ouat | Need A Hand?

The more I see of Once Upon A Time, the more convinced I am that it's not about romantic love after all. Sure, on the surface that's what the motive is--everyone's looking for true love, which will then last a lifetime and make them happy for the rest of their lives. And yet, look at what's driving the plot: Rumplestiltskin's love for his son sets the whole plot in motion, Cora's twisted love for her daughter made Regina into the woman she is and set her in motion, Emma's love for Henry broke the curse, Snow and Charming's love for Emma is what got Emma and Snow back from Fairy Tale Land, Regina's love for Henry is what may or may not redeem her.

This is a show about parents and children, and the healthy and unhealthy ways parents try to raise their kids. Which I think is awesome, because shows about finding your soulmate? Pretty common. Stories about parents and children that aren't sitcoms are a lot rarer. And, I mean, the True Love stuff is still there, so that's cool. But it's not the main driver any more, and I think that makes the show a lot richer and more complex. Well, that and the number of characters who are allowed to have their own plot arcs and motivations.

And oh, my God, is Cora not the most twisted thing ever? Yowza, does she need therapy. After everything she did, she's surprised that Regina wants her dead? And she thinks everything is going to be fine if she can just destroy Regina's life so she doesn't have anything else? Eeek.

I am not a slasher, but OMG the vibes from Mulan and Aurora. They feel almost like Xena and Gabrielle for the 21st Century. I love the fact that the writers haven't forgotten that they have their own agenda, which may run parallel to Emma and Swan's, but is not the same.

Anyone else want to chime in? What did you love about this episode? What didn't you like? What do you want to see more of?