Line #39 OnceUponATime/TropesGToH


1	OnceUponATime/TropesAToD \| OnceUponATime/TropesEToF \| '''Tropes G-H''' \| OnceUponATime/TropesIToL \| OnceUponATime/TropesMToP \| OnceUponATime/TropesQToT \| OnceUponATime/TropesUToZ
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3	!!!''Series/OnceUponATime'' provides examples of the following tropes:
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9	* GameChanger: Storybrooke is a town in Maine where all the denizens of a fairy-tale world were sent by the powerful curse of Snow White's enemy, the Evil Queen Regina and live in an amnesiac state unaware of their true identities. Here, they do not age. The narrative revolves around Snow's daughter, [[TheHero Emma]], the very reluctant designated curse breaker. [[spoiler:She succeeds in breaking the curse in the first-season finale]].
10	* GardenOfEvil: The Queen of Hearts' hedge maze, where the walls devour anyone who gets close.
11	* GenerationalSaga: Snow White loses her daughter, her husband, and her whole world as the evil queen sends them "someplace horrible", the real world. Emma, Snow White's long-lost daughter, is street smart and resents her biological parents for her abandonment. It takes her own long-lost son Henry to bring her back to the family that she never knew and the idea of the enchanted world they came from. And as more of the past is revealed, we find that this saga went all the way to the great-grandparents' generation (Cora[=/=]Eva).
12	* GenderFlip[=/=]TomboyishName: The hero of Literature/JackAndTheBeanstalk is named Jacqueline.
13	** She's also subjected to an InUniverse Gender Flip as Hook is under the impression that she was a man.
14	* GenghisGambit: When Cora and Hook come along, Rumplestilskin and Regina unite with the rest of the town to save the day.
15	* GenreBlind:
16	** Cinderella. It appears that she doesn't know the outcome of Rumplestiltskin's story. But she becomes GenreSavvy when the princes reveal the trap for Rumplestiltskin, as she just ''knows'' it's going to backfire.
17	** Regina/The Evil Queen. She clearly doesn't understand what kind of story she's in. She's the ManipulativeBastard equivalent of UnskilledButStrong; she mostly just plows through her obstacles with a combination of magic and hate.
18	** Emma and her gun. To the point of it almost becoming a RunningGag.
19	** Cora repeatedly says "Love is weakness", yet lives in a world where her most powerful magic can be defeated by true love's kiss.
20	* GenreRefugee:
21	** Dr. Whale[=/=]Dr. Frankenstein has to take the cake, being a sci-fi character in the middle of a fairy tale fantasy series.
22	** Greg and Tamara, possibly the only two characters in the series so far not grounded in any mythology; revealed to be nothing more than two of Peter Pan's goons.
23	** Cruella [=DeVil=] She may be one of Disney's iconic villainesses, but her story is in no way a faerie tale or even a sci-fi like Whale.
24	** The season 5 finale adds [[spoiler: [[Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde Jekyll and Hyde]]]] with the implication that there are many more literary characters from novels that come from their world. Also, Violet's father is Hank Morgan from "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court".
25	* GenreSavvy:
26	** Both Emma and Henry, given that they're aware of the original fairy tales, to the point where neither has to ask "Who?" when a name like Peter Pan turns up.
27	** Lampshaded in "Witch Hunt" where the Storybrooke residents are under the impression that Oz and the Wicked Witch are fictional characters until they are informed otherwise by Regina. Cue a string of joking references primarily to the 1939 ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' film, including a great bit of deadpan snarking by Regina.
28	*** This continues in "It's Not Easy Being Green" in which Regina and her allies [[spoiler: are able to make an educated guess about the Wicked Witch's game plan due to being familiar with the heart-courage-brain element of the original story, with Regina even referencing the Scarecrow]].
29	** In the finale, the brief glimpse of [[spoiler: Elsa]] that we see has her ''immediately'' destroying the urn she was trapped in.
30	** Maleficent in Season 4 (in a BigBadDuumvirate with Gold) pulls a clever move on both sides, hero and villain. Upon finding out [[spoiler: that Gold manipulated Emma into killing off Cruella]], she knows that Gold isn't afraid to [[spoiler: betray her as well]], so she [[spoiler: turns on ''him'' first, then demands that Emma join her and assist in finding her daughter, knowing that she cannot and will not turn down her request, seeing as how Emma's parents were responsible for losing Maleficent's child in the first place]]. It works. [[spoiler: She leaves the season alive and reunited with her daughter.]]
