Once Upon a Time 3x11 Thoughts
Dec. 21st, 2013 09:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaGoing Home
Excellent episode! I loved it. It's actually a little weird because I feel like this mid-season finale could actually work as a very good series finale.
• Regina giving Emma and Henry a happy ending was amazing and perfect for a number of reasons.
On the Regina's side - holy character growth! Choosing to give up Henry was one thing but this was her basically giving him to Emma. Giving Emma all those moments with Henry that had only been hers because that was the best thing for Henry. Beautiful.
On the Emma side - I love how it ends up tying back to that short Emma/Snow scene at Gold's shop and their shared regrets about not getting to raise their children. Now the woman who caused it for both of them has given that back to Emma. And Emma trusts Regina enough to let her do so.
• We got both our show’s main villains forced to confront their fears and then act completely selflessly to save everyone. It was amazing. Rumpelstiltskin kills Peter Pan and himself and it was kind of heartbreaking. Then Regina decides to break the Curse. She has to take a moment to deal with the cost but she accepts it and does it which was also rather heartbreaking.
• I very much doubt that Rumpelstiltskin is actually dead.
• I loved the fast forward with Emma and Henry in their new life. Also their apartment was gorgeous.
• I do wish they'd established more why Rumpelstiltskin had to die in order for Peter Pan to. In Neverland Peter might have been invulnerable while his hourglass was filled but now he's in Storybrooke and his stolen heart is back in Henry - so why couldn't he just be killed with magic?
• I also wish that Pan had been given a bit more - depth of feeling. That is as far as villains on this show go I think he's probably the most clearly 'evil' one. He cares only for himself and is willing to do whatever it takes to protect himself. Even Cora loved Regina and so her death had a lot more resonance. If Pan had actually cared about Rumpelstiltskin, and/or Neal and Henry, but had still gone through with his plan it would have made it even more emotional and affecting when Rumpelstiltskin is forced to kill him.
• I'm sad Pan is dead (and I think with him it's permanent) because he was a fabulous villain and Robbie Kay did an amazing, creepy job with him.
• Why wasn’t Pan able to get free from Rumpel’s arms? Eh, I’ll just handwave it as Rumpel having his shadow back, something, something.
• It really bothered me that after Rumpelstiltskin’s death no one went to Belle or Neal. Well, Emma eventually went to Neal’s side and touched his arm but if there was ever a time a hug was needed this was it! It was even more bizarre that everyone pretty much ignored poor sobbing Belle. Especially since the first thing anyone ends up saying is Snow's "Regina are you okay?" Um, sobbing, on the ground, just watched her love die -- maybe some comfort and concern directed that way? I feel like this is where we're really feeling the loss of Ruby because if she was still around that's totally what she would be doing.
• I loved that Snow came forward and kissed Emma on the forehead goodbye right at the end. It was a really lovely moment and the fact that they didn't actually say anything was perfect. But why exactly didn't Charming go forward too? That didn't make sense. I'm going to blame it on the weird directing this ep.
• “I like the unicorns.” – Emma. So do I.
• I liked having a series of unconnected flashbacks this episode.
• Are the writers picking a side in the triangle of Neal/Emma/Hook? Because I was feeling a lot of Hook/Emma support at the end. Neal gets a hug, sure but Hook gets:
"There isn't a day that won't go by that I won't think of you." - Hook
"Good." - Emma.
(They smile at each other.)
- And then of course at the end it's Hook who finds Emma again in New York not Neal.
- Also: Hook tries to kiss Emma to bring back her memories, apparently not having got the memo that it never works. However that does put him in the same group as the two end-game couples that have tried that as well (Charming/Snow, Rumpelstiltskin/Belle) so, good sign for the future?
- Plus it's interesting that in the last shot back at everyone in Storeybrooke we see Regina, Snow, Charming and Hook, not Neal.
• I loved this line: "Love can mean many things, Felix. It doesn't just come from romance, or family. It can also come from loyalty. Friendship." We get so much about True Love and parental love on this show I love it explicitly acknowledging the power for friendship as well.
