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shadowkatThis season is so good, and tonight's episode was amongst the best. First off, I continue to adore you, Emma, you do everything I'd have done. And well, Regina or rather Whingina...karma, babe, it's a bitch and it's coming straight for you. Although this episode did a rather good job of layering the character.
Rather adored this episode, particularly the casting. Once Upon a Time unlike a lot of tv shows likes to cast a broad range of actors. Not just pretty people. It helps with the realism. Everything about this episode worked for me - this is how you do a story - you go with the characters, not the theme or the plot - you let the characters drive it.
Also, rather like the continued emphasis on parent/child relationships over romantic ones.
The opening act was great. We are back in time - 28 years ago, in 1983, and a boy and his Dad are camping in the Maine Woods, when all of a sudden they are beset by a violent electrical/magical storm. The place they'd driven through where nothing existed previously now has an entire town.
Flynn (who I like a lot) tells his son (Owen) - this is impossible - there was nothing here before.
And up pops Sheriff Graheam who asks them what they are doing here - and introduces them to Regina.
Regina who thinks, yay, I won, I successfully cursed everyone into a hellish version of Ground-hog Day. They do the same thing over and over again each day, but don't realize it. Each day - Gepetto is putting up his sign, each day Mary Margaret Blanchard visits charming and teaches her classes and runs into Regina. She always apologizes. And each day...Rumplestilskin walks by and sees Ruby standing outside the gate of the restaurant. Each day, Doctor Hopper says it is a beautiful day.
Regina controls everyone in the town. When she bumps into Mary Magaret, Mary apologizes and never fights back. Never argues. It's all rather boring and empty. Regina wonders, after she wakes up in bed with Graham, why she isn't happy.
So she calls Owen and Flynn, who she met at the restaurant. The boy who gave her a threaded ribbon in return for her letting him sit in her seat. She becomes enamored of the boy and wants him. She attempts to convince the father, Flynn, to stay in town, to move there. But he flatly turns her down - stating New Jersey is home. He'd only brought his kid here to help him get past his mother's death. The kid, hating NJ and the bullies in his school - in a weak moment confides this to Regina, and Regina thinks - ah, instant family, love, a little boy with unconditional love.
But Flynn refuses to comply. So she tries to force it. He tries to flee. She controls Graheam by telling his heart what to do. And sends Grahaem to capture Flynn and the kid. Flynn blocked from leaving Storybrook - tells Owen to run for his life. Owen refuses to go without Flynn but he does.
And Regina tries to stop him - stating - I just wanted you to be happy with me. And Owen states - "Not like this!" She takes Flynn away, leaving Owen alone.
This may be the worst thing she's ever done. And what happens with Henry in the present echoes it.
Because the present time plot-line is similar, Regina tries to get Henry to love her, and get her revenge at the same time. Rumplestilskin/Gold tries to tell Regina that her mistake is the same as her mother's she thinks she can have it all - revenge and Henry, power and love. You can't. It's one or the other. Cut your losses and move on. Rumple should take his own advice, and perhaps that's why he knows this - because he can't quite have Bae or Henry, because he can't quite give up the power and control either. Do as I say, not as I do. Kudos to Robert Carlyle for playing the layers.
At any rate... Regina decides to caste a curse on Henry, making him love her, making him want to stay with her - even after she takes vengeance on Snow. (seriously Reggie, haven't you figured out by now - that people often do themselves in? Like you? You're need for vengeance is merely rotting your own soul.)
To protect Henry and a guilt-ridden/bed-ridden Snow White who can't quite live with what she did. Because she manipulated her evil step-mother into killing her even more evil step-grandmother who has attempted to kill her or turn her evil on five occasions. Oh and managed to kill or manipulate her daughter into killing Snow's entire family. But hey, it was still wrong to manipulate Regina into killing the evil Cora...because it's not like Regina didn't try to do it when the evil Cora was attempting to come through the magical fountain earlier in the season or anything. I get the quilt. But seriously, Snow, it's not like you didn't give them a lot of get-out-of-jail free cards already.
