Once Upon a Time's Obsession With Redemption: Regina Mills

[@symwinter]

Something else about Regina’s gaslighting that was pointed out in Haley Whipjack’s OUAT videos is that time was like frozen in the Storybrooke until Emma got there, which means that Henry was being told he was being delusional in a town where he was the only one visibly aging. He had to walk around town seeing Ashley pregnant for a decade. It’s entirely possible he was learning the same lessons every day for years until he brought Emma back to Storybrooke with him.

[@brisebastiano4974]

Did anyone else notice that magic was almost portrayed as an addiction to certain characters? Rumple, Regina, Emma, all of them at their most powerful struggled with losing themselves to it and mistreating the people around them the same way addicts do to substances.

[@dopaminedrought395]

yeah, magic=power, both in the literal sense of power corrupts, but also the kind of power you feel when you're using substances

[@davidfairweather3301]

With Rumple it definitely felt like a parallel to drug addiction. Every time he leaned back into the power he couldn’t stop himself from giving it up. Even when he had Belle back, they got married etc, he went back to lying and deceiving her to keep his power. He couldn’t let go of the power but he also loved Belle.

[@SerenaSkybourne]

definitely with Rumple I see the parallel there to addiction because of how he kept going back to it even when it was ruining his relationships

[@user-ul4fg3kc9r]

i feel like because rumple was always meant to have magic since he was meant to be the saviour, when that destiny was cut from him it was kind of like he lost a limb, so as the dark one when he got a taste of magic he couldn’t go back because even though it was dark, the magic itself is something that was a part of him.

[@evildoesnotsleep-x2b]

what keeps me from loving her is her totally inability to take responsibility for her abuse. yes, it was in the past but she didn't take steps to repair the damage she'd done to storybrooke, the enchanted forest or sincerely apologize to the families. she blamed snow's 13-year-old self for everything that happened to her. her penance was worthless cause it was insincere, it was all to appear better. then she has the nerve to call out other bad guys like zelena, as if she's done half the things regina did. her complexity made her interesting as a character and the actress did an amazing job of making her unique, but her core was rotten so her happy ending was a slap to the viewers

[@angelaholmes8888]

Yep totally agree with you the show never really showed us that regina was making the steps at owning up to the pain she's caused

[@CormacThunderStar]

The way viewers and characters in the story shit on Zelena for her actions is so ironic because anything she did was done in some shape or form by any other villain as well (and Regina/Rumple were forgiven despite doing terrible things galore). Like yes Zelena decieving and r-wording Robin was horrible (in universe and in terms of writing jesus someone should have gotten fired for this idea) and people are right to hold her accountable but like...Regina did the same thing to Graham and it never gets adressed

[@kinnundo6434]

Ha! Rotten core! Like an apple! Nice.

[@suncoco6495]

@@angelaholmes8888I agree. It was very rushed. The onus was always on the townspeople and the other characters to forgive and not on her to work for her forgiveness.

[@CourtneyAnnM]

I totally agree with everything you said!! Making Regina the queen of all the realms at the end of the series was an absolute slap in the face to the heroes whose lives she ruined (and who actively worked to make the world a better place and make amends for any wrongs they did). Like, you're telling me Emma or Snow are LESS deserving of the title than REGINA? Gtfo.

[@dramonmaster222]

Major kudos to Lana Parrilla for creating a character that OUAT fans love to hate.

[@brisebastiano4974]

Such a good actress! Would love to see her in more

[@angelwings4191]

Regina's redemption never made any sense to me 😂. I mean particularly when I see people ignore/disregard and/or say Hook's came out of nowhere. I saw an article that essentially called Hook diet Regina particularly because he didn't backslide or deal with 'darkness' constantly like she did which is so off base. Like, he dealt with darkness but it showed as shame and self hatred instead of constantly dipping back into villainy like Regina and Rumple. I dipped on the show when s6 opened and once again Regina was complaining and I couldn't do it anymore. Actions show character yeah, but also constantly acting like you are entitled to a happy ending when you regularly committed mass murder is just...no...stop that.

[@ThePrincessCH]

I think it could have been interesting if they had done a redemption arc akin to Cedric's from "Sofia the First," where he goes back and forth about his desires because Sofia is the one person who actually tries to know him as a person. Regina could feign a truce earlier in the show and find herself warming up to Emma as she starts to realize how alike they are because I think personality wise, Emma is more like Regina than her own mother.

[@katelyntaylor7384]

Totally agree! I never bought Regina's redemption the way I did Hook's. His may have been rather sudden, but hers was insincere. After the I-regret-nothing speech in Neverland, and her treatment of Marian and Emma at the end of S3/beginning of S4, and her treatment of Marco in S4, I just didn't buy that she wanted redemption. Because she failed to take responsibility for her actions and showed no interest in making it right with her victims. Hell, even as far as S6, when she's showing Fake-Robin around her vault and he asks what the boxes are, she answers "The hearts of my enemies". She's uncomfortable owning up to it, but no one actually got their heart back. Graham doesn't even get mentioned beyond S1. Compared to Hook's redemption, where he does work to mske amends where possible, like with Ursula, or at least struggling with owning up to what he did like with Charming's dad. Even early on, with Aurora's heart, he was the one who took it, but he was also the one to make sure it didn't go through the portal, and gave it to Mulan to restore, risking his own safety in the process. Hook isn't Regina-lite. Calling him that is dismissive of his character. Can't stand when Regina fans call him that

[@lilchaos9212]

It felt more like Hook was no longer a villain because he realised that he put getting revenge behind in to do the right thing (saving Henry whom Hook cared about via both Emma and Baelfire) while Regina did it because she wanted something (Henry's love). Regina saw any excuse to do evil things to get her own happy ending, whereas Hook spent so much time slowly changing and becoming a better man to EARN what he wanted (Emma's love, being a part of the Charming family, a new life) and, unlike Regina, he never blamed anyone else for his past actions coming back to bite him and showed regret whenever something was brought back up again.

[@M.M.Y.B]

I straight up hit a point where I was like "they forgot about graham" and they really did. He stopped being a thing that happened. I felt they retroactively wrote him out of the story altogether. Like they spent so much time convincing the audience that he would mean something, but he never did. And once he stopped being a factor (like it was messed up but if the writers erased him then he doesn't matter and regina can't be held responsible for what the writers erased) then her redemption makes more sense. But then Zelena goes and blackmails Robin into a relationship the exact same way and you really wonder what the writers were on.

[@SerenaSkybourne]

Yeah I do agree with this, it’s like they forgot about Graham after making out that he would be this big deal for the story 😂😭

[@pristiq946]

Once they lost Jaime Dornan to Fifty Shades, they had no interest in continuing the character. I think Regina was so awful in season 1 because the writers didn’t have the intention to redeem her until later.

[@kingcrimson2643]

​@@pristiq946I think it was because they saw that people wanted a redemption story for her and the writers probably changed whatever plan they had.

[@bigb860]

My wife and I have gone back and rewatched the show - Kind of on a break a few episodes in Season 4. This might be a VERY UNPOPULAR take but I think they should've killed Regina at the end of season 2. To me, there's just no "redemption" when you murder innocent people. Graham, her own father, and an entire village. It's game over. Regina was willing to die a hero, and sacrifice herself to essentially not only save Henry, but the entire population that she cursed. That was her redemption, in my opinion. But I get it. She was a very popular character.

[@M.M.Y.B]

I don't think they kept her only for popularity, but rather because they were milking the conflicts that she caused. Her existence as another mother for Henry and the strained familial dynamics she brought to the show made it easier to write the show (all shows need conflict) and they couldn't figure out a way to get rid of her and keep going.

[@katelyntaylor7384]

Not as unpopular as you think. Personally, I think Regina giving her life to atone for what she did, dying to stop the kingdom from being destroyed, all to save Henry, would have been compelling. Kind of in a Darth Vader kind of way, redeeming himself by killing Palpatine and giving his life in the process

[@koelkastridder3388]

I was a 13 year old girl and I would sneak upstairs to watch OUAT because I thought Regina was soooo gorgeous. I basically decided she was in the right because I thought she was hot 😂

[@freman007]

"I can fix her."

[@koelkastridder3388]

​@@freman007you get it 😂

[@xavierhaddon6058]

Regina is my favorite character and I think her arc probably resonated a lot with people who struggle with guilt and feeling othered. You can definitely tell that redeeming her wasn't the original plan, though. Usually when a villain is going to be redeemed in the future, the writers establish early on that there are certain moral boundaries they won't cross, whereas with Regina it seemed like they were always trying to have her outdo herself with every evil action. I would have liked if they had planted the seeds earlier with moments where Regina as the Evil Queen shows that she does have a conscience even if she's not a good or likeable person.

[@SerenaSkybourne]

Yeah I agree, its like she would cross every line

[@Mini-Toast_]

UM ACTUALLY 🤓 if you watch the first season her body count really isn't as high as it went on to be. She killed some nameless guards and people who crossed her. But after a while she just started dropping bodies on a whim. Like offing an entire village in the second season, and killing a groom on his wedding day because they happened to be on her property. Killing a good man because she was creepily obsessed with his kid. It's weird that they kept upping her body count after the first season as they were trying to redeem her.

