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* YoungerThanTheyLook: 28-year-old Emma Swan is stated to be 18 when she got pregnant with Henry. However, the flashback episode "Tallahassee" showed that her teenage self looked no different that herself in the present day, save for a pair of glasses and different hairstyle and clothes. Neal, Emma's ex and Henry's biological father, was stated to be at least 23 on his 'Wanted' poster but looks like he's in his 30s.
to:
* YoungerThanTheyLook: 28-year-old Emma Swan is stated to be 18 when she got pregnant with Henry. However, the flashback episode "Tallahassee" showed that her teenage self looked no different that herself in the present day, save for a pair of glasses and different hairstyle and clothes. Neal, Emma's ex and Henry's biological father, was stated to be at least 23 on his 'Wanted' poster but looks like he's in his 30s. [[spoiler: Justified by the fact that he is a fairy tale character]].
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** Possibly an in-universe example for because he is her "Beast".
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** Possibly an in-universe example for because he is her "Beast".
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* VillainsActHeroesReact: Filling in with FamilyUnfriendlyAesop; the heroes are, more often than not, totally ineffective. Even the villains, before they turned evil, were [[ButtMonkey having the universe dump on them]], and the "good" guys only "win" by taking the evil choice. But being the bad guy in this universe means you ''win'', even if the victory turns out hollow.
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** A number of characters come and go, and are absent even from episodes in which one would expect them to appear. For example, Ruby's absence from the first half of season 3 (due in real life to the actress being involved in another series), though her name is dropped once. The establishment of a [[spoiler: second curse]] later in season 3 has raised the trope question as it is not known who among previously established characters [[spoiler: were actually sent back to the restored Storybrooke]].
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** "Quiet Minds". [[spoiler:Neal's alive. So is Rumpelstiltskin, as revealed earlier. However, Rumple is revealed to have been revived at the cost of Neal's life, and his apparent insanity was due to a desperate attempt to save Neal by absorbing him. Once Neal realizes this, he asks Emma to separate the both of them so they can finally go after the Wicked Witch. She does, and he dies in her arms]].
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Changed line(s) 36 (click to see context) from:
* TheVirus: In Season 3 [[spoiler:it is revealed the Wicked Witch's flying monkeys can make more of themselves by biting victims. Poor Little John]].
to:
* TheVirus: ViralTransformation: In Season 3 [[spoiler:it is revealed the Wicked Witch's flying monkeys can make more of themselves by biting victims. Poor Little John]].
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Changed line(s) 28 (click to see context) from:
** Regina holds the ball several times during the first season. She believes [[MagnificentBastard Rumplestiltskin]] won't remember the deal he made with her to enact the curse, despite the fact that he ''created'' the curse so could easily make a loophole. She also attempts to frame Mary Margaret with his help, after he suggests something "tragic" should happen to Kathryn Nolan, and uses those ExactWords to simply have her disappear for a while than reappear at the last minute, and all the evidence leads to her
to:
** Regina holds the ball several times during the first season. She believes [[MagnificentBastard Rumplestiltskin]] Rumplestiltskin won't remember the deal he made with her to enact the curse, despite the fact that he ''created'' the curse so could easily make a loophole. She also attempts to frame Mary Margaret with his help, after he suggests something "tragic" should happen to Kathryn Nolan, and uses those ExactWords to simply have her disappear for a while than reappear at the last minute, and all the evidence leads to her
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Changed line(s) 11 (click to see context) from:
* TheUnfairSex: {{Inverted|Trope}}. When David and Mary Margaret's affair is discovered, SHE gets the cold shoulder from the town, but his part in it is ignored. Granted, the townsfolk knew he was amnesiac, implying she took advantage of him.
to:
** Greg and Tamara, possibly the only two characters in the series so far not grounded in any mythology; revealed to be nothing more than [[spoiler:two of Peter Pan's goons]].
* TheUnfairSex: {{Inverted|Trope}}. When David and Mary Margaret's affair is discovered,SHE ''she'' gets the cold shoulder from the town, but his part in it is ignored. Granted, the townsfolk knew he was amnesiac, implying she took advantage of him.
* TheUnfairSex: {{Inverted|Trope}}. When David and Mary Margaret's affair is discovered,
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** Emma was perfectly willing to leave her son Henry with his adoptive mother Regina,([[Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarves The Evil Queen]]), but Regina shows off her GenreBlind, her inability to simply keep her mouth shut, and this trope to convince Emma to stay. Emma ends up TheChosenOne that can break the curse that gave Regina her power in the first place.
to:
** Emma was perfectly willing to leave her son Henry with his adoptive mother Regina,([[Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarves Regina ([[Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarves The Evil Queen]]), but Regina shows off her GenreBlind, {{Genre Blind}}ness, her inability to simply keep her mouth shut, and this trope to convince Emma to stay. Emma ends up TheChosenOne that can break the curse that gave Regina her power in the first place.
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** She holds it again in the penultimate episode and season finale, when she attempts to put [[TheChosenOne Emma]] under the sleeping curse and gloats about how she won. However, this backfires when Henry eats the turnover meant for Emma, and the chain of events results in the curse being broken. [[NiceJobFixingItVillain Say it with me]]
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** She holds it again in the penultimate episode and season finale, when she attempts to put [[TheChosenOne Emma]] under the sleeping curse and gloats about how she won. However, this backfires when Henry eats the turnover meant for Emma, and the chain of events results in the curse being broken. [[NiceJobFixingItVillain Say it with me]]me]].
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* VisualPun: Emma says she joined forces with Gold to "fight fire with..." (at this point the door they were headed for explodes into a fire)
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* VisualPun: Emma says she joined forces with Gold to "fight fire with..." (at this point the door they were headed for explodes into a fire)fire).
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** "Witch Hunt". [[spoiler: The Wicked Witch of the West and Regina are half-sisters through Cora. Wicked wants revenge against Regina because Wicked was given up at birth and Regina got to be raised by Cora. Rumple is alive and is being held captive by Wicked.]]
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** "Witch Hunt". [[spoiler: The Wicked Witch of the West and Regina are half-sisters through Cora. Wicked wants revenge against Regina because Wicked was given up at birth and Regina got to be raised by Cora. Rumple is alive (and practically insane) and is being held captive by Wicked.]]Wicked]].
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'''Walsh:''' [[spoiler: And I wish you had never drank that potion.]]
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'''Walsh:''' [[spoiler: And I wish you had never drank that potion.]]potion]].
Changed line(s) 88,89 (click to see context) from:
---> [[spoiler: '''Gold:''' ''You should have never brought me back''.]]
* WhamShot: The shot in "Think Lovely Thoughts" where [[spoiler: Rumpelstiltskin's father turns into Peter Pan.]]
* WhamShot: The shot in "Think Lovely Thoughts" where [[spoiler: Rumpelstiltskin's father turns into Peter Pan.]]
to:
---> [[spoiler: '''Gold:''' ''You should have never brought me back''.]]
back'']].
* WhamShot: The shot in "Think Lovely Thoughts" where [[spoiler: Rumpelstiltskin's father turns into PeterPan.]]Pan]].
