#her power of persuasion and manipulation is really highlighted in that scene

[ladsofsorrow24]

ooof the intimacy scene with denji and makima... that is peak horror to me

[cutegirlmayra]

Is it just me or does every guy in the sonic franchise have a soft spot for Amy? Of course we all know sonic does. But, tails, knuckles, shadow, and silver seem too also. For example shadow and silver would give into her requests in shadow the hedgehog and sonic 06. Or knuckles would be protective of her in sonic x, and of course her and tail have a good friendship bond. She’s like the really sweet and cute anime girl that can make even the most stoic guys soft.

Hmm, can’t remember Knuckles being ‘protective’ of her-

(But everyone would tell a girl character in a Shonen to ‘be careful’, ‘stay out of trouble’, ‘This isn’t a place for a little girl’ sort of thing anyway. So it could just be the genre..? But yeah, he’s a good guy so I see what you mean ^^; )

and her and Tails are decent enough friends, but it’s also out of necessity sometimes that any of these characters actually interact.

You have to remember that Sonic is kinda the ‘glue’ of their gang. It’s like having that super close friend and then their friends become your friends? Lol But yes, they are a super-powerful force together! They don’t always just randomly ‘hang out’ together, and were kinda stuck at Chris’s place so what ELSE can they do to bide their time? But they get along, and they do consider everyone their close friends!

It’s canonically stated that Amy is ‘Pretty’ and in Shadow’s description of her, he loosely states that he can’t help but want to help her. Silver also is another canon statement where he was ‘roped along’ into Amy’s antics but ended up just unable to refuse her.

She’s very persuasive XD they say she “cheerfully embarrasses men” on her Japanese Sonic channel bio and I 100% believe that’s the embodiment of Amy lolol She just gets people to really care about her, due to how passionate, innocent, and sincere she is about caring about others. It’s hard to feel like, “She can defend herself” when she so sweetly grabs your hand and loops you into dramatic chaos lolol

She’s also a magnetic for trouble... lol She runs headfirst into Sonic’s adventures, so you can see why!

She’s a very preppy, pretty, and persuasively bossy girl. She’s full of energy and it radiates a sense that everyone wants to keep her safe. It’s like... protecting that little bit of light you found, that wholesomeness of caring and having that optimistic energy that A LOT of these poor lost souls are missing, but desperately wish they had... But that’s not all Amy brings, and I’ll get to that later!

This was Shadow at one point (When it came to Rouge, who he did end up saving), then-

To shed a tear due to Amy’s words, the same spirit of promise that Maria once had, and in dying memory of her, he immortalized her desire for that promising world of people’s dreams by returning Amy that same promise--renewing and keeping it as his new ‘purpose’. Other than a weapon, and in Shadow The Hedgehog, she is also associated with a mission with ‘Love’ as it’s title. Along with his warning: “If you want to stay out of trouble, stay away from that doctor.” Which also proves the point of everyone feeling like ‘I have to keep her safe’ which is just one of the things that Amy inspires in people. They just... instantly care about her.

Amy also forces Silver to question his resolves, realizing--just like Shadow--that his way of taking lives so thoughtlessly is not the answer.

To -

Amy is constantly inspiring people to be better.

He even laughs at himself for ‘following this girl around’ and helping her search for ‘her missing person’ instead of doing his own task. SHE ran into HIM, and yet, he felt obligated to help her search on her own task.

She makes a cute pose and says something like, “I’m sorry, Silver. When I’m done, we’ll find who you’re looking for!” it leaves him embarrassed and scratching his head, turning away from her in his clear attraction to this cutie! This scene is meant to be funny, as Amy often inspires comedy in the Sonic series, but also showcases Silver’s awkwardness in social interactions. (How Naïve he can be in them lol)

It’s this very thing that makes him look around and reflect, realizing how gorgeous this whole world is without the flames of destruction from his world. Amy inspired it. She created a moment where Silver wasn’t so gung ho and focused on his main task (which was manipulated through Mephiles’s evil intent, by the way) that he failed to notice anything else around him.

Amy doesn’t notice this, lost in the meaning of his words, which makes him once again embarrassed. Notice how he looks directly at her when he says “And Everyone is Happy”? He’s referring to her!

When she doesn’t get it, he just can’t bring himself to explain further.

He shows the same excitement as her.

So at first, he turns away--abashed--unable to tell her the horribly depressing future he’s from. Instead, he opts to continue to help her, showing his desire to remain in that presence of joy. HER presence of happiness... HE WAS HAPPY WITH HER TOO (sobbing) HE DIDN’T WANT THAT FEELING OR PEACE TO END.

