@Elle wrote:
I do understand that, Lil’red. But just because he has shown to be sympathetic to her, does not mean he suddenly trusts her. He wanted her spared, I think, because he does believe her when she told him that she loved him, but he still is wary. He saw her almost killed his grandfather in front of him, and then she forced him to come with her or see his friends all killed. She says sorry afterwards, but it could be that he still fears that she could suddenly change.
I agree. All the characters are growing more complex, including Henry. He certainly doesn’t want her hurt, as we saw in “Broken” because “She’s still my mom.” Despite all she has done, Henry has a lifetime of experience with her. At the same time, he can’t trust her because he knows all she has done. Did you notice the look on his face when he entered the crypt and gazed at the name “Henry Mills” on the coffin of Henry The Elder before he saw the tracks? It made me wonder if Henry has ever worried, even just subconsciously, that a woman who could kill her father might also be capable of killing her son. I think we’ve seen enough to know that Regina would never do that, but the thought must have crossed Henry’s mind at some time, especially before the curse was broken. If nothing else, the coffin was a reminder of the things Regina has done.
Despite all that, I agree that Henry is fundamentally good and he needs to keep the moral high ground. I hope we get to see a scene in a future episode where he apologizes to Regina for how he hurt her by lying to her. It would be a chance to highlight the conflict he is trying to deal with in not wanting to hurt her but also not being able to trust her. After all, since he couldn’t trust Regina, he had to lie to her to help Snow and Emma. Such a conversation between Regina and Henry could help both characters grow. If Regina truly wants to earn Henry’s trust, it’s going to take a long time and involve actions, not just words.