Confessions of the Heart and a New Genie?! Once Upon a Time in Wonderland Ep.8 Recap!!

CURB YOUR CURIOSITY!! AVOID SPOILERS!!

Alive and the Knave continue to search for Cyrus when they encounter Jafar’s men who are doing the same. In the castle, the Red Queen learns that one of her servants has betrayed her and discovers that Cyrus’s bottle is gone. Alice tells the Knave that they are heading to the White Rabbit’s house to seek help from him in order to leave Wonderland. In the past, the White Rabbit’s wife, who is a Black Rabbit, helps Alice after she is injured by robbers. Jafar finally has his hands on Cyrus’s bottle when he discovers that the bottle is a fake. Alice and the Knave visit the White Rabbit who tells them that the Red Queen has his family. The Red Queen retrieves the bottle while Jafar searches for her at her castle only to discover she is not there. After taking a piece of her hair from her brush, Jafar sets Wonderland Castle on fire as he begins his search for her majesty. In the past, Cyrus pays a visit to the Caterpillar where he asks him to find a safe place for Alice. Elsewhere in Wonderland, the Knave finds the Rabbit family in a cart he and Anastasia used to live in. Cyrus and the Red Queen head for the Alps where they believe Alice will meet them. Jafar uses the hair he found to create a storm cloud and sends it after the Red Queen. Cyrus takes Alice to the place the Caterpillar talked about that is invisible from the outside. In the present, Alice and the Knave arrive at the same place to discover that Cyrus is not there. Just when she is about to lose hope, Cyrus arrives with an unexpected guest—the Red Queen. Alice is shocked to learn that the Red Queen is leading her assistance. Despite her pleas, Alice refuses to accept her help. However, with the storm Jafar conjured fast approaching, Alice and the Knave have no choice but to accept the Red Queen’s help. Just then, a bolt of lightning strikes the Knave of Hearts as the White Rabbit begins digging his hole. Because of her previous wish, Alice is slowly dying along with the Knave. Cyrus begs Alice to use her last wish to save herself but she refuses. Instead, the Knave uses the wish Alice promised him if they found Cyrus to end Alice’s suffering. This results in Alice living, Cyrus freed from his bonds as a genie and the Knave taking Cyrus’s place in the bottle serving as the new Genie.

It has been a long journey but Alice and Cyrus finally reunite. But the road traveled wasn’t easy. They lived in constant danger while in Wonderland. When Alice is injured by bandits, Cyrus takes her to the White Rabbit who gives him advice on deciding on whether the life he and Alice chose is the right one. The Rabbit also says that he would do anything for his family if they were in danger. This unfortunate event comes true when the Red Queen takes his family hostage and forces him to betray Alice. Now we know the reason behind his actions. The White Rabbit has known Alice since she was a young girl and has guided her through Wonderland all those years ago. They have formed a close bond with each other which is why Alice believed that her friend would only betray her if he were forced to do so. After learning about his kidnapped family, she sympathizes with the White Rabbit, for she sacrificed a second wish to save her father’s life. With the Knave of Hearts’ help, the Rabbit family is made whole again. I had a feeling that the White Rabbit was being blackmailed into helping the Red Queen and his family was involved.

Speaking of the Red Queen, turns out she still has the hots for Will Scarlet. This was made apparent when she opposed Jafar’s proposal to kill the Knave and again when she removed the stone spell that was cast upon Will by the Agrabahn sorcerer. Here, she finally pours her heart out to him. When her life is on the line for her betrayal of Jafar, the Red Queen/Anastasia pleads her love to Will but to no avail. How could the Knave forgive her for betraying him years ago when she chose the crown over him and cast what they had together to the winds? Let’s not forget that she didn’t exactly stick her neck out when Will called out to her while being strangled by Jafar. Likely, she is unaware of the fact that the Will does not have his heart. But my guess that he really is bitter for what she did to him and the massive trouble she put Alice through to ruin her happiness. Sounds an awful like a certain evil queen in the Enchanted Forest, don’cha think? Well, the Knave has little love for Anastasia but Alice has less love than that. She can stand to look at the woman not after she took Cyrus away from her. It was fun to see her highness stripped down to her core when she throws a temper like a toddler when Alice refuses to accept her help. She was in tears begging for help from either Alice or Will as she realizes just how vengeful Jafar can be. Fear will do that to you.

Well, if you haven’t heard by now, Whoopi Goldberg was cast to play a character in “Wonderland”. Whoopi lends her voice to the White Rabbit’s wife, the Black Rabbit. It should be noted that the Black Rabbit is an original character unique to the “Once” universe. She brings her sassy attitude that we have known her for from the many roles she has played. It was entertaining to hear her shoo her husband and Cyrus out of the house while she tends to an injured Alice Liddle. This is not the first time Goldberg has had a Wonderland role. She donned purple makeup for her portrayal of the Cheshire Cat in the 1999 TV movie “Alice in Wonderland” with Tina Majorino in the title role. Though their interaction was short, Goldberg and John Lithgow showed good chemistry and I look forward to seeing more of the Black Rabbit.

Though he may not want to admit it but the Knave of Hearts has a good heart, even though he technically doesn’t have one. He stuck by Alice throughout her adventure in Wonderland and has shown promise in becoming an unlikely hero. His constant sarcasm is both entertaining and annoying for the same reason. He proves his worth by using the promised wish from Alice to end her suffering. The good news: Alice lives and Cyrus is freed from the bonds of being a genie since his imprisonment was a part of Alice suffering. The bad news: Will’s selfless act cost him his freedom and he is placed in Cyrus’ bottle as the new genie. The search for the bottle continues as Alice and Cyrus must find a way to free Will from a fate of eternal imprisonment. Jafar is still in pursuit of the bottle. I can’t wait for his reaction when he finds that there is a new genie inside. There are still plenty of characters from “Wonderland” and Aladdin to introduce in “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland”. We can expect to see a couple more and the crossover into Storybrooke when the series returns in March.