Line #18 OnceUponATime/TropesUToZ


1	OnceUponATime/TropesAToD \| OnceUponATime/TropesEToF \| OnceUponATime/TropesGToH \| OnceUponATime/TropesIToL \| OnceUponATime/TropesMToP \| OnceUponATime/TropesQToT \| '''Tropes U-Z'''
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3	!!!''Series/OnceUponATime'' provides examples of the following tropes:
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7	* UltimateAuthorityMayor: Regina gets this treatment in Season 1 and part of Season 2. She's also something of a MayorPain, but because of the curse, most Storybrooke citizens just accept that she's too powerful to beat until Emma shows up.
8	** In Hyperion Heights, Victoria Belfrey also has this distinction, though her authority is much weaker since the good guys are active earlier and [[spoiler: she didn't cast the curse that created the town; her daughter did.]]
9	* UncannyVillage: Storybrooke. In many ways, in fact, it resembles ''The'' Village from ''Series/{{The Prisoner\|1967}}'' - an idyllic seaside community with a dark secret that residents cannot leave without dire consequences.
10	* TheUnderworld: Acts as the main setting of the second half of Season 5. The Underworld is a sort of MundaneAfterlife where the recently deceased go to sort out their unfinished business before passing on to their final destination, and it's ruled by Hades, who doesn't like his subjects leaving.
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12	%% Unexpected Character is a YMMV item, so put examples of it on the YMMV page.
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14	* TheUnfairSex: {{Inverted\|Trope}}. When David and Mary Margaret's affair is discovered, ''she'' gets the cold shoulder from the town, but his part in it is ignored. Granted, the townsfolk knew he was amnesiac, implying she took advantage of him. It's also mixed in with FridgeBrilliance that Regina created the curse to make Snow White miserable - so of course the townspeople would blame her primarily.
15	* TheUnfettered: PlayedStraight with Rumplestiltskin when he tries [[spoiler:finding his son]]. Played with [[spoiler:Regina in season 2, when she tries to live by the decision that [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes Henry]] [[EvenEvilHasStandards is off-limits]]]]. She has slipped up once or twice, like the time she [[spoiler:almost put him under a love curse]].
16	* UniquenessDecay:
17	** As pointed out in NewPowersAsThePlotDemands, the Dark Curse and the wardrobe were originally the only ways to travel between worlds. Later seasons introduced many easier ways to do the same thing (although most were unknown, out-of-reach, or had some major catch/flaw that made them unviable).
18	** In season 5, the Dark One is no longer unique after [[spoiler: Hook becomes the second one]].
19	* UnknownRival:
20	** Throughout the first season, Emma didn't believe in the Curse and thus had no idea Regina wanted her dead before she found a way to break it.
21	** Zelena blamed Regina for having the life and power she wanted and dedicated herself to proving she was the more worthy sister. When they finally met face to face, Zelena was a bit thrown to discover Regina had no idea who Zelena was.
22	* TheUnreveal: ZigZagged in "The Return", where is revealed that [[spoiler:August is Rumplestitskin's son...and then revealed that he isn't]].
23	* UnscrupulousHero: [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Elsa]] once again has good intentions (in this case, she's looking for her sister Anna). However, she's perfectly willing to do anything to find her.
24	** When Rumple is on the side of good he does such things as lie to everyone, only trust himself and ally with some of the other villains, especially in Season 7.
25	* UnusualEuphemism: When Snow White is disarming herself before going to a parlay with the Queen, Grumpy urges her to "Keep the little knife between your [[VictoriasSecretCompartment tuffets]]."
26	* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Princess Abigail reveals she is so used to her father's gold castle, it no longer even gets any reaction of shock from her.
27	* UrbanFantasy: Storybrooke is this mixed with HeroicFantasy for the Enchanted Forest as well as many of the other lands except for [[spoiler:Dr. Frankenstein's]] world, and the world [[spoiler: Jekyll and Hyde]] come from, which are counted as SteamPunk.
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31	[[folder:V]]
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33	* ValentinesDayEpisodes: "Skin Deep". It aired shortly before and was set during Valentine's Day and involved a couple breaking up, TrueLovesKiss not working and a psychotic breakdown.
34	* VanishingVillage: Implied by the fact a rather sizable town located on the seashore appears to attract no visitors (at least since [[spoiler:the curse was broken]]). Seasons 2 and 3 show people from the outside visiting [[spoiler: but they already know where it is]]. By Season 4, it's back to this trope.
35	* VengeanceFeelsEmpty:
36	** It happens to Regina, because after what she went through, she wants a revenge which continues whatever happens.
37	** While Hook doesn't actually reach his goal of [[spoiler:killing Rumplestiltskin]], he does ponder for a moment how he will lose his driving purpose after he achieves it.
38	* VicariousGoldDigger:
39	** King George adopts James and raises him as his son. Years later, when his kingdom is almost bankrupt, George arranges a marriage between James and Princess Abigail, who is King Midas's daughter. That way, George's kingdom can have access to Midas's endless and fabulous wealth (since, in this continuity, he also has the golden touch).
