The Magic of Storybrooke: Darkness On The Edge of Town

Hello & welcome back to The Magic of Storybrooke and well well, Â we have three new threats to our heroes. Enter The Queens of Darkness.

Joining forces are Maleficent, Â the Mistress of All Evil, Â Cruella De Vil, Â (It makes sense if you watch the episode) & Ursula, Â the Sea Goddess. Â What could have brought them together? Â The better question is who?

The Dark One brings these three deadly divas Â under the pretense Â of Â promising them their Happy Ending. Â How Â does a villain get a happy ending? Â Well, we find out as this season goes on.

The Plots

We open at Maleficent’s Forbidden Fortress, where our soon to be Queens of Darkness meet under less than favorable circumstances as they try to kill each other. Â Like you do!

As Urusla Â attacks Â one of Maleficent’s guards with her tentacles and then Cruella Â comes into this ghastly place. As we her display her power.

Apparently, Â she has the power to control animals. Â Now, Â I still think it is weird to give a character that has not had magic but this is where I have to use my separation rule in that while the creators do borrow elements of the characters, Â they are putting their own spin on the character. Though, did they really have to make Â Cruella’s Â magic look like she has halitosis. Â Apparently, Â the big reason that her magic is this color is to be stand in for the smoke that came from cigarette from the animated movie.

Uh, guys I’m gonna say it right here. Â I’m appreciative of the fact that you wanted to homage the character but did you have to make the aurora of her magic look as though, she had bad breath. I mean look at this.

And then look at this.

I apologize

Tell me, it doesn’t look like the fantacial fashionista has a serious case of halitosis. Â Â Having said that, however I love Victoria Smurfit because she is just absolutely wonderful and easily my favorite of the three Queens. Â The barbs that she throws just make her a true delight. It shows that she can hold her own against Rumple and if she can hold her own against Â The Dark One, I want to see her trade insults with Regina. Â That would just be wonderful. Â We later find out that the lover of furs and the sea witch were invited to the home of the Magnificently Evil One by none other than… say it with me now.

Rumpelstiltskin

He had brought these three together under the pretense that he could help them that he can help them get their happy ending. Â Maleficent points out that there is no spell strong enough for this but Rumple says that they aren’t looking for a spell but rather, a curse. And not just any curse, The Dark Curse. Â Yes, we see how The Dark One obtains the curse that put everything into motion. Â And this curse is stored at a dark place. Think for a moment, what is the darkest place in Disney lore that you can think of? It’s a mountain. Â If you said Bald Mountain, you’d be correct!

From a distance, it may not look like much but it’s what on the inside that matters most and this is a treacherous and dangerous place with obstacles that suit the talents of our Queens of Darkness. First, there is a door protected by beetles and Cruella must use her halitosis Â magic to Â let them in and then the curse is protected by dragon fire.

Â Maleficent must absorb the fire and then Ursula (who really isn’t bringing much to the team) uses her tentacles to get the curse. But as The Dark One is one to do, he leaves the Queens to die as we soon learn that Bald Mountain is protected by something else. And we all know what that something else is. The Chernabog.

We learn that the demonic creature will go after the one with the most potential of darkness. Â With Maleficent’s lead and noticing a cracked wall, they devise an escape as Chernabog goes after Maleficent. Â When I saw this, my response was in line with Maleficent as we both figured that Chernabog would figure that he would go after her. Â Ursula and Cruella manage to escape but Maleficent thinks that they have left to die at the hands of Chernabog but Ursula grabs her with one of her tentacles and saves her new partner in crime from being the devil’s dinner. Â (That should be the name of a roadside diner). Â All in all, Â I really enjoyed the Fairy Tale flashback. Â I was curious as to how these three villains met and that question was answered and I am thinking that from the looks of it that Maleficent is the leader, which is fine because I like this Maleficent. Â But Cruella steals the show. Now, there is one thing to bring up with Maleficent that is important to note They’ve changed her look to be more in line with what we know of Maleficent. Â For a reminder, here’s how she looked in season 1.

Yeah…. Â I’m not a fan Â of her season 1 look. Â I was taken aback the first time I saw her in this costume because I didn’t think that was Maleficent. Â The new look, which borrows more from the Angelina Jolie movie than the animated movie is an improvement

In a way it does make sense to borrow from that movie as it is popular and basing Maleficent’s design off that dress is a little less intrusive than having the cast of Frozen take over the show for an entire arc. One I liked but they did get in the way. Â Though know as we do that this flashback is set before we see her chatting with Regina in season 1. One has to wonder A. how did she obtain the curse? And B. why did she change her look?

