Magic, Enchantments, and Curses: Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo

[KingOfHearts]

I don't know if its that magic has a "price", but it seems like the "price" is just the consequences of the action. The show has been very loose on this subject, especially in S3. To say it has a specific price is assuming that some supernatural force such as fate gives some sort of irony or comeuppance as it sees fit to the magic user. The writers seem to just pull it out of a hat whenever they need it, and keep it non-existent when they don't. 

Edited July 12, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

For fairy dust, maybe the price is if you use it for one thing, you won't be able to use it for something else... the limited quantity of it gives it a steep "price".  The fairies' magic also has a whole bunch of conditions attached too.  Like I can turn you into a real boy but you must remain selfless, brave and true, after which it will reverse.  Or fairy magic can cancel something out but nothing more (eg. turning Snow back into a human).

Edited July 12, 2014 by Camera One

[Shanna Marie]

Something just struck me: the magic tree wardrobe (hee, the reverse of Narnia, going to a non-magical land in a wardrobe) brought Pinocchio and Emma through to our world without magic before the curse hit. Does that mean that it could have transported someone to our world at any time (and thus yet another portal fail by Rumple, who surely could have found a magic tree within a few hundred years), or was it still somehow propelled by the curse, with the advance waves of the curse pushing it to our world ahead of the curse? I guess Snow didn't jump in and go even before the curse while she was still pregnant because Geppetto was still finishing it up to the last second, but I do wonder why Rumple didn't seem to be looking for magic trees unless the tree needed the curse to send it to the right place.

[KingOfHearts]

or was it still somehow propelled by the curse, with the advance waves of the curse pushing it to our world ahead of the curse?

 

 

I believe the Blue Fairy said it could ward off any curse, so it would seem the wardrobe didn't actually transport them, but it just stopped them from being affected by the curse. However, Pinocchio and Emma came to the Land Without Magic before the curse reached Snow, so it did actually transport them after all.

 

It was the "last tree", so maybe Blue saved it and hid it for a rainy day, keeping it from Rumple.

Edited July 16, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[stealinghome]

Nah, with Rumpel's batting average, he sat idly by for 300 years while a massive forest of magic trees sat in the middle of the Enchanted Forest. You know, right next to the GIANT BEANSTALK.

[Shanna Marie]

It was the "last tree", so maybe Blue saved it and hid it for a rainy day, keeping it from Rumple.

Yeah, like that "last bean" of Blue's.

 

I wonder if there's any link between the enchanted wood of the tree and the enchanted wood that makes up the Jolly Roger. I believe Hook said the Jolly Roger can't travel between realms on its own, but could any ordinary ship do the Pegasus sail or magic bean realm jumping, or is that unique to the ship made of magical wood?

[KingOfHearts]

 

Maybe they just experienced the same day over and over again, until she got there?

 

But Emma wasn't the Savior. I'm still confused because the only way the "Savior clause" was built into the curse the first time was because of the True Love potion. If Emma wasn't the Savior, then they didn't do that with this curse. If Regina was able to break it, couldn't anyone have just TLK'd?

Edited July 24, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

If Regina was able to break it, couldn't anyone have just TLK'd?

 

I think Regina just broke the memory loss addendum that Zelena added to it.  Maybe that ingredient is equivalent to breaking a sleeping curse.

 

But wait a minute... since Henry made Regina and everyone else remember, maybe Regina didn't break the Curse, but Henry did.  We've been focusing on the wrong person all along.  HENRY has powerful magic inside of him, not The Regina.  He somehow passed some White Magic onto her, with that kiss.  Maybe it had nothing to do with Regina at all and she was just a vessel.

Edited July 24, 2014 by Camera One

[stealinghome]

@Camera One, no lie, that's totally my fanwank. That it was actually Henry who broke the curse, because he has Emma (the Original Recipe Savior's) blood in him, so his True Love's Kiss was what did it!