40	** Miller's daughter Cora declares she can change straw into gold as a boast. After Rumplestiltskin teaches her magic in secret, she accomplishes the boast the next day in front of the court and in front of King Xavier, to his delight, since his kingdom's finances have been hit badly by wars, so Xavier betroths her to his son Prince Henry, even though he knows Cora doesn't love the latter and only wants the power that she will gain through the marriage.
41	** Cora marries Prince Henry and bears her daughter Regina. Something happens that makes the family lose their money and become landed gentry, moving to a country manor. When Regina saves the life of young Snow White, the latter's father King Leopold proposes to Regina -- who is barely a young adult at that point -- so that Princess Snow can have a second mother figure, and Cora answers yes on Regina's behalf. As time goes on and the wedding approaches, Cora insists that Regina goes on with the wedding, so she can be a queen, as Cora had wished for her so long ago. Cora goes as far as to murder the stableboy whom Regina loves to prevent the couple from eloping.
42	** In the episode "The Other Shoe", it is shown that Cinderella's stepmother, Lady Tremaine, gets the invitation to the royal ball and mutters to her daughters this is the opportunity she worked all her life for: for her daughters to catch a prince as a husband.
43	* VictoryIsBoring: It is revealed that after the first few days of living in Storybrooke, Regina found the repeated behavior boring. She finally won and all are in their place but 1) no one knows it and 2) they respect her because the curse makes them respect her, not because they actually want to.
44	* VillainBall:
45	** HeroicNeutral Emma was perfectly willing to leave her son Henry with his adoptive mother Regina ([[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs The Evil Queen]]), but Regina shows off her {{Genre Blind}}ness, her inability to simply keep her mouth shut, and this trope to convince Emma to stay by threatening to "destroy" her if she has designs on Henry. Emma ends up TheChosenOne that can break the curse that gave Regina her power in the first place.
46	** Regina holds the ball several times during the first season. She believes Rumplestiltskin won't remember the deal he made with her to enact the curse, despite the fact that he ''created'' the curse so could easily make a loophole. She also attempts to frame Mary Margaret with his help, after he suggests something "tragic" should happen to Kathryn Nolan, and he uses those ExactWords to simply have her disappear for a while then reappear at the last minute, and all the evidence leads to her.
47	** She holds it again in the penultimate episode and season finale, when she attempts to put [[TheChosenOne Emma]] under the sleeping curse and gloats about how she won. However, this backfires when Henry eats the turnover meant for Emma in order to prove to her it's poisoned, and the chain of events results in the curse being broken. [[NiceJobFixingItVillain Say it with me]].
48	* VillainBeatingArtifact: The series has a twist on this trope. The only way to bring down the Dark One is to stab him with his dagger, [[spoiler:but then you become the Dark One yourself]].
49	* VillainousBreakdown: Rumplestiltskin's "[[Film/CitizenKane rosebud scene]]" moment after being told that Belle is dead.
50	* VillainousFaceHold: In Season 1, Regina visits a crying Mary (who had been falsely imprisoned on a murder charge) in her cell. When Mary pleads innocence, Regina grabs Mary's jaw, holds her face still and brags that she knows Mary is innocent but will fight to have her convicted anyway.
51	** In Season 4 the roles of the characters were swapped, resulting in Snow White being evil and the 'Evil Queen' Regina now being an outlaw. When Snow White has disarmed Regina, she holds her face with both hands and tells Regina her head would make a good trophy.
52	* VillainsNeverLie: For some reason [[FridgeHorror (that Regina's description of the incident might be believable in this world aside)]], Rumplestiltskin believes the Evil Queen when she tells him that his LoveInterest was DrivenToSuicide.
53	* VillainSong: "The Song in Your Heart" has several; one each for the Evil Queen, Hook and Zelena.
54	* VillainWorld: The entire premise of the show is that the Evil Queen sent all of the inhabitants of her world to a land where she could win.
55	* ViralTransformation: In Season 3 [[spoiler:it is revealed the Wicked Witch's flying monkeys can make more of themselves by biting victims. Poor Little John]].
56	* VisualPun: Emma says she joined forces with Gold to "fight fire with..." (at this point the door they were headed for explodes into a fire).
57	* VoodooZombie: Cora resurrects several people whom she killed by ripping out their hearts using their hearts which she magically preserved.
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61	[[folder:W]]
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63	* WarningMistakenForThreat: Elsa demands that the main characters find her missing sister Anna, or else she will freeze the town and everyone in it. She doesn't care how threatening she sounds because, while she really has trouble controlling her ice powers without Anna's help, she believes they can't understand her PowerIncontinence.
64	* WatchingTroyBurn: Regina tearing down the wooden play structure, Emma's and Henry's secret base for Operation Cobra.
65	* WeedingOutImperfections: In season 7, main antagonist Mother Gothel or Eloise Gardener refers to humanity by using gardening metaphors, greatly revealing her despise towards them. [[spoiler:This is [[JustifiedTrope justified]]; Gothel is a nymph and daughter to Flora/Mother Nature, and humans killed her family and burnt her meadow.]]
