Home › Forums › Once Upon a Time › Season Three › 3×15 “Quiet Minds” › Seeing Neal's Death through a different angle
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KateGreen.
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March 31, 2014 at 4:31 pm #257598
darkones1fan
ParticipantTo all those who it may concern, although this episode saw the death of our and Rumple’s beloved Bae aka Neal, I want to take a moment to see things through a different angle less from the heart and more from the brain. While Neal’s death was tragic and I to got choked up by it I have to respect the decision and in retrospective consider this a positive thing, why? For it shows that the writers on the show are willing to take risk and make changes to the status quo, even it if means hurting us emotionally. Which by extension allows for the mystery and the excitement of the show to remain with us fans even if we get hurt. For a show not willing to take risk and shake things up big time becomes stale and dull and sadly far to many shows don’t take these types of risk. By doing this however ONCE has showed how unique it is for it allows the audience to care even more about the characters that are living making us wonder which ones will come out of the adventure alive, which is a good sign for high quality entertainment.
[adrotate group="5"]March 31, 2014 at 4:34 pm #257604kpercyman
ParticipantThey took an artistic direction and are hoping for a stronger character arc in: Emma, Rumple, Belle, and Henry. It was a bold move and I hope they don’t take his death for granted. That being I want them to expand and explore this more and not just dust it under the rug.
March 31, 2014 at 4:35 pm #257608darkones1fan
ParticipantThey took an artistic direction and are hoping for a stronger character arc in: Emma, Rumple, Belle, and Henry. It was a bold move and I hope they don’t take his death for granted. That being I want them to expand and explore this more and not just dust it under the rug.
Totally agree, I hope those four have some good moments together. Especially Henry and Rumple, I just want a seen where Henry ask Rumple what Bae was like. Some Grandpa Grandson bonding… please writers…. for me.
March 31, 2014 at 4:37 pm #257613wilderbiz
ParticipantIt’s kind of nice to finally be able to watch a show, and not know what’s going to happen, Once is the first show to put me in that position. And if that means having to loose some characters that I like, I’ll put up with it. Even if Regina died, because she’s the best, FACT, and my favorite, I’d stick with it. So sorry to all Neal fans, but I’m glad that this show counties to change.
March 31, 2014 at 5:59 pm #257675Myril
ParticipantI was getting a feeling of a stalemate in the first half of this season, that the characters not just were running in circles in Neverland but as well considering character development. In my opinion it was due for a major shake-up of the characters – and that means for bigger tragedy, the loss of a major character. To me killing Neal made sense even before the rumors and spoilers began. He was besides Henry the one whose death would affect most other characters directly or indirectly (lover, father, son, friend). It’s not just about where a story is coming from, if the characters “earned” what is happening, but as well it is about where the story is going, what is going to challenge them. There is still plenty I think this show, the writers are doing not so good, but the death of Neal is something I indeed think might be able to do some good to the show.
Sorry to all Neal fans and Swanfire shippers. I get the pain, remember when Joss Whedon killed Tara, and how upset I was about the death of Tasha Yar in Star Trek The Next Generation (although how she died I still praise as courageous; death makes no sense and is not much heroic at times even for a hero). Good story telling takes us to places we sometimes don’t want to go to.
¯\_(?????? ?)_/¯
March 31, 2014 at 7:04 pm #257716once_dude
ParticipantDearest Dark ones fan
Although I concede your valid point about the death meaning that the show becomes less predictable, I disagree that it was executed well. Let’s examine some deaths from the past in this show and I will tell you what I mean.
exhibit a: Graham the dearly departed huntsman. Graham’s death meant something because ti was the first time we saw a heart controlled. It was also meaningful because graham discovered the truth.
Exhibit B: Johanna We met Johanna in the same episode she died and yet she togehter with Eva flushed out Snow’s character and her instinct towards self sacrifice for the greater good.
Exhibit C: Cora, her death had an immense amount of irony to it, with Snow telling REgina to put her mother’s heart back, a lot of people did not like Snow Grey as one special called her, but I did appreciate it I just wanted it to go further in terms of realisations about herself.
Now we come back around to Neal’s death. What grand revelation was there in this episode? Wow, Zeleena is the wicked witch oh wait let me see we learned all about her in storybrooke in episode 13. Oh, oh, I know it was that rumple is alive, oh wait we learned that in episode 13 too. Oh oh I know it was that Zeleena isstealing the attributes of courage, brain, and heart. oh wait we learned that with night root last episode. Oh well the final revelation is with the dark one vault which we could have learned about any time. There’s the staggering revelation about ‘magic always comes with a price’ but wait we only heard Neal’s dad say that every episode he’s in. So in summary no revelations this episode at all.
In conclusion, yes I did hate that they killed off Neal, yes I was emotionally invested in Neal, but the main reason I did it was because the way they placed it it was underwhelming.
Magic always comes with a price, so I pay with visa.