[patchwork]

I could forgive the Show for a lot if they went with Henry projecting his magic into Regina. We make fun of Henry having the heart of the truest believer but they could make it something interesting if they wanted to. 

Edited July 24, 2014 by patchwork

[KingOfHearts]

So if Emma expels magic (like the electrical charges), is the Land Without Magic still without magic? Emma, Monkey Boy, portals, the Shadow and the Dragon all used magic there.

Is it possible there is magic, but it just works differently?

[Camera One]

I assume Land Without Magic means there is no inherent magic.  But magical beings from other lands (eg. Emma, Flying Monkeys, the Shadow and the Dragon) might be able to use their magic.

 

One exception would be Rumple, who couldn't use his magic in NYC.  Anyone else?  

[FabulousTater]

So if Emma expels magic (like the electrical charges), is the Land Without Magic still without magic? Emma, Monkey Boy, portals, the Shadow and the Dragon all used magic there.

Is it possible there is magic, but it just works differently?

No, there's no magic in this world...at least for now (retcon and these writers being what they are, so...). This world, The Land Without Magic, has no naturally occurring magic. Even if a person or thing with innate magic is able to harness their own personal magic it doesn't mean magic is suddenly just floating around this world. They're just using their own magic power, like a battery, to do magical things in this world, even though this world remains magic-less. 

 

My understanding, from the way the writers have explained it, is that Emma doesn't expel magic in the form of electrical discharges, so much as her magic affects electrical things in the Land Without Magic. Therefore, the effect of her accessing magic (even when she doesn't know she's accessing her magic) in our world/The Land Without Magic is sometimes translated on-screen as electrical discharges.

 

ETA: My best guess if you were trying to translate this into real world physics (welcome to my nerd world) is that when Emma taps into her magic (knowingly or unknowingly) her magic produces an electro-magnetic field which causes energy fluctuations in electrical grids that are sensitive and aren't necessarily shielded for such extraordinary power spikes and hence they fritz. Sort of like how the energy from a solar flare/coronal mass ejections can/could make it through the earth's atmosphere and fry electrical equipment. 

Edited August 1, 2014 by FabulousTater

[KingOfHearts]

The Dragon and the Shadow were able to use magic on their own at will though.

[Camera One]

The magic is coming from inside of them, either from a stored source from the magical world they left (like a battery as in FabulousTater's analogy), or their living cells can create magic since they originated from lands with magic.  They've learned how to control it and use it.

 

My understanding, from the way the writers have explained it, is that Emma doesn't expel magic in the form of electrical discharges, so much as her magic affects electrical things in the Land Without Magic.

 

I like that interpretation.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Camera One

[FabulousTater]

The Dragon and the Shadow were able to use magic on their own at will though.

Right, because they are innately magical creatures. That is, they carry magic within them, hence they can do magic even when in a land without magic.

 

Rumpel and Regina learned to use magic, to harness the magic in the land around them (Rumpel by way of a curse) but they are not innately magical. Emma on the other hand is innately magical, she carries magic within her -- it's in her DNA. That's the differentiation (according to the writers). 

[KingOfHearts]

But isn't Rumple innately magical because he's the Dark One? The show has said he gets his power from the dagger.

If Regina brought the spellbook with her, could she use magic anywhere? The spells come directly from the pages, and magical items have been shown to work.

Edited August 1, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[FabulousTater]

But isn't Rumple innately magical because he's the Dark One? The show has said he gets his power from the dagger.

But the dagger gets it's power from the magic in the world around it. That's why Blue wanted to send Rumple to a Land Without Magic. Because the dagger, in a land without magic, was useless. The dagger never worked in Storybrooke to control Rumpel until Rumpel brought magic back to Storybrooke after Emma broke the curse. But outside of the bounds of the magic bubble of Storybrooke, in the actual Land Without Magic where there is no magic and the dagger has no magic to harness (it's just an ordinary dagger at that point and has no power), Rumpel is powerless/without magic.

 

Basically: Land Without Magic = Dagger with no access to Magic = Powerless Dagger = Powerless Rumple.