66	-->'''Eloise Gardener:''' I've been a gardener my whole life, and I can honestly say there's no greater pest than humanity.
67	-->'''Mother Gothel:''' It's rare to find a flower that can grow amongst the weeds of human nature.
68	* WhamEpisode:
69	** "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter". [[spoiler:Regina remembers everything and has access to at least some of her magic, which she uses to kill Graham]].
70	** "Skin Deep". [[spoiler:Mr. Gold remembers everything too and now Regina knows it]].
71	** "The Stable Boy". [[spoiler:The source of Regina's grudge against Snow White: After Regina saved Snow's life, Snow naively disclosed Regina's relationship with the eponymous stable boy, resulting in said stable boy's murder and Regina's forced marriage to Snow's father. What's more, Kathryn is alive]]!
72	** "A Land Without Magic". [[spoiler:the townsfolk have their memories restored, Jefferson releases Belle and leads her back to Mr. Gold, and Mr. Gold sends magic into Storybrooke]].
73	** "Broken". [[spoiler:The episode's flashbacks are not flashbacks at all - part of the Enchanted Forest survived The Curse, and Emma and Snow are currently trapped there]].
74	** "We Are Both". [[spoiler:Anyone who tries to leave Storybrooke will lose all memories of their Fairy Tale life, possibly forever, Regina has her magic back, and Cora is alive]].
75	** "Queen of Hearts". [[spoiler:Cora and Hook have appeared in the real world, ready to exact their revenge]].
76	** "The Outsider". [[spoiler:Rumple creates a potion that allows him to cross over the boundary. At the end of the episode, he crosses the line, much to his and Belle's pleasure (though she can't come with him). Belle is then shot in the back by Hook, stumbles forward over the line, and loses her memories of Rumple/the Enchanted Forest/being Belle. Hook is then run over by a man with Pennsylvania license plates, meaning the outside world has come to Storybrooke]].
77	** "Manhattan". [[spoiler:Neal is really Rumple's long-lost son Baelfire, making Rumple Henry's grandfather. It's prophesied that Henry will bring about Rumplestiltskin's downfall]].
78	** "The Miller's Daughter". [[spoiler:Snow goes over to the dark side in order to defeat Cora; Cora's relationship with Rumple is revealed and it revealed that they were lovers and Cora almost gave up power for love before she took out her heart]].
79	** "Selfless, Brave and True". [[spoiler:Tamara is only with Neal in order to research magic, and she is the Her that Owen/Greg has been in contact with. Also, she fatally wounds August, who is reverted back to his original form of Pinocchio]].
80	** "Second Star to the Right". [[spoiler: Bae was sent to Wendy Darling's house after leaving the fairy tale world, and ends up being dragged by Peter Pan's shadow to Neverland where he lands on HOOK's ship. Meanwhile, Tamara makes her move, and uses one of the magic beans to send Bae away again]]!
81	** "And Straight on 'Til Morning". [[spoiler: Emma has magic power at least equal to Regina's. Henry is kidnapped by Greg and Tamara and taken to Neverland, and is followed by the Charmings, Gold, Hook, and Regina. The Lost Boys work for an evil Peter Pan, who wants Henry for some reason - and has wanted him for hundreds of years. And Bae has been taken to the Enchanted forest, barely alive, and found by Mulan, Aurora, and Philip]].
82	** "Think Lovely Thoughts". [[spoiler: Peter Pan is Rumplestiltskin's father, who took his name from a doll he had given Rumple before Pan de-aged himself in order to stay in Neverland forever. Pan then successfully convinces Henry to give him his heart, gaining ultimate power and possibly killing Henry in the process.]]
83	** "Going Home". [[spoiler: Gold sacrifices himself to take out Pan, Regina sends everyone but Emma and Henry back to the Enchanted Forest in order to escape the new curse, Storybooke itself no longer exists, and Emma and Henry themselves no longer remember ''anything'' about the town or its inhabitants. Then, after one year living under new memories given them by Regina, Hook shows up at their front door asking for their help...]]
84	** "Witch Hunt". [[spoiler: The Wicked Witch of the West and Regina are half-sisters through Cora. Wicked wants revenge against Regina because Wicked was given up at birth and Regina got to be raised by Cora. Rumple is alive (and practically insane) and is being held captive by Wicked]].
85	** "Quiet Minds". [[spoiler:Neal's alive. So is Rumpelstiltskin, as revealed earlier. However, Rumple is revealed to have been revived at the cost of Neal's life, and his apparent insanity was due to a desperate attempt to save Neal by absorbing him. Once Neal realizes this, he asks Emma to separate the both of them so they can finally go after the Wicked Witch. She does, and he dies in her arms]].
86	** "Snow Drifts": [[spoiler:The magic from Zelena's brooch opens a time portal that sucks in Hook and Emma, sending them to the time right before Snow and Charming meet for the first time. Emma unwittingly stops this from happening, forcing her and Hook to create a new turn of events and make sure that her parents' relationship isn't completely undone]].
