When we last left Wonderland, we learned how Cyrus and his brothers were cursed into their bottles, and we learned that Jafar’s former partner Amara is their mother. We also saw Anastasia and Will get captured by Jafar and the Jabberwocky.
In tonight’s episode, “Heart of the Matter”, Jafar manipulates Will by threatening Anastasia, and we get a flashback of how Anastasia’s friendship with Cora cost Will his heart. Read on to find out if tonight’s episode of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland can deliver the magic and romance we have come to expect.
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Jafar Uses Anastasia Against Will
With help from Alice, Cyrus retrieves the lost-and-found from the Caterpillar. They try to use it to find Amara, but they are interrupted by one of Anastasia’s Tweedles. The Tweedle passes on Anastasia’s warning that they should leave Wonderland because Jafar has all three genies. But Alice and Cyrus are not going anywhere. The Tweedle knows of some secret tunnels that will lead to the castle, but he warns them that Jafar is working with the Jabberwocky.
Meanwhile, Jafar is having problems getting the spell to work. He releases Will from his bottle and asks him how he is resisting the spell. The Jabberwocky offers to get the information out of Will, but she cannot read his fears.
Alice and Cyrus make it to the castle, but before they can free Anastasia, Jafar comes to visit her. He demands to know what she did to Will to make him capable of resisting the spell. Anastasia says she did not do anything to Will and the Jabberwocky confirms this. Then, the Jabberwocky realizes that Will has no heart. She discovers this by reading Alice’s fears, realizing that someone else is there with them. Luckily, Alice and Cyrus escape before the Jabber can find them.
Once the intruders are gone, Jafar uses Will’s feelings for Anastasia to get what he wants. He holds a knife to Anastasia’s throat and demands that Will tell him the location of his heart or he will kill her. Will proves that he still cares for Anastasia even without his heart, as he tells Jafar where to find it in order to save her life.
A Trip to Storybrooke
Alice and Cyrus realize that the only way to defeat Jafar is to find Will’s heart before Jafar does. Alice has one-up on Jafar, as she knows where Will’s heart is. But since Will’s heart is not in Wonderland, they need the White Rabbit’s help.
The White Rabbit takes them to Storybrooke, where Will was living before he returned to Wonderland. When they arrive at Will’s place, they find a sketch of Anastasia and Alice realizes that Will would’ve hid his heart near the person who broke it. They retrieve Will’s heart and prepare to take it somewhere Jafar cannot find it.
Alas, Jafar arrives in Storybrooke before they can disappear with Will’s heart. Jafar takes the heart, but when he tries to kill them using his Amara-staff, he cannot. The staff ends up in Cyrus’ hands, leaving Jafar very confused. Jafar leaves for Wonderland before he can figure out why his Amara-staff would defend Cyrus.
Cyrus, on the other hand, manages to put the pieces together quite easily, especially after the lost-and-found keeps pointing toward the staff. Now that they know Amara is trapped in the staff, they have to save her. The only problem is that Cyrus does not know how to do that. Will Cyrus be able to save his mother? And if so, will Amara be able to help them defeat Jafar?
Flashback-Anastasia Meets Cora
In a flashback, we see Anastasia the day before her wedding. She gets a visit from Cora, the Queen of Hearts. Cora claims she wants to be friends with Anastasia with the hope that Anastasia will change the Red King’s mind about royals having magic. Anastasia is intrigued by the possibility by having magic, but she declines Cora’s offer to teach her.
Will also comes to see Anastasia before her wedding. He asks her why she is marrying the Red King, and Anastasia says that everything she is doing is for their future. As the guards arrive, Will tells Anastasia to meet him at the wagon. Cora, of course, overhears their entire conversation.
But Anastasia is not the one who goes to Will. Cora shows up instead, telling Will that Anastasia has made her choice and it is not him. Will is heartbroken, but he knows that Cora can help him with that. He begs her to remove his heart, as he would rather live forever without love than live with the heartache he feels without Ana. Cora does as he asks.
Later that day, Cora returns to find Anastasia trying to leave the castle to meet with Will. But Cora shows Anastasia the wagon via a magic mirror and Will is not there. Cora says that Anastasia has lost Will’s love forever, and she needs to accept that. Devastated, Anastasia asks Cora to teach her how to be a good queen.
Cora teaches Anastasia how to use magic, but Anastasia is having a hard time picking it up. Cora then explains the laws of magic, and Anastasia is clearly upset to learn that she cannot use magic to change the past or make Will love her again. Anastasia asks if the rules can ever be changed, and Cora says they cannot. Then Cora helps Anastasia tap into the pain her mother inflicted upon her by making her feel flawed and unworthy. Once Anastasia uses that pain to fuel her magic, it comes as easily to her as breathing. And thus, we see the beginning of Anastasia’s transformation into the Red Queen.
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“We Already Had All the Magic We Needed”
While Jafar is tracking down Will’s heart, Will and Anastasia are left alone together. Anastasia takes the opportunity to apologize to Will for trying to change the laws of magic just to get him back. Anastasia says she would have changed their past to make it so they never came to Wonderland, as she blames their first interaction with magic for all of their problems. Anastasia knows Will cannot love her again, but she asks him if he can ever forgive her. Will says that anything is possible in Wonderland.
Jafar shows up with Will’s heart, and with help from the Jabberwocky, he shoves it back into Will’s chest. As soon as he has his heart back, Will sees Anastasia. He rushes over to her and they share a magical kiss through the bars of her cell. I have to say, I know that Alice and Cyrus are the couple we are supposed to be rooting for, but I have always found the relationship between Will and Anastasia more interesting.
Jafar pulls the lovers apart and decides to put Will’s newly-restored heart to the test. He stabs Anastasia, and watches as Will breaks down. Will tells Jafar that he will kill him for this, as Anastasia seemingly dies in front of him. Will Anastasia remain dead, or can she be saved if Will makes a deal with Jafar?
What did you think of tonight’s episode of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland? Did you enjoy Cora’s appearance? Were you excited to see Storybrooke? Why do you think Cora wanted to befriend Anastasia? Did she simply want a replacement daughter, or did she need Anastasia’s magic to defeat the Red King? And how funny was that scene with Alice and Cyrus discovering modern technology? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland airs Thursday nights at 8pm on ABC.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