[@xavierhaddon6058]

@@Mini-Toast_ I was ESPECIALLY annoyed by the whole situation with Owen. His backstory made it seem like Regina cared about him and sympathized with him over the loss of his mother. Then she kills his dad with no remorse, and the show paints Owen as a villain when his reasons for wanting revenge make more sense than hers. When he kidnapped and tortured her for answers about his dad, I thought that would have been a perfect opportunity for Regina to actually behave like a person and apologize. Owen was pretty much her proto-Henry, so it would have made sense for her to actually feel remorse for hurting him the way she did, and they wouldn't have really had to change much about the story.

[@BetterWithBob]

Yeah Regina is shockingly one dimensional in Season 1, and I think it's only because Lana Parrilla pushed for a better relationship with Henry that they redeemed her

[@GGthegenius]

This was a fantastic analysis of Regina's character, and I completely agree with you. When this show started airing, I remember that my interest was mainly focused towards Regina. She's an amazing villain and whoever did the casting made a choice of a lifetime by choosing Lana. I don't think that character would work that well without her playing the role. Lana Parilla brought a captivating theatricality to the character, elevating every scene she was in. I admit I was not very pleased with the redemption arc for Regina, although she remained my favorite throughout the series. And it took me awhile to accept that they're going to keep her 'good' instead of 'evil'. It struck me as weird that Regina never truly repented for her actions, particularly regarding her father, and then Graham. There were numerous opportunities for her to reflect on her past misdeeds and confront the consequences, but these moments were consistently overlooked. I thought that perhaps that was all part of a plan to push Regina back towards the dark side, show that she cannot get her redemption and happiness by selfishly fixating on finding her own happiness, almost obsessively so. I was hoping that they would maintain her status as an antihero: someone who strives to be a part of the community and in the meantime helping them in order to prove herself worthy, but but somehow always reverting back to her old ways, just because she never learned how to actually deal with her motivations and internal fears. That would be so fun to watch.

[@ProPinkist]

The OUAT resurgence on youtube lately has been so fascinating to me to see. This is one of the only live action shows I've followed as it aired, like... ever; I never finished it, I stopped a little into season 5 iirc, but oh how it pains me whenever I think about it at all the wasted potential. :' ) I love so many aspects of it dearly, but I'll never not be bitter at how absolutely destroyed Rumple's character was, since he was my favorite and could have been the best character in the show imo (and often was, in isolated moments). Regina was amazing to watch, but imo just like with Robert Carlyle, I mostly attribute her greatness to Lana Parilla's acting. I loved seeing her more sympathetic moments, but I never got over Graham either, so....... yeah 🫠🫠🫠 I don't know if you ever watched it, but if you did, I'd love to see you do a video talking about Once Upon A Time In Wonderland. That show, while only having one season, ended up being the VASTLY superior story in the end, and I desperately wish people gave it the same amount of attention they do to main OUAT 😭

[@tannerbancroft1402]

I get that point of view, and I agree a lot. Yet, another view I notice is Regina even says they are going to a place where there are no happy endings and no magic. So basically, she wanted to not kill these people but force them into a place where they 'won't' get these happy endings, or so she thought. Sure, she also says she wants to have a sense of community. Yet, another character I think we tend to forget is Regina's father. She had to kill him to get this curse to work. So yes, she was so dark from the beginning. She could have chosen to not enact this curse and save the only person left in her life who loves her. She had a love, but she destroyed it for revenge.

[@hollybock8463]

I also feel like Regina is a character you get or don’t get. Regina was upset with Snow for a whole lot more than just telling a secret that secret that spilled into a wrecking ball to her life and everything she could have had. One thing I hate is that no one seems to talk about the cycle of abuse with Regina or they have all or nothing thinking when it comes to her. I never liked Henry her father the first time we see him with her he lets Cora choke her into compliance he never moved to try and grab Cora”s hand and stop her from doing it and once she did drop Regina he didn’t go and try to comfort her when she ran off. What the worst part I think in terms of Regina’s father was the night of Regina’s wedding when she had the dream of strangling Snow ran to her father who has to know about Daniel at this point I mean who helped her bury him? And he says maybe she just had cold feet…. And then when she says she doesn’t want Cora’s life he straight up enabled Cora “she just wants to give you everything she didn’t have.” The fact I’d Henry never stood up to Cora for Regina and he never protected her from that abuse. However he might not have stood up to Cora but he sure did stand up to Regina which I find telling. I guess I’m trying to say I kinda understand why Regina was able to bring herself to go through with killing Henry. And Regina did go through the steps of recognizing what she was doing to Henry and went on to work on herself to be a better parent for him. I enjoy her friendship with Emma and I do resent how some people can’t be redeemed or redemption only looks like X Y Z and anything deviating means they haven’t been redeemed.

[@PittsburghSportsFan43]

​That's not what was said on the show. Literally hours after Cora murdered Daniel, Regina said she should have let Snow die instead of rescuing her when the horse ran off. So she hated Snow from the time Snow was 10 years old. For being tricked into telling Cora about Regina wanting to marry Daniel. What truly bothered me about that, is that Regina blamed Snow, the 10 year old child, more than she ever blamed Cora. Especially since Regina loved to play the victim and never took accountability for her own actions, just expected everyone to forgive her whenever she decided she was good. Regina can criticize Snow and David all she wants, but if her plan had worked, and she murdered Emma as a newborn, that would mean Henry never would have existed.

[@sarahmontella2690]

I actually don't think it's comical that Regina ends up blaming Snow for Daniel's death. I think it's a very accurate portrayal of the effects of childhood ab*se. The psychiatrist Ronald Fairbairn's works on the subject are fascinating. His work on object relation theory specifically, I recommend you give it a read. To summerize, I'm paraphrasing here but essentially, he believed that lack of affection for a child leads them to believe they are unloveable. If their expression of love is met with hostility ("Love is weakness" 1x18), they come to believe their love is destructive. They are distrustful of "good objects" offering help ("Just like that?" 2x10) and sabotage themselves ("I'm my own worse enemy" 4x20). They also show unnatural loyalty to their abusive parent, wanting to protect them from the outside world. Last but not least, the child will take on the blame for their parent's mistreatment ("I'll be good" 1x18) in order to maintain the illusion of having their parents love but also control over situations. You've determined control is a very important part of Regina's character. Kids like this will do incredible mental gymnastics to deflect the blame. Their parent is not a terrible person, it is the child who is broken in some way and forces their hand. This often leads the kid to give up and withhold their love as a defense mechanism, shutting the world out and living in their own realities. Everything I've read of Fairbairn's work describes Regina's character so perfectly. Honestly, Regina is so BPD coded, it's insane. The intense reactions, the anger issues, etc... Cora is abusive, her whole thing is love is weakness, so she is very much emotionally shut down and Regina grows up chasing that love. To deflect the blame from Cora, Regina finds proxies, herself, her father, Nottingham in 4x20. It's a coping mechanism to convince herself of Cora's love and her own agency. Her mother didn't want to kill Daniel, Snow forced her to. "She ripped his heart out because of you" the phrasing shows that's exactly how she thinks. In her mind it is Snow's fault because it just cannot be Cora's. In her mind she is the hero avenging Daniel's death, it's obvious in season 1 when she's holding his ring and saying "we've got her". She's convinced herself of this to keep Cora blame-free so, for her, it's a very justified vendetta. It is very realistic and I like that the writers actually gave it a ton a of thought. Their depiction of the effect Cora's ab*se had is very well written and mostly very realistic. I feel the need to stress this in no way justifies or excuses her behavior as she is aware of it. In 4x20, when she t*rtures Nottingham as punishment for her mother's treachery, Cora lets him go and Regina asks "Why did you let him go? Don't you want someone else to suffer for what you did? As usual..." She is a 100% aware of this, it is her responsibility to work on it and the fact that she does nothing to tackle the issue is indicative that it cannot be used to justify or excuse her actions. I think season 4 was meant to deal with her blame problem. It's a little disappointing they never tackle Cora's ab*se and Regina coming to terms with it but moving on. Throughout the seasons, they show various ways in which Regina sabotaged herself. In both flashbacks and present. Season 4 was about her realizing that and finally deciding to stop blaming everyone else for what she does. The universe isn't against her, she was just a terrible person before. Regina views happiness as a reward so much so that any hiccup is experienced as punishment. At the end of season 3, she very much believed she was being rewarded for working on herself and becoming a better person. In her mind, Robin was a reward for not being a homicidal maniac. So to her she's worked hard and she was being rewarded until Emma ruined it. She believed Emma was punishing her until it finally clicks. Emma hurting her was a honest mistake born of good intentions and she's apologetic about it. Emma feels really bad about hurting her but she'd do it again because her goal was always saving Marian, not hurting Regina. It helps Regina compute it wasn't punishment. Her whole life, Regina has lived in this state of awaiting disaster but when she is accepted into the Charming fold, she lets go of that mindset a little and starts to believe maybe, just maybe things don't have to go wrong all the time. It blows up in her face with "Marian" returning. However, to her, she had done everything right. She was being a very good reformed tyrant. Regina's then convinced she truly is not the problem. You see it's not that she makes bad decisions that have consequences, it's just that she's doomed and no matter what, nothing will ever work out for her. It's that mindset she needed to lose. Her situation is of her own making and happiness is not a reward for good behavior. Happiness is not something good people are owed that just falls in their lap, it's something they build. The execution is not good but the concept was great. Regina needed to recognize her own responsibility in any given situation. She wasn't the only character to be dealt a bad hand, she needed to own up to what she did with it and stop expecting happiness for displaying basic human decency. Season 4 got her there but that journey was all over the place so it kinda felt like her reaching that point comes out of nowhere when it was the logical conclusion of that arc. I think Regina's compulsive need to blame everyone else is actually so interesting in regards to the regret thing. People often confuse regret with remorse. They're only synonymous to a degree but people use them interchangeably when they are not the same. Regina didn't regret anything but she did feel remorse. Regret is about PERSONAL feeling of loss like missed opportunities and unpleasant consequences. Regret is a rather selfish emotion as it can only be felt in relation to the bad outcome of a situation for the person experiencing it. It involves self pity and bemoaning the negative effects experienced by that person without taking anything else into account. Additionally, regret isn't tied to morality as people can regret having done the right thing if it had terrible consequences for them. It is also entirely possible to feel regret over something outside of their control. Remorse is about pain a person has caused to others. It is impossible for people to feel remorse over something they didn't do. It is about how a person's actions have affected others. In that regard, remorse is selfless because it doesn't account for personal loss. It is heavily tied to empathy and requires a feeling of personal responsibility. As such, morality matters a lot in remorse because the feeling comes from the perception of having wronged others. Right and wrong directly influence this. Both feelings are associated with guilt, sorrow and shame but they're different. Regret is what you feel when you've hurt yourself through action or inaction and remorse is what you feel when you've hurt others always through actions. I think it was such an interesting choice to have this character especially not have any regrets. It felt like if any character was going to bemoan any and every personal loss, it would be her. She did express regret right after Daniel's death, stating that she should have let Snow die on that horse and I think she simply realized after that: regrets get you nowhere in life. What is done is done. All in all, Regina is a self fulfilling prophecy. She holds a lot of love within for fear of it being destructive if let out. When she does decide to express it, it's clumsy and creepy and therefore ends up being destructive proving her right and furthering the cycle. It leads her to make the incredibly shortsighted decision of adopting Henry. She was so lonely that she didn't think about what it would mean to have a growing kid in a town where no one can age. He was bound to notice no matter what. In this situation I don't think Emma was wrong or that any of it can be held against her. Henry looked for her and kept going to her. Even if she had tried to dissuade him, I don't think he would have listened. He was desperate so her best bet was to be there and make sure he had what he needed. Emma was always willing to make it work and it's Regina's antagonistic nature that prevented any kind of common ground from being found.

