
Neverland is growing on me. I’m not sure why exactly, but it is. It’s so much darker and more discouraging than the playful place we read about as children, yet it isn’t without a spark of hope. It has been hard to watch Henry undergoing the transformation to a Lost Boy, and I’m still holding out hope that he is rescued before things go too far.
This show does such a great job of turning our fairy tale heroes on their ear and leaving us both heartened and heartbroken by the change, and this episode is no exception. Not only Henry’s change for the worse, but also this evil Peter Pan running the place. Robbie Kay makes such an excellent Peter. His cherubic face fits so well with the character we thought we knew, but coupled with his Lord of the Rings mentality from living too long without supervision makes him a compelling villain. I so badly want him to find a hint of goodness in his heart so we can see a genuine smile, I’m confident it would be transformative. And Hook, the epitome of evil in the written tale, gains my sympathy yet again as we learn another tidbit from his terribly unlucky past. And it’s thanks to his experience that we get a moment of goodness in the most literal sense.
Hook saves David’s life
Watching Hook keep quiet about David’s problem with the Dreamshade had lulled me into complacency, I can see that now. Several times in past episodes Hook has hinted that there might be another way, and what fun to see him finally take the initiative to trick David, embark on a difficult quest and risk his own skin to get the water that will save David’s life. The act came as a surprise, and it appears to be a moment of pure selflessness, but from Hook that seems a little too good to be true. No doubt we will soon find there was a hidden advantage for him, surely more than the kiss he got for his trouble.
We also get to see the same problem in reverse with Emma this week. She has never been shy about using the tools at her disposal in order to complete her mission, but in this case the tool is Regina. What consequences will we see from this choice to take advantage of dark magic? Emma learned in the first season that it’s hard to win by playing fair, but fairness and goodness are the trademarks of her family. What does she become if she chooses to forsake them for the easy path? Part of me wants her to stay pure, but that spot of darkness in my own heart that this show appeals to makes me hope that she takes that elevator ride all the way to the bottom. Because being good is fine, but experiencing evil intimately and still finding the way back to goodness is a much more interesting journey to watch!
Once Upon a Time airs Sundays at 8/7c on ABC.
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