Snow White

"Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a powerful thing, but living with that kind of belief... That's the most powerful thing of all."

- Mary Margaret

Princess Snow White, briefly known as Mary, cursed as Mary Margaret Blanchard, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She debuts in the first episode of the first season. She is portrayed by special guest star Ginnifer Goodwin and guest star Bailee Madison. She is the main reality version of Queen Snow.

Snow White is based on a character of the same name from the fairytale, "Snow White", the Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and the fairytale, "Snow-White and Rose-Red". She also takes the role of Perseus from Greek Mythology.

Trivia

 * -|Character Notes=

Etymology

 * Snow White's mother, Eva, named her "Snow" because she was born during the toughest winter.
 * Mary Margaret's name is similar to the name of two German women who have been identified as possible inspirations for the Snow White fairytale: Margarete von Waldeck and Maria Sophia Margaretha Catharina von Erthal.
 * Snow White offered both "Mary" and "Margaret" as aliases when Red asked what she should call her.
 * Originally, Mary Margaret was supposed to be a nun, which is the reason why the character has a double name. Eventually, it was decided not to make her a nun, but the name was kept.
 * Ginnifer Goodwin asked the show creators about the name similarity to Maria Sophia Margaretha before they began the show. According to her, they acted surprised when she asked them about this, and "they were like, “What are you talking about?”."
 * Mary Margaret shares her name with the Virgin Mary of the Bible, who, like Mary Margaret, is the mother of the savior. Interestingly, Mary Margaret (who was originally supposed to be a nun ) can be seen wearing a cross in "Pilot" and "Welcome to Storybrooke".
 * The name "Mary" is of Greek origin derived from the names "Mariam" and "Maria", and itself derived from the Hebrew name "Miryam" with several theorized meanings such as "sea of bitterness", "rebelliousness", and "wished for child". It was most likely originally an Egyptian name, perhaps derived in part from mry, meaning "beloved", or mr, meaning "love".
 * The name "Margaret" is of Greek origin derived from the Latin word "Margarita" and itself derived from the Greek "margarites" that means "pearl".
 * The surname "Blanchard" is of Old French origin derived from the word "blanchart" that means "whitish, bordering upon white".

Character Notes
WANTED    SNOW WHITE For crimes against the Queen: MURDER,  TREASON,  TREACHERY
 * Snow White is featured in the title card for "An Apple Red as Blood".
 * She is the one who gave Prince Charming his nickname.
 * Snow White's wanted posters read:
 * She delivers messages via bluebirds.
 * When Snow White first meets Red, she asks her to call her Margaret, then Mary. Mary Margaret is her counterpart's name in Storybrooke.
 * Snow White can understand the bird language and talk to them.
 * She also "gets along in mouse".
 * Snow White is at least four years older than her husband, Prince Charming. This is proven in "Murder Most Foul", where her future husband is six years old, and Rumplestiltskin uses a crystal ball to locate his twin brother James. This is the exact same crystal ball that Jefferson acquired for Rumplestiltskin in "The Doctor", an episode which takes place after the events of "The Stable Boy", where Snow was ten years old, according to "Shattered Sight" and "Sympathy for the De Vil".
 * Like her daughter and grandson, she enjoys hot cocoa with cinnamon.
 * Based on her mugshot, Mary Margaret is approximately 5'8".
 * Like her grandson, Mary Margaret has a large collection of clocks.
 * During the first curse, she teaches fourth graders.
 * Can communicate with and understand the language of birds.
 * Because she was once poisoned with an apple, Mary Margaret dislikes apples.
 * Fittingly enough, one of her students gives her a pear instead of an apple.

