Once Upon A Potter - a theory about Emma Swan, Merlin, and the Dark Swan curse

 

Image courtesy ABC Studios

We all know the story: an ordinary orphan (the hero) is told by a stranger that they have an extraordinary destiny in another land, a land of magic and wonder, a land that needs saving from the forces of evil. Not only does this magical realm need saving from darkness, but the fight against that darkness is the reason why the hero became an orphan in the first place. As with every hero's journey, the orphan refuses to believe or accept their destiny, but eventually they embrace magic and defeat the darkness by having Voldemort shoot himself in the face with his own spell.

Wait, are we talking about Harry Potter or Once Upon A Time here? Well, in the case of Merlin and the Dark Swan, it's both. 

As the Dark Swan storyline has progressed, her behavior has been more and more confusing, and we've found ourselves asking, "Why did Emma hurt Henry? Why did she erase everyone's memories? And whose heart did she use to cast the curse?" That last question is the one which will explain everything. After all, you have to crush the heart of the thing you love most to cast such a curse, and show creators Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz have confirmed that Emma killed someone in order to do it. And yet Henry and Hook, the two most likely candidates, are still alive. (And would she really crush Henry's heart anyway? Hell no!) Her parents are still alive. Emma herself is still alive. So what's going on here? Who died?

At this point, all we have to go off is that it's someone who was alive in Camelot but has been missing from Storybrooke. So far, the only candidate is Merlin. And not only is Merlin dead, but he asked Emma to kill him and go all Dark Swan on everyone in order to keep their secret plan in motion. (This is where the Harry Potter thing comes into play and I explain what I'm talking about.)

Image courtesy ABC Studios

We know from the press release and promo for "Nimue" that Emma and Merlin are going on a quest and that Emma comes face to face with the same Dark One who imprisoned Merlin as a tree.  (Some people believe this person is named Vortigan based off the episode credits and because the actor who played Vortigan said he was the Dark One. I think this is just a red herring to throw us off the trail.) The first Dark One was Nimue, Emma is going to summon her, and whatever happens in that meeting is what sets Merlin and Emma's plans into motion. Merlin will realize that Emma is going to have to play evil in order to reunite Excalibur and defeat the darkness. (Said another way, Dumbledore will realize that Snape is going to have to play evil in order to defeat Voldemort.) And so Emma will kill Merlin as a way of proving herself to the darkness, pretending she wants to reunite Excalibur to destroy light magic, but in reality she's doing all of this to destroy the darkness. 

Eventually Emma's true intentions will come to light, Nimue/the darkness will be very angry, and in its attempt to kill Emma it will misunderstand the nature of her magic because true evil cannot understand true love... just like Voldemort.. And, just like Voldemort, the darkness will end up shooting itself in the face with its own spell.

Image courtesy ABC Studios

But how could Emma use Merlin's heart to cast the curse if you have to use the heart of the thing you love most in order to do it? Well, thanks to Pan''s use of Felix in season 3, we know that the thing you love most doesn't have to be romantic love. It can also mean friendship, and loyalty. Merlin will be Emma's strongest compatriot, supporting her because of his unwavering belief that she is the one who will defeat the darkness.

If you have doubts about this, well, that's okay. I don't expect everyone to agree with my theory. But let's not forget that young Emma made several Harry Potter references during the Frozen storyline. Consider also that Emma and Harry Potter share striking similarities, as summed up in my intro paragraph. And another thing: when Dopey went beyond the town line, he turned into a tree, just like Merlin. This isn't a coincidence, it happened because Merlin's heart was used to cast the curse.

How this will lead to the journey to the Underworld, I don't know, and I'm not even sure that it will play out the same way. But what I am sure of is that Emma will be the Woman Who Lived, freed from the darkness without having to die to be rid of it.

The Reawakening of Star Wars

Star Wars: The Force Awakens banner courtesy Walt Disney Studios

As most of the galaxy has heard, there is a new Star Wars film coming out in two months, and you'd have to be living under a rock (or on Tatooine) to be unaware that the final trailer premiered yesterday. The trailer is filled with throwbacks to the previous films, which I will highlight below, and while it defines the story a bit more, it still leaves much of this new chapter shrouded in mystery. However, it answers more questions than it would appear on the surface. **Warning: slight spoilers in this article**

Let us review.

