Once Upon a Time: The Best (And Worst) Of ‘I’ll Be Your Mirror’ (Season 6 Episode 8)
We’re inching ever closer to the winter finale, concluding the first half of Once Upon a Time Season 6.
In all honestly, it’s been a rocky road so far. Luckily, Once Upon a Time Season 6 Episode 8, much like last week’s “Heartless,” has a lot of good, classic OUAT things going for it. Unluckily (also like “Heartless”), it’s got some garbage moments, too.
From an always-satisfying Regina/Emma team-up to Rumple going completely off the rails (and every development in between), here are the best and worst things about “I’ll Be Your Mirror.”
Best: Henry’s Moms Working Together
You don’t have to ‘ship Regina and Emma romantically to appreciate the two of them working together. Whether you’re a SwanQueen devotee or not, it’s plain as day that Jennifer Morrison and Lana Parrilla have tons of chemistry together on-screen.
The development and growth of Regina, combined with the parallel development and growth of the friendship and trust that’s grown between Henry’s mothers, is easily one of the best aspects of the series as a whole. There’s a reason that Regina is such a massively popular character, after all.
There are so many wonderful moments between Regina and Emma on “I’ll Be Your Mirror” to choose from.
Emma confiding in Regina about her worries in leaving Henry if her vision indeed does come true (and her gratefulness that he’ll still have Regina) is a touching moment. The two of them deciding to work together in the mirror world, neither sacrificing themselves because Henry needs both of them, is a great bit as well.
Best: Henry Grows A Brain
I’ve been pretty transparent in the past about my thoughts on Henry. It consistently aggravated me that the writers refused to age him up in accordance with the actor’s real-life aging. Mentally, Henry remained a little kid for far too long.
I’m not saying I want Henry to take his place among the grown-ups in battle or anything, but I do seriously appreciate that Henry is finally thinking for himself and making logical choices.
Henry managing to avoid the Evil Queen’s horrible manipulations – attempting to force Henry to essentially murder the Dragon in order to pull a “Darth Vader” on him – is a great moment. It gives me hope that the Henry of Season 5, who decides on an illogical whim to destroy all magic, is gone forever.
The development of Violet as a character in her own right, rather than being relegated to simply “Henry’s girlfriend,” would be appreciated as well. Girl’s got moves, based on her quick-thinking when the two were trying to evade the Evil Queen posing as Regina.
Worst: The Sidelining Of Hook
On the one hand, I love the fact that Hook cares so much about Emma that he’s able to recognize when something’s not quite right. He’s the first one to figure out that “Regina” might not be entirely truthful when she tells the group that Emma is in New York looking for the Dragon.
On the other hand, Hook is a great character in his own right.
What happened to his friendship with Belle? Why can’t he be involved in something beyond being there in the knick of time to save Emma and Regina from the Queen? Emma and Regina could have handled her on their own. His sudden appearance in the end just reads like an attempt to shoe-horn him into this episode’s story, simply because they couldn’t think of anything else to do with him. Hook deserves better than that.
Worst: Snow and Charming’s Separation
This one is a “worst” in the sense that it’s completely heartbreaking. The split-screen of each half of the couple going about their day, before writing the other a sweet note and waking them up, is seriously wrenching. It doesn’t get less wrenching the more we see it.
I’m not sure how long this latest version of the sleeping curse can last, but I won’t be sad to see it go. Fingers crossed that it doesn’t carry over too far into the second half of the season resuming in the Spring. This is a subplot best served over a handful of episodes – I can only imagine that it will get repetitive and schtick-y if it carries on all season long.
Best: Aladdin and Jasmine Find The Lamp
The timing of Aladdin and Jasmine’s introductions is a little wonky. They made their debut a few weeks back and then were virtually sidelined in favor of their larger Evil Queen arc. It was a little weird that they were introduced when they were, only for the writers to do nothing with them for weeks.
