Once Upon a Time season 6, episode 11 review: Regina’s Robin decision; did Emma die?
Through “Tougher Than the Rest” (odd title), there were many important events that transpired, but we suppose the main event is that the writers delivered us to the night where Emma Swan was meant to die by Gideon’s hand — and she survived! The assumption we had was that this moment was going to take place many weeks ago, but it didn’t. After using August to get back to Storybrooke after her brief period of time in the Wish-world with Regina, she had to face-off against the character she’d seen in the prophecy. He took her sword away, she was on the verge of death, and then … her magic came into effect! This was what was different from the visions, and it was both exciting and also completely odd. Basically, we spent all of this time wondering what was going to happen just for it to be some magic that she found within herself, which she could have found to begin with. It’s hard to believe that the Emma in the visions, someone who’s always been determined, is all that different than the Emma who exists now.
Also, it’s a little surprising that Gideon decided to make a hasty retreat if he wanted to kill Emma, given that it still felt as though there were opportunities for him to do so. Still, it’s worth celebrating that Emma is still alive, and we’ve got Rumpelstiltskin and Belle still around trying to figure out what to make of their extremely-evil son. Apparently, all it took in order for Rumple to have a little more perspective on his surroundings was some proof that his own flesh and blood was going off the deep end.
We’re not going to deny that Gideon smashing the face of the Clock Tower was a pretty exciting end to this story, no?
Meet the new Robin — not the same as the old Robin
The Wish-world version of Sean Maguire’s character carried with him a little more of a mean streak. He didn’t give from the rich to the poor; instead, he gave more to himself! He was able to utilize some of his unique skills in order to get himself and Regina out of a bind at one point after being captured, but there were certainly still questions as to whether or not he could be the true love that the old Robin was.
Given that his life in the Sherwood Forest wasn’t exactly going that well, Robin did agree to go over to Storybrooke with Regina in hopes of seeing if there was something there. It was a bold suggestion for Emma to make, and even as a big Regina / Robin fan, we do still wonder how this story will end given that in some measures, he’s not entirely real. He was created as a part of an alternate universe. Is it okay to fall for an illusion, or does it really matter given that he seems to be real? In a world where there are fairies, puppets becoming grown men, and a pirate who somehow stays in shape despite a pretty terrible rum habit (loved the brief Wish-world Hook cameo, by the way), a Wish-world Robin may as well be real. He seems open to love, and for now, that is the best that you can ask for.
Overall, a strong start to season 6B
We’ll be the first to admit that “Tougher Than the Rest” was far from perfect, and it’s still hard to be sold entirely on Gideon or his motivations. There was still so much other stuff that worked for Emma and Regina that it’s still easy to say that this is one of the best episodes of the season. It focused on the core characters, and in the process gave us in particular an exceptional Lana Parrilla performance as Regina wrestled with the emotions of seeing effectively this ghost walk back into her life. Grade: B+.
For more next about what lies ahead on Once Upon a Time, be sure to head over to the link here.
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