Originally Posted By Scutr >>She seems to be trapped there against her will. Why else would she want to stay? << This world was HER "happily ever-after" - a place where she could control and make everyone else miserable, and in the bargain she also got a child who, if she spoiled him, would love and worship her. Or so she thought. I'm basing the "love & worship" part on her desire to have Hansel & Gretel stay in the castle where they would have everything they ever wanted. She obviously wanted a child badly, and even named him after the only person that ever loved her. >> hoping we see only fairy tale characters and no Greek myths.. I was a little thrown when King Mida showed up in that episode<< King Midas was a fairy tale, not a Greek myth. >>As for the new guy.. He may be Henry's dad?<< I wondered about that myself, but wouldn't Emma have recognized him? Mr Gold was polishing something that liked an awful lot like Aladdin's lamp. Suppose there's a genie inside?
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom Clearly the nothing new thing doesn't fit. If you recall the episode where Henry ends up in the mine underneath the city.... down at the bottom of the mine is the glass coffin of Snow White. So somewhere between the Enchanted Forest erra and now someone built an extensive electrified modern mine. There was definately a lot of infrastructure going on in building Storybrooke so it is not likely Ashley was pregnant for 200 plus years or Hansel and Gretel were living on their own for 200 years. There are still a lot of holes in the plotl I have to say I was enjoying the episode a lot up until this past weekend. Now I seem to be enjoying Grimm much more. At least iwth Grimm the individual weekly episodes are stand alone and in my opinion are making more sense. I'm tired of the evil queen. I get it, she's evil. Enough already.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<King Midas was a fairy tale, not a Greek myth.>> Sorry, but no. Definitely a Greek myth. Try looking it up tomorrow when the net returns.
Originally Posted By EmmaJayne - She should have recognized him but then we also don't know how well she ever knew him.. I know she fed Henry the hero story but for all we know, he was an intoxicated one night stand she hasn't seen in a decade? Not very family- friendly I know.. But I cant think of who else he could be that's significant enough without being a fairy tale character.. As for the mine shaft thing etc.. Ok soy first assumption was she ( Regina) transplanted them into a previously empty, off the map part of Maine ( side note, I've never been to Maine and know very little about it, although I believe up gotherefor lobster?) so perhaps it had once been a mining town/ village/ area.. But I don't understand why there are so many artifacts from the fairy tale realm in the modern world.. Eg Hansel and Gretl's compass, the glass coffin, the two wodden puppets ( did anyone else notice them in episode 4?).. It seems like a bit of a glitch in the curse.. However I really do think Rumpel has played with the curse more than we yet realize.. I truly believe he is VERY much aware of what is going on, I think he knows exacty who Emma is and who Henry was when he found him for Regina.. Which also leads me to believe Rumple is the only citizen of Storybrook who can leave without tragedy... I think there will be a lot more of him in coming episodes.. What's bothering me now though is many of them don't seem that much worse off than in their previous world- eg Hansel and Gretl hadn't found their father yet as far as we knew, Cinderella was told she wouldn't see her Prince until he handed over her baby, Jiminy Cricket accidentally turned 2 innocent people into puppets and asked to become a cricket as ab escape from that life.. I'd say his current existence is actually a lot more comfortable than that! Additionally, I know Regina's idea of being 'happy' was to see them all trapped and miserable but many of them dont seem so unhappy whilst she certainly does.. That's the part not making a lot of sense to me.. She doesn't have complete control over them and the town.. Seeing Mary Margaret/ Snow as a school teacher well she might not be happily married but she seems basically content.. It seems the 'curse to end all curses' may be a little bleaker than that.. And the tampered memories that keep them from figuring it all out also keep them from being truly frustrated.. Eg they don't know they have been working the same jobs etc for years on end etc.. Those are the more frustrating plot holes/ issues in it for me. And asde from the arrival of the stranger at the end, the Hansel/ Gretl story did very little to further the story it seemed almost like a stand alone episode to appeal to new viewers, which is probably why it was written that way..
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<But I cant think of who else he could be that's significant enough without being a fairy tale character..>> I had one thought. Evil Queen Mayor wondered aloud to Mr Gold about where he found Henry. So we know Mr Gold was the main source. But he can't leave Storybrooke, just as Evil Queen Mayor can't. So... how did he bring Henry to Storybrooke? Maybe the new guy is the Mr Gold's gopher? Someone from the outside like Emma, but still connected to Fairy Tale, who's running around, doing Mr Gold's bidding. Do we know for sure that Emma was completely alone inside the cabinet? There might have been enough room for two babies. Maybe she wasn't the only one who escaped.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom I want to state that I don't necessarily see the backstory as being inheriently bad. I'm actually find most of it to be very intresting so far. The only backstory I think is going way over the top and well beyond anything imaginable is the Evil Queen. Way crazy at this point. I'm not overly concerned about Hansel and Gretel's backstory. Whatever.. at least they are part of the story. I actually approve of Rumplestilskin's backstory. But the Evil Queen..... was complicated, topsy turvy.... I'm just not sure what they are doing with that character. Is she suppose to be a victim or the person out to kill everyone? And that's perhaps my biggest problem with the show. Is that so far the Evil Queen is so ambigious, you don't know if you should feel sorry for her or hate her. You'd think the writers would be doing a better job with that. Like I said.. at this point I think I'm getting drawn into other shows now more than this one. And having mystery people show up in town doesn't intrest me in the least.
