#5x05 dreamcatcher

[dinneratgrannys]

ONCE UPON A TIME 5.05, Dreamcatcher

[ouatsqincorrect]

ok once upon a time failed in many regards but one thing they continuously did right were the scenes of sq on regina’s front porch (whether we’re talking about shipping them or not, it doesn’t matter)

anyway i’m gonna rant so.

in 1x01, regina starts off on the porch, being higher than emma and showing the audience that she has the power but she comes down when she’s threatening her, which is interesting because now they’re on the same level. which i’m guessing is supposed to give us some sort of moment of clarity for emma or maybe regina doesn’t really believe what she’s saying. they’re suddenly on the same level though which means in this moment their power is equal. regina has the ability to fuck up emma’s life and emma has the ability to fuck up hers. but then regina steps back onto the porch and emma doubts regina’s love for henry, telling us she’s doubting regina and that doubt actually gives regina some of the power back (because she actually really does love henry)

also the coloring of this scene is perfection. it’s meant to make us feel threatened and misled. and show that regina is being intimating. (the color of their outfits is also so important)

OH and that arc shot!! when the camera does a 360 around emma and we’re suddenly facing regina, this is meant to make us feel a little lost but keep those power dynamics between them

honeslty this is one of my favorite scenes in the entire show because it’s actually really well thought out, directed and edited. plus jmo and lana acted their asses off

THEN, in 1x18, we have this other moment of them on the porch where emma’s accusing regina of having framed mary margaret (not in so many words but the point is there). in this scene, there is literally not one moment where the two of them are on a different level. emma has gained some power, she has figured regina out, and regina no longer has the upper hand. (their outfits being almost the exact same also proves that point)

in 2x10, they’re back on the porch again when emma confronts regina about archie’s death. they start off at equal height, and then when emma steps off the porch, we literally see regina step down too. regina may be getting confronted and accused of something horrible, but they’re still equal here. regina even knocks emma down, but emma gets right back up.

not to mention, they’re outfits in this scene are SO important because they literally are the exact opposite of what they wore in 1x01.

and then finally, in 5x05, we have another scene with them on the porch when emma’s the dark one and regina confronts her about camelot and what happened with the dreamcatcher. (again, it’s all about confronting. these two only have scenes on this porch when it’s about one of them confronting the other)

they start off with the same level of power. they’re at each others height, until regina leaves and emma walks off the step. she literally has that power taken away from her in this moment because, arguably, she’s just lost her son and regina and even though she’s the dark one, that loss takes something from her.

and AGAIN—their outfits. regina is wearing red (shes pissed, has the power, we’re being encouraged to focus on her and maybe even relate) and emma’s wearing black (she’s depressed, and has power, even if that power gets taken form her just a little in this scene)

the fact that this scene happens at night (when all the other ones happened during the day) i think is also really important. we as the audience feel a little uneasy here and that’s done on purpose.

these scenes just really get to me because they genuinely get the job done. they do exactly what television is supposed to do, which is affect the audience without actually saying something. we don’t need to hear what emma and regina are saying in these scenes to understand their roles, their power, and the way they feel about that particular moment

[likehandlingroses]

OUAT Rewatch 5x05 - Dreamcatcher

My plans were always hidden, but my reasons were not. Every time I used magic, I told myself it was all for my son. To protect him [...] despite my best intentions, I still lost him. I’m stronger than you were. That really doesn’t matter.

[wicked-storybrooke]

[sevenfifteenam]

Henry, opening a capri sun: I guess I’ll drink all my sorrows away

[fuckyeahbelleandrumpelstiltskin]

Submitted by Melanie.

[anniemunchkins]

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Interesting...

[intothewickedwood]

Once Upon A Time Rewatch: Links to My Recaps

So, I finished 3 year long rewatch of ouat & ouatiw a few weeks ago and I thought I’d post links to my live reaction posts of each episode. If anyone’s interested in anything specific you can find it here. It’s also just to have them all in one place. I would love to see your comments about the episodes or in regards to any questions I raised, or anything really if you would like to add anything! I’d love to talk Ouat with you!

