This episode is the first one that has started the ball rolling when it comes to Emma finally believing that Storybrooke’s citizens are trapped in our reality.
We start out with Mary Margaret escaping from jail. She runs through the forest, but the next time we see her, she’s trapped in a strange house. Unfortunately for Emma, she gets trapped in that house as well, but fortunately for us, we see a brand new character, Jefferson, aka The Mad Hatter. The main reason Jefferson has kidnapped Emma is to have her make his hat work–he needs magic in order for his hat to allow him and his daughter Grace (who is also trapped in Storybrooke) to go back home. Of course, Emma doesn’t believe him, and when she and Mary Margaret make moves to escape, a battle with Jefferson ensues. Mary Margaret lets her Fairytale Land fighting skills loose (of course, she doesn’t know where they came from), and sends Jefferson crashing through the window. However, when they both look to see where he landed, all that is on the ground is his hat. Perhaps, somehow, he got the hat to work.
In Fairytale Land, Jefferson decides against his better judgement to do one last job for the Queen, which involves going into Wonderland. The reward–for Jefferson’s daughter to have the life she deserves. It’s always a bad a idea to do jobs for the Queen, and this job is no different. Jefferson is tricked by the Queen; the catch about going into Wonderland is that only the same number of people who enter can leave. The Queen’s actual mission in Wonderland is to retrieve her father, and once he’s recovered, only those two leave, leaving Jefferson stuck in a place he hates. The Queen of Hearts has him beheaded, but through magic, he’s still alive–this is done in order to for him to finally tell how he got into Wonderland. The only way he can get back now, according to the Queen’s orders, is for him to make another hat that works. However, his failures at completing the task make him go mad.
I will say that aside from this being one of the most cohesive episodes in terms of gelling the storylines involving Storybrooke and Fairytale Land together, this episode is really unique in how it uses a bit of science, in a fanciful way, of course. Due to the various doors inside Jefferson’s hat, along with Jefferson’s own words about multiple worlds, the string theory idea of multiple realities is being put into play. Interesting.
What did you think about this episode? Give your opinions in the comments section below.