[@whitneyyoung3061]

This is the most spot on character analysis of Regina I’ve seen. I think people don’t really understand how childhood abuse really affects people’s view of themselves and the world. Regina suffered a lot of abuse and loss of control early in life. Even her marriage to the king is a form of abuse. She didn’t want to marry the king, and I wonder if that experience influenced her later actions. She was treated as an object by her mother and in some ways the king treated her as an object. Her wants, needs, bodily autonomy were never respected. Why would she learn to respect anyone else’s. Even her grudge against Snow White makes sense in light of her early experiences. I’m sure Cora gave out harsh punishments for any little mistake Regina made. Snow’s mistake cost Daniel his life, and in Regina’s view her happiness. Of course she would treat Snow terribly. I’m not excusing Regina’s behavior or her actions, but it’s kind of ridiculous to think she wouldn’t have been abusive or anger. Regina didn’t start out as a bad person, but her early life taught her that goodness and niceness brought suffering. Her arc is very realistic given the trauma she endured and also dished out. Also, Snow is not completely innocent in her actions. Snow and Charming did dirt yet people always given them a pass.

[@sarahmontella2690]

@@whitneyyoung3061 Thank you! I'm no expert by any means but I read a lot and when I read Fairbairn's works, it reminded me so much of Regina. On first watch, I was 11 and the finer elements flew over my head but when I got older and read more on different subjects for school or out of personal interests, my perspective of a lot of things changed, not just Regina. The show is far from perfect but some aspects of it are incredibly well written. Acknowledging the effects of Cora's ab*se is often rejected as a justification when objectively, it's not that. Just because she was ab*sed, doesn't give her the right to hurt others. I understand why that happens, a lot of Regina fans will excuse everything she does, but it's quite frustrating. Regina blaming Snow isn't random, it's not ridiculous, it happens for a very specific reason. Bad writing is when a character's decision either comes out of nowhere or is motivated by the plot. On the surface, it seems Regina's hatred of Snow is dictated by the plot. The Evil Queen HAS to hate Snow White, right? It's easy to then think the writers wanted to make the conflict deeper than in the original tale and came up with this idea without considering how ridiculous it sounds. That's the superficial reading because we, as normal people who didn't grow up in that environment, are able to rationalize what happened and recognize Snow as a victim. She was used by Cora who exploited her grief. Through that lens, it all seems ridiculous and unrealistic because if we can see that, so should Regina. It centers our own thought process when it's the character's that we should consider. You're right, her needs and autonomy were not respected so that disregard is normalized in her mind. That belief is never challenged because of her character flaws being worsened by her low self esteem. Regina is entitled, selfish, angry and she believes she is worthless (again due to Cora). So when someone offers criticism, that belief is reinforced but what Regina wants, is for someone to prove she can be loved. Therefore the criticism causes an adverse reaction. Every bit of criticism is experienced as a personal attack and her goal is to re-assert dominance rather than listen and engage in any meaningful way. In her mind, engaging means accepting she is in fact worthless and will never be loved. She rejects that completely and prefers to bite people's head off. Basically, Regina listens to respond not understand and it hinders her growth. Regina is only able to start on her path to redemption when Henry's voice is truly heard. She is aware of her toxic beliefs but isn't interested in challenging them until Henry. A lot of people argue that it's her love for Henry that allows him to break through but I disagree with that. It plays a role but it is not the trigger. To reach Regina, Henry has to sucker punch her, but he does so unknowingly with a small truth: "I don't want to be you". When Regina hears those words, for the first time, they don't register as an attack. She doesn't listen to reply and put the attacker back in their place. She hears the words and is transported back decades, to her wedding day, to when she said the exact same words to Cora. In that moment, Regina relates to Henry. She was once in his exact position, with a monster for a mother aiming to control every aspect of her life. Regina listened and understood because it used to be her saying the words. I think this is the first time she actually listens to Henry to understand him. Regina remembers that moment, she recognizes it was her breaking point and instinctly knows Henry has reached his. That is when her love for him kicks in. Regina doesn't want to lose Henry, but she knows or she remembers what she wanted from Cora then. Something she didn't get, and it lead her to cut her mother out of her life. I think season 2 does a great job highlighting the way Regina became her mother. She uses the spellbook and the exact same tree spell to keep Henry with her. The parallels were handled so well. This is Regina's first time showing empathy in a long time. The following scene is in my opinion one of the best of the show. Regina apologizes to Henry, admits to doing wrong and lets him go. Essentially, what she did was validate his feelings and give back his agency. Yet, at the end of the scene, the apology is not enough for Henry to forgive and consider it water under the bridge. Henry still leaves her behind. However, where the mirror shatters, the door is left open. It's a great visual way to show one relationship was beyond repair while the other can be mended or ended but it's up to Henry. He hasn't closed the door on her but she needs to do better or her will close it and move on. In the following episodes, Regina respects his wishes and doesn't force her presence on him. When he calls to set up lunch but goes to her vault instead, she doesn't show up, she calls David. It shows she understands he doesn't want to see her as if he did, he never would have used that tactic to get her keys. He would have asked but he prefered deception over that. It must be difficult for her but she abides by his wishes and moves at his pace. When it becomes too difficult for her, she goes to therapy and actually engages. It's incredibly difficult to get someone to seek therapy, especially someone like Regina, the fact that she seeks it without being forced into it, is so important. It shows her desire to change is genuine. I'm not going to say her treatment is unfair, the distrust is warranted, the hostility, the venom, all of it is earned by Regina. I think her treatment is more than fair but seeing her genuine efforts be met with hostility is what garners sympathy from the audience. That is why the start her redemption is so effective. The framing manages to trick the audience into forgetting what she did, the extent of her villainy, to only see a woman who's trying but nothing she does ever seems good enough. It's brillant.

