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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.

"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 hundred 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.[2]

Recap

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


In Storybrooke

In the present day, Snow and David deal with living without each other as long as their hearts are cursed, leaving one in sleep and the other awake. Snow is aware that The Evil Queen is watching, leading to Snow smashing a mirror. Unfortunately at this point there is nothing that even Emma, Henry, or Regina can do, but they believe that The Dragon might be their answer to stopping The Evil Queen. With no luck finding The Dragon, Regina comes up with a solution, which is using a mirror to trap her other half. At the beach, Henry, acting as bait, confronts The Evil Queen and tells her that he won't forget what she did to his grandparents. After they send him away, Emma and Regina appear ready to send The Evil Queen to another world through the Mirror, but The Evil Queen, who shares the same mind as Regina, has the real mirror and sends Regina and Emma to the other side, then breaks the mirror to keep the women trapped inside.

Meanwhile, Belle enlists Zelena's help to break into Gold's Pawn Shop so she can escape Storybrooke. Zelena isn't interested in helping her but Belle says they both know what it's like to care about people who let them down. Realizing that Zelena needs the Sorcerer's wand, Belle and Zelena go talk Aladdin and Jasmine into helping them. Although Jasmine says it's not Aladdin's business to be involved, Zelena says it's his fault because, thanks to Aladdin, Gold has now acquired the Fates shears. At the same time Gold catches on to The Evil Queen masquerading as Regina, and refused her advances. The Evil Queen then asks Gold for an item called the hammer of Hephaestus, which gives magic to those without it, explaining that she wants it for Henry. As he gives the hammer to the Evil Queen, Gold asks what she has to offer him, only to point out they're on the same team, as he pushes her away. The disappearance of Emma has Hook suspicious. When he investigates and finds Emma's phone on the beach, he is attacked by The Evil Queen.

At Granny's, Henry sits alone at a table, waiting for Violet, then looks in the mirror to see his appearance. As both Emma and Regina see Henry, they almost get his attention until they see The Evil Queen (pretending to be Regina) show up. Henry tells the fake Regina that he doesn't think he's good enough for Violet, but she tells Henry he's a prince and should act like one. After Henry glances at her carefully, Violet shows up and Henry walks over and hands her the flower that "Regina" gave him. He then tells Violet that he knows "Regina" is really The Evil Queen after she "lectures" about his posture, which he knows is The Evil Queen's recurring theme. Using a ruse to help Henry search for Emma and Regina, Violet makes an excuse about needing to change and they leave. Henry arrives at the vault to contact the mirror when The Evil Queen shows up, knowing that he is aware of her plan. The Evil Queen then tempts Henry to become part of her future, but when he refuses, The Evil Queen takes out the Dragon's heart and uses it to turn the Dragon into a dragon in front of Emma and Regina to kill them. The Evil Queen then tempts Henry to kill The Dragon with the Hammer but he defies her and uses the Hammer to smash the mirror and free Emma and Regina from the World Behind the Mirror. After they're released, The Evil Queen is stunned by Henry standing up for himself, but as she initiates a spell to use on them, Hook stops her, but she vows her revenge. Later that night, Henry and Violet finally have their dance as Emma and Regina watch.

In between the events, Aladdin breaks into Gold's shop looking for the wand. He finds Gold at the spinning wheel spinning gold, and is quick to hide from him, allowing Aladdin to find the wand, and later on, show Jasmine the lamp, where he hopes to find out who took the Genie's place. Unfortunately for Belle and Zelena, they aren't as lucky; Gold takes back the wand from Zelena, then uses the gold bracelet he spun at the shop to place on Belle so he can track her, However, Gold forgets he can't hurt Zelena because their hearts are connected. Later on back at the shop, both Gold and The Evil Queen, upset over their latest defeats, agree to team up to seek vengeance, and as they have more tepid kissing, Gold asks The Evil Queen to help him kill the one thing that stands in his way: Zelena.

