My Fire My Blood

That would be really welcome. Since OUaT is so much about Love/True Love, it's kinda disheartening if True Love is only proven to exist between straight couples.

I love Ruby/Red, too. I think the idea of Red Riding Hood also being the Wolf is totally awesomesauce. I would watch an entire spin-off series about LRRH, The Wolf. It's such a pity they haven't done more with her character (or let her have any significant screen time, lately).

But back to Regina - I think I'll quit watching if they make Regina the only villain and, consequently, make Rumple appear even more like a good guy. If I was writing the show, I'd make Rumple pull a 180 for some (any) reason so we'd get the scaly, creepy, evil imp back AND maybe force Regina work with the good guys to stop him, or at least appear less bad in comparison. But yeah... not gonna happen, either.

By the way, is it just me or is there like a canyon of discrepancy between how the show treats Regina killing Graham and Rumple killing Milah and/or Cora? I'm really bothered by how everyone judges Regina for killing her f-buddy in a moment of anger (which is still evil, I'm not saying it isn't), while Rumple gets away scot-free from killing his ex-wife AND another love interest in cold blood and, as it seems, without any remorse.

GrhmLz

I'm preparing for this to happen and for me to likely not be around come S3. I've vowed to give it to the end of the season to see what happens with and for her character, but since it virtually already appears hopeless for her and if I see no signs of anything more positive to arise in the future, there really is no need for me to stick around and continue watching.

I think they'll still toy with the idea of Rumple|Mr. Gold but the thing is, the foundation for at least a positive outcome down the road has been laid for him. So, they can toy a bit and I think viewers generally won't lose complete hope for him with Belle and Bae waiting in the wings. There will be alot to overcome with both these relationships, but I foresee a 'happy ending' in store. Even if it's in the final season for him.

Well, here's the problem I see. I think it's still subconsciously instilled, unfortunately, but because Regina is the female villain in the equation, I do believe her gender plays a huge role in how she gets judged and|or perceived. She's the 'b**ch, a label that males aren't privy to with their misgivings or atrocities. Females are thought of as the gentler and more emotional of the two sexes so when a woman is seen crossing over this line, it's like the ultimate evil she can't live down. No excuses, or rather empathy, is open to her set of circumstances.

See, it can be stated that Regina did evil, it's known some of her decisions can't be excused away and then the same will be said for a character like Rumple, with the big difference being, that right after Regina there will be a Huge BUT. It gets acknowledged that both did wrong; however, Rumple's bad choices will be downplayed and reasoned away differently because he has the love of a good woman waiting for him in the corner. The 'bad boys' being saved by the good women who love them is a huge stereotype in real life and one I see perpetuated in TV fantasy alot as well. The women usually aren't afforded the same luxuary, though. It's hit or miss with them so Regina, I feel, will always be judged more harshly.

My Fire My Blood

Yeah, I know it's probably this. It's just that... well, it might be just me being a scary feminist and all, but I was way more creeped out by what Rumple did to Milah than what Regina did to Graham. Because there are no ages-old, institutionally justified customs of wives killing their husbands for cheating/presumed cheating/wanting to leave the relationship, while the opposite is very true even to this day. That's why Rumple killing Milah was so horrible and wrong, and the way people ignore it baffles me to no end.

I know, I just... Can't we, as a culture, get over that harmful, cliched dynamic already? Or at least create more gender-flipped inversions of it, that would have the theoretical potential to be interesting. (I like the "Morally Grey Character becomes/stays/fights for Good thanks to a Morally Good Character without entirely losing her/his questionable nature'.)

Persephone

Spoilers if you didn´t saw the episode!



I just saw the episode. This episode was good but so sad. First Regina was happy because she was finally winning, in another words, she was having a second chance to a happy ending but then...she realised that she wasn´t happy after all .

When Owen (the little kid) gave her the gif...she was so happy.
She also wanted a family so bad. Yes, she may not have take the bed decision but she was so desperate. Wanna bet the Regina haters are going to use what happend to Owen and his father to compare with Emma and Henry? Sorry but i had to say it.

I´m not gonna comment every episode but the part where Regina takes Snow´s heart? Yes, Regina could have killed Snow on that moment but she didn´t.

I love all the Regina moments but that scene on the weel, again Regina was left alone. She did what Henry asked to do and yet not even a hug? All we got was "My mom" once.

