Once Upon a Time 2.10: The Cricket Game

Rehabilitation is commonly referred to as a journey, not a destination. It takes time, and a lot of it. It also takes patience and understanding not just from you, but from those around you. What Regina lacks most is a solid support system. Here we saw that come into play as lack of trust and naturally a few external forces, threw Regina’s recovery off course.

Without her father Regina’s missing that little nudge towards a better life. There’s no security there, only the hope of a stronger bond with the only remaining person she cares about. She focuses all her energy on changing people’s perceptions of her that she’s crossed that line between determination and desperation. Obviously, none of this would have happened were it not for Cora’s meddling, and the precarious death (or kidnapping) of a Storybrooke resident, but there was still a fundamental lack of trust there.

Don’t these guys live in a world where framing someone is a lot simpler than it needs to be? Emma and Snow saw that when Cora tried to trick them into giving her access to a doorway back to Storybrooke. I guess Regina’s past betrayals ring louder than their more recent experiences with her mother. I get that their first instinct would be to steer clear of the same mistakes they made before though, and not to fall prey to Regina’s signature manipulation. They’ve seen what she’s capable of, and what she once would have done if given the opportunity.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that this situation is a complicated one, and it’s one that’s being told in a well constructed way. No two sides are being ignored, every angle of this story we can see and understand. We know about what Regina once did to Snow, or tried to do at least, but we also know that Regina really is trying to change. We can also watch Cora’s eventual return manifest itself in a strangely indirect way, which I’m assuming is all about setup for the remainder of the season. The question remains, can Regina prove her innocence, and build that bond with Henry she wants so badly?

I think she will, eventually. It will take time though, and I think this framing scenario will last a little while longer, if only to pin Cora as the high queen of evil bitchdom and keep her center stage as this season’s big bad. Maybe what this season needs to do is really give these characters a chance to see behind each other’s walls, and see that they are all changing, for better or for worse.

8/10

Plus

Why was Emma eating fries for breakfast?!

I was fully convinced that Belle was going to be Cora’s secret weapon, I was glad to see that this show shocked me for once.

Regina Fashion Watch: Hello to that amazing number at the start of the episode; who knew chainmail could be fashionable?

I have to side with Emma with the whole tie on the door idea. Not nice to walk in and see your parents doing it, while your own child watches with you. Super awkward.

He Said, She Said

Ruby: “Everything OK here?”
Regina: “Private conversation, go take yourself for a walk.”
Indirect wolf humour never gets old.

Regina: “I will not let you poison Henry against me.”
Emma: “That’s an interesting word choice, since you already did.”

Also posted at Doux Reviews.