Originally Posted By Scutr >>Maybe the new guy is the Mr Gold's gopher? Someone from the outside like Emma, but still connected to Fairy Tale, who's running around, doing Mr Gold's bidding. << Perhaps the genie from the lamp? Although if he's worked for Gold before he'd know where to get a room. And what was in the box on the back of his bike? >>it is not likely Ashley was pregnant for 200 plus years or Hansel and Gretel were living on their own for 200 years<< Right. The Queen sent them all somewhere. That doesn't preclude the possibility that the "somewhere" was also someWHEN. They may not have been there for any longer than Emma's been alive. (was that 24 years? The actress looks more like 34) >> I truly believe he is VERY much aware of what is going on, I think he knows exacty who Emma is and who Henry was when he found him for Regina.<< Agreed, absolutely. He also knew that Regina would be compelled to do what he wanted as long as he said "please". (I think that was at the end of the 1st or 2nd episode) >>Do we know for sure that Emma was completely alone inside the cabinet? There might have been enough room for two babies. Maybe she wasn't the only one who escaped.<< They did say the wardrobe would only work for one, and Emma was the only one they showed inside, so I doubt it. Writers will, of course, make their own loopholes wherever they see fit. <<King Midas was a fairy tale, not a Greek myth.>> >>Sorry, but no. Definitely a Greek myth. Try looking it up tomorrow when the net returns.<< From the site "fairytales4u.com" (notice that? FAIRY Tales): TURNING EVERYTHING INTO GOLD ONCE upon a time, there lived a very rich man, and a king besides, whose name was Midas; and he had a little daughter, whom nobody but myself ever heard of, and whose name I either never knew, or have entirely forgotten. So, because I love odd names for little girls, I choose to call her Marygold. This King Midas was fonder of gold than of anything else in the world. He valued his royal crown chiefly because it was composed of that precious metal. If he loved anything better, or half so well, it was the one little maiden who played so merrily around her father's footstool. But the more Midas loved his daughter, the more did he desire and seek for wealth. He thought, foolish man! that the best thing he could possibly do for this dear child would be to bequeath her the immensest pile of yellow, glistening coin that had ever been heaped together since the world was made. Thus, he gave all his thoughts and all his time to this one purpose. If ever he happened to gaze for an instant at the gold-tinted clouds of sunset, he wished that they were real gold, and that they could be squeezed safely into his strong box. When little Marygold ran to meet him, with a bunch of buttercups and dandelions, he used to say, "Poh, poh, child! If these flowers were as golden as they look, they would be worth the plucking !" And yet, in his earlier days, before he was so entire1y possessed of this insane desire for riches, King Midas had shown a great taste for flowers. He had planted a garden, in which grew the biggest and beautifulest and sweetest roses that any mortal ever saw or smelt. These roses were still growing in the garden, as large, as lovely, and as fragrant, as when Midas used to pass whole hours in gazing at them, and inhaling their perfume. But now, if he looked at them at all, it was only to calculate how much the garden would be worth if each of the innumerable rose petals were a thin plate of gold. And though he once was fond of music (in spite of an idle story about his ears, which were said to resemble those of an ass), the only music for poor Midas, now, was the chink of one coin against another. At length (as people always grow more and more foolish, unless they take care to grow wiser and wiser), Midas had got to be so exceedingly unreasonable that he could scarcely bear to see or touch any object that was not gold. He made it his custom, therefore, to pass a large portion of every day in a dark and dreary apartment, under pound, at the basement of his palace. It was here that he kept his wealth. To this dismal hole --for it was little better than a dungeon--Midas betook himself whenever he wanted to be particularly happy. Here, after carefully locking the door, he would take a bag of gold coin, or a gold cup as big as a washbowl, or a heavy golden bar, or a peek-measure of gold-dust, and bring them from the obscure corners of the room into the one bright and narrow sunbeam that fell from the dungeon-like window. He valued the sunbeam for no other reason but that his treasure would not shine without its help. And then would he reckon over the coins in the bag; toss up the bar, and catch it as it came down; sift the gold-dust through his fingers; look at the funny image of his own face, as reflected in the burnished circumference of the cup; and whisper to himself, "O Midas, rich King Midas, what a happy man art thou !" But it was laughable to see how the image of his face kept grinning at him, out of the polished surface of the cup. It seemed to be aware of his foolish behavior, and to have a naughty inclination to make fun of him. Midas called himself a happy man, but felt that he was not yet quite so happy as he might be. The very tiptop of enjoyment would never be reached, unless the whole world were to become his treasure-room, and be filled with yellow metal which should be all his own. Now, I need hardly remind such wise little people as you are, that in the old, old times, when King Midas was alive, a great many things came to pass which we should consider wonderful if they were to happen in our own day and country. And, on the other hand, a great many things take place nowadays, which seem not only wonderful to us, but at which the people of old times would have stared their eyes out. On the whole, I regard our own times as the strangest of the two; but, however that may be, I must go on with my story. Midas was enjoying himself in his treasure-room, one day, as usual, when he perceived a shadow fall over the heaps of gold, and, looking suddenly up, what should he behold but the figure of a stranger, standing in the bright and narrow sunbeam ! It was a young man, with a cheerful and ruddy face. Whether it was that the imagination of King Midas threw