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Anyone else pick up on the significance of Cruella’s last name? I’m not talking about her fairytale name, but about her married name. She went by Cruella Feinberg in A Land Without Magic. Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis said in an interview that one of the keywords for 4B would be Feinberg.
What are three words/things that are mysterious now, but won’t be once Once Upon a Time returns this March? — OnceStorybrooke
I took your ingenious question straight to the OUAT bosses and the answer is… interesting. “Voice, Feinberg and eggs” executive producer Edward Kitsis says. “Take that, Once people!” Any guesses as to what the heck that means? The comments section is yours for the taking.It turns out that potentially, the surname has a lot of meaning. Joel Feinberg was a philosopher at the University of Michigan. His critique of psychological egoism could pertain to the various characters’ pursuit of their happy endings. According to Wikipedia, Joel Feinberg argued, “The only way to achieve happiness is to forget about it.” Feinberg’s view can be contrasted with that of psychological egoists who “hold that all human endeavor, even that which achieves happiness, is geared towards happiness.”
“Feinberg poses a thought experiment in which a character named Jones is apathetic about all but the pursuit of his own happiness. Because he has no means to achieve that end, however, “t takes little imagination […] to see that Jones’s one desire is bound to be frustrated.” To pursue only happiness, then, is to fail utterly to achieve it.
With all of this unceasing chatter about villains getting their happy endings, it seems like they’re bound to fail to achieve happiness precisely because they have made it their end goal. If instead, the villains were simply to see that “life is made up of moments” as David told Emma in 3×11, then they might actually learn to stop and enjoy the present. It seems the secret to happiness, according to Snow and David, is being able to enjoy the moment. David and Snow have lost just as many people they loved and cared about (i.e. their parents and their daughter for a time) and yet still found a way to make a fresh beginning with each other.
By contrast, Rumple and Regina are simply going about getting their happy endings the wrong way. Regina and Rumple are making themselves unhappy by constantly wanting someone (Robin) or something (unlimited power) that is out of reach, and thereby missing the very people in front of them, Henry and Belle, respectively. If, however, Regina were simply to be content with being a mother to Henry, she might actually achieve inner peace instead of constantly worrying about Robin. If Rumple were simply to let go of his ambition to have everything, he might learn to enjoy being a husband to Belle, and potentially, start a family with her.
According to Joel Feinberg, the characters who make happiness their end goal are bound to miss out on it. Who wants a happy ending when you can have a happy now? Endings are sad, but the present is here in the moment. Here’s hoping Regina, Rumple and the rest can learn not to make their happy endings their all-consuming goal, but rather, simply learn to “let it go” for their own sakes.
[adrotate group="5"]"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
Anyone else pick up on the significance of Cruella’s last name? I’m not talking about her fairytale name, but about her married name. She went by Cruella Feinberg in A Land Without Magic. Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis said in an interview that one of the keywords for 4B would be Feinberg.
What are three words/things that are mysterious now, but won’t be once Once Upon a Time returns this March? — OnceStorybrooke I took your ingenious question straight to the OUAT bosses and the answer is… interesting. “Voice, Feinberg and eggs” executive producer Edward Kitsis says. “Take that, Once people!” Any guesses as to what the heck that means? The comments section is yours for the taking.
It turns out that potentially, the surname has a lot of meaning. Joel Feinberg was a philosopher at the University of Michigan. His critique of psychological egoism could pertain to the various characters’ pursuit of their happy endings. According to Wikipedia, Joel Feinberg argued, “The only way to achieve happiness is to forget about it.” Feinberg’s view can be contrasted with that of psychological egoists who “hold that all human endeavor, even that which achieves happiness, is geared towards happiness.”
“Feinberg poses a thought experiment in which a character named Jones is apathetic about all but the pursuit of his own happiness. Because he has no means to achieve that end, however, “t takes little imagination […] to see that Jones’s one desire is bound to be frustrated.” To pursue only happiness, then, is to fail utterly to achieve it.
With all of this unceasing chatter about villains getting their happy endings, it seems like they’re bound to fail to achieve happiness precisely because they have made it their end goal. If instead, the villains were simply to see that “life is made up of moments” as David told Emma in 3×11, then they might actually learn to stop and enjoy the present. It seems the secret to happiness, according to Snow and David, is being able to enjoy the moment. David and Snow have lost just as many people they loved and cared about (i.e. their parents and their daughter for a time) and yet still found a way to make a fresh beginning with each other. By contrast, Rumple and Regina are simply going about getting their happy endings the wrong way. Regina and Rumple are making themselves unhappy by constantly wanting someone (Robin) or something (unlimited power) that is out of reach, and thereby missing the very people in front of them, Henry and Belle, respectively. If, however, Regina were simply to be content with being a mother to Henry, she might actually achieve inner peace instead of constantly worrying about Robin. If Rumple were simply to let go of his ambition to have everything, he might learn to enjoy being a husband to Belle, and potentially, start a family with her. According to Joel Feinberg, the characters who make happiness their end goal are bound to miss out on it. Who wants a happy ending when you can have a happy now? Endings are sad, but the present is here in the moment. Here’s hoping Regina, Rumple and the rest can learn not to make their happy endings their all-consuming goal, but rather, simply learn to “let it go” for their own sakes.
Very insightful!
Twitter - @Milkglass123
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