Once Upon a Time....tonight's episode (pardon me while I jump up and down with glee)

[shadowkat]

Once Upon a Time rocked tonight - surprise, surprise, it basically gave me everything I wanted in one episode. Amazing. And answered several questions, along with filling a few plot-holes that I never thought they'd answer.

This just does not happen on tv shows people. Normally they drag this stuff out for three episodes. Rarely do we get what we got in this one episode. (See LOST, Alias, BSG, Buffy, Angel, and pretty much everything else for examples. Not to mention S1 of Once Upon a Time.)

Am impressed. Love the episode...it satisfied all my story kinks big time. Well except for one too many commercials (evil marketing people there's no stopping them) which I could have done without and well the side story with Regina and Belle. Regina and Belle are beginning to grate on my nerves again. But the side story was minor...so we can ignore that for now.



I loved this episode. Even though I'd predicted a long time ago that Henry's father was Baelfire, the show still managed to surprise me. It did things that well tv shows just don't do. I assumed the Baelfire reveal would happen at the very end of the episode and be a cliff-hanger, not occur in the first ten minutes. Then when it did, I assumed that Rumplestilskin wouldn't get to see him and they'd go back to Storybrook. But that didn't happen. Instead, Rumple gets into Bae's apartment, and figures out Emma has been lying to him, that she is holding something back. So he threatens her, which brings Bae to her rescue.

Then I assumed that she would manage to keep Henry a secret from Bae and Rumple - but no, that got revealed to.

In addition - Emma called Snow, her Mom, to ask for advice and told Snow that Henry was Rumplestilskin's grandson. This resulted in the great exchange between Snow and Charming.

Charming: Wait, I'm Henry's grandfather.
Snow: You can have more than one.
Charming: So Rumplestilkskin is his grandfather, the Evil Queen is his stepgrandmother, and his great-grandmother...
Snow: Oh dear...
Charming: It's a good thing we don't have Thanksgiving Dinner back in our land, can you imagine the family dinner conversation -
Snow: I don't know, it might mellow everyone out.

I adore Neal Cassidy/Baelfire - mainly because I love the actor playing him, Michael Raymond-James formerly of Terriers, and also of True Blood. Everyone else can have Hook, I want Baelfire.
Speaking of...Hook is now a contract player apparently.

* We also got to find out what Neal Cassidy saw in Pinnochio's box. "I know you're Baelfire".
Interesting, wonder how Pinnochio figured that one out? I'd figured out that Pinnochio knew he was Bae, but I did not know that was what he had shown him. And yes, it was just a type-writer in the box - the metaphor of course - the most powerful magic is the weaving or typing the story. (Speaking of Pinnochio - where is August anyhow?)

I interpreted that scene fairly well - in that the expression on Bae's face appeared to be dismay.
And he really wants nothing to do with magic.

As his discussion with Emma reveals, where he informs her that everything about his father sucks.
But the main reason he can't quite forgive his father - is that his father abandoned him for magic, it's also why he hates magic.

* As a bonus, and I did not expect this at all...we get a bit more of Rumple's back story, such as why he limps and why he left the front. Apparently he was excited about fighting and volunteered.
But the Seer that he was told to guard, told him that if he fought, his child would be fatherless.
And we find out that Rumplestilskin's worst fear is to abandon his family - to leave them fatherless as his father abandoned him and left him fatherless. It's ironic because in a way it is what he has done to so many others - taken children from parents. It also goes to the root of the Rumplestilskin fairy tale - where Rumplestilskin wants to take the first born child from the Miller's Daughter.

Here the Miller's Daughter is Cora, and the first born child is Regina. Who he uses to unleash a curse that will take him to his son. The series of events that he causes to happen result in Henry's birth.

The Seer later tells him...that while he will be reunited with Baelfire through a boy, that boy will be his undoing. Oh, says Rumplestilskin, I'll just kill the boy. Now, he's discovered that the boy is his grandson, Bae's son.

* Emma has to struggle with Henry's anger. He accuses her of lying to him, just like Regina. Actually it isn't just like Regina. And Emma does tell him the truth, granted she's not given much choice in the matter...Rumplestilskin bullies her into it and neither Rumple nor Bae are stupid.