a yellow tinge over everything, or whatever the cause might be, he could not help fancying that the smile with which the stranger regarded him had a kind of golden radiance in it. Certainly, although his figure intercepted the sunshine, there was now a brighter gleam upon all the piled-up treasures than before. Even the remotest corners had their share of it, and were lighted up, when the stranger smiled, as with tips of flame and sparkles of fire. As Midas knew that he had carefully turned the key in the lock, and that no mortal strength could possibly break into his treasure-room, he, of course, concluded that his visitor must be something more than mortal. It is no matter about telling you who he was. In those days, when the earth was comparatively a new affair, it was supposed to be often the resort of beings endowed with supernatural power, and who used to interest themselves in the Joys and sorrows of men, women, and children, half playfully and half seriously. Midas had met such beings before now, and was not sorry to meet one of them again. The stranger's aspect, indeed, was so good-humored and kindly, if not beneficent, that it would have been unreasonable to suspect him of intending any mischief. It was far more probable that he came to do Midas a favor. And what could that favor be, unless to multiply his heaps of treasure? The stranger gazed about the room; and when his lustrous smile had glistened upon all the golden objects that were there, he turned again to Midas. "You are a wealthy man, friend Midas !" he observed. "I doubt whether any other four walls, on earth, contain so much gold as you have contrived to pile up in this room." "I have done pretty well--pretty well," answered Midas in a discontented tone. "But, after all, it is but a trifle, when you consider that it has taken me my whole life to get it together. If one could live a thousand years, he might have time to grow rich !" "What !" exclaimed the stranger. "Then you are not satisfied?" Midas shook his head. "And pray what would satisfy you?" asked the stranger. "Merely for the curiosity of the thing, I should be glad to know." Midas paused and meditated. .He felt a presentiment that this stranger, with such a golden luster in his good-humored smile, had come hither with both the power and the purpose of gratifying his utmost wishes. Now, therefore, was the fortunate moment, when he had but to speak, and obtain whatever possible, or seemingly impossible thing, it might come into his head to ask. So he thought, and thought, and thought, and heaped up one golden mountain upon another, in his imagination, without being able to imagine them big enough. At last, a bright idea occurred to King Midas. It seemed really as bright as the glistening metal which he loved so much. Raising his head, he looked the lustrous stranger in the face. "Well, Midas," observed his visitor, "I see that you have at length hit upon something that will satisfy you. Tell me your wish." "It is only this," replied Midas. "I am weary of collecting my treasures with so much trouble, and beholding the heap so diminutive, after I have done my best. I wish everything that I touch to be changed to gold !" The stranger's smile grew so very broad, that it seemed to fill the room like an outburst of the sun, gleaming into a shadowy dell, where the yellow autumnal leaves--for so looked the lumps and particles of gold--lie strewn in the glow of light. "The Golden Touch !" exclaimed he. "You certainly deserve credit, friend Midas, for striking out so brilliant a conception. But are you quite sure that this will satisfy you?" "How could it fail?" said Midas. "And will you never regret the possession of it?" "What could induce me ?" asked Midas. "I ask nothing else, to render me perfectly happy." "Be it as you wish, then," replied the stranger, waving his hand in token of farewell. "To-mor- row at sunrise, you will find yourself gifted with the Golden Touch." The figure of the stranger then became exceedingly bright, and Midas involuntarily closed his eyes. On opening them again, he beheld only one yellow sunbeam in the room, and, all around him, the glistening of the precious metal which he had spent his life in hoarding up. Whether Midas slept as usual that night, the story does not say. Asleep or awake, however, his mind was probably in the state of a child's, to whom a beautiful new plaything has been promised in the morning. At any rate, day had hardly peeped over the hills, when King Midas was broad awake, and, stretching his arms out of bed, began to touch the objects that were within reach. He was anxious to prove whether the Golden Touch had really come, according to the stranger's promise. So he laid his finger on a chair by the bedside, and on various other things, but was grievously disappointed to perceive that they remained of exactly the same substance as before. Indeed, he felt very much afraid that he had only dreamed about the lustrous stranger, or else that the latter had been making game of him. And what a miserable affair would it be, if, after all his hopes, Midas must content himself with what little gold he could scrape together by ordinary means, instead of creating it by a touch! All this while, it was only the gray of the morning, with but a streak of brightness along the edge of the sky, where Midas could not see it. He lay in a very disconsolate mood, regretting the down-fall of his hopes, and kept growing sadder and sadder, until the earliest sunbeam shone through the window, and gilded the ceiling over his head. It seemed to Midas that this bright yellow sunbeam was reflected in rather a singular way on the white covering of the bed. Looking more closely, what was his astonishment and delight, when he found that his linen fabric had been transmuted to what seemed a woven texture of the purest and brightest gold ! The Golden Touch had come to him with the first sunbeam! Midas started up, in a kind of joyful frenzy, and ran about the room, grasping at everything that happened to be in his way. He seized one of the bed-posts, and it became immediately a fluted golden pillar. He pulled aside a window curtain, in order to admit a clear spectacle of the wonders which he was performing; and the tassel grew heavy in his hand--a mass of gold. He took up a book from the table. At