[@ThirrinDiamond]

@@sarahmontella2690 this is one of the most captivating things i have ever read/gen

[@sarahmontella2690]

@@ThirrinDiamond thank you ☺️ didn't expect people to find any of my ramblings interesting. I appreciate it 😁

[@aliiciia555]

So good to read about her, when people actually understand her character. Not just loving her/hating her but see who Regina is.❤

[@Mini-Toast_]

Thank you for this! The fact that they demonized anyone who rightfully wanted revenge aggravated my last nerve.

[@icomeandgobybubble87]

I hate the hate people throw at Emma. It's ridiculous. I stand with Emma and I don't think she was in the wrong. Regina was abusive and Emma had every reason to want to stay and reasons to even take Henry away. Henry found his biological mother because he was terrified of his adopted mother. Regina was abusing him. People have to take the child's well being into consideration. If there was a custody battle, Emma would had won because Regina being the way she was. Henry wasn't safe with Regina. Emma stayed because she wanted to protect him knowing that he was being abused. I never liked Regina, honestly. Emma also suffered a lot and more than any character because of Regina. Also, Regina raped and murdered Graham, and attempted to murder Emma multiple times. She was a horrible person. Might I add, No, not all foster systems are bad, but Emma notably grew up in the worst ones. I truly understand and feel bad for her. People also hate her because she's straight and not with her step grandmother. I think fans need to get a grip. Cut the crap and stop the hate. Leave her alone. Yes, it's sick that the writers had Regina be a rapist because it's "sexy" and they didn't see it as problematic. I don't feel like she suffered any repercussions for all the sick. creepy, and down right horrible things she did. Yet everyone pities her and pin her as a victim when she wasn't.

[@suncoco6495]

Totally agree, especially your first point.

[@M.M.Y.B]

I don't think that just because Regina was a bad mother, that if CPS had been called in (no magic withstanding) then Emma would be the default method. I think she would still have a lot of hoops to jump through and Henry would have been a ward of the state for a time (or effectively kidnapped by Emma).

[@katelyntaylor7384]

Preach it!!! Love every point here, especially what you pointed out about the Emma hate (especially the Emma hate related to her relationship with Hook instead of Regina, her step-grandmother)

[@edadragneel1569]

I agree with most of this, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen people hate on Emma because she didn’t end up with Regina. Sure, there are fans that ship that, but I don’t think they hate Emma or Regina because it didn’t end up that way

[@anniebonus7530]

I think we took Hook's line about wasting his life very differently. You said that it means he and Regina don't see themselves as villains. I read it as him saying that they wasted their lives being villains and all that it got them was the inability to get their happy endings

[@lilchaos9212]

Yeah, he was referring to it in a way of "so what was the point of everything we've done?". They both spent countless years of their lives working towards their revenge and became villains so that they could get their happy ending, only for those very actions to deny them happiness and make everything pointless.

[@harryfleutv666]

I always thought that Regina's redemption came out of nowhere and seemed like it was put in as a last minute conflict for her to overcome when Henry is in his coma

[@icomeandgobybubble87]

Agreed

[@ThePrincessCH]

I think they could have done a redemption arc more akin to Cedric's from "Sofia the First," where he goes back and forth about his desires because Sofia is the one person who actually tries to know him as a person. Regina could feign a truce earlier in the show and find herself warming up to Emma as she starts to realize how alike they are because I think personality wise, Emma is more like Regina than her own mother.

[@sarahmontella2690]

I'm going to try to keep this as short as possible. I apologize in advance because I know it will probably be super long. First of all, THANK YOU! Seriously, there tends to be a clear lack of nuance in a lot of the fandom's takes but it's never as evident as when Regina is concerned. I love that you are offering a nuanced analysis that takes everything into account. It's so tiring to see people pick a side: black or white. Regina is a villain or she's a victim. Why can't she be both? Regina has done so many things during her reign as the Evil Queen that it would be disingenous and harmful to pretend she's only a victim. She is an ab*ser/villain and the worst kind of it too. However, one of the show's themes is evil isn't born, it's made. There is a reason why Regina became the person she is, but every attempt at analysing the circumstances that lead her down that road is either rejected as a justification or welcomed as an excuse depending on which side people are on. You explain it perfectly. Regina was ab*sed by Cora so she's a poor baby that should get a pass for mass murder or she's a mass murderer so her past is irrelevant. I think it's possible to look into Regina's past to explain and understand her psyche without it ever offering justifications or excuses and your video proves that. I think this phenomenon amongst the fans perfectly reflects the show's own dichotomy of good vs evil or heroes vs villains. Characters are only ever allowed to be one of the two. When Regina stops actively doing villainous things she, by default, becomes a hero regardless of the reality. I agree with you she was at her best in season 3 when she was allowed to be in the middle. Regina is not a hero, never will be and that's what makes her character interesting. Her monologue at the end of season 5 is a true highlight that shows the writers understand what her character is but they refuse to treat her accordingly. Regina's redemption arc concludes but she is never redeemed. She's stuck in the middle but treated as a hero. She's no longer a villain so she has to be redeeemed, she has to be a hero. The same thing happens to Rumple. In the beginning, he was never on either side, going from one to the other as his needs dictated. Later on, they force him into the role of the villain to fill the void. Rumple is a free agent, a hero when it suits him, a villain when it doesn't. In my opinion, a character can fail to reach redemption without going back to their old ways. They've just done too much bad and it's ok to acknowledge that. The irony is they worded it so perfectly in Regina's monologue in season 6's premiere. She explains that she'll always be the villain in someone else's story. They understand but for some reason don't care to make a fitting portrayal. I believe her redemption arc works for the Charmings. What I mean by that is their history is so personal and we know the Charmings so well that it's not jarring for them to forgive her. It's not outrageous that they see the woman she could be and ultimately give her a chance. Her character and past makes it logical that she is not a vocal "I'm so sorry", grovelling type but she does enough for the Charmings to get them to a better place. Everyone else... (Percival is treated as the villain, that's crazy.) Regular people don't have any history with Regina or any knowledge of her personal circumstances. To them, she's a just an entitled privileged brat who decided to steal a throne from the rightful heir and is terrorizing them. They have no sympathy for her. To even entertain the idea of forgiving her, they would need to see she's been somewhat punished for her crimes which never happens. I guess you could consider personal misery as punishment, which... fair enough, but regular people have no knowledge of her internal struggles. Instead of separating Regina's redemption arc in two (the Charmings vs everyone else), the writers blended them. Whatever the Charmings feel is also felt by the rest of the people and it's really bad. They set it up in 2x22 when they have Archie explain that the town's people trust the Charmings' judgement and will go along with everything they decide. They don't have their own individual grievances, thoughts or voices. They are a whole. In that moment, the writers make a decision, to never address Regina's misdeeds outside of the Charmings. Any attempts at accountability outside of them is therefore villainized because the Charmings have accepted she changed so must everyone else. It's easier this way.

[@gabrielleduplessis7388]

I think it would be fun if they actually had Regina sit down with Henry when he realizes the truth about the curse. Imagine if she looked at every page (kind of) and recounts the stories that happened and him not warming up to her yet. This would allow them to start that healthy relationship and make him not feel gaslighted. But this could happen if they did not make her that evil.

[@ThePrincessCH]

I think it would have been interesting if they had done a redemption arc akin to Cedric's from "Sofia the First," where he goes back and forth about his desires because Sofia is the one person who actually tries to know him as a person. Regina could feign a truce earlier in the show and find herself warming up to Emma as she starts to realize how alike they are because I think personality wise, Emma is more like Regina than her own mother.

[@gabrielleduplessis7388]

@@ThePrincessCH oh my gosh, I would have loved that.

[@ohhmangos]

Regina, while she has done some messed up things, truly had the best arc of the show. Plus... her OUTFITSSSS

[@missmouseinthehouse]

Okay off the topic, but you look like a character out of Reign. You really do. I love it! You look a bit like Greer Calsteroy, but in the end you would make up an original character with your tiara.

[@heyfling]

I am a fan of the Black Swan ship, but not in a sexual way. The reason because Emma and Regina seemed to have better chemistry together than any of their love interests had and they should have been together to raise Henry, who I would argue was both of their true love, again not in a sexual way.

[@yumirouse]

54:30 glad Regina didn’t know you just need a ukulele if you don’t want to make list and address things 👀 that would be a musical episode of OUAT 😂

[@violetlavi2207]

Well OUAT DOES have a musical episode 😂 just not with ukeleles

[@katherinealvarez9216]

​@@violetlavi2207 I remember that! That's when Emma and Hook get married, right?

[@violetlavi2207]

yep! @@katherinealvarez9216

[@xavierhaddon6058]

"I'm not evil, just a loser." - Regina in her apology video

[@theamyway4832]

'All aboard!'

[@ttiger86]

OUAT isn’t alone in portraying in foster homes as horrible. I feel like I’ve seen that in media so often

[@icomeandgobybubble87]

Not all are horrible, but Emma notedly grew up in the worst ones.

[@user74027nh]

A Series of Unfortunate Events is probably the most glaring example I can think of and it's meant for children. Like tbh these books are probably why I've always been skeptical of institutions. Like it's so wild to reread them as an adult and realize just how much and how often *every. single. adult.* in those kids' lives either endangers them, neglects them, or straight up tries to kill them.

