In both the Fairy Tale Realm and Hyperion Heights, Regina and Drizella are revealed to be a much bigger part of this Dark Curse. Full recap of “Wake Up Call” (first aired Friday, November 10 at 8pm ET|PT on ABC).
“Wake Up Call” takes us to the fairy tale world where Henry and Ella continue to bond. They bond over fixing up Henry’s motorcycle and then they bond over kicking the asses of brigands who come upon the camp. Regina tries to intervene to help Henry fight, but he’s got this without her magic. Regina can see that Henry and Ella make a good team, maybe she isn’t needed anymore. When Henry invites Regina to join him and Ella on a recon mission, she declines.
Regina decides to take a walk around the camp and comes upon a hooded figure releasing a magical creature from a chest, something like a giant Venus flytrap. The creature attacks the person, but Regina uses her magic to light it on fire and burn it up. When Regina rushes forward, she realizes it’s Drizella. At first Regina is upset to see Drizella again. After all, she tried to kill Henry. But Drizella says she’s done listening to her mother. She resents the fact, though she was born with magic, Lady Tremaine didn’t let her practice. Now Drizella’s magical ability is all but gone. Instead, she plans to steal magic that will free her. Regina feels sympathetic because she knows what it’s like to grow up with a controlling mother. But instead of stealing magic, Regina will tutor Drizella on how to cultivate her own.
After some practice, Drizella is able to move boulders with magic. She’s frustrated with the slow progress. Regina suggests that maybe Drizella needs proper motivation, so she releases the side of the building ruins, that descends to crush her. Drizella is afraid, but in the last minute throws up a shield that protects Regina. Drizella is thrilled and Regina shares that they’re both similar. However, Regina wants to help Drizella to avoid letting her anger and hate fuel her dark magic. Regina even tells Drizella about casting the dark curse.
“Did it give you what you wanted?”
“For awhile. Turns out I wanted the wrong things.”
Drizella expresses how she wishes she had a mother like Regina… and Rumple emerges from the forest to cosign. WHAT?! Rumple tells Regina about his life with Belle and how he’s ready to pass on the power of the Dark One the right way. Rumple also speculates how Regina will make a good mentor for Drizella. He’s also heard bad things about Lady Tremaine. At the same time, Rumple warns Regina. If Lady Tremaine is anything like Cora, she’ll know exactly what Drizella is up to and how it can benefit her.
Using a magic mirror, Regina shows Drizella that her mother is with a coffin. Drizella recognizes the body as her sister, Anastasia. Could this be why Lady Tremaine wants Drizella to acquire magic? If Drizella comes to believe in magic, then her heart can be taken and used to replace Anastasia’s to wake her. Drizella is quite distressed about this and how much Lady Tremaine prefers her sister. Regina promises to protect Drizella’s heart, but Drizella thinks the only way to do that is to kill her mother. Regina pushes back on this–Drizella cannot go down this dark path. Drizella decides that if Regina won’t help her, the Prince will.
Drizella and the Prince arrive at the family home where Lady Tremaine is with Anastasia. The Prince attempts to kill Lady Tremaine, saying he won’t let her harm Drizella. However, Regina arrives in time to intervene. Drizella takes matters into her own hands. She’ll never win her mother’s approval, which Lady Tremaine confirms. Instead, Drizella kills the Prince to blacken her heart. That way, it’s of no use to awaken Anastasia. And now Drizella plans to make use of the Dark Curse to fulfill her revenge against her mother. Regina promises to do whatever it takes to stop Drizella. Heroes can always break curses. But then Drizella, vows to make her curse unbreakable. Damn.
Regina tells Henry everything and is upset with herself. She missed Henry and being needed by him, so she tried to seek that relationship with Drizella. It totally backfired. But Henry is more kind. He says he’ll always need Regina as his mother… for so long, she was the only person to love him. Regina says that she needs Henry too, that she will always be his mother first.
In Hyperion Heights, Henry and Roni reflect on the photo she found of them together. Henry is confused because it looks like they’ve been photoshopped into a scene in his book of fairy tales. He is younger and Roni would be his mother, the Evil Queen. Regina doesn’t much like the comparison and plans to take it out on Victoria, who is just trying to mess with them. Before Roni can head out with her baseball bat to do some damage, Henry cautions her. They should investigate first. They’re interrupted by Jacinda who brings news and she and Sabine have bought a food truck. She’s come for tools to fix up the truck. Henry is really keen to help, but Jacinda brushes him off. She’s seen pictures of Henry and Ivy on social media and Jacinda isn’t trying to get involved with a guy who’s checking for her step-sister. Ugh.
Apparently, Victoria is having a bad day. Ivy checks in on her mother, who is lying in the dark with a compress over her eyes. Ivy suggests that it might be the blue flowers in the office causing the distress and takes them away (with grudging acknowledgement from Victoria). It seems this is the outcome Ivy wants, because she takes the flowers to meet the witch secreted in the room upstairs? (I’ve heard speculation that this is really Mother Gothel, the witch who kidnaps Rapunzel in Tangled…???) Witch Lady is very happy about the flowers and they supposedly have the seed of magic they need. Drizella is impatient, but the witch reminds her that she should remember the promise of her mother’s destruction. But Drizella should also be wary of someone else in Hyperion Heights. Regina. Actually, it was Drizella’s idea to give Roni the Regina/Henry photo; however, she isn’t concerned because by the end of the day she will have neutralized Regina as a problem.
