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3!!!''Series/OnceUponATime'' provides examples of the following tropes:
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8* MacGuffin: A lot of characters have these. Anna's mother Gerda and [[spoiler: her sisters Ingrid and Helga]] have their ribbons. Anna has her snowflake pendant.
9** Zelena's pendant is the MacGuffin that [[spoiler: both controls her powers and ensures she keeps them. Once it is destroyed in Season 3, her magic has no container and opens a time portal that swallows Hook and Emma.]]
10** We find out in Season 3's "Kansas" that Zelena's "sister witches" of the North, South, and East also have these. Theirs are clear while hers is green, because [[spoiler: originally Zelena was a good witch, sent to fulfill an Oz prophecy that she would destroy the greatest evil in that realm. However, her envy of Dorothy eventually caused her to forfeit that chance.]]
11** Rumple's shawl is this because it [[spoiler: allows him to leave Storybrooke without losing power or memory.]]
12** Bo Peep's staff is this; she uses it to control and enslave others much like the Dark One's dagger.
13** Henry's storybook may be the biggest one of all, as the entire series turns on it.
14%%* ThatManIsDead: Discussed in "The Cricket Game":
15* MadnessMantra: From the Mad Hatter [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin naturally]]. His last flashback scene involves him [[spoiler:saying "Get it to work!" over and over again as he's making hats. The camera pans out as it reveals the thousands of hats he's made in the hopeless effort to try to get back home to his daughter, thus revealing how he got his name and how he ended up being a permanent character in Wonderland]].
16** [[spoiler: Rumple]] in "Witch Hunt" seems to be reciting one after [[spoiler: being locked in a cage by the Wicked Witch of the West]], "You feed the madness and it feeds on you..."
17%%* MadScientistLaboratory: Of both Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll.
18* MagicAIsMagicA: Notable for a series which uses magic [[AppliedPhlebotinum to keep the plot going]]. So far, magic has clearly defined limits (can't raise the dead, for example), clearly explained sources (emotion, with true love being the most powerful form), and it ''always'' [[ArcWords comes with a price]].
19** TrueLovesKiss also appears subject to this, though the rules are not explicitly stated. Those that are apparent from it's uses in the show are: 1) It only works on curses and other magical problems.[[note]]Snow's attempt to utilize it on a physically injured Charming does nothing.[[/note]] 2) It only works when the love is mutual. [[note]] Rumple tries it on an [[spoiler: amnesiac Belle]] with no success.[[/note]] 3) It only works when the two people are physically together. [[note]] As demonstrated when Snow and Charming attempt it during a shared dream state. Intangible bodies can't kiss.[[/note]] 4. It doesn't have to be romantic in nature. [[note]] Emma uses it to wake Henry and lift the curse on the town.[[/note]] 5. It must make physical contact with another person. [[note]] Princess Abigail tried to break Frederick's curse with the kiss, but couldn't due to his helmet getting in the way.[[/note]]
20** Frequently averted. Despite the ArcWords, most magic comes with little price unless the plot needs a MacGuffin (though the number of times magic has backfired or had unintended consequences could still count); all three things magic cannot do have been done on the main show or the spinoff; and TrueLovesKiss has a spotty record, undoing [[spoiler: the curse of the Dark One]] in the past but not the present and either ineffective or ForgottenPhlebotinum when [[spoiler: Snow drinks cursed water]].
21* MagicCompass:
22** In "True North", Gretel and Hansel[=/=]Ava and Nicholas have a special compass. In the Land Without Magic, it doesn't seem to work, but it begins to move when [[spoiler:their father is near them]].
23** In the finale of the first season Rumplestiltskin enchants Prince Charming's ring so that it will lead him directly to Snow White.
24** In another episode Captain Hook leads Emma up the beanstalk to steal a compass from the giant that will let them find a way between worlds back to Storybrooke.
25* TheMagicGoesAway: One of the key points of the Dark Curse is that it transported the inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest into a world without magic (ours). This has the side-effect of reversing any magical transformations that residents underwent in their world. Archie is no longer a cricket, and Mr. Gold no longer sports the green and scaly skin of the Dark One. [[spoiler:August (Pinocchio) was able to avoid this by transporting in the wardrobe with Emma, but when she decides to stay in Storybrooke 28 years later, he begins to revert to his wooden form]].
26** TheMagicComesBack: [[spoiler:In the Season 1 finale, Rumplestiltskin uses his bottled PowerOfLove to bring all the magic of the Enchanted Forest into Storybrooke]].
27* MagicIsEvil: So far every human who has taken up magic long-term has become both corrupted and addicted to their power. The fairies have wielded magic without obvious corruption, but they only use magic in the service of others and always employ an artifact like a wand or fairy dust. [[spoiler: Emma]] has so far also avoided corruption from her innate magical abilities, but these abilities were only recently awakened and sparingly used (she usually forgets she even has them). In addition, she was taught to wield her abilities by [[spoiler: channeling her desire to protect people]] in sharp contrast to the technique of [[spoiler: channeling rage and a desire for vengeance]] used by Rumpelstiltskin, Cora, and Regina. Only time will tell whether this more fairy-like approach will help her avoid the fate of other human magic-users.
28** Emma has recently gained full control over her magic, helped by Elsa, who helped her embrace her abilities.
29*** Emma, however, has recently succumb to some darkness after [[spoiler: using her magic to push Cruella De Vil off a cliff to save Henry]].
30** Glinda and her sister witches in Oz haven't turned evil, nor has Elsa, or Merlin (who has to be very careful not to use his Holy Grail-granted powers to kill, or he'd turn out like the Dark One).
31* MagicVersusScience: Rumplestiltskin and [[spoiler:Dr. Frankenstein]] argue about which is more powerful [[spoiler:Rumplestiltskin forces Frankenstein to say magic is greater, but while magic works faster and is more flexible, Frankenstein brought back the dead--something which is impossible for magic]].
32** [[spoiler:Greg and Tamara's organization]] uses some form of science to [[AntiMagic disable magic]]. Or so they think. [[spoiler:It's now obvious that they were using magic all along]].
33* MajorInjuryUnderreaction:
34** Granted that the series isn't allowed to be too graphic, [[spoiler:but Hook reacts to Rumplestiltskin ''cutting his freaking hand off'' with far less screaming and flailing around than he by all rights should have done]].
35** Whale [[spoiler:walks around with his arm ''ripped off'' with nothing worse than a few winces]].
36* MaleGaze: Dr. Whale gets busted checking out Ruby during his date with Mary Margaret.
37* MamaBear: Five words: "BACK. AWAY. FROM MY. DAUGHTER!"
38** Snow is a total Mama Bear. When Mulan went to chop down the beanstalk (having promised Emma she'd do this) Snow ''attacked'' her for it.
39** Regina could be an evil example. She burst into city hall and owned everyone in order to get Henry back.
40** After her reforms, Regina becomes a much straighter example.
41** Emma. At the end of Season 1, [[spoiler:when Henry was in a coma after eating the apple turnover, Emma had enough and outright attacked Regina, since she was the one who made the turnover in the first place. In Season 2, Emma burned the portal leading back home so Cora couldn't get to Henry]].
42** Ashley/Cinderella could be one, too. She broke into Mr. Gold's office and then knocked him out while trying to get documents which will ensure she keeps her baby.
43** Widow Lucas is a Grandma Bear. [[spoiler:When King George framed Ruby for murder and then tried to shoot her]], Granny shoots the gun out of his hand and threatens to put the next one between his eyes.
44** Although a dark example, Zelena fits the trope [[spoiler: once she has her baby.]] She's ready to take down ''Hades'' at the mere threat of danger.
45* ManlyTears:
46** King George at the death of his son.
47** Lots of these from the Huntsman.
48** Mr. Gold, that mean old bastard, breaks down terribly [[spoiler:when he's apologizing to the man he thinks is his grown son: "I'm so sorry, Bae."]] His eyes well up with tears when [[spoiler:he first sees Belle, who he had thought was dead, in the finale]] and when he finally holds her, he's weeping.
49** Rumplestiltskin keeps his composure at first when [[spoiler:the evil queen tells him Belle has killed herself after returning to her father]], but when the queen leaves him alone he realizes the scale of his loss and starts to openly sob.
50** Charming/David. All the time, but especially when he thinks he's losing Snow/Mary Margaret.
