Once Upon A Time

[Agadefe]

Oh and I think dead characters are dead in both worlds. Queen's father didn't come back with the spell, etc.

So I assume the Queen lied about Belle to Rumple and I doubt Abigail/Kathryn is really dead.

[Anthemyst]

Originally Posted by Agadefe

Oh and I think dead characters are dead in both worlds. Queen's father didn't come back with the spell, etc.

So I assume the Queen lied about Belle to Rumple and I doubt Abigail/Kathryn is really dead.

Yeah, I guess so. Oh well, it would have been more interesting my way.

We seem to disagree on Snow White's two identities, I find her fairy tale world self a lot more active/empowering/what-have-you. True, she's more overcome with love, but in the fairy tale world "true love" is a much more straightforward and powerful emotion for everyone, not just women. In the real world she falls in love with a coma patient, and then just sort of miserably waits around for him to leave his wife once he wakes up. I guess Snow White and Mary Margarent aren't so different at the end of the day, though, it's just one of them lives in a high-stakes fantasy world and one's in wishy-washy reality.

I cracked up a lot in the third-or-so episode when Snow White told Cinderella that she was an empowering inspiration. "Yeah, I outsmarted a hired killer, became a badass bandit in the woods despite the most powerful woman in the world wanting me dead, and managed to wind up with the love of my life despite every imaginable obstacle being thrown at me, but your whole "show up to a party and look really pretty" thing was really brave."

[Anthemyst]

Is it just me, or was this week particularly bad? I mean, the writing has always been its weakest point, but it was just so lazy. The real world problem (We accidentally spent $5000 on helium, now we have to have a fundraiser!) makes my teeth hurt. They don't accept returns? Really? Even if you play the homeless nun card? Even then, find a local grocery or entertainment store to sell them to, something. You don't need that helium! At least try to unload it before concluding that your only money raising option is to sell candles nobody wants.

On that note, why is everyone in this town such an awful person? Seriously, who decides not to give money to nuns because they don't like the person running the fundraiser? I guess maybe I am prone to overestimating people and being surprised when they make really one-dimensional moral judgements, so I'm still confused about everyone hating Mary Margaret to begin with. Also I'm confused about how everyone could care so much about a couple when less than ten episodes James was a John Doe in the hospital and nobody had any idea who his wife was. You'd think the rumor train would've included something about them falling in love during his amnesia, or at least "That sweet schoolteacher has fallen in love with a coma patient, it's really creepy".

The fairy tale world story was 90% bizzare exposition, 10% lazy romance writing. "I'm breaking up with you for your own good" is maybe my least favorite artificial romantic hurdle ever. If you are in love with someone, respect them enough to let them make their own major life decisions! Anyway, I kept going back and forth during this episode on whether the fairy tale or the 'real' world was worse. Seems like nobody ever gets what they want in either.

Oh, and James got arrested. That might be interesting I guess. Emma seriously needs to start using her lie detector power more often. If I seriously believed I had that, I would be asking people things all the time like, "Do you have any reason to believe these phone records were faked?" or "Is there something you're not telling me?" The fact that Sidney is still able to double-cross her does not speak well for her abilities, anyway.

Only good part of the episode was Rumplestiltskin's five-line appearance. Mmm. He can evict me as petty revenge for crimes committed in an alternate reality nobody but he remembers any day of the week.

[Paintball Wizard]

Originally Posted by Anthemyst

Is it just me, or was this week particularly bad?

Yes it was bad. Amy Acker was particularly annoying, she's much better at being mean.

The only redeeming moment was Dreamy becoming Grumpy, how he got there was dumb though.

[Agadefe]

Originally Posted by Anthemyst

Only good part of the episode was Rumplestiltskin's five-line appearance. Mmm. He can evict me as petty revenge for crimes committed in an alternate reality nobody but he remembers any day of the week.

+

This episode was pretty bad real-world wise, but I actually kind of enjoyed the fairy tale story. The 'purpose of the dwarves' I liked a lot and how they were hatched from eggs. It makes the story of why they don't do anything in the snow white fairy tale except be supporting characters a more believable/interesting aspect.

The love thing was annoying sure, but it fits with how characters behave in the fairy tale story. The whole 'fall in love after seeing each other once' and 'possibly having to give up love for honor/the other person having a happier life/etc' is a common trope in the fairy tales of every character so I am okay with it. I think the point of it is to have a dichotomy with the real world that has more 'real' emotional depth (although almost every story in the real world is awful, so it's hard to notice it).

I felt bad for Sneezy. He sneezed one time while getting the axe and now has to be perpetually sick. That's a seriously horrible fate.

[Anthemyst]

Hmm. Maybe I would've liked the fairy tale world story if it had been told in a less, "Here, have some exposition, now let's move you from plot point to plot point as quickly as possible" manner. It was definitely an original spin on things, and there are some seriously creepy implications. Not quite "House elves in Harry Potter" creepy, but close. In better hands, it might've been really interesting. I guess there's still hope for the episode where we find out how the eight dwarves go from mining to living in the woods to Sneaky breaking Grumpy out of prison.

[DyalDragon]

I thought the reason that they couldn't return the helium was because Mr. Gold (Rumpy) owned the business they bought it from... maybe I'm mistaken on that, but that was the impression I got

[Anthemyst]

Originally Posted by DyalDragon

I thought the reason that they couldn't return the helium was because Mr. Gold (Rumpy) owned the business they bought it from... maybe I'm mistaken on that, but that was the impression I got

Ohhhh...yeah, I could have easily missed that. Wow, you'd think he could find a less roundabout way of evicting everybody, but I guess he has plenty of time and a long list of enemies to work through.

Did we ever find out how he got out of jail after that kidnapping and battery? I don't remember it ever being addressed again, but you'd think there would be consequences that last longer than the last five minutes of one episode.

[oofta]

Yeah. It was bad. Also..."Previously, on LOST".

[Anthemyst]

Originally Posted by oofta

Yeah. It was bad. Also..."Previously, on LOST".