Love's the worst. I wish there was a magic cure. -- Mary Margaret
It's Tuesday, so let's discuss Once Upon a Time, shall we?
Oh, y'all.
SO MUCH TO SAY about this episode. When Leigh tweeted at me on Sunday night that this episode was sooooooo good, I knew I was in for a treat. I was not disappointed. For me, this one of the best episodes yet!
(As always, if you are looking for an episode recap, I recommend Television Without Pity.)
Let's start with Mary Margaret's rush to the coffee shop for her appointment to see David (buying coffee for two - himself and his wife) at 7:15. This whole episode is devoted to the theme of love and longing, and Ginnfer Goodwin brings it as you see her face go from tender affection to pained acceptance of reality in a matter of moments.
But is it reality?
We, as the viewer, know it's not. But reactions to the David/MM romance are split down the middle: some are repelled by it because he is married to Katherine; others see the David/Katherine marriage as the true adultery because Charming and Snow are really married in the real reality - the Enchanted Forest. SO COMPLICATED.
The writers do a nice job with bringing out the conflict and the tension in the dialogue. In one scene between MM and David, he says it's like he has two conflicting lives: one with memories of feelings for Katherine, one with real feelings for Mary Margaret. MM says, "Who's to say which is real?"
I have to hand it to The Show - I never, ever thought I would become invested in the Snow White story. I really hate the original tale, but this Show ... I confess. I'm all in. That scene where Snow sneaks into James's room as he is packing to leave for his new life with Abigail and he sees her and grabs her up in his arms - GAH. HEARTBREAK. Heartbreak made a little more bearable by the fact that we know that somehow, some way, they end up together ...
The directing in this episode is beautiful. The incredible seamless transitions between the Storybrooke story and the Enchanted Forest story are amazing. I loved the way Snow is rescued by the seven dwarves (Poor Stealthy! Candle in the wind!) - rescued not because she is weak and helpless, but because she is heartbroken and alone. Who among us cannot relate to that?
Other points of discussion:
When David and Katherine are talking in their bedroom and Katherine asks him, "Will you give us our best shot?" I thought that was a nice callback to the earliest episodes with Charming and Snow wanting to give Emma her best shot at escaping the curse, and Emma giving up Henry so he could have his best shot at a good life.
OKAY. The Mystery Man/Stranger/Writer. So it's a typewriter tucked away in his mysterious box. Interesting! Many guessed after last week that he might be Henry's real father. After this week's revelation, I'm seeing theories ranging from he is the writer of Henry's book to he is a Grimm descendant to he is Baelfire (Rumpelstiltskin's son) or even the Queen's son (some have pointed out Regina never got a good look at his face). Some still maintain that he is the Big Bad Wolf (he asked for directions to a place to stay - GRANNY'S INN - when he first arrived ...).
Names: One interesting note is that Emma didn't ask him what his name is as a preliminary question in her investigation of him. I find this interesting because, correct me if I'm wrong, we don't know James's real name either, right? I mean, the name given him by his peasant parents. We don't yet know Mystery Man's name. Rumpel's fixation on names. The weight of the character names in Storybrooke (Mary Margaret Blanchard - blanche = white; Regina = Queen; Dr. Hopper is Jiminy Cricket; and so on) continues to be, on a literary level, one of my favorite aspects of the show.
So we end this episode with Snow drinking the forget-my-love potion in the Enchanted Forest and David and Mary Margaret kissing like idiots in the broad daylight of Main Street (while Regina glares from her car. OF COURSE. Creeper.)
My only mild critique of this episode is that the doves = lifetime true love was a little bit heavy-handed for me. I enjoy some subtlety when it comes to literary devices, particularly symbols, so I rolled my eyes a bit at that. But I love this episode so much, I'll forgive it.
So, oh so many questions abound.
We know from the pilot that Snow still ends up in a glass coffin, awakened by True Love's kiss, saying "You found me." How does she go from blissful forgetfulness in the dwarves' cabin to dead in the coffin?
We still know nothing about what she did to Evil Queen.
We don't know how it is that James cancelled the wedding and escaped without the King killing him.
And of course Mystery Man.
Oh, the delicious anticipation of Story. LOVE IT.
ALSO: how gorgeous is Red Riding Hood without the hooker make-up that Ruby insists on wearing?!
Thoughts? I know you have them! How do YOU feel about David and Mary Margaret? Adultery or destined to be? Who do YOU think the Mystery Man could be? Tell me all your thoughts and theories!
