Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-5106672-20151026033324

So, Merida is getting a lot of hate for bullying a fan favourite character. The question is, how much is it her doing and how much is it Emma's control? So far we've seen some different ways an enchanted heart has been used.


 * Undead peasants: Cora ripped out their hearts, possibly told them to lay dead, then to rise and fight. They were totally stripped of their own free will and it only took them one (possibly two) orders to go on and fight to the death.


 * Aurora, the Lost Boy and Belle: Cora and Regina, respectively, literally used their hearts as a speak-box to put words directly into their mouth and puppet-master their actions by the second.


 * Graham (in Welcome to Storybrooke): Regina gave him an order to arrest Kurt for drunk-driving, he showed up and actually arrested him for drunk-driving. It was clearly not true (Kurt wasn't driving at all), yet he seemed to act on it as if his perception of what was going on were clouded.

So, how much is Merida herself responsible for the chipped cup number she played on Gold? Emma was very specific about the goal, but not about her means. She said, "Now take him to the woods and make me a hero". Merida must go from point A to point B, the trip is up to her. Do you guys think her research on Rumple and threats to smash the cup were born out of the compulsion to get to point B (i.e.: getting Rumple to fight) no matter what, or she is responsible for bullying him that way? 