   
|
"Sympathy for the De Vil" is the eighteenth episode of Season Four of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by David H. Goodman & Jerome Schwartz, and directed by Romeo Tirone. It is the eighty-fourth episode of the series overall, and premiered on April 19, 2015.
Synopsis
In fictional 1920s England, viewers meet a young Cruella, whose oppressive mother uses her Dalmatians to terrorize her daughter. Cruella is confined to her mother's attic until a mysterious stranger arrives and empowers her to challenge her captor. In Storybrooke, Regina gains leverage to keep Gold from interfering with her plan to rescue Robin, but her trip to New York takes the backseat when she and Emma learn that Cruella has kidnapped Henry.[2]
Recap
In 1920s England, a young Cruella De Vil is being mistreated by her mother Madeline as she instructs her Dalmatians to chase her daughter, and is locked in the attic in the same setting that resembles the novel Flowers in the Attic.
Fast forward to several years later, and that a reporter, who is revealed to be the Author but is using an alias by the name of Isaac, is paying a visit to the home pretending to seek out a story after having seen Cruella from the attic, only to have Madeline warning him to stay away. Isaac returns and helps Cruella escape from the attic. He then takes Cruella out for a date that includes dinner and dancing. Cruella reveals to Isaac that the reason she was kept in the attic was that she witnessed her mother kill her father and her succeeding husbands; Isaac then reveals to Cruella that he was more than just a reporter and has the ability to use his pen and ink to create magical stories. Isaac proposes that they run away together, and uses his quill and ink to give Cruella her persuasion powers to control animals.
However, for Isaac, his future with Cruella would later take a unique twist that will put his future in danger. When Madeline pays a visit to see him, she tells him that Cruella had lied to him about what actually happened to her husbands: Cruella was a disturbed child psychopath who killed them, not Madeline, who was trying to prevent her from killing others by locking her away. When Madeline returns home, Cruella was ready for her, and eventually kills her mother by controlling her Dalmatians and commanding them to attack her. Afterwards, Isaac realized his quill was missing, so he pays a visit to see Cruella and is stunned that she used him as a means to an end, and Cruella used the skin from her mother's dogs as fur for her signature coat. The confrontation lead the two to fight over the ink, which is then spilled on Cruella, transforming her into the infamous black & white infused-hair character. As Cruella is about to kill him, Issac uses his powers as the Author to make it so that Cruella can never kill anyone ever again by writing it down on a piece of paper. As he leaves, Cruella tells him she's not done.
As Cruella races off into the forest, she is stopped in her tracks by Maleficent, who now knows that she was the one who knew where Lily went after they were sucked into the portal back in the Enchanted Forest. As Maleficent transforms into a dragon, Cruella uses her breath to exhale green smoke and puts her frenemy to sleep, then comes up with a plan to go after the Author. Meanwhile, Emma Swan is still arguing with Mary Margaret and David when Regina informs them about Zelena, prompting her to see Belle, who in turn interrupts Gold's plan to make the Author write stories, which in turn prompts Gold to come to the well to see her, and he reveals that his heart is darkening and he will die, only to discover that Belle is being controlled by Regina, who is using Belle's heart to make sure that Gold does not contact Zelena as Regina schemes to go to New York to confront her half-sister.
Cruella then pays a visit to Isaac to make up for lost time and to offer him a deal, as Gold does not know that they knew each other as Isaac catches on to her deception. And since Isaac knows that Cruella has no power to kill anyone, Cruella, who tells Isaac that there are other ways to "skin an author," finds a way to make it happen by kidnapping Henry by using a controlled Pongo, which she uses to force both Emma and Regina to do her bidding by making the mothers kill Isaac or else Cruella will kill Henry. As Gold returns to the cabin, he tells Isaac that he knew about his past with Cruella and informs Isaac about the kidnapping, which Gold knows will lead to Emma's darkness. Isaac then hands Gold a note he kept from the club.
At the apartment, Emma, Regina, Hook, Mary Margaret and David discuss their plan of action but even this has Emma concerned. Regina, Emma and Hook search the woods just in time for Henry to escape from Cruella, while she is playing Angry Birds, but as the three split up and only Regina and Hook are tricked by seashells planted by Gold, it's Emma who finds Henry, but Cruella is threatening to throw Henry off of the cliff, then tempts Emma's patience to see if she will do it, reminding her that heroes never kill. At the same time, Mary Margaret and David confront Isaac, who reveals that a chapter in Emma's future will involve her turning dark and they race to stop her upon reading the note that revealed that Cruella is incapable of killing anyone. They arrive just in time to see Emma use her powers and kill Cruella by knocking her off the cliff. As a terrified Henry cries in his mother's arms, Emma's face has changed to a sinister look, implying that her heart is going dark.
