Who would have thought that the Evil Queen was so powerful, that she could cause an October snowstorm in the northeast? It seems that most of the Massachusetts contingent of Team CliqueClack (which numbers at least five or six) is left without power this Sunday evening and thus I’ll be sharing my thoughts on this week’s Once Upon a Time in Meredith’s stead. Fret not, she will return next week, and all will be right with the proverbial world (I’ll let you decided if I mean ours, or the world of Storybrooke).
It’s more than a little coincidental that the Queen’s storyline made me think of the line from the Broadway musical Wicked, “After all, she had a mother. She had a father, as so many people do.” This to me is the greatest promise of Once: exploring the backstories and lives of characters we think we know a little about. Now, I’m not one that has read many (if any at all) of the source fairy tales that are woven into the mythology of the show; so much of this might already be well established. For me, though, it is literally exploring a new, re-imagined world, not unlike how the story of the Witches of Oz was retold in Wicked.
Thus, I enjoyed the Queen’s arc with her father. We learned several interesting things about her: that she had some great love that she lost and blames Snow White, and that she had a father that she loved and eventually scarified. This queen, if you’ll forgive the pun, isn’t a cartoon sketch of evil; she has loved, she has lost and she is obviously incredibly misguided. I’ve always thought the greatest antagonists are the ones that are crafted well enough that the audience can actually feel compassion for; so far, they’ve done a great job creating the Evil Queen in that mold.
Team Cobra is indeed an odd nickname for Henry’s plan to take down his adoptive mother, all things considered. No matter how funny the name is, however, I doubt their movement will ever get any traction unless they develop some allies. Dr. Hopper and Mary Margaret are the start, but neither of them is completely on board … yet. There are more than a few candidates around town for them to recruit, but it is obviously an undertaking in which they need to proceed very cautiously.
An interesting player in the game of Storybrooke is the town sheriff. He is, at least as far as I can tell, the only resident who we’ve not seen a corresponding character in the fairy tale world. He was at neither the Queen’s war council, nor Snow White’s wedding. Does that mean that he is from our world, or just that his origins are being kept a secret from us for now? Either way, until we know his story, I think his character can go either way as far as the whole good vs. evil question goes. His “schoolboy crush” on Emma balances out his working for Mayor Mills … for now.
One person whose “evilness” is not in question is Mr. Gold. I have to say that in two episodes, Robert Carlyle has been criminally underused. This is a well-rounded cast, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t believe there’s anyone that has yet displayed the acting chops that he did as Dr. Rush on Stargate: Universe. As central as his character is to the mythology of Storybrooke, I’m sure we’re going to see more of him – I’d just like to see it sooner rather than later. Especially now that we know how integral he was in bringing Henry to the mayor. It is obvious that he’s retained his memory from the other world, and he has his own agenda. Exactly what his endgame is, at least for me, just as interesting as the Queen’s backstory.
The success of the second episode of Once Upon a Time will likely be more important to the show’s longevity than the pilot was. The show did pretty well the first time out, but the question will be answered on Monday: Did people like what the saw in episode one enough to come back this week? I’m hoping that the show does well as it is unique, and has a ton of potential. I was not as sold on the pilot as others were, but considering the talent that is behind it, including the additions of Jane Espenson and Liz Tigelaar after the Pilot was filmed, I am on board. Everything I saw in this week’s episode justified that faith.
What did you think?
Notes & Quotes
Clacked by Ivey West 
on Oct 30, 2011 @ 22:16 EST5EDT
Wasn’t there a Huntsman in Snow White? I think he was the one who was ordered to take her into the woods,
*POST AUTHOR*
I’m not sure, but neither IMDB or Wiki lists an alternate ego for him.
yet :)
Yes. There is actually a movie coming out about Snow White and the Huntsman https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1735898/
I think that’s a good guess as to who he is. My guess is he is the wolf that was in the road causing Emma to crash.
Yes the Huntsman was ordered by the Evil Queen to take Snow White into the woods and murder her (and return with her heart and lungs (or some various selection of internal organs) … however he cannot kill her and gives the Queen the innards of a boar instead …
Don’t think that he played any other part in the story (although this show is free to use artistic license to change that situation)
In the pilot, one of the guards talks to the Queen with the same voice and accent. I assume he’s always been one of her minions.
how awesome is it that the Evil Queen’s only friend (as she puts it) is Maleficent (from Sleeping Beauty) … and the Magic Mirror now publishes the Storybrooke newspaper.
Leaving aside the question of acting and SGU, Carlyle has gotten a surprising amount of screen time in just two episodes, considering they had to feature the entire cast in the pilot.
If we’re talking recent pedigree, didn’t Giancarlo Espositio just come to the show from Breaking Bad?
So do the characters still have actual magic in Storybrooke? Was the apple poisonous? Was the wolf a person? Until we know the ground rules of the show, it’s hard to speculate.
If there’s magic, then the sheriff has to be the wolf, and wanted Emma to stay in town. I’m assuming his crush is on Ruby (Red Riding Hood), who’s been secretly meeting him at all hours of the night. We see him smile in greeting Ruby as she’s bringing out the diner signboard, just before the scene cuts away. Also, when the mayor mentions his crush to him, we can see that there’s a red stripe under the collar of his jacket, which can’t be seen unless the camera is directly behind him.
If there’s no magic, then the wolf is Maleficent’s unicorn, who also wants to break the curse.
*POST AUTHOR*
What can I say … I’m a fan :) However, I think you can count the number of scenes he was in in both episodes on one hand, so I’m not sure I’d qualify that as surprising amount. But that’s just my perspective.
I couldn’t speak to Esposito, because I don’t watch Breaking Bad. I wasn’t trying to say that there’s not talent in the cast … I didn’t watch Swingtown, but Lana Parrilla has been damn good in the (numerous) guest spots I’ve seen her in since. Raphael Sbarge is also great.
We’ll probably just agree to disagree on this one, though.
I love your speculation though. I never made the connection between he and Red Riding Hood.
Considering Storybrooke is in “our world” … then no. they no longer have magic. But you don’t need magic to poison an apple (see the film Bad Teacher)
I love that the conversation between the Evil Queen and Maleficent addressed the similarity between the curses on Snow White and Sleeping Beauty (“I traded you my sleeping spell”). Little touches like that make this a fun show.
Carlyle was used really effectively in this episode. His Rumplestiltskin is wonderfully dark and creepy. He’s equally compelling as Mr. Gold. Such a strong character should not be used too liberally or he will overwhelm the other characters, especially this early in the season. In small doses, he leaves you wanting more, anticipating his next appearance; it also maintains the mysteriousness of the character, making him seem more powerful.
All in all, a great episode. My only gripe: those apples were NOT honeycrisps!
Do we share the same brain sometimes? I have a gigantic honeycrisp in the fridge that in no way resembles those apples!
What am I thinking now, Ruby?
Really looking forward to seeing who else will show up.
Also, I hats off to the casting on this show. Especially Emma, and Snow White. They are lovely gals, AND they act well. I think the show could have been ruined, had they put too much emphasis on glory faces.
so far … we’ve seen (or they’ve inferred) the following tales:
Snow White
Sleeping Beauty
Red Riding Hood
Rumplestiltskin
I know that in an episode or two they’ll be bringing up Cinderella …
HAve I missed any so far?
There have been some subtle nods to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Specifically, the wardrobe (built from a magical tree) that transports Emma to another world; and in this episode, the Evil Queen turns a gnome to stone.