Season 6, Episode 8:
I'll Be Your Mirror
Regina and Emma go on a quest to break the Evil Queen's curse, leading to a journey into a mirror world, while Snow and Charming adapt to their new together-yet-not-together lives. Henry anxiously prepares to take Violet to the school dance, but the Evil Queen has other plans. Meanwhile Zelena and Belle form an alliance and recruit Aladdin to steal a magical object from Mr. Gold that could protect Belle and her unborn child from him forever.
Tropes
- Apologetic Attacker: The Dragon, once the Evil Queen makes use of his heart.
- Arc Words: Gold puts a nasty twist on the Charming family mantra when he puts the tracking bracelet on Belle, telling her "no matter where you go, I'll find you."
- Backstory: A bit for the Dragon is finally revealed, that he had a daughter he lost...
- The Bus Came Back: It turns out rather than being killed, the Dragon was imprisoned in the Mirror World (although the fact we only saw the Evil Queen take his heart rather than crush it always left this option open).
- Cliffhanger: Two. After what he learns about the catch in the deal Zelena made with him back in Season 4 (and she interferes in helping Belle escape from him), Gold demands the Evil Queen kill her. Also, Aladdin reveals to Jasmine that he stole back the Genie's lamp (without the Genie inside), hoping whoever is inside can help them save Agrabah...but without revealing who it is.
- Continuity Nod:
- The Evil Queen points out when Emma insists Henry isn't her son that that's the same thing Regina continually said to Emma back in Season 1.
- Regina notes how a certain part of the mirror world was Sidney's home and never realized what he went through.
- When Rumple puts a magic bracelet on Belle so he always knows where she is, she growls, "you really are a Beast."
- Back in Season 4, Zelena made a deal with Gold—the Elixir of the Wounded Heart for his bringing her into the Author plot. Turns out when she gave him the potion, there was another price to the deal (see Crazy-Prepared).
- After having already met Zeus and Hades, and seeing Thor's hammer back in the Dark One's castle, it isn't surprising Gold has the Hammer of Hephaestus.
- After being 'killed' mid-transformation back in Season 2, we finally get to see the Dragon's other form. It was worth the wait.
- Aside from Love Is a Weakness below, the Evil Queen also makes mention of Cora having taught her that you do whatever is best for your child, no matter what it takes.
- Couch Gag: The title card features the Mirror Realm.
- Crazy-Prepared:
- Taking on Regina's appearance, the Evil Queen tells the gang they trapped "her" in the mirror. She then has a cell phone containing a message from "Emma" on how she's driving the mirror out of town to hide it.
- The Queen kept the Dragon's heart just in case he tried to help Regina and Emma.
- Back when she saved Rumple's life in season 4, Zelena put in a failsafe so if he tries to kill her, he gets a heart attack.
- Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: Zelena taunts Gold to his face over his number one Berserk Button ever, the loss of his firstborn, which she herself caused. Of course she's Crazy-Prepared to get away with that.
- Dynamic Entry: After having been knocked out on the beach, Killian shows up at the vault Just in Time to stop the Evil Queen from going for Henry (possibly taking his heart?).
- Failed a Spot Check: Once again, Snow and Charming don't realize someone is the Evil Queen in disguise (this time as Regina herself). Neither does Henry, until later. Killian, however, is suspicious.
- Genre Savvy: Snow is fully aware the Queen is watching them through mirrors and smashes them up.
- Gone Horribly Right: Regina remarks how the Mirror World was the perfect prison for the Queen (since anyone trapped there has no magic)...and now she and Emma are trapped there.
- Guile Hero: Henry this time, once he realizes 'Regina' is actually the Evil Queen—he keeps his back to her, convinces Violet to just keep smiling, fills her in on what's going on, and asks her to come up with a reason to leave the diner so he can get to the vault and find his moms.
- Hall of Mirrors: More like a world of mirrors Emma and Regina are trapped in.
- Hidden Depths: More of Regina comes out in the Evil Queen in that she a) gives Henry a choice rather than just directly forcing him to do what she wants (though it's still a Sadistic Choice, and compelled) b) clearly genuinely does care about him in her own twisted way and want him to be happy and c) reacts with real pain and sorrow when Henry declares she'll always be alone and never have family. Also watch her face when Gold wants her to kill Zelena, the only person in Storybrooke besides Henry she has any real feelings toward.
