Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A | 523 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT Mother Knows Best
By Cindy McLennan | Season 2 | Episode 3 | Aired on 2012.10.14
On the road, Charming tries to get Lancelot to talk about his past. Lance, a man of few words, only says he fell from grace in, "...the same way you ended up running from King George. A woman." Now mind you, it's about a day's journey to Lake Nostros, but Lance and Charming are on foot, leading a horse-drawn cart. Ruth is lying in the cart -- BLEEDING TO DEATH, THE POISON WORKING ALL THE WHILE. Snow walks beside the cart. I can understand not wanting to jostle Ruth, but this group is strolling like they're on the way to a picnic. Charming stops the horse and tells Snow and Ruth that he and Lance are going to scout ahead. He says they won't be long. I'm not sure he knows what the word means.
Alone, Snow tends to Ruth who, despite dying, is a pretty Chatty Cathy. She groans in pain but then manages to blabber on about how Charming always dreamt of having a wife and a son. When the recently cursed Snow winces at this, Ruth takes it the wrong way and adds, "Fret not. It could be a daughter, but trust me, all that matters is that it's healthy." She then removes her necklace and explains that it was "spelled" by a "gypsy" (my apologies, Romani) to predict the sex of one's firstborn, even if that child hasn't yet been conceived. If it swings north to south, the child will be a boy, and east to west means it will be a girl. Snow tries to refuse, but Ruth says, "Indulge an old woman. It will help take my mind off...well, you know." DYING. Snow nods and agrees. Ruth holds the necklace over Snow's outstretched palm. It doesn't move. Ruth tries to assure Snow that it's just silly superstition, but Snow explains that Widmore cursed her to be infertile. Ruth suggests that if the waters of Lake Nostros can heal her, perhaps they can reverse Widmore's curse. Snow beams with hope. Ruth looks up at her. "You are going to be a wonderful mother." Eventually.
Enchanted Present. As the women make their way through the forest, Mulan jumps on Aurora to keep up. Aurora notes she's not exactly dressed for this expedition. Mulan snarks that she should have stayed behind. When Emma realizes Aurora is cold, she offers up her leather jacket. Aurora is taken aback by this kindness and notes she tried to kill Emma's friend. Emma, who doesn't seem to be cold in her tank top (look at her arms -- I covet them) explains that Snow is her mother and Emma is getting the feeling that Snow can, "...take care of herself. And I get it. You're not the only one who's been screwing up, lately." When Emma walks ahead, Aurora stares at the strange garment in her hands. "What kind of corset is this?" Hee. Okay, that was a cheap laugh, because it's not like Aurora's male contemporaries didn't wear coats. And she saw it on Emma. She watched Emma take it off. Still, that line will never not work for me. I'm easy (but not cheap). Eventually, Snow's castle comes into view. The woman look at it, bathed in moonlight. Emma: "Is that it?" Snow: "Yeah. That's our home."