All Episodes Tag

Chronological Order | Last To First Order

Season One

1x01 Pilot | 1x02 The Thing You Love Most | 1x03 Snow Falls | 1x04 The Price of Gold | 1x05 That Still Small Voice | 1x06 The Shepherd | 1x07 The Heart is a Lonely Hunter | 1x08 Desperate Souls | 1x09 True North | 1x10 7:15 A.M. | 1x11 Fruit of the Poisonous Tree | 1x12 Skin Deep | 1x13 What Happened to Frederick | 1x14 Dreamy | 1x15 Red-Handed | 1x16 Heart of Darkness | 1x17 Hat Trick | 1x18 The Stable Boy | 1x19 The Return | 1x20 The Stranger | 1x21 An Apple Red as Blood | 1x22 A Land Without Magic

Season Two

2x01 Broken | 2x02 We Are Both | 2x03 Lady of the Lake | 2x04 The Crocodile | 2x05 The Doctor | 2x06 Tallahassee | 2x07 Child of the Moon | 2x08 Into the Deep | 2x09 Queen of Hearts | 2x10 The Cricket Game | 2x11 The Outsider | 2x12 In the Name of the Brother | 2x13 Tiny | 2x14 Manhattan | 2x15 The Queen is Dead | 2x16 The Miller's Daughter | 2x17 Welcome to Storybrooke | 2x18 Selfless, Brave and True | 2x19 Lacey | 2x20 The Evil Queen | 2x21 Second Star to the Right | 2x22 And Straight on 'til Morning

Season Three

3x01 The Heart of the Truest Believer | 3x02 Lost Girl | 3x03 Quite a Common Fairy | 3x04 Nasty Habits | 3x05 Good Form | 3x06 Ariel | 3x07 Dark Hollow | 3x08 Think Lovely Thoughts | 3x09 Save Henry | 3x10 The New Neverland | 3x11 Going Home | 3x12 New York City Serenade | 3x13 Witch Hunt | 3x14 The Tower | 3x15 Quiet Minds | 3x16 It's Not Easy Being Green | 3x17 The Jolly Roger | 3x18 Bleeding Through | 3x19 A Curious Thing | 3x20 Kansas | 3x21 Snow Drifts | 3x22 There's No Place Like Home

Season Four

4x01 A Tale of Two Sisters | 4x02 White Out | 4x03 Rocky Road | 4x04 The Apprentice | 4x05 Breaking Glass | 4x06 Family Business | 4x07 The Snow Queen | 4x08 Smash the Mirror, Part 1 | 4x08 Smash the Mirror, Part 2 | 4x09 Fall | 4x10 Shattered Sight | 4x11 Heroes and Villains | 4x12 Darkness on the Edge of Town | 4x13 Unforgiven | 4x14 Enter the Dragon | 4x15 Poor Unfortunate Soul | 4x16 Best Laid Plans | 4x17 Heart of Gold | 4x18 Sympathy for the De Vil | 4x19 Lily | 4x20 Mother | 4x21 Operation Mongoose, Part 1 | 4x22 Operation Mongoose, Part 2

Season Five

5x01 The Dark Swan | 5x02 The Price | 5x03 Siege Perilous | 5x04 The Broken Kingdom | 5x05 Dreamcatcher | 5x06 The Bear and the Bow | 5x07 Nimue | 5x08 Birth | 5x09 The Bear King | 5x10 Broken Heart | 5x11 Swan Song | 5x12 Souls of the Departed | 5x13 Labor of Love | 5x14 Devil's Due | 5x15 The Brothers Jones | 5x16 Our Decay | 5x17 Her Handsome Hero | 5x18 Ruby Slippers | 5x19 Sisters | 5x20 Firebird | 5x21 Last Rites | 5x22 Only You | 5x23  An Untold Story

Season Six

6x01 The Savior | 6x02 Bitter Draught | 6x03 The Other Shoe | 6x04 Strange Case | 6x05 Street Rats | 6x06 Dark Waters | 6x07 Heartless | 6x08 I'll Be Your Mirror | 6x09 Changelings | 6x10 Wish You Were Here | 6x11 Tougher Than the Rest | 6x12 Murder Most Foul | 6x13 Ill-Boding Patterns | 6x14 Page 23 | 6x15 A Wondrous Place | 6x16 Mother's Little Helper | 6x17 Awake | 6x18 Where Bluebirds Fly | 6x19 The Black Fairy | 6x20 The Song in Your Heart | 6x21 The Final Battle, Part 1 | 6x22 The Final Battle, Part 2

