- Regina's going to have her powers back, notably the ripping hearts out bit. So Emma needs to stay out of arm's reach.
- Ruby/Red's gonna have to dig out that old cloak unless she feels like eating everyone.
- Mr. Gold's going to turn back into a frog prince with Edward Cullen skin instead of the more attractive more Robert-Carlyle-resembling Rumpelstiltskin we've all come to fangirl over.
- In this same vein, Belle's going to be piiiiiiissed that Rumpelstiltskin didn't learn his lesson about not putting his loved ones before his lust of power. Hopefully this is all for Baelfire or else we're going to need some magical Jerry Springer up in here.
- Archie's going to be a cricket again, or at the very least realize that he WAS a cricket. Poor guy.
- Prince James is going to realize he cheated on Snow. Abigail's going to realize she cheated on Frederick. Snow's going to realize she went out on a date with whoever Dr. Whale is. All in all, very confusing and probably some b-slaps being handed out regardless of curse amnesia.
- People are going to be able to leave Storybrooke all willy nilly. Not only is this a control issue ("Where'd Hansel and Gretel go again?"), but a safety one. Because what tourist doesn't want to visit a magical town full of fairy tale creatures.
- People are going to be able to come into Storybrooke.
- Sidney's going to be a mirror, or at the very least a genie. A genie who grants wishes. A genie whose lamp is with Rumpelstiltskin.
- The royal family in general's going to have relational issues. Emma is roommates with her mother, Henry is (was) being raised by his great-grandmother and lord help us if Baelfire happens to be Henry's father (as theorized by fans)...
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Horrifying Implications of Magic Coming to Storybrooke
As we learned from the finale, magic's coming back to all of the fairy tale characters, which is good and bad. Good because, let's face it, magic makes everything more interesting. Bad because certain characters (Regina) are going to use it for evil (Regina). Following is a breakdown of all the things that could/probably will go down once the purple mist clears:
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Character Rant: Emma Swan
Alright, let's even out all of the talk of the "villains" with the talk of our main heroine, Emma Swan. The first time I heard her name, I cringed, because I can no longer associate the last name of "Swan" with anyone but Bella from "Twilight". Thankfully, Emma shows no resemblance of the Mary Sue, except for overlooking the obvious.
My first thoughts after the trailer was that she was Little Red Riding Hood, because of her red jacket, the wolf that came out of nowhere, staying at Granny's, etc. Of course Ruby disproved this so I have no idea who and if Emma is supposed to be a fairytale character. Some say Dorothy, some say Alice, I say she's like Henry and doesn't have a particular counterpart because she grew up in the real world. She's also the savior, so that probably is enough.
Emma is a bails bondsman/bounty hunter, which is one of many professions writers grab for when they want to imply BA-ness. And, when she arrests someone on an alleged date...I totally get the BA vibe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wga0l-pX46U
This is also, like, the first time we see her. So right out of the gate she's awesome. Here are some of my other favorite BA moments that make me love Emma (most of them involve her fighting).
7. Emma Wins Mr. Gold's Respect
6. Emma takes a chain-saw to Regina's apple tree (oddly no clip for this one)
5. Emma and Regina Fight (1x07)
4. Emma Calls Regina a Socio-path/Tells Her She's Taking Henry Back
3. Emma Beats Up Regina In Hospital
2. Emma Breaks the Curse
1. Emma Fights Maleficent (Just deal with the prince parts)
Notice how most of these are in order, proving that she just gets more and more awesome the more she loves Henry. Three of these are from the Season 1 finale, but I digress. There are more awesome moments, but they don't necessarily count as "BA".
To counteract all these awesomeness, Emma has...flaws. First of all she's very, very crappy at being a sheriff or deputy, mostly because she seems to hate procedure. She's intuitive and impulsive, so she blames people she has no evidence against (Regina), ignores threats that soon turn into violence (Mr. Gold), and sticks to the rules only when plot demands it (Mary Margaret). I would hate it if Emma was head of law enforcement in my town.
Also, for someone who can believe in the best of some people (Mary Margaret), she is extremely jaded. This jadedness and no-BS that comes from her hard orphan-raised-in-the-foster-system past makes her extremely slow to trust most people. So when Henry and August try to tell her about the curse, she refuses. Even when it would be very easy to chalk it up to magic. Like the poisoned apple turnover. Like Regina and Mr. Gold knowing everything about everyone. But, as we can see, she's kind of literally blind when she doesn't see August's wooden leg. Because Emma's practical and stuff. Still, this makes for a long season of facepalming and begging Emma to just believe already so things start becoming awesome in Storybrooke (about five minutes after Emma breaks the curse, Mr. Gold brings magic back. Because they're in tune).
Emma is a wonderful protagonist who is easy to relate to from a viewer stand-point. She's made mistakes and errors of judgement, and decides to give Henry up to give him a better life (little does she know). Her love for Henry is as strong as Regina's if not moreso because she hasn't been there for him. And it's the biological versus the adoptive mother dynamics that make their relationship so interesting...besides the fact that Emma's like "aw hell naw, be-otch" whenever Regina's being Regina. Jennifer Morrison also does a spectacular job of making Emma awesome and deserves her own applause. Because the writing can be incredible, but with awful actors... Well it dies.
