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Welcome back everyone. I hope the new year finds you well. I was all excited to get back into fairy tale world, because I'm sick of the real world, and what do I get? An episode about an election. Thunk thunk thunk. Sorry, that was just my head hitting my desk. "Desperate Souls" is the second Jane Espenson-penned episode of Once Upon A Time. I love me some Jane, but the Internets tell me she hails from Ames, Iowa, so maybe it's in her blood?
I kid. I kid because I love (and because I'm already sick of this presidential season). "Desperate Souls" is a solid episode, laced with themes of choice, consequences, power, corruption and good versus evil -- perfect fodder for a writer with Ms. Espenson's c.v. The main reason I didn't give it a grade in the A range, is because the structure of the plot (particularly in the Enchanted Forest) strikes me as a bit jazz handsy. I'll explain that with actual words and stuff, in the full recap. Where emotional resonance is concerned, though, "Desperate Souls" hits every beat, which surprises me not at all because that is Jane's gift.
In the Enchanted Forest, we are treated to Rumpelstiltskin's backstory. He is but a poor peasant. The Dukes' men regularly raid his village to conscript children for the Ogre Wars. Rumpy is a single father of a boy, Baelfire, who is just days away from his 13th birthday. The Duke's men will be coming for him soon. Rumpy decides his only choice is take his boy and run. Rumpy and Bae meet a beggar (Brad Dourif aka Grima Wormtongue in The Lord of the Rings) asking for alms on the King's Road. Since it's nighttime on a dark, lonely road, this seems immediately suspicious. I mean, what kind of business is he going to do, there? Rumpy is a kind man though, and gives the beggar some of what little he has.
As soon as the beggar retreats into the forest, the Duke's men come charging down the road. Rumpy is known for having been a deserter in his day, and the Duke's men berate him for it in front of his son, and decide it's close enough to Bae's birthday to take him now. Rumpy pleads with them, and promises the head jerk in charge that he'll do whatever he asks. Head Jerk In Charge gets really juiced by humiliating Rumpy, so he makes him bow down and kiss his head jerk in-chargey boot and promptly kicks Rumpy in the face. When the jerks ride off, the beggar comes back out and promises to be Rumpy's benefactor, if only he'll take him home and feed him.
As Bae's birthday grows closer, the beggar tells Rumpy about the Dark One, a magical creature/man/thing to whom the Duke owes all his power. The Dark One's power is all tied up in an enchanted dagger that bears the Dark One's true name. The Duke stole the dagger, so now he controls the Dark One. The Beggar tells Rumpy if he can steal the dagger from the Duke, he can control the Dark One. What's more, if Rumpy kills the Dark One, he will inherit all his power. Rumpy decides he'll do just that, and use the power for good, to save all the children from these endless wars.
Rumpy and Bae set off for the Duke's castle. They will start a fire and steal the dagger. That they're able to do so without running into even one complication is a bit too facile for my taste. And the magical dagger -- this enchanted object that allows the Duke to wield the Dark One's power -- is it locked up, or under guard, or in any way protected? Um, decidedly not. It's hidden behind a banner. That's it. Anyhow, Rumpy gets the dagger, runs back out of the burning castle, finds Bae and sends him home, despite the boy's objections. Rumpy then reads the name on the dagger: Zoso, and suddenly, I want to go listen to my Led Zeppelin CDs.
Anyhow, Rumpy summons this Zoso, who we just know is going to be the beggar. Zoso gives the kind of thundering warning about power, choice and consequences that you'd expect, and then Rumpy stabs him in the heart with his own dagger. As Zoso lays dying, the gold cast disappears from his skin, and Rumpy sees that he is, of course, the beggar. It was all a set-up. Zoso was tired of living under the Duke's control, and being all magical, he knows a desperate soul when he sees one, so he knew he could manipulate Rumpy. He crows that magic always comes with a price, and laughs that Rumpy will probably never again make a deal he doesn't understand. Once Zoso is dead, Rumpy's skin turns gold. He pulls the dagger out of his victim's chest to see his own name MISSPELLED on the dagger. I chuckle, but only because it took me forever (and a clue sticking from a kind reader) to remember it's RumpELstiltskin not RumpLEstiltskin.
