Once upon a Time Rewatch 2.17, "Welcome to Storybrooke"

Read the previous entry in the series here.
Read the next entry in the series here.

---

2.17, "Welcome to Storybrooke"

Written by Ian Goldberg and Andrew Chambliss
Directed by David Barrett

Synopsis

That's no electrical storm...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

The episode begins with a father and son camping in the woods. The weather in the area suddenly shifts, and the radio they have playing begins to make strange noises; the father posits an incoming electrical storm, and he and his son take shelter. A strange cloud swells toward them, enveloping them, and in the wake of the storm's passing, they find their vehicle destroyed by fallen trees. Navigating through the woods, they find a new town present, one not on their maps; entering it as the father opines to his son, Owen, about the impossibility of the town's existence, they find themselves confronted by the local sheriff, Graham, who welcomes them to Storybrooke.

Following the title card, the episode continues, Regina waking in her bed in Storybrooke in 1983, assessing the effects of the curse she has enacted and reveling in her success. She stalks through her town, surveying it as a number of its residents show the accustomed behaviors they hold in their cursed lives. Regina makes a point of calling on Mary Margaret in her classroom, bidding her walk to the hospital with her to check on the still-comatose David. She continues her survey with a trip to Granny's and consultation with Graham, one that quickly introduces her to the father--Kurt Flynn--and child who have stumbled into their town. Introductions are made, and Regina quickly realizes the nature of the father and child--and the danger they represent to her plans.

In Storybrooke's present, Regina mourns her mother's death and is confronted by Gold as she does so. They confer, and Regina purposes vengeance; Gold attempts to dissuade her from her intent, citing her failure to find happiness by that road. She refuses the advice, firming in her purpose.

Emma, David, and Henry confer about Mary Margaret, who finds herself in a fugue after having killed Cora by trickery. They are interrupted in the talk by the arrival of Gold, who brings news of Regina's intent against Mary Margaret. David charges him to aid in stopping Regina, citing the debt he owes Mary Margaret for saving his life.

A bit of knotwork?
Colors noted as contesting good and evil?
Oh, there's no symbolism there...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In the Storybrooke of the past, Kurt and his son are greeted harshly at dinner by Regina. She notes having sped the repairs of their vehicle along, and Kurt's son offers a small gift of appreciation. She wakes soon after from an assignation with Graham and surveys her town again as community members settle more fully into their familiar patterns, the static nature of the curse beginning to assert itself, and Regina growing dissatisfied with and confused by things. When she confronts Gold about the curse, he reports ignorance about her meaning, and she rants about the falsity of Storybrooke before calling Kurt. She calls Kurt, in fact, inviting him and Owen to dinner.

In the Storybrooke of the present, Regina searches frantically for a small scroll--and finds it. Later, David and Gold infiltrate Regina's vault, where Gold notes that Regina had searched through Cora's effects for a spell to use against Mary Margaret. He determines that the spell is the Curse of the Empty-Hearted, the effects of which he explicates to Mary Margaret's family. Henry realizes that he will be the target of the spell, and Gold notes that Regina's current purposes speak to an ongoing blood feud that will only be ended in death.

In the Storybrooke of the past, Regina hosts Kurt and Owen, the latter of whom remarks on the lasagna she serves. As Owen is excused from the table, Kurt notes being a widower, opining on the loss. The topics of companionship and motherhood are broached, Regina somewhat startled by the latter. Conversations continue, and Regina invites the pair to relocate to Storybrooke on a more permanent basis. Kurt demurs.

Henry's got the right idea.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In the Storybrooke of the present, Emma takes Henry to Granny's, where she has arranged for him to meet with Baelfire. Baelfire discusses the possibility of taking Henry to New York to protect him, and Henry arrives swiftly at the idea of eliminating magic from Storybrooke entirely. Baelfire notes that the elimination of magic would have the intended effect, but that it would take time during which Henry's removal would still be advisable. Greg interrupts, giving Emma and Ruby pause, and Baelfire notes that Henry has agreed to go to New York with him--a lie, in the event, and Emma and Baelfire pursue the fleeing Henry. Meanwhile, Regina breaches Mary Margaret's apartment, purposing to take her heart. Gold interdicts her, and Regina withdraws.

In the Storybrooke of the past, Regina calls on the repair shop where they Flynns' vehicle had been taken. The mechanic notes that the pair had already retrieved the vehicle and departed, and Regina commands Graham via magic to interdict their departure, arresting Kurt and delivering Owen to her. Kurt sees her do so and confronts her. Graham arrives to effect the arrest, and Kurt departs amid the struggle, fleeing.

In the Storybrooke of the present, the fleeing Henry runs into Greg, who is walking out in the woods. They confer briefly, and Greg snaps a clandestine photo before they go their separate ways. Emma, Baelfire, David, and Ruby pursue Henry, going to the mines. David determines that Henry sought dynamite, and Baelfire posits he wants it to destroy magic--by dropping a bundle of explosives into the wishing well. Greg calls Regina to report Henry's location, and she heads there in haste.

In the Storybrooke of the past, the Flynns flee, pursued by Regina and Graham. They are interdicted at the town line, and Kurt tells Owen to flee without him. The boy reluctantly obeys, and Kurt is taken into custody after a brief altercation. Owen rebukes Regina, and she lets him leave the town.

In the Storybrooke of the present, Regina finds Henry about to blow up the well. She interdicts him, and he pleads with her not to go through with her plans, echoing Owen's words. Emma, David, and Baelfire arrive to confront Regina, and Henry interdicts the melee before it can proceed. Regina destroys the text of the spell she had meant to cast, and Henry departs with his birth family.

Again, nothing symbolic here at all.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

A young Owen leads state troopers to the Storybrooke of the past only to find that there is no town. The troopers disbelieve his story of the town but believe that he has been abandoned, taking him away. In the Storybrooke of the present, Gold confers with Mary Margaret about recent events, and she asks him how he endures his perfidy; he offers an answer, but not a good one, as he departs. Mary Margaret calls on Regina, offering her life as an end to the feud; Regina does not kill her, but she does take her heart, which is notably stained by her knowing evil deed. Delighting in Mary Margaret's pain, she lets her live, returning her heart to her chest in spite--and Greg records the whole thing, revealing that he is Owen.

Discussion

Aside from bringing up several questions about the logistics of the curse (and perhaps invoking Bellisario's Maxim and the MST3K Mantra), the present episode brings up a couple of medieval/ist tropes. One of them that is fairly prominently highlighted is the motif of time passing strangely in the enchanted realm. Present notably in medieval Irish literature, as well as in other places, it is a commonplace in fairy-tales likely to be familiar to Once Upon a Time's presumed audience--and it is on full display in the episode, with the inhabitants of Storybrooke physically little changed in the series present (the early 2010s) from the time of their arrival in the curse-made town (1983). The repeated day-beginnings depicted suggest, too, that the people of Storybrooke exist in something of a time-loop, reaffirming the divergence of time involved in the magical creation of the town.