One last thing I want to point out; there is always that one character in fanfiction that gets shipped with everyone else in the entire series. Emma is that one character. Unlike most pairings, who combine names (Kigo) or abbreviate (AxI) or just put an "x" between names (HarryxDraco), OUaT fans are much more creative. Some pairings for you to ponder:
My first thoughts after the trailer was that she was Little Red Riding Hood, because of her red jacket, the wolf that came out of nowhere, staying at Granny's, etc. Of course Ruby disproved this so I have no idea who and if Emma is supposed to be a fairytale character. Some say Dorothy, some say Alice, I say she's like Henry and doesn't have a particular counterpart because she grew up in the real world. She's also the savior, so that probably is enough.
Emma is a bails bondsman/bounty hunter, which is one of many professions writers grab for when they want to imply BA-ness. And, when she arrests someone on an alleged date...I totally get the BA vibe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wga0l-pX46U
This is also, like, the first time we see her. So right out of the gate she's awesome. Here are some of my other favorite BA moments that make me love Emma (most of them involve her fighting).
7. Emma Wins Mr. Gold's Respect
6. Emma takes a chain-saw to Regina's apple tree (oddly no clip for this one)
5. Emma and Regina Fight (1x07)
4. Emma Calls Regina a Socio-path/Tells Her She's Taking Henry Back
3. Emma Beats Up Regina In Hospital
2. Emma Breaks the Curse
1. Emma Fights Maleficent (Just deal with the prince parts)
Notice how most of these are in order, proving that she just gets more and more awesome the more she loves Henry. Three of these are from the Season 1 finale, but I digress. There are more awesome moments, but they don't necessarily count as "BA".
To counteract all these awesomeness, Emma has...flaws. First of all she's very, very crappy at being a sheriff or deputy, mostly because she seems to hate procedure. She's intuitive and impulsive, so she blames people she has no evidence against (Regina), ignores threats that soon turn into violence (Mr. Gold), and sticks to the rules only when plot demands it (Mary Margaret). I would hate it if Emma was head of law enforcement in my town.
Also, for someone who can believe in the best of some people (Mary Margaret), she is extremely jaded. This jadedness and no-BS that comes from her hard orphan-raised-in-the-foster-system past makes her extremely slow to trust most people. So when Henry and August try to tell her about the curse, she refuses. Even when it would be very easy to chalk it up to magic. Like the poisoned apple turnover. Like Regina and Mr. Gold knowing everything about everyone. But, as we can see, she's kind of literally blind when she doesn't see August's wooden leg. Because Emma's practical and stuff. Still, this makes for a long season of facepalming and begging Emma to just believe already so things start becoming awesome in Storybrooke (about five minutes after Emma breaks the curse, Mr. Gold brings magic back. Because they're in tune).
Emma is a wonderful protagonist who is easy to relate to from a viewer stand-point. She's made mistakes and errors of judgement, and decides to give Henry up to give him a better life (little does she know). Her love for Henry is as strong as Regina's if not moreso because she hasn't been there for him. And it's the biological versus the adoptive mother dynamics that make their relationship so interesting...besides the fact that Emma's like "aw hell naw, be-otch" whenever Regina's being Regina. Jennifer Morrison also does a spectacular job of making Emma awesome and deserves her own applause. Because the writing can be incredible, but with awful actors... Well it dies.
One last thing I want to point out; there is always that one character in fanfiction that gets shipped with everyone else in the entire series. Emma is that one character. Unlike most pairings, who combine names (Kigo) or abbreviate (AxI) or just put an "x" between names (HarryxDraco), OUaT fans are much more creative. Some pairings for you to ponder:
- EmmaxGraham: No special name for this one that I've seen, but it's the most basic. It was teased at by the writers...before they mercilessly killed him off. This used to be my favorite pairing with Emma, but now I'm shifting more towards the third bullet.
- EmmaxAugust: August and his father just seem like butts in the fairytale world. Denying Emma having a parent to love/raise/explain crap to her in order to make sure he stays a "real boy"? And then said real boy, whose supposed to protect her, ditches her in the foster system? I don't care if the past is in the past, August still isn't very nice. And even if he is a writer, I won't give him a break.
- Mad Swan: I like Emma. I like Jefferson. So why not? I mean, drugging her and binding her up is already kinky enough for ten thousand fanfictions to launch... And they have the love of their children in common, though Grace sadly didn't remember Jefferson so he went a little cuckoo. We'll have to see more before I'm entirely sold on this idea, though.
- Golden Swan: I can see where the shippers got this from; Robert Carlyle is so charismatic he could have chemistry with Henry's book on set. Their scenes are quite fun to watch, but I'm guessing there's an age difference and a morality gap they'd have to bridge...even if Mr. Gold likes her spirit. At best to me it seems like playground romance: "I like you." "Go away, Gold, you smell funny and steal babies".
