotten stepchild that it ruined her marriage to Snow's father and she lost her position as Queen.

 

Yep. Snow was not only responsible for Daniel's death, but her and her father's clique of two drove Regina to that bar. If Robin's story about how Marian made him the honorable man he is today was just not put in there to make Robin be more of a douche, then Snow is responsible for driving Regina into the arms of a drunken, ne'er-do-well. She probably ends up in one of Snow's prisons for a crime Robin committed. Maybe Snow will be married to James since he probably deserves a happy ending too.

 

They could actually have lot of fun with the "It's a Wonderful Life" type of story. My biggest issue, though, is that it will probably try to give the audience the same lesson as the movie...namely that the world is a better place because Regina did the things she did. If she hadn't sacrificed herself by being evil, the world would be a much worse place than it is now. George Bailey sacrificed almost all his hopes and dreams for others, but was rewarded with a family and a town that loved and respected him. The town would really have been much worse if not for him. Regina sacrificed others for a ridiculous revenge scheme against the wrong person and has ended up with many people who love her and a town that at least tolerates her. Nobody needs to be taught to be thankful for what she did.

 

That would be like texting while driving, running somebody over, leaving them to die in the street and the victim being gushingly thankful to driver because the surgeons found early symptoms of cancer while they were trying to re-attach the victim's leg (and failing). Sure, the accident may have ultimately saved the victim's life, but the driver does not deserve praise.

[Rumsy4]

They could actually have lot of fun with the "It's a Wonderful Life" type of story. My biggest issue, though, is that it will probably try to give the audience the same lesson as the movie...namely that the world is a better place because Regina did the things she did. If she hadn't sacrificed herself by being evil, the world would be a much worse place than it is now.

That's what I'm afraid of. It would be okay if the life of the good guys was the same (different villains playing the same roles as before), but only the lives of some people changed. For example, Regina would see that being poor and married to Daniel would not have cut it. Cora would swoop in and kill Daniel anyway, and this time, she could not blame it on Snow. Running away with a never-do-well Robin Hood would not have stopped Rumple from manipulating her, etcetera. Then she would realize that she would never have Henry this way, and would come begging to Snow to help her put the timeline right. ;-)

[shipperx]

Since we've seen an alternate page for Regina's story I think we may get a couple parallel universe episodes. Something along the lines of them (Rumpel, Regina)making a different choice in a fairyback, the one they think will be their happy ending, and then seeing it play out no happier because their subsequent choices ruin the happiness.

A Buffy-esque "The Wish" episode or two could be fun. I hope they do that. And I remain fixed on the idea that the author doesn't do what Regina thinks he/she does. But I could enjoy a multiverse plot about there being an alternate verse where a different choice was made. Science Fiction is full of those from Buffy's The Wish to Fringe's red, green, and orange 'verses. But it's still free will determined by what choices you make. I'll believe that unless definitively proved otherwise (and I'd probably still believe it even then)

Edited December 17, 2014 by shipperx

[retrograde]

TVLine addresses the very important question of the fairies and their future http://tvline.com/2014/12/17/arrow-season-3-spoilers-sara-canary-returns/

People have said that the whole Hook blackmail storyline was pointless, but I don't think it necessarily was. He is the only other person who knows about the hat and how it works, and I assume that will continue to be of importance in 4b.

[YaddaYadda]

I'm thinking the trip at the library is them researching how they can free the people Hook imprisoned in the hat.  There's no other reason for Hook to be going there with both Belle and Emma.  It makes sense that it would take time for them to be able to release the fairies since the hat is an artifact that has existed for so long.  

 

I'm not even sure why the Sorcerer would create something that doesn't distinguish between good and evil.  I know Blue is especially shady, but sheesh!  Maybe during that ridiculous Operation Mongoose, they'll find out that the book doesn't distinguish between good and evil.  Maybe the book mirrors the hat in that sense.