Article first published as ONCE UPON A TIME Review Season 4 Episode 5 Breaking Glass on Seat42F.
This
week’s episode of ABC’s ONCE UPON A TIME is called “Breaking Glass,” a
title that doesn’t really fit exactly with the episode. And that isn’t
the only strange thing in the mostly entertaining, but occasionally
inconsistent, installment which finds a friendship forming, inner
strength being found, and a mother learning how to be more than that
again.
First, we have Emma (Jennifer
Morrison), Regina (Lana Parrilla), and Elsa (Georgina Haig) all on the
hunt for the elusive Snow Queen (Elizabeth Mitchell). The Queen has
taken to the woods, and when Emma goes to Regina for help, not only does
Regina refuse to do so, but the Snow Queen manages to lure the
left-alone Elsa into a trap (after Elsa sits in the car for an
incredibly unrealistic long time). Emma and Regina become reluctant
partners on the trail, until all have a big showdown in which the Snow
Queen triumphs.
We still don’t know
the Snow Queen’s plan, but it involves getting Regina’s pocket mirror in
order to complete a larger mirror in her lair. Incidentally, this also
allows Sidney (Giancarlo Esposito) out of his entrapment when he
switches allegiances, but the Snow Queen doesn’t really want him, and
it’s certainly too late for him to go crawling back to Regina, so he’s
left a bit adrift. But back to the Snow Queen, it’s all ice and mirrors
as she plays with everyone, accomplishes her goals, but reveals nothing
to the of herself to the characters or the viewers.
The
Snow Queen seems interested in Elsa, whom we know is her niece, though
Elsa isn’t aware. The Snow Queen gets Elsa out of the way so she can
attend to the task at hand, but when Elsa is able to break free, the
Snow Queen seems proud. My guess is that the Snow Queen would like to
help Elsa, but only if she proves herself worthy of her attention, and
Elsa is well on her way to doing so. However, the help will probably
only come if it benefits the Snow Queen, at least in casting Elsa (who
really needs to change clothes) as an apprentice and heir-apparent.
The
Snow Queen doesn’t seem to care so much about Regina and Emma. True,
one could argue that the way the bridge disintegrates is designed to
lead the women somewhere rather than to kill them, but the Snow Queen is
just a little too careless with their lives to seem like she worries
about keeping them alive in any way.
Which
makes the revelation that Emma lived with her as a teenager, something
the Snow Queen has wiped from Emma’s memory, and that doesn’t quite
justify the pointless Emma flashbacks in “Breaking Glass,” all the more
puzzling. Why is the Snow Queen interested in Emma, and how did she get
out of Storybrooke during the original curse? Or why did she join the
town sometime during that curse, as seen in pictures?
The
welcome outcome of this ONCE UPON A TIME adventure is that Emma and
Regina acknowledge something like a friendship. I do feel like Regina
shuts Emma down too much, even in keeping with her character, and the
way that Emma sees Regina as a much-needed friend comes out of nowhere,
not satisfactorily answered in the flashbacks. But “Breaking Glass” gets
the women to a place they need to be, on the road to a real
relationship, and that is very moving.
Regina
needs Emma’s friendship as much as Emma needs Regina. The latter
reasons are obvious, as Emma could use some help with her magic. The
former may be less so. Regina is losing her humanity, treating Sidney
like a pawn again and considering dark options, even as she doesn’t go
through with them. Henry’s (Jared Gilmore) faith in his adopted mother
helps keep Regina good, but an adult friend, one who can see through the
bull in a way Henry can’t, as well as someone whose faith in her that
Regina doesn’t expect, can help Regina even more. Emma is important in
Regina’s redemption sticking and continuing forward.
Another
great scene is a small one in which Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) shows
interest in Emma’s past. This romantic, compassionate Hook doesn’t quite
gel with the schemer seen last week, but it is the Hook fans want, and
the Hook that Emma deserves. Hopefully, ONCE UPON A TIME will give us
more of this Hook and less of the other one.
Elsewhere,
Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin) thinks David (Josh Dallas) leads her
on a wild goose chase after the escaped Will Scarlet (Michael Socha) in
order to get her groove back. It turns out not be a trick by David, but
the side story is a good use of Mary Margaret and David, usually flat,
uninteresting characters, and the more Will can be worked into the
story, even if his narrative is unfolding as fitfully as the Snow
Queen’s, the better.
ONCE UPON A TIME
is having a rough fall, better than last spring’s batch, but lacking
the cohesiveness and the rich layers of the previous autumn’s Neverland
arc. “Breaking Glass” does much to get the show back on track, but
unfortunately, in doing so, it has to stray from some established bits
in recent weeks. Here’s hoping ONCE figures out what it needs to do and
sticks with it in time to salvage this story.
ONCE UPON A TIME airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.