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
Snow looks at her daughter, horrified. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?" In the distance, an ogre roars. Emma peers over her shoulder -- her eyes as round as saucers. "Ogres?" Snow screams, "RUN!" All four women race toward the woods. Emma is the cliché victim of the week -- the pretty blonde who falls when running from a monster, but it works here, because she's not one of the princesses, but rather the tough, streetwise cop. An ogre is soon upon Emma. He disarms her and crushes her gun, which is good, because those things don't belong in fairy tales. As the ogre tries to subdue the already downed Emma with a hurricane force blast of nasty ogre breath (I'm thinking anchovies, onions, and death), we cut to commercial.
Sidebar. Okay, it seems not only that Snow had Aurora well in hand, but that Mulan was no threat to Snow, so I'm not sure why Emma fired her gun. Was she too far away to hear what Mulan was saying? It didn't look like it to me, so on one hand, it feels like she just shot the gun because the writers needed her to be the one who is so out of her element that she is stupid enough to fire a gun and attract the ogres. On the other, very fickle hand, I like that she's so out of her element. Since I'd rather be happy, I'm going to chalk the warning shot up to Emma's nerves and let this go.
After the break, Snow is fierce and seemingly fearless in saving her daughter. She whistles to distract it, then shouts, "Back away from my daughter!" As the ogre approaches the Fairest of them All, she aims her bow and shoots the beast right in the eye. Once the ogre dies, she explains to Emma that hitting them in the eye is key. Emma is impressed with her mother's aim, and with her bravery. "How did you know you could hit that?" Snow: "I didn't." When Emma looks at her, Snow adds, "Next time, listen to me." When Emma looks down at her crumpled up gun, Snow adds, "That kind of thing isn't going to work, here." Emma gets that, now. She follows Snow after taking a moment to stare at the dead ogre and try to bring herself to terms with the fact that she's in a land where fairy tales, and their monsters, are real.
Enchanted Past. Lance removes the arrow from Ruth's chest, sniffs it and declares it's been poisoned. Charming says they'll find an antidote. Snow suggests the fairies could help. Apparently Lance believes in fairies (maybe Merlin wizardsplained them), but regardless, he says it's going to take something stronger than fairy dust. Charming tells his companions about the restorative waters of Lake Nostros.