After a week long hiatus, what better way of diving back into the world of
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland than with the back story of our shadiest villain, Jafar. I find it interesting, as you will find out soon enough, that Jafar's back story, while having some sympathetic elements, does not elicit the overwhelming tragedy that most other
Once Upon a Time villains' stories do. Where the Red Queen was revealed to be an optimistic innocent before her journey to Wonderland, we will soon see that Jafar's history has more twists and turns that the snake that decorates his staff.
We open this week over a desert, with a caption informing the audience that we are in Agrabah many years ago. We see a marketplace, full of hustle and bustle and merchants touting their wares. A young boy is working at a forge, though he is not valued at his job. The boy is a mistreated, malnourished street rat and if I didn't know any better I would have guessed it was Aladdin himself.
Suddenly, the patrons of the marketplace begin to panic. They clear the main walkway, practically jumping into barrels of apples to avoid what's coming. We see a young woman with a haughty demeanor stalking down the center aisle, going about her shopping. The master of the forge begs the boy to turn away, that this woman is someone to fear. Her name is Amara and we soon find that she is a sorceress, indicated by her magically conjuring a coin in a puff of smoke as payment for her purchases. The boy ignores the commands of his master and continues to stare down the sorceress, showing no fear as they lock eyes. After a beat, Amara breaks her gaze and continues to stroll down the deserted marketplace while the masses cower in her wake. Without saying a word, we the audience have learned that this is a woman of great power, capable of ruthless and terrible things.
Later on that night, we see a lone house in the desert. The boy sneaks past the gate and timidly knocks on the door. Amara answers and reminds the boy that if he knows who she is then he knows what she's capable of. And that's just the boy is after. He asks the sorceress to teach him magic, specifically asking to learn "dark magic", already setting him apart from other magic wielding characters in the
Once Upon a Time universe who simple sought the mystical arts and fell to the Dark Side by accident. This boy desires to be feared like the sorceress and wants to use magic solely for revenge, a remark that grabs Amara's attention. The boy elaborates; he wishes to enact revenge on the sultan. He is the monarch's bastard son and has been cast aside to the gutter. The boy hates the sultan with "the fire of a thousand suns" a phrase I haven't heard outside internet keysmashing sessions in a long time. The boy finally reveals himself to be Jafar, and Amara agrees to being his magical tutelage in the morning.
Present day Wonderland and we see the Red Queen being primped and polished by her twin Ziggy Stardust attendants, who we learn are in fact the Tweedles. Knowing that the Red Queen came from humble origins, it makes more sense that she enjoys this pampering so much. Perhaps that explains that uncomfortable pedicure from the early episode. Anastasia was probably trying to buff away callouses earned from the hard life she endured before coming to Wonderland, signs of humble beginnings. Jafar silently saunters in and sasses the queen about maintaining the discrete nature of their alliance. He also bids the Red Queen to be honest with him and explain why she didn't tell him about the Knave of Hearts, which clears up a little confusion I had from the last review as to whether or not the White Rabbit told both of his employers about the Knave's presence in Wonderland.
The Red Queen dismisses Jafar's inquiry, but the sorcerer insists on learning why the queen chose the Knave to be the one to bring Alice to Wonderland. The Red Queen explains that to effectively lure Alice to their realm, the girl needed to follow a person she trusted. The Red Queen assures that the thief has already served his purpose. Jafar agrees and instructs the queen to "remove him from the playing field". More chess metaphors. I'm convinced the writer's have a quota as to how many chess and card related puns they can work into an episode and I'm not mad at all because the imagery serves to bring wonderful color to the dialogue. After making his request, Jafar leaves the queen, who looks none too happy with her latest instructions. Her obvious discomfort throughout the episode showcases that there is still a sliver of Anastasia in this monarch and that small piece of humanity still has feelings for the Knave.
