Episode  21: Mother

Lana Parrilla as Regina Once Upon a Time Season 04 Episode 21 Mother review picture image

Lana Parrilla as Regina

So Rumple needed Emma to go all dark side to charge the author’s ink but turns out Lily could do that because she had Emma’s potential for darkness. And instead of writing  a fix to Rumple’s heart problems, Isaac is going to rewrite the rules so that villains win. But since the author can literally write whatever he could just literally fix Rumple’s problem without this fate changing thing they are doing.  Also if Rumple issue’s was his heart going black from bad deeds why can’t he do good deeds? Also Rumple was FINE prior to the flashback. Sure there was time gap and he took some medicine but there was no indication of his heart dying.  This plot has too many outs and variables to be compelling.

The real theme of the episode is mothers, as you can tell by the title. Emma FINALLY forgives her mother and stops acting like a pouty child. Lily meets Maleficent. At first it didn’t go great as Lily expected a “Dragon Bitch”  and not a normal snappy dresser who can turn into a dragon, but they reach an accord.  

The past section was about Cora trying to get Regina some love in her life along with a baby. Regina thinks this a power grab on Cora’s part and takes the infertility potion to thwart her mother. This backstory also leads Regina to not erase Zelena from the book because of the pain Cora inflicted on both of them.

I dunno why but I love Zelena, I think it might be  the actress more than anything. She was also an episode of 30 rock, in Season 7 Episode 8 My Whole Life is Thunder, where she was virgin widow nymphomaniac. Kermit the Frog was also in that episode but in a different scene.  

You know what else is stupid about the author and Rumple’s plan? Aside from Cruella, who was a bad egg from the start, all the villains got their happy endings. So this changing fate is EVEN MORE DUMB. Just going to say it again, the author can write a cure for Rumple on a slip of paper even. Like Rumple can have his Dark one powers without the limits of being the dark one if Isaac wrote it down.

This show depiction of Maid Marian pisses me off. I have seen MANY versions of Marian even that BBC version that was weird but this Marian’s only value to the plot has been sick/dying and a manic pixie dream girl to Robin (sort of). She didn’t have much personality and even Disney Marian did and she barely in the movie.

This episode was mostly fine. It worked mostly but the plot of this arc has been too all over the place and seems to be leading to a dumb conclusion.

Episode  22: Operation Mongoose Part 1

Lana Parrilla as Regina Once Upon Time Season 04 Episode 22 Operation Mongoose Part 1 review picture image

Lana Parrilla as Regina

Isaac has vanity issue which makes him the worse of the “villains.” We also get a bit of a backstory on Isaac, it’s nothing super amazing or interesting. Just a writer wannabe who can’t sell TVs in the 60s.

This episode bring us to an alternative reality where the former villains are heroes and the heroes are villains. So Rumple is a kindly knight who saves people and Snow and Regina are literally swapped. Henry enters the book with Isaac to try and save the day    

Henry however enters at the final chapter which means there is a ticking clock. He has to change the ending so the book loses its power, I guess. I don’t know literally theory or principles, but why would there be an inciting incident in the final chapter?  The  inciting incident  is the event or decision that begins a story’s problem. So no. Wrong term writer with a job.  

The trouble is Villains can have happy ending UNLESS Ursula and Maleficent were never really Villains? Gasp, Disney needs to rebrand them.

While the episode is handle well it seems like a concept was childish. Snow White as the evil Queen is painted as just cruel and evil whereas Regina was shaped into a heartless bitch because of her mother killing her boyfriend.  Snow lost her love because of Regina but she was already cruel before that, so the only point of this is to see Ginnifer Goodwin acting “evil” which we saw in season 1 when she forgot about loving David. Also I think the styling of Regina as “Snow White Bandit” and Evil Queen Snow should  have expressed their own characters more than just costume switch.

Also poor Graham, he for written out of the story too.

This of course is a two part episode so we can’t fully look it till… Right now!

