# Once Upon A Time \[edited title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 23, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574 "2011-10-23T21:19:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/61 "2011-10-31T16:40:37Z")
> [@zeldarae](#): > > The only way for it to make sense that the Queen/Mayor has knowledge of the curse is if she is not aware of Snow White’s child returning in 28 years to save everyone. Perhaps Rumplestilskin kept that bit of info from her. If she knew surely she would be keenly aware of the clock ticking. You would think it would have dawned on her just who Emma is when the tower clock resumed functioning. > > Oh well, I think we’ll find out soon enough either way. Its ambiguous at best - my take on it is that the Mayor does not know she’s the evil queen from the stories - shes as much cursed as anyone. Rumplestiltskin did not tell her Emma’s role (pre or post curse), nor did the Mayor realize the things that Rumplestiltskin set in motion when adopting Henry. Rumplestiltskin is aware of everything he is doing - and I assume the curse itself - it was, after all, his curse that she used. ---
**Author:** ![zeldarae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/f14d63/32.png) [@zeldarae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeldarae)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/62 "2011-10-31T16:42:18Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Its ambiguous at best - my take on it is that the Mayor does not know she’s the evil queen from the stories - shes as much cursed as anyone. Rumplestiltskin did not tell her Emma’s role (pre or post curse), nor did the Mayor realize the things that Rumplestiltskin set in motion when adopting Henry. > > Rumplestiltskin is aware of everything he is doing - and I assume the curse itself - it was, after all, his curse that she used. This. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/63 "2011-10-31T17:49:17Z")
Here’s an interesting idea from [the AV Club write-up](http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-thing-you-love-most,64125/) of the episode, “I wonder if this show would be better if the flashbacks were completely absent and it was a mystery about whether or not Henry really is making this all up.” I think it might not be as over-the-top if they did the show that way. ---
**Author:** ![zeldarae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/f14d63/32.png) [@zeldarae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeldarae)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/64 "2011-10-31T17:50:56Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Here’s an interesting idea from [the AV Club write-up](http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-thing-you-love-most,64125/) of the episode, “I wonder if this show would be better if the flashbacks were completely absent and it was a mystery about whether or not Henry really is making this all up.” I think it might not be as over-the-top if they did the show that way. I read that, too, and totally agreed. It would certainly be creepier. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/65 "2011-10-31T18:11:23Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Here’s an interesting idea from [the AV Club write-up](http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-thing-you-love-most,64125/) of the episode, “I wonder if this show would be better if the flashbacks were completely absent and it was a mystery about whether or not Henry really is making this all up.” I think it might not be as over-the-top if they did the show that way. It might. I didn’t think the flashbacks worked this week- we spent a lot of time watching the Queen struggle through obstacles (wrong ingredients, evil friend being unhelpful) to cast the thing, but we know the curse works _because we saw it happen last week_. That didn’t make sense to me. I understand they’re using the flashbacks to shed more light on what happened in the past, but it felt like they were retracing their steps. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/66 "2011-10-31T18:17:28Z")
What did you make of the gravestone with the name “Henry” in Fairytale land? I assume that Henry was the name of her Father who she (hmmm, should I put this in spoiler tags?) killed to use his heart for the curse. But what relation does that have with Henry, Emma’s son? Any guesses? J. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/67 "2011-10-31T18:22:33Z")
Presumably that’s why she named Emma’s son, her adoptive son, Henry. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/68 "2011-10-31T19:10:47Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Its ambiguous at best - my take on it is that the Mayor does not know she’s the evil queen from the stories - shes as much cursed as anyone. Rumplestiltskin did not tell her Emma’s role (pre or post curse), nor did the Mayor realize the things that Rumplestiltskin set in motion when adopting Henry. > > Rumplestiltskin is aware of everything he is doing - and I assume the curse itself - it was, after all, his curse that she used. Just want to clarify that Rumplestiltskin did tell the queen that SW’s kid would be the undoing but didn’t reveal the name: emma. However, I still do think that the queen is cursed like everyone else because it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the arrival of a mysterious stranger who magically makes all the clocks in the town run again might be important. furthermore, it’s strange that the name Emma stuck, considering she apparated on the side of a highway in swaddling clothes mere minutes after being delivered… i like the show but it does defy a bunch of logic that the mind wonders about if the premise is taken to be true. the implications of a town stuck in time and no one ever moving in or out really distracts the mind. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/69 "2011-10-31T19:11:22Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Presumably that’s why she named Emma’s son, her adoptive son, Henry. Right - the tombstone was for her Father - the only person she loved - which she scacrificed in order to affect the curse. Naming the boy Henry was to try and fill the hole in her heart. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/70 "2011-10-31T19:12:46Z")
