S02.E02: We Are Both

[yeswedo]

 

Regina continues to seek a way to regain her powers; David continues his quest to find Mary Margaret and Emma; the seven dwarves discover what happens when one of the townspeople tries to leave Storybrooke's city limits.

 

Note: please use spoiler tags when referring to major events that happen after this episode to allow new viewers to choose to be spoiled.

[KAOS Agent]

I always wonder if the writers considered what everyone was doing when they packed up their cars and headed out of town. David gave a great speech about everyone being both and why they should stay, but it didn't really make any sense for people to leave since the minute they crossed the line, they'd lose their memories and wonder what they were doing and where the hell they are going. Most likely they'd turn right around and go back home. Do you think Clark/Sneezy would leave his pharmacy now that he doesn't remember he's a dwarf and that crazy magic wielders live in that town? Of course not. Did not one of those people heading out of town realize that this was going to be a problem? Maybe it's like Memento and they scribbled a note with a sharpie on their wrist that said, "Danger! Run away! Don't ever go back!" 

 

This episode gave us a shining example of our royal friends being too concerned with their own personal problems over those of the peasantry. People were looking to David for guidance and he's not only got nothing, he totally blows them all off to go in search of a way to Snow/Emma. At least designate someone to be the point person and in charge, David. Meanwhile, Regina storms around and terrorizes not only the town, but his grandson as well. When a 10 year old is the only thing standing in the way of Regina going on a killing spree, you've got problems. Such a great ruler that Prince Charming!

 

And for any looking to deny that Regina was anything other than a perfect, loving mother to Henry, I direct you to this episode. She throws fireballs and magic at the people Henry cares about, threatening them all until he agrees to go with her. And then when he tries to escape the crazy, she ties him up with branches just like mommy dearest did to her. It's blatant child abuse. Dear writers, did you forget this happened? Because it's all right there in living color. It's undeniable since you actually had Regina recognize that she was perpetuating the cycle of abuse.

[Camera One]

David gave a great speech about everyone being both and why they should stay, but it didn't really make any sense for people to leave since the minute they crossed the line, they'd lose their memories and wonder what they were doing and where the hell they are going.

 

It shows again the writers couldn't care less about the supporting characters.  The people they had at the town line demanding to leave and challenging David included Archie and the Blue fairy.  Are we seriously supposed to believe either of those two would have wanted to cross the town line?  There is no way.  They put no thought into constructing a believable situation, since they just wanted David to make the "We are both" speech, to justify why they are keeping the Storybrooke names and personalities even though they all have their memories back, to prolong the "dichotomy" even though they themselves decided to blow it all to smithereens.   The "We are both" could have worked if they actually delved into it a bit more, but it just felt like an easy explanation to me, convenient to them.

 

People were looking to David for guidance and he's not only got nothing, he totally blows them all off to go in search of a way to Snow/Emma. At least designate someone to be the point person and in charge, David.

 

I did like they showed some of the characters trying to organize the townspeople (Ruby and Mother Superior, I think).  I remember being disappointed since there was so much more they could have done with that, with the aftermath, with David taking over from Regina and dealing with normal town stuff.

 

With Charming not taking charge, we are supposed to believe this is the David Nolan coming through, but I blame the writers... they had him promise the townspeople he would formulate a plan but as usual, he had nothing since they can't give the "good guys" any intelligence or foresight.  They just had him chasing Jefferson's hat (might as well have been his tail).  He didn't even know what he was going to tell the townspeople until the inspirational speech "came" to him.   

 

 

She throws fireballs and magic at the people Henry cares about, threatening them all until he agrees to go with her. And then when he tries to escape the crazy, she ties him up with branches just like mommy dearest did to her. It's blatant child abuse.

 

Well in hindsight...

at least during this time, Henry saw Regina for who she really was - a monster. And he wanted to get as far away from her as possible.  He hadn't yet been sacrificed on the altar of Regina.  So that's a plus for sure.

