Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-24301813-20161128052817/@comment-24667994-20161128122534

 The real-life answer: this is an extension of what I call “the Willow problem.”

 This is a reference to the character of Willow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. After season 5 where she becomes this powerful witch, you start to see the writing for her becoming stodgy and convoluted. Why? They had to keep coming up with reasons why Willow didn’t just magic plot obstacles away. It became a joke the number of times Willow would get knocked out at the beginning of a fight. Of course, it’s not going to be much of fight if the powerful Willow is in the mix.

 Storybrooke has a half dozen ‘Willows’ parading around, and Zelena happens to be one of them. And they pretty much pull the same joke here. Zelena gets knocked on the head before the fight really starts, and she suddenly can’t do magic because of it…

 It’s also just easier to write, I suppose, than a long and elaborate magic battle.

 But I do think it all comes across as ham-fisted, writing-wise. If Zelena is savvy enough to know that the EQ could turn on her, why has she not given herself some form of leeway as she has done with Rumple. The way she reacts to EQ’s challenge, does seem to suggests she knew it was a real possibility. The “she just gave up” line doesn’t quite sit right. I mean it's totally possible, but it's not quite Zelena's style. So, if that was really the writer’s intention, it didn’t really come across. Why is she just giving up? You don’t have to kill the EQ to stop her. Rumple is more powerful than Zelena, yet she didn’t just give up on the numerous occasions he’s tried to kill her. But the writers wanted her to be saved by Regina, so that’s what happened.