Season Seven

7x01 Hyperion Heights | 7x02 A Pirate's Life | 7x03 The Garden of Forking Paths | 7x04 Beauty | 7x05 Greenbacks | 7x06 Wake Up Call | 7x07 Eloise Gardener | 7x08 Pretty in Blue | 7x09 One Little Tear | 7x10 The Eighth Witch | 7x11 Secret Garden | 7x12 Taste of the Heights | 7x13 Knightfall | 7x14 The Girl in the Tower | 7x15 Sisterhood | 7x16 Breadcrumbs | 7x17 Chosen | 7x18 The Guardian | 7x19 Flower Child | 7x20 Is This Henry Mills? | 7x21 Homecoming | 7x22 Leaving Storybrooke

Once Upon A Time In Wonderland

1x01 Down the Rabbit Hole | 1x02 Trust Me | 1x03 Forget Me Not | 1x04 The Serpent | 1x05 Heart of Stone | 1x06 Who's Alice | 1x07 Bad Blood | 1x08 Home | 1x09 Nothing to Fear | 1x10 Dirty Little Secrets | 1x11 Heart of the Matter | 1x12 To Catch a Thief | 1x13 And They Lived…

[swanqueensalad]

Is your question thingy still on? if so, would you rate top10 episodes to watch if you want swanqueen :)

ahhh this is such a good question!! and my ask box is literally always open for anything, i love chatting with y'all <3

this is Not a comprehensive list, just ten great ones that come to mind (plus two bonus ones and a lot of rambling bc, as always, i got carried away).

i've tried to put them in chronological order for the show!

1. a land without magic (1x22)

don't get me wrong, there's a lot of incredible swan queen episodes in season one (the pilot, desperate souls, that still small voice) but the content in finale just does something to me man...

emma pinning regina against the wall, the intensity of the confrontation and regina admitting everything, the way they're instantly a TEAM despite all that fury and heartache because henry comes before anything else, the literal entire sequence paralleling charming fighting maleficent and saving snow to emma fighting maleficent and saving regina, i -

2. broken (2x01)

feel like this a bit of a rogue one since, again, s2 has lots of good stuff, but there's a LOT going on in the premiere! emma promising to protect regina for henry (which we know develops into this kind of sacred oath she fulfils at her own peril over and over throughout the years) and being so attentive to her, saving her from the mob, helping her to her feet, human-shielding her, and the look on regina's face when emma's touch restarts her magic and opens a portal to another realm - the literal requirements for 'true love'. so, so good.

3. the cricket game (2x10)

a classic. emma starting to not only see but fight for the woman regina really is. this strange developing trust and respect, the desire to not be enemies for a brief second before it goes wrong again.

4. and straight on til morning (2x22)

i will never be able to scream enough about the sq development in the s2 finale. regina being the most vulnerable and herself in front of emma, begging her to let her die as herself because she knows she's the only one who could understand and grant her that - and emma not letting her, emma jumping in and finding their shared magic together for the first time to save each other and everyone else. emma speechless, seeing everything regina feels for henry.

also "you might not be strong enough but maybe we are" is one of my favourite swan queen lines, because i think it just sums up the whole ship!

5. going home (3x11)

jumping to the 3A finale, what can i say? once again, as always when it comes to henry, they are a team above all else. the group hugs, henry calling them 'mom, mama', emma being a human shield again, regina whispering her name as she wakes up, ready to give emma everything she ever wanted for herself and their son.

the incredibly intimacy and intensity of their goodbye and all those things unsaid and unfinished between them. *chefs kiss*

6. breaking glass (4x05)

ok so despite the stupid frozen arc, season 4 is actually one of my favourites for swan queen content, bc you have emma promising to give regina a happy ending in the premiere and seeing that all the way through to sacrificing herself for her in the finale. and that's what dreams are made of.

i specifically mention breaking glass bc there's so much sq screen time. emma is gutted that regina thinks she'll never have her back, literally follows her around all episode trying to prove the opposite (in the same way hook follows her around lmao), elsa telling emma not to give up on her.

and there's that gorgeous scene where emma is so honest with her about the two of them having something special and unique and different from what they have with anyone else, and that hopeful 'it's a start' ... i ...

7. operation mongoose (4x22)

what would be a list of top tier swan queen episodes without the climax of all that 'fighting for her happiness' - the saviour sacrificing herself to the darkness to save regina. this was truly the peak of ouat i swear to go d

also lots of nice stuff in the alternate reality with emma, henry and regina!

(before i move on from season 4 i do have to mention bonus episode: lily - emma's super gay fucking backstory, regina telling her she needs her, the first (?) swan queen road trip!, regina talking emma down from shooting lily/beating up that dude because she believes so strongly in emma's goodness)

8. dreamcatcher (5x05)

i remember after this episode came out, there was a post circulating of a bunch of c$ fans saying they were literally worried sq was becoming canon/getting undeniable.

so yeah. everything in this episode is pure gold. the swan mills family dynamics, regina trusting emma with her most painful memory, emma crying over the dreamcatcher, and that deliciously tense argument on regina's porch that was so electric it made sq feel inevitable. ('don't miss swan me, we've been through too much' is another favourite line!)

9. only you (5x22)

swan queen road trip, them being married af the whole time plus regina once again being her most open and vulnerable with emma? what more do you need

10. wish you were here (6x10)

this is another episode i don't think i can ever scream about enough - there's just so much to unpack! firstly, emma becoming enfuriated and attacking the evil queen because she's upsetting regina. secondly, regina thoughtlessly wishing to be sent after emma to get her back. thirdly... emma swan waking herself up from a curse and remembering who she is, sparking her own magic back to life, because even in her most cursed unknowing state she had to save regina mills.

how do you ever get over that (also they're so soft together once emma's awake, i...)

honorable mentions go to

enter the dragon (4x15) - for regina's gay backstory with mal, emma being insanely protective of regina and literally following her around all night super unhappy about her being in danger ('if i see anything i don't like i will come in blazing' oof) all the while regina is doing it to protect emma in return, jesus christ -

birth (5x08) - purely for the scene at the well where regina begs emma to tell her why she's hanging on to the darkness (aka begging emma to admit she loves her, while emma is being super repressed but they both know that's what they're talking about)

i'll be your mirror (5x08) - for all that good married sq teamwork content in the mirrorworld, regina admitting she's scared to raise henry alone and emma promising to always be there and never let anything bad happen, and the softness and tenderness of them watching him dance with violet and realising they've done such a good job together... i'm so weak bruh

[hooksmoak]

Emma Swan in every episode | 5x05 Dreamcatcher

[dinneratgrannys]

I've been waiting for you...Emma.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Eugene/Beth Entanglement, Part 3 - “West” Symbolism

Okay, one thing we’ve noticed is that there are a lot of west, western, and going west references around Eugene.

Western/Native American Symbols

I’ve already talked about Eugene showing up with a deer draped over his neck in 9x06, right? This is also one of the first true signs of Eugene and a western connection. We've known that he has been growing his hair since season 4 but now it is quite long, and he always wears it braided with beads and jewelry that gives a Native American flavor.

Remember, there were quite a few Native American items, including rugs, dreamcatcher, and pictures in the cabin that the Governor went to in 4b (when he was a major Beth proxy).

There’s at least one major Native American symbol around Beth. It’s one of two magazines along with the blue backpack and a pack of playing cards from Coda. One magazine emphasizes the number 44 (comic number Andrea was shot in; Coda is the episode Beth was shot in; let’s not forget that Andrea survived and returned to TF later). 

The other magazine shows a female musical artist with eyes dark, feathers in her hair and a wolf tattoo on her arm. Father Gabriel noticed these items early in the episode, and Morgan passes them in the after-the-credits sequence.

So, let’s consider this entire sequence. The magazine suggests Native American + wolf symbolism. We see it near Father Gabriel (current Sirius character) and Morgan. Eight episodes later, in 5x16, Morgan has a conversation with Creepy Wolf Dude, where CWD tells Morgan a story about how the Native Americans who used to live in that area believed humans came from wolves.

Of course a few episodes later, in 6x02, we have the wolf attack on Alexandria, where they come face to face again. And by 6x08/09, we’re neck deep in a sequence that is clearly a foreshadow of Beth, the CRM war, and the spinoff.

And in 9x06, we see similar symbolism around Eugene. So clearly, he’s mixed up in this well and good.

I could go into colors as well. At various times we’ve seen him with black and white beads or feathers, and a myriad of other color combinations we’ve connected to Beth. Go back and rewatch episodes with him yourself if you want details.

More western symbolism around Beth include her turquoise looking bracelets. 

"Western” dialogue from Eugene

I was re-watching s9e6 Who Are You Now, he and Rosita and go to install a radio antenna for FG hoping to find other (good) people. Rosita and Eugene come across what looks like footprints of a good size walker herd. Rosita says, “tracts are fresh, maybe hundreds headed east.”

Eugene pointing says, “Luckily for us, west is where the deed gets done.” Eugene indicates that the direction they're traveling is west, and he's pointing at 2 (Beth) white (Beth) water towers (Beth), framed between 2 trees (Trunk Theories).

