The Once Upon a Time season 6 winter finale Hero of the Week took the fate of Storybrooke into her own hands.
Once Upon a Time’s heroes are not perfect. Sometimes while saving the day they get distracted and waste magical beans. Or they make a sacrifice that causes someone to become the Dark One against their will. The two heroes in contention for this week, Emma Swan and Regina Mills, push against their shortcomings and march into battle.
You voted and here are the results!
And the winner is…
Regina Mills takes the prize for the Once Upon a Time hero of the week. Upon discovering that Emma Swan no longer holds the title of Savior, Regina steps into action, no questions asked.
She invites herself into Aladdin and the Evil Queen’s hideaway, also known as her office. She, like her counterpart, love a good long lead before revealing their plan. The Evil Queen can see most of Regina’s actions coming, but she fails to recognize that she and Regina hold shared custody of the lamp.
Regina does not wish for Emma Swan to return to her rightful place as the Savior in Storybrooke. Instead she throws herself into the alternate reality of the Enchanted Forest. Here she must find Emma and convince her of her strength. Finally, after years of moving away from resentment, Regina makes the ultimate gesture to ensure her friend and her family’s safety and happiness.
Best Quote
Best Interaction with a Villain
Regina playing opposite the Evil Queen is a treat. Not just because it is double Lana Parrilla, but because the two supposedly distinct personalities begin to blend when they interact. They are, for better or worse, bound.
Over the course of Once Upon a Time season 6, Regina and the Evil Queen often cannot get ahead without the other realizing their course of action. After all, they are the same person. So when Regina gets an idea in the moment, it is great to see the Evil Queen react to being beat at her own game.
The trick is not to cause harm to herself, but to find a way to bring Emma back. She trusts the town heroes to hold down the fort while she is away convincing the Savior to return. Leaving the Evil Queen with only one wish, Regina finally discovers she is one up in good versus evil.
Top Three Heroic Actions
- Choosing to go save Emma
- Accepting that Henry would stab her
- Continuously offering herself as sacrifice
Question of the week: Should Regina sacrifice herself for a happy ending?
“What You Wish For” announces the return of Sean Maguire as Robin Hood with an arrow barely grazing Regina’s head. That’s right, in Emma’s alternate reality, Robin Hood survives and Neal, sadly, does not. This puts Regina between a rock and an open portal that will lead home.
Now that our heroes are stuck in the alternate Enchanted Forest, will Regain choose to stay? Back home she has Henry, an Evil counterpart, a wicked sister and this odd array of fairytale characters she calls family. But here, in front of her, she has the (second) love of her life.
This is by no means an easy decision for our heroine. After all, Emma could still find a way home and deliver the final blow to the Evil Queen. Regina would be free to live her life with Robin. However, right now Robin has no idea who she is or their history together. There are so many outstanding questions (is Marian alive too? What about Roland?) that need to be answered.
But in the grand scheme of things it does not make sense for Regina to stay behind. At the end of the day, whatever life she manages to rebuild with Robin is not real. This is an opportunity for closure. It will be nice to have Maguire back while we can, but I wouldn’t let your Outlaw Queen hearts swell too much.
Honorable Mention:
Tip of the hat to Emma Swan. For most of season 6 we watch Emma go back and forth on whether or not she feels connected to the Savior. But in “What You Wish For,” she steps right into action, owning her title and doing what needs to be done. Even if that means she must sacrifice a trip home to ensure she returns with Regina.
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Let us know what you think of Belle’s heroism and check back each week to vote for your favorite hero!
Be sure to check out our Villain of the Week!
Once Upon a Time season 6 returns spring 2017 on ABC.