Poll: What did you think of episode 2×02 “We Are Both”?

What did you think of the Once Upon a Time episode “We Are Both” broadcast on October 7, 2012?


What are your first thoughts about the episode? Leave a comment below.

27 responses to “Poll: What did you think of episode 2×02 “We Are Both”?

  1. Great episode! I knew we would eventually find out how young Regina got her power and what her early connection was with Rumpelstiltskin, but I didn’t expect to find out quite so soon. Loved the new (semi) humanity of Storybrooke Regina. The ending took me totally by surprise. I really like the way all the different story strands are coming together. Thought this was a much better episode overall than last week’s.

    Also loved the way the Storybrooke characters are embracing both their fairytale and their Storybrooke selves.

  2. Many people assumed (viewing old posts) that the Queen of Hearts was Cora. This episode seemed to confirm it. The ‘looking glass’ in this episode was obviously was a portal to Wonder Land (The irritating little world according to Rumple).
    Cora introducing herself as a friend while Emma and Snow were imprisoned is interesting. Somehow Cora came back from Wonderland to FTL. I’m going to guess that while the Queen of Hearts (Cora) held Jefferson captive, he was successful in making another hat. That would explain why he was affected by the curse…because he made it back from Wonderland. Does Cora still have her powers in FTL? Does one have to posses the ‘book’ in order to have the power?
    Last episode, Mulan said that the little corner of the world was not affected by the curse. Could Cora have had a hand in that?
    Regina has a hard time letting go of her magic. Just like Rumple had a hard time…power is addictive.
    Regina is a MASTER at lying. Maybe people would like to believe she is on a road to salvation, but that road is rocky indeed.
    She isn’t finished with her evil ways, and like with any addiction, she is going to relapse. Perhaps eventually recover, perhaps not. The road to hell is often paved with good intentions.
    I very much enjoy this site. Glad to know I’m not the only OUAT addict :)

  3. Thanks, Riles.

    When Regina pushed Cora through the mirror, I was absolutely sure she was sending Cora to Wonderland (to become the future Queen of Hearts). But then the ending — when Cora showed up in Emma and Mary M’s pit — threw me for a loop and made me doubt that Cora had really gone to Wonderland after all.

    But I think you’re on to something. Maybe she did go first to Wonderland and then somehow made her way (or was taken) to FTL later on.

    I think Storybrooke Regina was sincere, at least for a moment, in wanting to renounce magic, become a better person, and do the right thing for Henry. At first, when she was telling Henry to go with David, I thought it was a trick. But then when she almost burned the book and then changed her mind — that all seemed real. I agree with you that it’s an addiction and she will inevitably relapse. But, at the same time, she really does not want to become like her mother — even though she already has. So there’s an interesting tension there.

  4. I agree with Ms. Terri, that Regina seems sincere right now. But, of course, tomorrow is another day. And she did change her mind and not burn the book – stashing it away in case she might need it later.

    As far as Cora being the Queen of Hearts – I don’t know a lot about the Alice in Wonderland story (never was a fan) – so I can’t comment.

    But I will say this – Mulan is getting on my nerves! Didn’t like her last week and – even though we only saw her for a short scene this week – I didn’t like her again.

  5. Oh! Did any of you catch what Dr. Whale said? It was the scene where everyone was confused and bombarding Charming with questions. Everyone else was asking questions about their life (like Gepetto asking where was his son, etc.). But Dr. Whale asked, “Are the nuns still nuns, or what?” (Or something to that effect)

    Made me say out loud, “What a hound.”

    Then I thought – is that a clue? Is he a wolf? I’ve heard some people say they think he is the wolf from the 3 Little Pigs story. Because last week he pounded on Regina’s front door, demanding “Let us in!”

    Thoughts???

  6. Anybody else notice the ‘Book of Magic’ has a red heart on the cover? I’m convinced Cora is/was the Queen of Hearts.

  7. This episode helps us understand how Regina gained her powers. Considering I thought she was born with them, I liked that they explaind that. I am also curious about why Rumple held Regina as a baby. Now onto the StoryBrooke timeline, everyone there is freaking out, which is understandable. Prince Charming to me though seems a little boring, so Im not to big of a fan of his. Snow White though I like, she is a fighter and has spunk. But my favorite is Regina/ Evil Queen, she has so much depth to her, she is so evil but inside all that hate is still good, which emerges in rare cases .You tend to love how evil she is but also are pulled in by her pain and want it to help her. As she gained her powers back in this new episode you saw her true colors return. Letting you know trouble is on its way. Overall, I liked the episode and have high hopes for the remainder of this season.

