ONCE UPON A TIME Spring Premiere Recap: “Tougher Than the Rest”

A Tale of Transformation

A teenage August tells young Emma that fairy tales are about transformation. A frog turns into a prince; a fairy turns a pumpkin into a carriage; a puppet becomes a real boy. These tales are filled with magic and possibility. Things can always turn around if you believe it. From first glance, the tale of the Ugly Duckling doesn’t fit into that same transformative fairy tale mold. Emma pointed that out to August: the ugly duckling was always a swan but just didn’t know it. However, at that point, Emma was giving up and choosing to live her life on the street at roughly ten years old. She needed something to believe in and to hold on to hope. Ever the optimist, August changes the perspective of the Ugly Duckling by explaining it as a transformation tale. The duckling believed hard enough that it could find its family so it became a swan. That little change of perspective was enough to move Emma away from life on the streets and held on to that belief by giving herself the last name of “Swan.” What she didn’t know was that August was shedding light on her story to find her family and fulfill her destiny.

Like the best fairy tales, Emma Swan’s story has been one of transformation over the course of six seasons. This heroine went from an orphan seeking her family to a savior defending her family she found. Before Henry knocked on her door in the pilot, Emma moved from place to place, inwardly wishing one day she would find a family and a home. Once closed off from love, she has allowed the transformative power of love to turn her into a mother, a daughter, and a friend. The walls guarding her heart have come down and allowed in Killian Jones, a pirate who also has been changed by love. The people around her believed she was a savior powerful enough to protect the town they call home. It wasn’t until she believed it for herself that she became the savior Storybrooke deserved. We have invested in her story because of the journey she’s on and obstacles she has overcome along the way. This ugly duckling believed she was a swan, and she became one.

NEXT: Believing in the Happy Endings