So, what? These writers love to came with parallels so, i wonder if they have show us Owen and his fatehr to compare to Emma and Henry because Regina didn´t force Henry to stay with her...she adopted Henry!

GrhmLz

Yeah, this episode is pretty much setting up where I think Regina and Henry are heading: To Regina letting him go for good. We got a 'mom' mention, and I laughed that Henry actually pointed out a few 'truths' in this episode, but in the end, the parallel was definitely about 'letting go.' At least for me it was.

Oh, yeah, and the repetitive nature didn't go unnoticed by me either. Regina caves to do 'right' at least by him, Henry gets what he wants and off he goes with 'his family', Regina is left alone standing in the dust. I guess she doesn't qualify as 'family', but, what else is new.

What I find really tragic and sad, at least for Regina, is that on some level, she has to be thinking Henry doesn't really love her or want to be with her, never did, in order for that curse to come into play. Because why would she ever consider enacting a curse 'to make Henry think he loved her'?! And she kind of admits it in a sense, because she told Henry at least it would be something, just after he reminds her it wouldn't be real. It would have been nice if we actually got some reinforcement that there was no need for her to ever consider such a thing because he already loves her but ... yeah, no. That would have been hoping for too much.

I don't know ~ I'm just about ready to move on from the Henry|Regina relationship. Not because I hate it, I just find it rather hopeless and redundant from here on out. It's the same repetitive nonsense over and over. Just a new plotline dictating the same end result: Regina walking away alone and Henry waltzing away with his loved ones. At least Regina was upfront with him, she just can't give up the magic.

I'm just so damn sick of all this angst and the idea that Regina is destined to be blocked from ever having a good relationship of any kind. And that's not even just 'curse-related' ~ this nonsense started before she even became EQ or came to SB. She had a mother who couldn't love her without her heart, a father who cowered under Cora's domineering control, and Daniel was taken from her too.

Was she just destined to be alone and down-trodden her whole life?! Is that HER big lesson in the end, when all is said and done, she can't force a happy ending because she was never intended to have one?!

The scenes with Regina and Owen were cute ~ it's just so tragic it had to end the way it did because Regina was desperate for love and to not be so alone anymore. And a predictable reveal, Greg is Owen all grown up. I do wonder what became of his father, though, does Regina still have him hidden somewhere?! Was he killed?! I hope not.

KOUAT12

This is why I can't be a true Regina fan, because if she keeps wanting revenge against Snow and everybody else, she will never get her son back.

Now that we know that Owen/Greg are the same person and looking for his father, I wonder if he will be part of Regina's redemption arc when she figures out who he really is.

aeverett

I read Regina's refusal to destroy magic as her telling him that she's unable to end it, that is it's beyond her abilities, not that she couldn't give up her own magic.

GrhmLz

She's not going to get her son back. It's not going to matter, good or bad, I see where that is set in stone. At this point, I don't even care that she wants revenge on Snow ~ at least I understand her motivations and her grief, even if I don't agree with the actions she may or may not take. It looks like she's going to let Snow 'stew in her own juices' so to speak.

Snow has kind of started the process that Regina already went through to extremes in order to become who she became, regarding the dark nature, and I think that was the underlying point underneath Regina's mocking nature to Snow. It was still 'truth', even if Regina was using it to get under her skin. Basically, Regina had her own justifications for doing what she did in the past, her own feelings of desperation, Snow did too, but a dark decision is just that, and it starts to taint the good nature held within someone. I'm so sick of the idea that Regina is a species onto herself when it comes to this ~ this can happen to ANYBODY under the wrong circumstances, Snow included.

The only difference is, no worries, Snow will recover. I can guarantee that one. She has so much good surrounding her to help pull her back from that dangerous ledge. People like Regina are the ones who get screwed over because all they have surrounding them is the darkness, so it in a real sense, it's like fate mocking them and saying this is who you're going to become, these are the dark choices you will choose to make. The empty promise of having complete freedom of choice is just illusion, it really is.

Yeah, that's not how I took it. I took it as her saying that she's unable to end her need for her revenge and that she can't give up the magic now. However, the only concession she was willing to make was for Henry: she wouldn't enact the curse to force him to love her.

KOUAT12

I guess I'm the only one that is optimistic that Regina and Henry will be back together again and have triple joint custody with Emma and Neal. Emma decides to let Henry be raised by Regina and she agrees to have joint custody with Regina.

