What did you think of Episode 2×05 “The Doctor” (broadcast Oct. 28, 2012)?

Posted on October 28, 2012 | 42 Comments


What are your first thoughts about the episode? Leave a comment below.

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42 responses to “What did you think of Episode 2×05 “The Doctor” (broadcast Oct. 28, 2012)?”

  1. Ms Terri | October 28, 2012 at 9:12 pm | Reply

    That was very appropriate for Halloween!

    Lana Parrilla was terrific. She showed a wonderful range of emotions.

    I liked seeing how she finally turned evil.

    Is there anything that Rumpelstiltskin isn’t secretly controlling?

    We were right about Dr. Frankenstein!

    Anyone else anticipate that the power (supposedly) greater than magic would be science?

    Was less excited about the Mulan-Hook-Emma subplot, but am very eager to see Jorge Garcia as the giant.

    • wildheart | October 29, 2012 at 2:06 am | Reply

      It’s my hope that there may yet be an episode dedicated to Aurora, Philip, and Mulan. Currently, there isn’t anything compelling people (myself included) to like them. Personally, I don’t dislike them. But there just feels like we’re missing out on what could be great characters. They just aren’t developed enough (yet?).

  2. Riles | October 28, 2012 at 9:14 pm | Reply

    Well…if the show was going to lose it’s audience, this episode did it.
    Mixing FTL with Dr. Frankenstein….seriously???
    No further comments….It was THAT bad. I want my hour back.

    • Ms Terri | October 28, 2012 at 9:29 pm | Reply

      I liked it — a lot more than I thought I would. When I first saw the idea (that Whale might be Dr. Frankenstein) on paper (well, in pixels), I thought it wouldn’t work, that it was taking the show too far from its roots. But, for me at least, it did work. I think it’s because it fit so well into several of the main story arcs of the show — the relationship between Rumpel and Regina — Regina’s uneasy descent into evil (and her eventual climb back out??) — Rumpel’s uncanny ability to pull everyone’s strings to make things go his way — the power of magic. Besides being a Dr. Frankenstein episode, I thought this was a major episode in the saga (I almost said “the mythology”) of Regina and her path.

      • Riles | October 28, 2012 at 10:17 pm | Reply

        Had they not brought in the Frankenstein bit, I would have liked it (Especially when they did the black and white thing at the end…artistic but this show isn’t the time or place for it). The story of Rumple and Regina was good. I liked it when they showed how Rumple manipulated Regina to become evil. That’s where it ends.
        They could have used a completely different story to accomplish the same thing. Instead, they brought in the Frankenstein bit which COMPLETELY eclipsed the rest of the story (IMHO). That alone pushed the spirit of the story over the line. Why not write in superman?
        The Frankenstein angle ruined the rest of the show for me.
        Throwing in the “Halloween” angle for the sake of Halloween is ok;however, RUINING the show for the sake of Halloween is another thing.
        I am glad they are bringing in Jack and the Beanstalk. I like that angle as it fits the fairytalesque (thank you for reading my portmanteau) genre and spirit of the story line.
        Did I mention that all was ruined because of the Frankenstein thing? LOL
        I’m glad you guys liked it though. It just left me sour :(

        • Lisa | October 28, 2012 at 10:47 pm | Reply

          The Frankenstein angle was a bit too far-fetched for me as well(the further these episodes get from the original fairy tale characters the less i enjoy them)—-then again, this episode was doomed for me from the start as my local affiliate totally cut the beginning out for a weather update, then ran a scroll of local closings at the bottom of the screen for the entire hour. We know that “Frankenstorm” is coming, they could have given us an hour(even if it was with Frankenstein) to escape from it.

          Also wish they’d return Snow and Emma to Storybrooke asap. I miss seeing them interact with Charming and Henry; their scenes with Mulan and Aurora just fall flat for me.

          Overall I feel as if the show is losing the charm that made it so appealing in season one.