87	** "There's No Place Like Home": [[spoiler:Emma and Hook succeed in re-orchestrating Snow and Charming's relationship, and they eventually return to the present, with a companion that Emma decided to save from Regina's castle, later revealed to be Maid Marian. Another object was unknowingly brought along to Storybrooke as well, a golden urn whose contents materialize into a woman: [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Elsa]]]].
88	** "Heart of Gold". [[spoiler: Marian never returned from the past. Zelena is still alive, and has been disguised as Marian all this time through the power of the six-leafed clover. Now she is working with Rumpelstiltskin, and is using her connection with Robin Hood as leverage to get Regina to cooperate.]]
89	** "Operation Mongoose": Holy Guacamole! [[spoiler: After a season of seeking the author, fighting fate and what have you, suddenly the author begins to rewrite EVERYTHING! Turning heroes evil, villains good, throwing the entire history of the enchanted forest topsy turvy. However, at the end of the conflict, HENRY becomes the new author and breaks the enchanted quill, but the Apprentice dies, and in order to save the town from being consumed by the Darkness, Emma uses the dagger (now without Rumple's name, since the Apprentice took the Dark One out of him).....and becomes [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis the new Dark One.]] In order to save her, Killian and Henry are told that they need to find the sorcerer, who is revealed to be not Yen Sid, but Merlin!]]
90	** And the season 5 premier "Dark Swan" is just as much wham. [[spoiler: Though Emma is about to fall into darkness, her family and friends appear and save her. Then King Arthur appears and leads the group to Camelot, declaring that they are destined to find Merlin for them. Cut to six weeks later, the group lands back in Storybrooke, with no memories (again) of what transpired during their trip. Then Emma appears, and declares that ''she is the Dark One'', and there is no longer a saviour in Storybrooke]].
91	** "Birth" starts with [[spoiler: Arthur and Zelena controlling Merlin to hold Emma's family hostage in exchange for the dagger and the spark, but the confrontation ends in the heroes' favor, leaving them with everything they need to reunite Excalibur. When Emma finally begins to reunite the blades, however, Hook starts bleeding out from a mortal wound from the sword. Cue Emma taking Excalibur, tethering Hook to it, and turning into Dark Swan. Hook disappears, only to be reborn from the vault as a second Dark One. Emma's entire plan was to reverse this.]]
92	** "Swan Song" ends [[spoiler: with Hook making a HeroicSacrifice to stop The Darkness and the Dark One once and for all. Emma, torn by grief decides to journey to the Underworld to get him back. Also Gold is the Dark One again after tricking Emma.]]
93	** "Last Rites": [[spoiler: Robin dies and Hook is revived. Zelena also pulls a permanent HeelFaceTurn after killing Hades.]]
94	** "Only You" and "An Untold Story": The next BigBad is [[spoiler: Mr. Hyde]] and he's brought some friends to Storybrooke. Also, [[spoiler: the Evil Queen is back after been separated from Regina.]]
95	** "Strange Case": [[spoiler: Hyde dies after Jekyll is killed by Hook. This means that the best way to kill the Evil Queen is for Regina to die.]]
96	** "Wish You Were Here": [[spoiler: Emma and Regina are stuck in the fantasy world that the Evil Queen's wish created after Regina sees that world's version of Robin; the fantasy version of Henry also has good reasons to want Regina dead. We also know the identity of the hooded figure destined to kill Emma; it's Gideon, Rumple and Belle's son who the Black Fairy kidnapped and turned into a villain.]]
97	** "Mother's Little Helper": [[spoiler: Everything Gideon has done since coming to Storybrooke has been to realise the Black Fairy because she has his heart; he succeeds. The Black Fairy also turns out to have been the one who created the Dark Curse in the first place.]]
98	** "The Garden of Forking Paths": [[spoiler: Lady Tremaine wants to revive her daughter, Anastasia, after she was killed and Tremaine blames Cinderella for it.]]
99	** "Greenbacks": [[spoiler: Ivy is awake from the curse that sent everyone to Hyperion Heights and she has an agenda of her own.]]
100	** "Wake Up Call": [[spoiler: Ivy was the one who cast the Dark Curse that made Hyperion Heights and she is just as dangerous as her mother. Roni is awakened from the curse but can't break it because Drizella did something that made the normal way have major consequences.]]
101	** "Eloise Gardener": [[spoiler: The witch Tremaine has been keeping locked up is Mother Gothel and she gets loose because Rogers found her; she is Eloise Gardener. Tremaine is arrested as a result, giving Ivy and Gothel free reign. It also turns out [=Alice/Tilly=] is Hook and Gothel's daughter.]]
102	** "One Little Tear": [[spoiler: Tremaine (who is also Rapunzel) defies becoming a BigBadWannabe and instead succeeds in reviving Anastasia, at a terrible cost to Lucy.]]
103	** "The Eighth Witch": [[spoiler: Lucy's in a coma and can't be wakened, both Tremaine and a depowered Ivy are [[BigBadWannabe imprisoned]], and Gothel has Anastasia under her control and plans to use her to gather the Coven of Eight.]]
