Board Thread:Character Discussion/@comment-26211594-20151009183748/@comment-5106672-20151022164408

Okay, I'll try to make it as simple as I can: no one is excusing Regina's past actions, we're just pointing out how she has learned from them and is trying to help both herself and others avoid those past mistakes. That's not enough to clear her slate yet, but it's a start: it's character progression, not regression. Also, in-universe it's not like she didn't have to prove herself several times before being welcomed back by the Charmings. Of course, as self-centered as they are, their redemption bar is as low as being useful in reuniting their family, which is why they're so quick to forgiveness.

As for the hypocrisy part, I don't quite see it. Zelena got herself a second chance after Gold tried to murder her, and what did she do with it? Did she try to make things right? Did she go out seeking justice for her attempted murder and, by exposing Gold, save the town lots of trouble? Nope, she just came up with a new plan to foil her sister and jumped onto Gold's wagon at first occasion. Go back and watch S2, and you'll see that the moment Regina was given another chance but didn't live up to it, she was immediately shunned or downright fighted. She didn't even get the benefit of doubt – let alone being accepted – until she proved she was somewhat worthy of said second chance (in between one slip and another), which Zelena hasn't done at all so far. As I said, her latest debacle happened a few days prior to the Camelot and she hasn't proved any helpful to the main cast ever since that (it's not like she couldn't try and win them over by contributing to their research, for instance). By the show logic, she's nowhere near taking the redemption path and can't be trusted: that's not hypocrisy, that's how things have been for pretty much everyone.