Okay, the Krusty part didn't happen, but I couldn't pass up the reference. Anyway, Ruby waited for a bus to take her out of town after a rebellious moment with her Granny. Ruby felt annoyed by her Granny's insistence that she work instead of flirt. Granny told her granddaughter about her plans to promote her, but Ruby felt insulted because she only heard the parts about restrictions and limitations to her social life. Ruby quit and left the diner thus sparking the girl's search for her own identity. As she waited for a bus, I wondered how a bus company functions in a town in which no one can leave or enter. Local routes, of course, make sense, but Ruby indicated she wanted a Greyhound-type bus to take her into the more southern parts of New England. Perhaps I should've saved these thoughts for the end of the review.
I must give credit where credit is due: Once Upon a Time produced a fresh and surprising adaptation of Red Riding Hood; but the episode followed a predictable path. The big, bad wolf terrorized one part of the fairy tale world so much so that many, many hunters died in the attempt to kill it. Granny assumed the role of town protector. Each night she sat in front of the door, bow-and-arrow in hand, ready to kill the wolf. Red, her naive granddaughter, just wanted freedom to kiss her boyfriend whenever she wished. Granny refused to give Red freedom of the forest because of the dangerous wolf. One morning, Red found Snow White in the chicken den, stealing eggs. Red brought Snow into her home where the two then gossiped about the wolf, Peter the love interest, and conspired to kill the wolf to win Red her freedom.
None of the twists and turns of the fairyback surprised me except for the final twist. I anticipated that the wolf would be a hybrid man-wolf; I anticipated that Granny had been hiding something from Red. Red's motivation annoyed me though. Each episode seems like a retread of the 'one character loves another enough to put his or her life on the line in some insane mission whether it's slay a dragon, kill a wolf, eat an apple or steal an apple or whatever' story, and I'm weary of watching these rinse-and-repeat stories. Red wanted to freely date Pete the love interest, so she decided to kill the wolf herself. Snow White reluctantly tagged along. "Red-Handed" was about Red's identity--in both worlds she identifies herself in relation to her Granny only; however, we learned about Red's terrific skills when hunting for someone. Her adept hunting skills stems from the fact that she's half-wolf. Granny explained to Snow about her family's marked fate to be hybrids that stalk the night and kill chickens and humans. Red killed Peter the love interest. Peter chained himself to a tree because Red and Snow suspected him of transforming into the wolf at night. In an act of love and devotion, he wanted to prove that he wasn't the wolf, and the decision cost him his life. Red learned of her true nature as the townspeople rushed to the spot to kill the wolf.
In a twist of fate, Ruby landed a temporary room in Mary's house. Emma looked reluctant, evidently forgetting about how Granny took her in when she first came to Storybrooke. Ruby felt directionless post-Granny's diner. One afternoon, she and Henry sat in the police station as Henry tried to find a job for her. Yes, the child acted as a career advisor. Each job didn't fit Ruby. An occupation as a bike messenger or some other small town job reserved for an 11 year old turned Ruby off, and she decided she needed to find out who she was before committing to a career. Emma hired Ruby as her assistant upon hearing Ruby handle calls like a veteran assistant. Soon, Ruby investigated cases with Emma. Emma saw firsthand how adept Ruby is at tracking people in woods. Emma's expert profiling combined with Ruby's expert search skills could've been a dynamite detective duo. Ruby, of course, doesn't remember why she can smell things the way she does. What I hope she'll learn is how to reconcile her nature when she remembers, specifically regarding the overwhelming guilt she feels for the murders she committed with the altruistic side she's just discovering. In simpler terms, Ruby can be a quasi-Angel, one dedicated to atoning for one's sins by helping the hopeless. Jane Espensen's on the staff so maybe she's pitched this (but probably not).
The search for Kathryn continued. Ruby actually found the key piece of evidence that became a launching point for the next episode. David ran into Mary in the woods in what we later found out was a dream sleep. David-as-suspect didn't last long. David assumed his dream sleep could've resulted in him kidnapping and murdering his wife; in fact, he told Emma to arrest him when she told him and Mary about the human heart found in a box. None of the characters know about the stash of human hearts kept inside of Regina's secret lair. Also, if I recall correctly, August Booth had a box with a typewriter inside, but one could easily replace a typewriter with a human heart. I don't believe for a second that Mary, despite Emma's confirmation of her fingerprints on the box, ripped the still beating heart of Kathryn from her chest in an act of jealous rage. Everything about Once Upon a Time is overt, which points the finger directly at Regina AKA the evil queen.
The elements of the Kathryn mystery were compelling. I looked forward to each scene about the cases. I commend Jane's script for making an OUAT miser like me invested in a case I don't care about that involves two characters I care not one iota for. The Red/Ruby story lacked substance, but the visuals were impressive and worth the story alone, plus the Red-as-wolf revelation surprised me. I loved the imagery of the falling snow, the village lit by candlelight, the trek through the snow covered grounds, the chimney smoke, and it all had an Eastern European quality. Many of the scenes are still too boring to justify being filmed though. As a whole, Once is still a boring show.
Other Thoughts:
-I had flashbacks of Buffy's "Beauty and the Beasts" when Red wanted Peter chained to a tree to prove he wasn't the wolf killer. Oz always chained himself in the library cage, but brutal murders were happening without explanation. Xander fell asleep during watch, which briefly caused everyone to think Oz escaped and killed a person. In fact, Oz was innocent, as was the feral Angel. I love season three of Buffy.
-Jane Espensen penned the episode. Ron Underwood directed it.
THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK
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