- Swan Queen: First time I saw this pairing, I threw up in my mouth a little. I've never been a fan of slash or femslash, but Regina and Emma being together seemed a 1 on the "most likely to happen" scale (right under "pigs will fly"). Besides cultural norms and step-cest (Regina would be her step-grandmother and Henry's step-great-grandmother), THEY HATE EACH OTHER. There has never been a moment where Emma's like "you want to go out for coffee, Reggi?". Even in the pilot there was just tense politeness. Yes, in a perfect world Henry would have both his mommies and have them like each other and raise him normally...but pigs WILL fly before Regina and Emma start getting attracted to each other. Keep dreaming, Swan Queeners, keep dreaming.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Possible New Fairytales in Season Two
I'm a purist at heart about a lot of things, so when "Once Upon a Time" was being sold as a fairy tale land, I was upset to see Lewis Carroll and Carlo Collodi alongside Grimm Brothers and Hans Christen Anderson. I see very big distinctions in the world of fiction.
1. Mythology: A story that explains how the world works or why a certain group of people do what they do, or simply to explain a phenomenon. Circa as long as we've known to around the time Christianity took over Europe.
2. Fairy tales: Stories usually told to children to soothe them or to give warnings. Circa 1400's to about the 1700's.
3. Classic literature: Stories written to entertain and teach, more common when the printing press was more readily available. Unlike 1 and 2, there is generally only one author who completely makes everything up instead of drawing from oral tradition. Circa 1800's to present.
And surely someone clever enough to make this complex web of stories would know that "Alice in Wonderland" is in a different category from "Snow White" or "The Epic of Gilgamesh" (but maybe I've just been taking too many literature and humanities courses...). So I thought about it, and connected it to something a friend had pointed out; Disney owns ABC (or has massive shares in it, something complicated and business-y like that). It explains how they got away with "Skin Deep" being so much like "Beauty and the Beast". I would assume it has something to do with the fact that they already hold copyrights or something (even if most are too old for copyright laws to be effective, unless it's closely resembling a remake).
So with that in mind, I humbly offer what stories we may be expecting to hear next season...because I doubt the cast is complete already.
All in all, I think "Once Upon a Time" is going for a well rounded literary arch, as they've shown already. And really, these are just from the movies; there are thousands of stories they can choose from, and just legends (such as the siren). I trust them...though my latest fairy tale redux is "The Emperor's Nightingale". Here's hoping to that!
1. Mythology: A story that explains how the world works or why a certain group of people do what they do, or simply to explain a phenomenon. Circa as long as we've known to around the time Christianity took over Europe.
2. Fairy tales: Stories usually told to children to soothe them or to give warnings. Circa 1400's to about the 1700's.
3. Classic literature: Stories written to entertain and teach, more common when the printing press was more readily available. Unlike 1 and 2, there is generally only one author who completely makes everything up instead of drawing from oral tradition. Circa 1800's to present.
And surely someone clever enough to make this complex web of stories would know that "Alice in Wonderland" is in a different category from "Snow White" or "The Epic of Gilgamesh" (but maybe I've just been taking too many literature and humanities courses...). So I thought about it, and connected it to something a friend had pointed out; Disney owns ABC (or has massive shares in it, something complicated and business-y like that). It explains how they got away with "Skin Deep" being so much like "Beauty and the Beast". I would assume it has something to do with the fact that they already hold copyrights or something (even if most are too old for copyright laws to be effective, unless it's closely resembling a remake).
So with that in mind, I humbly offer what stories we may be expecting to hear next season...because I doubt the cast is complete already.
- Sleeping Beauty: Alright, we've seen Maleficent, and it's hinted at that Snow doesn't count as Sleeping Beauty. So...where is Sleeping Beauty?
- Aladdin: We have the genie. Let's have some Arabian Nights action!
- The Little Mermaid: This one's been thrown about quite a bit in the fandom, some even saying that Dr. Whale might be King Triton. I...don't know how I feel about this. Ariel's my Disney princess...but I've seen how amazing they've done with the other stories. A mermaid's been mentioned, and I'm sure that this story will inevitably show up. But I'm wary of my beloved childhood being redone unsatisfactorily.
- Peter Pan: It's right up there with Alice in Wonderland and The Chronicles of Narnia as one of the best known classic child literature pieces. Besides, Tink was a lawn ornament in one episode.
- Robin Hood: Because that would be pretty friggin' BA. Maybe the Huntsman was a former Merry Man?
- The Sword in the Stone: King Arthur's gonna have to show up at some point, being one of the biggest medieval legends to exist. I highly doubt they'll turn to "Beowulf" instead.
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Yes, yes please. I want to see a spin on Quasimodo and Esmeralda. It could be a romance that would rival Rumpbelle!
- Hercules: Or really any more Greek mythology; King Midas isn't enough to quell my mad love for the Gods of Olympus, and I'm sure I'm not alone.
- The Jungle Book: I don't think this would land a major role, and I don't see them employing any of their animal films for a major plotline. But a cameo of Shere Khan would be awesome.