* WhamShot: The shot in "Think Lovely Thoughts" where [[spoiler: Rumpelstiltskin's father turns into Peter
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* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the season three episode Going Home, the [[spoiler: the curse is lifted, sending everyone back to the Enchanted Forest other than Henry, because he was born in our land, and Emma, who Regina was able to allow to stay here with new memories because she's the savior.]] There is no mention of [[spoiler: Ashley/Cinderella's baby, who was born in this land back in season one]]. According to WordOfGod, this is because Cinderella's baby was concieved in the Enchanted Forest. Thus, the baby was physically present when the curse struck.
to:
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the season three episode Going Home, the [[spoiler: the curse is lifted, sending everyone back to the Enchanted Forest other than Henry, because he was born in our land, and Emma, who Regina was able to allow to stay here with new memories because she's the savior.]] There is no mention of [[spoiler: Ashley/Cinderella's baby, who was born in this land back in season one]]. According to WordOfGod, this is because Cinderella's baby was concieved conceived in the Enchanted Forest. Thus, the baby was physically present when the curse struck.
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* WhoWouldBeStupidEnough: [[spoiler:When Bael tells Robin Hood he's The Dark One's son, Robin believes him because no one would try to claim that if it weren't true.]]
to:
* WhoWouldBeStupidEnough: [[spoiler:When Bael tells Robin Hood he's The Dark One's son, Robin believes him because no one would try to claim that if it weren't true.]]true]].
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* TheWoobie: At the midpoint in Season 3, [[spoiler: Regina veers into this territory briefly after having to give up Henry, to the point where, in "Witch Hunt", she actually comes close to attempting the fantasyland equivalent of suicide. Discovering the existence of a half sister who is just as powerful as she is - and therefore someone worthy of destroying - snaps her out of it, though back in Storybrooke she's still woobie-ing a bit due to Henry not having any memory of her.]]
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* XanatosGambit: While most of Gold's plots are of the [[BatmanGambit Batman]] variety, his plan to [[spoiler:break the curse]] is pure Xanatos. Best case scenario, [[spoiler:Emma sticks around and breaks the curse]] but he also put in a failsafe: [[spoiler:If she ''dies'' then the curse is broken. Sooner or later, it ''will'' break]].
** [[spoiler:AND, he had a True Love potion failsafe]].
** [[spoiler:AND, he had a True Love potion failsafe]].
to:
* XanatosGambit: While most of Gold's plots are of the [[BatmanGambit Batman]] variety, his plan to [[spoiler:break the curse]] is pure Xanatos. Best case scenario, [[spoiler:Emma sticks around and breaks the curse]] but he also put in a failsafe: [[spoiler:If she ''dies'' then the curse is broken. Sooner or later, it ''will'' break]].
**break]]. [[spoiler:AND, he had a True Love potion failsafe]].
**
Changed line(s) 116,118 (click to see context) from:
-->"Let's just say...I'm invested in your future."
** Until he hits the snag that [[spoiler:he can't leave town without losing his memories]].
*** [[spoiler:Nope, he finds a way round that too.]]
** Until he hits the snag that [[spoiler:he can't leave town without losing his memories]].
*** [[spoiler:Nope, he finds a way round that too.]]
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-->"Let's just say... I'm invested in your future."
** Until he hits the snag that [[spoiler:he can't leave town without losing hismemories]].
*** [[spoiler:Nope,memories. A few episodes later, he finds a way round that too.]]around ''that'' too]].
** Until he hits the snag that [[spoiler:he can't leave town without losing his
*** [[spoiler:Nope,
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** ''KingdomHearts'' (Disney characters in unusual situations, memory tampering, villains with an obssession for hearts) meets ''{{Lost}}'' (isolated area where the laws of reality get bent, convoluted backstories).
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** ''KingdomHearts'' (Disney characters in unusual situations, memory tampering, villains with an obssession obsession for hearts) meets ''{{Lost}}'' (isolated area where the laws of reality get bent, convoluted backstories).
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* YouSexyBeast: Despite (or because of?) his [[GlowingEyes weird eyes]], somewhat reptilian-like skin and manic quirks, Rumplestiltskin has his fair share of fangirls and fanfics. [[PowerIsSexy Possible]] [[EvilIsSexy Explanations]] may include being acted by RobertCarlyle.
to:
* YouSexyBeast: Despite (or because of?) his [[GlowingEyes weird eyes]], somewhat reptilian-like skin and manic quirks, Rumplestiltskin has his fair share of fangirls and fanfics. [[PowerIsSexy Possible]] [[EvilIsSexy Explanations]] explanations]] may include being acted portrayed by RobertCarlyle.
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* WrittenByTheWinners: Captain Hook portrays the Human-Giant wars as a war against brutal giants who came down to pillage the land and kill humans. Humans drove them back up the beanstalk, and killed all but one, the most vicious of them all. The last surviving giant claims humans started the war and slaughtered giants for the giant's gold and magic beans, and gleefully slaughtered them, but since they won got to paint history how they wanted.
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* WrittenByTheWinners: Captain Hook portrays the Human-Giant wars as a war against brutal giants who came down to pillage the land and kill humans. Humans drove them back up the beanstalk, and killed all but one, the most vicious of them all. The last surviving giant - who is hardly brutal by nature - claims humans started the war and slaughtered giants for the giant's gold and magic beans, and gleefully slaughtered them, but since they won got to paint history how they wanted.
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* TheWoobie: At the midpoint in Season 3, [[spoiler: Regina veers into this territory briefly after having to give up Henry, to the point where, in "Witch Hunt", she actually comes close to attempting the fantasyland equivalent of suicide. Discovering the existence of a half sister who is just as powerful as she is - and therefore someone worthy of destroying - snaps her out of it, though back in Storybrooke she's still woobie-ing a bit due to Henry not having any memory of her.]]
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** [spoiler: Rumpelstiltskin's face through the cage]] at the very end of "Witch Hunt".
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** [spoiler: [[spoiler: Rumpelstiltskin's face through the cage]] at the very end of "Witch Hunt".
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** The shot near the end of "New York City Serenade" where we see Snow/Mary Margaret[[spoiler:'s very pregnant stomach.]]
** [spoiler: Rumpelstiltskin's face through the cage]] at the very end of "Witch Hunt".
** [spoiler: Rumpelstiltskin's face through the cage]] at the very end of "Witch Hunt".
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** "Witch Hunt". [[spoiler: The Wicked Witch of the West and Regina are half-sisters through Cora. Wicked wants revenge against Regina because Wicked was given up at birth and Regina got to be raised by Cora. Rumple is alive and is being held captive by Wicked.]]
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* VillainWorld: The entire premise of the show is that the Evil Queen sent all of the inhabitants of her world to a land where she could win.
to:
* VillainWorld: The entire premise of the show is that the Evil Queen sent all of the inhabitants of her world to a land where she could win. In Season 3 [[spoiler:Regina ends Storybrook but the Wicked Witch brings it back with her now secretly in charge]].
* TheVirus: In Season 3 [[spoiler:it is revealed the Wicked Witch's flying monkeys can make more of themselves by biting victims. Poor Little John]].
* TheVirus: In Season 3 [[spoiler:it is revealed the Wicked Witch's flying monkeys can make more of themselves by biting victims. Poor Little John]].