51* ManChild: August/[[spoiler: Pinnochio]] is a very literal example. He naturally starts out as a boy, but spends most of Season 2 as an adult until his failure to be selfless, brave, and true gets him [[spoiler: killed.]] The Blue Fairy/Mother Superior then [[spoiler: turns him back into a boy]], and in Season 4, [[spoiler: Gold and the Queens of Darkness use his adult form as a pawn in Gold's plan.]] Cruella even calls August a ManChild.
52* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Rumplestiltskin in his real-world form, Mr. Gold.
53* MassiveMultiplayerCrossover: With so many characters and so many fairy tales, folk tales, and mythological characters present, it's giving VideoGame/KingsQuest and Franchise/KingdomHearts a run for their money.
54** As co-creator Edward Kitsis explains:
55--->"It's like when you were young and had Franchise/StarWars figures and you mixed them with Franchise/GIJoe. Cobra and Darth Vader might not have known each other, but they do in my backyard. We've taken the principle of being 12-year-old boys and we've brought it to primetime."
56* {{Matricide}}:
57** Red accidentally kills her mother Anita in an attempt to protect Snow White. It's quite traumatizing, as [[MissingMom they had just recently reunited]].
58** Snow White later tricks Regina into killing her mother Cora, pretty much the last person left besides Henry that Regina loves. To make it worse, it involved returning Cora's heart, [[DyingAsYourself meaning she remembered just how much she loved Regina right before her death]].
59* MayDecemberRomance: Belle and Rumplestiltskin. It's a MayDecemberRomance in their Storybrooke forms too, since Robert Carlyle is 20 years older than Emilie de Ravin.
60** Also a MayflyDecemberRomance, at least so far, since currently Belle is still a normal human woman with a presumably average life span, while Rumplestiltskin, due to his Dark Magic, is unaging and immortal.
61** Both Neal/Emma and Hook/Emma are this, since both guys are over 300 years old (though they don't look it).
62* MeaningfulEcho:
63** In "The Queen Is Dead", Mary Margaret's [[DramaticDeadpan deadpan]] declaration that she's going to [[spoiler:kill Cora]] mirrors her earlier statement in "Heart of Darkness" that she would [[spoiler:kill the Evil Queen]].
64** "I don't want to be you." Said by Henry to Regina, where its then revealed she said the same thing to her mother. It's implied this caused her to realize she had become her mother, which motivates her into letting Henry go.
65** In "It's Not Easy Being Green," Zelena's speech to Regina mirrors Regina's own speech at Snow White's wedding in the Pilot:
66--->'''Zelena:''' I've brought you a gift.\
67'''Regina:''' I don't want a gift from you.\
68'''Zelena:''' But you shall have it. My gift to you is this sad, sad day.
69** "Not like this." Said to Regina both times. The first time was [[spoiler:28 years before the beginning of the series, by Owen after Regina tried to forcibly keep him and his father in Storybrooke]]. The second time was by Henry, when [[spoiler:he found out Regina intended to curse him to make him love her]].
70* MeaningfulName: Obviously "Storybrooke" and "Toll Bridge" are major examples (Storybrook Maine-Storybook Lane), but the tropes still shows up in a surprisingly large number of subtle ways:
71** Mary Margaret Blanchard is the cursed identity of Snow White. Fitting, since "Blanchard" is derived from the Latin root word for "White." Additionally, Mary Margaret was the name of a saint whose story is partly connected to the "Snow White" fairy tale.
72** Ruby. Red. Ruby. Red. Do the math.
73** Dr. Archibald "Hopper" - referring to a man who used to be be a cricket.
74** Mr. "Gold" - referring to a man whose most recognizable talent was alchemy with straw by spinning wheel.
75** "Ashley" - referring to the cursed identity of Cinderella (cinders/ashes)
76** Sidney "Glass" - referring to the magic mirror
77** Cora - from the Latin ''cora'', "heart." Her talent is pulling people's hearts out; she had her own heart removed for safekeeping.
78** Perhaps the most subtle example of all (at least, until it's unnecessarily lampshaded by Cora) is "Regina" - the Latin-derived word for "Queen."
79** ''Zelena'' means 'green' in Bosnian, Bulgarian, and several other Slavic languages.
80** Victoria Belfry - Tremaine's cursed name refers to a tower belfry like the one [[spoiler: Rapunzel]] was imprisoned in and her tendency to imprison others
81** Rogers - Wish!Hook's cursed self referring to a Jolly Roger
82** Weaver - Rumple is the man who spins straw into gold. Could also refer to his tendency to put a spin on the truth
83** Ivy - As pointed out by Tremaine, Drizella tends to cling to the nearest source of power or mother figure she has
84** Eloise Gardener - she is a witch with power over plants
85** Gothel points out that she refers to herself as Mother because she provides for others (or at least seems to).
86** Since Facilier was always an example of BorrowinSamedi, his curse name actually ''is'' Barron Samdi.
87* MedievalStasis:
88** The Enchanted Forest and Wonderland seem to be in medieval setting and don't technologically advance in the slightest. Taken to the extreme in the spinoff; the world Alice is from is a perpetual Victorian England, as is also the case for the Land Without Color in the primary series.
89** The Emerald City looks to be the only industrialized area in the entirety of Oz, though whether it was due to [[spoiler: Walsh's influence since he arrived in that world from Kansas]] is up to debate.
90* MeetCute:
91** Snow White and the Prince meet when she robs him, he knocks her off a horse and right when he realizes that the thief is a woman, she brains him with a rock giving him [[GoodScarsEvilScars a scar]] he has to this day. She also nicknamed him PrinceCharming and it ''stuck''.
92** Emma met Henry's father by stealing his stolen car with him sleeping in the back. She was so befuddled, she ran a stop sign and got pulled over (remember, in a twice-stolen car), and got out of the ticket when he pretended she was his girlfriend and he was teaching her to drive stick.
93** Henry and Violet meet at a Camelot ball where he plays modern day music for her. When everyone returns to Storybrooke (bringing some Camelot residents with them) without their memories they meet again and go through the exact same scenario.
94* MementoMacGuffin: Rumple's reaction to the false news that Belle is dead is to smash all of his teacups. He stops himself before smashing the last one; the one she chipped. He stares at it for a moment before putting it on a pedestal as a reminder of the loss.
95* MemoryJar: Mr. Gold can apparently use a dreamcatcher to capture and hold memories.
96** This is later shown to be an ability possessed by the Dark One, not Mr. Gold specifically, [[spoiler:as Dark Swan does this to wipe everyone's memories.]]
97** In Season 6, [[spoiler:Hook (having been the Dark One) uses the same ability to erase his memories of killing Charming's father.]]
98* MenAreTheExpendableGender: Most permanent deaths on the show have been male.
99* MenUseViolenceWomenUseCommunication: In Charming's own words: "I did the fighting, Snow did the talking."
100* MetaphoricallyTrue: Merlin explains to the Charmings that the first Dark One killed his true love, [[spoiler: Nimue]]. In actuality, [[spoiler: the first Dark One ''was'' Nimue - but in Merlin's eyes, the woman he loved was essentially killed the moment the Dark One was born]].
101* MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll: Rumplestiltskin continues to pull the strings from inside his magical prison.
102--> '''Rumplestiltskin:''' I'm ''exactly'' where I wanna be.
103* MisplacedVegetation: Once Upon A Time is filmed in British Columbia, which means that the woods around Storybrooke look like [[UsefulNotes/TheOtherRainforest the Pacific Northwest]] even though the town is located in Maine.
104* MissedHimByThatMuch: In the Season 2 opener, everyone naturally thinks Regina is responsible for the fact that the Storybrooke residents don't return to their own land after the curse is broken. They find out [[NotMeThisTime it's actually Gold]] and intend to go after him, but only ''after'' making sure Regina is securely in jail. The minute the heroes leave the sheriff's station, Gold saunters in.
105* MissingMom:
106** Snow White to Emma when Snow goes into labor early and is forced to send Emma away on her own in order to save her from the curse.
107** In "reality": Emma is the one who ''was'' missing and now is found. The Mayor is the one who is present in all the ways but love.
108* MistakenForMurderer: [[spoiler: Mary Margaret]] during the second half of Season 1. As of midway through Season 2, [[spoiler: she actually becomes one when she kills Cora.]]
109* MomentKiller: Kathryn has a remarkable talent for this, constantly disrupting romantic moments between Mary Margaret and David.
110* MoralityKitchenSink: The show is closest to this.