And even in this scene, it was meant to highlight Amy’s innocence and natural beauty, he was complimenting the green and natural wonder of the world.. then looked at her as the sun was directly behind her. He looks away, embarrassed, but Amy is canonically ‘pretty’ lol

Amy’s endlessly compassionate to the ‘Morally Grey’ or ‘Led Astray’ characters and ends up being their ‘Guiding Light’ towards becoming heroic characters themselves.

Addresses him first, as a soul, which in his core--he is a living being. However, she questions this by saying that she pities Eggman didn’t give him feelings.

When Amy asks Gamma why he doesn’t know why he wants what he does, she inspires humanity. The difference that makes Amy a hero unlike the rest of the casts is she will always choose the option to help the lost soul other than combat them. She will actively choose connecting hearts over violence to save many lives, even though she can fight. She would convince someone to change their ways rather than beat them into her ideals. She will go after the misguided and bring them towards redemption.

“Don’t you know how bad I feel?” She pleads humanity. She begs emotional mercy, for the purpose of understanding and linking hearts together in compassion.

Amy will UNSELFISHLY fight for the outcasts, the broken-hearted, and the abused. That’s how she fights, she wields her heart, and it has never failed her, not once.

So, overall, yes! She makes stoic guys weak and melt at her endearing charms XD Even robots remember their humanity in her!

[mybg3notebook]

Additional Scenes:

Death protocol and comments on dreams

Disclaimer Game Version: All these analyses were written up to the game version v4.1.104.3536 (Early access). As long as new content is added, and as long as I have free time for that, I will try to keep updating this information. Written in June 2021.

In these “scene posts” I will explore the scene of the title looking for the information in the dialogues. What I will be looking for is how much Gale “lies”, how much lore is provided, and any extra detail that may be of our interest to highlight. At the end of these posts there are summary points for those who don't want to read the whole post.

Additional disclaimers about meta-knowledge and interpretations in this (post) while disclaimers about Context in this (one).

Protocol Scene

After skipping all the annoying protocol, we can reach to the most important part of it: the comments afterwards.

Gale: [...]I assume you have some questions for me. Only fair to warn you I've precious few answers to spare. I apologise if it sounds thankless. It's just that some secrets simply cannot be revealed. 

[If Tav used the tadpole successfully before] Tav:[perception] I've seen the darkness inside of you, remember? I already know. [success]Gale: You don't know. Not really. But after all you've done for me, I do suppose I should be at least a little bit forthcoming. [Failure] Gale: There is no knowledge in a glimpse of darkness. My secrets are still my own. 

Tav: [persuasion] I brought you back to life. A few answers is the least you can spare me. [success] Gale: I... I suppose that after all you've done for me, I should be at least a little bit forthcoming. 

Gale: Tell you what, I will answer one question that you may have. To the best of my ability. If I can. 

Over and over and over Gale is very explicit that he has secrets he can't or doesn't want to share. This is why the “great betrayal” concept in the revelation scene feels so cheap in my opinion. Gale never denied that something very wrong was happening with him. He certainly opens a bit more once he is brought back to life and tries to compromise in saying something more. We can clearly see his resistance to it. 

Tav: I simply want to know what it is you're keeping from me Gale: I'm dangerous. Not because I want to be, but because of... an error I made in the past. [before gale speaks of his loss] It makes me dangerous – even in death.  You brought me […] [after gale speaks of his loss] I told you how I sought to win the favour of Mystra. I did this by trying to control a form of magic only one wizard ever could. I failed to control it. Instead it infested me. It makes me dangerous... even in death. You brought me […]

Tav: Why did your projection say that many lives depended on your resurrection? [before gale speaks about artefacts] Gale: Because it was the truth, and the truth is a great motivator. I'm dangerous. Not because I want to be […] [after gale speaks about artefacts] Gale: When I told you I needed powerful magic to keep my condition under control, I didn't tell you why. Well, here is part of the why: I'm dangerous. Not because I want to be […]

[After using the Tadpole successfully] Tav: the darkness inside you, what is it? Gale: It's magic from another time and another place. It is something that is beyond me, yet inside me. That makes me dangerous... even in death. 

Tav: Actually, nevermind. If it makes you this uncomfortable, I won't insist.  Gale: That's... well, that's very kind of you. If the roles were reversed I don't know if I'd have your patience.

