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Showing posts with label Dharma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dharma. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

What Happened to Frederick

"There are properties on this island that exist nowhere else on earth. Our mission is to study these properties for the betterment of mankind and advancement of world peace." - Pierre Chang, The DHARMA Initiative
Two words: magical properties. Magical properties that return to you what you have lost.  Is it possible that is the same idea as, let's say, the healing properties of the "Island"?  Both play a part in restoring things in a lost and broken person. That's something to think about.

OK, two more words- Gordian knot. This is an exceedingly complicated and intricate problem; one that seems deadlocked, with no answer, yet is solved fearlessly in a quick, decisive and dramatic manor.  In other words, just cut right through to get to the heart of the problem.  This concept was present in this episode.

What happened to Frederick is he was afflicted and literally changed by something- a "spell".  Keep in mind his being turned to gold happened after he was able to see what no one else could see and unselfishly sacrificed himself for another.  And when the magic spell was broken he woke up in Abigail's arms.  My question is now that Abigail and Frederick are together in Fairy Tale Land how will their future be.  Will they live happily ever after? How will Kathryn's disappearing act in Storybrooke play into things there? 

The book smart stranger, August, doesn't seem to be much of a stranger to Storybrooke. As for the book, he lovingly cares for it.  I have many questions about August. What is he up to?  Who really authored the book?  I wonder how he acquired the book.  In the episode Regina tells Henry "I really didn't mean to destroy your book."  So, did August find it and put the book back together again?  Did he edit the story or add something or someone new to it?  Did he add himself into the story or is he always in it?  Is there more than one book?  Could he be trying to rewrite or recreate the lost book; I ask this because the covers show different wear on them.  Hell, I'll ask...did he write the plaque on the well?

August brings Emma to the special well to drink the water of the special underground Lake; the Lake that returns something you lost. The important thing here is that its Emma hands the book finds its way back to; as if she's the one who lost it. I find that important. Sure, the book could have been planted in the puddle of water at Emma's car, by August. If so, why is it so important to him that Emma have the book and return it to Henry?  Is August trying to lure Emma at the special well with its magical power of the underground Lake, by giving her false hope or with trickery or illusion; by making it seem the magic of the well returned the book?  Or are his intentions completely honorable? Could he be guiding her?  Maybe the book return has nothing to do with the special well and we just have to wait for Emma to find what she really lost.
Keep in mind that the Siren of the Lake is only an illusion, therefore its ability to walk on water and transform into other images is a magic trick. It's not real. We also have the question of what else is real or not. Another thing that was brought up here is the perception of things being physically realistic and life-like and craftsmanship to things.
And of course, there's the reality and truth of deep feelings that also must be dealt with. 

This doesn't matter. None of this matters. All that matters is that we felt it.

Prince Charming felt "it".
Confused and chicken John Doe/David can't commit to a decision.  Although he says he wants to be with Mary Margaret he seems somewhat comfortable living two lives.  He can't seem to come clean about things and move forward.  Why is he so attached to Kathryn?  He doesn't appear to be motivated enough to be truthful and in Storybrooke he's not brave, whereas his Fairy Tale counterpart is. Is he afraid of change or afraid to change?  It's important to remember that David wasn't the one to decide to tell Kathryn anything; that push came from Mary Margaret.  And what David did and how he chose to handle it, he did for himself.  Maybe John Doe/David just isn't ready yet and maybe, just maybe he has to clean up his own mess first.
 
See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil

It is important to not only observe and listen, but to keep an open mind and open heart while on this journey. There is much to learn. One goal is to get to the place of pure love. It is going to mean letting go of some things, people, places, old feelings and ideas and move forward.

Certainly my perception in the details with ONCE is inspired by my passion for LOST and the many wonderful things I learned from it. I don't want to mislead you in anyway and I don't want to screw up this beautiful story written by Team ONCE, by making more of the LOST connections than they may have intended. And I sure as hell don't want to make you believe the things I am seeing in this story and I won't tell you what to think.  I understand that I may be wrong, but for me there's no denying so much of what we see right out in the open and subliminally connects us to the "Island".  I noticed there are many LOST fans feeling that just because an Apollo Bar or MacCutcheon Whiskey isn't shown in an episode then there are no nods to LOST.  I feel that's not true. The LOST thread indeed runs through Storybrooke and Fairy Tale Land even without those iconic items showing up. Connect the dots. Maybe the "Island" isn't done with us yet.

** All photos posted here are chosen for a reason **

Things to Note...Questions to Ask...
๑ Fantasy-Reality- Magic. What is real and what is not?
๑ a legend is a made up tale, a story that is not true; and is sometimes used for teaching some sort of lesson.
๑ Did the vehicle Mary Margaret and David use look similar to Jack's Bronco?
๑ Compassion. Sacrifice. Knowing. Karma. Law = Dharma
๑ Wishing - Well
๑ 8 {August is the 8th month and its birthstone is the peridot- a ring Mary Margaret wears)
๑ 23
๑ Gold Frederick isn't dead- just under a spell 
๑ Regina claims to have buried the incriminating photos yet they are on her desk
๑ August Wayne Booth- I found a Wayne C Booth: his most-recognized book is The Rhetoric of Fiction The cause of his death in 2005 was complications of dementia
๑ Gold- King Midas turns things/people into gold.  Mr. Gold as Rumpelstiltskin makes gold
๑ Games
๑ Time

Vocabulary and Research...
๑ Nostos is the Greek word for homecoming. There are many instances in The Odyssey in which Odysseus is longing to return home to Penelope
๑ Sirens: Noisemakers
- In Greek mythology, Sirens were dangerous creatures, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island
According to Ovid (Metamorphoses V, 551), the Sirens were the companions of young Persephone and were given wings by Demeter to search for Persephone when she was abducted. 
- Persephone also called Kore (the maiden) is the daughter of Zeus and the harvest-goddess Demeter, and queen of the underworld
-Persephone- a fictional character in the Matrix film trilogy
-Persephone- Rachel Blake from The Lost Experience
* The Lady of the Lake is the name of several related characters who play parts in the Arthurian legend. These characters' roles include giving King Arthur his sword Excalibur, enchanting Merlin, and raising Lancelot after the death of his father
๑ TRON- Nods to TRON with the video game and dialogue. Also important- computers, programs and people literally caught inside a virtual/computer generated world where they play gladiatorial games and the only chance of escape is with the help of a heroic security program
๑  Tulips: is a poem by American poet Sylvia Plath about her experiences in a mental hospital. The poem was written in 1961 and included in the collection Ariel published in 1965
  - TULIP: Calvinism is a theological system to Christian life; sometimes identified with the five points  called the doctrines of grace
  - Tulip: is an information visualization framework dedicated to the analysis and visualization of relational data
๑ Water: needed for life. Often a sign/symbol of life; Higher consciousness, cleansing, baptism, purity, flow, flood, calm, rough
๑ Walk on water- A magic trick
    - In the bible the believer is given the authority to tread over all the power of the enemy
๑  Well: "Well-to-wheel", or Life cycle assessment
  - WELL: The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, normally shortened to The WELL, is one of the oldest virtual communities in continuous operation
 - A potential well is the region surrounding a local minimum of potential energy.  Energy captured in a potential well is unable to convert to another type of energy (kinetic energy in the case of a gravitational potential well) because it is captured in the local minimum of a potential well. Therefore, a body may not proceed to the global minimum of potential energy, as it would naturally tend to due to entropy
 - Well of Knowledge- In Norse mythology, Mímisbrunnr (Old Norse "Mímir's well") is a well associated with the being Mímir, located beneath the world tree Yggdrasil

And for fun I want to share this with you...
 ๑ Ludwig II of Bavaria (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; was King of Bavaria from 1864 until shortly before his death. He is sometimes called the Swan King (English) and der Märchenkönig, the Fairy tale King (German)
✔  Golden LOST Thread Woven into the Tapestry of this Tale 
★ Fantasy-Reality, Magic. What is real and what is not?
★ Games. Video Game. Computer/laptop
★ Connection. Connecting
★ Time
★ Charles Widmore
★ Chicken
★ Well
★ Tree
★ Bags thrown over their heads: Kate, Jack, Hurley, Sawyer, Sun
★ Head. Mind. Illusion/Hallucination
★ "Leap of Faith"
★ Trapped in a bloody snow globe
★ Learning. School
★ Law. Court. Dharma. Karma
★ Heart. Core.  Love
★ "a top button kind of girl" - Sun was a top button kind of girl
★ August is the 8th month and Walt's birth month.
★ Wayne was Kate's father's name
★ If August is responsible for putting the book in Emma's hands to return to Henry- It kind of brings me back to Locke finding Vincent and giving the dog to Michael to return to Walt
★ Episode connections: Homecoming, Fire + Water,  The Candidate {-Tulips}
★ Young Ben gets a gift from Annie with a blue ribbon/bow in The Man Behind the Curtain.
★ Sawyer refers to Jack as the hero
★ "I hope you find what you're looking for" is mentioned in The Last Recruit and Lighthouse
★ Charlie Pace talks to Desmond Hume about real love "I'm talking about spectacular consciousness altering love.  Do you know what that looks like?" in Happily Ever After.  Charlie is also underwater and we see Desmond connected with a box where he feels his experiences aren't real.