The episode also reinforces the feuding nature (and, yes, I understand the pun of depicting a feud arising within a pseudofeudalist neomedievalist work) of the conflict undergirding the series. I am put in mind of some earlier comments made in this webspace, as well as the notion of compensatory payments that are actually at work in a number of medieval cultures. Sides offers a usefully accessible introduction, although far from the only one, and while Sides's focus is on Early English, the Textus Roffensis points to the survival of such concepts into what is commonly called the Middle English period, and Njáls Saga points to their currency beyond the English medieval. Certainly, under such systems, Regina might (might) have some claim to restitution from Snow White for the deed that started her own personal vendetta (although this would be complicated in several respects, not least of which is that the event was itself part of Cora's machinations, stemming from her own insult--but that insult would not likely have resulted in a legally actionable claim...but the easy transgression of social boundaries is another matter). However, the present episode shows Mary Margaret offer "just" compensation, a life for a life; she did not kill Daniel, as such, but she did kill Cora, and offering her own life is an appropriate "repayment" for that...except that it was not framed as just compensation, but an act of cowardice, Mary Margaret being unwilling or unable to face the consequences of her actions as such...

It becomes something to consider.

Once upon a Time Rewatch 2.16, "The Miller's Daughter"

Read the previous entry in the series here.
Read the next entry in the series here.

---

2.16, "The Miller's Daughter"

Written by Jane Espenson
Directed by Ralph Hemecker

Synopsis

Following a recapitulation of series events, the episode begins with a scene some years in the past, when a young Cora deals with her drunkard father and carts a load of flour to the local castle. There, she is mocked and rebuked by local and visiting nobility, including Snow White's mother, for whom Cora conceives no small hatred.

What's in a name? What about when it fades?
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Following the title card, the episode follows Emma, Henry, Gold, and Baelfire as they return to Storybrooke aboard the Jolly Roger. Gold continues to suffer, and Emma inquires after the dagger and its power. Emma notes the familial bond among them that has been revealed, affirming it begrudgingly. Report of events reaches Storybrooke, overheard by Regina and Cora, who confer about Gold's looming death. The implication of his death is noted, and Cora notes her intent to succeed Rumpelstiltskin as the Dark One, shocking Regina into recognition of Cora's true intent.

The episode shifts to a masquerade ball which a young Cora attends and at which she is swiftly shamed. She replies with the boast of turning straw into gold, which prompts the local ruler to expose her and put her to the test--with her life and a potential marriage on the line.

Mary Margaret and David meet the returning Jolly Roger and her passengers. They confer, and Mary Margaret purposes to kill Cora. David attempts to dissuade her from vengeance. Gold asks to be taken to his shop, and Henry is sent aside to keep him safe.

The non-assumption of literacy has...implications.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

The young Cora contemplates her situation and is joined by Rumpelstiltskin. He offers her a solution to her problem--for a price: her firstborn child, a daughter. She insists on being taught how to work magic, herself, and a deal between the two is struck.

Gold guides preparations for the coming conflict, including reminding Mary Margaret of the fatal candle a disguised Cora had provided her. Emma prepares a minor working, assisted by Baelfire; they confer about their respective situations briefly. Gold presses Mary Margaret to use the candle, explaining how it can be done. She argues, and Gold reminds her that Henry will have feelings about his departed grandfather. Preparations continue, and Emma struggles to enact the working on which she began, guided by Gold--and it works, Emma beginning to understand magic. 

The event parallels Rumpelstiltskin's earlier experience teaching Cora, which is depicted. He guides her through enacting the working that makes straw into gold, tapping into strong emotion. It succeeds, and the Dark One promises that there is more to come. Cora demonstrates the ability before the local court, to the disbelief of all, and she is given the promised betrothal.

In advance of Cora's assault, David and Mary Margaret confer as she weighs her decision. The assault begins, Regina and Cora breaking Emma's spell with seeming ease. They proceed in, and Mary Margaret absconds as melee ensues. Mary Margaret reaches Cora's heart, to which Regina is dispatched, and Cora proceeds against Rumpelstiltskin.

In advance of her wedding, Cora finds herself confronted by Rumpelstiltskin. After a brief romantic exchange, Cora notes the hollowness of her achievement. Drawn along by his amorous feelings, Rumpelstiltskin offers an altered arrangement, and he shows her how to remove hearts.

Wow. That's not ominous at all.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Mary Margaret searches for Cora's heart in Regina's vault. The conflict at Gold's shop continues, and Mary Margaret's absence is noted. She finds the heart in question and hesitates over it briefly before enacting her own working.

A young Cora confronts her future father-in-law. They have a frank exchange, in which the king rebukes the weakness of love and her lowborn status  again; she takes his heart from his chest.

The assault on Gold's shop continues, and Gold begins to resign himself to death. Baelfire objects, and Gold offers such final consolations and confessions as he can. That he gives the amnesiac Belle moves Emma and Baelfire. That he offers to Baelfire prompts something akin to reconciliation. And as they do, Regina confronts Mary Margaret, who deceives her into taking Cora's cursed heart for reinsertion. How the heart had come to be removed is disclosed as a young Cora meets with and spurns Rumpelstiltskin in favor of retaining political power, effectively side-stepping the renegotiated deal between the pair.

David confronts Mary Margaret outside Regina's vault, realizing that she has done some wrong. Regina returns from the vault to Cora as the latter breaches Gold's sanctuary and confronts him. She prepares to kill him to take his power, only to be thwarted by Regina's reinsertion of her heart and concomitant death by magic mere moments after being returned to her ability to love--as Gold recovers and resumes his dagger. And Mary Margaret's perfidy is revealed in full.

Discussion

As to the obvious (to me, at least): Cora's origin as the daughter of the miller is a reference to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. As one of the medieval works most likely to be known to the presumed general audience of the series--even in Texas, high school English textbooks contain selections from CT, although the editors tend to be...circumspect in their apparatus--the unfinished collection is positioned ideally to be a point of reference for series viewers. Additionally, the presentation of the Miller in the Tales is one that readily associates itself with the lower-class ideation of the miller in the present episode; other "peasant" professions that might be accessible to general viewers (and that might generate names for characters, since "Mills" is the family name accorded to Regina and hers in the series) do not operate under any particular onus. Brewers, butchers, coopers, tanners, and the like could just as easily have been selected as millers for the family origin, and butchers and tanners could easily have borne negative associations, since working with meat and hide is often smelly and unpleasant work. Yet they do not carry the stigma associated with millers--in part to mainstream audiences, however subconsciously, due to Chaucer's Miller being "a thikke knarre" and, frankly, much like a now-stereotypical redneck or cast-member of Jackass in his depiction in the General Prologue (ll. 545-66). So there's that.

