Jefferson

"A hat without magic is just a hat."

Jefferson was a poor fungus merchant and single father to Grace. When he became trapped on the other side of the looking glass, he kept trying to make another magic hat to take him back, he made thousands upon thousands but none worked, thus he became the Mad Hatter. In Storybrooke, after the curse, Jefferson still remembers who he is and spends his time watching his daughter, Grace, now Paige, through a telescope, happy with another family.

Before the Curse
"I'd like to say you're looking well, Jefferson, but I'd be lying... Poverty doesn't suit you."

- Queen Regina

Jefferson is playing hide-and-seek in the forest with his daughter, Grace, and trying to find her, he wins and she asks to play again, however, he tells her that they must now go and collect mushrooms to sell at the market-place, Grace does so. Later, they arrive home from the market having sold their fungus, Grace notices a carriage outside their home and asks to whom it belongs, Jefferson tells his daughter that it belongs to the Evil Queen, he then tells her to go to the neighbors so that he may talk to her. Inside, Regina makes Jefferson an offer, to accompany her to Wonderland with his special magic hat services, he refuses and asks her to leave. The next day, when out shopping, Grace sets her sights of a stuffed, white rabbit, thinking it would make the most perfect guest at their tea parties, however, Jefferson cannot afford it, and, after haggling and failing at it with the old hag that runs the stall, he feels he cannot give his daughter what she needs (it is soon revealed that the hag was Regina is disguise). Jefferson makes his daughter a white rabbit of his own and she loves it, sitting it down at their tea party, however, he still feels bad, he tells her to go to the neighbors so that he may complete the queen's task, she tries to ward him off of it but he puts his foot down. Jefferson retrieves his hat box and goes to the queen's castle, in her chambers, he takes out the hat and gives it a spin, agreeing to do the task for a sum. Regina and he jump down it to the hall of doorways in another dimension, they then go through the looking glass and into Wonderland on a condition, that however many go in, must be how many comes out. Queen Regina and Jefferson make it to the castle maze of the Queen of Hearts. Jefferson is reluctant to go through but Regina casts a spell, marking a clear path through the maze. The two of them make it to a small building where Regina retrieves a box from a drawer, which is what she wanted, the two then attempt escape but are headed off by the Queen of Hearts' guards. The two of them use the maze to their advantage and battle their way through the soldiers, they eventually make it out alive and return to the looking glass.

At this point, Regina takes a piece of mushroom and puts it within the box, this then grows her father, Henry, Jefferson is shocked as only two can go back through the glass. Regina abandons him and he is taken to the Queen of Hearts by her soldiers, he is faced with her and the Knave of Hearts and asked how he got to Wonderland, he explains that he used his magic hat but that he has not got another and none other will work, he is told that that is his task, to get one to work. Jefferson is then beheaded at the queen's instruction, and sent off to make hats. Jefferson is later seen surrounded by thousands upon thousands of hats and hat-making materials, madly making more and more hats, trying to get one to work, all because he wants to get back to his daughter to whom he promised to that he'd be back for tea. He thus is the Mad Hatter.

Season 1
"You know what the issue is with this world? Everyone wants a magical solution for their problems, and everyone refuses to believe in magic."

Emma is looking for Mary Margaret, who has escaped her prison cell, and is driving down the road in the forest, while driving, she accidentally swerves and knocks a man down a hill, she checks her is alright and he is, he tells her that his name is Jefferson and she says that she's Emma, the sheriff, she insists that she drive him home. When they arrive at Jefferson's mansion in Emma's bug, the latter notes that he must have a huge family, however, Jefferson tells her that hge's all alone, and so Emma, feeling sorry for him, invites herself inside to keep him company. He shows her a map of Storybrooke that could help her find her "lost dog" whilst also he serves her a cup of tea. Soon, Emma finds herself whoozy and begins to fade out, Jefferson carries her over to the sofa and lays her down, her having now passed out thanks to his drugged tea. Emma soon comes to and is alone in the lounge, tied up and gagged on the couch. Emma uses her mouth to pick up a pillow an drop it on the tea cup on the floor, she then stomps on it, smashing the cup, gets off of the sofa and uses the shards to untie herself, she then takes out her gag and unties her ankles. She sneaks off to the hall to see that Jefferson is sharpening a large pair of scissors, she leaves him to it and soon discovers that Mary Margaret is tied up and gagged on a chair in another room, she unties her friend frantically and the two try to escape, however, they are headed off by a gun-toting Jefferson, who makes Emma tie Mary Margaret back up.