That connection alone tells me West = Beth.

In the same episode, we see Judith reading a math problem to Negan. “Airplane A and airplane B are 1000 miles apart. If airplane A is going EAST at 500 miles pre hour and airplane B is flying WEST at 650 miles per hour, how—” Negan interrupts her. So we have a combination of both the A/B and the East/West theme.

These aren’t by far the only A/B or East/West references. There are TONS of them. There were even a few I thought of but didn’t know which episodes they were in and didn’t want to spend time looking. But trust me, there are lots.

States, including Texas and New Mexico

In s9e1, A New Beginning, Tara rides on a horse, talking to Eugene on a walkie talkie. The sign that has the Route A. Highway 23 runs to Ohio. Just to note Toledo is in Ohio.

The other sign, U.S. Route 60 is an East-West U.S. highway that leads from Virginia all the way across the country, heading west through New Mexico. 

Okay, couple of things to unpack here. I’m going to talk more about Texas, specifically Dallas, where Eugene is concerned in a just minute. But we already  know the New Mexico symbolism is tied up with Daryl and Carol leaving, which will be at the end of S11/beginning of the spinoff. And obviously, New Mexico is a western state, and very far west of where they are right now in D.C.

So, in my mind, New Mexico = West = Beth.

Having it alluded to in the background while Tara talks to Eugene just entangles him in the western/New Mexico symbolism even more.

Let’s talk Texas. Specifically, Dallas.

In s10e6 Bond, Eugene has his first radio contact with Stephanie.

Stephanie: “Where are you from?”

Eugene: “Long star child at heart. I was born in the shadow of Big D. That's a well-worn nickname for Dallas, Texas.” A star reference along with a Texas one.

And if you remember, back in 5x05, we see a flashback of Abraham and Eugene’s first meeting. It doesn’t show that it happened specifically in Dallas, but it definitely happened in Texas.

However, we do know that a different meeting happened in Dallas. In 5x09, Crossed (yes the episode RIGHT before Beth was shot) Rosita tells Glenn and Tara that she met Abraham in Dallas.

She says, “We crossed paths in Dallas. Me and my group were fighting off some dead ones and he [Abraham] jumped in and out of nowhere with that big truck, rest in peace. He had Eugene in the cab and afterwards he told me he was trying to save the world and that he saw what I could do, and he wanted my help.”

There are SO many ways I could go with this. But the point is, the Dallas symbolism is everywhere around Eugene and I think this purports some kind of major meetup in Dallas.

In 5x11, The Distance, we saw a Dallas license plate. It wasn’t specifically around Eugene (he was there, but so was the rest of TF) but there was a white water tower involved, along with a “route 23″ which we also see on the highway sign above Tara. (To read more of my thoughts on the route 23 symbols, read THIS.)

There was also a Dallas reference in s6e4, Here's Not Here.

Morgan and Eastman sit at a table full of Beth symbolism having a conversation.

Eastman: “I was evaluating a man named Crighton Dallas Wilton. With a name like that sounds like he should own an oil company. A big hat, Crighton Dallas Wilton.” Anyone who ever watched the old program Dallas would immediately think of JR Ewing who was an oil tycoon that wore a big hat. Famously, they did a cliffhanger (Who shot J.R!?!) and no one knew whether he would live or die. (He lived; just saying.)

But think about this. Once again we have the symbolism (Dallas = west, west = Beth) entangled with both Eugene (bc Dallas) and also Morgan.

In the current timeline of Fear, Morgan and his group are actually IN TEXAS, and the group they’re currently entangled with (the current baddies on the show) are based out of Dallas.

So what does all of this mean? I’m going to give you a foreshadowing post tomorrow (or Thursday; *knock on wood*) about where we think this is going and what all these symbols are pointing to. For now, just notice how often they show up together. And how prevalent they’ve been in past seasons, even if we weren’t consciously noticing them.

Dog Symbolism

I’m REALLY not going to go in all these references, either, but Eugene has a fair number of both Serious/Sirius references and just general dog references. I found two, but i know there are at least a dozen over the years.

5x11: The Distance.

Tara: Are you serious?

Eugene: Serious as two copulating dogs.

(Yes, Eugene is talking about dog sex.)

More recently, 10x03:

Michonne: How long until the next wave [of walkers] gets here?

He tells her, then says, “Northern wave’s thicker than fleas on a farm dog.” 

