Christmas means different things to different people. It’s actually one of my favorite holidays, just because there’s so much tradition wrapped up in it. When I was growing up, my parents made a pretty big deal about Christmas. This was especially cool because both my birthday and my dad’s birthday are in December, so we had to find a way to separate those from Christmas, but my parents always did a good job of that. We’d put up a tree and decorate the whole house. My mom has these porcelain village houses that she puts up and one of my favorite things to do was help her create the tiny villages each year.
On Christmas day we’d all wake up, get dressed and have breakfast together before sitting down to open presents as a family. We’d each take turns opening a gift and showing it off so everyone could see, so the whole thing could take hours, but it was so much fun gushing over all the gifts. As I got older, my favorite part quickly became the moment when people would open the gifts I’d gotten them. I love giving gifts to people and finding just the right thing to give people, so seeing their reactions is always one of my favorite things, even now.
Just like me, each of our LITs has their favorite part of the holiday, and we get to learn about those in this episode. We also learn why our favorite Guardian isn’t so fond of the season and get to see what happens when she’s forced to deal with it. So let’s dive in, shall we?
Eve
On his blog, John Rogers described this as a big Eve episode, which is pretty true. After watching it a couple of times, I realized that beyond learning about how Eve got her name and why she doesn’t like Christmas, this is the episode Eve starts to soften a little. It was interesting to watch that softening occur as the episode went on.
At the beginning of the episode, she’s really annoyed by all the Christmas stuff. She complains about the decorations and can’t believe that all the LITs like Christmas for one reason or another. She dislikes everything about Christmas and refuses to accept any of it. Even after they learn Santa is real, the Guardian continues to dislike it and him and refuses to call him Santa. It’s only as she spends more time with him that her opinion begins to soften until her annoyance is more playful than legitimate at the end of the episode.
During her road trip with Nick, we learn that Eve doesn’t like Christmas because despite it being touted as the holiday that brings everyone together, she doesn’t believe it’s true. To her, that’s just a story that people tell to comfort themselves when in reality people were fighting and doing terrible things on Christmas (and the rest of the year). She feels that Christmas means nothing but loneliness and strife. She claims that she been too many places on Christmas watching people do horrible things to believe in the spirit of Christmas anymore.
I think another part of Eve’s opinion of Christmas comes from her loneliness and lack of home. Remember back in the my first review when I talked about how each member of the team came from a place of loneliness? Well, Eve was no exception. She had an empty apartment and didn’t know what to do with herself when she was forced to take a month off from work. She even tells Flynn that she prefers working alone because other people just get in the way. Clearly something happened in her past that made her feel this way and it’s influencing her views on Christmas.
The true turning point in her opinion is when she’s forced to take on the gift from Nick and distribute it throughout the world. By taking the gift and spreading hope and goodwill throughout the world, Eve finally has a chance to see mankind at its best instead of its worst like she has every other Christmas. She sees the potential for good that Santa sees. And she finally realizes that she has found a place to belong in her work at the Library.
At the end of the episode Cassandra laments that Eve didn’t make a wish since it would have come true. But the truth is, Eve did make a wish and had been wishing for a long time, and it finally came true. She realizes at the end of the episode that she now has a place to belong.
Cassie and Jake
If Heart was the episode where Jake’s opinion of Cassie starts to turn around, then this is the episode where we really start to see it. Cassie and Jake are so different with each other in this episode it’s like they are new people. Some of this is probably the high that comes from being happy about Christmas, but I think some of it also results from everything that happened in Heart of Darkness.
The beginning of the episode sees Jake and Cassie connecting over their mutual love of Christmas. He’s clearly amused by her enthusiasm and they share a moment when she reveals that her parents didn’t let her believe in Santa past the age of three. He’s really shocked by this. It’s so much fun to watch his reactions to her reactions in this episode. Everything from when she finds out that Santa is real to when they first meet Santa to the end is just them having fun together and I loved every minute of it.
