‘Once Upon a Time’ Hero and Villain of the Week: Rising From the Ashes
Warning: This recap for “Strange Case” episode of Once Upon a Time contains spoilers.
Good vs. evil… sounds cut and dry, right? Well, on Once Upon a Time, it’s never been so black and white.
We’ve seen that since the beginning, of course, in the character of Regina, and it’s manifestly more clear now that Regina is separated from the Evil Queen. But this week gives us a deeper, more subtle look at how people might have warring parts within themselves — the Jekyll to their Hyde, the Regina to their Evil Queen, the Mr. Gold to the Rumplestiltskin. The real question is, as Belle asks Rumple, who do you want to be? In Storybrooke, there’s never an easy answer.
Here’s a rundown of this week’s episode ….
Villain of the Week: Rumplestiltskin
Rumple is still trying to get Belle to forgive him, which seems like a lost cause because… he’s the Dark One? And what woman wants her baby daddy to be the Dark One? Worse than that, Hyde wants an item from the shop from Rumple. And though Rumple is the Dark One, his powers don’t work on Hyde! Thanks to flashbacks, we learn that Hyde falls in love with Jekyll’s girlfriend, Mary.
Back in Storybrooke, Regina tells Rumple that Jekyll has created a new serum that will get rid of Hyde for good. In flashback, Rumple pushes buttons by telling Jekyll that Hyde is wooing Mary. He’s brewing resentment between the two personalities.
In the present day, Rumple continues to push those buttons with Jekyll and takes his heart. He’s made a deal with the Evil Queen to spare Belle and their baby. Emma and David battle him, but Rumple is the one to stab him. But Hyde survives thanks to a special serum, and forces him to take them to Belle.
“I’m not the monster you need to worry about,” Hyde tells Rumple when they show up at the Jolly Roger. Turns out that the only way to kill the bad guy is to kill the good guy. So, kill Hyde by killing Jekyll. And you can kill the Evil Queen by killing… Regina. Ruh-roh!
Hero of the Week: Snow White
Snow White aka Mary Margaret has a new mission in life. She’s got her man, she’s got her (grown) daughter, she’s got her brand-new baby boy… and now, she wants to save Storybrooke. And she can do her part by being the best teacher ever!
She’s helped by a denizen from the Land of Untold Stories. They bond, shared stories, plan double dates. But the new teacher turns out to have her own agenda … her name is Jasmine. And she runs straight to the Oracle to report her activities with Snow.
As we see in the Jekyll and Hyde storyline, sometimes being the good guy is the surest path to being the bad guy. Be careful, Snow!
Once Upon a Time airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on ABC. Watch clips and fully episodes of OUAT for free at Yahoo View.
