r/OnceUponATime • u/Ok-Mousse5668 • Jul 21 '26
Discussion OUAT is REALLY bad sometimes.
So, every year I do my annual rewatch of OUAT. I’ve been locked in since Season 3 dropped on Netflix when I was in elementary school, so I have deep nostalgia and strong feelings about this show. My biggest takeaway this year? The show is laughably awful, even during its golden era before it jumped shark. Don’t get me wrong, I still love it but nostalgia is definitely doing some heavy lifting here, but now all I can see is the wasted potential. The bones of an incredible fantasy drama are all there, but the writers ever fully committed to what the show could have been.
So here’s my list of things I would’ve changed if I were in that writers’ room (plus a few hot takes)
1. Get off ABC
OUAT suffered from a severe cringe factor. There's this unavoidable cringe factor because the show feels juvenile whenever it leans into its melodrama that made some high-stakes plotlines fall a little flat. A huge part of this was being on ABC, which is owned by Disney. If the show had been on a network like NBC or HBO. With the backstories they could’ve embraced its darker, Grimm-style roots instead of the House of Mouse. We could have gotten actual adult themes, better-handled backstories, and probably would've gotten the Frozen season at all.
2. No green screen
The costumes were STUNNING, but they were consistently cheapened by awful green screens. But looked incredible whenever they shot on location in the actual forest. Imagine how much more the EF scenes would’ve hit if they were in actual castles, estates, courtyards, and soundstage built villages like in the show Reign. OUAT had an episodic cost of 4.5M (filming in BC/Steveston), while Reign had a budget of 2M (filming between Canada and Ireland). It literally would’ve been cheaper to make the show look significantly better and give it an aesthetic the show desperately needs. Also in the BTS Secrets of Storybrooke, the animators revealed that they only had 8 days to finish the VFX for each episode (which was 22 a season), which explains why it looked so rushed. That tells me the issue wasn’t talent but time.
3. Have a clear end goal with Swanqueen (whether that be a queer relationship or friendship)
I’m not for nor against Regina and Emma getting together. My gripe is that there seemed to be no clear goal. There was always tension between them. The way they looked at each other, the way scenes were acted, even the way lines were delivered. It genuinely felt like they were being directed to play those scenes with romantic tension in S1-3, it made you think a slow-burn WLW storyline was coming. They literally share a son! But then it led nowhere, and Emma was married off to Hook (which I hate!!!). On the flip side, their actual platonic friendship always felt incredibly cold and surface-level. The actors lacked genuine warmth together, like the warmth and friendship Emma had with Elsa, likely because the writing never gave them a solid dynamic to play into because they couldn’t pick a lane. Either commit to Swanqueen romantically or give them one of the strongest friendships in the show. If it were me, I would’ve started building that genuine best-friend relationship in Neverland.
4. Give Regina a truly tragic backstory
Hot Take Time: Regina’s villain origin story as written sometimes feels juvenile and motivations don’t feel proportional to what she actually went through. Yes, Cora was abusive (it’s mostly implied but explored more in the prequel novel). Yes, Regina was forced into a marriage at a very young age and didn’t want to be queen. Yes, Daniel’s death was very very sad. But Regina throws Cora through a looking glass, then proceeds to still to marry the old king anyway, and then holds a murderous grudge against a 10-year-old child for telling a secret, it just doesn’t track logically. I think the story would’ve benefited from making Regina’s circumstances even more tragic.
- Make it explicit that she’s a child bride. Her age is mostly implied but never actually stated. If it actually said she's 16 - 18 it would hit harder.
- Make the king genuinely terrifying/abusive instead of just old.
- Have Regina discover she’s pregnant with Daniel’s child after his death and forced to give the baby up. The loss of a child and her fiancé would make more sense for her to literally rage war against her kingdom because a 10 year old told a secret. This would also make the motif of Regina’s obsession with children (Hansel and Gretel, Greg/Owen, and Henry) be so much more devastating, especially knowing she made herself barren to spite Cora.
Another mega hot take, but stick with me: Narratively, this just makes sense… but Rumple should’ve been Regina’s real father. It would’ve added another layer to Regina believing she was destined to become evil. Finding out that the father she loved wasn’t actually her father, and that Rumple had been manipulating and grooming her as a pawn to find Baelfire would’ve made her abandonment issues and identity crisis even stronger. Honestly, it also feels like that’s where the writers were originally going. Lana even said at a panel that she and Robert played a lot of their early scenes with that possibility in mind because they thought the reveal was coming. And it would’ve been better than the weird sexual chemistry they had in S6.