I mean... really... No matter the conditions, the context or the option picked, Gale can't be more repetitive about three facts: he has secrets, he is really dangerous, and there are 'catastrophic' consequences if we don't help him with the artefacts. None of them are a lie. This is also why I think the party scene is very unpolished: it doesn't acknowledge the fact that Gale already said a lot to some Tavs who explored and pushed Gale to speak, and the scene is presented as a conflict or a “betrayal” when there was none, specially for the case of Tavs who pushed Gale to speak. In either case, Tav is aware of what's happening with Gale: they know everything in broad strokes, or they respect his privacy and know little but they know that what Gale hides is a very dangerous secret. This is why I think calling Gale a manipulative or coercive character is very misunderstanding.

Tadpole Dreams

Dream 1

Gale feels well and healthy despite the terrible symptoms that Tav and their companions shared the previous night. However, Gale is a pragmatic person: this is not just luck and he makes it clear in his opinion:

Gale: What I saw surpassed the vivid. The voice was too true, the touch too tantalising, I can tell you felt the same. Sought out in the night by.... what? An illusion, or a promise? […] let's agree that at the very least there was the lure of a promise. The touch, the kiss, the everything... Did you relented or resisted? […] The dream wasn't just about power, it was about desire. […] It was an expert, this apparition. First the seduction, then the spurning, then that teasing souvenir. 'You are not ready, I will return when you are'. That's what I was promised. We have some restless nights ahead of us. 

For players who pushed Gale to speak during the Loss scene, it's easy to suspect the person he is dreaming about: Mystra. The relationship with Mystra can be guessed during these comments after the dreams. We know that the dreams represent our companions' desires and wishes for power, and they have, in most cases, a sexual connotation. When Gale speaks about the kiss, we can assume that, same as what Shadowheart explicitly said, he slept with his dream person. So, if the player gets the Loss scene before the second dream, Tav will be quite aware of Gale's relationship with Mystra. Again, this is never acknowledged in the 'revelation' scene. 

Dream 2

In the second dream, Gale is darker and bitter. 

Gale: Good morning. I'm sorry, but I'm not in the best of moods. I tire of these dreams. Dreams. The word implies desire, but we're being played for fools. These are nothing but delusions. 

Tav: I recall you being a lot more enthusiast after our first collective dream

Gale: I never said I'm not among the fools.

Tav: The power we're given is real, and there's no denying that.  Gale: It’s not because they’re real, that they don’t deceive. Give it candy and a child stops asking questions.

Gale: These dreams are too good to be true, and I can tell you why. Because their promises are perfect, and in perfection lies their flaw. It's the tadpole reading our every desire, but they don't read between the lines. They don't know some things are impossible. They don't know that... They don't know. 

Tav: Gale, who is the apparition in your dreams?

Gale: She's... It doesn't matter. I just know her to be unreal. 

Tav: What's impossible about what you're been shown? Gale: Forgiveness

3- Tav: I'll leave you to your ruminations.  Gale: Remember: these are nothing but delusions. Don't let the illithid's close readings persuade you of good intent. 

[If Tav can guess it's Mystra after the Loss Scene] So it's Mystra you see. Of course it is. 

Gale: I... why, yes. Clearly the tadpole isn't the only one who can read me like a book. It's indeed Mystra I see. And yet it cannot be her. There was a time when I would have believed - but no longer. I told you that I lost her. Lost her favour and lost so many of the powers I took for granted. What magic I can still weave is met only with undercurrents of disappointing silence. Mystra has not changed her mind about me. That's how I know our dreams are delusions.

[If Tav cannot guess it's Mystra] Tav: [Persuasion] Come, you can tell me. We're among friends here.  [success] Gale: Very well. It's Mystra I see. And yet it cannot be her. There was a time when I would have believed - but no longer. Things were different once, between the goddess and me. But things have changed. The parasite has plans for us [...]

This scene, for those players who can be lucky enough to trigger (it has the lowest of the lowest priorities), removes part of the apparent “shadiness” in Gale. He repeats clearly that he dreams of Mystra, which should immediately make aware the player that this has sexual connotations since these dreams are about desire and power, and Gale also expressed this in the first dream about the kiss. We also discover that what Gale desires the most is not power, but forgiveness. This is why I personally see him as looking for power not as a means but as a goal: Gale wishes to save himself, to remove the “orb” from him, and to be “one with the weave”. The more powerful he would become, the closer to Magic and the goddess he would be. 

