Henry … Just a Kid?

[Twice Upon A Time]

Henry since before he was even as thought was the driving force of so many characters. While we sometimes criticize Jared Gilmore for not being able to act alongside his adult costars we never realize that without Henry, Once would not exist he plays a vital role in all the characters lives

•Emma

This one goes without saying Henry was the first family Emma had ever experienced, while some would say Neal even though I ship Swanfire I think they never got to expierence being a family because of the events that transpired with August. Also Henry was the first person after Neal that started to tear down Emma’s walls.

•Regina

Henry is Regina’s moral compass. We doubt Regina’s parenting choices but never her love for him he is the one thing in her life that she has not messed up with. Basically Henry is to Regina as Belle is to our favorite malvolent imp

•Nealfire

To Neal Henry was his chance to prove his biggest fears false he wanted to prove to himself that he was not his father But unfortunatly for Neal he lost the beginning of his life. Also Henry is the one living memory of Emma he will always have even if she runs of with a one-handed pirate with a drinking problem.

•Rumple

I honestly believe Henry is Rumple’s do over Bealfire. Rumplestistikin knows that with Bae he messed up and the only way he can do right by Bae is to do right by Henry

So when Pan told Henry he was powerful this came to no suprise to me he is the one thing/person who could mend the years of anamosity between the Charmingstiskin-Mills-Jones family and that takes a huge amount of power but how powerful could he be is really the real Savior?

[RumplesGirl]

Screwball has a new mini essay about this topic if you’re interested.

Personally, I thin Henry has at least a small bit of magic in him, biologically from Emma and also from growing up in an environment that was essentially magical in that he was living in a magical frozen bubble with a woman who could control magical objects but not create new magic.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[kfchimera]

Screwball….it’s funny how often she’s on the same parallel train of thought, but then again we all react to the same show, and she does take in prompts.

It is interesting how central Henry is, and it is one reason I feared they might write him out and replace him Cosby-show style Ruby for Raven with a younger cuter -less preteen like model (paging Roland) .  It ought to be a reason they wouldn’t but they shifted the paradigm in S1 by breaking the curse when it seemed like a series long frame for the show.  On LOST–lost spoiler following:  they sort of set up Walt to be big, but the actor grew a lot and his plot faded into obscurity .

 

“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?” -- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

[TheWatcher]

Somebody really needs to extend Screwball an invitation over to our forums >> sure she’d fit in. Anyway, I agree that Henry plays a very vital role for the show. Its funny because Rump foretold Emma as the savior and how she’d be this really important aspect to breaking the curse but there was no mention of Henry and how important he would be in bringing her to SB. So that’s why I think Henry is very important. I don’t believe he is the boy from the prophecy however. And I of course hr has magic! 😛 he is the prodcut of the product of True Love, raised by the Evil Queen and descendant of both Cora and Rumpel! If that kid is powerless then its a shame.

"I could have the giant duck as my steed!" --Daniel Radcliffe
Keeper Of Tamara's Taser , Jafar's Staff, Kitsis’s Glasses , Ariel’s Tail, Dopey's Hat , Peter Pan’s Shadow, Outfit, & Pied Cloak,Red Queen's Castle, White Rabbit's Power To World Hop, Zelena's BroomStick, & ALL MAGIC

[RumplesGirl]

So our conversation of Prince Charming seems to be wrapping up, so I wanted to move on to everyone’s favorite kid: Henry.

A and E have often said that ONCE is really Emma and Henry’s fairy tale and that Henry himself is the heart of the show. @KFChimera had a really good analogy awhile back that Henry was the sun in the solar system, everything and everyone revolved around him and the more important to Henry you were, the closer to the sun you got to be and the more air time you got (so Belle is probably the furthest out being less important to Henry at present, with Regina and Emma being the closet)

My opening question: do you agree with any of that? What is Henry to this story? Is he really the heart of ONCE?

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[WickedRegal]

\ My opening question: do you agree with any of that? What is Henry to this story? Is he really the heart of ONCE?

1. Well…Once Upon A Time being only Emma and Henry’s fairytale is something I definitely disagree with. I have no idea why Adam and Eddy would come out and say such a thing, as they stated in past interviews the idea for Once Upon A Time came out with the single thought, where is the one place The Evil Queen could win? So as Emma and Henry do serve vital roles, it’s not just their story, as the story began with the Evil Queen, and then Emma came into the picture as Snowing’s daughter. So in a way, I view Once Upon A Time being the fairy tale of our original season 1 core characters, which includes Regina, Snow, David, Emma, Henry, and Rumple…everyone else who came afterward and were added to the core list serve as the best supporting to the core cast! Such as Robin to Regina, Belle to Rumple, Hook to Emma, Neal to Rumple/Emma, etc.

