Of the three characters I’m writing about this week (why only three? Because nothing interrupts the Sunday Who review,) Snow White has received the shortest end of the stick. Despite a fabulous start, the writing for Snow has floundered since the middle of season 2; a lot of her character’s coolness has been sacrificed, first for the sake of Regina’s ongoing redemption arc and later for an across-the-board IQ reduction for many of the heroes in order to prolong the central villain story at the tail end of season 3. So in terms of characterization, the latter episodes have squandered a lot of what made me love her, but since those original qualities are excellent enough that I’ve mentioned Snow every time I’ve written about this show, today’s post celebrates all that I like about her.
I’ve already said that this Snow White does notresemble the baby-voiced wilting flower of the Disney movie. She has a steep learning curve when she’s on the run after the unfortunate stepmother-tries-to-have-her-heart-cut-out incident, but she quickly builds the skills she needs to survive. Soon, she’s climbing trees and shooting arrows like a pro, breaking into castles for daring rescue missions, and holding her own against unsavory trolls. She’s a woman with an incredibly powerful adversary (both magically and politically,) and she’s still standing: not bad.
And, like my favorite Strong Women, she does more than kick butt and take names. She’s needed to have tremendous emotional strength to deal with all the crap she’s been through, she believes in True Love and the ultimate victory of good over evil, and she fights fiercest for the people she loves. With Charming at her side, she’s been the benevolent ruler of a kingdom, and even when pursued by a vindictive sorceress, she takes time to make friends and help others. (I realize that sounds super-Disney, and it is, but I actually like that about her. Though I’m all for darker characters like Walter White or Frank Underwood, it’s nice sometimes to see good people just trying to do the right thing.)
The love story between Snow and Charming is emblematic of why I love her. In the movie, Snow White idles in a walled garden, singing “One Day My Prince Will Come,” and sure enough, her prince catches sight of her and falls head over heels. To the best of my memory, they never actually speak, and the next time he sees her, she’s in a coffin and he saves his dead girl whose name he quite possibly doesn’t know with a well-planted True Love’s Kiss. By contrast, while Snow and Charming are immediately taken with each other in the show, it’s a fascination born out of the spark of their personalities, and over the course of an adventure, they gradually fall for each other. True Love develops as they get to know one another – what they’re about, what struggles they’ve had, what they can do. Their connection leaps off the screen, and it’s the best kind of fairytale, because they love each other rather than simply each other’s faces.
And yes, she eats the apple, she needs True Love’s Kiss to wake her, and Charming comes riding to the rescue. But even when she’s a victim, she retains her strength of character, and she’s more than just a prop in her own story. Plus, Charming needs to be rescued sometimes, too, and she’s happy to oblige. More than that, she fights, vanquishes, and rules alongside him, taking more of the lead if anything. After my years-long hatred of the simpering Disney princess, I was flabbergasted by this superb, vibrant character, and it’s disappointed see how she’s paled over the years. Here’s hoping the new season returns her to the fantastic character she can be.
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