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Megan has been filming a movie for the past 5 weeks i think, so if something happened to ruby has to be on the 501 and 502, bc after she is filming a christmas movie.
Except that doesn’t matter at all, as evidenced by her parts being re-filmed during 312 in the past. She wasn’t part of 312 when the entire group shot originally, but they went back later for her. Actors and actresses film stuff for earlier episodes after the rest of the cast has wrapped all the time. Her participation in another film doesn’t really matter since there are ways around it.
Also, they can very easily allude to what Emma did/show it (via dreamcatcher) without showing Ruby herself. They like mysteries and having the audience know that Emma killed someone without revealing who just quite yet would totally be in the wheelhouse of OUAT.
So, the possibility is still very real, even if it doesn’t make sense.
[adrotate group="5"]"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"have a feeling that Emma’s transitioning into the Dark One will be shown in episode 505, “Dreamcatcher.” New writer Brigitte Hales has referred to it as “a heartbreaker”, Adam and Eddy are writing it, and it’s been said that it is an Emma centric.
Agreed with that, I think Emma manages to fight it off (in flashbacks) fro 502-504, but then 505 is when we see her do *the thing* that is apparently super bad and makes her go all white haired, black leather clad.
As for the Emma killing Ruby theory, I’m just trying to fathom why Emma would hypothetically kill her.
That’s also the part I am struggling with. It would feel random for Emma, even as the Dark One, to kill Ruby since Ruby is not a threat to Henry (if we’re paralleling Rumple/Bae with Emma/Henry) or a threat to Emma herself, unless the writers are planning on character assassinating Ruby or something.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"That makes me happy and nervous all at the same time.
We know Emma does something *bad* that turns her into the DO fully and seems to happen while in the EF/Camelot. We know that Belle and Merida are going on their own adventure to cure/revive/whatever Rumple. If Ruby is interacting with Merida then that means in the EF and not SB, which means it’s when Emma is still transitioning.
Okay, I really don’t think they’d bring back Ruby and give her a story with Merida and Belle only to have Emma kill her (for some inexplicable reason) just to give Emma the big heave-ho into darkness, but like I said…nervous all at the same time.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Probably not. There is such a thing called the Halo Effect. Had Snape been a charming, good-looking celebrity type like Professor Gilderoy Lockhart (the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts) then Hermione, and maybe even Harry and Ron, wouldn’t have suspected Snape right off the bat.
Yes, this is essentially my point. So much of the conversation for book one thus far has been about prejudices not only from the Dursley and Malfoy type of characters but also from our Gryffindor cast and whether or not the latter has such prejudices. There is this idea that is pretty old (the Greeks had it) that outer beauty (or lack their of) is representative of inner beauty and goodness. It carries over in our society *a lot.* There have been social experiments (I’m sure you’ve seen them on social media or Buzzfeed or something) in which a girl is first dressed down in sweats, no makeup, hair mess, and asking for directions or something. She is never given any help and is basically shunned. But then they take the same woman and dress her up, doll up her face and hair, and suddenly everyone is willing to help her. It’s…alarming. Now Snape’s less than happy feelings toward Harry, which he never has trouble hiding, DO go a long way in making him look like a typical Black Hat but his outward appearance adds to everyone suspicions even if he’s not acting particularly suspicious.
We have these cliches so deeply ingrained in us that sometimes our characters can’t see that they are playing to these over wrought cliches. I’m going to quote Giles from Buffy the Vampire slayer when Buffy asks Giles to lie to her about the nature of the world:
Yes. It’s terribly simple. The good guys are always stalwart and true. The bad guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hats, and, uh, we always defeat them and save the day. No one ever dies and… everybody lives happily ever after.
Giles’s answer is basically a neat and tidy run down of the cliche mentality.
Now the dismantling of those cliches is what makes literature and textual analysis so much fun, from Harry Potter to ASOIAF to, yes, even OUAT. But right now, at the age of 11, Harry Hermione and Ron and sort of living inside that cliche mentality in which Snape = mean, dressed in black, Slytherin = evil/after the Stone.
Harry, Ron and Hermione get a bit of a pass not only because they don’t know the whole history (and neither did readers until the very last book but the continual “Snape is evil” line of thought from a lot of the fandom existed) but also because they are 11 and understanding the complexities of human nature is something that we don’t understand fully, perhaps ever.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love". I myself was only about 11 or 12-years-old when I first read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and I recall being suspicious of Snape myself.
I was roughly the same age and I thought like you that Snape was worthy of suspicion. And I don’t fault Harry, Hermione and Ron for their suspicions; goodness knows Snape has been pretty conspicuous all along. My question, though, rests on this–in an AU version in which Snape is less disdainful, more neutral, toward Harry et all, would Harry and his friends still list Snape as their number one suspect in terms of Black Hat? You talked about authorial misdirection and I absolutely agree, but it also comes back to the internal confirmation bias we keep discussing. Once Harry and the gang have it in their heads that Snape is a bad guy, every piece of evidence–no matter how opaque, like not blinking or muttering or a half heard, disjointed conversation in the woods–is seen as confirmation of their theory. But had Snape presented himself differently would be so suspicious of him? In other words, is Snape really acting suspicious or do read his actions as suspicious because of his personality?