[@iamsherlocked7448]

I think thats sometimes purposely done

[@ThePrincessCH]

@user74027nh Isn't that a historical fantasy, though? Because children's rights probably would have been different then than they are now. In the Victorian era, poor children worked in factories to support their families, and some resorted to pickpocketing.

[@iamsherlocked7448]

@@ThePrincessCH yes for many years children were required to work jobs like adults no matter the age so they had less rights they women

[@marocat4749]

Emma 100% was right at the start, regina was abusive to him and depriving him of anything that ne needed and did gaslight him. Which she can do even out of love, like "love" can be very selfish too and early regina is that . She just iroinically gets a way better mother figure over her time fighting and later even bonfdining with emma. But first regina was abusive. Emma was right. Can people letr emma alone there, regina changed, but at forst she gaslit him from anything he was interested in, which is straight abuse, cutting him off from connections. Yes regina became a bette rmother but , she was not at the start and its all thanks to emma. And i like regina, but dammit imagine all that gaslighing henry had to endure growing up. Like neils best parental relationship as kid, was with hook, hook ironically might be the only reason neil is such well ajusted and nice.

[@icomeandgobybubble87]

THANK YOU!!!

[@dopaminedrought395]

yeah, all of this. she was very much giving "I wanted kids so someone could love me unconditionally" which is a toxic parent mentality

[@angelwings4191]

Yeah, feels weird to rationalize Regina's feelings s1 when Henry is 100% acting on the fact that he's being abused and he knows he's being abused. He ran away and became so interested in Emma...because he was being abused. Regina isn't really justified here because while maybe we can understand it, we also have the proof that she is abusing Henry. Emma is acting on assumptions that we know to be true.

[@freman007]

The actress is cute and talented. The biggest problem I found with Once Upon a Time was that eventually it seemed like every female character owed their evil to a reaction to Rumpelstiltskin. It's like none of them are allowed their own motivation, just something as a reaction to a man. Regina definitely falls into the "I can fix her" category.

[@SerenaSkybourne]

Yeah i get that, I found it annoying how her and Zelena AND Cora all had training from Rumple, and it made it seem weirdly like he knew everyone

[@freman007]

@@SerenaSkybourne It's a good thing that Robert Carlyle is such a good actor.

[@cybercriminal3110]

Well everything that happened till season 2 was Rumple's plan, everyone ended up where they were because of him. Hook, Jekyll and Hyde, Whale (not a villain but whatever) and Pan are all men and their origins still have something to do with Rumple. Ursula, Cruella and Maleficent are all women but they got evil independently from him. He specifically got involved with the Mills' women because one of them was destined to cast his curse.

[@ThePrincessCH]

I think they could have done a redemption arc akin to Cedric's from "Sofia the First," where he goes back and forth about his desires because Sofia is the one person who actually tries to know him as a person. Regina could feign a truce earlier in the show and find herself warming up to Emma as she starts to realize how alike they are because I think personality wise, Emma is more like Regina than her own mother.

[@Thewrldacctodee]

This was an interesting video to watch, though my biggest critique is framing Regina’s relationship with Henry as being emotionally abusive for years. Snow mentioned in one episode that Henry was a relatively normal child up until he found out he was adopted. Also, in season 4 Regina talked to Snow and Charming about how much she regretted lying to him. My other critique is that I feel like a lot of people downplayed the trauma she faced at the hands of Cora and then later Rumple as well as being forced to marry Snow’s father, a man twice her age who previously dated her mother. Your analysis of her not thinking she’s lovable and the point you made about her curse being about her wanting community was spot on.

[@476233]

Totally agree with you! I also do feel like from the moment she held Henry she did love him genuinely, even if it was a bit of selfishness to it. She never had anyone besides her father she could love and count on. Which is why she named him after him. I thought that was such a cool tribute to her father.

[@FrumiousMing8]

I just want to say that Lana Parilla is so brilliant in this role. The fact that I like Regina at all is a testament to how real she made the character feel. No matter what quality of writing, Lana always brought her A-game. She's so charming and was the perfect casting for this role. And there's aspects of the writing I like about her character. Her lines are sharp and funny. She's blunt and speaks her mind, yet still able to be vulnerable at times. She's got an extremely messed up backstory, but not so dark as to be completely without any glimmer of hope (her love for Daniel, her love for Henry). You really come to understand why she is the way she is. How she was abused, how she was manipulated, how losing Daniel changed her as a person. But to be honest, everything about Graham is just a nightmare. From like a writing standpoint, it really damages the audience's belief in Regina's sincerity at trying to be a better person. I could understand if they wanted to sweep it under the rug in service of Regina's redemption arc (even though I personally hate that). I've seen that before. But it's the fact that the writers were so careless that they didn't even recognize what Regina was doing was rape. I know too many examples of this happening in TV shows, with male SA not even being recognized as such. I'm not trying to seem overly dramatic, it just something that bugs me, even in shows that I otherwise adore. Also I don't care how mean Graham was when he rejected Regina. Even if he didn't remember it at the time, Regina had raped him and he didn't owe her any courtesy.

[@nuggetdoja871]

I love that you talked about this! I haven't seen anyone else talk about how Regina's redemption doesn't make sense! She was obviously too evil and far beyond redemption from the start, but it's just something I forgive because I love most else about the series, and she's so hott 😂

[@kmoney1007]

did you know I just started a rewatch last week LOL

[@KovacsZoltan12]

i'm trying to remember, i think i liked the actress, and to some extent, the character, particularly because she was one of the few charismatic characters. i didn't really see the last season though. most people are grey, not purely good or bad, but there is a bit too much forgiving towards bad and harmful characters in contemporary tv-shows, this is my impression. sometimes they can still surprise me, like in "motherland : fort salem", even the actress couldn't convincingly explaine what happened there. whether or not people like these redemptions, i don't know.

[@dana_____]

I think the flashbacks doomed her. They gave her the backstory of being good, then they turned her evil, in the flashbacks she kept getting second chances and she threw them away. Then they give her a redemption arc 28 years later. If they skipped the second chances flashbacks - it might have even worked on screen even if it still made no sense on paper due to her actions. Good people don’t just kill people for fun. (And if she viewed herself as not a villain then what’s she killing people for fun for? How does she rationalize that?) Also I’m sure some feminist scholar might have a problem with a show that does the “woman has a kid and changes” thing.

[@p5481]

(evil) QUEEN, (step-great grand/) MOTHER, (people) SLAYING ICON

[@misscharmingx]

i thought the pitch for the show was “the evil queen gets her happy ending?” but even if that’s fake the, regina being the original big bad always, does make more sense

[@jessicaable5095]

I love love love the idea that she created that curse to create a forced society to be apart of. That's a great idea and it explains so much. But I do wonder what the deal with the Hatter was in that case. Before the curse, he did what she asked and she trapped him in wonderland, separating him from his daughter. I can understand her motive in that moment, since leaving him was the only way to get herself and her father back to the enchanted forest. But the LEAST she could do after cursing everyone was let him be his daughter's father again. Dude just had to spend who knows how long in wonderland, madly trying to find a way back home to his daughter, and then decades watching her get parented by another family with no memory of him. That just felt cruel towards someone who hadn't even slighted her (like Hansel and Gretal had)

[@theamyway4832]

For me, her story arc was like the good place - Regina started to become 'good' for purely selfish reasons initially (getting henry back etc), but it evolved into her realising who she could become. She should've done more to address her past actions, but as a redemption story, I genuinely believe it works. She's not fixed overnight. It takes a longgggg time for her to become better.

[@476233]

Plus she struggled a lot in seasons 3 and 4 with her anger and conflicting feelings with the heroes. It’s not like it happened in one episode.

[@suncoco6495]

Will you be covering Rumple too? I would love to hear your take. He’s one of my favorite characters.

[@MiraTheWarlock]

I was willing to overlook A LOT because I liked Regina(and I still do), even what she did the Graham, because the writers were being goddamn stupid...like seriously what the frick were they thinking?! But one thing I couldn't look past was everyone who wanted revenge on Regina for her GENOCIDE OF THE WEEK were treated as the bad guys. Like people wanna forgive and make amends? Fine, but the few who don't, did not to be portrayed as vicious psychopaths

[@Jay.T4NA]

I completely agree with you, EXCEPT that I would DEFINITELY hold it against any child if they were the reason my love died 😭 I wouldn’t go for all the revenge shit, but I would hate them forever

[@user-ul4fg3kc9r]

that’s crazy

[@Jay.T4NA]

@@user-ul4fg3kc9r i would curse the hell out of everyone

[@Kiyoti0]

Just had an awful day at work thank you for uploading this!

[@eranshachar9954]

Hello Serena, I discovered your channel right now. Good video on Regina I really liked her character, not my favorite but I love her and the show overall. Especially the first 3 seasons, afterwards I felt it was downhill. The thing about redemption- Not everyone should be redeemed, it's okay to be characterized as a villain we need them as well. This is the best thing to prove in actions like she did. Like joining to save Henry from Pan without a 2nd thought or teaching Emma control on her magical powers. Maybe the reason I liked Regina besides her being a fascinating character is Lana. The acting of Lana Parrilla was INCREDIBLE!

