Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-24715640-20180408114413/@comment-25375217-20180409010719

I think what's important to remember is what Victoria recited to Gothel: Ivy, like her namesake, requires something to cling to in order to grow.

In her childhood, she had Anastasia and Cecelia. Then Cecelia vanished, but she still had Anastasia. Then Anastasia fell into her magical coma, so she started clinging to Tremaine. Tremaine was too damaged to love her, so she searched for someone else, briefly clinging to Regina but eventually finding Gothel. When Gothel betrayed her, she tried to return to Regina, but was intercepted by Facilier. Regina had already threatened her while Facilier was offering her freedom and survival, so it was inevitable that Drizella would choose to cling to Facilier. But then Facilier abandoned her, too. That moment was one of the few times Drizella had no one to cling to, and I don't find it hard to believe that she realized she needed Anastasia at that point. It was between her and Regina, and Anastasia needed as much protection as Drizella needed guidance, and they both needed to get out of Seattle.

I do wish they had handled some things better. Drizella did blame Gothel for her cruelty towards Anastasia when she should have accepted blame herself. (She said something to the effect of "Gothel made me", when she could have said "I fell for Gothel's tricks".) But really, how rushed it was doesn't bother me. Drizella's evilness was triggered by what could probably be diagnosed by someone who knows more about it than me as a mental illness. She changes directions on a whim based on where she can find happiness. In that case, she found both happiness and redemption, so she went with it. And, although we may never see her again, theoretically, she's still out there somewhere, trying not to backslide and perhaps accomplishing a more thorough redemption for herself.