Rumpy returns to the village to find the Duke's men taking Bae. He makes the head jerk in charge kiss his boot, and then kills all the Duke's men. Bae is horrified by what his once kindly (if cowardly) papa has become. But Rumpy sneers through his creepy teeth that he is no longer afraid. "I protected what belongs to me. I'm not scared of anything."
Back in Storybrooke, Henry (like me) is still depressed over Sheriff Graham's untimely death and thinks they should put the kibosh on Operation Cobra, at least for a while. He no longer believes good can conquer evil. He even claims to be glad Emma doesn't believe the fairy tale world is real. Emma sets out to show him differently. Regina names Sidney (newspaper editor/Magic Mirror) the new sheriff. Gold shows Emma the town by-laws and points out that while the Mayor can name a candidate, she can't just install that candidate as sheriff. There has to be an election. He promises to be Emma's benefactor.
Gold sets fire to the Mayor's Office, when Emma is there, so that Emma will save Regina and be celebrated as a hero. Emma figures this out, and on the night of her debate with Sidney, she announces that while she doesn't have definitive proof, she knows Mr. Gold set the fire and she doesn't want to win based on a set-up. This act of honest defiance is enough to restore Henry's optimism. He finds Emma drowning her sorrows at Granny's Diner/Pub and tells her Operation Cobra is back on. It's not long before Regina and Sidney arrive. Regina gives Emma the sheriff's badge and says while the vote was close, the people seemed inspired by a candidate brave enough to stand up to Goldman Sachs. Regina isn't as disappointed as I expected, though, because she's thrilled that Emma has made herself such a powerful enemy.
When Emma arrives at the Sheriff's Office the day, Gold shows up and reveals that the set up was a set up. That is, he didn't just set the fire so that Emma would save Regina and win the election. You see, Regina and Sidney had run quite a smear campaign on Emma. They dug up her sealed juvie records and printed them in the paper. So Gold set the fire, so that Emma would save Regina and then stand up publicly to him. When Emma asks why he did this, Gold says it's simple. She owes him a favor (from the Cinderella episode). "Now that you're sheriff, I'm sure we'll find some way for you to pay back what you owe me. Congratulations."
I'll be back with the full recap, ASAP. In the meantime, please grade the episode at the top of the page and then join us in the forum, where TWoP Tennison has been sheriff, for as long as anyone can remember.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Enchanted Forest: Rumpelstiltskin is sitting at his spinning wheel, but he's fully human and is only spinning wool into yarn, not straw into gold. His skin isn't even metallic. His son, Baelfire (Dylan Schmid), runs into their cottage. "Papa, Papa! They've come for Morraine." Morraine (Conner Dwelly) has just turned 14, so she is being conscripted into the Duke's army to fight in the Ogre Wars. Her parents plead with the Duke's men, noting she's only 14, but apparently the "enlistment" age has been lowered, as Baelfire notes to Rumpy. When Morraine's mother draws her dagger and lunges at the Duke's men, both she and her husband are stopped and then choked by a magical forcefield. In the nearby meadow, a hooded figure sits upon his horse. It is the Dark One, who wields his magical powers to bring about the Duke's will. As the men ride off with Morraine, her mother keens. Bae looks up at Rumpy. "My birthday's in three days. They'll come for me in three days." Rumpy assures they boy, "We'll find a way." (And yes, I botched the age thing in the recaplet. My apologies.)
Sidebar: There's been some discussion on the boards about the Duke's army conscripting girls. Some people think that the Enchanted Forest seems to be a more egalitarian place, although others argue that it's anachronistic to have girls included in the army. That is the argument I'm most interested in addressing. Please remember, that while in our world (this one, with TWoP in it), fairy tales are folk stories that have been passed on for centuries and that is not the case within the text of Once Upon A Time. In Once Upon A Time, the "fairy tale world" is a real universe, which was -- at least until casting the Dark Curse -- inhabited by real people and real magical creatures, like fairies and dragons. Whatever they do isn't an anachronism, because they're not writing a story set in our Europe, in the Middle Ages. This is one of the reasons I persist in calling it "the Enchanted Forest" rather than "Fairy Tale Land (FTL)" as so many of our members do on the boards. Calling it "Fairy Tale Land" tempts me to think of it as less than its own reality and more of a fiction. Within the show Once Upon A Time, the Enchanted Forest is the real world, while Storybrooke is curse-conjured.