When Rumple told us Regina (Whingina) plan - which was to curse Henry into loving her so she could finally get her vengeance on Snow White, by killing her - I thought, easy solution - have Bae take Henry back to NYC with him. Protects Henry. No curse. Also may teach Regina a lesson. Although ironically that's what happened with Owen - Flynn, his Dad, wanted to take him out of town.
Guess what, my girl Emma, comes up with that solution. God, I adore this character. She does exactly what I would do in these scenarios. She wants to tell Henry the truth. When Henry won't listen to her - she takes him to his Dad and has him tell Henry the plan - which is to go stay with Dad in NYC for a bit. Thank you, Emma. You are my favorite character right now. I love you.
Also loving Jennifer Morrison in the role, shocking I know, but there it is. [YMMV. Talk to the hand. ;-)]
Though Henry, who is definitely his father's son, takes off with plans of his own.
Emma: Wait, where is his back-pack?
Bae: I'm sure he's fine...
Emma: Are you kidding me? He's your son -
Bae: Oh shit.
Bae tried to tell him getting rid of magic won't work. But hey, why not try? I give Emma credit for figuring out that he'd do that...since he was constantly doing it last season. Seriously, someone needs to put a lock-jab on that kid. And I would ship him back to Manhattan, NY with Bae, right quick, regardless. Storybrook as long as there is magic and Regina, is not safe.
Also liked what Rumple stated - that the best solution is getting rid of Regina. Kill her, you solve all your problems. So true. Granted, you have to live with it - but hey, the alternative isn't much better.
Emma : You mean just kill her? Isn't there any other alternative?
Henry: You can't be discussing killing my Mom! You are supposed to be heroes.
Me: Kid, what stories have you been reading? Oh that's right you've been reading the Disney versions. Got it.
I like the fact that the writers are commenting on this in a sly way.
Meanwhile...Henry runs into the guy from the outside world, who appears to be staying way past his welcome. Both lie about what they are doing in the woods, and both realize that they are lying to each other. Henry tells the guy, who claims to be "hiking in the woods" that the trail is in the opposite direction, and the guy questions Henry's claim to be getting his merit badge.
Regina finds Henry at the magic fountain - attempting to blow it up. And she actually does try to listen to him. But she's so self-absorbed by what she wants, she doesn't quite hear him. Henry loves Regina, obviously, but he also loves his family. She wants to have Henry and get vengeance on his family - and he says doesn't want that.
Regina: I just want us to be happy.
Henry: Not this way.
(an echo of Owen, which causes Regina to pause).
She stops him from blowing himself up. But she can't get rid of her magic. She does however compromise and burn up the curse. Not giving into the temptation.
Meanwhile...Snow White asks Rumplestilskin how he lives with himself, with all the horrible things he's done, and Rumple says, you tell yourself enough times that you did the right thing, you begin to believe it. Yet, Rumple, much like Regina, still refuses to do anything for anyone out of the kindness of his heart or empathy, there's always a deal involved or he has to be prodded into it.
Here - all he will do is provide information and he does it reluctantly, regardless of his family's involvement.
Both Rumple and Regina can't quite get past themselves and their own desires and needs long enough to care about anyone else. There's also a great scene between Rumple and Regina, where he tells her that enacting the curse out of vengeance did not make anything better and just left a hole in her heart, and she says, it wasn't her curse - it was his. Yes, he agrees, but you were the one who chose to enact it, not I. Rumple is a master at manipulating others into doing his dirty work.
So it's fun to see Charming manipulate Rumple into helping them against his will.
When Regina finally gets her confrontation with Snow - Snow goes to Regina in the hopes that Regina will just kill her. And Regina rips out Snow's heart, only to discover a dark spot. And realizes killing Snow is the wrong approach. It's better to let Snow destroy herself with her own guilt. Stating the darkness will only grow and Snow will lose everything, and Regina will gain it all and finally win.
We get a final flashback of Owen...in 1983, standing outside Storybrook, with the police, hunting his Dad. But Regina has camouflaged the town. He can't see anything and neither can the cops. She stands on the other side of the magical wall watching, teary-eyed, wishing she could have Owen, not realizing that what she took from him is not something he'll ever forgive her for. This is similar to Henry...she's right, Henry will never forgive her if she deprives him of his family, just as Owen never would.
