There is a town in Maine where every story book character you've ever known is trapped between two worlds, victims of a powerful curse. Only one knows the truth and only one can break the spell.
Emma Swan is a 28-year-old bail bonds collector who has been supporting herself since she was abandoned as a baby. Things change for her when her son Henry, whom she abandoned years ago, finds her and asks for her help explaining that she is from a different world where she is Snow White's missing daughter.
This tv show contains 97 potentially triggering events.
Cruella kills and skins her mother's dalmatians, though. Though that happens off-screen, since we see her boasting about it while putting on the fur coat she made out of their fur, it could still be upsetting.
Some mild physical abuse by Cora towards her daughter Regina in S1 E18. LOTS of emotional abuse throughout, especially towards Henry from his mother Regina early on, as well as towards Baelfire from his father Rumplestiltskin.
The main way the writers chose to redeem their villains was by having them do a few good things (if not just one single thing), barely even apologizing, and their victims forgiving them, even if said victims had spent their entire lives suffering because of them. Worse enough, sometimes the victims also make mistakes and are then judged in the same lens that the villains are. It's the whole thing of the show, sadly. Very black and white morality.
Since the show revolves around curses and remembering certain events and stuff like that, gaslighting is a very common theme. Generally, the people who inflict gaslighting the most are definitely Rumplestiltskin, Regina, and other numerous villains. There are several times when even Mary Margaret/David are manipulative and lie to Emma, and Henry sometimes lied about things.
Henry Mills is abused by Regina Mills. Zelena is abused by her unnamed father. Archie Hopper is abused by Myrna and Martin. Captain Hook is abused by his parents. King George abuses both James and then David. Regina goes on to abuse Snow White by concocting a murder plot before she even turns thirteen. Malcolm abuses Rumplestiltskin. This is not an exhaustive list. As this is a show about fairytales, child abuse is heavy. Caution.
Not "drugs", per se, but there are substances used that are like drugs. E.g. in season 4, in a flashback scene, Maleficent describes a concoction of sleeping curse, water, and a few other ingredients, and states that it "takes the edge off."
Addiction to physical substance, not really. But we see characters such as Rumplestiltskin addicted to power and the Evil Queen is addicted in a sense, to harming people.
Heavily enough too to be knocked unconscious. I think it's the only case where a man slaps a woman, there may be a couple other scenes where a woman slaps another woman.
A lot of times people are restrained with magic or tied up. One of the earliest examples I can think of is in a flashback when Regina’s mother uses magic to wrap what looks like a belt around Regina and lift her into the air
Graham in S1 by Regina Mills. Wish Hook in S7 by Tremaine. Robin Hood is during S4 but it's a tricky matter involving mental illness, how consent works with mental illness, and the pressures on women to think that marriage/having a child will fix the problems in their lives, including their mental illness. This is still sexual assault but may be twice as triggering.
All sexual assault in OUAT is woman-on-man and poorly handled. Please act with extreme caution as this is severely triggering.
zelena often mocks robin falling victim to her deception, flaunting the consequent pregnancy in his face, either to get at regina or to assert dominance and it is hard to watch
Residue's of drowning and choking, most noticeably in the season 5 fanale where Hyde chokes Hook, he's shown struggling for breath afterwards. There's lots of physical choking and magical choking throughout the show - almost every episode - but I don't think any characters actually die this way, it's more of a threat/warning or the character is stopped before the victim is killed.
Technically yes. The Blind Witch eats children, as we see in the Hansel and Gretel scene (it doesn't show her actually eating any of the children though.)
None of the amputation scenes are overly gory. Zelena slices off her hand in season 5 but no blood is shown, the hand just falls to the ground and she reattaches it fairly quickly. When Rumplestiltskin cuts off Hook's hand, a small splatter of blood is seen on the deck of his ship but it's only a few specs. In season 2 when Dr Whale's arm is ripped off there's blood around his joint and the severed arm but nothing more than that
No heads get squashed, but Regina threatens Isaac Heller by saying something along the lines of, "I'll drive a sports car of your choice over your head until it squashes like a pumpkin." The threat is empty, and more of a sarcastic remark than anything, but the inferred imagery isn't pleasant, lol.
It's not exactly hanging; in s05e14, a character gets tied up with chains around their chest and is left to hang from the ceiling, obviously in pain all throughout. The opening card for that episode shows that exact character in that way, from afar.
One particular scene I remember is in s02e12, a character has just been hit by a car and when someone goes to check how he is, they nudge his sides and he screams in pain, confirming he's broken some ribs.
In Manhattan (2x14) Rumplestiltskin uses a hammer to crush his entire foot. None of the mutilation is seen but you hear the noises and see the swing of the hammer.