Edited July 8, 2014 by Camera One

[Shanna Marie]

I remember being disappointed since there was so much more they could have done with that, with the aftermath, with David taking over from Regina and dealing with normal town stuff.

They really did blow past the interesting aftermath stuff. I loved the "have you seen ..." posters and the sense that people were shifting their lives around. I wish we could have seen more of that. They really should have paused a bit before the portal to the Enchanted Forest and the Team Princess adventures. One of the things that drew me to this show in the first place was the idea of juxtaposing modern American life with fairy tale characters, and this was where they really could have played with that concept.

[KAOS Agent]

Given the events here, 

how can Regina say she has no regrets in Neverland? If that is true, it means she doesn't regret her actions towards Henry in this episode or at any other time. No Regrets Regina becomes more and more problematic with every episode I rewatch because I'm reminded again and again of things she should have been regretful of. If she truly loves Henry the way they are now painting her, she ought to be eaten up with regrets for the way she treated him. And besides that, she was clearly regretting her actions even within this episode - mostly because things weren't working out for her, but you know they were still regrets.

 

 

One of the things that drew me to this show in the first place was the idea of juxtaposing modern American life with fairy tale characters, and this was where they really could have played with that concept.

 

While it was cute that the shops started going back to their Enchanted Forest trades in addition to modern stuff, I always kind of wondered why you'd want some of the stuff they might offer. Was it simply nostalgia for their old life or did these people really want to go back to the hand made shoes from the cobbler? I've seen the shoes they wear in the Enchanted Forest. They don't look all that comfortable or particularly stylish. It makes me wonder if they're interested in returning to the fashions of their land as well. Though there again corsets and long dresses aren't the most comfortable or easy move about in.

[formerlyfreedom]

I had forgotten how instrumental Red was in this episode. Megan Ohry is great!

[Camera One]

Why was this a Regina flashback episode?  This should have been a Charming one, damnit!  

 

Combine that with the disappointing present-day stuff (even though there was so much potential), and this was a weak second episode of the season.

Edited July 13, 2014 by Camera One

[stealinghome]

I did totally enjoy Charming yanking Rumpel's chain, though! I love that conversation, I wish we got to see more of that Charming.

But yeah, on the whole, the only parts of this episode worth rewatching are the Charming/Gold talk, Charming's speech (though it gets way too corny about 76% of the way through), and the Charming/Henry bonding. Oh, and I enjoyed when Henry was still allowed to call Regina out on her abuse.

[Camera One]

I do think they had the elements of a good episode, and I would have kept those scenes.  It would have worked well to have Charming flashbacks to when he had doubts about helping to rule Snow's kingdom, and how he gained confidence back then with the help of Snow.  I think they also needed to have Charming step up to be their leader in a bigger way than just that speech.  Show him forcing himself to put aside trying to get to Snow/Emma for a moment to minister to the town's problems.  We needed to see how Charming got to the point of making that "we are both" speech.  

[KingOfHearts]

 

The people they had at the town line demanding to leave and challenging David included Archie and the Blue fairy.  Are we seriously supposed to believe either of those two would have wanted to cross the town line?

I've thought the same thing! I'm glad someone agrees with me.

 

Flashbacks in this episode were decent for a Regina-centric. I honestly believe this is one of Regina's best episodes.

 

The parallel with Regina/Cora and Regina/Henry really hit a homerun with Regina's redemption arc. Unfortunately it didn't have the fuel to last past 2A. It's a big stretch to go from Regina doing everything she can to not to be like her mother, only to become her loyal servant when she comes to town.

 

My favorite part of the episode was the Cora's-alive twist at the end. Long live Cora!

Edited July 13, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

I thought the flashback story was good and was nice for a start to her redemption plot.  I just think they should have been in a separate episode so "We Are Both" could focus on Charming.  Regina should have gotten her own episode where she realized forcing Henry to stay with her against his will was wrong and reminds her of how Cora treated her.  

 

I think "The Doctor" should have been in 2B and it should have prompted Regina to turn against her mother. So a separate Regina episode with the flashbacks from this episode should have replaced it in the fall.