2. I think of Henry as the tree of the show, with many branches going in many directions. As Henry is sorta the peace maker of his family, as through him, everyone is connected…well, Snow White is Regina’s step daughter, so it connects Rumple’s side to the tree. But the point is everyone is connected to this single kid. If the school had to hold a family meeting with Henry’s family…they’d have to rent out the whole gymnasium as probably half the town would show up. Thank goodness, Henry isn’t a problem child…

3. My finger is now pointed toward Adam and Eddy, as to why Henry’s relationship is the way it is with some of his family. And if you are a Rumple fan, watch out because they may just disregard his connection to Henry completely. Ask Lana Parrilla, they tried to do the same thing with Regina. Lana recently explained at Fairy Tale II how she had to fight for Regina and Henry’s relationship, as it was going to go completely different from what it is now. Lana Parrilla had to fight Adam and Eddy, and the other producers just to make sure Henry has a relationship with the mother who raised him, as Lana felt that Emma was coming to town and just taking Henry from his mother….that was a serious issue, and Adam and Eddy still got slack for their accidental anti-adoption theme. Like personally me, I feel that Emma doesn’t deserve the title mom quite yet, as they continue to neglect the fact that she was out of his life for ten years…and I personally wanted to see some type of repercussions for that. I mean Emma has taken just about illegal full custody of the boy…like none of this is making since with our world’s law, as Regina has legal full custody of Henry. I know she gave him to David, and all, but I don’t think she meant for them to keep him. Neal earned his title dad, because he never knew Henry even existed…

Interview with Lana Parrilla from Fairy Tales II- “Adopted or not…Henry is Regina’s son.”

"If you go as far as you can see...you will then see enough to go even further." - Finn Balor

[RumplesGirl]

1. Well…Once Upon A Time being only Emma and Henry’s fairytale is something I definitely disagree with. I have no idea why Adam and Eddy would come out and say such a thing, as they stated in past interviews the idea for Once Upon A Time came out with the single thought, where is the one place The Evil Queen could win?

I would say that this idea is more the original thought behind ONCE rather than it’s true heart. The show has stopped being about Regina’s need to win…about a season and a half ago. The real heart of the show, I think you make in your following point:

So in a way, I view Once Upon A Time being the fairy tale of our original season 1 core characters, which includes Regina, Snow, David, Emma, Henry, and Rumple…everyone else who came afterward and were added to the core list serve as the best supporting to the core cast! Such as Robin to Regina, Belle to Rumple, Hook to Emma, Neal to Rumple/Emma, etc.

That I agree with. The story is really one of the whole family, the CharMillStiltkins.

2. I think of Henry as the tree of the show, with many branches going in many directions. As Henry is sorta the peace maker of his family, as through him, everyone is connected…well, Snow White is Regina’s step daughter, so it connects Rumple’s side to the tree. But the point is everyone is connected to this single kid. If the school had to hold a family meeting with Henry’s family…they’d have to rent out the whole gymnasium as probably half the town would show up. Thank goodness, Henry isn’t a problem child…

Henry is the only person who could bridge that divide between the waring families. They come together because of him.

 

Like personally me, I feel that Emma doesn’t deserve the title mom quite yet, as they continue to neglect the fact that she was out of his life for ten years…and I personally wanted to see some type of repercussions for that.

What does earn you the title of mom? And can you lose that title? Regina was in his life for the first ten years, but Henry was also MISERABLE for the last year or so. And not just typical kiddy angst. Misery so palpable that he left.

I think Emma earned her title of mom when she decided to stick around that first episode. That was a big deal for her. And of course, she earned it by saving his life through true love’s kiss.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[PriceofMagic]

I think Emma earned her title of mom when she decided to stick around that first episode.

I disagree. Whilst I do think Emma earned the title of mom during the first season, I don’t think it was during that first episode. Being in close geopraphical proximity to Henry did not make Emma a mom. Trying to do what’s best for Henry, even though it broke her heart (leaving town without Henry) is what made Emma his mom.

