Admittedly, I am awfully hard on this series, and episodes like this are the reason why. For a long time, it seemed only Robert Carlyle could put on a good performance, but Lana Parrilla, who plays Regina, decided to prove me wrong this episode. You see, as we close the Neverland chapter and return home, we are reminded why Regina is such a complicated villain.
To begin, let's talk about the early years of Storybrooke. In the episode we jump back 11 years and Regina has basically won. Snow doesn't have Charming and so it seems Regina has it all. However, with her father gone, she basically has no one, not even The Huntsman who I thought was her lover at one time. So, with memories of Owen still in her head, she goes off to Rumplestiltskin to find herself a child. Naturally though, without it being considered a favor strangely, he sets things up for Regina and there is Henry.
Now, the reason why I loved this whole back-story of how Regina met Henry, was because they have already made Regina a laughable villain, and have since strung her along with other people's stories. In "Save Henry" though, we are reminded not just that without Henry, Regina has nothing, but also she is the one parent amongst all the main cast who has really stuck with their child. Take into consideration: Henry's lineage is filled with abandoned children who suffered without their parents. His mother was abandoned from birth to save her; his father was abandoned by both of his parents, one for Hook and the other for power; and then his grandfather was abandoned for youth. So, taking note of that, in a way Henry broke a curse. For generations each member was abandoned and lived horrid lives because of it, but though Henry was abandoned like the rest of his forefathers, he found himself a nice home. Albeit, with a woman who killed her own father for revenge, but when you get to the heart of the matter, Regina has never gotten over the man she lost, due to Snow and her mother, and Henry has been the closest thing to replacing him.
As for everyone else, other sweet moments come. The Lost Boys betray Pan at the thought of returning to their families, and as we watch Wendy and Regina be kind to Tinkerbell, it is hard not to get teary eyed. Then of course you have Rumple and his son having a moment which continues the water works, and there is a nice moment between Emma and her family as well. Naturally though, the show doesn't end with a happy ending, in fact I would say what the writers did almost potentially ruined the episode.
You see, unfortunately Peter Pan loses in such a way where it really does decimate him. They injured the great character badly in the last episode by making him Rumplestiltskin father, and then kill him off so quickly that only nostalgia keeps him a credible villain as of now. But, that isn't even the worst part. For whatever reason, the writers have decided to keep Pan around in a new form, and unfortunately the person's form he took on was the one character who has been a liability since the first season: Henry.
Making so, overall, while the majority of the episode was good, outside how they sort-of wrote off Pan, unfortunately it seems like a lack of ideas for the next villain will lead "Save Henry" to being a peak before the show descends back into being mediocre. But, with this episode existing, it shows there remains an ability to have it where not just one actor has a good performance and everyone else struggles with a horrible story. And with that, there remains hope for this viewer, but I don't know how long that hope may last.
To begin, let's talk about the early years of Storybrooke. In the episode we jump back 11 years and Regina has basically won. Snow doesn't have Charming and so it seems Regina has it all. However, with her father gone, she basically has no one, not even The Huntsman who I thought was her lover at one time. So, with memories of Owen still in her head, she goes off to Rumplestiltskin to find herself a child. Naturally though, without it being considered a favor strangely, he sets things up for Regina and there is Henry.
Now, the reason why I loved this whole back-story of how Regina met Henry, was because they have already made Regina a laughable villain, and have since strung her along with other people's stories. In "Save Henry" though, we are reminded not just that without Henry, Regina has nothing, but also she is the one parent amongst all the main cast who has really stuck with their child. Take into consideration: Henry's lineage is filled with abandoned children who suffered without their parents. His mother was abandoned from birth to save her; his father was abandoned by both of his parents, one for Hook and the other for power; and then his grandfather was abandoned for youth. So, taking note of that, in a way Henry broke a curse. For generations each member was abandoned and lived horrid lives because of it, but though Henry was abandoned like the rest of his forefathers, he found himself a nice home. Albeit, with a woman who killed her own father for revenge, but when you get to the heart of the matter, Regina has never gotten over the man she lost, due to Snow and her mother, and Henry has been the closest thing to replacing him.
As for everyone else, other sweet moments come. The Lost Boys betray Pan at the thought of returning to their families, and as we watch Wendy and Regina be kind to Tinkerbell, it is hard not to get teary eyed. Then of course you have Rumple and his son having a moment which continues the water works, and there is a nice moment between Emma and her family as well. Naturally though, the show doesn't end with a happy ending, in fact I would say what the writers did almost potentially ruined the episode.
You see, unfortunately Peter Pan loses in such a way where it really does decimate him. They injured the great character badly in the last episode by making him Rumplestiltskin father, and then kill him off so quickly that only nostalgia keeps him a credible villain as of now. But, that isn't even the worst part. For whatever reason, the writers have decided to keep Pan around in a new form, and unfortunately the person's form he took on was the one character who has been a liability since the first season: Henry.
Making so, overall, while the majority of the episode was good, outside how they sort-of wrote off Pan, unfortunately it seems like a lack of ideas for the next villain will lead "Save Henry" to being a peak before the show descends back into being mediocre. But, with this episode existing, it shows there remains an ability to have it where not just one actor has a good performance and everyone else struggles with a horrible story. And with that, there remains hope for this viewer, but I don't know how long that hope may last.