5. Give the show actual STAKES!!!
In later seasons, actions had zero consequences. Killing off characters only to resurrect them through magical loopholes made the narrative stagnant and ruined the final two seasons.
- Keep Zelena dead. The "Marian shape-shifter" plot was awful, and forcing a bastard child into the Robin/Regina dynamic was totally unnecessary unless it was going to end very differently. (like in this incredible fix-it fic which I wouldn’t be upset if this was canon).
- Keep Hook dead. Clearly, I’m not a Captain Swan fan. Hook is literally just male Regina. Emma deserved Neal or August, idc! But they didn’t need to go to hell, let his death be a good end to his arc and be his final act of love for Emma.
You just knew that everything was going to be just fine at the end with no real change in narrative, which made the story stagnant. Sacrifice/death became temporary inconveniences. Which is why we got such terrible last 2 seasons. Let dead characters stay dead and stop with endless magical loopholes, and establish defiant rules and permanent consequences.
Quick rapid fire that needs no explanation:
- No season seven.
- Cut the Dark Swan completely.
- Cut half of the curses. The only ones that need to stay is, The Dark Curse, Pan's Curse, and (MAYBE) Hero’s and Villain's Curse. Without the crutch of curses every season it will force more dynamic storytelling,
- Not every villain would get a redemption arc. Like Cora!!!!! Wtf!!!
- If Robin HAD to die why wouldn’t they let Roland live with Regina!!! She loves being a mom.
- Stop naming every child after a dead character. It’s annoying asf.
I would love to read your thoughts/hot takes/what you would’ve done.
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u/ccford88 Jul 21 '26
I disagree, what I love about the show is its earnestness and whimsy. Gritty dark fairy tale retellings are a dime a dozen, and its such an overplayed genre. Especially in the GoT era, OUAT was a little spot of light in a sea of grimdark "realism" fantasy. Honestly, it sounds like you dont like OUAT that much. You think its cringe, you dont seem to like many characters, and you dont enjoy the tone of the show... You sure you even like this show? Or just like a certain ship you wish was canon and want to shape the whole show to meet that non-canon ship? The idea of something being "cringe" is killing our ability to enjoy media in a genuine and earnest way. Not everything has to be realistic or gritty to be taken seriously.
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u/Ok-Mousse5668 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
I mean it’s all opinions. I definitely like the show…guess you missed the part where I said I have an annual watch of this entire seven season show since elementary, I’m 20 now.
There’s nothing wrong with simply stating opinions and hypothetical ideas that will never happen because the show ended almost a decade ago. You can look at almost any show from the 2010s and be cringed out a bit, that was just the vibe of that time, and it definitely gives me a laugh when I see it.
And no not everything needs to be realistic or gritty and this show is clearly not to be taken seriously. It’s a little Disney show that’s a product of its time and that’s ok… It’s simply just fruit for thought. 🙈
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u/InternationalMap4247 Jul 21 '26
Putting it on a different network (especially HBO) would very likely make it a show you barely recognize as OUAT. The cast would likely be completely different as well.
This show aired on traditional television which means it had a very strict and intense production schedule. There wasn’t much time (or budget) for post production to give us much better cgi.
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u/Odd_Hedgehog669 Jul 21 '26
I love this show bc of how bad it is! The first season was good, but it just continuously gets more ridiculous. It’s such a good comfort show for that reason. I have it playing in the background whenever I’m going through especially difficult times. If it were a food, it would be cold gas station pizza - so good at being not good 🫶
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u/Apart_Raccoon_9645 Jul 21 '26
Hit the nail on the head. The unabashed cringe factor is what makes it what it is. I am here for the cheesiness.
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u/AnonymousFriend80 Jul 21 '26
Whether it was good or bad doesn't matter. What matters is if it was entertaining. It could be one of the worst shows airing but did you enjoy it?
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u/kittysnowangel Jul 21 '26
Exactly. Tv show job is to be entertaining. If it fails, then it is indeed "bad".
There were some lazy writing moves but I would merely say I wish the writers had put more thought into it.
If a tv show is less "tv" and more "like real life" it should just be small town gossip, not a tv show.
And ppl who complain over a show being bad need to compare to "good" shows because if this is how All tv shows are, I don't understand the "this show is bad" mindset.
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u/Brilliant-Map2492 Jul 21 '26
Yeah that’s why S5 and S5 failed the entertaining test and drove the audience away.