Other people have pointed out that perhaps the girls aren't being recruited so much to fight, as to service (and ugh, that's what they mean) the soldiers. So, okay fine. We're all free to interpret the story as we choose. I'm choosing to interpret it to mean that, as in prior episodes, we're getting more evidence that there is more equality between the races and sexes in the Enchanted Forest. If you want to think it's an anachronism, that's fine (but I think you're forgetting what is real within this work of fiction). And? If you want to think of it as little girls being kidnapped to pleasure rutting soldiers, I guess that's your right, but I reserve my right to throw up, reach for the brain bleach, and start singing, "La la la. I can't hear you, over here, in my little, egalitarian corner of the universe. La la la."
Storybrooke: Emma enters Mr. Gold's shop and calls out, asking if he's in there. In the back room, Gold mutters under his breath. "Well, it is my shop." Emma finds him in the back where he is coating fabric with lanolin. She is taken aback by the smell and asks Gold if there was a reason he called the sheriff's office. He wants to express his condolences over Graham's death and notes that Emma is still wearing the deputy badge. Since she's been acting sheriff for two weeks, the job is now hers. Gold follows Emma out of the back room and before she can leave the shop, he offers her a box full of Graham's things. It seems Graham rented a room in one of Gold's properties. Emma declines and continues toward the door, while Gold is all, "As you wish." He mentions that perhaps he'll give Graham's belongings to Mayor Mills. Oh he's crafty. Emma returns to the counter. Gold shows her what's in the box.
Emma refuses the leather jacket, so Gold holds up two police radios. "The boy might like these, don't you think? You could play together. [...] Please. They grow up so fast. [...] You enjoy these with your boy. Your time together is precious, you know? That's the thing about children, before you know it, you lose them." Raise your hand if you're wondering if it's important (in a magical sense) for people to take or at least connect with the items in Mr. Gold's shop? Now, clearly these radios aren't from the Enchanted Forest, but I almost feel like he needs Emma to take something from him, for some hidden purpose. I suppose it could be as simple as spying on her and Henry, should they use the radios, but it feels more significant than that to me.
Emma finds Henry at the waterside park on the little castle structure. He could not care less about the radios or using them for Operation Cobra. In fact, he thinks they should can Operation Cobra for a while. "You don't play with a curse. Look what happened to Graham." No Kitsis, huh? He yeses Emma to death, when she reminds him the autopsy showed totally natural causes were responsible for Graham's death. Henry is really off his Prozac here and says he's even glad Emma doesn't believe, because that will keep her safe. When he goes on about how good always loses to evil, Emma looks bereft.
Sheriff's Office: Emma's about to put on the Sheriff's badge, when Regina walks in and says she's appointing Sidney Glass (the Magic Mirror) as the new sheriff. Emma knows Sidney will do whatever Regina wants and says, "You cannot stand the fact that things are getting better around here, can you?" Regina, in high dudgeon, twists her words to make it sound like Emma is saying it's good that Graham is dead. She fires Emma, grabs the sheriff's badge and swans (sorry) out of the office.
Mary Margaret's Hovel: Emma, drinking MacCutcheon's, has Sonic Youth cranking, as she attacks a toaster with such ferocity that, clearly, the damned toaster killed her puppy. When Mary Margaret returns home, she mercifully turns off the noise machine and asks what's going on. Emma tells her about Regina firing her, and says she wants the job back. They're soon interrupted by a knock at the door. It's Mr. Gold. Mary leaves them to their privacy. Gold heard about the sheriff's job and is surprised to see Emma has no fight in her. He should have seen her toaster assault. When Emma blahs at him, Gold says, "Ms. Swan, two people with a common goal can accomplish many things. Two people with a common enemy can accomplish even more. How would you like a benefactor?" He then shows her the town charter. While Regina can name a candidate, she cannot install him as sheriff. He has to be elected by the town. Huh. I wonder how that little loophole got into the Dark Curse.