Storybook Notes

 * Henry's storybook contains several scenes from "Snow Falls":

[image begins]ny woman [image begins] Prince [image begins]know who she [image begins] agility, cun- [image begins] woman. And [image begins]ce the mud is [image begins] on the idea [image begins] Prince leaps [image begins]e on the [image begins]w he must [image begins] his armor [image begins] the dagger [image begins]al for battle, are [image begins] oot chase. And the thief is so [image begins]ne seems to glide over the foliage and [image begins]ppear into the thickets. As the Prince moves deeper into the forest the trees [image begins]ock out the sunlight. The woodland creatures whisper [image begins]eir echoing songs. They are on her side, he thinks to [image begins]mself. She is companions with the wild. Perhaps she's [image begins]scendant of wolves. Of unwanted children abandoned in the [image begins] only to be adopted by the most terrifying of beasts [image begins]ised in the traditions of hunting raw [image begins] This is who she could be he decided, and knew


 * Another page reads:

Snow White's hideaway contained all the comforts of home but was by no means the castle she was accustomed to as a child. The small coal hearth could heat the tree but would scarcely have sufficed in keeping the mice warm at home. Her table wasn't big enough to accommodate more than one visitor, not that she ever had any, where her father's table in the dining hall seated hundreds of royal guests and kingdom officials. But despite the meek humble nature of her forest hideaway Snow paused for a moment to reflect om how she would miss it before continuing to pack her belongings for a final time. Urgency welled inside her. She laced her riding boots and stuffed an extra cloak into her satchel. She swept the stack of gold coins resting on the modest table into her sack. Her riding cloak fit snugly over her shoulders and as she was about to leave the cave there was one final item. Dangling from a hook rested a simple gold neck- lace holding a glass bottle. Snow grabbed the necklace and paused. Something about this necklace [illegible]ed Snow to her very core. Her face [two illegible words] and the sweet memories of her past life were [five illegible words]d, replaced by something much darker. [four illegible words] the memory down but it was impos- [illegible/obscured]ing. Too dark. Too wracked with [illegible/obscured]ppiness. The unmistakable face of the Evil [image ends] Snow's memory. Finally, with a deep, [image ends]Snow gingerly tied the bottle around her

neck. This was something special to her. It was both her greatest hope and a reminder of her darkest days. An on another day, we may have seen more clues to help discover what this tiny bottle meant to Snow. But on this day, [image ends] there was no time to linger. There was only time for one final [image ends] sweep of her home, then a silent farewell before Snow exited the tree trunk. Snow put her hood on and tried to shake away the jittery her trip down memory lane had left her with. But for some reason, Snow's nerves weren't calming down. Suddenly, Snow had a terrible realization... someone was watching her! But by the time she felt the Prince's eyes on her, it was too late. Snow planted her foot right in the middle of the Prince's snare and with a shocking snap and a blur of dizzying motion, Show found herself suspended high in the air. Trapped like an animal. As Snow swung in the air, her stomach sank with the realization that she'd been tracked. The, as she watched the Prince emerge from his hiding place, her eyes flashed and her face went red. It was him?! How could she have let herself be tracked by someone who had never even cooked a a meal for himself a day his entire life? Snow saw the look on his face and knew exactly what had driven him to find her. It was the ring. It must have been even [image ends] than she'd anticipated. And with just [image ends] Snow knew exactly how bad a d[image ends]


 * Another scene from "Snow Falls" reads (note that the opening words are repeated later in the text):

[image begins] Evil Queen said she was. Holding out the bag of gold he mutters "So... You probably want this." Snow turns to him with the jewels, "And you can't get married without this." He spills the jewels into his palm. The wedding ring glistens in his hand. Snow eyes it. "Not your style?" the Prince chides her. "Only one way to find out." Snow takes it from his hand and slips it on her finger. It glistens. A perfect fit and for a moment she thinks... but no. "Yeah. Not me at all," and she dismisses the butterflies inside her stomach. The Prince, grateful that she returned to save his life now knew that Snow White could never be what the Evil Queen said she was. Hold- ing onto the bag of gold he mutters, "So...You probably want this. "So... You probably want this." [sic] Snow turns to him with the jewels.