What was Old is New Again

The callbacks to previous films begin after the Lucasfilm emblem, as the First Order assembles on an icy world reminiscent of Hoth from The Empire Srikes Back, When we see the new masked villain Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), he is speaking to the partially-melted helmet of Darth Vader, determined to "finish what [he] started." This is immediately followed by a shot of Kylo putting his hand to the face of a screaming Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), a scene not unlike Vader's torture of Han Solo in Episode V. Dameron's screaming fades to a shot of a huge explosion ripping through a forest, perhaps a metaphor of the agony Dameron experiences at the hands of Ren. (And perhaps an indicator of something more.) As the Millennium Falcon evades a TIE fighter attack on Jakku, Han and Leia's love theme, first heard in Empire, blares loudly, and the ships drop into a ravine similar to the chase through the asteroid belt in the same movie.

Top: Asteroid chase from "The Empire Strikes Back"; Bottom: Ravine chase from "The Force Awakens"

The trailer continues, showing Kylo Ren with his lightsaber standing among a squadron of stormtroopers in the rain, bringing to mind the fight between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jango Fett from Attack of the Clones. X-wings set their S-foils in attack formation before they engage TIE fighters in battle above a jungle planet which looks very much like Yavin 4. There is even a shot of Poe Dameron wearing a Rebellion-style fighter uniform greeting Finn on the same planet, underlining this throwback to the battle against the Death Star in A New Hope. As shots of this battle appear, we also see Han leading Rey, Finn and BB-8 to a temple with multi-colored banners hanging above the entrance, a temple so similar to the Massassi structure of Yavin 4 that it cannot be coincidence. (We also see a shot of Han, Chewbacca and Finn with their hands behind their heads in front of a destroyed building which could be the same temple. We have seen Han in this pose before: on Endor in Return of the Jedi.) 

Top: the Endor moon from "Return of the Jedi"; Bottom: Unknown planet, "The Force Awakens"

We get another throwback to Hoth as Poe Dameron leads an X-wing battle on the aforementioned ice planet, Captain Phasma (Gwendolyn Christie) and stormtroopers walk through a fiery wreckage field (Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, we barely knew ye) and a First Order shuttle lands in the same environment as embers fly through the air (hello Mustafar). Kylo Ren ignites his saber and cuts across the screen before he throws his hand towards the camera with fire behind him: perhaps this is the First Order's first order of business in the new film. Rey is crying in one snowy/ashy scene, then firing a pistol in another (on the same jungle planet we keep seeing). And as the Resistance troops get to their fighters on the jungle planet, Han embraces a saddened Leia (Carrie Fisher) before we see Finn ignite Luke's original blue lightsaber in a snow-covered forest. His opponent, Kylo Ren, also fires up his unique cross-guarded blade, and if you look closely you will notice Kylo's hair is flying loose in the wind. His mask is apparently gone, his true identity is revealed, and his motivations with it.

Finn and Kylo Ren engage in battle, "The Force Awakens"

The trailer ends, and as the film's title appears on the screen, there is an immediate realization: we still have not seen Luke Skywalker.

Where is Luke?

The question of Luke's whereabouts may be the biggest mystery of the new film. While the specifics of his activities are still unknown and unlikely to be revealed until the film opens, there has been enough information released through interviews and in this trailer that we can make a good guess. In fact, it's right there at the start of the trailer.

It begins with Rey (Daisy Ridley) climbing her way through an abandoned Star Destroyer on the planet Jakku. Her goggles are made from an Imperial Stormtrooper's helmet, and she rappels from the ceiling of a former landing bay, its large opening reminiscent of that which the Millennium Falcon and Emperor Palpatine's shuttle entered in A New Hope and Return of the Jedi, respectively. A woman's voiceover asks, "Who are you?" As Rey and her droid BB-8 make their way through the desert, she answers: "I'm no one."

Top: Daisy Ridley in "The Force Awakens"; Bottom: Mark Hamill in "A New Hope"

Both the environment and her answer immediately bring the Luke Skywalker from A New Hope to mind: a young man believing himself to be nothing more than the nephew of moisture farmers on a wasteland planet; a "no one," with only his droids to keep him company. As Rey watches a ship depart her planet, it recalls Luke's desire to travel off-world and become something more, something great. Rey would appear to be the new hope for this trilogy, fulfilling Luke's role in Episode IV, yet the man who she may be modeled after remains absent.

The lack of Luke in the trailers and the poster is very intriguing, yet appropriate. In one of the trailer's most engaging moments, former non-believer Han Solo tells Rey and Finn (John Boyega) that "the stories are true, all of them": the Dark Side and the Jedi are real. The Rebellion against the Empire and the events of the Original Trilogy have seemingly become nothing more than galactic legend, similar to how the events of the Prequel Trilogy were simply myth to the young hero of A New Hope. It also stands to reason that the Force itself has become even more distanced from the current generation than it was in the days of the Rebellion. It is therefore appropriate that the man at the center of the Rebellion, and the last known Jedi, has been missing from what we've seen thus far. But there is, perhaps, an answer: it has been reported that JJ Abrams agreed to direct The Force Awakens only after producer Kathleen Kennedy asked him, "Who is Luke Skywalker?" Until now, that question has had a fairly straightforward answer, but with this new scene and dialogue, we must approach it with a different point of view.

