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Cyrus and Alice, you two are now one. May you live happily ever after.

—The White Rabbit

"And They Lived..." is the thirteenth episode and series finale of ABC's Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. It was written by Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis and Zack Estrin and directed by Kari Skogland. It premiered on April 3, 2014.

Synopsis

The all-powerful Jafar succeeds in making his father love him and forcing Anastasia into thinking she loves him. After Alice, Amara and Cyrus escape, Jafar imprisons the Jabberwocky and calls upon an army of dead soldiers to do his bidding. Meanwhile, Alice and the White Rabbit raise their own army to fight Jafar for the realm and a final confrontation between Alice and Jafar takes place at the Well of Wonders.[2]

Recap

This section is a detailed recap of this episode. There are major spoilers. Click to expand.

Above the triangle in which the three genies' lamps have been arranged, a gigantic ball of lightning rages in the center of the Red Queen's throne room as Jafar and Amara's spell to change the laws of magic comes into fruition. Jafar, eyes still aglow, embraces the spell wholly as it completes, while Amara appears much less enthusiastic from the other side of things. Meanwhile, Alice crouches beside Cyrus' dead body, kissing his hand and rubbing his chest in the hopes that he will wake up. The spell reaches its climax before the ball of lightning fades, along with the light in Jafar's eyes, and the laws of magic are finally changed for the two sorcerers who broke them. "It is done," says the evil wizard, but all Amara can think about is her son. She utters his name and turns to him, seeing Alice crouched over his body and rushing to do the same. Alice asks her fiancé's mother if she's able to help him, and Jafar, hearing this, assures the young woman that of course she can, explaining that Amara and he are now the two most powerful sorcerers in the world. "There's just one problem," he says, using his magic to lift a shard of the mirror off the ground, aiming it at his old staff's back, "I've never been good at sharing." He prepares to kill her, but the Sultan orders his son to stop, and the mirror shard falls to the floor and smashes.

Jafar is shocked to see his father enter the throne room, and the old prisoner declaims that there has already been enough death, adding that the way to show true power is with mercy. "Like the mercy, you showed the boy who came to you looking for his father's love?" Jafar asks, referring to himself (see "Bad Blood"). The Sultan shakes his head, explaining that love was not something he could give to him; he had to earn it. Jafar tells his father that he's grown tired of this argument, but, lucky for him, he won't be having it ever again. He's no longer bound by the laws of magic, as such, he can have whatever he wants. The Sultan wonders what that entails, and his son replies that it's the same thing he's been wanting since he was ten years old. "Haven't you learned?" the old man exclaims, "I'm never going to..." He is cut off by his son, whose eyes glow white as he raises a hand, working his newfound powers over his father. The Sultan's demeanor is altered as he now looks at the man before him with love in his eyes, greeting him by name and smiling. He walks towards him, embracing his raised hand with both of his own, and acknowledges that he is his son, kissing said hand. He then tells the powerful sorcerer how proud of him he is, kissing his hand again, and goes on to say that he's everything a father could ask for and that his life was empty before he arrived.

He touches his son's face and tells him that he loves him, much to Jafar's satisfaction. The Sultan then kisses his son's forehead, and Jafar drinks in every second of this moment, then explains to his father that while he is pleased to feel this affection, it's not quite all that he's wanted from him. "Tell me what you desire," says the Sultan, "I shall provide it for you." With that, Jafar reveals that what he wants is for his father to know how it feels to be murdered by someone he loves. The Sultan then looks frightened, and Jafar flourishes his hand once more, making it so that water begins to pour from his father's ears and mouth. The old man begins falling to the floor, choking as he calls his son's name, but Jafar shows no mercy, taking satisfaction in watching his father drown to death. And then he throws his lifeless body to the ground, pausing for a moment before wondering where he was... and then he remembers that he was about to kill Amara. However, when he turns around, he is shocked to discover that Amara, Alice, and Cyrus have all disappeared. "Where are they?" he utters, anger biting his words.

Alice and Amara drag Cyrus through the halls of the Red Queen's castle when the former points out that Jafar will be after them, lamenting the fact that they still have a long way to go and can't carry him there. As they lay their shared loved one down on the ground, Amara assures her future daughter-in-law that they're not going to be, waving a hand and summoning Jafar's magic carpet. "We're going to fly him there," she reveals, advising Alice to hold on tight as the carpet soars towards them.

Jafar enters the Red Queen's smoky dungeon, calling out for the Jabberwocky. He has the Vorpal Blade in tow, and again calls out his servant's name, saying that he knows she's in there and wants her to tell him what he's afraid of now. The Jabberwocky then emerges, appearing in front of him, and begins to read the fears of the powerful sorcerer, soon concluding in answer to his requests, "You're afraid of nothing..." "And that is what ultimate power is," he tells her, beginning to approach her with the blade. She looks scared as he backs her into the wall, and it isn't long until he shoves the sword through her midsection and pins her there, making her scream with pain as he does so. He lets go of the blade, and she remains stuck in position, watching as he begins to walk away. "And what about you, Jafar?" she asks, making him turn back around, "What'll you do with all your power?" "Isn't it obvious?" he asks in turn, "Anything I want." He then blows the Jabberwocky a kiss goodbye, plunging her and the rest of the dungeon into darkness.

