Once Upon a Time Round Table: "Queen of Hearts"
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Once Upon a Time viewers were treated to a midseason finale that revealed the "Queen of Hearts" and also gave us a glimpse at who may be able to stop her.
Below, our Round Table team of TV Fanatic staffers Jim Garner, Nick McHatton and Christine Orlando are joined by Once Upon a Time fan Jenn. Join in and jump in as we debate over Emma's destiny and decide whether or not Regina can resist magic's dark side.
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1. What was your favorite scene?
Jim: Hook saving Aurora's heart. He might be evil but I was glad to see he's not a total bastard.
Nick: After Emma and Snow's decisive victory against Hook and Cora Emma yells "Now let's go home." I loved it. Also, finding out how present fairy tale land came to be and seeing Hook and Cora arrive with terrible CGI were close seconds.
Christine: I actually loved the scene where Henry clung to Emma as everyone celebrated and Regina looked on. Everyone was so happy and Regina was in such pain. That juxtaposition was heartbreaking and spoke to what's to come in the second half of the season.
Jenn: My favorite scene was when Cora was trying to take Snow’s heart and Emma pushed her out of the way. We knew that Emma was going to have power, but to know that Cora cannot get to her heart was just absolutely fabulous. I like to think this is just the tip of the iceberg to what Emma is capable of in the future.
2. Did you think Regina would do the right thing?
Jim: If Henry hadn't showed up, she would have stood there till they heard screaming. Thankfully if anyone can remind Regina that she wants to be a better person, it's Henry.
Nick: Yes, Regina isn't a fully corrupted individual. All of her actions, at least in her eyes, always have a tinge of goodness to them, but with Henry, she wants to do even better.
Christine: I was hoping Regina would turn on Rumple all on her own. I was sort of disappointed that she needed Henry to beg her to save them. But I suppose fear of Cora plus the pull of old habits made doing the right thing a hard road to find.
Jenn: Of course she was going to do the right thing. In my mind Henry is one of the few if not only thing in this or any other world that brings out a part of Regina that died a very long time ago when her true love was taken from her by Cora. It was inevitable that Henry was going to get through to her, but my question is what in the world happened to all of that power that she absorbed.
3. Where does Cora keep her heart?
Jim: Isn't there something about tarts in the rhyme? We saw she had a cabinet full in Fairytale land, I assume any others are in Wonderland.
Nick: Well, it was either rounded up with the curse, in Wonderland, or somewhere in Fairytale Present. My guess is it's most protected in Wonderland since she ruled over it.
Christine: Wouldn't it be something if Regina has had access to it all along and never realized it. Then the question becomes what will she do with it when she finds it.
Jenn: Well that is the question of the hour. The only thing I can come up with is she’s hiding it right under Regina’s nose. Honestly right under their nose would be the last place your enemy or evil vindictive daughter would look. Most likely the place she’s keeping it somewhere in Regina’s vault.
4. Will Regina turn back to the dark side?
Jim: Like anyone in a recovery program she has the potential to slip. Maybe she needs to write out 12 steps. Step One: Admitted we were powerless over magic and we had become an evil tyrant.
Nick: Not until Cora is dealt with. Regina despises her mother just as much as everyone else does, and she would much rather have an alliance with Snow and company than be with her mother. That's assuming Cora doesn't have anymore manipulations to play, however, as we've all seen Cora is an expert at manipulating her daughter.
Christine: Regina loves Henry but I'm not sure it's enough. Her fear of her mother, her jealousy of Emma, and her anger towards Snow will all pull her back to the dark side.
Jenn: To some degree yes she will. She will be torn between the two sides because of her past and because of Henry. Her past will beckon her especially with the arrival of her mother. Cora brings out the very worst in Regina. Her ties and love for Henry are going to keep at least one foot in the door of good. That is going to be her biggest struggle in the last half of the season. Trying to find the balance between good and evil.
5. Has Emma fulfilled her destiny?
Jim: She is just getting started. Not all the curse is broken and she has powerful magic growing inside her. She's going to come into her own and start to believe.
Nick: No, Emma's destiny of being the savior is broad and far reaching, and breaking the curse was step one.
Christine: Like any good hero, Emma doubts herself but she's more powerful than she knows. Between her survival instincts, her love for her son, and the fact that she was created from true love means that even Rumplestiltskin realizes she is a force that evil should fear.
Jenn: In my opinion Emma has only scratched the surface of her destiny. Yes, she was able to break the curse. But wasn’t there also supposed to be a great battle or fight that she helped win? We haven’t even begun the battle, and with Cora and Hook on their way it doesn’t look like the fight is going to be over anytime soon. Emma's destiny in my opinion is going to be ongoing for the rest of her life. I mean really, does a destiny ever really end?
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.