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After seeing that new promo where Emma’s all, “Teh battle for my darkness begins,” or whatever, I think they’re gonna set that up in Camelot in 501, with a caption on screen that it was about 5 months ago. Then at the end of the ep they’ll flash “Present Day” on the screen and we see that everyone’s back in SB and Emma’s evil, so we can be, “Oh noes, they lost the battle.” Then all the FTL stuff through the season will be flashbacks to the intervening 5 months, seeing how Emma went all Dark One, while we see them all in present day SB trying to figure out how to turn her back.
Yup. But Emma of 5 months seems perfectly fine–like hanging out with everyone and there are some pic of her and Hook being all CS-y, so what on earth happens to turn her?
[adrotate group="5"]"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Happy Labor Day, Americans! (Now I shall stumble off to work at 6 am…)
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Actually, no, what Dumbledore sees in the mirror was exactly what Harry sees in the mirror: his family. According to Rowling, Albus Dumbledore sees “his family alive, whole and happy – Ariana, Percival and Kendra all returned to him, and Aberforth reconciled to him.” Source
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense since it’s your deepest desires. Going back to what Macy said, though, it does make one wonder if Dumbledore can manipulate the images inside so that he can see both….or if what he sees has changed over time with wisdom and perspective.
But if I looked into the mirror I’d probably just see my family safe, secure and happy. That’s honestly it, which is saddening. Ask me about 7 years ago and i’d have a lot more colorful things to say but that’s probably all I’d see now…. hmm.
It’s called growing up. Welcome to the real world. It sucks.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"I could say it’s because Netflix gets that the main theme of the show was family and Emma, Neal, Regina and Henry were the focal family but it’s probably just a random image that doesn’t even really make sense since they uploaded S4 and that pic is from S3A
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Today was “Finish your project” day at my house
Up first—“Happy Heart Scarf” done in Deborah Norville’s Neon Pink and Bright Violet, with Caron Simply soft Off White border. Little hard to tell but the pink stitches are designed to look like hearts.
Next, the Fox Hat. Done in Caron Simple Soft Pumpkin, Off White, with a little bit of Purl Essence Black. Yes, I modeled it.
And lastly a little Mandala for decoration in Caron Simply Soft Off White, Bernat Satin Crimson, and Deborah Norville Bright Violet
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"It’s interesting that a few of us can’t pinpoint exactly what we’d see in the Mirror. I’m curious; is it because we truly don’t know or is it because we’re afraid to voice the answer? For example, if Ron knew what the Mirror was would he go stand in front of it? Does he know deep down inside what he really desires–to be better than this brothers?
I often wonder if he spent a lot of time standing before the mirror, just as Harry did, and he figured out how to shield his heart from it so that he couldn’t be hurt anymore.
I think Dumbledore spends a lot of time in front of that mirror, Harry or no Harry. I think he’s learned how not to “fall into” it, as it were, but he is still drawn to it and what it shows, whatever that may be. I think being able to shield your heart is a very interesting idea but I don’t know if that’s possible unless you really were the happiest man on earth. Perhaps it’s not shielding per se, but rather becoming numb to it.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Really nice job Macy! This is such a great chapter.
A large part of this chapter is more slice of life moments, but woven between these is the idea that “family doesn’t end with blood” (forgive my Supernatural reference)
Any and all Supernatural references are necessary. Dean, Sam, and Cas are totally like Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Fred and George make Ron and eventually Percy put on their sweaters and they all celebrate together, because “Christmas is a time for family,” and that includes Harry. So it’s extremely poignant and heartbreaking that when Harry looks into the mirror, all he sees is his family surrounding him.
Yes. This chapter is set up as a parallel between the family Harry lost (and never knew) and the family he’s gained. I love how it’s not just Ron and Molly that take in our wayward son (Supernatural reference!) but it’s the whole Weasley clan. Fred and George don’t even think twice before they include Harry; he’s their youngest brother’s best friend and a member of their Quidditch team, another familial stand in for Harry. Percy might be a bit of a stick in the mud (sorry Jo) but he doesn’t question Harry’s inclusion either. In later books we’ll see Arthur adopt Harry as his other son, going to bat for him during all manner of drama. And, of course, a certain red-headed witch is on the horizon. What unites these two families is Harry and moreover the affection they have for him.
