‘Once Upon A Time’ 2.12 Recap and Review: In the Name of the Brother

This week on Once Upon A Time, we were indulged with a few twists involving the classic story of Frankenstein! Not only that, but Storybrooke must come face-to-face with their first real outsider. Last week, we were left wondering the fate of Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) and Belle (Emilie de Ravin) after an epic episode, but did ‘In the Name of the Brother’ live up to Once Upon A Time’s high standards?

Storybrooke:

Save a man who could put all of Storybrooke in danger, or not… That is the question. Picking up right where we left off last week, the gang try to pick up all the pieces after the horrendous accident. Belle’s memory of her fairytale self is gone, Hook has a few broken ribs and a dark one ready to rip him to shreds, and a mysterious, unconscious man has everyone on their toes. Meanwhile, Dr. Whale (David Anders) is drunk and reminiscing. Much to Rumpelstiltskin’s (Robert Carlyle) dismay, it seems that Belle is a lost cause when it comes to her memory. She went total ‘The Vow’ on him. Not even the teacup could help. Honestly, Belle and Rumple are my favorite couple on this show, and this whole situation is really making me upset! In other news, Cora (Barbara Hershey) hatches a plan to get back into Regina’s (Lana Parrilla) good graces. She strikes up a truths with Rumple, getting his help in return for giving him a device that makes it easier to track Baelfire down. You would think that this tool is enough, but Rumple decides to enlist the help of Emma (Jennifer Morrison), forcing her to leave Snow, Charming, and Henry to help Rumple find his son. She’s only been back in Storybrooke for a short while, and she’s already leaving again! Sad, but an interesting twist.

Now with Rumple and Emma off, it leaves the rest of Storybrooke to deal with the mysterious man who happened to crash into town. At the end of the episode, after all of the drama between getting Dr. Whale to save him, the Whalewolf ship forming, and the stranger admitting to not seeing anything… It turns out that he did, in fact, see things. Magical things,and I’m curious to see where this goes. He’s already called ‘Her’ back, and spilled all the details, but what does that mean for our Storybrooke characters?

The Fairytale World:

It’s the story of Frankenstein, but this time, we’re given a bit more backstory on our scarred doctor. It’s the story that has been told countless times before. Two sons, ones the golden child, while the other is the screw up. The screw up, in this case being Dr. Frankenstein, tries desperately to gain his father’s love, but inevitably fails. This time, it’s a bit more tragic. Cue Rumplestiltskin. One thing that I liked about this scene was the obvious differentiation between color… Further detailing the different worlds. Off point, though. Rumple makes a deal with Frankenstein. He funds his lab activities if Frankenstein teaches Rumple the ‘magic’ of science. Of course it’s a done deal, but all magic, including science, comes with a price. Events turn horribly wrong when his brother is shot and killed, but seeing as Frankenstein is skilled in the art of resurrecting the dead, he brings his brother back no problem… Well, except for the fact that he’s a complete monster and ends up killing their father. Oops. Realizing his wrongs, Victor tries to ‘kill’ his brother, but couldn’t go through with the deed, despite his brother’s willingness for death. Sad.

Eh, I wasn’t really feeling this episode of Once Upon A Time. I adore the story of Frankenstein, but I constantly felt myself losing interest during the short hour-long period. Definitely not my favorite. Yes, it did its job by placing the idea in the audience’s head that there are multiple worlds and that Emma and Rumple will be setting off to find Baelfire… Though it still had something missing. Perhaps the jaw-dropping, surprise aspect to it?

Rating:
B-

Questions:

• Will Belle get her memory back?
• Thoughts on Emma and Rumple setting off to find Baelfire?
• The strange man crashed into Storybrooke, what’s going to happen now?