his first touch, it assumed the appearance of such a splendidly bound and gilt-edged volume as one often meets with nowadays; but, on running his fingers through the leaves, behold ! it was a bundle of thin golden plates, in which all the wisdom of the book had grown illegible. He hurriedly put on his clothes, and was enraptured to see himself in a magnificent suit of gold cloth, which retained its flexibility and softness, although it burdened him a little with its weight. He drew out his handkerchief, which little Marygold had hemmed for him. That was likewise gold, with the dear child's neat and pretty stitches running all along the border, in gold thread ! Somehow or other, this last transformation did not quite please King Midas. He would rather that his little daughter's handiwork should have remained just the same as when she climbed his knee and put it into his hand. But it was not worth while to vex himself about a trifle. Midas now took his spectacles from his pocket, and put them on his nose, in order that he might see more distinctly what he was about. In those days, spectacles for common people had not been invented, but were already worn by kings; else, how could Midas have had any? To his great perplexity, however, excellent as the glasses were, he discovered that he could not possibly see through them. But this was the most natural thing in the world; for, on taking them off, the transparent crystals turned out to be plates of yellow metal, and, of course, were worthless as spectacles, though valuable as gold. It struck Midas as rather inconvenient that, with all his wealth, he could never again be rich enough to own a pair of serviceable spectacles. "It is no great matter, nevertheless," said he to himself, very philosophically. "We cannot expect any great good, without its being accompanied with some small inconvenience. The Golden Touch is worth the sacrifice of a pair of spectacles, at least, if not of one's very eyesight. My own eyes will serve for ordinary purposes, and little Marygold will soon be old enough to read to me." Wise King Midas was so exalted by his good fortune, that the palace seemed not sufficiently spacious to contain him. He therefore-went down stairs, and smiled, on observing that the balustrade of the staircase became a bar of burnished gold, as his hand passed over it, in his descent. He lifted the door-latch (it was brass only a moment ago, but golden when his fingers quitted it), and emerged into the garden. Here, as it happened, he found a great number of beautiful roses in full bloom, and others in all the stages of lovely bud and blossom. Very delicious was their fragrance in the morning breeze. Their delicate blush was one of the fairest sights in the world; so gentle, so modest, and so full of sweet tranquillity, did these roses seem to be. But Midas knew a way to make them far more precious, according to his way of thinking, than roses had ever been before. So he took great pains in going from bush to bush, and exercised his magic touch most indefatigably; until every individual flower and bud, and even the worms at the heart of some of them, were changed to gold. By the time this good work was completed, King Midas was summoned to breakfast; and as the morning air had given him an excellent appetite, he made haste back to the palace. What was usually a king's breakfast in the days of Midas, I really do not know, and cannot stop now to investigate. To the best of my belief, however, on this particular morning, the breakfast consisted of hot cakes, some nice little brook trout, roasted potatoes, fresh boiled eggs, and coffee, for King Midas himself, and a bowl of bread and milk for his daughter Marygold. At all events, this is a breakfast fit to set before a king; and, whether he had it or not, King Midas could not have had a better. Little Marygold had not yet made her appearance. Her father ordered her to be called, and, seating himself at table, awaited the child's coming, in order to begin his own breakfast. To do Midas justice, he really loved his daughter, - and loved her so much the more this morning, on account of the good fortune which had befallen him. It was not a great while before he heard her coming along the passageway crying bitterly. This circumstance surprised him, because Marygold was one of the cheerfullest little people whom you would see in a summer's day, and hardly shed a thimbleful of tears in a twelvemonth. When Midas heard her sobs, he determined to put little Marygold into better spirits, by an agreeable surprise; so, leaning across the table, he touched his daughter's bowl (which was a china one, with pretty figures all around it}, and transmuted it to gleaming gold. Meanwhile, Marygold slowly and disconsolately opened the door, and showed herself with her apron at her eyes, still sobbing as if her heart would break. "How now, my little lady !" cried Midas. "Pray what is the matter with you, this bright morning?" Marygold, without taking the apron from her eyes, held out her hand, in which was one of the roses which Midas had so recently transmuted. "Beautiful!" exclaimed her father. "And what is there in this magnificent golden rose to make you cry?" "Ah, dear father!" answered the child, as well as her sobs would let her; "it is not beautiful, but the ugliest flower that ever grew! As soon as I was dressed I ran into the garden to gather some for you; because I know you like them, and like them the better when gathered by your little daughter. But, oh dear, dear me! What do you think has happened? Such a misfortune! All the roses, that smelled so sweetly and had so many lovely blushes, are blighted and spoilt ! They are grown quite yellow, as you see this one, and have no longer any fragrance! What can have been the matter with them?" "Poh, my dear little girl--pray don't cry about it !" said Midas, who was ashamed to confess that he himself had wrought the change which so greatly afflicted her. "Sit down and eat your bread and milk ! You will find it easy enough to exchange a golden rose like that (which will last hundreds of years) for an ordinary one which would wither in a day." "I don't care for such roses as this !" cried Mary-gold, tossing it contemptuously away. "It has no smell, and the hard petals prick my nose !" The child now sat down to