Poll: What did you think of Episode 18 “The Stable Boy”?


I’m going to be out late this evening and won’t be able to watch the episode until later tonight. So I prepared some questions last night, just based on the very short description of the episode in the press release and on what I’m guessing is going to happen. Since I haven’t seen the episode, I’m just taking a stab in the dark, and the questions may or may not make any sense. If they don’t make sense — or even if they do — then feel free to talk about whatever struck you as most interesting about the episode.

The press release said that tonight, “the event that caused the Evil Queen to loathe Snow White is revealed.” Was it really revealed, or was that just a tease? If it was revealed, are you satisfied with the explanation? Do you like Snow White any more or any less now? How about the Evil Queen — do you like her more or less? Does she seem more or less evil?

If they showed the Evil Queen before she was evil, did you find that believable? Do you think it’s really true, as Regina and Rumpel both said in an earlier episode, that evil is made, not born — or do you think that Regina really was born evil?

Which part of the story was stronger this week — the Fairy Tale Land story or the Storybrooke story? Are you satisfied with where the Mary Margaret storyline is going?

An Evil-Queen-centric episode is bound to have some great costumes. Were any of them especially noteworthy?

What did you think of the guest stars — Barbara Hershey as Cora, Noah Bean as Daniel/stable boy, Richard Schiff as King Leopold and Bailee Madison as the young Snow White?

Did this episode move the general story forward?

Is this a good stopping point as we go into a two-week hiatus?

36 responses to “Poll: What did you think of Episode 18 “The Stable Boy”?

  1. This is the episode I was waiting for. Regina’s reasons for hating Snow are plausible. Bailey as Snow was so perfect. I think Regina like her mother are both super insane evil people. Snow was just a kid and shouldn’t be blamed for what happened, but at least there is a reason for her hatred and we know how her evilness was created. Thanks mom! Will regiretired the tradition alive for Henry? Now that the show finally picked up the pace we have to wait two weeks for another is a huge letdown. Glad that Emma knows that mr glass is on Regina’s side and Katherine is not really dead. I wonder if Katherine will testify against her so called best friend Regina and put her behind bars.

    • Katherine wouldn’t even have to testify for Mary Margaret to be set free – right? All she has to do is show up as a “surprise witness” and turn the whole thing upside down. I hate that we have to wait two weeks!

      • The trial would start but the defense would immediately call for a dismissal of all charges concerning the death of Kathern. Some tough questions would have to be answered still. Who’s heart was it in MM jewelry box? Who messed with the DNA report? Was it a real human heart to begin with? If it was human, where did it come from? Is there another huntsman roaming Storybrooke? Did Mr Gold set up the phoney murder just to get Regina to influence the DA to drop the assault charges against him? The hunting knife is just the kind of relic you would find in Mr Golds shop.

  2. I think Regina and her mother are insane…..they show moments of humanity, but those don’t last very long, as they both continue to make and justify their evil choices. I would say that in Fairy Tale land, evil is made…when Daniel was dead, half of Regina’s face became pale. However, Regina blamed the wrong person for turning her evil, she should be blaming her mother. I’m pretty sure when Snow White found out what really happened, she was devastated.

  3. I agree. Snow White was just a child—–Regina was the adult and should not have burdened a little girl with keeping her secret. And Regina’s mother, Cora, knew that playing the “mother” card would draw the truth out of Snow. Of course Regina needs someone to hate so she turns on Snow. This episode was supposed to help us see a more sympathetic of the Evil Queen but, honestly, if losing her true love hadn’t turned her I get the feeling something else would have. Regina collects hearts but she is the one who is heartless. My allegiance is still with Snow and Charming.

  4. After seeing the trailer for next Week Episode…I AM SORT OF A BELIEVER THAT AUGUST IS Mr. Gold’s Son! He has the Knife. That can kill him. August is Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin son!

    • I agree! August has to be Rumple’s son.

    • I actually believe that August is Henry from the future. His faith in Emma is like an older reflection of Henry’s. Something in the way he looks at Emma makes me think it might be him.

      Then again if Rumpelstiltskin sent his son to our world with the knife to insure no one would ever be able to use it against him, August could be his son. I had never considered that option before. This could be a very viable scenario specially since the curse came from Rumpel he would have to be familiar with our world.

    • I’ve been wondering about that as well. That has been my speculation, but how is it that he is also the author of the book? Hmmm – more questions. But August being Gold’s son kind of makes sense in that he wants to get his nice father back…

  5. Just saw it. I agree that Regina should not have blamed Snow, who was just a kid and was only trying to help. But I wonder if Regina must have been evil — or at least had the seed of evilness in her — all along. For her to blame Snow for what was so clearly her mother’s fault — and then to pursue revenge against Snow for all these years — shows, I think, that something may have been evil in Regina to start with.

