Once Upon a Time “Nimue” 

What we learned this week: 1) The Apprentice is over 200 years old. 2) Men can get stupid around a beautiful woman. Yes, I’m looking at YOU Merlin. 3) Arthur must have had an amazing public relations manager and/or autobiographer because he is nothing like the man of legend.

It seems pretty clear that the Holy Grail summoned Merlin. It called to him in a time of need and brought him to itself. The man who grasped the gift with a greedy heart was vaporized, exactly like Kay was when trying to claim Excalibur for himself. Merlin accepted the gift with a thankful heart and was rewarded with magic. This begs the question – why was Nimue able to drink from it without any consequences? She did it with a dark heart, with the selfish intention of taking something she didn’t deserve. So why wasn’t she vaporized too? This seems very inconsistent. I hope it’s eventually explained. On the other hand, I’m glad to be proven right about her being the one to trap Merlin in the tree. Anything less would have been a disappointment.

It’s interesting to hear Emma say that Nimue still loves Merlin. This has all the earmarks of a fulcrum to lever Emma back into the light. After all, if the original Dark One can still feel love, even in a twisted form, then there must be some hint of light and goodness still flowing within them all. Will Emma really choose to cut out the light from her soul, or will the many slivers of goodness from all those Dark One shadows in her basement come together to remind her of her own inner light? This is ONCE after all, and the theme has always been one of redemption.

As much as Zelena gets on my nerves, I have to admire her dedication to her mantra of “It’s not fair.” She has always maintained that smile and whine, through any situation. I’m sure it won’t be long until she’s saying the same to Arthur. She’s a character who is meant to be turned against. She practically insists on it. Which makes me wonder if there is any redemption for her? Is it possible for her to turn away from a lifetime of feeling picked on? I seriously doubt it. Then again, I never believed Rumplestiltskin would find the strength for a heroic act either. Humble pie with a side of crow was my meal last week.

Now we know why Henry got the voicemail message from Merlin last week. Arthur managed to tether Merlin’s soul to the sword the same way Merlin tethered Nimue’s to the dagger. Curious that Merlin’s name didn’t appear on the sword when Emma pulled it from the stone. I can’t wait to find out what happened in the time between then and now that erased the tether.

Moment of Goodness: Hindsight

Several times now we’ve been shown the flourishing fields of Meadow Flowers that grow near Camelot. This week we see Merlin artificially accelerate the growth of a handful of seeds for the love of a woman. In hindsight, it looks like Merlin’s continuing love is what causes the Meadow Flowers to flourish. It feels like a subtle message that says Merlin’s love is limitless. What a beautiful sentiment.

Once Upon a Time airs Sundays at 8/7c on ABC.