Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-2153169-20170823175024/@comment-25375217-20171107030252

GarretW1797 wrote: So my biggest question right now is how Ivy is awake. Did she help Lady Tremaine cast the curse, or did she cast the curse without the help of Lady Tremaine? That seems like the obvious answer, which is exactly why I don't think it'll happen.

Let's look at the circumstances of past curses:


 * First Dark Curse (Regina's):
 * Regina, as caster of the curse, was awake
 * Rumple put a failsafe into the curse that allowed him to wake up when he heard the name Emma
 * Jefferson was "programmed" to be awake as punishment
 * Snow and Charming briefly woke up thanks to Pixie Dust
 * Henry and August were never cursed and were therefore "awake"
 * Graham woke up after kissing Emma, possibly because of True Love
 * Second Dark Curse (Snow's):
 * Zelena was awake because she drank a memory potion
 * Snow, the caster of the curse, was not awake because of Zelena's potion
 * Third Dark Curse (Hook's):
 * Technically no one was awake or asleep since the memory wipe was a different type of magic which Emma didn't use on herself
 * Black Curse (Fiona's):
 * Fiona was awake, presumably because she cast the curse
 * Rumple was awake, presumably thanks to some sort of loophole
 * Henry was awake, presumably because he had the heart of the truest believer
 * Mystery Curse(s) (Seattle):
 * Tremaine is awake for unclear reasons
 * Ivy is awake for unclear reasons
 * The Witch is awake for unclear reasons
 * Lucy is awake, presumably for the same reason as Henry in the Black Curse
 * Alice is awake, as long as she doesn't take her pills, for unclear reasons
 * Rumple wakes up after hearing his real name and getting nearly killed

Presumably one of those characters is awake because they cast the curse. I'm inclined to think Alice makes the most sense just because it would be the biggest surprise. Since Tremaine is in a position of power, if she cast the curse it wouldn't be a secret. Ivy and/or the Witch seem too obvious. That leaves Alice.

The others... I don't know. None of the past reasons seem to make sense unless the memory wipe is a potion like Zelena used or something like the Dreamcatchers Emma used, as a sort of targeted thing. In which case maybe Alice casts the curse, then Drizzle or the Witch get involved and wipe everyone's memory except themselves and Tremaine. Alice manages to keep her memories somehow. Rumple waking up could be the same kind of loophole he made with Emma's name except using his own name, or it could be the Darkness forcing him to not die (of course, we were lead to believe it's possible for him to die if he has no magic during Season 2, so...)

I suspect we'll get the answer, or at least a hint, to why Ivy is awake in this episode. We're supposed to find out about Alice just before the curse is cast, which is probably The Eighth Witch. That only leaves Tremaine, the Witch, and Lucy without definitive answers (although Lucy can be assumed).