Once Upon A Time, S2, Ep 18
Two episodes in a row with no flashbacks or flash-sidewayses to Fairy Tale Land. Two episodes in a row that fill in some of the backstory we've been waiting almost two seasons for. You'd almost think the producers planned it this way. Yes, there are spoilers below for the episode "Selfless, Brave and True." Don't read on if you haven't watched the episode and care about spoilers.
Okay, so let's get the thing about this episode that I know EVERYONE is talking about out of the way right off the bat.
Yes, it pissed me off too.
I mean seriously: why call the episode "Selfless, Brave and True" if you're going to have your characters say it the other way around for the WHOLE episode??? Even Henry! It drove my OCD self nuts all hour long.
Wait. That's NOT what everyone's talking about. Well, sheesh. Get with it people.
I suppose what's really important to people is the writing out of one August W. Booth, esquire by ... doing exactly what Rumplestiltskin offered to do for Bae just a few episodes ago. Come on, tell me someone out there picked up on that little nod. In some fannish circles, August is thought to have better chemistry with Emma than Neal does, so this move must sting a little for some viewers. I can't say that I'm in that camp -- I've thought Emma's had good chemistry with The Sheriff, August, Hook and Neal equally -- but I still thought it was a neat little narrative trick.
Production-wise, this move probably made a lot of sense: if rumors are true that most of the cast did not get along with Eion Bailey (that, in fact, things were rather more than tense off-screen), then de-aging August back into button-nosed, freckle-faced, red-headed Pinocchio makes a lot of sense. It keeps the character around, giving Marco/Gepetto his "reason to live" back, without requiring the adult actor to be around. The fact that the episode was structured so that most of Bailey's scenes were not with the main cast was also not lost on me. (I'm sure in all of his "present day" scenes, Bailey was actually on-set, and the wooden Pinocchio was just CGI'ed over him.)
Story-wise: this is the second time in three episodes that the producers have pulled a "LOST" on us, giving a character closure just before killing them ... except that this time they tweaked that expectation and gave the character a reprieve. It was nicely handled. I'm still not sure exactly why, in Fairy Tale Land logic, Adult Pinocchio's "brave, true, selfless" act would result in the magic restoring him to being a ten year old, but hey, see above paragraph for that explanation. No one seems especially perturbed by it and in fact Marco is overjoyed -- he gets to have those years watching Pinocchio grow up and not make the same mistakes.
Interjection: I don't think anyone else would care about this except me, but I think I'd enjoy seeing an episode focused on Henry actually having friends his own age. Bring back Hansel and Gretel, Pinocchio, even Jefferson's daughter, and give them a one-episode adventure. And there must be at least one other fairy tale "kid" they could reveal has been in Storybrooke this whole time.
Tamara: Just as last week's episode gave us the explanation for who Greg is, it was nice that August's flashback gave us some hint of Tamara's story purpose. They needed to do this: there are already too many dangling plot threads heading into the final four episodes of the season, so we at least as viewers needed to know what her agenda is, even if the characters don't. And given Emma's track record lately, it may be the season finale before she figures out Tamara is the one who "killed" August. I think most of us called it that Tamara was Greg's "Her" as soon as we heard Neal's fiancee would be hanging around for more than one episode, and I'm glad that was settled in the final scene of the episode. I am curious as to what that weapon of Tamara's is. Clearly is it not an ordinary taser, if it can kill a dragon in human form and a man made out of wood. All that being said -- I thought Tamara's choice to play disbelieving when Neal first explains what Storybrooke is was a smart move, despite how much I dislike her. And Neal, being who he is, bought it, the sucker.
Snow: Okay, I'm sorry .... Marco deserved that slap in the face. It's not like Snow shot him with an arrow, or tore his heart out. She reacted the way any mother would who discovered that she'd missed out on her child's entire life because a friend protected his kid instead. I thought blaming the slap on "Snow White's Dark Heart" is a bit over the top. Yes, Snow is mostly sweetness and light and forgiving -- but she's shown, in fairy tale land, that she can indeed hold a grudge. You're going to have to do more than slap Gepetto to convince me the dark stain on your heart is growing and controlling you.
Lingering Questions:
1. Just who/what was The Dragon and how did he get to our world?
2. How did Greg and Tamara meet and realize they both believe in magic?
3. Greg lied to Emma. Will they ever address how?
4. As much as "Robin Hood" is one of my favorite Disney movies ... is four eps from the end of the season really the time to be introducing yet another much-beloved sort-of-fairy-tale-ish character? (Especially when they still have the issue of King Arthur lingering in that department?)
And, I have to say it again, as I did on Facebook last night --- FOUR WEEKS til a new episode??? Granted, at that point we get four in a row straight up to the season finale, but geez ABC, you couldn't have planned a little better? Maybe this is one of those shows you should be paying to produce 28 episodes a season instead of 21. (Yes, I know the promo said "In Three Weeks," but that week is a Very Special Recap Behind The Scenes Special.)