During all this fun though, we get a few significant moments in the relationship that I think are important to point out. (I’ll mention again that it’s things like this that make me happy that I got the chance to rewatch the episodes in the intended order. So many things about their friendship make more sense when watched in the intended order, like this episode.)
The first significant moment was during the questioning of the Cockney santa in London. While talking to the Cockney santa, Cassie keeps trying to catch on to what is being said and keeps failing spectacularly (she’s a mathmagician for a reason guys). She fails so much that the santa questions her intelligence. And in a surprising turn, Jake actually comes to her defense, saying she’s far smarter than the santa could imagine.
Why is this significant? Because, this is the first time since the pilot that Jake has actually complimented or defended Cassandra. In all the other episodes after Crown of King Arthur, he’s only said one nice thing to her (that he likes her) and that was coupled with reminding her that he can’t trust her.
What’s even better about this is that he didn’t have to reveal that that’s what he said. His exchange with Cockney santa was all in Cockney rhyming slang which Cassie didn’t understand at all. Based on her face, it was clear that she thought he’d said something mean. And Jake could have let her continue thinking that, but chose to tell her the real meaning instead. This clearly surprised and delighted her in the end as she wasn’t expecting him to say something nice like that.
The second significant instance comes when they are trying to figure out where Du Lac might have taken Santa. Cassie has to remember where they took her when she was with them and it leads her to start hallucinating. Despite her best efforts, she starts to spin out of control and is about to lose the thread when Jake steps in and focuses her back on what she needs to be doing. This is huge because this is the first time since Crown that he’s acted as her focus (at least in the intended viewing order).
I think this moment is what really sealed for me that their relationship had started to turn around a bit. Back in Crown, his helping her focus was the first time they really connected. After she betrays the team though, Jake refuses to help her. In Horns, when she’s starting to see the pattern of the Labyrinth, he actually interrupts her and sarcastically asks if she can get them out of there, rather than helping her refocus. And in Fables, when she sees the pattern of the troll’s fingerprint, he doesn’t speak up when her hallucination starts to go off the rails. He does eventually help by revealing the fingerprint, but he could have just as easily helped her focus her vision and figure out what she was seeing. In Heart, they don’t really interact much while she’s hallucinating, so he doesn’t have any opportunity to choose whether to help her or not.
Which brings us to the scene in Santa. Something has changed and he’s decided he can help her again. So when she starts to spin out of control, he speaks up and gets her back on track, which leads to the discovery of Du Lac’s house and where Santa is being held. So you see, it’s kind of a big deal. And it’s why I can’t stress enough that if you can, go back and watch the episodes in the intended order. It really makes a difference.
It’s also cool that Jake is the one who points out that Cassie got her Christmas wish (to believe that Santa was real). He could have pointed out Ezekiel’s wish but instead he pointed out Cassie’s. Overall it s great episode full of lots of little Cassie and Jake moments.
(P.S. And Jake got his bar brawl. So everyone got their wish and all was well in the world.)
Other Random Goodness:
~I didn’t talk about this in the main review, but Ezekiel’s plotline of wearing Santa’s hat and getting to be the good guy for once (his wish) was hilarious. I loved how much he didn’t understand what or why it was going on. Plus Cassie and Jake’s reactions to it were perfect.
~Everything Cassie did in this episode is my favorite thing. I seriously don’t know how the actors got through a single take without laughing their heads off. All the awards to Lindy Booth for her portrayal of Cassie’s exuberant love of Christmas. Sheer perfection.
~I love Ezekiel’s reaction to Cassie roping him into helping her decorate. His face is great.
~Ezekiel starts fingering the presents Jake is wrapping, so Jake picks up the scissors and twirls them menacingly.
~“Mrs. Claus is real?!” “Oh shiny balls yes.” Bonus: Jake’s face during this exchange.
