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seriousficI know that's an odd thought to have on Once Upon A Time, when most of fandom is in the "oh noes!" and "that bitch!" camp, I'm more in mourning for Regina's once-nuanced characterization. See, when it turned out that Regina legitimately cared for Henry, and didn't even know his true identity, much less adopt him as any kind of 'fuck you' to the Whites, I thought the show was going in the direction of Regina getting an anti-hero redemption arc, while Mr. Gold was revealed as the true Big Bad, and all the people who commented on OUAT being anti-adoption or perpetuating misogynistic stereotypes would end up eating their delicious, delicious words. After all, prior to this episode, Regina's attacks were strangely non-lethal. She put Snow into an enchanted sleep, then she cast the Storybrooke spell. She spared Maleifient. Meanwhile, Mr. Gold's going around blowing up fairy godmothers.
And now, well, it turns out that Regina raped a dude and then murdered him. Not really the kind of thing Emma could forgive, no matter how great the sex is. So, spin control. Hey, we're fandom, it's our job. The rape is easy enough--it's not a huge plot point and Regina (as the Evil Queen) makes references to Graham being her pet, so we could just say the "bring him to my bedchamber" line is her making him sleep at the foot of her bed, like a dog, for humiliation, and shame on us for our dirty minds. This is (practically) a kids' show!
The murdering is a little more intractible. I mean, it's one thing for H.G. Wells to try to destroy the world--that was basically a suicide attempt writ large. Regina straight-up iced a dude for dumping her. But I think the two have more in common than you might think, in that Regina is also suffering from a mental disorder. Namely, she's monomanical.
Here's the thing. Part of the reason Regina as Big Bad and Mr. Gold as some kind of Starscream rings false is that Regina is just less imposing than Mr. Gold. Mr. Gold runs long cons. The Charming Brothers scheme? He planned that out decades in advance. The Storybrooke universe definitely seems set up to favor him, and it'd be a safe bet that he arranged things to get there, up to and including letting himself be captured. He's the toxic waste getting dumped in the river, the hole in the ozone layer.
Regina? There's one word for her: short-sighted. She's all short-term gratification, sound and fury, a flash flood, a forest fire, a volcano. Bad, sure, but overall less damaging than Mr. Gold. We virtually never see her think about the consequences of her actions. She decides what she's going to do and goes for it, day and night. And what she wants to do is be happy. It's not even a deep down thing. She knows she isn't happy, she's surrounded by happy endings, she wants what they have. The problem is that she's stuck in the fallacy that getting revenge on Snow White will make her happy. That's her mania; that's the only answer she'll accept. "If revenge isn't making me happy, I must not be getting enough revenge!" She kills Snow's father. Not good enough. She kills Snow (or so she thinks). Not good enough. She poisons Snow with an apple. Not good enough.
Here's where Emma comes in, for the devoted Swan Queen shipper. If Regina just sees that she can be happy apart from attacking Snow, that she can be more happy than she ever was going on the offensive, then she has nothing left to propel her. And in a weird sort of way, Emma (and Henry) can make her happy. They can give her a family, love, support--all the things Regina's apparently been denied (I don't know what kind of childhood you have when your father is apparently your servant, but it can't be too healthy). Adopting Henry is a good first move towards help, but she's still acting in old patterns--I'll get this thing to be happy, but I still want control over it. What she needs is an equal, something the show has harped on again and again. Snow White, cat burglar, is Charming's equal. And Emma, public enemy number one, is Regina's equal. Just like in a fairy tale, the one thing that sets them at each other's throats is what makes them perfect for each other. Regina can't be in love with someone she can browbeat into submission, or have to kowtow to. She needs someone who can stand on equal ground with her, and instead of sparring, embrace her.
But back to Regina's monomania. Just a casual glance should show she's not as much of a deep thinker as she really should be. She needs a merciless assassin to kill a beloved, innocent girl and who does she pick? Mr. "I Cry About Shooting Deers" Sensitivity. Yeah, he's hot, but a booty call and murder-for-hire are two very different kinds of wetwork. Again, here's where Regina's a teenage girl. Just look at some of her offenses. Giving Emma the full-court press, right down to Granny Smith apples. Lying to Charming about where the meeting place with Mary Margaret is (as if that wouldn't be the most easily-discovered deception ever). She's not a planner, she's all id. Thus, her father. She was defeated and embarrassed, she swore revenge in front of everybody, she got humiliated again in front of the Legion of Doom--in her mind, killing Henry wasn't even a choice. It was her only way to be happy. Same thing with Graham. He not only rejected her, he rejected her for Emma, he humiliated her in front of Emma. That's the big red button of Regina's issues (not beloved like Snow White, not as gracious as Snow White, now not even able to compete with Snow White's daughter), so of course she lashed out. If she'd gone home, drank some wine, and gotten a good night's sleep, she would've thought up a more appropriate response, but because she's so hot-blooded, he had to go.
Seen in that light, Regina is almost endearing. She thinks she's the Emperor, but really, she's some crazy mix of Prince Zuko and Bridget Jones, congratulating herself on her wickedness while she keeps making things worse for herself. Also, come on, they're not going to kill off the sheriff for real, it's the seventh episode. Twenty bucks says he gets magicked back to life by Mr. Gold in some weird new form which keeps him having UST with Emma.
