Original Air Date: 29 January 2012
The Genie's home country of Agrabah, and the bracers as a token of his enslavement, are taken from the Disney movie Aladdin (1992).
Best Quote:
Evil Queen: Yes, it's from my childhood garden. The tree and I share something in common. Neither of us can leave the palace and neither of us truly belongs.
Review: I'm not a fan of Sidney Glass' character, which is probably why I didn't particularly likes this episode. I know I've seen Giancarlo Esposito before this series, but for the life of me I can't remember where or whether he could act or not, but I can say that I don't find him at all believable here, not as the Genie/Magic Mirror, nor as his Storybrooke counterpart. And figuring out from the beginning that he was just playing Emma made me lose interest in this plot right away.
Equally desperate was Emma's attempt to show Storybrooke who Regina really is. In her desire to free her son from his adoptive mother's cage, she managed to give the mayor the upper hand in this confrontation. If not for Morrison's bad acting, I'd be really excited for the character's development; still, I can't wait to see what Emma will now to to reclaim her right to spend time with Henry.
More exciting than what was happening in Maine was the Genie's story from the fairytale world. Released by King Leopold, Show White's father, he fell in love with Regina and, thinking she was loving him back, he helped her kill the king. The lamp genie's appearance was a surprising one, as I hadn't expected a character from "1001 Nights" to pop up in what was a rather European environment. However, he brought up the "be careful what you wish for" saying, which was the motto of this week's episode. His journey from the imprisoned lamp genie to Regina's slave for all eternity made him see the truth in his own words: "In my time, I have granted 1,001 wishes, and I have seen them end poorly 1,001 times. Making a wish comes with a price...". It's what Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold have been saying ever since the beginning of this show and what both the genie and Emma discovered during this installment.
For a while there, I understood Regina's actions back in the fairytale world - she was in love with a man who could have never loved her back, because he was still hung up on his first wife. All she wanted was her freedom from what I see as a pretty cruel husband, who may love his daughter immensely, but should pay more attention to his wife. It is always great to see Regina's vulnerable side, behind all the plotting and scheming, and Lana Parilla was amazing in making the transition from the hurt wife to the Evil Queen. But what I'm most interested to find out is why did the Evil Queen hate Snow White so much, aside from the "fairest of all the land" thing; it's been alluded that Snow had betrayed a secret of hers at one point and I really hope this is revealed soon.
Other stuff: Mary Margaret and David have dived, eyes-closed, into a clandestine affair which may be romantic, but it's still under Regina's eyes and she will never let Snow White and Prince Charming get their happy ending, no matter in what world is this going on.
Plus, the stranger stealing Henry's book is a headscratcher. I can't wait to see his story unfold. His presence in Storybrooke and the interest he takes in Henry is the most intriguing arc at this point.Once Upon a Time 1x10: 7:15 A.M. Back to Season 1
