User blog:Rena Charming/Miniview - "Mother"

Sorry it's taken me this long, it's been an exhausting couple of days. Or week. So, "Mother" sure was a cute episode, wasn't it? Cute and fun: from Zelena's "Sorry?" to Cora's "Yes hello get out Henry", I found myself thoroughly amused throughout the episode (hehe fancy words that sound ugly).

So Cora was back for the weekly flashback - they sure love to bring her back, don't they? -, which was quite possibly actually the least interesting part of the episode. Everything taking place in the present day was captivating and emotionally gripping, and the flashback felt rather fillerish, albeit necessary. We have been wondering for years why and how Henry Sr. made it Wonderland, and even though this episode didn't explicitly (or even implicitly) explain how that happened, it offered up a margin of maneuver for it to happen. We now know Cora made it out of Wonderland for a short while, and it can only be presumed that she force-fed a mushroom to Henry or something right after walking away from Regina, just cos she can. She's Cora, ok? Mother of All Evil. I was excited for the possible connection between this episode and 1.17, and I think we did get it - it might actually be better this way, OUaT could do with more subtlety sometimes. But do you know what I don't like being left to my imagination? Phillip getting his fricking soul back. Maleficent's hatred for Aurora's family. Fill in those blanks, OUaT, and make it snappy!

Anyway, episode starts off with Regina killing someone because she can which is a not-so-refreshing reminder that she was a psycho bitch, something we probably didn't need at this point if we're meant to root for her to get her happy ending. Regina seems to think it's unfair that she doesn't get a happy ending when she's worked so hard to be good, I think it's unfair her ass hasn't been thrown in jail yet, or put on a fricking electric chair, but we suck it up because Lana Parrilla is one of the best driving forces on this show and without her it'd suck way worse than it already does.

Now, before Swan Queen and company make it back to Storybrooke, Regina and her OTL share a heartfelt conversation in some bar about how, well, everything's super fucked up. They decide to take Roland's memories of fake mommy away from him, which I actually think is quite sensible, although I have a hard time believing the kid would now just grow up with a sudden baby brother out of a crazy redheaded woman and not have any questions about it. Or maybe he wouldn't, he looks like he could be a dumb child. I see straight-C averages in that kid's future. I do wonder about another thing: what was Zelenarian like towards Roland? Was she good at playing the role of doting mother? Robin now understands why things didn't feel right with Marian, which saves his character for me, but what about the poor little merry lummox? Was Zelenarian good with him? I wonder, I do.

Once everyone makes it back to Storybrooke, that one-horse town where Granny's is their half-assed excuse for a Starbucks, Emma takes her sweet, sweet time hugging the son she's exchanged three words with all season long and the pirate boyfriend she has yet to pork, and yet wouldn't give mommy the time of day, which to me should just evoke a "young lady I don't care how upset you are if you don't give your mom a hug I will spank your ass senseless" response because no one likes a rude, ungrateful child, but Mary Margaret's kind of a pushover so whatever. Oh, and this all takes place in the half hour it takes them before finally introducing poor anxious Maleficent to her bouncing baby 30-year-old. Who shoots the Charmings the deadliest look ever even though I'm sure she's not actually meant to know what they look like. Does Emma keep miniature pictures of the fam in her velcro wallet?

Cora explains she "borrowed a rabbit" to make it out of Wonderland which :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D!!!! Thank you, Jane Espenson, you've just earned your paycheck. I would thank the guy who's co-written this episode but I don't remember his name and can't be arsed to look him up. Cora spoke to Tinker Bell, which, ok, happened, whatever, so they managed a reference to two past characters (well, one from another show) within one minute of airtime so brava. The direct reference to Tink annoyed me slightly because it felt patronizing, but tbf yeah I'm sure some people wouldn't remember it if she wasn't mentioned my name, my mom prolly wouldn't for one. Another indirect reference comes in the form of the cuff that gets slapped on Zelena's wrist, another score for the writers. Zelena answers that she feels secure because if Regina kills her then Robin will always know her as the woman who murdered the mother of his child. Interesting conversation to have between two women who have BOTH murdered the mother of Robin's child. Oh, the twisted, probably unintentional irony. I do wish to see more, way more, of Regina and Zelena's twisted interactions, I love them together. I get Regina not being exactly sisterly with the ginger because, well, she did try to kill Henry, but she was like the 20th person to attempt that. It is unknown at this point whether Zelena has much of a future on the show, but I kinda hope she does and that they have some more fun with her. I'm still bitter about the Marian thing, and don't plan on ever getting over it simply because I don't enjoy being taken for a fool, but make no mistake I do love having Zelena back, bitch is fun. She is definitely the best out of a bad, poorly-written situation.

Regina taking the pen from Rumple and leaving the man who recently threatened to have her one true love killed, after all the crap he's already pulled before that, to die or whatever is actually going on with him, was pretty cool. She still needs some badassness to her. I figured, watching the sneak peek, that Regina taking the blood from Lily was actually Rumple in disguise, but it's even cooler knowing it was her, and screw Lily cos she's a bitch anyway. I just had a thought: Belle had a promo in this episode and she was ultimately cut from it - I actually bet Belle confronted Regina about the stolen heart situation as soon as she got to Storybrooke (it seemed like she was in the same place where everyone else was) but they had to cut it for time which is why the writers now say it'll be addressed in season 5, which I'm sure it won't.

