This Sunday night, before the world says goodbye to Walter White forever, at least we can take comfort in the knowledge that our favorite fairy-tale characters arent going anywhere. That night, Once Upon a Time returning for its third season on ABC.
For those who need a quick refresher: last we saw Snow White, Prince Charming, Rumplestiltskin, the Evil Queen, Captain Hook and Snow and Charmings real-world-raised daughter, Emma Swan, they were departing Storybrooke, Maine on a magical ship to retrieve Emmas son, Henry, from Neverland. Why is Henry in Neverland you ask? Two disgruntled humans who have personal vendettas against Enchanted Forest immigrants kidnapped him. As you do.
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Ginnifer Goodwin, who has previously charmed in Big Love, Mona Lisa Smile and Walk the Line, has seamlessly embodied the dual role of Snow White and her Storybrooke counterpart, Mary Margaret Blanchard, since OUATs premiere two years ago. But despite this being a Disney-approved series, her Snow White is a way darker, more nuanced character than the one-dimensional angel of innocence weve come to know from the classic 1937 animated version. For example, this Snow is handy with a bow and arrow, and shes killed people namely Cora, the wicked mother of Snows nemesis, the Evil Queen Regina.
As the second season wrapped up, Snows heart was literally beginning to blacken following Coras murder (those with magical abilities have the power to rip the hearts out of still-living bodies in the OUAT universe, FYI). She was engaged in a constant inner battle between good and evil though, as Goodwin tells Rolling Stone, if youre capable of evil, it doesnt mean you are evil. Goodness is a choice, she says. Youre only truly light if youre capable of dark. And dont you have to have both extremes to be a full human? You have to choose light.
Still, just because Goodwin recognizes the struggle in balancing good and evil, it doesnt mean she thinks Reginas misdeeds should be swept under the rug. I find myself very defensive when, [at] panels talking to fans or doing a Twitter Q&A, people will start getting on me because I called the Evil Queen a murderer, she says. And I was like, Wait, wait, wait, how are you getting past the fact that she has not only murdered hundreds upon hundreds of people, and also has tried to murder my character several times? Theres no way Im not going to feel defensive about this! I cannot sympathize with this character because I inhabit another character that she has tried to kill on occasion. So its funny how these stories can manipulate in that way and really blur the lines.
But now that Snow and Regina must team up for the common goal of saving Henry, the apple-loving princess has a multitude of new challenges this season. She must work alongside her enemy, deal with the guilt she feels over killing Reginas mother and figure out how to balance her past as Snow White and the 28 years she spent as average American schoolteacher Mary Margaret in Storybrooke. This season, for me, says Goodwin, I think is going to be about [creating] a character that can make it all work. Because clearly, Im going to have to let go of certain qualities in order for my character to achieve what she needs to achieve. So its not going to be that I can keep blending everything together, its that Im going to have to start picking and choosing who this person is, so she can rise above what she did with Cora.
Its a good thing Snows got a band of merry men and women to help her in her quest. She still is not able to let go of the guilt, says Goodwin. At the end of last season, it was about trying to heal her heart, and I think were going in this direction that her working on her relationships with other people is whats going to make that happen. It cant just be a solo journey.