“Once Upon A Time has always maintained a rather funny concept of good and evil. This is a show where pragmatism is a negative trait and optimism a good one. Where the good always win, princesses talks to birds and true love’s kiss cures all. Good is absolute. A werewolf who is innately good will always be forgiven–even when she eats her boyfriend. A man who kills a child’s parents can spend a few years as a bug and become everyone’s favorite wise man. And the truest of true love couples in town can both have affairs while under a curse and let it go in as soon as the curse is lifted. There is no pathos for our heroes outside of the external. They do not wrestle with themselves or make bad decisions. They’re “good” and thus free of many of the struggles most people face. And because of those struggles Regina is evil. She’s a victim of circumstances, an abusive household, and a manipulative old man. She has in herself a desire to be good but an addictive personality and some bad choices early on slotted her as evil and it seems that no matter what she does she’ll always be that Evil Queen.”