 

Episode 23:  Operation Mongoose Part 2

Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan Once Upon a Time Season 4 Episode 23 Operation Mongoose Part 2 review picture image

Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan

Full Disclosure, I been watching Once on Netflix and the image between episodes is Dark Swan so the twist of Emma taking in the darkness and being the new dark one wasn’t too much of a twist for me BUT I can imagine this when it aired because it’s a neat twist. The show does do twists well. Should mention Emma took on the darkness to protect Regina’s happy ending and it finally gave Emma the push to tell Hook she more than liked-liked him but loved him.  It also tied into the Emma asking her parents to remove the darkness from her again. So the all plotpoint did converge fairly well even though the it seemed all over the place for most of the season.  

As for the second part of this episode, things got wrapped up neatly from the alternative reality. Regina self-sacrifice saved the day and Henry became the new author. I did hate that Rumple was called the “Light One.”  I get that it’s the direct opposite of the “Dark One but it doesn’t sound as good. Light One literally sounds like the first idea the writer came up with. “Lighter Bringer” would have been better, “Pure One,”  “Luminous One,” “Bright One”  I get the magic is called Light magic but “Light One,” Super Meh.

I  did love the Star Wars reference,  Kashsyk is the wookiee  homeworld and Henry is a wookie. So in a way George Lucas true hero of this arc.

We also learned a few new things about the Dark One. Apparently The Sorcerer, or Merlin, tethered darkness to a soul to contain it. Not sure what is special about this particular darkness. Or is it all darkness?

This was an enjoyable episode. Sure, it was more amnesia but it was handle moderately well.  Glad to know the show hasn’t forgotten Black Beard and he also got a happy ending, he got the Jolly Roger.

Episode 15: Enter the Dragon

Lana Parrilla as Regina & Kristin Bauer van Straten as Maleficent Once Upon a Time Season 04 Episode15 Enter The Dragon picture image

Lana Parrilla as Regina & Kristin Bauer van Straten as Maleficent

Regina is both Snape and a manic pixie dream girl in this episode. Actually I’m not sure she is really pulling a Snape here, I have only a passing knowledge of Harry Potter.

In the Storybrooke part, Regina is trying to convince the bad girls that she wants to join their reindeer games which means some collateral damage and kidnapping. Emma in the episode is super annoying and now she says her super power is working. Whatever. Basically their goal is the same as Regina which is to  find the author but Regina just wanted the author to change her fate, the villains want the author two make villains win and heros lose. Geeze, I think that is a super bad goal. I mean it’s like a 4th grader came up with it.

In the Enchanted Forest, Regina plays manic pixie dream girl to Maleficent who off her grind after she lost to Briar Rose. Briar Rose is also Sleeping Beauty. Aurora is her daughter who ALSO is sleeping Beauty. Basically Regina gets Maleficent back into her groove and her dragon form hence the title. It’s also a reference to the 1973 Bruce Lee movie.  This plot was marginally better than the Storybrooke plot.

In other news Belle is a dummy who couldn’t see through Rumple’s rouse of getting the dagger in Hook’s form. I mean sure it’s convincing at Grannies BUT not so much after that. Belle is  wasted in the show and so is Sarah Bolger as Aurora. Bolger was great in The Tudors and the production wastes her.

Also Pinocchio went through instant puberty and is now August again. Basically the Villains want to interrogate him.

Couple of things. Rumple tells Regina about how Maleficent burnt down a forest that still has a tree on fire because the fire was so hot. Is the fire hot or is the wood strong? Because I don’t think the fire being hot means anything for the longevity of the flame. I love Maleficent’s wardrobe in the real world. It’s great. Also Regina’s leather coat was great.

I liked that this episode focused on Maleficent and Regina but Emma’s annoying brand of worry and trying to insert herself into the plan was taxing to say the least. I think the villains are carrying the arc because it would be so dull without those three ladies.  

 

Episode 16: Poor Unfortunate Soul  

Merrin Dungey as Ursula Once Upon Time Season 04, Episode 16 Poor Unfortunate Soul picture image

Merrin Dungey as Ursula

For the most part this was an enjoyable episode. I liked how they made movie Ariel’s backstory into Ursula’s back story. As she is the mermaid with the beautiful voice who wanted to keep music alive after the death of her mother but her Sea King father shut it down. S Basically it’s the plot of Ariel’s Beginning without Sebastian except with her goes to land to sing. Hook tries to help but ended up taking her singing voice.. It was nice that Ursula got a happy ending and it was nice to see Ariel again, I feel like show should use her more or it could be a case of less is more.