111** To wit, on one end of the spectrum you have people like Prince Charming as the heroic, noble if not sometimes pragmatic heroes. And on the other, you have people like Peter Pan and [[spoiler:the Black Fairy]], manipulative evil bastards (or bitches) who only cares about themselves. However, in between you have everyone else, including several villains like Regina and Gold who are on a road to redemption, villains like Cora who slowly became worse despite sympathetic beginnings, and TheMessiah who's also an AntiHero.
112* MoralityPet: Belle to Rumplestiltskin[=/=]Mr. Gold, with the [[BerserkButton classic effects]] anytime someone hurts Belle. Belle has stopped Gold from violence more than once and seems to have triggered some self knowledge in him. Sadly, Gold's reaction to Belle [[spoiler:stumbling over the town line, with the resulting memory loss stopping her from viewing Gold as a GoodAllAlong friend/love interest]] make this tip towards MoralityChain. At least until the season finale.
113** Henry serves as one for Regina, managing to make her pull a HeelFaceTurn when everyone else gave up hope.
114** For Zelena, the pet is her daughter, Robyn.
115* MotherhoodIsSuperior: A blatant case in "The Stranger". The Blue fairy says that Snow White is the only person who can protect Emma and help her fulfill her destiny while on Earth. She completely ignores Charming and all that he has done, and could do, to ensure his daughter's survival.
116* {{Motifs}}
117** BodyMotifs: Red hearts symbolize Cora, aka, the Red Queen.
118** Doors took on a special meaning in season 4.
119* MsFanservice: Several attractive females, but Ruby is the most prominent.
120** Emma sure loves tight jeans.
121*** Emma's trip to the laundry room to change shirts in "The Price of Gold."
122** The Blue Fairy's NavelDeepNeckline.
123** Regina, especially when she's the Evil Queen.
124** The Snow Queen with her CleavageWindow.
125** Belle has a habit of dressing to the nines, even when just going to work at the library. She's also been seen in mini-skirts and other outfits a far cry from her traditional "Beauty and the Beast" garb.
126** Ruby in her Granny's Diner shorts. (And lest one thinks this was just something Ruby did, in Season 4 we see other Granny's waitresses wearing the same outfit.)
127** Season 7 gives us Ivy, who seems to love mini-skirts even more than Belle.
128* MugglesDoItBetter: As Regina unfortunately learns in "The Evil Queen", when [[spoiler: Owen and Tamara]] render her completely powerless with a combination of technology and SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic. Hook even mentions they managed to take down Maleficent, who is revealed to have survived being slain by Emma, but reduced to a mere shade and unable to die.
129* MultipleChoiceFuture: Rumpelstiltskin (and the Seer that gifted her powers onto him) cannot see the future, so much as a jumbled mess of probable events. He is forced to select the best course of action and manipulate things accordingly, having spent a full ''300'' years plotting and manipulating so that the Dark Curse is cast.
130* TheMultiverse: "Hat Trick" confirms that one exists in this show. So far the universes that have been seen or hinted at on-screen are:
131** The Enchanted Forest, where most (but not all) of the fairy tale regulars in the series originate. Technically, "the Enchanted Forest" is the name of a large region of this realm, which is informally called Fairytale Land by the producers. Other countries in the same world include [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} Agrabah]], [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Arendelle]], [[WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}} The Empire]], [[Myth/ArthurianLegend Camelot]] and [[WesternAnimation/{{Brave}} DunBroch]].
132** [[Literature/AliceInWonderland Wonderland]]
133** [[Literature/LandOfOz The Land of Oz]]
134** [[Literature/PeterPan Neverland]]
135** A Land Without Color, where [[spoiler:[[Literature/{{Frankenstein}} Dr. Victor Frankenstein]]]] lives.
136** The "Land Without Magic", our world.
137** In addition, according to WordOfGod from [[http://tvline.com/2013/08/04/once-upon-a-time-in-wonderland-pilot-details-scheduling/ the producers]], Alice's [[UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain Victorian England]] seen in ''Series/OnceUponATimeInWonderland'' is a separate realm, a “land of story” removed from time. So is the [[TheRoaringTwenties 1920s England]] that Cruella De Vil comes from, the Kansas that Dorothy comes from, and the 19th Century France that the Count of Monte Cristo comes from.
138** The fifth season introduces a Land of Untold Stories, which acts as a refuge for characters from all the other realms. And Dr. Jekyll is from the same Victorian England as Alice.
139** We also learn is Season 7 that their are multiple different versions of the Enchanted Forest and Wonderland (and presumably all the other lands we have seen). There is also the Wish Realm where a second Hook is from.
140* MundaneUtility: Snow uses her [[FriendToAllLivingThings special relationship with animals]] to deliver messages.
141** The Snow Queen uses her powers to run an ice cream shop without freezers.
142* MurderTheHypotenuse:
143** The Genie kills Snow White's father to free the Queen from her loveless marriage.
144** [[spoiler:David and then Mary Margaret come under suspicion of this]].
145* MusicalEpisode: 'The Song in Your Heart'. Magic causes everyone in the Enchanted Forest to burst into song and most happily go along with it.
146* MusicalNumberAnnoyance: The exception in the MusicalEpisode is Rumplestiltskin, who disgustedly tells Regina that "The Dark One does ''not'' sing."
147* MyOwnPrivateIDo: In "Lady of the Lake" [[spoiler:We find out that before the big ceremony seen in the pilot, Snow and Charming had their own private wedding officiated by Lancelot (a knight of the Round Table), so that Charming's mother can see her son be married before she dies from a poisoned arrow]].
148* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Spoken or implied by many characters. Notably, Ingrid after [[spoiler: accidentally freezing/killing her sister Helga]] and Emma after [[spoiler: losing control of her powers and knocking a wall out of the sheriff's station.]]
149* MythologyGag: A lot of references to the [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney versions]] of the fairy tales, including the name of Maleficent (the Thirteenth Fairy was unnamed in the story and named Carabosse in the ballet; it was the Disney movie that named her Maleficent) and the use of the city of [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} Agrabah]].
150** There's also the dwarves' names, and Peter (Red's boyfriend) is named after ''Music/PeterAndTheWolf''. Also you could stretch it to include Belle, who is usually just called Beauty (though belle is French for beauty) though the name originate from the Disney cartoon.
151** The chipped cup is a reference to Chip from the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast.
152** Not a name thing, but in Mr. Gold's shop there's a Mickey Mouse phone in one of the glass glasses as well as a Mickey Mouse plush toy in Emma's nursery.
153** Back to Disney, the video game Regina gives Henry is ''[[{{Franchise/Tron}} Space Paranoids]]''.
154** When [[spoiler:Charming wants to go to the Netherworld]], Gold uses what he calls a classic means of inducing the Sleeping Curse: The needle on the spinning wheel.
155** This one is a little closer to a ShoutOut, but if you look carefully in the background of Rumplestiltskin's castle, you can see the Scythe from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' (Jane Espenson, who wrote for Buffy, also writes for this show).
156** At the end of the episode "Tiny", the dwarfs are whistling a very familiar tune...
157** Towards the end of season 2, much is made of Snow [[spoiler: formerly]] having [[Franchise/KingdomHearts a heart devoid of darkness]].
158** [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Aurora's]] dress is lilac in the series, but depending on the light, sometimes it looks pinkish and other times bluish, the colours between which the fairies were constantly switching it.
159** In the Season 4 premiere, Belle and Rumple dance to the theme from ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' [[spoiler: during their honeymoon.]]
160** Plenty in the first half of Season 4 thanks to the inclusion of ''Franchise/{{Frozen}}'' characters.
161*** Anna introduces herself to [[spoiler: not-yet-Prince Charming]] as "Joan", a reference to her Joan of Arc painting from ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013.''
162*** She also "loves sandwiches."
163*** At one point, Emma tried unsuccessfully to talk to Regina, whose romance with Robin fell apart. The two of them were sitting on opposite sides of a closed door, reminiscent of "Do You Want To Build a Snowman?"
164*** Emma asks Elsa if she feels the cold. Elsa responds "it never bothered me", a reference to "Let It Go."
165*** Anna's last encounter with Hans, while [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome offscreen this time]], ended much the same way [[TalkToTheFist their last encounter in the movie]] did:
166--->'''Anna'''(putting on gloves to cover her bruised knuckles): Have you seen these bruises?\
167'''Elsa''': Have ''you'' seen Hans's eye?\
168'''Anna''': Definitely [[WorthIt worth it.]]
