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*screams*
Tag. Your. Spoilers.
Names of episode, filming shots, theories, guest appearances. Omg. TAG THEM. I just had to correct some 5 posts, guys!
If you do not know how—ASK ME. For the love of heaven.
[adrotate group="5"]"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Favorite Episode of the Season
Manhattan. Manhattan. Manhattan. It was the culmination of the entire series: Rumple finds Bae, Henry meets his father, Emma and Neal are reunited. It was pretty much perfect from start to finish (could have done without some of the SB stuff, though, which is why it gets my second spot on the overall list).
– Favorite Character Introduced
Okaaay, technically Bae was introduced in S1, but Neal Cassidy for everything.
Rumple might have drawn me in, but Neal spoke to me. I know what it’s like to be alone and afraid and feel like you aren’t good enough for anyone or anything. I know what it’s like to have to make really hard decisions that are for the greater good, but ultimately it devastates you and the those around you. And I know what it’s like to have people hate for making that decision. I understand his jaded outlook on life because I’m the same way. In so many ways, it felt like Neal was my Onciverse avatar.
I will never be okay with the writers killing him off. It was a terrifically bad decision that still has not played out in any sort of watchable plot. In a world where children grow up without positive male role models and fathers walk out or abandon their children, never looking back, why was it so taboo to keep a character who learned he had a son and instead of running, stepped up like a man and I said, “yes. I will be a father.” And then went on to be one of the shinning examples of fatherhood in a series where Prince Charming’s papa was a drunk driver, where Rumple chose magic over his own flesh and blood and where Malcolm chose youth over his son.
For a show that tries to sell itself as one that is about family and love, killing off a good father, a good son, and a good man flies in the face of that reality. Neal was more than just Rumple’s son or potential love interest for Emma. To me he was the embodiment of hope and second chances and killing him meant that the show I had dedicated so much of my time to didn’t really care about those two concepts.
What was your reaction to the reveal that Baelfire turned out to be Henry’s father, which was of course a theory dating back to when Baelfire was first introduced?
I was happy that something I had believed so strongly came to pass for real. I knew–just knew–that Bae was Henry’s father, all the way back in S1.
What was your initial impression of Hook? Yes I know he’s a very polarized character, but it would be interesting to explore our original opinions on the character.
Wait a sec. Did we discuss this question when we prepped for these retrospectives?! Juuuust kidding
I strongly disliked him right from the start. He alludes to a woman being gang raped and then tells a cripple that it’s the cripples fault for said gang rape because the cripple can’t fight. So, yeah, not a fan.
What was your reaction to the reveal that Dr. Whale was Victor Frankenstein, after an entire previous Season of countless speculation?
Relieved to finally get an answer, though the promo for that episode really spoiled it. Also, @TheGoldenkey and @Gypsy had laid it out so completely that we already knew, really. But man, I had some wild guesses back in the day. King Arthur, Monstro from Pinocchio.
Do you feel like they rushed getting the show to Neverland? Should Cora have remained the antagonist for the entire Season instead of switching over to Greg and Tamara?
In a word: yes. You can tell when it shifted gears because a lot of plot points go left in the dust, along with characters. Cora never felt truly threatening because he time in SB was spent either hiding or watching. Ruby was shipped off to Forgotten Character Island and suddenly there was something called the Home Office. The boys got a shiny new toy and they were eager to play.
Regarding this Season, has your opinion changed at all looking back?
A bit, yes. At the time I thought S2 was good–I wasn’t one of those who strongly disliked it–but looking back now it was clunky and the writers always seemed to be distracted by the prospect of playing with Neverland and the toys associated with that mythology. However, I’d take S2 any over some of the newer seasons any day.
Bonus Question: How About Most Heart Wrenching Moment?
Neal and Emma’s portal scene. Neal willingly letting go because Henry matters more than anything else, including his own life. Their ILY will always kill me.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Nitpick: The “Firebird” is the name of a distinctly different bird in Russian folklore, not an interchangeable word for Phoenix (though phoenixes are strictly speaking “fire birds”, yes). Assuming the title’s meant to refer to resurrection, I’m actually really bugged that they didn’t go with simply Phoenix or From the Ashes or something because Firebirds don’t resurrect.