Enchanted Forest, Rumpy's Village: Rumpy wakes Baelfire. While Bae says it feels wrong to run away, Rumpy says it's worse to die. They soon meet a beggar (Brad Dourif a.k.a. Grima Wormtongue in The Lord of the Rings movies) , who is begging on the King's Road. It's a set-up, Rumpy. I mean, what kind of business is he going to do, there, in the dark? Rumpy doesn't listen, and gives the beggar some of what little he has and continues on his way. The beggar retreats into the forest, and the Duke's men come charging down the road. Rumpy is known for having been a deserter in his day. Once the Duke's men recognize him, they mock him with made up names and berate him "as the man who ran" -- right in front of his son. The Chief Jerk in Charge (CJiC) says, "Did he tell you how he ran and the ogres turned the tide of the battle, and all the others were killed, and he returned home to a wife who could not bear the sight of him? You see, women do not like to be married to cowards."
Rumpy begs CJiC to stop humiliating him in front of his boy, so CJiC changes the subject, announcing it's close enough to Bae's 14th birthday to take him now. Rumpy pleads with them, and promises CJiC in charge that he'll do whatever he asks. CJiC gets really juiced by humiliating Rumpy, so he makes him bow down and kiss his jerk-in-chargey boot and promptly kicks Rumpy in the face. Bae kneels by his father's side, and when all the jerks ride off, the beggar comes back out and promises to be Rumpy's benefactor, if only he'll take him home and feed him. Rumpy, for the love of all that's holy, do not listen to Grima Wormtongue!
Storybrooke, Mayor's Office: Regina is holding a press conference announcing Sidney as new sheriff. Emma crashes it and informs Regina and everyone that the Mayor can only appoint a candidate, but that there still must be an election. Emma's running, too. How do you like them apples, Regina?
Enchanted Forest, Rumpy's: As Bae sleeps, Rumpy says there's no longer enough time to run away. Grima Wormtongue tells him he has to find another way. Rumpy says, as the town coward, his only choice is in which corner he should hide. Grima tells him to get ahold of himself and points out that it's weird that the Dark One would work for the foolish, useless Duke. He then reveals the Duke has the Dark One in his thrall, because he has in his possession, an enchanted dagger bearing the true name of the Dark One. Steal the dagger, and the Dark One (and all his power) will be under Rumpy's control. Rumpy is too fearful to keep the Dark One as a slave, so Grima says, "Then perhaps, instead of controlling the power, you need to take it." Oh right, because that's not scarier at all!
Storybrooke, Mr. Gold's Shop: Regina walks in and changes the open sign to read "Closed." She knows Gold found the clause in the town charter and showed it to Emma. Gold: "Legal documents, contracts -- if you like, have always been a fascination of mine." Regina: "Yes, you love to trifle with technicalities." Gold: "I like small weapons, you see. The needle. The pen. The fine point of the deal. Subtlety -- not your style, I know." Rumpy taunts her about Graham. Regina can't believe Gold is going up against her. He says they're both invested in the common good, he's just choosing a different side. Regina tells him Emma is the slow horse in this race. Rumpy: "Never underestimate someone who's acting for their child." Regina points out Henry isn't Emma's child, legally. Gold: "Oh, now who's trifling in technicalities?"
I have to come out of the story, for a moment. If I hadn't known going in that this was a Jane Espenson-penned episode, I'd have guessed it in this scene, because of the dialogue. I love me some Jane. Now watch her give an interview saying, "Joss Whedon wrote it." (I don't mean to confuse anyone -- back in the Buffy days, whenever someone praised a random Mutant Enemy writer for their snappy dialogue or a brilliant scene, it invariably seemed like that writer would sigh and say, "Yeah, that was great, but Joss wrote that scene." And I'll be darned if I can find a citation, but you're reading it on the Internet right now, so just know that it's true.)