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Changed line(s) 25 (click to see context) from:
* VillainBall: Emma was perfectly willing to leave her son Henry with his adoptive mother Regina,([[Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarves The Evil Queen]]), but Regina shows off her GenreBlind, her inability to simply keep her mouth shut, and this trope to convince Emma to stay. Emma ends up TheChosenOne that can break the curse that gave Regina her power in the first place.
to:
* VillainBall: VillainBall:
** Emma was perfectly willing to leave her son Henry with his adoptive mother Regina,([[Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarves The Evil Queen]]), but Regina shows off her GenreBlind, her inability to simply keep her mouth shut, and this trope to convince Emma to stay. Emma ends up TheChosenOne that can break the curse that gave Regina her power in the first place.
** Emma was perfectly willing to leave her son Henry with his adoptive mother Regina,([[Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarves The Evil Queen]]), but Regina shows off her GenreBlind, her inability to simply keep her mouth shut, and this trope to convince Emma to stay. Emma ends up TheChosenOne that can break the curse that gave Regina her power in the first place.
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Changed line(s) 126 (click to see context) from:
* YouALLShareMyStory: Many of the FairyTales overlap, or tie into one another. Snow White's arc ties into Little Red Riding Hood's. Hansel and Gretel are used by the Wicked Queen to get the infamous apple. King Midas's daughter was set up with Prince Charming for an ArrangedMarriage, etc.
to:
* YouALLShareMyStory: Many of the FairyTales overlap, or tie into one another. Snow White's arc ties into Little Red Riding Hood's. Hansel and Gretel are used by the Wicked Evil Queen to get the infamous apple. King Midas's daughter was set up with Prince Charming for an ArrangedMarriage, etc.
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Changed line(s) 83 (click to see context) from:
'''Walsh:''' [[spoiler: And I wish you had never drank that potion]]
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'''Walsh:''' [[spoiler: And I wish you had never drank that potion]]potion.]]
** From "Witch Hunt", as the Wicked Witch gives water and food to someone in a cage, an arm snaps out and grabs her hand from inside.
---> [[spoiler: '''Gold:''' ''You should have never brought me back''.]]
** From "Witch Hunt", as the Wicked Witch gives water and food to someone in a cage, an arm snaps out and grabs her hand from inside.
---> [[spoiler: '''Gold:''' ''You should have never brought me back''.]]
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Changed line(s) 62 (click to see context) from:
-->'''Regina:''' [[spoiler:Tell me your name]].\\
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Changed line(s) 60 (click to see context) from:
-->'''Rumpelstiltskin:''' You'll have to excuse me, [[spoiler: [[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay please.]]]]
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** An early one from "The Thing You Love Most":
-->'''Rumpelstiltskin:''' You'll have to excuse me, [[spoiler: [[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay please.]]]]
-->'''Rumpelstiltskin:''' You'll have to excuse me, [[spoiler: [[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay please.]]]]
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trivia
Deleted line(s) 83,85 (click to see context) :
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** For years ABC tried adapting ''{{Fables}}'' into a television series.
** Originally Charming was to die in the first episode, but execs at ABC nixed it.
** For years ABC tried adapting ''{{Fables}}'' into a television series.
** Originally Charming was to die in the first episode, but execs at ABC nixed it.
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-->'''Emma:''' I wish you could see this the way I do.\\
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** From "New York City Serenade", when Emma is talking to her new boyfriend, Walsh, after she has just taken a potion to restore her memories:
-->'''Emma:''' I wish you could see this the way I do.\\
'''Walsh:''' [[spoiler: And I wish you had never drank that potion]]
-->'''Emma:''' I wish you could see this the way I do.\\
'''Walsh:''' [[spoiler: And I wish you had never drank that potion]]
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Word Cruft Bogus intensifiers
Changed line(s) 138 (click to see context) from:
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: Played very straight, except it's [[spoiler:the prince. Snow White and her allies [[StormingTheCastle storm King George's castle]] to rescue Charming, only to find out that Regina has already whisked him away to her own castle, leaving behind a full-length mirror in his cell to project his image and allow him and Snow to share a moment of mutual anguish]].
to:
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: Played very straight, except it's [[spoiler:the prince. Snow White and her allies [[StormingTheCastle storm King George's castle]] to rescue Charming, only to find out that Regina has already whisked him away to her own castle, leaving behind a full-length mirror in his cell to project his image and allow him and Snow to share a moment of mutual anguish]].
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Changed line(s) 95 (click to see context) from:
* WouldHitAGirl: The knight who viciously backhands Snow when she tries to make her way to a captured Charming in ''Heart of Darkness''. Also Hook, who socks Belle to knock her out as soon as he realizes she's no use to him.
to:
* WouldHitAGirl: The knight who viciously backhands Snow when she tries to make her way to a captured Charming in ''Heart of Darkness''. Also Hook, who socks Belle to knock her out as soon as he realizes she's no use to him.him; and Rumple, who knocks out Red because she was trying to stop him and Regina from cursing a well out of which Mary Margaret and Emma were going to come out.
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to:
** ''KingdomHearts'' (Disney characters in unusual situations, memory tampering, villains with an obssession for hearts) meets ''{{Lost}}'' (isolated area where the laws of reality get bent, convoluted backstories).
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Changed line(s) 83 (click to see context) from:
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the season three episode Going Home, the [[spoiler: the curse is lifted, sending everyone back to the Enchanted Forest other than Henry, because he was born in our land, and Emma, who Regina was able to allow to stay here with new memories because she's the savior.]] There is no mention of [[spoiler: Ashley/Cinderella's baby, who was born in this land back in season one]]
to:
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the season three episode Going Home, the [[spoiler: the curse is lifted, sending everyone back to the Enchanted Forest other than Henry, because he was born in our land, and Emma, who Regina was able to allow to stay here with new memories because she's the savior.]] There is no mention of [[spoiler: Ashley/Cinderella's baby, who was born in this land back in season one]]one]]. According to WordOfGod, this is because Cinderella's baby was concieved in the Enchanted Forest. Thus, the baby was physically present when the curse struck.
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* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the season three episode Going Home, the [[spoiler: the curse is lifted, sending everyone back to the Enchanted Forest other than Henry, because he was born in our land, and Emma, who Regina was able to allow to stay here with new memories because she's the savior.]] There is no mention of [[spoiler: Ashley/Cinderella's baby, who was born in this land back in season one]]
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OnceUponATime/TropesAToD | OnceUponATime/TropesEToF | OnceUponATime/TropesGToH | OnceUponATime/TropesIToL | OnceUponATime/TropesMToP | OnceUponATime/TropesQToT | '''Tropes U-Z'''
----
!!!''Series/OnceUponATime'' provides examples of the following tropes:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:U]]
* UncannyVillage: Storybrooke. In many ways, in fact it resembles ''The'' Village from ThePrisoner - an idyllic seaside community with a dark secret that residents cannot leave without dire consequences.
* UnexpectedCharacter: [[spoiler:Dr. Whale[=/=]Dr. Frankenstein has to take the cake]].
* TheUnfairSex: {{Inverted|Trope}}. When David and Mary Margaret's affair is discovered, SHE gets the cold shoulder from the town, but his part in it is ignored. Granted, the townsfolk knew he was amnesiac, implying she took advantage of him.
* TheUnfettered: PlayedStraight with Rumplestiltskin when he tries [[spoiler:finding his son]]. Playedwith [[spoiler:Regina in season 2, when she tries to live by the decision that [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes Henry]] [[EvenEvilHasStandards is off-limits]]]]. She has slipped up once or twice, like the time she [[spoiler:almost put him under a love curse]].
