Need A Hand?

[beatrice_otter]

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?

Comments

[sakurablossom]

I actually felt badly for Regina at the end. I mean, I know she has a lot to atone for, but it felt as though Henry abandoned her there.

[damalur]

I love Rumpelstiltskin's machinations and finding out that yes, he could've escaped that cell, and the final scene between him and Emma killed me. Was highly pleased by the Mulan/Aurora handling, too, although that's in part because they didn't fridge Aurora.

Regina being left behind hurt, as did seeing Belle for only long enough to watch her be knocked out.

[beatrice_otter]

Yeah. Exactly! She did the right thing ... and (at least temporarily) gets punished for it. Now, her relationship with Henry is better than it would have been if she *hadn't* done the right thing, but still, that's gotta burn.

Which, under the circumstances ... positive reinforcement here, folks. Positive reinforcement.

[athousandsmiles]

The one thing they're doing right with this show, IMO, is moving on from a story arc just when it's about to get old. I hope they keep doing that, because I'm finding the pacing is just right.

I agree the show is about parent/offspring relationships, and how that really is another form of true love, even in all its messed-upness. Love that.

I want to see more Gold/Belle, and I want more Charming family bonding, especially some father/daughter moments between Charming and Emma. Also, I would not object to some more kick-ass Granny.

[beatrice_otter]

That last scene with Rumple and Emma was indeed awesome.

[beatrice_otter]

They do know how to move on in a believable way to the next plot arc.

[brinchen86]

I love your thoughts on what it's really about, and I agree that it makes the show even better. It's usually always about love between a man and a woman or a man and a man or a woman and a woman, and sometimes, when you're lucky, a show is about friendship. But rarely ever we see family love, although I think it's one of the strongest loves ever. It's fantastic that the show is showing that and exploring it. Great catch on that!

[dolorosa_12]

What I think is interesting is that this emphasis on parents and children takes the fairy tale material further than it goes in the original source material. In most fairy tales (at least in their Disney form, which this show is obviously working with), the story ends when the couple get married. They never show what happens after that.

[beatrice_otter]

Oh, yes--very good point! Traditional fairy tales take the teen with the bad or absent parents, they defeat the witch or whatever and get married, and then it's over. That's (literally) where OUaT starts.

[weber_dubois22]

They feel almost like Xena and Gabrielle for the 21st Century.

This baffles me, because I'm not seeing this vibe in the least and I've been watching since the first episode of S2. What I do see are two underdeveloped characters, wherein one (Mulan) is clearly serving as the caretaker for the otherwise socially inept or sensitive Princess (Aurora).

[beatrice_otter]

They're joined at the hip, one is kick-ass and the other starts out soft but is getting better, they have lots of long, meaningful looks ...

[weber_dubois22]

Basically, their assumed lovers via proximity and fandom. Gotcha.

[faithinseeds]

I actually kinda teared up at the end. I mean, FFS, she just reunited you two, and you don't even have the decency to offer a meal? Come on Emma!

[faithinseeds]

And it also reminded me of the scene where Regina is sitting all alone in King Leopold's court during dinner, from the first season. I can't recall which episode that is from though.

[faithinseeds]

Yeah, I was really sad that they didn't at least hug at the end after Mulan returned her heart.