Enough of my rambling...Here is your episode recap! Enjoy!
In Fairy Tale Land
Princess Abigail meets up with King George in the forest. {White horse drawn carriage with heart shape rear window} The King compliments her growing beauty and is honored to welcome her to his family. There seems to be some chaos to which the King tells Abigail its due to the excitement of the upcoming royal wedding and the insurance of the safety of their guests.  The annoyed and apparently two faced King excuses himself to tell one of his soldiers to "Find him."

Hooded and caped Princely impostor Charming/James/the shepherd hurries on horseback through the forest to outrun the soldiers hot on his tail. The soldiers fire arrows at him but are shitty archers and miss hitting him. The impostor Prince jumps over a fallen tree limb, but the soldiers stop their pursuit at that line and the Prince rides away.

The Prince, thinking he got away from the soldiers (who are told to split up) has a bag thrown over his head.
In Storybrooke
John Doe/David sits quietly eating with wife Kathryn.  He tells her "The chicken's delicious."  {Candles}
Kathryn tells him she applied to law school.  David seems genuinely happy for her.  Then she reveals she got into and that the school is in Boston.  Kathryn thinks a fresh start may be what they need. "Maybe we've been fighting too hard to recapture old memories, when we should've been making new ones instead."

The brave prisoner Prince doesn't fear his purple cloaked and hooded captors.  One captor frees the bound hands of the Prince with his dagger.  These men were sent by Princess Abigail to capture the Prince. She wanted to get her hands on him before his father ripped him to shreds.  She knew about his goings on because she has ears in the King's court and despite everyone's best efforts to shield her from it she knows the truth.  "You love Snow White... and you have no intention of marrying me."  The Prince won't marry someone he doesn't love or give that despot the satisfaction that I helped him. If that means suffering the consequences, so be it.  Abigail finds his preparation to lay down his own life, charming.  She didn't go there to see him die; she came to help him escape.  She doesn't want to marry him either.

Mary shuts the passenger side door of a vehicle. {Is that a Bronco? If so, Jack on LOST drove one too}  John Doe/David tells Mary Margaret he told Kathryn that he was going for a walk to clear his head and think about it.  And of course, David didn't tell his wife that the walk was with Mary Margaret.  This troubles Mary Margaret as it seems like lying is their default.  They're not being honest. Mary Margaret decides it's time that Kathryn knows the truth about everything, including them.  David doesn't know if he can. Mary Margaret tries to reason with him about being honest. David wonders if its really the best plan. {WTF?!} Mary ask "What's your plan?"
David seems clueless; and doesn't seem interested in moving to Boston.
Mary Margaret- "The only way no one gets hurt here... is if we don't want to be together."
That's not what David wants.  Mary Margaret feels they have to stop hiding and do something. It's better she hears it from you than someone else. "You have to make a choice."
David chooses Mary Margaret.  Mary Margaret decides "Then it's time to tell Kathryn"  David timidly nods his head yes and Mary Margaret walks away.

Emma notes the Stranger's motorcycle parked outside of Granny's Diner {Cafe}.  The Stranger tells Emma he was meaning to bump into her. "Matter of fact I was hoping we might grab that drink you promised."
Emma wonders "Is that you asking me out?"
Stranger- "Well, if putting a label on it makes you more comfortable,  Sure. Let's call it a date."
Emma thought he came there to write, find inspiration.  The Stranger is optimistic about their date.  Emma has a policy; she won't go out with guys who don't tell her their name.  It could mean they're keeping secrets; it helps weed out the ones who might be married or store body parts in a freezer.  She fluffs him off and walks away.
The Stranger- "It's August. August W. Booth."  Now there goes Emma's reason for not meeting him there after work.  August leaves.

Emma sits opposite Mary Margaret at the table.  Mary Margaret whispers  "Who was that?"   Emma doesn't know, yet, but she'll find out.  Mary Margaret called Emma there to talk about Mary Margaret. But troubled Mary Margaret feels talking about Emma is easier right now.  Mary Margaret whispers "Remember when you told  me to stay away from David and I agreed?"  But Emma knows all about it; because she's sheriff and Mary Margaret is a lovesick schoolteacher. "Covering your tracks in not exactly your strong suit."  Mary Margaret feels she's been discreet.  But Emma recalls "Two teacups in the sink, new perfume, late nights, plunging necklines, it was not hard to connect the dots."  When Emma met Mary Margaret she was a top button kind of girl.  Mary Margaret wonders why Emma didn't say anything.  Emma kids  "I'm not your mother."  Mary Margaret knows that according to Henry she's Emma's mother. Emma just figured Mary Margaret would let her know when it was time; its time. Mary Margaret shares the news that David is telling Kathryn everything.

Kathryn is working on her laptop when David enters. She wants David to come take a look as she's found a whole bunch of apartment options. She doesn't know which neighborhoods to look at. She asks him if he's ever been to Boston. David says no.  Kathryn suggests they ask the sheriff for help, as she's from Boston.
David apologizes and informs her he can't go to Boston with her.  She wants the truth from him. "David, is there something going on that I don't know about?"   David lies and says, no.  "Something happened. I don't know what it is. There is something that's preventing me... from connecting.  And it's not fair to you to let that screw up your life. You're right you need a fresh start. It's just not with me."

Abigail, the Prince and her men have reached her father's realm in the forest. They should be safe there. Abigail has provisions waiting for the Prince.  He feels he can't take any of it; not until she tells him what's really going on and yells "Stop playing games! If you have no feelings for me, as you've said. Why show me any kindness at all. What haven't you told me?"
Abigail- "This isn't about you. It's about me. I don't want to marry you because my heart also belongs to another. A man I was once to wed. A man named Frederick."
The Prince asks "What happened?
Abigail feels we all have our own tragedies and lost love being the worst. She thought reuniting James with his might grant her some consolation.  James is unable to help her as his "love" told him in no uncertain terms that she doesn't feel the same way about him as he does for her. "You can't fight for something that doesn't exist. So, there's my tragedy."   Abigail scoffs and tells him "That's no tragedy. Come. Follow me."  She takes his hand and leads the way.
Abigail led him to a guarded gazebo that houses a gold figure of a brave man in armor. This is where Abigail's beloved Frederick sacrificed his life.  She explains they were traveling with King Midas when their caravan was ambushed, Frederick bravely defended them; he was cut down saving her father's life.
The Prince compliments this fitting tribute, the craftsmanship and how life-like the figures details are. But that's not what that is; it is not a statue. That is literally Frederick.  He saw the attack when no one else did. He threw himself in front of her father, knocking him to safety and was turned to gold because of her father's curse.  The Prince declares "All curses can be broken. Have you tried true loves kiss?"   She had, until her lips bled.
The Prince- "The gold got in the way. There must be something else to do."
Abigail tells about a legend of a lake, Lake Nostos.  "Its waters are said to have magical properties that can return to you something that was once lost."  Of course she's tried it. "But the lake is guarded by a ghastly creature that drowns its victims. No one whose ever faced it has lived to return."  The Prince doesn't want her to give up hope  just yet, as he will face this guardian and return with the water that will undo this wretched curse.  Abigail warns that none have succeeded. But the proud Prince knows none has his fearless bravery.  Abigail feels "Or fearless regard for their own safety".  The Prince feels either way one off them (Us) should have their happiness.  Abigail thinks if he dies neither of them will have that, but the Prince knows that not to be true, for if he succeeds  she'll be reunited with Frederick and her misery ends and if he fails the misery that ends will be his.
In a dark workroom/shed or garage, August is carefully working on the fairy tale book. {Art and text}  He preps its pages in the water/solution and hangs them to dry. He is quite the craftsman, as he takes the dry and ready section of story with gold Frederick and puts it in a place in the book. He carefully sews, binding the book together.
Regina and Henry sit in her office. Regina encourages Henry to open a silver box with a royal blue bow on it. The occasion for the gift to show him she loves him.  She knows he misses his book, but the gift of a hand held video game is where he can save the Princesses and he can be the hero.  He doesn't seem impressed with the game.  Regina wants him to believe her that she tore the playground down for his safety.  "I really didn't mean to destroy your book."  Henry's not just troubled about the book, he wants to see Emma.  Regina looks sad.  There's a knock at the door and upset Kathryn lets herself in; interrupting the mother and son moment.  Regina has Henry go home and start his homework; she'll be there in a bit and they can have dinner.