* TheUnreveal: ZigZagged in "The Return", where is revealed that [[spoiler:August is Rumplestitskin's son...and then revealed that he isn't]].
* UnusualEuphemism: When Snow White is disarming herself before going to a parlay with the Queen, Grumpy urges her to "Keep the little knife between your [[VictoriasSecretCompartment tuffets]]."
* UrbanFantasy: Storybrooke is this mixed with HighFantasy for the Enchanted Forest as well as many of the other lands except for [[spoiler:Dr. Frankenstein's]] world, which is counted as SteamPunk.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:V]]
* ValentinesDayEpisodes: "Skin Deep". It aired shortly before and was set during Valentine's Day and involved a couple breaking up, TrueLovesKiss not working and a psychotic breakdown.
* VanishingVillage: Implied by the fact a rather sizable town located on the seashore appears to attract no visitors (at least since [[spoiler:the curse was broken]]). May be subject to averting as the series progresses.
* VengeanceFeelsEmpty: It happens to Regina, because after what she went through, she wants a revenge which continues whatever happens.
* VictoryIsBoring: It is revealed that after the first few days of living in Storybrooke, Regina found the repeated behavior boring. She finally won and all are in their place but 1) no one knows it and 2) they respect her because the curse makes them respect her, not because they actually want to.
* VillainBall: Emma was perfectly willing to leave her son Henry with his adoptive mother Regina,([[Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarves The Evil Queen]]), but Regina shows off her GenreBlind, her inability to simply keep her mouth shut, and this trope to convince Emma to stay. Emma ends up TheChosenOne that can break the curse that gave Regina her power in the first place.
** Regina holds the ball several times during the first season. She believes [[MagnificentBastard Rumplestiltskin]] won't remember the deal he made with her to enact the curse, despite the fact that he ''created'' the curse so could easily make a loophole. She also attempts to frame Mary Margaret with his help, after he suggests something "tragic" should happen to Kathryn Nolan, and uses those ExactWords to simply have her disappear for a while than reappear at the last minute, and all the evidence leads to her
** She holds it again in the penultimate episode and season finale, when she attempts to put [[TheChosenOne Emma]] under the sleeping curse and gloats about how she won. However, this backfires when Henry eats the turnover meant for Emma, and the chain of events results in the curse being broken. [[NiceJobFixingItVillain Say it with me]]
* VillainBeatingArtifact: The series has a twist on this trope. The only way to bring down the Dark One is to stab him with his dagger, [[spoiler:but then you become the Dark One yourself]].
* VillainousBreakdown: Rumplestiltskin's "[[CitizenKane rosebud scene]]" moment after being told that Belle is dead.
* TheVillainMakesThePlot: While heroes like Snow White and Charming are proactive in their own way, the entire plot would not be possible without the actions of villains.
* VillainsNeverLie: For some reason [[FridgeHorror (that Regina's description of the incident might be believable in this world aside)]], Rumplestiltskin believes the Evil Queen when she tells him that his LoveInterest was DrivenToSuicide.
** As an interesting note, Rumplestiltskin himself has only been seen onscreen outright lying once, when he tells Belle that he doesn't care about her when he's getting her to leave. And as he says to Regina, he's only broken one deal in his life. He's a master of ExactWords and he twists things to suit his needs, but he doesn't flat-out lie.
* VillainWorld: The entire premise of the show is that the Evil Queen sent all of the inhabitants of her world to a land where she could win.
* VisualPun: Emma says she joined forces with Gold to "fight fire with..." (at this point the door they were headed for explodes into a fire)
* VoodooZombie: Cora resurrects several people whom she killed by ripping out their hearts using their hearts which she magically preserved.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:W]]
* WatchingTroyBurn: Regina tearing down the wooden play structure, Emma's and Henry's secret base for Operation Cobra.
* WhamEpisode:
** "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter". [[spoiler:Regina remembers everything and has access to at least some of her magic, which she uses to kill Graham]].
** "Skin Deep". [[spoiler:Mr. Gold remembers everything too and now Regina knows it]].
** "The Stable Boy". [[spoiler:The source of Regina's grudge against Snow White: After Regina saved Snow's life, Snow naively disclosed Regina's relationship with the eponymous stable boy, resulting in said stable boy's murder and Regina's forced marriage to Snow's father. What's more, Kathryn is alive]]!
** "A Land Without Magic". [[spoiler:the townsfolk have their memories restored, Jefferson releases Belle and leads her back to Mr. Gold, and Mr. Gold sends magic into Storybrooke]].
** "Broken". [[spoiler:The episode's flashbacks are not flashbacks at all - part of the Enchanted Forest survived The Curse, and Emma and Snow are currently trapped there]].
** "We Are Both". [[spoiler:Anyone who tries to leave Storybrooke will lose all memories of their Fairy Tale life, possibly forever, Regina has her magic back, and Cora is alive]].
** "Queen of Hearts". [[spoiler:Cora and Hook have appeared in the real world, ready to exact their revenge]].
** "The Outsider". [[spoiler:Rumple creates a potion that allows him to cross over the boundary. At the end of the episode, he crosses the line, much to his and Belle's pleasure (though she can't come with him). Belle is then shot in the back by Hook, stumbles forward over the line, and loses her memories of Rumple/the Enchanted Forest/being Belle. Hook is then run over by a man with Pennsylvania license plates, meaning the outside world has come to Storybrooke]].
** "Manhattan". [[spoiler:Neal is really Rumple's long-lost son Baelfire, making Rumple Henry's grandfather. It's prophesied that Henry will bring about Rumplestiltskin's downfall]].
** "The Miller's Daughter". [[spoiler:Snow goes over to the dark side in order to defeat Cora; Cora's relationship with Rumple is revealed and it revealed that they were lovers and Cora almost gave up power for love before she took out her heart]].
** "Selfless, Brave and True". [[spoiler:Tamara is only with Neal in order to research magic, and she is the Her that Owen/Greg has been in contact with. Also, she fatally wounds August, who is reverted back to his original form of Pinocchio]].
** "Second Star to the Right". [[spoiler: Bae was sent to Wendy Darling's house after leaving the fairy tale world, and ends up being dragged by Peter Pan's shadow to Neverland where he lands on HOOK's ship. Meanwhile, Tamara makes her move, and uses one of the magic beans to send Bae away again]]!
** "And Straight on 'Til Morning". [[spoiler: Emma has magic power at least equal to Regina's. Henry is kidnapped by Greg and Tamara and taken to Neverland, and is followed by the Charmings, Gold, Hook, and Regina. The Lost Boys work for an evil Peter Pan, who wants Henry for some reason - and has wanted him for hundreds of years. And Bae has been taken to the Enchanted forest, barely alive, and found by Mulan, Aurora, and Philip]].
** "Think Lovely Thoughts". [[spoiler: Peter Pan is Rumplestiltskin's father, who took his name from a doll he had given Rumple before Pan de-aged himself in order to stay in Neverland forever. Pan then successfully convinces Henry to give him his heart, gaining ultimate power and possibly killing Henry in the process.]]
