Does Merida really want to be queen?
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
This is our review of the second of the two Once Upon a Time episodes that aired this week. Click here for our review of the first half, “Birth.”
For an episode that teased an adventure with Merida, Mulan, and Ruby, we didn’t get much of the trio in action. “The Bear King” was the second installment in a night of two Once Upon a Time episodes, and since it’s so different and unconnected to the first part, “Birth,” we’re reviewing them separately. In “The Bear King,” Merida, Mulan, and Ruby didn’t come together until three quarters of the way through the episode. We got to watch Ruby track the mysterious knight that killed Fergus (and duh, it was Arthur) and then the trio fought Arthur and Zelena together. Instead of lingering on Merida’s doubt and dull family interactions, they should have found a way for the three ladies to cross paths and start their quest earlier.
The story suffered from following the intense and well-written events of “Birth.” Arthur and Zelena searching for an enchanted helm was the connecting thread between the two hours, and it wasn’t strong enough. Merida’s jaunt paled in comparison. Plus, it was weird to go from the key topic of how Emma became Dark Swan to a flat, boring race to save Merida’s kingdom. I’m sorry, to save her kingdom again. Is DunBroch always endangered? The stakes weren’t there, Merida’s chemistry with her father wasn’t there — it felt like a rehash of what we saw a few episodes ago with Merida and Belle.
Merida has self-doubt. I get it. Ruling a kingdom has to come with an incredible amount of pressure. However, it’s like she’s looking for reasons to give up the crown. The idea of her handing over her family’s position to the Macintosh clan if they solved the problem first made me roll my eyes. Based on Brave, Elinor is too strong a leader and character to put with up this nonsense. She’d take charge and shake sense into her daughter.
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photo Gallery:
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
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Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
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Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
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Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
The most interesting and believable relationships in the episode were between Merida and Mulan and Ruby and Mulan. Mulan pushed Merida to rise to the occasion, and Merida pushed back. Mulan saved Ruby, and Ruby saved Mulan back by offering her a distraction. The ladies worked well together, and it was a delight to see both Ruby and Mulan back and to have Ruby’s sudden disappearance explained. It seems weird that they would let Ruby use the magic bean rather than save it for an emergency, but then again, they always seem to find ways to the Enchanted Forest when it’s necessary. And a more direct confirmation of Mulan’s feelings for Aurora would have been preferred, but I’ll take the hints.
Another high point was the witch. Lily Knight was perfectly cast in the role and looked more like the animated version in Brave than I would have thought possible. She wasn’t out and out evil in the film, and they stuck with a similar approach here. She likes to teach lessons and do so in an indirect way that makes the cursed people think and earn their way out. There’s no using a simple solution like a potion or a flame to escape her curses; the afflicted have to use their brains. It’s different from other witches and curses in the show, and variety is the spice of life, etc.
Maybe some of the happenings will come back to play later — like Mulan and Ruby, hopefully — but as it stands, this episode was a somewhat entertaining romp without much substance. Arthur and Zelena didn’t advance their position. Merida did get the crown, but since it seemed like her coronation was already going to happen after she saved her brothers, it didn’t come across as a big jump for the character.
The return of Mulan and Ruby was pushed in marketing for the second part of Once Upon a Time’s two-hour special, but Merida, Mulan, and Ruby didn’t have much screen time together. The dynamic between Mulan and Merida was solid though, and they pushed each other to be better. Merida’s had nothing but trouble with her kingdom in all the encounters we’ve had with her so another quest so soon was wearisome, and it didn’t have the emotional pull it could have possessed.