Edited August 1, 2014 by FabulousTater

[stealinghome]

Yes--my understanding, from the way the show has portrayed it, is that magical beings who are innately magical can still do magic in our world, but beings who have learned to use magic (ie have no innate magic themselves) need an inherently magical object--Daniel's ring, a spellbook--to power them before they can use magic in our world. So our world is a Land Without (Innate) Magic, but innately magical beings (or objects) can still access their innate magic here, and magic brought in from elsewhere will work. It's like innately magical beings--Emma, the Dragon--have their own batteries, but magic-users who have no inherent magic (Rumpel, Regina) need a battery before their magic will work.

 

If you think about it, the idea that our world is inhospitable to magic is contradicted in the premise of the show, where the curse could somehow work in the Land Without Magic.

 

But isn't Rumple innately magical because he's the Dark One? The show has said he gets his power from the dagger.

If he gets his power from an outside source, though, by definition he's not innately magical. The dagger isn't really all that different from the spellbook Regina snorted in 2x02. (Also what @FabulousTater said.)

[KingOfHearts]

Oh yes, I forgot about that.

I really hate this magic setup. The writers can pull the "they're innately magical" card out of their hat whenever they want. It's not very consistent at all. It's not explained, either.

They could say, "Well Zelena has magic in her, so she gets it within", then she can go terrorize NY is she wants to.

It's not like most shows where magic requires objects or potions. I don't think I've ever seen a show where you could conjure magic from thin air.

I'd also like to point out that Emma used light magic to TLK Henry. Where did she get it?

Edited August 1, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

I really hate this magic setup. The writers can pull the "they're innately magical" card out of their hat whenever they want.

 

If they made rules and stuck with them, that's fine.  It's a fantasy show and there will always need to be fine distinctions. What really bugs me is when they suddenly write a tweak into something just because it's convenient, but it completely causes problems for something they themselves wrote in a previous season.  

 

Like Zelena getting Regina's heart, but nope, Regina can't be controlled since she put a spell on it, which makes you wonder in hindsight why Cora didn't do it, and actually affirms that Snow really had no choice yet they continued to shame her in "Bleeding Through".  Or Regina being able to put a spell to stop someone from taking Henry's heart, which makes it not as special that Cora couldn't take Emma's heart, and also makes you wonder why Regina thought Hook could even rip Cora's heart out in the first place.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Camera One

[FabulousTater]

I really hate this magic setup. The writers can pull the "they're innately magical" card out of their hat whenever they want. It's not very consistent at all. It's not explained, either.

Yes, I agree their rules for magic (and world building in general) are pretty crap. And even the "binding" rules that they've established (you can't make anyone fall in love, you can't bring back the dead, you can change the past) they've completely broken! At this point their rules are like the Pirates Code from Pirates of the Carribbean; that is to say, "They're more like guidelines, really".

 

ETA:

I'd also like to point out that Emma used light magic to TLK Henry. Where did she get it?

Well, again, Emma is innately magical. She's got a self-recharging internal magic source (magic battery). So she doesn't need a magic grid (a land that has magic like the Enchanted Forest) to do magic. Regina and Rumpel need the magical grid (they need to be in a land WITH magic to do magic) because they don't have internal magical batteries.

 

So in theory if Storybrooke 2.0 had no magic, Regina wouldn't have been able to TLK Henry his memories back and break Dark Curse 2.0. Emma would've needed to do it because she would've been the only one with magic. Which begs the question, how was there magic in Storybrooke 2.0? I guess we're supposed to assume Regina added that in the secret sauce when she made the Dark Curse 2.0 batch for Snow...

Edited August 1, 2014 by FabulousTater

[KingOfHearts]

If all you need to break the laws of magic is innocence, courage, brains and a heart, couldn't they just resurrect the dead any time?

It was a time travel spell, but it represented the four witches, who could break the laws of magic if they combined their magic. It seems really easy to do that now.