** "Going Home". [[spoiler: Gold sacrifices himself to take out Pan, Regina sends everyone but Emma and Henry back to the Enchanted Forest in order to escape the new curse, Storybooke itself no longer exists, and Emma and Henry themselves no longer remember ''anything'' about the town or its inhabitants. Then, after one year living under new memories given them by Regina, Hook shows up at their front door asking for their help...]]
* WhamLine:
** Goes with the above in "Skin Deep".
-->'''Regina:''' [[spoiler:Tell me your name]].\\
'''Mr. Gold:''' [[spoiler:... Rumplestiltskin]].
** And more of an in-universe one (since the audience saw it coming) in the Mad Hatter episode.
--->'''Emma:''' You kidnapped my friend.\\
'''Jefferson:''' I'm saving her life.\\
'''Emma:''' From ''what?''\\
'''Jefferson:''' [[spoiler:From the curse]].\\
'''Emma:''' [[spoiler:''(in a small voice)''... [[OhCrap What curse]]]]?
** And this one from the end of "We Are Both":
--->'''Emma:''' Who are you?\\
'''[[spoiler:Cora]]:''' A friend. My name's [[spoiler:Cora]].
** Another in-universe one, since the audience already knew:
--->'''Aurora:''' ''(to Snow and Emma, after having a nightmare and talking to the other person who was there)'' [[spoiler:He said his name was Henry]].
** The line at the end of "In The Name of the Brother":
--->'''Greg Mendell:''' Honey, [[spoiler:you're not gonna believe what I saw]].
** At the end of "Manhattan", [[spoiler:when the Seer explains to Rumplestiltskin about the child (Henry) who will be his downfall]].
--->'''[[spoiler:Rumplestiltskin]]:''' [[spoiler:({{Beat}}) ...Then I'll just have to kill him]].
** From the end of "Heart of the Truest Believer":
--->'''[[spoiler:I ''am'' Peter Pan.]]'''
* WhamShot: The shot in "Think Lovely Thoughts" where [[spoiler: Rumpelstiltskin's father turns into Peter Pan.]]
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** For years ABC tried adapting ''{{Fables}}'' into a television series.
** Originally Charming was to die in the first episode, but execs at ABC nixed it.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: King George justifies killing an innocent man with the fact that he was [[TalkingAnimal a mouse]].
* WhatTheHellHero: Mary Margaret gives one of these to Emma over Emma's attempt to run away, throwing all her lectures about fighting back in her face.
** Henry shouts a variant when [[spoiler:Rumplestiltskin says the only way to stop Regina is by killing her]], with Charming and Emma considering it as an option.
* WhiteAndGreyMorality: Not completely, but with three of the show's four main villains (as of Season 2) being [[AntiVillain Anti-Villains]], it comes a lot closer to it than most other shows these days. However, the show starts out appearing to be an example of BlackAndWhiteMorality; it is only through CharacterDevelopment that the show's outlook shifts.
* WholePlotReference: People familiar with Henry's so-called "delusions" assume they take this form, as he casts normal people into fairy tale roles from his book.
* WhoWouldBeStupidEnough: [[spoiler:When Bael tells Robin Hood he's The Dark One's son, Robin believes him because no one would try to claim that if it weren't true.]]
* WilliamTelling: [[PeterPan Peter]] pulls out an apple. Henry says he doesn't like apples. "[[SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarves It's a family thing.]]" Peter tells him that the apple's not for eating...it's for target practice.
* WistfulAmnesia: Everyone in Storybrooke, until season 2.
* WickedStepmother: Snow White and Cinderella are both [[{{Understatement}} mistreated]] by their stepmothers. Cinderella's is implied to have treated her as a slave, and Snow's tried to sentence her to a FateWorseThanDeath.
* WorldHalfFull: The Enchanted Forest. It has enchantment and beauty galore, but what little we've seen of it hasn't been good. King George was flat broke and blackmails David to keep up the act of being Prince James. The "real" Prince slaughtered a prisoner without an eye-blink as part of a blood sport. Dragon attacks plague the countryside. The Ogre Wars have been going on for 50 years or more. Rumplestiltskin cuts deals with impunity, even when he's locked up. And the Evil Queen's bluff to Rumplestiltskin that Belle was [[spoiler:put in an insane asylum where she was 'purged' with flails, whips, and fire to the point of suicide]] is considered a realistic enough occurrence for him to believe it. What makes the Enchanted Forest preferable to Storybrooke is mainly that the bad guys had finally been defeated in the Enchanted Forest, but in Storybrooke they are in charge again - and that the lives that people lived in the Enchanted Forest were real and possible to change, whereas in Storybrooke they are caught in a static, fabricated existence where they can [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption never reach any happy ending]].
* WorldHealingWave: [[spoiler:Emma triggers one by her good-bye kiss to Henry, shattering the curse holding the town]].
* WouldHitAGirl: The knight who viciously backhands Snow when she tries to make her way to a captured Charming in ''Heart of Darkness''. Also Hook, who socks Belle to knock her out as soon as he realizes she's no use to him.
* WrittenByTheWinners: Captain Hook portrays the Human-Giant wars as a war against brutal giants who came down to pillage the land and kill humans. Humans drove them back up the beanstalk, and killed all but one, the most vicious of them all. The last surviving giant claims humans started the war and slaughtered giants for the giant's gold and magic beans, and gleefully slaughtered them, but since they won got to paint history how they wanted.
* WrongfulAccusationInsurance: Averted. Mary Margaret has been framed for killing Katherine, and is in holding. When someone slips her a key, she uses it to escape. Emma tracks her down and convinces her to return pointing out while they may be able to prove her innocence in Katherine's death, if anyone else learns that she escaped she will be guilty of that, and no one will be able to help her. It's eventually revealed that Regina slipped her the key, for that very reason.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:X]]
* XanatosGambit: While most of Gold's plots are of the [[BatmanGambit Batman]] variety, his plan to [[spoiler:break the curse]] is pure Xanatos. Best case scenario, [[spoiler:Emma sticks around and breaks the curse]] but he also put in a failsafe: [[spoiler:If she ''dies'' then the curse is broken. Sooner or later, it ''will'' break]].
** [[spoiler:AND, he had a True Love potion failsafe]].
* XanatosSpeedChess: The entire show thus far has been one giant game of this played by Rumplestiltskin with the ultimate goal of [[spoiler:following his son into our world while still retaining his powers]]. And it would appear to be working out beautifully.
-->"Let's just say...I'm invested in your future."
** Until he hits the snag that [[spoiler:he can't leave town without losing his memories]].
*** [[spoiler:Nope, he finds a way round that too.]]
* {{Xenafication}}: Snow White as an ActionGirl and LittleRedRidingHood as [[spoiler:a werewolf]].
** Belle, mildly. Though she's far from an expert fighter, she's clever enough to neutralize the Yaoguai.
** [[HanselAndGretel Gretel]] is another mild example. While she doesn't do them much harm, she does attack the Queen's guards with a sling.
* XMeetsY:
** ''{{Fables}}'' meets ''AmericanGothic''.
** Also, ''{{Fables}}'' meets ''ThePrisoner'' (in context of Storybrooke being a GildedCage prison for its residents).
** And ''{{Fables}}'' meets an inversion of ''Film/LastActionHero'' (precocious kid wanders around being GenreSavvy about another world where all the real people are ''actually'' fictitious characters, but [[CassandraTruth no one believes him]]).
