Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: C+ | 848 USERS: B+ YOU GRADE IT The Right Thing To Do Was Not To Lead Me On
By Cindy McLennan | Season 1 | Episode 6 | Aired on 2011.12.04
Enchanted Forest, Farm: Fluffy-haired Charming is herding his sheep into their rough hewn pen, when his mother (played by Gabrielle Rose) arrives home from market. She wants to marry Charming off to the grain merchant's daughter, to save the farm, since they're running out of options. Charming says, "Mother, please. As poor as we are, love is one thing I can afford. I will find a way to save this farm, but I won't do it by marrying for riches. When I marry, I want it to be because I choose to spend the rest of my life with someone I love." Joshua Dallas must have been afraid we'd miss that nice echo of David's earlier declaration to Mary Margaret, because I could nearly hear him pronounce the italics. Mother: "When are you going to learn you can't have everything?" Rumpy arrives out of nowhere and says, "Well, perhaps we can." Through exposition, we learn the whole Prince and the Pauper deal. When James and Charming were born, the family was barely surviving. They made a deal with Rumpy -- they'd give him one of the babies if he'd save the farm. Ugh.
Sidebar: I hate that the poor people are the ones who made the deal, here. I'd rather have been told a story in which King Charles Widmore gave up one of his heirs, in order to save his kingdom, while poor, childless farmers gave up their only treasure to obtain a baby when they couldn't conceive. No. I don't know why, either, except Widmore already isn't sympathetic, while Charming's mother was, at least until I realized she and her late husband traded away one of their babies to this Trickster. Or, I don't know... perhaps if Papa Charming had traded away one baby to save the other baby's life, comforted at least by the fact that the son he gave up would be raised in great privilege, I would like it better. But this, as it is, just sits wrong with me. Blah.
Anyhow, Mama Charming makes all sorts of excuses and says Papa regretted the deal as soon as he made it, and carried the guilt to his grave. Charming tells his mother to go inside and let him deal with Rumpy. Once they're alone, Rumpy says all Charming has to do is show up, pretend to be James, let Widmore's men slay the dragon, and then Charming can deliver the dragon's head to Midas. King Widmore will make sure Mama Charming never wants for anything again, the farm will be saved and Charming will come home the conquering hero. Charming: "I don't really have a choice, do I?" Rumpy: "Oh, everyone has a choice, dearie. Just make sure it's the right one." Commercial.