Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: B+ | 397 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT Take Heart
By Cindy McLennan | Season 2 | Episode 16 | Aired on 2013.03.10
After Cora accuses Xavier of selling off his own flesh and blood, Xavier comments on her insolence, and I'm with him. Jane Espenson, you know how I just said I love you, right? Well, I totally do. I am sad to say I do not feel the same way about how you've written young Cora's demeanor. She is overly forthright in a way that neither jibes with her station, nor with Barbara Hershey's Cora, who is such a cool customer, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. Since young Cora is being played by a 40 year old, rather than a 17 year old, I can't believe she hasn't learned to hold her tongue but a little and better wield her feminine wiles. Xavier allows that the kingdom is cash poor and lords it over Cora that he's still miles above her. It's then that Cora tells him she can turn straw into gold, but since he's insulted her, she won't help. She wishes him good luck in whoring out his son and tries to leave. Xavier stops Cora and then humiliates her in front of all his guests, by loudly mocking her foolhardy claim. Cora says she just needs time to gather her thoughts. Xavier tells her she can spend the night trying. If she succeeds, she can marry the prince. If she fails, she will die. Die, young Cora. Die!
Storybrooke. Snow, Charming and Red are waiting at the docks when the Invisible Roger returns. As Charming and Neal help Rumpy to the truck, Henry brags to his good grandfather that he "drove" the ship. I'd pick on Henry for not saying "steered" or "piloted" but he's a little kid. I think his use of "drove" is a nice character moment. What's an even nicer character moment is Charming's response when Henry tells him, "My dad showed me how." Charming's nostrils flare and his lips nearly curl into a sneer as he gives Neal the side-eye. Neal's halting, "That's me," does nothing to diffuse the tension. Deck him, Charming. Deck him hard. He doesn't listen. I hope he's saving it for another day, because right now, Neal's face is the reason Germans have the word backpfeifengesicht. I know last week, I was giddy about defenestration, but I'm not sure my love of any word approaches my adoration of backpfeifengesicht. When I'm in a mellow mood, I do love mollycoddle, though.
Charming sits Rumpy down on the truck's tailgate and asks if Cora is trying to control him yet. Injured Rumpy is scared Rumpy and scared Rumpy is not large with the social graces so he hisses something about how, if Cora was controlling him, they'd already be dead. At that Snow says they'll just have to take the fight to Cora. "And this time -- we finish it." When Charming tries to talk her down, Snow insists Cora needs to be stopped. "...She needs to be killed. This is our family. We are going to protect it." David tries to moralize at her, but Snow points out how Cora is the reason he never got to meet her mom. David: "I know. I know what happened to Queen Eva and I have zero problem with Cora dying for it, but not by your hand and not out of vengeance." Okay, how is Cora dying for it, that is, for Eva's death, anything but vengeance, regardless of whose hand deals the killing blow? Don't get me wrong, Cora needs to die, I'm focusing particularly on his wording: "I have zero problem with Cora dying for it..." That right there is the vengeance motive. There are other reasons and motives, but that particular one is vengeance, Sweet Cheeks. Anyhow, he goes on about how Snow wouldn't be able to live with herself. "You have the purest heart of anyone I've ever known. That's who you are, and that's who you're going to stay."