"ONCE UPON A TIME": TOLERATING AMBIGUITY
A good number of the "ONCE UPON A TIME" fandom seemed to be divided over what was revealed in the series' latest episode called (4.16) "Best Laid Plans". This division seems to be especially apparent in the episode's flashbacks and the moral implications hinted from those sequences.
Since the সেকেন্ড half of the series' Season Four began, there have been rumors and hints on the Internet that two of the series' leads - Snow White aka Mary-Margaret Blanchard and Prince Charming aka David Nolan - may have done something questionable অথবা even terrible in their past in the এনচ্যান্টেড Forest. The first hint appeared in the episode, (4.12) "Darkness on the Edge of Town", when the couple had protested against allowing villainesses Ursula the Sea Witch and Cruella DeVille to enter their Maine community, Storyrbooke. Later in the episode, both Snow and Charming warned the villainous pair not to say a word about their past to anyone, especially their daughter Emma Swan.
The episode, (4.13) "Unforgiven" gave further hints of the royal pair's ominous deed. The Storybrooke sequences featured Snow and Charming's failed efforts to prevent Ursula and Cruella (with Rumpelstiltskin's help) from resurrecting their former comrade, Maleficent. The latter had been trapped in dragon form দ্বারা Regina Mills aka the Evil কুইন in a cavern underneath Storybrooke during those 28 years of the first curse, until Emma killed her in the Season One episode, (1.22) "A Land Without Magic". But the flashbacks for "Unforgiven" revealed that the Charmings had briefly formed an alliance with Maleficent, Ursula and Cruella to find a way to prevent Regina from casting the first curse. The alliance fell apart after Maleficent killed a pair of guards who blocked their way to a magical বৃক্ষ that could give them advice. Snow and Charming eventually learned - ironically from Maleficent - that the former was pregnant with Emma. They also learned that their unborn child would not only have the potential for good, but also for great evil. To anyone with common sense, this would be an apt বিবরণ of any sentient being. Yet, the idea of their future child - who became dubbed as "the Savior" - possessing a potential for evil frightened the Charmings . . . especially Snow White.
So, what actually happened between the Charmings and the "Queens of Darkness" in the এনচ্যান্টেড Forest? "Best Laid Plans" provided the answer. The episode revealed that the royal couple had stopped to help a roadside peddler, who warned them that Maleficent had torched a village after becoming a dragon and laying an egg. He also advised them to seek উপদেশ from a "man in a cottage". The latter turned out to be the Sorcerer's Apprentice, the same elderly man who had directed কুইন Ingrid aka the Snow কুইন to our world and whom Rumpelstiltskin (with Hook's reluctant help) had entrapped inside the Sorcerer's Hat. It was the Apprentice who told the Charmings that their child would grow up with the potential for both good and evil . . . like everyone else. He also added that if they wanted to ensure Emma would remain good, they would have to find another sentient being to serve as a vessel to absorb their unborn child's potential for evil. In the end, the Charmings kidnapped Maleficent's egg, which carried an unborn child to use as a vessel for Emma's inner evil. And the Apprentice, who cast a spell that sent Emma's inner evil into Maleficent's unborn child, took the royal pair দ্বারা surprise দ্বারা declaring that such evil should not reside in the এনচ্যান্টেড Forest. He sent Maleficent's child to "the Land Without Magic", sucking Ursula and Cruella into the portal, as well.
The reaction to the Charmings' actions in the এনচ্যান্টেড Forest and their subsequent lies in present-day Storybrooke proved to be very emotional and mixed within the "ONCE UPON A TIME" fandom. Many অনুরাগী accepted what the Charmings did and recognized what they had done was wrong. However, other অনুরাগী reactions to the Charmings' actions and "Best Laid Plans" has been . . . well, interesting. Some অনুরাগী have accused প্রদর্শনী runners Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis of retconning Snow White and Charming's characterizations . . . and bad লেখা altogether. Others have made excuses for the Charmings, claiming they could understand the couple's need to save Emma from a life of evil. Others have used the peddler, who turned out to be the লেখক that many have been seeking, as an excuse for the Charmings' terrible act. The episode revealed that instead of recording the going-ons in the এনচ্যান্টেড Forest, the peddler had been occasionally manipulating the actions of the inhabitants to "make a better story". And since the episode revealed that the peddler/Author had manipulated the Apprentice into sending Maleficent's unborn child to "the Land Without Magic", he must have manipulated the Charmings into kidnapping the child in the first place. Ironically, the charges of bad লেখা and excuses reminded me of the reactions to Snow's murder of Cora Mills aka the কুইন of Hearts in Season Two's (2.16) "The Miller's Daughter". For some reason, a certain portion of the series' fandom find it difficult to accept any signs of moral ambiguity from either Snow White, Prince Charming অথবা their daughter, Emma Swan. And there are those অনুরাগী who have raked the Charmings over hot coals for their deed. I get the feeling these particular অনুরাগী are angry at the couple (or at Horowitz and Kitsis) for shattering their ideal image of innate goodness.