A candle is lit in the White Rabbit's home as Mrs. Rabbit asks Amara what she needs, informing her that she's got willow root, hot towels, and sap to close up the wound. However, Amara, who lays her son's body down on the floor, assures the woodland creature that she doesn't need anything. Mrs. Rabbit begins to tell the "lady" that she's been doing this a long time; her mom taught her, whose own mother taught her. She stops talking when she notices what Amara is doing: rubbing her hands together and creating a ball of white light out of magic, which she then relocates into Cyrus' mouth. Alice watches as her fiancé's mother works the ball of light through his body, lifting it out through the wound in his chest, which heals. The ball is then extinguished by Amara, and Mrs. Rabbit concedes, "Well if you're gonna do it that way..." Cyrus' unconscious face is wiped clean by his mother, while Alice holds his hand. His hand soon stirs, and Alice appears excited. He then takes a deep breath, alive, and the two women who love him most smile at one another. It then occurs to Alice that she hasn't introduced herself, doing so by giving her name. Amara gives hers in response, saying that she's Cyrus' mother, and Alice assures the powerful sorceress that she knows who she is.

"Don't mind me," the White Rabbit exclaims, "I'm just the owner of the house where now both of you have been saved! Now we have matching bloodstains on the carpet..." (see "Home"). Mrs. Rabbit advises Percy to calm down, but he sarcastically asks who needs a photo album when they've got this: "Look, kids, this is where Alice almost died, and, ooh look, here's where Cyrus' spleen fell out!" He is ushered out of the room by his wife, who tells him to take it easy, and Amara tells her son's true love that she's been meaning to thank her for everything she's done for Cyrus. Alice assures her that she didn't do anything, but Amara says that this is nonsense, for she saw the bravery she showed and the pain on her son's face when he thought he'd never see her again. "He's lucky to have found you," she finishes, to which Alice replies, "We're lucky to have found each other." Amara then suggests that the young woman save a little bit of that luck for what comes next, causing Alice to grow confused, wondering what it is that comes next. "We take down Jafar," Amara tells her, "Once and for all." Eavesdropping, the White Rabbit wonders what she means when she says "we", and she informs him that it's going to take all of them. The rabbit's ears droop out of fear, and Amara turns to Alice, who nods.

Jafar pulls the cork from Will's bottle, causing him to emerge within the triangle of genies' containers in a flurry of orange smoke. He asks the evil wizard what the "bloody hell" he wants, and Jafar, re-corking the bottle, guesses that Will doesn't have a very high opinion of him. "It'd be hard to have a lower one," Will assures him, trying to step out of the triangle; but, he finds that it acts as a force-field, keeping him contained, and Jafar continues the conversation, telling the Knave that he might be surprised to learn that he's had a change of heart, so, even though he didn't return his staff as they agreed, he's still going to hold up his end of the bargain. "I've changed the second law of magic for you, Will Scarlet. And I have brought a very special someone... back from the dead." Following this introduction, Anastasia enters her throne room, alive and well and smiling. She greets Will, who remains stunned, uttering her name in return as he becomes overwhelmed with joy. He asks if it's her, bumping into the force field as he tries to step closer, and she assures him that it is. He says that he never thought he'd see her again, before turning to Jafar and saying that he doesn't know why he did this, but thank him, nonetheless. Jafar tells him that that's not. Will insists that it is. Jafar insists further that it's not and suggests to Ana that it's time they "tell him". "Tell me what?" Will asks his true love, but she remains silent, allowing Jafar to explain that he said he'd bring her back but didn't say that everything would be the same. With that Ana reveals that she loves another, and Will grows confused, wondering who. Jafar then extends his hand and Anastasia takes it, allowing him to say to Will, "Who do you think?" before she kisses him. Will appears heartbroken by this.

Act II

Anastasia and Jafar exchange another kiss as Will watches from the confines of the triangle he's imprisoned in. He yells in anger, trying to step out of the triangle but failing due to the implemented force-field. When he realizes there's no putting a stop to what's happening, he punches the invisible wall, watching as the evil wizard becomes intimate with his true love. "So that's what this is all about..." the Knave utters, "You changed the laws of magic so that you could torment me?" Jafar and Ana both turn to him, their faces touching, and the former answers, saying that it's a happy consequence. He gives his new consort a quick peck on the lips before approaching Will and informing him that what he has in mind is far greater. Will wonders if he needs Anastasia's help to do it, but Jafar says, "Not just hers." With that, he raises his hand, and, again, his eyes glow white - his magic is being worked.

As a result of Jafar's spell, the dead soldiers of Wonderland - buried in a graveyard where the graves are shaped like the knights of a chessboard, each one marked with the words, "He died a soldier" - begin to rise from their resting places. The earth begins to break as a hand rises through it, reaching upwards, desperate for escape. Similar cases begin to happen all around, and, soon enough, whole bodies rise from the ground, alive once more. Many of the soldiers are still dressed in armor and it isn't long before Jafar's resurrected an entire army for himself.

Cyrus, with a torch, leads his mother and his fiancée through the Wonderland woods at nighttime. Amara wonders where it is they're going, and Alice tells her that they're headed back to the palace, for with Amara's magic they can confront Jafar head-on, fight fire with fire. Amara says that all that does is ensure everyone gets burned, adding that she and Cyrus were right before in saying that the only way to defeat him is by returning the stolen water to the Well of Wonders because that will break the genies' curse and Jafar will lose his magic. "And so will you," Cyrus points out, but Amara tells him that it's the only way. The three of them come to a stop as Alice argues that they need to go along with her plan if they want to save the Red Queen. Amara tells her that they can't, but Alice laments that they made a promise to Will. The powerful sorceress explains to her future daughter-in-law that the laws of magic are in place for a reason, but Alice refuses to accept the idea that they're going to give up on Ana.

