Reply To: Tv Guide -Regina's love interest

[Slurpeez]

 We’ve seen Robin use magic, so we know he’s not adverse to it and I don’t believe he’d make her give it up.

True, but he used fairy magic to save the lives of his wife and unborn baby. That is a whole different kettle of fish than dark magic. I have a feeling a man of integrity such as Robin Hood couldn’t condone the kind of dark magic that comes from bloodlust, the kind which Cora, Rumple and Regina have all used to kill innocent people before.

It would be nice for her to eventually get a clue and realise that power can be used for good.

I agree that it would be nice, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. Even though Regina has channeled her magic for good in the past to save lives (in 2×11 and 2×22), it’s always been short-lived. Based on a few spoilers for S3, it already sounds like Regina is back in full Evil Queen mode and killing people early in S3. As long as Regina continues to cling to her magic and to her past, I think she’ll be unable to move forward. She needs to give up being the “Evil Queen” who can wield dark magic to move forward.

I keep going back to the TVGuide Lightening Round 8 article:

Will Regina get a love interest?
Horowitz: Yes.

Kitsis: Will she chose to love is another question.

We know for certain a new love interest will enter Regina’s life. What is far less certain is whether she’ll actually choose love (seems to parallel Rumple and Belle’s turbulent relationship and their love vs.power debate). The reason I doubt Regina could maintain her power and do good with it long-term is that Rumple said he would use his power to help free the children from the Ogres War and then lust of power consumed him as the Dark One. Regina choosing to do good magic while also having the love of a good man sounds all good and dandy on paper, but far less likely in practice. Regina is addicted to magic, and I think the only way that she (or Rumple for that matter) could be redeemed is to go cold turkey and give up magic completely. (Emma might be the exception here since she’s True Love incarnate and love is the greatest magic of all). What Emma realizes is that True Love is Power. Regina and Rumple need to be reminded of that.

Assuming that Robin Hood is a potential suitor and ever could overlook Regina’s sins (which seems like a tall order indeed), what remains uncertain is whether Regina would ever accept that kind of love in return. Could she really learn to love again after holding onto hate for so long? I think it’s possible, but I think it will be a choice whether to choose love over power. Also, now that Henry will see magic up front and the harm that it does, he too will also want his mom to give up the magic.

Ya see, I think she does have the potential to go back to just being Queen without the Evil in front of it. K&H constantly drill into us that this show is about hope. If there’s no way that Regina can get back to that good person she once was when she was truly happy, then where’s the hope for her? Nothing she does in the future will be able to erase what she’s done, all of those mistakes would make up the new version of her, but at least she’d have learned some very valuable and painful lessons from it and wouldn’t make those mistakes again.

Yes, I agree with you here. Since this show is all about hope, I think Regina can become good again. She was willing to die as Regina, rather than as the Evil Queen. I just fear that the events of S3 might delay/put off that possible outcome for a bit. Lana Parrilla has said Regina is going to unleash her  fury in S3 and kill someone and love it. If Regina ever hopes to keep the love of a good man, she can’t just off people using her magic, especially if the person she kills is Tamara, the long-lost daughter of said good man.