To the audience, Luke Skywalker is the hero of the Original Trilogy, the son of Darth Vader and the man who stopped the Emperor and saved the galaxy. One would think the man would be legendary thanks to his accomplishments and place in galactic history. But if the struggle against the Empire is now, itself, a legend, with the truth known to very few, then mention of the galaxy's savior would be even more limited. Kennedy's question, therefore, speaks to the state of mind of the galaxy far, far away and lays the foundation for the new trilogy: no one knows who Luke Skywalker is or what he has done. Rather than becoming legendary, Luke has all but vanished from the universe... much like an old general from the Clone Wars living as a hermit in the Outer Rim. After all, a Jedi craves neither adventure nor excitement. But where is he now, and what has he been doing?

Mysteries of the Force

There is much we still do not know about the galaxy far, far away, beyond the mystery of Luke Skywalker: Who is Kylo Ren? How did he learn the ways of the Dark Side? Why does he have Vader's helmet and why does he want to finish what was started? Is he related to a character we know? (My money is betting that he's the son of Han and Leia.) Who is in charge of the galaxy now, and what government took over from the Empire? Is Rey a Skywalker, a Solo, or neither? Why is she crying in that snowy/ashy scene? And why does it look like there's a furry body in front of her? (That fur does look familiar...) How does Finn end up with Luke's (and Anakin's) lightsaber? How does Max Von Sydow's as-yet-unrevealed character fit into all this? What's up with the droids? Is the woman narrating the trailer Maz Kanata, played by Lupita Nyong'o?

And what's the deal with the explosion in the forest I mentioned earlier?

As for that, I believe I know. Take a look at this section of the poster again:

Behind our heroes appears to be a variant on the familiar Death Star. According to StarWars.com, there is something in the galaxy called Starkiller Base which is described as "an ice planet converted into a stronghold of the First Order and armed with a fiercely destructive new weapon capable of destroying entire star systems."

Is there an ice planet in The Force Awakens? Well...

As previously mentioned, the parallels between the jungle planet of The Force Awakens and A New Hope are both numerous and obvious, and a third-act attack by the First Order emphasizes those similarities. But what if this new film offers a different outcome? What if the explosion in the jungle occurs because this weaponized ice planet opens fire? It would establish the  First Order as a credible threat to the galaxy and offer a new take on a familiar tale. (Fun fact: Anakin and Luke's family name was originally Starkiller.)

One last thing to consider is the title itself: The Force Awakens. What could that mean? Well, if the Force has been relegated to myth, and there aren't Jedi or Sith using it, then at some point the Force is going to say, "Enough is enough," and start awakening in people and creatures all over the galaxy, including in Rey and Finn (how else could he survive the TIE fighter crash?) It may even cause a disturbance within Luke and serve as the catalyst for bringing him out of hiding.

Time will tell if I'm right, but one thing that's clear is that this movie contains classic elements from Episode IV, V and VI which will be familiar yet different to the audience. How will it all fit together? The answers will be revealed when The Force Awakens on December 18.

All photos belong to Lucasfilm and The Walt Disney Studios. No copyright infringement intended.

The Road Less Traveled: Comparing "The Wizard of Oz" and "Labyrinth"

The fantasy genre of film is an extensive library of amazing stories and dynamic worlds built of dragons and danger, wizards and war, helplessness and hope. These movies have appealed to audiences from the earliest days of film, and thanks to advances in special effects, they have been entrancing audiences since humanity took a A Trip to the Moon in 1902 courtesy of Georges Melies. The genre has come far since then, and many films throughout the years have achieved similar notoriety. Of these classics, two films stand out for their technical innovations, shared themes, and pop culture status. Both movies involve a young woman’s journey of self-discovery through a fantasy land full of memorable characters who help the hero along the way. And though they are commonly categorized as “kid’s movies,” they both carry very adult themest. In viewing the details of these films one may ask: what is the underlying journey of the main character? How does the setting give us information about these characters and their inner growth? How are color and screen elements used to emphasize these points? The answers to these questions will reveal a hidden complexity to both Jim Henson’s 1986 film Labyrinth and Victor Fleming’s 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz.