Granny's Diner: Ruby's sticking her arse out as she waits tables, when Emma walks in and finds Henry poring over the latest edition of the Storybrooke Mirror. Sidney has written a slam piece on Emma's juvie past -- based on records that were supposed to have been sealed. Henry has just learned he was born in jail. In the forum, people have posted what they could read of the newspaper article on Emma. Here it is:
"The Race for the position of local sheriff has just gone into overdrive. The Storybrooke Daily Mirror has recently come into possession of controversial documents that purport to shed an entirely new light onto the character of Storybrooke's prospective law enforcement official, Emma Swan."
"Records show that when she was merely a girl of seventeen, Emma Swan found herself, ironically, on the wrong side of the law. She was visiting friends of her foster parents in the town of Worcester, MA. It would prove to be a trip she would come to regret. Something that would earn her a juvenile criminal record. On the evening of June 14, 1999, Swan...""
People are wondering why Emma ended up giving birth in Arizona, if she found herself on the wrong side of the law in Massachusetts. I'd have to go back and see if Henry was born in Arizona or if that's just where Gold obtained him, and I don't have the time, so... tag! You're it.
Emma hopes that Henry isn't scarred for life. Henry: "I'm not. Well, not by this." Heh. Emma suggests they throw out the article and get their news from something reliable, "...like the Internet." Ahahaha. Henry: "This is what I've been trying to tell you. Good can't beat evil, because good doesn't do this kind of thing. My mom plays dirty, that's why you can't beat her, ever." When Emma tries to calm Henry by explaining she has a new ally in Mr. Gold, Henry says, "Mr. Gold? He's even worse than she is. You already owe him one favor. You don't want to owe him any more. Don't do this." Emma looks at her little boy and scowls. We cut to...
Mayor's Office: Emma stomps in and yells at Regina about abusing her power to access juvie records. She doesn't care for herself, but it's hurting Henry. Regina can't love Henry so she can't really care, and tells Emma that Henry is fine. Emma points out it's probably painful for him to have his adoptive mother smearing his biological mother. Regina says, "All I did was expose him to the truth, and as for the legality, I did nothing wrong, but you and Sidney can get into that at the debate." Apparently there will be a debate right before the election.
The women walk down the stairs, past some drop cloths and I wonder why the set designers would choose to show the place is being rehabbed, but only for a moment. Regina warns Emma that Mr. Gold is a snake and that she'd better be careful who she gets into bed with. As Emma says she's not getting into bed with anyone, she's just, "...fighting fire with..." Regina opens a door and both women are knocked to the floor by a burst of flame. Regina's leg is trapped under some scaffolding. Emma frees it, but Regina still can't walk. The fire spreads. Commercial.
Enchanted Forest, Rumpy's Village: Rumpy instructs Bae on soaking wool in liquefied sheep fat. When the boy questions him on wasting the wool, Rumpy explains the beggar's story about the dagger. "If I kill the Dark One with his dagger, I take his powers." Bae is shocked, but Rumpy is too excited to notice. "Can you imagine me with those powers, Bae? I could get to redeem myself. I could turn it toward good. I'll save all the children on the front lines, not just you, my boy." While Bae would love to see that, he is not a coward. "If the law says I'm to fight, I can fight." Rumpy: "No, the law doesn't want you to fight, son. The law wants you to die. That's no battle, that's sacrifice, son." He points out the scarlet sky in the distance. "That's not the fires of the battlefields. That's the blood of our people, son. That's the blood of children -- the blood of children like you. What sane person would want to get involved with that?" Bae: "So it's true you ran? [...] And mother, did she leave you like the knight said? You told me she was dead." Rumpy: "She is dead." Bae doesn't look like he believes his father, but waits a minute and asks what they need to do. Rumpy says they'll set fire to the wooden floors and rafters of the stone castle.