However, Gale is a pragmatic, realistic character as we saw in the Ceremorphosis scene: he won't lie to himself. He is very aware that forgiveness is beyond reach. He may have believed it be possible when younger, but he repeats once more that this concept we saw in other scenes: he is aware that whatever he had before is over.

Summary:

During the protocol scene Gale explicitly says, once more, that he has secrets. 

He explains that he is dangerous, even in death, despite not wanting to be, reinforcing the idea that his consumption of artefacts prevents something very 'catastrophic' from happening.

If the protocol is triggered after the Loss scene, he will explain that an old magic 'infested' him.

During the comments after the dreams we learn that the dreams represent desire and power with sexual implications in most cases (if not all).

After the second dream, Gale expressed his scepticism about the dreams. He knows his dream person cannot be Mystra.

We learn that his most intense desire, reflected in the nature of the dream, is forgiveness, not power. Let's remember these dreams can't be fooled. They show the deepest desire/wish for power of the dreamer.

If this scene is triggered after the Loss scene, we learn that Gale is always aware of Mystra's disappointment because he can sense it in the Weave every time he casts magic.

This post was written in June 2021. → For more Gale: Analysis Series Index

[love-takes-work]

Steven Universe Podcast Volume 3: Episode 3: Jasper and Amethyst

This is Volume 3, Episode 3 of the official Steven Universe podcast, looking at Jasper in macro and micro--including Kimberly Brooks's experiences voicing her and some of the relationships she has with the other characters.

The official description:

Kimberly Brooks, who voices Jasper, joins Michaela Dietz, the voice of Amethyst, and Storyboard Artist and Character Designer, Amber Cragg to discuss Jasper! They breakdown Jasper as a character, her relationship with both Amethyst and Lapis, why she's so relatable to fans, and what they hope to see in Jasper's future (can you say "redemption arc" or maybe "yoga instructor"?). Plus, Kimberly shares the story of her audition, and what inspired Jasper's amazing voice.

This, as usual, is bit long so I’ll do my bullet points of interest, with longer descriptions after the jump.

Highlights:

Kimberly Brooks, voice of Jasper, is an experienced voice actor with more than twenty years in the business, and she was not familiar with Steven Universe before booking the role of Jasper.

Michaela Dietz was really impressed when Kimberly let loose with Jasper's voice in the booth despite having a very different speaking voice. Kimberly describes the role as "a departure."

Jasper is Amber Cragg's favorite character because of her single-mindedness and her being the perfect Homeworld soldier despite being from Earth, and because TV shows usually don't have super-strong female characters who aren't written as a joke.

At conventions, Kimberly always gets a very big response from Jasper fans.

Kimberly wants Jasper to have a redemption arc.

Kimberly's inspiration for Jasper's voice was a persuasive Sears refrigerator salesperson named Betty. She would love to track Betty down and say thank you for the inspiration.

Michaela and Kimberly did not record their characters' confrontation in the Kindergarten together.

Kimberly thinks Jasper should get a song.

Jasper's relationship with Lapis is acknowledged as toxic and pointed out by Kimberly as NOT just Jasper's fault. Those two bring out the worst in each other.

Kimberly loves that the Dove campaign brings out another side of Jasper.

Kimberly's line delivery in the Dove campaign made everyone laugh during the recording, which Michaela and Kimberly did together.

Kimberly thinks Jasper would behave very differently if she were just in a different situation, and that she needs a change of scene to show us a different side of her.

Michaela had to redo some of her lines during the Zoo arc because Kimberly's line delivery influenced her to voice some of the Amethysts "too low."

The detailed summary is below!

[Archive of Steven Universe Podcast Summaries]

McKenzie introduces her guests: Kimberly Brooks, Michaela Dietz, and Amber Cragg. Since Kimberly's the newbie who's never been on the podcast, McKenzie focuses on her first and asks for her background in voice acting. She says she's been in voice acting for 20+ years and did a voice on Rugrats. Michaela says she loves Kimberly's work on Voltron.

McKenzie prompts Kimberly to discuss her experience with Steven Universe and auditioning for it. She said she wasn't familiar with the show before booking the Jasper role (though her son was a fan!), and she remembers coming in to do her first recording with some of the other cast members. When Kimberly says she was given an explanation of the character, McKenzie wants to know what that sounded like. Kimberly was told Jasper is a mean, tough soldier with a single focus. Kimberly feels she almost never gets roles like Jasper and enjoys having the opportunity to do something different. Michaela remembers meeting Kimberly and hearing her talk in her normal voice, and then hearing her Jasper performance and being pretty blown away by it.