Edited July 13, 2014 by Camera One

[KingOfHearts]

We Are Both was like most of S2 - it had too many stories going on at once for it to truly throw its point across.

 

This episode was critical both for Regina and Charming, so it's odd they didn't split it into multiple episodes. It could have either showed Regina with some Storybrooke chaos subplotting, or Charming with some Regina/Henry subplotting. But it gave both an equal amount of emphasis, so the signal was a bit mixed.

 

Honestly the Storybrooke fallout should have been dealt with in Broken, rather than this episode.

Edited July 13, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Zuleikha]

I'm starting S2 and so far really liking it. The way the show is portraying Henry/Regina now feels much more satisfying to me. Henry loves her, resents her, protects her, and rejects her. That's a dynamic I'm interested in seeing more of.

 

I do hope that this sets a solid, redemption arc in place for Regina. I know from the dribs and drabs people are saying that not everyone is satisfied with what the show does with Regina, but I suspect my expectations are fairly in line with what the creators will do. I remember how Lost dealt with Ben Linus after all. :) I'm also not really interested in seeing Regina don a hair shirt and try to actively atone for her past crimes simply because they're way too huge. She can't. Ever. So all I want is to see her chart a steady path forward to learning how to love and how to give friendship. I expect some backsliding both for plot reasons and for character development, so as long as it's two steps forward to every step back, I'll be happy (and please, no more snarky comments about knowing the future in response to comments I make about Regina character development. That is essentially a spoiler!). 

I remain very nervous about Rumple, though. I don't know if it's because Carlyle is so good and charismatic, but all the shots of Rumple still have me feeling like the show's POV is admiring. But I think he's worse than Cora. To me, there is just nothing redeeming about the things he's done. He's just been monstrous in every way possible. He's casually and remorselessly murdered. He's manipulated. He's tried to steal babies (and probably has stolen babies) and he deliberately set Regina on the path to genocidal maniac because it served his own ends. I don't care if he did it to find Bae since if he really cared about Bae, he would try to be a better person AND he would find a portal path. We know factually that Rumple had options because we know Jefferson and his hat existed as an option. While I do believe the curse amplified the worst aspects of Rumple's personality, unless the show reveals I'm wrong about this, my understanding is Mr. Gold/Rumple-in-earth has no Dark One curse at all. He's all just him, and he's still pretty amoral and horrible (although possibly less casually murderous). 

 

I thought Snow was stupid in this ep, so I don't mind Mulan's actions. It was clear bad things were afoot in the land, so I thought Snow should have understood why Mulan/Aurora would be overly cautious. I thought Snow should have waited to do her big kick-and-run until she had a better idea who was still around, what they knew/thought, and what talking may accomplish. I'm not wild about Jaime Chung's acting yet, but I have a soft spot for her being the only decent person in her season of Real World and I'm glad to see Mulan onscreen. I was pretty confused about the Phillip/Mulan/Aurora stuff in the premiere, but now that Emma/Snow are part of their plot, it's tied in enough to me. I like seeing how the curse affected the Enchanted Forest, too. 

[KAOS Agent]

 

To me, there is just nothing redeeming about the things he's done. He's just been monstrous in every way possible. He's casually and remorselessly murdered. He's manipulated. He's tried to steal babies (and probably has stolen babies)

 

I curious because if you swap out babies and replace it with young children (and Henry's adoption was sketchy as hell, so baby stealing could apply), you've just described Regina. What makes her any more or less redeemable than Rumpel? To be clear, I don't think either one should ever get a happily ever after because all of the people they've murdered will never have the opportunity to have theirs. They just lie rotting in their graves. I just find it fascinating to hear why one deserves something over the other when their crimes are both universally terrible.

 

 

I don't care if he did it to find Bae since if he really cared about Bae, he would try to be a better person AND he would find a portal path. We know factually that Rumple had options because we know Jefferson and his hat existed as an option.