Wonderland devoted its entire series to breaking the laws, so I was fine with it. But Once just pulled it out of thin air for a finale adventure.

FabulousTater, the writers said Emma can't use magic in the Land Without Magic.

Edited August 1, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

If all you need to break the laws of magic is innocence, courage, brains and a heart, couldn't they just resurrect the dead any time?

 

Plus they didn't even bother trying to give any details.  Why didn't Aurora and Philip's baby qualify?  Why Snow and Charming's baby?  Whose brain would qualify?  Was it just Rumple's?  Why did she need Regina's real heart, but she didn't need Rumple's real brain?  If Regina made chocolate kisses for Henry who she loves, would that count as a heart?  And why a "resilient"heart?  What did Zelena use to determine whose heart is suitable and whose brain is suitable?  Don't even get me started on courage.  

Edited August 1, 2014 by Camera One

[FabulousTater]

FabulousTater, the writers said Emma can't use magic in the Land Without Magic.

??? Is that from a recent interview? Well, that's baffling because I've read interviews and I've heard them say Emma has magic outside of Storybrooke, meaning she has magic in the Land without Magic. But, it's never been established that Emma has actually used magic outside of Storybrooke. We've never seen Emma use any magic in the Land Without Magic outside of the electrical discharges in 3x01 where they said that was Emma's magic fritzing the electronics. 

 

I'll have to dig around the internet to find the interviews but I'm sure I just didn't make that up..

Edited August 1, 2014 by FabulousTater

[KingOfHearts]

I would have a lot of digging to find it, but it was a lightning round interview before 3B. Someone asked if Emma had been using magic in NY, and they said she can't because it's in the Land Without Magic.

[FabulousTater]

I would have a lot of digging to find it, but it was a lightning round interview before 3B. Someone asked if Emma had been using magic in NY, and they said she can't because it's in the Land Without Magic.

Hmm, well not having seen/heard that interview, I'd say off the bat (if that's what they said) they are contradicting what they've said previously. Which is in no way shocking... I am totally unsurprised.

 

(Though Emma wouldn't be using magic during her year NYC anyway because she didn't remember having magic and didn't even know magic existed, so...)

 

ETA:

And if they stick with that notion (I'm gonna just call it a retcon ;) ) it also blows everyone's theories over in the Spoilers thread that Emma accidentally did magic as a kid completely out of the water.

Edited August 1, 2014 by FabulousTater

[Camera One]

It's the magic of making it up as you go along.

[FabulousTater]

Yes, that's the real magic isn't it. The Art of the Magical Bullshit.

Edited August 1, 2014 by FabulousTater

[Jean]

Emma being born with magic and able to do magic in land of no magic is the premise of the curse getting broken and why Rumple pegged her as his curse breaker in the first place. Rumple wanted to do 2 things with the curse, reunite with Bae and bring magic to the land of no magic. Technically her magic (or Snow and Charming's true love rather) is powering all the magic in Storybrook. It was Snow and Charming's true love potion that brought magic to this land and she's the living and walking version of the potion. If she can't do magic in lamd of no magic, then technically the potion shouldn't have been able to "transport" magic to this land either.

And if its wired into her DNA why would it fritz out? It didn't for the dragon. Its one of the things they've written that actually makes sense. I think the reason they differentiated the being born magical and not is to set up the premise of the show/S1. After that it's been a free for all.

[FabulousTater]

Emma being born with magic and able to do magic in land of no magic is the premise of the curse getting broken and why Rumple pegged her as his curse breaker in the first place.

Except, Rumpel didn't know Emma had magic. When Emma confronted Rumpel and told him in season 2 (after she returned from the Enchanted Forest) that she had magic he was surprised. Rumpel didn't know.

This is from a TVGuide interview with Adam and Eddie:

 

[TVGuide:] He looked at Emma like he looked at Regina before she knew how to harness her magic. Was that on purpose?

