Mary Margaret & David: A Tale Far Too Familiar
Tonight’s episode of Once Upon a Time absolutely RUINED me. Not just because of what happened between Mary Margaret and David (my OTP), but because of how close to home it felt and the emotions in me that resurfaced. Ever since I began watching the show, I’ve connected with the character of Mary Margaret more than any television show character. We’ve both got a very vintage sense of style (or at least I fancy that I do). We’ve both got a very “girl next door” vibe going for us. We’re both hopeless romantics. We both have a passion for teaching little children. And unfortunately, we’ve both been labeled as a “tramp” or a “homewrecker.”
(Putting aside the fairy tale stuff) I’m sure Mary Margaret was content with her life before David. It seemed as though she was the type of person that liked to keep to herself and wasn’t the type of person to make irrational decisions. I was the same way…before a certain guy entered my life and changed things.
Nothing summed up my feelings more than what she said in episode 1x06:
You ever walk into a situation where you know exactly what’s going to happen, and then you go into it anyway and then when what you’re afraid of happens, you kick yourself because you should have known better. But that’s just who you are, so you keep punishing yourself.
Despite my strong feelings for this guy, I knew that it was going to end badly if I were to pursue it further, but I did it anyway. And in the end everything I was afraid would happen…happened…and I was crushed. Not because it was over, but because I knew better.
The thing that was the most painful to watch tonight was the excitement that Mary Margaret had when she thought that David was going to end things with Katherine and that they were going to be together finally. I’ve been that girl.
And then the thing that killed me at the end was how David handled the situation. It was like watching my story all over again.
Despite this bump in the road, it’s obvious that at the end of the day Mary Margaret and David will have their Happily Ever After. But I think Once Upon a Time has discovered the perfect formula for a TV show. In between the magic and fantasy, they are able to bring their audience back to reality. People, even fairy tale characters, aren’t perfect. The writers were able to paint David/Charming as both a hero and a coward in less than an hour. In fairy tales and in the real world there is a constant battle between good and evil.
