Once Upon A Time - Season 2 Thread

[Mr. Adventure]

I love the *idea* of this show but I haven't been sold on the execution as of yet. I wish visually it looked less like Wisteria Lane but I could deal with that. I just haven't been able to really gel with the characters and storylines. When I'm watching it I always feel like I'm watching a show I don't really get lost in it.

I'd probably say the same thing about Warehouse 13, another show where I like the ideas enough that I really *want* it to work for me but it just doesn't quite make that leap.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ I love Warehouse 13, too.

This was a great episode. I loved that Whale is indeed Dr Frankenstein (although the closest they came to saying so was calling him "Victor"). Nice touch to have the final sequence in B&W. Interesting that the monster is his brother, though; I wonder how that will turn out.

Regina's story was very sad. She's really trying to return to her younger self. It was a nice, ironic touch that it was the death of her fiancee that turned her evil and it may be the second death of her fiancee that saves her. Beautiful moment when she turned up at the doctor's door saying, "I used magic."

And now we have a beanstalk and a giant. Groovy.

 

[stj]

Anybody catch Hatter's quip about "off to see the wizard" during the episode?

Plus, characters are being rewritten, with redemption on hand for both Gold and Regina.

Well, we did see in season one elements for both characters that could lead to redemption, so I wouldn't call them being "rewritten".

This is truest for Gold. I expect it's because the woman is always the really villainous villain. But even he seemed to have been plotting Regina's overthrow from the beginning, via the book etc. But now we know that isn't so. (I think, haven't gotten confused on that?) From mastermind to fellow victim of Regina is arguably a character rewrite.

But Emma can tell when people lie and Emma knows Regina doesn't love Henry. Except that now she plainly does. Seems close enough to a character rewrite to me that it's hard to know what else to call it.

 

[sojourner]

But Emma can tell when people lie and Emma knows Regina doesn't love Henry.

What episode was this determined in? I don't recall it.

 

[Greg Cox]

This was a great episode. I loved that Whale is indeed Dr Frankenstein (although the closest they came to saying so was calling him "Victor").

Nah, his laboratory assistant (Ygor?) addressed him directly as "Dr. Frankenstein" at the very end . . . .

 

[stj]

But Emma can tell when people lie and Emma knows Regina doesn't love Henry.

What episode was this determined in? I don't recall it.

In the first or second episode, when Emma was still planning to leave Storybrooke, she directly asked Regina if she loved Henry. There was no character to speak to, but she immediately canceled her plans and took a room at Granny's (where she first saw Gold, who was collecting from Granny.) She clearly found it necessary to stay precisely because Regina did not love Henry. Emma's need to save Henry was her motivation for pretty much the entire season.

Speaking of motivation, wasn't the origin of Henry's book just dropped? Or did I miss a throwaway line or quick scene while in the kitchen for refills or whatever?

 

[Vendikarr]

Speaking of motivation, wasn't the origin of Henry's book just dropped? Or did I miss a throwaway line or quick scene while in the kitchen for refills or whatever?

I don't know if it was stated, but I thought August (Pinocchio) wrote the book. He came to town saying he was a writer, and he successfully added a new story to the book.

 

[Mister Fandango]

But Emma can tell when people lie and Emma knows Regina doesn't love Henry. Except that now she plainly does. Seems close enough to a character rewrite to me that it's hard to know what else to call it.

I think you're either misremembering or misunderstood something. Regina's loved Henry since the first episode.

 

[stj]

But Emma can tell when people lie and Emma knows Regina doesn't love Henry. Except that now she plainly does. Seems close enough to a character rewrite to me that it's hard to know what else to call it.

I think you're either misremembering or misunderstood something. Regina's loved Henry since the first episode.

In the first or second episode, when Emma was still planning to leave Storybrooke, she directly asked Regina if she loved Henry. There was no character to speak to, but she immediately canceled her plans and took a room at Granny's (where she first saw Gold, who was collecting from Granny.) She clearly found it necessary to stay precisely because Regina did not love Henry. Emma's need to save Henry was her motivation for pretty much the entire season.

I guess I should add that Henry needed saving only because Regina didn't love him, therefore could not be a good mother to him, despite her keeping to public standards for physical care and comfort.

Vendikarr, I thought some of the backstories were in the book but Pinocchio was a kid who couldn't realistically be expected to know the backstory. Of course, the sudden importation of realistic standards about what a character could be expected to know in-universe doesn't necessarily apply to a fantasy. That's an SF thing. So, you may be right.

 

[Agent Richard07]

Horhay Garcia is going to be in next week's episode. He's pretty close with Lana Parrilla, so I was wondering if and when he'd show up.