  8. That Whale line was a nice bit of comic relief. He’s definitely a hound dog, but I think probably not an actual wolf in FTL because the actor who plays Whale has said that Whale’s FTL identity will shock us — and also because we already have a wolf, of sorts, with Red.

    Except for Cora popping up in Mulan’s corner of FTL, I would be absolutely sure she is the Queen of Hearts.

    Interesting observation about the heart on the cover of the book of spells. Hearts have so many meanings in OUAT — they are what Cora and Regina use to kill, they are the ability to love that Regina sacrificed (except, perhaps, when it comes to Henry) when she killed her father, they are the love that is the most powerful type of magic …

    I didn’t mind Mulan as much this time because she had so much less screen time. 😉 I think the desert section of FTL just got a whole lot more interesting now that we know that Cora is in it.

  9. There was interesting conversation between Rumple and Regina in the castle lanai. I found it amusing that Rumple called Regina more “portable” when she was little. Rumple has this thing with new born children. It seems he is using them to be princes, pawns, or using them in his favor once they grow up.His plans are well-thought-out and very calculated. For all we know, Bae may not be his true offspring.
    Rumple obviously thinks Regina should belong to him. (as stated in
    the lanai conversation)

    Cora made a deal with Rumple, and the price was Regina. Cora figured out Rumple’s name (research the story of Rumplestiltskin), and Rumple had to relinquish his claim on Regina. He said in this episode that they belonged together. Cora apparently outsmarted him.
    Rumple is quite the architect. In the last episode, Regina asked. “Is this your doing?” (jail cell scene). Rumple replied, “most things are.”

    Regarding the city limits. Rumple is upset that he can’t cross the boundary. We all assume it’s because he wants to find Bae. Is that really his true intention? I for one find it comforting that the all powerful Rumplestiltskin can’t cross a yellow starting line :)

    • There was a discussion here back in the spring about the original Rumpelstiltskin story — and that’s becoming very relevant again! –> The Miller’s Daughter. In The Stable Boy, Regina did say her father was a miller — so the writers are clearly drawing on the traditional story … though because this is Once Upon a Time, they are also changing it and putting in new twists.

  10. I had no idea how to answer the poll because quite honestly I just found this episode really creepy. Probably the creepiest ONCE episode I have ever seen.
    This was mostly due to the interations between Rum and Regina in FTL. I can’t be the only one who was a little uncomfortable during that, right? Also the end with Cora was also creepy and just Cora in general. And Regina killing Snow in her imagination. I don’t know, I was just really creeped out.
    However I also felt really bad for Gina and Gold in SB. Gina because she does love Henry, and I hate that he can’t love her as much. Gold because I think we can all agree he wants to get out of SB and find Bae and now…well…
    This episode was really weird. I’m really not sure what to think of it at this point, I’m going to have to watch it a few more times, I think.

  11. I am so happy to see August/Pino is still around, even though altered. I miss him and have been so anxious to see and hear of him again. Now I need more!

    I do think Rump wants to look for Bae but I think bae is Jefferson…he’s not in the book, so Henry knows nothing of him. I don’t think Rump knows of him either…and how can that be?!

    It’s fun to see Regina a little kinder and nice to see that who she used to be.

  12. I loved this episode. I have a few questions and I hope someone is willing to take a guess. Where did Pinocchio go? Why didn’t Jackson go looking for his daughter. Now that everyone knows who they are, wouldn’t she be looking for him? If you cross the line then you forget your FTL character and only remember your SB character, but Rumple has always known and remembers his FTL. Doesn’t that mean he has only one character? Would he really lose his FTL memories? Why hasn’t Grumpy found his fairy? Where was she? If henry has the book can’t he fill people in on what is going on or will happen? That book seems to be an underutilized resource.

  13. Sassy, Jefferson is the Mad Hatter from the Alice in Wonderland story. I don’t think he is Bae. And yes, Jefferson is in the book. Henry just never put 2 and 2 together about him.

    I’m glad about August/Pinochio too! He blinked! He wasn’t on the bed when Gepetto came in. So I’m wondering if he has changed back into a man? Or is he half person/half wood? Or all wood?

    And I did notice the red heart little jewel on the book of spells. I remember thinking, how odd a heart was on an evil book of spells. But, like everyone has been speculating, maybe that is the clue that Cora is, indeed, the Queen of Hearts.

    Of course, seeing her at the end in the little prison with Snow & Emma was wild!

    And Tara said she thinks Prince Charming is boring. Blasphemy! Tara, a you’ve a lot to learn. A Prince is never boring! LOL! (Kind of like a man can never be too rich). LOL!