31	** In "Snow Drifts" at the end of Season 3, a time-traveling Emma and Hook run into the past version of Rumpelstiltskin and convince him to help them by confirming that, yes, he ''will'' see his son again. Before fully agreeing, he demands to know how he finds Bae, but then immediately decides against it because he realizes that just having that knowledge could change history and mean it doesn't happen.
32	* GiantSquid: Squid Ink acts as a recurring magical item used to temporarily freeze the user's target in place. In Season 3, Gold and Baelfire summon and kill a giant squid in Neverland to take it's ink for this specific purpose. Season 6 also introduces [[KrakenAndLeviathan krakens]] as a similar but much more aggressive and menacing creature, almost looking like mutant giant squids.
33	* GildedCage: Storybrooke. [[spoiler:At least until midway through Season 3. After the second curse is cast and the town is restored, people get turned into flying monkeys if they try to leave.]]
34	** Regina's castle, as more of her backstory and motivations are revealed and [[spoiler: her evil level decreases]].
35	* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: A semi-villainous one in Regina vs. Zelena. All Zelena ever wanted was someone to show her affection and love, and in her warped perspective, Regina had everything given to her. Regina clearly begs to differ as Cora was emotionally abusive and really screwed up Regina's life in order to cement her own social status and Regina would love nothing more than to be nothing like their mother. The sisters' relationship is full of tension, especially since Zelena's jealousy prompted her to try and take everything Regina has ever loved, including tricking Robin into impregnating her.
36	* GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler:Charming in the premiere when he's able to see that Emma escaped before succumbing to his wounds. Though in his case it was more of a Fall Into a Coma with a Smile.]]
37	* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen:
38	** And ''how'', although she seems to have lost most (or all) of her ruling power before Snow White's wedding in the pilot.
39	** "Hat Trick" shows that [[Literature/AliceInWonderland The Queen of Hearts]] is up to her old tricks.
40	** The latter half of season 3 appears to be moving towards an inversion of this, [[spoiler: with Regina, granted for more personal motives than altruism, takes on the role of town protector against the Wicked Witch, especially once she realizes that she is, literally, the lesser of the evils]].
41	* GoldSilverCopperStandard: Is in use in the Enchanted Forest, as seen in "Hat Trick". The different coins don’t even have names; they’re called 'silvers' and 'coppers'.
42	* GonnaNeedMoreX: Inverted when Charming is tasked to hide a a giant egg containing bottled true love within "the belly of a beast".
43	-->'''Charming:''' Where is the beast that reigns over this castle?\
44	'''Maleficent:''' That would be me.\
45	'''Charming:''' I'm gonna need a smaller egg.
46	** Not long afterward, she [[ScaledUp turns into a dragon]], so the size is perfectly fine.
47	* GoodAdulteryBadAdultery:
48	** Mary Margaret and David are the "Good" adulterers. David is married to Kathryn in Storybrooke, but was originally married to Mary Margaret in the Enchanted Forest as Snow White and Prince Charming, so this liaison is portrayed as returning to his original "true love".
49	** Regina and the Genie are "Bad". Regina seems to start her affair with the Genie due to her unhappiness over her arranged marriage with King Leopold, which her mother pressured her into. [[spoiler:But it turns out she was manipulating the Genie into ''killing'' the King]].
50	* GoodHairEvilHair: Regina's hair is a good indicator of where she is on the face heel spectrum. In flashbacks when she's the Evil Queen, she favours elaborate updos. Before she's corrupted, her hair is worn in simple styles. And in Storybrooke, she has PowerHair when she's evil. [[spoiler: After she's definitely executed a HeelFaceTurn]] her hair is longer.
51	* GoodPrincessEvilQueen: Due to drawing heavily on the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon.
52	** The main princess character is Snow White, a beloved and kind woman who became an ActionGirl on the run. Even following her coronation she was [[PrincessesRule referred to as a princess]]. Several other Disney Princesses are featured in the show (eg. Cinderella (twice!), Belle, Aurora, Tiana) and are never portrayed as villainous.
53	** Conversely, many of the villains on the show are Queens -- there's the Evil Queen Regina (Snow White's WickedStepmother), the Queen of Hearts Cora, ''Series/OnceUponATimeInWonderland'''s Red Queen, the Snow Queen (EvilAunt to Elsa). Even Myth/ArthurianLegend's Queen Guinevere was brainwashed into siding with [[AdaptationalVillainy her husband]].
