Do you ever watch a show and wish you could cut out the main
characters and have the entire show be about the secondary characters? This is
how I’ve felt every show since Once Upon a Time in Wonderland came back from
its mid-season hiatus. If the show decided to cut Alice and Cyrus out from the
rest of the season, I really wouldn’t miss them at all. I’d be thrilled if the
show only focused on Anastasia, the Knave, and Jafar as the main characters
(continuing to incorporate the minor characters as they are). The plot and
character development coming out of these secondary characters are far more
interesting than what we get to see of Alice and Cyrus.
It’s not surprising then that the most thought provoking line in this episode comes from a scene between the Sultan and Anastasia. Only three lines are said between them. Anastasia states the Sultan must hate Jafar for keeping him prisoner. To which the Sultan replies, “I believe he’s as much my captive as I am his. We create our own prisons.” This one line perfectly sums up the theme of the entire episode (and also the last few episodes).
It’s also a pretty good reminder to us out here in the real world. So often we allow ourselves to be miserable or pity ourselves for something that we can’t change. We dwell on the frustrations and pain in life instead of choosing to enjoy what we’ve been given. Much like Jafar, we allow that pain or frustration to consume us until we can’t enjoy life. I’ve been there before and it’s a miserable place to be. Sometimes you have to refocus and realize that while you can’t necessarily control your circumstances, you can control your reactions. It’s not always easy, but you can stop putting yourself into your own mental prison.