 

Once the show got out of Season 1 and the curse ended, the premise for the curse and Rumpel's years of machinations to enact his Rube Goldberg-ian plot became nonsensical. First episode back and we discover all Rumpel needed to do was bring his True Love potion, throw it in a well and suddenly the hat works in Storybrooke. They blew a gaping hole into what was essentially the entire plot of the first season and it's just maddening. I think it's implied that either the hat couldn't come to this world because of it not having magic or that he could get here, but couldn't use it to get back because of no magic. Either way he's stuck in a world without magic. And Rumpel is addicted to magic. He won't live without it forever. So the curse became a way to have his cake and eat it too. Baelfire + magic = happy Rumpel.  Mostly Rumpel is an arrogant bastard and he always just thinks he's so much smarter than everyone else. It was so nice in this episode for him to discover the little glitch in his plans with the town line.

[Zuleikha]

I curious because if you swap out babies and replace it with young children (and Henry's adoption was sketchy as hell, so baby stealing could apply), you've just described Regina. What makes her any more or less redeemable than Rumpel?

 

Self-awareness. Regina's acted against her own self-interest and for Henry and demonstrated an understanding of what she's done. Rumple, at least as of this epsiode, hasn't. On the contrary, losing Bae didn't bring him any awareness, remorse, or commitment to change. Basically, it's the equation you wrote... even after losing Bae and Belle, Rumple is not willing to give up magic. But Bae + magic doesn't equal happiness. That's what Rumple still doesn't understand. Bae doesn't want a father who loves him as much as power. He wants a father who loves him enough to give up power when the power has proven to be corruptive. If Rumple finds Bae and explains that he corrupted a queen to make her miserable enough that she would destroy the entire Enchanted Forest and curse everyone in it all so that Rumple could end up reunited with Bae (while also still having magic), I think Bae would be horrified and completely reject Rumple. Rumple doesn't get it because Rumple is so addicted to being feared and influential that he just can't open his worldview to another path. I also think what we've seen of Regina's past vs. Rumple's just suggests that there's more of a core of a good person in Regina than in Rumple, which is part of why accidentally harming Henry has so far been enough to make Regina hit bottom and change her ways.  

 

Also, to be clear, I'm not saying that I would never want Rumple to be redeemed or find it believable. More that I fear that the signals I get from the show are that the show doesn't think he needs to be. When the show had Rumple smash the glass and stand trapped and sad staring at the yellow line, I felt that I was supposed to feel sympathetic to him, which I think is ridiculous given that he's responsible for his own misery and pretty much everyone else's. If Rumple has his moment of waking up and makes serious changes, I'd probably embrace Rumple's redemption, too. After all, I find the actor charismatic and Rumple's scenes fascinating, so I'm willing to embrace him as a not-bad-guy if the show can give me a reason (although please not do to Belle's love redeeming him or to Belle being fridged for him because either of those are a horrible message!). But I do need a reason. 

[KingOfHearts]

This is still probably one of my favorite episodes of S2. It's Regina's redemption done correctly. She had remorse, she took positive action, and no one gave her a gold star. Everything felt very natural and Regina actually had a legitimate reason for wanting to change other than "I want to be a glorified hero". No wanting to be like her mother didn't solve all her problems but it was a start. This episode reminds me of what I enjoyed her character in the first place.

Spoiler

Then "The Cricket Game" happens and I'm back to seething anger.

This is most likely an unpopular opinion, but I find Charming's subplot the weaker half of the episode. The droves of people heading for the townline were unrealistic and...

Spoiler

... ultimately Charming's arc doesn't go anywhere. Other than making that speech, he never really acted like a leader for the town in 2A. I thought he grandparenting of Henry and reluctantly working with Regina and Rumple was great, but this episode tries to fix a complex issue (having two identities) in one scene. It just doesn't develop, nor does Charming's role in it.

