~ Review: Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, How Did You Come To Us After All? ~

By being a genie first!

This week’s episode focuses on Sidney Glass and his fairytale character two fairytale characters: the genie and the mirror.

 Once upon a time:

A good king finds a magic lamp; he rubes it and out comes a genie from Agrabah. The genie give him, in a bored manner, some rules of what he can and can’t do. However the king states he has everything he already wants and instead wishes the genie free and gives him his final wish (the 2^nd wish was for the genie to have his 3^rd wish). The genie is touched by this kindness, but states he will not use it (as from his experiences, it can be quite dangerous) and wants to use his freedom looking for love. The king invites him to his palace and introduces him to Snow and the Evil Queen, Regina.

During the king’s birthday celebration, the king talks about the love he had for his first wife and who, like Snow, is “the fairest in all the land.” So that's how the phrase started. All the while Regina is looking sad and lonely. At least now we know why she is obsessed with being beautiful. She goes outside to her apple tree and the genie follows her. Regina is hurt by the fact that the king will never love her like his first wife. So why did he get married after all? To help make her feel better, the genie presents the queen with a mirror so she can see herself the way he sees her, “as the fairest in all the land.” So that’s how that phrase started. The genie and Regina look at each other with love and longing.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall: Who is the fairest of them all?

The king finds out that his queen is in love with another man by reading her journal (of course), and asks the genie to find the man who gave her the glass mirror. In the meantime the king locks Regina in her room and her father, Henry, asks the genie to deliver a box to her, which will send her free. When the genie delivers the box to Regina, he finds a pair of poisonous snakes of which Regina tends use to kill herself so she can be free from this prison. But the genie wouldn’t allow her and suggests they use the snakes to kill the king. Regina asks if he would do that for her and the genie replied he would do anything for her.

~ Their Story : Take Two ~

True Love's First Kiss
 Courtesy of ABC's Official Website

OK, So I made quite a few big changes in my blog. I will post a comment about each episode on Mondays, and then throughout the week I will add any news, fun things, or information about the show, spoilers and all (I can’t help it). I will also let you know when I have updated each of the 4 main character’s stories as well as the full story.

Please feel free to email me with questions, suggestions, or anything else.   

~ Tara ~

The Story So Far: Part 5A ~ Cinderella ~

Note: I am going to assume that the Cinderella storyline takes place right after Snow White and Prince Charming get married.

Read The Fine Print, Read The Fine Print, 

The episode begins like in the original tale: Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters are on their way to the ball. Cinderella, known as Ella, is sweeping the floor and is upset that she can’t go to the ball. Then her fairy godmother appears, and says she is here to ‘change her life.” But before she can explain any further…BOOM! She’s dead! In her place stands Rumpel and Ella is shock. Obviously King George told Rumpel about his fairy godmother.  Rumpel tells Ella that “all magic comes with a price” and instead she should change her life herself. But Ella insists that she can handle magic and she’ll do anything to get out of her current life.  Rumpel tells that in exchange for his help, he wants something “precious,” which she will eventually get once she gets everything she wants. Ella promises to give him anything he wants, and Rumpel draws up a contract. Ella immediately signs it and with the wand, Rumpel turns Ella’s dirty, rag dress into a beautiful, ball gown. Ella notices the glass slippers and is confused. “Every story needs a memorable detail,” Rumpel tells her. He tells her to have a good time, but reminds her to watch the clock.    

A few days later, it’s Ella and Prince Thomas’s wedding day and they have invited all of their friends, including Prince James and Snow White. During a dance, Snow tells Ella how proud she is of her for changing her life. As they switch partners, Ella comes face to face with Rumpel. Now that her end of the deal is done, he wants his and reveals that instead of jewels, he wants her first born child.  Some time later, Ella is packing her things and when Thomas asks why, she tells him of her pregnancy and the deal she made with Rumpel. Thomas is shocked at first, but tells her they will find a way to stop him.

The Story So Far: Part 4A ~ Hansel and Gretel & Snow White and Prince Charming ~

Note: These two stories are taking place roughly at the same time. And forgive me, this is a bit of a long post, I'm trying not to make these posts too long. 

Finally We Get To See Ruby As Red Riding Hood

One month after Snow and James meet, Snow is alone in the woods hunting a turkey for her dinner. Just as she is about to kill it, someone approaches close by. It’s Red Riding Hood! and apparently Snow’s friend and caterer. Red hands her a basket filled with food and asks about James. Red tells her that James and Abigail will be married in two days. Snow wishes that there was a way for her to forget him and Red, after a little bit of hesitation, states that there is someone who can help her.

