Life has prevented me from being home the last two Sunday evenings to watch "Once Upon A Time" (although, as you will see from my last post, missing it on the 30th was totally worth it!). Today I took advantage of not feeling well and spent some time catching up. In a world of DVR (which I don't have), I'm grateful for ABC's willingness to post full episodes on their website.
The first episode ended with the Storybrooke town clock beginning to move again, something it hadn't done in 28 years. That one little movement of a clock hand jumping ahead to the next minute brought hope to life. It's like the moment when Santa arrives in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"; in a world that was "always winter and never Christmas", such a seemingly simple moment spoke volumes as it ushered in the hope of spring. Have you ever experienced hopelessness? I have. And it's only when you've been in that place of sheer desperation that you can truly appreciate the power of hope. The writers of the show seem to recognize that and made sure to include a number of shots of the clock showing different times throughout the second and third episodes. Time is beginning to move again. Perhaps there is hope of a happy ending after all.
In these episodes, we begin to get more of the back story, the fairy tale, even as things progress in Storybrooke. The second week gives glimpses into the Evil Queen's psyche as we learn how she came to bring about the curse that sent everyone out of the Enchanted Forest and into Storybrooke. It's interesting to see the parallels between this character and the Enemy in our own story. The Evil Queen decides to use the curse in an attempt to find happiness as she defines it. She sacrifices her relationship with her father quite literally by using his heart to activate the curse. Despite warnings about the emptiness she will experience as a result, she chooses her own happiness above everything else. Sounds a bit like the angel who sought power and glory and sacrificed the perfect relationship with a loving God in pursuit of what he thought would make him happy. I sometimes wonder if Satan's warfare against Christians comes from some aching void he can't fill because of his separation from God... It is interesting to note that the Evil Queen (now the mayor of Storybrooke) has adopted a son and named him Henry, which was her father's name. We find out that she asked Mr. Gold (aka Rumpelstiltskin) to find a child for her to adopt. Perhaps this was her attempt to fill the void created by her separation from her father? I'm curious to know what more we will find out about the motivation behind her actions.
In addition to that story, we watch as Henry begins to hatch a plan with Emma to break the curse. He realizes that each inhabitant of the town must come to realize their true identity. Emma still doesn't believe Henry's story, even as he explains that no one in the town can tell you much of their history; they will simply explain that their memories are "hazy." He hands her the last few pages of his fairy tale book and warns that his mother (the Evil Queen) can never see them or she will discover Emma's true identity. As long as the Queen doesn't know how the story ends, they have the advantage. Isn't it the same for us? We can live our lives with the knowledge that Satan loses! He may fight and fight hard, but he's never going to win. There's another source of hope right there! When we wake up to our true identities in the story God is writing, we also wake up to a happy ending.
My favorite episode, though, is episode 3, in which we get some more of Snow White's back story. In Storybrooke, Snow White is Mary Margaret Blanchard, a school teacher. Prince Charming is "John Doe", a coma patient in the hospital. Henry convinces Emma to convince Mary Margaret to read the Snow White portion of the fairy tale book to this patient in hopes that it will jog his memory and wake him up (both literally and figuratively). The plan goes surprisingly well until Charming escapes from the hospital in search of Snow White. In the back story, Snow White is an outlaw, fending for herself in the woods after the Evil Queen tries to kill her. She steals from Prince Charming (who is engaged to another princess), and thus begins their story. He chases her, traps her, and convinces her to get back the jewels she stole and sold. This, of course, is easier said than done, and they wind up saving each other's lives as they are attacked by the Queen's soldiers and a group of trolls. The girly romantic side of me loves this part of the story for so many reasons: 1. He fights for her and seeks to protect her. 2. She fights just as hard for him. 3. They both suffer from a false perception of true love: she doesn't believe it can exist and seeks solitude; he believes he'll find it even in an arranged marriage. However, their interaction with each other quite obviously changes their minds and awakens a desire to know a love that can be shared. All of us, regardless of whether or not we want to be married, are seeking that kind of love-- a love that fights for you and protects you, a love that is real. I'm grateful that I'm finding it in my God who loves me more passionately and better than any Prince Charming ever could. (Although I'm still in the market for a Prince Charming as well...) Back in StorybrookeCharming's estranged wife who is deeply relieved to know he's alive. How quickly hope can fade when doubt creeps in... "Perhaps I wasn't meant to experience a 'happily ever after' after all."
Again, I'm loving the romance and adventure of this show. It's a reminder of the power of the hope of a happy ending and the desperate need to understand our true identities in the midst of a cursed world.
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