Back to present day...the guy from the outside the world has just taken pictures of Regina ripping out Snow's heart and re-inserting it. And we learn who that guy is, and exactly why he is sticking around...turns out he is the grown-up version of Owen, and he's looking for his Dad, Flynn. He's also compiling information on Regina and Storybrook. This is a great twist, I figured it out five minutes before it was revealed, but great twist and lovely way to ironically kick Regina. She basically created her own enemy. And it is a reflection of what Henry could become...
I love the themes...how vengence doesn't work, killing or destroying your enemy hurts you even more...each person you kill taints your own heart, leaving a hole behind. It's similar to Harry Potter. Violence leaves a mark on our souls.
Also Emma's question - isn't there another way? And Henry echoes this...why can't we just do away with magic and even the playing field - a view that his father shares. Magic in of itself is not bad - Regina makes the dynamite disappear, but when used in the way that Regina and Cora use it - it is.
I still feel a bit gypped by the whole lack of Bae/Emma discussion on the fiancee, and the whole Regina/Emma/Bae bit on ...wait, Baelfire is Henry's father, and Rumplestilskin is the grandfather?
I know she knows, but she doesn't appear to care all that much or even blink. It's grating.
I wanted that reaction damn-it. I'm a bit tired of the whole will Regina kill Snow or not. (Although I think that bit is finally over with.) And Regina whining about her lot in life - is also a bit old - honey, you made your bed, you get to sleep in it. I feel no sympathy for you.
And this episode really didn't change that. She's still Whingina. I'm hoping the adult version of Owen knocks her socks off...or at least gives Regina a reality check - ie, the world does not revolve around you. I get why Henry thinks it revolves around him - he is actually just a kid.
I can cut him some slack. Regina on the other hand...needs to stop acting like a 10 year old who isn't getting her way.
She is definitely all about control. That much is evident. She tries to control Flynn and Owen and that leads to her undoing. It's her biggest flaw. Her mother's was power. Regina's is control. I rather like the fact that we have women characters falling into this trap. Regina is more up front and physical with her power, while Rumplestilskin is more manipulative. Regina wants to hurt and control people herself and gets caught, while Rumple manipulates others into doing it. He created the curse and manipulated Regina into using it. Just as he created the death candle and manipulated Snow White into using it to save his life and kill Cora. He manages to skirt the blame, by manipulating others to do the deed. Even in his discussion with Charming and Snow - he lets Snow take all the blame, as he does with Regina and the curse. Slipping around it. Nor does he appear to care about the consequences or the effects on his son or grandson.
While I feel a bit gypped, the episode was admittedly a good one, it furthered the plot and the characters arcs, it also furthered the subplot and provided an interesting reveal.
Oh, and I saw the previews for next week - so I know what I felt gypped on will be addressed in next week's episode. And yes, Masq, you were right...and I was wrong, about the importance of the fiancee...she's not just a walk-on character - if the previews for next week are any indication.
This isn't exactly a spoiler - since, the previews are misleading. This episode surprised me, it wasn't at all what I thought it would be.
They also answered a few questions I had regarding Storybrook.
1. The outside world could visit, but Regina set it up so that they couldn't see the town and no one could enter the town nor did anyone know it existed. Flynn and Owen only found it, because they were already there when Regina enacted the curse and sent FTL to Maine.
2. Time literally doesn't advance. The same day is repeated ad naseum in Ground-Hog Day fashion. (A movie with Bill Murray, where he is forced to repeat the same day but is the only who knows it.) Here, Regina is the only one who knows she's repeating the same day, and when she adopts Henry, he's the only one who knows it. It's not until Emma arrives that the days advance and aren't in an eternal loop.
Rather clever that. I'd wondered. Also...it demonstrates that Regina in enacting her revenge, sentenced herself to a living hell. Everyone else is oblivious. So in a way, Regina's hell is worse than their's - nice metaphor that...because the person who enacts vengeance or hates destroys themselves. (See Macbeth and Hamlet).
Oh, I'm beginning to adore this show.