The Mirror of Erised is so *fascinating* because those people–James, Lily and the whole family–aren’t really there. They aren’t on the other side of the mirror. The family Harry sees is a projection of his desires. And this is what makes Harry and his experiences with the Weasleys even more poignant. Harry doesn’t visualize family as what he knows–the Dursleys. He visualizes family in the way he sees the Weasleys–a large group of people who all support and love one another and are there for each other no matter what. His reference point for what family is supposed to look like is the Weasley clan and he “reflects” that into the mirror.
I’ve always wondered what Harry would have seen in the mirror had he not met Ron and the rest of the clan. He would have seen James and Lily, no doubt, since his mother and father will always be the first thing Harry desires. But a huge family? I don’t know. In the second chapter, Harry knows that he has no family and he can’t even consider the possibility that he might have had a huge slew of relatives at one point. All he knows are the Dursleys. Outside of that lot, he’s utterly alone and family-less. And then suddenly here is this magic mirror that can show you your hearts desire and what Harry desires more than anything is not just his mother and father, but a huge sweeping generational family.
The feelings this invokes are powerful. Not just a feeling of desire but nostalgia.
He has a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness.
Nostalgia is one of my favorite words because once you know its Greek roots it really hits what a powerful word and meaning it is.
Broken down into its component parts, “nost” comes from νοστος (nostos) meaning homecoming (and a word heavily associated with Odysseus and the Odyssey) and “algia” comes from αλγος (algos) meaning pain or ache. It’s this pain for something we might never ever be able to reach ever again. It’s a powerful feeling that is simultaneously sweet and bitter. Can we ever truly go home again, to find that sort of peace and serenity we once knew? No. Simply put, no.
I have to quote Donald Draper here. I just have to! (Macy got to use Supernatural…so I’m using Mad Men…) An ache from an old wound…that is what Harry has when he looks in the mirror. An ache from an old wound–the would of neglect and abuse and silent suffering. A wound of never being held and loved and cherished.
(also, sentimental bond with product…that us and Harry Potter, guys)
But this is even sadder for Harry because he’s never known it. He’s never known what it was to be protected and loved and sheltered, to have a childhood that wasn’t full of nightmares and darkness. Not until Hogwarts, at least. But yet he longs for it–his remembered past that doesn’t really exist except inside this mirror. Is it anyone wonder why it took a push from Dumbledore to get Harry to leave the mirror alone? I wouldn’t give it up either! The family in the mirror, it’s a place where Harry longs to go again. A place to where we know we are loved.
Which brings us to Grandfather Dumbledore who takes off his wise old wizard cap for one brief moment and tries to be part of Harry’s family.
I love that Dumbledore sits on the floor next to Harry. By sitting at his level, he is not trying to be the authority figure–hence why Harry can ask Dumbledore a highly personal question at the end–they’ve connected and forged a bond between them by letting the pretense of power and authority slip away it only for a moment.
It’s strange (even a little too coincidental) that he surprises Harry at a moment when he’s most vulnerable, searching for his heart’s (soul’s) desire, of knowing his family.
Yes, of all the times when Harry and Dumbledore could have intereacted for the first time, Dumbledore waits until now. And it’s not even the first time that Harry has visited the room, obviously. Dumbledore waited until Harry “got his fill.” He allows Harry his nostalgia, this pain from this old wound. Looking at the series as a whole, I think it is because Dumbledore knows that Harry is going on quite the hard journey, so what’s the harm in letting him have his moment, this tiny moment of happiness. But like any good parental figure, Dumbledore is there to pull him back from the edge when Harry is in danger of falling into the mirror (metaphorically, of course).
He did this right before Harry started school (and let’s not forget how convenient it was that the door to this classroom was conveniently ajar, to allow Harry to hide from Snape and Filch). Second, Dumbledore says he doesn’t “need a cloak to become invisible”, and he knows not only what Harry sees in the mirror but Ron as well. One can only assume that he is either psychic and/or can read minds, OR he has been in the room the last 3 nights that Harry has visited (and if he was, was he there for himself, or because he knew Harry would go?). Third, Dumbledore’s explanation and advice to Harry regarding the mirror: It shows men their deepest desire, it shows neither knowledge or truth, and many have been driven mad, not knowing if what they see is real or possible. It will be moved and please don’t go looking for it. But, if you do ever happen to run across it again, you’ll be prepared.
