This episode
reveals that Henry was born at 8:15.
That time just keeps popping up in this show, doesn’t it? I realize that 8-15 is considered an Easter
Egg referencing the show Lost, which
the creators for OUAT helped write. But
the way they keep using this Easter Egg just makes you think if it will become
significant in some other way. (If the
series finale occurs on season 8 episode 15, I might flip). However, I can’t help but comment about how
the overhead lights flicker pretty heavily at the exact moment Henry’s
born. Was this done to indicate how
Henry’s apparently some sort of prophesied chosen one, considering the season
2 finale showed Pan’s been searching for Henry for a LONG time? At the same time, I also wonder if Emma’s
currently dormant magical abilities played a factor. After all, we did see that electrical wire
spark up when she first arrived in Storybrooke.
And this moment is undoubtedly a heightened emotional moment for
Emma. As will be revealed later, Emma’s
magic is tied to her emotions. And while
this is happening in the Land Without Magic, we do see hints in a future
episode’s flashback that seem to indicate how Emma was displaying small, subtle
bursts of magical ability during her adolescence.
I’m guessing
the underlying theme in this episode was being able to have faith and simply
believe.
It starts
with Emma clashing with her parents over their conflicting world views and how
Emma’s past makes it understandably difficult to expect the best outcome, even
when it’s Henry’s life on the line. The
exchange is interrupted when Gold steps in to criticize Emma for her lack of
belief, and how she doesn’t even believe in her own parents. My first thought was ‘why should she? It’s not as if
they believe in her.’ Maybe they could have stopped Greg and
Tamara before all the bad stuff went down in the last two episodes if Snow and
Charming had taken Emma’s doubts about Tamara seriously. I’m sorry, but I’m having a hard time letting
that go. Anyway, the tensions explode
when a mermaid Emma and Mary Margret/Snow capture during a mermaid attack
conjures up a storm. As the storm
heightens, a full-out brawl erupts between Snow and Regina & Charming and
Hook. While it was strangely refreshing
to see Snow and Regina go at it (given their shared history, it made a lot of
sense to see those two finally snap), the fight between Charming and Hook
seemed a bit contrived and forced. While
I get that Charming isn’t exactly Hook’s biggest fan at this point in time,
them breaking out into a fistfight just seemed to come out of nowhere. (Seriously, I honesty have a hard time buying
that Hook would ever use the word ‘slag.’
I don’t know why, it just doesn’t seem in-character for him to do
so, particularly since he doesn't usually use words lightly.) It’s not until Emma, realizing that
the storm is actually being fueled by everyone’s anger, decides to dive
overboard to force everyone to stop fighting.
While her plan did have its obvious flaws, it certainty achieved the
necessary results, as everyone instantly dropped everything and worked together
in order to save her. This moment seems
to inspire the motivational speech about working together that Emma delivers
when the group reaches the shores of Neverland.
(Although, why is Charming seemingly reluctant to listen to her? Especially after Emma would have drowned if it hadn’t been for them
doing just that.)
So, Greg and
Tamra. Let this be a lesson to you, boys
and girls. If you’re ever given an
assignment from someone you’ve never even met, regardless of how good it sounds
on paper, don’t just jump in blindly.
Ask questions. And lots of
them. I wonder how many people would
have opted to refrain from actually joining up with the Third Reich if they’d
stepped back and asked Adolf what he was actually planning to do. Now that I’m thinking about it, the
conclusion to their story seems to illustrate the negative aspect of taking a blind
leap of faith. Greg and Tamara had
clearly taken a leap of faith when they signed up for their mission and didn’t
stop to ask questions. And that ended
kind of bad for them. Man, this show is
DEEP.
Which
reminds me- well played, show, for how they revealed Pan in this episode. You actually believe that the disbanded Lost
Boy Henry encountered was totally legit.
But then, bottom of the ninth, he instantly goes ‘PSYCH! I’m Pan!’
It’s such a
nice way to let the audience know what kind of slippery mastermind the little
devil spawn, Pan, is.
And, yeah,
Neal’s alive. They did show that in the
last episode, but I didn’t get around to mentioning it then. When he fell through the portal, he wound up
back in the Enchanted Forest, where he was found by Mulan, Aurora and
Phillip. (Waitaminute! You mean they’re not going to show us how
they got Prince Phillip back from the wraith?
I object! I wanted to see how
that played out! It certainly would have
been more interesting than watching Neal bumbling around trying to find a way
back to Storybrooke.) When Aurora can’t
make contact with Snow through the Sleeping Curse Netherworld to inform them
that he’s alive, Neal decides to use some of his father’s old magical
instruments to figure out that Emma and company are in Neverland.
Okay, I’m
sorry, but…. WHAT?! Are you for
real? Neal decided to utilize magic? Neal
did this? This is supposed to be adult
Baelfire! BAELFIRE! Mr. I Hate Magic,
Magic is Evil! That was one of the very
foundations of his identity! It’s what
defined him as a character. Now they’re
just throwing that out the window. Ugh,
my head! Where’s the Tylenol?
We also get
the return of Robin Hood, who had been living in Dark One Rumpelstiltskin’s
abandoned castle ever since Regina’s curse hit.
As I mentioned earlier, he’s now played by a completely different actor
than the one we saw in the ‘Lacey’
flashback. If anyone knows the exact
reason why they changed actors, I would appreciate it if you let me know in the
comment section below. (Did I just make
a rhyme? Eh, who cares?)
It’s in this
episode that they stop beating around the bush in terms of hinting at the
possibility of a romance between Emma and Hook.
And not just because of Hook declaring straight out that he fancies
Emma. Notice that right after Hook and
Regina’s conversation about them achieving their own happy endings, the camera
pans down to where Emma is standing. And
when Emma goes below deck to blow off some steam after Gold practically berated
her for her lack of imagination, one would think Snow and Charming would be the
ones who’d try and go and talk to her, given the nature of their first
conversation in this episode. But it’s
Hook who goes to see her instead. And
while Snow and Charming’s attempts to cheer Emma up ended up in a near-shouting
match, he seems to be a better judge of what Emma needs to hear at the moment
by simply sharing a drink with her in honor of Neal/Baelfire’s memory. Finally, if you pay attention, when Emma
nearly drowns, the camera angles allow the viewer to observe Hook’s facial
reactions quite a few times. From what I
know about filmmaking, if the camera focuses on someone’s face to show their
reaction to something, there’s usually a reason for it. (While I can’t be sure, I can’t help but
wonder- was the place where Emma was lying after nearly drowning the same spot
where Milah died? If it was, I imagine
the déjà vu would have been really horrible for Hook to deal with.)
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