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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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...