104	* WhamLine:
105	** An early one from "The Thing You Love Most":
106	--->'''Rumpelstiltskin:''' I'm not going to answer you, dear. so I suggest you excuse me. [[spoiler: [[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay ''Please''.]]]]
107	** Goes with the above in "Skin Deep".
108	--->'''Regina:''' [[spoiler:Tell me your name]].\
109	'''Mr. Gold:''' [[spoiler:... Rumplestiltskin]].
110	** And this one from the end of "We Are Both":
111	--->'''Emma:''' Who are you?\
112	'''[[spoiler:Cora]]:''' A friend. My name's [[spoiler:Cora]].
113	** The line at the end of "In The Name of the Brother":
114	--->'''Greg Mendell:''' Honey, [[spoiler:you're not gonna believe what I saw]].
115	** At the end of "Manhattan", [[spoiler:when the Seer explains to Rumplestiltskin about the child (Henry) who will be his downfall]].
116	--->'''[[spoiler:Rumplestiltskin]]:''' [[spoiler:({{Beat}}) ...Then I'll just have to kill him]].
117	** From the end of "Heart of the Truest Believer":
118	--->'''[[spoiler:I ''am'' Peter Pan.]]'''
119	** From "New York City Serenade", when Emma is talking to her new boyfriend, Walsh, after she has just taken a potion to restore her memories:
120	--->'''Emma:''' I wish you could see this the way I see it.\
121	'''Walsh:''' [[spoiler: And I wish you hadn't drank that potion]].
122	** From "Witch Hunt", as the Wicked Witch gives water and food to someone in a cage, an arm snaps out and grabs her hand from inside.
123	---> [[spoiler: '''Gold:''' ''You should have never brought me back'']].
124	** From "A Tale of Two Sisters", when Elsa wonders why she's never heard of "Misthaven":
125	-->'''Kristoff:''' You might know it better by what the inhabitants call it.\
126	'''Elsa:''' What's that?\
127	'''Kristoff:''' [[spoiler: The Enchanted Forest.]]
128	** From "Heroes and Villains", when Gold tries and fails to crush Hook's heart.
129	--->'''Gold:''' I don't understand. Why can't I...?\
130	[[spoiler:'''Belle: (wielding the dagger)''' Because I commanded you not to.]]
131	** From "Poor Unfortunate Souls" which has two, one told to Gold's group and another to Henry, Emma, and Regina:
132	-->'''[[spoiler: August]]:''' [[spoiler: The Sorcerer trapped the Author behind a door.]]
133	--> (And later on)
134	-->'''[[spoiler: August]]:''' [[spoiler: When Gold asked me, I didn't know where the door was because I didn't know where Henry was keeping this page. Regina, this isn't just an illustration. This is the door. The Author is trapped inside the book.]]
135	** From "Best Laid Plans", when we see what happened to Maleficent's child:
136	-->'''Adoption Agent''': What will you name her?\
137	'''Adoptive Parent:''' [[spoiler: Lilith. We're wanna name her Lily.]]
138	** From "Lily", the reason why Robin Hood won't [[spoiler: leave Zelena]]:
139	-->'''Robin''': [[spoiler:[[TheBabyTrap She's pregnant]].]]
140	** From "Dark Swan", Emma summarizes what happened during their trip to Camelot [[spoiler: in order to cure her of being the Dark One]].
141	-->'''Emma''': [[spoiler: You went to Camelot to get the darkness out of me, and you failed.]]
142	** Two from "Changelings". The first, explaining Rumpelstiltskin's longstanding hatred of fairies:
143	-->'''Rumpelstiltskin''': Oh, but I'm afraid it can, [[spoiler:''Mother'']].
144	** ...and the second, taking place near the end of the episode and casting the preceding events in a rather different light:
145	-->'''Evil Queen''': I wanted to see what happened when you [[spoiler:poisoned your love]].
146	-->'''Gold''': [[spoiler:[[NotMeThisTime I did no such thing.]] ''[[MoralEventHorizon You]]'' [[MoralEventHorizon did.]]]]
147	** Jafar gives two to Jasmine and Ariel in quick succession. The first is that when Ariel and Jasmine find "Eric" and Ariel tells him she's a mermaid, Eric says "I love your people...[[KickTheDog Poached in butter]]", tipping them off that it's not the real Eric. The second is "A wise ruler should know when their opponent is bluffing" because [[BatmanGambit he couldn't destroy Agrabah until she agreed to marry him to prevent him destroying Agrabah]]; the protection spell was in the wedding ring.
148	** From the end of the Season 6 finale, we have a spectacular example showing ''exactly'' how [[LastEpisodeNewCharacter the mysterious little girl]] ties into the plot:
149	-->'''Girl''': (to a previously unknown man in an apartment) Are you [[spoiler:[[TimeSkip Henry Mills]]?]] ... [[spoiler:[[BookEnds I'm Lucy.]] [[HistoryRepeats I'm your]] [[HereWeGoAgain daughter.]]]]
