“Witch Hunt” has our heroes searching for answers about the town’s missing memories while, back in the year they’ve forgotten, their new nemesis is more than happy to make her wickedness known.
Turns out the Wicked Witch of the West’s reasons for targeting Regina (despite the Evil Queen’s earlier belief, to Charming’s sarcastic surprise, that there was no blood vendetta in play) are quite personal. During the first of what I’m sure will be several face-offs, Zelena claims that she is Regina’s older half-sister via Cora (and are we to assume that Rumplestiltskin is the proud papa?). As is typical in stories like these, Zelena is jealous that Regina was the daughter Cora kept and raised, even if she was a controlling monster, and wants to take everything away from Regina as revenge.
Now, it’s a little lazy that the show is reusing the basic narrative formula from the first half of the season – a relative with a nefarious agenda from an untapped mythos comes out of the woodwork to target one of the show’s anti-heroes and the rest of the extended family ends up in the crosshairs as well. That said, the Wicked Witch is a great choice for a Big Bad in this world. And just like Robert Carlyle and Robbie Kay, Lana Parrilla and Rebecca Mader had fantastic antagonistic chemistry as they traded zingers about Regina’s wardrobe and Zelena’s emerald skin. So, like Regina says, bring it, Greenie!
In fact, the flashbacks to the Enchanted Forest had a lot of quality Regina. I loved her rescuing Robin Hood’s son from a flying monkey by turning the beast into an adorable toy. The chemistry and rapport between Regina and Robin is percolating nicely (I’m anxious to see what happens when they encounter each other again in the real world). And while it makes sense that one pep talk from Snow wasn’t enough to shake off her sadness about Henry (and really, Regina is the only one who seems affected by being torn away from Storybrooke), what’s equally perfect is that it’s the prospect of having a foe to vanquish that puts a spring back in Regina’s step. I mean, check out that amazing, gleeful smile she gives Robin when she has that realization. Awesome.
But a year later, Zelena has succeeded in casting a new curse and sending everyone back to Storybrooke. Some – like Robin Hood and his Merry Men – are in our world for the first time (Little John’s amazement at a modern crossbow was amusing). Those who wander too close to the town line are being snatched up or turned into flying monkeys (which opened the door for Hook to offhandedly mention that Emma almost married one and a hilarious fatherly reaction from David). Nobody can remember what happened and, naturally, the number one suspect is Regina.
Color me pleased that the show didn’t waste too much time on Emma seriously suspecting Regina and, after some misdirection, had the two team up, first attempting to replicate the memory potion Emma drank, then trying to trick the curse caster into revealing themselves (which led to a classic cut from Regina saying she knew exactly who to use to set their trap to Grumpy rushing into Granny’s to loudly rant). Their partnership led to several good scenes between them. Regina snarking on Emma’s superpower and the boringness of stakeouts was a hoot. But I also enjoyed the warmer moments, like Emma’s soft smile at Regina’s truth telling, Regina’s happiness at hearing that Henry has a good life in New York, and Emma urging Regina to pursue a relationship with their son even if he can’t remember her.
I’m not sure how I feel about Henry being kept in the dark about his fairy tale family. True, it’s allowing for both humor (I loved Mary Margaret claiming that she was Emma’s cellmate in Phoenix and was in jail for “banditry”) and pathos (Regina’s yearning for an oblivious Henry is being heartbreakingly played by Parrilla) now and will no doubt have bigger dramatic consequences later. But it just seems like a fool’s errand. Look how many slips Mary Margaret and Regina and Ruby made in just this one episode. And Henry has, as was drilled into us during the first arc, the heart of the truest believer. He believed in magic before anyone else did. What would be the harm in him knowing?
Between the flying monkeys and their suspect disappearing in a cloud of green smoke, Team Cobra quickly realizes (to Emma’s characteristically hilarious bemused befuddlement) that the Wicked Witch of the West is their culprit. Now, one would think it’d be easy enough to figure out who she is by looking for a) a woman who b) wasn’t in Storybrooke during the first curse. But unlike her brashly revealing herself to Regina back in the Enchanted Forest, Zelena opts for the opposite approach in Maine, smartly pitching herself as a “supporting player” to Mary Margaret. So it seems Snow’s baby is part of her plans.
Lastly, the episode ends with the reveal that Zelena is keeping a prisoner: Rumplestiltskin. I won’t pretend to be shocked that the show didn’t kill off one of its most popular characters. What’s interesting, though, is that while Rumple looks like his Mr. Gold persona, he’s acting much more like the Dark One, with the maniacal giggling and rambling in rhyme. Has Zelena purposely brought him back to Storybrooke like this? Will it affect what happens when he reunites with Belle and Neal? Curious to see what unfolds here.
So who do we think sent the message and memory potion to Hook? Doesn’t look like it was someone from Storybrooke and, considering Walsh, I think Zelena wanted Emma to stay put in New York. Is there any way it could be August? That’s my guess, what’s yours?