Once upon a Time Rewatch 2.15, "The Queen Is Dead"

Read the previous entry in the series here.
Read the next entry in the series here.

---

2.15, "The Queen Is Dead"

Written by Daniel T. Thomsen and David H. Goodman
Directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton

Synopsis

Nice hat.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

After a recapitulation of series events, the episode begins with a young Snow White conferring with her mother in advance of her birthday ball. Her mother promises her an inherited tiara, which one of the household servants, Johanna, is trying on in the absence of the royals. Snow White rebukes Johanna sharply, occasioning sharp rebuke from her mother in turn and a lesson in the demands of rule. Immediately after, Snow White's mother is taken by a strange malady.

In Storybrooke, Mary Margaret contemplates herself in a mirror in the apartment she shares with her family. David makes breakfast, occasioning some angst from Mary Margaret about her birthday; Mary Margaret has also received a gift--a jeweled tiara--and recognizes its source as Johanna. Mary Margaret and David confer about events, and she determines to find Johanna, noting the perennial unhappiness of her birthday. David subsequently reports in to work at the sheriff's office and is beset by Hook, who takes the opportunity to retrieve his titular appendage.

Following the title card, Mary Margaret finds Johanna at work in her backyard garden. The two are happily reunited, and Johanna reports having found the tiara in Gold's shop. The two confer about their shared heritage and sorrow for Snow White's mother until interrupted by a strange noise that Mary Margaret moves off to investigate. Said investigation takes her into the woods, where she sees Regina and Cora at work digging for Rumpelstiltskin's dagger and overhears their plans. She moves to report the information to David, finding him unconscious in the sheriff's office. He reports events and receives hers in turn; they plot to intercede between Regina and Cora to delay their plans.

Honestly, it's not nearly crowded enough.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In New York City, Neal and Henry go out for pizza, trailed by Gold and Emma. Henry presses his father about his background and experiences, leaving Gold and Emma to confer. Gold tries to press on Emma to persuade Neal to return to Storybrooke for Henry. The relative morality of their various deeds comes up for discussion until they are interrupted by Neal and Henry returning from getting pizza.

In Storybrooke, Mary Margaret confronts Regina about her collaboration with Cora. Regina rebukes Mary Margaret's presumption, and Mary Margaret reminds Regina of Cora's depravity and motivations before being reminded, in turn, of her own mother's death--the surrounding circumstances of which are depicted. Snow White's mother gives a commendation to the girl, and Johanna takes her away to allow the attending physician to work, offering such comfort as she can against the situation. Johanna plots to use magic to save the queen, sending Snow White in pursuit of a fairy.

In New York City, Henry presses Gold about their relationship, and Emma and Neal confer about the course of events to come. She suggests Neal return to Storybrooke, and he demurs. As Neal and Henry move to retrieve a camera, Hook arrives and assails Emma and Gold, wounding him deeply. Neal returns, recognizing Hook as he attends to his injured father. Gold recognizes the poison with which he has been afflicted, and a return to Storybrooke in haste is planned, Neal offering to sail the Jolly Roger back to Maine.

Something looks...off.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In Storybrooke, Mary Margaret and David appear to call on the Mother Superior for aid. She agrees to help them seek out Rumpelstiltskin's dagger.

In a flashback, a young Snow White seeks out the Blue Fairy, the other life of the Mother Superior. The fairy only begrudgingly assists Snow White, providing her a candle that will allow for the sacrifice of another's life in favor of the queen's--a life Snow White must choose and name.

In New York City, the plan to get Gold back to Maine gets underway. Neal remarks cryptically on his earlier experience with Hook as he arranges for transport. Henry presents information received from Mary Margaret and David about Regina and Cora's search for Gold's dagger. Meanwhile, the Mother Superior's own efforts to find the dagger are interdicted, prompting unusual comments, but the location of the dagger is indicated by a phone call from New York City.

Back in the past, a young Snow White attends on her dying mother, reporting her perfidy in seeking and being unwilling to wield the magic of the candle. Her mother commends her for her resistance to evil and offers her daughter such comfort as circumstances allow, dying with her daughter's praise on her lips. Johanna attends the princess.

There's a lot going on here.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In Storybrooke, Gold's dagger is retrieved, and Cora and Regina arrive to interdict Mary Margaret and David. Cora summons Johanna, and Regina takes her heart to compel Mary Margaret and David to surrender the dagger to them. Mary Margaret recalls her presentation at her birthday, her kingdom in mourning at the loss of the queen, her mother, and Johanna's assistance in the event and afterward. But after Snow White departs, Cora emerges to mock the perished queen, noting her complicity in the death and expressing her machinations against the late queen and her family.

Mary Margaret realizes Cora's machinations, but she still relents and surrenders the dagger. Cora kills Johanna regardless, and she and Regina flee, leaving Snow White to mourn again. They repair to Regina's mayoral office, where Regina presses Cora about her years-long machinations in her favor. Meanwhile, in New York, Neal and Emma confer about their situation, and Neal notes that he is engaged, his fiancée, Tamara, meeting Emma unexpectedly. Johanna is interred, and Snow White begins to harden in her resolve against Regina and Cora, plotting outright murder.

Discussion

Early in the episode, Johanna is rebuked for daring to don the tiara that had been intended for Snow White. While the justification in the episode is that it does not belong to Johanna--which is a valid consideration, truly--it also smacks of "know your place" (which I note the episode does abjure, given the comments that follow swiftly from Snow White's mother), and that concern was one that occupied the medieval mind (to the extent that such a thing can be described as unitary). One way in which the concern manifested was in sumptuary laws, with which many are more familiar from discussions of early modern England--the topic comes up in high school English textbooks in Texas, at least--and which do range back into antiquity but which are present in force in the "high" medieval that the series (often halfheartedly) attempts to evoke.

Broadly, sumptuary laws attempt to constrain and restrict what people may consume, often in the service of indicating their social positions and therefore reinforcing social hierarchies. Most frequently, they are discussed in terms of clothing; a number of sources attest to specifics, with Wood and St. John's at Cambridge offering useful introductory glosses, and Phillips and Muzzarelli--among many others--getting into more detail. (DISTAFF has much more to say on the specifics of clothing and the related associations, as well.) And in many cases, restrictions on who could wear what clothing and in what circumstance was explicitly and specifically to reinforce who fit where in the prevailing social order of the place and time; that Johanna is rebuked for putting on the tiara echoes such concerns, even as the rebuke that follows serves to set aside those concerns in large measure, perhaps speaking to the (incorrect) belief that "we've moved past such things," if quietly.

