#once meta

So we know that something is rotten in the state of Camelot that has to do with Arthur, and we know from traditional accounts that Camelot and the Order of Round Table should have fallen because Lancelot’s affair with Guinevere is a thing of the past. Now OUaT plays really fast and loose with the original stories, yes but this is kinda a BIG thing to change. So part of me is wondering if they actually haven't.

Now in at least some tellings, Arthur really wanted to ignore Guinevere's betrayal and just let her and Lancelot do their thing. There are even tellings where for a time, he did. And it wasn't until Mordred's interference that it became public knowledge and Arthur had to intervene. There was really no option to pardon either of them, even if Arthur would have wanted that, cheating on the King is considered treason. So the fact that not only is Camelot still standing but that Guinevere is back by Arthur's side and not hiding in the convent is a little weird. But what if that's not Guinevere?

If Arthur is really Arthur and not Mordred using family resemblance to masquerade as his father, then there's probably some corrupting force in play. Now when Camelot fell there was a climatic battle at a little place called Camlann, where Mordred dies and Arthur gets fatally wounded but is whisked to Avalon to be healed and someday return to the Britains by none other than Morgan la Fey, perhaps the best known Arthurian villain. Morgan being a powerful sorceress would be more than capable of using a glamour to pose as Guinevere and control and mislead Arthur with some magical help. I will admit that this is very similar to what was just done last season with Zelena, so while I'd hope that they wouldn't just repeat plot lines, it's something I can see them doing.

*Thismeta is a preface, in a way, to another meta. It’s a point that needs to be made in that meta, but a point that also needs to stand on its own.

Rumple’s main storyline this half season, came in the form of the Sorcerer’s hat. He saw it, and saw a way to rid himself of the dagger yet still keep his power. That makes perfect sense, and would be the ultimate dream for Rumple. 

Here’s the problem. I’ve watched this storyline get heavily debated. And in a lot of cases people are quick to defend him saying that he was traumatized by Zelena controlling him and Neal sacrificing himself for Rumple. So of course he wants to rid himself of the dagger.

Yes, that is all true. But it was so much more than just ridding himself of the dagger…

The more they leak about Regina's love interest the more frustrating and annoying it becomes. I mean obviously it wasn't going to be Hook right because they need to use him to temporarily appease Captain Swan Shippers before they send Emma right into Neal's arms to appease the Swanfire shippers. Swanfire's likely the writers' endgame because then Henry will have a "real" family.

I think the latest spoilers have ruled out Tinker Bell as Regina's love interest, so for anyone who thought, "well maybe we'll get a lesbian couple or a lesbian/bisexual main character," that seems not to be the case. I don't really even think they have any intention to do homosexual characters at any point in the show, and that saying they did was just more queer-baiting to try and hold on to LGBT*Q fans after the catastrophe and poor PR that was comic-con.

Now back to Regina's love interest and recent spoilers..."Regina/Evil Queen will find a surprising love connection in the third episode." First off, I don't think Regina would just quickly find and accept a love connection. She's very badly broken, it would take time to warm up and let someone in. So unless she already knew the person and was just now coming to terms with her feelings, I think any relationship that doesn't take the entire season to progress isn't really deserving of her character.

Now let's talk about "surprising" well since many people seemed to jump to the conclusion relatively quickly that the love interest was Robin Hood (which the new interview eludes to/more or less confirms) I don't see this as surprising. To be honest, Hook, and Tinker Bell wouldn't be all that surprising to me at this point either as the one the writers sort of have set up decently from last season, and the other would an appeasement for LGBT*Q fans. Surprising at this point would be if Regina's love connection was Emma, Rumple, Greg (or Tamara), or even Charming because those would be plot twist.

Lana...I love you, I adore you, I really really do. You're my favourite person ever and I want to just ignore this >> “Regina’s love has to be very manly, and Robin Hood is that.” However, I cannot. Why does her love interest have to be manly? Why? Why can't her love interest be someone who is more in touch with his heart than with being strong, a good fighter and all the things we consider a manly man to be?

