OuaT 4.04 The Apprentice
In which Goethe joins the ranks of OuaT writers, and given Regina's stated goal this season, this suddenly makes me think of crazy RPF crossovers. She'd be his type. Emma, otoh, would be Schiller's.
Seriously, though: you Americans may think "Disney" and "Mickey Mouse" and "Fantasia" when considering the story of the sorceror's apprentice who used a spell to animate a broom and ended up in total chaos before his master returned. But long before Walt got "Fantasia" going, long before Saint-Saens wrote "The Sorceror's Apprentice" in musical form, long, long before that good old JWG, our very own Goethe, wrote the ballad Der Zauberlehrling telling just this story. Which if you, like me, went to grammar school in Bavaria, Germany, you had to learn by heart. Since it's also the earworm of poems and not easily to get rid off once the association game starts, I had a Goethe soundtrack running through my mind this entire episode. Seine Worte merkt ich, und den Brauch, und mit Geistesstärke tu ich Wunder auch! etc.
Anyway. This was the first Rumplestilskin-centric episode of the season, in past and present, and gave a couple of answers - what he wants the hat for, for starters, and what the hat can do in this 'verse - while showing him in good manipulative form in both timelines. What's more, the retcon/addendum to the whole Dark One tale actually makes perfect sense - of course all Dark Ones who lasted longer than five minutes would have tried to maken themselves independent from the wretched dagger. (Also, hello again, Brad Dourif! Long time, no see, Zozo.) Anna didn't fare too badly in her encounter with Rumplestilskin, though; of course she was tricked at first, but she figured out what was up with the dagger pretty quickly, and immediately used it to her advantage, and while she should have kept the thing with her (then again: that would have earned her a feud with the Dark One and an early grave, though better not) her safety clauses (Rumplestilskin unable to harm her or her sister) weren't bad as on the spot precautions go. (A seasoned villain like our Mr. Gold can find a way around them easily, of course - HE may be unable to harm either Anna or Elsa, but there's nothing to say he couldn't set things in motion to make other people want to if he so desired -, but this was Anna's first time confronting an evil mastermind (Hans hardly qualifies), and she came out alive and on top (for the moment). Go, girl.
(Also: it cracks me up that she's the first character in past or present to ask what was up with Rumplestilskin's skin.)
Meanwhile, Hook uses the newly found blackmail power he thinks he has to get his hand back and promptly gets his mind messed with by Rumple. Really, Hook, you should have known better. I mean, I kept hoping the whole thing would turn out to be a mindgame by Rumplestilskin because a literal evil hand would be too ridiculous even for our show. So I was relieved this was the case, but good old Kilian should have thought of that himself. Anyway. I do hope he paid attention to Rumple demonstrating his manipulation of a security tape, because and later puts that together with Zelena's death and his knowledge that Rumplestilskin never gave the real dagger away.
You know who, otoh, genuinely pulls one over Rumplestilskin in this episode by a shameless playing of the grandson card and an expert application of a harmless facade? Henry. I'm proud of you, kid. That was smoothly done. I mean, you're dead wrong in your assumption that Rumple knows who wrote the book and has already weaseled out a happy ending from the author, but still. Well manipulated, you! And while Henry won't find the author of the book that way, he may very well soon discover granddad is still up to his old tricks (and a lying liar who lies re: his denial about the Arendelle sisters).
Lastly, of particular interest to me because they were one of the few couples either show made me actively root for: Will/Anastasia OTP! If he's looking for her picture in the library, the show hasn't split them up or killed her off, phew. My new guess: this is affter Wonderlandin Will's timeline, he ended up in Storybrooke again due too whatever brought the Snow Queen there (i.e. a curse unrelated method), and without a dimension-hopping rabbit is trying to figure out another method to get back.
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1022402.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.
Seriously, though: you Americans may think "Disney" and "Mickey Mouse" and "Fantasia" when considering the story of the sorceror's apprentice who used a spell to animate a broom and ended up in total chaos before his master returned. But long before Walt got "Fantasia" going, long before Saint-Saens wrote "The Sorceror's Apprentice" in musical form, long, long before that good old JWG, our very own Goethe, wrote the ballad Der Zauberlehrling telling just this story. Which if you, like me, went to grammar school in Bavaria, Germany, you had to learn by heart. Since it's also the earworm of poems and not easily to get rid off once the association game starts, I had a Goethe soundtrack running through my mind this entire episode. Seine Worte merkt ich, und den Brauch, und mit Geistesstärke tu ich Wunder auch! etc.
Anyway. This was the first Rumplestilskin-centric episode of the season, in past and present, and gave a couple of answers - what he wants the hat for, for starters, and what the hat can do in this 'verse - while showing him in good manipulative form in both timelines. What's more, the retcon/addendum to the whole Dark One tale actually makes perfect sense - of course all Dark Ones who lasted longer than five minutes would have tried to maken themselves independent from the wretched dagger. (Also, hello again, Brad Dourif! Long time, no see, Zozo.) Anna didn't fare too badly in her encounter with Rumplestilskin, though; of course she was tricked at first, but she figured out what was up with the dagger pretty quickly, and immediately used it to her advantage, and while she should have kept the thing with her (then again: that would have earned her a feud with the Dark One and an early grave, though better not) her safety clauses (Rumplestilskin unable to harm her or her sister) weren't bad as on the spot precautions go. (A seasoned villain like our Mr. Gold can find a way around them easily, of course - HE may be unable to harm either Anna or Elsa, but there's nothing to say he couldn't set things in motion to make other people want to if he so desired -, but this was Anna's first time confronting an evil mastermind (Hans hardly qualifies), and she came out alive and on top (for the moment). Go, girl.
(Also: it cracks me up that she's the first character in past or present to ask what was up with Rumplestilskin's skin.)
Meanwhile, Hook uses the newly found blackmail power he thinks he has to get his hand back and promptly gets his mind messed with by Rumple. Really, Hook, you should have known better. I mean, I kept hoping the whole thing would turn out to be a mindgame by Rumplestilskin because a literal evil hand would be too ridiculous even for our show. So I was relieved this was the case, but good old Kilian should have thought of that himself. Anyway. I do hope he paid attention to Rumple demonstrating his manipulation of a security tape, because and later puts that together with Zelena's death and his knowledge that Rumplestilskin never gave the real dagger away.
You know who, otoh, genuinely pulls one over Rumplestilskin in this episode by a shameless playing of the grandson card and an expert application of a harmless facade? Henry. I'm proud of you, kid. That was smoothly done. I mean, you're dead wrong in your assumption that Rumple knows who wrote the book and has already weaseled out a happy ending from the author, but still. Well manipulated, you! And while Henry won't find the author of the book that way, he may very well soon discover granddad is still up to his old tricks (and a lying liar who lies re: his denial about the Arendelle sisters).
Lastly, of particular interest to me because they were one of the few couples either show made me actively root for: Will/Anastasia OTP! If he's looking for her picture in the library, the show hasn't split them up or killed her off, phew. My new guess: this is affter Wonderlandin Will's timeline, he ended up in Storybrooke again due too whatever brought the Snow Queen there (i.e. a curse unrelated method), and without a dimension-hopping rabbit is trying to figure out another method to get back.
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1022402.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.