I thought it clever that the evil queen’s mirror turned into a reporter for _The Daily Mirror_ newspaper in our world. And he’s played by Gus! ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/71 "2011-10-31T19:17:42Z")
> [@Oy](#): > > [ > I liked the second episode better than the first. Count me among the people who think Robert Carlyle inexplicably hot. It is surpising how little he seems to have aged since _The Full Monty_. I, too, find him both creepy and hot, though I was sruprised by how much he’s aged. I think the Mayor does know that she is the evil queen, but is trying to make sure no one else knows. She even cultivates poison apples and distributes them! (And, yes, it did bug me that she called them honeycrisps when they looked nothing like honeycrisps.) She was very shocked to realize that Rumplestiltskin/Gold retained his memories. He seems to be pulling the strings and playing a very long game – he’s the one I’ll watch the show for. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/72 "2011-10-31T19:20:19Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > Just want to clarify that Rumplestiltskin did tell the queen that SW’s kid would be the undoing but didn’t reveal the name: emma. However, I still do think that the queen is cursed like everyone else because it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the arrival of a mysterious stranger who magically makes all the clocks in the town run again might be important. > > furthermore, it’s strange that the name Emma stuck, considering she apparated on the side of a highway in swaddling clothes mere minutes after being delivered… > > i like the show but it does defy a bunch of logic that the mind wonders about if the premise is taken to be true. the implications of a town stuck in time and no one ever moving in or out really distracts the mind. The storybook picture showed “Emma” as a name on the baby’s blanket - so, presumably the name stuck - why she’s called a “Swan” we have no knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/73 "2011-10-31T19:20:38Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > I thought it clever that the evil queen’s mirror turned into a reporter for _The Daily Mirror_ newspaper in our world. And he’s played by Gus! That was more clever than some of the translations they’ve done, but it’s not Gus. _S_i_d_ney (hmm, where did they come up with that name?) is played by Giancarlo Esposito; Gus on The Wire was played by Clark Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/74 "2011-10-31T19:22:23Z")
> [@Tapiotar](#): > > I think the Mayor does know that she is the evil queen, but is trying to make sure no one else knows. She even cultivates poison apples and distributes them! (And, yes, it did bug me that she called them honeycrisps when they looked nothing like honeycrisps.) She was very shocked to realize that Rumplestiltskin/Gold retained his memories. This. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/75 "2011-10-31T19:25:33Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > > [@Tangent](#): > > > > I thought it clever that the evil queen’s mirror turned into a reporter for _The Daily Mirror_ newspaper in our world. And he’s played by Gus! > > That was more clever than some of the translations they’ve done, but it’s not Gus. _S_i_d_ney (hmm, where did they come up with that name?) is played by Giancarlo Esposito; Gus on The Wire was played by Clark Johnson. Giancarlo Esposito also played Gus (Gustavo Fring) on Breaking Bad. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/76 "2011-10-31T19:29:32Z")
I half expected him to just slit the evil queen’s throat right there in the yard. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/77 "2011-10-31T19:45:29Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Giancarlo Esposito also played Gus (Gustavo Fring) on Breaking Bad. :smack: I was thinking of Gus Haynes, the Baltimore Sun editor from The Wire. Sorry, **Tangent**. I’ve been meaning to start watching Breaking Bad and I hope to get around to that soon. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/78 "2011-10-31T21:31:02Z")
> [@zeldarae](#): > > One thing that really bugged me was the mayor telling Emma that her favorite apple was the Honey Crisp then proceeding to hand her what appears to be a Red Delicious, acting as if it was a Honey Crisp. Now usually I’m not too terribly picky about things like that, but dammit, Honey Crisp is my favorite kind of apple. They are most definately not a deep red color. I live in “The Apple Capital of Minnesota”, and honeycrisp is a popular kind of apple here - developed at UMN. Yes - those wer definitely not Honeycrisps ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/79 "2011-10-31T22:07:46Z")
It is definitely ambiguous whether the Mayor knows she’s the Queen. I would prefer that she doesn’t know. Her aim in casting the curse was to ruin Snow White’s happiness and find her own (by forgetting her pain, perhaps?) I am wondering what Gold’s game is. What does he really want? He is definitely the most mysterious character. ---
**Author:** ![Pocito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@Pocito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pocito)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/80 "2011-10-31T22:22:18Z")
> [@zeldarae](#): > > One thing that really bugged me was the mayor telling Emma that her favorite apple was the Honey Crisp then proceeding to hand her what appears to be a Red Delicious, acting as if it was a Honey Crisp. Now usually I’m not too terribly picky about things like that, but dammit, Honey Crisp is my favorite kind of apple. They are most definately not a deep red color. That! My husband accused me of deliberately taking myself out of the magic of the show just to nitpick. That’s not nitpicking…Red Delicious apples are terrible! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574.md?page=5)