Yeah I think Dumbledore set this up. Or at least knew enough of human nature to know that Harry would stumble into that room at some point. I think Dumbledore is testing the waters; he needs to see what sort of boy Harry Potter is. What Harry sees in the mirror will tell Dumbledore whether or not Harry can take on the task Dumbledore knows lies before him at some point; not just here in Sorcerer’s Stone but over the course of his life. What if Harry’s deepest desires were less nostalgic and more cunning or ruthless. Power, wealth, ect? What would Dumbledore think then? Would he still think Harry the right person to face Voldemort someday?
Do you think that Dumbledore is lying about what he sees in the mirror, or is he able to control his desires so much that he can manipulate what he sees?
I think he absolutely lied. It’s a cute lie, but a lie nonetheless. It doesn’t matter how much time passes, Dumbledore will always see himself as the Master of the Deathly Hallows
But unlike other men, Dumbledore knows that achieving his desires or even pursuing them leads to nothing good. He is speaking from experience to Harry. He’s trying to get Harry to understand himself in a way that Dumbledore already knows himself. You can’t dwell on those dreams but you have to know that you have them; that you are capable of falling too hard into those dreams, whatever they may be.
Macy started off with a Shakespeare quote that was quite apt, but I’ll throw a Greek one here. Dumbledore dons a Plato/Socrates/Delphic inscription cap here and all but barks “γνῶθι σεαυτόν.” (gnothi seauton)…Know Thyself. It’s almost impossible task and not one that many people achieve, certainly not at 11. But Dumbledore needs Harry to know himself, to be prepared, because Dumbledore…sorta knows what is to come.
Why didn’t Dumbledore reveal himself earlier, if he had known Harry (and Ron) had been visiting the mirror?
Like I said, I think he’s testing Harry here and then once Harry has “passed” Dumbledore is more than willing to let Harry have a moment to himself before it’s time to pull him back to reality.
What do you think you’d see if you looked into the mirror?
Myself holding a pair of socks, of course!
Lol. No. But it’s a deeply personal question, of course. But for me, it’d be a mix of Harry and Ron’s. Being loved and being at the top of whatever I was doing. I am overly ambitious and rather cutthroat but also a sentimental sap who needs approval.
A few misc. notes.
Mirrors as symbolism. This is one that’s rather overt and doesn’t need a lot of hashing. It’s reflection, it’s spiritual and sometimes physical reflection. You cannot hide from a mirror. It literally shows the truth, not some perceived version of yourself or that which you wish were true. It’s why Rumple covers all his mirrors up (yeah, yeah, Regina is spying but it’s obviously way less literal too). He cannot stand to see the truth; his ugliness, the outward manifestation of the darkness in his soul and heart.
There is also a lot to be said about mirrors as gateways to another place, another reality. Alice and the looking glass for instance. Or in Stargate SG-1, you have the Quantum mirror that lets you switch realities (episode “There But for the Grace of God). Star Trek is most famous for this with “Mirror Mirror” in which several members of the Enterprise travel through an alt. version and met their less than desirable selves; so famous in fact that many of the ST spinoffs (DS9 and Enterprise revisited). Crossing through a mirror isn’t just about another place, but one where everything is topsy turvy. Spock has a beard and is evil. Jack O’Neill is a Brigadier General and Sam Carter is a civilian Doctor and the earth is losing the war against the Gou’ald. Kira Nerys is a leather clad bisexual…in other words, the world is somehow “reversed” in a mirror world.
I think, for Harry, this idea isn’t a literal place he can get to, but it goes back to that nostalgia. A place he wishes he could get to but never can. He cannot cross through the mirror into this other world where he has a full family. But he can find that family in this reality, in the Weasleys, in Hermione, in Dumbledore, in Hagrid and in Hogwarts.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Inspired by certainly. And they’ve been doing that–Emma *was* sent through a wardrobe, just to a non-magical realm as opposed to a magical one.
However, I stand by the previous stance….I hope the young girl is just a boyhood crush and comes to nothing except placating the fans who keep asking about Henry’s love life.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Lancelot is most likely alive, I agree. But the question becomes, where has he been this whole time?
I’m guessing he returned to Camelot and somehow reconciled with Arthur.
That was my guess. That’s a lot of awkward though since Guinevere is still there too. Yay. LOVE TRIANGLE
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"