54	** Later downplayed with the inclusion of [[Franchise/{{Frozen}} Queen Elsa]] and [[WesternAnimation/{{Brave}} Queen Merida]]. Both of them now hold the rank of Queen, but were introduced as princesses in their respective Disney films.
55	* GoodScarsEvilScars:
56	** Charming has a very visible and significant scar on the right side of his chin.
57	** Jefferson has a very noticeable one on his neck he covers with scarves.
58	** Regina sports a scar on her upper lip, the origin of which has yet to be revealed in-universe (in real life, the actress got it when she was bitten by a dog at age 10).
59	* GoodStepmother: the Evil Queen adopts a baby named Henry and raises him as her own. Her love for Henry brings out her redeeming values and plays a large role in her eventual EnemyMine truce with Snow White.
60	* TheGoodTheBadAndTheEvil: There's always a mix of truly heroic characters, morally gray ones and truly evil antagonists. Snow and Charming, along with other Disney heroes like Elsa and Ariel, are always Good, while Emma is usually Good but occasionally Bad. Hook starts out Bad and becomes Good. Regina actually runs the full spectrum--she's Season 1's Evil, but she first becomes merely Bad and then properly Good, as does her sister Zelena. Rumple is nearly always Bad with occasional slides into Evil, until his RedemptionEqualsDeath. Disney villains apart from Hook are usually either Bad or Evil--oddly enough, [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]], whose original incarnation was pretty much MadeOfEvil, actually ends up in the gray category.
61	* GrandTheftMe: [[spoiler:Peter Pan pulls one on Henry]].
62	** In "Bleeding Through", [[spoiler:Cora]] briefly does this to Snow in order for her to be able to answer Regina's questions about Zelena.
63	* GreatBigBookOfEverything: Henry's book of fairy tales apparently contains the entire history of the Enchanted Forest, even though it clearly isn't big enough (especially with all the full-page illustrations).
64	** In Season 2, it is revealed that [[spoiler:Dr. Victor Frankenstein's story is not in the book, implying that there are many other characters in Storybrooke from tales that are unknown to Henry]].
65	** The third season expands further on its usefulness. [[spoiler:Touching it cures Henry of his amnesia, the same way that Emma finally believes him after touching the book back in the season 1 finale]]. And in the finale, [[spoiler:Hook and Emma use it while they're stuck in the past to make sure that they don't undo Snow and Charming's relationship, and Emma's existence by extension]].
66	* GraveRobbing: How Victor initially plans on finding a body to attempt resurrection [[spoiler:before his brother dies and is used instead]].
67	* GreaterScopeVillain:
68	** Rumplestiltskin serves as this for many of the BigBad characters in the past:
69	*** He led Cora, Zelena, and Regina down the path to becoming major villains (who ironically all turn on him).
70	*** He also formed the [[TerribleTrio Queens of Darkness]] out of Maleficent, Cruella, and Ursula (although he is not responsible for any of them becoming villains in the first place). All three turn on him as well.
71	** [[spoiler:Cora]] is this for Regina's character in Season 1, while [[spoiler: straight-up replacing her as the BigBad in Season 2]].
72	** [[spoiler:Peter Pan to Greg and Tamara in Season 2, as Gold spells out in the last scene of the season finale. Season 3 also reveals him as the Bigger Bad behind Gold and as a result every villain that Gold has created or helped]].
73	** "Operation Mongoose" reveals that [[spoiler: The Dark One is really a dark power that is bound to a human soul.]] Season 5 explains further that [[spoiler: The Darkness is the power given to Nimue after drinking from the holy grail. It became corrupted after she swore vengeance turning her into the first Dark One. This makes Nimue the GreaterScopeVillain for all past Dark Ones.]]
74	** [[spoiler: Hades takes the cake, as he claims to have been collecting and hoarding all the souls killed by every single BigBad or GreaterScopeVillain in the past, not to mention that he '''''terrifies''''' Rumple and Cora, and [[TheChessMaster uses both of them as pieces in his game]]. Oh, and should we mention that he, being a god, is ''the most powerful and oldest villain of them all, bar none?'' Small wonder Nimue the other Dark Ones and Peter Pan were so desperate to escape the Underworld, where they must always be OvershadowedByAwesome.]]