- The Wizard of Oz: I don't know how much Disney has invested in this classic literature (they shot the sequel "Return to Oz"), but the fans have been asking for it. I think ol' WWotW would fit right in alongside the Evil Queen and Maleficent.
- 101 Dalmatians: Archie DOES have a Dalmatian... Though I'm not sure how you can top Glenn Close's portrayal of Cruella DeVil.
- Treasure Island: I don't know how well pirates would go over in this royalty-centric world, but maybe Silver washed up on Snow White's father's beach.
- Perhaps Fox and the Hound, but have them be humans like with Jiminy Cricket? Old friends on opposite sides of the law? I'm stretching a bit.
All in all, I think "Once Upon a Time" is going for a well rounded literary arch, as they've shown already. And really, these are just from the movies; there are thousands of stories they can choose from, and just legends (such as the siren). I trust them...though my latest fairy tale redux is "The Emperor's Nightingale". Here's hoping to that!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Character Rant: Regina Mills/The Evil Queen
I was watching the "Regina's Nightmare" scene from the second-to-last episode and read through the comments (silly of me, I know). So I said that they were just as evil as her if they didn't believe in forgiveness. Then someone responded to me that "she is an evil murderer, who's hurt and attempted to kill the majority of them, this is about defeating evil, not siding with it". Despite the fact that I never said I sided with Regina, the other person got two thumbs up and I got none, though one person did say I was right.
Such is the way of Youtube.
There are two camps when it comes to the main antagonist; those who love her and those who hate her. No middle ground. Those who love her point out how messed up her past is and how much she loves Henry; those who hate her point out everyone she's killed/tried to hurt and claim that she doesn't love Henry. As I've stated before, I come from the camp of loving Regina, because I love me a good villain and good heroes are even more rare.
I do admit most of this is because of Lana Parrilla; every single dang scene she brings her A game. Her facial expressions are beyond compare, and she switches from evil to human flawlessly. Here is a picture from ABC's website of her listening to her iPod to get into character. Now THAT'S an actress.
Though you gotta wonder what kind of Evil Queen playlist she's got...
But back to the character herself... She's interesting. I've always thought that she loved Henry ever since the pilot, even if she's probably the worst parent in the world. She's too busy running Storybrooke and keeping anyone from wondering "hey, none of us ever age or remember past a few years ago, what's up with that?". But even terrible parents can genuinely love their kids, and I think this is the case. Even though she's been broken, I think she still has the ability to love.
Regina's had a rough go, as one look at Cora can show. And sometimes it's hard to rationalize that Snow White was just a kid trying to make her happy, because the girl was at the age WHERE SHE SHOULD KNOW HOW TO KEEP A FRIGGIN' SECRET! Forced into a loveless marriage after her power-hungry mother murders her true love, everyone in love with the girl who stole her happiness... Yeah, I can see where Regina might be cranky. I'm not sure where she learned how to screw her lovers over, but everything evil else came from Cora.
Life sucked in Fairytale Land, so why not kill her father (who obviously did nothing to save her from marrying a guy she didn't know) and make a curse so she can have a do-over in another world? Sounds like perfect logic for a self-obsessed woman like Regina.
Am I saying this woman's perfect? Heck no. Am I even saying she's rational and sane? Hell no. Do I think she deserves to be tortured to death slowly and painfully? No. The ends do not justify the means; anyone who would do the same thing as her are just as evil. Besides, this isn't real life; we can afford to have a villain of this caliber, and without an antagonist that's a little off her rocker there'll be nothing interesting to watch.
I don't approve of her methods. Snow White and Mary Margaret both beg to know what they've done to make her so angry. Regina takes an aloof attitude, gets all mysterious, and drops vague "oh you know" like statements. Come on; if she hasn't gotten it by now she's not going to. Just tell her. Though I do appreciate that the Evil Queen finally took her to Daniel's tomb, and Snow White's all like "...the frick? He's dead".
Pretty much Snow White's entire argument is based on her ignorance, so that makes her side less interesting.
As for the "reason she hates Snow White"...I don't think we're quite done yet. Yes, this is cotton-pickin' awful already, but I feel more is on the way. For awhile I've thought that Snow White's Evil Queen has been based in part on "Snow White: A Tale of Terror", especially with the scene where all attention is focused on Snow White while the stepmother stands off to one side, ignored. In that movie (go watch it now it's awesome), the stepmother keeps trying with Snow White, but Snow White is bitter towards her, still remembering her own mother. The final straw is when the stepmother, heavily pregnant, shows off her singing during a feast, all of the audience focused on her. The audience turns when Snow White enters, looking like her mother in her gown. Her father dances with her and the stepmother is haunted, either by the fact he'll always love Snow more than her or how it looks so much like he's dancing with his dead wife. The stepmother loses the baby and blames Snow White.
A miscarriage might be a little heavy for an ABC family show, but it would explain her obsessiveness with Henry. It would add a very thick layer onto the hate cake of Snow White/Mary Margaret. But perhaps her obsession with Henry is due to the fact that he represents her fresh start and happy ending. I'm still holding to my miscarriage idea.