Another note: the final image accompanying the synopsis above speaks to one of the brutal realities of hereditary power, namely that advancement demands the deaths of ancestors. It is not only magic that has a price in the series, and those who fancy that they would have enjoyed power and privilege in earlier times (I think I've spoken to such on some previous occasions) would do well to remember such things--among many, many others.

Once upon a Time Rewatch 2.14, "Manhattan"

Read the previous entry in the series here.
Read the next entry in the series here.

---

2.14, "Manhattan"

Written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz
Directed by Dean White

Synopsis

In another time and place, this would be kindling...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

After a recapitulation of series events, the episode begins with Rumpelstiltskin returning to his wife, Milah, with his conscription order. She voices her reservations, and he notes the chance to redeem his familial cowardice; she encourages him onward.

Emma, Henry, and Gold arrive in New York City, stepping out of a taxi onto a rainy street in front of a nondescript building. They press ahead, thinking to surprise Gold's son.

In Storybrooke, Regina and Cora confer about events. Hook intrudes, asking about Rumpelstiltskin's whereabouts, and is informed of the difficulty of pursuit. Cora notes that Gold's absence allows a search for his dagger, which can kill him.

...you got some 'splainin' to do...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

The group in New York tries to confront Gold's son, who flees. Gold compels Emma to retrieve his son and get him to talk to his father, and Emma gives chase through the crowded streets near the Flatiron building. She catches up to him, only to find her quarry is her former lover, Neal. Disbelieving, Emma confronts Neal about his father's identity and about his knowledge of her history; he offers to confess all over beer. Meanwhile, Henry and Gold confer about the likelihood of Emma's success and about their own connections and family histories.

Emma and Neal confer about their history together and its entanglement with Rumpelstiltskin's plans. Neal waxes prolix on fate, and Emma denies Henry to him, rebuking him. She notes, too, that she acts under the terms of a deal with Rumpelstiltskin, staggering Neal.

But it's Disney!
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In the Enchanted Forest, Rumpelstiltskin finds himself under orders to guard a prisoner. He looks at the prisoner after being addressed by her, a blinded child. She pleads for water and notes herself as an oracle before demonstrating the truth of her claim. What she reveals upsets him, and he rebukes her.

In the "real" world, Emma calls her parents, noting that Neal, Gold's son, is Henry's father. She seeks counsel, and Mary Margaret recommends telling Henry the truth about his father, a recommendation she finds difficult. Henry and Gold confer further about Gold's reunion with his son, which Gold anticipates nervously. He discusses his own prognostication with the boy, noting the difficulties involved with it. Emma arrives where they wait and reports that Neal eluded her.

In Storybrooke, Belle continues to convalesce, and Regina calls on her, finding her amnesiac as reported. She magics her asleep and ransacks her belongings to find a lead on Gold. The lead takes Regina--along with Cora and Hook--to the town library, where they search the stacks for the dagger. They find, instead, a map that indicates the location of their object. David and Mary Margaret confer about the implications of Henry's heritage. The complexity of the relationships involved is noted. And in New York, Gold breaks into his son's apartment. Emma attempts to dissuade him, to no avail.

Back in the Enchanted Forest, Rumpelstiltskin apprehensively awaits the combat of the next day as the injured and slain are brought back in. Another soldier comments that being thus injured is the only way to be discharged from service, and orders follow that remind Rumpelstiltskin of the oracle's words. Fear begins to overtake him, and he seeks to confer with the oracle again, finding her absent. Believing himself to be soon to die, Rumpelstiltskin instead maims himself to effect his discharge from service. 

Gold, limping from the permanence of the injury, enters Neal's apartment, Emma and Henry following. They search the apartment, Emma noting a familiar dreamcatcher. Gold presses her for information, the situation growing tense until Neal returns to his apartment, confronting both.

In the Enchanted Forest, Rumpelstiltskin hobbles home to his wife and their son. He asks his son's name, finding it is Baelfire, and Milah rebukes him for his cowardice. He attempts to justify himself, and the explanation is rejected, harshly, and Milah stalks off, leaving father and son together. And in New York, the two are reunited, Gold far happier to see Neal than Neal to see Gold. Gold intuits that the two have a relationship, and Henry stumbles in, confirming the relationships among all concerned--and Emma's deceit. Henry departs, leaving the adults to untangle complicated affairs.

In Storybrooke, Greg calls to note that he will remain in Storybrooke, having recorded Regina exercising magic. She confers with Cora and Hook about the location of the dagger, and she and Cora excuse him from their plans. Meanwhile, Henry confronts Emma about her deceit, and she divulges some of her history with Neal to him; he compares Emma to Regina, bitterly, and asks to meet Neal. Gold and Neal confer, Gold apologizing for his perfidy and asking Neal to return to Storybrooke and magic with him, citing his changes. Neal rebukes him for his presumption and reminds him of his failure; he takes his revenge by sending Gold away and stalking out.

In the Enchanted Forest, the empowered Rumpelstiltskin confronts the oracle again. He recounts events and how her prophecy came to pass, rebuking her for her vagueness. A tense confrontation follows, and the oracle searches out how he can retrieve Baelfire. She outlines the means by which he will do so, and Rumpelstiltskin makes to take the oracle's power for himself to divine more details.

In New York, Neal confers with Henry. The boy is forgiving of his father, as his father is not of Gold. And Gold recalls the difficulty of interpreting the oracular vision, breaking off contact with the oracle before her power can go over fully to him--along with its burdens. The oracle offers insight that leads Rumpelstiltskin to plot the death of a child--who turns out to be Henry, his own grandson...

Discussion

The point might well be made about the remarkable convenience of the coincidence of bloodlines and family histories on display in the present episode, and it does come off as contrived. (The point might also be made that it is contrived, being a created fiction, of which all examples are, necessarily, contrived.) Certainly, there is a soap-opera quality about it, something with which ABC, on which the series aired, is hardly unfamiliar; my late grandmother watched quite a few soap operas on that network, and for a time, I was conversant in the tangled bush of Buchanan family interrelations on One Life to Live. But that is hardly out of line with the medieval/ist works from which Once Upon a Time works. Consider, for one, how many princesses are married to a Prince Charming in Disney animated movies. Consider, for another, how many of their works borrow, at more and less remove, from such medieval works as Le Morte d'Arthur, which is in some ways a generational family drama--complete with sudden revelations of kinship heretofore undisclosed. (And, truly, even the earlier Sophocles uses it; just ask Oedipus.) If it is a convenient plot device, it is at least one that rings true for the medieval "flavoring" that the series sprinkles, sometimes with an unsteady hand and synthesized ingredients, on the sometimes half-baked bread of its plot.

