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"White Out"
Episode Review
Sunday's episode "White Out" gave us our first glimpse of the connection between the Enchanted Forest and Arendelle, as well as pushing Elsa further into the Storybrooke scene. Let's discuss the episode, good and bad.
To be honest, this was not my favorite episode, particularly the Enchanted Forest story. Although I liked that Anna had a connection with David, also explaining how he learned to swordfight, a question I myself asked in "The Shepherd," I have to wonder how he and Kristoff managed to be such good friends, even though Kristoff lives miles away across a dangerous ocean. I also appreciated being able to get some insight into Charming's background, a main character that remains relatively unexplored. Anna and David had good chemistry, and one of the best parts was seeing his mother Ruth back for an episode.
However, the downside to this episode was Bo Peep, a villain that didn't seem to fit in at all. From the heavy British accent to the flowered dress, her scenes felt silly and pulled the backstory down. Although a brutal landlord was an interesting storyline, and twisting the nursery rhyme was clever, the presentation was corny. While giving a sober speech explaining what happened to his father, another nice reference back to the guilt David's father felt over giving his first son away, David's heartfelt and serious delivery seemed laughable in the midst of such an odd backstory. Although Bo Peep would have made an excellent villain in a child's movie such as Nanny McPhee or Ella Enchanted, she felt out of place in "White Out." I've always felt that while children may enjoy the show, OUAT is geared toward adults, incorporating the darker and more serious sides of the fairy tales, a quality that was missing from this episode. But props to David for being able to say "Bo Peep" so many times with a straight face.
It also seemed unlikely that David could beat a powerful enemy after one day of swordfighting lessons, battling Bo in her flower gazebo (again, rather silly.) At the end of the episode I was glad to see Rumple watching Anna ride away though. At least we know better things are coming.
The Storybrooke portion I enjoyed much more than the backstory. It's always nice to get to see Emma and Charming have scenes together, especially as they seem be almost co-sheriffs in the town. The highlight was the scenes between Elsa and Emma, giving good chemistry and a nice understanding between two people who have lived most of their lives running away from problems and building walls around their hearts. Although it was a nice storyline, I think it would have been better over a couple of episodes. Emma nearly freezing to death in a couple of hours seemed rushed and unrealistic.
One of the best parts of the episode was Snow cracking under the strain with the generator. Although we all prefer her to be sweet and understanding, seeing her human side is a funny contrast. We also got a nice scene between Henry and Regina, and we all love those. I'm glad the writers postponed the Robin/Regina/Marian drama, as it would have seemed overwhelming in the midst of the town going haywire.
Another downside to the episode was the absence of Gold and Regina. Though they each were present in the episode, they both only had a few lines, showing up in very short scenes. Both of these characters always add interesting layers to episodes, and their absence, particularly Rumple's, is keenly felt when missing. Hopefully next week they'll have a larger part in the storyline.
But the ending I liked very much, with the entrance of the real Snow Queen, apparently the one from the real fairy tale. It was nice to have an unexpected twist and a new villain since Elsa isn't one (and I certainly hope Bo Peep won't be making any further appearances!) Looks like the Snow Queen will be able to remain undercover for a while, as certainly everyone will blame Elsa for any impending mischief.
So all in all, I'm not giving up on the story, but I am hoping for better. I suppose every show has a "Huh?" episode. So I'll let it slide, and hope that at least some of the questions can be explained in future episodes.