Once Upon A Time - Oct 21, 2012 - The Crocodile

Episode 204

I liked this episode a good bit.
Spoilers Ahoy!

So we get a lot more backstory on Rumplestiltskin this week. Poor guy–his wife left him to run off with the dashing Captain Hook. Only he wasn’t Hook until Rumple cut off his hand, thus making Rumple the eponymous “Crocodile”. I like how they play around with the stories like that.

We also have present-day Belle trying to sort herself out in Storybrooke. The library should be a good setting for her. But that scene at the end… is Rumple being genuine or just his old manipulative self? I think more of the latter than the former.

Ooh! Is Vincent going to open a Cafe Diem in Storybrooke? (whattup *Eureka *fans!) :wink:

You know, as much as I loved and miss Eureka, I do not miss Vincent jumping in everyone’s face three times every episode and offering them a “vincepresso”. THAT IS NOT A THING.

----Spoilers begin here----
It’s hard not to see ulterior motives in every single thing that Rumpy does - but I think I fall slightly on the other side of the line vis-a-vis his sincerity. He wants her back, and he sees that being honest and giving her the space she wants is how to do it. I don’t think he meant it when he said he was just there to say goodbye, but it’s still a step in the right direction and I think that’s the first we’ve actually heard about his true intentions in Storybrooke/Curseworld.

A few more things:

-Re: playing around with the stories - the comic series Fables, from which I suspect this show draws a lot of inspiration (fairy-land transplants in the real world), did that with their characters too. There the Big Bad Wolf of huff and puff fame was also the one stalking Red Riding Hood in that story.
-How frigging good is Robert Carlyle? Seriously give this guy an Emmy.
-Are they hinting that Ruby/Red a werewolf?
-I am so in love with Emilie de Ravin/Belle. Have been since Brick, but this show’s just made it worse.

more spoilers

Ruby’s a werewolf, this was made clear in the episode “Red-Handed.”

Loved this episode. To quote Gamers 2: Dorkness Rising: Everything’s. Better. With. Pirates. :stuck_out_tongue:
Here’s what’s bothering me about this episode though: The magic bean took Hook and the crew to Neverland. But the Blue Fairy told Baelfire in “The Return” that the beans take you to a land without magic and it was strongly implied it was the same place the Dark Curse takes you to: Storybrooke. I’m wondering how they’re going to reconcile the fairy’s words with Hook’s bean opening up a portal to Neverland.

That’s who that was. Thank you.

Apparently in HEAL all swords are actually lightsabers that just look like swords, as they can cut cleanly through in one stroke while cauterizing the wound.

If they do bring in Peter Pan, it would be amusing if they had the character played by a woman (as has been done so many times in the past.)

Yes, I loved it too, and I didn’t have a problem with the bean opening the way to Neverland, maybe it has something to do with the way Captain Hook used it at sea.

The opening scene in Belle’s dream and Gold giving her the necklace reminded me of a scene in ‘Roswell’ where Emilie was playing opposite Jason Behr - that time she was the one who was giving a gift, and he asked what the occasion was.

As for the beans - I think they all do different things - the one the blue fairy had - the last one - was the one to the world without magic.

Possibly. It would have been funny to see Rumple in Neverland when he expected to find Baelfire in a world without magic. :wink:

:stuck_out_tongue: Actually, I agree with you–he got annoying on Eureka pretty fast. Still, it was kind of fun to recognize him here, though I didn’t until near the end.

As Bpelta pointed out, there was a whole episode last season about Ruby being a werewolf in HEAL. Killed her own boyfriend and all that business. The red cloak is supposed to somehow keep her from turning during the full moon.

Yes, that was one of the best plot arcs from HEAL they did last season, in my opinion. I loved in particular how they…

  • Had one episode’s HEAL plot end with Charming meeting Red, finding out that Snow wasn’t there to meet Charming as planned, and that Charming’s supposed father was approaching with an army. Red told Charming that she’d ‘buy him time’, and we cut away from HEAL without any explanation.

  • Then, we had Red’s big episode, which takes place earlier in HEAL time.

  • Start of the next episode, we recap the meeting with Charming and Red, see the full moon in the sky. After Red says that she’ll buy time and Charming heads off in pursuit of Snow, Red takes off her cloak, wolfs out, and charges at the King’s army. :smiley:
    Now, I wonder what effect this will have in Storybrooke, other than Ruby’s sense of smell. Will she actually change on the full moon, or would that require a specific source of magic nearby?

So my big question was “Did they create Rumple’s reptilian look KNOWING they were going to do this with the Captain Hook origin, or was it a happy accident?” Because I loved that.

My wife and I joked as soon as we realized where Belle was being taken. “What is he going to do? Throw her in a cart and push it across the line.” And then when it happened, we lost our shit.

The one thing that bugs me is that Storybrooke isn’t a big town–how are days going by there with people not seeking out their remembered relatives or enemies or etc. Why on earth hasn’t charming confronted the DA… his father?

Regarding the preview for next week:

(spoilered for those that don’t watch the previews, but this is just speculation)

It looks like they may go for a ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ story next week. Perhaps the kinda-creepy Dr. Whale is the mad scientist himself?

Oh i hope - how I hope - that this will be as good - I also like how we know very little of what happened back in HEAL - but the end of the episode had a nice bit for it.

I wonder about things like that, too. Will Ruby, as you ask, wolf out during the next full moon? Is Pinocchio turning back into a real man? What about Jiminy Cricket? Is he getting the urge to rub his legs together at night?

I have a feeling I was supposed to be sympathetic to Milah, but I just wanted to punch her in the face the entire time. As an extension, I’m not exactly liking Hook. As least Rumple brought Bael with him and did what was, in his eyes, the best thing for him. Milah just ditched.

Also, writers, just decide if Belle and Rumple are going to happen or not. Don’t jerk us around.

The guy playing Hook is moderately hot, but I did not otherwise enjoy this episode.

Were we? I didn’t get that feeling at all. I mean, I can’t imagine anyone being ok with a mother ditching her child unless it’s for a very, very good reason.

I know Rump is the bad guy, but I did feel sympathy towards him this episode.

Given how long the writers wanked over Will-they-or-won’t-they with Snow and Charming, I think we’re in for a season long courtship of Belle and Rumple.

Did David ever met the DA who was the King (and the adoptive father of his long-lost twin brother in HEAL) as thier Storeybrook personas? I’m sure he must have when Abby went missing, but I can’t recall. If Charming was looking for someone, you’d think he’d be looking for Cinderella/Ashly and her Prince.

I don’t think Rumplestiltskin is technically a bad guy, a villain. Is he? I think he’s in between good and bad.

Definitely a villain in HEAL. I think he’s more gray in Storybrooke,