In The World Behind The Mirror

Inside the trapped universe, Emma looks for Regina and discovers that she can see Storybrooke through the mirror but nobody can hear them. Regina comes to and believes that the person who can reach them is Henry. However, The Evil Queen has taken Regina's place in Storybrooke, by fooling Henry to let him think that The Evil Queen was banished. Emma and Regina begin to look for Henry through the mirrors, and then locate him after Emma remembers Henry will be at Granny's to meet Violet. As both Emma and Regina see Henry, they almost get his attention until they see The Evil Queen (pretending to be Regina) show up, Regina is worried and says Henry doesn't stand a chance against her. Suddenly, the women are shocked to see The Dragon inside with them as a prisoner as well. He tells Regina that she was never supposed to let the Evil Queen out, and that caused his imprisonment, and he tells Regina she needs balance. He tells her that he has also made mistakes, such as losing his daughter. He says he has found a back door out of the mirror world. En route, the Dragon leads the women to the place where Sidney lived as the Magic Mirror, and tells them he was putting together a way to repair the portal, and that he can't break Emma's parents' curse. As they work on the portal, Henry arrives to the vault to contact the mirror when The Evil Queen shows up, now that he is aware of her plan. The Evil Queen then tempts Henry to become part of her future, but when he refuses, the Evil Queen takes out the Dragon's heart and uses it to turn the Dragon into a dragon in front of Emma and Regina to kill them. The Evil Queen then tempts Henry to kill The Dragon with the Hammer but he defies her and uses the Hammer to smash the mirror instead, freeing Emma and Regina from the World Behind the Mirror.

This episode summary is adapted from Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors).

Deleted Scenes

"Strength In Family" (Scene 39)

This scene is included on Once Upon a Time: The Complete Sixth Season.

An extended version of the scene where Henry frees his mothers from the mirror. After the serum queen says to Henry that she only wants what's best for him, she adds, "Remember that". After she teleports away, Henry explains to his mothers how the queen gave him the hammer so he would be forced to crush the Dragon's heart, but he remembered how she also told him never to compromise who he was, so he smashed the mirror instead. Regina assures Henry that they will get the Dragon out, and Hook and Emma share a tender moment while Henry heads off to his dance with Violet.

"Silent Treatment" (Scene 44)

This scene is included on Once Upon a Time: The Complete Sixth Season.

Mary Margaret tells her son the story of how his parents met, which is how she saved David from the trolls. After hearing it, Neal says his first word, which makes Mary Margaret very happy but also sad as his father is not there to witness it. After she puts her son in his crib, she sits near David, attempts to leave a note for him. After a brief moment, she tears the page apart and says that she can't do this anymore and wakes him up after saying she misses him. After David awakens and Snow sleeps, he sees the torn page and tells her that he misses her too.

Doc

A segment where Doc gets into his car and checks himself in a mirror (presumably for the scene where Emma and Regina are in the World Behind the Mirror and calling out to their friends) was deleted from the episode.[3] However, David Avalon is still credited in the episode's press release.[2]

Cast[2]

Starring

Guest Starring

Co-Starring

Uncredited

Trivia

Title

Production Notes

  • HIDDEN DETAILS: When Emma and Regina confront the serum queen at the beach, three swans are swimming in the water.[6] This is a reference to Emma's last name.
  • ABANDONED IDEAS: In the episode script, when Hook asks the serum queen what she's done with Emma and Regina, he first says, "You always underestimated me."[7]
  • The script also contains a section where Hook goes to embrace Emma and asks, "Alright there, Swan?"[8] This ended up being cut from the episode.

Event Chronology

Episode Connections

Disney

Fairytales and Folklore

  • HIDDEN DETAILS: Interestingly, in Greek mythology, Hephaestus is the son of Hera, the queen of Olympus, who is often portrayed as vengeful and cruel. She takes the role of the evil stepmother of Heracles (the Greek equivalent of the Roman deity Hercules) and many of the other children fathered by Zeus. She was also known to grow apples. All of which mirrors the Evil Queen and her serum counterpart.

Popular Culture

  • ♫ MUSIC: 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.
  • ♫ MUSIC: The song Henry and Violet are dancing to at the diner is "In My Dreams" by Ruth B.
  • The singer commented on this on Twitter, saying "A song of mine may or may not be used in tonight's episode of my fav show ever".[11]