150	** Two from "Greenbacks". First comes joined with a WhamShot when Roni (Regina) shows Henry a picture of her and a little boy. Henry's response.
151	-->'''Henry''': It's me
152	** The second is the last line of the episode.
153	-->'''Ivy''': [[spoiler: Don't call me Ivy, it's Drizella.]]
154	* WhamShot:
155	** The shot in "Think Lovely Thoughts" where [[spoiler: Rumpelstiltskin's father turns into Peter Pan]].
156	** The shot near the end of "New York City Serenade" where we see Snow/Mary Margaret[[spoiler:'s very pregnant stomach.]]
157	** [[spoiler: Rumpelstiltskin's face through the cage]] at the very end of "Witch Hunt".
158	** An urn brought from Rumplestiltskin's vault opens and releases [[spoiler: [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Elsa]]]] at the end of "There's No Place Like Home".
159	** Rumpelstiltskin opens the container in the mysterious house he and Belle find in "A Tale of Two Sisters". It contains [[spoiler: [[WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}} Yen Sid's]] [[Franchise/KingdomHearts hat]].]].
160	** The final shot of Operation Mongoose is [[spoiler: the Dark One's dagger with "Emma Swan" engraved on it.]]
161	** Early in the season five premier "Dark Swan", we see [[spoiler: the broken Excalibur, and immediately after its missing half - the Dark One's dagger.]]
162	** "Birth" has two. [[spoiler: First is a shot of Hook leaving the vault of the Dark One as a new Dark One with the second been the presence of "Killian Jones" on Excalibur.]]
163	** The world that Snow, Charming, Hook and Zelena are transported to is revealed at the end of "Only You" to be a Steampunk Victorian style world. Also the shot of the book title that Henry and Violet find that depicts the people the four meet: [[spoiler: ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde''.]]
164	** The hooded figure destined to kill Emma walking out of Granny's in "Wish You Were Here". The figure then enters Gold's shop and lowers his hood revealing that [[spoiler: he is Gideon.]] Finally there is the shot of [[spoiler: the fantasy world version of Robin Hood showing up just as Regina and Emma are about to return to Storybrooke.]]
165	** The two-part Season 6 finale, "The Final Battle", opens with a scene featuring a little girl in the Enchanted Forest holding Henry's "Once Upon a Time" book. The scene seems otherwise completely unconnected to the rest of the season...until the ending, when [[spoiler:the camera pans out from the final shot of the Charmings to reveal that the entire thing is recorded in her own alternate version of the book, and that the girl is now in modern day (or rather, [[TimeSkip future]]) Seattle]]. This leads directly into the WhamLine featured above.
166	** Roni / Regina showing Henry a photo from when they were in Storybrooke in "Greenbacks".
167	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the season three episode Going Home, the [[spoiler: the curse is lifted, sending everyone back to the Enchanted Forest other than Henry, because he was born in our land, and Emma, who Regina was able to allow to stay here with new memories because she's the savior.]] There is no mention of [[spoiler: Ashley/Cinderella's baby, who was born in this land back in season one]]. According to WordOfGod, this is because [[spoiler:Cinderella's baby was conceived in the Enchanted Forest. Thus, the baby was physically present when the curse struck]].
168	** A number of characters come and go, and are absent even from episodes in which one would expect them to appear. For example, Ruby's absence from the first half of season 3 (due in real life to the actress being involved in another series), though her name is dropped once. The establishment of a [[spoiler: second curse]] later in season 3 has raised the trope question as it is not known who among previously established characters [[spoiler: were actually sent back to the restored Storybrooke]].
169	** Early in season 3, Regina takes out the heart of one of the lost boys named Devin in order to sent Henry a message and one half of a magic compact mirror. We never saw Regina returning his heart and Devin never appears again.
170	** The season 5 finale has several people leave Storybrooke despite the town line having a protection spell that makes returning impossible without a certain magic item; this is never brought up. Also not brought up is the dark curse that was cast earlier in the season which resulted in Dopey turning into a tree when he tried to leave.
171	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: King George justifies killing an innocent man with the fact that he was [[TalkingAnimal a mouse]].
172	** Snow and Charming justify performing a ritual to [[spoiler: transfer their unborn child's potential for evil into Maleficent's child by reasoning that it's a baby dragon, in an egg. Snow is horrified once the egg starts to hatch to reveal a human baby inside.]]
173	* WhatTheHellHero: Mary Margaret gives one of these to Emma over Emma's attempt to run away, throwing all her lectures about fighting back in her face.
174	** Henry shouts a variant when [[spoiler:Rumplestiltskin says the only way to stop Regina is by killing her]], with Charming and Emma considering it as an option.
175	* WhiteAndGreyMorality: Not completely, but with three of the show's four main villains (as of Season 2) being [[AntiVillain Anti-Villains]], it comes a lot closer to it than most other shows these days. However, the show starts out appearing to be an example of BlackAndWhiteMorality; it is only through CharacterDevelopment that the show's outlook shifts.