You expect these writers to be familiar with the nuances of world mythology?
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Ok, Question 4. How does OUAT portray masculinity(ies)? What are the different messages being conveyed? Considering that the show is also a visual text, can we think about both writing and aesthetics? (I suck at analyzing cinematography, but if someone has a knack for it, please pitch in).
Not as complexly as they once did femininity/strong females. In the hands of another actor, I’m not sure Rumple would be as dynamic and he’s the most complex of the original male characters. They have an obsession with men = strong warrior, even going so far as to make Rumple “brave” this season by drawing a sword (a weapon) and trying to learn to fight from Merida. But before then, his greatest weapon was his cunning, his ability to manipulate, and his resourcefulness.
Charming…oh Charming. Charming is about as interesting as wallpaper most of the time. And he’s just straight up White Knight for the most part. They did give him some much needed color in S5A about “not wanting to be remembered for only waking a princess for a kiss.” But other than that…he said it best: “Snow leads, I fight”
I’ll pass by Hook for now since my views on him are fairly well known.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"This could be bad news for Galavant, if the show’s renewal was a result of Paul Lee’s favoritism for the show: http://www.spoilertv.com/2016/02/paul-lee-resigns-as-abcs-head-of.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Yeah, Galavant is doomed
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Paul Lee has left ABC: http://www.spoilertv.com/2016/02/paul-lee-resigns-as-abcs-head-of.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter Wonder what this could mean for OUAT? Paul Lee was a fan of the show and always talked fondly of it, from what I recall.
As far as I can tell, it means nothing. OUAT is safe for another year but a new head isn’t going to magically fix the ratings at this stage.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Obviously a flashback. Right after she gets out of jail?
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"I’m open to the possibility the writers are aware that certain characters can be quite polarizing
Oh I totally think the writers know that those characters are polarizing. I just don’t think they get “why” outside of shipping wars (i.e: they believe that the reason so many don’t like Hook is just because “he prevents someone from being with someone else”).
I guess my question is: if the writers *are* writing these characters to be deliberately polarizing, what is their end game? Do they, in the end, pull up the curtain to reveal a fairly solid message about gender, gender depictions, power dynamics? I don’t think the writers are trying to say something about the culture war–which is such a big part of this shipping wars in this fandom–but are simply part of that war with their own piece of media.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Firebird? As in Phoenix? Weird title.
Eh. Not really. The phoenix (mythological bird, not city) is a very important symbol for resurrection. I’m pretty sure the gang in leaving the Underworld in this episode.
In other news: hahahahahahahahhaa to how the fandom will interpret this. *prepares to start drinking*
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"They definitely seem to want to present “strong” women
I agree that they want to–I’m just not sure it’s all that successful.
Belle is a pretty good example. You did a nice job of laying out how she can be very feminine but doesn’t have to be masculine in her moments of being the hero. But while she’s not the omg-I-can’t-do-anything-I’m-in-a-skirt trope, she is a certain type of Sexy Librarian trope–all the brains and all the looks. I seriously expect her to be chewing on the end of a pencil, leaning over a book, with her breasts exposed any day now. Basically this:
And while she does occasionally get fleshed out in her flashbacks, her present day is seriously lacking in the strong woman department. Her entire story is about Rumple/Rumbelle. Any attempt at a life outside of Rumple is never given any screen time–actually being a librarian (does anyone besides Belle go into the library except when they need to solve the Problem-Of-The Arc?); her complicated relationship with her father was handwaved way so that it’s all fixed now and he walked her down the aisle, but nothing since then; any friend Belle makes–Ruby, Mulan, Anna–are dismissed without any sort of closure for Belle and the rest of the female main characters pay her no attention, rarely speak to unless they need information, and almost never offer her comfort when things happen to her.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"
