Once Upon a Time 2.12: In the Name of the Brother

Mid-way through season one we learned that the Enchanted Forest wasn’t all there was to this story. There were other worlds, like Wonderland, that weren’t affected by the curse in the same way that Snow and Charming’s kingdom was. Back in October we were introduced to the show’s biggest stretch of its narrative boundaries; a black and white universe where we can find people like Frankenstein. ‘In the Name of the Brother’ was our first full taste of what that world was like, and even though it felt odd at first, there were certain parts of it that I liked.

Don’t get me wrong, it feels insane to see these characters arriving into a show that was only ever really meant to serve as a re-imagining of fairytales, with characters like Snow and Red being the focal point. But as a show grows, shouldn’t it try to explore new territory? Frankenstein may have been an overly ambitious route to take things in, but it’s a move that should be commended in some way. It also opens up Once’s mythology that bit more, as we’re faced with the idea that more people in Storybrooke might actually be from elsewhere.

Though we may not be seeing many of that universe’s residents for a while, we do get to see some familiar faces from the Enchanted Forest’s curse-free zone. Cora’s plan to reach Regina finally came to fruition this week, as she began her crusade to make herself a part of her daughter’s life again. Though her role in Archie’s murder was unveiled a little sooner than she might have liked, I think the seeds she sewed will work in her favour. Regina is broken; she knows that she may never be accepted by Snow, Emma and Charming, and she mightn’t even want to be. Henry is what she wants, and the promise of getting him back, even when it comes from someone as evil as Cora, seems like enough to entice her back to the dark side.

Even though he managed to succumb to similar temptations in ‘The Outsider’, Rumple had to face the consequences of his war with Hook, now that Belle’s memory of him has been completely erased. Watching that teacup shatter against the wall was like watching his heart break in front of us. It hurts even more to see him walk away but he needs to find Bae, now more than ever. This is one of the first few times we’ll see Storybrooke residents venture outside the town lines too, and I’m excited to see how it’ll play out.

Outside people venturing inside Storybrooke was also fun to watch. It’s kind of ironic that an episode that was all about black and white would deal with something so morally grey. Well, the solution wasn’t all that hard to reach, there was no way they could have let him die, but what were they to do in face of risking the entire town’s safety? Now that someone has seen magic what, or who, will the drag out there?

 ‘In the Name of the Brother’ felt a little jumbled. There was a lot going on, but I think that might have been the point. If we’re distracted enough by things like Belle’s memory loss, and Regina and Cora meeting again, then maybe we won’t be so mad to see the show attempt the retro look. For the record, it wasn’t all that bad.

6/10

Plus

I enjoyed seeing Red help Whale out; she seems to have adapted the most to her new life in Storybrooke.

What will happen now that Regina and Cora are a team? “Not good things” is my guess.

He Said, She Said

Whale: “Rumplestiltskin says that magic has a price, but from where I’m sitting it seems that science does too.”

Red: “Regina thought she was punishing us by erasing who we were, but I think she underestimated how much crap we wanted to forget. But we can’t let it stop us, she gave us a chance to start over and I want to take it. I think you should too.”

Cora: “You’ve been too bad for too long and now they see you as a snake.”

Also posted at Doux Reviews.