In season 2 and 5 (Spoilers)
Hook is tortured aggressively by Hades, is seen covered in blood with a swollen eye and limping. This is shown through episodes 13,14,15 of season 5, he also tells Arthur he spent "most of my time here on the end of a lash" and Arthur then picks up a whip.
In season 2 Regina is restrained and tortured with electricity by Greg, also towards the end of season 2 in the episode "Lacey", Robin Hood is tortured by Rumplestiltskin and is shown chained to the ceiling by his wrists, blood coming from him nose and mouth, his shirt ripped open and blood dripping down his chest. It's a rather short scene however and is only on screen for a minute or two.
Yes. Mary Windgate is shoved out a window by Dr. Jekyll, Johanna is shoved out of the clock tower by Cora, Walsh is thrown from a high building by Emma (this was an act of heroism and self-defense), and Cruella De Vil is thrown off a cliff with magic by Emma.
honestly a lot of major characters die, rumplestiltskin dies is the last episode of season 7, belle dies a few episodes before that i forgot which one. Technically snow and charming died but that was in a alternate reality thing, Jesus what is this show 😭
Season 1 episode 1 a parent appears to die, Season 1 episode 2 a parent is killed, Season 1 episode 7 there is grieving of a lost parent although you don’t see him die,
There is not a scene with a couple in the shower (i.e. a sexual scene), but in season 4 we see Robin Hood briefly in the shower, only about shoulders up though (no nudity.)
If someone has the heart of another person, they can use magic to control the actions of the person by speaking into their heart, and this happens several times. In season 3, Mary Margaret is briefly possessed by Cora's spirit.
There are two major characters who are sheriffs, and they are both good guys, but there doesn't seem to be much copaganda, if any. They are not shown to abuse their position in any way that portrays it as a positive. They are sometimes manipulated into unknowingly misusing their power. The show has a fairly neutral stance on police overall.
Many scenes throughout the seasons where people are kept in dungeons, cages, or a cell at a sheriff's station. Also a scene of a character in a federal prison in season 2 episode 6, and that same character being cuffed to a hospital bed while giving birth, in season 3, episodes 1 and 11.
There are many hospital scenes. The series starts with "John Doe," or David in the hospital in a coma, then we see Henry in the hospital, Emma in the hospital (in flashback), Zelena in the hospital, and many more accounts with patients, including Greg Mendel, Mary Margaret, Hook, Mr. Gold, and Lucy. Of course, since there are characters who play the roles of doctors, we see them in that setting as well.
One of the main characters has a backstory that he purposefully injured his leg to escape fighting and dying in war. You see him hit his leg (with a hammer/simliar) and it breaks. It's a main plot of one of the early seasons, and the show frames him as a 'coward' for self harming and for not dying in war instead. He is repeatedly called a coward by other characters and calls himself one. I found it extremeley triggering as someone who has recieved anger/judgement from people because I self harmed.
in season 2 a character is shown to be in deep depression, she goes to another character and begs her to kill her. The second character looks as though she will kill the first, and even tries, but stops before she dies. While this may not seem like a suicide attempt to some, some people may still find it triggering
Many people make fun or call Hook names for his so-named hook, which he has to replace a missing hand that Rumplestiltskin cut off. He doesn't seem to take offense to but it could be upsetting to some viewers.
There are clear Jewish stereo types in many of the villains and a lot of dogwhistles. There are even clearly swastikas in the window designs of the "dragon's" space
Billy (Gus the Mouse from Cinderella) is a person of color and is murdered to frame Ruby. He's killed to fuel the "woman pain" of the show and it's a pretty pointless and irritating death. This will be triggering/anger-inducing. Be warned.
There’s a few relationships where one character is a few hundred years older than their partner, such as Rumple x Belle, Neal x Emma, and Captain Hook x Emma. With Neal and Emma, they are also in a relationship when she is a minor (17) and he appears to be physically in his 20s.
There's no nudity, but there is a scene when Mary Margaret and David are in bed, (as well as Graham and Regina), and there are parts that allude to people sleeping together. (Mary Margaret/Dr. Whale, Regina/Robin Hood, Zelena/Robin Hood, Regina/Dr. Facilier...). There are also some steamier kissing scenes and sexual jokes strung throughout, but nothing too mature.
It really depends on which characters you like. While the ending is considered to be a happy one, there are a few main- and generally beloved - characters who die.
In s03e01, a character falls into the sea, hits her head and loses consciousness. She is quickly dragged out and revived.
In s03e20, a character is pushed facedown into a pool of water until he loses consiousness. He's revived immediately after.
Probably the most heavy example is in season 5, episodes 12-15. A character has been heavily tortured and is covered in blood, there are a few cuts shown but there isn't actual gore.
S1 Ep12 and S1 Ep17 guns are drawn but not fired, S1 Ep22 gun is fired, S2 Ep6 gun is drawn but not fired, S2 Ep11 someone’s shot, S2 Ep21 and 22 someone’s shot,
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