You get the idea.

So, once again, this is all just to show how deeply Eugene is entangled with Beth’s symbolism. And of course we have to throw Morgan in there as well. 

So, is this the end of the Beth/Eguene entanglement?

Mmmm...nope. I got more. Stay tuned.  😉

[timelordthirteen]

100 Days of Rumplestiltskin - Day 84

[wicked-storybrooke]

[dancingships]

Regina’s BFF Awards: Season 5

5x01 The Dark Swan

Regina: How could she be so stupid? David: Regina! Regina: Well, there had to be another way. Mary Margaret: There wasn't. That thing was going to kill you. She saved your life. Regina: Don't you think I know that? Henry: And now she's the... Dark One. Regina: Now she's a problem for all of us. Mary Margaret: She is still good. Regina: I hope so. It's not like she rode off on a unicorn. She got sucked up by a vortex of evil! Robin Hood: Where is she? Where's she gone? Hook: It doesn't bloody well matter. Robin Hood: Mate, don't. Hook: Get out of my way. If I can't find her, I can damn well bring her to me. Dark One, with this dagger I command thee: Return! Dark One, appear! Regina: Put that thing down before you hurt yourself, Guyliner. I thought you knew the dagger's rules? Hook: With it, I can summon the Dark One from any corner of the world. Regina: Well, there's your answer. She's not in this world.

Regina has a real problem with Emma saving people’s lives. In S3 it was Neal. In S4 it was Marian. This time it’s her own.

But lets see whose on Emma’s side here and whose not?

Regina is ready to think the worse of Emma... why? Why does she immediately jump to the conclusion that Emma has gone full dark one? Snow doesn’t jump to that conclusion. Neither does Killian. Killian is ready to fight for her not against her.

And to add to this, she has to throw in an insult to Killian.

5x02 The Price

Regina wastes no time in using the dagger against Emma. And she uses it so that she can play Savior. Steal Emma’s agency.

This is not my graphic (well most of the gifs aren’t either) but I like how it gets the point across:

Regina: Merlin's tower. There must be something in here to help get him out of the tree. 
 Emma: Never do that to me again. 
 Regina: Oh, now you're talking to me. Emma: I don't know... Am I allowed to? Regina: You gave this to me. Emma: To protect me, not use against me. Regina: I saved your life. Emma: By pretending to be me?

Regina seems to forget the purpose of being given the dagger. She uses it repeatedly as a weapon to force Emma to her will.

Regina: Oh, shut up and listen. (Emma tries to speak and finds she can't.) Oh. I can get used to this. Look, if you told Arthur you were the Savior, he would have asked you to free Merlin. You would have had to use magic... dark magic. Do you remember what happened last time you dabbled in that? Emma: I lost control. Regina: And you gave me this dagger so that wouldn't happen again. But I wasn't lying. I don't care what Merlin's prophecy says. I'm gonna figure out how I can get that wizard out so you won't ever have to use dark magic again. So, really, Swan, you should be thanking me. Emma: Thank you. Regina: Whatever. Emma: Regina... I mean it. Thank you.

Regina takes great pleasure in controlling her then dismisses Emma’s pain with a “whatever” not even an “I’m sorry”. How disgusting. Even more disgusting is that they made Emma thank her ONCE AGAIN for hurting her. The level of queenieitis in the writing is vomit inducing.

There she goes again... immediately blaming Emma. I mean I know the odds are in favor of a DO being behind this but this is also Emma we’re talking about.

Regina: You're right... I'm not the Savior. Emma: Glad you finally caught up with the rest of us. Emma: That's your problem, Regina... You're always looking for someone else to blame. I did not summon that monster. The price is not mine to pay. Regina: Then whose is it? Emma: Yours. You are the one who did not pay the price of magic in Camelot. You want to save Robin Hood? You want everyone to believe you're the Savior? Then step up and do what needs to be done!

Though Dark Swan is dishing out some nice tea here.

I also like how confident Regina was that SHE was going to save Emma... by stealing her agency... and then completely fails.