The next day, Drizella brings the witch soil from the community garden, which she uses the plant the seed of magic. It begins to grow almost immediately. Drizella takes part of the plant and squeezes some serum into a glass vial. She plans to use it on Regina, somehow…
While Henry and Roni are at the bar, Lucy rushes in to see “the picture.” Ivy told her all about it. But Henry is really uncomfortable with Lucy seeing pictures of him and Ivy drunk together… until Roni points out the Lucy is actually asking about the Regina/Young Henry photo. Lucy is very excited to figure out that Roni is Regina Mills. Roni is very doubtful, but Lucy is even more committed to making Regina remember so the curse can be broken… “and I know exactly how to do it.”
Are Regina and Henry close to getting their memories back? #OnceUponATime pic.twitter.com/FzJLA6jgnI
— Once Upon A Time (@OnceABC) November 10, 2017
After getting some lunch, Roni and Henry are walking back to the bar and she shares how this photo has triggered bad memories. Roni did try to adopt a baby boy once, but the agency decided that she wasn’t a good fit. Henry tries to comfort Roni by saying she’s been a good mom to a lot of folks in the neighborhood. For Roni, this means that they should at least pretend to help Lucy break this “curse,” that way she’ll be able to understand reality in her own time and properly heal. Henry names it Operation Heartbreak 🙂 Roni says she’ll go find Lucy on her own, because Henry should be focussed on Jacinda, who they just happen to come upon as she’s working on the food truck. (Gotta love matchmaker Roni!)
Henry decides to make a big impression by going all John Cusack in Say Anything by holding a boombox up in the air, while “Save if for Later” by the English Beat plays. (OHMYHEART!!!) He tells Jacinda that he’s made a mixtape to ask her out (like he used to do when he was younger). But she’s skeptical because he was just out with Ivy. Plus she’s busy with Lucy and a new food truck. But Henry says he can’t stop thinking about Jacinda and he’s willing to be flexible. Jacinda suggests then and there for their date. Henry does a fistpump (while Jacinda’s back is turned). They crank the tunes and get to work on the truck.
Regina finds Lucy in Jacinda’s apartment (where she’s been forbidden by Victoria to go). Lucy is there looking for help, because when Henry most needed it, the Fairy Tale book showed up in Snow White’s closet. If only Lucy could be so lucky. Because if Roni would touch the book, she’d be able to remember everything. Roni tells Lucy that she does want to believe and suggests that they prove it together.
Weaver is finally being released from the hospital and he plans to go straight back to work. He tells Rogers to watch for his call in case there are errands to run. However, Rogers has other plans. Could Tilly help him find his missing girl, Eloise Gardner? Tilly might help, but she needs some lunch first. Rogers and Tilly head to the train tracks where Tilly lives in one of the empty storage areas. She insists that they play a rematch of their chess game while they talk. Rogers agrees and they begin talking about Eloise Gardner. He even shows her the picture of the protection rune in Eloise’s journal. Tilly makes a suggestion–what pieces does Rogers already have that he’s not paying attention to? Tilly believes this will be critical to Rogers finding Eloise. This eventually takes Rogers to Eloise’s old home. When he arrives, he finds a dead body with the same rune tattoo.
Roni and Lucy goes to see Weaver who is back at work and even brings a get-well gift (a bottle of liquor). But the have a favor to ask. Roni wants Weaver to run a background check on Regina Mills and whether she tried to adopt a boy in Boston. At first Weaver is hesitant, but Roni says she’ll owe him one. (The question remains, is Weaver awake as Rumple yet?!)
Later, Weaver brings what he’s found to Roni’s bar. He confirms that there is a Regina Mills who adopted a baby boy in Boston and passes along a folder. He’s clear that one day, the expectation is that Roni’ will pay him back. Roni looks through the materials and realizes that she and Regina Mills have the same handwriting. In the midst of this Ivy/Drizella comes in. She pretends like she’s going to share some new information about Victoria, but first they’ll have a drink. Ivy has added the magic serum to the drink and this awakens Roni to Regina. She remembers EVERYTHING, which is what Drizella wants. What’s to prevent Regina from waking up Henry and the others to break the curse? Apparently there’s one last tidbit, something that forces Regina to tears. Right before Drizella cast the curse, she did something. And if Henry and Jacinda/Ella ever have TLK and break the curse, something bad happens to the people Regina loves. Drizella doesn’t want the curse broken before the revenge against her mother is complete. So she expects Regina to keep Henry and Ella/Jacinda apart.
Welcome back, Regina. ? ?#OnceUponATime pic.twitter.com/BaiUXtZ224
— Once Upon A Time (@OnceABC) November 12, 2017
The episode ends with Regina looking at her photo with young Henry. Older Henry meets her and reports having a good date with Jacinda. When Henry asks about her day with Lucy, Roni/Regina suggests telling Lucy more about Henry, like about his parents and childhood. Henry says that he was born in prison and grew up in foster care. Regina is incensed… and also immediately thinks of the similarity to Emma. You can tell Regina is struggling with keeping her distance from Henry, because he’s been so loved, and it hurts that he doesn’t know it. *SIGH*
It’s so terrible to think about Regina being in a position where she has to deny her son and then manipulate him to prevent him from falling in love. Drizella will pay for this.
Once Upon a Time airs Fridays at 8p/7c on ABC.
