Once Upon a Time Round Table: "Skin Deep"

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Once Upon a Time retold a classic fairy tale last Sunday, taking viewers back through a reimagined version of Beauty and the Beast.

What did you think of "Skin Deep?" In the following Round Table discussion, panelists Molly Harper, Jim Garner, Christine Orlando, Dan Forcella and Nick McHatton break down the episode. Won't you sit down and join them?

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Mr. Gold has confirmed something we've all had suspicions about for a while now: he knows about fairy tale land. How will that play out? Is he an asset or a threat to Regina?
Molly: He's a threat. Mr. Gold will serve anyone, he has no loyalty or disloyalty, as long as he thinks he can get something out of the bargain. The only person in town he shows a hint of antipathy to is Regina. And that will get ten times worse when he finds out she's holding Belle.

Jim: I think he is both an asset and a threat, Rumple is out for one person: himself. I'm fairly certain he would throw anyone from Storybrooke under the bus and then run over twice if it would get him what he wanted.

Christine: He can be either. If Regina has something he wants then she can use it to have him help her but using Belle will be dangerous. Once he knows she's lied and is holding the one person he cares about there's no telling what he'll do.

Dan: He's definitely a threat. As much as Henry is trying to figure out what is actually going on in Storybrooke, I think Rumple is simply going to spill the beans, which is how the next chapter of this story will begin to unfold. Regina should be extremely threatened by Mr. Gold.

Nick: He's a threat, he'll only help further someone's cause if it furthers his own. Now that he and Regina are on equal footing so to speak, it looks like we'll have a power struggle between Regina, Mr. Gold and Emma.

What did you think of David's need to buy two Valentine's Day cards?
Molly: David is starting come across as a little slimy. He's gone from Prince Charming, to "guy you see on Dr. Phil because he won't make a decision between his wife and his mistress." I'm proud of Mary Margaret for stepping away, now I want David to do the right thing.

Jim: When I was single and dating, I remember a few "two-card" holidays. Sadly, poor David doesn't have the organizational skills needed to do it, as he should know to keep one card in the left side and one in right side so you don't give the wrong card to the wrong person. That means he's going to have to make a choice... again.

Christine: But Jim, one of those cards was never for your wife (I hope!). David's quickly gone from sympathetic to cowardly. If he wants Mary Margaret he needs to leave his wife and move on. The two cards were just the wake up call Mary Margaret needed. She's worth more than that.

Dan: A-HOLE!

Nick: David feels like he did when we first met him in fairy tale land: an idealistic man who hasn't found his own courage yet until he had to make a decision. He knows what he feels with Mary Margaret is real, yet he's not willing to take that leap, especially when he knows what he feels with his wife doesn't feel real to him. I think when he's finally forced to make a real decision he'll decide in Mary Margaret's favor. This is a long winded answer to me saying "it's not big deal" that he got two cards.

What are your thoughts about Regina's dungeon in the hospital housing Belle?
Molly: It's a little weird that Regina isn't using Belle as leverage to control Mr. Gold, which makes me think she's saving Belle for something special, or she just wants to torture Mr. Gold in the modern world, making him live frozen in time without his true love. Which leads me to this question:

Jim: Glad I'm not there [shiver]. I was more confused by her giving the nurse the rose than the fact she had a secret wing to the hospital.

Christine: For a woman who keeps a locked room full of actual hearts...not at all surprising. I just wonder what her plan is. If she's going to use her against Mr Gold it better be a good plan because an angry Rumplestiltskin is a dangerous thing in any universe.

Dan: It's pretty spot on of everything we've seen from Regina. She's pure evil, so it makes sense that she would do such a horrendous thing. What I'm mostly excited about is that it probably means Belle is important enough to warrant keeping her hidden from everyone.

Nick: Homegirl sure likes dungeons! I'm with Dan, though, there is something special about Belle that requires her to be kept away from the rest of Storybrooke.

Are you happy some Disney touches are making their way into the series (e.g. the teacup with a "Chip" on the side)?
Molly: Did anyone else notice the logo on Mr. French's flower van? I'm pretty sure it said, "Game of Thorns." Which is pretty cool.

Jim: Well "The Mouse" does own ABC, so it's not hard to expect some nods. I enjoyed it very much. I was really hoping to have them pan across the mantle and see a candlestick next to a clock.  I haven't seen any others, but this is the first character from one of Disney's more modern stories that we would remember a character like Chip from. 

Christine: Oh, there's been lots of little things. Pongo, the Dalmation on the fire truck (101 Dalmations), the seven dwarves popping up in different places like Sneezy running the pharmacy. I love it. There was this little part of me that kept picturing dancing and singing every time they showed "Chip"  And, yes, I noticed the Game of Thorns florist truck too.  I love Game of Thrones but it's so not Disney!

Dan: I love it! Disney's Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite animated movies ever, so you know I was glued to my set looking for a clock and a candlestick anywhere I could.  I was also really hoping that somebody called Mr. French "Crazy Old Maurice" at some point.

Nick: I love all things Disney, and seeing those touches every once in a while on the show makes me happy. I can't wait to see what they allude to next!

Does anyone else have a feeling Belle is going to be integral to breaking the Storybrooke curse?
Jim: I think Belle is the "escape clause." While Emma is the only one who can break the curse and move things forward, I think Belle could unravel the curse and allow for some form of cosmic "do over" for The Queen. Just kissing Mr. Gold wouldn't have an effect at this point. We have no reason to believe that Belle has any memory of him on this side of the curse, so he would have work to gain her trust.

Christine: There has to be a reason why Regina's holding her captive besides the joy of messing with Mr. Gold. The line about the kiss breaking the curse is definitely a clue to things to come but whose kiss is anyone's guess at this point. I'm guessing that breaking the curse may take a coordinated effort from several characters but we'll have to wait and see.

Dan: A simple kiss between Belle and Gold won't break the curse, but I agree with Jim that it will probably speed up the process.

Nick: If Graham is any indication a kiss can be the final piece of the fairy tale land puzzle. But with Rump already knowing who he is, it doesn't look like he has any desire to change things. This "true love's kiss" seems to be a little wishy washy in Storybrooke

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