Board Thread:Character Discussion/@comment-26159109-20170405171054/@comment-25926288-20170405183711

I think it's simply a problem of having too much on their plate at a given time. It's bizarrre that they didn't do Red and Mulan given they actually interacted for a least two episodes, unlike Dorothy who popped out of nowhere.

I think that part of this isalso that they'd likely want to resolve Mulan and Aurora and not leave that friendship on such a terrible misunderstanding. But I guess they pushed it back die to availability and other storylines.

On the topic of happiness, the show does indeed have a problem with defining it because while it tries to be complex it ends up being perceived as skewed and too simplistic. In Page 23, Regina definied the light in her light as "love" and the opposing force as darkness. However, the show has only presented darkness as an element of bloodlust or murder. So, for all the complexities of life and in their stories, they drop down to a black and white view on morality. Back to talking about happiness, it seems that light leads to happiness, which they often replace light with love. It discusses familial (between family), platonic (between friends), and romantic, (and maybe conceptual as "the love of the people") as Regina mentioned. Once may focus heavily on romance, but they often try to balance it out a little.

Let's take Mulan's light (or love).

Family: none (that we know of)

Friends: not fully resolved, but adequate

Lover: none

So, of the three, Mulan has at best one and that's sort of iffy as she and Aurora weren't on the same level of comprehension.

Once does often seem to portray that if you don't have all of this, you will not be satisfied or happy easily. Regina had familial and platonic love before romance re-entered her life, but it wasn't enough until she could grow beyond it. If Mulan were to achieve happiness, then she'll either have to accept her position in life, have a loving family, and be content with that or find romance (which seems like a peculiar ultimatum).

If they could, I imagine Mulan would have had a backstory with the Dragon, establishing that familial love at the very least if they could have this (or next) season.