Once Upon a Time Mystery : Who is August W. Booth?

 

All the characters on ABC's Once Upon a Time are fairy tale characters who have been cursed to spend eternity in Storybrooke, Maine.    They are still their fairy tale selves, but they've lost their memories of who they really are, and have been torn from the ones they love ...  One of the fun challenges of the show is putting clues together to figure out who everyone is/was, and what story they belong to.

A few weeks ago, a mysterious stranger showed up in Storybrooke, riding a motorcycle, and carrying a mysterious wooden box.   We later learned that he carried an old typewriter, and he was later dubbed, The Writer.  Does he have something to do with putting these fractured faery tales back on track?

There are a lot of theories floating around out there as to who he is, and why he can leave StoryBrooke, when no one else can (besides Emma).  Some crazy theories out there like :
1) He's the son Rumple lost (Look, I'd love to see Baelfire come back, but this is not the guy.  Bael had beautiful brown eyes ... ) 
2)  He's Henry as an adult (Then why does he seem to have a love interest on Henry's mom?  Ewe!
3) He's Henry's father - then why doesn't Emma remember him?
4) One of the Brothers Grimm - Maybe. He is a writer.

No--there's only 1 theory that makes any sense in my mind :  Pinocchio!

 Photo from IMDB here.    This is a photo of Pinocchio working with his father, Gepetto, in their workshop.   Remember Gepetto made the enchanted wardrobe that spirited Emma away, and protected her from Evil Queen's The Dark Curse.    I believe Pinocchio fell asleep (or Gepetto hid him inside--a father's love, you know!) in the wardrobe and went along with Emma to safety.  The Blue Faery said there was only room for 1 person, but there would have been enough room for 2 kids.  So Emma had some company on that journey!

Evidence : 
A) The coloring is about right : blue eyes and brown hair, lighter as a kid.
B) He's good with his hands, learned a lot in the workshop with Gepetto.  In a later episode, we see August fixing / amending Henry's storybook -- in a workshop somewhere in Storybrooke.  He hasn't forgotten what he learned from his father!
C) There are numerous instances where Mr. Booth says things like, "I cannot tell a lie," and then he tells some whopper about lemurs in Nepal (what?).  Yeah--maybe he has traveled the world, but there are no lemurs in Nepal!
D) He seems to be able to come and go, like Emma, whereas all other residents of Storybrooke are trapped there.  Their cars veer off the road anytime they get near the city limits.

Other Observations :  He spends a lot of time around the town well, and knows the powers of the healing waters to bring back anything lost (like memories?). He is invested in the stories in Storybrooke, but is it for the common good?  Or is he just a pathological liar?

Anyway, he'll be a good one for Emma who has a talent for being able to tell when someone is lying.  She will keep him in line!

See those Pinocchio Blue eyes!  It's got to be him!

Update March 25, 2012

In this scene from the Heart of Darkness episode, AWB sits in Grannie's diner with Henry.  AWB tells Henry that the stories in his book really happened.  They are "as real as I am," he says.  I also see a little eye roll, there, that totally reminds me of the puppet!  Pinocchio was a wooden puppet who wanted to be real.  This is another way that his character "leaks out" in Storybrooke.  Only time will tell if I'm right about this!

Update April 25, 2012
As of The Return episode aired this week, we now know that August is NOT Rumple's long-lost son, Baelfire.   They didn't explicitly come out and say he was Pinocchio.  However, the donkey paperweight in August's room is a pretty good indicator that he very likely IS Pinocchio :

Here you see Mr Gold snooping around August's room looking for clues to August's true identity.  Photo from here.


Here's the Pinocchio-Donkey Transformation scene from Disney's Pinocchio movie:

I guess he keeps that little trinket around to remind him NOT to be a jackass.  We all learn our lessons in life!

Update as of April 29, 2012
All this is verified in The Stranger episode.  Yes!  He's Pinocchio! 
Kitsis and Horowitz have said that they named August W. Booth after the guy who coined the phrase "the unreliable narrator."  Pinocchio is a storyteller.

Well done, Once Upon a Time!  I have enjoyed the mystery these many months.  ;-)

Beauty & the Beast with a Once Upon a Time Twist (no Happy Endings)

I love-love-love this series!  I love the characters, and I love the lessons in the stories -- Even when they go wrong, we learn the lessons of what NOT to do.   So far, this particular episode has been the best of the season.  Watch the full episode here.  Be warned-- it's not a happy ending--at least not yet!

I would really like to write a character analysis of Mr Gold / Rumplestiltskin, my favorite character on the show, but things are still coming to light.  It's too early for that kind of assessment.  That's another joy of the series--clues come up each week, to help you put the puzzle pieces together.  He's a complicated character, dark and light together.  A little lost, but redeemable.  Belle was a huge gift in his life, and he let her slip away.  Belle says "Love has many layers"--and this story certainly does!  She's not perfect, but she's perfect for Rumple.  Sigh!  It's been a long time since I wanted two romantic characters to be together like this!

Many fans have put together little videos set to popular music that tell the tragic story of Belle and Rumple.  Here are some of my favorites (set down here so I can keep track of them) :