*major spoilers, of course*

I’m going to get this out of the way: at first I really didn’t like Regina (being the Evil Queen I think that was the point.) But it wasn’t until season two that my feelings started to change. I thought her obsession with Snow White and why she wanted to kill her so badly was like a teenager who couldn’t get over their ex boyfriend (well in this case the ex boyfriend died because of Snow, but still, they were both so young when it happened.)

I swear she has that kids-bitchy-mom-who-always-has-something-to-say-at-meetings haircut.

Then Emma came to town and every chance she got Regina wanted to make it hell for her. Of course there was the fact that Emma was the savior who would break Regina’s curse AND being Henry’s birth mother those were two things Regina just couldn’t deal with. Lana Parrilla plays her so well though, and you have to give her major credit for that.

But Regina’s back story came into light and eventually you could relate to her more. She was born to a mother who was obsessed with becoming royalty and she wanted her daughter to do the same. And because of her mother Regina got into magic, something she never wanted to do, and when her boyfriend Daniel was killed, that magic turned dark, even though at first, Regina was good.

Into the second season, after the curse is broken and everything is out in the open, Henry let’s his mom know he wants to have his birth family around, and that she needs to understand that. There are countless times Regina tries to take him away, but in the end she had to accept they were his family too and they all needed to start to get along. This is when I slowly started to like her.

As the seasons go by and Regina and the “heroes” have to work together, she begins to open up and even becomes friends with them. When it comes to the Charmings they have a knack for playing the “hope” card too many times, but Regina’s sarcasm and wit are always there to give us a break from the over-the-top positivity (and that is one of my favorite things about her.)

Even after all the torturing, killing, and being so unpleasant, Regina changed. She saw the chance and took it. Regina was finally able to move on from her past love and find her soul mate, Robin (one of my favorite couples ever.) Sure there are plenty of tough times thrown in there where Regina’s loyalty and alliance are questioned and tested but she always comes through. Sometimes you wonder, “how many more times can Regina get kicked in the stomach? She changed!” But I’m now wondering if karma is doing its work. Regina should pay for everything she’s done.

Where does that leave us? Well Regina will fight side-by-side with the same person who she wanted to get rid of in the first season, even “sharing” Henry with her, and for Henry, well he gets two moms who kick ass (we’ll talk about Emma another time.)

Like I said, Regina had a lot of redemption to earn and the trust of her fellow friends, but she did. We got to see a villain put the dark past behind them, move on, and become a hero. Regina only cared about herself and Henry, but because of him she changed. Because of Henry constantly reminding her that she can change and she can be good, Regina did just that. And she even reminded us that a man is not your happy ending, but it is nice to have him there. Regina showed us that no matter how bad things get for you, and you may even take that pain in a bad way and do bad things, there is always redemption and you can always try to change.

But Regina’s problems aren’t over yet. With Emma consumed by darkness (and saving Regina from it) she has a task ahead of her that will test those new morals and loyalty, again.