BluePeach

I cried tears of joy when Quirin was finally free! I also LOVED the Varian and Rapunzel hug! My sweet babies! ♥️ Oh! And I noticed something! Varian seemed to be uneffected by the Hurt Incantation! His gloves vanished, but he was perfectly fine. Could he be immune? What do you think? (I apologize if my english is a bit weird. It's not my first language. I'm german)

(No need to apologize! Your English is excellent!)

Yeah, I have wondered about that moment myself.

Here’s what I’m thinking on that point:

1.) Varian’s gloves were made of sterner stuff than Cassandra’s, thus they were able to protect him from the incantation’s magic and he didn’t get his skin burned. It may also have been that Rapunzel’s sleeves also served as a slight cushion against the burning effects of the magic:

Whereas Cass had touched Rapunzel’s bare skin in the Great Tree:

It’s also noticeable that Cass and Varian’s gloves disintegrate in different ways when coming into contact with the magic. Cass’s glove has more of a burning and smoldering effect, while Varian’s gloves have more of a melting effect going on. This could just be a difference in the chosen animation (which was super well done in both cases!), or it could be a detail to show that the gloves’ differing materials simply responded to the magic in different ways.

Or I do think it is possible that…

2.) Varian may have some sort of immunity/protection from the hurt incantation that others do not have. While my hopes for Varian being somehow magical have dwindled significantly over the course of season 02 and the wait for season 03, I wouldn’t completely rule out the possibility that there may be something to Varian that’s different. While the moon!Varian theory may not be correct (*cries*), I also wouldn’t put it passed Quirin to have possibly done something to make sure Varian had some inherent safety from the black rocks and the moon stone. The reasons why I think this is possible are:

- Quirin had about five or so years from the time the Sundrop Flower was plucked to when Varian was born. We know that he knew that some calamity was coming as a result of the Sundrop Flower’s removal, and it may be possible that he did something to make sure Varian would stand the best chance of surviving it/ending it. If he had five or so years to plan ahead, it’s possible he could’ve figured out something within that time.

- I’m also not totally convinced that Quirin’s note only contained words that could basically be summed up as, “I’m proud of you, and always have been, Varian.”

Unless he wrote (as @tangled-up-in-zoology put it on the Discord) something like, “Son, I’m very very very very very very very very very very very very proud of you. Love, Dad”

I also don’t feel like we’ve gotten the resolution to Quirin’s cryptic words from QfaD, “I’m sorry, Son…You’re not ready.”

Ok…but not ready for what? To tell Varian that you’re über proud of him? …Sorry, but I don’t think so.

I mean, it’s possible that that’s all that the note was, but personally I’d find that a real rip off in terms of storytelling. I know we were told by some of the crew that we would learn what was in the note, but…I don’t feel like we have yet? If that was it, I would honestly be rather disappointed. It would make more sense to me that Quirin wrote that note in case he wouldn’t make it, and that it did contain some further secret that Varian needs to know. But since he survived, Quirin is suddenly is like, “Umm… actually, let’s continue to wait on this one.”

Perhaps it had something to do with Varian’s mother? Maybe if Quirin didn’t make it, the note contained information on how to find her (if she’s still alive)? And now that he’s free, Quirin doesn’t think that’s necessary anymore?

It could also be possible that the note was included in order to make the audience seriously doubt whether or not Quirin would be alive when they broke the amber open. As a lot of fans were saying, “Why would the note be there unless it contained something that Quirin couldn’t tell Varian himself? If it’s in the plot, then it must be needed! That means Quirin may not make it!” If it was just used for that then, I’ll honestly be very disappointed. But we’ll have to wait and see I guess…

What was your fav part mine was when Varian wanted Raps to pronounce his potion (like come on say it with me) and when Lance wipes his goatee off and he looked so sad like a kid being caught playing dress up and being told to cut it out.

Yeah, those were some pretty funny moments!  xD

I think my favorite part was the jail cell scene where Varian confesses to Rapunzel that his motives had changed, and that he didn’t feel like finding forgiveness with everyone is possible, so he just wanted everyone to forget what he did so everyone could move on without any of the pain, guilt, and shame that came with it all.

He couldn’t actually go back and erase what happened, but if everyone forgot, that would be the next best thing to that in his mind. He wanted to be forgiven. He knew now that he had done wrong. But he didn’t feel assured that he would be offered forgiveness given how hard that process really is.

I really felt like that was a surprisingly deep moment in the show, a good point of character development for Varian, and also felt very real and relatable. Who hasn’t done something that they wish they could go back and erase, or make everyone forget about? The idea of asking for forgiveness can be really scary sometimes, especially when you’re not certain if forgiveness will ever be realized in the attempt.

It just struck me as rather powerful, even though it took up such a small portion of the episode. I tend to find the vulnerable moments with characters to be among the most compelling for me (and I have a particular soft spot for vulnerable characters that are seeking redemption). Especially since I myself have a hard time opening up about my feelings to other people, it can provide a good illustration or avenue through which I can explore those kinds of things and think about them.