        • wildheart | October 29, 2012 at 2:00 am | Reply

          When CS Lewis first wrote The Chronicles of Narnia, many people didn’t like it (notably, his best friend JRR Tolkien didn’t either). The reason wasn’t because of Christian themes, but because of Lewis’ use of mythological creatures from various cultures. Fauns were from Roman myths. Centaurs and Minotaurs from Greece. Dwarves were Scandinavian. Father Christmas was a modern story based off a real man! And these are just the tip of the iceberg; Narnia includes elements, creatures, and themes from so many myths it isn’t even funny. This is what drove some people crazy about it. To Lewis, however, he saw the diversity as what made the story great. He believed that all myths were really just fragments of a universal truth that none of them alone could fully tell. By putting them together, he saw it as a way to push forward that belief (the universal truth, to him, was Jesus).
          It didn’t come across that way to everyone. With children, however, the stories became popular. Popular enough, that along with stories like The Lord of the Rings, these mythological creatures actually seem at home with one another in modern times. Dwarves with fauns seem normal to us (in a fantasy setting), but just fifty years ago it was unusual.
          I hope my metaphor speaks for itself. Frankenstein is indeed from a classical novel, not a fairytale. This is why it seems unusual to many (a little to myself as well). But that is the inevitable path a story like OUAT must take. They are putting together characters and themes from many different tales, but all of it is to push that idea of ‘Love is the Most Powerful Magic.’ Even with a non-fairytale character, still, they managed to convey this message. This is why, in the end, Frankenstein admits that he needs magic. He falls under the same rules as everyone else does. Science has benefits that magic doesn’t have, but it still doesn’t trump Love.

          • Deeps | October 29, 2012 at 2:29 pm |

            I love the last paragraph of this post. And just like magic, love has it’s dark side.

          • Ms Terri | October 29, 2012 at 3:24 pm |

            Interesting comment, wildheart. I agree that even though the characters are coming from different sources, they are all being used for the same purpose — as you say, to show that love is the most powerful magic. It’s that idea that holds the show — and it’s increasingly diverse cast of characters — together as a unified whole.

          • Ms Terri | October 29, 2012 at 3:30 pm |

            Deeps: “And just like magic, love has its dark side.” Yes, exactly. And I think the writers used both the new and old characters brilliantly to illustrate that point, with Frankenstein creating his monster out of his love for his brother and Regina clinging, out of love, to the zombie Stable Boy even as he begs her to let him go. In the end, Rumplestiltskin was (as always?) right — dead is dead, and love turns dark if it doesn’t move on.

          • Ealleman91 | November 2, 2012 at 9:23 pm |

            brilliant point, wildheart! i kind of like the mixture of different characters… there’s more variety, and it cleverly suggests that the fairytale world and the real world aren’t the only two out there. interesting! as long as it influences the main story in some way, it’s a win win.

          • Riles | November 2, 2012 at 11:46 pm |

            While I understand the mixing of slight differences of genres to folk/fairy tales, I vehemently disagree with the mixing of literary tales. I get your point of mixing enchanting mystical characters to promote a sense of unification to convey a message. But that’s the point…they were ALL mythical and had a sense of fantasy. Frankenstein was a literary horror. It just didn’t blend.
            In my opinion, drawing from the source of literary characters doesn’t mix well with the spirit of the show. I think people were attracted to the show based on the title alone…”Once Upon a Time”.
            Bringing in another genre of ‘literary horror’ just doesn’t fit no matter how you write the story.
            I disagree with some of the posts that suggest if they didn’t bring in these types of stories, the show is limited to where it goes. There are PLENTY of fairytale-esque stories from which to draw, It all boils down to the storytelling.
            Lazy ADHD writing vs. compelling well-thought-out writing is where the rubber meets the road.
            Many ‘LOST’ viewers (more than half) were turned off by the total lack of discipline in the story line. That’s why the final episode had fractions of watchers…. I think by half.
            One would think the producers would have learned a lesson. Instead, they not only ignored their past mistake…they are accelerating it.
            I understand supporting the show because you are a fan, but please don’t agree with the producers and writers for the sake of being a die-hard. It will be the downfall of your show…and mine.

          • Riles | November 2, 2012 at 11:59 pm |

            Sorry. 33%, not half.

