In this week's episode of Once Upon A Time, not only did we get a good view of the three new villains coming to Storybrooke, but we also learned that one of our heroes is possibly not that heroic after all.
After a demon, straight out of Fantasia, attacks Storybrooke, we learn that the creature only goes after the person present who owns the darkest heart.
So obviously, when this demon chases after Regina and Emma, we assume that Regina, formerly the Evil Queen, is the beast's target. However, we later learn that he is, in fact, after Emma.
So what does this mean?
The Darkest Heart
In the series, hearts are very important and basically define who a character is. When Mary Margaret, aka Snow White, played a part in the death of Regina's mother, her heart became tarnished as it was slowly overcome with darkness. This taught us a valuable lesson: even the purest hearts can become tainted.
Of course, Mary Margaret eventually found redemption, but it's safe to assume that her heart still has a spot or two on it.
Emma Swan's Heart
Emma's heart wasn't always pure. She spent most of her adolescent life as a petty criminal, and even reminds us in the most recent episode that she stole her signature yellow Volkswagen. Her heart could already contain spots, which opens it up to more blackening.
Emma's biggest weakness is her insecurity about those people around her and her value to them. During the Snow Queen storyline last year, we saw her easily manipulated into thinking everyone was against her, thinking her different because of the powers she possessed. She lost control of those powers and attacked the very people she loves, including her mother and father.
Now, we see that Emma's mother and father have a secret they're keeping from Emma. In this week's episode, they go to the newly arrived Ursula and Cruella de Vil and make them swear that they won't tell anyone, especially Emma, about what happened in the Enchanted Forest. We don't know what this secret is, but it seems that maybe Snow and Prince Charming have an even darker past.
It's obvious that this secret might play into Emma's heart growing darker, especially when she realizes that her parents are withholding information from her. And perhaps that secret is so dark that it changes the way she sees them.
Is it likely that Emma will team up with Ursula, Cruella and the soon-to-arrive Maleficent? Probably not, but it is possible we'll see Emma turn on her parents, further tarnishing her heart.
The Birth Of Evil Emma
"For Emma right now, the two people she trust most in her life are lying to her and she's suppressing that, so finding that out will be kind of a bummer," says executive producer Edward Kitsis. "Emma is going to have to confront her past in a lot of different ways."
So it's possible that Emma will find herself going down the dark road of villainy, which shouldn't come as a major surprise because Once Upon A Time often likes to question what makes a hero and a villain, blurring the lines between the two.
"Emma has spent a long time being told she's a savior and now she is going to have to face that it's not as black and white as that," says executive producer Adam Horowitz. "All of our characters are going to be wrestling with this idea of good and evil, not just in terms of what they are facing as an external threat but internally within themselves."
Once Upon A Time airs on ABC on Sundays.
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[Photo: ABC]