~”Are there any languages you don’t speak?” “Well my Urdu’s a little rusty.”
~Just the whole conversation with the Cockney Santa. Cassie trying to figure out Cockney rhyming slang is hilarious. Also, Jake getting more and more amusedly frustrated with her is great.
~”Architecture is just art we live in. Why doesn’t anyone get that?”
~The whole scene in Du Lac’s art room with Lamia hitting on Jake and Jake tossing the statues around to distract everyone.
~The fact the Ezekiel and Cassie used the chimney to rescue Santa.
~”Santa knows my name!”
~”It’s a one of a kind Tibetan Kubera. I couldn’t live with myself.”
~”Number 943 of the things I thought I’d never say but am saying in this job: Okay Santa, where’d you park your slay?”
~Jake and Cassie silently geeking out about Santa with each other.
~”Somebody jacked Santa’s ride.”
~”Great. Road trip with a psychotic shapeshifting avatar of goodwill.”
~Jake trying to activate the globe and Cassie’s reactions to it.
~”Where do you reckon he got the apron?” *Jenkins makes noncommittal noises and guilty face.*
~”Did I do it again?” “Yuppers.”
~The Jake and Santa fist bump.
~”Now hand over Santa, blah blah, you won’t be harmed, blah blah, a patently transparent lie. Of course I’m going to kill you, blah blah . . . blah.”
~”Actually, it would make us all very happy if you told us all the secrets of magic and how to stop the Serpent Brotherhood’s plans.” “Bit too much?” “Just a touch.”
~”Google ‘how to lower landing gear.’”
~”You okay Eve?” “Call me that one more time and they’ll be picking pieces of you off an ice flow for a year.” “She’s okay.”
That’s it for this week’s review. What did you think? What was your favorite part of this episode? Tell me about it down in the comments. Next week, I’ll be reviewing Apple of Discord, probably my favorite episode of the season.
In the mean time, on Wednesday I’ll have another writing prompt and on Friday I continue 30 Things.
Until then.
~Just the whole conversation with the Cockney Santa. Cassie trying to figure out Cockney rhyming slang is hilarious. Also, Jake getting more and more amusedly frustrated with her is great.
~”Architecture is just art we live in. Why doesn’t anyone get that?”
~The whole scene in Du Lac’s art room with Lamia hitting on Jake and Jake tossing the statues around to distract everyone.
~The fact the Ezekiel and Cassie used the chimney to rescue Santa.
~”Santa knows my name!”
~”It’s a one of a kind Tibetan Kubera. I couldn’t live with myself.”
~”Number 943 of the things I thought I’d never say but am saying in this job: Okay Santa, where’d you park your slay?”
~Jake and Cassie silently geeking out about Santa with each other.
~”Somebody jacked Santa’s ride.”
~”Great. Road trip with a psychotic shapeshifting avatar of goodwill.”
~Jake trying to activate the globe and Cassie’s reactions to it.
~”Where do you reckon he got the apron?” *Jenkins makes noncommittal noises and guilty face.*
~”Did I do it again?” “Yuppers.”
~The Jake and Santa fist bump.
~”Now hand over Santa, blah blah, you won’t be harmed, blah blah, a patently transparent lie. Of course I’m going to kill you, blah blah . . . blah.”
~”Actually, it would make us all very happy if you told us all the secrets of magic and how to stop the Serpent Brotherhood’s plans.” “Bit too much?” “Just a touch.”
~”Google ‘how to lower landing gear.’”
~”You okay Eve?” “Call me that one more time and they’ll be picking pieces of you off an ice flow for a year.” “She’s okay.”
That’s it for this week’s review. What did you think? What was your favorite part of this episode? Tell me about it down in the comments. Next week, I’ll be reviewing Apple of Discord, probably my favorite episode of the season.
In the mean time, on Wednesday I’ll have another writing prompt and on Friday I continue 30 Things.
Until then.
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