Once Upon a Time in Wonderland takes a look at the past to show that forgetting in the present has more consequences than advantages. Check out our full recap below!
This week’s Once Upon a Time in Wonderland episode 6 “Who’s Alice?” focuses on what it means to forget. The large focus of the episode can be pinned to one particular line from Lewis Carroll’s “The Jabberwocky.” The lines reads, “All mimsy were ye borogoves.” A line that at first glance is mere gibberish, reflects Alice’s current situation quite perfectly.
As Alice ends up in the Borogoves, she must fight the haze of enchantments turning the world to mush around her. Meanwhile, in a flashback, Alice’s family attempts to fight the gibberish of Wonderland that Alice brings back with her after losing Cyrus.
Young and Impressionable: In a flashback, Alice returns from Wonderland in search of the home she abandoned years ago. After losing Cyrus, she discovers a little girl in the woods and tells her she is looking for home. When the little girl’s father and mother appear in the woods, Alice realizes that her father has moved on with his life. Alice disappears for years at a time, naturally her father would move on from the pain of losing his only family.
The new family takes Alice in and cleans her up not only for dinner, but hopefully for all future social obligations expected of a young lady. The talk of Cyrus and Wonderland must remain hush, since Mellie is a young and impressionable girl. Alice’s father takes no chances raising two imaginative children to such extremes that Mellie is taught not to fear her bad dreams for they are not real.
Mr. Darcy? When it becomes clear that Alice is merely a boarder of the home, not a long lost daughter, she must earn her keep. After all, she is no longer a little girl. Convinced that Cyrus is a figment of Alice’s imagination, her father and step-mother Sarah arrange for her to meet the neighbor boy Mr. Darcy attempting to strike up a marriage. For Alice the new love affair comes all too fast. Fed up with her antics and talk of Wonderland, Alice’s father offers her a deal. Make nice with the boy or go to London and undergo treatments to forget. A carriage arrives and takes Alice away.
All Mimsy Were the Borogoves: Alice begins to follow the glowing of Cyrus’ heart into the Black Forest. A little darkness, leads to a lot of darkness. However, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Alice stumbles out into the fragrant world of mimsy. Another Wonderland staple, the Carpenter, missing his counterpart the Walrus, advises Alice to stay awhile and take in the good vibes of the land. Dig it.
Luckily for Alice, the Knave gets a tip that Alice made her way through the Black Forest and arrives to her rescue. The land may feel good, but their is no way to escape it. After your troubles cease to exist, you become one with the land. Literally, you become a tree. The Knave is unaffected by the vapors of the trees and convinces Alice that she does not want to spend eternity not feeling anything. She must find Cyrus.
The spell breaks and Alice comes to her senses with the Knave at her side to get her out of the ‘goves.
Heart Ache: Alice once helped the Knave retrieve the heart that the Red Queen ripped from his chest. The Knave admits that he did not use his heart properly. But, the thought of all the pain flooding back into his body is something he finds easier to put off. Instead he became used to the emptiness. That is the reason he was not affected by the mimsy.
Fantasy Island: Cyrus is on the run from Jafar’s guards and manages to lose them in the river. The Red Queen, however, is not easily deceived and continues her hunt for the upper hand against Jafar. She corners Cyrus on the edge of a cliff and asks him what he plans to do to escape a floating island. Love is not the solution to everything. Cyrus does not see this as a feasible dead end and dives off the side of the island into the waters below.
Doctor’s Orders: Jafar arrives in Jolly ole’ England and goes in search of Bethlem Asylum. He finds the doctor who treated Alice, and asks to pick his brain about a particular patient who knew a White Rabbit.
Jafar goes to Alice’s father and offers to help him. He tells him that he knows where his daughter went after she escaped from the asylum. Jafar is willing to take him to her.
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland takes a break next week to allow for Lady Gaga and the Muppets, but returns in two weeks with a new batch of believers in Wonderland!
Watch Once Upon a Time in Wonderland season 1, episode 7 “Bad Blood” on Thursday, December 5 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC