Once Upon A Time Character Review: Robin Hood

*Warning: This post contains spoilers about Once Upon A Time. I am only writing up to the end of season 6. Read at your own risk if you have not seen the previous seasons.

*I am choosing, for the purpose of this post, to only focus on FTL/Storybrooke Robin, not the AU Robin that appears in the 6th season.

There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Once Upon A Time to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.

Robin Hood is one of the noblest characters in our culture. He is the selfless hero who takes from the rich and gives to the poor. He always does what is right, without question.

But what if doing what is right was not so easy? This was the question posed by the Once Upon A Time version of Robin Hood. Played briefly by Tom Ellis and then played by Sean Maguire for the remaining seasons, Robin is the soul mate of Regina Mills/ The Evil Queen, teaching her how to love again years after the death of her childhood sweetheart. But there is a catch.  Up until a certain point in the narrative, Robin was presented as a single father grieving the loss of his wife, Marian (Christie Lang). It took some time, but Robin broke down Regina’s walls and it seemed like they were headed for their own happily ever after.

Then Marian returned and Robin had to choose between his family and the woman he loved. But Marian was not Marian, she was Zelena (Rebecca Mader) and she was also pregnant by Robin. In the end, Robin gave his life to save Regina, proving that it is possible to do what is right and follow your heart.

To sum it up: sometimes a character’s journey can be boiled down to the question of what is right or what the heart wants. In life, this is often a murky question. The best writers are able to manipulate this question into a narrative that forces the character to go on the journey to answer that question. That journey, when presented properly to the audience, can not only take them on a ride, but also teach them how to answer what can be a very delicate question.

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John Kelly and the “Compromise” That Would Have Prevented the Civil War

It’s no secret that the Trump Presidency has been a hot mess since day 1. When General John Kelly became Chief of Staff earlier this year, there seemed to be a promise of  being the “adult in the room”.

That promise, if it ever truly existed, has not exactly come to pass. Kelly has just become another Trump crony repeating the “alternative facts” that has become a hallmark of the current administration.

The latest “alternative fact” coming from Washington D.C. is that The Civil War could have been prevented if the North and the South had simply compromised. I’m not an expert on that period, but I know enough to know that compromising was not an option. I could go further, but I will let Samantha Bee take over from here.

So much for being the adult in the room.

Throwback Thursday-Reba (2001-2007)

Life, if nothing else, is full of surprises.

In the television series, Reba (2001-2007), country musician Reba McEntire plays Reba Hart, a suburban wife and mother whose world takes a complete 180.

First her dentist husband, Brock (Christopher Rich) has an affair with his hygienist and gets her pregnant. Then, if that was not enough change to make your head spin, her teenage daughter, Cheyenne (JoAnna Garcia-Swisher) announces that not only is she also pregnant, but she and her boyfriend intend on keeping the baby.

While this was not my favorite sitcom, I appreciated the reality that it reflected back to the audience Sh*t happens, and we have two choices. We can lock ourselves in the emotional closet and hide, or deal with that sh*t.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.