- Hoist by Their Own Petard: The Evil Queen gives Henry a magic hammer to test him in the Sadistic Choice below...and he uses it to free Emma and Regina.
- Hope Spot:
- After trying with no luck to find the Dragon in New York, so as to break the curse on Snow and Charming, Emma meets him in the Mirror World instead...but he says even his power is not enough to do that.
- Emma and Regina find the mirror Sidney was assembling to try and get free, but before they can put it together, the Evil Queen interferes by making the Dragon attack them.
- Belle and Zelena are about to use the Apprentice's wand to escape when Gold shows up and conjures it away.
- Love Is a Weakness: Gold brings this up again to the Evil Queen, to warn her against becoming too focused on winning Henry over. She responds (echoing his words to Anna back in season 4) that it can also be a weapon.
- More Hero than Thou: Emma and Regina are following this trope throughout the episode, but especially near the end when facing off with the Dragon; Regina thinks sacrificing herself is the only way to win, since that will destroy the Evil Queen, while Emma thinks that her vision means she is going to die anyway and so Regina needs to stay around for Henry while she sacrifices herself. In the end they choose to both face the Dragon together.
- Mythology Gag:
- When Aladdin breaks into Gold's shop, he's nearly found when Gold hears a noise. As it happens, Aladdin activates a toy monkey playing cymbals...which was briefly the fate of Abu in the animated movie.
- Aladdin reveals to Jasmine that he stole the Genie's lamp from Gold's shop—and then notes that he already freed the genie (as seen in the Disney film) so he wouldn't be in it anymore.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Belle uses a bit of this on Zelena to get her help, by pointing out they've both been hurt by someone who was supposed to love them.
- Oh, Crap!: Regina and Emma when the Queen talks through the Dragon. Then when he turns into dragon form.
- Out-Gambitted: Regina tries to use the Magic Mirror to suck the Queen into a mirror world, but the Queen switched them first.
- "Reason You Suck" Speech: Henry gives one to the Evil Queen after one too many times of her taunting him for supposedly hiding behind Regina and Emma.
- Sadistic Choice: The Evil Queen tells Henry the only way to save Emma and Regina is to use a magical hammer to smash the Dragon's heart, so he must either sacrifice them both or darken his heart with killing.
- Saying Too Much: The Evil Queen almost has Henry fooled with her impersonating Regina, even after her talk on Violet being a "commoner." But when she tells him to watch his posture, just as she did when she first talked to him, he realizes who she really is.
- Shout-Out:
- Henry refuses the Evil Queen with "You're not going to Darth Vader me." She responds that Vader wasn't a simple case of Black-and-White Morality.
- Regina refers to the Evil Queen as "Mommie Dearest."
- The whole bit with Snow and Charming separated by day and night as they alternate who is awake and asleep is very reminiscent of the central Curse of Ladyhawke.
- Spot the Imposter:
- The Evil Queen's appearance as Regina doesn't fool Gold for a single second.
- Henry figures out "Regina" is the Evil Queen when she chastises him on his posture, just as Regina did in her evil days. The Evil Queen had even done so just five episodes ago.
- Take a Third Option: Off the Sadistic Choice above, the Evil Queen figures either Emma and Regina die or Henry crushes the Dragon's heart with a hammer. Instead, in the same tradition as the rest of his family, Henry uses the hammer to smash the mirror and free his moms.
- Twin Switch: The Evil Queen takes on Regina's appearance to help Henry.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: While we see Henry run away with the heart, we never see what happened to the Dragon himself; is he still trapped in the Mirror World, or was his body freed and out cold on the floor of the vault somewhere? Also, despite his name being brought up and the area where he lived while in the mirror being visited, it is still unknown what happened to Sidney after the Snow Queen freed him; presumably he's still in town somewhere.
- What the Hell, Hero?: The Dragon calls Regina on having let her battle with her darker half out into the world instead of keeping it inside her where it was supposed to stay, kept in balance.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!:
- Said verbatim by Regina when she sees the Evil Queen impersonating her.
- Emma lets out a "Seriously?!" when the Dragon transforms.
