Once Upon a Time: A Tale of Two Sisters
In this first installment of Once Upon a Time Season 4, Regina is left reeling after the return of Emma and Captain Hook renders a devastating blow to her relationship with Robin Hood. Hook tries to understand his new relationship with Emma. And a new character finds her way into Storybrooke when the characters from Disney’s Frozen are introduced.
Pain is a powerful theme in this episode, particularly in the characters of Regina, Elsa, and Rumplestiltskin. Ironically, the pain that these characters share, while it is unique to each of them, stems from the same source: they are all suffering from a broken heart.
For Regina, her heart is broken when Emma and Captain Hook accidentally reunite Robin Hood, the man she loves, with his lost wife, Marian. Although she finally had her happy ending with Robin and his son, Roland, that happiness was shattered when Marian returned because not only did she inadvertently rob Regina of her happy ending, she also reminded Regina of the villain she had been in the past. Regina’s pain only intensifies when Robin tells her that although his feelings for Regina were sincere, he feels honor-bound to remain with Marian. Now, Regina faces a choice whether to remain in the light or fall back into darkness as the villain that everyone fears her to be.
For Rumplestiltskin, his pain comes from the death of his son, Baelfire, and his struggle to cast aside his former identity as the Dark One. For Rumple, his identity as the Dark One was a burden because it symbolized the dark side of his psyche who craved power; the metaphorical beast that he could not control. His only joy came from being a father to his son and protecting him. Now that Baelfire is gone, Rumple must again struggle to vanquish the powerful hold that the darker side of his identity has on him and embrace happiness again with a new identity as he begins his life with Belle.
For Elsa, the pain she carries stems from her coming to terms with her own identity. While she should be rejoicing over her sister’s coming marriage, Elsa’s joy is extinguished when she discovers a terrible secret hidden in her mother’s journal. Her pain is borne from her discovery that her parents were afraid of her magic and she feels guilty that the journey that her parents took to try and understand her power ultimately led to their deaths. Like Regina and Rumplestiltskin, she must bear the burden of her pain alone, even though she is surrounded by people who love her.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
In this first installment of Once Upon a Time Season 4, Regina is left reeling after the return of Emma and Captain Hook renders a devastating blow to her relationship with Robin Hood. Hook tries to understand his new relationship with Emma. And a new character finds her way into Storybrooke when the characters from Disney’s Frozen are introduced.
Pain is a powerful theme in this episode, particularly in the characters of Regina, Elsa, and Rumplestiltskin. Ironically, the pain that these characters share, while it is unique to each of them, stems from the same source: they are all suffering from a broken heart.
For Regina, her heart is broken when Emma and Captain Hook accidentally reunite Robin Hood, the man she loves, with his lost wife, Marian. Although she finally had her happy ending with Robin and his son, Roland, that happiness was shattered when Marian returned because not only did she inadvertently rob Regina of her happy ending, she also reminded Regina of the villain she had been in the past. Regina’s pain only intensifies when Robin tells her that although his feelings for Regina were sincere, he feels honor-bound to remain with Marian. Now, Regina faces a choice whether to remain in the light or fall back into darkness as the villain that everyone fears her to be.
For Rumplestiltskin, his pain comes from the death of his son, Baelfire, and his struggle to cast aside his former identity as the Dark One. For Rumple, his identity as the Dark One was a burden because it symbolized the dark side of his psyche who craved power; the metaphorical beast that he could not control. His only joy came from being a father to his son and protecting him. Now that Baelfire is gone, Rumple must again struggle to vanquish the powerful hold that the darker side of his identity has on him and embrace happiness again with a new identity as he begins his life with Belle.
For Elsa, the pain she carries stems from her coming to terms with her own identity. While she should be rejoicing over her sister’s coming marriage, Elsa’s joy is extinguished when she discovers a terrible secret hidden in her mother’s journal. Her pain is borne from her discovery that her parents were afraid of her magic and she feels guilty that the journey that her parents took to try and understand her power ultimately led to their deaths. Like Regina and Rumplestiltskin, she must bear the burden of her pain alone, even though she is surrounded by people who love her.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.