Kitsis: Yes. His wheels were spinning there. He realized that Emma has magic at the end of Episode 9 and he tests her in this episode. When it holds true, I think he thinks, "Ahhh!" It's like looking at someone with whole new eyes.

My understanding, based on what Rumple said in 1x22, is that Rumple made Emma the Curse 1.0 breaker by splashing some of the True Love potion on the Dark Curse 1.0 parchment. So Emma didn't have to have magic to break Curse 1.0, it's just that she was an extension of that True Love potion which was a safety valve built into Dark Curse 1.0. That Emma had magic is not something Rumple foresaw or knew about.

 

Though with all that said, I don't get how this makes sense in terms of Curse 2.0. Like if there was no True Love potion splashed on the second curse (AFAIK) how was Emma supposed to break it? Just because Emma had magic or because Emma specifically has True Love magic? But if that's the case (True Love magic can break any curse, even Dark Curse 2.0) then it wasn't necessary for Rumple to splash any True Love potion on the Dark Curse 1.0 parchment because Emma could've broken it anyway. So Rumple even saying that line in 1x22 is moot...or I guess shows how many holes there are in Rumple's knowledge banks.

 

JFC, I need to stop thinking about this and trying to get it to make sense...It's like trying to make sense of baby babble. Gibberish is gibberish no matter how long you listen to it.

 

ETA: On further (and FINAL) thought I think I'm just going with Rumple is not as smart or as all knowing as he was made out to be. Rumple knew he needed a curse to get to the Land Without Magic and he knew he needed someone to break said curse. Since he didn't know Emma would be born with magic, Rumple connects Emma to the Dark Curse 1.0 via the True Love potion sprinkled on the parchment. BUT, had Rumple known that Emma had magic (which he didn't) he would've never needed to splash True Love potion on the Dark Curse 1.0 parchment because Emma could've broken it anyway because she's innately magical. And hence Dark Curse 2.0 didn't need to be sprinkled with True Love potion to be broken.

 

(No one ask how two memory-less people (Regina and Henry) were able to break the Dark Curse 2.0. That one flies in the face of things the show has repeatedly established.)

Edited August 1, 2014 by FabulousTater

[stealinghome]

My understanding, based on what Rumple said in 1x22, is that Rumple made Emma the Curse 1.0 breaker by splashing some of the True Love potion on the Dark Curse 1.0 parchment. My interpretation is that Emma didn't have to have magic, it's just that she was an extension of that True Love potion which was a safety valve built into the curse.

That's my understanding as well. I don't think Emma's magic had anything to do with breaking the curse--it was just that, because of the drop of Snowing's True Love on the curse parchment, only Emma's True Love's Kiss could break the curse.

 

I mean, Snow and Charming break curses all the time by sucking face, but neither one of them has any magic (that we know of).

[Jean]

Ok well crap. But then their story doesn't make sense from the beginning then. So what else is new right? Why didn't Rumple make, oh I don't know Gus Gus the curse breaker then?

I always thought Rumple knew Emma had magic, just the heart ripping thing was new to him. And why wouldn't he know she has magic when she's the embodiment of true love, which according to him is the most powerful magic of all? I don't think they remember what they write half the time.

So why does Snow and Charming's true love potion equal Emma and not Snow and Charming?

Edited August 1, 2014 by Jean

[FabulousTater]

So why does Snow and Charming's true love potion equal Emma and not Snow and Charming?

Prior to season 3, I would've said because Snow and Charming individually swapping spit doesn't make it magical (at least not magical enough to break curses outside of the sleeping curse) It's the distillation of their combined uber-love that is magical hence the potion, and by extension Emma, is magical. Also, prior to season 3B, people without their memories couldn't use True Love's kiss to break curses because they didn't remember "the power of their love" (yes, that is the cheesiest thing I have ever written and I now require a shower) or whatnot.

 

But after season 3B and the multiple jump the shark moments (so many that OUAT S3B was the "jump the shark" equivalent of Sharknado), I haven't got an effing clue. Regina and Henry were both magically cursed and both without memories and yet they broke Dark Curse 2.0. Hell, Henry didn't even remember Regina, but apparently that doesn't matter because...ya. Fuck it. I give up.

