Article first published as ONCE UPON A TIME Review Season 3 Episode 18 Bleeding Through on Seat42F.
Tonight’s ONCE UPON A TIME, “Bleeding Through,” finally reveals Zelena’s (Rebecca Mader) fiendish scheme as Regina (Lana Parrilla), Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin), and their comrades look to the past for answers. Zelena plans to do what has not been done before – travel back in time and change things. But to do so, she will need one more important key ingredient: Snow and Charming’s (Josh Dallas) unborn baby.
Tonight’s ONCE UPON A TIME, “Bleeding Through,” finally reveals Zelena’s (Rebecca Mader) fiendish scheme as Regina (Lana Parrilla), Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin), and their comrades look to the past for answers. Zelena plans to do what has not been done before – travel back in time and change things. But to do so, she will need one more important key ingredient: Snow and Charming’s (Josh Dallas) unborn baby.
The formula of brains, heart, and
courage is one familiar to Wizard of Oz fans. Zelena has Rumple’s
(Robert Carlyle) mind under her control, has swiped Charming’s courage,
and now uses Robin Hood’s (Sean Maguire) son as leverage to obtain
Regina’s heart. This doesn’t feel like a trip down the yellow brick
road, which is disappointing to fans of the Emerald City, but at least
there is some cohesion as the plot moves forward, tying ONCE UPON A TIME
to the marvelous land of Oz.
Why a baby, though? Does the infant
represent Dorothy’s innocence? There have been no hints of gingham
dresses about. Or perhaps the past is the home Zelena needs to get to
and the child is her ticket there, similar to a pair of silver slippers.
Whatever the reason, at least our heroes now know what Zelena wants so
they can attempt to stop it.
My only question as this point is why is
Zelena being so patient with Hook (Colin O’Donoghue)? She told Hook to
take away Emma’s (Jennifer Morrison) magic or Zelena would begin hurting
people. Hook has not acted, grumpily arguing with Emma to forestall
having to do the deed, and Zelena hasn’t followed up. Why not?
I will say, the flashbacks in “Bleeding
Through” are a bit weak in terms of story structure. Young Cora (Rose
McGowan) is fleeced by a false royal (David De Lautour, Touch), then
tries to cover up her pregnancy mistake by quickly marrying Prince
Leopold (Eric Lange, Lost). Unfortunately for Cora, Princess Eva (Eva
Bourne, Caprica) interferes, exposing Cora’s lies and winning Leopold
for herself.
One problem I have with this is that Eva
is supposed to be the good guy, and instead is portrayed as a sneaky
brat. Snow thinks this makes the history she and Regina share more
complex, admitting that she grew out of her own annoying phase, but that
just isn’t how we’ve seen Eva before, and by extension, who Snow has
grown into. Secondly, Snow then talks about how Cora is forced to give
up Zelena against her will, but from what we see, it’s only Cora’s own
selfish desires that necessitate abandoning the baby, and it still isn’t
clear why Zelena ends up in Oz. The twister coming along at that moment
is too big a coincidence.
There’s also the ick factor that Cora is
romantically with Leopold, and even though they don’t consummate
anything, Cora’s daughter eventually marries the prince, then a king,
herself. Talk about some twisted family relations!
Luckily, the emotional journey Regina
goes through in “Bleeding Through” helps make up for this. She reveals
some honesty in her assessment of her mother, refusing to condemn Snow
for murdering Cora, and even protecting Snow when it looks like Cora’s
ghost wants to do her harm. She also shows her great capacity to love,
even without a heart, having compassion to Snow and finally kissing
Robin Hood. No other character in this universe has been able to love
once their heart is taken, and so this makes Regina very special indeed,
having the most resilient heart, as it were.
As usual, Parrilla kills the
performance. Amid some silly stuff, her tears feel real, and she evokes
sympathy in a complicated situation. It would be easy for Regina to be
hokey, but Parrilla takes the things that don’t add up about the
character and turns them into understandable layers. She comes across as
the most mature person on the show, and thus can rise above the
squabbles, and even begins apologizing for past wrongs. She is my
favorite player on ONCE UPON A TIME for a reason, and “Bleeding Through”
gives her yet another opportunity to shine.
Though this current Regina may not quite
deserve it, it’s cool to see Belle (Emilie de Ravin) lay into her when
Regina asks for help. Many have begun to forgive Regina for what she’s
done, seeing first-hand how she has changed. Belle has not had this
experience, and her hatred is the exact reaction she should have towards
the former Evil Queen. It’s refreshing to get this point of view from
someone.
Another scene that stands out in
“Bleeding Through” is Rumple’s attempt to seduce Zelena in order to
steal back his dagger. She believes him briefly because she is starved
for affection, but of course doesn’t let down her guard, hardened as she
is. Rumple, for his part, shows how much he’s changed when he respects
the sacrifice his son, Bae, made to try to stop Zelena, rather than
playing into Zelena’s plan, which could lead to Rumple saving Bae in the
past. Rumple is putting the greater good ahead of himself once more,
and his interplay with Zelena is both charged and authentic.
“Bleeding Through” hurts itself with
going too far into the past and forcing backstory that doesn’t add up.
Like McGowan’s previous appearance as Young Cora, the scenes seem
forgettable and unnecessary. But solid performances and interactions in
the present day save the episode overall, perhaps not ranking it among
the best of the show, but certainly not one to ignore, either.
Only four episodes remain in ONCE UPON A TIME’s third season. It continues Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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