The present episode puts some focus on Rumpelstiltskin's cowardice, noted previously in the series. Although popular conception views cowardice as a binary--a person is a coward or is not one--the episode presents it with some nuance. And it is not nearly so plain in medieval contexts, either. At times, as Tracy and DeVries note in their introduction to Wounds and Wound Repair in Medieval Culture, self-inflicted wounds take on something of the sacred; it is not the case here, of course, but the fact of it indicates that medieval attitudes toward self-harm were not quite so unified as might be thought. Similarly, Morillo in "Expecting Cowardice: Medieval Battle Tactics Reconsidered," Bliese in "Courage and Honor, Cowardice and Shame: A Motive Appeal in Battle Orations in The Song of Roland and in Chronicles of the Central Middle Ages," and Taylor in "Military Courage and Fear in the Late Medieval French Chivalric Imagination" all speak to the misconception of popular understanding of how medieval thought, insofar as it can be described as unitary, regarded cowardice. It is, as the episode demonstrates, not a single thing.

It is of some interest, too, that the present episode returns to earlier discourses about fate, which ever goes as it must. As noted with previous episodes in the series, predestination is something of a theme in the show--and in the medieval from which it borrows, not only in the Old English works referenced previously, but also in the dominant Christian ideology of the time and in conceptions of Fortuna, among many, many others. And here, more than in many other places, the idea of fate rewarding those who face it bravely emerges--if backhandedly, since those who seek to flee their fate fare ill, and not only in the attempt...

Once upon a Time Rewatch 2.13, "Tiny"

Read the previous entry in the series here.
Read the next entry in the series here.

---

2.13, "Tiny"

Written by Christine Boylan and Kalinda Vazquez
Directed by Guy Ferland

Synopsis

Following a recapitulation of series events, the episode begins with Gold retrieving Emma to discharge the favor she owes him. Gold rails against Henry accompanying them, but relents. They make for Logan International Airport, during which trip Gold again tests the effectiveness of his passage charm. The magic being efficacious, Gold purposes to find his son.

Not bad for someone who got hit by a car.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

After the title card, the episode continues with David taking up law enforcement duties. He and Mary Margaret are surprised to find Regina outside their door, about to knock; they acknowledge their error in accusing her of Hopper's death and apologize to her for it. Regina asks to see Henry and is informed that he has departed with Emma and Gold. The exchange is tense and bodes ill, and pursuit of Cora resumes with the assistance of Hook. He leads them aboard the cloaked Jolly Roger, which he praises before noting the presence of Cora's belongings under a tarp on deck. It is revealed to be the shrunken form of the giant Emma and Hook had encountered.

Said giant, named Anton and called Tiny, sits to table with his family in the past. The patriarch proposes a toast and presses Anton about his infatuation with humanity. Anton defends it and is rebuked for his attitude, a history of conquest on humanity's part cited as the reason for the giants' withdrawal from commerce with them. Anton asks after the purpose of continued magic bean cultivation, the patriarch noting that the labor itself offers more value than the product of that labor. Anton flees and looks down at the human world, descending the beanstalk into it.

Under threat, Hook turns over the keys to Anton's restraints, Mary Margaret loosing him. Hook escapes, and Anton rails at David, assailing him and fleeing with a promise of vengeance. Elsewhere in Storybrooke, Ruby approaches the amnesiac Belle, trying to prompt her memory and reintroducing herself, bringing gifts. Belle presses Ruby for information about magic, growing upset and finding herself sedated. Gregor hobbles in, asking questions, and is treated coldly by Ruby as she leaves. And at Granny's, David realizes that Anton's anger is not for him, but for his late twin brother--who, in the past, is interrupted mid-assignation by George, who rebukes him for his indolence and tasks him with intercepting Anton--and moves to intercept Anton in Storybrooke.

Peek-a-boo!
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In the Enchanted Forest, Anton looks in on a tavern. He is greeted outside by David's brother and the subject of his dalliance--Jacquelyn "Jack"--and offered a magical aid to adjust his size to permit him access to human-sized buildings, which he accepts.

In Boston, Emma, Henry, and Gold go through airport security. The experience is frightening and insulting for Gold, who is unfamiliar with the post-9/11 world, and Emma helps him through it. Henry rushes off in delight, leaving a shaken Gold behind.

In Storybrooke, Hook summons Cora and is answered by Regina, who confronts him about his failure to kill Cora at her behest. He reports the "escape" of Anton and the giant's clear animus against Charming. Meanwhile, Anton stalks through the town, his progress mirroring that of his past self in the Enchanted Forest. He talks with the prince and Jack, who make much of him, and Jack notes the financial peril of George's kingdom. Jack notes that beans would be an acceptable medium of exchange, and Anton offers to help.

This contrasts with Anton's reaction to Regina's approach in Storybrooke, him warding her away. She offers to help him get revenge on Charming, providing him a magical aid to return him to his native size. He accepts and ingests it, swiftly towering over the town.

Gold paces the airport nervously, stalking off to the restroom, where he considers himself in the mirror briefly before acting out. Testing his magic, he finds it ineffective, and Henry summons him to begin the boarding process.

With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In the past, Anton returns home and plunders his family's treasures. The giant patriarch confronts him, and Anton purposes to leave to the human world. The patriarch attempts to dissuade him, and an alarm  sounds that heralds the humans' approach. In Storybrooke, Anton rampages through the town, sending crowds screaming as David and Mary Margaret confront him. David attempts to explain the situation, Mary Margaret joining him. The explanation does not satisfy, and Anton resumes his rampage as he recalls Charming's brother and Jack infiltrating the giants' realm--coming to demand the beans the giants are set to harvest. Melee ensues.

In Storybrooke, David offers himself up to Anton, Mary Margaret snatching him away just as the size-change ends and Anton assumes a shrunken state. In the giants' realm, battle continues, the giants getting the worst of the exchange. Anton is bidden raze the bean-fields--while in Storybrooke, he is extricated from the situation in which he finds himself, the efforts led by David. But in the giants' realm, Anton is left the last of his kind as Jack is slain and David's brother flees with ill-gotten gains. The genesis of a new bean-crop is given Anton--and he asks about farming in Storybrooke, presenting that genesis. But he knows that Cora's machinations are the cause of his presence, and he expresses concerns that are set aside as the dwarves welcome him to work with them, and they begin to till a field.