3. If you could drink the Elixir of Life and gain immortality, would you?
I’ll answer my own question, but like Slurpeez, the answer is a resounding no. I think staying alive while your friends and family pass on without you would be a miserable existence. I’m also not keen on seeing how much more humanity can screw up and having to witness the general madness of life on earth forever and ever.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"There’s a theory running around the fandom that Emma will kill Ruby because:
“Emma is going to do something particularly bad,” co-creator Eddy Kitsis assures, “and to the people she loves.”
Murdering a townsperson and her mother’s best friend would qualify. I don’t really believe it myself, but it’s something to keep in mind.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Chapter 13: Nicolas Flamel
“Nicolas Flamel,” she whispered dramatically, “is the only known maker of the Sorcerer’s Stone!”
Summary
The Christmas holidays are over and life begins again at Hogwarts for Harry, Ron and Hermione. The trio continue to look for Nicolas Flamel and what he might have to do with the grubby little package being guarded by the three-headed dog, but to little avail. Finally, a stroke of luck leads Harry, Ron and Hermione to the big discovery. After Draco harasses Neville, Harry tries to comfort his friend with a chocolate frog and gets another Albus Dumbledore card. It is then that Harry remembers why the name Nicolas Flamel sounded so familiar: he is mentioned on Dumbledore’s Chocolate Frog card.
Nicolas Flamel is a 665-year-old wizard who made the only know ‘Sorcerer’s Stone,’ a magical stone that turns any metal into gold and also produces the Elixir of Life, which grants the drinker immortality. Hermione puts all the pieces together and the trio (and us) realizes that the grubby little package being guarded by Fluffy, the three headed-dog, is the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Accompanying this discovery is the rather horrible news that Snape will be refereeing the next Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, something that makes everyone nervous for Harry who’s last game involved a bucking broomstick, assumed to have been a jinx from Snape. Hermione and Ron take their wands to the game in case they are needed to protect Harry, but the game is over quickly when Harry catches the Snitch almost immediately.
As Harry heads back to Hogwarts after the game, he spies Snape and Professor Quirrell heading toward the Forbidden Forest and overhears bits and pieces of a conversation in which Snape threatens Quirrell. The conversation is fairly opaque but we get hints that there are other things besides Fluffy guarding the Sorcerer’s Stone. The chapter ends ominously that the Stone will be stolen soon since all that stands between it and Snape is Quirrell’s courage.
Analysis
Historical Fiction
Nicolas Flamel was a real life figure who lived, roughly, between 1330-1418. He was a manuscript seller and a scribe, and a rather successful one. Because of his success and also his long life, in a time when living long was a rarity, he later gained a reputation for being an alchemist and creating the Philosopher’s Stone (American Harry Potter books call it the Sorcerer’s Stone at JKR’s editor’s insistence). This reputation, however, came about in the 17th century, long after Flamel died. The legends about him persist and he is often used in many works as an ideal alchemist, and is always attached to the Stone. But, in fact, no one is really sure if Flamel practiced alchemy at all. While it was common for men of means to dabble in the practice, the legends about his extraordinary gifts and abilities are simply that, a legend.
The fictionalized Sorcerer’s Stone in JKR’s saga works the same way it was believed to work in our historical reality: turning other metals into gold and producing an Elixir of Life that would grant the drinker immortality. During the age when alchemy was at its height, the search for the creation of the Stone was considered the Magnum Opus (Great Work) and became the focal point for many of the alchemists.
As the alchemists set about their work, more and more tales about the Stone itself sprang up to the point where the legend of the stone was traced back to Biblical times, specifically to Adam, who gained knowledge of the Stone from God, and the later Temple of Solomon (Psalm 118 has a whole passage about a rejected stone). From the Biblical times, we move into the Greek world and ideas stem from Plato’s “Timeaus” and the so called prima materia (first matter) that arose when the world was created. This prima materia was relegated the first ingredient needed to make the Stone.
The Elixir is also part of the historical annals and long sought after from many different cultures. The Elixir is not localized to one specific culture or people or even religion because the idea of immortality is more universal. Thus there are stories about Chinese Emperors searching for a magical drink (apparently this drink contained mercury, which will just kill you quicker…); there are myths about the Indian gods and a drink called Amrita; there are, of course, Greek and Egyptian myths in which Hermes/Thoth drink “white drops” (liquid gold) and become immortal. In the Christian tradition, the Elixir of Life can be seen as a metaphor for eternal life through faith in God and Jesus largely due to a passage in the Gospel of John that states: “But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). Also the whole rite of communion has eternal life through belief/liquid drinking written all over it.