Crying Kathryn tells her friend, Regina, about David's leaving her. Regina assumes it's because of the affair he's having with Mary Margaret; an affair Kathryn wasn't privy to.  Regina knows this she's seen and has proof.  "I saw...pictures. Sidney was always looking for scandal, it sells papers, he showed me. I buried them, of course."   Kathryn demands "Show me!"
Regina presents the not-buried photos.  Kathryn cries over the pictures of David and Mary Margaret connecting, kissing and sharing tender moments. She's upset Regina didn't tell her.  Regina thought the two were working it out. "Believe me, I want you two together."   She claims to care about this because she's Kathryn's friend. Kathryn doesn't agree and feels everyone is lying to her. She walks away.
Abigail leads the Prince to a candle lit offering shrine to the guardian of the lake. Every man who faces it leaves an offering here first, asking for the creature's mercy.  This seems to amuse the Prince. "I go the rest of the way alone."
Abigail wants to go along, as its for her. The Prince won't allow it "The only life I want in my hands is my own".  Abigail wishes him luck and reminds him to leave an offering.  The Prince won't do it. "Lotta good it did them."  He throws the Gladiator helmet he was holding at the Icon and heads onward.

John Doe/David sits at home, looking through photos of him and Kathryn.  He calls Mary Margaret, who happens to be descending the stairs inside of her busy school with kids all about.  She asks him if he did it.  David says yeah and that its really bad.  Mary is excited he told the truth, so  now they can pick up the pieces and start over from a real place.  Although David seems hesitant he says he wants to see her.  Mary Margaret- "And David, you did the right thing."    Just then Kathryn plows her way through the school halls, bumps into a soccer ball carrying man.  Mary  Margaret apologizes to her, but Kathryn slaps her face in front of everyone. "Screw you, you're sorry."   Mary Margaret assumes by her conversation with David that "We didn't lie" but David didn't do the honorable thing and never told her.  Evidently he lied to Mary Margaret too.  Kathryn wishes her luck "making it work. You two deserve each other".

The Prince approaches the dark lake and retrieves water from it.  Sounds are heard.
David calls out "Where are you? Make yourself known to me!  Beast! Show yourself."  {We hear bird wings flapping}   A rapturously beautiful blond rises up from the water "Here I am".

August rides up to Granny's to pick up Emma. Emma assumed they'd go inside for the drink. He does want the drink, but didn't say "here".   He tells her to "hop on".   Emma offers to go somewhere and she drives, but August says "How 'bout you stop having to control everything and take a leap of faith. You owe me a drink- hop on. I know a good watering hole."   Granny says if Emma won't, she will.   Emma hops on the bike.
Emma- "A watering hole. Literally?"
August- "Say what you want about me, but I always tell the truth."
Emma assumes a drink means wine or whiskey.  August asks if she wants him to get her drunk. Emma says no.  August says "Next time".   Emma feels he's optimistic.
August brings two mugs "They say there's something special about this well. There's even a legend. They say that the water from the well is feed by an underground lake and that lake has magical properties."
Emma- "Magic? You sound like Henry."
August- "Smart kid. So, this Legend it says that if you drink the water from the well something lost will be returned to you."
Emma- "You know an awful lot about this town for being a stranger."
August- "And you know very little for being the sheriff."
Emma- "How do you know all this? Have you been here before?"
August- "I know all this for one very simple reason. I read the plaque."
Emma- "You actually believe that?"
August- "I'm a writer. I have to have an open mind."
Emma- "Yeah, but magic?"
August- "Water is a very powerful thing. Cultures as old as time have worshiped it.  It flows throughout all lands connecting the entire world- If anything had mystical properties, if anything had magic, well I'd say it'd be water."
Emma- "That's asking a lot to believe on faith."
August- "If you need evidence for everything, Emma, you're gonna find yourself stuck in one place for a long time."
Emma- "Maybe. Or maybe I'll just find the truth before anyone else.
August- "Well, Miss Skeptic, there's one thing I can tell you for sure that requires no leap of faith and I know you'll agree with me..."
Emma- "What's that?"
August- "It's good water."  They toast and drink {I love that the wheel is right by his head while he talks.}

Mary Margaret walks down the street, past the clock store, where she gets dirty judging looks from passersby.  One woman whispers to her friend "Did you hear what happened?"  Other people walk by whispering gossip and warnings about Mary Margaret; this upsets her.  Granny and Mary Margaret bump into each other; neither one was looking. Granny tells her she should be ashamed of herself.

At the Lake the Lady walks on water and asks the Prince "What's your name? Would you like to know mine? Because I can be anyone you want me to be."   The Prince armed with his sword, tells her to stop "I know what you are. You're a Siren. You're deceitful words are a spell meant to lure me to my death."  The Siren claims she could never hurt a brave and powerful man like him; not when there's other things they could do.
He will not fall prey to her deceptions.
The Siren- "Really? You're immune to me."   She pours water over her head and magically transforms into Snow White.  She tries to seduce the Prince, claiming she is indeed the real thing. The Prince knows it's an illusion "I know it's not real."
The Illusion claims "Sometimes illusions are better than truth."  Everything that he wants and can't have, the illusion can give him; all he has to do is kiss it/her.   The illusion is very tempting to the Prince.  He lets his sword drop into the water as he kisses the illusion.  The illusion gently pulls him further into the lake, but the Prince snaps out of it. "No. I don't want an illusion, I want reality or nothing."  To prove the real "feeling" the illusion kisses him again. This time he must have felt something because he calls the illusion, Snow.   The kissing Illusion tells him "I love you."  Again the Prince pulls away knowing this is not real,  "It's not you!"  But the Snow illusion persists.
The Prince- "This is not real love. I've felt it and this isn't it! I know the difference."
The cunning illusion congratulated Prince Charming for being the first. She tackles him and pulls him down into the depths of the lake.  She beckons him to follow her further down but the Prince sees the skeletons of others before him and tries to swim back up.  He is trapped under the water when a seaweed vine grabs on to his leg.  Luckily a left over dagger is near him. When the illusion is mouth to mouth with him again, he stabs the illusion and cuts himself free. The Siren floats away transforming back to the blond.

David is cleaning up the mess; the word TRAMP is written on the side of the vehicle. Mary Margaret asks him who did this, but of course he doesn't know. He doesn't even know how any of this happened.
Mary responds with "Really?!"  David feels he can't control what other people do.  Upset Mary calls him out on lying. "And now everyone is calling me TRAMP.  David asks "Who told her?"  Mary Margaret feels that is exactly the wrong question. "The real question is why didn't you do what we discussed? Why didn't you tell her?"   David thought they could spare Kathryn's feelings. Mary again calls him out on only doing what he wanted to do; not what both of them discussed.  David claims he didn't want anyone to get hurt. Mary Margaret- "Now everyone is hurt."  And even though they had an understanding and agreement, he not only lied to Kathryn, he lied to her.
David begs her to listen to him "If we want to see if this- if what we have is love... we have to do what you said. We have to pick up the pieces and we gotta move on.  Crying Mary Margaret feels this isn't love. What they have is something entirely different and destructive and it has to stop.  "We shouldn't be together."  David sort of nods his head "OK".
Emma brushes fallen leaves off of her VW beetle. She finds a fairy tale book inside of a red toolbox in a puddle of  water, settled by the rear tire of her car. {Her license plate date is Dec 11. The book covers are worn and old.} August watches her discovery from across the street.