table, but was so occupied with her grief for the blighted roses that she did not even notice the wonderful transmutation of her china bowl. Perhaps this was all the better; for Marygold was accustomed to take pleasure in looking at the queer figures, and strange trees and houses, that were painted on the circumference of the bowl; and these ornaments were now entirely lost in the yellow hue of the metal. Midas, meanwhile, had poured out a cup of coffee, and, as a matter of course, the coffee-pot, whatever metal it may have been when he took it up, was gold when he set it down. He thought to himself, that it was rather an extravagant of splendor, in a king of his simple habits, to breakfast off a service of gold, and began to be puzzled with the difficulty of keeping his treasures safe. The cupboard and the kitchen would no longer be a secure place of deposit for articles so valuable as golden bowls and coffee-pots. Amid these thoughts, he lifted a spoonful of coffee to his lips, and, sipping it, was astonished to perceive that, the instant his lips touched the liquid, it became molten gold, and, the next moment hardened into a lump ! "Ha!" exclaimed Midas, rather aghast. "What is the matter, father?" asked little Mary-gold, gazing at him, with the tears still standing in her eyes. "Nothing, child, nothing !" said Midas. "Eat your milk, before it gets quite cold." He took one of the nice little trouts on his plate, and, by way of experiment, touched its tail with his finger. To his horror, it was immediately transmuted from an admirably fried brook-trout into a gold-fish, though not one of those gold-fishes which people often keep in glass globes, as ornaments for the parlor. No; but it was really a metallic fish, and looked as if it had been very cunningly made by the nicest goldsmith in the world. Its little bones were now golden wires; its fins and tail were thin plates of gold; and there were the marks of the fork in it, and all the delicate, frothy appearance of a nicely fried fish, exactly imitated in metal. A very pretty piece of work, as you may suppose; only King Midas, just at that moment, would much rather have had a real trout in his dish than this elaborate and valuable imitation of one. "I don't quite see," thought he to himself, "how I am to get any breakfast !" He took one of the smoking-hot cakes, and had scarcely broken it, when, to his cruel mortification, though, a moment before, it had been of the whitest wheat, it assumed the yellow hue of Indian meal. To say the truth, if it had really been a hot Indian cake, Midas would have prized it a good deal more than he now did, when its solidity and increased weight made him too bitterly sensible that it was gold. Almost in despair, he helped himself to a boiled egg, which immediately underwent a change similar to those of the trout and the cake. The egg, indeed, might have been mistaken for one of those which the famous goose, in the story-book, was in the habit of laying; but King Midas was the only goose that had had anything to do with the matter. "Well, this is a quandary!" thought he, leaning back in his chair, and looking quite enviously at little Marygold, who was not eating her bread and milk with great satisfaction. "Such a costly breakfast before me, and nothing that can be eaten !" Hoping that, by dint of great dispatch, he might avoid what he now felt to be a considerable inconvenience, King Midas next snatched a hot potato, and attempted to cram it into his mouth, and swallow it in a hurry. But the Golden Touch was too nimble for him. He found his mouth full, not of mealy potato, but of solid metal, which so burnt his tongue that he roared aloud, and, jumping up from the table, began to dance and stamp about the room both with pain and aftright. "Father, dear father !" cried little Marygold, who was a very affectionate child, "pray what is the matter? Have you burnt your mouth?" "Ah, dear child," groaned Midas, dolefully, "I don't know what is to become of your poor father !" And, truly, my dear little folks, did you ever hear of such a pitiable case in all your lives ? Here was literally the richest breakfast that could be set before a king, and its very richness made it absolutely good for nothing. The poorest laborer, sitting down to his crust of bread and cup of water, was far better off than King Midas, whose delicate food was really worth its weight in gold. And what was to be done ? Already, at breakfast, Midas was excessively hungry. Would he be less so by dinner-time ? And how ravenous would be his appetite for supper, which must undoubtedly consist of the same sort of indigestible dishes as those now before him ! How many days, think you, would he survive a ..continuance of this rich fare ? These reflections so troubled wise King Midas, that he began to doubt whether, after all, riches are the one desirable thing in the world, or even the most desirable. But this was only a passing thought. So fascinated was Midas with the glitter of the yellow metal, that he would still have refused to give up the Golden Touch for so paltry a consideration as a breakfast. Just imagine what a price for one meal's victuals. It would have been the same as paying millions and millions of money (and as many millions more as would take forever to reckon up) for some fried trout, an egg, a potato, a hot cake, and a cup of coffee ! "It would be quite too dear," thought Midas. Nevertheless, so great was his hunger, and the perplexity of his situation, that he again groaned aloud, and very grievously, too. Our pretty Marygold could endure it no longer. She sat, a moment, gazing at her father, and trying, with all the might of her little wits, to find out what was the matter with him. Then, with a sweet and sorrowful impulse to comfort him, she started from her chair, and, running to Midas, threw her arms affectionately about his knees. He bent down and kissed her. He felt that his little daughter's love was worth a thousand times more than he had gained by the Golden Touch. "My precious, precious Marygold !" cried he. But Marygold made no answer. Alas, what had he done? How fatal was the gift which the stranger bestowed! The moment the lips of Midas touched Marygold's forehead, a change had taken place. Her sweet, rosy face, so full of affection as it had been, assumed a glittering