In the hospital, Gregor confers with the amnesiac Belle. He broaches the topic of magic with her, affirming what she saw of it. David and Mary Margaret confer about possibilities. Gold continues to fret as his flight leaves for New York City...

Discussion

Of note is the giant patriarch's attitude toward labor--namely that it is more valuable in itself than are what it yields. The attitude is one that reflects the origin of the series in the United States, with its Puritan-derived emphasis on work as necessity--"hard work is its own reward," after all, and there is still much talk of "dream jobs" and of careers as vital parts of good lives well lived. There is still a nominal valuation and valediction of the working class, an underlying assumption that those who labor are more morally upright than those who do not--whatever the circumstances may be--and that having an occupation is something for which a person ought well to be grateful--whatever the job may be; how many times have people been told "You should feel lucky to have a job," after all?

Yet this is largely at odds with medieval attitudes toward work. Generally, work was seen as penitential, punitive, a continuing mark of the loss of the Scriptural paradise by the putative first parents of humanity. While it was regarded as necessary, it was not regarded as particularly valuable in itself; work in the world is of the world, and the world is something to be left behind in the prevailing conceptions of medieval Europe. Nor is it work that allows the world to be left behind, but a profession of belief and humility.

At odds, indeed.

Once upon a Time Rewatch 2.12, "In the Name of the Brother"

Read the previous entry in the series here.
Read the next entry in the series here.

---

2.12, "In the Name of the Brother"

Written by Jane Espenson
Directed by Milan Cheylov

Synopsis

Following a recapitulation of series events, some from the first season, the episode begins with aid rushing to the scene of Belle's injury and the car crash from the previous episode. Gold works magic on the amnesiac Belle, to her muted shock, and Emma finds the injured Hook in the road. She and David restrain Gold from killing him as paramedics arrive and attend to the driver who has crashed; the realization that "the world just came to Storybrooke" breaks upon them.

After the title card, the episode picks up in the hospital, where Whale drunkenly ignores a summons to treatment. He reflects on a Christmas with his family, during which his brother is lauded and he, as Victor Frankenstein, is presented with a purchased commission. He demurs, to his father's annoyance, and they argue about his work and its importance as, in Storybrooke, the injured driver, Hook, and Belle are brought in for medical attention. Whale belatedly arrives and takes charge of affairs despite his intoxication, still recalling the insult from his father.

Excusable, perhaps, in context, but still creepy as hell.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Gold looks on as Belle begins to convalesce, making his own attempt at true love's kiss to restore her memories. It fails, and Belle wakes screaming at the assault. Emma watches as Hook regains consciousness, and she roughly questions him about Cora's whereabouts; she learns little from the exchange. She shortly after joins David, Mary Margaret, Ruby, and Leroy as they try to unlock the driver's phone; Emma notes that, based on evidence from the vehicle, the driver is named Greg Mendel,* and evidence from the phone suggests Mendel's utter normalcy. The implications are discussed and steps to take considered, and Whale reports a poor prognosis for Mendel. Gold notes more implications of Mendel's presence as he makes his way out of the hospital, and the ethics--and Whale's intoxication--are considered. A call to Mendel's phone interrupts the discussion.

Elsewhere, Frankenstein works to dismantle his apparatus, where Rumpelstiltskin confers with him. He offers substantial funds to study his methods, which agreement Frankenstein accepts.

In Storybrooke, Gold considers his own next steps until Cora interrupts him. She extends a "peace offering" that will allow him to find Baelfire--in exchange for his noninterference between her and Regina. Gold accepts the agreement.

Brotherly affection...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

David confronts Whale, who continues to reflect on his experiences elsewhere. His brother comes upon him in the process of grave-robbing. Others do, as well, and they open fire, wounding Frankenstein's brother. He flees from the hospital in Storybrooke, and Ruby leads a tracking party to find Whale--whose identity as Frankenstein is voiced. And in his native world, Frankenstein begins to subject his fatally injured brother to his revivification process. It does not succeed, and Frankenstein's father arrives to confront him about his activities, upbraiding him and disowning him.

In Storybrooke, Cora stalks through Regina's home in search of her daughter and her whereabouts. She adopts Henry's guise to gain entrance to her inner sanctum.

Rumpelstiltskin confers with Frankenstein again, offering him access to materials for his work in exchange for a performance.

Cora presses her case with Regina, finding little traction with her daughter. Whale, meanwhile, considers suicide, only to be intercepted by Ruby. And in his native realm, Frankenstein exults in the seeming success of his experiments, reporting them to their father and bringing his revived brother in. Their father rails against the result, again berating Frankenstein and provoking a fatal attack from the revived brother. Whale discusses his situation with Ruby, who notes her own sordid history and the need to press ahead despite their shared disreputable pasts. She also pushes him to tend to Mendel, and Cora presses on Regina further. 

The doctor will see you now...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Whale returns to the hospital, ready to work on Mendel. Frankenstein follows his revived brother, finding him contemplating his existence and the violence of it; he refuses to put his brother out of his misery, leaving him imprisoned. Mendel is successfully treated, and Emma makes to confer with him. Gold tries to reawaken Belle's memories, failing again. Mendel reports having been texting while driving, allaying Emma's concerns. Gold begins to search out Baelfire using Cora's gift. Henry muses on the implications of Frankenstein's presence in Storybrooke, and Gold arrives to claim the favor Emma owes him, enlisting her help to find Baelfire and threatening all present. Mendel, still hospitalized, calls his outside contact, reporting his injuries and the presence of magic in Storybrooke.

Discussion

Given the focus on Frankenstein in the present episode, there's not a lot of overtly neo/medieval/ist material with which to work--and certainly not much new. There may be a bit of a backhanded gesture towards the compression / conflation / amalgamation of the pre-modern--with a relatively tight definition of "modern" at work, perhaps going back only to the First World War--that typifies so much popular conception of the past in Henry's almost-throwaway line about the curse bringing in figures from outside the usual fairy tale expectation, but that's tenuous at best. Similarly, there is a bit of a medievalist holdover in the purchase of Frankenstein's commission; although it is more commonly and strongly associated with later times, purchase of rank is noted by Douglas W. Allen as having some roots in the medieval. Again, though, it's a thin thread from which to weave a tapestry.

*While not medieval/ist, the clear nod to another Greg(or) Mendel does merit some attention.

Once upon a Time Rewatch 2.11, "The Outsider"

Read the previous entry in the series here.
Read the next entry in the series here.

