The Eighth Witch {7.10} - Episode Discussion
 

REGINA REUNITES WITH ZELENA, AND GOTHEL WORKS TO EARN ANASTASIA’S TRUST, ON THE WINTER FINALE OF ABC’S ‘ONCE UPON A TIME’

“The Eighth Witch” – When Drizella threatens the realm with a dark curse, Henry and Ella take extreme actions to protect Lucy and the others; and Regina is forced into making an unimaginable choice. In Hyperion Heights, Roni recruits Henry to travel to San Francisco to search for her sister, but when he learns Lucy has fallen unconscious, Henry rushes to be by her side. Meanwhile, Gothel earns the trust of Anastasia and the consequences of their budding relationship could prove to be fatal, on “Once Upon a Time,” FRIDAY, DEC. 15 (8:00–9:01 p.m. EST), on The ABC Television Network, streaming and on demand.

“Once Upon a Time” stars Lana Parrilla as Regina/Roni, Robert Carlyle as Rumpelstiltskin/Weaver, Colin O’Donoghue as Hook/Rogers, Andrew J. West as Henry Mills, Gabrielle Anwar as Lady Tremaine/Victoria Belfrey, Dania Ramirez as Cinderella/Jacinda, Alison Fernandez as Lucy, and Mekia Cox as Sabine/Tiana.

Guest starring in this episode are Rose Reynolds as Alice/Tilly, Adelaide Kane as Drizella/Ivy, Emma Booth as Witch/Gothel/Eloise Gardener, Rebecca Mader as Zelena/Kelly, Nathan Parsons as Nick Branson, Yael Yurman as Anastasia, Sara Tomko as Tiger Lily and Tiera Skovbye as Robin.

“The Eighth Witch” was written by Jane Espenson & Jerome Schwartz, and directed by Ralph Hemecker.




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Personally, this is one of my favorite episodes of this season, especially with:

1) Fairytale Rumple

2... The return of Zelena

3... Alice/Robyn

4...I was really hoping that kiss would work with Henry and Lucy, but it
meant bad things for Henry. I don't know how they're going to save Henry
and Lucy.

5... The war between Regina/Zelena vs Gothel/Drizella/the coven of witches

6...The family that Rumple created with Alice/Robyn, especially that last shot
of the three of them together when the curse was happening.

I wish we had more of cursed Zelena. We only saw her like that for a few scenes before she remembered.

How did Rumple get all scaley in eight-years? He wasn't like that when he arrived.

The flashback in the forest, Henry's like, here's my kid everyone! I'm like, wow, hold on, we barely saw his and Ella's relationship develop and all of the sudden, they have a child together? I know it's Lucy, but it felt really rushed for plot purposes.

Curse breaks, Henry dies but if they don't break the curse, Lucy dies. That sucks, but I liked how Wish Hook sacrificed that totem so Ella and Lucy wouldn't lose each other in the new curse. Nice touch!

I think Rumple became scaley again because he in the Enchanted Forest again and that is the
world where he became the dark one. (I'm guessing???)

I hope Alice and Robin are able to reunite in the present timeline. Sad how the curse broke them up also.

Last night...sigh...what can I say? I was totally cinfused. I sat there thinking I had had a stroke and forgtten several episodes. That's what it felt like. Rumple green and giggling? What's up with that? Some sort if explaination is in order, even f it's just a throw away line. He is not the same man he was in EF so why is he actng like he is, Why didn't he take a more active approach with the DC, instead of being so passive? Speaking of the DC, thought you had to kill the thing you loved most to inact the curse. The curse has been done three times before and each time a sacrifice had to be made. (You'd think soneone would have destroyed or locked that thing up by now.) Regina would have to have klled Henry, which would not have been a solution to the problem. Also, again, why wasn't Rumple more active with helping save Henry. I would have liked to see more interaction between NuHook and Rumple prior to this. Something that woukd explain why NuHook was comfortable seeking out Rumple's help. A sort of burying the hatchet moment. I know that Hook and Rumple are on good terms, but this is NuHook. While I am on the subject of NuHook, I used to think Alice was the Guardian, but I am leaning more towards it beng NuHook. I think both A & A are a ruse by the writers. Zelena? She moved from SB to the same place Regina lives and didn't say anything. Doesn't make sense. I need to become a witch. You can raise children and still look like you did when they were born.

Alice told Hook that Rumple made some kind of sacrifice for her. I think that's why he became scaley and mad again.

Why is no one aging but the children?

Different realm, different time rules.

It's because it's not the same exact curse. Different rules, different circumstances.

Regina's Dark Curse created Storybrooke, a town created by magic and is closed off from the real world. Rumple had influence over it too because before he handed it to Regina to be cast, he incorporated a TL ingredient from Snowing so their daughter, Emma, could be the Savior to break that specific version of the curse. This new dark curse has been manufactured by Gothel & her Coven of the 8. Eight ingredients were required to make this curse, a contribution by each member. Like Drizella explained, the last ingredient was the hardest to find. They needed the magic from a witch who had crushed the heart of the thing they loved most. Hence, the use of her blood to cast it. So Regina was essentially manipulated into becoming The Eighth Witch when they used Henry's life as bait. Drizella was temporarily used in the Coven but then Gothel disposed of her in HH. This new curse did not create any fake town; it dropped the characters straight into our world in real places.

Earlier, Zelena revealed in EF2 that the coven had invited her to join but she declined. If there is any truth to time travel being involved for whatever year it is in HH (2017), I am going to assume they initially wanted Zelena for the time travel ingredient she had back in s3. But the Coven found somebody else for it when she refused their offer.

:lol: I am just as confused about the aging factor, though. I give up trying to understand it. I was also confused to see Rumple in his Imp form again. I am going to assume there is a background story they intend to get into with that if they have time.

Well zelena seemed to imply that Robin grew up faster cause of magic but dealing Regina said I have time for timeline discussion. Not anti Regina but I really needed a timeline discussion

I'm not really fond of this flashforeward for the flashbacks kinda formula, but I'll take it this time.
Lots of new questions that I assume are going to be answered in the second half of the season.
Henry/Ella's love story (yeah I know it already started but still...)
Lady Tremaine allied with the heroes
Rumple giving up something for Alice
Jack the Giant Slayer
Zelena back in the Enchanted Forest (I wonder if she was in the original EF or the new one)
Drizella and the Coven
I suppose the next flashbacks will be about that

Regina mentioned something about the timelines, I don't think that was a random
comment. And I don't know, I suppose there might be some magick that keeps them young. I mean, so far the only one that aged was Rapunzel and only so much (I mean between the adults)

It was interesting to see Lady Tremaine ally herself with the heroes. I guess when there's a common threat between them, Drizella, that's all it takes.

I couldn't agree more. I mean,I loved it,but it was all happening in one episode. I don't get how Rumple became scaly again,either. Belle's love changed him for good,so wtf?

I didn't see that scene of the three of them. When did it happen?

TLK can break any curse, but now, this is a serious dilemma. I don't envy Regina's position at the moment. She saves her granddaughter, her son dies; she saves her son, and her granddaughter dies. I'm not sure how there can be a loophole but Regina's teamed with her sister, so anything's possible.

I like it.