Goodbye, Lara Episode 11

Everything hurtttttsssss!!!! I knew Grace was never evil! I ALWAYS BELIEVED IN HER! We finally got her long awaited flashback and sadly, it doesn’t look like she’s going to be coming back. (Which sucks a lot considering how anticlimactic and abrupt she died on us.) She was doomed a tragic ending, but even after all of that, still sought and believed there had to be a better outcome. She put her life on the line to bring about a miracle, and not only revive Lara, but buy her as much uninterrupted time as she could to achieve the happy ending she and her sister always believed in.

Ever since they were young, Grace and Rigmor were always deeply interested in the surface. Grace especially longed to one day explore it, and spent years studying and searching for ways to do so. Eventually she managed to get her hand on the Forbidden Artifact hidden away deep within the palace, and drank the potion to pursue her dream for finding true love on the surface. And it is there where Grace and Lara faced the same predicament of being rejected by their “Prince”, but they each had wildly different outcomes.

Grace’s heartbreak led to the Dagger-Fish savagely devouring her lover. And ironically, by consuming his soul ironically it made her actually transform into that monstrous form Humans feared her to be. You could liken her metamorphosis as proof of her heart being blighted by the sin of killing her love. Whereas for Lara, that didn’t happen. Instead, despite being turned on, she selflessly saved the Prince by choosing to destroy herself instead. That’s why she turned into sea-foam. Otherwise she would have been blighted by its power the same way Grace had. And it was because she turned into sea-foam that Grace had the opportunity to save her in the first place. She had her aid gather every drop, and with Rowan’s help of agreeing to give up all of his light, they were able to successfully revive Lara. Grace wanted to believe in her sisters’ words, in their childhood dream too, that there was a path for a better ending. She desperately wanted to see that her dream wasn’t in vain, that’s why even when things looked bleak, she didn’t give up.

As suspected last week, the whole point of keeping everyone in their deep slumber was in-fact to keep them out of the way, and it was undoubtedly the right decision. Things probably would’ve gone a lot more smoothly had Lisa been part of the slumber gang, and frankly she probably would’ve preferred that route too considering the trauma she had to go through.

Considering the tragedy Grace had to face all within a span of a single day, it’s honestly amazing that she didn’t go on a rampage. First she got her heartbroken because her lover couldn’t accept she was a mermaid. The dagger-fish took the wheel and she killed him with he own hands, and then after the dagger-fish consumed his soul it turned her into a monster. And as if all of that wasn’t already traumatic enough, her twin sister rescues her from the Humans hunting her down, and she dies from her wounds in the process. Oh, and if you want a cherry on top of that, Rowan banishes her when she brings her body back to the him.

But the reason why she didn’t go insane probably had everything to do with Rigmor’s last words for her. She was a critical beacon of light in the moment when Grace was surely about to be swallowed by the very darkness that Lara herself fears taking over. Because despite getting fatally wounded by Humans, and knowing that a Human had broke her sister’s heart, Rigmor still believed in hers and Grace’s childhood dream. It was Rigmor who reminded Grace, “It doesn’t matter if it’s on land or sea, as long as she can live for love, she’ll find light no matter where she is.” Those were her last words, and that’s something Rowan would never understand let alone acknowledge even if Grace were to tell him due to his grief and anger.

So Grace poured everything she had to bring about a miracle for Lara to get a second chance, and arranged things to increases her odds for success. But to do so she had to give up her form and become a fish in order to preserve the sleeping spell at least until Lara re-awakens. And it was Mari who saved her when she was unwell for the toll the magic was taking on her. You could say that Mari was Grace’s light, keeping her company and forming a special bond with her. But perhaps the most beautiful thing about it is that as fate has it, Mari’s that beacon of light of true love that Grace and Lara has been looking for all this time. She was the one who proved that there are Humans who will readily accept and love them for who they are, not matter what form they take. Ah, it’s raining on my face again.

On that note, I’m glad Mari got to witness Grace’s story, and hear parting words, “Live for love, not for the laws.” This is another instance where Grace and Rowan are different. Following Rigmor’s death, Rowan created the law that no one was to ever approach Humans again. Whereas Grace believes in the freedom to pursue one’s dreams. As it said last week:

So you could say Grace and Rowan are each other’s foil. Both of them are pursuing Lara’s light, but one is encouraging to pursue that true love and the other is advising to kill that love.

Grace knew very well that Rowan intended to use Lara’s power as the Special Princess to destroy Humans. That’s why it was absolutely critical to put him into a deep slumber, because sure enough the second he woke up, look at the shit he’s trying to do. The Humans who had killed Rigmor, and hurt Lisa are all long dead. The revenge he seeks on are on those who had nothing to do with the past.

Overall this was a fantastic yet terribly sad and tragic episode. Grace’s and Rigmor’s bond was a special one, and we really got to see how much Lara has inherited her mother’s attributes. Both bore interest in the surface, but Rigmor found love with Rowan, so she shelved that dream and took on the responsibilities as the Special Princess to keep the light in the palace. So we can definitely understand why Grace has a soft spot for Lara, not just because she believes in her potential to bring about a happier ending, but also because she reminds her so much of her sister.

The story’s almost over, but it’s been a great one. Now that Lara’s forcibly turned back into a Human, it will be interesting to see what comes about Lara’s future. We’ve yet to witness what happens should a mermaid achieve true love with a Human, will they gain access to legs if they do?

Though as a side note, Rowan turning Lara (and hopefully Lisa and Kota) back into their true forms was honestly needed considering they were all running out of time due to the potions’ effects wearing off. Lara still has business on the surface, but not to worry, Grace left a parting gift of ensuring that if Lara can’t meet Mari on the surface, she’ll make sure her aid brings Mari to Lara with a little bit of magic!