This 'OUAT' Clip Shows The Evil Queen At Her Best

While we've been spending all our time looking forward to Once Upon A Time Season 5 — and rightfully so, since it's going to be amazing — we've all but forgotten about Season 4, despite the fact that it only ended about three months ago. It was a bit of a roller coaster ride, what with the Frozen storyline dominating most of 4A and season 4B's search for happy endings culminating in Emma sacrificing herself and becoming the Dark One to save Regina's happiness. Season 4 was one of Once 's best, particularly in terms of character development, so the clip that was just released online this week, taken from the Season 4 DVD set due out on August 18, is particularly fun to watch, since it shows how far some of our Storybrooke favorites have come in a relatively short amount of time.

In the clip, which was originally published on TV Line, the Evil Queen, played by Lana Parrilla, squares off in the Enchanted Forest against Robert Carlyle's Rumpelstiltskin as they squabble over Belle. The deleted scene, which was taken from the mid-season finale, features Rumple searching for his "maid", which we all know is Belle. She's apparently gone missing, and since Rumple mistakes a raven for a crow, he believes Regina had something to do with Belle's disappearance. Regina proceeds to taunt Rumple about his clear feelings for Belle, and hilarity ensues.

It's great seeing Regina heckling Rumple, considering those roles are usually reversed and it's Rumple doing the antagonizing. Also, to be honest, it kinda really makes me miss the Evil Queen. I'm glad Regina has her redemption story now and I love how far her character has come, but you have to admit, Evil Regina was so much fun, wasn't she? I mean, besides all the murder and torture and all that, she just had a certain... je ne sais quoi that made her scenes an absolute joy. Perhaps it's just the over-the-top way in which Lana plays Regina at the height of her vengeance phase, or the ridiculous costumes, but I just love the grandiose feel to all the Evil Queen scenes.

This scene is also a great look into Rumple's discomfort with his own feelings for Belle at this early stage in the game. After all, he's the Dark One, so he certainly has no use for the likes of True Love in his life when he's got the ultimate evil power, right? Wrong. Turns out, even the darkest of hearts can be (somewhat) tamed by love, and Belle got under Rumple's skin pretty early on. Seeing him squirm is pretty delicious, especially considering he's generally so self-assured.

It may only be a minute-and-a-half clip, but it's a great one and shows a side of Once that makes me really love the show, despite all the messiness that it comes up with from time to time. If you'd like to see the full thing, click over to TV Line and check it out, then pick up the Season 4 DVD on August 18 to see it and lots of other special features.

Image: ABC