Later that night(?) Snow is tying up her boat when Rumpel suddenly appears. Rumpel states that he has been looking forward to meeting her. When Snow tries to explain that she needs his help to fix a broken heart, Rumpel immediately tells her he can’t make a man fall in love with her. But Snow states that it’s to forget him, of which Rumple says that there is something he can do. He makes a potion out of water from the lake with pieces of her hair and tells her to drink it and she will no longer remember James. The price of the potion is for him to keep a few strands of her hair. Snow is surprised, but agrees.

At King George’s castle, there is a feast going on in James’s honor, but James is in his room, still thinking about Snow. The king walks in and he knows that James is in love with another woman. He tells James to forget her because this wedding must happen no matter what. As soon as the king leaves, James writes a letter for Snow and has a dove deliver it to her. 

The next day (?) a Woodcutter is cutting down large trees to help them with winter. He instructs his two children, Hansel and Gretel, to get something for him and hands Gretel his compass so they can find him when their done. As the children return, their father was no where to be found. They soon hear their father’s scream, and H&G run to the road, where they come face to face with the EQ. H&G try to tell her their father is missing, but the EQ has them arrested. They both quickly run into the forest, but the EQ uses her magic to prevent them from escaping. She tells them that if they help her with something, she will help them find their father.

Don't Eat Anything

The EQ takes H&G near the home of the Blind Witch. Since the house is protected by magic she can’t go inside but children can. The EQ tells them that once the BW is a sleep, they need to enter her house and get a black bag, which the BW stole from her. She warns them to be careful because the house is “unique” and it could be very temping for them. The EQ pulls back a few branches, revealing a gingerbread house. Hansel seems happy, but Gretel clearly is worried.

The Story So Far: Part 3A ~ Snow White & Prince Charming ~

As Prince James’s carriage is moving through the woods, his wife-to-be, Abigail, is complaining about the road and the view. All of the sudden, the carriage stops and the knights inform James that a tree has fallen and blocked the road. As they prepare to move the tree, James notices the markings on it as being cut.  Quickly as possible, Snow comes out of the tree, grabs the bag of jewels inside the carriage, steals one the horses, and rides off in the opposite direction. James quickly gets on a horse himself and runs after Snow. Soon the two riders were neck and neck and James jumps on Snow, making them both fall off their horses. The prince grabs Snow and realizes that the thief is a girl. Snow uses this opportunity to grab a rock near her and smacks James on the head, before taking off on the horse again. As she rides on, the prince yells to her, “Wherever you are, I will find you.”

When They First Met

Sometime later Snow is gathering some things from her hut, and as she is walking away, she gets trapped in a net. James comes out of his hiding place, laughing. “I told you I find you. No matter what you do, I will always find you.” James tells Snow to give back his jewels, but Snow states that she sold them. James is very upset as the bag contains his mother’s ring. He threatens Snow, telling her that if she doesn’t get his jewels back he will hand her over to the EQ, who has now placed a wanted poster of Snow. Having no choice, Snow agrees and James cuts her down.

As they are walking through the forest, James notices Snow playing with a little trinket around her neck and grabs it from her. She informs him that its fairy dust which came from a bad fairy and it’s meant to be used as a weapon. When asked why she didn’t use it on him, Snow replied, “Because you are not worth it.”  The prince smiles and places the trinket inside his pocket. As they walk on, Snow mentions that she is saving it for the EQ. She goes on saying that things on the poster are lies and when the EQ tried to have her killed, the huntsman spared her. And since then she has been living in the woods. She hopes to run away to another kingdom where she will never be hurt. When James asked what she did to make the EQ hate her so much, Snow replied that she ruined her life.

The Story So Far: Part 2A ~ Prince Charming & the Huntsman ~

Note: This post contains the back story of Prince James and the huntsman. I assume, from my understanding, that these two stories take place roughly at the same time, or shortly after. I will of course change it as the show moves on. 

Years later twin brothers are separated at birth so the parents can save their farm, thanks to a deal they made with Rumpel. Rumpel takes one of the twins to live with King George. King George and his wife were unable to have a child of their own, so the king made an unknown deal with Rumpel in exchange for a son. The son, name James, grows up to be a handsome and brave prince.

*Years later…(?)*

Snow White and the Evil Queen are mourning the death of King Leopold. The EQ tells Snow that she will always be there for her, yet it turns out that it was all just a ruse and the EQ was responsible for the king’s death. The EQ wants to kill Snow for revealing a secret that cost her dearly, and the Magic Mirror suggests a huntsman. The mirror shows him of a huntsman who has no understanding of humans and prefers the company of wolves. When he is at a tavern, the other huntsmen make fun of him, and he gets into a fight, yet successful defeats his opponents. The Queen sees this and is impressed and summons him to her. The huntsman agrees to kill Snow on the condition that all the wolves in the Enchanted Forest not to be harmed. 