Elsewhere in Wonderland, the Knave and Alice trek through the fungi infested woods. The Knave tells Alice that going against the Red Queen and her army is madness and we are treated to an extended banter rife with card-playing puns. I love the snappy dialogue in this episode, it highlights how aloof all the characters are and showcases their wit. If their minds work this quickly to play off one another verbally, it makes sense that the schemes they come up with are just as whippy. The Knave brings up a good point, why not use the White Rabbit's treachery to their advantage? He doesn't know that Alice and the Knave know that he's a turncoat. Our heroic pair could trick the rabbit into revealing where Cyrus is being held captive. Alice has a more direct idea and simply wants to dangle the bunny like a pinata off a cliff until he tells them what they need to know. I know Alice is more of an action girl in this rendering of the tale, but perhaps that is an extreme way of going about things.
Their debate is cut short when shouts are heard in the nearby treeline. It seems our heroes are being followed by none other than the Caterpillar's cadre of collection agents, aptly named Collectors. Faced with no other alternative, Alice and the Knave promptly beat feet through the underbrush, deftly leaping over tree branches along the way. As they stop to hide and formulate a plan, the Knave realizes the Collectors are only after him and suggests they split up. Any horror movie buff knows splitting up in the woods is a bad idea and Alice agrees with this sentiment. Too bad the Knave is set on this plan as he gains the Collector's attention, telling Alice they will meet up later. This is a big change to the reluctant Knave of Hearts we saw in the earlier episodes, the man who wanted nothing to do with Alice's quest. Apparently that chat with Grendel the Postmodern Prometheus had quite the effect on him.
Over in Jafar's birdcage dungeon, Cyrus is begging a guard for a scrap of food. He hasn't eaten in days and this soldier is standing at the edge of this prison's chasm, eating what appears to be a whole squab as if it where an apple. No, seriously, he is really digging in there, though it appears he has had his fill and tosses the carcass at the genie for something to pick over. Cyrus's fellow prison mate remarks on his uncharacteristic groveling, though it's not lunch the genie is after, but the wishbone found in the fowl carcass, which he removes and breaks in half.
Back to
Prefontaine: Wonderland Edition, as the Knave is still on the lamb from his pursuers. He hides in a convenient tree stump, planning his next move, when he hears sounds of a scuffle. Curious as to who dispatched his would-be captors, the Knave emerges and calls for Alice. However, the wrong blonde answers and we see the Red Queen , guards in tow, waiting for him.
Flashback to Agrabah, where a goat-herd jokes with an older Jafar. It appears that the goat-herd got Jafar's goat, in a manner of speaking, saving the animal from peril. Jafar thanks the man and gives him a wineskin for his troubles. The sorcerer enters his dwelling and sees his teacher, Amara, pouring over a book. He is interested in its secrets, though Amara is quick to close it, stating that her student is not yet ready for the knowledge the book holds. Instead they are going to learn a new spell, a difficult one that requires human organs to complete. I didn't realize I accidentally switched over the
American Horror Story: Coven. Jafar wonders at where they will get the materials they seek and Amara informs him that they already have it, from the goat-herd, who was poisoned by the wine Jafar gave him. Amara offers Jafar the antidote, but cautions that should he save the goat-herd, they will not be able to progress in his magical lessons.
Amara then goes on to explain her fondness for serpent imagery. She states that just as serpents shed their skin and are reborn, so must Jafar be reborn by proving he will go about any means to achieve his ends. Jafar allows the goat-herd to die and the Amara is pleased, so much so that she gets a little touchy-feely with the sorcerer and smooches him. I'm not sure how I feel about this teacher/student relationship also being a romantic one. It makes me slightly uncomfortable as it implies Amara has been using her feminine wiles on Jafar to meet her own ends, taking advantage of her student to get what she wants. I sense a betrayal in the near future.
Back in present day Wonderland, we see Jafar thumbing through that same book Amara denied him years ago, so we know she either eventual bequeaths its knowledge to him or something happens to her that makes her lose possession of it. Given how Jafar is also so protective of the tome when he's interrupted, there must be powerful magic in its pages. And interrupted he is by one of the Tweedles, ringing in with a magical mirror Skype call. The Tweedle reports that the Knave of Hearts has been successfully captured and seems nervous at contacting the sorcerer. He asks if there's anything else he can do for Jafar and one has to wonder if perhaps this particular Tweedle is on the sorcerer's payroll. What could he be holding over this man's head and how will that affect his relationship with the other Tweedle, should they be forced to choose sides? We are also treated to a very interesting shot, where half of Jafar's reflection is superimposed over the face of the Tweedle in the mirror. This shot obviously took a lot of effort and while it looks cool, that can't be the only reason for it. What hidden meaning could it hold? Perhaps it showcases Jafar's power over the Red Queen's minion?