Deleted Scenes
These scenes are included on Once Upon a Time: The Complete Fourth Season.
"Good Boy"
In the Storybrooke forest, Cruella forces Henry out of the car. Henry says that his moms will come after her if she hurts him, but Cruella says that he isn't the one she intends to hurt. While Pongo growls at him, Cruella forces Henry to hand over his mobile phone so she can send his mothers a message.[3]
"The Lonely Author"
In Mr. Gold's cabin, Isaac and Mr. Gold are spying on David, Hook and Mary Margaret (who are sitting at the table in the Blanchard loft) through a crystal ball. Gold says that in order to get what he wants, he's going to pit a hero against a villain. He shows Isaac two magical conch shells left behind by Ursula, which he intends to use. Isaac is nervous that the heroes might find him, but Gold says that if they do, he expects Isaac to tell them everything, because the success of Gold's plan, and Isaac's life, depends on it.
Cast[2]
Starring
|
Guest Starring
Co-Starring
Uncredited
|
Trivia
Title
- The title card features dalmatians running through the woods.[4]
- The title of this episode was announced by Adam Horowitz via his Twitter account on February 8, 2015.[5]
- The episode name is a reference to The Rolling Stones' song "Sympathy for the Devil." Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis are fans of the band.[6]
Production Notes
- REUSED ACTOR: Milli Wilkinson, who plays young Cruella, also plays Alice's daughter in the Once Upon a Time in Wonderland series finale "And They Lived..."
- Note that on the Blu-ray audio commentary, writers David H. Goodman and Jerome Schwartz erroneously state that the actor who plays young Cruella, played young Alice on the spin-off[7] (a role that was actually played by Millie Brown).
- ABANDONED IDEAS: In an early version of the script, Cruella and her mother were both part of a dog psychic team.[7]
- CUT CONTENT: Paige's bike from the Season One episode "An Apple Red as Blood"[8] was on set during the filming of the scene where Cruella kidnaps Henry by Regina's house,[9] but it didn't actually appear when it aired.
- A digital facial replacement was used for Pongo's angry face. The dog was not actually snarling. The growls on Madeline's dalmatians were also digital.[7]
- REAL WORLD FACTS: Murray's Club was a real night club on Beak Street, London, which opened in 1913 and closed in 1975.[10]
- Fittingly enough, the in-universe name of the song that Cruella hears on the radio is "The Toast of Beak Street."
- Although the episode was written by David H. Goodman and Jerome Schwartz, young Cruella using trumpet flowers as a murder weapon was Dana Horgan's idea.[7]
- REAL WORLD FACTS: Madeline does not specify which type of trumpet flowers Cruella used to poison her father, but one possibility is the angel's trumpet, which have several different species and all have fatal effects if ingested.[11]
- HIDDEN DETAILS: After Emma kills Cruella, the sound of crows can be heard in the final shot of Emma. This is a subtle hint that Emma is sliding into darkness: Crow sounds were often edited in by the sound designers for Regina's Storybrooke scenes during Season One,[12] like when she tells Emma to leave town in "Pilot," and when she is talking to Sidney by the apple tree in "The Thing You Love Most."
- ABANDONED IDEAS: Graphic designer Keith Lau created concept art for a set of old-fashioned cigarette packaging designs for this episode,[13] presumably for Cruella's homeworld. This may have been intended as a reference to Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians, where Disney's Cruella is often seen clutching a cigarette, leaving a trail of yellowish green smoke. However, this idea never made it onto the screen.
Events Chronology
- The 1920s England flashbacks occur some time before "Darkness on the Edge of Town."
- The Storybrooke events take place after "Heart of Gold" and before "Lily." (For more details, see the Land Without Magic timeline)
Episode Connections
- Cruella, Ursula and Lily arrived in the Land Without Magic in "Best Laid Plans."
- Maleficent learnt the truth about her daughter's fate in "Best Laid Plans."
- Emma learnt her parents's secret in "Best Laid Plans."
- Isaac allied himself with Mr. Gold in "Heart of Gold."
- Regina discovers Zelena is posing as Marian in "Heart of Gold."
- Belle married Mr. Gold in "There's No Place Like Home."
- Belle banished Mr. Gold in "Heroes and Villains."
- Belle regains her heart in "Lily."
- Regina finds and warns Robin Hood in "Lily."
