Board Thread:Character Discussion/@comment-26211594-20151009183748/@comment-5106672-20151012025706

I'll never tire to point that out, but probably the only person without a body count in Storybrooke is Henry: that's the in-universe reason why the Charmings & co are so quick to hand the Hero mantle over to Regina for even only attempting at being a decent human being.

With this said, I think Regina's redemption trip is going steady: she's as sassy and sharp-tongued as ever, but the actual Evil Queen relapses keep getting increasingly weaker. We're going from murder complicity and attempted genocide in S2 to murder planning (without following suit) and kidnapping in S4 to just threatening in S5. Let's consider how fast-paced the events on OUAT are and we can say it hasn't probably even been two years since the first Curse broke: deconstructing a defensive mechanism you've clinged to for about four decades takes much more time than that. For a former mass murderer, that's a pretty decent progress. So I'd just take Regina with the awareness that she needs to improve a lot before truly being a good person, but she's generally heading to the right direction. It only takes time.

The only criticism to Regina I'm not having is that she's doing good because of selfish reasons: we've had plenty of evidence that all FTL inhabitants are hell-bent on getting their happy endings. It's part of their cultural heritage and frame of mind – and in real life too, one's main aim is to live a fulfilling life. There's definitely something wrong with pursuing personal happiness through others' suffering; there's nothing wrong in doing that by actually being useful to fellow people. Absolute selflessness does not exist: we all are nice to other people because their happiness fulfills us in return. She's trying to be good because she wants to be happy, so what? Isn't that what everyone – both in and out of universe – want?