176	** When "Sympathy For The De Vil" aired, a number of fans were pleasantly surprised that Cruella De Vil was simply ''evil'', without a tragic backstory or other mitigating factors, because so many of the villains have been portrayed as at least ''somewhat'' sympathetic.
177	* WholePlotReference: People familiar with Henry's so-called "delusions" assume they take this form, as he casts normal people into fairy tale roles from his book.
178	** The Season 3 finale is [[spoiler:an adaptation of ''Film/BackToTheFuture1'', which is lampshaded by Emma, albeit only by referencing Marty [=McFly=], and ''before'' the event preventing her parents from meeting and falling in love happens]].
179	** Not only that, it's also a reference to ''Film/ANewHope''! [[spoiler:Among other things, Snow White staying behind to fight the Queen is like Obi-Wan fighting Darth Vader, Hook gets to have a Han Solo rescue moment, etc. The biggest hint is Emma using the nom de guerre "Princess Leia."]]
180	* WhoWouldBeStupidEnough: When Neal tells Robin Hood [[spoiler:he's The Dark One's son]], Robin believes him because no one would try to claim that if it weren't true.
181	* WilliamTelling: [[Literature/PeterPan Peter]] pulls out an apple. Henry says he doesn't like apples. "[[Literature/SnowWhite It's a family thing.]]" Peter tells him that the apple's not for eating... it's for target practice.
182	* WinterRoyalLady: ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen\|2013}}'''s Elsa in sparkly ice-blue, plus Ingrid the Snow Queen in sparkly white.
183	* WistfulAmnesia: Everyone in Storybrooke, until season 2.
184	* WickedStepmother: Snow White and Cinderella are both mistreated by their stepmothers. Cinderella's is implied to have treated her as a slave, and Snow's tried to sentence her to a FateWorseThanDeath. It's eventually deconstructed on the latter's part, showing how Regina was [[spoiler: forced into marrying the king due to her mother's manipulations]] and years of being married to a king that clearly still pines for TheLostLenore drove her to become a villain. She also starts off quite willing to love Snow but [[spoiler: ultimately blamed her for her mother murdering her lover]].
185	* WithholdingTheirName: The [[MysteriousStranger motorcycle rider]] who suddenly comes into Storybrooke partway through the first season reveals hardly anything about himself, not even his name, for the first few episodes he appears in. Eventually, he introduces himself as August W. Booth, but that's just what he goes by. [[spoiler:His real name is Pinocchio.]]
186	* WorldHalfFull: The Enchanted Forest. It has enchantment and beauty galore, but what little we've seen of it hasn't been good. King George was flat broke and blackmails David to keep up the act of being Prince James. The "real" Prince slaughtered a prisoner without an eye-blink as part of a blood sport. Dragon attacks plague the countryside. The Ogre Wars have been going on for 50 years or more. Rumplestiltskin cuts deals with impunity, even when he's locked up. And the Evil Queen's bluff to Rumplestiltskin that Belle was [[spoiler:put in an insane asylum where she was 'purged' with flails, whips, and fire to the point of suicide]] is considered a realistic enough occurrence for him to believe it. What makes the Enchanted Forest preferable to Storybrooke is mainly that the bad guys had finally been defeated in the Enchanted Forest, but in Storybrooke they are in charge again - and that the lives that people lived in the Enchanted Forest were real and possible to change, whereas in Storybrooke they are caught in a static, fabricated existence where they can [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption never reach any happy ending]].
187	* WorldHealingWave: [[spoiler:Emma triggers one by her good-bye kiss to Henry, shattering the curse holding the town]].
188	* WouldHitAGirl: The knight who viciously backhands Snow when she tries to make her way to a captured Charming in ''Heart of Darkness''. Also Hook, who socks Belle to knock her out as soon as he realizes she's no use to him; and Rumple, who knocks out Red because she was trying to stop him and Regina from cursing a well out of which Mary Margaret and Emma were going to come out.
189	** Likewise on the heroes' side, Charming chases after Tamara with the full intention of apprehending her. He also has a sword fight with Bo Peep (yes, really). Anton the giant also kills the (female!) Jack the Giant Slayer with a poisoned sword she was going to use on him.
190	* WrittenByTheWinners: Captain Hook portrays the Human-Giant wars as a war against brutal giants who came down to pillage the land and kill humans. Humans drove them back up the beanstalk, and killed all but one, the most vicious of them all. The last surviving giant - who is hardly brutal by nature - claims humans started the war and slaughtered giants for the giant's gold and magic beans, and gleefully slaughtered them, but since they won got to paint history how they wanted.
191	* WrongfulAccusationInsurance: Averted. Mary Margaret has been framed for killing Katherine, and is in holding. When someone slips her a key, she uses it to escape. Emma tracks her down and convinces her to return pointing out while they may be able to prove her innocence in Katherine's death, if anyone else learns that she escaped she will be guilty of that, and no one will be able to help her. It's eventually revealed that Regina slipped her the key, for that very reason.
