Recap:
Kathryn reveals to David that she was accepted into law school in Boston and wants them to move there together. Upon hearing the news, Mary Margaret tells David to end things with Kathryn and divulge their affair. David tells Kathryn that he never felt a connection with her, but fails to mention that his leaving her is because of someone else. Heartbroken, Kathryn visits Regina and learns from her about the affair. After the town shuns her, Mary Margaret breaks up with David. On Kathryn’s way out of Storybrooke, shown simultaneously with Regina burning Kathryn’s letter to David, her car ends up in the bar ditch but Kathryn is nowhere in sight.
Emma and the Mysterious Stranger, whose real name is August, take a ride to a wishing well for that drink Emma owes him. August tells Emma the story of the well, that its water has the power to return lost things to you. Emma then finds the storybook under her car, after the Mysterious Stranger rebound it, and she gives it back to Henry.
On the day of the royal wedding, Prince Charming teams up with Abigail to help her reconnect with a lost love. This man, Frederick, was turned into a golden statue after he shielded King Midas from an attack. Charming sets out to retrieve water from a magical lake, the same source as in Storybrooke. The siren guarding the lake tempts him by transforming into the image of Snow White, but Charming eventually beats her trickery and returns to Abigail with the water. After seeing love rekindled, Charming decides to go after Snow White, and learns from Little Red that Snow does love him, contrary to what she told him before.
Review:
While watching this episode, I was hoping Kathryn’s time on the show would come to an end; however, the closing seemed to deny that wish. It’s not that I dislike her, but more that I am not enjoying her presence. She seems to be a very flat character, so maybe further development could solve that problem. Her purpose appears only to be an obstacle for David and Mary Margaret, but not one that is proving interesting. Throwing another love interest in between two people is one of the most common (and overused) forms of stalling. I did not feel interest in her storyline in either world, though I am now intrigued by the cause of her disappearance.
We all know that no one can leave Storybrooke or bad things will happen, but we have yet to understand what exactly is behind it. The way that Kathryn’s failed escape was cross cut with Regina burning the letter made it appear as if Regina was directly caused the accident to occur. Maybe this was just a mislead, or maybe it was, in fact, strategic editing. It would make sense that Regina is behind it, since she was the one who enacted the Storybrooke curse. As much as I enjoy watching the Evil Queen and her malicious regal powers, I am kind of hoping for a more supernatural explanation to this phenomenon. I think that would make the curse more frightening, and a curse is not logical, after all.
In the early episodes of Once, I was highly invested in Mary Margaret and David’s relationship, but I have lost a bit of interest. It seems that their chemistry has fizzled down. They not that long ago tried to stop seeing each other and it did not work out, so what makes this time any different? They both know they care deeply for one another, the only problem is that they have made the situation so much worse for themselves by being too afraid to shake up their lives. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good will-they-won’t-they story, but given that their counterparts eventually do in the fairy tale, their poor excuses are more frustrating at this point than intriguing.
There is no denying that the Mysterious Stranger and Emma have some chemistry, but while it is fun to watch, I think it is too soon to introduce another love interest for her. I hope the writers develop their interaction away from an attraction, and keep him at a distance, as a puzzle that Emma is trying to solve. These two were my favorite aspect of the episode, although it was the “B” storyline. Together they have a spark; whether that is humor, heart, mystery, or magic, they made me enjoy watching this episode.
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