I think what annoyed me so much about season 2 Henry (not including the idiocy that was the dynamite fiasco and the fact none of the adults admonished him for it) was how often Henry blew hot and cold towards Regina. One minute, she’s his “mom”, the next, she’s Regina. He dangled himself as a reward for her to get what he wanted, then took it away once she had done what he asked. I don’t blame Regina for feeling a little competitive towards Emma because Henry set it up that way. Regina was his mom for the first 10 years of his life, yet the moment Emma turned up in town, Regina could suddenly do no right whilst Emma could do no wrong in Henry’s eyes.Regina did some awful things, and Henry did call her out on it, but it was the fact that he was so indecisive. Henry needed to pick whether or not to spend time with Regina and stick to that decision.

Henry knew Regina cares for him because he used it against her when he phoned her up asking to meet for lunch, then stood her up so he could steal the keys to her vault. Henry was such a brat during season 2.

Emma eventually got the same treatment. When Neal turned up, Emma was suddenly out of favour and Neal was the next best thing since sliced bread. Emma didn’t like it, but it was only the briefest taste of what Regina had to put up with from Henry.

Henry is presented as innocent, but actually he can be quite the deceitful, manipulative little jerk when he puts his mind to it.

Season 3 was an improvement though he was a bit to gullible when it came to Pan, and Pan wasn’t even trying that hard. Henry went from one minute not trusting Pan to suddenly giving up his heart willingly despite his 3 parents being RIGHT THERE saying whatever you do, don’t give Pan your heart. Yet Henry did it anyway.

Henry always seems to think he knows best despite it being obvious that he doesn’t. The trying to blow up magic with dynamite was just completely idiotic, what’s even more annoying is that none of the adults ever call him out on it or do anything about it, because they’re so worried about falling out of favour and not being the favourite parent anymore. I cheered and rank it as one of my top season 3 moments when Emma turned around and told Henry that he WILL do as he was told. If only that had been done to season 2 Henry.Season 2 Henry was such a bratty character who thought he knew it all that I actually wouldn’t have minded if he’d injured himself with the dynamite.

Memoryless Henry was actually a vast improvement by far. He questioned things that didn’t make sense (Like how could Hook have taught Neal as a boy when they look around the same age) but he listened to the adults around him and it actually kept him reasonably safe. It’s only when he started doing stupid things again that he was in any danger (trying to break into Emma’s car to drive back to New York and what followed afterwards).

All magic comes with a price!

Keeper of Felix

[WickedRegal]

WickedRegal wrote:

Like personally me, I feel that Emma doesn’t deserve the title mom quite yet, as they continue to neglect the fact that she was out of his life for ten years…and I personally wanted to see some type of repercussions for that.

What does earn you the title of mom? And can you lose that title? Regina was in his life for the first ten years, but Henry was also MISERABLE for the last year or so. And not just typical kiddy angst. Misery so palpable that he left. I think Emma earned her title of mom when she decided to stick around that first episode. That was a big deal for her. And of course, she earned it by saving his life through true love’s kiss.

Yeah…I would say Henry was only miserable for about three to five months. But those ten years with Regina must have been pretty spectacular, if Rumpelstilskin himself told Regina that she did a GREAT job raising him. So Henry was really happy right up to the moment when he first got that book from Mary Margret, and that’s when things got miserable for him. But Henry and Regina were happy before that book came into the picture.

And as for being a mother…Emma’s been in his life for two years. I think when she learns everything about him, like his allergies, his likes, dislikes, is when I’ll call her his mother.

"If you go as far as you can see...you will then see enough to go even further." - Finn Balor

[RumplesGirl]

So Henry was really happy right up to the moment when he first got that book from Mary Margret, and that’s when things got miserable for him. But Henry and Regina were happy before that book came into the picture.

That’s not remotely true. Go re-watch Going Home. Henry is miserable staring at his homework, lamenting to MM that his mother doesn’t love him and that he doesn’t have a family. THEN MM gives him the book. And the book gives him hope, because that’s what Fairy Tales are supposed to be.

And as for being a mother…Emma’s been in his life for two years. I think when she learns everything about him, like his allergies, his likes, dislikes, is when I’ll call her his mother.

is that what makes a mother? And what if he doesn’t have allergies? And he know what Henry likes and doesn’t like. She’s proved that in the year that they lived together in NYC.

I mean…she fought a dragon for him.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[Author]

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