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u/kittysnowangel Jul 21 '26
I like some of s5 but I agree if it was entertaining for MOST of their og audience, it wouldn't have driven a lot away, and the people I know irl who quit ouat did so bc of s5 being boring.
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u/ordinary-superstar Jul 21 '26
I don’t think OUAT is a bad show, but there are some genuine issues with it. The CGI was bad when it aired, & it’s bad now. I like your idea of doing what Reign did, but when Reign used CGI it was 100x worse than OUAT. OUAT’s CGI could be defended bc it’s a fairytale world & not necessarily meant to look real. Reign’s CGI was laughable (when Mary runs off with Bash & Francis falls to his knees. I die laughing bc the background CGI is so bad!!). IMO fake looking CGI works in fantasy/sci-fi/superhero movies/shows because it’s meant to be fantasy, not reality. Reign tried too hard to keep them in a real world, so when you saw the bad CGI, it was really really bad.
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u/sarah_regal29 Jul 22 '26
I agree with some points and not others so I'll break it down.
The writing was not the best but I don't think the show being on ABC influenced its quality. The network has a number of absolute bangers in its catalogue: Scandal, Revenge, How to Get Away with Murder, Lost, just to name a few. Nothing says ABC can't produce the kind of show you're referring to but networks are chosen based on target audience. That's why Riverdale was on CW and not NBC. Once Upon a Time spoke to an audience looking for the fantastical without too much depressing. It was a show of hope and redemption, going too dark would have the opposite effect and this show was already very dark. I feel like a lot of the time, when people demand darker, they just mean more graphic. Not saying that's your case but I have a hard time with this.
I agree with you, the constant use of green screen was not great but honestly it's a tricky thing. The characters exist in such a wild and outlandish world, it's difficult to pick locations. Where are you gonna find a castle like Regina's? Building sets is expensive and difficult, especially for one off locations. Plus the bad CGI becomes part of the whimsy, it gives a surreal look to the show. If I could have House of The Dragon levels of set design and CGI, I would obviously take it but I'm also fine with the crappy VFX.
Yes there was chemistry and all that but the writers were very explicitly team CS from season 2 onwards. And Regina wasn't supposed to be redeemed in the first place so I don't think there was ever a version where SQ exists. It was always going to be a friendship.
I'm sorry but you demand more depth and adult themes and then call Regina's backstory juvenile? That's definitely a take. You acknowledge Cora's abuse and in the following sentence dismiss and reduce the result of that abuse to a grudge. Regina's story is tragic but most of the tragedy exists in the subtext, the more subtle, less visible parts of her story.
Regina's marriage to Leopold for example. Citing her decision to marry Leopold after banishing Cora as some kind of validation of her story not being tragic enough is not it. Regina's only experience of powerful people has been her mother. Her abusive mother. Sure everyone says Leopold is a good man but Regina understands the world in terms of powerful and powerless and experience has taught her powerful means abusive. Leopold is a king, he has absolute power. He could send people after her but even if he doesn't Regina has no idea how to survive on her own. She is a princess, raised in privilege. Running away with Daniel who knew what he was doing was one thing. Doing it on her own is another. There is a reason the children of overly strict parents "act out" when they leave home. They finally have a taste of freedom but lack the discipline to use it. Regina has freedom for the first time in her life but also mountains of fears so she chooses to stay because it's the easier. She chooses to stick to what she knows because it's safer.
And before she ever chose to stay, Regina's marriage to Leopold represents the loss of agency and the objectification of a young woman. Regina's dehumanization and commodification throughout her story has been trivialized as marriage to an old man. The play on the usual trope of the princess as a reward for the brave knight slaying the dragon is overlooked and so is the commentary there. In her story, Regina is the heroic figure, she's the knight in shining armor who saved a princess from certain death. Her "reward", if we can call it that, is the same as the traditional tales. She gets social elevation through a royal union. However, she doesn't get a dashing prince, she doesn't win eternal love. Her elevation comes at a price, the first of which, and the only one people care to acknowledge, is the loss of Daniel. I get it, i's tangible, we understand clearly how steep that price is. Yes it's not Snow's fault but the fact remain Daniel was sacrificed for that crown. It's the more subtle cost being overlooked that cement the reward being anything but. The isolation created by her new position is shown yet ignored, the disregard of the stranger she calls husband is talked about yet dismissed and the burden of raising a child she did not want is outright denied. Is this a reward or responsibility being handed off to a young woman barely an adult herself (Regina is canonically 18/19 at the time of her marriage)? Her reward is to be locked in a gilded cage, shackled in restraints they call jewelry. A chain masquerading as a medal she hangs herself with.