[companionenvy]

I like Charming's subplot, with the caveat that I agree that all those people -- Archie above all - heading for the line is unrealistic. But I agree with you on Regina. This kind of episode still has the problem of the show having gone too far with Regina for the sympathetic touch to ever be really believable - I mean, she tried to kill Charming literally last episode, and even this one (IIRC) has the, in context, incredibly cruel line about not taking parenting advice from someone who sent his kid to Maine in a wardrobe. And the Daniel backstory as her primary reason for hating Snow still doesn't do her any favors. But the flashback episode significantly deepens her complexity, and provides the first really genuine step toward change in the present. Whereas "The Stable Boy" left us with the impression that Regina closed off and committed herself to revenge almost immediately after Daniel's death, we see now that she did try to escape her marriage, that she did - despite her anger - make at least some effort to restrain herself with young Snow; we get more confirmation of consistent abuse from Cora, and see how Rumple began to manipulate her. There's still a number of steps missing, and again, I'm never going to entirely buy that this is a fully reasonable trip from point A to a point B that includes as much horrific cruelty as we've seen from her, but this episode provides a template for a path forward featuring a redeemable Regina.  She commits to change for a plausible reason, makes a sacrifice in letting Henry go with Charming, and registers some actual self-awareness. For his part, Charming clearly loathes her and isn't willing to do more than let her live and 

It is also great to see a SB that feels like a real town where people have developed real relationships. Ruby and the nuns setting up an emergency relief shelter, Marco putting up posters looking for Pinocchio, and of course the "We are Both" speech, which offers a rare attempt at addressing the integration of EF and SB memories. 

[andromeda331]

3 hours ago, companionenvy said:

It is also great to see a SB that feels like a real town where people have developed real relationships. Ruby and the nuns setting up an emergency relief shelter, Marco putting up posters looking for Pinocchio, and of course the "We are Both" speech, which offers a rare attempt at addressing the integration of EF and SB memories. 

I really liked that part. It was really great seeing the town come together. Setting up shelters and it really made sense the nuns and Ruby would be doing that. Seeing them putting up posters for missing family members. Ruby being the one who got through to Charming that he needed to do something to help the town.

[Camera One]

2 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

It was really great seeing the town come together. Setting up shelters and it really made sense the nuns and Ruby would be doing that. Seeing them putting up posters for missing family members. Ruby being the one who got through to Charming that he needed to do something to help the town.

I was really expecting we would get more of that.  But instead... crickets, and I'm not talking about the damselfly in distress.

[daxx]

I love how the dwarves just draw straws to see who is the town line guinea pig. lol

[KingOfHearts]

1 hour ago, daxx said:

I love how the dwarves just draw straws to see who is the town line guinea pig. lol

Ah, yes - the beginning of the inconsistent townline shenanigans. 

Spoiler

Whether it's memory loss, a barrier spell, an ice wall, flying monkeys, turning into a tree, or just warping all the realms into one.

Edited August 19, 2018 by KingOfHearts

[tennisgurl]

I forgot how much I love this episode! Is actually a GOOD Regina episode, where we actually see some real development from her, and she really shows some self awareness. The flashbacks actually do paint her in a more sympathetic light, focusing more on Cora's abuse, her actually trying to be a good step mom and resisting the urge to become her mother, and Rumples manipulations of her. It shows a step between sweet innocent to psychotic murderer, and I think if we had a few more of those filling in the blanks episodes, I would have been more sympathetic towards her later on. And her doing the same things in Storybrooke to Henry that Cora did to her, and her realizing what she was doing and letting him go, is actually really well done, and seems to be setting up some real character development for her. If they had kept this up, I think I actually could have been more open to a Regina redemption arc. It would still take a TON of work, but I think I could have gotten behind it. 

Spoiler

And then of course, it all went to absolute shit, and we got into the dark lands of Poor Regina, where instead of giving her any kind of development and self awareness, they just kept making her cry over how people didnt like her shitty Italian food. I even could have been alright with her backsliding and siding with Cora again,if she had realized, on her own, that she had become her mother, and realized how awful that is and changed her ways on her own. But instead, she was fine with everything Cora did until Greg and Tamara showed up, and she got stuck in her own plot and had to cover her own ass, and that made her a hero randomly. And we hadn't even gotten into her millions of pointless murders that we see in later flashbacks...while we`re supposed to be so sorry for her. Uggg. 