Cut to the Knave, who is looking about as thrilled as Garfield on a Monday at being shut in the Red Queen's dungeon. The queen taunts the Knave from the other side of the bars, telling him he should have stayed away from Wonderland and snarkly refers to Alice as the Knave's girlfriend. The thief counters that he was never attracted to nice normal women. Before anyone can fetch the Red Queen ice for that burn, she continues to goad the Knave on his thievery, which hits a sore spot as the Knave pulls no verbal punches, countering that the Red Queen has everyone fooled, but he knows who she really is and as icing on this assault he bitingly calls her Anastasia. I really desire more of this pair's back story. What could have happened to them or gone so wrong between them to transform the once earnest and loving couple from the end of the last episode to this bitter tableau? As the the Red Queen leaves, the Knave inquires as to how long he will be her captive. She simply replies forever and turns of her heel, leaving the Knave to his thoughts.
On the other side of Wonderland, Alice skulks outside the door to Underland. She looks like an underage college kid trying to sneak into a bar. Alice is about to make her move when a figure appears and informs her that the Knave of Hearts isn't with the Caterpillar. It's a young girl, one of the Collectors, who tells Alice that the Knave was scooped up by the Red Queen. The young girl introduces herself as Elizabeth, though most people call her Lizard. Odd nickname for a pixieish young thief.
I've already speculated that perhaps Lizard is meant to be an expy for Bill the Lizard, most famously known for being the White Rabbit's handy man.
Alice thanks Liz and promptly marches off, announcing she's after the Red Queen. Again it is brought up that the queen and her army are not to be tangled with and Lizard says she's coming with, as the Knave owes her a debt. What is it about the Red Queen that has everyone so terrified.? She's not a magic user and we haven't really seen anything extraordinary regarding her influence, other than her being the ruler of this particular section of Wonderland. Could the Tweedles somehow play into her terrifying image?
Speaking of the Red Queen, we find her seated by herself at an overly large chessboard, game already in progress. After some hesitation, she chooses to move a pawn ahead two spaces. I'm no Bobby Fischer, but I do know that only pawns in their starting position can move ahead two spaces, so it would appear to me that this game has only recently begun. Naturally she is playing as the red side and it seems her pieces have advanced further across the board than the white side, perhaps highlighting a more aggressive style of play. Try as I might to rewind and pause, I found it very difficult to examine the board more closely as dutch angles of the queen gazing at her playing field were used. One simply can't see the entire board all at once.
Jafar once more mystically poofs his way into her chambers and congratulates the Red Queen on her capture of the Knave of Hearts, though he expresses curiosity as to why their foe is still alive. The queen waffles, stating that the Knave is out of the way and her task is complete. Jafar suddenly goes from zero to sixty, loudly demanding a public execution so everyone can see what it costs to help Alice in Wonderland. He actually says "Alice in Wonderland", which causes me to titter as he said the thing. The rest of Jafar's dialogue reflects that he knows something has or is going on between the Red Queen and the Knave of Hearts. The sorcerer echos a variation on his teacher's words; is the Red Queen willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants, or is she simply a girl with a stolen crown? The biggest question, for me at least, is who did she steal the crown from? Not putting too fine a point on the subject, Jafar demands that the Red Queen kill the Knave.
In a flashback in Agrabah, Amara and Jafar pour over the book. It's basically a copy of
Genies for Dummies, complete with the more traditional depiction of a genie lamp as one of the illustrations. Jafar has proven himself ready for their ultimate task; completing a spell found in the book that requires the power of not one, but three genies. Amara concedes that she wouldn't dare attempt such a powerful spell without the aid of a partner. The spell, should they succeed, would make them the most fearsome sorcerers in the world, giving them the ability to rewrite even the very laws of magic. I'm sensing phenomenal cosmic powers here, but I wonder, since all magic come with a price, is itty bitty living space the price should they succeed?