yellow color, with yellow tear-drops, congealing on her cheeks. Her beautiful brown ringlets took the same tint. Her soft and tender little form grew hard and inflexible within her father's encircling arms. Oh, terrible misfortune! The victim of his insatiable desire for wealth, little Marygold was a human child no longer, but a golden statue ! Yes, there she was, with the questioning look of love, grief, and pity, hardened into her face. It was the prettiest and most woeful sight that ever mortal saw. All the features and tokens of Marygold were there; even the beloved little dimple remained in her gold chin. But, the more perfect was the resemblance, the greater was the father's agony at beholding this golden image, which was all that was left him of a daughter. It had been a favorite phrase of Midas, whenever he felt particularly fond of the child, to say that she was worth her weight in gold. And now the phrase had become literally true. And now, at last, when it was too late, he felt how infinitely a warm and tender heart that loved him, exceeded in value all the wealth that could be piled up betwixt the earth and sky ! It would be too sad a story, if I were to tell you how Midas, in the fulness of all his gratified desires, began to wring his hands and bemoan himself; and how he could neither bear to look at Marygold, nor yet to look away from her. Except when his eyes were fixed on the image, he could not possibly believe that she was changed to gold. But, stealing another glance, there was the precious little figure, with a yellow tear-drop on its yellow cheek, and a look so piteous and tender, that it seemed as if that very expression must needs soften the gold and make it flesh again. This, however, could not be. So Midas had only to wring his hands, and to wish that he were the poorest man in the wide world, if the loss of all his wealth might bring back the faintest rose-color to his dear child's face. While he was in this tumult of despair, he suddenly beheld a stranger standing near the door. Midas bent down his head, without speaking; for he recognized the same figure which had appeared to him, the day before, in the treasure-room, and had bestowed on him this disastrous faculty of the Golden Touch. The stranger's countenance still wore a smile, which seemed to shed a yellow luster all about the room, and gleamed on little Marygold's image, and on the other objects that had been transmuted by the touch of Midas. "Well, friend Midas," said the stranger, '{pray how do you succeed with the Golden Touch.?'' Midas shook his head. "I am very miserable," said he. "Very miserable, indeed !" exclaimed the stranger. "And how happens that? Have I not faithfully kept my promise with you? Have you not everything that your heart desired?'' "Gold is not everything," answered Midas. "And I have lost all that my heart really cared for." "Ah! So you have made a discovery, since yesterday?" observed the stranger. "Let us see, then. Which of these two things do you think is really worth the most--the gift of the Golden Touch, or one cup of clear cold water?'' "0 blessed water !" exclaimed Midas. "It will never moisten my parched throat again!" "The Golden Touch," continued the stranger, "or a crust of bread?" "A piece of bread," answered Midas, "is worth.' all the gold on earth !" "The Golden Touch," asked the stranger, "or your own little Marygold, warm, soft and loving as she was an hour ago?" "Oh my child, my dear child I" cried poor Midas, .wringing his hands. "I would not have given that one small dimple in her chin for the power of changing this whole big earth into a solid lump of gold I" "You are wiser than you were, King Midas !" said the stranger, looking seriously at him. "Your own heart, I perceive, has not been entirely changed from flesh to gold. Were it so, your ease would indeed be desperate. But you appear to be still capable of understanding that the commonest things, such as lie within everybody's grasp, are more valuable than the riches which so many mortals sigh and struggle after. Tell me, now, do you sincerely desire to rid yourself of this Golden Touch ?" "It is hateful to me !" replied Midas. A fly settled on his nose, but immediately fell to the floor; for it, too, had become gold. Midas shuddered. "Go, then," said the stranger, "and plunge into the river that glides past the bottom of your garden. Take likewise a vase of the same water, and sprinkle it over any object that you may desire to change back again from gold into its former substance. If you do this in earnestness and sincerity, it may possibly repair the mischief which your avarice has occasioned." King Midas bowed low; and when he lifted his head, the lustrous stranger had vanished. You will easily believe that Midas lost no time in snatching up a great earthen pitcher (but, alas me! it was no longer earthen after he touched it}, hastening to the river-side. As he scampered and forced his way through the shrubbery, it was positively marvellous to see how the foliage yellow behind him, as if the autumn had there, and nowhere else. On reaching the river's brink, he plunged headlong in, without waiting so much as to pull off his shoes. "Poof! poof! poof!" snorted King Midas, as his head emerged out of the water. "Well; this is really a refreshing bath, and I think it must have quite washed away the Golden Touch. And now for filling my pitcher !" As he dipped the pitcher into the water, it gladdened his very heart to see it change from gold into the same good, honest earthen vessel which it had been before he touched it. He was conscious, also, of a change within himself. A cold, hard, and heavy weight seemed to have gone out of his bosom. No doubt, his heart had been gradually losing its human substance, and transmuting itself into insensible metal, but had now softened back again into flesh. Perceiving a violet, that grew on the bank of the river, Midas touched it with his finger, and was overjoyed to find that the delicate flower retained its purple hue, instead of undergoing a yellow blight. The curse of the Golden Touch had, therefore, really been removed from him. King Midas hastened back to the palace; and, I suppose, the servants knew not what to make of it when they saw their royal master so carefully bringing home an earthen pitcher of water. But that water, which was to undo all the mischief that his folly had wrought, was more precious to Midas than an ocean of molten gold could have been. The first thing he did, as you need hardly be told, to sprinkle it by handfuls over the golden figure of little Marygold. No sooner did it fall on her than you would laughed to see how the rosy color came back the dear child's cheek! and how she began to sneeze and sputter !