75	** [[spoiler: The Black Fairy]] turns out to be the creator of the Dark Curse.
76	* GreenEyedMonster: An integral part of Zelena's character--her envy makes her [[spoiler: ''literally'' turn green.]]
77	* GroundhogDayLoop: In "Welcome to Storybrooke", it's shown that the town was like this. Due to no time passing, every day was the same. Regina (the only one aware of it) is initially happy to have won, but the tedium of it quickly begins to grate on her.
78	** At times inverted, however, as although the town was frozen in time for more than 20 years, recent innovations such as the Internet and cell phones are available in the town. It is also suggested that TV broadcasts from outside Storybrooke are received as well.
79	* GuileHero: Henry shows some inclination toward following his adopted mother's manipulative tendencies.
80	* GunsAreWorthless: If you're trying to kill a fairy-tale monster, trying to shoot it with a gun never goes right. You'll need to do it the old-fashioned way: with a sword. (See HeroesPreferSwords, below.)
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86	* HalfTruth: When Granny tells Red that her red cloak keeps the Big Bad Wolf away/protects Red from the Big Bad Wolf, it is this. [[spoiler:It ''does'' keep the wolf away... because it's enchanted to prevent Red from turning into the Big Bad Wolf]].
87	* HandicappedBadAss: Well, if Hook doesn't qualify, who does?
88	** The Enchanted Forest's ogres could be this, too. They're blind but man, can they do some damage.
89	** Rumple/Gold may be an evil example, [[spoiler: at least in some episodes and arcs.]] His limp doesn't slow him down for an instant, and even when [[spoiler: his heart begins to decay, it has to be almost completely dark before taking him out.]]
90	* HappilyAdopted:
91	** This seems to have been the case with Charming's twin, Prince James, although he and his adoptive father King George are both evil.
92	** The Huntsman, despite the fact that his adoptive family [[RaisedByWolves was a little different]].
93	** Initially subverted with Regina and Henry. While a cursory glance in early episodes would show her as a stern but loving mom who provides material and medical care for a trouble-making, mentally disturbed little boy, the façade is flaking off like cheap paint and keeps getting worse. However, by the second season, [[spoiler: it is made clear that Regina and Henry's love for each other is genuine, to the point where Regina forces herself to execute a HeelFaceTurn in order to prove she's a good mother, leading to her making a huge sacrifice in "Going Home"]].
94	* HappilyMarried:
95	** Snow and Charming in the backstory, before the whole curse thing.
96	** Ella and Prince Thomas, until Thomas disappears (seemingly abducted by unknown forces) anyway. Their Storybrooke counterparts end up getting engaged in Episode 12.
97	** [[spoiler:This isn't only true in the backstory now. When the curse is broken in the Season 1 finale, everyone remembers their true identities and all the couples are able to reunite]].
98	%%* HappinessInSlavery: The Dwarves seem to be this as they churn out fairy dust. [[spoiler:Aside from someone like Dreamy/Grumpy]].
99	* HardTruthAesop: Although finding other options to stop evildoers is possible, sometimes a darker choice must be made. Unfortunately IDidWhatIHadToDo does not excuse one from the consequences - Snow's guilt over [[spoiler: murdering Cora]] is the prime example. Even if you do an evil thing for good intentions, you still have to live with it.
100	* HarmlessFreezing: Played straight and averted. When stuck in an ice cave of Elsa's making, Emma begins to succumb to hypothermia and would have died if she wasn't rescued. However, Hans is completely frozen by the Snow Queen and later returns, as does [[spoiler: the entirety of Arendelle]]. "Fall" reveals this freezing curse lasted [[spoiler: ''thirty years'']], but all Anna and Kristoff can say when released is that it was [[CaptainObvious cold]]. These at least could be justified since it was "magic" ice and not real ice.
101	* HatePlague: The Spell of Shattered Sight, a reference to the troll mirror from Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen", which makes people see the worst in others. The Snow Queen unleashes it on Storybrooke to make everyone turn against and kill each other.
102	%%* HateSink:
103	%%** King George for the two first seasons.
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105	* HealingSpring:
106	** While not the explicit purpose, Lake Nostos can act this way [[spoiler:and does towards Frederick]]. It returns in Season 2. [[spoiler:However, the lake dried after the death of the siren, and there was only one sip left, which Charming's mother gave to Snow to restore her child-bearing capabilities]].