169*** Also during the epilogue for the Arrendale arc;
170---->'''Anna''': What is that amazing smell? ''(Elsa and Anna inhale for a moment)''\
171'''Elsa and Anna''': Chocolate!
172** During their first date, Emma and Hook go to an Italian restaurant. We see a couple there sharing the same spaghetti strand, a la ''WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTramp''.
173** While Killian doesn't have the long curled hair of his animated counterpart, his father ''does''.
174[[/folder]]
175
176[[folder:N]]
177* NarniaTime:
178** Time runs differently in the Dark Realm, as seen when [[spoiler:Gideon]] goes there and ages 28 years in about a day.
179** The Edge of Realms also seems to work like this, allowing [[spoiler:Belle]] to grow old and die naturally in what Regina describes as "a blink of an eye for us".
180* NeckSnap:
181** How Rumplestiltskin kills the knight who humiliated him. With one hand. By palming their head.
182** Charming to one of King George's {{Mooks}}.
183** The wolves do this to a number of Regina's mooks.
184** Regina does this to one of her men who failed to capture Snow White after she jumped off a cliff.
185** Regina generally does this to ''a lot'' of her FacelessMooks. Sometimes justified, other times (such as in the MusicalEpisode, where she magically snaps two guards' necks ''for no reason at all'' other than to show how evil she is) not so much.
186** Hades does this to [[spoiler:Arthur]] to keep him from giving away his presence in Storybrooke, from being a threat to his plans to rule, and to be a dick.
187* {{Necromantic}}: Dr. Whale [[spoiler:(aka Dr. Victor Frankenstein) wants to revive his brother, and does so with tragic effects]], and Regina [[spoiler:wants to revive her lost love, and Dr. Frankenstein does so, with tragic effects]].
188* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler:Kathryn]] though the heart was found. In "The Stable Boy" [[spoiler:it's clear that the DNA results on the heart were tampered with because Kathryn is found alive]].
189* NeverHadToys: Malcolm told his son Rumplestiltskin that, when he was a kid, his father sold him to a blacksmith and his only comfort was to dream about Never Never Land at night. He eventually uses the magic beans Rumple won from the spinsters to take them there, but sends his son back because the place is only for children so he'll be able to stay there and be young again. On his turn, he actually gave Rumple only one toy, a doll, when he left the kid with the spinsters. Rumple called the doll Peter Pan, but lost it when Malcolm expulsed him from Never Never Land. He keeps his son's doll and adopts its name.
190* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Not in the traditional sense that a character suddenly gained new power to advance the plot but the creators has invented various method to travel to our world over the time, some clearly seemed easier than casting a curse which take several hundreds years and serveral BatmanGambit to complete:
191** First of all, there's the magical wardrobe made from the magical tree that can magically transport one person to the land without magic.
192** A season later, the ashes from that wardrobe plus a compass from the giant can transport you anywhere.
193** Speaking of giants, they grew magic beans that can open portal anywhere and had only been extincted recently. Which means in the several hundred years before the curse, if The Dark One bothered to travel the world a bit, he would probably stumbled upon a giant beanstalk that's hard to miss with what he needed above them.
194** By season 3A, we have the mermaids the shadow. Both can travel between realms and bring someone along. This can be explained that Rumple probably don't want anything to do with Neverland given that it's [[spoiler: his dad]]'s realm.
195** Season 3B brought Dorothy's magic slipper to the mix.
196** Season 4A, the sorcerer, through his apprentice can opened a portal to our world very easily and much less messily than the curse.
197** And from the SpinOff series, the White Rabbit can open a portal to any realms with his finger. [[spoiler: and long before Cora's come to power, too. So there's really no reason for him not to go there and search a little.]]
198** Also from the spin off, there's the 3 Genies magic that can make a sorcerer so powerful he can break the laws of magic. As this offered both Power and may be a way to reunite with his son, why the Dark One hadn't sought it out was quite a mysteries.
199* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
200** [[spoiler:Snow White told the Evil Queen's mother about her secret affair with the stable boy. The mother ended up killing the stable boy, beginning Regina's StartOfDarkness, which indirectly contributed to every evil thing the Queen did. And there are a lot]].
201** Emma telling [[spoiler:Cora that Regina adopted Henry]]. ''Seriously, Emma?'' [[IdiotBall Why not slather the kid in ketchup and leave him for the trolls while you're at it]]?
202** Snow [[spoiler:playing on Regina's MommyIssues and tricking her into killing her own mother, thus apparently ending any hope of a HeelFaceTurn for Regina forever]]. The irony is, [[spoiler:if she'd just played it straight and given Regina Cora's heart ''without'' cursing it, it would have worked--Cora would have been able to love her daughter again, and both Cora ''and'' Regina might have turned face at once, albeit at the cost of Rumplestiltskin's life, since Cora would realize that having Regina is "enough" for her, and she wouldn't want to kill Rumple anymore because she'd feel love for ''him'' again. Now, Snow's given Regina a ''just'' reason to hate her for killing her mother, to go along with the unjust one of causing her mother to kill her boyfriend]].
203** Of all the people Emma decides to take with her [[spoiler:as she and Hook return from the past]], it just happens to be [[spoiler:Maid Marian]]. Regina is obviously not pleased.
204* NiceJobFixingItVillain:
205** In the pilot, if Regina had simply expressed gratitude toward Emma for bringing Henry back (twice), Emma probably would have gone back to Boston and assured herself that at least Henry was living with a stern but fair and loving mother.
206** More generally, it seems to be a recurring pattern for Regina to say something to put Emma down, only for this to make her dig in her heels instead.
207** It's also a recurring pattern that she'll say "stay away from..." whoever someone's destined romantic match is and they'll tend to want to get together for spite. It happened a bit with present-day Snow and she said it again to Emma with regard to Graham in "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter".
208** [[spoiler:Regina brings about her own downfall in the last two episodes of the season. The apple turnover she baked for Emma is eaten by Henry instead, nearly killing him. This leads to Emma finally believing in the curse and eventually to everybody recovering their past memories]]. Again with Regina [[spoiler:Charming was going to be executed, and then she saved his life for an even MORE complicated plan]]!
209** Regina [[spoiler:forcibly puts Cora's heart back in her body, not realizing that Snow had cursed it. This gets Cora killed]].
210** Zelena's time travel spell at the end of Season 3 pulls Emma and Hook back in time, ultimately resulting in [[spoiler:Elsa being released from the urn.]]
211* NightmareSequence: Oddly enough, of all the people to have nightmares, it's the one who deserves it most (Regina). Her nightmare shows her with serious guilt, or at least fear of losing her child and having a lynch mob come after her. If not for her despicable nature, this would almost be a PetTheDog moment. Almost.
212** Charming has one at the beginning of "Witch Hunt", where he catches a glimpse of and shares a dance with his daughter Emma as the princess she was meant to be, before she gets sucked into the wardrobe, with a warning not to lose his next child like what happened with Emma.
213* NoArcInArchery: Charming's arrow work in "Snow Falls".
214* NoBisexuals: Stunningly, ''averted''. [[spoiler: In a twist, Mulan goes to confess her love to ''Aurora'']].
215** Whether Mulan [[spoiler: was ever in love with Phillip]] was left ambiguous and is still [[BrokenBase heavily contested]] within the fandom. [[WordOfStPaul Jamie Chung]] says she wasn't, so there may still be NoBisexuals.
216** Truly averted with [[spoiler:Ruby]], who had a boyfriend [[spoiler:(Peter)]] but in season 5 ends up with Dorothy.
217* NoManOfWomanBorn: At their first meeting during the Ogre Wars, the Seer tells Rumple that [[spoiler:Rumple's actions on the battlefield would leave his child fatherless]]. Rumple interprets it as meaning that he would be killed in battle, so tries to change his apparent fate by injuring himself and getting sent home. Fast forward to years later, when Rumple has become the Dark One and Bae tried to get the both of them to The World Without Magic. Rumple's cowardice shows itself again, and [[spoiler:Bae is left fatherless when Rumple refuses to give up the dagger]].
218* NoManShouldHaveThisPower: At end of "Operation Mongoose" Henry becomes the new Author wirh RealityWarper powers. Having seen how the power had corrupted Isaac (the previous author), Henry snaps the quill in two, deciding nobody should be that powerful.