Regina is in her office watering flowers/Orchids when Kathryn compliments the beauty. She had no idea Regina was good with plants.  Regina is better with them than with people.  After thinking about it, Kathryn realized she owed Regina an apology.  She knows Regina would never do anything to hurt her; she was just so angry and confused and she snapped. She's finding it so hard to hold on to David that she never stopped to ask herself why.  Regina feels its because they're a loving married couple and relationships take work.  Kathryn disagrees and presents the evidence; the photos Regina gave her of David and Mary Margaret.  Kathryn points out their obvious connection, they way David looks at Mary. David's never looked at Kathryn like that; not even before the accident.  Regina admits to being in love- once. Kathryn considers her lucky because she's beginning to understand is she hasn't.  She sees that what David and Mary have is real and true and that her marriage to David was like an illusion; she doesn't know how it happened but it was never real.  She wants a man to look at her like David looks at Mary Margaret. She's going to go out and find it.  Kathryn is sticking to her plan and moving to Boston- alone.  If she stays there, she'll never be happy. Since its too painful to see him now, Kathryn wrote David a letter giving the lovebirds her blessing to be together.  This stuns Regina.  Kathryn hugs her good friend; as she'll miss her. Kathryn admits to having an irrational fear of leaving Storybrooke- like something's holding her back.  It's not crazy.  Regina tells her "Change is always frightening. But you know what, Kathryn...this just may be what you need. Maybe you'll find what you're looking for."

The Prince returns to Golden Frederick and Abigail with the water from Lake Nostos. Abigail wonders how he managed to slay the beast. Since the fate of her true love was at stake so it was a battle he couldn't afford to lose.  Abigail pours the magic water over her love and dissolves the spell.  Frederick automatically wakes and kisses his Abigail.  Abigail explains to him that he was trapped and now he's free and James is the one who freed him.  Frederick is the soccer ball carrying man Kathryn bumped into at the school in Storybrooke.  Forever indebted to James, he will pay him back by walking down the aisle with someone he truly belongs with; and a horse and supplies for a journey as well.  He will go find Snow White. "True love isn't easy, but it must be fought for.  Because once you find it...it can never be replaced."  A bird helped him find her once and hopefully it can again.  Abigail warns James to make haste, for when the King George discovers that the union of the Kingdoms has been ruined he will go after him. "Some people will stop at nothing to destroy the happiness of others."
Regina lets herself into Kathryn and David's house with her special keys and steals the letter left for David.

The school bells rings.  Henry sits on a bench outside of the junior building playing his new video game,  Space Paranoids.  Emma sits next to him; she used to play that game all the time when she was a kid.  "Relax- It's all in the wrist!"  Henry warns her his mom is picking him up in like five minutes, so Emma will be quick.  She presents the fairy tale book. "I found it in a gutter. It must have fallen off the dump truck on the way to the junkyard and got tossed around in the rain and somehow it made its way back to me."
Henry thinks that's crazy.
Emma- "Well, what other explanation could there be? Well, whatever happened- it came back to me."
Henry- "Maybe it means our luck is changing. Operation Cobra is back on.  It's a sign. Things are gonna be better."
Emma hopes the kid is right and leaves.  Henry opens the book to the page where the Prince is looking for Snow White...
...The Prince comes across Red Riding Hood to informs him Snow is gone. She never came back after she went to find him.  The Prince will find her and will convince her that they belong together. "I will always fight for her no matter what comes between us."
Red tells him it won't be much of a fight because when Snow left to find him it was because she wants to be with him more than anything.  The Prince thinks Red is mocking him.  But Red assures him Snow left to break up his wedding because she loves him. "Unless something changed her mind along the way."
The Prince- "Not some-thing. Some-one."  That 'Not Some-One', King George is yelling from the field for his soldiers to "Bring me his head!"    The Prince and Red make a quick getaway on horseback. {Again the launched arrows never hit him}
Heartbroken Mary Margaret is crying in her bed.  Emma shows her support, but Mary doesn't feel like talking about it yet and she doesn't want to be alone. So, Emma lays beside her keeping her company.

Regina opens a drawer containing a can of red spray paint and David's letter. She lights the envelope and throws it into the fire.
Motivated Kathryn drives off on her way out of Storybrooke toward her new adventure.  Also driving toward the exit of Storybrooke is the soccer ball carrying guy/Frederick. At the sign he comes upon Kathryn's empty crashed car, off the side of the road.

Regina watches the letter burn.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Fruit of the Poisonous Tree

“Do not be fooled by its commonplace appearance. Like so many things, it is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts.” -Aladdin

** All photos posted here are chosen for a reason **


The Mirror Strikes Again!
Indeed it does! So, let me start off by saying that this episode connects wonderfully with the episode The Thing You Love Most and a few LOST episodes. 

The Evil Queen/Regina and Genie/Sidney's mirror only reveals the shallow and intangible aspect of their lives. They need a mirror that reveals the truth and depth of their life so they can grow and lead a happier and more beautiful existence.

Genie, who is referred to as a man, didn't hide his attitude about his unhappy and redundant life when freed from the lamp.  He is unimpressed with his gift of granting wishes because he knows they all turn out badly. He gets no happiness from it.

We've yet to see a glimmer of goodness in Regina's heart- she's a snake.  Regina needs her mirror but not for vanity. Clouded Regina doesn't recognize her own selfishness, jealousy, anger and belligerence.  And until she can have clarity and see the truth of who she truly is, she won't be able to guide others along the path.

We understand that the residents of Storybrooke are trapped by "the curse", but their sense of imprisonment really stems from deep emotional issues, pain and feeling lost.  The true essence of who each person is dwells locked away- somewhere deep down inside.  We were under the impression that each resident of Storybrooke has a picture perfect existence in the Enchanted Forest, yet we've witnessed that their life there is anything but.  In addition to experiencing many challenges there they also deal with hurt, abandonment, loneliness, identity insecurities, poor upbringing and good old fashioned back stabbing in that magical land.  They're looking for a way out- to be free of their suffering; on some level in both realms.  In this episode a red locked toolbox contains the fairy tale book and a box contains the deadly gold snake; each box representing "a way out" for someone.

Let's touch on little Henry for a moment as he is the one who "brought" Emma to Storybrooke.  Is Henry a healthy normal boy daydreaming in and out of his own world, fantasizing and imagining he has another mother who can come and save him from his wretched life?  We did hear Archie say in a previous episode -"The word crazy is quite damaging. These stories are his language.  He has no idea how to express complex emotions so he's translating as best he can, this is how he communicates.  He's using this book to help deal with his problems."  Is that statement about Henry or someone else or all of them?
Henry has claimed a few times that "Operation Cobra" isn't about "him and Emma", rather it's about "the curse".  Is this a fantasy that lives exclusively in a child's mind or does Henry represent something in Emma or even all of the residents? 

Tree
Have you noticed that the symbol of Storybrooke is a tree?  The Queen's tree grows in the palace garden.  This tree goes everywhere with her, indicating she does continue to nurture it.  A tree represents life, with its branches representing that all life is connected.  Is the Queen/Regina's apple tree representing only poison?  Does it represent the connecting of two realms? Or could it be the tree of knowledge; possibly connecting good and the underworld?  Does the possibility exist that the tree will be the symbol of enlightenment?
The Book of One Thousand and One Nights has a story, 'The Tale of Buluqiya', in which the hero searches for immortality and finds a paradise with jewel-encrusted trees.
The Long Con
Are you going to get fooled again?  We all may be victims of a long con here.  Again I am brought back to the adventures of the "Island".
We went into this new adventurous journey with the premise of fairy tale characters that had been cursed and banished into "our world", yet they aren't really in "our world".  So, that would mean things and people are not what you think they are.  Just as on the "Island" will we find that perception plays a role with this story as well?

A Long Con works by getting someone to ask you to do something 'like it's their idea', but it's not their idea, it's your idea.  The Evil Queen played a long con on the lonely and needing true love, Genie.  She played him like a fiddle and foolish Genie never saw it coming.  Was Regina's father, Henry, in on the con with her or was he just being a protective father trying to help his daughter?  Was there a loophole? The Evil Queen played the con and got someone else, in this case the lovesick Genie, to murder her husband.  I saw that on the "Island" with John Locke using a loophole getting Sawyer to kill his father, Anthony Cooper in The Brig.  In the episode Outlaws Hibbs cons Sawyer into killing Frank Duckett. Also on LOST, Jacob and Man in Black talked about a loophole being a game changer. Other episode mentioning loopholes is Confidence Man.

Regina and Sidney worked together to "sell something" to Emma. I wonder if there's a con within that con too.  Are they doing any of this for the greater good or is it all still self serving? What will it take for them to learn and grow to become better loving and compassionate people, people who can feel and give love.