I also love seeing the way the town dealt with the post curse right away, with flyers of missing loved ones, crisis stations, everyone putting their faith in a clearly freaking out Charming, the shenanigans of the dwarfs at the town line, Red and Charming as pals and comrades in arms, the nuns gathering supplies and distributing things, people forgetting what names to call people, and even the ending with the store announcing cobbling available, its the start of some really great stuff*. I also love Charming in this episode. The comment about how Snow handled the talking, and he handled the fighting, seemed pretty accurate, for a woman who grew up being trained to run a country, and a guy who grew up doing manual labor on his family farm. Him trying to handle things while protecting Henry, and trying to find Emma and Snow, was really well done, and I love the We Are Both speech. 

Its super weird and OOC for Archie and company to be running off to the town line, but looking at it, I kind of wonder if the actor played it like Archie did this to inspire Charming to do his speech and get his leadership on, and never had any desire to really leave? Just the approving nod and smile he gave Charming seemed to say "I knew you had this" or something. I am sure the writers didnt intend that, and maybe I am writing too much into it, but I find it an interesting interpretation. 

I will never be tired of Henry calling Charming Gramps. Its too adorable. This episode actually had a lot of funny scenes and lines. "Why else would I run in yelling TERRIBLE NEWS!" "Can the nuns date now? Dont tell them its me asking." And Rumple in the EF doing little pushing movements with a big smile on his face in the mirror when he was manipulating Regina into pushing Cora into the magic mirror. Also, Cora is still probably the best villain this show ever had. 

*

Spoiler

AND IT ALL MEANS JACK AND SHIT! After all this great set up, we get nothing! Nothing at all! Its so freaking frustrating!

[andromeda331]

16 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I forgot how much I love this episode! Is actually a GOOD Regina episode, where we actually see some real development from her, and she really shows some self awareness. The flashbacks actually do paint her in a more sympathetic light, focusing more on Cora's abuse, her actually trying to be a good step mom and resisting the urge to become her mother, and Rumples manipulations of her. It shows a step between sweet innocent to psychotic murderer, and I think if we had a few more of those filling in the blanks episodes, I would have been more sympathetic towards her later on. And her doing the same things in Storybrooke to Henry that Cora did to her, and her realizing what she was doing and letting him go, is actually really well done, and seems to be setting up some real character development for her. If they had kept this up, I think I actually could have been more open to a Regina redemption arc. It would still take a TON of work, but I think I could have gotten behind it. 

  Reveal hidden contents

And then of course, it all went to absolute shit, and we got into the dark lands of Poor Regina, where instead of giving her any kind of development and self awareness, they just kept making her cry over how people didnt like her shitty Italian food. I even could have been alright with her backsliding and siding with Cora again,if she had realized, on her own, that she had become her mother, and realized how awful that is and changed her ways on her own. But instead, she was fine with everything Cora did until Greg and Tamara showed up, and she got stuck in her own plot and had to cover her own ass, and that made her a hero randomly. And we hadn't even gotten into her millions of pointless murders that we see in later flashbacks...while we`re supposed to be so sorry for her. Uggg. 

I also love seeing the way the town dealt with the post curse right away, with flyers of missing loved ones, crisis stations, everyone putting their faith in a clearly freaking out Charming, the shenanigans of the dwarfs at the town line, Red and Charming as pals and comrades in arms, the nuns gathering supplies and distributing things, people forgetting what names to call people, and even the ending with the store announcing cobbling available, its the start of some really great stuff*. I also love Charming in this episode. The comment about how Snow handled the talking, and he handled the fighting, seemed pretty accurate, for a woman who grew up being trained to run a country, and a guy who grew up doing manual labor on his family farm. Him trying to handle things while protecting Henry, and trying to find Emma and Snow, was really well done, and I love the We Are Both speech. 

