Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A- | 4 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT The Unstable Girl
By Cindy McLennan | Season 1 | Episode 18 | Aired on 04.01.2012
When Regina cries that she'll be good, Cora releases her. Regina runs off to the stables where she finds Daniel. She apologizes for snapping at him. He flirts that she'll have to find a way to make it up to him, and they kiss.
Storybrooke. David finds Emma downtown and asks how Mary Margaret is. Emma is cold to him, and makes it clear she knows he doubted Mary's innocence. He blames this horrible and confusing situation for putting his giant foot in his mouth, but he wants Mary to know he believes in her. He'd like to visit her, but Emma says Mary's not up for that. She doesn't need encouragement from him; she needs a miracle.
Regina enters the Sheriff's Station. The evil oozes off of her, slithers through the cell bars and startles Mary awake. Regina taunts that only the guilty sleep in prison. My inner-pedant shouts out that Mary isn't in prison. She's in a jail cell. Mary tries her best to ignore Regina's barbs but Regina isn't done. She tells Mary she should confess to the murder and spare everyone the mess and expense of a trial. Mary insists she didn't kill Kathryn and asks why no one believes her. Regina recites the list of evidence against Mary, and says that confession or not, Mary will soon be leaving Storybrooke. Regina has a deeper understanding of what that means, and revels in it. Mary asks what she ever did to make Regina hate her so. We return to the...
Enchanted Forest. Regina rides out to meet a waiting Daniel. He proposes a sunset picnic at Firefly Hill but Regina has to be home in an hour for tea. She's clearly parroting her mother when she says, "A lady never misses tea time." Daniel, tired of stealing kisses and moments, says it's time to tell Regina's parents about their love. Regina says it's not her parents that are the problem -- just her mother. I fight to keep my gorge from rising. Daniel understands Regina's family are landed gentry, while he's just a stable hand, but he points out that Cora started life as a miller's daughter (oh hi there, Rumpelstiltskin). Regina explains that Cora is all about upward social mobility. Again, Daniel insists they tell Cora. What can she do to them? Regina reminds Daniel of her mother's magical powers. Daniel counters that true love is the most powerful magic of all and can overcome anything.
Just then, a young girl rides by on a horse that is out of control. She screams for help. Regina mounts her horse, catches up to the girl and pulls her off the wild beast. Thanks to the casting coup of this and any other century, it's immediately clear this little girl is a young Snow White. She's played by 12-year-old Bailee Madison, who may look and act more like a 12-year-old Ginny Goodwin than the real Ginny Goodwin looked and acted at that age. I could spend the rest of this recap just raving about Bailee, but you've seen the episode, so I'd just be preaching to the choir.