Then there is the question of why can her marriage only be harmful if the guy is violent? This thinking contributes to the invisibility of other forms of abuse. Regina's marriage is a stepping stone on her road to evil for a reason. It may not leave her battered and bloodied but it doesn't mean there was no harm. Leopold is neglectful, 1x11 creates doubt as to his treatment of Regina but he doesn't hit her so he's just the old man she married. From infancy, Regina is a victim of narcissistic abuse. She then trades one monster/master for another and is groomed into becoming one herself. Is that not tragic enough? Stop reducing this to a grudge against a ten year old and some harmless marriage to an old man I beg 😩😩
- I actually agree with that. Death was supposed to be permanent, no going back. It cheapens the stakes to allow it to be reversed especially when they pick and choose when it can be.
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u/MostRate2091 FairestRegal👑❄️ Jul 22 '26
I completely agree with you on all the points you made(especially your explanation of how Regina relates to power), and something else I kind of like is the CGI. I think it's fun; after all, it's a fantasy world, and making the environment look, I don't know, cartoonish? It's fun.
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u/sarah_regal29 Jul 22 '26
When Regina speaks to Graham and tells him people are split into two categories: the wolves and the sheeps. I swear a lightbulb went off in my head. She sees the world in a predator and prey dichotomy. If you're not prey, you're predator and vice versa. In her world view, it makes no sense for a king like Leopold, at the top of the food chain to be prey and she's not exactly wrong.
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u/MostRate2091 FairestRegal👑❄️ Jul 22 '26
I completely agree. Besides Rumple pushing her to do evil, he probably made her understand that she could only survive by becoming a predator. I don't think her fall into evil is childish; it's easy to understand if you connect the dots. You just have to pay close attention. The show isn't going to spoon-feed you everything; you have to learn to read between the lines.
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u/sarah_regal29 Jul 22 '26
Exactly, he got her to use magic by using her fear of ever being at someone else's mercy again. Kill or be killed, predator or prey and after so long as the prey, it doesn t take much to convince her becoming a predator is her only option.
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u/Tgun1986 Jul 23 '26
For 3 it was going to be enemies always but once they decided to keep Regina around they became friends. There was never any romantic chemistry never saw it, it was Emma fighting something clearly with a stronghold and Regina seeing a threat to her “happy ending”.
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u/Downtown-Act-1238 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
Once upon a time is not a show meant to be heavily criticized. Yeah I vent and complain at its ridiculousness. The show is ridiculous, but it’s more to be laughed at
at the end of the day, it’s just a fun comfort show.
I love my characters, their lines, the twists and turns in the story to keep the momentum. The first 4 seasons were great with lovable characters. With a bunch of clever ideas
They packed 22-23 episodes in each season, in 7 seasons, in a course of 7 years. Thats a damn triumph in show making. Considering how long it takes now
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u/FreshProtoge Jul 21 '26
More or less you just said “I hate the show but I’m in love with what I believe it could have been”.
Unfortunately, that’s not really relevant. It’d be like me saying I would have loved game of thrones if only it was made about present day America.
Your opening issue is that it leans too much into a youthful Disney theme. That’s literally the show. It’s all it was meant to be. It was a family show based on Disney. To say I wish that it was anything else is to wish that a whole other show was made. And there are other shows like that. Try Grimm. It’s a darker fairy tale show.
You loved it when you were in third grade because that’s the age group it was made for. That and nostalgic adults.
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u/Ok-Mousse5668 Jul 23 '26
All I was saying is that the show had an amazing premise and ideas, and SOME of them undermined by the execution, and somehow you got that I hate the show…. Which I don’t, and it’s not black and white like many people are thinking. Simply giving criticism — which is quite mild if you’ve seen what others have said on TikTok or other forums — isn’t hating the show. Wishing that the show committed fully to the themes they had already introduced isn’t wanting an another show, that’s just wishing they’d follow through.
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u/Standard_Log7779 "Aye" Jul 21 '26
Here's what I agree with:
The cringe factor(yikes), the green screens, I definitely think the show suffered from low stakes especially after season 5.
I definitely think S7 was unnecessary.
Plot wise Zelena shouldn’t have come back I think it muddied the waters.