---

2.11, "The Outsider"

Written by Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg
Directed by David Solomon

Synopsis

Eschewing a recap, the episode starts with a car approaching the edge of Storybrooke at night, stopping before crossing the town's boundary. It is Gold, forcing Smee to cross said line for his role in Belle's abduction and testing a potion he has brewed. It is efficacious, allowing memory to be retained across the boundary of the town. Gold dismisses Smee in favor of planning a journey.

It's not usually what people mean by "getting stoned."
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

After the title card, the episode turns to funeral proceedings for Hopper, presumed dead by the town. Hopper himself remains imprisoned in the hold of the Jolly Roger, under interrogation by Hook, who plies him for information about Gold's weaknesses.

Gold reports the success of his potion to Belle, explicating the mechanics of his magic to her. He purposes to leave Storybrooke in search of his son, Baelfire, apologizing to her for leaving her behind.

Don't feed it after midnight, and don't get it wet...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

The episode shifts to the Enchanted Forest, where a drinking Belle overhears tavern boasting and a call for a party to hunt a yaoguai. Dreamy joins her, thanking her for advice previously given and encouraging her to join the party. She demurs, but Dreamy persists, and she follows the hunting party--with a gift of fairy dust from the dwarf.

In Storybrooke, Belle works to restore the public library in advance of its reopening. Hook confronts her there, Belle recalling his earlier attempt at kidnapping her and fleeing. She escapes into the formerly hidden elevator and calls Gold, though the call is hindered by concerns of construction.

Puppy!
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In the Enchanted Forest, the party Belle accompanies mocks her for her reading as they press ahead. After she notes the location of the yaoguai, she is cast aside in scorn--soon revealing that she had lied to the others and proceeds to the actual reported location of the creature. Approaching it nervously, she inadvertently wakes it and is obliged to flee, saved only narrowly by a conveniently present Mulan. They confer briefly, Mulan displeased at Belle's interference in her work.

Gold arrives at the library, comforting Belle. Henry contemplates, and Emma tries to offer comfort. She and her parents confer, and Grumpy asks about returning to the Enchanted Forest in the wake of Regina's depredations and against the dangers of discovery by the outside world. Others join the latter concern. Gold purposes to punish Hook, Belle trying to dissuade him. Gold glosses his history with Hook, and he finds that his shop has been ransacked in his absence, the shawl Gold enchanted to allow himself to leave Storybrooke stolen. Gold rages and goes to pursue Hook; he gives Belle a gun to protect herself from Hook.

The hunting party catches up to Belle, assailing her for having misled them. Mulan again intervenes on Belle's behalf, and melee ensues. Mulan defeats the others handily, taking Belle into her company to resume the hunt for the yaoguai. In Storybroke, Belle makes to restore the library, finding a strange knot that she then researches, discovering that Hook has arrived in Storybrooke by ship. Elsewhere in town, Gold confronts Smee, trying to extract Hook's whereabouts from him. Belle goes to the waterfront, finding the hidden Jolly Roger and boarding the ship. Once aboard, she stalks the decks and compartments, finding Hopper, to her surprise. She frees him, sending him for help as she stands to confront Hook. She searches out Gold's shawl, only to be taken by Hook.

Belle and Mulan pursue the yaoguai until an injury halts Mulan. Mulan persuades Belle to slay the creature in her place. Hook adds to Gold's account of his wife's death, to Belle's disbelief. She retrieves the shawl and attempts to flee, Gold arriving to confront Hook. Belle lures the yaoguai into town and subdues it via water, finding it pitiable and itself the victim of enchantment. Applying the fairy dust received from Dreamy, Belle reveals the creature to be the transmogrified Phillip. He thanks her for her aid, and they gather in the injured Mulan. And in Storybrooke, Belle successfully dissuades Gold from killing Hook.

Don't call it a comeback...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Following an earlier conversation, Mary Margaret and David look for a new home in town. They discuss the current status of the Enchanted Forest, Mary Margaret pressing for a peaceful existence and uncovering a strain in their relationship. Hopper reappears, to Emma's surprise and Henry's delight, reporting events. Emma realizes her error regarding Regina and the debt she owes. Gold prepares to leave Storybrooke in search of his son, while Belle introduces Phillip to Mulan and determines to return to Rumpelstiltskin--only to be confronted by Regina, who imprisons her. Hook shoots Belle as Gold makes to leave, thrusting her across the town line. An incoming driver interrupts the budding confrontation, running Hook down in the road and crashing.

Discussion

Superficial similarities of name between the yaoguai and Gizmo's species aside, the yaoguai does call to mind the Questing Beast from Arthurian legend, itself an iteration of a common pattern stretching back through antiquity and likely beyond. Apart from anachronism of setting and costumery--the hats on display belong to diverse times and places, among others--and sounding very much like the beginning of a game of Dungeons & Dragons or a similar game (itself markedly neomedievalist and a focus for neomedievalism), the depredations of the beast and its pursuit are common elements, easily placed, and as easily displaced, Mulan standing in for Pellinore and others (but it's not exactly unusual for figures to be amalgamated, especially in a context that evokes the Arthurian, however obliquely). The defeat of the creature by water and the restoration of it from a sickly form, however, call back more strongly to the Questing Beast than its many parallels and antecedents, even if the latter is itself from a medievalist, rather than a medieval, bit of Arthuriana.

But that speaks to something about the medieval. Again and again, the works that have come down refigured and reconfigured themselves; again and again, they continue to do so, adapting themselves against the expectations and needs of their changing audiences. It was true of Arthruian legend throughout the medieval, through the early modern and onward; it is still true in the many works that make use of the medieval. It falls to us who continue to look at such works to search them for the truths they can reveal and to work against their misuse by the too many who would try to find in them justification for misguided hatreds that deserve all opprobrium.

Once upon a Time Rewatch 2.10, "The Cricket Game"

Read the previous entry in the series here.
Read the next entry in the series here.

---

2.10, "The Cricket Game"

Written by David H. Goodman and Robert Hull
Directed by Dean White

Synopsis

Hook stands in the rigging of his ship, looking upon Storybrooke at night before escorting Cora to the dockside. He seeks to head off to confront Rumpelstiltskin, but she notes that the return of magic to the area will complicate his search for revenge. A passer-by happens along, only to be turned into a fish by Cora's magic. They confer about how to proceed, determining to reconnoiter before acting.

Well, it is Disney...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

After the title card, David and Mary Margaret are interrupted as they begin to be intimate. Emma and Henry excuse themselves, and David offers a wry quip.