I can’t wait till 3x12.
Excellent episode! I loved it. It's actually a little weird because I feel like this mid-season finale could actually work as a very good series finale.
• Regina giving Emma and Henry a happy ending was amazing and perfect for a number of reasons.
On the Regina's side - holy character growth! Choosing to give up Henry was one thing but this was her basically giving him to Emma. Giving Emma all those moments with Henry that had only been hers because that was the best thing for Henry. Beautiful.
On the Emma side - I love how it ends up tying back to that short Emma/Snow scene at Gold's shop and their shared regrets about not getting to raise their children. Now the woman who caused it for both of them has given that back to Emma. And Emma trusts Regina enough to let her do so.
• We got both our show’s main villains forced to confront their fears and then act completely selflessly to save everyone. It was amazing. Rumpelstiltskin kills Peter Pan and himself and it was kind of heartbreaking. Then Regina decides to break the Curse. She has to take a moment to deal with the cost but she accepts it and does it which was also rather heartbreaking.
• I very much doubt that Rumpelstiltskin is actually dead.
• I loved the fast forward with Emma and Henry in their new life. Also their apartment was gorgeous.
• I do wish they'd established more why Rumpelstiltskin had to die in order for Peter Pan to. In Neverland Peter might have been invulnerable while his hourglass was filled but now he's in Storybrooke and his stolen heart is back in Henry - so why couldn't he just be killed with magic?
• I also wish that Pan had been given a bit more - depth of feeling. That is as far as villains on this show go I think he's probably the most clearly 'evil' one. He cares only for himself and is willing to do whatever it takes to protect himself. Even Cora loved Regina and so her death had a lot more resonance. If Pan had actually cared about Rumpelstiltskin, and/or Neal and Henry, but had still gone through with his plan it would have made it even more emotional and affecting when Rumpelstiltskin is forced to kill him.
• I'm sad Pan is dead (and I think with him it's permanent) because he was a fabulous villain and Robbie Kay did an amazing, creepy job with him.
• Why wasn’t Pan able to get free from Rumpel’s arms? Eh, I’ll just handwave it as Rumpel having his shadow back, something, something.
• It really bothered me that after Rumpelstiltskin’s death no one went to Belle or Neal. Well, Emma eventually went to Neal’s side and touched his arm but if there was ever a time a hug was needed this was it! It was even more bizarre that everyone pretty much ignored poor sobbing Belle. Especially since the first thing anyone ends up saying is Snow's "Regina are you okay?" Um, sobbing, on the ground, just watched her love die -- maybe some comfort and concern directed that way? I feel like this is where we're really feeling the loss of Ruby because if she was still around that's totally what she would be doing.
• I loved that Snow came forward and kissed Emma on the forehead goodbye right at the end. It was a really lovely moment and the fact that they didn't actually say anything was perfect. But why exactly didn't Charming go forward too? That didn't make sense. I'm going to blame it on the weird directing this ep.
• “I like the unicorns.” – Emma. So do I.
• I liked having a series of unconnected flashbacks this episode.
• Are the writers picking a side in the triangle of Neal/Emma/Hook? Because I was feeling a lot of Hook/Emma support at the end. Neal gets a hug, sure but Hook gets:
"There isn't a day that won't go by that I won't think of you." - Hook
"Good." - Emma.
(They smile at each other.)
- And then of course at the end it's Hook who finds Emma again in New York not Neal.
- Also: Hook tries to kiss Emma to bring back her memories, apparently not having got the memo that it never works. However that does put him in the same group as the two end-game couples that have tried that as well (Charming/Snow, Rumpelstiltskin/Belle) so, good sign for the future?
- Plus it's interesting that in the last shot back at everyone in Storeybrooke we see Regina, Snow, Charming and Hook, not Neal.
• I loved this line: "Love can mean many things, Felix. It doesn't just come from romance, or family. It can also come from loyalty. Friendship." We get so much about True Love and parental love on this show I love it explicitly acknowledging the power for friendship as well.
I can’t wait till 3x12.