Often times immortality is read as a good thing and a noble quest because the god(s) are immortal, but there are plenty of stories about mere humans who are granted/punished with immortality and discover it is nothing grand. Consider, for instance, the stories of Tantalus and Prometheus. Both are doomed to live forever, but under dire and abusive circumstance, Tantalus thirsty and hungry in spite of food and water being right in front of him and Prometheus having his liver pecked out everyday, only for it to grow back. Or the story of Tithonus who was given immortal life but not youth and so continued to age forever and ever and who eventually begs for death. The point being that immortal life is relegated to the divine, or those who have achieved a spiritual immortality (ie: in the Christian tradition). Humans, however, who are granted immortality, find that it’s not all it is cracked up to be and that sometimes you have to welcome Death as an old friend. Human response to Death and their attempts to either subvert or accept it plays a major role in the Harry Potter saga, as we will see over the course of the next few books.
It’s not really necessary to know all this for the Harry Potter saga, hence why I’m only briefly touching on certain matters in our real world. Instead, I think what is important is that the magical world is a place where myths become reality but in JKR’s saga, they are done cheekily and with a dash of humor. For example, Nicolas Flamel is still alive, having created the Stone and producing the Elixir of Life. But instead of being an all-powerful wizard who has conquered death (something another wizard in this series is trying to do….), he enjoys a quiet life and opera. Not exactly a wizard that might make you quake in your boots.
Another example is Fluffy, the three-headed dog who is absolutely a Cerberus stand in. But, while ferocious and scary, is also named Fluffy and thought to be a swell pet by a man who has some giants blood in him (another mythical monster).
JKR does this frequently in her works. She takes a mythical/legendary figure or monster and makes them almost seem ordinary once you are a part of the magical world. No one in the universe blinks an eye at there being centaurs, phoenixes, basilisks, giant spiders, giants, or elixirs that make you immortal. They are all considered, if not normal, then at least well within the accepted parameters of the world. This also relates back to Harry and his own monomyth since he is that legend or myth brought to life in the saga itself.
The Plot Thickens
In @Josephine analysis for chapter 11, we talked about confirmation bias and we see it playing out here once more. Harry, Ron and Hermione are convinced that Snape is after the Stone (and Harry). Because they already believe this to be true, every action taken by Snape is seen as more confirmation to prove their theory. Snape referring the Quidditch game is a threat against Harry. Snape meeting with Quirrell in the woods is him trying to get to the Stone quicker.
Once again, though, Snape’s actions and what he is saying are opaque to the point where we’re not sure what he’s talking about. Yes, he is clearly threatening Qurriell but at no point does he mention wanting the Stone for himself. We’ve stated the theme of Book 1 over and over as being “things are not what they appear” and this is a perfect example. Quirrell is a bumbling, stuttering scardy cat and Snape is the greasy, dressed in black professor who seems to have taken a special liking to torturing Harry Potter. But reading between the lines of this conversation, Snape is really just asking how much Quirrell knows. Snape doesn’t mention his desires for the Stone or the Elixir, just trying to get information out of Qurriell.
I agree that Snape is suspicious, and even more so to three 11 years olds who have a bit of an overactive imagination, but it is also their own personal prejudices against Snape in light of actions and words against them that keep leading them down the “Snape is evil” path.
Potential Foreshadowing
1. Hints that there are more things guarding the Stone than just Fluffy
2. Neville standing up for himself
Conversation Questions
1. Do you think Harry, Ron and Hermione are right to be so suspicious of Snape?
2. What actions could Harry, Ron and Hermione take to prove that Snape is really the bad guy?
3. If you could drink the Elixir of Life and gain immortality, would you?
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"I admit to being very happy that we’re going to see Red again because I always loved her…but I dare not get too excited for fear of her getting short changed yet again.
Yeah if all she’s doing is being in giant group shots (a la 312) then that’s pretty infuriating not only for Red the character but for Meghan the actress.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"I disagree. I think our desires may change but our deepest desires will always remain the same because, obviously, that is apart of who we are not just what we want at this particular moment.
I get what you’re saying. Here’s why I think you’re (somewhat) wrong.
(brief spoilers for the purpose of illustrating my point)
Dumbledore’s mirror vision is seeing her family reunited and happy once more. That is his deepest desire. However, that cannot be his deepest desire until after he’s lost his sister and the rest of his family, either to death or estrangement. Until that happens, it cannot be his deepest desire because his deepest desire is part of circumstance.
I think in some cases, like Ron, the need to “have made it” is always part of him because his circumstance has always been as the smallest and “least remarkable” (in his mind) brother. It wasn’t something that happened to him, it’s been his reality since he was old enough to understand his reality. Dumbledore’s reality shifted and that’s when and why his deepest desire shifted.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"