Its super weird and OOC for Archie and company to be running off to the town line, but looking at it, I kind of wonder if the actor played it like Archie did this to inspire Charming to do his speech and get his leadership on, and never had any desire to really leave? Just the approving nod and smile he gave Charming seemed to say "I knew you had this" or something. I am sure the writers didnt intend that, and maybe I am writing too much into it, but I find it an interesting interpretation. 

I will never be tired of Henry calling Charming Gramps. Its too adorable. This episode actually had a lot of funny scenes and lines. "Why else would I run in yelling TERRIBLE NEWS!" "Can the nuns date now? Dont tell them its me asking." And Rumple in the EF doing little pushing movements with a big smile on his face in the mirror when he was manipulating Regina into pushing Cora into the magic mirror. Also, Cora is still probably the best villain this show ever had. 

*

  Reveal hidden contents

AND IT ALL MEANS JACK AND SHIT! After all this great set up, we get nothing! Nothing at all! Its so freaking frustrating!

I love all of those parts. I forgot Whale's important question. It is funny while everyone else is freaking out about family members, names, beds and stuff he's concerned with whether or not he can now date nuns. 

[Shanna Marie]

This is another one of those vacuum episodes. If you forget about what comes later, it's really good.

Though I think they still went a bit too far in trying to whitewash Regina and her relationship with Henry. She never showed the kind of tenderness toward him that she shows him here. She talks about spending a lot of time not being capable of love, but I don't think we have a strong enough reason that she's suddenly apparently capable of love now. All last season, she was totally cold, including to him. Now she's acting like her heart grew three sizes, but meanwhile she's still cold and nasty to everyone else, and it all just doesn't really fit for me. What happened that would have made her now capable of love?

I also feel like the flashback Regina we saw here doesn't fit with what we last saw. Even before Daniel was killed, she wasn't quite as wide-eyed and breathless as she is here, and she'd already turned cold to Snow.

I loved all the response of the town to the aftermath of the curse and the way they were organizing to deal with the fallout. I agree that I don't really believe that so many people would have been so eager to cross the line and lose their memories. And would they all have packed all their belongings to leave for good? They could cross the line and then go back to the lives they'd had. I guess maybe they were afraid of Regina, but still, wouldn't an unfamiliar world be just as scary? Someone who's never left a small town might not be so eager to deal with the outside world. I liked the bits we saw of the town toward the end, where people seemed to be figuring out which parts of their lives they wanted to focus on.

But then there's what comes later

Spoiler

It's a shame that they just sort of drop the curse fallout after this. I wish they hadn't made Regina so super powerful after one huff of that book. I still think they should have made her have to recharge from the book on an ongoing basis, so she had to be careful about her power, and they should have stuck with the "magic is unpredictable in this world" thing.

[companionenvy]

58 minutes ago, Shanna Marie said:

I also feel like the flashback Regina we saw here doesn't fit with what we last saw. Even before Daniel was killed, she wasn't quite as wide-eyed and breathless as she is here, and she'd already turned cold to Snow.

Yeah, I noticed that too. Again, I would have been willing to go with it as a retcon, if it had been consistently done as well as it was done here, but Regina was already talking about how she should have let Snow die on her horse by the end of "The Stable Boy," and didn't seem quite as innocent as she's being painted here. 

I do think this episode adds further credence to my theory that some of Regina's extreme hatred of Snow is a form of self-punishment. I don't remember the exact line, but in the sequence where she imagines telling Snow the truth about Daniel's death, she says something along the lines of  "she manipulates children...if you'd just been a little bit stronger," where it was pretty clear to me that she's not just talking about Snow. 

It still takes a ton more filling in the blanks to plausibly get from "I liked how it felt when I pushed my long-time abuser, who just killed my lover, into a portal using magic" to "I am going to gleefully destroy the lives of everyone around me because I can." Though Rumple is a wonderfully seductive force here.

 

Spoiler

He and Cora really would have been fantastic together.