  14. Monica, Jefferson was from Wonderland, which was a whole different world from FTL, and the curse affected him differently than it did anyone else. He always remembered who he was. So maybe his daughter might not have been affected in the same way everyone else was — maybe she didn’t wake up when the curse was broken??

    The scene with Jefferson left a lot of unanswered questions. Why did his car turn over? Where was he going when he crashed? Why did he have the tea set and the stuffed bunny? Why did he run away from David?

    I’m leaning towards thinking that someone kidnapped Pinocchio while he was still immobilized — though he may have turned all the way back into a man and walked out himself.

    Robin, I agree the episode was creepy, but I thought it was good kind of creepy. 😉

    Tara and Princess Donna — I’m going to agree more with Tara here. I think that David/Prince Charming is a relatively bland character. I think the evil characters — Rumpel and Regina — are the most vivid in the show, followed by the kick-ass Snow.

    I do find the new, feistier David more interesting than the pre-curse-breaking David — the new David is not as swashbuckling as the FTL Prince and not as cowardly as the old David, but something of a combination of the two. I also like the way he’s become a reluctant leader — which reminds me of some aspects of LOST (I may write more about that later). But even the new David is not as fascinating to me as Rumpel, Regina, and Snow — and that may have something to do with the acting, I think Josh Dallas is doing a good job, but Robert Carlyle, Lana Parrilla, and Ginnifer Goodwin take it to a whole other level.

  15. Dr whale: some kind of fox/wolf. Honest John (pinocchio)
    The fox and the hound.
    Ginger bread man fox.
    Three little pigs wolf. Or a combination of all of these. We will see.

  16. Lana Parrilla (actress who plays Regina) dropped a little hint about Dr. Whale’s identity, in an interview a few days ago with TVLine:

    Question: I was a bit surprised by the fact that everybody in town doesn’t know who Dr. Whale is….

    Parrilla: Yeah, David is like, “Who are you?” and they get very confrontational over it. There’s a reason for that. A lot of the fans are guessing, and that’s exactly what we want them to do. There are, I think, one or two characters that know who he is.

    Okay, so that doesn’t shed a lot of light, LOL …

  17. Did anybody else find it awkward that Rumple and Regina didn’t say anything about the whole Wraith incident when she went to his shop to get the spell book? I would think between Rumple’s anger towards her, and her almost dying, some words would have been exchanged. Rumple gave her that book way too easy. What was it she threatened him with to get that book? I need to go back and watch that again.

  18. Hey Everyone, I was discussing Dr. Whale’s mysterious identity with my husband. He doesn’t watch the show at all. But when he heard me say “whale”, he said that term means “very wealthy” in Vegas and gambling establishments. He suggested maybe Dr. Whale is King Midas.

    So that would explain his comment to Charming, “You’re not my Prince.” Because he is his own King (maybe???)

    And I hope Ms. Terri and Tara knew I was joking about Prince Charming and my comments (when I said “Blasphemy”). I hope you can tell by my screen name I’m partial to all Princes. LOL! So just playing around with you all.

  19. Okay, scratch my last comment. I’m so stupid! We’ve already seen what King Midas looks like! Okay, it’s Monday, that can be my only excuse here. Sorry.

  20. I love Josh Dallas as David/Charming but believe that, with the exception of Rumple/Gold, in general the female characters on this show are given the stronger roles. All I can say about this episode as a whole is that I miss Snow/Mary Margaret and Emma in Storybrooke and hope their stay in FTL doesn’t last too long……though I’ve read that it will:(

    Also interested to see if Snow and Cora remember one another(as Cora is the reason for all of Snow’s problems with Regina I suspect that Snow will not be too happy to see her step-grandmother).

  21. Agree that Whale is the wolf, making him unrecognizable to the others because … well, he used to look like a wolf.

  22. Can somebody explain to me how magic is ‘different’ in SB? The characters must have mentioned that a half a dozen times or so.
    Regina got the old book back, and all the sudden she can do magic when she couldn’t before. Why? It’s the same book right?
    After the writers brought it up so many times how magic is different one would think they would have made an attempt at an explanation.
    Giving Regina the same book and “poof” she can perform magic again is pretty weak imho.

    • Ok I re-watched the scene where Rumple gave Regina the book in SB. He made the comment “…you need your Mommy’s help?” in a sarcastic tone. The he said “Surely you don’t need to smell the written word to get the magic flowing”. Then he said “Careful deary, those are straight up spells….hard on the system”. She replied, “..I don’t care if they turn me green…..”
      This all leads me to believe she didn’t use the book in FTL. I think Rumple trained her. Or somebody else trained her.
      The reason she gained power in SB is because the had the book. The book is ‘raw’ magic. So instead of learning how magic works in each world, she just used the raw thing.

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