107	** Neverland has one, with a nasty downside: since its water's healing properties are tied to the magic of Neverland, whoever drinks from it cannot leave. Trying to do so will undo the healing.
108	* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: True Love is mentioned many times as being the most powerful magic in the Fairytale World. [[spoiler:It is also the way the Dark Curse gets lifted, helping all the characters recover their memories]]. The trope name is taken literally a number of times as an extracted heart is needed for a particularly powerful spell or curse to work.
109	** Apparently, holding another person's heart in your hand doesn't kill them, but it does give you complete control over the person.
110	* HeartTrauma: The Evil Queen, as Henry puts it, has a thing about cutting out hearts. She does it fatally to her own father then non-fatally to The Huntsman/Graham. [[spoiler:Later, as Regina, she uses the heart to murder him]].
111	** [[spoiler:It seems like she has a FreudianExcuse for this particular fixation, since her mother used it on her boyfriend while she was still decent]].
112	** Invoked on many occasions in the series, and not just by Regina.
113	* HeavenAbove:
114	** In the season 5 episode "Nimue," a young Merlin looks into the clouds and asks permission to drink from the Holy Grail so he may live. Unlike the man who failed to ask whatever god may be listening, Merlin does not disintegrate and is blessed wiith eternal life and unparalleled magical power.
115	** Whenever a character in the Underworld "finishes their business," a hole will open far above Underworld's fires that they have to ascend into to join almighty Zeus in paradise.
116	* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Practically the entire main cast falls into this trope, making it difficult to remember who you're supposed to be rooting for in a particular episode.
117	** During the first two seasons, [[spoiler:both Regina and Mr. Gold have performed acts of kindness and even heroism. However they tend to FaceHeelTurn back the way they came soon after]].
118	** However, in "Going Home," [[spoiler: they both make what appears to be a permanent - or at least long-term - turn towards heroism. This is confirmed in the second half of Series 3 when both become effectively heroic (or hero-victim in the case of Gold) with the introduction of a greater evil. Regina allies with Emma and Mr. Gold defies his captor, Zelena,]] at every available opportunity.
119	*** Solidified in "Kansas" when [[spoiler:Regina appears to fully become a hero, to the point of gaining the ability to use white (good) magic to save the day. If that isn't enough, Henry outright calls her a hero and Regina even expresses remorse for her past victims. Not that she loses all her bite, as she still threatens to crush Zelena's heart, but nobody's perfect]]. However, [[spoiler: the final moments of the third season finale cast doubt as to whether Regina's change of heart will actually take, especially when Robin finds out that she had Marian killed]].
120	*** While Regina's sticks, albeit wavering slightly as she tries to find the author, Gold swings back to dark in season 4b and has to have [[spoiler: the Darkness ripped out of him to keep him alive]], as all the dark acts he has committed have an effect on him.
121	** Hook is pretty much firmly on the good guys' team as of the end of Season 2.
122	** During the second half of Season 4, [[spoiler: Ursula does this after she gets her singing voice back, while Maleficent appears to do it when she is reunited with her daughter.]]
123	* HellBentForLeather: With the exception of Maleficient, who adopts [[BadassInANiceSuit quite a vintage number]], the Queens of Darkness tend to favor leather. As does Regina when she tries to infiltrate them.
124	** Emma's red leather jacket is so identified with the character, it virtually counts as a uniform.
125	** Hook originally wears a [[BadassLongcoat black leather longcoat]], but later switches to a more modern black leather jacket. Possibly doubles as symbolic, since he switches to the modern leather jacket around the same time he becomes a main character and starts acting like one of the heroes, rather than a pirate.
126	* HeroesPreferSwords: enforced. Swords often seem to be the only weapon that can defeat Dark Magic and anybody that uses it.
127	-->'''Emma:''' To hell with this! (Drops the sword and pulls out her sidearm)
128	** Which is ineffective. [[spoiler:She eventually uses the sword to kill Maleficent]].
129	** She tries the gun multiple times in the [[spoiler:Enchanted Forest in Season 2 to no effect. The first time attracted ogres to their location with the loud noise, and the second did nothing to said ogres. The third time, Cora magically knocked the gun from her hands]].
130	* HeroicBSOD: Snow's [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone reaction]] to [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness tricking Regina into killing Cora]] leaves her bed-ridden for days, completely unfazed when Regina comes seeking revenge, and finally going to Regina's doorstep asking for death, being left genuinely distraught when Regina spares her.