The Storybrooke plot did offer a nice twist that the door to this author is the page itself. The show can be clever with its twists.  But the other twist of how Rumple plans to “change the rules” but filling Emma’s heart with darkness is  dumb and seems convoluted. There was also Hook whining about how he was a villain so he afraid of slipping back into the “darkness” and losing his happy ending. But really, WHAT DID HE DO TO BE A VILLAIN? It was just kind of a ass and pirate.  I guess violence makes on a villains and not evil schemes of power grabbing.

Also if the characters move out of Storybrooke do the rules still apply? Like how does this author work in the “Land without Magic?” Also not fan of seeing CG Wooden August agian. Wish the show wouldn’t reveal in their terrible CG work. But it was a good episode and hey they got Bernie Hudson to play Poseidon .         

While  I’m on the subject of actors, the guy who plays August, Eion Bailey, was on an episode of 30 Rock, Season 4 episode called It’s never too late for now,  and Ursula’s actress, Merrin Dungey, was Sheila on Better off Ted, I love those two shows.

 

Episode 13: Witch Hunt

Lana Parrilla as Regina & Rebecca Mader as Zelena ABCs Once Upon a Time Witch Hunt picture image

Lana Parrilla as Regina & Rebecca Mader as Zelena

In this episode we are introduced to the Wicked Witch of the West properly. Her name is Zelena, which means green in Bosnian. She is also masquerading around Storybrooke as a midwife, this way she can get close to Snow.

In The Storybrooke section, everyone trying to figure out how to get their memories back. The consensus is to figure out who cast the curse. Regina and Emma work together and decide to try and smoke out the person with a con that they are making a memory potion at Regina’s office. Regina puts a blood lock on the office so the person can’t get out but they do in a puff of green smoke.

While that is happening people who try leaving Storybrooke are getting taken away by flying monkeys and turning in to them as well. The Flying Monkeys and the green smoke  informs the group that they are dealing with The Wicked Witch.

Zelena has also brought Rumple back from the dead and he is a little touched in the head.

The past section of the episode which is only a year in the past so it feels contemporary, has Regina and Robin hood breaking into her castle. Again the group figures out it’s a Wicked Witch of OZ because if a flying monkey attacks.  Regina is a little perturbed that the blood lock to the castle was opened but she is really there to get the ingredients for a sleeping curse because she can’t bare to live without Henry. Robin pleads with her to find something to live for but her mind is set.  Regina lowers the shield and is about to curse herself when the Wicked Witch enters the room in one of Regina’s gowns and takes the sleeping curse from Regina. She introduces herself as Zelena and tells her that she is her older half sister by Cora. Zelena’s motivation is to take everything from Regina and leaves. Regina then tells Robin that she has something to life for, a person to destroy. It’s nice to have goals

This episode definitely moves the plot along. This core family group is getting more complex, now Regina has a half sister. Who is her father? Rumple? Probably not, would make that family tree weirder that it already is. It was an enjoyable episode but it just leaves more questions than it answered, that’s the point though. And Rumple is BACK WHAT? How? So much for his noble sacrifice.   

Also not sure  on the make-up on Zelena. It’s looks like glowing sweat but green. Still better than The Wicked Witch in Oz the Great and Powerful.       

       

 

Episode 14: The Tower

Josh Dallas as Princes Charming (David) & Alexandra Metz as Rapunzel ABCs Once Upon a Time The Tower picture image

Josh Dallas as Princes Charming (David) & Alexandra Metz as Rapunzel

This is a Charming heavy episode with a one-off appearance of Rapunzel. Rapunzel was a waste. Basically this episode is about facing your fear in a manifestation of yourself brought on by a root. In The Enchanted Forest Rapunzel took some because she was scared to be a leader. Her other self chased into a tower and keeps her there. Charming gives her some encouragement and she defeats her fear and goes home. This is still in the missing year period.

