Good evening, everyone. Welcome back.
I apologize for the massive hiatus on this series, especially after I promised weekly updates. The stress of my move to Japan and starting a new job was far more than anticipated. The book reviews were really all I could managed during this time.
However, much like MauLer emerged from the Pits of the Long to grace us another Force Awakens video, I have finally risen from the depths. I have also taken the time to complete this entire series. Weekly updates have already been uploaded and scheduled, so we should be able to finish this series in a timely fashion.
When last we left off on rewriting OUAT’s Beauty and the Beast story arc into a new Enchantress and the Beast arc, it was the close of Season 2. In the flashback, the Enchantress was working for Rumplestiltskin for the chance to release her kingdom from a curse he had laid, with the working relationship evolving into friendship. This fell into tragedy when Rumplestiltskin spurned her friendship and she cursed him in retaliation. The gold skin of the Dark One was established to be a product of her curse, rather than the Dark One’s power (which ripples through all flashback scenes). Their story is also moved up in the flashback timeline by more than a century, to before the encounter where Rumplestiltskin cut off Captain Hook’s hand. In the present day, Lacey is Mr. Gold’s assistant, with the relationship evolving to master and apprentice in the art of magic when her memory is briefly lost. The two of them say their farewells on the dock as friends, with Mr. Gold entrusting the safety of Storybrooke to her.
As a reminder, I’m going to be focusing on the changes that would most strongly affect the overall story. I’m not going to hit on every line of dialogue or every aspect of the actors’ performances. The assumption is that all of these would be retooled to accommodate the major changes. For example, if one episode only has a line where Mr. Gold was referred to as Belle’s true love in the original, I’m not going to call that episode out just to reiterate that he’d be referred to as Lacey’s friend.
SEASON 3, Part 1
In the original series, Belle has minimal involvement in Season 3, Part 1. There are just two episodes with significant changes.
Episode 3.07 – Dark Hollow
The Storybrooke subplot for this episode will play out much in the same way as in the original, though Lacey will have a slightly different motivation. This version won’t have Lacey questioning her value in the group. Instead, the subplot will be about her living up to Mr. Gold’s expectations – or rather, reconciling her beliefs about his expectations with reality.
The episode will start out with Lacey casting the protection spell while John and Michael race toward the town line in their car. There won’t be any hesitation on Lacey’s part. She will be in command of the situation, casting the spell as soon as the fairy dust diamonds are exposed.
Later, in the diner, Lacey won’t be rejecting food because she is pining for Mr. Gold and worrying that she isn’t a hero. She will be suffering from anxiety. When Archie (Jiminy Cricket, for those not familiar with the show) offers her an impromptu therapy session, she confides that Mr. Gold’s magic was as much a crutch for her as it was for him. She’d become comfortable in the knowledge that he’d be able to thwart any threats that came to his castle or the town, and she doesn’t think she’ll be to live up to that example. Archie points out that Mr. Gold would never expect her to defend the town with magic alone and that he would have trusted her for other reasons.
Ariel enters the subplot at this point. We get the fetch quest for Pandora’s Box and the later capture by John and Michael. The fact that Lacey doesn’t use magic to simply overwhelm the two of them will be explained by the brothers threatening to shoot her as soon as she raises her hands to cast. They will then stick another of the magic-blocking cuffs on her before tying her and Ariel up.
While tied up, Lacey will lament that Mr. Gold would have overpowered the brothers with magic, gun or no gun. Ariel reminds her that everyone has hidden strengths, pointing out how no one would look at her now and expect her to be a mermaid. We then get the same sequence where Ariel mentions that the transformation magic wears off and Lacey devises a plan to set them free by having Ariel morph back into a mermaid.
The sequence in the mines will also be slightly different. They will come upon the brothers as they are about to destroy Pandora’s Box. Rather than give up the element of surprise before triggering the mine cat, Lacey triggers the cart first and jumps into it, using it as shelter to get close enough to incapacitate the brothers with magic. This moment of ingenuity reminds her that she doesn’t need magic alone to solve problems and that Mr. Gold would want her to use all the talents at her disposal, rather than just the one he is also good at.
Episode 3.10 – A New Neverland
The only major change here is the scene where Mr. Gold talks about the future. Rather than tell Lacey that he wants a future with her, he’ll admit that he never thought about his future past the point of avoiding his death. He asks her if she’ll help him to figure out the way forward, and she happily agrees.
SEASON 3, Part 2
Belle has a larger role in Part 1 than Part 2, so retooling her story for Lacey / the Enchantress will likewise affect more episodes.
Episode 3.12 – New York City Serenade
Robin Hood won’t recognize the Enchantress in this version, since in this rewrite, they did not meet in Season 2.
Episode 3.15 – Quiet Minds
Since the library originally belonged to the Enchantress’s family, it will be referred to as such. This will be most significant when Lumiere accidentally reveals his true loyalties. Rather than challenging his claim of having been in the library for centuries by saying that Rumplestiltskin built it for her, the Enchantress will point out that Rumplestiltskin didn’t have the library for that long, and Lumiere wasn’t in the library when her family possessed it.
Episode 3.19 – A Curious Thing
While the Enchantress did spend time as Rumplestiltskin’s castle, she was working for him, not his prisoner (not until he reneged on their deal, at least). Regina’s suggestion that she help them break into the castle would refer to the Enchantress as Rumplestiltskin’s “caretaker”. The Enchantress would point out that she only cleaned the place; Rumplestiltskin didn’t trust her enough to teach her out to break in or out.
Episode 3.20 – Kansas
Mr. Gold doesn’t ask Lacey to marry him in this version. Instead, he says that both death and his imprisonment have made him realize that his future isn’t just about him, but about who and what he leaves behind. He asks Lacey to become his apprentice again, so that he can pass along all his magical secrets to her for posterity, saying that he believes she will be able to use them for far greater things than he ever could.
Episode 3.22 – There’s No Place Like Home
When Emma and Hook arrive at Rumplestiltskin’s castle in the past, they won’t meet the Enchantress, since she would already be a rose at this point. They will, however, see her rose form within a bell jar.
There won’t be a wedding between Mr. Gold and Lacey at the very end of the episode. However, I think the original scene of them exchanging vows is a powerful moment. What we’ll get in this version is a formal ceremony at the wishing well. Mr. Gold will vow to take Lacey as his student and teach her to use his powers responsibility, and Lacey will put her trust in him as her teacher. The dialogue would be mostly the same, with the references to True Love changed from romance to friendship. Tinkerbell would witness this ceremony instead of Archie, given that she is a magic user. (I considered using Mother Superior, but given the history between Rumplestiltskin and the Blue Fairy, it seemed unlikely that M. Gold would be on board with that.)
FROZEN HEART
With that, we have reached the chronical midpoint of the series. Next week, we will roll onward to Season 4.
I was originally very cynical about Season 4 when it was advertised. Cashing in on the popularity of Frozen reeked of desperation and laziness, and the Queens of Darkness likewise felt like throwing paint at the wall. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the results. The execution of the characters from Frozen itself was so-so, but the Snow Queen plot and Mr. Gold’s descent into villainy were brilliant, and the Queens of Darkness plot managed to use these classic characters from the animated films in a creative manner. Most of the changes to Season 4 will therefore by limited to reconciling the events with changes made to earlier seasons. However, Episode 4.11 will have a rather dramatic change that I hope will deliver a powerful emotional payoff.
We’ll dive into it next time. I hope you have a good week.