Subtext Recap: Once Upon a Time 2.11 – In the Name of the Brother
I think I like drama. Then I’m given it, our bad girl backslides, and I’m like “Noooo! Don’t do iiiiitttttt!!!”
Apparently, I only think I like drama when what I really like is a small window of pure happiness with prison smooches and a lengthy make out scene with intimate finger-sucking. Intimate finger-sucking! Thank you, Lost Girl.
As for Once Upon a Time, I was only about half-on-board this week. I’m a core cast kind of girl, and two Whale-centric episodes in the first eleven episodes of the season have left me sipping on the secondary-character hatorade.
A few SPOILERS. Not many. Sadly.
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Since the scenes between Emma and Regina were none and scenes that weren’t spent talking about either Whale or the stranger were few, there was little by way of subtext. Some might say there was none. But if subtext was a needle in a haystack, I would have that sucker out and have ten pairs of pants hemmed while those without the gift would still be standing around scratching their noggins, saying “Where is it?”
First, let’s just get this bit of non-subtextual business out of the way. Lana Parrilla’s reactions during the first scene with Cora were simply exquisite. This season, with the meaty emotional ups and downs, she has owned this role. Robert Carlyle continues to own Gold/Rumpelstiltskin, and when Jennifer Morrison dropped her head to the counter in a rather man-having-a-kid-sucks-we’ve-got-to-find-Regina manner, I got a decent chuckle. Plus, the red Rumpel spot-color in the black-and-white scenes was pretty.
The subtext, unfortunately, was pretty much only this –
Regina calls her mother on framing her, which Cora admitted with glee, and Cora gets all wicked-witchy and plays on Regina’s insecurities. “See what these people really think of you,” she prods.
But instead of being like, “Yeah, they’re total Skanktoads,” Regina goes the logical route, stating “You made an airtight case. Anyone would believe it.”
Translation: This is not Emma’s fault. It’s yours. And I hate, I hate you, I hate you!
Cora goes on with her bad self, trying to bore into Regina’s pretty brain, but Regina knows what’s up. She’s all like “I’ma stop you right there. We’re going to town to put you on the chopping block.”
And Cora’s big comeback? “It’s the middle of the night.”
Yeah, Queen of Hearts, that’s going to put the kibosh on things. “Oh, is it? I didn’t realize. Let’s just sip cider, and I’ll turn you in for framing me in the morning.”
Actually, what Regina says is –
“I don’t care. We’ll wake them up. Emma… and Henry… and the two idiots.”
So, let’s see, we’re going to separate Emma from her parents, call her by name, and put her first?
I’m not sayin’. I’m just sayin’.