Regina's also interesting because there is precious little she won't do. She killed her own father, locked away her closest companion in the real world's true love in a basement, seduced in order to use the genie/Graham, backstab someone over fine print (Jefferson) etc. When you have a villain without limits, then they are unpredictable. She acts mostly on her emotions, striking out like a cobra trapped in a corner. She's desperate, pretty much, which makes her tragic and interesting at the same time.
As for the whole "showdown of Rumple and Evil Queen" that's bound to happen next season... My money's on Rumple, but I'm positive Regina's got a trick or two up her sleeve so she isn't completely pwned.
Such is the way of Youtube.
There are two camps when it comes to the main antagonist; those who love her and those who hate her. No middle ground. Those who love her point out how messed up her past is and how much she loves Henry; those who hate her point out everyone she's killed/tried to hurt and claim that she doesn't love Henry. As I've stated before, I come from the camp of loving Regina, because I love me a good villain and good heroes are even more rare.
I do admit most of this is because of Lana Parrilla; every single dang scene she brings her A game. Her facial expressions are beyond compare, and she switches from evil to human flawlessly. Here is a picture from ABC's website of her listening to her iPod to get into character. Now THAT'S an actress.
But back to the character herself... She's interesting. I've always thought that she loved Henry ever since the pilot, even if she's probably the worst parent in the world. She's too busy running Storybrooke and keeping anyone from wondering "hey, none of us ever age or remember past a few years ago, what's up with that?". But even terrible parents can genuinely love their kids, and I think this is the case. Even though she's been broken, I think she still has the ability to love.
Regina's had a rough go, as one look at Cora can show. And sometimes it's hard to rationalize that Snow White was just a kid trying to make her happy, because the girl was at the age WHERE SHE SHOULD KNOW HOW TO KEEP A FRIGGIN' SECRET! Forced into a loveless marriage after her power-hungry mother murders her true love, everyone in love with the girl who stole her happiness... Yeah, I can see where Regina might be cranky. I'm not sure where she learned how to screw her lovers over, but everything evil else came from Cora.
Life sucked in Fairytale Land, so why not kill her father (who obviously did nothing to save her from marrying a guy she didn't know) and make a curse so she can have a do-over in another world? Sounds like perfect logic for a self-obsessed woman like Regina.
Am I saying this woman's perfect? Heck no. Am I even saying she's rational and sane? Hell no. Do I think she deserves to be tortured to death slowly and painfully? No. The ends do not justify the means; anyone who would do the same thing as her are just as evil. Besides, this isn't real life; we can afford to have a villain of this caliber, and without an antagonist that's a little off her rocker there'll be nothing interesting to watch.
I don't approve of her methods. Snow White and Mary Margaret both beg to know what they've done to make her so angry. Regina takes an aloof attitude, gets all mysterious, and drops vague "oh you know" like statements. Come on; if she hasn't gotten it by now she's not going to. Just tell her. Though I do appreciate that the Evil Queen finally took her to Daniel's tomb, and Snow White's all like "...the frick? He's dead".
Pretty much Snow White's entire argument is based on her ignorance, so that makes her side less interesting.
As for the "reason she hates Snow White"...I don't think we're quite done yet. Yes, this is cotton-pickin' awful already, but I feel more is on the way. For awhile I've thought that Snow White's Evil Queen has been based in part on "Snow White: A Tale of Terror", especially with the scene where all attention is focused on Snow White while the stepmother stands off to one side, ignored. In that movie (go watch it now it's awesome), the stepmother keeps trying with Snow White, but Snow White is bitter towards her, still remembering her own mother. The final straw is when the stepmother, heavily pregnant, shows off her singing during a feast, all of the audience focused on her. The audience turns when Snow White enters, looking like her mother in her gown. Her father dances with her and the stepmother is haunted, either by the fact he'll always love Snow more than her or how it looks so much like he's dancing with his dead wife. The stepmother loses the baby and blames Snow White.
A miscarriage might be a little heavy for an ABC family show, but it would explain her obsessiveness with Henry. It would add a very thick layer onto the hate cake of Snow White/Mary Margaret. But perhaps her obsession with Henry is due to the fact that he represents her fresh start and happy ending. I'm still holding to my miscarriage idea.
Regina's also interesting because there is precious little she won't do. She killed her own father, locked away her closest companion in the real world's true love in a basement, seduced in order to use the genie/Graham, backstab someone over fine print (Jefferson) etc. When you have a villain without limits, then they are unpredictable. She acts mostly on her emotions, striking out like a cobra trapped in a corner. She's desperate, pretty much, which makes her tragic and interesting at the same time.
As for the whole "showdown of Rumple and Evil Queen" that's bound to happen next season... My money's on Rumple, but I'm positive Regina's got a trick or two up her sleeve so she isn't completely pwned.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
My One True OUAT Pairing: Rumpbelle
I thought I'd start ranting about characters and why I like/dislike them...but then I started rewatching the season finale scenes with Belle and Mr. Gold. And I decided I'm not going to sleep tonight until I write this up.