Storybrook, Mayor's Office, Disco Inferno: When Emma lets go of Regina, Regina grabs her arm and says, "You're leaving me, aren't you?" I would. Instead of running to safety though, Emma rushes into the fire. As Regina struggles to get up the stairs, Emma returns, smothering the flames with a fire extinguisher. When she gets Regina outside, Regina starts yelling at her. Emma's all, "Seriously, you're complaining about how I save your life?" The fire engine arrives and Regina, who was petrified not a moment ago, says, "It's not like we were really in danger." Emma starts off saying, "Fine. time, I'll just -- I'll just... No. You know what? time, I'll do the same thing, and the time after that, because that's what decent human beings do. That's what good people do."
Later at the scene, Henry asks the fire fighters about Emma saving Regina, while Regina sneers at the EMTs trying to help her and yells at Sidney for trying to get the story. "Are you trying to hand this election to her?" Hatchet jobs aside, Sidney seems better suited for his current job. "But, it's news." Regina: "She's the competition, you fool." Meanwhile, Mary Margaret, Ruby, Granny, and Archie all crowd around Emma, when Henry comes up and crows about Emma saving Regina. Mary suggests a picture of the rescue would make a great campaign poster. The rest of the group gets excited and wanders off with Mary, tossing out ideas, so Emma kneels down beside Henry. "This is how good wins. You do something good and people see it, and then they want to help you." Just as she tells him there's no need to fight dirty, she notices the pile of debris a fire fighter has just removed from the building. Right on top is a twisted piece of cloth. Emma looks at it, and we cut to...
Mr. Gold's Shop: Emma brings the cloth to her "benefactor" and accuses him of setting the fire. When he claims he was in the shop the whole time, Emma says, "Take a whiff. It smells like your sheep crap oil." For the record, lanolin is a wax squeezed out of freshly shorn wool. I don't know how it smells in its raw state, but it's not from either sheep crap or sheep fat. Just sayin'... Gold points out there's construction work going on at city hall and suggests that's how the fire started. Emma ignores this and asks why Gold did it. Gold: "If I did it, if I did it, that would be because you cannot win without something big -- something like, oh, I don't know, being the hero in a fire." Emma wonders how he could know she'd be at Regina's office. Gold: "Maybe Regina's not the only one with eyes and ears in this town?" Ooh, do you think Sidney/the Magic Mirror, is somehow keeping Gold up to date, too? Just a thought. Gold: "Or maybe I'm just intuitive, were I involved." Oh, wait. Rumpy can see the future, can't he? Maybe he's just "intuitive." He's definitely involved. Emma says she can't go along with this. Gold tells her she just did and it's just the price of the election. Emma says it's a price she's not willing to pay. "Find another sucker." Then, like a HUGE SUCKER, she hands him the evidence. Um... Sidney for Sheriff? Gold calls her bluff and tells her to go ahead and expose him, and needles her about disappointing Henry.
Enchanted Forest, Duke's Castle: I am largely plagiarizing from the recaplet here, because I do not feel beholden to put any more effort into this part of the story, than the show did. Rumpy and Bae set off for the Duke's castle. They start a fire and nobody catches them. Rumpy heads inside and no one sees or stops him. That he's able to do so without running into even one complication is a bit too facile for my taste. And the magical dagger -- this enchanted object that allows the Duke to wield the Dark One's power -- is it locked up, or under guard, or in any way protected? Um, decidedly not. It's hanging on the wall, hidden behind a banner. That's it. Rumpy gets the dagger. Commercial.
Storybrooke, Town Square, Day: David is hanging posters for Sidney's campaign, while to him, Mary Margaret is hanging posters for Emma's campaign. When David mentions his wife is friendly with Regina, Mary asks how Kathryn is, but then starts stapling the life out of the posters. She quickly pleads a staple shortage and runs off. David watches as she leaves. Maybe you shouldn't have led her on, DAVID! (Sorry. My stuff.)