Cyrus asks her if she'd rather give up on Will, pointing out that in saving the Queen they risk losing him. He asks his true love if she's prepared to do that, and, finally, Alice shakes her head. She then instructs Cyrus to take his mother to the well, leading Amara to ask if Alice isn't coming with them, however, Alice explains that they have to split up, going on to say that this may disarm Jafar but it won't defeat him; she'll take the White Rabbit and she'll gather as many soldiers as she can - the Sun will be their queue, the moment it awakens in the sky the water should be returned to the well, and then the castle will be stormed, Jafar will be taken down and the Knave and Cyrus' brothers will be rescued... and then she and Cyrus will find each other. "Again," he nods, and she smiles, as does Amara. Alice then tells the two of them to go, but, before she leaves, Cyrus takes her by the hand and assures her that this isn't goodbye, gesturing the engagement ring on her finger and reminding her that it's a promise, and he always makes good on his promises. The two of them share a loving kiss before parting ways.

Jafar's resurrected soldiers line up in the graveyard. Jafar walks amongst them as his guards begin handing out swords and other weapons, and he greets the awakened soldiers as his friends, welcoming them back to the land of the living. He then introduces himself by name and tells them that it is he they must thank; he to whom they now owe a debt; but they are to worry not, for they won't be in debt for long because the time has come to pay up. He asks why he has bestowed this gift upon them, before answering himself by saying that this land whose air they now breathe again is in danger, and they must preserve it, and, along with it, their lives. He adds that the task before them is dangerous but simple: locate the sorceress Amara, wherever she hides; she is all that stands between them and continued life. But they are to be warned, for she has allies. He tells them that if they come across any such allies then they are to be brought to him and all scores will be settled. "But know this!" he finishes, "If anything or anyone gets in your way, the solution is the same. Whatever the obstacle, break it! Burn it! Kill it! Bring Wonderland to its knees!" The men raise their weapons in the air, cheering for their new leader.

At the start of Act 3, Alice hikes through the Wonderland Forest backed by a group of villagers she's gathered up to act as soldiers in the fight against Jafar; she has been kitted out with light armor and a shield. She senses something and halts her group with a signal, causing them to grow wary, but then she gives the signal that tells them to keep moving, and they do. The White Rabbit stands beside Alice and tells her that the men are nervous, to which she asks if he is too. He responds by saying that he wishes they made armor in his size, and Alice suggests that he scout the path ahead while she speaks to the men. The Rabbit turns off and walks away, and Alice positions herself on the crevice of a tree, acting as a pedestal of sorts. "Everyone please listen to me!" she exclaims, garnering everyone's attention:

Jafar's palace lies just beyond these trees. What comes next is difficult, I won't lie to you. It will be dangerous. Anyone afraid has every right to leave now, and I encourage you to do so. Because what's at stake is too important to leave in the hands of those who are unsure. You must be resolute. You must be brave. You must be strong. For tonight, we don't just fight for ourselves, we fight for the ones who are waiting for us to come home when it's all over. We fight for the ones that we love. We fight for our home. We fight for Wonderland!

The crowd cheer at her speech, and she finishes by saying that they strike at sunrise. Meanwhile, Cyrus continues to lead Amara through the woods with a flaming torch, and she comments that Alice is quite brave. He asks if it's because she's leading an army, but she says that it's because she talked back to her future mother-in-law, causing Cyrus to grow amused and tell his mother that his fiancée speaks her mind. This Amara can gather, and she says that she approves. Cyrus is happy to hear this, and it isn't long before they arrive at the entrance to the Well of Wonders: two red doors, guarded by a White Knight. Cyrus conceives that they're close, and he and his mother begin approaching, the former knowing which door is the correct one to pass through (see "Dirty Little Secrets").

Alice and co. approach the Red Queen's castle. One of the men snaps twigs beneath his feet, making too much noise, and so Alice turns around and shushes him. Their slow approach continues, and Alice calls out for the White Rabbit, not knowing where he's gotten to. There's an eerie silence. Alice looks alarmed. One of Jafar's arisen soldiers jumps out at her out of nowhere and manages to push her to the ground, roaring like a maniac as he does so. He and his comrade, who jumps out of nowhere, try to kill her with their weapons, but she manages to dodge them as, meanwhile, more and more of these men approach and begin to do battle with the small army that Alice has gathered. Blades clash and Alice holds her own pretty well, attacking the two men who jumped her with a shield. The battle is on.

As Cyrus and Amara approach the Well of Wonders, Jafar's army surrounds them. Using his torch as defense, Cyrus beckons them all to stay back.

Meanwhile, Alice uses a sword to pulverize her adversaries. One creeps up behind her but she's able to sense him and duck under the swing of his sword, turning around not getting decapitated. A large weapon of his then clashes with her shield while his sword clashes with hers, and she shakes him off, causing him to fall backward. She then kicks at another soldier as more begin to surround her and she continues to fight.

Back at the Well, Jafar's men close in on Amara and her son. Wielding the flaming torch, Cyrus tells them that this is their last chance, but they are not. The former genie then turns to his mother and says that they warned them, and so she wields her magic, making her hand glow purple, and causes all their weapons to drop from their hands. She then forces them to draw their swords from their sheaths and aim them at themselves, before she lowers their fist and makes it so that they all stab themselves through the belly. They collapse to the ground, dead. Cyrus worries about Alice, pointing out that she has no magic and so won't stand a chance. They continue approaching the red doors, knowing they must hurry.

As Alice knocks a fiend to the ground she turns and sees that they're slaughtering her army, most of whom are now dead and being stabbed down on the ground. She is affected by this, but this moment of sorrow is to her misfortune, for it allows Jafar's soldiers to corner and seize her. She tries fighting them and does pretty well, but her shield is soon knocked from her hand and her sword is dropped at some point. They grab her by both arms, and she screams and writhes in protest, being dragged away to the Red Queen's Castle as the men she's been fighting regroup. The White Rabbit emerges from behind a tree, worried for his friend.

