For the world with a similar name, see Underworld. |
The Underland is a Wonderland location featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. It first appears in the third episode.
Underland is based on Underland from the 2010 live-action Disney film Alice in Wonderland, and Jabba's Palace from the Lucasfilm/Disney movie Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
History
Inside a tree stump, the Caterpillar runs an underground business known as Underland. He often lends money to other people, notably Knave, in exchange for return payments. The Caterpillar's employees are called Collectors, and they retrieve debts from lenders for him. In the cases the money owed is not returned, the Collectors will capture and bring the person to the Caterpillar. After losing the love of his life, Knave helps a homeless girl, Lizard, get off the streets and they begin work as Collectors. Amassing many debts to the Caterpillar, Knave later disappears without paying everything back, to which his former employer puts a wanted poster for his capture. Lizard, meanwhile, continues to work for the Caterpillar. ("Forget Me Not")
The Caterpillar, willing to forgive Knave's past debts, agrees to do so only if he steals a knot for him. Instead of turning in the retrieved item, Knave burns it. Gaining knowledge from the former knot owner about Knave, Jafar heads to Underland and asks the Caterpillar for information about the man, who poses a threat to his plans for Alice. Annoyed at Knave's broken deal, the Caterpillar sends some of his Collectors, including Lizard, after him. Unable to disobey her employer, despite that Knave is her old friend, she follows his command. Alerted to the Collectors' presence, Knave and Alice agree to meet at Tugley Woods once they split up and outrun their pursuers. After running and hiding behind a bush, he is almost cornered by the Collectors until the Red Queen knocks them unconscious and kidnaps him. Upon awakening, Lizard returns to Underland's entrance, where she sees Alice searching the outside grounds for Knave. Once Alice learns from her that he's been taken by the Red Queen, she goes to rescue him as Lizard joins her. ("Forget Me Not," "The Serpent")
Trivia
Disney
- Will Scarlet says to Alice, "You're used to Wonderland, Alice. Welcome to the Underland." This is a reference to the opening song of the animated Disney film Alice in Wonderland, which opens with the lyrics "Alice in Wonderland / How do you get to Wonderland? / Over the hill or Underland / or just behind the tree." ("Forget Me Not")
- The name "Underland" is also a reference to the live-action film Alice in Wonderland, where Wonderland is actually named Underland. ("Forget Me Not")
- The Underland has many aspects in common with Jabba the Hutt's palace from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, such as being run by a sluglike, hookah-smoking crime boss who sits on a dais, being a meeting point for bounty hunters, having musicians and dancers, having a bad reputation, and featuring a living person as a decoration. ("Forget Me Not," et al.)
- The scene where Cyrus walks through Underland, filled with guests that are sleeping in all sorts of places after a wild party, is similar to the scene where Princess Leia walks through Jabba's Palace in the film. ("Home")
Appearances
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland | ||||||||||
"Down the Rabbit Hole": | "Trust Me": | "Forget Me Not": | "The Serpent": | "Heart of Stone": | "Who's Alice": | "Bad Blood": | ||||
Absent | Absent | Appears | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | ||||
"Home": | "Nothing to Fear": | "Dirty Little Secrets": | "Heart of the Matter": | "To Catch a Thief": | "And They Lived...": | |||||
Appears | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent |
Other Appearances | ||||||||||