Disney
- The song that Cruella hears on the radio is a jazz instrumental version of the song "Cruella De Vil," from the 1961 Disney animated movie One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
- Madeline's car is similar in design and color to Cruella's car in 1961 Disney animated movie One Hundred and One Dalmatians.[14]
- This episode contains a number of other references to Disney works. See the list of Disney references for more.
Fairy Tales and Folklore
- This episode is a rendition of The Hundred and One Dalmatians story, with Cruella De Vil, dalmatians and Pongo.
- Also featured is the ugly duckling from the titular fairy tale and Captain Hook from the Peter Pan story.
- Isaac calls Cruella's life "a classic "Cinderella" story."
- The Author's ink spills on Cruella, turning her hair black and white. In the novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, Cruella was expelled from school for drinking ink.
Popular Culture
- Isaac comments on Mr. Gold's cabin, saying that it makes him feel like "Hemingway, or maybe Thoreau"; a reference to the classic American novelist Ernest Hemingway; and the American author Henry David Thoreau, best known for the book Walden and the essay "Civil Disobedience."
- While he is captive in Mr. Gold's cabin, Isaac reads F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.[15]
- HIDDEN DETAILS: According to writers David H. Goodman and Jerome Schwartz, the novel is a nod to the fictional time age in Cruella's world, a jazz age 1920s world.[7]
- HIDDEN DETAILS: The Once Upon a Time version of Cruella De Vil is inspired by Zelda Fitzgerald, F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife.[16]
- PAUSE AND READ: The introduction in Isaac's edition of the novel, mentions the New York-based Elevator Repair Service theater ensemble and their play Gatz, which is based on the novel. It also mentions movie director Baz Luhrmann and his 2013 film adaption of the novel.[17]
- After she captures Henry and has him tied up, Cruella plays Angry Birds on his phone.
Props Notes
- The dust jacket for Isaac's edition of The Great Gatsby[15] is a prop designed by concept artist Neil Westlake.[18] The cover uses the same font as Scribner's 1953 edition of the novel[19] and features a billboard with a pair of spectacled eyes. A dominant symbol in The Great Gatsby is a billboard which advertises the services of an optometrist by the name of Dr. T.J. Eckelburg and depicts a pair of eyes wearing glasses.
a marvelous fusion into unity of the curious incon-
gruities of the life of the period – which reveals a hero
like no other – one who could live at no other time
and in no other place. But he will live as a character,
we surmise, as long as the memory of any reader lasts.
riously to West Egg, of his sumptuous entertain-
ments, and of his love for Daisy Buchanan – a story that
ranges from pure lyrical beauty to sheer brutal
realism, and is infused with a sense of the strangeness of
human circumstance in a heedless universe.
It is a magical, living book, blended of irony, romance
and mysticism.
- The interior of the book is a real edition of the novel published by Vintage Books in 2012: The introduction, which Isaac is reading when Cruella drops by,[17] has the exact same design, layout and content.[21]
- HIDDEN DETAILS: When Cruella leaves the club, as she puts the napkin in Isaac's inside pocket, the box where Isaac keeps the quill is open.[22] A few seconds later, when he is holding the napkin in his hands, the box is closed.[23] This is the moment where Cruella steals Isaac's quill. This little detail was added by director Romeo Tirone and was not in the script.[7]
- BRAND INFO: Cruella's sewing machine[24] is an antique Singer Model 27 with sphinx decals.[25]
- REUSED PROPS: The same prop is sitting on a shelf in the backroom of Mr. Gold's pawnshop in the Season Five episode "Swan Song,"[26] and the Underbrooke pawnshop in the Season Five episode "Ruby Slippers."[27]
Set Dressing
- HIDDEN DETAILS: The room where Cruella is locked up is filled with her mother's dog statuettes and dog show trophies.[28]
- HIDDEN DETAILS: A dictionary from University of Oxford in 1920s England is lying on a table in adult Cruella's room in her homeworld.[29]
- HIDDEN DETAILS: As Henry is in the alley with Pongo, the peeled-off paint on the container next to him forms a star pattern around a vertical silhouette of a running dog.[32]
- PAUSE AND READ: When Isaac shows Cruella the Author's pen, the upside-down piece of paper on the table contains Isaac's notes about a man called Jonas, and someone called Jilton. The latter traveled through some landscape, and was known for having a connection to the first convoy that traveled to some deep jungles.[33]
Costume Notes
- BRAND INFO: Maleficent is wearing[34] a pair of Nadja High Heel Wedge Boots from Alexander Wang[35] (no longer available).
