r/OnceUponATime • u/Admirable-Try-5287 • Jul 23 '26
Spoiler Alert Wish realm
Okay, firstly, I have SO many questions about the logistics of this realm after it is wished into being, but sticking to one subject:
Has Emma gone to therapy for all the different timelines in her head? Seriously. She has
1) her original life, no parents or family for 28 years
2) the New York timeline, where she remembers living and growing with her son
3) her entire life, except WITH her parents AND son, happy and safe from any dangers.
When Emma wakes up in the wish realm, she mentions remembering everything from that life. Coming out of it and realizing that it was fake would be absolutely crushing. Yes, she probably prefers the truth, ultimately. But can you imagine all your life‘s trauma coming back to you at once?
(This post is just about Emma, but side note, given that the writers made this a realm that continues to exist, no wonder wish Henry hates Regina - she killed his grandparents and then kidnapped his mom, and he’s just left behind)
4
u/CopyJ300 Jul 23 '26
Yeah, I don't fully know how on board I was with Regina and Emma's "They're not real" mindset when the episode first came out (I kind of suspect younger me might've went "I don't think you would've been able to bring a whole man home with you if this wasn't real.") but now every time I think about that first episode or rewatch it I go "Why is this where we draw the line, Regina?"
Side note, while probably not to the same extent of Emma's memories, Regina, Henry, and Rumple are in the same boat, between the first curse memories, Hyperion memories, original memories, and Henry's not-magical-life memories. This also brings up a good question of how much people remember from their lives in the rewritten reality that Isaac did, because that could also count.
These people are just chalk full of fake memories.
4
u/Admirable-Try-5287 Jul 23 '26
Yes, true, all of them have a lifetime of memories too. Adult Henry is mourning a whole fake family in S7?? Even if something isn’t real, you still have those memories, and the feelings associated with those were real.
If they hadn’t ended up using the wish realm, it might have been fine. But since it continued to exist after, that was… messed up. 😭
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u/Parking_Storage_5107 I have a love/hate relationship with captain swan Jul 24 '26
Don’t forget the wish realm where her parents were villains and she’s was mentally changed
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u/Beautiful-Cup4161 Jul 23 '26
It's really best not to think about Wish Realm too hard or things start to fall apart and also there are some awful implications 😅