And now, well, it turns out that Regina raped a dude and then murdered him. Not really the kind of thing Emma could forgive, no matter how great the sex is. So, spin control. Hey, we're fandom, it's our job. The rape is easy enough--it's not a huge plot point and Regina (as the Evil Queen) makes references to Graham being her pet, so we could just say the "bring him to my bedchamber" line is her making him sleep at the foot of her bed, like a dog, for humiliation, and shame on us for our dirty minds. This is (practically) a kids' show!
The murdering is a little more intractible. I mean, it's one thing for H.G. Wells to try to destroy the world--that was basically a suicide attempt writ large. Regina straight-up iced a dude for dumping her. But I think the two have more in common than you might think, in that Regina is also suffering from a mental disorder. Namely, she's monomanical.
Here's the thing. Part of the reason Regina as Big Bad and Mr. Gold as some kind of Starscream rings false is that Regina is just less imposing than Mr. Gold. Mr. Gold runs long cons. The Charming Brothers scheme? He planned that out decades in advance. The Storybrooke universe definitely seems set up to favor him, and it'd be a safe bet that he arranged things to get there, up to and including letting himself be captured. He's the toxic waste getting dumped in the river, the hole in the ozone layer.
Regina? There's one word for her: short-sighted. She's all short-term gratification, sound and fury, a flash flood, a forest fire, a volcano. Bad, sure, but overall less damaging than Mr. Gold. We virtually never see her think about the consequences of her actions. She decides what she's going to do and goes for it, day and night. And what she wants to do is be happy. It's not even a deep down thing. She knows she isn't happy, she's surrounded by happy endings, she wants what they have. The problem is that she's stuck in the fallacy that getting revenge on Snow White will make her happy. That's her mania; that's the only answer she'll accept. "If revenge isn't making me happy, I must not be getting enough revenge!" She kills Snow's father. Not good enough. She kills Snow (or so she thinks). Not good enough. She poisons Snow with an apple. Not good enough.
Here's where Emma comes in, for the devoted Swan Queen shipper. If Regina just sees that she can be happy apart from attacking Snow, that she can be more happy than she ever was going on the offensive, then she has nothing left to propel her. And in a weird sort of way, Emma (and Henry) can make her happy. They can give her a family, love, support--all the things Regina's apparently been denied (I don't know what kind of childhood you have when your father is apparently your servant, but it can't be too healthy). Adopting Henry is a good first move towards help, but she's still acting in old patterns--I'll get this thing to be happy, but I still want control over it. What she needs is an equal, something the show has harped on again and again. Snow White, cat burglar, is Charming's equal. And Emma, public enemy number one, is Regina's equal. Just like in a fairy tale, the one thing that sets them at each other's throats is what makes them perfect for each other. Regina can't be in love with someone she can browbeat into submission, or have to kowtow to. She needs someone who can stand on equal ground with her, and instead of sparring, embrace her.
But back to Regina's monomania. Just a casual glance should show she's not as much of a deep thinker as she really should be. She needs a merciless assassin to kill a beloved, innocent girl and who does she pick? Mr. "I Cry About Shooting Deers" Sensitivity. Yeah, he's hot, but a booty call and murder-for-hire are two very different kinds of wetwork. Again, here's where Regina's a teenage girl. Just look at some of her offenses. Giving Emma the full-court press, right down to Granny Smith apples. Lying to Charming about where the meeting place with Mary Margaret is (as if that wouldn't be the most easily-discovered deception ever). She's not a planner, she's all id. Thus, her father. She was defeated and embarrassed, she swore revenge in front of everybody, she got humiliated again in front of the Legion of Doom--in her mind, killing Henry wasn't even a choice. It was her only way to be happy. Same thing with Graham. He not only rejected her, he rejected her for Emma, he humiliated her in front of Emma. That's the big red button of Regina's issues (not beloved like Snow White, not as gracious as Snow White, now not even able to compete with Snow White's daughter), so of course she lashed out. If she'd gone home, drank some wine, and gotten a good night's sleep, she would've thought up a more appropriate response, but because she's so hot-blooded, he had to go.
Seen in that light, Regina is almost endearing. She thinks she's the Emperor, but really, she's some crazy mix of Prince Zuko and Bridget Jones, congratulating herself on her wickedness while she keeps making things worse for herself. Also, come on, they're not going to kill off the sheriff for real, it's the seventh episode. Twenty bucks says he gets magicked back to life by Mr. Gold in some weird new form which keeps him having UST with Emma.
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no subject
Date: 2011-12-12 07:43 pm (UTC)I think the first season is about defeating her, and then Mr. Gold steps up as the actual big bad for the rest of the series.
no subject
Date: 2011-12-12 09:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-12-12 09:23 pm (UTC)As said, Regina is a bad villain, if we're taking villain to be the traditional fairy tale line of evil for evil's sake. Because (and I'm blaming Regina's facial expressions for this one) she really is far too sympathetic, and we've already been given too much context (implied or otherwise) to make me believe that the Queen sprung from the womb all "let's go do some evil!" A self-destructive and hot-headed monomaniac makes so much more sense. It's far from handwaving her into the good guy camp, but it at least makes her understandable(ish).
Either way, I'm much more interested in a Once Upon a Time with an Evil Queen redemption arc and ol'Rumpie being the real machinating bad guy. Not least because most of Lana Parilla's acting choices make me want to give Regina a hug, whereas everytime Robert Carlyle does his nails-on-a-chalkboard Rumplstiltskin thing I have to refrain from punching my screen.
no subject
Date: 2011-12-16 01:16 am (UTC)Darken RahlMr. Gold). Then *POOF* let her get her soul back and realize the terrible things she did, which she'd been unable to feel at the time. All better -- Regina's a victim too!