Jafar's resurrect soldiers force Alice through the halls of the Red Queen's castle. They throw her down to the floor of the throne room, alarming Will, who gets to his feet, panicked, within his triangle. Jafar rises for his prisoner, leaving Anastasia lying down on one of her lush sofas, and he approaches the young, disheveled warrior. She gets to her feet and faces him, unfazed... and then she tries to punch him in the face. Yet, Jafar extends his arm and uses his magic to keep her fist stuck in position, unable to power forward. A chair then moves across the room, hitting Alice in the knees and causing her to fall into it. The two men who dragged her in then tie her wrists to the armrests with rope, and she struggles against them to no avail. Will watches, horrified, while Jafar approaches Ana. Sipping a glass of wine, the Red Queen comments that Alice always has had spirit, and Alice is shocked to see that Anastasia is alive. The Red Queen sarcastically commends her on her amazing powers of observation, before kissing her beloved Jafar yet again.

Alice is disgusted and asks what's going on, and Will explains to his friend that Jafar brought Ana back, but now she's under the impression that they're in love. They make out and Alice can't watch, grossed out, but Jafar soon turns his attention back to her. Standing before the chair she's bound to, he requests that she tell him where he could find Amara, to which she asks if he expects her to help him. He smirks and asks her in turn if she knows what the laws of magic are; the things that can never be done. "You can't bring back the dead," Alice begins to list off, to which Jafar says, "Check." "You can't make someone fall in love," she continues, again met with, "Check." But she has trouble remembering the third, and it isn't long before the powerful sorcerer exclaims, "You can't change the past!" Until now, that is. He explains that he can reach back into what should be immovable, beautiful memories and twist them. He then crouches in front of her so that he's at eye-level with his prisoner and wonders what he should change; what means the most to her.

A tear leaks from her eye, and Anastasia watches, bored, as this transpires. Jafar assures the girl that he's going to see to it that she never met Cyrus, which means she'll never have come back to Wonderland, never have met her true love, and be back in that awful place, England. She weeps as he walks around her and continues in saying that she'll go back to being an ignored, unloved, and lonely little girl. He then grabs her hand and forces the engagement ring off of her finger, to her protest. Holding it out in front of her, he says that what this trinket symbolizes will never have come to pass, and he drops it into Anastasia's empty wine glass. "You've already experienced what it's like to have loved and lost," he goes on, again crouching before her, "Now it's time for a new heartbreak, the worst kind... to have never loved at all." He stands up, an evil smile plastered across his face, while Alice sits there, devastated and fearing the very worst.

At the start of Act Four, Jafar twirls Alice's engagement ring around in Anastasia's wine glass as she looks up at him, still disheveled and fearful. He approaches her and says that it doesn't have to be this way, for Amara is the one that he wants, so all Alice has to do is tell him where she is, and all that she and Cyrus have fought for lives on. If she makes him wait any longer, it will all vanish. As he says this, he tips the wineglass and pours out the ring, causing it to disappear into thin air. Alice continues to cry. Will, sitting in his triangle, tells his friend that it's over, advising her to tell Jafar what he wants to know and save herself. Anastasia continues to lie bored on her sofa, while her faux love tells Alice that she should listen to the Knave; there's no sense in fighting a battle she can't win, and all she can do now is keep from losing the one person who matters the most to her. She clenches her ring-less fist and finally makes eye contact with her captor, telling him to go ahead and change the past. After all this, Jafar says he would have thought Alice's love meant more to her than that, and she assures him that her and Cyrus' love means everything to her. He then suggests that she's underestimating his power, but she insists that he's underestimating hers.

He steps closer and Will stands up as Alice explains that the love she and Cyrus have is more powerful than any magic; no matter what he does to her, he will never change the fact that he will never feel true love for himself. "And her?" Jafar asks, gesturing the Red Queen, but Alice says that it's an illusion; a lie - like his father's love, and his army. She goes on to say that all he has is parlor tricks; spells that will never match up to the real thing. "Enough," Jafar proclaims, going to sit beside Anastasia and embracing her in an attempt to prove the girl wrong, but Alice again tells him to go ahead and do it, asserting that all the magic in the world can never make him feel what she has felt. "Real love... true love... cannot be destroyed. That is why you, Jafar... will never win." Two of Jafar's guards enter the throne room with news of Amara - she was headed through a pair of red doors, an hour's ride due East of the palace. Jafar asks if she was alone, but the sentry says no, revealing that a young man was with her. The powerful sorcerer wonders why he was not brought to him, as asked, and the sentry tries excusing himself on the basis that the sorceress used magic against them, but then Jafar uses his magic against the sentry, choking him out in an instant.

He comments that it is so hard to resurrect good help these days, turning his attention back to Alice and requesting, before he does something more painful to her, that she tells him of these two red doors, wanting to know where Amara's headed. Alice stays silent, and, in that case, Jafar walks away and beckons his "darling". Anastasia comes running and Jafar tells her that Alice thinks her love is an illusion; a lie, but she says this is nonsense. Jafar couldn't agree more and instructed that she show them what true love and devotion means and tell him where these red doors lead. "No! Please! He'll kill them!" Alice begs, and Will adds, "Don't tell him, Ana." She smiles evilly and reveals to her faux love that Amara and Cyrus are headed for the Well of Wonders, which is a great source of magic. Alice and Will convey great disappointment, and Jafar asks the Red Queen where he's to find this Well. She tells him that it's East of the palace, past the Grumbling Woods, before kissing him. Jafar then stares at Alice, saying that he'll see her soon, before leaving to put an end to Amara.

At the Well of Wonders, Cyrus and Amara hope that what they're about to do will work. He crouches before the water, but Amara tells him to stop. He tells her in turn that he has to summon the Nyx, but she assures him that there's no need, for she already knows she's there. Cyrus looks to his mother, wearisome, and backs away from the Well, standing beside her. They both watch in anticipation as the water bubbles, ready for the Nyx to rise out of it.

