Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: B | 2 USERS: C+ YOU GRADE IT The Drama Queen
By Cindy McLennan | Season 2 | Episode 20 | Aired on 04.28.2013
Storybrooke. Day. Henry and Emma are in the yellow VW Bug, discussing names for this new operation. When Henry wants justification for Emma's suggestion of Operation Tiger, Emma's all, "I need a why? You never need a why." I love this scene, but it only reminds me of how few opportunities Emma has had to connect with her loved ones this season. Henry suggests they pick something that reflects the way Storybrooke hides in plain sight. "Something like a Praying Mantis." Meh. I don't like that one, kid.
As they wait, Henry pronounces stakeouts fun. Emma says most aren't, but this one is. He thought that by now they'd be having grand adventures in the Enchanted Forest. Emma asks if he'd want to return, if there was a way. Henry asks if there is. Emma lies: "No, don't be crazy." Don't lie Emma. I know you're new at parenting, but there are ways to change or shut down a subject. You might tip your hand a little, but no more than you do by lying. Try something like: "I promised I won't lie, but I won't talk about that either. It's dangerous for you to mention it until I say so, and you're just going to have to trust me." He's not a toddler, after all.
Henry quickly decides that the giant must have brought a magic bean with him. We've talked in the episode thread about the possibility that Regina's memory wipe spell wasn't complete. Now that I think of it, it seems significant that she referred to Cora's grimoire while casting it. Of course, all season long, I've been dying to find something to back up the contention that magic works at all differently in Storybrooke, at least after you manage to cast the first spell. Gold struggled with it at first and had to cook up potions, etc., but once Cora arrived on the scene, it was way too powerful for my taste. Putting my magical issues aside, perhaps thanks to Emma's DNA, Henry too has some innate resistance to magic. Or, it could just be that his superpower is discernment. After all, he's the one who first figured out that Storybrooke was weird. I don't know. Just food for thought.
It's to Henry's credit that once again, he didn't get his knickers in a twist about Emma's lie. I feel sad for him when he suggests that he, Emma and Neal can share a castle in the Enchanted Forest. Emma puts the kibosh on that, or tries, but then Henry yells at her to duck. He's spotted Neal and Tamara leaving Granny's Bed and Breakfast. As Henry and Emma peek at the pair, Henry says, "Operation Praying Mantis is on." We cut to...