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Y]]
* YouALLShareMyStory: Many of the FairyTales overlap, or tie into one another. Snow White's arc ties into Little Red Riding Hood's. Hansel and Gretel are used by the Wicked Queen to get the infamous apple. King Midas's daughter was set up with Prince Charming for an ArrangedMarriage, etc.
* YouAreNotReady: Said by Henry to Emma in the Pilot over her being "ready" to break the curse. Given that she definitely didn't believe him at that point, he was probably right.
* YouCantFightFate: PlayedWith. According to the "seer" there are things that "will be" and things that "can be." The former will happen no matter what, while the latter may or may not happen. Telling the difference is difficult, and the sheer number of possibilities is overwhelming even for someone as powerful as Rumplestiltskin.
-->'''BlindSeer:''' The future is a puzzle.
* YouGoGirl: Often happens. Belle is finally independent despite having a sexist father (she hints her fiancé was the same) and escapes an arranged marriage; Mulan refuses to be called "a girl" and prefers saying that she is a woman and a warrior to the surprised princess Aurora; Milah wanted more than a life as a stay-at-home mom and wife to the town coward.
** Less so with Milah as she neglected Bae to go out drinking regularly and abandoned him for an adventure. Were she the husband she'd be called a deadbeat dad.
* YouKillItYouBoughtIt: [[spoiler:How Rumplestiltskin got his powers]].
* YourCheatingHeart:
** Emma's "date" in the pilot.
** In Episode 5, Emma hints that she had been involved with a married man.
** David's and Mary Margaret's affair from Episode 10 onward. It's complicated because in the Enchanted Forest, they ''are'' married, but in Storybrooke, they've forgotten and David ends up "married" to someone else.
** The Queen and the Genie (while the former is married to Snow White's father). The Genie solves this by [[MurderTheHypotenuse Murdering the Hypotenuse]]. [[spoiler:It turns out the Queen was never in love with him]].
* YoungerThanTheyLook: 28-year-old Emma Swan is stated to be 18 when she got pregnant with Henry. However, the flashback episode "Tallahassee" showed that her teenage self looked no different that herself in the present day, save for a pair of glasses and different hairstyle and clothes. Neal, Emma's ex and Henry's biological father, was stated to be at least 23 on his 'Wanted' poster but looks like he's in his 30s.
* [[YoureNotMyFather You're Not My Mother]]:
** Henry says this at least once to Regina. [[spoiler:He takes it back later, though]].
** When the Queen makes reference to the Huntsman's parents who abandoned him in the woods, the Huntsman replies, "Those were not my parents. They merely gave birth to me."
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: Played very straight, except it's [[spoiler:the prince. Snow White and her allies [[StormingTheCastle storm King George's castle]] to rescue Charming, only to find out that Regina has already whisked him away to her own castle, leaving behind a full-length mirror in his cell to project his image and allow him and Snow to share a moment of mutual anguish]].
* YouSexyBeast: Despite (or because of?) his [[GlowingEyes weird eyes]], somewhat reptilian-like skin and manic quirks, Rumplestiltskin has his fair share of fangirls and fanfics. [[PowerIsSexy Possible]] [[EvilIsSexy Explanations]] may include being acted by RobertCarlyle.
[[/folder]]
----
----
!!!''Series/OnceUponATime'' provides examples of the following tropes:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:U]]
* UncannyVillage: Storybrooke. In many ways, in fact it resembles ''The'' Village from ThePrisoner - an idyllic seaside community with a dark secret that residents cannot leave without dire consequences.
* UnexpectedCharacter: [[spoiler:Dr. Whale[=/=]Dr. Frankenstein has to take the cake]].
* TheUnfairSex: {{Inverted|Trope}}. When David and Mary Margaret's affair is discovered, SHE gets the cold shoulder from the town, but his part in it is ignored. Granted, the townsfolk knew he was amnesiac, implying she took advantage of him.
* TheUnfettered: PlayedStraight with Rumplestiltskin when he tries [[spoiler:finding his son]]. Playedwith [[spoiler:Regina in season 2, when she tries to live by the decision that [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes Henry]] [[EvenEvilHasStandards is off-limits]]]]. She has slipped up once or twice, like the time she [[spoiler:almost put him under a love curse]].
* TheUnreveal: ZigZagged in "The Return", where is revealed that [[spoiler:August is Rumplestitskin's son...and then revealed that he isn't]].
* UnusualEuphemism: When Snow White is disarming herself before going to a parlay with the Queen, Grumpy urges her to "Keep the little knife between your [[VictoriasSecretCompartment tuffets]]."
* UrbanFantasy: Storybrooke is this mixed with HighFantasy for the Enchanted Forest as well as many of the other lands except for [[spoiler:Dr. Frankenstein's]] world, which is counted as SteamPunk.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:V]]
* ValentinesDayEpisodes: "Skin Deep". It aired shortly before and was set during Valentine's Day and involved a couple breaking up, TrueLovesKiss not working and a psychotic breakdown.
* VanishingVillage: Implied by the fact a rather sizable town located on the seashore appears to attract no visitors (at least since [[spoiler:the curse was broken]]). May be subject to averting as the series progresses.
* VengeanceFeelsEmpty: It happens to Regina, because after what she went through, she wants a revenge which continues whatever happens.
* VictoryIsBoring: It is revealed that after the first few days of living in Storybrooke, Regina found the repeated behavior boring. She finally won and all are in their place but 1) no one knows it and 2) they respect her because the curse makes them respect her, not because they actually want to.
* VillainBall: Emma was perfectly willing to leave her son Henry with his adoptive mother Regina,([[Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarves The Evil Queen]]), but Regina shows off her GenreBlind, her inability to simply keep her mouth shut, and this trope to convince Emma to stay. Emma ends up TheChosenOne that can break the curse that gave Regina her power in the first place.
** Regina holds the ball several times during the first season. She believes [[MagnificentBastard Rumplestiltskin]] won't remember the deal he made with her to enact the curse, despite the fact that he ''created'' the curse so could easily make a loophole. She also attempts to frame Mary Margaret with his help, after he suggests something "tragic" should happen to Kathryn Nolan, and uses those ExactWords to simply have her disappear for a while than reappear at the last minute, and all the evidence leads to her
** She holds it again in the penultimate episode and season finale, when she attempts to put [[TheChosenOne Emma]] under the sleeping curse and gloats about how she won. However, this backfires when Henry eats the turnover meant for Emma, and the chain of events results in the curse being broken. [[NiceJobFixingItVillain Say it with me]]
* VillainBeatingArtifact: The series has a twist on this trope. The only way to bring down the Dark One is to stab him with his dagger, [[spoiler:but then you become the Dark One yourself]].
* VillainousBreakdown: Rumplestiltskin's "[[CitizenKane rosebud scene]]" moment after being told that Belle is dead.
* TheVillainMakesThePlot: While heroes like Snow White and Charming are proactive in their own way, the entire plot would not be possible without the actions of villains.
* VillainsNeverLie: For some reason [[FridgeHorror (that Regina's description of the incident might be believable in this world aside)]], Rumplestiltskin believes the Evil Queen when she tells him that his LoveInterest was DrivenToSuicide.