[illegible word] would be safe in the kingdom. To fall in love he would have sacrifice his station to live like a fugitive. He would have to forsake his family and break vows which would lead to a war between nations. There are lives on the line, she told herself. The responsibility of a royal is great. Bigger than one's self. And though she was no longer of the court and her kingdom seemed to have turned against her, Snow was none the less raised as a princess and expected to be a queen one day. This would never be taken from her. She knew instinctively the [image ends]e she must make. Snow takes the ring off her finger and hands it to him. [illegible word]. Where ever you go from here, if you need me, I will find you", the Prince offers, "always." And Snow wants to believe it. "Goodbye, Prince Charming," Snow replies. [image ends] Charming grins, "I told you. It's James." Snow [image begins]urns to leave, "I like Charming better." She [image begins] back over her shoulder and they stare into each [image ends][image begins] other's eyes, they didn't need words to express what they felt in their hearts. For it was here, in the shadow of the Troll Bridge, that their love was born. Where they knew, no matter how they were separated, they would always find each other, and true love.


 * The final page that the Author was transcribing, says:

[blurred] and [illegible word], could not be burdened by such a cursory thing, and walked right through it. "There was no way we could have known. The Apprentice hid the truth from us," the prince tried once again to assure her. Inside, he felt as she did, but pangs of helplessness at the sight of his love so forlorn compelled him to comfort her. She was about to reply when a bluebird settled on a branch up ahead. The princess averted her gaze. She imagined its whispers of judgment in her ear echoing her own disappointment in her actions and was relieved when the bird flew off rather than perch on her shoulder. She had thought before that she had known true depths of sorrow with the heinousness of the evil queen's betrayal of her family. But in that moment the princess knew that the greatest betrayal of all is that of a hero [blurred]


 * -|Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * The role of Snow White was written specifically for Ginnifer Goodwin.
 * While preparing for her role as Snow White, Ginnifer Goodwin "watched every Snow White movie ever made".
 * The casting call for her younger self describes her as "12 to 14 years old to PLAY 12, a young and innocent princess, she sees the world through a prism where she believes everyone is capable of the same kindness she and her benevolent father bestow on their kingdom".
 * However, "Shattered Sight" and "Sympathy for the De Vil" establish she was actually ten years old during the events of "The Stable Boy".
 * Bailee Madison wore green contact lenses for the role as young Snow White, since her eyes are naturally brown.
 * Ginnifer Goodwin became pregnant during Season Three, and for the final episodes of the seasons, her stunt double, Maja Aro, was used as Snow White's double. The stunt woman had to learn all of Snow White's lines for these episodes, and did the dialogue with the other actors on set. Snow White's lines were then dubbed by Ginnifer Goodwin in post-production.


 * -|Cultural References=

Disney

 * When zoomed up close, the back of a dish Mary Margaret is washing has a Disney logo on it.
 * During the opening scene of "Heart of Darkness", Snow White hums "A Smile and A Song".
 * In "Heart of Darkness", Snow White wears a similar looking red bow hairband as her Disney character adaptation.
 * Young Snow White wears a blue hairband as in Disney's 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
 * Mary Margaret hits Jefferson over the head with a croquet mallet, a reference to Disney's Alice in Wonderland.
 * Snow White's dress at the Under the Sea Celebration has small Mickey Mouse faces on it.
 * While under the influence of the Spell of Shattered Sight, Mary Margaret snidely remarks, "Still wanna hold hands, sing "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah"?", a reference to the famous song from Song of the South.
 * A woman in Seattle dresses up like Disney's Snow White for Halloween.

