In the original story Hyde was never a "split". He was the physical manifestation of all of Jekyll's "dark desires". Those aren't explained in the story, but his idea was that as Hyde he was free to do whatever he wanted, then as Jekyll he could still be an upstanding public figure with none of that baggage. It ended...badly.
The writers found a clever way to have their cake and eat it too: Regina is a good person now, but the Evil Queen is so fun to watch, so let's do both! *This version is often called "Serum-Queen" to avoid confusion.* I found Henry's fountain speech really cringey, but I liked the rest of his characterization this episode. These episodes aired together, so this was a good format. (The S6 finale and _some_ Charmed premieres and finales did that too-I can tell you which if you want.) 30:03 To me, 3x8 - 3x13 is the most _consistently_ good string of episodes in the whole show. Season 5 has some of my favorite _moments_ ever, but it also has some terrible stuff (such as the total reversal of everything they built with Rumple in the beginning of the season). As a season altogether, 5 seems to have a lot of wasted potential.
Great reaction!! I have a super unpopular opinion about this plot because I truly HATED the idea of splitting Regina and The Evil Queen. I mean, for example, we have Killian/Hook, Zelena/Wicked Witch and Rumple/Dark One having to live with the 2 sides of themselves. They ALL have scenes dealing with this, struggling and saying their apologies - and some of them actually changed for good, while others not so much (hello Rumple lol). But Regina doesn't. Not long ago, in middle of season 3, Regina herself told Pan she didn't regretted anything. And, just for an example, we're in season 5 here and NO ONE knows about Graham. What I mean is that why she has to be different? Why she can't go through it by herself and for once accepting the Charmings-Swan-Jones-whatever help? Robin's death isn't any type of "justification" because Hook lost Liam AND Milah, and Regina already lost Cora and her father, you know?! Robin's death is just some poor excuse because if others and even her could deal with death before, without the need to split any parts of themselves, WHY now? That just seems dumb to me, and that's probably my biggest issue with this plot. They just wanted more Evil Queen and, in my humble opinion, this wasn't a good choice 🥴
I might agree that splitting Regina and EQ was bad, but I don't really follow your reasoning. > "live with the 2 sides of themselves. They ALL have scenes dealing with this, struggling and saying their apologies [...] But Regina doesn't." Did you watch this episode? She tells Emma all about her struggle with suppressing her evil side. And she has apologized before (for example, to Belle in 3x18). And-without spoiling anything specific for S6-this storyline actually is a way for Regina to deal with that duality. > "season 3, Regina herself told Pan she didn't regretted anything." **THAT'S SIMPLY NOT TRUE.** I don't know why people keep misrepresenting that scene, but what Regina *actually* says in 3x09 is "I should be overflowing with regret. But I'm not. Because it got me my son." She doesn't say that she has *no* regrets. She says she's not *overflowing* with regret. In the context of the scene, Snow and Emma's regrets render them trapped, and all Regina is saying is that she can put aside her regret-which other episodes show she clearly has-in order to fight to save Henry. > "we're in season 5 here and NO ONE knows about Graham." You could be right, but it's also entirely believable that, after the Curse broke, Emma and co. did realize that Regina killed Graham. I don't see what difference that would make, though. They know she killed lots of people. > "Robin's death isn't any type of 'justification' [... she] could deal with death before, without the need to split any parts of themselves, WHY now?" Regina copes with grief normally for most of the two-parter. It's only after *Snow's suggestion* that she agrees to use the serum to make it easier.
@@theadamabrams I wasn't denying Regina had problems with the whole "evil" part, of course she had! What I'm saying is that, on this show, most of the things you said is just IMPLIED. Like you said about Graham, we think that people just assumed it was her that killed him and that's it. But all "offscreen", if I can say like that. The 'struggling' I was talking about was pretty much like during that small part of season 2 that everyone constantly said to her face that she was the EQ and she had to earn trust and all that. That was a good! But things with this character are not usually implied but forgotten too. Like, season 1 Henry absolutely hated that woman and wanted to stay away from her at all costs then suddenly Pan comes and Henry loves her that much?! They never talked about the fact she was awful to him at first, that she made him think he was crazy and even hung him up in that tree?! I will never be ok with this, because she is the only character treated like that. Especially because she's always the first person to point at someone else and talk about their mistakes, she did it with Emma, Snow, Hook, Zelena... That's why I loved that Dark Swan moment at the beginning of the scene because for the FIRST TIME someone actually said some truths to her face. She needed to hear that and her character would have a better redemption arc if she faced moments with others doing to her what she's so good at doing to them. And about the confession scene in Neverland, for me it doesn't matter what she wanted to say with that because Pan's rule was pretty clear. There was no mention of "not regretting for what you think it's a good reason", it's NO REGRETS. The end. The RULE didn't allow anyone to interpretation, you know?! But as I said, I know this is an unpopular opinion... 🤷♀️
Personally I think this whole splitting Regina and the Evil Queen kinda ruined her character for me. She had one of the most interesting developments up until this part, it felt weak and unjustified. I totally get that she's supposed to be grieving Robin and therefore she's afraid of coming back evil again because the last time she lost her loved one she cursed an entire population but that was exactly why she wouldn't have gone evil again, it's like she's denying what she did as if that would make it disappear as if "it was the Evil Queen and I'm not her". I just hated that arc so much 🙈 Regina was my favorite character until this part, from here on I changed favorites to Zelena.