--and how astonished she was to find herself dripping wet, and her father still throwing more water over her! "Pray do not, dear father!" cried she. "See how you have wet my nice frock, which I put on only. this morning !" For Marygold did not know that she had been a little golden statue; nor could she remember anything that had happened since the moment she ran with outstretched arms to comfort King Midas. ' Her father did not think it necessary to tell his beloved child how very foolish he had been, but contented himself with showing how much wiser he had now grown. For this purpose, he led little Marygold into the garden, where he sprinkled the remainder of the water over the rose- bushes, and with such good effect that above five thousand roses recovered their beautiful bloom. There were two circumstances, however, which, as long as he lived, used to put King Midas in mind of the Golden Touch. One was, that the sands of the river sparkled like gold; the other, that little Marygold's hair had now a golden tinge, which he had never observed in it before she had been transmuted by the effect of his kiss. This change of hue was really an improvement, and made Marygold's hair richer than in her babyhood. When King Midas had grown quite an old man and used to trot Marygold's children on his knee he was fond of telling them this marvellous story, pretty much as I have told it to you. And then would he stroke their glossy ringlets, and tell them that their hair, likewise, had a rich shade of gold, which they had inherited from their mother. "And to tell you the truth, my precious little folks," quoth King Midas, diligently trotting the children all the while, "ever since that morning, I have hated the very sight of all other gold, save this !" By Nathaniel Hawthorne P.F.Collier & Son Corporation Junior Classics Tales From Greece and Rome Copyright 1912 From Wikipedia: Midas or King Midas is popularly remembered in Greek mythology for his ability to turn everything he touched into gold. This was called the Golden touch, or the Midas touch.[1] He bears some relation to the historical Mita, king of the Mushki in Western Anatolia in the later 8th century BC.[2] King Mita of Mushki warred with Sargon II of Assyria and defended his kingdom of Phrygia from the Cimmerians. Okay, so I'm willing to admit we're either both wrong or both right, as the 2 stories bear little resemblance to each other. I grew up with the fairy tale as, I believe, did most people in this country not the Greek myth.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox I grew up with the mythology. College educated parents will do that to you.
Originally Posted By EmmaJayne ' I grew up with the fairy tale as, I believe, did most people in this country' Which explains why I'd never heard of it as a fairy tale! Although, it does kind of open up the question 'What is a fairy tale?' after all.. I when I studied a semester of 'Myths and Legends' we studied the myths of Greece, Egypt and England.. as in King Arthur/Lancelot etc and we did touch on Robin Hood.. who I believe is rumoured to be appareaing in Once Upon a Time ( I got this from somewhere on the IMDB board so can't verify it's authenticity).. but during the course one lecturer stated 'myths are fairy tales for adults' which really bothered me, because I think fairy tales are just as much for 'grown ups' as they are children.. and it seems that the myth of King Midas has been re-written as a fairy tale for an American audience.. although it is in a book titled 'Tales from Greece and Rome' which I guess is suggestive of the stories roots. But I've been wondering about say Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.. both of which are often labeled 'fairy tales' though I'm not always so sure they are.. to me, Peter Pan is a play first, novel second and Disney movie third... I think a lot of people are quick to label any Disney animated feature a 'fairy tale'.. So I'm just wondering where they will draw the line when it comes to which characters are/aren't included in Once Upon a Time.. like I would LOVE to see Peter Pan appear, but it makes almost NO sense given we know he frequently visited the 'real' world.. .. also can't wait to see how the portray 'Beauty and the Beast' as the Disney story so many are familiar with is incredibly different to the original tale... but if they use a Disney-esque Belle then I definitely do not want to see a 'dark' back story..
Originally Posted By EmmaJayne 'Perhaps the genie from the lamp? Although if he's worked for Gold before he'd know where to get a room. And what was in the box on the back of his bike?' This actually kind of makes sense given that Mr. Gold was seen rubbing something that looked suspiciously like a lamp and then a Genie appears... 'I had one thought. Evil Queen Mayor wondered aloud to Mr Gold about where he found Henry. So we know Mr Gold was the main source. But he can't leave Storybrooke, just as Evil Queen Mayor can't. So... how did he bring Henry to Storybrooke? Maybe the new guy is the Mr Gold's gopher? Someone from the outside like Emma, but still connected to Fairy Tale, who's running around, doing Mr Gold's bidding. ' I actually think Mr. Gold does have the ability to leave Storybrook.. there's nothing really to back this up, just that he does appear to be above the curse to some respect, so it makes sense if anyone could leave, it would be him.
Originally Posted By Scutr >>College educated parents will do that to you.<< Well golly gee whiz aren't you special! Sorry my parents didn't go to college, they were too busy fighting World War II so YOUR parents could. Dad slogged through the muck in France, Belgium & Germany while Mom worked in the Pentagon.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox Hey fool... my father was a Captain in the Army Air Corps during WWII. So take your sanctimonious attitude and stuff it.