Jafar, naturally hearing this too good to be true plan, is skeptical as to why Amara is sharing this opportunity with him. No one has shown him this level of kindness before. The sorceress admits that she has waited a long time for a worthy partner, just as Jafar has waited in seeking his revenge. She adds that no one has loved Jafar as Amara has and they embrace. My spidey senses are tingling once more. There has to be betrayal on the horizon tragic back stories are a staple of the
Once Upon a Time universe.
Jump to Jafar in his cave of wonders, admiring the more traditional model of magic lamp he already has in his possession. The lamp actually looks like that of the genie from Season One of OUaT, but Sidney Glass is in Storybrooke. Or is he? We haven't seen him since Regina banished him to the basement of the hospital and he was actually transformed from a genie into the Magic Mirror before that, so who knows? There is another bottle beside the first, with an obvious place left for a third genie. Jafar, it seems, was very close to his goal before he began tangling with Alice.
Back at the Birdcage of Captivity, Cyrus has been sharpening one half of the wishbone to a fine point. A guard strolls in and demands to see the genie's hands, claiming he saw something. Cyrus wisely hides the bone and thinks he's outsmarted the guard, however this particular heavy isn't as stupid as he looks and abruptly lowers Cyrus's cage, jostling the bone out of its hiding place. He collects the contraband and tosses it over the edge of the cliff. So much for your prison shank, Cyrus.
Elsewhere in Wonderland, Lizard explains that she learned everything she knows in the areas of thieving and skullduggery from the Knave of Hearts. Alice realizes that the debt the Knave owes isn't of the financial sort. It's actually Liz who owes the Knave, as he was her teacher and protector. Alice inquires about the possibility of romance. Lizard staunchly denies that, stating they only ran together as thieves. Liz also mentions Anastasia, stating she has no idea who the woman is, only that she did a number of the Knave and was probably the reason he left Wonderland in the first place. Raise your hand if you are craving more of the Red Queen and Knave of Heart's back story.
Speaking of the pair, the Red Queen sashays down to the dungeon to pay the Knave another visit, though not for a gloat this time but to remind herself that she did the right thing, whatever that means. Their entire exchange here is frustrating because the pair allude to events the audience isn't yet privy to. The queen tells the Knave that in a few moments the White Rabbit will be sent down to collect the Knave and rabbit hole him back to where ever he was originally plucked from. Granny is not going to be pleased with another hole in the middle of her diner floor. Though this is a genuine offer of escape, again reinforcing the fact that the Red Queen still has feelings for him, the Knave is suspicious and claims to not need her pity. He dares the queen to kill him because he doesn't think she has it in her to carry out the task. Gritting her teeth, the Red Queen assures the Knave that the surest way to get her to do something is to tell her she can't, which prompts the Knave to get right up against the bars and shout, "YOU CAN'T". Message received, the Red Queen decides to hell with him and leaves in a royal huff.
As Lizard and Alice continue to amble through Wonderland, they come across a small crowd of people excitedly jabbering over a public notice declaring an execution for that day like soccer moms on Black Friday, though perhaps a public execution would be less brutal. Alice can't initially get through the crown to see, but as soon as she utters the magic words, "I have a blade" the group splits like a Kardashian marriage. Discovering it is the Knave who is to be executed, Lizard and Alice step on the gas and rush to save him.
At the execution, quite a crowd has gathered, practically passing out snacks and throwing confetti. Either the denizens for Wonderland are hard up for entertainment or the Knave of Hearts really did owe money to everyone. To add to the festive air, a catapult has been added to the end of the executioner's block. Apparently whoever catches the head wins a free dinner. This is the kind of sinister tomfoolery I'm used to seeing throughout iterations of Alice's tale and it's so absurd and reprehensible at the same time it just screams "Wonderland".