In any event, “I’ll Be Your Mirror” changes all that. In an admittedly very minor subplot, Aladdin and Jasmine (well, really just Aladdin) finally get something to do in the present – Zelena and Belle ask Aladdin, master thief, to steal a wand from Zelena that will allow her to open up a portal in order for Belle to escape to the Enchanted Forest, away from Rumple.
Aladdin does his part and a little extra. Not only does he retrieve the wand, but he also snags a magic lamp. For anyone who watched Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, this is a great moment for a few reasons. For one, the two briefly reminisce about Cyrus, the genie they once knew who is now “free.”
For another, Jafar is totally inside that lamp. As of the conclusion of Once: Wonderland, Jafar had been trapped in a magic lamp. While it’s not yet 100% sure that it’s that lamp, I can’t imagine that this is just a big coincidence.
While it’s not good for them that they’re all-but-certainly about to unwittingly unleash Jafar, I’m thrilled. Jafar is a great villain, and I’m excited to finally get to see what Oded Fehr will do with the role in present-day Storybrooke. Maybe he’ll even mix things up with Rumple and the Evil Queen!
Worst: The End of Rumbelle?
I don’t purport to know the writer’s grand-scheme plans for these two, but as each week goes by, Rumple is getting worse and worse. Logically, yes, it is clear that he is doing what he’s doing because he loves Belle and their child and fears losing them – so he’s turning to the only way that he knows for sure he can keep them. That said, his behavior is flat-out abusive at this point.
I thought that their confrontation at the dock was the lowest of the low, but Rumple slapping that golden GPS-cuff on Belle’s wrist is a breaking point. I can’t root for this couple anymore, and probably never again, seeing how Rumple has treated Belle – like an object, a thing, one of the possessions that he owns in his shop.
Honestly, it seems egregiously out of character for him too, but Rumple has always been written a little inconsistently, with plot needs dictating whether the writers want to make him villainous or not in a particular arc.
In previous iterations, Rumple has been ruthless, calculating, and willing to do whatever it takes, but never outright cruel to the woman he loves. Is it the Dark One 2.0-ness or the addition of a baby into the equation (or both) that’s causing him to act like such an asshat?
Are the writers preparing to write the character off of the show? Is Rumple set to die this season, in some grand, redemptive self-sacrifice? I don’t know the answers to these questions, but I do know one thing: I absolutely do not want to see them normalize this behavior later this season.
This is a family show – something we’re reminded of time and again. It’s not a dark, antihero-driven FX, HBO, or Showtime series! Rumple’s current behavior is not something that should be modeled as loving or normal. It’s abuse.
As an aside, I do think the newfound tension between Rumple and the Evil Queen will be interesting to see. The Queen is clearly not down for killing her sister – as we’ve learned with Hyde, being an evil half doesn’t mean you’re incapable of love. In her own way, the Queen loves Henry – and Zelena. Will this be what finally splits up the Rumple-Evil Queen alliance?
Stray thoughts:
- So are they just, like, leaving the Dragon in the mirror? That’s not very nice.
- Belle being protective of her child is making me have all kinds of Lost flashbacks. Pretty sure about 95% of her dialogue on Lost consisted of “My baby! My baby!.”
- Speaking of babies: We finally get to see baby Neal! And to think, all it took was his parents falling under a shared sleeping curse.
- I didn’t think I’d enjoy it, but I actually would like to see more of a Zelena-Belle friendship. Poor Belle has no friends in town. And Zelena could use a good influence or two (or ten) in her life.
What did you think of this episode of Once Upon a Time? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Once Upon a Time airs Sunday at 8/7c on ABC.
Caralynn Lippo
Caralynn is a freelance writer and editor, but most importantly, she is a diehard TV addict. A few of her current favorites are Mr. Robot, You're the Worst, iZombie, and The Vampire Diaries. She also writes about TV for Romper, The TV Junkies, and TV Fanatic.