Late to the party. I thought this episode was overall quite good, with some meaty, open-ended themes. One of the things I used to love about OUAT is that it made me think, and not just entertained me. This hasn’t been the case for some time, but the last few episodes open up some really interesting questions.
Liked:
So, EdR is so amazing. I forgot how good she is — if only the show made actual use of her talent.
I normally dislike flashbacks, but this one brought up some interesting themes. Like, to what extent were the Ogre wars a kind of colonial/expansionist conflict? Sounds like the humans were encroaching on Ogre territory, and got more push back than they bargained for. And then, when there is essentially a case of martial law — that normal life is suspended in favor of the war effort — how does this change the micro-ethics of everyday life? Like, say, what does it mean for Belle’s father to offer his daughter in marriage to cement a political alliance to a guy that clearly has a manipulative, sadistic streak (or to be “blind” to it, despite the evidence). And what does it mean for Belle to accept? Also, it makes me wonder how this recasts Belle’s decision to go with Rumple in Skin Deep.
Rumple/Belle dynamic. This is pretty good writing, overall. There are both external and internal conflicts, and neither character is “de-fanged.” There is a kind of opposition between them, which doesn’t resolve into hand-wringing drama llama. It’s almost… *gasp* … a believable depiction of what that sort of relationship might be?
Hades’ coat is amazing. Also, I do enjoy Hades — so far, he makes for a really interesting villain, especially because he manages to walk the line between charming and actually threatening. That scene where he offered Belle a deal actually made me a bit anxious, and OUAT hasn’t managed that since S3.
Mixed:
The whole sub-quest with Emma, the prophetic dream, and the running about in the woods was OUAT-as-usual, as far as things go these days, but good grief does it pale in comparison to actually competent writing where the writing team isn’t just trying to cram too much plot into too little space, and allows itself to explore some more complicated themes. I know that this isn’t something everyone’s probably interested in sitting with, but for me, this is what makes this show more than just something I keep watching out of sheer spite for having invested too much time into it. I guess my biggest gripe is with Emma — that whole revelation “Oh no, I think I might have failed everyone and am feeling anxious about it” felt both forced and asinine. At the moment, Emma is written as if she has the emotional complexity of potato salad.
Dislike:
Hades’ blue hair. It’s distracting. Also, the fact that he always opens his mouth when the hair goes aflame makes me wonder whether the gas stove effect is somehow linked to him having to pop his ears.
I have no use for Hook’s snark. Why do they insist on giving him these ridiculously petulant lines? I’d be OK with Henry saying them — he’s a teenager, this is exactly the sort of dialogue one might expect. But Hook?
Confused:
Hades. The wilting flowers. The Gaston vs Rumple thing. The original thing with why he wanted Regina gone. Pretty much everything having to do with Hades’ motivations.
Suspicions:
I have a very bad feeling about Hades/Zelena. I think this is a red herring. But maybe OUAT has just made me paranoid.