Back at the Red Queen's castle, Alice remains tied to a chair whilst Will, still trapped in a triangular force-field, ponders what is to happen if Amara and Cyrus don't make it. Alice turns to him and says they will, but again he asks what if they don't. Anastasia, who sits on a nearby stool, back faced to them, a book on her lap and a wineglass in her hand, advises them to give it up, commenting that Cyrus is likely already dead. Alice doesn't recall talking to the Red Queen, to which she says, putting her wineglass down, that she shouldn't talk at all then. She flicks through the pages of her spell book as Will watches her, then stares into the hallway where the White Rabbit emerges from behind a pillar. The Knave is surprised, and nods for the magical rodent to come forth. He does so, making his way into the room, and Alice becomes knowing of him as Will stands up and addresses Anastasia in an attempt to distract her. He wonders if he may ask her a question, and she wonders in turn what he wants. As the Rabbit dashes over to Alice and begins to untie the ropes that bind her, Will requests that Ana fetch him a jug of water. Or wine. She refuses to fetch him anything, placing her book down on the table and turning around, seeing the Rabbit as he attempts in vain to free his friend. Getting to her feet, she orders the creature to stay away from Alice, for she's a prisoner of her love, and Will says that he knows what she feels for Jafar seems real to her ("It is real!" she insists), but it's a trick; a one-sided mind game; she had real love once, so she knows it's not that simple.

She argues that it can be, but he argues otherwise, telling her unequivocally that true love is messy; it means arguing and making up and laughing and crying and struggling and sometimes it doesn't seem worth it... but it is. And at the end, when you're in love, no matter what happens, you forgive each other; "I forgive you, Ana, for what you did to me... because I love you. And if there's any part of you that has a shred of love left for me then please... help us." She tells him that he speaks some lovely words, but that's all they are, and she knows what she feels. He tells her that what she feels is a curse inflicted upon her by Jafar. She approaches him, asking, "If what I feel isn't love... then what is?" "This," he says, forcing his hand through the force-field that contains him and reaching out to her. He grabs her by the waist, pulls her close, and kisses her, releasing a burst of true love that makes her stumble backward and puts her back in her right mind. She stares at him with recognition in her eyes and says that if they want to stop Jafar, then they've got to hurry up. He smiles and tries approaching, only to crash into his force field yet again, causing her to giggle. She then unties Alice from the chair and the Rabbit watches from behind a foot stall, his ears un-drooping as he smiles. It isn't long before Alice is free, and Will says, about his true love, "She's back."

At the start of Act Five, Nyx rises from the Well of Wonders. Amara stands before her alongside Cyrus, saying that she surrenders herself; she surrenders the water to restore balance and free her sons. "Then step forward," the Nyx invites, and Amara unfastens and removes her cloak, placing it down on the ground before smiling at her son and approaching the Well. But Cyrus grabs her, preventing her from being up to go any further, and says that he can't let her do it. She turns to him, touched him, and takes his hand in hers, kissing it with tears in her eyes as she begs him to please let her go. Cyrus pauses, tears in his own eyes, and nods, allowing his mother to proceed, and she does so with a heavy heart. The Nyx raises her arms in preparation to relinquish the water. But a stream of blue light latches itself to Amara's back and pulls her backward. She squeals, and we soon see that the culprit is Jafar, who's emanating this blue light from his hand, using it to drag his old teacher towards him. Cyrus tries grabbing onto her, to stop her from going, but he isn't strong enough.

He soon concedes and draws a dagger from his waist, approaching Jafar with it, and the powerful sorcerer ceases the dragging of Amara to send a flash of magic in Cyrus' direction, causing the former genie to fall. Amara, meanwhile, attempts to crawl towards the Well, but it isn't long until Jafar's magic again latches onto her, and he exclaims that she's gone far enough. With that, he terminates the stream, causing a sort of whiplash motion within Amara and snapping her back. She falls, dead, and Cyrus crouches beside her, hoping she's alright. "Amara was right," Jafar announces, "The only way this ends is when one of us dies." (see "To Catch a Thief")

Cyrus turns to the sorcerer and decrees that this is not the end; not yet. Jafar says that Amara made her bed, and now it appears she died in it. It is then that Cyrus turns his attention back to his mother's body and begins to notice the water leaking from her hand, and then, in a few moments, she turns to water, melting down into a large puddle.

Jafar tells Cyrus, who gets to his feet and faces him, that he knows about the Well and the power it contains, and so he wonders what the former genie thought he could do by coming there. He remains silent. Jafar concludes that since Cyrus isn't telling him what he wants to know, there's no point in keeping him alive. He prepares to throw his magic at the young man and kill him. The ground beneath his feet ruptures and he's sent flying backward. From the hole created by the explosion, Alice rises from the White Rabbit's portal. Seeing her true love, she utters his name as she draws her sword. The Rabbit waves a hand over his portal, thus cutting it off. Alice tries running towards Cyrus, but she's frozen in place by Jafar, who's back in the game. He says that if she came there to defeat him then she should have brought more than a sword and a rabbit. He uses his fists to make the White Rabbit go flying off into the wilderness. Alice and Cyrus both worry for him.