April 1, 2014 at 11:23 pm #258250darkones1fan
ParticipantDearest Dark ones fan Although I concede your valid point about the death meaning that the show becomes less predictable, I disagree that it was executed well. Let’s examine some deaths from the past in this show and I will tell you what I mean. exhibit a: Graham the dearly departed huntsman. Graham’s death meant something because ti was the first time we saw a heart controlled. It was also meaningful because graham discovered the truth. Exhibit B: Johanna We met Johanna in the same episode she died and yet she togehter with Eva flushed out Snow’s character and her instinct towards self sacrifice for the greater good. Exhibit C: Cora, her death had an immense amount of irony to it, with Snow telling REgina to put her mother’s heart back, a lot of people did not like Snow Grey as one special called her, but I did appreciate it I just wanted it to go further in terms of realisations about herself. Now we come back around to Neal’s death. What grand revelation was there in this episode? Wow, Zeleena is the wicked witch oh wait let me see we learned all about her in storybrooke in episode 13. Oh, oh, I know it was that rumple is alive, oh wait we learned that in episode 13 too. Oh oh I know it was that Zeleena isstealing the attributes of courage, brain, and heart. oh wait we learned that with night root last episode. Oh well the final revelation is with the dark one vault which we could have learned about any time. There’s the staggering revelation about ‘magic always comes with a price’ but wait we only heard Neal’s dad say that every episode he’s in. So in summary no revelations this episode at all. In conclusion, yes I did hate that they killed off Neal, yes I was emotionally invested in Neal, but the main reason I did it was because the way they placed it it was underwhelming.
I see your point, I too agree the death felt a bit underwhelming (Not how I would have done it myself) and maybe poorly executed. I was talking more in the premises then execution when in the original post but I think you knew that. So I agree yeah Death underwhelming in execution but not in concept.
April 1, 2014 at 11:32 pm #258252WickedRegal
Participant(HOLD THE FIREBALLS AND FISHES)
Now…I am just as saddened as anyone about Neal’s death (SwanFire heart broken)…but in a way…it’s served as karma more than anything to me. Rumple went through all of this, manipulated Regina’s life to turn her dark, hopefully he did nothing to Zelena, killed people, made devilish deals that had bad outcomes for the other end….perhaps Neal’s death was karma on him.
In other words…Rumple paid the ultimate price on everyone(who he turned dark, destroyed, or killed) lives. For instance…he got Snow to kill Cora by swapping her life for his…and in a way, it came back to haunt him as this is the very same way that Neal ended up dying.
Also…I love Neal, I really do…but I refuse to place 100% of the blame on Zelena. She may have had Lumiere to lure Neal and Belle to the spot, but Neal became so desperate to bring back his father, and get back to his family…he didn’t think of the “Price of Magic”. And is also ironic as Rumple’s infamous quote is “All magic comes with a price”
So I love Rumple and I love Neal…but magic just took it’s price…
RIP NEAL
"If you go as far as you can see...you will then see enough to go even further." - Finn Balor
April 5, 2014 at 3:40 am #259193Jabberwocky
ParticipantThis death took me by complete surprise.
I seriously shipped SwanFire, so seeing this death left me speechless. Neal had so much more potential, especially with how the second half of this season has been set up. We could have at least had some interaction between him and Henry.
In my opinion, this was a really bad choice by the writers, and while I’ll still watch this show, this episode will definitely be my least favorite.
April 5, 2014 at 2:43 pm #259273puffy
ParticipantNeal’s death was karma because he got what he deserved.
It costs something to victimize yourself, be hateful and resentful to someone for so long. Even if it seems earned, rightful for someone to be so bitter at someone that has hurt them. You don’t hold onto that negativity for 300 years. Neal’s angst and all his issues, baggage and past pain was what he earned for hating Rumple for so long. That’s what dark magic is about, feeding off that negative energy. Neal may not have practice as much dark magic as Rumple but he’s guilty of practicing that mantra. Not being able to let go was Neal’s sin that needed to be paid for.
In alot of ways Neal’s dead was beautiful. Everything he had hated and judged Rumple for Neal did. Turning to dark magic, making rash decisions, lettings the ends justify the means and choosing to let go of his son. People can be angry at Neal for doing what Neal hated from his own father. But I think its poetic. Because Neal understands first hand all the pain and everything his father had gone through when he made these decisions. This is how we know Neal fully forgives his father now because when he was faced with the same tough decisions he made the same decisions as his father. He can’t hate him or say he doesn’t understand anymore. He finally understands all the pain and love Rumple had. That’s healing, that resulted in Neal’s death but it was a journey worth taking because it melted away all the baggage and past issues of the monster he made his father out to be.
If he was going to die at least everything he father had ever ever done was redeemed and it was also redeemed for Henry. To learn what being selfless truly is for someone you truly love. Even though being with them is all you ever wanted and did anything for. Learning to let go of those dreams and desires so that your children can have their best chance is the ultimate sacrifice. Its what Rumple and Neal both learned so that Henry can hopefully not have to learn it the hard way.
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