When we last left Wonderland, Alice, Cyrus and Will worked to defeat Jafar, once and for all. Amara was released from the staff just in time to watch Jafar kill Cyrus so she would have to help him finish the spell. And poor Anastasia was still dead, though Will clung to the hope that she could be brought back to life.
In tonight’s series finale, “And They Lived…,” we learn the fates of Cyrus and Anastasia as Alice faces off against Jafar in one final battle. Read on to find out if tonight’s series finale of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland can deliver the magic and romance we have come to expect.
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Jafar Enacts His Evil Plan
Tonight’s series finale of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland begins where the last episode left off. Jafar and Amara finish the spell, thus making them the two most powerful sorcerers in the world. Jafar wants to fix that by killing Amara, but his father stops him. Jafar then uses his new-found power to make his father love him. But lest you think it is because Jafar just wants his dad’s love, Jafar turns around and kills his father. What he really wants is for his father to know what it feels like to be murdered by someone you love.
I am not surprised that there was more to Jafar’s plans for his father than he led everyone to believe, as Jafar does not seem like someone who only cares about being loved and accepted. But using that love to inflict pain is a classic Jafar move.
The Battle Looms
While Jafar is distracted by killing his father, Amara and Alice escape with a mostly-dead Cyrus. They take shelter at the White Rabbit’s home, where Amara brings Cyrus back to life. Alice and Amara bond over their love for Cyrus before it is time to get back into the fight. Amara’s plan to defeat Jafar is to take the water back to the Well of Wonders so they can break the genies’ curse. Once the curse is broken, Jafar should lose his new powers.
But Alice decides they should split up and come at Jafar on two separate fronts. She will get the White Rabbit’s help in organizing an army to battle Jafar, while Cyrus and Amara go to the well. Before they split up, Alice and Cyrus make promises to return to one another after everything is over.
Despite Amara’s warning that the rules of magic should not be changed, Jafar does exactly that. Jafar brings Anastasia back from the dead, but it is not so she can reunite with Will. Jafar brings Anastasia back under a curse that makes her love him, not Will. But Jafar does not change the law of magic just to taunt Will — he also creates a zombie army. Jafar orders his new zombie soldiers to find Amara and kill anyone who gets in their way.
Jafar v.s. Alice
Jafar’s zombie soldiers attack Cyrus and Amara, but they are no match for Amara’s magic. Unfortunately, Alice does not have magic, and her army is basically destroyed by Jafar’s zombie soldiers. They drag Alice back to the castle as Jafar’s captive.
Jafar demands to know where Amara is headed, but Alice refuses to betray her friends. Jafar tells Alice that he will use his powers to change her past and make it so she never fell in love with Cyrus. But Alice is stronger than Jafar realizes. She tells him that her love for Cyrus is real and real love is stronger than any magic. She challenges him to change the past, but Jafar gets distracted before he can do it.
Jafar learns that Amara defeated his zombie soldiers somewhere near two red doors. He asks Anastasia where Amara is, and because she believes she loves him, Anastasia tells him about the Well of Wonders. Jafar heads off to defeat Amara, while Anastasia is left to guard Alice and Will.
Will remembers what Alice said about real love being stronger than any magic, so he tries to get through to Anastasia. Just when it seems like it is not working, Will pulls Anastasia to him and they share True Love’s Kiss. The kiss breaks the curse Jafar put on Anastasia, and she frees Will and Alice.
Jafar Seals His Own Fate
Jafar gets to the Well of Wonders just before Amara can return the water and break the genies’ curse. Jafar kills Amara, and when she dies, the water starts to return to the well. Alice arrives and tells Cyrus to put the water back, but Jafar steals it first, thinking he has prevented Amara’s plan from taking shape. Alas, like Alice, we all know what happens when someone steals water from the well.
Nyx shows up and curses Jafar into a genie bottle for stealing her water. She then lifts the curse from Will and Cyrus’ brothers so they are all free. Thus, Jafar’s spell is broken and everything goes back to normal. This sadly includes all of the people Jafar resurrected, Anastasia included.
While Cyrus celebrates his reunion with his brothers, Will mourns for Anastasia. But before you start cursing the writers for giving us such a terrible ending, Alice shows up with a solution. Alice tells Will that while the Red Queen’s reign was meant to end, Anastasia’s journey is not over. Because Anastasia’s fate has not been written, they can safely use the magic well water to bring Anastasia back to life. Will and Anastasia are reunited once more, and all is finally well in Wonderland.
Happily Ever After
In the series’ final moments, Alice finally returns home, Cyrus in tow. Alice and Cyrus get married in front of Alice’s family and all of their Wonderland friends. But Alice’s Wonderland friends have to get back to their home, so some tearful goodbyes are had. The most moving of these goodbyes is between Alice and Will. Alice thanks Will for everything and tells him to keep hold of his heart this time. They say goodbye, and Will returns to Wonderland with Anastasia.
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We then flash-forward a few years to find Alice reading her story to a little girl. Not surprisingly, this little girl is Cyrus and Alice’s daughter, and she gives Alice the perfect name for her story — Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alice’s daughter asks her mother if the impossible things in the story could really happen, and Alice tells her that anything is possible in Wonderland. Cyrus comes home to his girls as the White Rabbit watches from a distance.
What did you think of the series finale of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland? Did you guess Jafar’s true plans for his father? Do you think it was a fitting fate, since the man did try to drown his own son? What about Amara? Did you know she would sacrifice herself to save her sons? Do you think she should have been magically saved? And is Jafar’s fate what he deserves, or do you wish the show had simply killed him?
Did the show trick you into thinking that Anastasia might actually stay dead? Were you relieved when she was finally brought back for real? We know Michael Socha is probably going to be a regular on Once Upon a Time next season. Are you waiting for the announcement that Emma Rigby will be joining him? Do you think Will — and hopefully Anastasia — are traveling to Storybrooke, or will something bring Emma and Co. to Wonderland?
Alice returns to England in the show’s final moments. Did that sit right with you? Do you think it would have been better if Alice and Cyrus stayed in Wonderland? Will the White Rabbit recruit Alice’s daughter for a Wonderland trip? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
