Aaaah, right, yes, that makes a lot of sense and I see now where I misread your original post - apologies. I definitely see our point and agree with it. It is an unsettling turnaround and...I don't know, I mean, I adore Regina too. I think what makes that scene work so well is the way you do have so much sympathy for Regina, the way she's so obviously in pain and hurting and paying a price in a very real, personal way. The way we felt hurt for Emma when Regina wouldn't let her see Henry? There was something so...desperate and, I don't know, humbled but rageful about Lana Parilla's performance.

As to the magic, yeah, sorry I was just babbling and being a little loose with my metaphors. I made the connection both because of the way she sorta...inhales the magic as it rises from the book, with her eyes going all weird, which is often scifi/fantasy code for "Look out! Magic drugs!" and the way she was talking with her psychiatrist about how difficult it was to stop using it and how ultimately she couldn't destroy her mother's book. I think it's certainly been portrayed that she's...potentially addicted to it, but given the positive uses (although counterpoint: all magic comes with a price), I'm not sure it's totally fair to equate magic with drugs. I was, as I said, mostly being hyperbolic and casual with my comparison! :)

I do wonder if the show will ever explicitly talk about Snow and Henry's very different experiences of Regina's parenting? I thin it'd be really interesting if it did...