And can I just mention that Keegan Connor Tracy, aka Blue Fairy / Mother Superior, actually found me funny enough to retweet last night? During the west coast feed, she tweeted "What kind of dragon gets taken out by a taser?" and I responded "I guess now he's more draggin' than dragon, eh?"
Hey, I'll take a RT any way I can get it.
Okay, so let's get the thing about this episode that I know EVERYONE is talking about out of the way right off the bat.
Yes, it pissed me off too.
I mean seriously: why call the episode "Selfless, Brave and True" if you're going to have your characters say it the other way around for the WHOLE episode??? Even Henry! It drove my OCD self nuts all hour long.
Wait. That's NOT what everyone's talking about. Well, sheesh. Get with it people.
I suppose what's really important to people is the writing out of one August W. Booth, esquire by ... doing exactly what Rumplestiltskin offered to do for Bae just a few episodes ago. Come on, tell me someone out there picked up on that little nod. In some fannish circles, August is thought to have better chemistry with Emma than Neal does, so this move must sting a little for some viewers. I can't say that I'm in that camp -- I've thought Emma's had good chemistry with The Sheriff, August, Hook and Neal equally -- but I still thought it was a neat little narrative trick.
Production-wise, this move probably made a lot of sense: if rumors are true that most of the cast did not get along with Eion Bailey (that, in fact, things were rather more than tense off-screen), then de-aging August back into button-nosed, freckle-faced, red-headed Pinocchio makes a lot of sense. It keeps the character around, giving Marco/Gepetto his "reason to live" back, without requiring the adult actor to be around. The fact that the episode was structured so that most of Bailey's scenes were not with the main cast was also not lost on me. (I'm sure in all of his "present day" scenes, Bailey was actually on-set, and the wooden Pinocchio was just CGI'ed over him.)
Story-wise: this is the second time in three episodes that the producers have pulled a "LOST" on us, giving a character closure just before killing them ... except that this time they tweaked that expectation and gave the character a reprieve. It was nicely handled. I'm still not sure exactly why, in Fairy Tale Land logic, Adult Pinocchio's "brave, true, selfless" act would result in the magic restoring him to being a ten year old, but hey, see above paragraph for that explanation. No one seems especially perturbed by it and in fact Marco is overjoyed -- he gets to have those years watching Pinocchio grow up and not make the same mistakes.
Interjection: I don't think anyone else would care about this except me, but I think I'd enjoy seeing an episode focused on Henry actually having friends his own age. Bring back Hansel and Gretel, Pinocchio, even Jefferson's daughter, and give them a one-episode adventure. And there must be at least one other fairy tale "kid" they could reveal has been in Storybrooke this whole time.
Tamara: Just as last week's episode gave us the explanation for who Greg is, it was nice that August's flashback gave us some hint of Tamara's story purpose. They needed to do this: there are already too many dangling plot threads heading into the final four episodes of the season, so we at least as viewers needed to know what her agenda is, even if the characters don't. And given Emma's track record lately, it may be the season finale before she figures out Tamara is the one who "killed" August. I think most of us called it that Tamara was Greg's "Her" as soon as we heard Neal's fiancee would be hanging around for more than one episode, and I'm glad that was settled in the final scene of the episode. I am curious as to what that weapon of Tamara's is. Clearly is it not an ordinary taser, if it can kill a dragon in human form and a man made out of wood. All that being said -- I thought Tamara's choice to play disbelieving when Neal first explains what Storybrooke is was a smart move, despite how much I dislike her. And Neal, being who he is, bought it, the sucker.
Snow: Okay, I'm sorry .... Marco deserved that slap in the face. It's not like Snow shot him with an arrow, or tore his heart out. She reacted the way any mother would who discovered that she'd missed out on her child's entire life because a friend protected his kid instead. I thought blaming the slap on "Snow White's Dark Heart" is a bit over the top. Yes, Snow is mostly sweetness and light and forgiving -- but she's shown, in fairy tale land, that she can indeed hold a grudge. You're going to have to do more than slap Gepetto to convince me the dark stain on your heart is growing and controlling you.
Lingering Questions:
1. Just who/what was The Dragon and how did he get to our world?
2. How did Greg and Tamara meet and realize they both believe in magic?
3. Greg lied to Emma. Will they ever address how?
4. As much as "Robin Hood" is one of my favorite Disney movies ... is four eps from the end of the season really the time to be introducing yet another much-beloved sort-of-fairy-tale-ish character? (Especially when they still have the issue of King Arthur lingering in that department?)
And, I have to say it again, as I did on Facebook last night --- FOUR WEEKS til a new episode??? Granted, at that point we get four in a row straight up to the season finale, but geez ABC, you couldn't have planned a little better? Maybe this is one of those shows you should be paying to produce 28 episodes a season instead of 21. (Yes, I know the promo said "In Three Weeks," but that week is a Very Special Recap Behind The Scenes Special.)
And can I just mention that Keegan Connor Tracy, aka Blue Fairy / Mother Superior, actually found me funny enough to retweet last night? During the west coast feed, she tweeted "What kind of dragon gets taken out by a taser?" and I responded "I guess now he's more draggin' than dragon, eh?"
Hey, I'll take a RT any way I can get it.