I loved how that played out. Emma obviously still harbors feelings for Neal Cassidy/Baelfire just as Baelfire harbors feelings for her - and they have Henry. And they are both children of Fairytale land characters, but not affected by the curse.

* We also learn that Cora, Regina, and Hook are unaffected by the curse and can leave Storybrook without losing their memories. But as Regina and Cora point out - they won't have magic. Hook doesn't care - he doesn't need magic.

Although I wouldn't be so sure - Mr. Gold is a dangerous customer.

* The villains in this tale have a long way to go before being anywhere near redeemed. Regina and Rumple still only care about themselves and only care about their kids to the extent that they can possess them on their terms. Neither appears to be capable of a truly selfless act or love. They want what is best for them not their people they proclaim to love.

Rumple's scene with Baelfire is fascinating. He wants to turn back the clock.

Rumple: I can erase your memories, all the pain, he tells his son. I can make you 14 again. (I think Rumplestilskin really did think his son would still be 14 years of age. After all he hasn't really aged, why would his son? He appears a bit flabbergasted when he sees the grown man.)
Neal/Bae: No! I don't want to be 14 again. And I don't want to forget my life.
Rumple: You don't know what it is to live with regret...
Bae/Neal: Try living with abandonment.

And Bae tells Rumple what it felt like to be abandoned, to slip into the portal, and fall alone - when Rumple let go of his arm and was too cowardly to let go of his power.

Rumple was doomed to repeat his father's mistakes. He did not want to be his father, but he became his father. A self-fulfilling prophecy. By listening to his fear - he became what he feared. As the Seer states...it was inevitable.

I do have a few quibbles though...

1. Not sure I liked how Milla reacted to Rumple's return. Excuse me, the woman just had a child. Her reaction to her husband, who she allegedly loves, returning from War is contempt? She would rather have had him die in battle than be a deserter and have his son live with the shame of having a coward for a father? Is she crazy? Also it seems a bit weird, considering she tried to talk him out of going to the wars at the beginning.

Granted, it wasn't fighting that Rumple was afraid of or killing people. It was getting killed and leaving his child fatherless, abandoning his son. His greatest fear was having his son grow up without a father. Yet, his actions seem to cause that to happen anyhow. Just as the main reason he goes to fight - is because he fears becoming like his own father, a coward. He inadvertently causes both things to come true.

This is ironic...because Baelfire grows up without parents as does Emma, and Bae's actions to avoid his father - result in Henry losing them both. Instead of returning with Emma to Storybrook and confronting his father and breaking the curse...he runs instead.

2. Baelfire is angry at Emma for not telling him outright about Henry and planning on keeping Henry a secret from him. Seriously dude, Emma's right, who abandoned who here? You really have no right to whine. You do however have a lot to answer for - you left a woman pregnant with your kid to take the fall for you.

3. Henry's being a little unreasonable. But I can sort of see his point - he feels like everyone keeps things from him. OTOH, if he expects Bae to forgive Rumple and if he can forgive Regina, he should be able to let poor Emma off the hook - I'm guessing he will.

So maybe not so many quibbles?

Belle...sigh. The Belle storyline is grating. She's basically amensia girl. Didn't Regina give her a cursed identity in Storybrook? And by the way, Regina so deserves to have the real world break in on her little town and make her life a living hell. Both the Giant and know the performing of magic in Belle's room caught the other patient's attention.

Cora clearly wants power over Rumplestilskin - actually I think she just wants Rumple's power period. Regina should think twice about killing off Henry's family - Henry has an irritating habit of unearthing her lies and I can't quite decide if Henry is more annoyed by her actions or her lies. And that family's about to get a bit more complicated - I mean, not only is Henry biologically linked to Snow White and Prince Charming, he's also linked to Rumplestilskin.
Damn. Of all the kids she could have possibly adopted - Rumple gives her his own grandson, what are the odds? You gotta love the irony.

I still think there's another twist coming in the story - I think Baelfire may also be Peter Pan.
But I could be wrong. After all, he may not have ended up in our dimension at first, he could have ended up somewhere else.

So much here to chew over. This episode will most likely get a re-watch.

Comments

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

LOL! Me too.

If anyone should get the chance to punch him, it's Emma.