Originally Posted By Scutr Hey, fool, YOU were the one with the sanctimonious attitude. Can dish it out but can't take it, huh? Poor baby. I think you need to work on trying to keep your (apparently way too healthy) ego out of your posts. ...and now back to our regularly scheduled discussion of a mildly entertaining tv show.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox Scutr... you were the one who made the false statement that King Midas was not a myth but a fairy tale. That was incorrect. It was originally a Greek myth and that happens to be the version I got as kid, not the fairy tale. OK, so I was acting like a cheeky smarty pants by tossing in the bit about my college educated parents. But that was in no way a personal slam against you. However, that's precisely how you took it. It was simply a side comment suggesting that I might have gotten the Greek myth as a child because of my parents' education. Remember, you were the one who started this argument by claiming that King Midas was not a myth. And when this was pointed out, *you* got your nose out of joint and crossed the line by attacking me personally, by being snide about how my father apparently wasn't patriotic enough to suit your liking because he supposedly didn't serve during WWII like your father did, even though you had no idea who my father was or what he did during that time. Sorry, Scutr, but there was zero justification for that attack. You assumed something totally false about my father and insulted his memory as a WWII veteran with a disgusting sanctimonious attitude to boot. Again, *you* were the one who started this by insisting that King Midas was not a Greek myth but only a fairy tale. That was the original sanctimonious attitude, your insistence about the origins of the story. Had you done a little bit of research about the origins of the King Midas, this whole thing could have been averted. But no, your 'way too healthy ego' wouldn't let you accept the fact that you made a mistake by posting false info, so you attacked me for what you perceived as a personal attack on you, which of course, it wasn't. If anyone needs to work on keeping ego out of their posts, it's you.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox As for last night's show... what the heck is going on now? I swear, the writers are making it up as they go along. When the new guy in town opened up his box to reveal an old typewriter, I immediately thought that he was the writer of the story in Henry's book, that all of Fairy Tale World and Storybrooke was his creation. Then I was reminded of one of my favorite computer games of all time, Myst, where Sirius learned the fine art of creating other worlds by writing about them in books with special ink. If the new guy turns out to be a variation on Sirius from Myst, I'm going to be very, very disappointed.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORDDU: Yes, this is very much like watching the now defuct TV series, LOST. The writers don't seem to know where they're going and are making things up as they go along which is setting the audience up for disappointment after disappointment with loose ends forgotten about. While the show is still entertaining, my sisters and I fear for the worst. If we didn't have anything better to do with our rather unfortunate lives, we wouldn't waste our time on this series. As it turns out, my dance card has been empty of late and I haven't had any dates on either a Saturday OR a Sunday night in months. ORGOCH: More like in YEARS, sister! Tell the dang truth!
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 I've been watching lately and I don't know about the stories of the individual fairy tale characters. They are almost unrecognizable from their storybook origins. I mean, last weeks Snow White flashback was confusing. I guess, like the current town, all of the fairy tale world was intertwined so their stories merged...still, it's not as interesting to me as having more direct version of their pasts play a part in the future...or maybe something more like Wicked...where you saw an alternate take on the story, but at the same time the events of the story you knew, actually happened alongside, or at least the new details shed light on the story. With Once Upon a Time, it's like a new story with familiar characters. Oh, and the stranger turning out to be a writer...I kind of rolled my eyes there, because it gives an excuse to do anything. He said he finds the town inspirational, and Emma wondered had he been there before? Not sure how long it will keep my interest. My fear is that it will get canceled and we'll be left with this giant spaghetti-mess of a story to figure out, with no "final episode" conclusion.
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb I'm not convinced the stranger is actually a writer and if he is, I doubt writing is the purpose of his visit/stay. All Emma has is an old type writer and his word. Not much to "hang your hat on" IMHO.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros As confusing as it's been at times, I do feel like there is some greater direction tieing everything together. It may not be super clear, but there is some general progress, with lots of detours along the way. I'm glad that they finally brought back an older backstory, and are trying to continue it. Hopefully some of the other one-and-done episodes (Cinderella, Hansel & Gretel, Jimminy Cricket) have some continuation, and turn into a more significant story point. It seems like many of the characters have had their story told, and promptly disappeared from the show. As for the visitor, my first thought with the typewriter is that he might be one of the Grimms. I don't know how he would be involved in the overarching story, or what the significance would be, but it seems to imply that he was behind the fairy tales. And as for Henry's book, it was burned early on, but I swear we saw it again in last week's episode. Were there multiple copies, or is it a different book that he's been reading? It's also curious that Snow White and Rumplestiltskin met in this episode. In the fairy tale chronology, this would be before the pilot episode, where she and the prince meet him in the dungeon, which would explain her willingness to bargain with him. It will be interesting to see if anybody starts to remember their agreements, since they seem to be a unifying part of the series. And that was definitely Aladdin's genie's lamp in Mr Gold's shop. At the early screening at the D23 Expo, the producers said to keep a close eye on the artifacts in the shop, and specifically mentioned the lamp as an example. It will be interesting to see why the queen will want to make Snow die/sleep. At first I thought she might overdose on Rumplestiltskin's memory potion, but she appeared to come out of that fine. I would guess that we're still 2-3 Snow/Prince episodes from that storyline, but I will be interested to see how the story turns and what the motivations might be. And is there any chance that Red Riding Hood and Rose Red are being merged into a single character for this show? I'm not really familiar with Rose Red's story (other than being Snow White's sister), but it seems that Snow and 'Red' were pretty close in this episode. I'm interested to see the backstory for Ruby and Granny, as they appear to be among the only initial characters who we haven't gotten an explanation for yet (the Blue Fairy was also in early episodes, but she wasn't in Storybrooke; I suspect she was the object of Grumpy's love).