Then Amber Cragg gets a turn to share experiences. Amber was not aware of Jasper before starting on the show, but quickly got caught up and loved Jasper immediately. Jasper is Amber's favorite character. Amber loves Jasper because she's ashamed of being from Earth, the planet that caused Homeworld to lose a war, and yet she's a perfect soldier in the eyes of Homeworld. Jasper has a laser focus on her objectives and "steamrolls" into everything she does.

And then they joke about the fan phrase "Big Buff Cheeto Puff" to describe Jasper, with Amber claiming to dislike the name at first because Cheetos aren't scary.

Then McKenzie asks Kimberly to discuss how the role of Jasper stands out for her, and she says at conventions Jasper is a role she gets a huge response for. People relate to her because of having been through similar feelings, including abusive relationships, and Kimberly wants Jasper to get a redemption arc because she doesn't want her to be just hanging in limbo. Kimberly loves that even antagonists have a story to tell in this show. Amber points out that Jasper's unusual because cartoons don't usually have a super strong powerful female character who isn't a joke.

When asked to discuss the inspiration for Jasper's voice, Kimberly cites Betty, a Sears refrigerator salesperson, who had a very persuasive and gruff way of talking. Kimberly does some impressions of Betty selling refrigerators to demonstrate how compelling her schtick was. Betty popped up in Kimberly's head when she was trying to get a handle on the voice. (She did buy the refrigerator Betty recommended, incidentally, and loves it.) Kimberly would love to track Betty down and say thank you.

McKenzie turns the conversation toward Michaela for her thoughts on Amethyst as Jasper's foil. Michaela feels that Amethyst addressed some of her insecurities through the Jasper arc, and that literally fighting Jasper helped her come to terms with what she is and isn't. During their big confrontation in the Kindergarten, Kimberly and Michaela were not recording together--they did their parts alone, which they agree is harder. Kimberly remembers being coached by Rebecca that her big reads could be even bigger because there was so much riding on some of these moments, and Michaela remembers "lots of shouting" and feeling lots of warmth when she got to say "C'mere sis."

In discussing the differences and similarities between their characters, Michaela says it seems sort of like Jasper and Amethyst meeting family, even though Jasper is the "supreme being" of her Kindergarten and Amethyst is the runt of hers. Amber thinks the characters coming from their respective Kindergartens is very reflective of their characters--Jasper rising above an embarrassing origin but still feeling flawed, Amethyst emerging late and getting to meet Rose Quartz. What if Jasper had met Rose? Things could have been so different for each of them. And it was pretty cool that Jasper got to be the one to mention Pink Diamond for the first time--Amber calls it a "shivers down the back" moment. Watching her get corrupted is described as "painful" and "gross" but also they praise the artistry. And McKenzie thinks it's incredible that Peridot was actually the one who took Jasper down with a metal spike.

The guests and McKenzie also discuss the relationship between Peridot and Jasper (both being "stiffs" at the time they were on a ship together) and how Jasper comments on Peridot's loss of dignity only to poof in the most undignified way possible. And McKenzie thinks it's interesting that Jasper was agitated about Pink Diamond and that Gem was technically right in front of her. Kimberly says again that Jasper needs redemption . . . and a song. McKenzie wants to know if her singing voice would be rough, and Kimberly thinks it would depend on the context, or maybe she could rap.

Next, McKenzie wants to talk about Jasper's emotional arc, and asks Michaela to say what Steven and Amethyst learned from fighting Jasper. She says they revealed their vulnerability during that fight and combined over their shared feelings, becoming stronger for it. They learned they could rely on each other, and they hope the viewers internalize that message.

And McKenzie brings up Lapis and her toxic relationship with Jasper. She wants to know what message Kimberly wanted to come across at the end of that arc. Kimberly says the fans generally acknowledge that that relationship was NOT toxic just because of Jasper, and she says playing the bad guy is hard but she looks for her character's good qualities. Kimberly struggles with this, though, and asks Amber to help her "justify Jasper."

Amber acknowledges not actually writing on these episodes, but thinking about it a lot before she started writing was helpful. Amber thinks Lapis and Jasper had a relationship where they brought out the worst in each other. In discussing "Alone at Sea," Amber says Jasper knew Lapis very well because of their intimacy in fusion, but that she only saw that bad side of her. They'd talked about the wording Jasper would use to propose fusion--"fuse with me" in "Jailbreak" vs. "let's be Malachite again" in "Alone at Sea"--but she uses manipulative language to suggest Lapis couldn't be with anyone else, while Lapis is put off by the "evil" propositions. Kimberly agrees that the manipulative language was very front and center, but that it "takes two to tango," and Amber thinks Garnet's assessment is accurate: "Those two are really bad for each other."

