Tiny is, of course, a relative term.\u00a0 16 feet may be pretty short when everyone else around you is topping 20 feet.\u00a0 However, regardless of Anton’s size, there was nothing “tiny” about this last episode of Once Upon A Time<\/i>.\u00a0 In fact, this was for me one of the densest episodes of the season, so far.\u00a0 It wasn’t an action episode.\u00a0 Nothing climatic happened.\u00a0 Instead, we got a great deal of exposition and well as a lot of positioning for the remainder of the season.\u00a0 All good stories have these moments where the action slows.\u00a0 Both the need for exposition and for pacing demand it.\u00a0 Often these “slow” moments can be rather dull.\u00a0 I was impressed at how much that was NOT the case in this instance.\u00a0 We learned a great deal and I suspect we are set up for a rather explosive next few episode.<\/p>\n
So, what have we learned?\u00a0 And what does it all mean?\u00a0 I’ll break it into major sections.\u00a0 Forgive me though if my thoughts come out a bit scattered in the process.<\/p>\n
Giants and Beans<\/b><\/p>\n
As far as what we learned, the most obvious is about the giants.\u00a0 Contrary to common perception, the giants were a peaceful people and the scarcity of magic beans was their attempts to protect the other lands from conquest.\u00a0 We also learn that the slaughter of the giants was not just Jack, of whom we learned earlier in the season, but also that Prince James and King George were up to their ears in the attack.\u00a0 Frankly, James is really <\/i><\/b>a nasty piece of work.\u00a0 I mean, if King George thinks you’re slimy you have to be pretty low.\u00a0 With James for a son, at least I can understand his bitterness a bit better.<\/p>\n
I’m not sure about why the made Jack a woman.\u00a0 Other than showing James for the low-life that he is, it really didn’t serve any purpose in the story.<\/p>\n
Another thought that comes to mind is that if the 100 years of work Arlo was talking about at the giant’s dinner table was just the growing of the beans, the folk in Storybrooke are going to have a long wait before magic beans become an option to get back.\u00a0 Perhaps magic can be used to speed things up a bit?<\/p>\n
Snow and David<\/b><\/p>\n
First, finding out that David is David in both lands is really not a surprise.\u00a0 I know it’s been discussed for quite awhile.\u00a0 It makes perfect sense; a good and kind shepherd boy who is tapped to become king replacing a less than upright monarch.\u00a0 We even got a giant story in the mix.\u00a0 The only thing missing was a sling.<\/p>\n
The argument on the run with Grumpy on David’s name has got to be one of the funniest pieces of exposition in the show to date.\u00a0 I expect it to go down as a OUAT classic moment.<\/p>\n
It also appears that there may be problems in “Happily ever after.”\u00a0 Snow may not be so anxious to get back to the Enchanted Forest as David.\u00a0 Her excuses had previously been connected with the devastation over there, but now it is coming out that she is not going to be separated from her daughter again.\u00a0 If that is the real reason, I don’t think it will be too much a problem at the end of the day.\u00a0 After all, there are beans growing now.\u00a0 Hook’s ship will probably be available by the end of the story.\u00a0 There’s also magic in Storybrooke.\u00a0 By the time all is said and done, it will likely not be too big a deal to pop between lands for visits.\u00a0 If Snow’s real issue, though, is that she really likes this “simpler” life in our world, then there may be some problems.<\/p>\n
Cora’s plot and Regina<\/b><\/p>\n
So far, my predictions when I was discussing the nature of magic regarding Regina are proving true.\u00a0 After her two steps forward, she is certainly <\/i>taken a step back.\u00a0 One thing I’m trying to remember was whether or not she knew Archie was still alive.\u00a0 I don’t recall that coming up when Cora caught up with her.\u00a0 It did seem to me that Regina’s act when talking to Snow and David came off a bit lame compared to her truly evil past.\u00a0 Perhaps she is a bit conflicted over her current path.\u00a0 Remember that I said her original shift towards good was based on preserving a relationship with Henry.\u00a0 Her real redemption will come when she does what’s right for its own sake.<\/p>\n
I think that is something that will connect with Cora’s real objective.\u00a0 On thing that became clear is that there is more to her goal than simply making amends with her daughter.\u00a0 I believe that the eventual realization of that betrayal will be crucial in Regina’s true redemption.<\/p>\n
What is that objective?\u00a0 We did find out that it involved the giants’ beans.\u00a0 That’s a good hint that it is something that spans the Lands.\u00a0 Is it merely empire building?\u00a0 That seem awfully limited for Cora’s devious mind.\u00a0 More likely it involves the pursuit of power.\u00a0 Remember that she rather adeptly got Rumpel out of town.\u00a0 Is her goal to be the Dark One, herself, as well as controlling all other magic?\u00a0 We’ve already seen her go where even Rumpel won’t, so that would hardly be a surprise.\u00a0 There’s certainly plenty of magical power in Storybrooke for her to consolidate; a certain magic dagger somewhere in the woods, a vault full of magic hearts, caves of fairy dust-grade magic diamond and now magic beans on the way.<\/p>\n
Belle (and Greg)<\/b><\/p>\n
These two have connected as the fandom had expected.\u00a0 We also got our confirmation that Greg did see Rumpel using magic.\u00a0 I still hold that he managed to cover his initial lie with the excuse of texting and that this <\/i>part of his story was true.\u00a0 That’s how he managed to get past Emma’s ability.\u00a0 In spite of his very significant name historically, I’m beginning <\/i>to suspect he may end up being collateral damage.\u00a0 I don’t know if he’ll be killed outright, but something sufficiently unpleasant is going to happen to him that it brings “Her” to town.\u00a0 After all, in spite of all the Lost references in this episode, his name still is not Leslie Arzt.<\/p>\n
