I'm not sure that this episode accomplished much, and I have mixed feelings about it. The heroes discover the new villains. The heroes get a minor victory, but also suffer a minor defeat. And the stakes go up. We finally see some background for Neil/Baelfire. But the show doesn't seem ready for a season finale.
Yes, Tamara and Owen/Greg have the gem of deletion and orders to use it, but they still have pretty shallow motivations, not much of a plan, and apparently few remaining resources. Not that our heroes have anything more interesting going on...either simply shoot the villains before the use the gem, or have Mr. Gold/Rumplestilken nuke them with magic. I just don't see how the present ingredients can come together satisfactorily in the single episode remaining.
I didn't like the torture of the Evil Queen/Regina, but I think I understand why the show might've wanted to do it. The show's painted such a dark picture of magic that the mundane opposition has to be shown doing very bad things to qualify as villains. After all, our heroes have often opined that life would be much easier without magic. So we reveal Tamara as a duplicitous, callous woman of war. And we have Owen/Greg maniacally electrocute Evil Queen/Regina. Clearly, they are villains and must be stopped...even if we might sympathize with their alleged goals. Also, Evil Queen/Regina is such a villain that the story may need to get excessive to earn her viewer sympathy. I'm sure that many viewers are ready to see her finally face justice. I can see it, but I still don't like it much.
This episode confirms that Tamara and Owen/Greg are part of a larger, still unnamed organization. It makes some sense -- with so many other worlds filled with magic, why does our world have none? Because some people have forcibly removed it. Reasonable, but the execution seems shabby. Tamara's MegaVolt 5000 is the secret weapon against magical creatures? And, oh, here's this widget that nullifies magical power. Oh, and we don't just defeat magic, but can also instantly analyze magical artifacts and use them ourselves? The capacities of this secret organization just get sillier. Especially since they didn't seem to have much of a plan beyond snooping around and hoping to not be caught. It's a miracle that Owen/Greg didn't get his mind twisted inside out in an earlier confrontation with Evil Queen/Regina.
I had hoped to get some value from Neil/Baelfire's discovery of Tamara's treachery, but the character continues to disappoint. He shows no charm, no wit, no courage, no capacity, and no character. The big reveal simply thudded to the floor. And then we kicked him out of this world. Presumably to die. Is this really the best idea that could be offered? Is he really just going to die off camera? Either he'll stage a remarkable (and silly) reappearance in the next episode, or he'll turn into another dull quest to stretch into next season. I really don't like him.
Oddly, boy Baelfire is more entertaining. He has charm, courage, and an interesting plot. Recasting Peter Pan as a thorough villain is a good twist, especially since it adds depth to Captain Hook. Hook's been shown to be an odd mix of villain and hero, and now we learn that he spent much of his time fighting a monster. Unfortunately, I felt the show wasted too much time and money on a dull flight through London's rooftops; fewer effects and more story, please.
Evil Queen/Regina continues to amaze with her screwy perceptions. She really seems to think that killing everyone is morally equivalent to everyone leaving her behind in Storybrooke. And still, despite countless lessons to the contrary, can't believe that Snow White/Mary Margaret would bother to save her life.
Finally, what we see of Mr. Gold/Rumplestilskin disappoints. I don't enjoy watching him play the villain for Lacey/not-Belle. It lacks the style and emotional power of his previous villainy. And it seems a little odd that he's so easily set aside his obsessions with both his son Neil/Baelfire and his true love Belle/not-Lacey. True, Neil/Baelfire has repeated rejected him, and Lacey/not-Belle is easy (taking delight in Mr. Gold/Rumplestilskin's concessions to his own weakness), but I'm disappointed that he's so easily swayed. I also fear that the show will avoid a real character-driven transformation and will simply have Lacey betray him. If she finds out about the Dark One's dagger, I figure she'll be quick to seize the power for herself. One might expect Mr. Gold/Rumplestilskin to anticipate such behavior....
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