Ep reviews: Once upon a time...

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

...I was of two minds. I really like the characters and the way they talk with one another.

on the other hand, the heavy-handedness is getting tiring.


my thoughts on the episodes from 13 & 6 days ago...only now got a chance to view it (DVD hates me)

Gold's origin:

* the Mayor's grumblings are well-earned, Emma - you did appear to abandon her...and then, while she's hobbling, you just let go. (I bet you'd help Henry or Mary Margaret sit down)

* "Magic always comes with a price." NOW we know why Rumplestiltskin always repeats that phrase: because he learned the hard way.

* I wonder how long ago the Ogre-Wars were...might Baelfire be the ancestor of Snow White?

(which does have implications for Emma/Gold)

* Henry says Emma's election to Sheriff proves that good can win...except that, at least in this example, good won because evil let it win.



the twins:

EDIT: their dad's garage was barely scraping by as is...if he loses his job (juggling jobs and kids - which is very realistic, btw), does Storybrooke have social security checks?

* I'm really getting the impression that the show's writers do NOT like the foster care system.

* I also have a feeling Hansel succumbs to temptation far too easily. both in the Blind Witch's house, and in the Queen's castle.

* "just a name?" "I find that's generally all one needs." :D

* don't kids get to leave foster care at 16 years? starting to wonder if Emma was lying about meeting Henry's dad then, or if she was lying about giving birth at 18.

* Notice that Henry says he knows who the kids are because obviously there is only one story with siblings who are lost in the woods without their parents.

Wonder if he can explain why there are two blind witches, then.
(one in tonight's ep, one in i think the Pilot ep - she's the one who asks the Queen "will we be happy there?")

* I did have a feeling Emma wasn't being honest with Henry about his dad. (wonder if that's him pulling up on the motorbike)

Henry's dad is probably the reason why Emma gave birth in prison - and I don't just mean that in the sense of getting her pregnant.


and as for the final event in the episode...Most of me feels this is probably what happens: anyone who stops in Storybrooke, does so when Henry's not around...and they're probably on their way to somewhere else. (just stopping in for a bite to eat, maybe refil the car with petrol, etc)



as for tomorrow's brand-new episode:

So, it's okay to cheat on your wife, if you can't tell the difference between this life and a previous life, Charming? how "charming" of you.

Though it makes me wonder how many fairytale enemies are happy together in Storybrooke...but the corrolary is, when the walls come down, and everyone remembers who they really are, I bet there's gonna be A LOT of murders in town.

Comments

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid the foster care system does suck. My sister went through it before she was adopted into our family, and her experiences were a lot like what Emma's seem to have been -- or worse. You hear a lot of horror stories.

I'm more concerned about the show's attitude toward adoption.

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

I'm not saying there are not a lot of horror stories re the foster system. I'm saying that something which has no success stories (as the series seems to imply - given its black-and-white view) would cease to exist.

I agree with you about how adoption doesn't seem to be a good thing in the series. (though "Hansel&Gretel" and Ella's baby could've been adopted - Emma seems to think "I wasn't adopted, therefore nobody is.")

I'm seriously considering making a "bad show, no cookie" icon. (something like this) ->

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

:-) That's not a bad idea.

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

your icon is adorable.

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Have you seen the iharthdarth cartoons before? I love them. :-)

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

I think I've seen one of them before I saw your two. I like yours more.

and here's the icons I promised:
http://i587.photobucket.com/albums/ss313/SoCalNo/show3.gif
http://i587.photobucket.com/albums/ss313/SoCalNo/snow2.gif
http://i587.photobucket.com/albums/ss313/SoCalNo/show1.gif

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Nice! :-)

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

thank you.
(it was originally supposed to be "Stop being the sort we warn our children about.)

[sensitivinferno.livejournal.com]

I have a friend who went through the foster care system. She loves the foster family she was with for many years, before reaching adulthood and going out on her own, but she has a lot of horror stories. And 18 is when they basically get "kicked out" because that is the age of adulthood in the U.S.

And I don't think the guy on the motorcycle was Henry's dad or anything. There was absolutely no recognition between him and Emma, nor in the preview for tomorrow's episode.

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

ah; thanks for the clarification on when kids leave the system.

I thought Emma recognized him (but didn't want Henry to know)...but then, I don't always read people right.

ps: edited the post.

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

sorry...I didn't see the "She loves the foster family she was with for many years" part of your post.

thank you for confirming my thought that it is an imperfect system (as opposed to a completely broken and useless system)

I should probably delete the foster- related lines in my post, to avoid arguments, yes?

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't say you need to do that. I think it's a pretty awful system on the whole, but then, as sensitivinferno said, there are success stories. And anyway, there's room for different opinions! :-)

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

definately (to all of the above)...but if tempers (or posts) flare because of a comment I made (and-or if someone ends up kicked from the comm as a result of said comment), I'm going to feel guilty and beat myself up over it.

yes, it's happened before. not in this fandom, granted, but still - once burned, twice as wary (or something like that)

[sentbyfools.livejournal.com]

In Emma's defense on letting the mayor go while she's hobbling, Regina does complain that she can handle herself and claims she's fine. I give Emma credit for saving the mayor despite how evil she is.

