Emma’s "Magic" Touch

[surayya]

@Faux Pax wrote:

Parhaps that would also explain why BF was so picky about who she helped (something I wish the show would address). I mean Bae heard about her from his Ex-child-soldier friend. If the magic was free, you’d think BF would have helped all the kids, but I guess she thought that getting the dark one out of FTL was worth whatever it cost her to send Bae away.

Oh I like your thinking!
I think they do have to give up a chance of finding ‘true love’ as she told Dreamy, Nova couldn’t be a fairy & be/live with him…. maybe this is just one part of what they have to give up & maybe are bound to help only certain people under certain conditions or something.

[Slurpeez]

Writer Jane Espenson had this to say about Emma and magic in a post-premiere interview:

Speaking of the hat, Emma appeared to have a hand in starting it up in the premiere. What are the consequences of the fact that Emma can apparently do magic?
Espenson: Can she do magic? Or facilitate magic? Or conduct magic? That shot of her hand on the arm was certainly evocative. It was not meaningless. I wouldn’t take that to mean Emma can do magic. But yes: Emma. Magic. Some sort of loop around those two words. Again, the first scene of Sunday’s episode is also not going to be Emma making frogs appear. You’re on a very long journey with these characters. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Once-Upon-Time-Espenson-Season2-Spoilers-1054260.aspx

I’m wondering if Emma has the capacity to do magic, thanks to her being the savior, but she’ll have to learn how to use that ability. Rumpel said in S1 to Emma, “Regina may be powerful, but something tells me, you’re more powerful than you know.” This could have two meanings; he was speaking to Regina’s grip over the town as a form of power, but I think he also meant Emma has her own capacity for magic.

My theory is that while in FTL, Emma will meet a good wizard (like Merlin) who’ll see her gift and can advise her how to cultivate it over a long period of time.

"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy

[Phee]

This “magic touch” of hers is fascinating to me. I’d never really expected her to have magical powers. Her parents weren’t magical, so I don’t see how it could have been in her genetic makeup. I always just figured her purpose was to break the curse, and that was her “magic”, but she couldn’t make with the hocus pocus stuff. But now there definitely seems to be more to her abilities.

The thing that struck me about that scene was why was Regina even trying to make the hat work? She’s never been able to do that trick before, has she? She’s always used Jefferson to make the hat work, even in FTL. So it’s not like Emma’s touch gave Regina back a power she’d previously had. It did however generate the specific power they needed in that situation. I like how Espenson used the term “conduct magic” in that interview, because that’s what I’m imagining. Like, these magical powers are floating around town and are up for grabs but no one has them back yet, and it takes a touch from Emma to plug someone into the power grid, so to speak. Once that’s happened, then they’re permanently hooked up to the power grid, which is why Regina was able to entrap Charming after that.

[Slurpeez]

Phee wrote: This “magic touch” of hers is fascinating to me. I’d never really expected her to have magical powers.Her parents weren’t magical, so I don’t see how it could have been in her genetic makeup. I always just figured her purpose was to break the curse, and that was her “magic”, but she couldn’t make with the hocus pocus stuff. But now there definitely seems to be more to her abilities

Yes, it’s very fascinating to me, too! How could Emma conduct magic if her parents don’t have it? Jefferson said she brought magic to Storybrooke. As you pointed out, Emma seemed to conduct magic to Regina, as if she were linking her to the magic already present in SB.

Jane Espenson said: But yes: Emma. Magic. Some sort of loop around those two words.

Thanks to Jane (and Phee), I think the answer can be found by linking the words Emma and Magic. I no longer just think Emma does magic. I think Emma is magic! 💡

It sounds strange at first, but Emma is True Love Incarnate, thanks to Rumpel adding a drop of the true love potion to the parchment on which the curse was written, making her the savior. And what is true love? True love is the most powerful form of magic. Thus, Emma is the most powerful form of magic. That is why when Emma touched Regina, she was able to conduct magic. That’s why, when Graham kissed Emma, he remembered. It’s not that either character is necessarily “in love” with Emma but more that fact that Emma herself embodies true love magic, which can break any curse. Also, I’m beginning to think the favor that Emma owes Rumpel could involve a transfer of magic (like a currency)! 😮

"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy

[faux pax]

@slurpeez108 wrote:

Phee wrote: This “magic touch” of hers is fascinating to me. I’d never really expected her to have magical powers.Her parents weren’t magical, so I don’t see how it could have been in her genetic makeup. I always just figured her purpose was to break the curse, and that was her “magic”, but she couldn’t make with the hocus pocus stuff. But now there definitely seems to be more to her abilities

Yes, it’s very fascinating to me, too! How could Emma conduct magic if her parents don’t have it? Jefferson said she brought magic to Storybrooke. As you pointed out, Emma seemed to conduct magic to Regina, as if she were linking her to the magic already present in SB.

Thanks to Jane (and Phee), I think the answer can be found by linking the words Emma and Magic. I no longer just think Emma does magic. I think Emma is magic! 💡

It sounds strange at first, but Emma is True Love Incarnate, thanks to Rumpel adding a drop of the true love potion to the parchment on which the curse was written, making her the savior. And what is true love? True love is the most powerful form of magic. Thus, Emma is the most powerful form of magic. That is why when Emma touched Regina, she was able to conduct magic. That’s why, when Graham kissed Emma, he remembered. It’s not that either character is necessarily “in love” with Emma but more that fact that Emma herself embodies true love magic, which can break any curse. Also, I’m beginning to think the favor that Emma owes Rumpel could involve a transfer of magic (like a currency)! 😮

It’s an interesting idea–one I really like–but i’m worried about what it might mean. They will have to be careful not to make Emma TOO powerful or make it so that she can give all the good guys kick butt magic powers. That’s kind of what tanked Heroes.

[hjbau]

We don’t know if magic is passed down from parent to child in this world. I really don’t think we have seen any evidence that that is the case though maybe it is. Maybe Regina will just get angry enough at Cora and toss her with magic she didn’t know she had, but it may be that Regina got her magic from somewhere else on purpose to get rid of Cora. We will see.

[faux pax]

We don’t know if magic is passed down from parent to child in this world

or maybe rubbed off through contact. If that’s the case Henry is screwed, especially if Bae is his dad.

[surayya]

Didnt H&K say magic is something you have to learn & some do/some dont, but it ways comes with a price???

I really hope they don’t make Emma magic (all the powerful magic people have ended up corrupt with that amount of power- I don’t consider the fairies as ‘being’ magic as such, as they require wands & fairy dust to perform magical acts, so it’s more a tool than part of them). I do hope she has to learn to control her ability to ‘facilitate’ the use of ambient magic, which is what I’m personally hoping she has.

[rcaret7z]

@Surayya wrote:

Didnt H&K say magic is something you have to learn & some do/some dont, but it ways comes with a price???

I really hope they don’t make Emma magic (all the powerful magic people have ended up corrupt with that amount of power- I don’t consider the fairies as ‘being’ magic as such, as they require wands & fairy dust to perform magical acts, so it’s more a tool than part of them). I do hope she has to learn to control her ability to ‘facilitate’ the use of ambient magic, which is what I’m personally hoping she has.

I actually have a similar notion but I think the key here is to make sure Emma has the appropriate time needed/required to “process” everything that has happened. If not, I can only see one outcome and it isn’t a very “bright” one at that. Still hopeful though ❗

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