          • wildheart | November 5, 2012 at 12:33 am |

            To Riles:
            If you are directing the comment “I understand supporting the show because you are a fan, but please don’t agree with the producers and writers for the sake of being a die-hard. It will be the downfall of your show…and mine,” to me, then understand this:
            You are very, very wrong to assume that I am a blind follower of the show. Very wrong indeed.

          • Ms Terri | November 5, 2012 at 2:18 am |

            (putting on my moderator hat) Please, no personal attacks on other posters, no matter how low key. Disagreement is fine and makes for lively discussions, but at the same time, respect other posters’ rights to express opinions that are different from yours, and don’t tell them what they should think, or who they should or should not agree with. Don’t make assumptions about their motives or put labels on them. It just leads to squabbling. Thanks.

          • wildheart | November 5, 2012 at 3:36 am |

            I’m sorry, to both Riles and Ms Terri. My fault, I shouldn’t have written that.

          • Ms Terri | November 5, 2012 at 10:53 am |

            Thanks, wildheart.

    • Memento Mori | October 30, 2012 at 10:49 am | Reply

      I don’t see the problem – I don’t remember seeing this level of harumphery over Wonderland last year, and that book wasnt written til 1865. Frankenstein had been on shelves almost 50 years by then – published within a few years of the first Grimms Fairy Tales, in fact (though the Disneyfied versions we know and the show references are, of course, much younger).
      I see it more as “mythic stories” rather than stereotypical fairy tales. They are all simple yet fantastic with a moral lesson or idea. Archetypical. Thats a better common thread than whether did it as a cartoon.

      • cicifon | October 30, 2012 at 1:14 pm | Reply

        I completely agree with you Momento! pretty much any mythical character is up for grabs.i have the Perfect example of how the writers are showing us. if you look closely at one of he posts next to where Marco put pinocchio’s picture it says “Come home Pyramus and Thisbe” They are two characters of Roman mythology. so again anything is up for grabs at this point and i like that.

  3. Steph83 | October 28, 2012 at 9:34 pm | Reply

    So, now Rumple is Rumple/the Beast/the Crocodile… and Whale is Dr. Frankenstein and the Wizard of Oz?

    • Ms Terri | October 28, 2012 at 9:41 pm | Reply

      Unless I missed it, they didn’t explicitly say that he was the Wizard of Oz. Just that he was a wizard. But I’m expecting they will reveal that later — unless the Kitsis/Horowitz tease about this in their interview was just a red herring.

      Rumple is all of those things. And Regina got a new title tonight too — the “monster” (that Rumple created).

      • cicifon | October 28, 2012 at 9:52 pm | Reply

        David Anders did hint that they were going to do to his character what they did to Rumple’s. so if they make him the Wizard of Oz and he is from Oz that would be very interesting. Unless he is Merlin. hehe. you never know with these writers.

  4. cicifon | October 28, 2012 at 9:49 pm | Reply

    I think that it was a great episode. I feel that rumple is kind of also dr fanky in some ways. he did call Regina his monster. i like seeing the more “mad” part of Jefferson. What world is Dr. Franky talking about? Is he talking about our world? a few questions answered but many more are here.

  5. Will | October 28, 2012 at 10:07 pm | Reply

    Okay so Whale is The creator of Frankenstein. In the end of the episode, it is revealed that the monster had Frankenstien characteristics because it had stitches and there was a lab, and electricity. What does this have to do with the fairytale idea plot.! Also the stable boy, Daniel was totally portrayed as a zombie. This episode was good for the season but now the writers need to tie it back to normal because I was a big confused.

  6. Deeps | October 28, 2012 at 11:29 pm | Reply

    I loved this episode. It was the fastest episode of this season for me. I love that the show has an explanation of why all our different story lands cross each other through Jefferson. I love that it has all these little callbacks to the first season.

