Once upon a Time Rewatch 2.13, "Tiny"

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.