Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A- | 288 USERS: B+ YOU GRADE IT For Whom The Belle Tolls
By Cindy McLennan | Season 2 | Episode 11 | Aired on 2013.01.13
L'enchantement. Pub. As Belle swills some suds, she listens to a group of nearby men. One is going on about a fearsome beast ravaging a faraway kingdom. "Its eyes burn with fire. They call it the Yaoguai." Well that's all very well and good for them, but I'm never going to remember that spelling, so as it was known in the recaplet, it shall be known in the recap: the Yamaguchi. (Sorry, Kristi.)
Belle watches with interest as the speaker tries to recruit a hunting party. She's smiling to herself when a familiar voice asks her if she's looking for an adventure. It's Grumpy, but back when he was still happy (although not Happy) and was called Dreamy. Dreamy says that thanks to her advice, he and Nova plan to run away together.
Since Belle encouraged Dreamy to pursue his dream, he returns the favor and suggests she sign up for the hunting party. Belle admits she's always dreamt of heroics, but suspects she's safer remaining with her books. Now, I'm not sure where she's living or where she got books, since she left Rumpy's with nothing but the frock on her back and she doesn't seem to have returned to her Father's fiefdom or whatever that was. She does have a terrific leather satchel though, and once Dreamy convinces her to join the hunting party, she stows her book in it, thanks Dreamy and starts to leave.
Dreamy calls Belle back and gives her a bag of magical fairy dust. Because of Rumpy, Belle is wary of all magic. Dreamy tells her she's only seen what dark magic does. "Fairies use this for good. Now go be a hero." I'm glad the show has finally "gone there" where magic is concerned. Rumpy's tagline is pretty much, "Magic always comes with a price," and we see that in living color in both his arc and Regina's. In "The Cricket Game," when Emma decides to use magic with the dreamcatcher, someone either says or implies that it's risky. I really wanted to balk at that at the time because despite what Rumpy always says, we have seen good magic at work in L'enchantement, too. I'd like there to exist the possibility that not all magic comes with a price. I would imagine it would have to be the right magic, being wielded by the right person, in the right circumstances, and for the right reasons, but since Emma is a product of true love, which we're told is the most powerful magic of all, and since she was able to repel Cora with her inner strength, I don't want it to all be bad and harmful. I reserve the right to change my mind on this though.