Episode Report Card Tippi Blevins: B- | 1 USERS: B YOU GRADE IT Hole Lotta Trouble
By Tippi Blevins | Season 1 | Episode 5 | Aired on 11.27.2011
That provides us the segue we need to bounce over to the Sheriff's office. Sheriff Graham has just presented her with her new uniform, which she's not exactly thrilled with. She holds the khaki shirt and tie up to her chest and snarks, "You know you don't have to dress a woman as a man to give her authority." Yeah, but... you do kind of have to dress a citizen as a deputy to give her authority. Alas, Graham caves in to her sartorial demands. On one condition: "At least wear the badge." She makes a stinky face. "If you really want to be a part of this community, you have to make it official," he says. She's not happy, but she takes the star and clips it to her belt. The instant she does so, the building is jolted by a tremor. Stuff crashes to the floor. Car alarms go off in the distance. Phones start ringing all over the office. Emma touches her badge, as if instinctively making the connection.
On the edge of town, a giant crater has opened up near some old mines. A big yellow construction machine of some kind lies on its side like a child's discarded toy. Workers stand around, gaping at the destruction. For some reason, half the town is there. Marco explains to Ruby that something must have collapsed because of the old tunnels. I called it a sinkhole in the recaplet, and I think that's what episode descriptions said, but the way the earth is piled up around the edge of the hole makes it look like something exploded outward. Plus there was that big kaboom. Mayor Regina arrives on the scene at about the same time as Graham and Emma. She tries to guide everyone away from the hole, but people seem to be ignoring her. "Sheriff, set up a police perimeter," she tells Graham. She tells Marco to help with the fire department, then notices Emma standing there. "Miss Swan, this is now official town business. You're free to go." Emma tells her that she works for the town now and Regina immediately gives Graham an accusing look. "She's my new deputy," he explains. "It's in my budget." Regina looks like she could spit nails, but lets it go for the time being. She tells the new deputy to do some crowd control.
Regina does some damage control. She addresses the gawkers, tells them about the old mining tunnels and then announces her big plan to make the area safe and useful. "We will bulldoze it, collapse it, and pave it." For some reason, Archie has brought Henry to the site. You'd think he'd hear a big explosion and steer the kid away from it, but no! Henry hears his mother's plans and is none too pleased. "Pave it! What if there's something down there?" he asks. She makes him and everyone else back away and finally they listen to her. Something on the ground catches her eye and she picks it up. It's a piece of glass with a bit of smooth metal attached. She looks a bit shaky as she puts the thing into her coat pocket. Henry, seeing this, turns to Emma and whispers, "What's that?" Before Emma can say anything, Regina takes the boy by the hand and leads him a few steps away, tells him it's a safety issue and gives him a little nudge toward her car.