OUAT: The more I see of Regina, the more I hate the character and how the show ended
Ever since the show ended, I haven’t really re watched any episode of the show fully. I watch certain scenes because I watch people do reaction videos of the show. (I now mostly just skip to the moments and twists that I want to see the reaction too). One reactor has just gotten to the 2nd episode of S3 and a conversation between Emma and Regina bothered me in this episode:
When Emma is trying to get Pan’s map to open, this exchange happens:
Emma: “..I’m now the sheriff of Storybrooke”
Regina: “That election was a sham”
Excuse me, Regina, but where exactly was your completely legal election to be mayor?
One question before we start: If you’re in the mood for fast food in Neverland, where do you go?
…
The PAN-da Express, of course!!!
It’s okay! You can laugh!
Thank you, Pan!
Anyway, my review, as always, is under the cut!
Press Release
While Emma, Mary Margaret, David, Regina and Hook continue their search for Henry in Neverland, Peter Pan appears before a startled Emma and offers her a map that will reveal her son’s whereabouts. But the only way to make the map appear is for Emma to stop denying who she really is and come to grips with her true feelings about her identity - and Mr. Gold receives some unexpected advice from a friend that could lead him to understand his life’s journey while in Neverland. Meanwhile, in the Fairy Tale Land that was, when the Evil Queen presents Snow White with an offer to live her life with Charming in peace - with the caveat that she give up her claim to the throne - Charming makes it his mission to ensure that Snow doesn’t take the offer.
General Thoughts - Characters/Stories/Themes and Their Effectiveness
Past
Is it just me, or does this plan of Regina’s feel REALLY out of character (And keep in mind that that is a phrase I do NOT use loosely)? Regina’s never wanted Snow to live and even if she takes the throne, Snow will still be left with her closest loved ones and as Snow later says, they’ll live a happy beautiful life, so her “take everything that was supposed to be yours” schtick kind of falls flat. That said, the spirit of what she’s going for does work due to the severity of taking over the land and Snow and David’s reaction to it.
But that aspect aside, there’s a solid story here. Snow’s conflict is understandable, as is David’s as is Grumpy’s. It’s a simple story, but it was done effectively to run parallel with the main story.
Present
I think it’s so interesting what’s done with Emma in this episode. Because she’s the Savior, Emma is put on this pedestal (Even by Pan -- sort of), one she’s now actively trying to embody for the first time. And she needs to look deep within and discover what that means in order to succeed and unlock the secrets of the map. Everyone believes she’s the Savior -- and she is -- but despite the emphasis being put on that, it’s only be relinquishing the mindset of a Savior that allows the map to show itself. And honestly, it’s done well! The positioning of the group -- and more importantly, Emma -- against the Lost Boys puts Emma and Snow in the perfect place for her revelation. Additionally, the connection she makes to them now comes back later when she appeals to them.
The secondary conflict presented throughout this segment is also great. From a character perspective, we get to see a much more reserved set of arguments between the group than last time, and everyone is painted with sympathy. Killian’s points are right, but it makes the fact that they have to wait so long to get Henry no less frustrating.
Finally, Rumple’s conflict interestingly enough reminds me of Snow’s from “The Miller’s Daughter.” If you recall, Snow was full on ready to try to kill Cora, but when faced with a real possibility of doing exactly that, that’s when she got afraid (Though was still able to do it). I almost wanted to fault Rumple’s story here because he’s been so adamant about saving Henry at his own expense and to falter in this episode felt strange, but in those terms, it really does work itself out. It fits well with Rumple’s character and allows for more of a story to take place as a result.
All Encompassing
Emma and Snow’s conflicts are resolved in the opposite way. For Snow, she has to straight up step up into leadership through her boost of confidence. For Emma, she has to step away from her role as the Savior and embrace being an orphan (A lessening of her confidence) to unlock the map.
“Who you are.” It’s important that Snow was the one to get through to Emma here. Otherwise, a flashback that would was essential for establishing the link between these two women that served as the heart of the episode would have been borderline needless (or at the very least, misplaced).
Insights - Stream of Consciousness
-Rumple’s got one hell of a smoulder! Flynn Rider, eat your heart out!
-WHY WOULD YOU BRING YOUR DAGGER TO NEVERLAND? RUMPLE, YOU ARE SUCH AN EXTRA DRAMA QUEEN! I mean, don’t stop or anything. I kind of love you for it.