Edited August 1, 2014 by FabulousTater

[Camera One]

Regina and Henry both magically cursed and both without memories broke Dark Curse 2.0. Henry didn't even remember Regina, but apparently that doesn't matter because

 

Unfortunately, I had the misfortune to rewatch "A Curious Thing" with a friend... Henry first got his memories back from the Magic Book.  After he remembered, then Regina got to do the True Love Kiss and that broke the memory spell.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Camera One

[FabulousTater]

Ah, okay. That doesn't make me feel better about that moment, but thanks for the clarification, Camera One. 

I refuse to rewatch any episodes that took place between 3x13 and 3x21 and I watched most of S3B the first time accompanied by alcohol to make the season more palatable, so I would've never remembered.

Edited August 1, 2014 by FabulousTater

[KAOS Agent]

To further clarify what Rumpel knew about Emma, he did not know Emma would have magic because in the finale when he knew that Emma was the product of True Love and had broken the curse, he threw her the wand, asked if she had magic and then said, "Thought not" when the wand wasn't lit and they looked sad about not being able to go home. He was not surprised by this. He was only surprised when later he felt/knew the portal had been opened and grabbed Emma just in time. There's no way he would have let her get that close to getting away if he'd thought she could open the portal. 

Edited August 1, 2014 by KAOS Agent

[Serena]

So does Snowflake have magic? I hope not. He can be the Regina to Emma's Zelena (before they retconned it). 

[ShadowFacts]

I am wondering if Snowflake has magic also. When Snow was in labor and pushing him out, I thought the lights flickered (like when Emma delivered Henry).  Could that have been due to Zelena approaching?  Or, maybe I made it up in my head.

[KingOfHearts]

You know, fans shouldn't have to come up with rationalizations and fanwanks to explain how the show works. There's a lot on the show they don't bother to explain. They'll throw a bone at an interview, but then contradict themselves later.

I don't need to hurt my brain to figure out how the magic in Lord of the Rings works. But with Once, it doesn't make sense unless you fill the holes yourself, and even then some holes jut aren't fillable without getting a really silly theory.

It gets overly complicated quickly because it changes the rules all the time.

Edited August 1, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[patchwork]

I find the lack of world building on OUAT really disappointing. I don't need or want Game of Thrones level of detail but just a enough history/culture to put the characters into a context would be nice.

 

The water Snow drank from Lake Nostros could have been what changed Emma from someone who could potentially use magic to someone who was innately magical. 

[Rumsy4]

I have this really big question. How did the Curse work on Regina? We know that she never had a Cursed Persona, and hence could leave Storybrooke and return without a problem, but she doesn't seem to have been clueless about Real World stuff. Did she get a magical download of how things worked in our World, or did she have to figure out everyday things like power sockets and pizza? Would she even know what a Mayor was and the bureaucracy of paperwork? Did she get a download of Real World memories about movies and books? 

[Shanna Marie]

My impression from my recent rewatch of "Welcome to Storybrooke" was that Regina got a partial download from the curse. She didn't get a fake identity, and I'm not sure she even got fake memories to explain being in Storybrooke, but when they showed her waking up immediately after the curse, she didn't seem shocked at all by anything modern. She was a little in awe of the fact that the curse worked, but there was no sense of "Oh my God, what's that?" when encountering stuff like cars and telephones. You'd think there would have been the slightest bit of fish out of water at least when she was alone upon her arrival. Or maybe she did get the "Mayor Mills" identity, but without losing who she really was, so she may have been a We Are Both from the start.

[Rumsy4]

 

Or maybe she did get the "Mayor Mills" identity, but without losing who she really was, so she may have been a We Are Both from the start.

 

That's what it seems to be, but then that's cheating. Because after Rumple brought magic into Storybrooke, Cora and Regina said that they would be able to leave Storybrooke without a problem, except they wouldn't have any magic. If Regina had some partial "Mayor Mills" download, leaving Storybrooke would be as dangerous for her as for any other citizen. 