    As for August being Rumpelstiltskin’s son — I hope so. That’s my favorite theory and the one that could lead to the most interesting possibilities.

  6. I think Regina’s mother transferred some evil inside her into Regina- when she put her hands on Regina’s arms after killing Daniel.

    I think August is grown up Henry after watching this show.
    The way he says Emma- what he knows of everyone… Maybe he was fixing the book when he changed the pages.

    I think August has no intention of hurting Mr. Gold with the knife- but isn’t that how his power gets transferred. Maybe Rumple himself set that up so he could finally get rid of the dark power and win his son back—who I dont believe is dead.

    I still think Jefferson is Regina’s brother…and I love other’s idea that Regina’s mother is the Queen of Hearts. Though is it possible for Regina to be both evil queens? In some crazy magical way?

    The little girl playing Snow was amazing not just her looks but her mouth and the way she talks- casting! Wow

    • I thought the girl playing Young Snow was incredible. Just perfect. Every little detail was like a younger version of Ginnifer Goodwin.

      My husband doesn’t watch the show, but he likes Ginnifer and he walked in on one of the scenes with Young Snow and he was also impressed with how similar she is to Now Snow.

    • Grown up Henry? Ooh, I like that idea!

  7. I think that Regina’s mother is the queen of hearts. It showed in this episode how Regina’s mother also fancied taking the hearts of her victims and in last weeks episode the queen of hearts had her face covered so it would not be revealed who was really the queen. Plus, the queen of hearts also had Regina’s father. There’s some motive there as to why the queen of hearts would take him-it’s her husband.
    I’m also still going along with the idea that August is Pinnochio. Again in this episode he says he “doesn’t lie” and when he hurts his ankle-possibly some rotting wood? (just kidding) To stretch that theory even further, is it also possible that maybe pinnochio and his son are the same person? I mean rumple says he lost his son-could it have been because gepetto became his father? Im thinking it may have been possible that rumple turned his own son into a puppet like he did geppeto’s parents and then later rumples son found he had a better life with gepetto than he did with rumple. Food for thought…

    • I like your food for thought. I did catch August saying that he doesnt lie. Maybe he is Pinnochio… I think the luttle girl who played Snow White was excellent. Her facial expressions looked like Mary M.

    • Plus, the queen of hearts also had Regina’s father. There’s some motive there as to why the queen of hearts would take him-it’s her husband.

      Oooh! Good point! And wasn’t there some Freudian (or Electran) rivarly between Regina and her mother over her father in last night’s episode. Makes total sense that the Queen of Hearts would steal her husband/Regina’s dad and Regina would do anything to steal him back from her!

      • I’m glad you agree! I had another thought- it’s possible that Regina’s mother took her husband in order to protect him. It’s possible her mother knew about the curse and the sacrifice she would have to make in order to activate it-she knew Regina would have to take the heart of the one she loved most and because her mother killed Daniel, the only other option would be her father. I’m questioning whether or not her mother is not being manipulative, rather, she has a twisted way of trying to protect Regina and really is trying to look out for her. Either way she has some issues….

  8. yes, evil is made not born, most of cases, but, please, I do not believe this was linked with mary margharet snow white, it was not fair to blame it on her-to make appear like there was a karmic good deed made by regina for snow white, plus, it was possible that the king was charmed to propose by the mother of regina-not to have been his fault

    in this case all that mary margharet had to do was to save regina;s life once then her evil plots on mary margharet were to lose power?

  9. i knew katherine wasn’t dead! when i saw her in the alley i was like “aw, crap i was wrong” but then she turned around and i twirled around in happiness. i knew they couldn’t just let frederick die alone, or just ley poor sweet mary m go to prison.
    i really don’t think august is a fairytale character. after all, the tree can only take one, so how did he leave St0rybrooke without bad things happening to him. i think he probably wrote the book. i feel like if he was rumple’s son, there would be more hints dropped.
    and also *non official spoiler* i saw on yahoo answers the other day that Belle will be back for the finale!!!!!!! *end of non official spoiler*

  10. I am so in love with this show after I watch every week! I think August is Grimm or Anderson, I like the thoughts that he could be Gold’s son or even better Pinocchio but I don’t see how. How do they ecsape the curse and remember? This week was really good but I watched online so I didn’t see the preveiw for the next one. I think that Gold is always going to play both sides becasue as he has said many times he is all about the deals so there isn’t any loyalty to Emma or Regina however I am really loving that Regina is the child that was taken from him! I haven’t even thought of that and that would tie them together perfectly. Gold bought back Kathryn but I am still unsure how the heart and Regina tie in. Back with Graham I had thought that maybe Regina has everyone’s heart in the vault and is just waiting for the right moment to use them one by one. To make that hold water as to why she didn’t use Snow/Mary Margert’s heart to kill her, is to watch her suffer and have Charming/David taken away from her like she had Daniel taken. As for the Queen of Hearts being her Mom, again great twist and I don’t put past anything with this show! What a fantastic creative minds this all came from. Such an amazing job of tieing everything together and the liberies that they have taken are perfect to make everything come together. It was a tat slow and with the finding out that Red is the wolf, it has picked up it’s speed and the season finale is going to be just mind blowing and leaving us questioning all summer – I know it!