Then finally they discuss the Dove campaign, which Michaela and Kimberly got to record together. Kimberly liked that it showed another side of Jasper. Everyone liked that Jasper's lines come across as hilarious in this context. Michaela reports laughing so much during that recording. They point out that it was sort of like a little redemption for Jasper, maybe a hint of what it would be like if she was redeemed on the show. Kimberly thinks she would behave very differently in a different situation. Maybe she could become an exercise instructor, yelling at people to do their exercises and calling them weak if they fail. But maybe no one would come back to the class if she did that. Michaela suggests she could be a Lamaze coach. Michaela calls Kimberly's line delivery "infectious" and says she had to do some of the Zoo lines over again because she delivered her own lines too low under Kimberly's influence.

The guests all take turns saying "it's always a pleasure" on their way out, and Kimberly does it in Jasper's voice.

[Archive of Steven Universe Podcast Summaries]

[rock-and-compass]

Rock and Compass Watches Once Upon A Time – 6.13: Ill-boding Patterns

Overview

Killian struggles with the weight of the unfortunate discovery that he killed David’s father and the ramifications of telling Emma the bad news. Gold tries to reach out to Gideon and steer him towards a better path. A flashback to the past involving Balefire and Beowulf suggests that this won’t necessarily be an easy thing to do.

Discussion, thoughts & things that could be significant

Ill-boding patterns – The title of the episode literally invites us to look at the patterns being highlighted in the story. Rumple’s history with Beowulf and Baelfire inform his choices with Gideon. He tries the same memory potion spiked tea on both sons, he gives both his trust only to have it backfire, the sword Hrunting is important in both stories and in the end, Rumple does something dark to save his son from having to do it – once by force and once by choice.

To the first Ogre War - The flashback must take place very shortly after Rumple became the Dark One and before he turned into an overbearing tyrant who had the villagers terrified. Slim window of opportunity…

The Magic Sword – Beowulf’s sword, Hrunting, is the same one Emma found in Gold’s shop and the same one sought out by Gideon as the weapon with which he can defeat the Saviour. It is imbued with light magic and is said to be very powerful -  Although the sword doesn’t really live up to expectation on any of the occasions we’ve seen it in use, except for that one time when it injured the Evil Queen. Obviously the light magic in effect, but is that the reason it didn’t also injure Regina (as it should have – Jekyll and Hyde established that what harms one, harms the other). Maybe this sword is more judicious than a regular blade?

A Blue Creation – The sword was made by The Blue Fairy. My god does this woman have a long, long history! And why wouldn’t she have spoken up about the sword earlier? She’s a nun now, maybe she didn’t know about it. You’ve got to wonder why they don’t bring Blue into the inner circle a bit more; she knows a lot of stuff that could make all their lives easier.

Who so ever holds the …. Beowulf says that whoever wields Hrunting will be hailed a hero. Is this the basis of Gideon’s misguided belief - The legends that are attached to the sword? It is also interesting that in this story an external object is given the power to grant a heroic status, rather than the actions of the person using it.

Cowards vs Hero – so many comparisons of cowards and heroes throughout the episode and not just concerning Rumple and his sons. The opening scene concerns an unnamed piece of cannon fodder and his inclination to flee the battle. He is then inspired by the very tall, very imposing, very stereotypicaly hero Beowulf to be brave and fight. Cannon fodder ends up dead. His confidence in Beowulf’s confidence (in his sword) was misplaced yes, but it reinforces the idea that being brave doesn’t necessarily bring reward and more importantly, being brave is often not an easy choice. Both very important messages throughout the episode. Beowulf himself, seems like the picture of heroinism but we find out later that he is much more attached to the personal prestige of being a hero rather than the altruistic worth. He is devious and manipulative and resorts to some very cowardly acts to try to maintain his status – sometimes heroes are not what they seem and no amount of magic hardware can make them one.