131	** In "Going Home", [[spoiler: Regina, who by this point in the series can no longer be considered a villain, having undergone a complete HeelFaceTurn, experiences a brief one when she realizes what she must sacrifice to save the town]].
132	** In the early episodes of Season 4, Regina [[spoiler: experiences one after Robin is reunited with Marian]].
133	* HeroicSuicide:
134	** Snow White with the apple [[spoiler:when Regina promised that she would trade Charming's life for Snow's]]. And [[spoiler:Henry]] prevents Emma from eating a poisoned pastry by gobbling it and succumbing to the effects.
135	** [[spoiler:Prince Phillip allows his soul to be taken by the wraith when he is marked, even though Mulan suggested that she could mark herself and take his place]].
136	** Aurora is ready to sacrifice herself for others, since she doesn't believe she can be happy, but thinks they can and should. Snow White and Mulan don't let her go through it, but still.
137	** Likewise, the season 2 finale sees [[spoiler:Regina of all people]] setting herself up for one. Timely intervention by Emma saves her, but it's made clear she was more than willing to go through with it. Henry even lampshades the point. In season 3, [[spoiler: Regina appears willing to lay down her life in the street battle with Zelena]].
138	** Even more surprisingly, midway through season 3, [[spoiler: Rumplestiltskin/Gold]] seemingly pulls one, TakingYouWithMe style, in order to kill [[spoiler: Peter Pan. The suicide part didn't take, because of the sacrifice of...]].
139	** [[spoiler: ...Neal, in order to bring his father back, even if only to identify the Storybrooke counterpart of the Wicked Witch]].
140	* HeroicWillpower: Emma has this as a definite characteristic, just like Henry, and Snow White seems to have this too. [[spoiler:Their only FatalFlaw, which pushes them to sometimes have a relatively questionable behavior (stooping to [[BloodKnight Regina's level]] in their conflict, [[ChillyReception being]] [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech harsh]] towards Emma and Regina when he disapproves them, and [[PayEvilUntoEvil trying to kill Regina]]), whereas Charming relies more on HonorBeforeReason]].
141	** Strangely, [[spoiler:Regina resisted the urge of becoming evil after her mother abused her for years trying to turn her into a GoldDigger and an EvilMatriarch, when she thought Snow White had willingly handed her mother information about her lover for apparently selfish purposes, accidentally causing his death, and then after Rumplestiltskin got her hooked to dark magic. However, unlike Snow White and Emma, once she hits an apparent DespairEventHorizon, she collapses and stops trying, while Snow White and Emma [[{{Determinator}} always]] [[PluckyGirl keep]] [[TheFettered trying]]]].
142	* HeWhoFightsMonsters: This is how David/Charming convinces Mary Margaret/Snow not to kill [[spoiler: Cora--except that she eventually does, causing a subversion.]]
143	* HiddenAgendaVillain: Rumplestilskin's overarching goal is to get his son back and he manipulates everyone and everything to work towards that goal, specifically to find a magic bean that can open a portal between worlds. Only a precious few characters discover this.
144	** Zelena, until "It's Not Easy Being Green" for the viewers, and "Bleeding Through" for the characters. [[spoiler:She seeks to rewrite the past so that Cora would accept her as her daughter]].
145	* HiddenBackupPrince: [[spoiler:James' twin brother, raised as a shepherd]].
146	* HiddenDepths:
147	** Abigail, Prince Charming's fiancee in the Enchanted Forest, is introduced as a vapid, spoiled brat, but [[spoiler:she has her own secret army and is more than willing to help Charming find Snow White since she doesn't want to marry him either]].
148	** The Evil Queen and Rumplestiltskin both have some ''serious'' issues underneath their [[EvilIsHammy hammy villainy]]. Indeed, as we learn more about their backstories, [[spoiler: the less like villains they appear, with both entering anti-hero territory in Season 2 with both possibly escaping villain territory completely by the end of Season 3.]]
149	** Meet Mary Margaret. IncorruptiblePurePureness. ProperLady. Music/JoanJett fan.
150	* HiredToHuntYourself: King Leopold asking the Genie to identify Regina's lover.
151	* [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Hoist by Her Own Petard]]: [[spoiler:Cora]]'s death is a rather elegant version.