-I really like the handling of magic in this arc. They’re cleverly tackling why they just can’t poof their way through this mission.
-David, Killian gave you a minute-long explanation about why that wouldn’t work. Let go of your fucking machismo for a few seconds!
-”It is NEVER too late.” Now Snow, only a Sith deals in absolutes!
-Guys, I LOVE Snow and Charming’s iconic moment, but the Law of Diminishing Returns exists for a reason. This is the third time we see this moment, and there are at least two more to come!
-I actually really like how no one in the town is willing to fight with Snow at first. It’s not just a matter of Snow needing to learn to be more of a leader or them being cowardly, but they’ve never fought before and they’re going against what they may believe is either the first or second most powerful magic wielder in all the realms. It makes this for a very meaty story.
-I LOVE how the crying that awakens and draws Emma deeper into the jungle plays into the theme of Emma growing into motherhood.
-”You’ve got fire. I like fire.” I remember hearing people used to ship Emma and Pan and...no. Just no.
-”Sadly, I agree with the pirate.” YESS! Captain Charming!!!
-I LOVE protective big brother Grumpy! See, when people infantize or otherwise try to downplay Grumpy’s role in the royal family or where he stands (*cough* “A Wondrous Place” *cough*), I think to this scene. Grumpy is more than just Snow’s friend. He became family. I’m thoroughly convinced that he would’ve been Emma’s godfather had the curse never been cast because he and Snow were just that close.
-David, there’s a difference between overcoming a memory spell and boosting someone’s confidence on its own.
-Rumple, you beautiful drama queen, you give new definition to “the clothes make the man.”
-You know, I forget, but Sheep Bros was a very real thing in the EF too!
-I love the...PAN around the group as Emma tackles the map!
-Aww, Snow and David look so happy when Emma calls herself their daughter!
-Whoever was doing the score for the red herring with the map must’ve been having a fucking ball. Listen to how the music swells! XD
-”For once, I agree with the Prince.” MORE CAPTAIN CHARMING! YASSS!
-David! Drop the machismo!
- “Just as you charmed me. Eventually.” Snow, who are you fooling?! You lasted a DAY before you were smitten!
-Ooh! I forgot we got our first mention of Merlin here!
-Is Camelot really qualify as a realm? Seems like one can just get there on foot based on Season 5, whereas usually, to go between realms, you need magic (Ex. The Cyclone to Oz, the silver slippers, the Dark Curse) to go through the barriers.
-I wonder how much A&E knew about the future of OUAT when they first brought up Excalibur here. Was Camelot in their sights?
-Isham must’ve had a fucking BALL with composing the music for these red herrings!
-Two things. (1) Pan dressed in Henry’s clothes is creepy AF! (2) Do you think this was foreshadowing Pan and Henry changing bodies?
-One of the looming questions in this fandom is “What did Killian do to Rufio?” Some people think killing Rufio was the price of being free of Neverland, but based on how Killian talks, I’m not convinced. He says “It’ll be a worse fate for you” and then just keeps on fighting him. To me, it always seemed like to get off of Neverland for good, Killian had to do something worse than usual, something he borderline regretted. But that’s not the Killian that says that line and mentions Rufio so flippantly. Thoughts?
-I’m kind of miffed that we never saw Pan “caw.” That’s his thing! Why didn’t he caw?!
-Another show of just how much Snow cares about Grumpy. Of everyone there, David included, Regina chokeholds Snow’s brother figure! That’s amazing!
-Rumple screaming “WHAT DO YOU WANT?” after being summoned cracks me the fuck up!
-I love the flutter-y way Rumple dissolves “Excalibur!”
-Rumple! That was so fucking rude!
-Snow! Don’t kill David’s bro down!
-Am I the only one getting Talking Tina vibes from the Peter Pan doll?
-”You haven’t forgiven your parents for abandoning you.” This wasn’t brought up all that much afterwards, was it, nor the conflict that Pan brings up about Henry not forgiving her?
-See, David? THAT’S what machismo gets you!
Arcs - How Are These Storylines Progressing?
The Mission to Save Henry - We really get to see everyone working together more and find out the intricacies of just how they’re going to save Henry. It feels like a very logical step from the last episode.