219* NoNameGiven:
220** Prince Charming, zigzagged with his Fairy Tale identity but eventually subverted with his Storybrooke one. For a while we only know the Prince as Charming, but in Episode 3, he reveals to Snow White that his name is James. Turns out that's not his true name either! [[TwinSwitch His twin's name]] was Prince James and Charming is merely taking on the alias because of an EmergencyImpersonation situation he got roped into. For over a year, his ''real'' identity was simply called [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Shepherd]]. In Storybrooke, Charming's counterpart was a John Doe in a coma and after he woke up he had no idea who he was. His "wife" Kathryn then shows up to reveal that his identity is David Nolan, officially - at least in Storybrooke. Later, after the curse breaks, he finally reveals his birth name in the following exchange:
221--->'''Grumpy'''[=/=]'''[[IHaveManyNames Leroy]]:''' So let me get this straight. You got a twin brother?\
222'''David:''' Yeah.\
223'''Grumpy:''' Whose name is James?\
224'''David:''' Right.\
225'''Grumpy:''' But your name is James.\
226'''David:''' No, actually, it's not.\
227'''Grumpy:''' It's Charming then?\
228'''Snow White:''' No, that's the nickname I gave him.\
229'''Grumpy:''' Wait. Hold on, what the hell is your name?\
230'''David:''' David!\
231'''Grumpy:''' Your curse name?\
232'''David:''' My real name.\
233'''Grumpy:''' You're David, James, ''and'' Charming? What? David is like a middle name?\
234'''David:''' No, it's my ''name'' name.\
235'''Grumpy:''' [[RageQuit You know, whatever]]. I'll call you whatever I damn well please.
236** The Stranger introducing himself by refusing to tell Emma his name. He eventually gives his name as August Booth [[spoiler:although he does remember his Fairy Tale identity, Pinocchio]].
237* NoSell: Heart-snatching, [[spoiler:on Emma]].
238** Ditto on Cora, but this is because she's CrazyPrepared.
239** Also Regina when Zelena tries to take her heart. "Never bring your heart to a witch fight"
240* NotMeThisTime: Regina, in reference to the Season 3 curse that [[spoiler: stole the memories of everyone's year in the Enchanted Forest after Regina did a complete reset to destroy Pan's curse.]] In actuality, [[spoiler: she didn't do it; Zelena did.]]
241** Also pops up when the heroes discover the Wicked Witch of the West, AKA Zelena, took over Regina's castle. Charming asks Regina, "What did you do to her?" Actually though, Regina and Zelena had never met. [[spoiler: At least, Regina didn't think so. We find out in Season 5 that the two had met when they were little and gotten close, but Cora pulled a memory wipe to keep them from learning they were half-sisters.]]
242* NotHisSled: All the time in regard to the fairy tales told. Emma even mentions that the fairy tales in Henry's book "aren't the most traditional kind."
243** A bit of HandWave or FridgeBrilliance, Emma may know that there are various tellings of the original stories, and this book could be a collection of these variations or a retelling that connects them all.
244* NotSoDifferentRemark:
245** Mr. Gold being able to manipulate Emma in Episode 8 because he can see a "desperate soul."
246** [[spoiler:Peter Pan uses this line on Rumpelstiltskin; Rumpel abandoned his son for power while Peter abandoned his for youth. [[CallingTheOldManOut Rumpel doesn't see it that way]]]].
247** When Charming's feeling alone and stressed enough to try to kill himself, Ruby stops him. She then tells him that the two of them are damaged people who have lost loved ones, so they aren't that different from each other, but Ruby is okay with that because they have a second chance now. As Dr. Whale says later, they're both monsters. (Note that this is taken lightly, not as a slight against either of them.)
248* {{Novelization}}: The first season's story arc was adapted as a novel. (By the time of its publication, such books had become rare.)
249* NoYay: In-universe, when Regina suspects that her Evil Queen side is together with Rumple, the universal look of "EW" crosses everyone's face, especially poor Henry, who closes his eyes and [[BrainBleach clearly wishes he didn't hear that.]]
250* NoYou: When Hook shows up to drag Emma back to Storybrooke in mid-season 3 (mind you, Henry's memories of Storybrooke and their adventures were erased at this point).
251-->'''Henry:''' Why're you dressed like that?
252-->'''Hook:''' Why're you dressed like ''that''?
253
254[[/folder]]
255
256[[folder:O]]
257
258* OddlySmallOrganization: The organization against magic apparantly consists only of Greg Mendell, Tamara, John and Michael Darling and their leader Peter Pan.
259* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: With his kingdom on the line, this was King George's method of forcing David to play the part of James for the rest of his days. He threatened to destroy David's mother and anything else David held dear if he did not comply.
260* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler: Elsa, Anna and Kristoff's retaking Arandelle from Prince Hans was mostly done off-screen. Notably, in a CallBack to ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'', Anna apparently punched Hans in the face again.]]
261* OhCrap: Regina, [[spoiler:upon realizing that the Curse has been broken. The Blue Fairy calmly informs her that she'd better find somewhere to hide]].
262** The expression on Emma's face when she sees [[spoiler:the dragon]].
263** Regina, again, when Henry reveals the obstacle preventing Snow and Emma from returning to Storybrooke: [[spoiler:Cora, Regina's mother, is alive and ''pissed''. It's also enough to make Gold quiver when Regina informs him]].
264** And another one for Regina when Gold reveals [[spoiler:that he does remember his identity as Rumplestiltskin]].
265** Regina has a minor one, when she notices Emma's arrival has caused the clock-tower to start working for the first time in 28 years.
266** [[spoiler: After the curse is broken and magic comes to Storybrooke, Regina is confronted by a lynch mob wanting her blood for what she did to them. Convinced that her powers have returned, she attempts to fire a spell at the mob and gets a ''glorious'' look on her face when she realizes that nothing happened]].
267** When the giant appears in "Tallahassee," he's bigger than expected. In Emma's horrified words "Oh, dammit."
268** Zelena's face when Gold tells her that the dagger Belle has is a fake... and there is nothing to stop him killing her
269** Hook and Emma's faces when met with Elsa's snow monster. Granted, they've seen many a menacing creature in past seasons, but Marshmallow takes the cake as being the most fear-inducing creature in Storybrooke.
270** In the season 4 winter finale, Gold's reaction to being unable to [[spoiler:crush Hook's heart]] is mere confusion...until he learns the reason.
271-->[[spoiler:'''Belle:''' Because I commanded you not to.]]
272* OhMyGods: Verbatim, in the Enchanted Forest.
273* OlderThanTheyLook: Anyone not named Emma and Henry by nature of the curse or their fairy tale nature. For instance, Mary Margaret/Snow White looks about as old as Emma... who is her daughter. Meanwhile, Regina also looks as old as Emma and, being the Evil Queen, she's older than Snow White.
274** In fact, though all three actresses were born in the same order as their characters, Lana Parrilla (Regina/Queen) is less than 2 years older than Jennifer Morrison (Emma).
275** Also, [[spoiler:Neal/Baelfire]] mentions that, thanks to all his adventures, he's a couple of centuries old.
276* OnceUponATime: Not only is it the title, it's the first thing we see in the show!
277* OneDegreeOfSeparation: To say too much would be spoilerific, but this is in full effect, especially in Season 2.
278* OneGenderRace:
279** Dwarves are one of these--all male, they hatch from eggs fully formed. With clothing.
280** Fairies are also apparently all female. In Storybrooke, they are nuns.
281** Giants appear to be all male. No female giants are seen or mentioned. Arlo, the father figure of the group, refers to himself as Anton's brother rather than father. It's later revealed that they're not that different from dwarves, as when Anton gets a pickaxe, he gets named Tiny.
282* OneHourWorkWeek:
283** For being the sole cop in town, Emma isn't seen doing a lot of police work after the first season. She was right; there really ''isn't'' a lot of sheriffing going on in Storybrooke.
284** The same can be said for several other characters, like Regina being mayor (except for briefly in Season 2 and Season 4), but most primarily Snow White, a teacher, is literally shown teaching twice since the curse broke.
285* OnePersonBirthdayParty:
286** The series begins this way. When it turns out that her date was just a sham to get a bounty, Emma goes home to have a cupcake with a single candle on it by herself.
287%%** Zelena also does this in Oz in season 5B.
288* OneSteveLimit: More like a Two Steve Limit. In the original ''Literature/PeterPan'', Captain Hook's name is James. But since we already have a Prince James and a twin brother who uses his name, Hook's name is now Killian.
