Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: B+ | 2 USERS: B+ YOU GRADE IT Bibbidi Bobbidi Botch
By Cindy McLennan | Season 1 | Episode 4 | Aired on 11.13.2011
The point of all this analysis is this: I don't think it is important how the Sheriff got the job as Sheriff, because I think he never wasn't Sheriff. He was whoever (my money is on the Huntsman) in the Enchanted Forest. The curse struck. He woke up as Sheriff in the construct that is Storybrooke. Jiminy Cricket was hopping around, because Pinocchio's conscience. The curse struck. He woke up as a shrink, Archibald Hopper, in the construct that is Storybrooke. Rumpelstiltskin was a seer and an imprisoned imp with a penchant for baby-napping, and a cache of curses. He struck a deal with Queenie, and woke up as a pawn broker (oh and I love that, especially this week, because his victims are his pawns in the Chess-sense) and antiquities dealer, with a baby broker business on the sly. Storybrookians don't remember details of the Storybrooke past because there is no past, because there was no time there. They were outside time until Emma booked a room at Granny's and that clock started up. Get it? Got it? Good. Now let's move on to the...
RECAP: We open with a segment of scenes from prior episodes (which I will from now on call the Previouslies -- it's a Buffy thing). Queenie cast a curse and blah blah blah. We get a clip of Regina, in her Storybrooke home, looking at her mirror, as the narrator says, "Only one knows the truth," so I guess that means Regina remembers life in the Enchanted Forest, and knows exactly what's going on.
Enchanted Forest, Night: We open on a very Disney World shot of fireworks over a distant castle. Ella's step-sisters depart for the royal ball leaving their cinder-covered abuse victim home alone, cleaning. Her African-Forestian fairy godmother appears. "Do not despair, dear. You will attend that ball." She explains to Ella (whom she calls "Cinderella") that she's her fairy godmother and is there to change her life. Godmommy holds up her wand and tells Ella, "This wand has the power to take you to your ball, to your prince and to your..." And then POOF... she goes up in flames. Her wand drops to the ground and is retrieved by Rumpelstiltskin, who says, "I got what I wanted." He then tells Ella not to be frightened. Ella: "You just killed my fairy godmother. She was trying to help me." Now, whether or not Rumpy killed Godmommy or not, Ella thinks he did and that makes her coming choices all the more abominable to me. Rumpy says the fairy godmother's wand is pure evil, and that he has done her a favor, because all magic comes with a price. He cautions her to go back to her life and be grateful she has a life to which she can go back. When she protests -- saying her life is wretched, Rumpy challenges her to change it and taunts that she can't handle the magic.