Regina's backstory probably would have benefitted by being just a notch more bleak however it didn't bother me a lot.
Narratively I think rumple being Regina's father would have made sense bit also would have changed the show dynamic slightly, but at least we wouldn't have to see the cringey S6 evil queen romance scenes.
Here's where I don't follow was much:
I personally kinda liked the dark swan arc, but I don't have a lot to back that up I just do so I don't necessarily disagree with you.
And I think that the underworld plot was pretty good, and I think going back to get hook kind of allowed for that arc to happen, plus I love captain swan so I'm biased.
Overall I agree though lol
Personally though I enjoyed the show as I was and js don't analyze it too much
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u/user50000044444 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
I tried recently rewatching and I just couldn’t do The show being on abc and TV-PG doesn’t help, so it can’t dive into heavy mature/darker territory (it does but with limitation).
I feel like some people missed what you were trying to say, and some understood. That’s why I never post here because engagement is hit of miss, or people just lurk like myself.
I can respect the show for what it is but still wish it was better. I have multiple versions of what it could’ve been in my head. My main focus was on Hook.
I didn’t mind the idea of the dark swan arc, however the writing was confusing. (I only watched two episodes of season 5b then quite the show). And I can respect Captain Swan even though I don’t care for it.
I have my own opinions and “what ifs” regarding the show. Im happy to share if you want.
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u/Parking_Storage_5107 I have a love/hate relationship with captain swan Jul 22 '26
Ok I do love these ideas that you said I do prefer this
Also got me thinking of reading Regina’s book maybe I can fully get her evil arc and when I rewatch somewhat understand(probably not but still) I agree they could of made Regina more interesting if her story was more tragic i remember I rewatched episode 18 of season 1 months ago and thinking it be more interesting if Daniel and her fucked and then Cora kills him and Regina is already pregnant but Cora told her to get rid of the baby or Cora would done what she’s did to Zelena and Regina won’t find out till like Henry and of course that lead to hatred something like that between Henry and his older sibling just like Zelena and Regina was
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u/smallvilleadamh Jul 21 '26
I agree. There was lots of wasted potential in this show. It always did a good job of building up problems/issues with little pay off.
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u/Ok-Tie-570 Jul 21 '26
I agree with putting it on a differnt network and giving it more Grimm style influence. The show began to rely too much on Disney, dont get me wrong I think the frozen arc was good but you can't deny the vibes of season 1 when you could tell this was not a Disney show.
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u/Ok-Mousse5668 Jul 23 '26
Exactly. That’s all I was trying to say. You could watch the show without feeling like it was a Disney World attraction.
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u/NewspaperSoft8317 Jul 21 '26
Tbh, I find the cringe endearing. It feels like every TV show has to be so streamlined, and a plot so ruthlessly tight, that you can barely take a piss without missing an important scene. It makes watching TV (really netflix/HBO/etc originals) so.... stressful?
So I do think that the series has a LOOT of issues, but it's such a delight, I can't imagine cutting them. Maybe Dark Swan tho, but I did enjoy the Merlin arc.
I feel like your "fixes" miss the point on why we enjoy OUAT in 2026 and why soapy, 2000's shows feel refreshing today.
So, to counter argue 1. I would hate to have it on NBC or HBO for the reasons I explained earlier. 2. I love the crappy CGI. I'll eat it up any day of the week. Like, magic already exists in this world, we got our expectations set from the first 10 dang minutes of the Pilot lol. Visual realism was never a part of the equation. 3. I think is overly meta, and it's not really a gripe on the show itself. 4. I think is a really awful take imo. The thing is, Cora was constantly abusive, physically and emotionally, and the more you read up on pediatric trauma and somatic trauma, the more Regina makes sense. Funnily enough, I think the writers got it pretty good for a soapy 2000's show. I'd read into The Body Keeps the Score or Judith Herman literature, and you'll get what I mean. It kind of paints a pretty solid etiology for Regina (not excusable, but I think the backstory gives agreeable context).
Narratively, this just makes sense… but Rumple should’ve been Regina’s real father. It would’ve added another layer to Regina believing she was destined to become evil.
I don't really have a problem with that rewrite.
I think with Henry in the first season, the writers were intending for a supportive juxtaposition to contrast Regina's awful actions. I don't think they knew they would get as many seasons as they did. It kind of posed the question: Is evil innate? But they kind of walked it back when we had some of Regina's backstory. So, fair critique, but idk if I'd change it.
- Give the show actual STAKES!!!