In the Enchanted Forest, Regina looks out over a village as it is ransacked and put to the torch. She receives reports that George has been defeated, Snow White and Prince Charming taking his kingdom for their own. The defeat puts her into an uncomfortable strategic position, and she sets out to hunt Snow White herself. It does not take her long to find her stepdaughter, only to find herself captured.

She does have a point, here.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In Storybrooke, a celebration of Emma and Mary Margaret's return commences at Granny's. Regina joins belatedly, Emma having invited her. It causes some tension, but Emma notes that Regina deserves the same chance to change she received, and Henry expresses appreciation that his adoptive mother attends. Even so, Regina spends most of the celebration alone and seeks to make a quiet exit. Emma  tries to persuade her to remain, and Regina pleads to see her son more. Another tense exchange follows, and the two reach an uneasy détente as Regina leaves the celebration. She is observed, however, as Hook and Cora look over the town, plotting their next moves.

Regina confronts Hopper near the docks the next morning, rebuking him (rightly) for reporting her attendance in his clinic (unethically). He pleads having tried to help her, only earning more rebuke until a jogging Ruby happens by and intervenes. Regina stalks off in justified anger, and, in the Enchanted Forest, a conference regarding how to handle the captured queen is conducted. Charming arrives at the idea of executing Regina and dismisses the conference; Snow White privately voices concerns about the proposed course of action.

Late, Ruby sees Regina approach Hopper's office. In his office, Hopper is killed, and the seeming Regina who committed the crime is revealed to be Cora. The next day, Emma and Henry confer about events in the Enchanted Forest before Emma is advised of something wrong with Hopper. She moves to investigate, she and Ruby finding the body. Investigation proceeds along the expected line. In the Enchanted Forest, the imprisoned Regina receives a visit from her father. He apologizes for not doing more to aid her. In Storybrooke, Regina is questioned about the killing; in the Forest, she is led to her execution and offers a rebuke to her executioners. Snow White interdicts the execution, and Regina is returned to incarceration, smirking. In Storybrooke, Emma notes her certainty that Regina did not murder Hopper and presses to investigate further.

It is a compelling argument.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Snow White and Charming confer about the fate of Regina. Snow White contemplates the matter further until Rumpelstiltskin interrupts her reverie. They discuss Regina's fate, as well, and Rumpelstiltskin offers Snow White an opportunity to salve her conscience. She reluctantly accepts it--and the investigation in Storybrooke proceeds. Gold comes under questioning but produces evidence that he was not at the scene of the crime--and that Regina appears to have been so. Emma goes to apprehend Regina, and plans are made to effect the capture.

In the Enchanted Forest, Snow White confers with the captive Regina, offering her a chance to repent. It does not go well for her, and Regina is banished from the kingdom. In Storybrooke, Emma confronts Regina, noting Henry's looming disappointment. The attempt to take her into custody fails, but Regina flees. Emma frets about how to tell Henry, and she and her parents confer about how to be parents. She breaks the news of Regina's perfidy to Henry as Regina looks on in sorrow, and the evil queen resumes her castle in the Enchanted Forest, where Rumpelstiltskin visits her. He plies his machinations on her, successfully, and process towards the curse begins again.

Meanwhile, Cora and Hook confer about their own progress. She notes having captured Hopper for use against Gold; the seeming Hopper who had died was a random member of the community. Plans proceed...

Discussion

A couple of points come up. The first: In the episode, Snow White brings up her interdicted attempt to assassinate Regina as a counterpoint to Charming's proposal to execute the captured queen. Charming replies with the distinction between the extralegal assassination attempt and the "judicial" nature of the pending execution--no trial is proposed, but Regina's depredations and command of others committing such are known, so that it is manifestly clear she is guilty of what might now be termed war crimes or crimes against humanity. The distinction between justified and unjustified killings, the concern for what circumstances make lethal force an appropriate response, and processes by which to enact judicial killings are all attested in the medieval documentary record. Abundantly. Repeatedly. Across nations and centuries. As with many things, it's hardly unique to the medieval, but it is a consideration among the medieval--and with as much nuance as is present now, which is to say a fair bit more than the series displays (or really can, admittedly). Although the proposed death by firing squad is...off, severally.

The second point: The living situation that Mary Margaret, David, Emma, and Henry share occasions some interest. In Storybrooke in the series, Emma is initially offered space in Mary Margaret's home as a kindness, neither woman realizing their relationship at that point. Once memories are recovered, David presumably begins to move in; when he takes Henry in, it is to that same apartment. As such, the place becomes a multi-generational household (with some adjustments, certainly, since Emma and her parents are relatively close in physical age), something that the presumed primary audience of the series will find somewhat awkward and uncomfortable. Even with the need for so many to move back in--myself and my family included for a time among that "many"--sharing space was a...fraught issue in the minds of many of the mainstream audience, with the putative "go it alone" / "do it on your own" attitude that prevailed. (It's still present, of course, although current concerns make it less emphatic in many places. Pandemics will do that.) And yet, for many, it's a common situation--both now and in the medieval from which the series draws (halting, not always helpful, not always considered or correct) inspiration.

While it was often the case that members of the ruling classes would have their own bedchambers--to the extent of kings and queens commonly sleeping separately--it was more frequent that families would share lodgings, and simple ones. As a number of sources--this, this, and others--point out, living arrangements were far more often communal than not, and for far longer. This includes the medieval, as loosely as it may be defined, and it extends not only to sleeping, but to other activities that often benefit from having bedding available. While the arrangements may seem strange or "wrong" to those steeped in the Puritan-derived, unexamined-Victorian-influenced mainstream culture of the United States, they are, ultimately, more representative of the medieval from which the series draws (sometimes badly) and of humanity as a whole.

An Update for #Kzoo2022

𝔖o it seems a sneak preview of the conference schedule for this year's International Congress on Medieval Studies is up, here. To follow up on earlier comments about the conference, it looks like the Society will be doing the following:

• Business Meeting, Monday, 9 May 2022, 7pm Eastern Daylight Time
• Roundtable: Twenty-First-Century Neo/Medievalisms, Thursday, 12 May 2022, 5pm Eastern Daylight Time
  

We hope you'll be able to join us for one or both events. At the former, there are three primary points of business to conduct:

• The determination of what panels, if any, will be proposed for the 2023 International Congress on Medieval Studies;
  
• The election of a Social Media Officer, 2022-2025; and
• The election of a Vice-President (USA), 2022-2025.

The last elections for those offices was conducted at the 2019 AGM. Duties for the offices are noted in the Society Constitution. Nominations, including self-nominations, may be sent to talesaftertolkien@gmail.com. 

Other business will be entertained as it is brought to the Society's attention. If there are points you'd like to consider at the meeting, please let us know! And, again, we hope to see you virtually at the 'zoo!