Mr. Gold keeps reaching out to Emma but she shuns his help. He seems to have knowledge and understanding about things and goings on. We've seen him lead people in the right direction, so, is he trying to guide and help Emma through this journey or is his motivation completely for self serving purposes?

Where does the stranger come in to all of this and where is this elaborate setup going to lead us? I can't wait to find out! It's all so exciting!

Guys... where are we? - Really
Can Henry, the child, or any of the residents of Storybrooke answer that question?  Is it really just the poor kid that can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality or is it everyone?  Is it a metaphoric statement or is there some logical but unique explanation to things?  The realms obviously overlap and blur together. 

How is this fantastical and magical adventure happening?  Did The DHARMA Initiative recruit more people for their anthropology experiments?  Did Octagon Global Recruiters get back in business?!  Just as with LOST I feel a sense of things and people not being what you think they are.  I don't want to sound like a broken record but every time I watch ONCE I feel like I'm watching our very important "Island" journey, except instead of the adventure being lived and worked out on the "Island" it is being experienced in a fairy tale environment.  Maybe you can get away to find yourself!
Fans may find another familiar layer of the LOST story in ONCE, especially with a few similar season 6-like happenings going on in ONCE.  But just as on the "Island" the residents of Storybrooke/Enchanted Forest are not/were not literally dead.  I have a different perception about the experiences I observed throughout the six seasons on LOST.  That doesn't mean my perception is correct.
But if this is a case of ONCE being related to LOST then maybe we should read some of my LOST notes and see what similarities bridge the two stories together and if there is a mutual party involved:
...And Yet We Keep Playing It 
Data and Evidence
Instructing Further

Before you read on let me ask you this...Is it ever OK to do a bad thing even if it's for good?

Things to Note...Questions to Ask...
๑ "We won't get fooled again"- A song by The Who; final track from the album Who's Next? And the single B side of it is "I Don't Even Know Myself"
๑ In Storybrooke we have "the curse" and on the "Island" we have "the sickness/infection"
๑ Writers in this episode: The scruffy stranger, The Evil Queen and little boy Henry
๑ The castle playhouse is moved from the beach to the woods
๑ See you in another life
๑ Henry, the father and Henry, the adopted son- what is the connection?
๑ Did Regina do something else to her son?
๑ How does the Queen/Regina end up married to King Leopold? A man knowing he could 'never love her', yet is a man who knows the preciousness of love and family
๑ Did the book end up in the hands of its rightful owner or a thief?
๑ Henry thinks the book is gone and never coming back.
๑ What do the skull keys in Regina's office open?
๑ Things noted as dangerous: The last pages of the book, Regina, Mr. Gold. Viper, The playhouse castle
๑ There is a Genie Lamp and Gold Chess set at Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop
๑ Regina's father, Henry, wears a wedding ring
๑ Emma and Henry have a special place- Mary Margaret and David have a special spot
๑ The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen: 'hiding things under many mattresses'
๑ Snow White loves birds and feathers; they seem to end up in her attire
๑ Henry wears a Pea Coat- (or pilot jacket) usually it's heavy wool, originally worn by sailors of European and later American navies. The U.S. Military Navy issue pea coat is dark blue. A bridge coat is a pea coat that extends to the thighs and is a uniform exclusively for officers and Chief Petty Officers.

Vocabulary and Research...
๑ Fruit of the poisonous tree is a legal metaphor in the U.S. used to describe evidence that is obtained illegally; meaning that if the source of the evidence (the "tree") is tainted, then anything gained from it (the "fruit") is as well. The phrase is attributed to Justice Felix Frankfurter
๑ King Leopold- Belgium's King Leopold II is mentioned in the novella The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. This symbolic story is a story within a story or frame narrative. Mr. Kurtz is a central fictional character. He was the direct inspiration for the Kurtz character in the 1979 film Apocalypse Now.
๑ The Genie of the Lamp- Jinn or Genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind.  The Arabic root ǧ-n-n means 'to hide, conceal'.
The Qur'an mentions that Jinn are made of smokeless flame or "scorching fire". In many modern cultures, a Genie is portrayed as a magical being that grants wishes. The earliest of such Jinn stories in folklore originate in the book of the One Thousand and One Nights. A common theme in many Arabian Nights tales is fate and destiny.
- The word genie in English is derived from Latin genius, which meant a sort of tutelary or guardian spirit thought to be assigned to each person at their birth.

๑ Magister: Master, sir;  a title of the Middle Ages given to a person in authority, or to one having a license from a university to teach philosophy and the liberal arts. In Sweden, Magister historically was the highest degree at the faculties of philosophy and was equivalent to the doctorate used in theology, law and medicine. The degree was abolished in 1863, and replaced with the Doctor of Philosophy. The Magister degrees used in Denmark and Norway most closely resemble this degree.
✔ Golden LOST Thread Woven into the Tapestry of this Tale
★ A few {as there are many} episodes connections to this ONCE episode: Expose, The Long Con, Confidence Man, Outlaws and Catch 22
★ 4, 8, 23 and 50: Yes, I noted 50 for a reason. Jack meet Mr. Friendly on day 50 and Christian/Jack is sober 50 days in A Tale of Two Cities.  Plus there's the book club, Jack gets "bailed out" and so much more.
★ Swan- Swan Station/Hatch.  Sidney/Sydney Glass.
★ Identity. No Identity
★ Cranium/Head: Mental health. Psychology/Psychiatry. Sessions
★ Hear-listen.  Look-see
★ Being watched/observe. Communication
★ Bug. Monitor. Record/tape. Walkie-Talkie. Tracking. Flash/thumb drive. Computers
★ Code. Execute. Escape
★ Security system and alarm
★ 1st Place- 2nd Place- Win {A Race or contest- Game} Rules
★ Chess
★ Direction and choices: Start. Stop. Right. Wrong.  
★ Life: Birthday/birth. Departed/death {gone}
★ Mirrors
★ Sleep. Awake
★ Grow. Nurture. Teach. Learn
★ Things written out: Blueprints. Text. Records. Documents. Files.
★ Diary/journal: Claire, Daniel Faraday, Ben Linus and The Black Rock kept journals. Note- Although The Black Rock's journal was up for auction in The Constant, it has LEDGER is written on book spine
★ Burying things- not staying buried for very long
★ Drinking alcohol. Drunk. Bar
★ Bacon is mentioned by Hurley, Charlie, Ana Lucia and Miles
★ Picnics- Charlie/Claire, Hurley/Libby, Sayid/Shannon
★ Queen of the castle- We had King of the castle Mobisode Number 3
★ See you in another life, Brotha- Desmond.  Nadia wrote to Sayid “You’ll find me in the next life, if not in this one” in Solitary
★ Jack says "Forgive me" as he prepares to jump off the bridge in Through the Looking Glass
★ When Genie inquires "And what will you do to him once I have found him?" Brings me back to the question Jack asks Locke "What happens when I catch him?" in White Rabbit
★ In the episodes The Lie and The Little Prince we get specific shots of the silver cell phone just as we do in this ONCE episode
★ In the episode What Kate Did Locke frees Jin of his handcuff, and Mr. Eko spoke to John Locke about the Book of Law and temple in ruins
★ In the episode Dave we learn that Hurley feels responsible for the death of a few people; because the deck that was built to hold 8 was holding 23 and it collapsed, leaving him to feel it was due to his weight.   And Henry Gale's balloon story is confronted and found to be a made up story. {The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad}
★ I gotta say that when we are introduced to The Viper I had thoughts about the spiders in Expose for a moment
★ Expose also shows up in Ji Yeon {On the TV in Sun's room}, The Man From Tallahassee {Locke's mental health/depression and he watches Expose}, The Lie {David Reyes watches Expose}

Enough of my rambling...Here is your episode recap! Enjoy!
Focused  Henry {wearing a helmet} rides his bike right past Emma sitting in her sheriff car. {We get a great shot of both individually in the rear view mirror} He peddles right past Emma.
Henry- "The storm!"  The playhouse castle is in ruins.
Emma assures him they can fix it; she'll call Marco to do it.  But Henry seems more concerned with finding his buried book that he's hid so his mom doesn't find it.  He also ruled out hiding it under his mattress because that would be the first place the Evil Queen would look; the second place she'd look is to Emma. The book is buried in a key locked red toolbox.  Henry shares that his mom doesn't know about the castle because it's his and Emma's secret.
He buries the box again, just as Regina calls out his name; she's been looking everywhere for him.
Henry has a session with Archie this morning.  Regina should have known he was with Emma. She commands him to the car.
Regina looks at the ruined playhouse castle and asks Emma "You let him play here?"
Emma- "The storm hit it hard but we can fix it."
Regina- "Well, can you fix a cracked cranium? 'Cause that's what you'll have on your hands if one of these boards collapses under his weight. You're not thinking about Henry or his safety, just ways around me.  Miss Swan, don't let your feelings cloud your judgment. People can get hurt."   That statement means Emma's the sheriff now and it's time to be responsible.  Regina walks away.

