Re: Still from the Episode – Snow and Regina

If Henry is manipulative (and he certainly can be), then he must have learned it from Regina. She lies, cheats, manipulates, rapes, murders, steals, and then cries about how no one loves her. While I believe Henry does love Regina, he is afraid of her, of what she might do to his family and to him. Remember he was terrified that Regina would kill Snow White and use her heart to cast the Curse of the Broken Hearted on him. Is it any wonder then that Henry prefers to live with the Charmings? He doesn’t want to be manipulated any longer by the woman who lied to him his entire life. He craves honesty after a lifetime of deceit. At least Emma apologized for lying to Henry about his dad. So far, Regina hasn’t shown any true repentance for her evil deeds. While Regina was certainly a victim of abuse from Cora and even Rumple, she has in turn become an abuser. She gas-lighted Henry for his entire life and inadvertently almost killed him in her attempt to be rid of Emma.

Regina drives away people because she in fact has freely chosen the path of evil. Regina drove away Hansel, Gretle, Graham, and Owen, not just Henry. Henry craves truth, to be free and not to be manipulated, just like Regina wished to be free from her own mother’s tyranny. Yet, Regina has become just like Cora. Regina has emotionally abused Henry and repeatedly attempted to murder his family. As Rumple said, Cora was dangerous because she had no heart, but Regina is dangerous because she does.

No one gets to choose what circumstances they’re born into, but everyone gets to chose what kind of a person she wants to be. After Regina banished her mother to Wonderland, she had the the chance to leave and be free, but she still chose to marry King Leopold. She could have lived a new life with her father when he tried to say they could start over and love each other, but she stabbed him in the back to enact a curse that would only leave a giant hole in her heart. Rumple may have tempted Regina with magic, but she didn’t have to embrace it become like her mother. Regina killed the one person she loved most just so she could have power. Regina has a free-will, but she herself says she never learns from her mistakes. She might have had a second chance with Henry after she spared Snow White and Emma in 2×9, but Regina chose to listen to her mother’s lies again. She should have learned the first time never to trust Cora, knowing Cora was the one who killed Daniel. Regina could have chosen a different path, and yet continues to choose evil over good.