Regina, Ursula & A Certain Mermaid by Zach Van Norman
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Warm welcome to Zach Van Norman. A new contributor to the fan site. Zach will be entertaining us with fan theories over the course of season two. It will be interesting to look back and see what Zach gets right. His first theory involves the Evil Queen, Ursula, Belle and "a certain mermaid"....
One of the most inspired and heartbreaking episodes of Once Upon A Time is the Beauty and the Beast themed episode titled "Skin Deep." Rumplestiltskin's backstory was greatly expanded, while Regina's machinations reached a new depth, and a new story will likely make waves in the future.
Ready? Okay, let's do it!
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.
So who is she?
The Nurse is Ursula the Sea Witch.
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.
As if that wasn't enough, look at this picture of the Nurse from the finale. Her hair is even more pronounced:
Hope you enjoyed the theory. Let me know what you think. :-)
Categories: Fan Theories
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11 Comments
I think it was heavly implied that Regina got to decide where everyone ended up. Rumple certainly thought she would have the power to influence his position, or he wouldn't have made that part of the deal - she told him what she would give him so she must have thought so too. So she kept Belle in prison,gave Rumple an "estate" and then placed everyone else where she wanted them, so Abigal with Charming etc. The tall guy in the prison/asylum was in episode two as the giant (I think, he had a lot of make-up on) who was one of the evil people Regina gathered to make the curse, so if that's right, then he's nof Flotsam or Jetsam.
Jefferson also thinks that Regina has the power to decide where they all ended up, he wanted her to give himself and Grace a new start in the new world, so he must think that she has the power to do something that specific, even though she has no magic. And if Charming and Snow have deposed his "father", hwo come his father is in the position of power of DA while he would have been presumably castle-less and penniless in fairtale world (since Charming and Snow were living in his castle!)
My theory with Rumple being in prison was that he was deliberately there to escape part of the curse, at least the part that affects memory. He knew, and it was clear from his reaction to the quill, that Cinderella was trapping him, I think he'd set it all up so she did. When Grumpy is showing Cinderella the prison for Rumple, he says that a lot of dwarves died to make it - it's not a normal cage - I think it blocks magic. So Rumple can't magic his way out, but maybe no magic can get in either? Would explain why he still has his memory intact.
None of this means that she's not Ursula though - just that there might be other options!
Axolotl says...
This got me thinking... Rumpelstiltskin was imprisoned as well when the Curse was enacted.
True, but he also made a deal with Regina and said that he wanted to be free in the new world. So maybe that deal released him in our world, or maybe she broke him out of the prison before the curse was set into motion.
It does make me wonder though how Belle ended up locked up by Regina in FTL and whether Belle was on her way home when she was kidnapped. We know that she stopped in at the tavern the dwarfs frequented. Was that on her way home or was she planning on not going home, but travel the world as she had wanted.
Axolotl says...
This got me thinking... Rumpelstiltskin was imprisoned as well when the Curse was enacted.
I think Rumple created a lot of trap doors into the curse. I also think he was able to leave Storybrooke via one of those trap doors. He created it so I imagine he would use it to move freely, hence how he procured Henry for Regina from outside Storybrooke.
I would invite you to look at a few stills from the film itself - Forman's Nurse Rached looks strikingly similar to the one portrayed in Once. You can also check out pictures of the Chief - who was mute and served as a custodian in his ward (side note: that's why I found it particularly amusing when Jefferson put his finger up to his lips and motioned for the custodian to be quiet during the finale. The mute Chief in Kesey's novel already IS - brilliant writing).
All the same, good work sir!
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