If you enjoy Once Upon a Time to see Lana Parrilla in action, you were in luck because you got a double dose of her as Regina and The Evil Queen in the most recent episode “A Bitter Draught.”

The hardest thing for Regina is forgiving herself for all the evil she inflicted on others.  The reason she separated herself from The Evil Queen was to unburden herself once and for all of the guilt.  But, you can’t keep a good Evil Queen down and your past will always come back to haunt you.

In the episode “The Bitter Draught”, we learned that in the past The Evil Queen had hired The Count of Monte Cristo (Craig Horner) to kill Snow and Charming (Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas).  The Count, who’s name is Edmond Dantes, was angry and bitter and seeking revenge against Baron Danglars for the murder of his fiancée and imprisoning him for years.  The Evil Queen had promised to help Edmond if he helped her get her revenge first.  Thus, the plot to kill her step daughter and the man she loved.

Flash forward to the future and a nicer Regina.  However, that pesky count and the murder contract is still in effect.  Since she hired him, Regina has to fire him.  Easier said than done, because now The Evil Queen has Edmond’s heart and he’ll do her bidding whether he wants to or not.  Regina is surprised when she comes face-to-face with The Evil Queen as she believed she destroyed her.

In a battle with Edmond, Regina is forced to kill The Count to save Snow and David’s lives.  The Evil Queen appears and smirks that Regina should have been able to find a third way because that’s what heroes do. Those words cause Regina to be taken aback and again question her goodness.

Lana Parrilla is doing an excellent job in playing the doubtful Regina and the other confident Evil Queen.  At times, it’s easy to forget that this is the same actress in both roles.

The path of revenge is always a dangerous road to travel as it strips you of your decency.  The Count of Monte Cristo’s anger and hatred turned him into a shell of his former self and allowed The Evil Queen to manipulate him.

In another part of the episode, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) has a therapy session with Archie (Raphael Sbarge) about the visions of her death.  She realizes that the only person not in the vision may be the one who kills her in it – Regina.

The Evil Queen reminds Zelena (Rebecca Mader) that they are more alike than she cares to admit. Why else wouldn’t Zelena tell Regina that she was back?

So, it’s looking the the theme of the season will be not letting your darkness out and whether someone who was once evil can truly be good.

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