A happy ending was “in the cards” all along in ONCE UPON A TIME Season 7 Episode 15, “Sisterhood.”
While a happy ending for Drizella (Adelaide Kane) and her sister Anastasia (Yael Yurman) is a nice thought, it seems unusual for said ending to occur in the fifteenth episode of Once Upon a Time Season 7, instead of, say, the twenty-second. Could this really be the last we’ll see of these two characters? Let’s dive in and figure it out together.
Drizella and Gretel
In this week’s flashbacks, Gothel (Emma Booth) is trying to convince Drizella to join her coven. She first does this by impersonating Regina (Lana Parrilla). Drizella doesn’t accept the phony Regina’s offer of magical teaching in exchange for giving up on her curse. Pleased, Gothel invites her to a meeting of eight other potential witches. There are two golden flowers, they’re told, and two open spots in the coven; whichever two find the flowers will be invited to join. They are also instructed not to work together.
Almost immediately, one of the other witches ignores this instruction and asks to pair up with Drizella. It’s clear to us the viewers who this person is as she tells her story about her brother and a witch in a gingerbread house. About her brother, she explains,
Forever altered. His arms scarred from burns, and his mind, well… last I heard, he was traveling around under a different name.
More on that later. Gretel and Drizella save each other from a trap, and with a little trust built up, they separate to find the flowers and bring them back to their meeting place. Naturally, this is when Gothel reappears. She informs Drizella that she lied about the flowers and the contest. There’s only one spot, and Drizella can get it – only if she kills Gretel.
Drizella doesn’t want to do it, and when Gretel comes back to their meeting spot, it looks like she’s going to disobey Gothel’s instructions and befriend Gretel instead. However, it soon becomes clear that Gothel visited Gretel, too. The two young witches fight, and although Drizella tries to avoid it, she ends up having to kill Gretel. Gothel congratulates her and welcomes her into the coven.
Ivy and Anastasia
In Hyperion Heights, Ivy/Drizella is having no luck in locating her sister. She refuses the help of Eloise/Gothel, who shows up wanting to renew their original deal. Then Gothel gives her something she found in the lobby: a bag containing a box of chocolates identical to the ones given to the first two victims of what Detective Rogers (Colin O’Donaghue) is calling the candy-killer. Ivy insists that she’ll be fine, only to be attacked later that day in the parking garage. She manages to get away from the masked killer with the help of a can of pepper spray and the heel of her stilleto.
Ivy hopes Anastasia sees the light. #OnceUponATime pic.twitter.com/6kBjfSkdnY
— Once Upon A Time (@OnceABC) March 31, 2018
Roni/Regina is not thrilled when Ivy shows up at her bar, but she eventually agrees to keep her safe and get in touch with Weaver/Rumple (Robert Carlyle). Dr. Facilier (Daniel Francis) comes in and sets some cards in front of her, telling her that the only way for her to be safe is for Anastasia to die. After all, she’ll die at Gothel’s hands soon anyway. He also provides the way for Ivy to find her: with the lanterns they always used to find each other in the other realm. Ivy leaves the bar, sends the floating lanterns into the sky (did she just so happen to have them on hand?), and Ana shows up. Ivy knocks her out with some magical powder and takes her to Facilier.
I’m sorry, Ana. I know that Mother wanted us to be together, and I tried to do the right thing this time, but I don’t wanna die. And if it comes down to you or me, I choose me.
Ivy and Facilier are about to start the ritual when a sudden wind shakes the room. Gothel shows up and says that she’s waking Ana up, and Ivy should be worried because she’s been a very bad sister. Facilier runs out of the room. Once Ana is awake, her magic continues tearing the room apart. Ivy desperately tries to convince her that everything she’s done has been Gothel’s fault, and even now, she’s trying to manipulate both of them. Ana drops her weapon, and the two sisters hug each other. Gothel leaves in disbelief.
Soon after, Roni and Weaver show up. While Weaver checks on Ana, Ivy apologizes to Roni for everything she’s done. Roni agrees that Ivy and Ana should get as far away from Gothel as they can. Ivy asks, “Do you forgive me?”
Let’s just say I understand you. My gift to you is what I always wanted – someone to believe I can change.
