Written by Jerome Schwartz and Jane Espenson and directed by Sharat Raju, it premiered on ABC in the United States on November 10, 2017.

In the episode, Roni and Henry are suddenly discovering that they have a past as mother and son, while in the New Enchanted Forest's past Regina, feeling like a third wheel in Henry and Cinderella's sudden relationship, is lured into a scheme by a determined Drizella, which could have consequences in the present day.

Drizella informs Regina that it was her tutelage that gave her the ability to cast the new curse, and therefore it will be difficult to break because if Henry and Jacinda experience true love's kiss everyone will be in jeopardy, reminding her of a special contingency that was put into the curse that would hurt Henry if she didn't comply.

In between the events, Jacinda is upset with Henry about Instagram photos from Halloween night that were schemingly posted by Ivy.

Praise went to Sharat Raju's directing, the performances of Lana Parrilla and Adelaide Kane, and the plot with many reviewers saying that it was a worthwhile story.

Paul Dailly of TV Fanatic gave it a 4.5 out of 5 stars: "Wake Up Call" was an excellent episode of this ABC drama series.

The storyline is not moving along at a brisk pace, and it's becoming clear that the reboot was worth it"[1] Entertainment Weekly's Justin Kirkland gave it a B−[2]