Dorothy Gale

"I'm sure Oz is wonderful, but I want to go home."

- Dorothy Gale to Glinda

Dorothy Gale is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She débuts in the twentieth episode of the third season. She is portrayed by guest stars Matreya Scarrwener and Teri Reeves.

Dorothy is based on the character of the same name from the children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Before First Curse
Dorothy, caught in her Kansas farmhouse during a raging cyclone, is swept away to Oz. Taken in by the protectors of Oz, the sisterhood of witches, she comes to view them as family. One night, she is confronted by Zelena, the Witch of the West, while getting water from a well. Zelena intends to get rid of Dorothy as she believes the girl is destined to usurp her seat in the sisterhood. In defense, Dorothy throws a bucket of water at Zelena; causing the witch to melt. Glinda, the Witch of the South, then appears to offer her to take Zelena's place as the Witch of the West, but Dorothy declines; wishing only to return home. With Glinda's help, she is taken to see the Wizard and given a pair of silver slippers to travel to any world. Dorothy thanks the Wizard and proceeds to click the slippers' heels three times to send herself home. Only after the girl's departure, Glinda discovers too late that Zelena masqueraded as the Wizard in order to usher Dorothy out of Oz.

After returning home to Kansas, years pass in Dorothy's world, where she becomes older. During this time, something unknown happens, allowing her to no longer fear Zelena as she once did years ago. Donning the silver slippers again, Dorothy travels back to Oz, with her dog Toto in a carry-on bag. She storms the palace in time to stop Zelena from stealing the Scarecrow's brain for a time spell. Dorothy taunts Zelena about having one thing she'll never obtain, the love of the people, as Zelena prepares a fireball to destroy her. Toto, hopping out of the bag, trots up to the palace curtains, while Dorothy ducks when an oblivious Zelena throws the fireball at her, which hits an approaching guard. Toto then tugs a string, causing the curtains to fall on Zelena, who fumbles to get free. While she is occupied, Dorothy escapes the palace with the Scarecrow and her dog. Later, she and her companions hide out in a cottage, but Zelena eventually finds them, after putting a tracking spell on Dorothy's old bicycle. Dorothy does her best to protect the Scarecrow, but Zelena ends up ripping out his brain. Fearlessly standing up to the witch, Dorothy dares Zelena to do her worst, while boasting that she'll never be afraid of her again. Zelena expresses brief interest in her brave attitude, wondering what made her change. In the end, Zelena leaves Dorothy unharmed, having gotten the brain she came for.

Production Notes

 * The casting call name for her young self was "Betsy".
 * The casting call for her adult self describes her as "in her late 20s to early 30s and will have evolved from 'the iconic, pig-tailed girl from Kansas' into 'a brave warrior for good'. Having been sent home to the heartland with three clicks of her heels — courtesy of the 'Wizard' (aka a duplicitous Zelena) — Dorothy returns to Oz looking to reclaim the magical land from the Wicked Witch, whom Regina just ejected from Storybrooke."

Props Notes

 * The picture of Dorothy in Henry's storybook is "The Monkeys Caught Dorothy in Their Arms and Flew Away With Her", one of W. W. Denslow's illustrations from the first edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
 * Alchemical signs for the four elements are carved into the table and the stone pillars where the four witches are gathered in Oz. Fittingly enough, the element of the west (downward-pointing triangle), whose seat Dorothy was offered, is water.