Rather adored this episode, particularly the casting. Once Upon a Time unlike a lot of tv shows likes to cast a broad range of actors. Not just pretty people. It helps with the realism. Everything about this episode worked for me - this is how you do a story - you go with the characters, not the theme or the plot - you let the characters drive it.
Also, rather like the continued emphasis on parent/child relationships over romantic ones.
The opening act was great. We are back in time - 28 years ago, in 1983, and a boy and his Dad are camping in the Maine Woods, when all of a sudden they are beset by a violent electrical/magical storm. The place they'd driven through where nothing existed previously now has an entire town.
Flynn (who I like a lot) tells his son (Owen) - this is impossible - there was nothing here before.
And up pops Sheriff Graheam who asks them what they are doing here - and introduces them to Regina.
Regina who thinks, yay, I won, I successfully cursed everyone into a hellish version of Ground-hog Day. They do the same thing over and over again each day, but don't realize it. Each day - Gepetto is putting up his sign, each day Mary Margaret Blanchard visits charming and teaches her classes and runs into Regina. She always apologizes. And each day...Rumplestilskin walks by and sees Ruby standing outside the gate of the restaurant. Each day, Doctor Hopper says it is a beautiful day.
Regina controls everyone in the town. When she bumps into Mary Magaret, Mary apologizes and never fights back. Never argues. It's all rather boring and empty. Regina wonders, after she wakes up in bed with Graham, why she isn't happy.
So she calls Owen and Flynn, who she met at the restaurant. The boy who gave her a threaded ribbon in return for her letting him sit in her seat. She becomes enamored of the boy and wants him. She attempts to convince the father, Flynn, to stay in town, to move there. But he flatly turns her down - stating New Jersey is home. He'd only brought his kid here to help him get past his mother's death. The kid, hating NJ and the bullies in his school - in a weak moment confides this to Regina, and Regina thinks - ah, instant family, love, a little boy with unconditional love.
But Flynn refuses to comply. So she tries to force it. He tries to flee. She controls Graheam by telling his heart what to do. And sends Grahaem to capture Flynn and the kid. Flynn blocked from leaving Storybrook - tells Owen to run for his life. Owen refuses to go without Flynn but he does.
And Regina tries to stop him - stating - I just wanted you to be happy with me. And Owen states - "Not like this!" She takes Flynn away, leaving Owen alone.
This may be the worst thing she's ever done. And what happens with Henry in the present echoes it.
Because the present time plot-line is similar, Regina tries to get Henry to love her, and get her revenge at the same time. Rumplestilskin/Gold tries to tell Regina that her mistake is the same as her mother's she thinks she can have it all - revenge and Henry, power and love. You can't. It's one or the other. Cut your losses and move on. Rumple should take his own advice, and perhaps that's why he knows this - because he can't quite have Bae or Henry, because he can't quite give up the power and control either. Do as I say, not as I do. Kudos to Robert Carlyle for playing the layers.
At any rate... Regina decides to caste a curse on Henry, making him love her, making him want to stay with her - even after she takes vengeance on Snow. (seriously Reggie, haven't you figured out by now - that people often do themselves in? Like you? You're need for vengeance is merely rotting your own soul.)
To protect Henry and a guilt-ridden/bed-ridden Snow White who can't quite live with what she did. Because she manipulated her evil step-mother into killing her even more evil step-grandmother who has attempted to kill her or turn her evil on five occasions. Oh and managed to kill or manipulate her daughter into killing Snow's entire family. But hey, it was still wrong to manipulate Regina into killing the evil Cora...because it's not like Regina didn't try to do it when the evil Cora was attempting to come through the magical fountain earlier in the season or anything. I get the quilt. But seriously, Snow, it's not like you didn't give them a lot of get-out-of-jail free cards already.
When Rumple told us Regina (Whingina) plan - which was to curse Henry into loving her so she could finally get her vengeance on Snow White, by killing her - I thought, easy solution - have Bae take Henry back to NYC with him. Protects Henry. No curse. Also may teach Regina a lesson. Although ironically that's what happened with Owen - Flynn, his Dad, wanted to take him out of town.
