Emma is OOC & Regina is still hiding something?

[riddleraven]

Hi everyone! I sent this our podcasters yesterday before the live show and I think Jeremy summarized it in the episode. But Daniel asked me to post it so I shall. After all, some of you may still have some comments on these issues…

I am extremely angry and disappointed with this episode. Am I the only one? This episode (at least the Storybrooke parts) doesn’t make ANY SENSE.

#1 major issue — Emma is OUT OF CHARACTER

A) WHY/HOW could a character like Emma who has previously and RECENTLY been proven to have morals break the law and make such a fool of herself the way she did in this episode? She is not the same person from the election episode who wouldn’t lie about the fire–even when she thought she risked disappointing Henry by telling the truth! I know they kind of tried to explain why she acted differently this time but I don’t buy it at all. Even Sydney was surprised when she suddenly agreed to help him. Jeeeeeez. She went too far for no good reason that I can see. I feel like any reasons for her actions are just excuses.

B) And what happened to Emma’s superpower, huh? She told Henry AND Hansel and Gretel that she can tell when people are lying. I know it’s not a real superpower (probably) but that claim was based on something and I feel like it was an established part of her character since it came up twice. So I don’t like that she didn’t seem to have it in this episode.

#2 major issue) Regina’s playground

Emma had the blueprints and an idea of what they meant. I don’t understand why she didn’t just look at the blueprints and see the dimensions of them. (Maybe all she found was a picture, not the actual blueprints?) Or question whether Regina would actually build “a lavish home in the woods” with stolen money and expect to get away with it. Personally, I don’t think Regina would do that. She’s too careful. Emma should’ve known that too. Also, if Regina had enough money to build a “lavish home in the woods” I think she would have enough not to have to steal $50k just for the land, which–by the way–is the FIRST thing she should’ve bought. So if she really didn’t have enough for her house she probably would’ve stolen more money than that, right?

So Emma looked like an idiot. Regina ruled the counsel room. But it’s completely stupid! Emma should have still fought back. Does she really give up/shut up so easily when she’s embarrassed? In the forums Nonnie has a post about Malfeasance and I really think that’s right. Emma or SOMEONE REALLY should have called her out on the way she did everything–destroying the old playground, building a new one, and paying with town funds–all without consulting any one else. Mayor’s are not supposed to do whatever they want like that.

I guess it shows how much power Regina does have–but Emma still should have objected because she comes from the real world where that’s not okay. There’s also the fact that that playground does NOT look safe. So how could Regina criticize the old playground on that basis? Emma should’ve fired back with that.

And there’s also the fact that Regina seems to have bought way more land than she needed to. I don’t think it should cost $50k for the small amount of acreage needed for a playground. (Here’s an idea, maybe she has other plans for the rest of the land? If she does, that added dimension to this episode’s plot consoles me a bit.)

Finally… How is that playground already built? Good grief, Regina JUST bought the land. I really don’t think Mr. Gold would have let her start building on his land before he got paid for it. So I think that was probably a mistake in the script. Like, it was supposed to seem like a time warp to after it was built, but the conversation between Emma and Henry makes it seem like it’s directly after the counsel meeting. So it probably a mistake. But it’s still another thing that doesn’t make sense…

GAH!

But I did like the rest of the episode. I thought the Once-Befores were FANTASTIC. (But how creepy is Regina + Sydney really? Blech.)

[obisgirl]

The only thing I can say about why Emma so readily agreed to help Sidney is that Emma was so blinded by getting back at Regina that she didn’t see through his lies. (But she wasn’t the only one fooled, everyone in on that counsel meeting immediately approved once Regina revealed that she was building a playground for the kids. What a wishy-washy bunch!)

You make a good point about the building of the playground. It makes no sense that it would be built that quickly and bypassing all safety procedures…Emma should have had her arrested for that. Not to mention at the beginning of the episode, Regina chastised her for allowing Henry to play at the playground castle while it was in disrepair because of the storm.