Favorite Fairy Tale Moment

Well, that’s Â tough. Â I could go with Chernabog as that was really cool.

But I think I gotta go with the Queens of Darkness meeting for the first time. Â This Â show is Â fanfiction for Disney nerds and it doesn’t hide that or shy away from that. Â So, seeing these three iconic Disney villains team up was such a delight. Â And look, I may not be a fan of Maleficent but it was cool seeing her brought to life but Ursula is one of my favorite Disney villains and I do find it humorous that as I’m doing Villains Profiles on A Look at Disney for Maleficent and Cruella, they just happen to show up on Once. Â Maybe, I should do one for Ursula to round out the Queens. Â Let me know what you think on the comments.

I have a feeling after Â the disappointment that was The Snow Queen from the Frozen arc, who to be honest was a bit or a bore as a villain, these three Queens of Darkness will be a true delight.

It has been six weeks since Belle banished Rumple from Storybrooke and in that time, he has been living with Ursula in her apartment. Â I smell sitcom. The Dark One and The Sea Witch. They get into wacky hi jinks. Â Ursula is furious at Rumple for eating the last of her Ramen but he has set a plan in motion as they get an email that leads them to the home of one Cruella De Vil. Apparently, her husband had been caught in a scam and is being arrested as all of items save for coat and her car are taken from her.

Now, I’ll admit I was bit giddy at seeing Cruella’s car because that is one of the most iconic Disney cars and to see it brought to life is so cool. Now, I know that this Â isn’t the first time that Cruella’s car has been seen in live action as we saw it when Glenn Close played Cruella Â but still, Â this is really cool.

It takes some convincing from The Dark One that there is magic in this world for Cruella to come along as she doesn’t fully trust Rumple but she gives in and comes with. Â And Â this even leads to one of my favorite moments from the show, if not my favorite moment from this episode.

There is something funny about seeing this iconic car Â in a fast food drive thru with Cruella Â and Ursula Â ordering fast food combos while Rumple decides not to as he wants to survive the trip to Storybrooke. Â Speaking Â of the town Â in, Â everything Â seems to have calmed down since the Frozen crew went back home to Arendelle but things are not all well as we learn that Hook and Belle are trying to figure out how to free the fairies from the hat.

Our heartbroken bookworm has reached out to people through as Hook puts it the magic box (computer) to get help in how to free the fairies. Â How do you word that you need an old incantation translated into English in an email and what scenario could make that sound plausible. And not as those, you are getting an email from a crazy person. Though no matter, Â they Â get help from an Oxford professor who replies to Belle’s email Â and they take the translated incantation to Regina, Â who we had seen previously Â talking with Emma and lamenting Â over the loss of Robin Hood. Â Regina uses The Dark One’s dagger on the hat to free the fairies.

Now, what’s truly fascinating here is the brief sequence after Regina frees the fairies, you see a glimpse of fear in her eyes holding the dagger. As if to say, get this thing away from me. Â And while the fairies reunite and embrace in a hug, something else escaped. Â Chernabog Â had been trapped inside the hat alongside the fairies and well, things don’t bode well when you have a demonic creature ready to destroy your town. Â After being freed, the fairies Â go to Granny’s Â and there, Regina Â asks Blue Â about The Author and there we learn from Blue that The Author and The Sorcerer aren’t the same person. Â However, The Author Â has left clues to their identity in his works such as Henry’s Â book. Â What’s Â interesting to note is that Â as Blue talk about The Author, Â there was a hint of fear in her face.

Now, for quite some time there has been Â a theory going around that Blue knows more then she lets on and that Blue is actually The Author. Â Which could be possible and Â it has already been confirmed that Yensid is not The Author and I do think that would be a neat twist as Blue has had a role to play in just about everybody’s story thus far. And she is one character that always seem to be lurking in the shadows. Â The part is cut short as Chernabog Â has come to wreck property damage. Â And well, it takes the combined might of The Savior and The Evil Queen.

Regina: â€œCan we drop the E-word already?â€.