 

Also, what's the deal with Curse 2.0? Do people still lose their memories if they cross the Town Line? If I was a normal resident of Storybrooke, I might run screaming from the Town whether I retained my EF memories or no. ;-)

[Camera One]

Also, what's the deal with Curse 2.0? Do people still lose their memories if they cross the Town Line?  

 

The writers tried to skirt the issue by saying anyone nearing the town line was caught by a Flying Monkey and presumably turned into one.  Which makes no sense... why would Zelena care if random people left Storybrooke.  And on the flip side, why not turn more people into Flying Monkeys, not just the people getting too close to the line?  Isn't it better to have more Monkeys for her slave army?

[Shanna Marie]

If Regina had some partial "Mayor Mills" download, leaving Storybrooke would be as dangerous for her as for any other citizen.

Not necessarily, since just by keeping her original memories she gave herself special treatment. She did seem to have enough knowledge to function in our world from the very start, so she got some input from the curse. She just seemed to be immune to the other effects of the curse, like being trapped in the town.

 

I have wondered about the impact of the second curse, since identity and memory weren't a part of it (the missing year was Zelena's doing, not the curse). Can people now leave? What about the new people who didn't get a cursed identity? Even if the memory thing still applies, would they be able to leave without forgetting who they were? Belle became a blank slate when she crossed the line during the first curse since she didn't have a cursed identity to start with. What would happen to Robin if he tried to leave town?

[Rumsy4]

 

And on the flip side, why not turn more people into Flying Monkeys, not just the people getting too close to the line?  Isn't it better to have more Monkeys for her slave army?

 

Lol. Yeah... She could have turned everyone but Regina, Rumple, and Snow into Flying Monkeys and saved herself from a lot of problems! When Emma, Hook, and Henry arrived in Storybrooke, they would have been greeted by an army of winged simians. ;-)

 

 

Not necessarily, since just by keeping her original memories she gave herself special treatment. 

 

Well, once the Curse broke, everyone had two sets of memories, but they would still lose their EF persona if they crossed the Town Line. We will probably never know. I think with Curse 2.0, we have to assume that everyone who was originally Cursed would still lose their EF memories if they left Storybrooke. The fresh wave probably wouldn't, considering they have no Cursed persona, but would find it hard to survive in the Real World. 

[Camera One]

If Regina had some partial "Mayor Mills" download, leaving Storybrooke would be as dangerous for her as for any other citizen.

 

That does make it confusing.  So she would lose her Mayor Mills add-on, but she would remember her life in Storybrooke still, wouldn't she?  It would be interesting to see her go all Evil Queen on ordinary people, get thrown in prison and then maybe a psychiatric ward.  Problem solved everyone.  

 

I have wondered about the impact of the second curse, since identity and memory weren't a part of it (the missing year was Zelena's doing, not the curse). Can people now leave? What about the new people who didn't get a cursed identity? Even if the memory thing still applies, would they be able to leave without forgetting who they were? Belle became a blank slate when she crossed the line during the first curse since she didn't have a cursed identity to start with. What would happen to Robin if he tried to leave town?

 

You would think the writers would be forced to deal with it.  But then again, they could say Elsa constructed a giant ice barrier all around the perimeter of the city.  Problem solved!  

[KingOfHearts]

It would be a nice twist for 4A if the barrier was down. Citizens could ask themselves, do we go see the rest of the world? Bonus points if Elsa freezes NY.

[Camera One]

That would be interesting, but I don't think they have interest to pursue that, and the writers don't really care what the "regular" people in Storybrooke thinks.  Emma has decided to stay so no one will consider leaving now.  Or maybe someone will try to leave and they turn into an ice sculpture.  This fate will befall any unavailable actors or actresses in Season 4 or any peripheral character the writers don't want to waste time on.

Edited August 4, 2014 by Camera One