It’s a whole new world on Once Upon a Time season 6. Okay, maybe not a whole new world, but they are certainly touching on a lot of different worlds. This episode, “Street Rats,” has a lot to live up to — at least in my eyes — since Aladdin is my all-time favorite character. And it certainly does. In this episode, Jasmine searches Storybrooke for Aladdin, while the Evil Queen works her magic to try and hurt Emma.
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Inside Agrabah
Many years ago, in the capital of Agrabah, Jasmine seeks out “street rat” Aladdin for help. She says that ever since Jafar has become her father’s adviser, he’s been destroying her city, as he uses his magic to turn villagers into actual rats when they break the law. She asks Aladdin to find the Diamond in the Rough, which is a very magical, powerful weapon that she can use to defeat Jafar. At first, Aladdin says he won’t do it, but she persuades him.
The pair heads to the desert, in search of the Cave of Wonders, where the Diamond in the Rough is located. Aladdin doubts Jasmine when she tells him that she’s only read about the cave. He questions her motives, saying that the capital had been in trouble long before Jafar was involved. Eventually, they find the cave, and Aladdin uses the old phrase “Open Sesame” to open it.
Jasmine heads into the cave first. They find the diamond, and Aladdin swaps it for a gold monkey. However, it quickly disintegrates in his hands, and the cave starts to crumble around them. Aladdin somehow manages to stop a column from falling on them. Jasmine tells him he has magic. She adds that she’s always somehow knew that he was the one and calls him the actual Diamond in the Rough, a savior.
Jasmine explains that she needs Aladdin to challenge Jafar, beat him and be the savior of Agrabah. However, Aladdin is pretty upset she didn’t tell him earlier about his magic. He refuses to go along with her. As a last gesture, Jasmine gives him a scarab that was given to her family when they saved the kingdom from darkness. She says only heroes hold the scarab, and she believes in him.
Aladdin’s Future
No sooner does Jasmine leave the cave than Jafar shows up. He shows Aladdin his future, which is death, as death is the fate of all saviors. Aladdin wants to change his future. Jafar says the future isn’t set in stone and people can alter their destiny. Jafar offers him golden shears, which will sever ties to his own destiny as a savior. Jafar says Aladdin can live a long life, not as a savior, if he uses the shears. He could take all the gold in the cave and be whatever he wants once he’s free.
Back at the palace, the sultan is still under Jafar’s spell. Jasmine tries to warn him that a battle is coming, but he doesn’t understand. Jafar shows up and tells her that Aladdin isn’t coming to save her because he took the gold and ran. Jafar puts Jasmine into an hourglass. Soon, Aladdin rides in on a magic carpet, saves Jasmine, breaks Jafar’s spell and causes Jafar to get away.
Now that the streets of Agrabah are safe, Aladdin tells Jasmine he will go in search of Jafar to destroy him and be the savior that he is. As he tries to return the scarab, she tells him to keep it. As he walks away, a pouch shows up on his shoulder, which contains the shears and note from Jafar, telling Aladdin to keep them for a rainy day.
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No More Secrets
While in the woods during a “therapy” session with Archie, Emma stumbles upon the blonde girl who hangs with Jasmine/Shirin, but she’s dead. She sees Jasmine/Shirin running away and stops her. Back at the station, Jasmine/Shirin says she can’t reveal who she is, in fear of Hyde from the Land of the Untold Stories. Emma tells her that Hyde is dead, so Shirin reveals she’s Jasmine and she’s in search of Aladdin, as he’s the savior.
This is great news for Emma, who promises to help find Aladdin with her family. Emma thinks that if Aladdin is alive, that could mean she doesn’t have to die, like in her visions.
Meanwhile, the Evil Queen pays a visit to Archie to find out what Emma’s vision is. He obviously won’t tell her, so she transforms herself into Archie and kidnaps him, leaving him in Zelina’s care. Evil Queen/Archie goes to visit Emma, who reveals that there’s another savior, and perhaps she won’t have to tell her family about the vision after all.
Emma goes to help her family find Aladdin, and Evil Queen/Archie shows up at the apartment to urge Emma to tell her family about the visions. She reluctantly tells them, and of course, no one is happy. When Emma reveals that it could be Regina who kills her, Regina is upset and goes to work on a potion to find Aladdin, in hopes of changing that vision.
Henry and Jasmine bond over how each pushed their loved one to become the savior, and now they fear they pushed their loved ones to their deaths.
Finding Aladdin
Regina’s potion works, and it leads them to a crypt at the cemetery. Jasmine looks over all of the skeletons and finds one that is holding the scarab. They all fear that Aladdin is dead, which is very concerning to Emma. She says she needs time alone. Henry comes back to comfort her, and as they bond, Aladdin reveals himself.
Aladdin tells Emma and Henry that he used the shears, which is why Agrabah eventually fell. They urge him to go see Jasmine. He hesitates, as he doesn’t want to reveal that he failed as a savior and took the easy way out. He only revealed himself, he says, because he wanted to give her the shears.
Aladdin does find Jasmine, who is thrilled he’s alive. She tells him that she needs the savior to save Agrabah, to which he says, “Yeah, about that.” Meanwhile, Emma contemplates what to do with the shears. While her loved ones want her to use them, she’s convinced there has to be another way to change her future. She gives the shears to Hook to destroy them. He goes to the dock and tells her he dropped them 20,000 leagues under the sea. However, after she walks away, he puts them into his jacket pocket.
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Getting Wicked
Back at Zelina’s house, the Evil Queen shows back up, pleased that she has more information on Emma, her visions and perhaps her eventual death. She leaves Archie with the baby while the two get mani-pedis and bond. The Evil Queen convinces Zelina to go back to her wonderfully wicked ways so that her baby can know who her mother really is.
When they return, as her first wicked duty, Zelina turns Archie into a cricket and leaves him trapped in a cage.
Changing the Future
So can Emma really change her future? Obviously, if it were up to Hook, Emma would have just used the shears and saved herself. But I guess that’s not what a true savior does on Once Upon a Time. And what’s going to happen now that Aladdin isn’t a savior. I’m curious if the future of Jasmine and Aladdin will be in another episode or if their untold story ends there. Because to me, that’s not a very happy ending — unless Jasmine just doesn’t care about her kingdom.
I’m wondering what’s going to happen now that Zelina is wicked again. The Evil Queen now has another ally, since Hyde is dead. It should make for an interesting rest of the season.
What did you think of Aladdin and Jasmine’s story? Did you like the idea of Aladdin being a savior? Do you think Emma will be able to change her future? Let us know in the comments below?
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(Image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
