thoughts on: once upon a time (season 2)

[scifi_tv_addict]

I did this after my initial marathon of S1 last fall, so I thought I'd do one for S2 before the new season starts.

3 Favorite Episode(s)
The Crocodile (Hook/Rumpel-centric)
And Straight On Till Morning (Hook/Bae-centric)
We Are Both (Regina-centric)

Thoughts: The first two should give you an idea about what I enjoyed most about this season. I

Comments

[scifi_tv_addict]

Well that's part of the issue.....he makes a great speech (he had a couple with Belle this season that even won ME over) but it's all talk. He doesn't change, it doesn't even try. At least Regina TRIES. Yet she is continually punished for her bad actions and he's forgiven for almost all of his. Neither Belle nor Bae seemed to care that he murdered his first wife. Not a single word on it. Belle was actually DEFENDING him after finding out the truth! Maybe that wouldn't have bothered me as much had he shown any remorse...but not once has he done that (until it actually cost him something).

THANK YOU, YES! I honestly just sat there in disbelief in the finale when he ONCE AGAIN made the selfiah call. So because you made a mistake that cost you your son, everyone else deserves to die? Every other character, even Hook who had no real ties to the place, was doing everything they could to stop the destruction....except the one who was largely to blame for it. I hadn't even thought of the Belle angle, but you're right!

Ugh. I don't know....Regina and Rumpel were both kind of messes this season. The only difference is that I felt bad for Regina. She genuinly loves Henry (and her mother) , she's just her own worst enemy. At least she tried to atone for some of her sins....I wish Rumpel would give me at least SOMETHING to latch onto like that. I thought the Bae stuff would be that....but it went nowhere. Let's hope for S3!

[angelfireeast]

It drives me insane that Rumpel gets away with everything and makes no change, but Regina tries and gets nothing but pain for it.

IMO Belle's forgiveness of Rumepl's crimes does make things suddenly all better. She can forgive him within the terms of their own relationship, outside that it should have no baring on the world. He shouldn't be let off the hook because his girlfriend forgave his evil deeds. Belle has no ground to stand on to be upset at people who want revenge on Rumpel for monstrous acts he's committed against them. He murdered his wife in front of her lover for his own revenge for hurting his heart. He should answer to that to Killian. Specially since Rumpel didn't change at all. He was going to outright murder Hook if Belle hadn't begged/implied she leave him. I think to this day Rumpel sees nothing wrong with murdering Milah or cutting off Killian's hand. He has no remorse for his evil deed. The ends justified the means. All the lives he ripped apart, all the people he killed, and hurt it was all in the aid to get Bae back. Once he got Bae back it didn't matter to him anymore. He made Regina was she is, and then she turned around and hit him in the ass with Belle/Lacey. All I could think is you reap what you sow. It's so maddening.

It drives me nuts that nothing is mentioned about Bae's reaction to his mother's murder by his father. As an angry teenager I get his reaction, but he said nothing to Rumpel as an adult? I guess he had 300 years to deal with it, but come on! he murder his mom! So many BIG things such as this where over looked in season two. We also never got to hear one word about Bae's reaction to Emma giving Henry up for adoption. Or that Regina adopted him and raised him well. That the evil queen raised his son to be a good person. Or how Henry deals with parent who tried to change/stop using magic, but failed and fell into darkness. You'd think he'd have insight on that subject Or that Emma's kind just taken Henry away from Regina season two. Adoption doesn't work like that! I loathe how this show handles adoption.

Rumpel really proved how selfish he is. As if 300 plus years of ripping lives apart wasn't proof enough. It says a lot about Hook in that episode. He saw genocide and went to help save others. When he thought they being stupid and risking his only way of escape he did run, but he came back. He tried! Regina after her near death, saw what her actions would cost everyone (mostly Henry) and was willing to give her life to save everyone - not just Henry. That's huge! She was pretty beat up physically from the torture, but still she kept holding on as long as she could so as many people could escape as possible. Till she found out the bean was gone and then she was just holding on for a few more seconds with Henry. Both Hook and Regina came to huge understands and grown in final episodes.

Regina's story was so up and down. She really did some stupid thing to make the plot work. It's part of canon now, but I blame the writers for the sudden shift in direction hurting the character. Rumpel was more consistent over the season - selfish, mean, unchanged, greedy and power made.