On the blind witch in the Pilot, I think they're probably one and the same and she doesn't realize that it was the Evil Queen that set her on fire. Or she knows, and somehow they let bygones be bygones?

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

I missed that part, then; I heard "set me down" followed by "the firemen are here - we would have been fine."
I suspect Regina wouldn't be so neurotic if there wasn't this constant fear that Emma was going to take Henry away - that's doubtless not the only factor, i grant

>let bygones be bygones?
given how many Bad Guys were gathered there, that's the best possibility...that or it was neutral ground.

[meneleth.livejournal.com]

We watched the first few episodes but I admit to having rather lost interest. I think this would have been better as a mini-series, where you have the expectation of an ending. In this case, the evil ones are so evil and the 'good guys' seem to have little chance of a happily-ever-after. Add to that the fact that because it's a series they are not going to resolve anything and (like "Lost", which had the same creators) the best you can hope is for it to just drag on. For me, that loses the charm of the original idea.

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

I hope they resolve at least most of the plot threads at the end of this season (just in case there's no series 2)

on one hand, I want them to answer certain questions (like "what did Snow White do - what secret did she betray - that so infuriated the Queen?")

on the other hand, I realize that, like mafioso threats, the worst secrets are the ones we aren't told.

on the gripping hand, most of the bad guys, though, seem to be getting excuses why they are like that - like the Huntsman and Rumplestiltskin.

also, thank you for replying.

I wouldn't count on most of the plot threads being resolved...

[melscape.livejournal.com]

I think they will tell us why the Evil Queen hates Snow White. We may possibly get to the episode with the poisoned apple and how that plan came together. I expect more back stories on the round table of fairy tale characters. So Red Riding Hood and Granny, more about Geppetto and Pinocchio. Along with more stand-alones of characters we haven't met yet.

I don't expect anyone else's memories to be back at the end of the season. I don't expect Henry to leave Regina and get to go live with Emma. I don't expect to learn who Henry's father was. Or who wrote Henry's book.

I don't have a prediction on how far Mary and David's story will have gotten by season's end, maybe after tonight's episode I'll have a better idea.

I'm hoping by the season finale Emma finally truly believes the fairy tale story and isn't just humoring Henry anymore but so far I'm not expectant that she'll have a band of believers by that point.

Assuming ratings stay steady and the demo stays up, I think the show may be renewed before its finale in May even airs. It's not in any major danger of cancellation yet.

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

You've got a point. Snow/Charming's story in particular would have been much better served by a miniseries format, I think.

Same writers, different creators.

[melscape.livejournal.com]

Keep in mind "Lost" was Damon Lindelof's show. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse were the main show runners. Anything Adam and Edward came up with was still following Lindelof's show plan. Lindlelof is thankfully off doing his own thing right now, far away from Once.

I've seen a few people criticize the exact opposite of yours. Instead of finding the evil queen too evil to lose, they find her too campy/stupid. And instead of thinking there's no way to "good guys" will win, some think there's no way the "bad guys" will lose. So they figure happily-ever-after is a foregone conclusion so there's no point in watching it.

I watched "10th Kingdom" a miniseries of fairy tale characters/real world characters running around both so I feel like a fairy tale miniseries has mostly been "done".

[jadestrick.livejournal.com]

I'm probably in the minority here, but I'm of the opinion that David doesn't even know his wife. Of course, if I had amnesia and some dude and the mayor popped up and said "Here's your husband!" I'd have to have more solid proof. But then, how they fabricated all the lives if time has been frozen is beyond me.

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

I agree - and its why I'm glad the Nolans are taking it slow, one day at a time.

(yeah, I'd be wary of "oh by the way, here's your spouse"...but I'd have an easier time swallowing that, than what Henry's saying)

now, it's possible Prince Charming knows her, but as David Nolan's been in a coma the whole pre-Emma time, doubtful he {as David} knows her.

[jadestrick.livejournal.com]

I think that's where the big issue is. Since he was out when the spell happened, it makes TOTAL sense to me for him to be drawn to Snow. My question is what EXACTLY did he remember about Kathryn.

Hmmmm.

(But I know what you mean. My dad was watching it right up until this business and now he's all holier-than-thou. :P They need to clear this up SOON.)

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

if his memories were mostly Charming's (before looking into the spinning windmill), then he might remember he promised to marry her - and from a world where oaths and vows are a lot more binding.

(hopefully we'll get an answer tonight; I kinda wonder about Charming's ring... I should start a new thread for it)

[jadestrick.livejournal.com]

But he actually MARRIED Snow! *wails* :) Yeah, hopefully we will because this seems to be the issue everyone disagrees on.

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

he actually MARRIED Snow White!
I'm kinda wondering where they got the priest - maybe from Irish folktales or Jewish folktales.

>the issue
at the moment, Charming seems to have an odder honor than Gretel!

(by refusing to let the Queen adopt them, Gretel turned down riches and safety for her and her brother, in favor of reuniting with her dad; by marrying Snow White, Charming's bankrupted a kingdom, angered King Midas, and ensured the destruction of the family farm)

[jadestrick.livejournal.com]

:D

Wellllll, maybe. I dunno. We still haven't seen that far.