"It's not me who's going to defeat you," Alice promises the grand villain, before ushering Cyrus to return the water to the Well. He gets a handful of the puddle that used to be his mother and carries it to the Nyx, who's sunken back down, and says that he returns this water to her as he drops it in. Once he lets go, the water stops in midair as a result of Jafar's magic. He then summons it over to himself and hovers it above his hand in a ball, fascinated. "That's interesting," he admits, "Let me guess, this water goes in the Well, and the genies' curse breaks. Is that how she thought this would go?" And then he claps the water between his hands, allowing it to dissipate as he says, "I thought so." As he wipes his palms of the stuff, he remarks that it's a pity Amara's no longer around to see her "best-laid plan", before moving so that he's standing face-to-face with Alice. Now that he's stolen her water, he's curious about what she plans to do next, but she says that she plans to do nothing. "Nothing?" he questions, and she confirms this by saying, "That's right, Jafar. I plan to do nothing. I told you it wasn't me who was going to defeat you because you didn't steal that water from me... you stole it from her." In penance, she turns him into a genie, defeating him once and for all.

With this declaration, Jafar turns around to see the Nyx once more rising from the Well, and she tells the powerful sorcerer, "This water was not yours to take. You've let your desires override the fates. Now your fate will be to serve to desires of others." Thunder and lightning thrash about the sky in her presence, and as she outstretches her arm and turns it, her magic is worked on Jafar. He lifts his arms to discover that magical binds have appeared on his wrists, and he screams in defiance, attempting to run at Alice and harm her before shrinking into a flurry of orange smoke and being forced into the genie's bottle that now rests on the ground. Jafar, now powerless, stands within his bottle and begins thrashing around, screaming more and more, but it's too late. His fate as a genie is sealed and, in a blue flash, the bottle he's now confined to forevermore disappears to somewhere unknown. Jafar has been defeated. The Nyx then emanates a giant burst of blue magic from her chest, thus undoing all that was done by Jafar since he cast the spell to break the laws of magic. A massive earthquake is unleashed amongst Wonderland.

In the Red Queen's castle, chess pieces and boards and other examples of Anastasia's possessions fall to the floor as the whole palace rocks. Taj and Rafi are released from their bottles, which are no longer their prisons - and neither is Will's. He sits there, free from his triangular force-field, and from being a genie, and he watches as Cyrus' brothers come to realize that they're free. They hug to commemorate the end of the curse, and Will gets to his feet, announcing that everything Jafar did has been undone. They stare at him, confused, and wonder who he is, but he doesn't have time to answer, for he remembers Anastasia. He turns to where she should be and sees her lying on the ground. He rushes over to her, but it's too late. Once again, she is dead.

At the Well of Wonders, Alice and Cyrus exchange a heartfelt hug, joyous that the battle is over, and that they won, as the Nyx watches from the center of her waters. The engaged couple then shares a passionate kiss and stare into each other's eyes, before the White Rabbit creeps out from amidst the plant life, having survived Jafar's brutal attack. He wonders what happened, and Alice tells him that they did it; "It's over." The Nyx has now sunken back down. Alice and Cyrus share yet another kiss, and he proceeds to lift her in celebration.

Act Six begins with Cyrus running towards the Red Queen's throne room, happy to see that his brothers, Taj and Rafi, are free from the genies' curse. They run over to him, and hugs are exchanged, their bottles lay on the flood. Taj asks Cyrus where their mother is. Rafi has an inkling that something bad has happened to her, and Cyrus is forced to tell them that she's gone, having given her life for theirs so that they may grow old together and build the family that she always dreamed of. Taj takes this to mean that all they've been through has been for nothing, but Cyrus assures him otherwise, saying that it was for everything. As they walk away together, the shot carries us down to one of Anastasia's chess boards: every piece stands tall, except the Queen, which has been knocked down.

Elsewhere in the castle, Anastasia lies dead on a pedestaled mattress in the center of an empty hall as Will sits beside her, looking glum. Alice enters, having been looking for him, but slows down when she sees the deceased Red Queen. Will says that she did the right thing at the end, and, as she approaches, Alice agrees that of course, she did, because she loves him. He adds that he can't believe he's got to go through the pain of losing her all over again, and Alice tells him that it wasn't her time. He knows this, wishing they could have saved her, but Alice has adopted a smile now, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder as she reiterates that it wasn't her time. Cyrus enters with a canteen full of water in tow, and he reveals that it's from the Well of Wonders. As much as Will appreciates this and wants Ana back, he can't risk stealing from the Nyx. Cyrus assures him that the water isn't stolen but given from the guardian of the well. Alice explains that she said the Red Queen was meant to move on, but Anastasia's path is meant to continue, and Cyrus hands the canteen to Will so that he may pour the contents into his true love's mouth. He does this, wiping her lip when some of it spills away, and everyone watches for her to wake up. Soon enough, she takes a massive intake of breath, shocking Will but making him ecstatic all the same. He takes her hand and kisses it as she continues to breathe, her eyes now open, and she looks at him. "Morning, sleeping beauty," he greets, and she wonders what happened. Will tells her that it's a bit of a long story, and she smiles, saying that she's pretty sure she has the time to listen. Will then kisses her.

Alice and Cyrus can be seen standing on one of the castle's balconies, staring out at the beauty of Wonderland, when the former says that she thinks she's ready if her fiancé is also. He wonders what it is she's ready for, and she replies, "To leave Wonderland. To start a new adventure." He believes he is, causing Alice to smile, and he asks where they're headed next. "I was wondering the same thing," announces the White Rabbit, stepping out onto the balcony to join them, and Alice commends him on his perfect timing. He points out that perfect timing is his specialty, and she turns to Cyrus, suggesting that they go home. Cyrus takes her hand, ready to tackle this "new adventure".

Back home in England, Alice admires herself in a hand mirror. She is dressed in an extravagant white gown, ready for her wedding to Cyrus, and a big smile emerges on her face when her father, Edwin, enters the room. He smiles also and tells his daughter that she looks beautiful. She puts her hand mirror down on a nearby dressing table and grabs a bracelet, slotting it onto her wrist as she looks at herself in the wall mirror, her father standing behind her. She asks if it's time, and he says almost, taking her bracelet and helping her to fasten it as he divulges that, first, there's something he wants to say: "Alice, I couldn't be more pleased to have you back home, and I'm proud and happy to welcome Cyrus into our family." Joyous, Alice hugs her father, and he tells her that when he returned from their time together (see "Bad Blood"), he thought it must have been a dream, but he wants to thank her for proving to him that it was real. "Wonderland?" she asks, to which he says, "Forgiveness." She smiles again, and they turn back to the wall mirror.