In Storybrooke, Zelena slips Charming the root so he can face his fear of being a bad dad to steal a symbol of his courage. Also they find traces of Rumple as they track down The Witch’s house, which is a Farm which looks like Dorothy’s 1939 farm house.  Rumple isn’t there, he got out, somehow but the spinning wheel and gold are.

Aside from Charming’s dream, which shows a Princess version of Emma and a Emma and  Hook moment this episode was a bore. It wastes Rapunzel to a scared little girl and it seems like she won’t be back as she resolved her storyline. I guess she COULD return someday but there wasn’t much to her character.

Emma’s princess dress was pretty but not the weird feathery arm bands, this show loves its feathers. In her case she is a “Swan” Princess so makes sense, in theory.

Bonus Picture Time

Jennifer Morrison as Princess Emma Swan picture image

Jennifer Morrison as Princess Emma Swan

 

Episode 11: Going Home

Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as Regina, Michael Raymond-James as Neal, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry, Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White, Josh Dallas as David, Colin O'Donoghue as Captain Hook & company ABCs Once Upon a Time Going Home picture image

Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as Regina, Michael Raymond-James as Neal, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry, Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White, Josh Dallas as David, Colin O’Donoghue as Captain Hook & company

This episode is very dense and ends the Pan/Neverland arc and sets up a whole new world of  direction. In Storybrooke Pan crushes Felix’s heart because loyalty is a type of love. The ensemble figures out that they need to get the scroll back and a good plan is to switch Henry and Pan so that Henry can just bring it to them however they need the Black Fairy’s wand which the nuns/fairies have, which is in total RPG fashion, you need to get a thing to get another thing to do the thing that completes the quest. So Charming, Hook and Tinkerbell crash the Blue Fairy’s wake to find the wand but that pesky Pan’s Shadow gets in their way. Tinkerbell gets the pixie dust to work so that she can fly up and trap the shadow and then they throw it into a fire which apparently kills the Shadow. This relieves the Blue Fairy and she gives them the Black fairy’s wand.  Does this mean Greg is alive and the other people Pan killed by shadow removal?

Then it’s Operation get scroll but not before Rumple puts an anti-magic cuff on Pan/Henry, the one Greg and Tamara used on Regina in season 2. Regina does get the scroll but she passes out and turns out the cuff doesn’t work on Pan. Pan does put the cuff on Rumple. Pan then tells Rumple about how being a father was the worst because he couldn’t do the things he wanted and his dreams were crushed, I’m paraphrasing but you get the point.  

Regina wakes up and knows what she must do to stop the curse but Pan freezes everyone. Rumple then shows up having removed the cuff by cutting off his hand and using magic to reattach it. He grabs Pan and summons his own shadow with the Dark One dagger and stabs himself along with his father. Pan changes back to Malcolm begs Rumple to stop and that they can be a family again but Rumple says that he’s a villain and villain don’t get happy ending. He twists the dagger and they vanish into a burst of light.

However there is still the curse approaching. The way to beat it is for Regina to give the one she loves the most i.e Henry which will send everyone else safety back to The Enchanted Forest. She tells Emma she has to go with him because Henry will be alone since he was born in  the Land Without Magic, Emma can stay because of her Savior status.  Regina offers Emma and Henry  good memories of a life they spent together but they will not remember Storybrooke. Emma and Henry drive off as the curse falls.

One year later. Emma and Henry are living well in New York City when there is a knock at the door. It’s Hook telling her family is in trouble. He tries the true love’s kiss which fails and Emma kicks him in the rum balls and slams the door in his face. Hello second half of season 3.

Very dense epsiode. They were more parts involving the past of a few characters. The most memorable one was Snow White as Mary Margaret giving Henry the book. After that Henry sees her as Snow White which is when it clicked for him the nature and weirdness of Storybrooke.
All in all  the episode was highly good. Wouldn’t say it was great or a stand out but the setup for the second arc is intriguing.   Let’s see if Rumple will stay dead because I will miss him if he does but we’ll have to see.    