Saying that you ship Rumpelstiltskin with Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" is going to grant you strange looks, and it's impossible to explain without showing the episode "Skin Deep". I think it's one half awesome writing, one half awesome acting that makes this couple so popular; I have yet to see an anti-Rumpbelle statement. I'm sure I will, but just saying.
It's the same set-up as "Beauty and the Beast", only instead of saving her father in exchange for her freedom Belle's exchanging her freedom to stop an entire war. Warning: This Belle's even more BA than Disney's version. Rumpelstiltskin spares Belle his usual power trip-ness initially, and in exchange Belle cares about him. Belle, though, will not take any of his crap, much like Baelfire. Everything goes to heck in a hand basket when they kiss and Rumpel starts to become human again. He freaks out and insists that he loves power more than her, and that no one could ever love him. He sets her free, and Belle gives the best break-up speech to a man who doesn't want to get too close that I've ever heard (granted, I haven't heard a lot). Most notably, she says that he could've had happiness if he had only let himself believe someone could want him, and that now all he'll have is an empty heart and a chipped cup.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqXkJdYPGcE
Rumpelstiltskin goes on a smashing rampage, but cannot bring himself to smash the cup that Belle chipped. He replaces a golden goblet with it, which is more jampacked with metaphors and allegory than I can analyze. Basically all of the wealth he has means nothing in comparison to an imperfection his true love gave him.
To add angst on top of all of this, Regina stops by to tell Rumpel that his girl was not accepted because of her time with him, and killed herself due to being hated and treated like she was possessed. This is also Regina, so it's been hinted by fans that we should take it with a grain of salt. Though why Regina would risk him finding out is beyond me.
The couple is adorable just from the fairy tale land story, but it's Mr. Gold in Storybrooke that really makes this pairing shine. Mr. Gold goes batcrap crazy on a guy because a possession was stolen. Like, beating the guy with his cane crazy (using the same tactic as during his tantrum on his stuff back in fairy tale land...hmmm). Go figure, Regina has the item. What is it?
The chipped cup.
Besides making me wonder how the bad guys had time to pack before the curse set in, it hurts. We already know it's his prized possession, and most people wouldn't go that crazy over a cup. So for around twenty-eight years, Mr. Gold has kept this cup, dwelling on his lost true love. Going back to the cane beating, we have also gotten the connection between the florist in the real world and Belle's father in the fairy tale world (it's so handy that they use the same actor for each persona). As Mr. Gold continues to beat Mr. French, he shouts that it's "your fault" that Belle is gone. The first time I watched the scene, I thought that Mr. Gold was just projecting his own feelings about himself onto Mr. French. The second time, I realize that it might be a bit more literal. Evil Queen Regina said that Belle's father cast her out, so perhaps Mr. Gold blames Mr. Belle's father for her death. Either way, it's an emotional scene.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/KZOId396y9c
Meanwhile, Regina has had Belle's real world counterpart locked up in the hospital. Jefferson, in the most awesome twist I might have ever seen, sets her free and tells her to find Mr. Gold. Somehow, she does find the pawn shop, and the acting speaks for itself.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/hxfSGk5cURM
After twenty-eight years of no son, no lover, and no magic, Belle comes into his pawn shop in a shaggy coat and tells him that Regina locked her up. Much to viewer displeasure, he doesn't flip out about the whole Regina thing, instead squeezing her to make sure she's real. Then he agrees to protect her, and hugs her, while she sits there confused. He doesn't go all angsty when she asks if she knows him, just says "no, but you will".
They go for a walk in the woods while Emma's off breaking the curse and Belle stops, telling Mr. Gold to wait. Thinking she's just being a wimp, Mr. Gold insists they're close, but then she uses his fairy tale name. She states that she remembers, and then says "I love you". Not "I loved you", present tense. Mr. Gold waits a manly amount of time, before saying he loves her too, and they embrace. Most were disappointed that they didn't kiss...but after what the first kiss did, it's no wonder they're holding off.
In short, it's a complicated love. They have problems, and a love triangle with power. Rumpelstiltskin might be held back by needing to find Bae, or even residual feelings for Bae's mother. Belle hangs out with Rumpel, but she stands her ground when he goes all power mad and evil. It will be interesting to see the fall-out in their relationship from the stunt of bringing magic back to Storybrooke (though he totally did it so he can find Bae). But they love each other, in a deeper way than most couples nowadays are portrayed in books and movies. They don't run around making out and declaring their love every other sentence (looking at you, Snow and James). It's the little things, like turning her ex-fiance into a rose to give to her, that show that they love each other in their own unperfect, chipped cup way.
P.S. Almost all the clips are available on Youtube, if you search hard enough.
Saying that you ship Rumpelstiltskin with Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" is going to grant you strange looks, and it's impossible to explain without showing the episode "Skin Deep". I think it's one half awesome writing, one half awesome acting that makes this couple so popular; I have yet to see an anti-Rumpbelle statement. I'm sure I will, but just saying.
