Dr. Whale

Dr. Whale is a minor character on Once Upon a Time. He makes his debut in the third episode of the first season. He is portrayed by David Anders and it is currently unknown who his Fairytale Land counterpart is.

Season One
After Mary Margaret Blanchard began to read the fairy tale book to John Doe, telling the story of how Prince Charming chased the thief and they fell in love. As she comes to the end of the story, John Doe suddenly grabs her hand. She calls for Dr. Whale but everything is still steady.

He suggests that she might have dozed off and imagined things, and then tells her to go home and get some sleep. Once Mary Margaret leaves, Dr. Whale calls Regina Mills and tells her what happened, including the fact that Mary Margaret was involved and that there was some minor brain-wave fluctuation.

When David Nolan awakes and is discharged from the hospital, Dr. Whale is at his welcome home party that was thrown at Kathryn Nolan's house. However, David doesn't remember anyone there, which the doctor says is normal.

A few weeks later, when Ruby quits Granny's Diner and goes to the bus stop, Dr. Whale is shown trying to "help" her out. However, Ruby blocks his advances and insists that she is fine where she is. Mary Margaret and Emma Swan approach him, and after a few gentle nudgings from Emma, he leaves. Mary Margaret and Emma then take Ruby to Mary Margaret's house to stay for the night until she can find a job.

When David is brought to the hospital after his trek in the woods, Dr. Whale discovers that he had an episode, similar to the experience after he had just woken up from his coma and went to the Toll Bridge. David discovers that he didn't remember anything and that it was very likely that he could have murdered Kathryn. He becomes distraught, and the mayor Regina Mills barges in.

When Emma demands what Regina was doing there, Dr. Whale explains that she was still David's emergency contact, to Emma's disbelief. Later, Dr. Whale lets David go with a frown.

When Henry is brought to the hospital after taking a bite of Regina's enspelled apple turnover, Dr. Whale is the physician that treats him. He tells Emma that Henry was not poisoned and that he cannot find a cause for Henry's reaction. It is then that Emma realizes Henry's belief about the curse was correct and magic caused his condition.

Season Two
After Emma Swan breaks the Dark Curse, Dr. Whale leads a mob of angry townspeople to Regina's house, where he demands she come out. When she does, Regina asks if he will kill her. He responds by saying she must suffer first. He backs away when Regina attempts to cast a spell, but gets up in her face when the magic does not work. As he moves to strangle her, David shoves him away from her, stating that she will not die. Dr. Whale snarls at David that he is not HIS prince, but backs down. When asks just who he is, Dr. Whale responds that is his business. ("Broken")

Trivia

 * He appears to be pursuing a relationship with Mary Margaret, despite his apparent boredom during their first date. In The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, he is revealed to have sent her a bouquet of flowers after it is stated that he and Mary Margaret had a "one night stand".
 * His literary counter-part will be revealed in Season Two.