Episode 12:  New York City Serenade

Colin O'Donoghue as Captain Hook & Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan New York City Serenade ABCs Once Upon a Time picture image

Colin O’Donoghue as Captain Hook & Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan

Following from the last episode Emma and Henry are enjoying their lives in New York. Emma’s now has a boyfriend who wants to marry her and Henry’s on broad, there is just one problem, Hook. Hook keeps trying to convince Emma that her parents are in trouble and she needs to take a memory potion. Emma thinks he is crazy but she does go Neal’s old apartment at Hook instances. There she finds Henry’s camera he left there a year ago. Emma meets with Hook at central park and gets him arrested. Afterward she gets the  photos developed and realizes that the locations and people are unknown to her except her and Henry on in the pictures. Emma posts bail for Hook and he tells her that her good life is a lie and maybe there is guy who loved her in her old life, oh this ship. Emma takes the potion and remembers everything except there was one one portion so non for Henry.

Emma goes to tell her boyfriend, Walsh, about how she can’t marry him and her family needs her. Turns out her boyfriend is a freaking flying monkey, I get it, the dating scene is hard sometimes you just have to settle, oh wait, he’s was working for the new villain. Emma, Henry and Hook go back to Storybrooke. Emma reunites with Charming who remembers her but can’t recall anything about the last year and the only reason they KNOW at least a year has passed is because Snow is pregnant, like she nearly ready to give birth.

Over in The Enchanted Forest, Regina is devastated about losing Henry and tries to give up her heart. Snow convinces her not to. Hook also peaces out on everyone because there is  no reason for him to stay, he like-likes Emma.  Also someone has moved in to Regina/Snow’s castle and they group can’t get through the protection spell. They also get attacked by a flying monkey…geeze, I wonder who this “her” Aurora spoke of??? It’s the Wicked Witch of the West. We are now in OZ territory because Oz the Great and Powerful was a thing.  
I really enjoyed this episode. Emma got a little annoying with her whole whining about how great her life is but it’s understandable. It was interesting to have less dramatic episode where you can see the character’s life even for a brief moment. The Enchanted Forest storyline wasn’t as great but let’s just see where the Wicked Witch plot goes, not really looking forward to it but maybe we’ll see what they do with the character.  

 

Episode 9: Save Henry

Lana Parrilla as Regina with Baby Henry, ABCs Once Upon a Time Season 3 Episode 09 Save Henry Picture image

Lana Parrilla as Regina with Baby Henry

The theme of this Episode is Regina’s love for Henry, everyone loves Henry. The Past section deals with Regina adopting Henry and this episode answers a lot of question but muddle it up a bit. For starters, Henry was placed in Boston but the family didn’t work out which is how Rumpelstiltskin was able to set up the adoption for Regina very quickly. Regina does go to Boston to get Henry but she has issue being a mother and has Sydney, find the birth mother. Regina then finds out that the baby is the son of the “savior.” She decides that it’s not working out but then changes her mind and makes a forgetting potion to forget that she knows about the birth mother.

The Neverland part has Emma getting the Lost Boys to tell her where Pan is in exchange for a home back in Storybrooke and they tell her that Pan is at the his Thinking Tree. Emma, Snow and Regina go to Pan’s Thinking Tree. Pan tries them up against the tree which hold them down by their regrets. Regina doesn’t regret anything and frees herself and takes Henry’s heart back and Pandora’s box.

Henry is restored and everyone heads to the Jolly Roger where they trap the shadow in the sail allowing them to head home. Rumpelstiltskin is let out of the box is no worse for wear and reunites with Neal. Regina then puts an enchantment on Henry so no one can take his heart again. Pan appears before Henry and is mad he can’t take his heart. Pan then tries to take Henry’s shadow but Rumpelstiltskin shows up and locks Pan in the box. However Pan pulled the old switcheroo and switch bodies with Henry, so Henry is locked in the box.

It’s a little funny that the show uses prominent streets for Boston and New York. In this episode Regina says the adoption agency is on Dartmouth Street in Boston. Honestly I’m sure most people wouldn’t think twice and it doesn’t matter but I found it funny since when I visit Boston I tend to be on Dartmouth street a lot (it’s where the train station I use is).