289** Subverted with Dr. Jekyll, who retains his given name "Henry", of which there are already ''two'' others in the series.
290* TheOneThatGotAway: [[spoiler:Belle]] to Rumplestiltskin [[spoiler: at least, for a time]].
291* OneTrueLove: Generally. [[spoiler:Regina and Robin Hood]] appear to be exempt from this.
292* OneWordTitle: "Dreamy", "Broken", "Tallahassee", "Tiny", "Manhattan", "Lacey", "Ariel", "Kansas", "Fall", "Unforgiven", "Lily", "Mother", "Nimue", "Birth", "Sisters", and "Firebird".
293* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Averted for the first three seasons thanks to the British, Australasian et al cast members getting to keep their normal voices (though Robert Carlyle is ''heavily'' suppressing his accent when in his Gold form), but [[spoiler: while Elsa and Anna speak with American accents, in "A Tale Of Two Sisters" Australian actress Creator/GeorginaHaig (Elsa)'s voice wavers slightly.]]
294* OpeningNarration: In the pilot, the premise of the show was laid out in screens of text that appeared before the action proper began.
295* OpenMouthInsertFoot: From the Pilot:
296-->'''Mary Margaret:''' He struggles with that most basic question that they all inevitably face: "Why would anyone give me away?". *cue OhCrap look on her face as she realizes that she just said that to Henry's birth mother.*
297* OperationBlank: Henry's preferred method for naming plans.
298** Names the plan to break the curse "Operation Cobra."
299** The plan to get Emma and Snow back in season 2 is "Operation Scorpion" (or "Viper").
300** Regina and Emma call the Henry rescue mission "Operation Henry" and "Operation Cobra Rescue", respectively.
301** Regina and Henry name their plan to find the storybook author "Operation Mongoose."
302** Henry names the plan resolve everyone's UnfinishedBusiness in the Underworld "Operation Firebird", and his plan to go on the run with Violet to destroy magic "Operation Mixtape."
303** In Season 6, [[spoiler:Hook asks Henry to help him with the most important operation yet: "Operation Best Man".]]
304%%* OrbitalKiss: [[spoiler:David and Mary Margaret in Episode 10, and again in Episode 22]].
305* OrderVersusChaos: Regina (the mayor and all around ControlFreak) and Emma (the woman who came to town and shook it from its foundations).
306%%* OrgyOfEvidence: "The Cricket Game".
307%%* OrphanageOfFear: Where Emma [[spoiler:and Pinocchio]] ended up when they first came to Earth.
308* OrphansPlotTrinket: Emma's baby blanket, Hansel and Gretel's compass.
309* OstentatiousSecret: Several over the course of the series.
310** What's in August Booth's box--''twice''. The first time it shows up in the series, it's used mainly to aggravate Emma, and quickly revealed to be [[spoiler:Booth's typewriter]]. But the second time, [[spoiler:Booth uses its contents to convince Neal Cassidy to believe in magic so he'll stop interfering with Emma's destiny]] and it is treated like Marsellus Wallace's briefcase from ''Film/PulpFiction''--the audience sees characters' reactions but does not see inside. We do eventually get to see what was inside. [[spoiler:It was Booth's typewriter. Again. With, "I know you're Baelfire" typed on the sheet of paper in it. Remarkably prosaic, given that he ''could'' simply have said it aloud except that would have let the audience in on the secret prematurely]].
311* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: Played straight or even exaggerated, since dwarves are born fully grown and conscious after hatching from eggs and are single-mindedly devoted to mining. Except for one accidentally sprinkled with fairy dust...
312%%* OurDragonsAreDifferent: "The Shepherd".
313* OurGeniesAreDifferent: [[spoiler: In the spin-off ''Once Upon a Time in Wonderland'', it's revealed that those who cross Nyx, guardian of the Well of Wonders are punished for their desire to change fate by being turned into genies]]. However, it has yet to be confirmed if this was the Magic Mirror's origin story as well.
314* OurFairiesAreDifferent: "Dreamy".
315* OurSirensAreDifferent:
316** One appears in "What Happened to Frederick" and unsuccessfully attempts to seduce Prince Charming under the [[ShapeshiftingSeducer guise]] of Snow White.
317** Season 4 reveals Ursula was one, [[spoiler:albeit not by choice. Her father, Poseidon, used her this way to spite the humans that he blames for his wife's death]].
318* OurTrollsAreDifferent: Two very different trolls appear "Snow Falls" and in Arendelle.
319* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: "Red-Handed". Lycanthropy is hereditary, not viral, and fades with age. [[spoiler:Red turns out to be the werewolf]], making this another case of ExternalRetcon.
320* OurZombiesAreDifferent: "Into The Deep". [[spoiler:One consequence of holding the heart of a dead person is the wielder can revive them into a moving corpse]].
321* OutOfCharacterAlert: [[spoiler:After convincing Mr. Gold that he's Baelfire, August uncovers the dagger and tries to use it to control him as The Dark One. Mr. Gold instantly knows he's been fooled, since Baelfire intentionally came to our world because it contained no magic, and therefore would know the dagger would be powerless]].
322** Pongo tries but being a dog, it works as well as one might expect. At least the birds have Mary Margaret to talk to.
323* OutOfFocus: They aren't main characters, but a significant number of important characters from Season 1, such as Abigail/Kathryn Nolan and The Magic Mirror/Sidney Glass, haven't even been ''mentioned'' amongst the Charming family/Regina/Gold chaos of Season 2. (Abigail/Kathryn does show up again briefly, for the finale of Season 3--to help set up for her appearance during the time travel plot--while Sidney reappears in season 4, only to vanish again after the Snow Queen [[spoiler:frees him from the mirror Regina had put him back in]].) Jefferson hasn't been seen since reuniting with Grace at the start of season 2. Cinderella briefly appeared in season 4 (when Emma, her magic out of control, is there to pick up baby Neal from daycare and scares Snow). Aurora, who got caught up in the second curse, is in this same scene but otherwise only appears in Maleficent's backstory. George hasn't been seen, but might not have been brought along by the second curse. Archie reappears near the start of season 4 but hasn't been seen since.
324** The rest of the supporting cast suffer this in Seasons 3 and 4, with the new characters and plotlines pushing the citizens of Storybrooke to the wayside.
325** Lampshaded by Grumpy in the first episode of Season 5 and averted with him and several other characters put on the side lines coming along on for the latest arc. Then played straight again after they get forgotten or barely do anything while there.
326** Ruby, disappearing after her actress's contract was not renewed in season 2, pops back in mid-season 3 only to vanish yet again. This isn't explained till season 5, first when she is revealed to have left for the Enchanted Forest at the end of season 3 to look for her pack; then, after forming an action team with Merida and Mulan, she ends up in Oz [[spoiler:and hooks up with Dorothy]]. Whether this is the end of her character arc remains to be seen.
327* TheOutsideWorld: The rest of the world is this to Storybrooke. No one goes there, unless they know where it is and are specifically looking for it, and the locals cannot leave without something bad happening to them, except Henry, since he's not part of the original curse. The series plot is kicked off when Henry leaves Storybrooke to look for his biological mother, [[TheChosenOne Emma]].
328** Probably because she cast the spell, a later episode showing in flashback how Regina came to adopt Henry shows her leaving Storybrooke a couple of times as well.
329
330[[/folder]]
331
332[[folder:P]]
333
334* PainfulTransformation: [[spoiler: Little John turning into a flying monkey]].
335* PapaWolf:
336** The Prince doesn't get a lot of time with his new baby, but in the few minutes they get together he takes down an army of mooks with only [[BadassAndBaby one arm free]] and transport Emma to safety.
337** Rumplestiltskin could also be considered this to a degree, considering he was willing to go to any lengths necessary to try and keep his son from having to go to war. It turns out, [[spoiler:Rumple engineered the entire plot as a BatmanGambit to get to the world without magic so he could find Bae again. Yeah. He counts]].
338** A literal and inverted example with [[spoiler:the Big Bad Wolves. Granny got lucky with the one she meets as a child because it had already eaten her father and brothers. Said wolf was Red's grandfather]].
339** Geppetto ''blackmailed'' the Blue Fairy to ensure Pinocchio's safety.
340* ParentalAbandonment: Happens frequently, though it's usually forced abandonment.
341** Charming and Snow were forced to [[MosesinTheBulrushes separately transport Emma to the Land Without Magic since she is destined to break the curse]].