It's the same set-up as "Beauty and the Beast", only instead of saving her father in exchange for her freedom Belle's exchanging her freedom to stop an entire war. Warning: This Belle's even more BA than Disney's version. Rumpelstiltskin spares Belle his usual power trip-ness initially, and in exchange Belle cares about him. Belle, though, will not take any of his crap, much like Baelfire. Everything goes to heck in a hand basket when they kiss and Rumpel starts to become human again. He freaks out and insists that he loves power more than her, and that no one could ever love him. He sets her free, and Belle gives the best break-up speech to a man who doesn't want to get too close that I've ever heard (granted, I haven't heard a lot). Most notably, she says that he could've had happiness if he had only let himself believe someone could want him, and that now all he'll have is an empty heart and a chipped cup.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqXkJdYPGcE
Rumpelstiltskin goes on a smashing rampage, but cannot bring himself to smash the cup that Belle chipped. He replaces a golden goblet with it, which is more jampacked with metaphors and allegory than I can analyze. Basically all of the wealth he has means nothing in comparison to an imperfection his true love gave him.
To add angst on top of all of this, Regina stops by to tell Rumpel that his girl was not accepted because of her time with him, and killed herself due to being hated and treated like she was possessed. This is also Regina, so it's been hinted by fans that we should take it with a grain of salt. Though why Regina would risk him finding out is beyond me.
The couple is adorable just from the fairy tale land story, but it's Mr. Gold in Storybrooke that really makes this pairing shine. Mr. Gold goes batcrap crazy on a guy because a possession was stolen. Like, beating the guy with his cane crazy (using the same tactic as during his tantrum on his stuff back in fairy tale land...hmmm). Go figure, Regina has the item. What is it?
The chipped cup.
Besides making me wonder how the bad guys had time to pack before the curse set in, it hurts. We already know it's his prized possession, and most people wouldn't go that crazy over a cup. So for around twenty-eight years, Mr. Gold has kept this cup, dwelling on his lost true love. Going back to the cane beating, we have also gotten the connection between the florist in the real world and Belle's father in the fairy tale world (it's so handy that they use the same actor for each persona). As Mr. Gold continues to beat Mr. French, he shouts that it's "your fault" that Belle is gone. The first time I watched the scene, I thought that Mr. Gold was just projecting his own feelings about himself onto Mr. French. The second time, I realize that it might be a bit more literal. Evil Queen Regina said that Belle's father cast her out, so perhaps Mr. Gold blames Mr. Belle's father for her death. Either way, it's an emotional scene.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/KZOId396y9c
Meanwhile, Regina has had Belle's real world counterpart locked up in the hospital. Jefferson, in the most awesome twist I might have ever seen, sets her free and tells her to find Mr. Gold. Somehow, she does find the pawn shop, and the acting speaks for itself.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/hxfSGk5cURM
After twenty-eight years of no son, no lover, and no magic, Belle comes into his pawn shop in a shaggy coat and tells him that Regina locked her up. Much to viewer displeasure, he doesn't flip out about the whole Regina thing, instead squeezing her to make sure she's real. Then he agrees to protect her, and hugs her, while she sits there confused. He doesn't go all angsty when she asks if she knows him, just says "no, but you will".
They go for a walk in the woods while Emma's off breaking the curse and Belle stops, telling Mr. Gold to wait. Thinking she's just being a wimp, Mr. Gold insists they're close, but then she uses his fairy tale name. She states that she remembers, and then says "I love you". Not "I loved you", present tense. Mr. Gold waits a manly amount of time, before saying he loves her too, and they embrace. Most were disappointed that they didn't kiss...but after what the first kiss did, it's no wonder they're holding off.
In short, it's a complicated love. They have problems, and a love triangle with power. Rumpelstiltskin might be held back by needing to find Bae, or even residual feelings for Bae's mother. Belle hangs out with Rumpel, but she stands her ground when he goes all power mad and evil. It will be interesting to see the fall-out in their relationship from the stunt of bringing magic back to Storybrooke (though he totally did it so he can find Bae). But they love each other, in a deeper way than most couples nowadays are portrayed in books and movies. They don't run around making out and declaring their love every other sentence (looking at you, Snow and James). It's the little things, like turning her ex-fiance into a rose to give to her, that show that they love each other in their own unperfect, chipped cup way.
P.S. Almost all the clips are available on Youtube, if you search hard enough.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Welcome!
So it has been about two-ish weeks since the season one finale of "Once Upon a Time", a finale which dashed a lot of my fanfiction plans. But I can't stop thinking about it. So what am I going to do about this little obsession? Well start a blog, of course!
First, my personal story of "Once Upon a Time". I watched the pilot the night it aired because hey, I love fantasy and fairy tales. I thought it was really interesting, however my mother was in the room and kept announcing how much Rumplestiltskin "freaked her out". Since I have no control over the television, I just stopped watching it. Then my friend Sherilyn was all like "it's so awesome, we (her mother and her) watch it every Sunday, you should catch up and then we can watch it together!". So I got on Hulu and within two days had watched seventeen episodes. I was hooked.
