If Rumple is dead, I think it’s safe to say that Regina, also a villain, will never see her happy ending. But, if Rumple is alive, (in whatever state he’s in) I can’t wait to see where Regina’s journey to happiness takes her.
Ah, but Rumple LIVES! I think the question for both of them though is when does one officially lose the brand of “villain”? They both made a massive, personal sacrifice in 311, and that doesn’t erase all the villainous things they’ve done, but it is a huge step towards personal redemption, in accepting responsibility and a punishment for what they did.
I was super frustrated with Regina in the back half of S2. I get why she succumbed to working with Cora, but good God did I wanna reach into the screen and shake her, because she backslid so completely and so quickly.
During the NL part of the show, when Emma would talk about how crap her life had been, there were reaction shots from Regina, showing that it was registering with her that Emma’s life was crap in no small part because she’d been tasked with being the Saviour for the Curse that she herself had cast.
I think that built up at just the right pace, so that by the time we got to 311, and she knew what her price was gonna be, she properly understood and accepted the what and why of it all. She’d always wanted to screw up Snow’s life, and in doing so she screwed up Snow’s daughter’s life, and brought this turmoil into her own son’s life, and now her son and Snow’s daughter are left with just each other. But Regina’s actually at a place now where she could be accepting of that, and even help them on their way with the new, happy memories.
The ReverseCurse might have been Regina’s price, but many others, (anyone who knew Emma and Henry) are paying a cost as well now. I think (hope) that the fact she accepted responsibility will mean that the others won’t vilify her all over again. Back in the day, Regina was so far above everyone else, looking down on them and wanting to make them suffer. Now she’s been knocked down to their level, and she’s suffering right along with them, which I would imagine would bond them all closer together.
I don’t expect that she’ll ever be as she was at the time of Stable Boy again. She’s been the EQ for too long, the power and the strong attitude is ingrained in who she is now. But she can turn those traits around and start using them for good, instead of evil, even if she doesn’t always use purely good measures. We saw some of it in NL when she still did things that no one else could or would, but in the name of a noble cause. She’s gotta find the balance between who she is, and who she wants to be.
I think she’s positioned well for getting involved with Robin now, (though I hope they don’t fall in love too quickly), because he can be a piece of the puzzle she’s trying to figure out for her future. Meeting someone who will love her, and admitting that she wants to give in to that, is the next step in her emotional journey.