It feels like this is going to turn into some "her man has to be strong and manly to protect her" scheme like all women are weak and can't take care of themselves. Regina doesn't need someone to protect her, she needs someone who's going to love her unconditionally and put her first. I'm not even going to comment on the fact that Regina's love interest should be just as likely to be a woman as a man, but manly implies it'll be male.

Not that it really matters who they pick as her love interest because >> "Alas, she shouldn’t get too excited, since producers tell me this romance will take a tragic turn." So basically, Regina will get as fucked over this season as in the last one. It's like the writers hate the character or something because they keep throwing crap at her, and recycling her plots. Maybe they're trying to make her the evil queen again with basically recycling the Daniel plot. At least if she's the evil queen again they can justify kicking her out of Henry's life when his "real" parents get back together.

Regina apparently can't have pretty things. She keeps getting kicked down and any chance at redemption seems shot to hell since the writers don't seem to want it. I thought when I started watching this show that for once maybe the "evil" character would get a decent plot, be seen as human, given a chance to be better and actually eventually succeed. The more I see of the show and the spoilers the more I realize it's not going to happen.

I'll be surprised if Regina doesn't get killed off in season four or something since it seems like they're setting her up to be the next season's "big bad" in the upcoming season with the love interest crap. I really can't with this show anymore. I want to say I'm going to keep watching for Regina and Lana, but I don't think I can. I can't watch my baby go through more pain and mental anguish and I can't put myself through that either.

As for watching just for Lana. I've loved her for a long time, and have watched many shows just for her, but those shows were actually decent or really good. They had plots, and twists; they treated her character with respect. It feels like the character isn't respected, and Lana could do so much more better.

I want to see her on a show that respects her and her treats her like the star she is, and apparently that doesn't make me a true regal according to other regals, but whatever. I've loved Lana since before "Evil Regal" became a thing, and I'm going to keep loving her after it stops being a thing. She deserves more.

I am a mother and guess what? Not hitting your child and providing them with what food/shelter you can - and many parents can't provide much of either though it certainly doesn't make them bad parents - are minimum requirements. I applaud her for having a moment of clarity early in season 2 which led her to relinquish custody of him but she has a WAYS TO GO in the whole putting him first, not trying to kill everyone else, treating him like a person instead of a possession, and realizing that it is unhealthy to want to be the only person in your child's life once they are old enough to walk.

- Cinderella/Ashley was put in the position of being forced into giving up her child by Rumple. Ashley certainly never actually agreed to an adoption. She was written that way and did her best to keep her child as soon as she was given the chance. Forcing women to give up their children is a BAD thing. Adoption can only work if the birth parents willingly give up custody of their children.

- Hansel&Gretal were separated from their single father by Regina who then made sure that separation would be permanent. Once again a parent is being forced into losing the children they love. The separation was written into the curse but that is not the reality. The reality of the situation is that he is a loving father and I'm sure they were all very happy to be together again once the curse broke instead of...oh dead trying to leave town. And let's be honest, this story is not at all about adoption even on the surface since the chance of children that old being adopted is basically zero. They were going into foster care (if they could have left town) where they would be bounced from home to home and definitely separated from each other.

Point one - she did neither of these things.

Point two - is this really how we think of young, vulnerable, frequently coerced young women who usually have no support and no options? Do we see them as callously shoving away their child and moving on with no regret? Do we not want to think about how much the adoption industry is an INDUSTRY and one that depends on a supply of children? Or that there are plenty of people in it who make Rumpel look like a fine, upstanding citizen? (Not that there aren't many good people involved as well - but where there is money you will get opportunists.)

Because every time I see someone coming down hard on Emma for having the temerity to give up Henry for adoption, it makes me shudder. And judge them a bit. 

The correct term for Rumpelstiltskin is misanthrope. Not misogynist. He hates, distrusts and has disdain for EVERYONE. And, yes, that includes himself. He really hates himself. The number of people he doesn't hate is vanishingly small - Belle, Bae, and I would say the Charming clan.