Props Notes

Set Dressing

Costume Notes

Filming Locations

International Titles


Videos

References

  1. Porter, Rick (November 15, 2016). ’60 Minutes’ adjusts up, ‘NCIS: LA’ and ‘Madam Secretary’ adjust down: Sunday final ratings. TV by the Numbers. “Once Upon a Time (ABC) (...) 3.40”
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 LISTINGS: ONCE UPON A TIME. The Futon Critic. “Air Date: Sunday, November 13, 2016. Time Slot: 8:00 PM-9:00 PM EST on ABC. Episode Title: (#608) "I'll Be Your Mirror".”
  3. Once Upon A Time shoots scenes for episode 608 in late September with Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Jared Gilmore and others.. Canadagraphs (October 29, 2016). “A bit later I went to Steveston for a bit. I caught a couple takes of David Paul Grove as Doc shooting a scene where he gets into a car & checks himself in a mirror.”
  4. File:608Title.png
  5. TwitterLogo Adam Horowitz (@AdamHorowitzLA) on X, formerly Twitter: Hey #Oncers -- here's another #OnceUponATime #titlespoiler -- hope to see ya 9/25 for #Season6! (September 14, 2016). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
  6. File:608VeryLongTrip.png
  7. TwitterLogo Adam Horowitz (@AdamHorowitzLA) on X, formerly Twitter: Here's another #OnceUponATime #scripttease -- hope to see ya tonight! (November 13, 2016). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
  8. TwitterLogo Adam Horowitz (@AdamHorowitzLA) on X, formerly Twitter: Here's this week's first #OnceUponATime #scripttease -- hope to see ya Sunday! (November 7, 2016). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
  9. TwitterLogo Leah Fong (@leahfong) on X, formerly Twitter: Aladdin and Jasmine giving a loving nod to the late, great Robin Williams (November 13, 2016). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
  10. 10.0 10.1 File:608MonkeyBusiness.png
  11. TwitterLogo Ruth B. (@itsruthb) on X, formerly Twitter: A song of mine may or may not be used in tonight's episode of my fav show ever @OnceABC 😭❤️ (November 13, 2016). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
  12. File:608AlreadyDreamtIt.png
  13. File:111GenieWithMirror.png
  14. File:111Noooooo!.png
  15. File:608HenryFindsMirror.png
  16. File:102AwfullyBigThreat.png
  17. File:401Nooo!Nooo!.png
  18. File:608FindAgrabah.png
  19. File:111RubbingTheLamp.png
    File:111LampOnFloor.png
  20. File:116AndThisSurprisesYou.png
  21. File:217ButUm.png
  22. File:219Counter.png
  23. TwitterLogo Justine D. (@Lady_Junky) on X, formerly Twitter: BTW the Genie that Aladdin mentions at the end... Is he talking about Sidney or another genie? please (November 13, 2016). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
    TwitterLogo Leah Fong (@leahfong) on X, formerly Twitter: another genie :) (November 13, 2016). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
  24. File:W104GenieLamp.png
    File:W110GeniesBottles.png
  25. File:608CallThisLove.png
    File:610YouSee.png
  26. File:608NoWayOut.png
  27. File:316GreenDearie.png
  28. File:516LookingAtTheMirror.png
  29. File:518ToMakeMe.png
  30. File:620FinallyTheMoment.png
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  32. File:608ThingsWeDo.png
  33. File:111SafePassage.png
  34. File:210What.png
  35. File:608MakePortalsBefore.png
  36. Perrie Lace Dress. Anthropologie. Retrieved on January 11, 2019.
  37. File:608LikeAName.png
  38. 'Oakes' Embroidered Cotton Blouse. Nordstrom. Retrieved on January 11, 2018.
  39. Majesty peacoat in stadium cloth. J. Crew. Retrieved on January 11, 2019.
  40. File:609ThereForHim.png
  41. File:611WhatDoYouWant.png
  42. Screenshot from iZombie: "Looking for Mr. Goodbrain, Part 1"
  43. File:608YesSheWas.png
  44. Rebecca Taylor Embroidered Silk Blouse. Nordstrom Rack. Retrieved on January 11, 2019.
  45. InstagramIcon Karen Gallagher (@curban56) on Instagram: Today's walk 🎬 (Garry Point Park) (September 29, 2016). (backup link) (archive screenshot)

    Once Upon A Time shoots scenes for episode 608 in late September with Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Jared Gilmore and others.. Canadagraphs (October 28, 2016). “Once Upon A Time shot a scene for episode 608 in Richmond not far from their usual "downtown Storybrooke" location in Steveston. In this scene, there was Jared Gilmore as Henry Mills, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen and Lanas [sic] stand in as Regina Mills.”
  46. File:IGmo_co_lee-608.png
  47. TwitterLogo Sara McMulloch (@leafladygreens) on X, formerly Twitter: #Mirrors- I was curious as 2 how this scene was gonna look...I'll tell ya though,the apple trees were hard gettin in (November 13, 2016). (backup link) (archive screenshot)

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