Once Upon a Time: Ruby Slippers
April 18, 2016 5:17 PM - Season 5, Episode 18 - Subscribe
In flashbacks, Ruby and Mulan find themselves in Oz, where they meet Dorothy. After the three witness Zelena’s return to Oz, they look for a way to defeat her once and for all. However, Dorothy mysteriously disappears, and Ruby’s search for her new friend lands her in the Underworld. Reunited with the heroes, Ruby teams up with Emma, Regina and Snow to continue looking for Dorothy. Meanwhile, Snow and David struggle with not being able to be with their son, Neal, and devise a plan so that one of them can escape the Underworld.
So I'm of two minds when it comes to this.
1) OMG OMG OMG CANON TRUE LOVE BETWEEN TWO WOMEN ON A PRIME-TIME DISNEY SHOW OMG OMG OMG
2) No build-up. Probably little chance we'll ever see them again. How does this count as representation?
(2b Also, poor Mulan, that girl needs some lovin'.)
On the one hand, the me from 20+ years ago who was wondering what the hell she was feeling towards her best friend is over the freaking moon. Where was this when I was growing up and coming to terms with things? This is monumental. This is a network, prime-time show, ostensibly family-friendly, run by Disney, about fairy tales. In the past, each of those things would have prevented a canon same-sex relationship from being shown. But same-sex relationships made it to networks, during prime-time, have shown up in a variety of shows, even Disney-based shows (and by Disney, I largely mean ABC)... but fairy tales? Fairy tales start with "Once upon a time" and end with "and they lived happily ever after". And the they in there has always been a man and a woman. Always.
So this is phenomenal. This is amazing. This is what happens in a society where same-sex marriage is legal, where discrimination is illegal (I know, it's not everywhere, but it will be), where LGBTQ-types are free to be themselves. (Says the woman with the sockpuppet account.)
I am so happy for the kids that are growing up in this society, where they'll see this as normal, because it is normal, but was anything but normal when I was growing up.
I might have cried when they kissed and I might have cried again when they kissed the second time.
That said...
... it was rushed. It was this weirdly kind of forced thing between Ruby and Dorothy and while I totally bought Ruby falling for Dorothy, I didn't feel a lot of reciprocation on Dorothy's side. Obviously, we were only shown Ruby's side of things because Dorothy was under the sleeping curse, plus we know Ruby a lot better than we know Dorothy, but I still feel like this is a one-and-done thing. If they go off and live happily ever after, that's great (better than one or both going evil and/or dying), but then... they're gone? I'm sure Meghan Ory and Teri Reeves have other work to do, so it's selfish to want them to be on the show full-time, showing us the kind of happy life that we've seen with the Charmings, but now what? Three canon queer women is great, but not if we rarely -- if ever -- see them.
It's wonderful that they exist. It's wonderful that they were able to show True Love's Kiss just like with any other couple. It's less wonderful that they are almost certainly just going to be tucked away for the next bit of forever.
I also feel as though this is perhaps some kind of sympathy pairing to make up for SwanQueen. I've been shipping Regina and Emma since like, episode two. This pairing makes me feel as though the writers are saying "nope, nope, no SwanQueen, they're straight, here, look, have some pretty lesbians!"
Which is hilarious because Regina and Emma have more chemistry with a single look than Ruby and Dorothy had with that second kiss. (IMHO)
Anyway. I'm glad it happened. I hope hope hope that they won't just put Ruby and Dorothy (RedKansas? RubySlippers?) on a shelf and forget about them. But then, my level of faith in the show, much as I enjoy it, is about the same as Valerie Anne's on After Ellen, who honestly thought Toto was going to be the one to give Dorothy True Love's Kiss. (I had the exact same thought.)
</ramble>
posted by sockermas at 7:40 PM on April 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
1) OMG OMG OMG CANON TRUE LOVE BETWEEN TWO WOMEN ON A PRIME-TIME DISNEY SHOW OMG OMG OMG
2) No build-up. Probably little chance we'll ever see them again. How does this count as representation?
(2b Also, poor Mulan, that girl needs some lovin'.)
On the one hand, the me from 20+ years ago who was wondering what the hell she was feeling towards her best friend is over the freaking moon. Where was this when I was growing up and coming to terms with things? This is monumental. This is a network, prime-time show, ostensibly family-friendly, run by Disney, about fairy tales. In the past, each of those things would have prevented a canon same-sex relationship from being shown. But same-sex relationships made it to networks, during prime-time, have shown up in a variety of shows, even Disney-based shows (and by Disney, I largely mean ABC)... but fairy tales? Fairy tales start with "Once upon a time" and end with "and they lived happily ever after". And the they in there has always been a man and a woman. Always.
So this is phenomenal. This is amazing. This is what happens in a society where same-sex marriage is legal, where discrimination is illegal (I know, it's not everywhere, but it will be), where LGBTQ-types are free to be themselves. (Says the woman with the sockpuppet account.)
I am so happy for the kids that are growing up in this society, where they'll see this as normal, because it is normal, but was anything but normal when I was growing up.
I might have cried when they kissed and I might have cried again when they kissed the second time.
That said...
... it was rushed. It was this weirdly kind of forced thing between Ruby and Dorothy and while I totally bought Ruby falling for Dorothy, I didn't feel a lot of reciprocation on Dorothy's side. Obviously, we were only shown Ruby's side of things because Dorothy was under the sleeping curse, plus we know Ruby a lot better than we know Dorothy, but I still feel like this is a one-and-done thing. If they go off and live happily ever after, that's great (better than one or both going evil and/or dying), but then... they're gone? I'm sure Meghan Ory and Teri Reeves have other work to do, so it's selfish to want them to be on the show full-time, showing us the kind of happy life that we've seen with the Charmings, but now what? Three canon queer women is great, but not if we rarely -- if ever -- see them.
It's wonderful that they exist. It's wonderful that they were able to show True Love's Kiss just like with any other couple. It's less wonderful that they are almost certainly just going to be tucked away for the next bit of forever.
I also feel as though this is perhaps some kind of sympathy pairing to make up for SwanQueen. I've been shipping Regina and Emma since like, episode two. This pairing makes me feel as though the writers are saying "nope, nope, no SwanQueen, they're straight, here, look, have some pretty lesbians!"
Which is hilarious because Regina and Emma have more chemistry with a single look than Ruby and Dorothy had with that second kiss. (IMHO)
Anyway. I'm glad it happened. I hope hope hope that they won't just put Ruby and Dorothy (RedKansas? RubySlippers?) on a shelf and forget about them. But then, my level of faith in the show, much as I enjoy it, is about the same as Valerie Anne's on After Ellen, who honestly thought Toto was going to be the one to give Dorothy True Love's Kiss. (I had the exact same thought.)
</ramble>
posted by sockermas at 7:40 PM on April 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
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posted by DevilsAdvocate at 5:20 PM on April 18, 2016