ONCE UPON A TIME Review: Lessons in Bravery in “The Bear and the Bow”

Brains and Beauty

With all this talk of creating heroes and changing fates, there is one character who shines as the real hero of this episode: Belle. With a balanced combination of wit and heart, she challenges both Rumple and Merida to face their fears. Where Merida is concerned, it’s Belle’s wisdom that saves the day. She knows that magic isn’t the solution to Merida’s problem. Years of watching Rumple battle his obsession with the magic he came to possess has shown her that. Magic seems to be easy, but there is always a price attached to it. Merida also has her own fears to fight after failing to save her father. We know guilt can eat away at a person and drive them to despair. Here, Belle shares her own experience of losing her mother in the Ogre Wars to not let that guilt win. Later, Belle switches the potions for Merida to get her to face her fears head on when her brothers’ lives are on the line. She believes in what Merida is capable of and it saves a kingdom as a result.

It’s this same belief Belle has in Rumple that ultimately saves them both in the bear attack. Belle has always seen the man behind the monster, but now she begins to see and believe that the man can be become a hero. Throughout the episode, she encourages him to face Merida and save her from this mortal fate. Belle was the sole reason Rumple didn’t let go while he was in his coma, and the episode illustrates how love can be a powerful motivator of bravery. She is the light in his life, and he wants be a hero worthy of her. Belle also was brave enough to walk away from Rumple’s fearful attempts at escaping Dark Swan’s wishes. She loves him, but once again, she won’t stand by and take the easy way out. Belle stands her ground and refuses to leave Storybrooke because she knows they can face the darkness together. Belle’s unshakable faith in others brought out the best in the people around her.

A beautiful heroine with knowledge and wisdom as her sword is an inspiration to us all.

Worth Mentioning

• If I ever need someone to be my ally, I now know to use onion rings.
• Emma told Merida that her brothers were safe in DunBroch with Merida’s mother. So where was she while her sons were taken captive and Merida went off to find the wisps?
• There is a tie for quote of the episode. First one is Charming to Merlin: “How do you know what a bike is?” The second one is from Regina: “I don’t believe this. We’re getting Merlin’s voicemail?”
• Dark Swan and the Wicked Witch finally met, and it was better than I could ever ask for! The level of sass was off the charts, as well as Zelena remarking to Emma that she doesn’t mind being alone, unlike Emma. Requesting for at least one scene between these two per episode while Emma is the Dark One!
• The heroes FINALLY learned that Arthur was not who he claimed to be, and it didn’t take looking at a surveillance camera to reach that conclusion. Will they finally lock him up a jail cell in the next episode? Let’s hope so.
• Did anyone’s heart break a little bit when Rumple broke the chipped cup so he could escape? I know mine did!
• One of my favorite scenes of the episode was when Henry came to Regina’s vault to communicate with Merlin. Regina didn’t want to pressure Henry because he just learned what Emma did to Violet. However, Henry is the truest believer. He believes in Emma even when she doesn’t believe in magic or her own goodness. He tells the heroes that he knows that the real Emma is still in there and he will do whatever it takes to get her back. Henry officially wins “Son of the Year.”
• Merlin’s instructions to the Storybrooke heroes were to seek help from Nimue to save Emma. Considering next week’s episode is entitled “Nimue,” we will learn more about her and, most of all, if she can be trusted. I’m willing to bet she is Merlin’s love, the first Dark One, or both!