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.