152	** A lesser version occurs with The Black Fairy. She doesn't exactly die (at least not in the episode where her backstory is revealed first), but her plans do backfire horribly. When her son, [[spoiler:Rumplestiltskin]] is born, the Blue Fairy and Tiger Lily appear and tell her that her son is to become the Saviour, and that he will die in a battle to kill the one with the crescent scar who was born on the same night. She seeks out every baby in the land that was born on that night, but none of them have the crescent scar she was warned about. In the end, she attempts to create the Dark Curse, in order to use it to send all babies to a world without magic, so her baby can grow up safely. This results in her becoming the very enemy she wanted to protect her son from, and the Blue Fairy has to seal her in a pocket dimension.
153	* HollywoodDensity: When Prince Charming's twin brother holds up his sword and King Midas transforms it into pure gold, he shows no sign that its weight has increased, and handles it as easily as he did before. In reality, a sword that size made of pure gold would weigh well over a hundred pounds.
154	* HollywoodNewEngland: Richmond, B.C. as Storybrooke; Vancouver as Boston and New York; assorted Vancouver-area parks and forests for everywhere else.
155	* HopeSpot: In "Good Form" [[spoiler:Emma and others are desperate to give Henry some sign, some hope that he can be rescued. Without which he would likely fall into darkness and become a Lost Boy. They do get a message to him by the end of it]].
156	** In "Kansas", flashbacks reveal that Zelena was once able to get past her jealousy over Regina. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:Dorothy's arrival]] makes her envy return in full force.
157	* HostageForMacGuffin:
158	** In "Into the Deep" Cora kidnaps Aurora and threatens to kill her unless Emma, Snow and Mulan give her the magic compass.
159	** In "The Queen is Dead" [[spoiler:Cora and Regina do the same thing with Snow White's old maid for the Dark One's dagger]].
160	** In "Heroes and Villains" the Queens of Darkness kidnap Belle while she's doing laundry at the Dark Castle to force Rumple to give up a magical gauntlet he had just obtained from Camelot that would theoretically lead to people's weaknesses. Needless to say, death threats to Belle get him to hand it over rather quickly - though he still tries to deny to her that he cares about her. Subverted later when he goes back and gets the gauntlet back from them now that Belle's safe.
161	* HotWitch: So far, every witch in the series except Miss Ginger has been attractive. Physically, anyway.
162	* HourglassPlot: Revealed to be the backstory of Regina and Jefferson. Apparently, he is an innocent friend of Regina whom she lets grow mad in Wonderland and keeps a bit farther from Grace, his daughter, than he would choose to be. She looks remorseful about the trapping in Wonderland, but does it to save her father. Cue to his Fandom screaming and insulting her. Flashback years earlier. Regina is an innocent girl whom Jefferson hurts for personal gain, before his daughter is even born, making her desperate and causing her to agree to listen to Rumplestiltskin. Also, despite knowing that he could save her beloved, he and [[spoiler:Doctor Frankenstein]] choose to let her believe that there is no way. His tragic backstory has just been turned into something resembling LaserGuidedKarma.
163	* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Anton's backstory. He wanted to explore, and make friends. Instead Prince James and Jack take advantage of his generosity to rob him and reduce him to human size.
164	** Pops up again in Season 5b. During "Her Handsome Hero," we learn part of the reason the Ogre Wars came to Belle's region was because she [[spoiler: saved an ostensibly baby/child ogre from Gaston and his hunting party.]] In a CallingTheOldManOut move, she suggests to her father that the ogres are only doing what they do because humans torture and kill their young.
165	* HypocriticalHumor:
166	** Regina complaining about the Queen of Hearts’ lack of subtlety. This becomes more amusing in hindsight when it's revealed that [[spoiler:the Queen of Hearts is none other than her own mother]].
167	** Regina chews out Rumplestiltskin for going against the intent of their deal. This from the woman who cursed a world because [[spoiler:of a little girl's innocent mistake]].
168	--->'''Mr. Gold:''' Intent is meaningless.\
169	'''Regina:''' Intent is everything!\
170	''([[LampshadeHanging Mr. Gold laughs]])''
171	** Eventually subverted, in that, as the dialogue of 1x18 implies, and what the actress says, Regina does think that it was Snow White's intent to [[spoiler:make her become her stepmother]].
172	** A sillier example when Rumplestiltskin meets [[WesternAnimation/{{Brave}} Merida]] and makes fun of her accent, despite having a noticeable Scottish accent himself.
173	[[/folder]]

Context OnceUponATime / TropesGToH