Once!
It's very early days into the second season, but if feels like Once has finally lived up to it's potential. Seriously, this episode was amazing, the last episode was amazing, all the character interactions were amazing, the plot is zooming along and a good pace, we're finding out stuff. This! This is the show I spent the first season hoping it would become and it has. Yay!
REGINA! Okay, so the reason why I love Regina is because 25% of the time you feel bad for her, 25% of the time you want to smack her making bad decisions and feel she deserves all her misery, 25% of the time she's utterly terrifying and the last 25% of the time she's hilarious.
Oh, man, nearly all of that Regina was in the last episode. Not so much the hilarious Regina (but the line “I will not listen to childcare lectures from a man who put his daughter in a box and shipped her to Maine” was hilarious and spot on).
But between both young and present Regina struggling against her dark side (and confusing her relationship with her mother for her dark side - no Regina, your mother may have caused it, but that rage exists in you whether your mother is in your life or not) and making some crappy decisions and some good ones and finally being honest with herself, Henry and Charming. And also those moments in which she just got high on magic and off the rails insane, we had the other 75% of Regina present and accounted for.
(Also, that scene in which she strangles a young Snow was so creepy and shocking).
I was hoping for a Regina redemption storyline. I've seen takes on Snow White in which the Evil Queen's completely evil, I've seen takes in which she's slightly sympathetic, and I've seen takes on Snow White in which she's good and Snow is evil, but having the Evil Queen redeem herself is a take on the tale I've never seen before and one I've been hoping for since the first episode. It did seem a little quick that she came to the conclusion that she wants redemption, but given that she didn't burn her mother's book, and that her mother may show back up in her life, and nearly everyone still hates her guts regardless, I'd imagine she's going to fail spectacularly before she succeeds in her quest.
(Also, she's massively powerful. If the town ever comes under attack, they're going to need her with magic, whether it's good for her or not).
I'm slightly on the fence about magic being addictive since it's only a few months since I watched season six of Buffy and I loathed that storyline, but maybe this show can pull it off better.
RUMPLE! So we finally have confirmation that Regina was the baby Rumpelstiltskin made off with in Rumpelstiltskin - and that is just horrible. Rumple was basically grooming her to become a magic-addicted psycho murderer and universe destroyer from birth* (and being very touchy feely with her as well with made it all the more creepy). At the end of the day, Regina made her own choices and if she wants redemption, she's got a long hard road ahead of her - but damn, if Rumple's wants redemption as well, he's got to admit what he did to her and take a degree of responsibility the way she turned out.
That being said, I felt bad for him finding out that he can't leave Storybrooke. Hundreds of years he'd been planning for that moment - close to his son, but so far away.
*(I was really hoping this would be the case as I love the dynamic between Regina and Emma and that they're both very much different sides of the same coin - both lonely, damaged from crappy experiences and as a result struggle to love, and bound to each other whether they like it or as they share a child. That one of them was set up from birth to cast the curse, the other was set up from birth to break it (and then Rumple was going to go on his merry way and leave everyone to it, apparently) just adds to this dynamic).
CHARMING! This episode made up for all the David Nolan suckage of the last season. I loved him struggling to be something more than the guy that fights stuff, and I love how we had confirmation that of the pair of them, Snow was really the leader - but him rising to the occasion and becoming the guy the townsfolk need. Also, he's one of the most adorable grandfather's ever.
HENRY! I do love that kid - it's hard to not love a kid that can stand up to his mother when she's being that terrifying and sacrifice his freedom for the good of the town (although he did have an escape plan), and I love how he pointed out that she gaslighted him last season and that is abuse and made him feel terrible.
RED! Red was everywhere this episode being all supportive and wonderful. Also, Granny wandering about with a crossbow.
CORA LIVES! I think the general assumption of fandom was either Regina murdered her mother or banished her, I'm so glad it's the latter because Cora's a character who can really thrown both Regina and Snow into a spin and dredge up all those issues - but also force Regina to confront the fact that it wasn't Snow's fault Daniel's dead, it's Cora's. And it's quite possible she outsmarted Rumple that one time so she's a match for him. If she winds up in Storybrooke, it could be amazing. Also, does this mean she was the Queen of Hearts?