Personally, I had sighed with relief over the revelation of the Charmings' past misdeed. No one was আরো happier than me when Snow and David proved how low they could sink. Some might view my মতামত as crowing over the couple's downfall. Trust me, I am not. I am happy that Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis has finally resumed portraying the couple's moral ambiguity after . . . how many seasons? I believe the last time audiences really saw any signs of questionable morality from either Snow অথবা David was in Season Two's (2.16) "The Miller's Daughter", when Snow murdered Cora Mills aka the কুইন of Hearts দ্বারা cursing the latter's হৃদয় and emotionally manipulating Regina into placing that হৃদয় back into Cora's body. Many অনুরাগী - to this দিন - have used Cora's own moral compass and goal to become the new "Dark One" as an excuse for her murder. These same অনুরাগী continue to claim that Snow's intent was to save Storybrooke from Cora's machinations. But Snow White's declared intent to murder Cora in revenge for her mother's death in (2.15) "The কুইন Is Dead" makes it clear that Snow White's only intent was to exact revenge.
There have been other signs throughout the series of Snow's moral ambiguity. Flashbacks revealed in episodes that she was a kind, yet spoiled and slightly bratty child. I have always wondered about her attempts to redeemed Regina on her own terms, instead of allowing the latter to make the choice to seek redemption, herself. Was this some effort on Snow White's part to regain the affection of the young woman who first saved her when they met? অথবা to be the "loving" stepmother and mother substitute she had assumed Regina was before King Leopold's death? Who knows. I also recalled Snow White's attempt to murder Regina in the flashbacks featured in Season One's (1.16) "Heart of Darkness". Many অনুরাগী had attributed Snow's murderous intent to the potion প্রদত্ত to her দ্বারা Rumpelstiltskin, which stripped away her memories of Charming. Those অনুরাগী seemed to forget that the potion merely erased her memories of Charming. It did not make her murderous. I suspect that the stress of being a fugitive, along with anger and resentment over Regina's part in Leopold's death had finally got the best of Snow and she decided to resolve her situation with an act of murder. Thankfully, Charming managed to stop her.
And for quite some time, I have brought up Snow's action against মুলান in Season Two's (2.08) "Into the Darkness", in which she and Emma were trying to leave the এনচ্যান্টেড Forest and return প্রথমপাতা to Storybrooke. As many know, মুলান had snatched a magical compass that mother and daughter were planning to use to return home. But মুলান wanted to exchange the compass for Princess Aurora, who had been kidnapped দ্বারা Cora. Snow and Emma managed to catch up in time, before the former engaged in a tussle with মুলান that led to an implausible victory for her. Angry over Mulan's theft, Snow demanded to know the reason behind it. Even though মুলান admitted that she গাউন the compass to save Aurora's life, Snow gave into her anger and tried to kill the former. Fortunately for Mulan, Aurora (who had been freed দ্বারা Killian Jones aka Captain Hook) stopped Snow from committing murder. Emma, on the other hand, had done nothing to stop her mother. Wow. Snow managed to commit two murder attempts before finally achieving one, when she arranged Cora's death. Now, her body count is a far, far cry from the likes of Rumpelstiltskin, Regina, Cora, Zelena and other villains. But for someone with a reputation for innate goodness, her penchant for murder (whether successful অথবা not) is at least worth contemplating.
As for David, one of his major character flaws has always been his penchant for judging others with extreme prejudice. Not only has this trait been apparent in his attitude toward Regina - even when she finally managed to achieve some form of full redemption - but also toward others whom he would view as different. This is a trait that Snow White also shares. How else could someone explain the couple's willingness to use Maleficent's child as a vessel for Emma's inner evil? As far as they were concerned, the baby was nothing আরো than a replica of her mother - a personification of evil. Transferring Emma's inner evil to her would cause no harm . . . অথবা so they would believe. David was also willing to destroy the book's page that contained the entrapped লেখক - an act that could have killed the latter and robbed anyone else of a future "happy ending". He wanted to destroy that page to hide his and Snow's theft of Maleficent's child from everyone . . . especially Emma. His willingness to destroy the page struck me as a stark example of his own personal cowardice that has manifested itself, time and again.
In the Season Two episode, (2.02) "We Are Both", he told the citizens of Storybrooke that the cursed David Nolan who was too cowardly to be truthful about his adulterous affair with the cursed Mary Margaret Blanchard; and the heroic Prince Charming were one and the same. In Season Three's (3.14) "The Tower", he resorted to hiding from others for a few nips of booze in order to hide from his guilt over Emma's upbringing away from the family and a fear that he might prove to be an ineffective father to his son, Neal, with whom Snow was pregnant at the time. In "Unforgiven", Snow woke up in the middle of the night following a nightmare about Maleficent, and found David drinking on the staircase to hide his worries over Ursula and Cruella's arrival in Storybrooke. I am beginning to suspect that he might be a secret lush. Oh dear. And most addicts, if not all, tend to resort to this behavior because they are afraid to face the complete truth about themselves - especially their less than admirable traits. Charming has always struck me as the type willing to face external dangers like evil magic practitioners, dragons, a dangerous water temptress and his malevolent adopted father. Facing his flaws, personal mistakes and demons has always been a problem for him.
