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You will never defeat me Zelena, because I have the most powerful weapon of all: the love of the people.

—Dorothy Gale src

Dorothy Gale is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She débuts in the twentieth episode of the third season. She is portrayed by guest stars Matreya Scarrwener and Teri Reeves.

Dorothy is based on the character of the same name from the children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

History

Before First Curse

Dorothy, caught in her Kansas farmhouse during a raging cyclone, is swept away to Oz. Taken in by the protectors of Oz, the sisterhood of witches, she comes to view them as family. One night, she is confronted by Zelena, the Witch of the West, while getting water from a well. Zelena intends to get rid of Dorothy as she believes the girl is destined to usurp her seat in the sisterhood. In defense, Dorothy throws a bucket of water at Zelena; causing the witch to melt. Glinda, the Witch of the South, then appears to offer her to take Zelena's place as the Witch of the West, but Dorothy declines; wishing only to return home. With Glinda's help, she is taken to see the Wizard and given a pair of silver slippers to travel to any world. Dorothy thanks the Wizard and proceeds to click the slippers' heels three times to send herself home. Only after the girl's departure, Glinda discovers too late that Zelena masqueraded as the Wizard in order to usher Dorothy out of Oz. ("Kansas")

Upon returning to Kansas, Dorothy tells her family about her experiences in Oz. However, her family doesn't believe her, and attempts to get her admitted into an asylum. Her aunt, Emily Brown, whom she lovingly calls Aunt Em, is the only person who believes her, and refuses to let her be admitted. However, Aunt Em dies, gifting Dorothy a puppy named Toto before she does. Years pass, and Dorothy returns to Oz. ("Ruby Slippers")

Learning from the munchkins that Zelena is still alive and no longer fearing the witch, Dorothy storms the palace in time to stop Zelena from stealing the Scarecrow's brain for a time spell. Dorothy taunts Zelena about having one thing she'll never obtain, the love of the people, as Zelena prepares a fireball to destroy her. Toto, hopping out of the bag, trots up to the palace curtains, while Dorothy ducks to avoid Zelena's fireball, which hits an approaching guard. Toto then tugs a string, causing the curtains to fall on Zelena, who fumbles to get free. While she is occupied, Dorothy escapes the palace with the Scarecrow and her dog. Later, she and her companions hide out in a cottage, but Zelena eventually finds them, after putting a tracking spell on Dorothy's old bicycle. Dorothy does her best to protect the Scarecrow, but Zelena ends up ripping out his brain. Fearlessly standing up to the witch, Dorothy dares Zelena to do her worst, while boasting that she'll never be afraid of her again. Zelena expresses brief interest in her brave attitude, wondering what made her change. In the end, Zelena leaves Dorothy unharmed to let the people of Oz see that, for once, their great hero has failed them. ("Our Decay")

After Third Curse

Years later, in Oz, Dorothy is walking in the woods with her dog Toto, who rushes off and begins barking at two strange woman. Since Toto only barks at witches, Dorothy demands to know which one of them is a witch. One of two women, Ruby, tells her that she is a werewolf, and attempts to pet Toto, scaring the dog into running off. Dorothy reprimands her and chases after her pet, but Ruby makes it up to her by using her enhanced sense of smell to point Dorothy in the right direction. As they begin to leave, they see a cyclone appear in the distance, which Dorothy recognizes as Zelena's return to Oz. The trio come upon Zelena, who demands the silver slippers back. Because Dorothy refuses, Zelena uses Toto as a bargaining chip, giving her until sundown tomorrow to forfeit the slippers. To regain Toto, Mulan brews a concoction to put Zelena to sleep, but she needs poppies to complete it. Dorothy leaves to find some, with Ruby insisting on joining her. On the way to the poppy field, Dorothy tells Ruby about what happened to her in Kansas and why Toto is so important to her. Ruby shares her own experience of being abandoned by her family, and that she feels like something is missing in her life. Since Ruby doesn't know what it is, Dorothy advises her to figure it out. After this bonding moment, Dorothy apologizes for calling Ruby "wolfie" earlier, but Ruby likes it and chooses "Kansas" as Dorothy's nickname. At the poppy field, Dorothy cautions Ruby not to sniff the flowers or she'll fall asleep. Upon picking a poppy, they are pursued by flying monkeys. With Dorothy's permission, Ruby morphs into a wolf and lets Dorothy climb on her back so she can outrun the monkeys. The pair return to Mulan, who finishes the concoction with the poppies. Dorothy then goes to bed, lying about needing some rest, which Ruby mistakes as Dorothy's discomfort over seeing her in wolf form. Instead, Dorothy sneaks off to put Zelena to sleep, because she fears losing Ruby, who she has fallen in love with. Zelena catches her and places her under a sleeping curse, knowing that there is no one who loves her enough to break it. ("Ruby Slippers")

Using the slippers, Zelena leaves Oz, only for Ruby to follow her with a tracking skill, in hopes of knowing what happened to Dorothy. Dorothy's cursed body is later found by Mulan and some munchkins, and they place her on a bier, where they wait for Ruby's return. After Ruby returns, thanks to the slippers, she gives Dorothy true love's kiss, which breaks the sleeping curse. When Dorothy awakens, she explains to Ruby why she left, the two kiss again as the crowd cheers. ("Ruby Slippers")

Trivia

Production Notes

  • The casting call name for her young self was "Betsy".[1]
  • The casting call for her adult self describes her as "in her late 20s to early 30s and will have evolved from 'the iconic, pig-tailed girl from Kansas' into 'a brave warrior for good'. Having been sent home to the heartland with three clicks of her heels — courtesy of the 'Wizard' (aka a duplicitous Zelena) — Dorothy returns to Oz looking to reclaim the magical land from the Wicked Witch, whom Regina just ejected from Storybrooke."[2]

Props Notes

Appearances

Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.

References

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