The final climactic reconciliation in Ever After between Henry and Danielle is unbelievable though, because thereâs a lot of ground that needs to be covered and a lot of explaining to be done and, because the situation is so complex and tangled up, it canât be solved simply in the way of a lot of fairytales. Thereâs a delicate layer of suspense that covers it that makes every moment one where youâre not quite sure whatâs going to happen.
His opening line of âI came to rescue youâ, a straightforward enough reason for a resolution scene, falls apart really quickly because it isnât what she needs, sheâs literally already freed herself from imprisonment, and so suddenly his words melt into âactually I came to beg your forgivenessâ which is actually what he needs to say and she needs to hear. But. sheâs been too thoroughly betrayed by Henry, but also by her stepmother, and her circumstances- she was literally sold into slavery to the worst man she knew- to be able to accept it right away, even though she believes heâs sorry. Itâs not enough for him to throw himself at her feet even in remorse because itâs because of him, at least in part, that sheâs not in the place where she can forgive. She needs more. She has to be won back as gently as sheâd been harshly betrayed and abandoned. The scene moves in waves and shifts because she keeps, totally understandably, pushing him away and then coming closer to him againâanswering his apology with a dismissal of herself and her station, lighting up when he says her name, staring at the lost slipper in wonder and then falling back into emphasizing the truth of all thatâs happened and why she pretended to be a courtier in the first place. Danielle has been so solid and strong the entire movie, in a way Henry has not been, but this is not a moment that can be overcome by her strength. She is at sea, she is undone. The only one who can guide the scene to its happy endings is Henry. Only by his gentleness and persistence and most of all by his steadiness can he make this okay again.
He DID betray her and he did it because he was caught off guard and confused and felt betrayed himself but also because he hadnât resolved everything within himself yet. Heâd been on a rollercoaster of emotions with regard to his privilege and his station and his duty and he hadnât sorted it all out yet even though he thought he had and Danielle bore the brunt of that, it fell most heavily on her and broke her heart so thoroughlyâin this scene she is STILL heartbroken, you can see that the fighting spirit has gone out of herâthat it was absolutely his job and his place to clarify to himself and to Danielle what his priorities actually are and hold out a little longer when she sinks back into sadness. This is one of those times when he canât take her no as no because itâs just reaction from her hurt. He has to tell her âitâs Henry if you donât mindâ with twice the gentleness because he so cruelly told her never to call him that again.
And the point is that this time he does manage to be both clear and steady and persistent like he hasnât been so far because this time he is sure of what he wants to do and what he should do. He waits for Danielle to trust him againâand to be trustful of the fact that she could actually be happy this timeâ without pushing her but also without leaving. For all his nervousness and shaking hands and self-doubt he is steady with her and so the moment when she puts her face in her hands to process and cry and then reaches out to hug him is perfect because, in a way that reflects the whole movie, it shows that moment of joy has been won with patience and persistence and a great steadiness of love and itâs So Much it almost breaks my heart and Iâ