    The show continues its nuanced, tightrope exploration of the idea that evil is made not born with Regina this season. Regina just like Rumple may not have been born evil. Just like the choice Bae gave Rumple, she had a clear choice at the end of episode 2 to walk away. And unlike Rumple’s other victims, she knew exactly what she was signing up for because of Cora. But at the same time, was her choice and her descent into evil inevitable considering she had Cora for a mother and Rumple had set his sights on her? Or how much of Snow and Charming becoming Snow and Charming beloved king and queen and not wishy washy David and Mary Margaret in fairytale land hinged on them finding each other before Charming married Katherine? It really is a fantastic exploration of the idea of free will and how “free” it is really.

    So from Hook and Cora and now the Victor story, Regina’s curse affected more than just the enchanted forest, right?Did it affect all the magical worlds that Jefferson could jump between? And they still keep on raising the question why some were chosen and some weren’t? Why did Smee come over and not Hook? And I am guessing the only inanimate objects that came over form Storybrooke were the ones Regina wanted. That is why Daniel’s body came over and not Frankenmonster’s.

    • Riles | October 28, 2012 at 11:56 pm | Reply

      ..and yet I still can’t get over the Frankenstein thing. Let’s not overreach.
      But I loved everything else you said :)

    • Riles | October 29, 2012 at 12:02 am | Reply

      Also, the curse only affected FTL and it’s adjacent lands.
      The only reason people outside of FTL were pulled into the curse is because they left their land to get to FTL.
      IF that were not the case, then EVERYBODY in all realms would be affected. This does not seem to be the case.

      • Deeps | October 29, 2012 at 5:45 am | Reply

        So Wonderland counts as part of the Enchanted Forest? Cos I am not sure how Jefferson got pulled through. I do think Whale needs another story to take the guy who was in a magical world practicing science to landing up in Storybrooke. I hope the rumors of him being the Wizard of Oz are true. A magic skeptic surviving in the world of magic by using science to hoodwink would be the perfect way to tie it all together.

        Also the part of the Enchanted Forest that survived seems huge considering there was a beanstalk nobody knew about.

    • Ms Terri | October 29, 2012 at 3:20 pm | Reply

      Good post, Deeps! Very interesting what you’re saying about how the show is exploring the limits of free will.

      Now that we’re seeing that Regina’s evil, like Rumple’s, was made and not born, I wonder if we will eventually learn the same about Cora’s evil?

  7. a fairytale fan | October 29, 2012 at 5:47 pm | Reply

    Did any one else pick up on Jefferson’s “we’re off to see the wizard” line? And I think it was Regina who said something about “small minded,” which reminded me of the lyrics from a song in Wicked. Definite suggestions that Whale is the Wizard of Oz. Any more thoughts on why he is named “Dr. Whale?”

  8. cicifon | October 29, 2012 at 9:12 pm | Reply

    I am 99.9% sure that Dr Whale is also going to be the Wizard of Oz. In the book he has been longing to go back home. hence what dr whale was trying to do and the reason that he tried to bring back daniel. also literal clues like saying that he was some “type of wizard” and “we are off to see…”

  9. Riles | October 30, 2012 at 12:45 am | Reply

    I watched the episode again tonight. Despite the Frankenstein flaw, (yep, can’t let it go) can we all give a thumbs up to Lana Parrilla!!!??
    (thanks for bringing up the range of emotions Ms. Terri)
    –Very good acting indeed!
    The act of letting Daniel die in peace was touching. Through her love, grief, anger, and resentment, Regina was able to let the love of her life rest in peace.
    I have to admit I loved the realism of the morale.
    When Regina killed Daniel, she used her magic with sympathy and compassion. She killed Daniel with a a very gentle wave of her hand. Her actions were clearly not executed out of malice.
    That being said….
    Where did David/James go? He threw the barn door shut and basically told Regina to put Daniel down or he would do it himself!!
    The show flashed to a FTL story, then flashed back to the stables.
    When Regina was confronting Daniel, David/James was nowhere in sight!!
    I would think David/James would stick around to make sure the “monster” that was strangling his grandson was dealt with.
    The fact that he just disappeared in that scene was extremely awkward to me.
    Did I mention that Lana Parrilla really shined in this episode? She took my breath away.