In the original story Hyde was never a "split". He was the physical manifestation of all of Jekyll's "dark desires". Those aren't explained in the story, but his idea was that as Hyde he was free to do whatever he wanted, then as Jekyll he could still be an upstanding public figure with none of that baggage. It ended...badly.
Here we go babe. Two times Lana Parrilla equals two times more fun
8:22 Fantastic Maul impression!
The writers found a clever way to have their cake and eat it too: Regina is a good person now, but the Evil Queen is so fun to watch, so let's do both! *This version is often called "Serum-Queen" to avoid confusion.* I found Henry's fountain speech really cringey, but I liked the rest of his characterization this episode.
These episodes aired together, so this was a good format. (The S6 finale and _some_ Charmed premieres and finales did that too-I can tell you which if you want.)
30:03 To me, 3x8 - 3x13 is the most _consistently_ good string of episodes in the whole show. Season 5 has some of my favorite _moments_ ever, but it also has some terrible stuff (such as the total reversal of everything they built with Rumple in the beginning of the season). As a season altogether, 5 seems to have a lot of wasted potential.
Great reaction!! I have a super unpopular opinion about this plot because I truly HATED the idea of splitting Regina and The Evil Queen. I mean, for example, we have Killian/Hook, Zelena/Wicked Witch and Rumple/Dark One having to live with the 2 sides of themselves. They ALL have scenes dealing with this, struggling and saying their apologies - and some of them actually changed for good, while others not so much (hello Rumple lol). But Regina doesn't. Not long ago, in middle of season 3, Regina herself told Pan she didn't regretted anything. And, just for an example, we're in season 5 here and NO ONE knows about Graham. What I mean is that why she has to be different? Why she can't go through it by herself and for once accepting the Charmings-Swan-Jones-whatever help? Robin's death isn't any type of "justification" because Hook lost Liam AND Milah, and Regina already lost Cora and her father, you know?! Robin's death is just some poor excuse because if others and even her could deal with death before, without the need to split any parts of themselves, WHY now? That just seems dumb to me, and that's probably my biggest issue with this plot. They just wanted more Evil Queen and, in my humble opinion, this wasn't a good choice 🥴
I might agree that splitting Regina and EQ was bad, but I don't really follow your reasoning.
> "live with the 2 sides of themselves. They ALL have scenes dealing with this, struggling and saying their apologies [...] But Regina doesn't."
Did you watch this episode? She tells Emma all about her struggle with suppressing her evil side. And she has apologized before (for example, to Belle in 3x18). And-without spoiling anything specific for S6-this storyline actually is a way for Regina to deal with that duality.
> "season 3, Regina herself told Pan she didn't regretted anything."
**THAT'S SIMPLY NOT TRUE.** I don't know why people keep misrepresenting that scene, but what Regina *actually* says in 3x09 is "I should be overflowing with regret. But I'm not. Because it got me my son." She doesn't say that she has *no* regrets. She says she's not *overflowing* with regret. In the context of the scene, Snow and Emma's regrets render them trapped, and all Regina is saying is that she can put aside her regret-which other episodes show she clearly has-in order to fight to save Henry.
> "we're in season 5 here and NO ONE knows about Graham."
You could be right, but it's also entirely believable that, after the Curse broke, Emma and co. did realize that Regina killed Graham. I don't see what difference that would make, though. They know she killed lots of people.
> "Robin's death isn't any type of 'justification' [... she] could deal with death before, without the need to split any parts of themselves, WHY now?"
Regina copes with grief normally for most of the two-parter. It's only after *Snow's suggestion* that she agrees to use the serum to make it easier.
@@theadamabrams I wasn't denying Regina had problems with the whole "evil" part, of course she had! What I'm saying is that, on this show, most of the things you said is just IMPLIED. Like you said about Graham, we think that people just assumed it was her that killed him and that's it. But all "offscreen", if I can say like that. The 'struggling' I was talking about was pretty much like during that small part of season 2 that everyone constantly said to her face that she was the EQ and she had to earn trust and all that. That was a good! But things with this character are not usually implied but forgotten too. Like, season 1 Henry absolutely hated that woman and wanted to stay away from her at all costs then suddenly Pan comes and Henry loves her that much?! They never talked about the fact she was awful to him at first, that she made him think he was crazy and even hung him up in that tree?! I will never be ok with this, because she is the only character treated like that. Especially because she's always the first person to point at someone else and talk about their mistakes, she did it with Emma, Snow, Hook, Zelena... That's why I loved that Dark Swan moment at the beginning of the scene because for the FIRST TIME someone actually said some truths to her face. She needed to hear that and her character would have a better redemption arc if she faced moments with others doing to her what she's so good at doing to them.
And about the confession scene in Neverland, for me it doesn't matter what she wanted to say with that because Pan's rule was pretty clear. There was no mention of "not regretting for what you think it's a good reason", it's NO REGRETS. The end. The RULE didn't allow anyone to interpretation, you know?! But as I said, I know this is an unpopular opinion... 🤷♀️
Yay! Two Regina’s! Let’s go season 6!!!
I hope Disney is nice to you lol
Personally I think this whole splitting Regina and the Evil Queen kinda ruined her character for me. She had one of the most interesting developments up until this part, it felt weak and unjustified. I totally get that she's supposed to be grieving Robin and therefore she's afraid of coming back evil again because the last time she lost her loved one she cursed an entire population but that was exactly why she wouldn't have gone evil again, it's like she's denying what she did as if that would make it disappear as if "it was the Evil Queen and I'm not her". I just hated that arc so much 🙈
Regina was my favorite character until this part, from here on I changed favorites to Zelena.