Once Upon A Time - Recap: The Perfect Family

But the pairing works because, as with most of Once Upon A Time's weekly adventures, its goal isn't adventure for its own sake. This flashback adventure tells a character-driven story that gives meaning to the present conflict. "Family Business" is just that...family business brought out into the open and giving this story the feeling of clarity it's been missing. Case in point: we learn that Elsa and Anna's mother had two sisters, Helga and Ingrid, the latter of whom we know as The Snow Queen (Elizabeth Mitchell). The details remain sketchy, but something happened that necessitated that the King and Queen of Arendelle send the sisters away and erase any trace of them from the history books, family tree, and even the memories of the people of Arendelle. Yes, Grand Pabbie of the rock trolls erased the memories of an entire kingdom, which is an act of such dubious morality that I'm a bit surprised Anna didn't express more shock/horror/disgust. Then again, I'm not sure it's really the intention to turn Grand Pabbie into someone to be judged, since that would distract a bit from the apparent intention of the story, which is to provide exposition for The Snow Queen while also illustrating how/why Anna eventually disappears...

Credit: ABC

Long story short: Anna brings Belle to Grand Pabbie to recover the memories of what happened the night her mother was murdered by an ogre. Grand Pabbie is able to distill the missing memories into a stone, which Belle must then use to brew a tea that will jog her memory. But complications arise when The Snow Queen causes a storm that sends Anna over the edge of a cliff, and leaves Belle in a situation where she can either save the stone or save Anna. Naturally, in attempting to save both, she saves neither. Anna falls off the side and is captured by The Snow Queen, who confiscates the Sorcerer's Hat in the process. Just like that, Belle fails completely, and spends the rest of the episode -- and her apparent life since that moment -- trying to make up for it. In fact, Belle's attempts at being a "hero" form the basis of the present story, as she journeys to the outskirts of Storybrooke to confront The Snow Queen, over the objections of Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle). This story is actually a shade more interesting than the flashback, because it illustrates the discrepancy in morality that still exists at the heart of the Belle/Rumple marriage.

Credit: ABC

Rumplestiltskin wants to at least try to be a good person, in much the same way Belle wants to at least try to be a hero. But both are held back by the inherent limitations of their personalities. Belle is brave, but she simply doesn't have the mettle to be a hero right now. Not as she is, since there are so many psychological factors holding her back, whether her naivete or the limits of her strength. Similarly, Rumplestiltskin just can't bring himself to be completely honest with Belle, and this inability to be truly honest will prevent him from ever being the good person he could be. He continues to allow Belle to believe the dagger she uses -- and whose power she abuses -- is the real dagger that controls Rumplestiltskin. But it isn't, and he doesn't tell her as much, even as she's agonizing over having betrayed Rumple. This relationship used to be kind of sweet, but it's been twisted into something that's almost unrecognizable, and I'm not that crazy about it. That said, it has the potential to be interesting once secrets start coming out.

Credit: ABC

The A-story is what carries this episode, which wouldn't be nearly as strong without it. I do like that we get some more progress on The Snow Queen/Emma connection, as Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Elsa (Georgina Haig) learn that The Snow Queen is looking to use the two of them to replace her lost sisters. It makes Elsa into a far more important character in this story beyond having her exist just to bark out questions about what happened to her sister. I also really liked the scene between Regina (Lana Parrilla) and Robin Hood, as their relationship continues to face obstacles due to Marian's frozen state. What I like about this Frozen arc is that everyone is involved in major ways. No one is unaffected, as The Snow Queen's plan threatens to destroy Storybrooke and leave only herself, Emma and Elsa behind: "The perfect family," as Emma grimly declares. Now that we know more about The Snow Queen, her motivations make a bit more sense. Push an outcast further to the outside, and they're bound to rebel against the society that rejected them. It's only a matter of how far they'll go in their quest for vengeance, or how far they'll go in their desperate attempt to reclaim what was lost. "Family Business" is another solid Once Upon A Time that was compelling throughout.