The Red Queen emerges onto a balcony above the proceedings with Jafar in tow and the crowd cheers. Either she has the hoi polloi so terrified that they would cheer at anything she does (keep in mind these are people hoping to catch the Knave of Heart's disembodied head like a bouquet at a wedding) or she's not that bad of a ruler. Jafar leans over and antagonizes the queen, implying he doesn't take kindly to her affairs impeding his. While this little exchange happens, Alice has been busy scanning the execution platform, finally coming up with a plan. Unfortunately, one of the Tweedles has spotted Alice in the crowd, but instead of taking action, Jafar commands she be left to her own devices. He want to learn just how far Alice is willing to go to achieve her task.
In a flashback to Agrabah, Jafar enters into a merchant's shop uninvited. He is not interested in the wine or women the man offers, but the genie under his command. The merchant still has one wish and is unwilling to use it to pass along the bottle. It's seems that by magical law, ownership does not transfer until all wishes are used. Jafar plans on forcing the merchant to use his last wish via grievous bodily harm and staples the man's hands to the counter by driving a blade through his palm. In agony, the merchant wishes that Jafar would not be able to do him harm. Excellently worded wish. Jafar collects the bottle and is about to leave when the merchant insults the sorcerer, telling him to go back to the gutter. That is quite possibly the worst thing he could have said, but the merchant has no fear since Jafar can not hurt him. Too bad Amara can, as she steps into the room and casts upon him a "fate worse than death", though the audience doesn't see what that fate is. With only one bottle left to collect, the pair toast themselves on a job well done.
Present day Wonderland and the main event is about to begin. The Knave of Hearts is brought to the platform and quite thoroughly booed by the crowd. The Red Queen gives the signal for the Knave's head to be placed on the block and as the executioner approaches, the Knave of Sass gets in one last quip. The axe falls, not to sever a head, but the captive's bonds. The executioner is actually Alice in disguise! The Knave and Alice scramble onto the catapult and launch themselves over the castle wall to relative safety. As they flee the chess piece castle, one has to notice that they are in a large sweeping hedge maze. Are the Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen close neighbors or do they have the same gardener? Or was it the Queen of Heart's throne that the Red Queen usurped? Lizard meets up with the pair and they make it to an open courtyard, when Jafar swoops down on his magic carpet. You can almost hear Steppenwolf in the background. The Red Queen has caught up with our heroes and blocks the way they came.
Jafar taunts Alice, knowing she would do anything for her friends and proceeds to Force Choke the Knave to prove his point. All Alice has to do is use a wish to save the Knave. Alice hesitates and the situation become more dire. The Knave, struggling for air, calls out for Anastasia, spurring the Red Queen to get impatient and urge Alice to use a wish. Here's where we have Alice's weekly Moment of Cleverness. She does use a wish, stating that if the Knave of Hearts should die, she would die too. Good wishing, though it does raise some interesting implications for later on should the Knave find himself in more trouble. Jafar, impressed with Alice, releases the Knave and remarks that one wish is gone, only two remain. Alice tells the sorcerer that he'd have to kill her to get what he wants, but he counters that no, he needs her alive and proceeds to inflict magical pain upon her, similar to what he did with the mercahnt in the past. I'm glad we finally understand Jafar's obession from last episode with getting Alice to wish.
Alice vows to never wish for Jafar and he surprisingly gives up after a few moments. Does he believe Alice will never wish for him, does he have another plan in mind, or does her determination trigger something else deep inside? He did have a rather thoughtful expression on his face. As the Knave grabs Alice and tries to escape, Jafar unleashes that fate worse than death and turns the Knave to stone. That's right, the Knave of Hearts is now a lawn ornament. Jafar, knowing now that Alice will never use her remaining wishes on herself, vows to inflict pain and torment on everyone she loves. He hops on his carpet and flies off.
Alice rushes to the Red Queen and begs for her help. As the queen dismisses Alice, the action girl grabs the queen's attention by punching her square in the jaw. I do like that if a female in the
Once Upon a Time universe is going to fight you bare handed, it's no slapping cat fight. These ladies will knock you into next week and then kick your ass again on Thursday. Alice calls the Red Queen out as Anastasia, begging for her help, but all the queen can say is that Alice is the one who can help with a wish. As the queen turns to leave, Alice expresses surprise that she isn't to be thrown in prison. The Red Queen informs her that would be redundant since Wonderland is a prison. Does this go both ways, with the Red Queen being trapped as well? She seems happy being a monarch, but is it an empty task for her, does she actually wish to leave? The queen warns that things are going to get worse for Alice and with her voice breaking, tearfully bids Alice to wish. She leaves Alice alone with the Knave of Stone. Was that last bit of emotion due to the Red Queen still having feelings for the Knave or perhaps alluding to the previous "prison" comment, with Alice being her savior?
