Trying something new here….I feel we’re off to a great start
with this rewatch blog. A handful of people are posting their observations on
each day’s episode, others are contributing picture sets and gif sets and judging
by the number of likes and reblogs I see on my activity feed, people are
enjoying the rewatch. But I’d like to get some discussion going as well, so I’m
posting a short list of questions or discussion starters and I’m hoping
everyone will join in.A couple points before we start:
I realize in retrospect that these questions ended up
sounding like essay questions on a literature exam. “Discuss the symbolism of
the conch shell in Lord of the Flies.” If I caused unpleasant flashbacks for
anyone, I sincerely apologize.Everyone please keep discussions objective and respectful. Tag
your responses with the usual #ouatrewatch2016 and I’ll keep reblogging
everyone’s contributions unless I think the conversation has taken an overly negative
turn. What you reblog and discuss on your own blogs is up to you.Also….one of the things that made me think of doing this is
that someone asked, in their post about The Pilot, if it was ever explained
where Mary-Margaret got the storybook. I meant to answer that and forgot at the
time, but yes, that was answered much later. I think it was when they were in
the Underworld, and M-M said that she was cleaning out her closet (in Storybrooke)
one day and just found the book buried in the back. If anyone can name the
exact episode, feel free to chime in.These six questions were culled from my own posts about the
first two episodes. If anyone wants to post more questions or topics for
discussion, please, make your own post and tag it. I’ll reblog it so everyone
can see it and hopefully we can have some great discussions.1.
In Snowing’s wedding vows, instead of promising
each other ‘till death do us part’, they promised ‘for all eternity’. Thoughts
on why the writers made that change? Does living in a world of magic change the
meaning of death?2.
Computers and the Internet have been mentioned
and shown in Storybrooke, so it’s not as if its residents were deprived of
modern technology. Why do we never hear the characters talk about “those
pictures I saw online of XX place, it looked so beautiful, I want to go there”
or any of the millions of other things they could find on the Internet?3.
How is it that Emma spent her entire childhood
in the foster care system, despite healthy newborn girls being highly sought
after by hopeful adoptive parents?4.
In 1×02, we see Regina turn herself into a mouse
to visit Rumplestiltskin in his cell. Did we ever see anyone turn themselves
into an animal again? I don’t think we did…why do you think the show dropped
that?5.
When Rumplestiltskin negotiated for a life of
comfort in the Land Without Magic, he seemed to consider it a foregone
conclusion that he’d be going there. But later in the series, Regina stated
that she brought only who she wanted to Storybrooke. So that implies that
Regina wanted him there…why? Or was his inclusion something he bargained for
when he gave her the spell?6.
Why did Henry Sr. die when Regina ripped his
heart out, when it was shown later that it’s possible to remove someone’s heart
without killing them? Was that just a writing inconsistency or do you think the
intent of the heart-ripping makes a difference?Re-blogging this here in case any of my OUaT followers on my personal blog would like to participate.
1) I think ‘for all eternity’ is just nice words to be honest. It sounds less grim and more magical. However, in recent times (*cough* underworld *cough*) they have shown that life continues after death. So yeah, maybe in a world of magic death isn’t the end and perhaps certainly not for true love.
2) I think it’s because it adds a complicated level that the writers don’t want to deal with. They have never really explained how Storybrooke’s economy works, how the stores get supplied, where everyone works etc. It’s a town that was cursed into existence and as far as the outside world is concerned, it doesn’t exist but yet it does – for Henry’s adoption, for Mary Margaret’s ‘credit card’ and yeah for the internet. So I think it’s kinda hand waved so the writers don’t have to think about it.
Plus with how often the town line is blocked off for various reasons, going on vacation elsewhere is a bit tricky. Therefore looking at pictures is nothing but a dream. I mean technically speaking they never showed on screen the third dark curse breaking. Dopey should still be blocking the road as a tree and everyone who crossed the town line should have joined him like a mini-forest, unless they had Rumple’s sack of anti-transforming dust.
3) I believe that Emma did say once that she got adopted but returned to the system when she was three. I think she said that the couple had finally managed to have their own child and didn’t have to ‘make do’ any longer. That last bit could just be my head canon though.
4) I think the show started off being a bit more true to the fairytales and then wound up dropping lots of things. Like in the pilot, Snow said that Regina tried to kill her because “she was prettier than her” and David said “the animals are all talking about the Queen’s plan.” We did see Rumple transform people into things, like snails or roses (or a butcher into a pig) but that was kinda fatal.
5) My interpretation of Regina bringing who she wanted, was less about the living and more about the dead. I think the curse brought everyone who was alive, and anyone that didn’t fit the curse criteria (like the dead) Regina had to bring on a case by case basis.
6) I think the heart ripping out thing was something they changed after the first few episodes. Henry senior’s heart for the spell wasn’t glowing or magical, it looked like a regular heart, like it had been physically cut out from his chest. That would be why he died immediately. Then later they decided “hey this heart ripping out thing has potential for other stuff” and made it so you could live with it removed/hearts could be crushed, all that stuff.