[@Nightwing-Gemini]

Thanks for the shout out and video bestie 🥰

[@kingcrimson2643]

Redeeming Regina was such a double-edged sword looking back. It was interesting for her but then they had to copy that with so many of the villains after. It is, quite frankly a miracle villains like Pan, Cruella and The Black Fairy didn't get redeemed.

[@OzmaOfOzz]

I always love your videos, regardless if I love the characters or not, because you bring such intricate insight and you're so well spoken❤ love your channel❤ Tbh, I haven't seen the show in years but I liked Regina so much, the actress was amazing and I loved her evilness 😂 I did wish for her to have a happy ending as far as I can remember though.

[@SerenaSkybourne]

I’m a sucker for a happy ending so I get it ❤️

[@marocat4749]

Goddamn, couldnt they at least brought back graham between emma and regina when they wanted to heve them distrust regina, like that could have been a great point there, and her having to admit she was wrong and and have her really regret it as start havin emma punch in her how he must have felt before and then they , fight but work together. graham would be a really good point to have spicey drama there. Lioke itr would be great regina on her own regretting skilling graham and asking herself ther e, and bringing that out, on her own. And the thing with emma , and , them havin to band together :( that sounds great. Damn, graham could have even been progress of regina greowing as person and conflict with emma , he didnt deserve to be forgotten, and it makes the rredemption was better if its not ignored. if in season 2 her starting to ask, hmmits wrong, graham, maybe i shouldnt to grow into, i had no right, maybe he wanted to be loved too. something.

[@ThePrincessCH]

Maybe his actor got another gig.

[@taybluejay]

@@ThePrincessCHhe was tied up with the fifty shades movies. the hatter didn’t come back either because of marvel.

[@raphaelemartinat1352]

I think if S2 was about how everyone was trying to go back to the Enchanting Forest, instead of trying to bring back Emma and Snow White from the Enchanting Forest, it could have allowed Regina to acknowledge more her mistakes and her crimes and so her arc would have been fixed very easily...

[@lachancla3723]

Leees goo the video we were all waiting 😆

[@therotryzit]

One interesting angle about Regina that feel wasn't explored that much is how she was groomed by Cora to be a ruler and quite abusively at that. Regina wasn't a good person but she never had the change to device what kind of person she wanted to be. I wished that Regina would have gotten an arc where she learns to de-program herself from the way Cora groomed her and explored who she really is and what she wanted out of life. Does she really want to lead people? Or is that because she groomed to be a leader? Sadly the show never used that to give her happy ending more depth outside of stapling her to Robin Hood, when romance isn't all there is to a happy and fufilling life.

[@05w47d]

Honestly would really love to hear you talk about Rumple. I love his character but I’m so tired of people saying no one gave him a chance when he got the most chances compared to anyone in the show.

[@loveart429]

I'm so ready for this

[@fitzytail896]

I honestly forgot the Graham and Hansel and Gretle stuff in season 1 by the time I wanted Regina a happy ending because the show kept giving her crap now thinking about it maybe it was for the best because she really was irredeemable in season one and I guess Lana Parilla was such an amazing actress that I forgot what her character did in season 1. Still love Regina. (I created a character in Dragon Age Inquisition based on Regina)

[@Shaylovespopeye]

Hey Serena, I have a request for you can you please make a video long video talking about the great how they ruined because I think it’s unfair how they built up peter just to kill him off I’m getting tried of show taking romances and killing making it dead it’s hurtful and reckless I love this show it deserves more seasons and I can’t believe how careless about how they ruined the show and how fans are upset I really appreciate thank you I love you Serena I really appreciate all videos you make it makes me really happy everytime you make a video I love you so much ❤❤❤❤

[@OpticalSorcerer]

I love the redeeming route since it feels very hopeful, very real (no one is born evil and everyone has the potential to change, even if they don't), but pretty much everyone escapes responsibility, largely because defeating/imprisoning them would be a hassle.

[@gabriellebischoff4108]

I love your videos! I’m so glad someone is finally making ouat content! LOVE your crown by the way😍✨🌸

[@SerenaSkybourne]

it was my mum's wedding tiara 🥰

[@Peacheschan1]

Are you going to do Snow White/Mary Margaret blanchard and Prince Charming/David Nolan video like Rumple and Belle ?

[@Flapperdame16]

I'm adopted myself, and never have I seen adoption portrayed correctly in any screen narrative. Even I myself found my self team Emma-Henry rather than Regina-Henry.

[@snapbaxtoytalk]

I love Regina and her redemption arc and I'm glad she found acceptance through her found family after all her effort to change for the better. I used to think it was unfair that she lost Robin/Facilier/Daniel after everything she'd been through, but after re watching the show for like, the third time and being reminded of her SA of Graham and how many people she killed or worse just for fun; I like that she didn't have all her dreams come true. She did some terrible things that she could never undo that led to untold, ongoing suffering for so many people. So while I'm glad she gained happiness and recognition in the end with her found family, I find it fitting that true love escaped her after she made such a mockery of the concept in the past and deprived so many people of their loved ones. It felt like a fitting penance for her.

[@heathergraham2581]

I have to respectfully disagree. I don't find it "fitting" that TL escaped her considering every other "reformed" villain got theirs. I mean, Hook had no qualms taking Mila from Rumple even if it wasn't TL, left Bae motherless, and I'm sure did his fair share of killing that interfered with TL and Rumple was certainly guilty of manipulating it for his own gain. Zelena manipulated it, using Robin, and got motherhood out of it. Yet, Hook ends with the Savior and Rumple with Belle? Regina was literally pushed onto this path because of the loss of TL, Daniel. What exactly did she do to deserve that when she wasn't even evil then? Yet, the rest of the character's loves were getting convenient "resurrections" for their TL's through the series run (ie. Hook in s5, David s3 shared heart, Rumple s3 dark one resurrection by Bae & Belle etc.) I mean, I know people are critiquing how the redemption arc played out for Regina and preferring more direct accountability for the things she had done but the problem is, the writing literally appeared to write it through the lens of Regina being a victim of bad fate over and over again. It didn't matter whether it was pre EQ days (ie. Abuse by Cora, loss of Daniel), during the EQ reign (ie. Every attempt to get at Snow White fell through), or during the Storybooke redemption phase (ie. Loss of Robin; suddenly the writing is pushing how much more powerful Zelena is over her and Regina's getting her magical butt whipped lol)? Am I really supposed to buy that one character has that much natural bad luck, lol, regardless of their actions or choices? Because the writing was sure portraying it that way so it's no wonder the character of Regina reflected on it in such a way. I mean, they did momentarily tackle the whole "villains don't get their happy endings" angle with the search for the author story going into s4 but that applied to ALL the villains, not just Regina. And the clear message appeared to be that your past doesn't determine|dictate your future and, page 23, was specifically tied to "hope" for Regina. Honestly, the writing turned it into a convoluted mess. Hades even admits Rumple sent more "souls" his way to the UW over Regina but Regina is the one who deserves the loss of TL? Rumple is deserving of a TL & a new child, after his actions to choose power over being with his first son without magic? And how many times did he deceive Belle? Regina didn't do that to Robin. Hmm. This is just my own opinion but I actually see a double standard when it comes to the critiques on Regina and her redemption arc compared to the other villains on the show. I get the sense people may have been looking for more direct one on one interaction between Regina and showing remorse to those she harmed in the past? I mean, sure, they could have gone that route more but I think the whole point was that kind of would have fallen flat in the face of all that she had done; I honestly don't think she could even account for every individual so the way they handled it made more sense to me. The best way for her to "change" was to show it through her actions and future decision-making, not her words and apologizing one on one. Which she did, with a few brief moments of verbal reflection shared with the other characters. But even so, with redemption, Regina would still be flawed. That's just realistic, even the heroes were flawed. I'm not really sure what the writers intended for Regina's so-called happy ending but the whole "it's not a man or TL" female power trope that suddenly slipped in felt forced & like a total retcon once the show decided to get rid of Sean and make Rebecca a regular for s5. I just don't buy it, not after they based Regina's whole path to the dark side on TL loss, then wrote in Tink during s3 to make a big deal about Regina finding her soul-mate and getting second chances. This was a show about fairytales & TL, and happy endings after all and just about every other character gots theirs, whether hero or former villain. Regina's HE was the only one that got muddied in the water. This is my take on it.