Jefferson takes Emma into a room containing many hats and instructs her to make one for him, he explains that Henry's views on the book are real and that the fairytale land existm he tells her that she still has some magic and he needs a magic hat to get back there. Emma scaredly makes the hat and gives it to Jefferson, she soon snaps and asks him what's so bad about his life and he shows her through his telescope a girl having fun with her parents, he informs her that that's his daughter, Grace, now Paige, that he cannot be with but desperately wants to be with. Emma feels sorry for him, however, when he turns around, she picks up his telescope and knocks him out with it, calling him a "crazy son of a bitch" and running away. Emma soon makes it to Mary Margaret and begins to untie her, as she removes the gag, Mary Margaret tells her to look out. An angered Jefferson, still gun in tow, hat on head, runs into the room and tackles Emma. A large struggle ensues between the two and the gun is on the ground, which each of them trying to get it as Mary Margaret tries desperately to untie herself and help her friend. Jefferson gains the upper hand in the fight and gets the gun, he then points it at Emma, ready to shoot. Mary Margaret frees herself and hits Jefferson around the head with a croquet mallet, after this, she kicks him and he falls out of the window, however, when Emma and Mary Margaret look, there is nothing outside but shattered glass and a hat.

Regina not-so-subtley puts a card with a picture of a white rabbit on it on the back of Paige's bicycle, as she knows Jefferson watches her. Jefferson soon turns up at Regina's house and wants to know what she wants, she explains that she needs the services of his hat to go through to the Fairytale Land to do something, and then return. Jefferson is refusant but Regina tempts him with the notion of reuinting with his daughter, he tells her that he does not want this as what he breally needs is new memories, ones withour Grace, so that he can finally be free from his curse. Regina agrees and she takes Jefferson, and his hat, which she had all along, to a chamber below her father's grave, she tells him its the only place left that contains any magic. Regina throughs a few supposadly magical objects into the hat and Jefferson tries to spin it, however, it doesn't work, he tells her that it needs more magic and Regina takes out the final souvenir she has left of her relationship with Daniel - her ring. Jefferson tells her that that'll work and throws it into the hat, it begins to spin but the magic is only enough to retrieve something, reach through but not go through. Regina retrieves her dreadful poisoned apple.

Jefferson goes to Regina to collect on his deal and receive new memories, ones that do not contain Grace so that he can finally stop being mad. However, he visits her at the hospital at an inoppurtune time, when Henry's sick and dying, she refuses his offer, saying that the apple didn't go to the right person and therefore his side of the deal was not met, she does not pay up. Jefferson is enraged by this and decides to get his revenge. He dresses up as a doctor and goes to the underground psychiatric ward of the hospital, he sneaks through the halls until he reaches one particular cell, the one containing Belle's counterpart. Jefferson sets the princess free and she is very grateful, he asks her to do something for her, to go to Mr. Gold and tell him that Regina locked her up, she obliges.

Season 2
Regina retrieves a hat from a hat box to send the wraith to another dimension, Emma notes that it's Jefferson's hat, however, Regina refuses to acknowledge its true worth.

David is working himself crazy trying to figure out the origin of the hat that sent Emma and Mary Margaret away, he goes to Regina, asking her what she knows, however, she refuses to tell him, saying she's forgotten. Charming talks to Henry who recognizes it from his book as the Mad Hatter's hat, Charming talks to Mr. Gold who gives him a potion that when poured on an object, will take you to its owner. Charming does this and the broken hat begins to fly, he follows it to a car wreckage where someone inside is calling out, Charming opens the car door and Jefferson crawls out, the owner of the hat. After this, Jefferson and Charming sit down and discuss the hat. Charming points out the tea set and toy rabbit that were in the back of the car, therefore knowing that Jefferson has a daughter he loves. Jefferson assures Charming that Emma and Snow are in fairytale world but he has no idea how to get them back, he says his out of luck. Soon, Jefferson runs away, madly, and Charming chases him, wanting to know where his two best girls are and how to find them, however, he is stopped by Red who needs him.

Charming tells Henry that he found Jefferson but that he doesn't think he can help, Henry refuses this information and decides to find Jefferson on his own. Later, Jefferson is looking at a poster drawn by Grace who is looking for him, he is soon found by Henry who notices this, and asks the Mad Hatter why he doesn't just go to Grace. Jefferson says that he was going to but he's sure that she'll hate him as he left her, Henry assures him that she'll be happy just to know why as not knowing is the worst part. Later, Jefferson watches some children get off a school bus, searching for Grace, and he finds her. The girl is happy to see her father again and the two embrace joyously.

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the character.