That certain crutch – throughout the episode we see three examples of characters needing an external crutch to be a “hero” – For Rumple it is the dagger. It allows him to defeat the ogres and go from being the town coward to being a celebrated hero. Beowulf, who believes that his ownership of Hruting automatically entitles him to be considered a hero, and Gideon, who believes he needs the same sword to fulfil his destiny to be the saviour of the Dark Realm. In each case, the person’s faith in the object is misplaced; being a hero is about internal choices and actions and by choosing to do the right thing rather than the easy thing. Yep that message is really getting smashed home isn’t it.

Finding courage - Killian too is drinking to try and find some courage, although to be fair, I don’t think his mid-morning tipple is so much about courage as it is about processing what he’s learnt about himself. He’s processing what it means for him and for the people he is closest to – Emma and her family. He knows he’s got to tell Emma, even though he could just keep his mouth shut and noone would be none the wiser, but this is never really a viable option for him. When, at the end of the episode, Hook throws back that final shot and goes home he is clearly resolute about telling Emma the truth because it is the right thing to do. Killian Jones has never been a coward and so for him it’s not really a coward vs bravery thing, it’s more that sometimes doing the right thing takes bravery, particularly if there is an easy way or a short cut on offer…

A safe secret? – Killian thinks that no other living soul knows the truth of his murder of David’s dad. So naturally this means that someone else knows. Regina must know; The EQ gave David the coin. But who else might know? And if Killian doesn’t come clean about it, who will be the one to spill the beans? 

The Black Fairy – Rumple makes such a point about her being ‘trapped in another realm’ that it’s clear that she is going to appear sooner rather than later. Where is she trapped? And why is she trapped? Is it just the limits of inter-realm travel? How did she get through to steal baby Gideon? And who is going to help her gain entry into Storybrooke. The Wish Realm is looking awfully suspicious right about now – like some sort of key to unlock passage? Fake Robin – FRobin is also looking pretty suspicious with his attempts to open the town line, and his suspicious comments about not liking children and having a partner in crime who is competent with magic….

Retconning Rumple – While the flashback slots neatly into a slim window of opportunity in Rumple’s backstory, it does add a noble layer to Rumple’s darkness that is not as easy to accept given what we already know about him. In this new addition to the story, Rumple is already enamoured with the power of the dagger but not necessarily completely under its spell. He likes it, he wants to use it but with persuasion from Bae he is convinced to forego it. He voluntarily hands the dagger over to his son – something I don’t think we’ve ever seen him do again. Balefire cops it big time in this flashback to prop up the revisions to Rumple’s story – He becomes something of a hypocrite, particularly after taking such an anti-magic stance and clearly positioning himself as Rumple’s moral superior,  when he commands his father to kill Beowulf and then begins to consider the possible benefits of having a tame Dark One at his beck and call. Rumples use of the memory potion to restore Bae’s innocence is done out of lov,  but is it necessarily right to mess with a person’s mind like that? The price for the intervention is large; it sets his relationship with Baelfire on a very specific course – cements the dagger as a point of contention between father and son that is never overcome and really, leads to the Dark Curse and Storybrooke and where we are today. I will concede that this addition to the story actually provides some textual scaffolding to Neal and his inherent weaknesses and his willingness to use very dark magic to resurrect Rumple as a means to getting back to Henry.

Who’s got the dagger – There is a lot of dagger swapping in this episode! It’s a timely reminder of the power of the dagger. I still think we are ripe for a change in Dark One (particulalry if Robert Carlyle is leaving the show).  

A young master – Gideon’s magic is strong. He should be a formidable opponent and yet somehow, I just can’t take him seriously… and I keep thinking why isn’t Belle the one trying to help him? She is clearly a soft spot for him and is going to be more successful than Rumple in reaching him. Despite my finding Gideon unconvincing, he is written incredibly ruthless. He is prepared to harm his godmother to get what he wants, he is clearly willing to kill Emma to achieve his purpose. though I can’t help but think that all the efforts to protect his soul from corruption are too late? The intent is already there. You need darkness to make these terrible decisions in the first place – surely his heart is already spotty? I don’t think Rumple can ‘save’ his son; Gideon needs to choose a better path for himself. Isn’t that the point. 

A box of potions – this box of black potions could have many uses, many possible concoctions. I wonder if we’ll see more of its uses than just the sucking magic spell.