It's corny. Its CGI could use a bigger budget. Some episodes I just roll my eyes and gripe during. But it struck that little magic cord in me, the one that makes me excited to go to Disneyland and get sucked into movies and books I'm too old for. There's a small part of my heart reserved for corny true love tales and sandwiched between "Enchanted" and "The Princess Bride" lies "Once Upon a Time".
Anyway, as a metaphorical ice breaker I shall put out my list, as a warning to my biases. Please note I may occasionally separate real world personas from fairy tale personas.
Characters I Love
First, my personal story of "Once Upon a Time". I watched the pilot the night it aired because hey, I love fantasy and fairy tales. I thought it was really interesting, however my mother was in the room and kept announcing how much Rumplestiltskin "freaked her out". Since I have no control over the television, I just stopped watching it. Then my friend Sherilyn was all like "it's so awesome, we (her mother and her) watch it every Sunday, you should catch up and then we can watch it together!". So I got on Hulu and within two days had watched seventeen episodes. I was hooked.
It's corny. Its CGI could use a bigger budget. Some episodes I just roll my eyes and gripe during. But it struck that little magic cord in me, the one that makes me excited to go to Disneyland and get sucked into movies and books I'm too old for. There's a small part of my heart reserved for corny true love tales and sandwiched between "Enchanted" and "The Princess Bride" lies "Once Upon a Time".
Anyway, as a metaphorical ice breaker I shall put out my list, as a warning to my biases. Please note I may occasionally separate real world personas from fairy tale personas.
Characters I Love
- Regina Mills, AKA The Evil Queen: I have a soft spot for bad guys, and Lana Parrilla is just amazing. Remember kids, evil's not born, it's created.
- Mr. Gold: You probably guessed this due to the blog name. I love me some Mister Gold, the perfect line walker between good and evil, with a sexy accent. Robert Carlyle is equally awesome and sexy.
- Red/Ruby: Okay, so I hate both of her names, but I have a weakness for Red Riding Hood redux in almost any form. She's the nice kind of ditzy, and means well.
- Belle/Rose: Yesyesyes. She is a strong heroine who can call Rumplestiltskin on his crap yet be all lovey dovey towards him. Can't wait for their relationship to develop.
- Jefferson/Mad Hatter: Oh gawd yes. He's crazy in a sane way and soooo fine. Plus, getting back at Regina was just perfect.
- Grumpy/Leroy: You're heartless if you don't love Grumpy. Just sayin'.
- Granny/Granny: Kick ass old woman. Gotta love that.
- Graham: WHY DO THE HOT DIE YOUNG!?!?!?! Also, I'm a sucker for the huntsman in Snow White, the more fleshed out the better.
- Mary Margaret: I like her 99% of the time. But really, MM? You're better than moping around for David.
- Gaston: It's nice to see Gaston as a good guy.
- Maleficent: Didn't get enough screen time, in my opinion.
- Blind Witch of the North: So intriguing...and yet she's already axed. Sad.
- Frederick: I don't care if he's had, like, two minutes of screen time. I love him already.
- Wolf: I love wolves, and it was such a good dog!
- Snow White: God. I hate this whiny little be-otch with a fiery passion. And no, it's not because of the stable boy episode; I just hate her. She's always whining about something, and is not kick butt enough to be awesome (they tried with the thieving...it did not persuade me).
- David: I've always hated cheating and adultery; do not understand it. But he's a coward, trying to hold onto both women because he doesn't know who he loves.
- Geppetto/Marco: Lying to your king and queen so your disobedient son doesn't turn to wood again? Douche move, G.
- Sidney Glass/Genie: I thought he was alright...until we got his back story and he turned out to be a double agent on both sides to save his hide.
- Cora: If you've seen her episode, I do not even need to explain myself.
- King Leopold: Forced marriage? Not good.
- Emma: Bounty hunter in a red leather jacket who attacks the apple tree that represents evil Regina in the second episode? Yes please. But come on, hon: it took you forever to believe in the curse and we were all smashing our heads against the nearest object for at least eight episodes. Disbelief is good...but for the sake of the audience get with the magical conspiracy theory program.
- Henry: Meh. I can take the kid or leave him. Sometimes Operation Cobra's enduring...other times it's annoying.
- Rumplestiltskin: Okay so he looks like a shiny lizard, so I can't say he's exactly sexy. His exterior is a lot harder and more sinister than his real life counterpart, but you can't beat that laugh.
- August/Pinocchio: I enjoy the fact he's a writer. I enjoy the fact he was almost clever enough to trick Gold. I do not enjoy it when he gets all "you have to beliiiiiiiiieve" on Emma.
- Prince James: Sometimes he's pretty cool...but he still feels two-dimensional.
- Archie/Jiminy Cricket: So this is Sherilyn's favorite character but honestly, he's just alright to me.
- Blue Fairy: Do not care about.
- Nova: Do not care about. Slight disdain for.
- Kathryn/Abigail: Do not care about.
- Cinderella/Ashley: She seems nice...still don't care.
- Dr. Whale: He seems okay, but his actor is John Gilbert from the Vampire Diaries, so I'm a little suspicious.
- King Midas: Jury's still out on him.
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