** As an interesting note, Rumplestiltskin himself has only been seen onscreen outright lying once, when he tells Belle that he doesn't care about her when he's getting her to leave. And as he says to Regina, he's only broken one deal in his life. He's a master of ExactWords and he twists things to suit his needs, but he doesn't flat-out lie.
* VillainWorld: The entire premise of the show is that the Evil Queen sent all of the inhabitants of her world to a land where she could win.
* VisualPun: Emma says she joined forces with Gold to "fight fire with..." (at this point the door they were headed for explodes into a fire)
* VoodooZombie: Cora resurrects several people whom she killed by ripping out their hearts using their hearts which she magically preserved.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:W]]
* WatchingTroyBurn: Regina tearing down the wooden play structure, Emma's and Henry's secret base for Operation Cobra.
* WhamEpisode:
** "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter". [[spoiler:Regina remembers everything and has access to at least some of her magic, which she uses to kill Graham]].
** "Skin Deep". [[spoiler:Mr. Gold remembers everything too and now Regina knows it]].
** "The Stable Boy". [[spoiler:The source of Regina's grudge against Snow White: After Regina saved Snow's life, Snow naively disclosed Regina's relationship with the eponymous stable boy, resulting in said stable boy's murder and Regina's forced marriage to Snow's father. What's more, Kathryn is alive]]!
** "A Land Without Magic". [[spoiler:the townsfolk have their memories restored, Jefferson releases Belle and leads her back to Mr. Gold, and Mr. Gold sends magic into Storybrooke]].
** "Broken". [[spoiler:The episode's flashbacks are not flashbacks at all - part of the Enchanted Forest survived The Curse, and Emma and Snow are currently trapped there]].
** "We Are Both". [[spoiler:Anyone who tries to leave Storybrooke will lose all memories of their Fairy Tale life, possibly forever, Regina has her magic back, and Cora is alive]].
** "Queen of Hearts". [[spoiler:Cora and Hook have appeared in the real world, ready to exact their revenge]].
** "The Outsider". [[spoiler:Rumple creates a potion that allows him to cross over the boundary. At the end of the episode, he crosses the line, much to his and Belle's pleasure (though she can't come with him). Belle is then shot in the back by Hook, stumbles forward over the line, and loses her memories of Rumple/the Enchanted Forest/being Belle. Hook is then run over by a man with Pennsylvania license plates, meaning the outside world has come to Storybrooke]].
** "Manhattan". [[spoiler:Neal is really Rumple's long-lost son Baelfire, making Rumple Henry's grandfather. It's prophesied that Henry will bring about Rumplestiltskin's downfall]].
** "The Miller's Daughter". [[spoiler:Snow goes over to the dark side in order to defeat Cora; Cora's relationship with Rumple is revealed and it revealed that they were lovers and Cora almost gave up power for love before she took out her heart]].
** "Selfless, Brave and True". [[spoiler:Tamara is only with Neal in order to research magic, and she is the Her that Owen/Greg has been in contact with. Also, she fatally wounds August, who is reverted back to his original form of Pinocchio]].
** "Second Star to the Right". [[spoiler: Bae was sent to Wendy Darling's house after leaving the fairy tale world, and ends up being dragged by Peter Pan's shadow to Neverland where he lands on HOOK's ship. Meanwhile, Tamara makes her move, and uses one of the magic beans to send Bae away again]]!
** "And Straight on 'Til Morning". [[spoiler: Emma has magic power at least equal to Regina's. Henry is kidnapped by Greg and Tamara and taken to Neverland, and is followed by the Charmings, Gold, Hook, and Regina. The Lost Boys work for an evil Peter Pan, who wants Henry for some reason - and has wanted him for hundreds of years. And Bae has been taken to the Enchanted forest, barely alive, and found by Mulan, Aurora, and Philip]].
** "Think Lovely Thoughts". [[spoiler: Peter Pan is Rumplestiltskin's father, who took his name from a doll he had given Rumple before Pan de-aged himself in order to stay in Neverland forever. Pan then successfully convinces Henry to give him his heart, gaining ultimate power and possibly killing Henry in the process.]]
** "Going Home". [[spoiler: Gold sacrifices himself to take out Pan, Regina sends everyone but Emma and Henry back to the Enchanted Forest in order to escape the new curse, Storybooke itself no longer exists, and Emma and Henry themselves no longer remember ''anything'' about the town or its inhabitants. Then, after one year living under new memories given them by Regina, Hook shows up at their front door asking for their help...]]
* WhamLine:
** Goes with the above in "Skin Deep".
-->'''Regina:''' [[spoiler:Tell me your name]].\\
'''Mr. Gold:''' [[spoiler:... Rumplestiltskin]].
** And more of an in-universe one (since the audience saw it coming) in the Mad Hatter episode.
--->'''Emma:''' You kidnapped my friend.\\
'''Jefferson:''' I'm saving her life.\\
'''Emma:''' From ''what?''\\
'''Jefferson:''' [[spoiler:From the curse]].\\
'''Emma:''' [[spoiler:''(in a small voice)''... [[OhCrap What curse]]]]?
** And this one from the end of "We Are Both":
--->'''Emma:''' Who are you?\\
'''[[spoiler:Cora]]:''' A friend. My name's [[spoiler:Cora]].
** Another in-universe one, since the audience already knew:
--->'''Aurora:''' ''(to Snow and Emma, after having a nightmare and talking to the other person who was there)'' [[spoiler:He said his name was Henry]].
** The line at the end of "In The Name of the Brother":
--->'''Greg Mendell:''' Honey, [[spoiler:you're not gonna believe what I saw]].
** At the end of "Manhattan", [[spoiler:when the Seer explains to Rumplestiltskin about the child (Henry) who will be his downfall]].
--->'''[[spoiler:Rumplestiltskin]]:''' [[spoiler:({{Beat}}) ...Then I'll just have to kill him]].
** From the end of "Heart of the Truest Believer":
--->'''[[spoiler:I ''am'' Peter Pan.]]'''
* WhamShot: The shot in "Think Lovely Thoughts" where [[spoiler: Rumpelstiltskin's father turns into Peter Pan.]]
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** For years ABC tried adapting ''{{Fables}}'' into a television series.
** Originally Charming was to die in the first episode, but execs at ABC nixed it.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: King George justifies killing an innocent man with the fact that he was [[TalkingAnimal a mouse]].
* WhatTheHellHero: Mary Margaret gives one of these to Emma over Emma's attempt to run away, throwing all her lectures about fighting back in her face.
** Henry shouts a variant when [[spoiler:Rumplestiltskin says the only way to stop Regina is by killing her]], with Charming and Emma considering it as an option.
* WhiteAndGreyMorality: Not completely, but with three of the show's four main villains (as of Season 2) being [[AntiVillain Anti-Villains]], it comes a lot closer to it than most other shows these days. However, the show starts out appearing to be an example of BlackAndWhiteMorality; it is only through CharacterDevelopment that the show's outlook shifts.
* WholePlotReference: People familiar with Henry's so-called "delusions" assume they take this form, as he casts normal people into fairy tale roles from his book.
* WhoWouldBeStupidEnough: [[spoiler:When Bael tells Robin Hood he's The Dark One's son, Robin believes him because no one would try to claim that if it weren't true.]]
* WilliamTelling: [[PeterPan Peter]] pulls out an apple. Henry says he doesn't like apples. "[[SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarves It's a family thing.]]" Peter tells him that the apple's not for eating...it's for target practice.