  11. Here’s the preview for the next episode (The Return) for you and anyone else who missed it:

    • Thank you! Still dont know about August being Pinochino. I see where it is coming from but only one can go through. And he was a boy not a puppet when they showed him so can he turn on comment? As for Regina getting her powers, her mom taught her I think. Then just like she killed her dad, I am sure killed her mom to get all powers or something like that. She was clearly a dad’s girl and not a mama’s girl so if she killed her dad i am sure she did her mom.

  12. I think you got your clue last night concerning who August is. As he and Emma were walking down the slope to the river under the toll bridge, something happened to August’s leg. It seemed to cramp. Emma tried to reach out to help him, but he refused her help as if he didn’t want her to touch his leg. His is either Rumple’s son aflicted with the same disease that caused his father to be lame or he’s Gepeto’s son cursed with a wooden leg. Another clue…after talking with Henry in front of his house, he road off on his bike. It was a wobbly exit, which no experienced bike rider would have. It looked like he needed training wheels. I think it was a clue that will vindicate the theory that he is Rumple’s son. The wobble being a metaphor for his lame leg.

    • I agree with you that the leg is a huge clue. I have been thinking he’s Rumple’s son as well. I had completely forgotten that in FTL, Rumple had a limp. I’m wondering if August became a writer after his nice dad became evil Rumple as a way to change the story and get his father back… We don’t really know what happened to the son, do we?

      • Thank you. Have you seen the advanced trailer for “The Return”. It looks like August is here to kill Rumple or to change his path somehow.

  13. I love everyone’s ideas. Since Regina’s mom is the miller’s daughter what kind of deal did she make with Rumplestilkn? Is Regina the first born? Did she give away her first born for evil powers?
    I believe that Regina was good until the moment that Daniel died. She had been oppressed by her mother all her life. What if she was the second kid and the miller’s daughter really loved her first kid more. I really do believe that Regina was made evil by her mother’s heartlessness. Once her true love was dead, she didn’t have any reason to be nice anymore.
    So, how did Regina get her powers? Did her mother give them to her? Did Regina take them? Did Regina send her mother to Wonderland via the Mad Hatters’ Hat?

    • I think she killed her. That’s how Rumple got his power. There is probably a dagger that come with every reign of power.

  14. Loved this episode. LOVE this show.

    What I am most excited about is that I’m now SURE August is Pinocchio. OK, pretty sure. What he said to Emma when she accused him of tipping off the Mayor is what made me think so. I didn’t think so before that. Here is how I think things happened. When Geppetto and Pinocchio were making the Wardrobe, Geppetto made a secret compartment for Pinocchio. Wouldn’t YOU want to save your son from a curse you knew was coming? Or maybe he sent Pinocchio to watch over Emma knowing that she must return to eventually break the curse. That explains 1) Why Pinocchio wasn’t effected by the curse. 2) Why he has been able to grow up (age). 3) Why he has knowledge of the book being true 4) Why he knows who Emma is and what she is in Storybrooke to do.

    • I thought only one could go through the wardrobe. Maybe Pinocchio is special in that he really wasn’t a real boy…

    • My theory is that pinnochio was made out of the same enchanted wood as the wardrobe and that protected him from the curse or if I do remember correctly wasn’t it the blue fairy who suggested the wardrobe idea in the first place? Possibly the same blue fairy that turned pinnochio into a real boy? She may have had some sort of compassion towards pinnochio because he proved himself to her. It is my theory that she made it so that he was protected somehow-whether it be in the wardrobe or by just enchanting him in some other way so that he would be safe.

      • I think Austin is Pinochino. Go back to the pilot. Pinochino’s hair was darker than Rumple’s boy as seen in Desperate Souls.

      • Claire – I think you’re on to something.

      • But Pinocchio was turned into a real boy. True, he started out as wood, but the blue fairy made his wish come true and turned him into a boy. So, if August were Pinocchio, he shouldn’t have a wooden leg. Nor should he have been able to come back through the wardrobe for either of the reasons, because 1) he was no longer made of wood and 2) he was now a real boy so the wardrobe should only work on one person.

        I hadn’t thought about August being Mr. Gold/Rumple’s son. Interesting theory. I had just assumed that August was one of the Grimm brothers, but in truth that doesn’t make much sense either, since they were real people who died 150 years ago!

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