At Granny's Diner annoyed Emma is re-telling the conversation she had with Regina, to Mary Margaret. "Don't let my feelings cloud my judgment? That's all Regina ever does."   Mary Margaret feels Regina's just upset because Emma and Henry have a special place- and she doesn't.  Emma wonders how Regina found out about the castle in the first place.  Mary Margaret informs her Regina, the Mayor, knows everything about this town.  She checks her cell phone and sees there's a message from David Nolan, and hurries out.  But she also lets Emma know she thinks Emma's right because she sees the affect Regina has on Henry.
As soon as Mary Margaret is away from the table Sidney doesn't miss a beat and sits right in the chair across from Emma.  He has been drinking and claims to be able to grant Emma's wish.
Emma backs away from his liquored breath and asks if he wants a side of bacon with that whiskey.  Sidney can help her show the town who the Mayor really is. Emma feels that would be hard to do since Sidney is inside the Mayor's pocket.  Sidney claims he and the Mayor are done. "She got me fired from the paper! She made a fool of me in the election. So, I started working on an Expose on the Mayor's office and I found something she didn't want found."
Emma- "Sidney, you're drunk. Go home, sleep it off. {she takes her keys} Be grateful you don't have to answer to her anymore."
Sidney gives her his business card. "Call me. Storybrooke deserves to know the truth about her." Emma reluctantly takes his card. {Note- the whole scene at Granny's the time on the clock is on 9:00}
Genie is sitting inside his lamp looking at himself in his hand held mirror. He is bored and lonely.  Above/outside the Genie notes a new master. "Here we go." 
At the shore/beach King Leopold rubs the found gold lamp. {With three green gems. Note the sound as he the king touches the lamp} Dark smoke escapes from the lamp and manifests into a Genie. {The Genie wears an earring that looks like a leaf.}
The obviously sick and tired Genie runs down the "three wishes" rules in a redundant fashion to his new master.  "You awakened the Genie of Agrabah!  You are entitled to three wishes, no more, no less. But you must know that magic has its limits.  You cannot wish for life- nor death. You cannot wish for love. You cannot wish for more wishes. And once spoken a wish cannot be undone no matter what the consequences. So...tell me your first wish."
The happy go lucky King is giddy trying to think of a wish, but ultimately can't think of a single thing he desires because he has everything he needs. "I seek nothing more than the happiness of all who set foot in my Kingdom."
The Genie- "Ugh!"  Again Genie is obviously spiritless.  He sits down on some old tree limbs/driftwood. King Leopold notices that although Genie is in his Kingdom he seems unhappy.
Genie- "I have served as Genie of the Lamp for longer than you've been alive.  Life as a Genie is not as magical as it may appear.
King Leopold- "So, you wish to be free?"
Genie- "More than anything."
The generous hearted King knows his first wish. "I wish you to be free".  And with a magical Whoosh the gold cuffs that bind the Genie are released.  The excited Genie wonders "Can it be? Am I truly free?"
King Leopold- "You're the Genie, you tell me."
The Genie asks the King what he will do with the remaining two wishes.  For the King's second wish he wishes to give his third and final wish to the Genie and he hands the Genie the lamp.
Genie- "In my time I have granted 1001 wishes...and I've seen them end poorly 1001 times.  Making a wish comes with a price.  And that is why I will never use this wish."   He puts the lamp in his pocket.
The King commends him for being a man of wisdom and asks what he will do with his freedom.  Genie will find the one thing he's always desired, the thing that his prison has kept from him; "True love."  In that case the King invites him to his palace as he is certain he will find it there.  The King wants him to meet his family.

As Genie and the King walk through the garden {with its 8 sided structures} of the Steel/Iron/Glass Palace, Genie compliments him. "Your palace is as lovely as you are kind."  But the King feels it's more than kindness, and introduces his beautiful daughter, Snow {with flowers/Gerber daisies}, and then to his wife, Regina. {Note 1 of the 8 sided structures is not complete and it houses the tree which is surrounded by a fence.} Regina picks an apple off the tree and says hello to Genie. {Genie carries a dagger as part of his attire} The Queen appears lovely and beautiful.

The playground castle is being torn down while Regina stands by overseeing the destruction.  Emma hurries to Henry's side.  His book is no longer on the site where he buried it.  Emma sarcastically congratulates Regina on destroying thing Henry loves.  Concerned mother Regina feels it was a dangerous thing that can only hurt him and others. "You see me as a villain, Miss Swan, but that's just your perception and you're wrong.  Learn your place in this town or soon enough you won't be in it."  Regina walks away and Emma wastes no time calling Sidney. "Hi. I'm in. I want everyone to know who she really is."

Mary Margaret hurries to the TrOLL Bridge to meet John Doe/David.  She got his text and wonders what is going on.   {David wears his wedding ring}
John Doe/David- "Follow me."
He pulls her and leads covertly.  This makes Mary Margaret scared.  He tells her what's wrong  "You're late".   He presents her with a picnic. "Now the wine's getting warm." {White wine. Gerber daisies}  She kisses him but feels they have to stop doing this.
John Doe/David- "We just started doing this."  They will figure out what they are doing- tomorrow.

Literally right under them- under the TrOLL Bridge {Trolls live under bridges} Emma drives through the tunnel to (covertly) meet Sidney.  Emma is listening and wants to know what he knows about her.  Sidney reveals that $50,000 {grand} out of the budget is missing and Regina's responsible... The money is just the tip of the iceberg. "We figure out what she's doing and it all falls apart. It all crumbles. And we'll finally learn her secrets.  You see what she is. I see it.  All we need is a crack in the mirror to show everyone! I'm telling you this is it!"
He feels the plan is to "Tap her phone. G.P.S. her car. Hack into her E-Mail. Dip into your bail bonds person bag of tricks!"
Emma says no, as she's sheriff now and has to be responsible. "I want to do this by the book."
Sidney- "She's gonna know that you're on to her, sooner than later.  Are you prepared for her wrath?" Emma is prepared, while Sidney says he wasn't.   They walk in opposite directions.  Emma stops to ask, "If you thought she was so terrifying... how did you allow yourself to end up in her pocket?"
Sidney seems sincere when replying, "I used to think she was a different person."

King Leopold is celebrating his birthday with friends and family with a feast. The Queen sits alone at the table looking very sad. {Wearing gray-ish color}
The King lovingly makes a speech as he tenderly holds Snow's hand. "No gifts are required to mark this special day.  For they all pale in comparison to the greatest gift of all- My daughter, Snow.  Every day I look upon your face... and I am reminded of your dearly departed mother, who like you truly was the fairest in all the land."
Genie watches the sad and jealous Queen walk out of the room.
The Sad Queen looks up at the moon and Genie joins her.  She is started by his voice behind her. Apparently she's not in a festive mood and no one seems to notice her absence.  But Genie noticed.  He compliments her lovely tree.  {He touches a leaf} The tree is from her childhood garden. The Queen feels she and the tree share something in common; neither of them can leave the palace and neither truly belongs.  She shares her sadness with Genie.  "No matter how hard I try to please the King he will never love me the way he loved his first wife. I'm trapped by the memory of a life they used to share."
Genie knows more than anyone about being trapped.  He gives her his large hand held mirror from his pocket in an effort to lift her spirits. "So you can see yourself the way I see you."  She tearfully asks how he sees her.
Genie-"As the fairest in all the land." They look into each other's eyes.
At Mary Margaret's apartment Emma and Sidney look through files and file boxes for Intel.  She asks if it sounds right that the transfer went through about three weeks ago. Sidney says "Yeah. Why?"  Emma reveals those records are missing.
Mary Margaret barges in to talk to Emma and realizes Sidney is there.  Emma informs Mary Margaret that she and Sidney are doing some work and may have found something on Regina.  Mary Margaret feels that's "Interesting work. Oh, I approve".  Sidney suggests if Emma wants to do this by the book they should get a warrant.  But Emma's concerned that they wouldn't be able to find a judge that Regina doesn't own. "We're screwed."  Or there's Sidney's way; to which Emma reiterates she wants to do this right.
Sidney- "What's right is exposing her.  Sometimes doing a bad thing for a good reason is OK, right?"
Wound up Mary Margaret chimes in. "Yeah. I mean maybe you're doing something wrong but if what's meant to be if its what's right does that really make you a bad person?!"
Sidney laughs "Exactly."
Emma thinks the two are doing a whole lot of rationalizing.
Sidney- "But look what she's done to you. To me. To your son. I mean she's not gonna stop, so whatever you do you gotta do something."
Emma wants to start by talking to Regina.