Belle is a bit more of an immediate problem.\u00a0 After tonight, I’m sure the original Belle is in her still.\u00a0 Notice how she rebelled against even hearing her name?\u00a0 Her love of books is now active disinterest.\u00a0 Plus there is her fear of Rumpel and I think that is more than just because she saw him using magic.\u00a0 It seems that anything <\/i><\/b>that hints back to her true self has the potential of driving her to hysterics.\u00a0 I don’t think that would happen if the true Belle wasn’t there for the curse to torment.\u00a0 It’s driving her away from the people that care for her the most, and that’s more than just Rumpelstiltskin.\u00a0 I think that “drive away” is going to take a more literal form soon with a physical disappearance or escape.\u00a0 Which brings us to…<\/p>\n
Rumpel and Bael, not to mention Emma and Henry<\/b><\/p>\n
I was glad that Rumpel appeared <\/i>to back down from his death threat somewhat when he arrived to pick up Emma.\u00a0 Considering that some form of harm is going to be coming to Belle, that’s no surprise since you really can’t have him killing of most of the main cast.\u00a0 His promise to watch over Emma and Henry was as much empathy on his part as it was remembering his “truce” with David.\u00a0 Even if he meant the threat at the time, that truce gives him a justification to back down.<\/p>\n
We also see Rumpel set on the path to his redemption.\u00a0 He no longer has magic and now has to face his fears on his own.\u00a0 Except, of course, he’s never been really on his own.\u00a0 He’s just been too blinded to see the people who might care that surround him.\u00a0 In this case, that is Emma.\u00a0 Her promise to take care of him was clearly heartfelt.\u00a0 I think – considering her own colored past – she suspects she has more in common with Rumple than she may have considered before.\u00a0 Whatever the cause may be, something certainly seems to have connected between them.\u00a0 It was an act of courage to trust himself to her as he did.\u00a0 It seems she has not yet left her role a Savior.<\/p>\n
Henry being with them is, for me, a major reveal.\u00a0 As far as I’m concerned this is a confirmation that Bael and Neil are the same.\u00a0 Setting up that disclosure is the only reason I can think of – story-wise – for bringing Henry along.\u00a0 More on this in the next section.<\/p>\n
So What Is Coming?<\/b><\/p>\n
Emma is going to have a reality check coming very soon.\u00a0 As I just said, I believe Bael is Neil.\u00a0 There is going to be a real shock coming when Gold, Emma and Neil all come face to face.\u00a0 However, the worst shock is going to be for Henry.\u00a0 Remember that he believes his father was a heroic firefighter who died in the line of duty.\u00a0 What is his reaction going to be when he meets Neil and all the lies are laid bare.\u00a0 Will the betrayal be enough to drive him back to Regina?\u00a0 What is going to happen to his opinion of magic when it sinks in that his adoptive mother, his birth mother and his grandfather are all magic users?<\/p>\n
The next obvious question is how is Bael going to react when he meets his father again?\u00a0 And with his True Love along, as well?\u00a0 Somehow I don’t think this is going to be all hugs, kisses and happily ever after.\u00a0 There’s a whole lot of baggage that’s going to have to be resolved.\u00a0 Will he even be willing to go back to Storybrooke as I’m sure Rumpel is expecting?<\/p>\n
I do think Rumpel will get his magic back once he returns to Storybrooke.\u00a0 I don’t think it was lost when he took off the scarf, I think it was lost when he crossed the town line.\u00a0 His fireball when Belle was shot occurred after he stepped back into Storybrooke’s border.<\/p>\n
I also think it is a matter of time before the dagger comes back into the story and that it will be sooner rather than later.\u00a0 I’m expecting him to feel its bite before the end of the season and am sure it’s going to be connected with sacrificing himself to save Belle.\u00a0 I believe this will also break the power of the dagger and there will no longer be a Dark One.\u00a0 That doesn’t necessarily mean that Rumpel will lose all magical ability.\u00a0 After all, he’s learned a lot over the centuries, so he wouldn’t be entirely dependent on the power of the Dark One.<\/p>\n
At the end of this, we are going to see Emma and family, including (a perhaps reluctant) Rumpelstiltskin arrayed against Cora and a conflicted Regina.\u00a0 The realization of Cora’s true plan will spark Regina’s redemptive moment at the moment when all would otherwise be lost.<\/p>\n
Finally, I do expect Cora to escape.\u00a0 Her heart is still protected somewhere and I have a feeling that – like a horcrux in Harry Potter – she will not be able to be killed without <\/i>the heart being found.\u00a0 If I am even partially right in these theories, the writers will want a great villain around for future seasons.<\/p>\n
One person should be notable by his absence in my discussion.\u00a0 Hook.\u00a0 I really don’t know where he’s going to fit in.\u00a0 He’s the ultimate opportunist and as Snow said, he’s going to go wherever the wind blows.<\/p>\n
So those are my thoughts for this <\/i>episode.\u00a0 Obviously, there is a lot more going on than just these pieces of the story.\u00a0 August is still roaming around.\u00a0 Dr. Whale still has a part in the story.\u00a0 Don’t forget that Mulan and Aurora are still out then in the Enchanted Forest.\u00a0 The long-rumored interaction with Oz is still waiting.\u00a0 But those may well be other stories and other seasons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tiny is, of course, a relative term.\u00a0 16 feet may be pretty short when everyone else around you is topping 20 feet.\u00a0 However, regardless of Anton’s size, there was nothing “tiny” about this last episode of Once Upon A Time.\u00a0 In fact, this was for me one of the densest episodes of the season, so […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[12,9],"tags":[25,39,46],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5ymfK-4W","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}