Once Upon A Time -- Quiet Minds
Mar. 31st, 2014 01:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shipperxSo... that happened.
Actually, I was fairly spoiled. Spoilers never confirmed the who, but process of elimination (as well as everyone else having been spotted filming later episodes) made it fairly evident who merited 'candidate most likely'. Plus, there were anvils raining throughout the episode. Within the first five or so minutes I knew that -- yep, that's who.
So, so long...Neal. Too bad you spent most of your time being MIA.
I think the actor is a good actor, but I've tended to think he was miscast as Baelfire. They had established kid-Bae early on and MRJ just never fit the image of who young Bae would become. Plus, kid-Bae was such an idealistic kid, and MRJ is good at snarky characters. Bae wasn't a natural fit for that so they didn't really write Neal for that... and frankly, that wasn't writing to the adult actor's strengths.
Then there's the Emma/Neal backstory they saddled Neal with. It never really made sense how Neal leaving Emma to take the fall for his own crime was something that Neal had no choice about. Even if Pinocchio had convinced him that it was necessary to be non-interference with Emma so as to break the curse, nothing seemed to make it an unbreakable contract that Emma go to jail. Then add in that she was in jail as a pregnant teen who had to give away her kid because she was all alone in the world and... they set up a huge problem for Neal that they only made worse by having him be surprisingly little guilt-ridden when he crossed paths with Emma again. It was liked he was surprised she held a grudge since he had 'moved on' with Tamara, which... abandoning your girlfriend by framing her for your own crime should leave enough of a mark that 'moving on' shouldn't be necessarily easy. Especially if Emma was your 'true love.'
Basically, I think they muffed the execution of the story in a number of places. I think they had intended Bae/Emma to be end game, but between story execution and an awkward fit for part and casting, things didn't work out as well as it looked like it would on paper.
So, anyway, I think the characters are being generous in calling Neal's death heroic. But, I can see the characters being generous. He was trying to get back to Henry and to 'save' his father. But Belle was right in telling him that they couldn't do it this way. They straight-up discovered that it was a plan of the Wicked Witch and that the entire thing was a set-up (and it WAS all to bring back "The Dark One") so, frankly, it was bit like being told the stove is hot and then being surprised that when you place your hand on it, you get burned.
Still, there were some nice moments. I liked that Emma got closure. Plus I think there was movement for her in that early in the episode she was contemplating taking the course where Henry never regains his lost memories but in the end, is thinking he should probably be allowed to remember that he met -- and loved -- his father.
And I liked that when Rumple was faced with the choice of the dagger or his son, THIS time he chose his son. So that makes progress for Rumple, who I hope will be closer to Henry... someday.
And in B-plot, I took Regina's long look at Robin and Roland as her wondering about the path that she did not take. Having seen Robin's tattoo, she now knows that Robin was the 'true love' that Tink pointed her towards that Regina walked away from. So she stood looking at the life/family she might have had if she had followed Tink's path and that was why she was watching Robin with his totally adorable son... while of course she's still running at the first realization of who Robin might have been.
Actually, I was fairly spoiled. Spoilers never confirmed the who, but process of elimination (as well as everyone else having been spotted filming later episodes) made it fairly evident who merited 'candidate most likely'. Plus, there were anvils raining throughout the episode. Within the first five or so minutes I knew that -- yep, that's who.
So, so long...Neal. Too bad you spent most of your time being MIA.
I think the actor is a good actor, but I've tended to think he was miscast as Baelfire. They had established kid-Bae early on and MRJ just never fit the image of who young Bae would become. Plus, kid-Bae was such an idealistic kid, and MRJ is good at snarky characters. Bae wasn't a natural fit for that so they didn't really write Neal for that... and frankly, that wasn't writing to the adult actor's strengths.
Then there's the Emma/Neal backstory they saddled Neal with. It never really made sense how Neal leaving Emma to take the fall for his own crime was something that Neal had no choice about. Even if Pinocchio had convinced him that it was necessary to be non-interference with Emma so as to break the curse, nothing seemed to make it an unbreakable contract that Emma go to jail. Then add in that she was in jail as a pregnant teen who had to give away her kid because she was all alone in the world and... they set up a huge problem for Neal that they only made worse by having him be surprisingly little guilt-ridden when he crossed paths with Emma again. It was liked he was surprised she held a grudge since he had 'moved on' with Tamara, which... abandoning your girlfriend by framing her for your own crime should leave enough of a mark that 'moving on' shouldn't be necessarily easy. Especially if Emma was your 'true love.'
Basically, I think they muffed the execution of the story in a number of places. I think they had intended Bae/Emma to be end game, but between story execution and an awkward fit for part and casting, things didn't work out as well as it looked like it would on paper.
So, anyway, I think the characters are being generous in calling Neal's death heroic. But, I can see the characters being generous. He was trying to get back to Henry and to 'save' his father. But Belle was right in telling him that they couldn't do it this way. They straight-up discovered that it was a plan of the Wicked Witch and that the entire thing was a set-up (and it WAS all to bring back "The Dark One") so, frankly, it was bit like being told the stove is hot and then being surprised that when you place your hand on it, you get burned.
Still, there were some nice moments. I liked that Emma got closure. Plus I think there was movement for her in that early in the episode she was contemplating taking the course where Henry never regains his lost memories but in the end, is thinking he should probably be allowed to remember that he met -- and loved -- his father.
And I liked that when Rumple was faced with the choice of the dagger or his son, THIS time he chose his son. So that makes progress for Rumple, who I hope will be closer to Henry... someday.
And in B-plot, I took Regina's long look at Robin and Roland as her wondering about the path that she did not take. Having seen Robin's tattoo, she now knows that Robin was the 'true love' that Tink pointed her towards that Regina walked away from. So she stood looking at the life/family she might have had if she had followed Tink's path and that was why she was watching Robin with his totally adorable son... while of course she's still running at the first realization of who Robin might have been.
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no subject
Date: 2014-03-31 09:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-03-31 10:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-03-31 10:36 pm (UTC)Ah - I think I know what's happening - if you use the new LJ spoiler code instead of the traditional LJ-cut it doesn't work if you block Javascript on the site, which I do.
no subject
Date: 2014-03-31 10:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-03-31 10:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-03-31 11:19 pm (UTC)No clue why. Last night it banned me, because I forgot my password. So we'll see if this works.
I agree...overall with the above. Particularly:
Basically, I think they muffed the execution of the story in a number of places. I think they had intended Bae/Emma to be end game, but between story execution and an awkward fit for part and casting, things didn't work out as well as it looked like it would on paper.
It's why I suspected they'd kill Neal off this year (and bet on him although didn't think it would be this soon...) - they appeared to be having issues with the actor - who had no real chemistry with anyone on screen and looked stoned most of the time. (Shame, he was amazing in everything else I've seen him in. But they really gave him very little to work with.) Also, he didn't fit the role. Weirdly, I think they guy who played Sheriff Graeham/The Huntsman would have been a better choice for Baelfire.
The plot arc for Neal doesn't work. Yeah, it's ironic. But it's poorly built. He comes across as a complete idiot. And how does allowing Rumple to live really help them...since Selena has control over Rumple? Sure Rumple has info, but he's also sort of dangerous. That was always my problem with Neal's storyline - it doesn't make a lot of sense. And the character comes across as a bit of a doofus. Yet, there was sooo much potential. They could have done so much...with the right casting, and better plotting..
The Robin Hood and Regina storyline is working much better.