Guess what, my girl Emma, comes up with that solution. God, I adore this character. She does exactly what I would do in these scenarios. She wants to tell Henry the truth. When Henry won't listen to her - she takes him to his Dad and has him tell Henry the plan - which is to go stay with Dad in NYC for a bit. Thank you, Emma. You are my favorite character right now. I love you.
Also loving Jennifer Morrison in the role, shocking I know, but there it is. [YMMV. Talk to the hand. ;-)]
Though Henry, who is definitely his father's son, takes off with plans of his own.
Emma: Wait, where is his back-pack?
Bae: I'm sure he's fine...
Emma: Are you kidding me? He's your son -
Bae: Oh shit.
Bae tried to tell him getting rid of magic won't work. But hey, why not try? I give Emma credit for figuring out that he'd do that...since he was constantly doing it last season. Seriously, someone needs to put a lock-jab on that kid. And I would ship him back to Manhattan, NY with Bae, right quick, regardless. Storybrook as long as there is magic and Regina, is not safe.
Also liked what Rumple stated - that the best solution is getting rid of Regina. Kill her, you solve all your problems. So true. Granted, you have to live with it - but hey, the alternative isn't much better.
Emma : You mean just kill her? Isn't there any other alternative?
Henry: You can't be discussing killing my Mom! You are supposed to be heroes.
Me: Kid, what stories have you been reading? Oh that's right you've been reading the Disney versions. Got it.
I like the fact that the writers are commenting on this in a sly way.
Meanwhile...Henry runs into the guy from the outside world, who appears to be staying way past his welcome. Both lie about what they are doing in the woods, and both realize that they are lying to each other. Henry tells the guy, who claims to be "hiking in the woods" that the trail is in the opposite direction, and the guy questions Henry's claim to be getting his merit badge.
Regina finds Henry at the magic fountain - attempting to blow it up. And she actually does try to listen to him. But she's so self-absorbed by what she wants, she doesn't quite hear him. Henry loves Regina, obviously, but he also loves his family. She wants to have Henry and get vengeance on his family - and he says doesn't want that.
Regina: I just want us to be happy.
Henry: Not this way.
(an echo of Owen, which causes Regina to pause).
She stops him from blowing himself up. But she can't get rid of her magic. She does however compromise and burn up the curse. Not giving into the temptation.
Meanwhile...Snow White asks Rumplestilskin how he lives with himself, with all the horrible things he's done, and Rumple says, you tell yourself enough times that you did the right thing, you begin to believe it. Yet, Rumple, much like Regina, still refuses to do anything for anyone out of the kindness of his heart or empathy, there's always a deal involved or he has to be prodded into it.
Here - all he will do is provide information and he does it reluctantly, regardless of his family's involvement.
Both Rumple and Regina can't quite get past themselves and their own desires and needs long enough to care about anyone else. There's also a great scene between Rumple and Regina, where he tells her that enacting the curse out of vengeance did not make anything better and just left a hole in her heart, and she says, it wasn't her curse - it was his. Yes, he agrees, but you were the one who chose to enact it, not I. Rumple is a master at manipulating others into doing his dirty work.
So it's fun to see Charming manipulate Rumple into helping them against his will.
When Regina finally gets her confrontation with Snow - Snow goes to Regina in the hopes that Regina will just kill her. And Regina rips out Snow's heart, only to discover a dark spot. And realizes killing Snow is the wrong approach. It's better to let Snow destroy herself with her own guilt. Stating the darkness will only grow and Snow will lose everything, and Regina will gain it all and finally win.
We get a final flashback of Owen...in 1983, standing outside Storybrook, with the police, hunting his Dad. But Regina has camouflaged the town. He can't see anything and neither can the cops. She stands on the other side of the magical wall watching, teary-eyed, wishing she could have Owen, not realizing that what she took from him is not something he'll ever forgive her for. This is similar to Henry...she's right, Henry will never forgive her if she deprives him of his family, just as Owen never would.