In the Mayor's black, white and touch of red office Regina asks knit cap wearing Emma and the disgraced {X} ex-reporter what they're accusing her of.  Sidney just stands stoic as Emma does all the talking.  Emma tells her $50,000 was transferred out of the city account by her and public records show they are missing.  As Mayor, Regina's involved in many transactions and she probably checked them out; as her job often requires her to do.  And if the records were checked out three weeks ago "That means they burned- in a fire".  In a fire she recalls got Emma elected sheriff.  Confident Regina has nothing to hide.  {Well, were they checked out or did they burn in the fire?!}
Emma leans on Regina's desk and looks into Regina's eyes and tells Sidney there's nothing for them to do, so they leave. {Where is that super power Emma has- the one  where she claims she can tell when people are lying?}

Outside, troubled Sidney questions Emma's plan "I thought you were gonna do something?"  Emma did. "I planted a bug. You win, Sidney. Let's do whatever it takes"
We get a shot of the planted bug under the desk, while Regina types away at her laptop.
Genie enters through giant double doors into the King's bedchamber as  the King had called for Genie. {The King looks disappointed} He has reason to believe his wife's heart belongs to another man.  Genie has no reaction and feels the Queen would never stray.  The doubting King shows Genie her diary suggesting otherwise. 
"Last night a man gave me a gift. And though it was but a simple mirror, it awakened feelings in me that I abandoned long ago.  Hope for love and companionship...even though I am trapped in my husband's court."  
Genie silently realizes he is the man she's referencing.  The King notes that sadly the diary doesn't name the man who gave her this mirror. "I am not a fool!  I realize that the Queen is unhappy...and yearns for someone... to love her in a way that I never can.  And yet I never imagined that she would betray me like this."  Genie knows that the Queen will never act on these feelings, but the King feels love makes people do foolish things.  Genie asks why the King called upon him.  The King admits he needs a man with Genie's wits; to learn the identity of the man who has stolen his wife's heart.  Genie inquires "And what will you do to him once I have found him?"   King Leopold feels that is only his concern.  The King presents the mirror to Genie and asks "Now, tell me, Genie... Can you find the man who gave the Queen this mirror- or not?"  Genie looks into the mirror.
Sidney is listening to Regina's scintillating one sided phone conversation via the planted bug under her desk.  Regina's chat- "Miss Ginger, I really don't have time for more complaints about working conditions, the air temperature is not one of my areas."  Sidney tells Emma he found "something better than good" with a call Regina made little over an hour ago. He pushes play on the recorder to playback her dialogue.
Regina- "I'll meet you tonight at access road 23 with the rest of your payment. Yes, it will all be in cash. And I don't need to remind you that no one can know about this. Yes, I know it has to be tonight."
Curious Emma wonders who is on the other end, but there's no way to know that because only the office is bugged and not the phone.  They are excited with the Intel of the impending payoff in the woods with the stolen city funds.  The duo head out to see who Regina's meeting.

In the dark rainy night Emma and Sidney in the sheriff car, follow Regina in her Mercedes to her rendezvous.  Emma hits the breaks and panics because they don't work. "It won't stop!"  They crash right into the sign and get stuck on some rocks!
Emma thinks they're going to miss the hand-off.  Sidney feels Regina is on to them. She must have found the bug Emma planted as someone's been tampering with the breaks.  Emma is pissed off that she was almost killed!  Emma and her flashlight lead Sidney into woods to find out what Regina is doing.  Mr. Gold appears in the woods with a briefcase. {Walking stick}  Apparently Regina met him for a business transaction. Land comes with a price too.  Regina bought Mr. Gold's land; the very land Emma is standing on.  Emma asks what Regina bought it for.  Mr. Gold feels that in business it's best not to ask too  many questions. "Hurts the bottom line. Question is, Emma, why are you standing out here in the middle of the night with Mr. Glass? "
Stoic Sidney states- "You don't know what Regina did to me. You don't know what she did to her son. We can't just sit idly by."   
Mr. Gold {whispers} "Of course you can. Be careful. Emotional entanglements can lead us down very dangerous paths."

In the palace garden Genie cuts an apple off of The Queen's tree, and without turning around says "I was beginning to worry you wouldn't come."  Entering cautiously and suspiciously is Henry, the Queen's father. Henry asks "You were expecting the Queen?"
Concerned Genie asks "Who are you? What have you done with her?"
Upset Henry- "The King's locked her away in her chambers.  My daughter is a prisoner in her own Kingdom!"  He asks Genie to take the box to his daughter. "The palace guards won't allow me into her chambers. They know I'd die for her. But you- the King trusts you.  He doesn't know that you have my daughter's heart. The guards will allow you in. Give her this box."
Genie doesn't understand and wonders about the box.  Henry explains it's the only thing that can free her from this wretched life. "If you truly care for my daughter, I know you'll do whatever it takes to set her free."
Genie checks out the skull key.
Emma and Sidney arrive at City Hall in her VW Beetle.  Emma needs to find out why Regina bought land from Mr. Gold; she bets Regina bought it for personal reasons.  The duo will break into Regina's office and find proof; documents that officially link her to that land.  Sidney's concerned about Regina's locked office with its state of the art security system and alarm.  Emma feels if they don't show this town who Regina really is then who will.
Confident Emma thinks she can crack Regina's code.
Emma breaks the glass setting off the alarm. Since Emma is the "police", the person called when an alarm is tripped, she rationalizes "2 Minutes to get her call from the alarm company, 1 minute for her to get her coat and keys, 3 minutes to drive here- we got maybe 6 minutes!"

In Regina's dark office Emma uses her Flash/thumb drive to retrieve documents from Regina's laptop; overriding the security. 
Emma's uncovered every file that references the tract of land she bought from Gold.
Emma also uncovers from a drawer in the printer copier stand, a ring of skull keys and wonders what the hell they open.  Sidney doesn't know.
Emma continues searching the office for Henry's book.
Sidney- "We didn't come here for Henry we came here for files..."
Emma- "No, you didn't come here for Henry. Me, that's the only reason I'm here."
Regina runs into her dark office and shields her eyes from Emma's flashlight and disables the alarm.  Emma makes up a story telling the Mayor that some kids broke in; she heard the alarm and she's checking it out because she's the sheriff.  She also adds that she brought Sidney because he saw it on his walk; he's a witness.
Regina- "And what did you see, Sidney?"
Nervous Sidney replies "Some kids...with a ..."   Emma interjects "Rock" and Sidney concurs.
The sheriff doesn't know if the kids took anything; she'd have to do a thorough sweep to find out.  It appears to Regina that it was just a prank.  Regina doesn't want Emma to take the place apart to find out differently.  Regina informs the sheriff that her services are no longer wanted nor needed. Emma's fine with that "Well, you know where to find me" and walks out.  Sidney looks a bit uncomfortable for a moment before he exits.
The sad Queen sits at her vanity table when in walks Genie to deliver the box.
The Queen- "It's you!"  She throws her happy arms around him and the hug tightly.  The Queen's love for Genie grows stronger with every beat of her heart.  She tells him the King has read her diary and found her mirror and soon will discover the truth about the two of them- there's no escape.
Genie assures her there's always an escape. "Your father said what's in this box will would give you your freedom.  The Queen believes it will as well.  Genie hands her the skull key and she opens the box.
The Queen- "The Agrabahn Viper."  {Two}
A snake so deadly it can kill anything with a single bite.  Genie knows all too well of this serpent's poison; it's from his homeland.   The Queen had it brought there because there is no happiness left for her in this life; feeling the one small bite will free her from her prison forever.
The Queen cries- "I'm sorry we couldn't be together, my love. Perhaps in another life we will find each other again."  She slowly and dramatically reaches her hand down toward the snake box and is stopped by Genie because he's thought of another way. "What if the King...didn't live?"   Genie would do anything for her and he'll take care of it.  The grateful Queen hugs him as she doesn't know what she would do without him.
Genie- "You will never have to find out."   He closes the lid on the snake.
At Granny's Diner the scruffy stranger asks Henry what he's working on.  With no time to waste Henry is focused on writing everything down before he forgets. {Blue marker. He includes drawings}
The Stranger- "Yeah I hate it when great ideas slip away from me."
Henry- "But they're not my ideas. They're stories from a book that I lost."
The stranger thinks it must be a hell of a book and asks what it's about.  Henry never lifting his cautious head up replies "Stuff".   The stranger obviously wants to converse.
Henry- "You seem awfully interested in me and my book!"  The stranger is just being neighborly.
Henry- "What are you doing in Storybrooke?"
The Stranger- "I'm a writer."
Henry- "You can write anywhere. What are you really doing here?"
The Stranger whispers in Henry's ear "Stuff".  He wishes Henry good luck with the stories and leaves.