I love the *idea* of this show but I haven't been sold on the execution as of yet. I wish visually it looked less like Wisteria Lane but I could deal with that. I just haven't been able to really gel with the characters and storylines. When I'm watching it I always feel like I'm watching a show I don't really get lost in it.

I feel the same way.

 

[Vendikarr]

Vendikarr, I thought some of the backstories were in the book but Pinocchio was a kid who couldn't realistically be expected to know the backstory. Of course, the sudden importation of realistic standards about what a character could be expected to know in-universe doesn't necessarily apply to a fantasy. That's an SF thing. So, you may be right.

The only other logical option is that the book was a construct of Mr. Gold, as part of his long term plan to have Emma break the curse. Someone had to get her to Storybrook, and who better than her son.

 

[RJDiogenes]

This was a great episode. I loved that Whale is indeed Dr Frankenstein (although the closest they came to saying so was calling him "Victor").

Nah, his laboratory assistant (Ygor?) addressed him directly as "Dr. Frankenstein" at the very end . . . .

No kidding? That got by me. I'll have to check it out.

 

[sojourner]

Season 3: Luke, Han, and Leia. Turns out Mr. Gold was really Vader.

 

[Greg Cox]

Season 3: Luke, Han, and Leia. Turns out Mr. Gold was really Vader.

Well, he was trying to convert his apprentice to the dark side . . . .

"I sense a great disturbance in Fairyland, as though millions of storybook characters cried out in anguish."

"Yeah, that's the Curse."

 

[Snick27]

“Once Upon A Time” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Leaping over its lead-in by 162% in Adults 18-49 and building from start to finish, ABC’s “Once Upon A Time” registered as Sunday’s top-rated scripted broadcast series for the 5th week in a row. “Once Upon a Time” beat out its non-sports competition from 8:00-9:00 p.m., drawing a larger overall audience than “Amazing Race XXI” (+4% - 9.8 million vs. 9.4 million) and beating the CBS unscripted series by a resounding 36% in Adults 18-49 (3.4/8 vs. 2.5/6). The Disney-owned drama once again finished No. 1 straight out in its hour across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54) and Teens 12-17. In fact, it was the No. 1 TV program of the night with Women 18-49.

• Season to date in the L+7 ratings, “Once Upon a Time” jumps by 3.0 million viewers and by 1.3 Adult 18-49 rating points (+37%) over its initially-reported Live + Same Day ratings.

• Building for the 2nd week in a row, ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” grew week to week in Adults 18-49 (+3%) and Adults 18-34 (+33%) to equal best-since-season-premiere numbers – since 9/30/12.

 

[Snick27]

So do i have this straight here:


Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold was a coward and about to lose his child to the war with the Ogres. Enter the Dark One Zoso whom wants to die so he tricks Rumpy into killing him, thus freeing himself and giving his curse/powers to Rumpy.

From what ive gathered so far that during this time till Baelfire was lost, there was no other magic in this realm. Well except Fairy magic.

Now once Baelfire was sucked into that portal, Rumpy had to find a way there. Now guessing his only way to do this was find a bean. Guessing some reason he couldnt find one and Mad Hatter couldnt find a way here either.

So he then came up with the curse but realized it would be better for someone else to open the curse. So he found Cora and gave her a book of magic, which besides Fairys means that she is the only one besides him that can handle magic.

But seeing how Cora wasnt on the right path for Rumpy or some reason wasnt following his desired plan, he used Regina to get rid of her and used the events in her life to get her to where she would unleash the curse.

Guessing at the same time he also gave powers to Maleficent for unknown reasons. Again maybe as a fall back plan.

Now once curse is hit and all transported to Storybrooke, Rumpy had to wait till timeing was right for Emma to finally come there.
Guessing he wrote the story book to get things started cause his whole plan was to get to our realm so he could go get his son, but still needs his power cause hey he is a coward.

So other words this was a plan from the start for Rumpy to gather power, and help from others to find a way here.

 

[Mister Fandango]

I guess I should add that Henry needed saving only because Regina didn't love him, therefore could not be a good mother to him, despite her keeping to public standards for physical care and comfort.

Like I said, you were misremembering or misunderstanding something. The only reason she let Regina take Henry was because she did believe her when she said she loved him. Otherwise there was no way in Hell she was going to let Regina be his guardian. She still recognized that Regina was an evil bitch and wanted to get Henry away from her, but she didn't suspect that Regina would try to harm him in anyway because of that belief.

 

[JD]

Yeah, Regina has always loved Henry. I don't think that has ever been disputed.

 

[DigificWriter]

Regina claimed she loved Henry, but the show did sort of subtly play up the question of whether or not that claim was in fact accurate before revealing in A Land without Magic that it in fact was, at least to a degree.

 

[sojourner]

Henry is the embodiment of her remaining capacity to love after the death of her father.