Debate Venue, Night: Mary brings Emma her notes and a glass of water. Emma's getting cold feet and says she can't beat Regina, since Regina fights dirty. Mary: "Is this really just about beating Regina?" Emma peeks out behind the curtain at Henry, sitting in the front row. "It's just..." Mary realizes it's about Henry. Emma says, "I want to show him good can actually win." Mary: "That's why you want to win it for him, but why do you want to win the election for yourself?" Emma: "That is why. I want to show him that a hero can win. And if I'm not... if I'm not a hero and I'm not the savior, then what part do I have in his life?" She waits a beat and smiles at Mary Margaret then says, "Okay, there it is." Mary echoes her. And this scene between mother and daughter, about the daughter's love for her son, it melts my cold, bitter heart and makes me fall in love with this episode, despite a laundry list of elements that didn't work for me.
Enchanted Forest: Rumpy finds Bae, who tells his papa he was so worried for him. Kid, don't sweat it. The old man didn't even run into an extra. He was in no danger the whole time. Hell, even the fire let him be. Anyhow, Rumpy tells Baelfire to leave, despite the boy's objections that he has a bad feeling. Once he's alone, Rumpy reads the name on the dagger: Zoso, and suddenly, I want to go listen to my Led Zeppelin CDs.
"Zoso, Zoso, I summon thee. Thinking nothing has changed, he turns to find the Dark One. He drops his torch in fear and Zoso says, "You were asking for me?" Voice shaking, Rumpy holds out the dagger and says, "Submit, O Dark One. I control you." The Dark One agrees that he does and warns Rumpy to wield the power wisely and reminds him it's almost dawn -- Bae's birthday -- so CJiC and crew are probably on their way to get Baelfire. When Rumpy says they can't take the boy, the Dark One reminds him that Rumpy doesn't control them. "You control me." He then plants seeds of doubt about the boy's paternity and taunts him some more. "Unlike you, [Baelfire's] not a coward, and yearns to fight and die in glory. What a poor bargain that would be, to lay down your soul to save your bastard son, so I ask you, what would you have me do?" With tears in his eyes, Rumpy pulls back his arm and then plunges the dagger into Zoso's chest as he says, "Die!"
When Zoso falls to the ground, the gold cast disappears from his skin, and Rumpy realizes it is the beggar. The beggar says, "Looks like you made a deal you didn't understand. I don't think you're going to do that again." Rumpy can't understand why the beggar told him to kill him. The beggar says, "My life was such a burden. You'll see. Magic always comes with a price and now it's yours to pay." Rumpy: "Why me?" Beggar: "I know how to recognize a desperate soul." As the beggar dies, Rumpy begs him to stay and tell him what to do, but it's too late. The wind howls. Rumpy's skin turns gold. He pulls the dagger out of his victim's chest and sees it now bears his (misspelled) name: Rumplestiltskin (see the recaplet for my comments on that).
Storybrooke Debate: Archie (Jiminy Cricket) tells the townsfolk to vote their conscience (oy), introduces the candidates, and tries to make a joke about their last names: "Glass. Swan. It sounds like something a decorator would make you buy." He waits a beat for laughs that never come. "Wow. Crickets." Heh.
Sidney makes his opening statement. He wants to serve as a "reflection" of the best qualities of Storybrooke. When Emma takes the podium, she looks shaken. "You guys all know I have what they call a 'troubled past' but you've been able to overlook it because of the hero thing. But here's the thing, the fire was a set-up. Mr. Gold agreed to support me in this race, but I didn't know that that meant he was going to set a fire. I don't have definitive evidence..." Well, no, dipshit, because you handed it back to the arsonist. Emma continues: "...but I'm sure. And the worst part of this was -- the worst part of this is I let you all think it was real. And I can't win that way." Looking directly at Henry, Emma says, "I'm sorry." Gold rises and walks out. In the front row, to Henry, Regina revels in it all, as Emma leaves the stage in shame. Commercial.