342** As with [[spoiler:Geppetto and Pinnochio, in the same incident]].
343** The Evil Queen forcibly separates Hansel and Gretel from their father [[spoiler:though they are later reunited in Storybrooke]].
344** Jefferson is also separated from his daughter, thanks to the Evil Queen. In Storybrooke he remembers her, but she is with a new family and doesn't remember him.
345** Milah, Rumple's ex-wife and Baelfire's mom, took off and joined a pirate crew.
346** Baelfire is later abandoned by Rumple too, who lets him fall thorough a portal alone and is too much of a coward to follow him into the unknown.
347*** Revealed to be a case of LikeFatherLikeSon, as Rumple was abandoned by his father with the latter's [[spoiler: decision to de-age and become Peter Pan]].
348*** It turns out to be even worse for Rumple: not only his father, but we find out his mother [[spoiler: was so scared at the idea he was to be the Savior and die, she set out to murder the person destined to kill him. In the process she becomes the Black Fairy, ultimate BigBad of season 6, and is banished to a dark realm, leaving infant Rumple with his father, who then leaves him too.]] It's really not surprising he has serious issues about losing people he loves.
349** Hook tells Baelfire he was abandoned by his father.
350** Cora is revealed to have given up [[spoiler:her firstborn: Zelena]].
351* ParentChildTeam:
352** Emma and Snow become this in the first half of season 2 after they get trapped in the Enchanted Forest together.
353** In a villainous example, Regina briefly teams up with her mother Cora in an attempt to steal Rumplestiltskin's dagger.
354* PayEvilUntoEvil: In "The Miller's Daughter" to protect her family and get revenge for her mother, Snow White finally decides to go after Cora and Regina. How she goes about it isn't pretty, either. [[spoiler:She finds and curses Cora's heart, then tricks Regina into putting it back, making Regina the instrument of her own mother's death. For an extra kicker, replacing the heart restores Cora's ability to properly love Regina, just for the last few moments of her life]].
355** Debatable since [[spoiler:it was her only way to save her whole family. She was also surprised by Regina and had to find an excuse really quickly to save her family, and we see that she changed her mind despite the risks when she had the time to think]]. Perhaps a case of MamaBear.
356** Rumple pulls a first-rate one on Tamara in the Season 3 opener. [[spoiler: He finds Tamara, grievously wounded, but still alive. He stops, heals her with magic, and she's down on her knees apologizing. Rumple looks like he's going to reassure her, then rips out her heart and crushes it to dust]].
357* PerceptionFilter: No one from Storybrooke wonders why nobody (except Henry) has aged in the past 28 years or why no one can remember the first time they met. Except Regina, Jefferson, and Henry. The former is because Regina wanted it so. Henry lacks it because he was born outside the town. This fact was what helped him realize something wasn't right in his town.
358* PersonOfMassConstruction: Whenever anyone enacts the Dark Curse, it causes an entire town to form itself in the middle of the woods in Maine, right around the people camping there! A clock tower, a bed-and-breakfast, town hall, the mayor's office, a well, elaborate mines, a port and more can all be yours, just for the price of the heart of the one you love most!
359* PetTheDog:
360** Mr. Gold has a few.
361*** He insists on giving Emma a pair of radios to use with Henry, since "We have so little time with our children."
362*** Also a retroactive one in the Enchanted Forest: Rumplestilskin is a little subdued when talking to David and his mother about him taking James's place, and doesn't really do any of his usual antics. When we see his backstory, we find out [[spoiler:that this is because the situation is very similar to the one he went through with his own son, so he can empathize]].
363*** In "Skin Deep", he has several with Belle in their "lighter" moments, [[spoiler:including keeping the chipped tea cup she broke]].
364*** In Season 2, Mr. Gold actually does pet a dog: Archie's Dalmation, Pongo. When asked if he likes dogs, he murmurs something about having been acquainted with a sheepdog or two long ago.
365** Regina's love for her son is (at first, anyway) one of her few redeeming qualities. Henry being in danger has lead to her teaming up with Emma to save him ''twice'' and most of her PetTheDog moments (which include saving the lives of her sworn enemies) are for Henry's sake.
366** Tamara gets one in "Heart of the Truest Believer" when she tells Henry to run from the Lost Boys.
367* PicturePerfectPresentation: Either the illustrations in Henry's book become active scenes, or active scenes freeze into the illustrations in Henry's book.
368* PimpedOutDress: The royal ladies in the past get a number of fancy dresses.
369* PleaseIWillDoAnything: Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold gets some variation of this often. Usually along the lines of "I'll pay any price."
370* PlaguedByNightmares:
371** Since waking up from the Sleeping Curse, Aurora's had recurring nightmares of being trapped in a room on fire. As it turns out, Henry's been having them, too, and so has Mary Margaret - which ends up being key to getting Mary Margaret and Emma out of the Enchanted Forest.
372** Henry has nightmares as a side effect of eating the poisoned apple (turnover) and falling under the sleeping curse. Even after Emma breaks the curse, he still gets horrible nightmares.
373* PlantPerson: In an AdaptationSpeciesChange, Mother Gothel is one of these; originally a tree nymph who became an evil witch after losing her family to hateful humans.
374* PlatonicCoParenting:
375** In the first episode, Henry runs away to find his birth mother, Emma. This deeply upsets his adoptive mother Regina, who has a very antagonistic relationship with Emma for the first few seasons. Over time, however, Emma and Regina become FireForgedFriends and agree to share custody.
376** Rumpelstiltskin was raised by a pair of spinster sisters after being abandoned by his biological parents.
377** John and Michael Darling, who are brothers, planned to adopted [[spoiler: Henry]] together after [[spoiler: Regina]] wanted to back out of his adoption. However, she changed her mind and adopted him after all.
378** After Robin Hood and Maid Marian both die, their orphaned son Roland is raised by the Merry Men.
379** Zelena, Regina's half-sister, gets pregnant by pulling a BedTrick on Regina's boyfriend. After he dies, the sisters patch up their relationship and Regina helps Zelena take care of the baby.
380** Lucy is raised by her single mother Jacinda and her mother's best friend Sabina, who Lucy refers to as her [[HonoraryUncle aunt]].
381* ThePowerOfLove: A law of magic in the Enchanted Forest is that "true love's kiss can break any curse." This is such a prominent aspect that Charming and Abigail both deem it a viable solution to Frederick's [[TakenForGranite situation]] (and it could have worked if his lips weren't blocked by his helmet).
382** In the season ender [[spoiler:Emma's farewell kiss to Henry not only revives him, but triggers a WorldHealingWave]].
383** In "Welcome to Storybrooke", Mr. Gold notes that [[spoiler:while Cora was dangerous because she lacked a heart, the fact Regina still has hers and is mad with grief over her mother's murder makes Regina even more dangerous than Cora ever was]].
384** Snow and Charming are often stated to have "the truest love", a love that goes beyond your standard true love. It's powerful enough that they are ''literally'' of one heart. [[spoiler: When Charming's heart is crushed by Snow in order to reenact the Dark Curse in "A Curious Thing", Snow realizes that this means they can both survive off of the other's heart, ''and'' that Regina can split Snow's heart in two so that both could live]].
385* PowerPerversionPotential: During the first curse Mr Gold can literally get Regina to do whatever he wants if he says please. If you don't think that sounds bad... take a moment and use your imagination.
386* PrecisionFStrike: While not exactly 'F', [[spoiler:Rumplestiltskin ordering Belle into silence could count. Previously he'd been a man that kept his cool or covered everything with a smile and a giggle]].
387-->'''Mr. Gold:''' Shut up!\
388'''Belle:''' But this means it's true love--\
389'''Mr. Gold:''' Shut the HELL up!
390* {{Premiseville}}: Storybrooke, a town full of storybook characters.
391* PrettyInMink: Fur trim on the outfits in the past is fairly common.
392* PrinceCharming: The main Prince, James, is sarcastically (at first) [[InSeriesNickname nicknamed]] PrinceCharming by his future wife, Literature/SnowWhite, when he captures her in a net. She says that he's so charming if that's the only way he can get someone. She did steal from him.
393* PrincessesRule:
394** Charming and Snow White are never referred to as King or Queen over their land.
395** King George (the former ruler) is still alive, and Queen Regina still has control over Snow's ancestral land.