5x05 Dreamcatcher

Regina: Oh, no. You don't get to be self-righteous with me. Not after what you've done. Henry saw what you did. He's devastated. Emma: I was trying to make it up to him. Regina: Make it up to him? By reuniting a girl and her horse? Oh, let me guess. You let the damn thing out in the first place. You forget... I have some experience with Dark Ones. Everything's a manipulation. Emma: It all would've been fine if you could've just helped yourself and stayed out of it. Maybe you're the one causing pain. Regina: Wow. Listen to you trying to justify everything. If I'm the one on the moral high ground, you've fallen quite a ways, Ms. Swan. Emma: Don't "Ms. Swan" me. We've been through too much. You know I never would have done that to Henry if I didn't have good reason. Regina: "Good reason." You know, that's exactly what my mother said to justify what she did to Daniel. Emma: What I did in Camelot, I did to protect Henry. Regina: She thought she was protecting me, too.

Something Emma had to do gets thrown back in her face... by Regina... who doesn’t stop to think for one moment how rich this sounds coming from her? 

Regina mentions “moral high ground” but instead of relating what Emma did back to herself she compares Emma to her mother?

Regina abused Henry for 10+ years. What Emma did, and fixed, does not come close to what Regina did to him!

So really, Regina has no right or any moral high ground to yell at Emma over this. Regina doesn’t have all the facts and she is way way out of line.

5x08 Birth

Regina: Feel any better? Hook: I'll feel better when I have some answers. Emma said this whole thing was about me. Regina: Are you really that naive? She's manipulating you. That's what the Dark One does. Hook: No. This was Emma talking. Mary Margaret: There may not be any Emma. Not anymore. Regina: She's right. This Dark One, she has Excalibur, and she is going to destroy all light magic. Hook: So, that's what you think it's about? A sword she hasn't actually used? Regina: Well, obviously, she needs another ingredient to cast the spell. So, we figure out what that is and stop her from getting it. And we get our Emma back. Hook: You can all look at magic spells till you're blue in the face. But something happened between me and her in Camelot. The only way to help Emma is to find out what the hell it was.

Regina always thinking she has the authority on everything.

Killian was right. It was all about him.

Also Regina still thinking the worse in Emma. I mean I know Emma’s been consumed by evil & they think she’s given into the darkness but at this point it’s ONLY KILLIAN that is defending her.

Emma: What are you doing? Regina: Helping you break the walls. As your friend, I command you, Dark One, tell me, why are you so afraid to give up the darkness? Emma: Once I let it go, I won't be able to protect my family. Regina: That's another wall, Emma. Now... the truth. Emma: It is. Regina, please. Regina: No, it's not. You just have to be brave enough to knock down all those walls you're hiding behind. The dagger can make you look, but you... you have to choose to see. Now come on. Come on, Emma. See. Tell me what you're really afraid of! David: Regina, what are you doing? Regina: I'm getting answers. Hook: By controlling her? That's enough. Are you all right? Mary Margaret: You really think you're helping her by being cruel? Regina: I wasn't cruel. I've been cruel. And trust me, you'd know it. I was getting to the truth. It's not my fault that it's painful.

Oh, because Regina says it isn’t cruel it isn’t cruel? Emma begged her to stop. And a few episodes back, Emma explained to her how it felt to be controlled by the dagger. Regina’s response of course was “whatever”. Regina doesn’t care as long as SHE is the one to get results.

To bad it was Killian getting Emma to open up and be truthful to him and trust in their future that ignited the flame. He used love. Not pain. But that is what Regina does. She uses pain then tries to justify the means. Pain is pain, love.

Saving Robin vs Saving Killian

5x02 The Price - Manipulative/Doesn’t care about the consequences for Emma

Hook: No. No, we can't let her use dark magic. Mary Margaret: Regina, this was the whole point of your pretending to be the Savior. Regina: The whole point was not for Robin to die. And I'm not asking you. I'm asking... I'm asking her. Emma: I don't know what will happen if I use my powers again.

Funny, Killian never begged Emma to use dark magic and endanger herself to save him. But Regina? Literally doesn’t care when it is HER that is going to lose HER happy ending.

Also that’s really funny... I thought the whole point of this was to remove the darkness forever and not lose Emma to it? But OK.

Regina: I've lost love before, and I won't again. Please. Save him.

Regina literally threatens Emma with the dagger then uses emotional blackmail. I’m not saying that Emma should have let him die but this scene really should have come back to haunt Regina...

It of course doesn’t.

5x08 Birth - Not helpful

Regina: Emma, your parents are right. Emma: If you could've saved Daniel or Robin... Look how far you were willing to go, how far you pushed me to save him! ( Voice breaking ) I'm not gonna lose Killian. I won't let anyone stop me.