Granny's Diner/Pub: Emma's sitting at the counter, drinking, when Henry walks in and takes the stool to her. He hands her one of Graham's radios. Emma doesn't understand, so Henry says, "You stood up to Mr. Gold. That's pretty amazing. [...] That's what heroes do -- expose stuff like that." He leans in close and whispers in Emma's ear. "I shouldn't have given up on Operation Cobra." Emma smiles until Regina and Sidney walk in. She ignores Regina's snide comments and jokes to Sidney, "Here to card me, officer?" When Sidney says he thinks he'll join Emma for a drink, she says she thinks they're setting up a victory party in the back room. Sidney: "Well, you'll have to tell me what that's like." Regina then hands Emma the sheriff's badge. "Congratulations, Sheriff Swan." Henry's all, "Wait. What?" Regina explains that while the race was quite close, the people liked the idea of a sheriff brave enough to stand up to Mr. Gold. Mary Margaret, Archie and other unknown townsfolk wander in, smiling at Emma. Regina leans in and says, "You didn't pick a great friend in Mr. Gold, Ms. Swan, but he does make a superlative enemy. Enjoy that." Okay, I know it's done and even acceptable to use "superlative" to mean supreme, but really hate when it's used that way. I always think of it as a grammatical term. I am so out of the story right now, I can't even think. Thank goodness we're off to the...
Enchanted Forest, Rumpy's Village: CJiC and his men haul out Baelfire, but before they can take him, Rumpy, in full Dark One get up (hood, gold skin, etc.) knifes one of the men from behind. CJiC doesn't recognize him at first, so he falls to his knees. "Dark One." After a minute he realizes the change. "No. Who are you?" Rumpy: "Have you forgotten me, already?" Echoing CJiC's mockery from earlier on (which I didn't transcribe), Rumpy says, "What was it you used to call me again? Spindleshanks? Hobble Foot." In the background, Baelfire says, "Papa?" CJiC looks down at the dagger and whispers, "Rumpelstiltskin." Rumpy: "Wonderful. And now you should know me as the new Dark One. How about a little fealty. Kiss my boot." And goodness, look at his mouth. Evil is worse for your teeth than meth. As CJiC starts to lean forward, Rumpy snaps his neck with one hand. The other men try to subdue him, but Rumpy has no trouble killing them all.
When it's just the two of them, Bae says, "Papa, what has happened to you?" Rumpy: "You're safe, Bae. Do you feel safe, son?" Bae: "No. I'm frightened." Rumpelstiltskin closes in on Bae, still wielding the bloody dagger. I don't think his intention is to frighten the boy, but it's truly hard to tell, because he is so creepy, so menacing. He says, "I'm not. I protected what belongs to me. And I'm not scared of anything." Oh sure, Rumpy, laugh now, but I bet your tune will change when it's revealed CJiC also has a son, and he's grown up to be a dentist.
Storybrooke, Sheriff's Office, Day: When Emma arrives at the Sheriff's Office the day, she's surprised to see Graham's coat on the coat rack. Gold startles her. "The sheriff's jacket. I thought you might want it, after all." He soon reveals that the set up was a set up. That is, he didn't just set the fire so that Emma would save Regina and win the election. He wanted to give her some extraordinary quality. "And I'm afraid saving old Regina's arse from the fire wasn't going to do that." Gold set the fire, so that Emma would save Regina and then defy him, publicly. "Everyone's afraid of Regina, but they're more afraid of me. By standing up to me, you won them over. It was the only way." When Emma wonders how he knew she'd fall for this, Gold says, "I know how to recognize a desperate soul." Emma asks why he did this and Gold says it's simple. She owes him a favor (from the Cinderella episode). "I know that can be a bad feeling, owing someone. Now that you're sheriff, I'm sure we'll find some way for you to pay back what you owe me." He makes his way to the office door. "Congratulations."
So, that was some back story. I really didn't love the execution, I loved the emotions and the dialogue. It answered some question (like Rumpy's love of the deal, and his fondness for dealing in children), but it asked more -- chief among them -- how did the powerful Dark One (the Rumpy version) turn into the fey trickster of the latter fairy tales? It will be interesting to watch him evolve as the series progresses. I do hope he's used sparingly, though. Rumpy and, to a lesser extent, Gold, are such strong characters, that I'd really prefer if they usually remained the seasoning. They're too over-powering to consume as the main dish.
I'll be back Monday morning, with my recaplet of "True North." In the meantime, please grade the episode at the top of the page and then join us in the forum, where TWoP Tennison has been sheriff, for as long as anyone can remember.
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