ONCE UPON A TIME Saw The Ultimate Sibling Showdown in “Sisters”

Brother of the Year

The first sibling face off of the episode is between David, aka Charming, and James. Early Season 1, audiences learned the origins of our Charming. He, David, was born into a shepherd’s family. His twin brother, James, was given to King George in exchange for their farm. While James grew up in the lap of luxury and fueled by a desire for personal glory, David grew up a humble shepherd with a sense of true honor and heroism. James tragically died during a duel, so Rumple recruited David to replace his brother as King George’s son. Sound familiar? Great.

When these twins are finally reunited in the Underworld, James has no intention of getting to know his brother. Instead, he believes that Charming denied James his glory during his life. Charming’s life of heroism and love had eclipsed James’ successes. James decides to take back his glory by taking over his brother’s identity and making his way back to Storybrooke.

However, for James, living for his own glory will never be enough. With all the great milestones achieved and the fame received, it does not fill the gap. Charming learned a long time ago that only love and friendship satisfies and is worth living for. James does not understand that, so he is surprised that his twin escapes the Underworld jail and saves his daughter and friend. The brothers finally face off, mano-a-mano. Even though James eventually pulls out a knife, Charming fights fair and James becomes lost after falling into the River of Lost Souls.

After James falls to his fate, Charming is remorseful for his brother. He believes there could have been another way to reach an understanding. Plus, it’s his brother. That’s the difference between James and Charming. While they shared identical physical features, each had opposite views of what was worth living and dying for. Cruella was just a hot hookup for James, whereas Snow is Charming’s true love and other half. James’ desire for personal glory ultimately led to an eternity of being lost. Charming continues to fight for his family, friends, and all things honorable. If we could only keep one of the twins, we are sure glad that we get to keep Charming.

NEXT: From Rivals to Sisters