396* PrimalScene: Emma and Henry walk in on Snow and Charming in bed. Henry is too innocent to know what's going on but the horrified look on Emma's face prompts this line from Charming to Snow after they leave:
397-->"It's impressive that we can still give her a few traumatic childhood memories at this stage in the game."
398* ProductPlacement:
399** Henry is shown reading Creator/MarvelComics. ABC and Marvel are both owned by Disney.
400** In "7:15 A.M.", we catch Regina in a grocery store with a ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' comic.
401** A few products from Series/{{LOST}} turn up, such as Apollo candy bars, an Oceanic airplane flying above the woods of Storybrooke as [[spoiler:Pinocchio]] arrives in our world, and Emma, Gold and Henry taking an Ajira flight to New York.
402* ThePromise: Several, although the most important one is the charming family motto: "I will find you." And they always do.
403* ProphecyTwist:
404** The BlindSeer in "Manhattan" tells Rumplestilskin that his actions on the battlefield would cause [[PropheciesAreAlwaysRight his son to become fatherless]]. He would know when the army rides "cows" into battle. The "cows" are leather saddles.
405** Glinda tells of a prophecy that a powerful sorcerer would arrive at Oz by cyclone, and will assume the fourth seat in the Sisterhood of Witches. She first claims Zelena as the fulfillment of this, until the latter glimpses the Book of Records and finds out that the child of prophecy would only do so after defeating "the greatest evil", which she takes to mean that [[spoiler:Dorothy is meant to defeat her and take her place]].
406** Ingrid is told that she would find a child named Emma who was born with magic, and that she would lead Ingrid to her happy ending. Ingrid took it to mean that Emma would become a sister to both her and Elsa. [[spoiler: Instead, her encounters with Emma and Elsa in Storybrooke lead to a case of DeathEqualsRedemption - but Ingrid sees it as her happy ending and is okay with that]]. There's also a minor version in that Ingrid sets out on the whole quest to obtain the love of her sister. [[spoiler: She intended it to be Emma and Elsa, but in the end it was Gerda (Elsa's mother) all along]].
407** The Black Fairy is told that the ultimate evil was born on the same day her son, [[spoiler:the Savior]], was born, and [[spoiler:the Savior]] is destined to die in order to destroy this ultimate evil. In an attempt to protect her son, she seeks out this ultimate evil, but is unable to find it. When that fails, she creates and casts [[spoiler:The Dark Curse]], which turns her into the ultimate evil that she was trying to banish to a Land Without Magic.
408* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: There are a few examples of this in the series, but most notably Regina. In recent seasons [[spoiler: she has been depicted as one of the heroes]], and is all but hero-worshipped by her adopted son. She is depicted sympathetically (albeit in a DeadpanSnarker sort of way). And yet as the Evil Queen she committed murder (including [[spoiler: her own father]]), and as Regina (i.e. ''after'' adopting Henry) we know she killed at least one person in cold blood ([[spoiler: Sheriff Graham]]) before [[spoiler: undergoing her HeelFaceTurn]]. Yet everyone in the show appears willing to forgive and forget, mostly forget, simply because [[spoiler: Regina has reformed]].
409* {{Psychopomp}}: Charon in Season 5, TheFerryman who takes the souls of the dead and visitors to the Underworld.
410* PublicDomainCanonWelding: The series combines this trope with FairyTaleFreeForAll. Most of the characters originate from fairy tales. Characters from other public domain works such as ''Literature/TheWizardOfOz'', ''Literature/PeterPan'', and ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'' also make appearances.
411* PunnyName: All the Storybrooke (pun for "storybook") residents have names that hearken to who they were in their Fairy Tale lives.
412** Archie ''Hopper'', Henry's shrink, is really Jiminy Cricket. Archie's dalmatian is named [[Literature/TheHundredAndOneDalmatians Pongo]].
413** Mr. ''Gold'', the evil landlord, is really Literature/{{Rumpelstiltskin}}, who spun straw into gold for the miller's daughter.
414** The Mayor, ''Regina''[[note]] Latin (and other Romance languages) for "queen"[[/note]] Mills[[note]] her mother Cora was the daughter of a miller[[/note]], Henry's mother, is really the Evil Queen. This one wasn't whipped up by the Curse, she was named Regina before the curse hit. In "The Miller's Daughter", her mother explained why she chose the name--she always planned for her daughter to be queen one day.
415*** "Mills" is also similar to Greek word for "apple", a fruit very closely associated with Evil Queen Regina.
416*** Regina's mother Cora has a thing for hearts [[spoiler:(and is the Queen of Hearts)]]. The word ''corazon'' is Spanish for "heart."
417** Snow White's Mary Margaret name has several.
418*** Ms. ''Blanchard''[[note]] "blanche" is French for "white"[[/note]], Henry's teacher, is really ''Literature/SnowWhite''.
419*** Also, her first name is ''[[Literature/TheBible Mary]]'' and she's the mother of [[ChosenOne the one destined to break the curse]].
420*** Mary Margaret also ends up being the alias Snow gave Red before she trusted the later. She said Margaret first, stumbled, and then said Mary.
421*** Taking another biblical reference, Mary Margaret is used as a pseudonym by nuns for its close proximity to Mary Magdalene. For those of you who don't know Biblical history, Magdalene was ([[invoked]][[WordOfDante allegedly]]) a prostitute who became one of Jesus' greatest believers after he rose from the grave, forsaking her former ways and following him. Mary Margaret is one of the purest characters on the show, being an elementary school teacher and having crises of conscience from a one-night stand, but after her affair with David comes to light, she is given the names "tramp" and "harlot" by Regina and Leroy, respectively, effectively making it the complete inverse of the Biblical character. [[spoiler:She got better]].
422** Doc, from Literature/SnowWhite's story, is acting as her obstetrician.
423** [[PrinceCharming Prince James]]'s counterpart is named David Nolan, meaning "beloved champion". David is also the name of a famous shepherd in ''Literature/TheBible'' who becomes king by slaying the giant Goliath and James means "he who supplants", foretelling his background as a BackupTwin. Also, this means that the savior comes from the royal house of David the shepherd.
424** ''Ruby'' is Literature/LittleRedRidingHood.
425** ''Ash''ley Boyd in Storybrooke is Literature/{{Cinderella}}[[note]] who is called Ashputtel ("Aschenputtel") by Creator/TheBrothersGrimm.[[/note]]
426** Sidney ''Glass'', the local newspaper editor and YesMan to the mayor, used to be the Queen's Magic Mirror. And his newspaper is called ''The Mirror''. 'Sidney' is an anagram of 'Disney'.
427** Abigail means [[DaddysGirl "father rejoice" or "father's joy"]] in Hebrew which was exactly how her father, Midas, describes her in ''The Shepherd''. Abigail is also the same name as King David's second wife from Literature/TheBible.
428** The Mad Hatter being named "Jefferson" is probably a ShoutOut to Music/JeffersonAirplane and their notorious Literature/AliceInWonderland based single 'White Rabbit'. [[spoiler:Regina caught his attention in the Finale by sticking a White Rabbit card onto Grace's bike]]. His daughter is named 'Grace' in the Enchanted Forest, the name of Jefferson Airplane's lead singer.
429** The last names "Swan" ([[WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess she's a princess]]), "Humbert" (a great warrior), and "Nolan" (a noble man) are meant to be meaningful as well.
430** [[spoiler:Dr. Frankenstein]] becomes Dr. Whale. James Whale was the director of [[spoiler:''Film/{{Frankenstein|1931}}'' and ''Film/BrideOfFrankenstein'']].
431* PurpleIsPowerful: Regina's magic is purple. All her magical effects (save those caused by fairy dust) are accompanied by a purple mist.
432* PutOnABus: Sidney, who is [[spoiler:locked away in Regina's private asylum where is apparently remains even after the curse is broken]] because actor Giancarlo Esposito became committed to co-starring in another series, ''Revolution''.
433** Several minor characters get this treatment once they find their happy endings in Storybrooke. Cinderella[=/=]Ashley and Thomas[=/=]Shaun are engaged, Jefferson finally reunites with his daughter after the curse is lifted; after these events, they are never seen again. And now that "The Jolly Roger" reveals that [[spoiler:Ariel and Eric]] already have their happy ending...
434** Notably King George hasn't been seen since Season 2, after a failed coup against David for leadership of the town, he appered later in a flashback, but that's it.
435* PyrrhicVictory: When the Dark Curse was initially cast, Regina's victory was this. See VictoryIsBoring for the details.
436[[/folder]]
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