Once Upon a Time 2.18: Selfless, Brave and True

One of the greatest things about season two is how ambitious it’s been in pulling us out of the confines of Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest. Sometimes these ventures turn out really well (Henry and Emma take New York) and sometimes they’re a stinking pile of fairy poop (Frankenstein). This one lands somewhere in the middle.

You’ve got to hand it up to the show, this was one of the first episodes in a while that actually had more than a couple of surprising twists, however contrived they were. Learning about Tamara as Neil’s fiancée was weird enough, but learning that she’s part of Owen’s mission to tear Storybrooke apart is even weirder. But if we’re gonna hate her for standing between Emma and Henry’s father, then why not take it all the way, right?

It’s a fun shake-up, and I love that these two different plots are tying together, but it all seems very circumstantial. And then there’s the odd Crouching Tiger direction that this episode took with Dragon. How is he a part of fairytale world? Is he one of them, or just some vague all knowing omniscient? Tamara killed him easily enough though, so he can’t be a major part of the puzzle. She went out of her way to stop Poor August from getting in her way, too. Is all of this to help Owen, or does she have her own agenda? 

She’ll be sticking around a while longer now that August has returned to his childhood self, which was an incredibly strange turn of events. This episode did a fun job of playing around with August and Snow’s struggles with their past failure and guilt. August fell for Tamara’s money trick (I’m guessing) and let Emma down, and Snow has been falling deeper into the darkness that’s held her since the part she played in Cora’s death. Though August made up for his past and warned Emma about another enemy in their midst, Snow still has some work to do. And is this guilt and despair really all her? Is there more to her “blackened” heart than just pain weakness?

‘Selfless, Brave and True’ was an odd change of pace. It really moved things forward, but some of it felt oddly disconcerting, more like a strange way to bridge a gap between episodes than an episode in and of itself. Hopefully things will smooth out again, because I’m really enjoying this season in general.

6/10

Plus

Is Snow’s blackened heart down to something more than natural guilt? I’m not sure what the slap meant, other than Snow maybe needing a shrink.

What did Tamara use to kill Dragon and August? It looked like a Taser, but would a taser do that much damage? Help me out here!

I guess that's if for August and his tiny leather jacked. Too bad, he was nice to look at!

He Said, She Said

August: “That’s my problem; hoping, hoping that things can still work out, hoping that I can find redemption for the mistakes that I’ve made. But maybe some things you just don’t come back from...”

Regina: “If I were you I’d try the fish special, its right up your alley: “Blackened Sole”.
LOL at this line. So over the top, and so very Regina.

Also posted at Doux Reviews

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