Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25926288-20180428005811/@comment-261373-20180428173516

Timeline wise, this episode flashbacks may have been the earliest events in the OUAT timeline overall regardless of realms. Previously, it was Merlin drinking and obtaining immortality and magic from drinking the Holy Grail that was 1,000 (specifically) years before the Age of King Arthur. This episode flashbacks is thousands (in the plural sense) of years before present day.

I remember when people thought the Blue Fairy was shady and she may really be bad. Well, here we got Mother Gothel, a teal nymph here, as a bad. A "Mother" too. A nymph not quite a fairy, but often are associate with each together.

I'm conflicting about the episode flashbacks and all the flashbacks of all the bads for this season in general. Previously, I can usually tell by a bad's flashback if he or she is will be redeemable. If their flashbacks can get sympathy, they're redeemable; if not. they're not redeemable. I was right in previous seasons. This season, it was more difficult. First, Lady Rapunzel Tremaine. The bit about her being locked in the tower because she wanted to save Marcus and only to escape, to see her husband married another woman, whom her daughter loved more, got me to sympathize with her. But she did poison Cecila's heart. Second, Drizella. Most of her flashbacks had her doing evil stuff i.e. poisoning Henry, killing Gretel, not really care for Rapunzel after Rapunzel's sacrifice so the family could live, etc. But  she did say it was her idea to use the lattern so Rapunzel know her way back was good. Now, this episode with Gothel. On one hand, her flashback feature how she was badly mistreated by humans, how they destroy her home, and kill her home, etc, made us sympathetic for her. But it also feature the beginning of her quest to destroy all humanity. So I don't know. I'm conflicted whether we will see a Gothel redemption.