Ana uses her magic to activate the magic bean, and the two of them step through the portal together.
Roni and Weaver
Before we get to the real shocker of the episode, let’s take a brief detour into the relationship between Roni and Weaver. It seems they’re finally working together – after all, Weaver was Roni’s first call when Ivy showed up at her bar. He doesn’t answer her call, however, as he’s busy trying to track down Ana on his own. He’s also been examining the chipped cup again.
When Roni finds him, he reveals that he knows Dr. Facilier is in town, and that Facilier is after his dagger. He asks when Roni was going to share this information with him, and Roni explains that she was hoping to change Facilier’s mind, like Belle did his.
After Ana and Ivy go through the portal, the two of them have a short exchange that really demonstrates how far Weaver has come from the beginning of the series.
Roni: “I’m surprised you let the Guardian go.”
Weaver: “Well, it was the right thing to do.”
Roni: “So, you’re giving up on getting to Belle?”
“Weaver: “It might seem that way, but you know, every time I do good, it just brings me closer to her. Now I’ve gotta believe that, one day, another Guardian will appear. But those two sisters going off together, well, that means today is a good one, for everyone.”
He does show a bit of his threatening side later, however, when he threatens Facilier with death if he ever goes after his family. (He even throws in a nice movie reference: “I will put both your feet on the other side.”)
Facilier does show some attachment to Roni here, however. He tells her that he orchestrated this whole event not to kill Ana, but to siphon off some of her power and give it to Roni. With it, she might be able to find a way to save her son.
Henry, Rogers, and Nick
Speaking of Roni’s son, Henry (Andrew J. West) is the subject of the latest plot by Roni and Lucy (Alison Fernandez): Operation Bromance. They believe that getting Henry together with his old other realm buddies might make him feel better while he can’t be with Jacinda (Dania Ramirez). Those buddies, of course, are Rogers and Nick (Nathan Parsons), better known as Hook and Jack in the other realm, respectively. Lucy texts all three of them to meet her at Flynn’s Arcade, then doesn’t show, leaving them all to hang out together.
The first lady that walks through that door is fate, Henry. #OnceUponATime pic.twitter.com/RMshvjja8Y
— Once Upon A Time (@OnceABC) March 31, 2018
Rogers and Nick encourage Henry to get back out in the dating realm. He gives in, saying that he’ll ask out the next woman who walks through the door. The door immediately opens, and it’s none other than… Jacinda! Henry and Jacinda joke about fairy tales over drinks, and Jacinda gives him a challenge: if he can flip a token into a glass on the other side of the bar, they’ll assume that Lucy’s fairy tales are true and they’re meant to be together. The token almost makes it in before the bartender moves the glass. Jacinda laughs and leaves after one last flirtation with Henry.
The guys leave shortly after, with a few more encouraging words from Nick for both Henry and Rogers, who was discussing the candy-killer case with him. Nick’s car has a flat, and the others offer to help, but he sends them home, saying he’s got it.
And got it he does, if by “got it” you mean “boxes of candy and creepy masks in his trunk.”
Nick is the candy-killer? If anyone saw that coming, gold star for you. With the candy involved, it’s safe to assume that he’s also Hansel, Gretel’s brother. With their backstory in mind, his vendetta against witches makes perfect sense. He was almost killed by one and his sister was killed by one. The question now is, is Nick awake? Does he know he’s killing witches, or is this part of his other realm persona coming through without him realizing it?
A few additional notes:
- Ivy and Ana’s storyline seems waaay too well wrapped up for my liking. Ivy went from being perfectly willing to kill her sister to wanting to ride off into the sunset with her. Why would Ana trust her now?
- Dr. Facilier continues to swing back and forth on the good-and-evil spectrum. He still wants Rumple’s dagger, but he also acquired magic to help Regina.
- Jacinda and Henry are just cute.
- And Rogers is going through a lot of jam now that Tilly (Rose Reynolds) is living with him.
What do you think? Were you satisfied with this (potential) ending for Ivy and Ana? Did you see the candy-killer twist coming? Do you really want to visit Flynn’s Arcade? Let us know your thoughts on this Once Upon a Time episode in the comments.