It is very curious that Regina would need that much land just to build a tiny playground out in the woods, of all places.

[Jeremy Laughlin]

Thanks for posting, Riddleraven! I did summarize some problems with the episode, but I felt bad that by that point I couldn’t remember who had said what so that I could give credit. Sorry! 🙂

We didn’t get to talk about Emma’s behavior. I was thinking we would read your message in the show and it would jog my memory of what I wanted to talk about. Emma is, by and large, a moral character, but I get the feeling her morals are a tad wishy-washy. Like you said, I think they were trying to explain her behavior by talking about love making people do stupid things. At least her actions had some very real consequences. As Regina pointed out, Emma has lost the moral “high road.”

[Wild crackpot rabbit trail: what if Emma has to kill Rumpelstiltskin to protect Henry and becomes the Dark One? :P]

As far as the “super power” is concerned, they also mentioned love blinding people to the truth. Then again I have to wonder if maybe she actually did figure out at some point that she was being deceived and is just playing along for now.

I love your idea that she may want the rest of the land for something!

[riddleraven]

It’s cool! I listen to so many once podcasts and stuff that I forget where I heard or read things too. Annnd it turns out you guys made some of the same comments in your podcast on this episode already. I even think Dan talked about the dimensions thing already.

Yes… I think you have a point about Emma being wishy-washy. We have seen a little bit of that so far and I guess it’s not to late to establish that too as part of her character. But! But! I want her to be strong and good and mature! I want her to be The Savior! But I guess she can’t be right away, right? *sigh~* By the end of the show I’m sure she will be. She will grow. If she’s the kind of person that learns from her mistakes.

Okay, her depressed “we saw this all along, we were just blinded to the truth” comment may be be exactly what happened but I still don’t think it’s a good excuse. I’m not happy with her. She wasn’t “blinded” she just had her eyes shut! But circling back to the consequences thing–now that it’s ended so badly I think she has opened her eyes. Or WILL. So now she may realize what Sydney’s up to.

It occurs to me that Henry might know Sydney could never betray Regina, either from what he’s known of the guy’s relationship with his mom all his life or what he read in the book. But now he can’t tell Emma! So I do hope she’ll figure it out herself soon, if she hasn’t already.

@phlegon wrote:

[Wild crackpot rabbit trail: what if Emma has to kill Rumpelstiltskin to protect Henry and becomes the Dark One? :P]

Mmm. That would be REALLY interesting. I know Rumps would enjoy the irony (that she did exactly what he did to the other dark one, for basically the same reason) even as he took his last breath. And croak out a warning that ‘history always repeats and the same thing will happen to her one day…’ And then chuckle? lol. But that probably won’t happen on this show. I think we’ll get our happy ending with a broken curse and Emma-the-savior. This kind of idea is fanfiction gold though. Somebody write it!

[hjbau]

Usually Emma is the more moral of the characters on this show. She is always telling Mary to do the right thing. Telling Hansel and Gretel’s father to step up. Speaking against Gold. She did seem to have her eyes shut in this episode, but people made mistakes and she knows she did the wrong thing. And she did at first want to do the right thing and was talked into it. That doesn’t make it better, it almost makes it worse, but at least they usually have her speak to what the right thing to do is.

[obisgirl]

@Riddleraven wrote:

It occurs to me that Henry might know Sydney could never betray Regina, either from what he’s known of the guy’s relationship with his mom all his life or what he read in the book. But now he can’t tell Emma! So I do hope she’ll figure it out herself soon, if she hasn’t already.

Why wouldn’t Henry tell Emma if he thought that Sidney was double-crossing Emma?

[riddleraven]

Well, that’s right. They still have those walk-talkies, don’t they? (At least until Regina takes Henry’s away) I forgot about those. I was just thinking about the fact that Emma has to stay away from Henry for now.

[obisgirl]

I wasn’t thinking about the walkie-talkies, but yeah.

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