Reginaâs Happy Ending....ish?
I have watched the episode a good 5-6 times now, in slow motion and in reverse and back again. At first, I wonât lie, they ended it with The EQ and Robin Locksley having a supposed happy ending (though I suppose we will never know) and initially I was like âHeyâŠ..that wasnât as terrible as I thought it was going to beâ
And then I had a coffee this morningâŠ..
I donât know if I agree with it anymore. I see the stills of the EQ/RL in the tavern and I think to myself, Regina is going home knowing that a part of her is having the opportunity to live with love, (romantic love, I am stressing this isnât turning a blind eye to familial love or friendship love), and she doesnât have that. It was taken from her (again) and there is no changing that fact.Â
The character we have watched this entire series has been all about Regina redeeming her actions as the EQ. So when she decided to split her into two people, I get that she felt guilty and needed to fix it, to protect people. I love that she wanted to do that. It shows growth. A consistent growth throughout her story. I get that.Â
But she has redeemed herselfâŠhasnât she?Â
Surely if the other villains in the show get to have this redemption and find love and happiness, surely Regina Mills, the character who has been repenting her past sins and doing whatever she could to open herself to love, to learn to say she was sorry, ask for forgiveness, do what she could to earn it, deserves to have that same acceptance in redemption.Â
Her family I think has given that to her, (Iâm not going to get into this cause itâs a can of worms still to me). And she has Henry. Henry is her happiness, I understand that. I love that. I adore their relationship now.Â
Regina wants to feel at home in the world, and Robin was part of that world. To me, finding that place where you feel settled, and calm inside, where you feel at peace with who you are, definitely depends on having people who love you unconditionally, understand your past, accept your apologies and want to hold your hand and walk down the next path with you.Â
Robin was that person for her, again as a romantic love, but romantic love isnât just flowers and kisses. Romantic love is having that person you come home to at night, and share a glass of wine with and just sit quietly curled up under a blanket with. Romantic love is going on an adventure with that one person you want to spend your life with, who you want to take silly pictures with, act like utter dorks, be free and open and know that regardless of everything, they still love you and want to come home to you every day.
And it still doesnât sit right with me. to say that she has failed a test of grief, that is repulsive to me. Grief isnât something that just goes away like that. Think about people you have lost. If you had the chance to see them again, to feel them hug you and listen to their voice, wouldnât you take that opportunity? How is it fair to ask anyone to just âmove on and let go.â Thatâs not right. Thatâs not how real life works, nor how actual emotions happen.
Love and Loss are not just taps you can turn off and on. Just because you lose someone doesnât mean you slam that door closed, brush your shoulders off, wipe away the tears and go âoh well, onto something elseâ and never have even a flicker of anything again for them. It doesnât work that way. Regina Mills is far too emotional to have this be real.Â
I understand you canât dwell on loss. Itâs a vicious cycle to get trapped into. But you also canât just let it go. It will always be sad and leave little bruises on your heart. That is life.Â
I know that Lana has said Reginaâs happy ending is being at peace with herself, and fuck me sideways her acting in the latest episode was so brilliant I canât even think about without getting teary-eyed.Â
Being loved, and loving in return, that is part of being at inner peace. And with how theyâve ended OQ, I really donât know how she ever gets to that point where she can sit on a couch alone with her glass of wine and say âI am truly happy.âÂ
I know this is a fictional show, and these characters arenât real. But being part of the audience that watches this show, (and with many others) it just feel disingenuous, and inauthentic to have this storyline played out this way.
I just wish she could have her Robin back.Â
(THAT ALL BEING SAIDâŠ.I WILL CONTINUE TO WRITE OQ FF AND DARKOQ FF CAUSE HEY, I LOVE THESE CHARACTERS AND I WILL FOREVER!)Â
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