I'll Be Your Mirror

"Regina: Now, we can't hurt the Queen, but maybe we can trap her. Emma: In a mirror? Regina: In the world behind the mirror."

- Regina Mills and Emma Swan

"I'll Be Your Mirror" is the eighth episode of Season Six of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Jerome Schwartz & Leah Fong, and directed by Jennifer Lynch. It is the one-hundredth and nineteenth episode of the series overall, and premiered on November 13, 2016.

Synopsis
Emma and Regina formulate a plan to trap the Evil Queen in a prison of their own making, while Snow and David adjust to life without each other. As Henry nervously prepares to take Violet to the school dance, the Evil Queen impersonates Regina to give him some advice that could lead him down a dark path. Meanwhile, Zelena agrees to help Belle, and together they enlist Aladdin to steal a magical object from Mr. Gold that could protect Belle and her unborn child from him forever.

Starring

 * Ginnifer Goodwin as Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan
 * Lana Parrilla as Regina Mills/Evil Queen (Serum)
 * Josh Dallas as David Nolan
 * Emilie de Ravin as Belle French
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Rebecca Mader as Zelena
 * Robert Carlyle as Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * Deniz Akdeniz as Aladdin
 * Karen David as Princess Jasmine
 * Beverley Elliott as Granny
 * Tzi Ma as the Dragon
 * Olivia Steele Falconer as Violet

Co-Starring

 * David Avalon (Press release only)
 * Gabe Khouth as Mr. Clark

Uncredited

 * Unknown baby as Prince Neal

Trivia

 * -|Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * The title card features the World Behind the Mirror.
 * The title of this episode was revealed by Adam Horowitz via his Twitter account on September 14, 2016.
 * When Emma and Regina confront the Evil Queen at the beach, two swans are swimming in the water. This is a reference to Emma's last name.
 * At the end of the episode, Aladdin and Jasmine are talking about their old friend, the Genie, who is gone and free now. This is a reference to the late Robin Williams, who voiced the Genie in Disney's Aladdin.


 * -|Episode Connections=

Event Chronology

 * The Storybrooke events take place after "Heartless".
 * The World Behind the Mirror events take place after Sidney Glass is freed from the Mirror by Ingrid in "Breaking Glass".

Episode Connections

 * The Evil Queen says to Henry that "posture is self-respect", just like she did in "The Other Shoe".
 * Violet mentions her first date with Henry, an event that took place in "Dreamcatcher".


 * -|Cultural References=

Disney

 * When Aladdin steals from Mr. Gold, a cymbal-banging monkey toy is sitting on the pawnshop counter. This is a reference to Abu, Aladdin's monkey in the movie, who was turned into a cymbal-banging monkey toy by Jafar.
 * Aladdin says that the genie was freed from the lamp, a reference to the events of the movie.

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode features the Evil Queen from the Snow White fairytale, the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story, Captain Hook from the Peter Pan story, and Aladdin and the Princess from the One Thousand and One Nights story.
 * Hephaestus's hammer from Greek Mythology appears, while Hephaestus himself is mentioned.

Popular Culture

 * The song playing during the montage scene with David and Mary Margaret is "Colours" by Donovan.
 * According to Henry, Violet "stood him up for John Hughes movie night twice". He then says that they watched The Breakfast Club together, and they were going to watch Sixteen Candles next (to show Violet his "fun side"). The Breakfast Club (1985) is a classic coming-of-age comedy-drama directed by John Hughes, while Sixteen Candles (1984) is a famous coming-of-age comedy by the same director.
 * Later, Violet says that she has a hard time adjusting to school, comparing it to the movies that Henry showed her. She wonders if she is "a jock, a princess or a nerd", a reference to The Breakfast Club, a story about five high school students who represent different stereotypes - a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal.
 * Henry tells the Evil Queen that she "can't Darth Vader him" and adds, "I'll never join you". This is a reference to the famous scene from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, where Darth Vader asks his son Luke Skywalker to join him, and Luke answers, "I'll never join you!"
 * The queen answers that they "watched those movies enough to know that Darth Vader wasn't so black and white"; a reference to Anakin Skywalker's story from the Star Wars saga.
 * The song Henry and Violet are dancing to at the diner is "In My Dreams" by Ruth B.


 * -|Set Notes=

Props Notes

 * The mirror that the Evil Queen uses to trap Emma and Regina, is the same mirror that the genie kept with him inside his lamp in "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree"; the same mirror that he showed the Evil Queen in the same episode.
 * The mirror that Regina finds in Sidney's nest is the World Behind the Mirror version of the mirror that he first appeared in, in "The Thing You Love Most", and where she trapped him in "A Tale of Two Sisters".
 * The genie lamp that Aladdin steals from Mr. Gold's pawnshop is the same prop that was used for the Magic Mirror's lamp in "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree", but with differently colored jewels. The same lamp was in Mr. Gold's shop in "Heart of Darkness", "Welcome to Storybrooke" and Mr. Gold's dream in "Lacey".
 * In addition, one of Cyrus' brothers' genie lamps in the Once Upon a Time in Wonderland episode "Dirty Little Secrets" is the same prop as the magic mirror's lamp, again with differently colored jewels.

Set Dressing

 * One of the mirrors in the World Behind the Mirror is the same prop that was used for the mirror that Zelena looks into in the Dark Castle in "It's Not Easy Being Green", and Zelena's mirror in Oz in "Our Decay" and "Ruby Slippers". It is best seen in the shot where Regina says, "There is no way out", where the mirror can be seen behind her.

Costume Notes

 * The dress worn by the Evil Queen when meeting with Mr. Gold at the end of the episode is the same one worn by her original persona when conversing with Rumplestiltskin about Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding in "The Cricket Game".


 * -|Other Notes=

Filming Locations

 * The Storybrooke beach scenes were filmed in Garry Point Park, a large 75 acres waterfront park, located close to Steveston Village.