Hey! I never mind any questions and I particularly love questions like this. So you’ve just made my day 🙂 Yes I do love Regina! She’s my second favorite character on Once. I really love her layers and could talk about her all day. Anyway, you asked about something specific!

Got to be honest not heard this theory before, but I do like it. All magic comes with a price and the price of the Dark Curse was a “hole in her heart” which nothing would be able to fill. Regina tried to fill the hole with Henry but you are right, they weren’t happy. Rumple said it myself “no more happy endings” and villains don’t get happy endings, why would the dark curse be any different?

However, also more honesty, I don’t actually agree.

It’s a good theory, backed up by the show and everything. Just personally I think magic gets blamed for a lot whereas I think the truth is a lot more complicated and closer to reality. It starts with 18 years. Regina cast the curse, and then there was a bit of excitement with Greg and his dad after that just 18 years of something similar to Groundhog Day.

We see in 3.09 – Save Henry I think it is a tiny glimpse of how that started to take it’s toll on Regina. In the beginning watching cursed!Snow tend to comatose!David was thrilling – she had her revenge, she had won “for once”. Then as time ticked on, her smile turned forced. Nobody remembered anything, or even knew how long it had been – she was the only one awake in a world where everyone was basically sleep walking. Well aside from Jefferson which is a whole other post, as is the nonsensical nature of the dark curse. I’m trying not to get off topic.

So point one, 18 years of living life on repeat. Point two, Regina really did love Henry. She couldn’t give him up despite knowing who his mother was, despite knowing the danger that was to the dark curse. She took a memory potion to forget her worry because she had no-one else to share it with, but she kept Henry. If she hadn’t then Emma would never have come to Storybrooke and would never have broken the dark curse. Regina would have got what she said she wanted but she put Henry above all that. She chose Henry.

I suppose given what I just said about 18 years, having somebody not bound to the curse, somebody to be different would certainly be helpful for sanity. That wouldn’t require loving him but Regina could have handed him back and got a different kid. She could have left town and kidnapped anyone she pleased. She didn’t, she kept the one child who could be her undoing.

Which comes to the question of connecting with Henry, which I’ve separated from loving him. Loving him was easy, knowing how to love him well and connecting with him was a completely different story. It all comes back to Cora. We are all products of our environment. Regina never wanted to turn into her mother but it was difficult because as much as Regina hated her, she also craved her approval. Now Regina wasn’t doomed to repeat Cora’s mistakes, she could choose to raise Henry differently and I think she tried but she was alone – “the pain of being alone.”

How could Regina break old habits if she wasn’t confronted by anyone? People can’t change in a vacuum. Season two was Regina’s lowest point. She lost absolutely everything and she had to face some hard truths about herself, and about the choices that she’d made. That was when she changed. The breaking of the dark curse did start the process because that changed everything, it was a catalyst for a lot of things but I don’t think it was to blame for Regina not being able to love very well.

Thank you for the question! I hope that was an ok answer 🙂