The White Rabbit stands at the head of the altar, acting as the officiator for Cyrus and Alice's wedding. The groom stands to the left of him in a fine suit, being alerted by the woodland creature on the bride's presence. Will and Anastasia, having arrived together, turn to see her as well, as do Millie - Alice's half-sister -, and Tweedledum, thus ending their game of pat-a-cake. Alice enters the hall on her father's arm, smiling as she does so, dressed in her lovely white wedding dress. Other attendees include Cyrus' brothers Taj and Rafi, Alice's stepmother Sarah, and Mrs. Rabbit. At the end of the aisle, her father gives her away, and she hands her bouquet to Sarah as she takes Cyrus by the hand. Edwin takes a seat in the pews as everyone else sits down, and the Rabbit begins to officiate the ceremony. As Alice and Cyrus finally tie the knot, their close family and friends watch, looking happy for them. Most of them have smiles on their faces, except Sarah, who, upon seeing Mrs. Rabbit, becomes perturbed by all the zaniness happening around her. When the time comes, Will stands up with his hand pointed and jokes that he objects to the union, only to be pulled back down to his seat by a laughing Anastasia. The others laugh too, and the ceremony soon comes to an end, with Alice and Cyrus exchanging vows before placing rings on one another's fingers. Will looks to Anastasia, loving her as hard as ever, and Edwin begins to tear up as he watches his daughter embrace this magnificent milestone. And then we hear the Rabbit speak:

I believe this is the part where I'm supposed to say something about, 'For better or worse, in sickness and in health,' but... you've already been all those things and you survived. Not even death could do your part. That's actually true for most of you here, isn't it? So, I guess that all that's left to say is what everyone here already knows. Cyrus and Alice, you two are now one, may you live happily ever after. You may kiss the bride.

With that, Cyrus draws back his new wife's veil to reveal her cheerful face and he kisses her, which is met by cheers and claps from those in attendance, all of whom rise to their feet. The kiss finally comes to an end, having lasted a nice, long while, and then Alice and Cyrus smile; their faces close, staring lovingly into one another's eyes as husband and wife.

That night, outside the church, Rafi wishes Cyrus goodbye. Alice hugs Taj, being welcomed as his new sister-in-law. Tweedledum approaches Cyrus while Alice is approached by Will. She asks if he's headed back to Wonderland and he answers positively, saying that he's got a lot of fixing up to do. She nods, and he wonders if she'll come and visit. "Of course!" she exclaims, and Cyrus says, "Definitely," Tweedledum having gone off on his way. Anastasia then exits the building also, and Alice tells her and Will that they're both welcome there any time. Ana kisses her true love, smiling, and the White Rabbit calls out, with his wife on his arm, "Next train to Wonderland!" He adds that his paws are getting tired, and Mrs. Rabbit berates her husband for being a "party-pooper". Will laughs and the others smile, and Alice tells the Rabbit that she wants to thank him for all his help, but mostly for bringing her to Wonderland in the first place. The Rabbit tells her that many people have come and gone to Wonderland, but only the most special ones have ever discovered what it's truly about.

"Finding love," Alice says, her hand on Cyrus' arm, but the Rabbit amends her to say, "Finding yourself." He lovingly tells her to take care and walks away to join the other guests, who are waiting to head back home. Alice looks to Will and supposes that this is goodbye, but Anastasia tells her that it's more like "see you soon", and Alice smiles, hugging her friend while Ana hugs Cyrus. Will and Cyrus then hug, and so do Alice and Ana, and the latter and her partner soon begin heading off, while Alice and hers begin heading inside. Alice and Will both stop short and turn to one another, with the former telling her friend to wait. She then runs to him, and they exchange another heartfelt hug, knowing that it could be a while before they see each other again. She says that she wanted to thank him for everything and advises him to hold onto his heart this time. He nods and advises her likewise to hold onto her own. They then smile, and he walks away a second time. Alice stays behind to watch as everyone returns to Wonderland via the White Rabbit's portal, a bittersweet smile on her face. She then turns around and heads inside to where Cyrus is, taking the decorated door and happily shutting it behind herself.

"'And the White Queen and the White King loved each other very much, and together, with their rabbit friends, they filled the land with wonder once again," an older Alice reads to her daughter who sits atop her lap, both of them staring down at a book written by Alice, turned to a page containing a drawing of Will and Anastasia who rule benevolently as the White King and Queen. Alice's daughter smiles at the ending of the story, and she asks her mother what she's going to call it. Closing the book, Alice admits that she doesn't know, having hoped that her daughter would help her choose, and then the little girl suggests, "I think you should call it... Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Alice tells her that that's a splendid idea, and her young daughter goes on to ask if the story is true. "Every last word," Alice assures her, which confuses the little girl because she knows that the things that happened are impossible. Alice instills within her daughter some iconic words of wisdom: "Anything's possible in Wonderland." Cyrus then approaches with a teapot and cake in tow, and the little girl is excited to see her father, running towards him and taking the teapot to pour the tea herself. The happy family begins to have their outdoor dinner party together, and, as they do, the White Rabbit watches them from afar.