Lost

 * While talking about Mary Margaret's feelings for David, Emma and Mary Margaret share glasses of MacCutcheon Scotch Whiskey. This was a fictional brand on Lost.
 * Mary Margaret is grabbing an Apollo bar off the store shelf when she bumps into Kathryn.
 * While trying to get rid of the Wraith, Mary Margaret uses a bottle of MacCutcheon Scotch Whisky to set fire to the railings.
 * There is a close-up of Mary Margaret's eye as David drips Regina's tear into it, and after Ingrid's spell is enacted. This is a recurring theme from Lost.
 * There is a close-up of Snow White and Prince Charming's eye when the they touch the unicorn's horn. This is a recurring theme from Lost.
 * When Mary Margaret takes out her anger on her friends, she states that she's had eight hours of sleep in the last week, a reference to the second Lost number.
 * There is a close-up of Mary Margaret's eye as she awakens from the Serum Queen's Sleeping Curse, a recurring theme on Lost.

Popular Culture

 * David and Mary Margaret play hangman at the Storybrooke General Hospital.
 * The book Mary Margaret is reading in the diner is The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne.
 * This is also a reference to Lost, where the main location is a mysterious island.
 * While practicing archery in the woods, Mary Margaret listens to Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation".
 * While under the influence of Ingrid's spell, Mary Margaret refers to Anna as Swiss Miss. This is the name of a real-life brand of cocoa powder and pudding products sold by the American company ConAgra Foods.
 * -|Set Notes=

Props Notes

 * Snow White's tiara which is a gift from her mother on her birthday belonged to her great-grandmother.
 * The Valentine's Day card David buys for Mary Margaret has a prince and princess on it.

Costume Notes

 * Around sixteen pieces of suede and fur were used to create Snow White's famous bandit outfit.
 * According to costume designer Eduardo Castro, it took many hours to make it.
 * The coat Snow White is wearing when Regina saves her is the same one worn by Alice's daughter in the Once Upon a Time in Wonderland episode "And They Lived...".
 * The outfit Snow White wears while on the run is the same outfit worn by Regina during Isaac's alternate reality.
 * The outfit is also worn by Jennifer Morrison during promotional images for Season Two.
 * According to costume designer Eduardo Castro, they wanted to avoid a very generic look for Mary Margaret. Her outfits are meant to be whimsical, fun and interesting to look at.
 * Mary Margaret's outfit in the first nine episodes of the second season, is meant to have a 1960s vibe, and is inspired by Audrey Hepburn in the 1957 musical romantic comedy Funny Face.
 * The floral dress Mary Margaret wears for her date with Dr. Whale, is the same one young Emma wears at the Portland convenience store in "Tallahassee".
 * The necklace she wears in the first half of Season Two, as well as in the "The Shepherd" from Season One, is an Oval Key Necklace from Pyrrha. It is the same brand as Emma's swan necklace.
 * The key necklace was chosen to represent the key that Prince Charming used to lock baby Emma in the Magic Wardrobe.
 * The ensemble outfit Mary Margaret is wearing in Camelot in "Nimue", "Birth" and "Broken Heart is the same outfit worn by the Wish Realm counterpart of her original persona during a confrontation with the "Evil Queen" in "Wish You Were Here".
 * The dress Mary Margaret is wearing during Roni's coronation is the same dress worn by the Wish Realm counterpart of her original persona in "Wish You Were Here".
 * -|Goofs=

Goofs

 * In "Lady of the Lake", after Snow White is poisoned by King George, she is disposed of on the side of the road. At the shot from her backside as she falls from the impact of being thrown, the upper right back part of her clothing is barely smudged with a light imprint of dirt. The camera angle switches to the front and then to the back again, to show the upper right back part of her clothing is now deeply coated in a heavier amount of dirt.
 * In "There's No Place Like Home", when Snow White comes over to thank Prince Charming for saving her, you can clearly see that the one who comes over is not Ginnifer Goodwin, but her stunt double, Maja Aro, who served as the body double for a pregnant Ginnifer for the final episodes of Season Three.


 * -|Other Notes=

Script Notes

 * In the original "Pilot" script, Mary Margaret is both a nun and a school teacher.

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.