[@mariaelenagarciamolero1437]

Like you said I feel Regina was never meant to have a redemption arc, she was supposed to be the big bag, THE villain but the audience loved her whether it was because of the acting or the story but the audience found her compelling and I for one I'm happy that they realized this and gave us more. My problem is that since they went too hard on her evilness on the first season then made it too hard for her to get redemption, there are a lot of things that were horrible like the kids before Hansel and Gretel, I, for one, found it extremely hard to forgive her and there are still some things that are still on the verge of unforgivable even if in the end became one of my favorite characters. With the backstory of Regina you tend to realize why she behaves the way she does, it doesn't excuse her, but it gives more depth and understanding. Also, considering how much Emma's "superpower" tended to fail, I don't trust it when she decided to stay because she didn't believe Regina when she said she loves Henry. I do like how Emma and Regina's relationship grew and they both got to be Henry's parents, cause in the end they both loved him. This was a great video, good job, I think you manage to summarize everything perfectly and objectively.

[@lyamainu]

I never understood Regina’s appeal - at least if you take S1 as canon. Firstly, her treatment of Henry was TERRIBLE; once you realize that she remembered everything and was ACTIVELY gaslighting him, telling him that he was imagining things, even though he could clearly see. I mean, canonically he was the only one who aged. So every year he would go to a new class at school and all his peers would stay behind, and everyone told him that he was imagining things. Second, as many others have pointed out, she rapes Graham for DECADES and then murders him when he tries to break free. Whatever trauma she went through, whatever she suffered, whatever she did later, cannot make up for those things in my mind, not when she never owned up for it and tried to make amends.

[@chantellehewison6382]

How did you feel about her relationships with snow, david, Robin hood and his son Ronald, Daniel, her mom cora, sister zelda her nice robin, hook and lastly rumple.

[@mehorton2657]

11:45 I’d argue those situations aren’t exactly equivalent since all those people (sans Henry and Emma) did have familial relationships, at least at one point. They weren’t trying to work things out JUST because they were blood related, they actually loved each other in their own ways. Maybe a better example is like Regina and Zalena? Or Snow/Charming and Emma? But idk

[@WinterWind]

Regina was my favourite character hands down. I never liked Mary Margaret/Snow despite the actress being fine in other things. On the other hand, I'd never seen Lana Parilla in anything besides Once Upon a Time and absolutely adored her, enough to watch some of her other shows which were nowhere near as good, just because she was in them. I like a character who knows who and what they are but gives nuance to that and Lana absolutely did that with Regina. Regina was a villain but she was an empathetic villain at times. Meeting Cora in the flashbacks you sort of understand where Regina was coming from, and then the show goes on and you understand bits and pieces more. Regina was a boss b**ch in her own right though and for the time that was great to see. I didn't watch the entire show but what I did see back in the day and upon rewatch, Regina remains a strong, great character and part of that is the writing while part of that is the actress

[@kartonpudekopodobny]

you look stunning!

[@SerenaSkybourne]

thankyouuu love

[@kaitlynnaudette4100]

I really liked her. She was the big bad in the first season and after that she had her ups and downs for a long time which is realistic vs getting a new evil character and say "oh im the good guy now." Great character building theough the whole series

[@itscherylplayz8925]

Can we talk about how she transported Hansel and Gretel into the middle of the forest and I don’t think it’s ever brought up again.

[@Markus2E5I6]

Or she sent them into a cannibalistic witch's domain with no help. Could have gave them some sort of magic item to poof them out if things go south. Or warn them ahead of time

[@sparks0170]

I think the reason so many people are so quick to judge the mistakes of Emma and specially the Charmings is because they as heroes were expected to be perfect from episode one. They were expected to be the good guys, so when they did something wrong it was like: what the fuck are you doing? You're horrible. Whereas with Regina she started as this horrible person and the story was laid out in a way it was all about her redemption, so many people tend to overlook her mistakes, myself included sometimes. I love Regina wholeheartedly but I agree with you, she made too many mistakes and her redemption didn't feel complete even if it was very well done

[@anthony449]

For me, Zelena managed to fill the Evil Queen shaped void! She actually became my favourite character. I thought Rebecca Mader was awesome!

[@coreyself2983]

I use to think the show was repetitive, especially that no one seemed to ever learn their lesson lol but that’s pretty much how it is in real life🤷🏻‍♂️ Lets remember that Regina was completely in the darkness. She tried getting out and that was a long process. Its like learning how to walk again( like when she said she couldn’t let her anger go because she felt like she was going to float away)

[@spooderman224]

I would like to see a video about zelena mills the wicked witch redemption ark

[@allysonennis200]

I find the argument about adoption interesting. Personally, I love Regina, and I always saw her as such a girlboss for being the mayor of a town on her own and raising a child on her own. She made me WANT to adopt a child, even though I am single, because she made me believe I can do it, too. This is all hypothetical, I’m too young to adopt right now, but when I think about it I think of her.

[@abbiex6202]

I wanted her to stay evil tbh would have been a better ending

[@joshmagosh1619]

Cora’s death makes it worse when you realize Cora was doing all that without at heart, Regina has her heart and was still vomiting atrocities

[@phily-hu5pr]

She kind of like my sister the one that played her dad is actually my dad in real life Tony Perez I hated that she killed him

[@callmethecommentcountess9329]

I love her as evil queen

[@SaguaroBlossom]

You mentioned you were frustrated because she would tale a step forward in her character development, then take a step back, but I think that's more realistic. That's how people are in real life. People aren't all good or all bad. Apologizing for *years* of abuse doesn't mean you'll receive instant forgiveness, healing, trust, and acceptance. People don't turn good instantly, just like they don't change from angels into pure evil overnight. Even the Nazis had to work up to the Holocaust. Change is always gradual. First, they realize their problem and determine they're going to change. They work and work at it, but it doesn't happen instantly, and it isn't a straight line towards their goal, especially when they're still rejected, or things take longer than they initially anticipated.

[@varijacija6802]

Off topic but I think the reason she hated snow so much even tho it was ridiculous is because she couldnt hate her mother She let snow took the blame for all of her mothers actions in her mind now it isnt cora thats at fault for her bad life and dead bf it was this girl Victims of abuse sometimes look at the abuser as a force of nature in a way like there is no stopping the abuse so when someone provokes their abuser even if its with some small thing they blame that person instead of the abuser I think thats why poor 10yo snow took the burden of a decades long abuse Bc its easier to blame snow for the horse thing and her telling cora about her bf for her becoming queen and having her happy ending ruined than cora who was gonna abuse her anyway but snow gave her the amunition

[@jessicaable5095]

I will say this. I don't blame Regina for being mad at Snow after her mum died because, from what I remember, she was basically tricked into killing her under the hope of restoring some kind of compassion to her. I can see Snow's actions being justified, but I can also absolutely see Regina's anger being justified too.

[@PittsburghSportsFan43]

Cora killed Snow's mom so Regina could marry Snow's dad. But that never got brought up. Cora and Regina were both evil assholes who liked to blame everyone else for their problems. No redemption story could erase or cancel out all the evil they did. Especially since Regina spends all her time either being completely evil or playing the victim without acknowledging all the harm she caused. And I can't get over Regina wanting to murder Snow for telling Cora about Daniel when Snow was a 10 year old. Basing an entire vendetta on a child being tricked by an adult to tell a secret is just ridiculous, especially since she did NOTHING to Cora, the one who actually killed Daniel. I never felt sorry for her and for the life of me I don't know why anyone would.

[@jessicaable5095]

@@PittsburghSportsFan43 yeah, with a show like this we really had to sweep a few things under the rug to keep invested 😅 I am with you there. But in the context of Regina's redemption, I was mainly refurring to this creator's frustration that Regina would take such a step back and blame Snow again. I was just pointing out that, this time round, it makes sense for her character and for anyone really to be mad at someone they trusted to a degree tricking them into killing their own mother. It was delusional to hope Cora would change, but said hope was still ripped away very brutally and it was an adult Snow who made that decision. I get why she was mad. It made sense, even if her past actions and forgiveness didn't. If she had held on to that grudge for the rest of the show, I would've been a lot more frustrated though

[@kingofkeys93]

could you also watch the once upon a time in wonderland show and see if you can find what the plan was to connect the cast to the main series at some point?

[@Elvisfan2026]

I have met Lana parrilla 3 times

[@sagehawk12]

Yeah I concur that the writers legit didn't know they make her a rapist... it was supposed to be some sex dominatrix-light thing. So I honestly don't regard her being one as 'canon' because it wasn't what the writers meant... Either way, if you think Regina was unredemeable because of rape and mass murder, and don't think it's exactly realistic... I'd like to recommend Xena Warrior Princess. Xena has done mass murder and similar rapey stuff... and they really aced the redemtion arch.

[@iri02802]

I am sort of in dubio about Regina. I like her as a character as you mentioned her sass and spunk are amazing and Lana did an amazing job of portraying her. I also think they back tracked a bit on the anti- addoption part in later seasons when Henry builds a good relationship with Regina. The fact they have TLK in season 3 and in season 7 we can see a possibility of how Henry could have turned out if he was not adopted. One of the things I did not like about season 6 is Regina being split in 2 and than everyone blames the Evil Queen (I did like that the Evil Queen loved Henry too). And I was like No Regina you made that choice the Evil Queen is you. I liked that Regina than split her heart and took a part of the evil and the good. In General I did not like season 5 and 6 (the kiss between Rumplestilskin and the Evil Queen was also something I absolutely could do without and that should never have been in it, and I do my best to forget it's existence 😅)

[@Jaredragon]

I would LOVE a full video on Lily (emma's childhood friend)... please? day 3

[@SerenaSkybourne]

hahaha i see you bby 👀We'll have to see!