One last flashback to Agrabah and we find Jafar and Amara sharing a drink, celebrating the fact that they located the final genie. Jafar states that soon
he will be ready for the spell and the use of the incorrect pronoun is not lost on Amara as she struggles to stay conscious. Jafar has cast a spell that will allow him to absorb her magic. I was actually quite surprised that it was he who played Amara and not the other way around. This also goes to show the main difference between his and most other OUaT universe antagonist's back stories. Jafar always had a spark of darkness in his heart; there wasn't a slow, accidental descent to the side of evil. He planned from his earliest days to use evil magic to reach his goals. Amara's influence surely cultivated a warped sense of priorities and values in young Jafar, teaching him to put his needs and desires above all else, but Jafar knew what he was getting into that first night he knocked on her door. Amara reminds Jafar that he can't perform the spell alone and Jafar admits that he won't be alone. As the sorceress transforms, Jafar bids that she shed her skin and be reborn. He then picks up his signature snake staff, what his former teacher has now been reborn as.
In Wonderland, Cyrus pulls the other side of wishbone out of his vest and presses it to the bottom of his cage. The genie explains to his prison mate the origin of the wishbone's power. It's a myth that a wishbones larger half will grant a wish, a story created by genies so that people didn't need to seek them out to get what they want. What a wishbone really wants, according to Cyrus, is to be joined to other half and will do whatever it takes to be joined again. As Cyrus finishes this explanation, the lost half of the wishbone rises from the depths and tries to fuse with its other half, only since the cage is in the way, the pieces have now reacted like a blowtorch, searing a molten line through the bottom of the cage. Cyrus is on his way to escape.
While I didn't enjoy this episode as much as the last, it was still a solid story and answered a ton of questions the audience might have, while posing a few new ones.
Cyrus and Alice are too clever for their own good. I love how each episode both characters always end up being a half step ahead of their enemies, though I'm wondering if this luck will eventually back fired or run out. And if Alice is so clever, especially with her words, why doesn't she concoct a way to wish Cyrus free? As in free him from the servitude of his genie-hood. I know Cyrus had said that in the past it never worked out, but I think with someone as determined and clever as Alice thinking up the wishes there's hope.
I would be willing to bet any sum of money that the Red Queen was some how playing chess with the White Queen, but that possibility raises so many new questions. Is the White Queen a captive? Is she a phantom? Or was there something else to the Red Queen's game entirely? I also like the fact that the Tweedles are getting more play. I'd like to see what makes them the Red Queen's right-and-left-hand men.
The past certainly plays a large role with any
Once Upon a Time show, but this episode in particular highlighted that to a "t". The way Jafar echoed all of the teachings he gleaned from Amara, as well as the constant references to Alice's first visit to Wonderland. The latter is something I'd like to see on the show. They keep alluding to first meetings, so I'd like to see what first impressions were formed and how each character evolved after meeting Alice.
I honestly don't know if I care for Lizard's character though. I am instantly turned off by young, know-it-all, excel-at-everything characters, the Wesley Crushers if you will. There also seems like a slight potential between Liz, the Red Queen, and the Knave of Hearts for a love triangle, though considering the Knave seems to utterly loathe the Red Queen now, who can say. Also, I admit, we didn't get a lot of Liz's character in this episode, so perhaps with more exposure I'll feel differently about her.
What did you think of "The Serpent" dear readers?
Ashley B
is as serious as a sleeping curse when she says television is her life. Professional event planner, avid movie viewer, convention attendee, and resident sass master, Ashley also writes reviews for ABC's Once Upon a Time over at GottaWatchIt.com. She looks forward each week to the weird and wonderful world her favorite television programs provide.
