Home › Forums › Once Upon a Time › Character discussion › Henry’s maturity › Re: Henry’s maturity
@Josephine wrote:
Henry’s actually not too far off from where a normal kid his age is at. He just lives under supernatural circumstances.
I think he’s best described by a combination of the two quotes above. He has shown remarkable bravery and maturity in some events because he’s had to respond to remarkable challenges (where I might have just frozen up, sat in the corner and cried when I was 10!). Also, when we talk about him lying or running away, we need to remember that his mother was the Evil Queen! Unlike most kids, Henry was in a situation in the first season in which opposing his mother really was the right thing to do. But I like the fact that doesn’t mean they have written him as a 40-year-old in a kid suit. Because he’s more mature than average for his age, that means he can have a more mature response SOME TIMES – but it doesn’t guarantee it will happen ALL the time. The inconsistencies are what make the character more real and more interesting. Like Josephine, I’ve seen 12 year olds that were a lot more mature than many adults when dealing with some issues, but were still kids and were clueless about other issues. They still needed support and guidance.
We saw an early example of this way back in the first season. I think it was the third episode (“Snow Falls”). Henry had shown a lot of courage and maturity in bringing Emma to town and in making plans to break the curse. When Emma expresses doubt that Regina will fall for Henry’s lie about being at the arcade instead of with Emma, he says “She wants to believe it, so she does” and Emma replies “Imagine that!” with an ironic tone in her voice that clearly refers to Henry’s need to believe in the curse, but the comment goes right over his head – he clearly takes her reaction literally. I liked that scene when I saw it because it was the first clue I had that the writers were not going to fall into the TV trap of making the kid too precocious and always putting adult lines in his mouth.