Once Upon a Time 1.22 'A Land Without Magic'

Sword fights! Dragons! True loves kiss! Those were just a small fraction of the events of ‘A Land Without Magic’, an episode that proved itself to be the season finale we’d been waiting for. All of the season’s storylines were brought together seamlessly, and the episode was an emotionally charged spectacle from start to finish, never once letting the tension and excitement up. But, where do we go from here?

In the season finale, ‘A Land Without Magic’, Emma finally learns the truth behind Storybrooke, but has to team up with Regina to save Henry’s life. Charming races to save snow after he is freed from the castle.

When it comes to huge episodes like this one, I’m always at a loss as to where I should start. Usually the most important thing would make sense, but was there any part of this episode that was less poignant than any other? Not as far as I could tell.

Let’s just start with what’s freshest on my mind; the curse is finally broken. And at the exact right time as well. There’s only so much that the writers can milk the forgotten identities thing for before it gets stale, and Storybrooke’s residents’ regained sense of self should prove a powerful catalyst for some interesting plots next season. I wonder how this will change Mary Margaret and Emma’s relationship. That’s going to be a weird living situation...

There were so many turnarounds for Regina during this finale I’m still at a loss as to where she truly stands amongst all this. One thing was cleared up though, and it’s something I’ve questioned myself countless times since the start; does Regina really love Henry, or is he just a pawn in her super-sized vendetta against Snow? Now we know that she felt something for him, which is odd considering he’s the grandchild of the woman she despises, but it at least gave her that much more to paint her as a somewhat pitiable villainess.

Snow and Charming’s reunion was just as striking as I thought it was going to be. Seriously, I was welling up a little bit. Sometimes this show crosses that line into cheesy-town, but you just can’t help but get swept up in it all! As always, present day events tied in perfectly with what was going on in the Enchanted Forest, as Charming and Snow both found their way back to each other. Unfortunately, there’s almost zero chance of this reunion lasting long; the writers enjoy separating them way too much.

Out of everyone, I think Emma is the one character who got crushed with a hell of a lot this week. Not only did she finally accept the truth, but she was forced into battle with a dragon (Missed you Kristen!), had to face the near death of her son and bear the weight of hundreds of people’s lives on her shoulders. I’ve loved Emma from the start, but her role as the big saviour never felt more right than it did here. She was bad-ass.

The best thing about ‘A Land Without Magic’ was how effortlessly it tied up almost everything that had happened during the season, particularly by reuniting Belle and Rumple. I’m such a sap, but his reaction to Belle’s appearance was just so perfect, I nearly cried again. His motivations and intentions are still a massive enigma though, especially since the return of magic means that he will almost undoubtedly be returned to his original form. Or, maybe that’s his intention?

Even so, what are the exact implications of magic being brought back into the world? One thing we know for sure is that Regina is at full power again. Will she continue her vengeance against Snow, or is shoe prepared to focus all her revenge fuelled energies at Emma now? She did break the curse, take her son and turn the town against her in one fell swoop. That has to make her just as much of a target as Snow.

You know that a season finale is done right when there’s this much to digest. Since ‘Once Upon a Time follows such a set narrative for each episode, a shake-up to the formula was necessary to keep things alive, and I think the broken curse, and the return of magic, could prove just that. October is too far away...

10/10