* WistfulAmnesia: Everyone in Storybrooke, until season 2.
* WickedStepmother: Snow White and Cinderella are both [[{{Understatement}} mistreated]] by their stepmothers. Cinderella's is implied to have treated her as a slave, and Snow's tried to sentence her to a FateWorseThanDeath.
* WorldHalfFull: The Enchanted Forest. It has enchantment and beauty galore, but what little we've seen of it hasn't been good. King George was flat broke and blackmails David to keep up the act of being Prince James. The "real" Prince slaughtered a prisoner without an eye-blink as part of a blood sport. Dragon attacks plague the countryside. The Ogre Wars have been going on for 50 years or more. Rumplestiltskin cuts deals with impunity, even when he's locked up. And the Evil Queen's bluff to Rumplestiltskin that Belle was [[spoiler:put in an insane asylum where she was 'purged' with flails, whips, and fire to the point of suicide]] is considered a realistic enough occurrence for him to believe it. What makes the Enchanted Forest preferable to Storybrooke is mainly that the bad guys had finally been defeated in the Enchanted Forest, but in Storybrooke they are in charge again - and that the lives that people lived in the Enchanted Forest were real and possible to change, whereas in Storybrooke they are caught in a static, fabricated existence where they can [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption never reach any happy ending]].
* WorldHealingWave: [[spoiler:Emma triggers one by her good-bye kiss to Henry, shattering the curse holding the town]].
* WouldHitAGirl: The knight who viciously backhands Snow when she tries to make her way to a captured Charming in ''Heart of Darkness''. Also Hook, who socks Belle to knock her out as soon as he realizes she's no use to him.
* WrittenByTheWinners: Captain Hook portrays the Human-Giant wars as a war against brutal giants who came down to pillage the land and kill humans. Humans drove them back up the beanstalk, and killed all but one, the most vicious of them all. The last surviving giant claims humans started the war and slaughtered giants for the giant's gold and magic beans, and gleefully slaughtered them, but since they won got to paint history how they wanted.
* WrongfulAccusationInsurance: Averted. Mary Margaret has been framed for killing Katherine, and is in holding. When someone slips her a key, she uses it to escape. Emma tracks her down and convinces her to return pointing out while they may be able to prove her innocence in Katherine's death, if anyone else learns that she escaped she will be guilty of that, and no one will be able to help her. It's eventually revealed that Regina slipped her the key, for that very reason.
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[[folder:X]]
* XanatosGambit: While most of Gold's plots are of the [[BatmanGambit Batman]] variety, his plan to [[spoiler:break the curse]] is pure Xanatos. Best case scenario, [[spoiler:Emma sticks around and breaks the curse]] but he also put in a failsafe: [[spoiler:If she ''dies'' then the curse is broken. Sooner or later, it ''will'' break]].
** [[spoiler:AND, he had a True Love potion failsafe]].
* XanatosSpeedChess: The entire show thus far has been one giant game of this played by Rumplestiltskin with the ultimate goal of [[spoiler:following his son into our world while still retaining his powers]]. And it would appear to be working out beautifully.
-->"Let's just say...I'm invested in your future."
** Until he hits the snag that [[spoiler:he can't leave town without losing his memories]].
*** [[spoiler:Nope, he finds a way round that too.]]
* {{Xenafication}}: Snow White as an ActionGirl and LittleRedRidingHood as [[spoiler:a werewolf]].
** Belle, mildly. Though she's far from an expert fighter, she's clever enough to neutralize the Yaoguai.
** [[HanselAndGretel Gretel]] is another mild example. While she doesn't do them much harm, she does attack the Queen's guards with a sling.
* XMeetsY:
** ''{{Fables}}'' meets ''AmericanGothic''.
** Also, ''{{Fables}}'' meets ''ThePrisoner'' (in context of Storybrooke being a GildedCage prison for its residents).
** And ''{{Fables}}'' meets an inversion of ''Film/LastActionHero'' (precocious kid wanders around being GenreSavvy about another world where all the real people are ''actually'' fictitious characters, but [[CassandraTruth no one believes him]]).
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Y]]
* YouALLShareMyStory: Many of the FairyTales overlap, or tie into one another. Snow White's arc ties into Little Red Riding Hood's. Hansel and Gretel are used by the Wicked Queen to get the infamous apple. King Midas's daughter was set up with Prince Charming for an ArrangedMarriage, etc.
* YouAreNotReady: Said by Henry to Emma in the Pilot over her being "ready" to break the curse. Given that she definitely didn't believe him at that point, he was probably right.
* YouCantFightFate: PlayedWith. According to the "seer" there are things that "will be" and things that "can be." The former will happen no matter what, while the latter may or may not happen. Telling the difference is difficult, and the sheer number of possibilities is overwhelming even for someone as powerful as Rumplestiltskin.
-->'''BlindSeer:''' The future is a puzzle.
* YouGoGirl: Often happens. Belle is finally independent despite having a sexist father (she hints her fiancé was the same) and escapes an arranged marriage; Mulan refuses to be called "a girl" and prefers saying that she is a woman and a warrior to the surprised princess Aurora; Milah wanted more than a life as a stay-at-home mom and wife to the town coward.
** Less so with Milah as she neglected Bae to go out drinking regularly and abandoned him for an adventure. Were she the husband she'd be called a deadbeat dad.
* YouKillItYouBoughtIt: [[spoiler:How Rumplestiltskin got his powers]].
* YourCheatingHeart:
** Emma's "date" in the pilot.
** In Episode 5, Emma hints that she had been involved with a married man.
** David's and Mary Margaret's affair from Episode 10 onward. It's complicated because in the Enchanted Forest, they ''are'' married, but in Storybrooke, they've forgotten and David ends up "married" to someone else.
** The Queen and the Genie (while the former is married to Snow White's father). The Genie solves this by [[MurderTheHypotenuse Murdering the Hypotenuse]]. [[spoiler:It turns out the Queen was never in love with him]].
* YoungerThanTheyLook: 28-year-old Emma Swan is stated to be 18 when she got pregnant with Henry. However, the flashback episode "Tallahassee" showed that her teenage self looked no different that herself in the present day, save for a pair of glasses and different hairstyle and clothes. Neal, Emma's ex and Henry's biological father, was stated to be at least 23 on his 'Wanted' poster but looks like he's in his 30s.
* [[YoureNotMyFather You're Not My Mother]]:
** Henry says this at least once to Regina. [[spoiler:He takes it back later, though]].
** When the Queen makes reference to the Huntsman's parents who abandoned him in the woods, the Huntsman replies, "Those were not my parents. They merely gave birth to me."
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: Played very straight, except it's [[spoiler:the prince. Snow White and her allies [[StormingTheCastle storm King George's castle]] to rescue Charming, only to find out that Regina has already whisked him away to her own castle, leaving behind a full-length mirror in his cell to project his image and allow him and Snow to share a moment of mutual anguish]].
* YouSexyBeast: Despite (or because of?) his [[GlowingEyes weird eyes]], somewhat reptilian-like skin and manic quirks, Rumplestiltskin has his fair share of fangirls and fanfics. [[PowerIsSexy Possible]] [[EvilIsSexy Explanations]] may include being acted by RobertCarlyle.
[[/folder]]
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