Once Upon A Time Season 2 Episode 2 "We Are Both"

If you don’t know what the ABC show “Once Upon A Time”, stop reading this blog, go watch Season 1, then come back.  We’ll wait.

                Back?  Fantastic, so this week we apparently go back to basics with the show’s format, where in the meat of the show takes place in the town of Storybrooke, with flashback sequences to the Enchanted Forest.  This time around our focus is on the emotional journey of Regina, the Evil Queen.  At the end of last season, we met Regina’s overbearing, magically inclined mother who ruined Regina’s life with her controlling nature.  In “We Are Both”, we discover both how her mother gained her magic, how Regina eventually gained that same magic, and how the answer is one of the show’s most obvious but entertaining villains.

Meanwhile, in Storybrooke, life is turmoil as the fairytale characters have regained their memories and the seven dwarves test the boundaries of the town, only to come to a horrific discovery.  Sneezy crosses the boundary and forgets his fairytale self, his mind trapped in his “real world” counterpart.  The news, naturally, terrifies the townsfolk who are already trying to rebuild after Mr. Gold (aka Rumplestilskin) unleashed a wraith in an attempt to murder Regina (episode Broken).  David, or Prince Charming, tracks down Jefferson (the Mad Hatter), trying to uncover how to get back to the Enchanted Forest, where Ella and Snow White were trapped last episode.  (Deep Breath)…okay, and that is still not all that happened.  Regina strikes a deal with Mr. Gold, getting her old spell book and with it her powers.  When David schedules a town meeting, and doesn’t show because he’s chasing the Mad Hatter, Regina crashes it and takes back her son.

And you know what?  I’m not going to tell you how the third act ends.  You really should watch it.  This episode packs in a lot of information in under an hour, and kudos for that.  Unfortunately all of that information moves so fast, you risk losing plot points.  Apparently Mr. Gold is greatly concerned about not being able to leave the town, but if they mentioned or hinted as to why, I missed it in the shuffle.

Finally we go back to the Enchanted Forest, in real time, to catch up with Ella and Snow White, for a rather predictable twist/cliff hanger ending.

All in all, this episode isn’t bad.  It’s not the best one of the show; however, it’s not bad.  It’s certainly stronger than Broken, probably because they had a bit more focus this time around.  If you missed it, you really should check it out, since not seeing it will probably leave you scratching your head later on down the season.

Until next week, remember when it comes to your escapist entertainment, go big, or go home.

Michael Bauch