The Sexy Huntsman
Courtesy of ABC's Official Website

Later Snow and the huntsman, dressed as a knight, are walking in the forest talking, when Snow realizes that the knight is not one of her father’s. Before the huntsman can make his move, Snow hits him with a branch and runs, with the huntsman right behind her. Soon, the huntsman sees Snow, who realizes that she can’t hide from him, writing a letter to the EQ and asks him to deliver it to her after he kills her. The huntsman reads the letter, which is an apology, and is moved by it and finds it in his heart to spare her. He lets her go and gives her a whistle, made out of a leaf, and tells her to use it for help.

The huntsman returns to the EQ and lies stating that he killed Snow and has her heart. She takes the heart and tries to place it in her vault, but the vault does not open. The EQ realizes that this is not Snow’s heart and is furious with the huntsman. As punishment, the EQ rips the huntsman’s heart out and tells him that she is now his and will crush his heart if he ever tries to run away. She then orders the guards to take him to her bedchambers.

The Story So Far: Part 1A ~ Rumpelstiltskin & Jiminy Cricket ~

During the ogre wars, every child in the Duke’s kingdom has to fight in the war when they become of age at 14. If any parent dares to object, “The Dark One” will use his powerful magic to prevent the parents from taking further action.  Rumpel, a poor widowed spinner, is scared for his soon to be 14-year-old son, Baelfire, as he doesn’t want to lose him. One night Rumpel and his son try to flee their village before getting caught by the Duke’s guards. The guards humiliate Rumpel in front of his son, stating that Rumpel ran away from the ogre war when he should have stayed and fight and this is why his wife left him. After the guards leave, a beggar comes up to them stating that he knows a way to protect Baelfire. He convinces Rumpel to go to the Duke’s castle and steal the dagger of “The Dark One,” for only he who posses the dagger can control “The Dark One.” And if he kills him, his powers will be transformed to the murder. 

"The Dark One"
Courtesy of ABC's Official Website

After Rumpel steals the dagger, he summons “The Dark One,” also known as Zoso, and kills him. Rumpel is shock to find that “The Dark One” is the beggar; apparently he knows how to “recognize a desperate soul.” And just before he dies, he tells Rumple, “All magic comes with a price” and now the price was for Rumpel to bear. With his new found power, Rumpel kills the guards who tormented him, right in front of his son. His son is now afraid of the man his father has become. 

Everyone's Favorite Conscience
Courtesy of ABC's Official Website

Sometime later, Jiminy Cricket wants to get out of the family businesses, which are puppeteers and thieves. On a rainy day he meets a young boy and the boy shows him kindness, which makes Jiminy even more determine to get away from his parents.  One night Jiminy delivers some goods to Rumpel and asks him for a way to be free of his parents. Rumpel gives him a potion which will do the trick and all of his problems will be solved. While being on another con artist mission, Jiminy’s family tricked a couple in giving their goods in exchange for a potion that will save them from a “terrible disease” which has been going around through town. Once outside, Jiminy has had enough and uses the potion on his parents, but nothing happens. It turns out the parents switched the potion with the couple inside. Jiminy runs back inside the house, he sees the couple turned into puppets. Even worse, moments later the same boy who showed Jiminy kindness earlier, walks in and is distraught over what his parents had become. Jiminy, so upset of what he has done, wishes upon a star and begs to reverse the spell. The Blue Fairy comes to him, but says that she could not bring the boy’s parents back. However, the now orphaned boy is going to need someone to guide him on the right path, and Jiminy agrees to help him. The Blue Fairy turns him into a cricket, which is want Jiminy always wanted to be, and states the boy’s name is Gepetto.  

Stay tuned for the continuing story….

~Their Story~

I love this show, especially the back-stories of the fairy tale characters. Like many fans, I am curious about the timeline of events before the Evil Queen sent them all to our world. So each week, I will cover the fairy-tale stories of each character and then before the following episode airs, I will post an updated version of the entire timeline. i hope that makes sense, if not just read my postings and then hopefully it will!

The first few posts will be more of an overview of the first 10 episodes so far.

True Love's First Kiss
 Courtesy of ABC's Official Website

I will also be posting some polls, behind the scenes photos, interviews, previews, and anything else I find interesting.

Let's have some fun!