[@BetterWithBob]

I'm on the Regina defence side for the simple reason that she had no choice in her villainy. She was a tool for both Cora and Rumple, Cora to live out her social climbing dreams and Rumple to reunite with his son. Even after Cora murdered Daniel and forced Regina into marriage with King Leopold, Regina was willing to move past it and not blame Snow, but Rumple would not let up. There's no way Regina could be anything else because Rumple needed her to cast the dark curse so he could be with Baelfire again. He needed her to be so consumed with hatred and bitterness towards Snow that she would rip out her own father's heart just to get her revenge. Regina couldn't get away from him or reject him because he could be anywhere and force her hand. I'm not sure how old Snow is by the time the curse is cast, but that could be twenty years of abuse and conditioning. Regina is basically a child soldier/cult member who had to be deprogrammed, and others in the show like Hook were just as bad as her and forgiven much easier

[@PittsburghSportsFan43]

Regina was not willing to move past it. The last thing we hear her say before she married the king was "I should have let her (Snow) die on that horse." And she never held Cora accountable for what she did. How is it OK to blame a 10 year old for trusting the wrong person more than the one who killed your fiancé? It's not. I don't care about the later rewrite. Regina wanted to cast the curse to punish Snow and her family, and would have murdered the newborn Emma if Rumple hadn't warned Snow and David beforehand.

[@juliacintrae]

YES

[@bebepastiche9105]

Shoutout to when they decided Henry’s actor wasn’t hot enough to be a romantic lead so they recast him

[@Mr.Compass-95]

Something that really baffles me is that her "happy ending" is quite different from what she wanted when she was young: she ends up becoming the queen of the merged magic kingdoms while all her potential lovers are gone. In the end, it seems like Cora is the true winner of the series.

[@spooderman224]

Regina is my favourite and I understand regina she should get a happy ending

[@firelight3219]

0:24 Simple answer, No. Her "redemption" arc was not handled well. She "changed" for "Henry" and never really apologized or took responsibility for anything she did, and then had the nerve to throw a fit when no one forgave her or still didn't trust her because she was a "good guy" now. I don't know how they ended up ending it as I quit watching around season 5? but even if they did do it better, it would have been far too late for that type of development, UNLESS they and her more pretending before and THEN had it become a serious redemption, though again that might have not worked if I remember correctly how the curse works. That being that it leaves a void in your heart that can never be filled. Which would mean by definition that Regina could never be truly redeemed. I think the absolute no going back point in my opinion was the fact she killed her FATHER, WHO SHE WAS SHOWN TO LOVE VERY MUCH! and the only time she seemed to show remorse for it, seemed to be a trick to get him to lower his guard, which is DIABOLICAL! Though even after that they still could have "redeemed" her in away. Like making her a dark "hero" or something, not a villain but not a true hero. I honestly think that could have been way more interesting. P.S. Sorry if that was a long rant for someone who gave up on the show😅. I am just really passionate about writing and shows and I saw so much potential and really loved the first two or three seasons, that I hated to see it all go to waste in an effort to length the show, by dragging it out and turning it into a more average fantasy show, despite all of the originality it started with. This is a show I fully hope gets justice in the future. Edit ; Also I do want to state I don't hate her character at all I just think certain aspects were very miss handled. But Kudos to the Actress, for the fantastic acting Job! She at least was able to convince that Regina wanted to change. Where the writes failed to properly execute it story wise. But if you think differently that fine with me. I am glad you loved it.

[@Markus2E5I6]

You say you haven't watched past season 5, your lucky. In season 7 they reunite all the kingdoms and everyone votes for Regina to be the one Queen. Which felt so fanservice-y because you can't convince me that all these people she harmed not only forgive her but decided she should be queen of EVERYTHING. Not just Snow's kingdoms, but all the kingdoms.

[@blackoutcoasters]

Ahhhh!!!

[@jordanmorris4797]

I may be in the minority but I hated the character Regina, not because she was a villain because I enjoy a good villain, and not because of the performance the actress did an excellent job. No I wound up hating the character because of how she was written the show runners had her doing terrible thing after terrible thing acts that I thought were too heinous to come back from, I’ll never forget how she literally crushed wolfs heart and killed him, then all of a sudden we’re supposed to forget all of that evil because the writers want add in a sloppy redemption story without having the character do any of the work to deserve it.

[@jenfirelight]

I don't like you saying that Emma appeared out of nowhere, and Emma turn Henry's life upside down. Henry was the one that track Emma down. Henry actually stole a credit card to go and do that. It can be said that Henry turned Emma's life upside down

[@anthonypena5046]

Between those who are anti-adoption about Regina and Henry’s relationship (I am one of them myself) and those who defend it, it’s debatable who should shut up.

[@saffyesperas2278]

I wondered why the redemption arc was so wishy washy at first.

[@ThePrincessCH]

I think it would have interesting if they did a redemption arc akin to Cedric's from "Sofia the First," where he goes back and forth about his desires because Sofia is the one person who actually tries to know him as a person. Regina could feign a truce earlier in the show and find herself warming up to Emma as she starts to realize how alike they are because I think personality wise, Emma is more like Regina than her own mother.

[@Bakuru]

Just to clarify so everyone knows, and I rechecked this to make sure, but I need to make sure people know this. Regina never MADE Graham sleep with her. Not forcefully through heart manipulation. The only time she actually used his heart to control him was in the final episode of his life, right before she killed him. But she never FORCED him to have sex with her. The writers weren't THAT stupid 🤣 just hope everyone knows that. Also, Regina always loved Henry. Truly. That was sort of the whole point of her battle with Emma in the first season, it wasn't just because of ruining plans. Regina truly loved Henry with all her heart.....despite her unhealthy ways of showing it LOL

[@Markus2E5I6]

In the enchanted forest she has his heart and orders the guards to take him to the bedchamber...the implication is clear. Not to mention throughout the curse Graham says its like he can't go against her and he feels nothing when he's with her but he still has to go to her house. And that isn't the first time. The implication is very clear.

[@gabrielleduplessis7388]

Suggestion for a video: why the women were the rapists on this show. Yes men and women are equally capable of doing this, but I was very surprised that all of these magical rape stories were by women, not men. i want to say why I am confused about graham. Yes, what reginia did was cruel, but the way their interactions were written was confusing. Yes, this was an abusive relationship and cruel, but considering that she did not hold his heart during their interactions, he still made his own choices. I did not feel all of their sexual interactions were rape because he chose to sleep with her due to how abusive relationships work. She made it seem that she was all he had. Also, when he had feelings for emma, he got confused and this is where he sleeps with Regina again. Also, while he was numb due to not having a heart, the magic of his heart in the tomb sensed his feelings for Emma and woke him up again. His breakup with Regina was his choice. Him choosing Emma was his choice. I feel when Regina was not physically holding his heart, he still had some autonomy. I think this one technicality made me confused whether this was rape or not. Now wish hook and Mother Gothel and Zelena as Marian and Robin is definitely rape.

[@ThePrincessCH]

I think it's from the generalized concept of a powerful woman. The Disney princess trope many are familiar with tend to get criticized for seeming complacent, but a more proactive female character gets praised for having personality traits that the stereotypical Disney princess lacks. I think it's part of the reason Regina is such a fan favorite; she takes what she wants no matter what anyone says. People are probably also less likely to see men as victims, so no one really questions whatever autonomy Graham has.

[@mrlagoonslawyer]

I was and still am confused about the mechanics of the heart holding. Like every other time we see compulsion happening the person has to be holding the heart, right? But it came across as the controlling magic in the show...BUT she never held the heart (once, on screen I think? Can't remember the context though). They could've a) fucking maybe not done a chuck bass and made her this irredeemable initially, b) EXPLAINED the mechanics properly. Like the time he turned up at her house...was it compulsion? c) made it (whilst still fucked) a non-magic involved abusive relationship...which...I think the storybooke part (at least) was?

[@dasey31]

Regina was my least favourite character and never liked her at any point in the show

[@SerenaSkybourne]

unpopular opinion but i like it!

[@katelyntaylor7384]

I appreciate someone else saying it!!! Thank you!!!

[@suncoco6495]

Same. I empathized with what she went through, but I couldn’t get over all the wrong she’d done to everyone.

[@divinelangene6813]

​@@suncoco6495yes, and the fact that when she lost Robin in season 4 she said to Emma you ruined my life, such a hypocrite

[@SerenaSkybourne]

i find this so cool though because I'm used to seeing people say how much they like her@@katelyntaylor7384

[@Quinn91202]

She is this shows Alison Dilarentis

[@spooderman224]

Regina mills the evil queen is my favourite I fink Regina happy ending is helping pepole

[@33931011]

I liked Regina's redemption arch but her dealing with her evil self in S6 was just very pointless for me...