    • Emily | October 30, 2012 at 3:20 am | Reply

      Riles – I assume David/Charming went to check on Henry and make sure he was alright and probably get Henry somewhere safe. He knew that Regina did have magic and so was capable of protecting herself if need be. Either way, Henry was his first and foremost concern at that moment.
      (This is just how I would feel personally, as a parent, and how I think a grandparent would also feel.)

      Great comments everyone! I love reading about different people’s view points.

      I hope to see Oz soon! I wonder if they will bring in elements from the musical Wicked? Oh I do so hope so!

      I wonder since they brought in Frankenstein, will they bring in some other classics, like Jane Austen’s characters? I do adore Jane, but wonder how in the world(s) would they tie together any of those stories? LOL Just imagining Elizabeth Bennet in FTL…probably won’t happen as there is nothing “fantastical” in those stories; but you never know.

      I was hoping for more Arthurian legends too…Lancelot did mention “a woman;” must be Guinevere! I wonder if we will ever see that story?

  10. Amber | October 30, 2012 at 11:36 am | Reply

    I was skeptical about the transition of introducing literary characters with our Fairy Tale characters, but in the end, I thought they did it quite well! So now I look forward to seeing what they will do in the future. I know some of you aren’t happy about the decision, but honestly, there’s only so many fairy tales to adapt- they would have to look elsewhere eventually in order to keep the show fresh.

    Ok, so there’s an idea that’s been rolling around in my head, it’s not 100% thought through, but the episode kind of touched on it, so here goes.

    In the conversation between Rump & Jefferson/Hatter about traveling to a world without magic, Jefferson said, why would anyone want to do that?
    …but he didn’t say that he couldn’t. After all, he was able to travel to wherever Frankenstein was. I’m assuming that Frankenstein is in a world without magic, because he was unable to get the enchanted heart he needed to make his monster come alive. Also, he & Jefferson said that he didn’t practice magic, he practiced science.

    Which begs the question, can (or did) Jefferson travel to our world before the curse took its hold? If so, perhaps he encountered Bae on his travels and befriended him? Perhaps he brought Bae with him to Wonderland? If Bae is the mystery man in the opening episode, perhaps that explains the cleaners/hatters sign, connecting him to Jefferson? If Bae isn’t the MM, perhaps the MM is Jack, of the Beanstalk fame? They keep alluding to a thief, and they have shown the beanstalk, so Jack must show up soon.

    Like I said, it’s just a thought. Having Jefferson being able to jump to so many different places certainly opens up a lot of possibilities!

    • cicifon | October 30, 2012 at 12:47 pm | Reply

      lets not forget also that the blue fairy also said to bae that it was the last bean that she had because the rest of them had slipped away from her. so there is a huge possibility about what you are saying and there are many others as well. great point amber.

    • Deeps | October 31, 2012 at 10:16 am | Reply

      Adam Horowitz said that the Frankenstein land is supposed to be a land of magic and that is why Jefferson could move there so easily. But I totally buy that others have travelled to our land before.

  11. Amanda | October 30, 2012 at 8:17 pm | Reply

    Whale as Frankenstein was dumb as hell. Just as dumb as why Regina hates Snow. This show is getting lamer and lamer.

  12. Believer | October 31, 2012 at 6:27 am | Reply

    OUAT where are you headed.

    It seems like OUAT is struggling to find its identity. I haven’t read any of the comments above but I’m sure some of you are wondering where the romance has gone in this show. Once touted as being such a show seem to be rapidly degrading into a morphed Twilight Zone, Outer Limits type drama where their goal is to shock the audience in the final episodes scences with some moral agenda or Hitchcock type plot twist…it was almost accomplished with the revelation that Victor was Dr. Frankenstein. I hope the show finds its romance roots again, but maybe that’s impossible. Like in life you fall in and out of love and go through a lot of relationships. Makes life interesting. But it seems unlikly to happen with our Once characters. Rump has found Belle, Snow and Charming are awake and reunited, yeah I know Snow is off romping around in some other universe slaying dragons but so what. Major stuff was accomplished in the first year. Maybe they went too far. I don’t know, their Halloween show just felt creepy to me. Signed…not so much a Believer any more.

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