Inside Regina’s wardrobe – Very interesting costuming for Regina – A red pantsuit, (classic early Regina) covered by a very light beige trench-coat and hat. Have we ever seen Regina wear something this close to white before while in Storybrooke? It just strikes me as odd, for a woman so frequently in black. Is it to be taken as a sign of her authentic change?  While wearing the coat she is all about doing the right thing – she wants to help Frobin - she’ll even help him get out of Storybrooke if that’s what he truly wants. That being said, I still find her response to Frobin really weird – she seems to flip-flop between accepting that he not Robin Hood and yet still hoping that she can still somehow force the transformation. Most inexplicable is her assertion that meeting Frobin in the Wish World was some kind of test, that was meant to see if she can move foreward with her life… if this was the case, then wouldn’t meeting Snow and Charming in the Wish Realm have been a test to see if she could like, maybe not kill them? She really does have an impeccable knack at making everything about her. I liked that when she was talking to Zelena they were both dressed in singular colours – Green for Zelena (for her “wickedness”) and Red for Regina – the red is so interesting when used in conjunction with Zelena because it really plays with the allusion to apples and reminds us of Regina’s fondness for red apples and the fact that they were frequently her weapon of choice. And I still haven’t forgotten that the colour of magic used by the robed figure in Emma’s original vision was red. Yup I’m still suspicious.  Okay, sure, when she’s discussing the Evil Queen with her sister she does have the decency to own that she is responsible for the Evil Queen’s past actions, but she also maintains a certain degree of separation – a “her and me” mentality because they are separate. Plus she still cultivates that deep persecution complex where everything that happens is somehow all designed to rob her of happiness. And until she starts wearing her past and doing constructive things to make up for it, beyond hoping for personal gain, I’m not buying any depth of change.

Resistance is futile - Once you give in to the darkness it’s almost impossible to resist. Hmmm, I can think of a couple of people who did resist it but that’s not the point.  The point is that those who use Dark Power find it difficult to stop doing so. Is that why Hook’s redemption is so much more convincing than Regina’s? Because he is not a slave to dark power and is actively making the choice to change? Whereas Regina, who has used Dark power to get what she wants for so long is like an addict going cold turkey. How long will she stay on the wagon? Rumple of course is a functional addict. He fully admits his need for power and has no intention to give it up.

Bullseye – Frobin suggests that Zelena has a “target on her back”. The comment comes out of nowhere and seems to have no substance so I’m thinking we are perhaps supposed to take this as foreshadowing? Ill-boding pattern indeed.

Hard way vs Easy way – Rumple’s story is an exploration of the choice. Bae encourages the hard way (defeating Grendal without magic) but ends up using the easy path of dark power to kill Beowulf. And he also chooses the easy/hard way (depending on how you look at it) when he chooses to help Gideon by usurping the Blue Fairy’s magic to reforge the sword. It’s an odd one; I get that he does it to help his son avoid darkness (which  is a debatable topic in iself) but he willingly drains Blue of her magic. Why is Gideon’s need greater than hers?  And of course, you could argue that Gideon needs to make his own decisions – even if they are bad. He’s a grown man. He shouldn’t need the cotton wool.  We also get reminded that Regina took the easy way to redemption with her split personality – rather than work through her dark urges, she decided to cleave them away from her.   And we also see Killian succumb to temptation and take the easy way of not telling Emma the truth about his past before he proposes to Emma. None of these ‘easy ways’ is going to turn out well, that’s not the lesson from this show (and I stand by this expectation even in the light of today’s developments with Regina and her other half!)

Think again – Before Blue is drained of her magic she outright tells Gideon that “killing Emma with that blade won’t make you the saviour you think.” It sounds like Blue, who did make this sword, knows what she’s talking about. It’s clearly a warning that all of this is not what any of them thinks. Twist coming.

The Proposal – Killian is obvious in his intention to tell Emma the truth when he first arrives home. But Emma inadvertently finding the engagement ring makes him veer off course somewhat.   For the life of me I can’t work out why they wouldn’t have shown Emma finding the ring! It would have only been a short scene, it would have tied the two ends of the story together beautifully – Show, don’t tell, isn’t that the first rule of writing? Hook’s desire to confess the crime is mistaken for endearing nervousness and uncertainty. She makes the proposal easy for him, reassures him of her feelings and lets him know that she will say yes. It’s understandable that he got caught up in the moment and pops the question; the woman he loves wants to marry him, she handed him the freaking ring! The beautiful bittersweet rendition of the Captain Swan theme acts as a warning that this is not as nearly settled as it seems. Hook’s expression as he and Emma hug is the real kicker though; he knows he’s made a mistake and it won’t be easy to just live with it – and that truth is going to get out the only question is how. Will Killian come clean and admit the truth by his own volition or will someone else force confession? Either way, angsty times ahead for Captain Swan.