The Boro Grove is a Wonderland location featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. It appears in the sixth episode.
The Boro Grove is based on the "wood where things have no names" from the novel Through the Looking-Glass, and is named after the borogrove from the same story.
History
The Boro Grove, accessible through the Black Forest, causes those who wander in to lose their memories and be compelled to stay after inhaling the perfume given off by the tree's flowers. Although the circumstances are unclear, the Carpenter presumably enters into the Boro Grove at some point and falls under the flowers' spell. ("Who's Alice")
Continuing on her journey to rescue Cyrus, Alice travels through the Black Forest until she reaches the other side, which leads her into the Boro Grove. While trying to explain to the Carpenter her urgency in finding Cyrus, she receives a whiff of the flowery aroma. As her mind blanks, Alice stumbles over her words until forgetting what she had wanted to say. In a deliriously happy haze, she sets down her sword and places Cyrus' necklace on it. After fashioning a flower wreath, she places it on the sword before going off to explore a nearby meadow. In pursuit of Alice, Knave arrives at the Boro Grove, and although he inhales the flower aroma, it has no effect on him because of his missing heart. He finds Alice in an amnesiac state with no recollection of herself or Cyrus, Knave suspects the Carpenter did something to her. During an interrogation, the Carpenter becomes unresponsive as his body is ensnared in vines. Realizing those who stay in the forest will turn into trees, Knave urges Alice to leave with him. She stubbornly resists, with going as far as swinging her sword at him, which flings the necklace onto the ground. As vines threaten to consume her body, he, too, is held in place by greenery. Alice claims the Boro Grove makes her happy, but once the necklace falls into her hands, she regains her memories. Cutting Knave free, she departs with him to continue looking for Cyrus. ("Who's Alice")
Trivia
Fairytales and Folklore
- The Boro Grove is based on an unnamed wood that the main character travels through in the novel Through the Looking-Glass: In the third chapter of Lewis Carroll's sequel, Alice crosses a mysterious "wood where things have no names", where people forget all nouns, including their own name. She eventually makes it to the other side, where she remembers everything. ("Who's Alice")
- The Boro Grove is named after the borogrove, "a thin, shabby-looking bird with its feathers sticking out all round—something like a live mop", mentioned by Humpty Dumpty in the first chapter of Through the Looking-Glass. ("Who's Alice")
- Commenting on the Boro Grove, the Carpenter says, "Makes you feel quite mimsy." A stanza in the first chapter reads "All mimsy were the borogoves"; Humpty Dumpty explains that to Alice that "“mimsy” is “flimsy and miserable”". ("Who's Alice")
Appearances
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland | ||||||||||
"Down the Rabbit Hole": | "Trust Me": | "Forget Me Not": | "The Serpent": | "Heart of Stone": | "Who's Alice": | "Bad Blood": | ||||
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | ||||
"Home": | "Nothing to Fear": | "Dirty Little Secrets": | "Heart of the Matter": | "To Catch a Thief": | "And They Lived...": | |||||
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |