Once Upon a Time REACTION - S01E18 - The Stable Boy

Thank you so much for another reaction for Once Upon a Time! I really love this episode. It isn't one of my favorites from this season, but it is very, very close to being one. First... Regina's grudge against Snow White is much deeper than just blaming her for Daniel getting killed back when Snow was ten years old. A lot's happened between them in the many years since then and Regina's hate towards Snow has only grown stronger, and her anger towards Snow isn't simply because Snow just told her secret, although it is the main factor in Regina's hate towards her. And you will continue to see this as the series continues. Now... one of my favorite moments in this episode is between Emma and August, while they're talking on the bench in the harbor as August inspires Emma to look at her investigation from a different angle. I just really love their dynamic and I continue to love the mystery behind who August is. Another of my favorite moments in this episode is between Regina, young Snow, and later Cora (Regina's mother), as Regina figures out how Cora knew about her and Daniel when Snow confesses to her that she told her secret despite her promise to Regina that she wouldn't. It's a great scene brilliantly acted by not only young Snow played by Bailee Madison, but especially Regina, who suddenly becomes completely numb to all emotion. Her acting in this moment is phenomenal, even when she's later talking with her mother as well. As for Cora... boy, is she evil because she's so good at being manipulative. And if you paid close attention to Regina's relationship with her mother, you must have seen the parallels between them. A lot of what Regina has become in the years since the events from this episode's backstory, comes from the kind of woman Cora is. As for how I feel about Cora... I hate her. While she's scary as any villain can be, she's also evil and twisted enough to believe she's doing right by her own daughter. And people who believe in that way of thinking, is scary in the worst kind of ways. She makes a good villain though. Now... I really enjoy the backstory a lot, as we get to know a younger and kind version of Regina, when she herself was in love with a stable boy, who was sadly murdered by Regina's own mother, which is the root cause for Regina becoming the villainess we know her to be now... the Evil Queen. I really like Daniel's character a lot. He is played by actor Noah Bean, who plays Ryan Fletcher in Nikita. I liked him in that series too. But back to Daniel... I love that he was a stable boy and that back then, Regina didn't care about power and her station as the Kingdom's Queen. And that she loved Daniel despite him being poor. I love seeing that Regina had found True Love with him, which is why it's so tragic that Cora killed him by ripping out his heart and crushing it right in front of Regina. And this is another parallel between Regina and Cora, as we see the kind of woman Regina later becomes and see that she too eventually came to rip out hearts like her mother did to Daniel, as we see Regina do with the Huntsman... Graham. Brilliant! As for Emma being easily manipulated and her falling for Sidney's lies... which are clearly lies that she should have seen through, especially given her superpower that hasn't really come into play much lately... It is a little frustrating, or annoying that Emma would fall for Sidney's lies. And I don't care much for the bit where Emma lets him offer her flowers, allowing for him to bug her office. But what bothers me more, is that we never see Emma talking to August about finding the shovel shard or the shovel which it belongs to being in Regina's garage, inside of her office or the station. We only have to assume she and August must have taken the shard to the station and spoke about it there off screen. Plus Emma had to draw up the search warrant she later served to Regina so she could legally search her garage for the shovel. However, I feel that Sidney planting a bug in Emma's office would have worked better, had we seen how Regina came to know that Emma knew about her broken shovel and why she had to move it. Sadly... Emma blames August for telling Regina about her finding the broken shovel shard. It did seem strange that August would think it's unfair for Emma not to believe in him fully, since Emma doesn't know him all that well, but I feel like he's been trustworthy so far, enough to get Emma to trust in him a little... at least enough to believe he wouldn't sabotage her investigation. And lastly... I was shocked when the revelation and twist comes in the end with Kathryn being alive after all. Which could have many meanings as to what might have happened to her and how the frame job against Snow really came about. Who exactly is behind it all and how deep into it are the characters suspected of their involvement? If you think back to what Gold said to Emma in the station just before she discovers the bug in the flowers after she smashes the vase... he states that perhaps there's a chance of a miracle that could save Mary Margaret. What has he done, or just how much does he know? I love the intrigue! Thank you so much for your reaction again!!! I am so excited for these last four episode reactions from you, from season one. Things are about to get so good! Until your next reaction...

Heidi Elizabeth Marcum