Once Upon A Time episode recap: 4x21-22 "Operation Mongoose Parts 1 & 2"

"Operation Mongoose Parts 1 & 2"

Interview with Once Upon A Time and iZombie's David Anders at Regal Con 2015

Another iconic character on Once Upon A Time has been the horror icon, Dr. Frankenstein. Oncers know his Storybrooke alter ego as Dr. Whale, the surgeon, OBGYN, general practitioner and all around mega-doctor at Storybrooke Hospital. The man behind our Storybrooke McSteamy is the well-known actor, David Anders. I had an opportunity to sit down with David and talk all things Once Upon a Time as well as get a bit of info on his new show, iZombie. 

 

Zach: Good afternoon. I’m Zach Van Norman from OnceUponAFans.com. We are your number one fansite for Once Upon a Time. Thank you again for your time. It’s good to see you.

David: Of course, absolutely. It’s good to see you!

Interview with Once Upon A Time's Rebecca Mader at Regal Con 2015

Does Wicked always win? Maybe not on ABC's Once Upon A Time, but in reality Rebecca Mader exudes such an air of confidence that it's clear that this woman always gets what she wants. She was kind enough to speak with me at Regal Con 2015 about Zelena's motivations, her potential happy ending, and the season four finale.

ZACH: I’m Zach Van Norman with Once Upon a Fan. Thank you very much for your time today. I appreciate it. 

REBECCA: My pleasure. 

Interview with Once Upon A Time's Sean Maguire at Regal Con 2015

Sean Maguire has stolen the hearts of viewers worldwide with his portrayal of Robin Hood on ABC's Once Upon A Time. We sat down at Regal Con 2015 to chat about the season four finale, his working relationship with his cast mates, and women's roles in entertainment.

Zach:  Thank you for your time, we really appreciate it. Obviously the season is going to end with a big twist for Robin’s story with Regina and Zelena.  When you first got the script about Zelena’s pregnancy and the twist, what were your thoughts?

Interview with Once Upon A Time's Gil McKinney at Regal Con 2015

 Gil McKinney's career has taken him from a fast-paced ER to the glow of Friday Night Lights, dabbling in Supernatural forces and taking the throne of a kingdom on Once Upon A Time. Gil and I spoke at Regal Con 2015 to talk about conventions, viewing habits, and more.

Zach: I’m Zach Van Norman with Once Upon a Fan. Thank you very much for giving us your time again today.

Gil: Happy to be here.

Interview with Once Upon A Time's Beverley Elliott at Regal Con 2015

Fans of Once Upon A Time know that Beverly Elliott's portrayal of Granny from the Little Red Riding Hood story is anything but expected. This is a Granny who dishes sides of sass along with her meatloaf and uses a crossbow as her weapon of choice; in short, she's a badass. I had the opportunity to speak with Beverley at Regal Con 2015, where we discuss her experiences, her one-woman show, and what kind of inspiration Granny is for the audience.

Interview with Once Upon A Time's Faustino Di Bauda at Regal Con 2015

During Regal Con 2015 I had the opportunity to speak with several cast members of ABC's Once Upon A Time. Here is my interview with Faustino Di Bauda, who plays Sleepy.

Zach: First of all, thank you for giving me your time again. I appreciate it. You were on our podcast once with Michael.

Faustino: I remember that. That was a lot of fun actually.

Zach: Thank you for that. Yesterday was fun, too.

Interview with Once Upon A Time's Emilie de Ravin at Regal Con 2015

My interview with Once Upon A Time and Lost star Emilie de Ravin can be seen here.

Once Upon A Time episode recap: 4x17 "Heart of Gold"

"Heart of Gold"

Twitter interview with Jennifer Morrison about her directorial debut, "Warning Labels"

Jennifer Morrison has graced both the silver screen (as Winona Kirk in 2009's Star Trek and Sam in 2012's Some Girls) and the television screen (as Dr. Allison Cameron on Fox's House, Zoey Pierson on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother), where she can currently be seen as Emma Swan, the Sheriff and Savior on ABC's Once Upon A Time. Now she's moving behind the camera with her directorial debut, Warning Labels, which premiered at the Tribeca International Film Festival in April 2015. 

Prior to its release I was able to conduct an interview with Jennifer via the Twitter account for the film, @WarningLblsFilm. Below is a full transcript of our conversation.

Describe Warning Labels in 1 word. 

Intriguing.

Where did you film Warning Labels? 

We filmed in LA.

How did you adapt to being behind the camera vs. in front?

Once Upon A Time extended episode recap: 4x12 "Darkness on the Edge of Town"

"Darkness on the Edge of Town"

Podcast interview with Once Upon A Time's Michael Coleman and Faustino di Bauda

My interview with Once Upon A Time's Michael Coleman and Faustino di Bauda on the Once Upon A Fan Podcast can be heard here.