192
193	[[/folder]]
194
195	[[folder:X]]
196	* XanatosGambit: While most of Gold's plots are of the [[BatmanGambit Batman]] variety, his plan to [[spoiler:break the curse]] is pure Xanatos. Best case scenario, [[spoiler:Emma sticks around and breaks the curse]] but he also put in a failsafe: [[spoiler:If she ''dies'' then the curse is broken. Sooner or later, it ''will'' break]]. [[spoiler:AND, he had a True Love potion failsafe]].
197	* XanatosSpeedChess: The entire show thus far has been one giant game of this played by Rumplestiltskin with the ultimate goal of [[spoiler:following his son into our world while still retaining his powers]]. And it would appear to be working out beautifully.
198	-->"Let's just say... I'm invested in your future."
199	* {{Xenafication}}: Snow White as an ActionGirl and Literature/LittleRedRidingHood as [[spoiler:a werewolf]].
200	** Belle, mildly. Though she's far from an expert fighter, she's clever enough to neutralize the Yaoguai.
201	** [[Literature/HanselAndGretel Gretel]] is another mild example. While she doesn't do them much harm, she does attack the Queen's guards with a sling.
202	** [[Myth/RobinHood Maid Marian]] was often portrayed as a DamselInDistress in other works, but in this series, she tries to defend her comrades against a snow golem using a bow and arrow.
203	** Red Riding Hood's grandmother definitely. Far from being easily killed and eaten by a wolf, this one stands guard all night with a crossbow (and rarely misses a shot). NeverMessWithGranny indeed!
204	** Anna from ''{{WesternAnimation/Frozen\|2013}}'' also has been taught how to sword fight since she met Kristoff.
205	[[/folder]]
206
207	[[folder:Y]]
208
209	* YouALLShareMyStory: Many of the {{Fairy Tale}}s overlap, or tie into one another. Snow White's arc ties into Little Red Riding Hood's. Hansel and Gretel are used by the Evil Queen to get the infamous apple. King Midas's daughter was set up with Prince Charming for an ArrangedMarriage, etc.
210	* YouAreNotReady: Said by Henry to Emma in the Pilot over her being "ready" to break the curse. Given that she definitely didn't believe him at that point, he was probably right.
211	* YouCantFightFate: PlayedWith. According to the "seer" there are things that "will be" and things that "can be." The former will happen no matter what, while the latter may or may not happen. Telling the difference is difficult, and the sheer number of possibilities is overwhelming even for someone as powerful as Rumplestiltskin.
212	-->'''BlindSeer:''' The future is a puzzle.
213	* YouGoGirl: Mulan refuses to be called "a girl" and prefers saying that she is a woman and a warrior to the surprised princess Aurora; Milah wanted more than a life as a stay-at-home mom and wife to the town coward.
214	* YouKillItYouBoughtIt: [[spoiler:How Rumplestiltskin got his powers]].
215	* YoungerThanTheyLook: 28-year-old Emma Swan is stated to be 18 when she got pregnant with Henry. However, the flashback episode "Tallahassee" showed that her teenage self looked no different that herself in the present day, save for a pair of glasses and different hairstyle and clothes. Neal, Emma's ex and Henry's biological father, was stated to be at least 23 on his 'Wanted' poster but looks like he's in his 30s. [[spoiler: Justified by the fact that he is a fairy tale character]]. The former was especially egregious when Season 4 showed Emma as a teenager. Jennifer Morrison was too old to convincingly play Emma at sixteen, so a younger actress was cast...who would rapidly morph into Jennifer Morrison only a couple of years after.
216	* YoureNotMyFather:
217	** Henry says this at least once to Regina. [[spoiler:He takes it back later, though]].
218	** When the Queen makes reference to the Huntsman's parents who abandoned him in the woods, the Huntsman replies, "Those were not my parents. They merely gave birth to me."
219	* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: Played straight, except it's [[spoiler:the prince. Snow White and her allies [[StormingTheCastle storm King George's castle]] to rescue Charming, only to find out that Regina has already whisked him away to her own castle, leaving behind a full-length mirror in his cell to project his image and allow him and Snow to share a moment of mutual anguish]].
220	* YourMagicsNoGoodHere: The whole show is kind of built around this: Fairytale characters dealing with RealLife where their powers don't work.
221	* YouSexyBeast: Despite (or because of?) his [[GlowingEyes weird eyes]], somewhat reptilian-like skin and manic quirks, Rumplestiltskin has his fair share of fangirls and fanfics. [[PowerIsSexy Possible explanations]] may include being portrayed by Creator/RobertCarlyle.
222	* YouShouldHaveDiedInstead: When Anastasia falls through thin ice and basically dies (her one last breath is preserved and it takes powerful magic to restore her) Lady Tremaine believes this about Drizella, going as far as to attempt to sacrifice Drizella herself to bring Anastasia back.
223	* YoyoPlotPoint: Rumplestiltskin has [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor become the Dark One, overcome it, succumbed again, died, reborn as the Dark One, lost the powers again, and intentionally resumed being the Dark One]]. His character growth and development is summarily tossed out with each trip through the revolving door.
224	[[/folder]]

Context OnceUponATime / TropesUToZ