Now, Cora's bit in this episode involves making the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham pose as Robin Hood, Regina's prophesized soulmate. I honestly thought, as soon as he showed up in different clothes, that Cora was controlling him with his heart, and that Regina would wise up to that. I thought it would be a marvellous tie-in to 2.09 when Cora said she wouldn't control Hook because Regina knew her methods better than anyone, and I am sorely disappointed that that was not the case, especially because the way the revelation was done (not a real tattoo, "magic" - if magic tattoos can be a thing then how the fuck do you know Robin's isn't the same?) was kinda lame to me. Still, I got a kick out of seeing these two unlikely mashable characters share some screentime. In fact, Wil Traval, who's done a fine job of being Nottingham, has shared his screentime with different sets of actors everytime he's been on the show: Robert and Emilie in 2.19, Sean and Christie in 4.17, now Barbara and Lana in 4.20. That must be refreshing for an actor, coming to work on the same project and yet always being able to meet and perform with interesting new people. And he's also been fortunate enough to wear his fairytale garments each time. I'm sorry but it must be slightly disappointing for Jessy Schram knowing that whenever she comes back to do the fairytale show she was once a Disney princess on she always only gets to wear poor people clothes. By designer labels, sure, but still raggedy-ass looking.

Kristin Bauer moved me this episode and I am definitely sold on her by now. Still not entirely sold on the character who has honestly been a consistent disappointment to me throughout this arc, but no complaints about Kristin, she's turned my opinion of her around, woman can sell motherly and emotional and also confused and evil. Kudos, Lady Van Straten.

The Captain Swan scene by the seashore was cute. I really don't ship these two plain and simply because I don't ship anyone, other than Will and Ana I guess, but I so don't mind them either, I think they've actually shared a respectable number of cute scenes this season, I like them together, so I'm content with them just being that way. Hook has really helped to bring out the best in Emma the way Henry used to bring out the best in everyone, so we gotta give them credit for that. Emma forgiving her parents actually felt like it was long overdue even though looking back she's only been angry at them for 4 episodes or so, right? Huh. Seems longer than that. I liked their amends, but what the hell was Mary Margaret hoping to accomplish by stepping in front of Maleficent to protect her from a deranged fricking dragon? This kind of questionable decision-making under pressure is exactly why everyone says the Charmings are stupid. Now, I wonder what Lily's future on the show is, whether she's killed off soon or she stays for a while longer. I ask because, despite the distance between Emma and Lily that kept them apart but not that distant for years, they are effectively drawn to each other, by the forces of fate. So it's not like Lily can just go away and stay away for long, right? Wouldn't seem right, it would be an even more blatant act of sweeping something under the rug than OUaT is used to. Either she's meant to stay in Storybrooke and find her happy ending there somewhere between Emma's legs or she kinda has to push up daisies. The creators have already implied Lily will be around in season 5 I believe. Not sure I'm excited for that or dreading it. Time will tell, I suppose. The dialogue between Lily and Maleficent was somewhat overexpository, troubled people who can never open up to others rarely spill their feelings out like that, but hey, gotta get a move on, whatever. Acting was good by both parties, and I particularly enjoyed Maleficent's cluelessness when she asked Lily to explain why her openness killed her, because as "real" as she might be, well, she is still a typical villain, oblivious to what gets other real(er) people working, because she lacks a certain humanistic side. All good things from this story in this episode.

Now, here's what stumps me a little, the fragmented sequence that features several scenes with Regina taking the Author to Zelena's cell and her final flashback with Cora. It's all cut up, and we last see the two sisters at around the 28 minute mark, and we get back to them 7 minutes later, after Captain Swan have had their scene, after Mary Margaret's hit her dumb head and after Emma's healed and forgiven her. Then we continue with Zelena and Regina. Some questionable editing there but okay. And lol at how Regina's definition of a happy ending was so inarguably worked in to keep the fans from protesting. No complaints from me if her happy ending did equal a hunky man by her side. As a single, lonely person, I personally believe that finding your one true love and getting that to work IS the epitome of a happy ending, one I hope to achieve some day. Everyone else who denies that and rambles about the greatest love of all being learning to love yourself (rest in peace, Whitney Houston) is just a fake bitch. I like what I see in the mirror, thank you very much, now find me someone to fuck.

So, next week we get the much wanted, much dread fairytale extravaganze with heroes being villains and vice versa. I'm excited, I'm frightened for my life, I am on all sorts of pins and needles and hot pokes, and I even don't mind the fact that the show's two worst actors, Patrick Fischler and Jared S. Gilmore, will be put up front and center, because I do want them to be more interesting.

Rating the Episode:
 * Flashback story' - 3 out of 5 stars. Hardly compelling, albeit fun at times, and I do enjoy learning at long last that Regina is barren, something that I never really gave much thought. Seems to me not so much like a half-assed shocking revelation coming this late in the show, but more like an idea they've had shelved for a while that they only got around to doing now. This episode's flashbacks weren't very exciting, but they appease me because I think they might open the doors for the writers to go back and finally answer the questions we've wanted answered for so long now, to revisit the stories they've had planned but have yet to be shown, which I'm sure they actually have a few of (Red and Snow in a cabin in the woods tbh like the fairytale yah).
 * Present-day action' - 5 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed literally everything this episode had to offer in the current time, great family dynamics, character interactions, everything worked.
 * Usage of cast' - 2 out of 5 stars. Sigh. Unfortunately, this is where the episode will suffer the most. Belle was cut, Will was absent (perhaps cut as well?), Henry didn't do shite and Emma and Hook kind of coasted. In fact, several actors saw their screentime reduced or entirely cut for this episode, it seems. Means, to me, that Jane Espenson must've taken some time to give everyone something to do but hey ads take priority.
 * Writing' - 5 out of 5 stars. No more exposition than usual, fun, memorable quotes that actually made me chuckle, lovely references to past characters and stories, can Jane run the show already?

Overall rating: 15/20. Seems good to me, for an episode that wrapped up so many things and yet set up so many others.