Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: B+ | 4 USERS: B YOU GRADE IT Take Heart
By Cindy McLennan | Season 2 | Episode 16 | Aired on 03.10.2013
Storybrooke. Snow, Charming and Red are waiting at the docks when the Invisible Roger returns. As Charming and Neal help Rumpy to the truck, Henry brags to his good grandfather that he "drove" the ship. I'd pick on Henry for not saying "steered" or "piloted" but he's a little kid. I think his use of "drove" is a nice character moment. What's an even nicer character moment is Charming's response when Henry tells him, "My dad showed me how." Charming's nostrils flare and his lips nearly curl into a sneer as he gives Neal the side-eye. Neal's halting, "That's me," does nothing to diffuse the tension. Deck him, Charming. Deck him hard. He doesn't listen. I hope he's saving it for another day, because right now, Neal's face is the reason Germans have the word backpfeifengesicht. I know last week, I was giddy about defenestration, but I'm not sure my love of any word approaches my adoration of backpfeifengesicht. When I'm in a mellow mood, I do love mollycoddle, though.
Charming sits Rumpy down on the truck's tailgate and asks if Cora is trying to control him yet. Injured Rumpy is scared Rumpy and scared Rumpy is not large with the social graces so he hisses something about how, if Cora was controlling him, they'd already be dead. At that Snow says they'll just have to take the fight to Cora. "And this time -- we finish it." When Charming tries to talk her down, Snow insists Cora needs to be stopped. "...She needs to be killed. This is our family. We are going to protect it." David tries to moralize at her, but Snow points out how Cora is the reason he never got to meet her mom. David: "I know. I know what happened to Queen Eva and I have zero problem with Cora dying for it, but not by your hand and not out of vengeance." Okay, how is Cora dying for it, that is, for Eva's death, anything but vengeance, regardless of whose hand deals the killing blow? Don't get me wrong, Cora needs to die, I'm focusing particularly on his wording: "I have zero problem with Cora dying for it..." That right there is the vengeance motive. There are other reasons and motives, but that particular one is vengeance, Sweet Cheeks. Anyhow, he goes on about how Snow wouldn't be able to live with herself. "You have the purest heart of anyone I've ever known. That's who you are, and that's who you're going to stay."
Poor Rumpy is still suffering and bleeding. He tells Emma he's beginning to feel a bit stronger. I am not crazy about the fact that, since he's immortal, he can die by anything other than the Dark One dagger. If he'd died in New York, I'd be okay because he didn't have his powers there, but he's back in Storybrooke, now. Why doesn't the wound disappear (poison or not, magical poison or not), or at least, now that he's back in Magic-town, why doesn't he try to heal it? This is just my latest problem with the mythology and use of magic on this show. It works and fails as is convenient. Really Show, if/since magic is going to feature so prominently, you need some rules. Instead, Rumpy just mumbles something about going back to his shop. There's magic there that can protect them. Henry knows this is his cue to leave. And poor Red, who has barely spoken a line, has pulled the short straw on babysitting duty. Before the boy leaves, he throws a small bone and is actually nice to her. "Don't look so worried. You'll stop Cora. You won't let her get away." We flash back to...