Ep 1x8 Desperate Souls...Discussion?

[maddarilke.livejournal.com]

Are we doing episode discussions in this comm? What did you all think of it?


It was a terrific ep, and I'm glad we got some backstory on my favorite character--Rumpelstiltskin--but I found a lot of loose ends in it, and perhaps this was on purpose.

1.) So, Rumpel has a son. We know from inference that he has not followed him into Storybrooke--or at least, he's not with Mr. Gold. The episode ends with Rumpel saving his son from the soldiers, and it's left there.

2.) Why is Rumpel so terrified at receiving The Dark One's power? What is so inherently awful about it? He seemed pretty happy to have it, when he saved his son. I'm sure I've missed something, but I don't quite get it.

3.) I'm not so sure I buy Mr. Gold's story about having Emma stand up to him being part of his plan, all along. He seemed rather upset in the auditorium...though that may have been part of the act. On the other hand, he is pretty much her "frenemy," now, and she still owes him a favor. So how is the Emma/Mr. Gold relationship so different from Sheriff Graham/Regina's? After all, she was holding something over his head, too. Or rather, in his chest.

4.) Who is "THE DARK ONE?" Is this another LOST-style conundrum? He's not the devil, though he does seem to strike deals for souls.

5.) Rumpel seems to have a reason for continuously wanting to bargain for children. I'm sure it has something to do with the loss of his son, whenever that's going to be revealed. Perhaps it also ties in with certain speculation surrounding Regina.


OK, that's all I've got. I'm guessing it's fair to warn that any comments may also be spoilery.

Comments

[atatteredrose.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, I hadn't put the apple tree/chainsaw (OTP? *eg*) scene together with that!

I wonder if he could have predicted that one? Or just that Emma would rebel?

ITA Ashley was handled in such a way as to set Emma up - the question is: how far back did the plan start? He DID say that he thought it would be "more effective" for her to find out about the baby booty on her own...

[chloris.livejournal.com]

To be such a master manipulator he would have to be an excellent judge of character. And even if he couldn't predict it, I'm positive that Gold always has more than one plan.

Ahh...but now we know that Emma gave birth in jail and I would be absolutely shocked if Mr. Gold didn't know that right from the start. With that knowledge why would he expect Emma to help Ashley give up her child? I certainly wouldn't. Emma was forced by circumstance to do something she may very well have been quite unhappy to do.

[atatteredrose.livejournal.com]

And technically he's had 28 years to recon her. Though I also think Rumpels had some powers of insight that bleed into Mr. Gold's persona.)

I want to see that moment when he falters, just for a second, before switching to plan B. (Unless it happened already and I missed it.)

Hmm. By the sound of it, nothing in Emma's life predisposed her to feel capable of raising a child, but I wonder if she WOULD have kept him, if the jail situation hadn't made it nearly impossible.

[chloris.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's up in the air whether she would have given Henry up anyway but not having a choice has to be difficult even if the choice would have been the same. I think that's why she was so adamant that Ashley have a choice.

[atatteredrose.livejournal.com]

*Fighting back against The Man at every turn!*

*g*

I still lose a little respect for Emma here, since Ashley is clearly incapable of anything at this juncture in her life, and so Emma's comments showed really poor judgment.

[chloris.livejournal.com]

But no one can know for certain if something like this is out of their reach until they try. And as far as raising a child, half of the battle is WANTING to do it. Also, Emma has the savior role pushing on her even if she doesn't know it. I get the feeling that what feels right and necessary to her since she has come to Storybrooke is what she needs to do to give people back their happy endings.

[atatteredrose.livejournal.com]

It's more a personal reaction I have against the media constantly valourizing teenage pregnancy. Especially when it's "devotion to a tiny life" somehow meaning more than ... anything else... Like years of study and work.

Which is a rotten thing to say, I know, but it's not about the PC so much as I was a straight-A, obsessively intellectual kid, and got my teeth kicked in a lot in preference for people like Ashley. *shrugs*