Why is it so difficult for some অনুরাগী to view the Charming family - Snow White, David, Emma and Henry - as morally ambiguous? I never understood this attitude. "ONCE UPON A TIME" is not a টেলিভিশন series solely for children. If it was, ABC/Disney would have aired the প্রদর্শনী on Saturday mornings, instead of during the usual prime time hours. This is the same series in which other নায়ক and villains have been portrayed in an ambiguous light. Why should the Charmings be exempt from such ambiguity? Because they are among the show's main protagonists? Some would point out that Emma is a morally ambiguous character, due to her past as a thief and ex-convict. But Emma has committed some questionable acts since the series began - destruction of property, breaking and entering, accessory to her mother's attempt to kill মুলান in "Into the Deep", changing the timeline and lying to Henry. In fact, she is still driving the same yellow Volkswagen that she and Neal Cassidy (Baefire) had stolen when they first met. However, many অনুরাগী tend to brush aside these acts - including the stolen Volkswagen. With the exception of her lies to Henry, which they saw as a threat to the Charming family's reunion, many অনুরাগী were willing to brush aside Emma's questionable acts as long as she was not guilty of murder. Personally, I find this viewpoint rather hypocritical and an example of certain fans' insistence upon viewing protagonists like the Charmings as morally ideal.
I personally do not care for morally ideal characters. I find them rather boring and unrealistic. I remember পাঠ করা in a few Agatha Christie novels in which the main character - usually Miss Jane Marple - tend to express the view that just about anyone is capable of murder, প্রদত্ত a specific situation. I agree with this assessment. I sometimes feel that human beings like to regard themselves as better than we really are. Perhaps this is why they প্রণয় the idea of fictional characters - especially those dubbed "the protagonist" অথবা "hero/heroine" - as being morally ideal. Mind you, this is merely an opinion of mine. I tend to find morally ambiguous characters আরো interesting. Such characters are very entertaining and really do make a story লাগাম with energy. Characters of one-dimensional morality do not. Even one-dimensional villains. Both Regina and Rumpelstiltskin had struck me as a pair of uninteresting villains in Season One, until episodes like (1.08) "Desperate Souls" and (1.18) "The Stable Boy" revealed just how ambiguous and interesting they truly were.
After Season Two, both Snow White and Charming seemed in danger of becoming a pair of rather dull characters. Between (2.17) "Welcome to Storybrooke" (in which Snow tried to me avert the emotional impact of Cora's death) and "Darkness on the Edge of Town", they were not that interesting to me. Well . . . there was the (4.11) "Shattered Sight" episode, in which কুইন Ingrid of Arendelle aka the Snow Queen's spell in which the couple exposed their . . . um, inner resentments and anger toward each other. But for me, that was not the same as deliberately indulging in অথবা utilizing one's unpleasant traits. After all, they and other Storybrooke's citizens were under a spell. However, this story arc featuring Maleficent's stolen child is an entirely different matter. Yes, Snow and Charming's crime happened in the past. But they were not under a spell.
But there is one potential problem. Earlier, I had revealed that in "Best Laid Plans", audiences learned the true identity of "the Author" - a peddler who had been commissioned দ্বারা the Sorcerer and his apprentice to record the happenings in the এনচ্যান্টেড Forest and other "fictional" realms. After the Apprentice had sent Maleficent's child to "the Land Without Magic", he confronted the লেখক and accused the latter of manipulating him into banishing the unborn (or unhatched) child to our world. He also accused the লেখক of manipulating past events in the "fictional" realms. Certain অনুরাগী jumped on this narrative turn-of-events and claimed that the লেখক had manipulated Snow and Charming into stealing Maleficent's child. Yes, it is possible that the royal pair had been manipulated দ্বারা the Author. Then again, the Apprentice never accused the লেখক of that particular act. So, the audience will never learn the truth, until Horowitz and Kitsis decide to reveal it. If they reveal that the Charmings' act of kidnapping had been manipulated দ্বারা the Author, then I will be sadly disappointed.
But আপনি know what? Even if the প্রদর্শনী runners decide to include that Snow and Charming had been manipulated into kidnapping Maleficent's child, the royal pair still managed to commit some morally questionable acts since the Apprentice had entrapped the লেখক in that book. And because both of them, along with other characters in "ONCE UPON A TIME", have shown they are capable of both decent and very questionable acts, I can never regard them as innately good. Frankly, I see that as a good thing. Because in my eyes, there is nothing আরো boring অথবা damaging to a good story than a morally one-dimensional character.