- BRAND INFO: Mary Margaret is wearing[36] a Tory Burch Carmine Crochet Collared Sweater[37] (no longer available).
- BRAND INFO: Belle is wearing[38] a pair of Derek Lam 10 Crosby Kaley Wedge Booties[39] (no longer available).
- USE IT AGAIN: The boors are seen more clearly when she wears them again in "Operation Mongoose Part 2."[40] Belle can also be seen wearing them in a promo picture for the Season Five episode "Siege Perilous,"[41] but they do not show in the actual episode.
- SECONDHAND CLOTHING: The dress Cruella is wearing at the jazz club is from the famous 2011 comedy-drama film The Artist.[7][42]
Filming Locations
- Cruella's attic was a set built on a sound stage.[7] The rest of the house was filmed on location,[7] at the Casa Mia mansion in Vancouver. The mansion was built for a local business man in 1932 and features Spanish architecture.[43]
- RECYCLED SET: The Casa Mia mansion features a full stage at the lower level, where Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie would play shows for the house's owner.[43] The Murray's Club scenes were filmed in the basement of the mansion.[7][43][44]
- The Casa Mia mansion has also doubled as locations for other productions:
- The McCallum house[45] and Gus' apartment in the pilot episode of Psych[46] (an episode which features Once Upon a Time guest star Pascale Hutton).
- Crowley's house in the Supernatural episode "Abandon All Hope..."[47][48] and Balthazar's house in the Supernatural episode "The Third Man"[49] (an episode which features Once Upon a Time guest star Sebastian Roché).
- Malcolm Merlyn's Corto Maltese mansion in the Arrow episodes "Sara"[46] and "Corto Maltese"[46][50] (an episode which features Once Upon a Time guest star David Cubitt).
- As Andrea Rojas' estate[51] and London home, and the governor's mansion, in the Supergirl episode "Confidence Women"[46] (an episode which features Once Upon a Time co-star Andrea Brooks).
- As the first victim's house in the Legends of Tomorrow episode "Hell No, Dolly!"[46]
- The Columbia Terrace Vineyards in the John Doe episode "Past Imperfect"[52] (an episode which features Once Upon a Time in Wonderland guest stars Ben Cotton and Rekha Sharma).
- The location of the Dunlear Foundation in the Lucifer episode "St. Lucifer"[53] (a show which stars Once Upon a Time actor Tom Ellis).
- The home of Sandy Brinks in the iZombie episode "Blue Bloody"[54] (a show which stars Once Upon a Time guest stars Rose McIver and David Anders and an episode which features Once Upon a Time guest star Dan Payne).
- Hector's office and Diego's house in the 2014 comedy-drama film Hector and the Search for Happiness[46] (a movie which features Once Upon a Time guest stars Christopher Gauthier, Gabrielle Rose and Jakob Davies).
- The location of the Kappa Tau Kappa sorority house and Jenna Gordonson's home in the Charmed episode "Kappa Spirit"[46] (an episode which features Once Upon a Time guest star Abby Ross). The mansion is also featured as the Demon Overlord's mansion in the Charmed episodes "Past is Present" and "The Rules of Engagement," and as Abigael Jameson-Caine's home in the Charmed "The Rules of Engagement."[46]
- The home of the Grey family in the 2015 erotic romantic drama film Fifty Shades of Grey[55] and its 2017 sequel Fifty Shades Darker[56] (which feature Once Upon a Time starring cast member Jamie Dornan).
- As the Beleview senior citizen's home in the 2020 teen romantic comedy film To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You[46] (a movie which features Once Upon a Time co-stars Anna Cathcart, Nia Cummins (who plays the Uniformed Police in the Season Seven episode "One Little Tear") and Jasmine Lukuku (who plays the Produce Vendor in the Season Seven episode "The Girl in the Tower").
- Burnaby's Central Park doubles as the Storybrooke forest for the scenes where Emma, Regina and Hook are searching for Henry,[57] and the scene with Henry and Cruella.[58]
International Titles
| International Titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Title | Translation |
| Finnish | "Pieni piruparka" | "Poor Little Devil" |
| French | "La Veuve Noire" | "The Black Widow" |
| German | "Cruellas Geschichte" | "Cruella's Story" |
| Italian | "In bianco e nero" | "Black and White" |
| Polish | "Współczucie dla de Vil" | "Compassion for the de Vil" |
| Portuguese | "O lado mau" | "The evil side" |
| Spanish | "Simpatía por los De Vil" | "Sympathy for the De Vil" |
Videos
References
|