Back to present day...the guy from the outside the world has just taken pictures of Regina ripping out Snow's heart and re-inserting it. And we learn who that guy is, and exactly why he is sticking around...turns out he is the grown-up version of Owen, and he's looking for his Dad, Flynn. He's also compiling information on Regina and Storybrook. This is a great twist, I figured it out five minutes before it was revealed, but great twist and lovely way to ironically kick Regina. She basically created her own enemy. And it is a reflection of what Henry could become...
I love the themes...how vengence doesn't work, killing or destroying your enemy hurts you even more...each person you kill taints your own heart, leaving a hole behind. It's similar to Harry Potter. Violence leaves a mark on our souls.
Also Emma's question - isn't there another way? And Henry echoes this...why can't we just do away with magic and even the playing field - a view that his father shares. Magic in of itself is not bad - Regina makes the dynamite disappear, but when used in the way that Regina and Cora use it - it is.
I still feel a bit gypped by the whole lack of Bae/Emma discussion on the fiancee, and the whole Regina/Emma/Bae bit on ...wait, Baelfire is Henry's father, and Rumplestilskin is the grandfather?
I know she knows, but she doesn't appear to care all that much or even blink. It's grating.
I wanted that reaction damn-it. I'm a bit tired of the whole will Regina kill Snow or not. (Although I think that bit is finally over with.) And Regina whining about her lot in life - is also a bit old - honey, you made your bed, you get to sleep in it. I feel no sympathy for you.
And this episode really didn't change that. She's still Whingina. I'm hoping the adult version of Owen knocks her socks off...or at least gives Regina a reality check - ie, the world does not revolve around you. I get why Henry thinks it revolves around him - he is actually just a kid.
I can cut him some slack. Regina on the other hand...needs to stop acting like a 10 year old who isn't getting her way.
She is definitely all about control. That much is evident. She tries to control Flynn and Owen and that leads to her undoing. It's her biggest flaw. Her mother's was power. Regina's is control. I rather like the fact that we have women characters falling into this trap. Regina is more up front and physical with her power, while Rumplestilskin is more manipulative. Regina wants to hurt and control people herself and gets caught, while Rumple manipulates others into doing it. He created the curse and manipulated Regina into using it. Just as he created the death candle and manipulated Snow White into using it to save his life and kill Cora. He manages to skirt the blame, by manipulating others to do the deed. Even in his discussion with Charming and Snow - he lets Snow take all the blame, as he does with Regina and the curse. Slipping around it. Nor does he appear to care about the consequences or the effects on his son or grandson.
While I feel a bit gypped, the episode was admittedly a good one, it furthered the plot and the characters arcs, it also furthered the subplot and provided an interesting reveal.
Oh, and I saw the previews for next week - so I know what I felt gypped on will be addressed in next week's episode. And yes, Masq, you were right...and I was wrong, about the importance of the fiancee...she's not just a walk-on character - if the previews for next week are any indication.
This isn't exactly a spoiler - since, the previews are misleading. This episode surprised me, it wasn't at all what I thought it would be.
They also answered a few questions I had regarding Storybrook.
1. The outside world could visit, but Regina set it up so that they couldn't see the town and no one could enter the town nor did anyone know it existed. Flynn and Owen only found it, because they were already there when Regina enacted the curse and sent FTL to Maine.
2. Time literally doesn't advance. The same day is repeated ad naseum in Ground-Hog Day fashion. (A movie with Bill Murray, where he is forced to repeat the same day but is the only who knows it.) Here, Regina is the only one who knows she's repeating the same day, and when she adopts Henry, he's the only one who knows it. It's not until Emma arrives that the days advance and aren't in an eternal loop.
Rather clever that. I'd wondered. Also...it demonstrates that Regina in enacting her revenge, sentenced herself to a living hell. Everyone else is oblivious. So in a way, Regina's hell is worse than their's - nice metaphor that...because the person who enacts vengeance or hates destroys themselves. (See Macbeth and Hamlet).
Oh, I'm beginning to adore this show.
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no subject
Date: 2013-03-24 08:54 pm (UTC)Rumplestilskin is a classic case of "self-fulfilling prophecy syndrome"
and the reason why you don't want to know the future.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-24 09:01 pm (UTC)And in the process, seals his own fate somehow.
Very Sahjhan.