Once Upon a Time Review: Wish You Were Here (Season 6 Episode 10)

The winter-finale of Once Upon a Time takes us back to The Enchanted Forest in a “Wishverse” episode and gives us a surprising twist involving magic.

Once Upon a Time Season 6 Episode 10, “Wish You Were Here,” isn’t as action packed as some of the mid-winter finales we’ve seen in the past. In recent seasons, the show has been scheduled in half-season arcs where we have a villain that will be dealt with in those ten episodes, but this season hasn’t had the same structure. We have a big mystery that gets solved, but we’ve still left with many questions.

While there are no big battles to be fought, there are certainly a lot of problems to solve. In this case, it’s the fact that The Evil Queen has used Aladdin to grant Emma Swan’s wish that she was not born the savior.

This takes us back to the Enchanted Forest to a parallel “reality” where Snow and Charming have grey hair, Henry is about to be a knight, and Emma smiles and sings a lot. These sequences feel a bit like a fairytale version of The Stepford Wives and it gives off this sobering aura that makes you realize: there is no show without some conflict.

As interesting as it is to go back to The Enchanted Forest, the real standout here is the out-of-place Regina, who confronts her evil-self in order to try to save Emma.

When Regina follows Emma to this “reality,” she’s met with citizens who are still convinced she’s The Evil Queen. It’s a little comical, but it stands in contrast to how much Regina has changed over the course of the series, and it’s for the better.

Over the last several episodes, it’s been a joy to watch Henry’s two moms work together to come up with a solution to defeat The Evil Queen and I love that they aren’t at each other’s throats anymore.

So it feels like a bit of a cheat when the mysterious hooded figure walks through town and takes out The Evil Queen by turning her into a cobra. As the last act of the episode unfolds, pieces from the last few episodes come into play.

Here’s a crash course in that big reveal.

The Hooded Figure is Belle and Rumple’s son Gideon, who was taken by The Black Fairy. Now, if you wonder how an infant that’s under a week old could return as a full-grown man, the answer is: time runs different where The Dark Fairy lives. So if you’re a baby, I guess that means you mature much faster.

This reveal has me reeling. Not just because we’ve seen this before in other shows, so you have to wonder, how did we not see this coming?  It also seems to go in the face of free will, because this entire plot means attempting to change fate is pointless.

In “Changlings,” Gideon pleads with Belle to save him from Rumple who wants to cut the thread of his fate. Belle sent Gideon off with Mother Superior because her son asked her to and she saw it as the only way to protect him.

However, Emma’s visions predate Belle’s dream and Gideon’s birth. The fact that he shows up in this dark hood seems to mean that you can’t change fate. His arrival is setting the events that Emma and her family have been trying to prevent.

Not only is the villain from Emma’s dreams in Storybrooke, but it’s safe to say Belle is regretting her decision, and we are forced to admit that Rumple was right for once.

Maybe if he had cut the thread of destiny, The Black Fairy never would have stolen Gideon and now this future wouldn’t be coming to pass.

Yes Belle, you are going to be responsible for the death of the savior. How does it feel when your problems affect more than just your relationship?

Stray Thoughts:

• Robin’s return at the very end of the episode was unexpected, and I would welcome a reunion, but the last time they bought someone back from a parallel time it didn’t go well. Also, did it bother anyone that Robin didn’t immediately recognize her as The Evil Queen?
• Part of why I didn’t expect Robin’s return was the absence of Neal. If this is a universe where Emma wasn’t the savior, why wasn’t Neal there? And why was Rumple the dark one? Is it just supposed to serve the plot? Or is Henry’s father someone different in this universe because Neal still ends up in A Land Without Magic?
• So the sword is definitely still important, especially since it can hurt The Evil Queen without harming Regina, but given that The Evil Queen is incapacitated, why is that an important fact? Are we going for a Neville Longbottom with the Sword of Gryffindor thing here?
• David what were you thinking? You have a wish, you ask for the sleeping curse to be lifted on your heart. That way you can get Snow in on this. You come up with good solutions together! Why would you attempt this alone? (Right, Sleep/Waking curse! Stupid question!)
• Can we please get Black Fairy episode? This may just be because I like Jamie Murray and think she’s talented at playing slightly sinister baddies, but now I feel like if she stole her grandson and is working out this evil plan, she’s hanging around Storybrooke. Also, that Black Fairy costume is too awesome to sit in the costume department and not be used again!

What did you think of this episode of Once Upon a Time? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Reviewer Rating:

User Rating:

 

Once Upon a Time airs Sunday at 8/7c on ABC.

Follow us on Twitter @telltaletv_

 

14 TV Couples That Are #RelationshipGoals