Very light on Snow and Emma this episode, but given they're trapped in a dungeon with well, Emma's evil step great grandma who is the master manipulator of the family, next week promises to be interesting
So basically, I LOVE THIS SHOW.
REGINA! Okay, so the reason why I love Regina is because 25% of the time you feel bad for her, 25% of the time you want to smack her making bad decisions and feel she deserves all her misery, 25% of the time she's utterly terrifying and the last 25% of the time she's hilarious.
Oh, man, nearly all of that Regina was in the last episode. Not so much the hilarious Regina (but the line “I will not listen to childcare lectures from a man who put his daughter in a box and shipped her to Maine” was hilarious and spot on).
But between both young and present Regina struggling against her dark side (and confusing her relationship with her mother for her dark side - no Regina, your mother may have caused it, but that rage exists in you whether your mother is in your life or not) and making some crappy decisions and some good ones and finally being honest with herself, Henry and Charming. And also those moments in which she just got high on magic and off the rails insane, we had the other 75% of Regina present and accounted for.
(Also, that scene in which she strangles a young Snow was so creepy and shocking).
I was hoping for a Regina redemption storyline. I've seen takes on Snow White in which the Evil Queen's completely evil, I've seen takes in which she's slightly sympathetic, and I've seen takes on Snow White in which she's good and Snow is evil, but having the Evil Queen redeem herself is a take on the tale I've never seen before and one I've been hoping for since the first episode. It did seem a little quick that she came to the conclusion that she wants redemption, but given that she didn't burn her mother's book, and that her mother may show back up in her life, and nearly everyone still hates her guts regardless, I'd imagine she's going to fail spectacularly before she succeeds in her quest.
(Also, she's massively powerful. If the town ever comes under attack, they're going to need her with magic, whether it's good for her or not).
I'm slightly on the fence about magic being addictive since it's only a few months since I watched season six of Buffy and I loathed that storyline, but maybe this show can pull it off better.
RUMPLE! So we finally have confirmation that Regina was the baby Rumpelstiltskin made off with in Rumpelstiltskin - and that is just horrible. Rumple was basically grooming her to become a magic-addicted psycho murderer and universe destroyer from birth* (and being very touchy feely with her as well with made it all the more creepy). At the end of the day, Regina made her own choices and if she wants redemption, she's got a long hard road ahead of her - but damn, if Rumple's wants redemption as well, he's got to admit what he did to her and take a degree of responsibility the way she turned out.
That being said, I felt bad for him finding out that he can't leave Storybrooke. Hundreds of years he'd been planning for that moment - close to his son, but so far away.
*(I was really hoping this would be the case as I love the dynamic between Regina and Emma and that they're both very much different sides of the same coin - both lonely, damaged from crappy experiences and as a result struggle to love, and bound to each other whether they like it or as they share a child. That one of them was set up from birth to cast the curse, the other was set up from birth to break it (and then Rumple was going to go on his merry way and leave everyone to it, apparently) just adds to this dynamic).
CHARMING! This episode made up for all the David Nolan suckage of the last season. I loved him struggling to be something more than the guy that fights stuff, and I love how we had confirmation that of the pair of them, Snow was really the leader - but him rising to the occasion and becoming the guy the townsfolk need. Also, he's one of the most adorable grandfather's ever.
HENRY! I do love that kid - it's hard to not love a kid that can stand up to his mother when she's being that terrifying and sacrifice his freedom for the good of the town (although he did have an escape plan), and I love how he pointed out that she gaslighted him last season and that is abuse and made him feel terrible.
RED! Red was everywhere this episode being all supportive and wonderful. Also, Granny wandering about with a crossbow.
CORA LIVES! I think the general assumption of fandom was either Regina murdered her mother or banished her, I'm so glad it's the latter because Cora's a character who can really thrown both Regina and Snow into a spin and dredge up all those issues - but also force Regina to confront the fact that it wasn't Snow's fault Daniel's dead, it's Cora's. And it's quite possible she outsmarted Rumple that one time so she's a match for him. If she winds up in Storybrooke, it could be amazing. Also, does this mean she was the Queen of Hearts?
Very light on Snow and Emma this episode, but given they're trapped in a dungeon with well, Emma's evil step great grandma who is the master manipulator of the family, next week promises to be interesting
So basically, I LOVE THIS SHOW.