Main home - Regina

Supportive homes - Emma and Neal

Zimane

Can she ever get him back? I don't believe it.

Henry made his choice.

miss.sunshine

Well, THIS episode. Loved it because it was full Regina. I guess I was needing that! Now, here we go:

I think Regina can't let go of magic. At least not yet. Because if you think about it, is the only thing she has to fight with. The grip is just to strong. It's like "I don't have a family (or anyone, for that matter) to fight by my side, but I do have magic", you know? It's kinda of a consolation, I guess.
But I did enjoyed the fact that she gave up the thought of enacting that curse "against" Henry. It just shows, once again, that she IS trying to get better. She did because Henry asked her to. But yeah, the fact that she was so desperate for her son's love that she would use a spell on him, breaks my heart. She thinks that Henry doesn't love her. How sad is that? And once again, after Regina did all that (it was a big step, considering her situation), Henry ran off to give Emma a big hug.
And of course, as usual, I felt like punching the whole Charming's clan. But that's just a recurrent desire. Snow in bed, winning made me roll my eyes and sigh at least 10 times during the episode. And in the end, all that "kill me, please, crush my heart" and blah blah blah. I mean, seriously? But ok, I'll stop before someone tells me to.

Exactly. I completely agree. Regina might have been happy that Snow's heart is getting darker. And it might actually do some damage still, but she'll grow out of that. She has a support system. What does Regina has? Oh right, nothing.

About Greg/Owen. Ok, we all knew they were the same already, right? So, no big surprises. I actually enjoyed watching the kid, seeing as it was him who made Regina want to be a mother. So, it was interesting to watch because everything was too new for her. She was rusty with emotions and the only way she found to keep the boy next to her was arresting his father. But anyway, I still don't like Greg. I mean, I just want to know what's his thing. I'm not liking it. I think is very likely that he'll want revenge against Regina.

But hey, incredible acting from Lana, as usual. This woman continues to amaze me!


frivolouswhim
For me, this was, like top part of the episode, The whole scene, yes, it was powerful. But the way Lana said those words, everything! Amazing! Lana, I bow to you, like always.

GrhmLz

While this is a lovely and ideal scenario, I just don't see it happening on this show. Maybe it real life something of this nature would occur but I think the writers intend for Henry to break away from Regina.

I'm with you. I refuse to hold onto any false hope any longer. To me, in a very round about way, Henry has made his choice. His family = The Charmings + Neal.

I think Henry might care about Regina to a certain extent but only to the point that he holds value for her life, he doesn't want to see her die {much like a hero would and that seemed to be his main issue with the Charmings this episode, the lack of heroic quality}. But she's certainly not 'mommy' and she's not really his 'family.'

It's not like he came out and admitted to loving her. He basically needed to remind her that enacting the curse, it wouldn't be real love.

aeverett

That's not a happy ending. That's settling for reality when you can't have a happy ending. It's no different than Regina falling in love with someone other than Daniel. She might be happy for a while, but it would wear off. For someone born and raised in FTL, compromise and settling will never bring lasting happiness.

GrhmLz

Honestly, in the grand scheme of things, I don't think this is what the writing intended to show ~ especially if we go by the last minutes of the episode where they have Regina declaring she never learns from past mistakes. She is left making it known that she will have everything, her vengence, and in the end, Snow's path to the dark side and the loss of everyone else will guarantee her 'Henry.'

I think the situation with Henry this episode, was only meant to be a parallel to what happened with young Owen. She realized, once again, she couldn't force Henry to love or to want to be with her {anyone else getting annoyed by the repetitive and less impactful repeat in 'concept', since this realization basically already occurred in We Are Both when she let Henry walk away }. However, with Owen, she tried to force him to stay with her and it ended very badly.

Which is why I'm having serious problems because Lana, and her superb portrayal, continue to make me see these shades of grey, but I feel like I can't trust what I'm seeing with my own eyes because of what the creators are insisting: The EQ is back and Regina is still evil. And that's a bad feeling because it's trumping my enjoyment of the show and giving me false hope for things I probably won't see.

EQ Nathy

The last scene with MM was like my favourite scene ever!!!!
She was superb. When she said: See? I can have anything. OMG i swear, Lana es just out of this world.

It gave me chills ... I felt all her emotions at once. BRAVO!