Sidney and Emma are going through Blueprints, bank statements and other documents, wondering what Regina is building out there.  Emma asks "A mansion?"  {A Swan Hatch, a church?}
Sidney feels whatever it is it doesn't matter because the escrow statements have her name all over it.  He tells Emma she was right "Personal use. She's done. We got her."
Emma looks troubled.  Sidney asks "What's wrong? Didn't you hear me?"  Emma feels bad because they stooped to Regina's level; she promised Henry she wouldn't do that.  Sidney's excited that they "got her!"
Emma- "It's the fruit of the poisonous tree. Illegally obtained evidence. It'll get thrown out in court in a heartbeat."
Sidney- "We don't need her to go to jail."
Emma- "Then what are we doing here?"
Sidney- "What you wished for...Get everyone to see who she is!  What she did to Henry she does to everyone. She destroys what people love."  He reluctantly shows Emma a box of photographs of her and Henry.  Regina made Sidney follow Emma and Henry and tell her everything about their secret place weeks ago. "She just waited to destroy it 'til it would hurt you and Henry the most. And it's all my fault. If you don't do this...I have to."
Angry Emma agrees.

Madam Mayor is leading a session of the City Council.  They'll begin by reading the minutes of the last meeting.  Sidney stands up indicating he has something he wants to bring to the council's attention. Regina informs him that this isn't an open forum and no one on the council is interested in hearing the boozy complaints of a disgraced reporter. She demands he sit down. Emma jumps up with something to say.
Regina- "Miss Swan. This meeting is to discuss issues facing Storybrooke."
Emma blurts out that the Mayor is stealing thousands of dollars from the city to build herself a second home.  The attendees are shocked. Mr. Gold watches and listens to the interactions between the two women.
The Mayor demands Emma sit down "Or so help me..."   Emma wonders, or what- Regina will punish or bully her, like everyone else in the town. "No. Not today." 
Emma claims to hold in her hand proof the Mayor stole funds from the city to build herself a lavish home in the woods.  And the reason disgraced reporter Sidney was fired was because he stood up to her; he questioned her.  "We all know what happens to people who question the Mayor. You claim that you act in the best interest of all of us, but that isn't the truth, is it? The truth is that you are a thug that doesn't care about anyone or anything but yourself.  That is who you really are.  And it is time for the people of Storybrooke to know that."
Regina- "You are right, Miss Swan. I am building a house. A Playhouse."  She presents a power point on the new playground she's having built with city funds for Henry and all of the children; so they can have a special place to play...safely.  The sketch was inspired from a drawing from one of Henry's books. "So there you have it Miss Swan. You've exposed me for who I really am. I hope you're satisfied."  {Check out Mr. Gold's reaction}

King Leopold sleeps in alone in his bed. Genie holds the box with the snakes and whispers "Forgive me".   He opens the box with the skull key and commands the gold snake to the sleeping King.  As the snakes slither their way under the blankets the King wakes up to find Genie standing over him.  The King is bit in the neck by the duo snake!  Seeming compassionate Genie holds the King's hand encouraging him that the pain will so pass.  As the King is gasping Genie also confesses he's the man who gave the mirror to the Queen. "I am that man. You gave me my that freedom. You gave me a chance... to find love and for that I am forever in your debt.  But just as you freed me, so must I now free your Queen. Forgive me."
The King grabs Genies hand to tell him he was right. "I never... should have made the wish." The King stops struggling; his eyes open and lifeless.

Outside City Hall Mr. Gold tells Emma and Sidney to look at her "Queen of the Castle"  He commends Emma on trying to bring Regina down but suggests a stronger ally if she really wants to accomplish this.  Emma's still not interested in Mr. Gold's partnership.
Mr. Gold- "Oh, one can wish."
Regina speaks to Emma alone.  Regina doesn't know what Emma was hoping to accomplish in there but she hopes Emma will just go back to her job "Which is upholding the law. Not breaking it."  She knows Emma broke into her office.  Emma doesn't want Regina to pretend she's so innocent; accusing her of messing with the brakes on her car.
Regina- "Your brakes? Are you delusional? Why would I kill you when you just saw I have nothing to hide?"
Until Emma has something more substantial than sustain to throw Regina's way, Emma is to stay away from her and her son; and that's not open for discussion. "You've lost the high ground, sheriff.  If I wanted to there's not a judge in the world that would deny me a restraining order after what you've done. You don't get to see my son...unless I say so. And right now...I don't say so."
Henry {wearing a pea coat} plays at the new playhouse in the woods.  Emma watches from her Beetle. They wave to each other.  Henry radios her asking why she's so far away "Come out here".  Emma tells the kid she can't today.  Imaginative Henry thinks she's undercover for Operation Cobra.  Emma tells him she's not undercover and that his mother doesn't want them seeing each other for a while.  Emma screwed up and does have to listen to Regina right now. "I got mad at your mom about you and the book and everything. We're just going to have to be apart for a while."
Henry doesn't want to be apart and Emma assures him she will find a way back in.  "And hey, if it's out there, Henry...I will find your book."
Henry- "Good luck. It's probably gone and it's probably never coming back."  He watches Emma drive away.
The scruffy stranger breaks into Henry's old red toolbox and retrieves the book. {He has a lot of tools with him!}

Sidney sits at the bar, uh I mean Granny's diner counter drinking a beer. Emma joins him. "Looks like we had the same idea."   Sidney feels if you can't beat her- drink.  Emma is served her beer.
Sidney ponders "How did we not see this?"
Emma- "We did. We saw it all right from the start. Just didn't wanna look. Blinded by our anger.  By everything."
That may be true this time, but since there's a lot of skeletons in Regina's closet Emma's got herself an ally. The two raise their glasses as Emma toasts "We won't get fooled again".

Excited Genie enters The Queen's chambers announcing that it's done. "You are free, my love. We are free to be together at last. Did you not hear me? Our days of imprisonment are over."
The Queen- "You haven't heard the news. The palace guards found the snake. They know it's from your country. They know it was you who killed the King.  It's only a matter of time before they catch you. You will be executed. I'm sorry...but we will never be together.  Come. I've arranged for a boat to provide you safe passage out of the Kingdom. You must leave at once."
Genie is stunned realizing the she chose that particular snake so the murder could be traced back to him. "You fooled me. You never loved me."
The vicious Queen wanted the King killed and Genie killed him and now Genie is no use to her any longer. "Be grateful I'm offering you an escape. Now flee the Kingdom and never turn back!"
The disgraced Genie still can't and won't live without her.  The queen raises her voice so he hears her. "I don't love you! There is no way we will ever be together."
Genie- "There is one way."   He uses the one remaining wish from the gold lamp. "I wish to be with you forever. To look upon your face always to- never leave your side."   And in a Whoosh the Genie trapped himself inside her mirror.  Genie pounds to get out of his new prison. The amused Queen sees he got his wish and he will be with her forever.

Sidney is looking at himself in the mirror in Regina's office.  Regina takes an apple from the bowl and asks him "Well?"  Pleased Sidney plays the tape of his meeting with Emma.
Regina is happy, "She bought it."
Proud Sidney- "All of it."
Regina feels it was a masterful job top to bottom "And cutting the brakes on her car, ha- Inspired."  Now Emma trusts Sidney and now they can have some fun.  She gives him the apple.
Sidney- "Everything she does, everywhere she goes...you'll know about it."
Regina touches his thigh and they look into each other's eyes as she tells him she doesn't know what she'd do without him.