Wait. Wasn’t Regina just telling Emma how SHE didn’t want to lose love again? Do you know who else has lost love on multiple occasions? Emma. She also lost out on potential love thanks to Regina when she murdered Graham. Emma counts him in her losses. But all of this completely escapes Regina’s notice when it is Emma about to lose her love.

I thought friends were supposed to be supportive? And don’t tell me its because Emma may go dark. Emma could have gone dark when Regina begged her to save Robin but Regina didn’t care then. She didn’t care if she pushed Emma over the edge as long as SHE got what SHE wanted.

5x10 Broken Heart - Condescending

Regina: You turned Hook into a Dark One? Emma: It was the only way to save him. Regina: And you didn't think of the consequences to everyone else? 

She is such a hypocrite! She didn’t think of the consequences for Emma when she was basically manipulating her into using dark magic to save Robin.

Emma: I couldn't just let him die. You can understand that. Regina: Well, yes, but... Now we have a bigger problem.

Honestly Regina, maybe if you’d have helped instead of acting like it was OK that Emma lost her true love while you kept yours.... maybe we wouldn’t have gotten to this point?

5x22 Only You

I'm used to suffering, Swan, and I'm used to others getting their way.

I know Regina is hurting but the “getting their way” just irks me. I’m not expecting Regina to hug Emma and be ecstatic for her.

However, don’t stand there and accuse Emma of “getting her way” as if Emma doesn’t deserve to find happiness because Regina lost hers? Emma and Killian have been through hell. They deserve to find happiness.

Also it appears that only Emma needs to feel guilty about not being there for Regina.

Emma: I was so wrapped up worrying about how you'd react to Hook, I... I wasn't there for you about Robin.

Killian just came back so I’m not sure at what time Emma was supposed to be there for Regina... However, it’s amazing that Regina NEVER speaks to Emma about Killian from the moment Killian dies to when Emma is forced to leave him in the Under World.

But Emma is expected to be there for Regina about Robin? It’s amazing how one sided this all is, isn’t it?

Regina: Oh, that's why you were trying to be delicate with me. You're worried the Evil Queen is about to come out to play.

Shouldn’t friends be able to trust each other? Emma obviously doesn’t trust that Regina won’t go into a murderous rampage... I mean she does have a history of doing this and to this speaks volumes about Regina’s supposed change.

Yes, Emma knows she’s changed but just how much does Emma believe the old Regina is gone? Obviously Emma has some reservations.

I’m sorry but no. I’ve seen Regina doubt Emma and her capabilities way too often to dismiss this one. And Emma even rolls her eyes here so we can see how frustrated she gets by this woman always putting her down.

This is toxic behavior because neither Killian or Emma have done anything to Regina yet Regina wants them to suffer. She couldn’t be happy for Emma because she wants Emma to suffer like she is. Emma can’t find true love when Regina is alone, I guess. What friendship!

This is also very one sided. There wasn’t a single scene about Regina trying to help Emma through the pain of losing Kilian but hey it’s perfectly OK for Regina to have murderous impulses toward her BFF’s true love, right? No.

Regina: I can't expect you to get it.
 Emma: Well, I fought the darkness. You know I do understand. 
 Regina: All due respect, but you don't. You went up to the precipice. But you got pulled back before it consumed you. I was consumed. And I have to live with it every day.

1) Regina always plays the bigger victim to Emma. She did the same thing in S3 when Emma told her “he’s my son too - I know how you feel” when they were trying to save Henry. It’s always Regina’s pain that is worse. It’s always Regina’s pain they have to deal with it. When Emma speaks about the darkness consuming her - Regina demands she save Robin. When Emma says being controlled by the dagger upsets her - Regina ignores it. When Emma wants to save Killian because she can’t lose love again - it’s a mistake but it’s fine for Regina to save Robin.

2) Regina has NO IDEA what it is like to be consumed by evil. NONE. Regina was not consumed by an evil force. She was not possessed by evil powers. She just chose to be evil. But go ahead Regina, play the bigger victim.

Then Regina throws something Emma regretted having to do as Dark Swan in her face. They were running out of time and they needed to free Merlin. This is something Emma has made up for and worked to bring Violet & Henry back together.

But out of jealousy and spite... Regina just can’t help it. She has always been jealous of how close Emma is to Henry and how much better she knows him than her. S3 with Pan backs this up.

This is part of an OUAT BFF Award series that was inspired over the vile names I’ve been called because I refuse to see Regina’s toxic behavior as friendship. Emma & Regina are merely two people who are thrown together because they love Henry.