Emma Accepting Her Parents - Now THIS is the start I wanted! While Emma defaults to calling MM “Mom” in the Season 2 finale, once things become real and the ground is sturdy again, her fears return, and I know for a fact that we see this come fact in the finale (It’s also interesting how a similar element of Emma’s personality in this regard shows up just a couple of seasons later). Additionally, while I don’t think it connects to what we saw in the previous episode, we see more of what’s holding Emma back from making more of a connection to her parents.
Rumple’s Redemption - “Did the protection spell work?” That’s legitimately the first time that Rumple’s show such strong care for the town at large. Also, I love the foreshadowing at work for Rumple’s self-preservation habit to rear its head again.
Killian’s Redemption - We really get to see more of the payoff of Killian’s redemption here. He’s a complete asset to the team with his knowledge of Neverland and Pan, a source of support for Emma, is helping David despite David’s (understandable) rudeness, and is risking his life.
Regina’s Redemption - Here, we see Regina able to take another step further in her redemption. She’s frustrated about her current situation -- forced to trust her enemies and not use magic in the way she’d want -- and it’s understandably so. But the work she puts into going along with the group is honestly admirable and her breaking point feels natural and well placed.
Favorite Dynamic
Pan and Emma. I think Pan and Emma’s interactions speak so much of Pan as a character. Why would he give Emma a map to Henry? Because he’s a cocky son of a bitch and he likes fucking with people. He does whatever he can to make this game of his all the more fun. Can he manipulate Henry before the group gets to him? He’s pretty sure he’ll win, but damnit if he wants to find out. And even by giving Emma the map, a nice chunk of her confidence is taken away in the process. Because of this episode, we see our main hero and main villain of the arc confront each other and get to eyeball their strengths and weaknesses, making something truly compelling.
Writer
For the first time, Andrew Chambliss is not writing with Ian Goldberg, and while I’m sad for that, I’m happy to say that his new team up with Kalinda Vazquez was simply superb! There’s a strong thematic resonance between the different segments and the smaller scale of the story works to its benefit. Everything is simple in the broad strokes, but given nuance within them and that’s what makes the story as a whole so effective. The dialogue is also very good here. It feels incredibly natural and real, as all of the best episodes do.
Rating
Golden Apple (If you’re new here, that’s a 10/10 with an * for superb quality). This is one of the best setup episodes. We get to see the extent of Neverland’s dangers and Pan’s influence, but also our heroes strengths and weaknesses as they combat them. Their teamwork on the island debuts, giving us a scale of their potential, but also their starting point so that the later moments where we can see how far they’ve come can be all the more appreciated. But more so than that, it’s a great story. Emma gets a meaningful look into who she is and the failings she is now forced to deal with and overcome. There’s a great thematic resonance between her story and Snow’s story, building to an emotional revelation. Rumple is also given some exemplary character work! It’s just a great episode!
Flip My Ship - The Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness”
Captain Swan - Watching Emma and Killian flirting has me grinning like an idiot! The flirting itself feels natural and charming! Also, HOLY SHIT! Right after Emma says she’s the product of True Love, the camera shoots to Killian! AND when all is said and done, Emma and Killian are together, sipping their rum and getting just that bit closer together!
Snowing - Snowing is soooo adorable cuddling as they sleep! I’m thoroughly convince Josh Dallas walks on this Earth for the sole purpose of cuddling and looking good while doing it! <3 Also, in the past, I love how the arrow only lands when they work together!
Rumbelle - I almost hesitate putting them here because this Belle is an imposter, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t a good one! Seeing Rumple and Belle hold hands as their theme plays is just cute as fuck! Also, just like the real Belle, fake Belle gives great advice too!
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So far, so good!!! Loving Season 3 so far! How about you? Also, let me know what you think of the new theme I’m using and the formatting of these reviews! I’m trying something new and I want to know if I’m doing them right!
Thank you for reading and to the fine folks at @watchingfairytales for giving me a chance to write these reviews! Next time, we meet someone who’s by no means common! (Tink, tink, nudge, nudge, say no more!)
See you guys then!
Season 3 Total (19/220)
Writer’s Scores:
Adam and Eddy (9/60)
Kalinda Vazquez (10/40)
Andrew Chambliss (10/50)
Part of me wishes that they had kept Emma giving Killian her “orphan” speech in 3x02 rather than her saying it to Snow. I mean, I totally get why they opted for Snow in the end, it makes total sense, but having her say that to Killian would have made just as much sense. Not to mention it would have been AWESOME!!! Oh well, we can’t have everything I suppose...
