Sometimes you find a television series that compels you to watch every single episode in an absurdly short amount of time, throwing aside all social commitments and responsibilities. That television series for me was Once Upon A Time. I’ve always been a fan and kept up with the latest, but hadn’t really sat down and watched (nay, experienced) each episode in order. A month or so ago, I decided to embark on the journey to accomplish this and it was probably the best decision I’ve ever made. I spent many evenings and weekends watching Once Upon A Time. Did I get chores or laundry done in the month that it took to accomplish this? No. Did I see my friends? Rarely. Did I buy a plant and name it Killian Jones? Yes. Yes I did. Let me tell you, an experience like this changes a person. Deep truths and learnings are now engrained in me.
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It is NOT a curse unless Grumpy announces it in a panic.
If you’ve watched every single episode of Once Upon A Time, you know that a lot of dark curses come along. There’s the original dark curse, that second dark curse, and many more. You will know the curse is coming because Leroy aka Grumpy will yell about it. It’s usually something along the lines of “The Evil Queen’s Curse! It’s here!” Very informative, and very delightful. I think at one point he even warned everyone about Elsa’s snow monster. Case in point: Grumpy knows when trouble is afoot.
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Snow and Charming will always find each other.
The very first episode of Once Upon A Time opens with Charming racing on a horse to find Snow, to wake her up with True Love’s Kiss. We learn throughout the series that they often promise to find each other. And. They. Always. Do. Also, it should be noted that the actors who play Charming and Snow, Josh Dallas and Ginny Goodwin, are a couple IRL and we can’t put our joy over this fact into words. It’s just too wonderful.
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Do not make a deal with Rumple.
Literally no good ever comes of this. All magic comes with a price, which Rumple reminds every single person who makes a deal with him, and yet they still go for it. We probably would do the same, because we would be too distracted by Rumple’s glittery skin to make rational decisions.
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Do not eat anything with apples in it.
Unless you are Henry and you need to prove there is a curse on everyone in your town, then by all means go for it, because what have you got to lose? However, in any other circumstance it’s risky and you’ll probably end up in a sleeping curse—and then you’d better get yourself True Love’s Kiss real quick.
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Peter Pan is a straight up evil boss but also kind of delightful?
Maybe this is just me (sound off in the comments), but even though Peter Pan is super evil, I kind of have mad respect for him. I’d even say I was enchanted by him. He really was unstoppable for a minute there.
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#CaptainSwan is a gift to us all.
And remember the time they sang at their wedding during the Once Upon A Time Musical episode? Here a BTS pic of that gem:
You’re welcome.
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Killian Jones aka Captain Hook is probably our favorite person ever??
As mentioned above, I named a plant after him. In my home, that is the highest honor.
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Emma Swan is a hero.
When your title is the “Savior” and then at one point the “Black Swan”, you know you’re a boss. Emma is wonderful, relatable, and truly brave. The best!
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Protect. Your. Heart.
If I had to venture a guess at how many times a heart got ripped out in Once Upon A Time, I’d say it’s in the hundreds. As we saw with our friends Aurora, Gideon, and even Hook, if someone has your heart, they can control you, and that is not good. If someone reaches for your heart, pivot away. Pivot. Away!
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Regina has the best nicknames for Captain Hook.
Our personal favorite? Captain Guyliner. So simple, yet such a tribute to the guyliner we know and love. Speaking of …
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Regina is Queen.
![The Evil Queen in the Enchanted Forest in Once Upon A Time]()
She reigns as the Evil Queen.
She becomes a hero as Regina Mills. She is our queen and we’ll never question it.
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Good will always conquer evil.
![Henry Mills sitting at Granny's Diner in Once Upon A Time]()
Henry is one of my favorite characters because he is the True Believer. He is a reminder to never give up on your dreams, even if everyone thinks you’re insane. Also: Henry is always right. Listen to Henry. And now he’s all grown up in Season 7:
![Once Upon A Time Season 7 Henry, Cinderella, and Lucy]()
These are just a few of the many things I learned from the characters in Once Upon A Time. I could go on forever, as my co-workers are fully aware because for a long time this show was all I talked about. WAIT. Did I mention that Sebastian Stan aka Winter Soldier plays the Mad Hatter in early episodes, and he is wonderful?! I digress.
In short, I would 100 percent recommend binge watching Once Upon A Time from the very first episode because it will make you believe in fairytales, magic, true love, guyliner, pirates with hooks, and excellent plot twists. Huzzah!
Part one of the two-part series finale of Once Upon A Time airs tonight at 8pm on ABC. You can also purchase the series here: Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4, Season 5, Season 6. Oh My Disney participates in affiliate commission programs, including with Amazon, which means that we receive a share of revenue from purchases you make from the links on this page.