I'm running a bit late on this, but it is Tuesday, so let's discuss "An Apple Red as Blood," shall we?
I don't know if it's because I'm muy muy distracted with All The Things of moving (I feel like I've lived an entire lifetime on the phone with various utilities companies today alone) or what, but I just wasn't feeeeeling it this week with this show.
I mean, it' s the penultimate episode, and I guess I was expecting more tension, more snap-crackle-and-pop, more something. It just felt a little flat for me. Maybe I'm just grumpy. (Grumpy. Hee.) I'll be honest - when the fairy attack commenced on the castle and the boobalicious fairies were throwing their fairy bombs, I sort of narrowed my eyes and growled I am in no mood for this, Show!
Even still, there were a few important matters to note:
The Mary Margaret scolding Emma moment was Mom and Daughter fantastic! LOVED that scene. I can see both sides to that argument, too. Poor Henry.
I'm disappointed in August bailing on all hope of convincing Emma. He barely tried.
(Sidebar: Honestly, if there is one big critique I have of this season, it's that it all feels so hurried. You know? It's hard to muster any sympathy for Regina's loss of Daniel because we barely knew him. He was on our screen for less than 20 minutes. Same with her relationship with her father. If they could have developed that more, I think we would feel much more profoundly the depths to which she plummeted to exact her revenge on Snow. The August thing. Rumpel's relationship with his son. There are just so many instances where stories were hurried and we haven't had a chance to really develop connections with what is playing out.)
I enjoyed Jefferson stepping back in to this episode. The funny thing is, I don't mind most of the CGI and magic-y stuff on this show. I completely buy that he could stick his hand through the portal to grab the poison apple. Why not? Works for me. But that fairy business - it just grates.
Finally, we see how and why Snow ended up in the glass coffin in the first episode. I'm thankful for that resolution.
I will say one consistent theme throughout the entire season is the complicated and seemingly inextricable relationship between love and sacrifice. In nearly every storyline (and many of the backstories of the Enchanted Forest characters, too) we see elements of sacrifice and what we will do for the ones we love. I think they have done a great job of exploring and developing that theme. I have to give them that.
So of course Henry eats the poisoned turnover. And now we'll see in next week's finale if it is a kiss from his mother who truly loves him that awakens him or perhaps Emma will fulfill her destiny and break the curse, thus awakening Henry. We'll see.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on An Apple Red as Blood as well as any theories on where you think they might take the show for Season 2!