Cast[2]

Starring

Special Guest Star

Guest Starring

Co-Starring

Trivia

Title

Production Notes

Event Chronology

Disney

Fairytales and Folklore

  • This episode is a rendition of the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland story, focusing on Alice's adventures in Wonderland.
  • This episode features the Red Queen, Tweedledum and the Jabberwocky from the story's sequel Through the Looking-Glass, the genie, the magician and the sultan from the "Aladdin" story, and the nix from Germanic mythology.
  • The camera focuses on the Red Queen's chess pieces, a reference to the novel Through the Looking-Glass, where chess is the main theme. Similarly, the headstones in the cemetery are shaped like chess knights.
  • The White Rabbit remarks, "Perfect timing is my speciality", a reference to the novel, where the character worries about being too late.
  • When the Red Queen wakes up, Will says, "Morning, Sleeping Beauty", a reference to the titular character of the "Sleeping Beauty" fairytale.
  • Alice reads a book to her daughter, based on her own adventures in Wonderland. This is a reference to Chapter IV of the novel, where Alice thinks to herself, "When I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one! There ought to be a book written about me, that there ought! And when I grow up, I'll write one".
    • It is also a reference to the final passage of the novel, where Alice's older sister pictures Alice a grown woman who would "gather about her other little children, and make their eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale, perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago".
    • PAUSE AND READ: The handwritten page that Alice reads to her daughter[5] contains an excerpt from Chapter XII of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: "Alice's Evidence"[6] (words set in brackets are hidden behind Alice's illustrations, or missing):


'Unimportant, of course, I meant,' the King hastily
said, and went on to himself in an undertone,
'·important ·· unimportant ·· unimportant ·· important ··' as if he were
trying which word sounded best.
Some of the jury wrote it down 'important,' and
some 'unimportant.' Alice could see this, as she
was near enough to look over their slates; 'but it
doesn't matter a bit,' she thought to herself.
At this moment the King, who had been for
some time busily writing in his note-book, cackled
out 'Silence!' and read out from [his] book,
'Rule Forty-two. All persons more than [a mile] high to
leave the court.'
Everybody looked at Alice.
'I'm not a mile high,' said Alice.
['You are,' said] the King.
['Nearly two miles] high,' added the Queen.
['Well, I shan't go,] at any rate,' said Alice: 'besides, that's
[not a regular] rule: you invented it just now.'
['It's the oldest] rule in the book,' said the King.
['Then it ought] to be Number One,' said Alice.
[The King] turned pale, and shut his note-book hastily.
['Consider] your verdict,' he said to the jury, in a low, [trembling]
voice.
'There's more evidence to come yet, please your Majesty,'
said the White Rabbit, jumping up in a great hurry;

The rest of the text consists of the excerpt that Alice reads aloud to her daughter, an excerpt that does not appear in the novel:

The White Queen and the White King loved each
other very much, and together with their rabbit
friends, they filled the land with wonder once
again.


  • It is revealed that Will and Anastasia eventually became the White Queen and the White King from Through the Looking Glass.
  • At the end of the episode, Alice and her family are having a tea party in Victorian England, a reference to the Hatter's tea party from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
  • HIDDEN DETAILS: The toys sitting around the small dinner table reference the guests who attended the tea party in the novel: There is a brownish hare plushie (a reference to the March Hare), a mouse plushie (a reference to the Dormouse), a man in a hat doll (the Hatter), and a doll which looks similar to young Alice.[7]

Props Notes

Set Dressing

Costume Notes

Filming Locations

International Titles


Videos

References

  1. Thursday Final Ratings: ‘The Big Bang Theory’, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘Scandal’ & ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ Adjusted Up; ‘American Idol’, ‘The Millers’, ‘The Crazy Ones’ & ‘Elementary’ Adjusted Down. TV by the Numbers (April 4, 2013). “Once Upon A Time In Wonderland – Finale (...) 3.38”
  2. 2.0 2.1 LISTINGS: ONCE UPON A TIME IN WONDERLAND. The Futon Critic. “Air Date: Thursday, April 03, 2014. Time Slot: 8:00 PM-9:00 PM EST on ABC. Episode Title: (#113) "And They Lived…".”
  3. File:W113Title.png
  4. Stealing Fire from Heaven: The Rise of Modern Western Magic, Nevill Drury, Oxford University Press, March 2, 2011, p. 66. Facsimile by Google Books.
  5. 5.0 5.1 File:W113AndTheWhiteQueen.png
    Prop photo: File:W113Prop6.jpg
  6. CHAPTER XII: Alice's Evidence. Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved on August 14, 2018.
  7. 7.0 7.1 File:W113IDontKnow.png
    File:W113Promo4.jpg
  8. File:W113TeaParty.png
    File:W113Promo4.jpg
  9. File:112KeepTryingDearie.png
  10. File:201SomeOfMyOwn.png
  11. File:W113AlicePutsDownMirror.png (the one behind Alice)
  12. File:221ReachingForMichael2.png
  13. Once Upon a Time. Michael Joy. Retrieved on December 26, 2018. (photograph)
  14. File:W101TeaParty2.png
    File:W101TeaParty3.png
  15. File:117IKnowIts.png
  16. File:601ALittleChaos.png
  17. File:W113WonderOnceAgain.png
  18. File:W110AgrabahWellofWonders.png
  19. File:W110CyrusStopsAtWell.png
  20. File:W113KnowsImHere.png
  21. File:312Gazebo.png
    File:312BestChance.png
  22. File:W113TeaParty.png
    File:W113Promo4.jpg
  23. File:118NeverRideAgain.png
  24. Gittins, Susan (January 19, 2014). WEEK: January 13-19, 2014. Hollywood North Buzz. “Friday, January 17th – Once Upon a Time in Womderland [sic] films in Burnaby's Central Park, wrapping its first season. (...) Wednesday, January 15th – Once Upon a Time in Wonderland films in Robert Burnaby Park in Burnaby with giant mushrooms on set.”

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