Oh sorry, Regina but to be fair you’ve done some pretty horrible things. Â But it is always a delight to see these magical mistresses team up.

This was a lot of fun and we soon find out that because it had escaped from the hat, it cannot go back into the hat. All they can do is repel it Â and meanwhile our two Queens Â with The Dark One make it to the town line and Rumple knows that they are there as he left a tie hanging on a tree but they do want to be duped again and Cruella is willing to shoot The Dark One. Â Rumple pleads and bargains for his life and hands the Queens his phone to get permission into Storybrooke Â saying that they have see the error of their ways. Â Yeah, Â it was just Â a way for them to gain entrance. And at first, Regina wasn’t keen on the idea butafter finding out they knew out to defeat Chernabog, Â Regina and Emma came to an agreement to let ’em in.

Regina Â and Emma Â are able to defeat Â the Â demonic creature by Â having him cross the town line as there is no magic there. Â And we find Â out that Snow and Charming are less than thrilled in the means in how they found out as apparently the parents of the Savior have a past with the Queens of Darkness and keeping a dark secret that could potentially hurt Emma. Â Using the scroll that The Snow Queen used to come to Storybrooke, Â Regina lets the two queens into town and Â the first part of their plan has been put into motion but there is one thing needed. Maleficent. Â As Rumple says to his two ladies, they need to reunite the band. Â I wonder what instrument, Â Cruella would play.

All Â in all, Â I enjoyed the set up here and can’t wait to see what Â The Queens do with reign of terror Â in Â Storybrooke.

Favorite Modern Day Moment

I kind of gave away what it was.

Cruella ordering drive thru is just funny and both times, I watched the episode it made me laugh.

Characters

Emma Â played by Jennifer Morrison

It seems that Emma is going to have quite the struggle this half season as she struggles to remain the hero but it seems that she may be tempted to go dark.

Regina played by Lana Parilla

I’m enjoying Regina’s arc Â and I have a feeling that I am going to enjoy her arc to find The Author but now she has a new obstacle in her paths as our three Queens are after the same thing.

Supporting Characters

Hook played by Collin O’ Donoghue

Hook Â didn’t have much to do this episode but Â I do think that is going to change in the next episode as we learn that he has crossed paths with Ursula once before. Â And I can only wonder what that encounter must’ve been like.

Belle played by Emile de Raven

I am so happy to see Belle be a part of the team more as she is one of my favorite characters on the show and I’ve made it no secret that I have a crush on Belle. She’s cute. Â Aside from that, Â she played a rather key role in freeing the fairies and I am hoping that the show doesn’t forget about her as this story goes on because after all, she is the reason that Rumple was banished from Storybrooke in the first place.

Snow & Charming Â played by Ginnifer Goodwin Â & Josh Dallas

Like many Once fans, I was happy to see Snow and her beau get a bigger part than they had in the Frozen arc and I am curious as to what the big secret they are hiding truly is. Â From what we know, it involves them doing something to Maleficent. Â And some have speculated that they somehow torn Maleficent apart from her daughter, who many fans believe to be Lily. Â The young girl we met in Breaking Glass. Now, there I’m not sure but it could be interesting to see and this speculation has come about as we know that we will see Lily again in present day Storybrooke.

Villains

Rumpelstiltskin played by Robert Carlyle

If there is one thing that has truly irritated me over the course of this season is that all of Rumple’s character development seems to have been thrown out the window but there is a part of me that understands how easy it is for him to go back to his old ways after being under Zelena’s control last season. (Which is going to her possible return quite interesting). Â I mean I get that Rumple is all about power but it feels like at times, the writers are playing a game of ping pong with his character.

Maleficent, Ursula, & Cruella De Vil (The Queens of Darkness) played by Kristin Bauer van Straten, Â Merrin Dungey, & Â Victoria Smurfit

I absolutely love the Queens of Darkness. Â I have a feeling that these three are going to be some of the most fun villains that we’ve had on the show in a while and after the bore that was The Snow Queen, Â it’s Â time that some real evil queens bring havoc to Storybrooke. Â Though I am curious as to how Ursula & Cruella ended up in New York.

My Final Thoughts

All in all, this was a fun way to start the second half of season 4 up and I can’t wait to see what’s next and I am really looking to seeing Â what the Queens have planned. Â Join me next time as we see why some are…

Unforgiven