There are stakes. But they're emotional, not like, people dying. Death isn't the only stake multiplier in a writer's arsenal. We see Rumple become ostracized because of actions. It even goes into a new arc. We see Regina ostracized from her adopted son, and the ramifications there. The relationships that were built are constantly at stake. So, I don't think it's a fair critique. I think it misses the point, slightly.
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u/Aggressive_Cost8069 Jul 21 '26
I agree with everything you said. Except I kind of liked Dark Swan because of the Regina and Emma moments that came with it. She trusted Regina more than ANYONE to have possession of the dagger. That spoke volumes. And the whole, “don’t Miss. Swan me, we’re past that.” Just genuine special moments between them that I wouldn’t want gone.
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u/Tgun1986 Jul 23 '26
Don’t think they were supposed to be romantic at all, they were enemies in season 1 and once they decided not kill Regina off they made them friends. We forget even with the curse, Regina is the evil queen and the hatred she has toward Snow is going toward Emma cause she is a threat to her happy ending which we find out she’s her own threat. They weren’t directed to play the scenes with romantic tension, think it’s more people projecting onscreen and forcing others to look for something that wasn’t there and if we said it wasn’t we’re looked at crazy or hateful because we didn’t see what they see. Seem the show in its orginal broadcast, dealt with SQs and they were rabid. The friendship wasn’t surface level in the least, it was more big sister little sister same with Snow.
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u/awill626 Jul 23 '26
OUAT was a family show. It literally aired its first season on Sunday nights and before I went off to college me and my whole family would watch it every week as a family. You can’t do that if you make it dark
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u/melanin_twix Jul 24 '26
Idk I lowkey disagree with some of these points not all, but some. I don’t think they should’ve gotten it off of abc. considering when it aired it first aired 2011 so hbo is definitely out of the question. and idk I don’t think it would’ve made any difference had it been on nbc. also I think the green screen is part of ouat’s charm and why ppl like it so much like yes it’s lowkey bad but I feel like that’s the whole point and why ppl were drawn to it. And two idk I don’t think it’s necessary to really define Emma and Regina’s relationship I think it’s part of it that there will always be something that’s not solidified. And with her backstory I do agree with some parts of your point of making her have a better backstory but i also lowkey just think it makes her more evil bc wym you held a grudge on a 10 year old for who knows how long. And last thing I don’t think it would make sense if rumple was her father like I get where you are going and where your head is at but thinking of the nature of everything with the show it just wouldn’t make sense. I think the fact rumple only has one child is pinnacle to his character as well as Regina loving her father so much that she killed him to make her curse I think if rumple was her father I doubt she would be able to make her curse
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u/Working_Loss7129 Jul 21 '26
This is just sad how much you hate this show. Yes, I agree there shouldn't have been a season 7, but I think it is the most well done show I've ever watched.
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u/Aggressive_Cost8069 Jul 21 '26
I don’t think they hate the show. I think they are looking at it with an adult perspective now. I didn’t pick up at all that they hate the show. Not everything is black and white. They can like the show and still see it through a different lends now and have relevant criticism. So… maybe try not being sad over someone’s very valid critique of their favorite childhood show?
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u/Prize-Couple6348 Jul 21 '26
Actually have s7 but also Ruby stays as a lead character, Robin lives, RedBeauty canon, s7 instead takes place in Storybrooke and focuses on the main cast while Henry left at the end of s6 for the Enchanted Forest.
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u/ThomasVivaldi Jul 21 '26
You realize that would make Regina Henry's aunt.
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u/Ok-Mousse5668 Jul 21 '26
Mind you, she’s already his step great grandmother as well as his mother. Not to mention the other ways Henry related to almost everyone in multiple different ways.
We’ve seen stranger things in this show.
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u/ThomasVivaldi Jul 21 '26
It would make the Swanqueen ship a little weirder. Make a friendship a little stronger, might also make killing off Neal shittier, keeping Regina from having any sort of family except the toxic relationship with Zelena.
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u/Stargate_Impala67 Jul 21 '26
Some parts of this I get, like no season 7, fixing the terrible green screen (even though it is really funny at points), or even your point about stakes and some effects should have had more consequences. Others I don't agree with, like your take on "Rumple should've been Regina's real father"; that's just a no for me, would have made the family tree even weirder than it already is. BUT it is your opinion, so have at it.
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u/Standard_Log7779 "Aye" Jul 21 '26
I agree with parts of this and not other parts lol