One of the most inspired and heartbreaking episodes of Once Upon A Time is the Beauty and the Beast themed episode titled "Skin Deep," which gave us some much-needed details on Rumplestiltskin's backstory, while Regina's machinations took her detestability to a new depth. We also learned how dark and dangerous Mr. Gold can be when provoked (poor Moe). These dastardly villains raised the stakes for Storybrooke, but were they the only power players on the field? I think another villain may have been shown without us realizing.
The ending segment of "Skin Deep" gave us Oncers quite a delighted surprise, when Regina asked Rumplestiltskin for a deal concerning "a certain mermaid." A significant portion of the magic of Once is the way it blends the classic elements of the original stories with the familiarity and visuals of their Disney interpretations, and because they have found a way to tell these stories in new ways, the possibility of what could be with the Once version of The Little Mermaid is genuinely thrilling. And while the excitement of such a story is understandably high, diving a little deeper into the events of "Skin Deep" may reveal more information was given to us than we thought, given that level of excitement.
1. How the Curse Works: Counterparts
The first important thing to note is that, as we all know, everyone in Storybrooke is a counterpart to their real life in Fairy Tale Land (FTL). But the Curse didn't just give them new memories as those counterparts, it transported them into our world in the exact situation that they found themselves in back in FTL. For example, Prince Charming was mortally wounded when the Curse finally came, but he was not dead, and so his counterpart David ended up in a coma. The same can be said for the other characters such as Dr. Hopper. Now, think of Belle's situation for a moment. Belle is locked away in the psychiatric ward, obviously under Regina's orders. This means that Belle was also Regina's prisoner at the time Regina cast the Curse. Not only that, but there is another piece to this puzzle.
2. Belle has two captors.
"No One, Not today, Not Ever."
The second thing to note is this Nurse. She keeps watch over Belle, seemingly on Regina's orders. Again, because of how the Curse works, this means that she was also watching over Belle when Regina cast it.
But just who was she in FTL?
3. A Certain Mermaid
You're Regina. You just took Rumplestiltskin's true love hostage. You're probably going to want to hide that girl somewhere, or else he'll find out (and then who knows what will happen to you). That somewhere is gonna need to be far away.
Remember that Queen Regina approached Rumple for a deal concerning "a certain mermaid"? That alone seems strange. The Enchanted Forest, where Regina is Queen, doesn't seem to be anywhere near the ocean. Even if it were, the Forest appears so large that it seems unlikely Regina would come into contact with a mermaid at all. So why would she need to make a deal about one? The ocean seems to be a long way away. It doesn't appear to fit.
That's where the Nurse comes in. She's Ursula.
What? How?
Regina kidnapped Belle, took her to the ocean and met with Ursula. Ursula agreed to keep Belle prisoner with her, in exchange for Regina helping her with "a certain mermaid." Regina agreed, and went to Rumple for his help.
Comparing the Two
Look at them both carefully. Notice the similarities?:
The Nurse's hair looks extremely similar to Ursula's tentacles, and while you can't tell from the above photo, the Nurse has several of those little ringlets.
The gold brooches on the Nurse's lapel look very close to Ursula's seashell necklace.
Many merpeople went to Ursula for aid with one problem or another, much like patients seeking a doctor...or a nurse. Symbolism: The Nurse and her psych ward are located in the basement, "under the sea" from the rest of the hospital.
Regina seems to hold a degree of respect for the Nurse, which means she must be someone powerful enough in FTL to command it.
Also, the orderly that Regina passed in the hall: His hair covered most of his face, so that you can only see one of his eyes...much like Flotsam and Jetsam each use one eye to see things for Ursula.
Zach Van Norman is a writer, reporter, and podcast host for Once Upon A Fan. He is also a film student with an interest in editing and directing who enjoys symbolic analysis and studying the use of color and light in movies and television.
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