Anyway what about the episode? It was pretty good. The Regina’s past part was wonder even if the whole she did know about Emma being Henry’s mother was unnecessary. I suppose it shows that she does care for Henry but we know that. The Neverland part was good at the end with game changer cliffhanger otherwise it was fine but the ending saved this part of the episode.

I did like the part where if Regina had given up Henry, Pan would have gotten him as the Darling Boys were next in line to adopt him.

 

Episode 10: The New Neverland

Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, & Robbie Kay as Peter Pan/Henry Josh Dallas as David (Charming), Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White, Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin & Emilie de Ravin as Belle ABCs Once Upon a Time Season 3 Episode 10, The New Neverland Picture image

Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, & Robbie Kay as Peter Pan/Henry Josh Dallas as David (Charming), Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White, Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin & Emilie de Ravin as Belle

In the character’s past section deals with Snow White trying to figure out a way to preemptively break Regina’s curse. Which at this point is a GOOD nine months away. So instead of going on a romantic Honeymoon, Snow decides to slay Medusa to break the curse and Charming helps. After Charming gets stoned, Snow figures out how to beat Medusa via a shiny shield. Snow decides that she and Charming should just live in the present and have a baby.

Things are getting crazy in Storybrooke as Peter Pan a.k.a Henry or not Henry, has a plan to makes Storybrooke New Neverland. He starts off with a bang and lets his shadow go which kills the Blue Fairy. Pan then tries manipulating Regina to get something from her vault to enact the dark curse. Emma sees the shadow and thinks something off and believes Pan is controlling his shadow from the box. Emma, Rumpelstiltskin, Snow, Charming and Belle go to the townline to let Pan/Real Henry out the box over the townline as magic doesn’t work there. Pan/Real Henry calles Emma “Mom” which surprises her but he manages to convince everyone that he is the real Henry by referring to a conversation he had with Emma back in season 1 about how she gave him his best chance by giving him up.

They all go to Regina’s vault and Pan/Not Henry stole the dark curse from Regina which means everyone will lose their memories and Storybrooke will be new Neverland which Pan will reign over with his smugness. Oh and Charming is all better from near death by poison/spring water range.

Wasn’t as into the past portion. It wasn’t exactly tacked as each story plot ties into each other and the shows does that well most of the time but this story seemed more forced. The body switch for Henry proves that the actor playing Henry isn’t bad it’s the role isn’t written very well compared to everyone else. This episode was ok not great, it was satisfactory. How are they going to get out of this curse as it seems hopeless. Will there be a hope speech in the next episode? Maybe the hope speech will bore the curse to death (I do like this show.)

 

Episode 3: Quite a Common Fairy

Lana Parrilla as Regina & Rose McIver as Tinker Bell, ABCs Once Upon a Time Season 3 Episode 03 Quite a Common Fairy Picture image

Lana Parrilla as Regina & Rose McIver as Tinker Bell

This episode was just alright. Mostly it centered around Tinkerbell helping Regina find her true love. Regina doesn’t go through with even meeting him  and Tinkerbell loses her wings. This means in the present Tinkerbell doesn’t really want to help the crew get into Pan’s camp but Snow offers her the chance to come  back to Storybrooke. Tink accepts.  Also Charming is dying from Dreamshade.  Fun name!

In the Enchanted Forest, Neal gets to Neverland using Robin Hood’s son to lure the shadow to them. Robin offers Mulan a place of the Merry Man squad but she has to return to tell the person she loves that she loves them. The person is Aurora but she’s pregnant so Mulan tells her she join the Merry Men. I thought she had a thing for Philip back in season 2  but either she changed her mind or she didn’t. Whatever poor Mulan, unrequited love sucks, hope she finds true love. Speaking of unrequited love Regina’s true love is really… wait for it,. Robin Hood. Not sure how I feel about the revelation.

Anyway just an alright episode. Enough good stuff to keep a viewership engaged but not a strong episode on it’s own.       

 

Episode 4: Nasty Habits

Michael Raymond-James as Neal & Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin ABCs Once Upon a Time Season 3 Episode 04 Nasty Habits Picture image

Michael Raymond-James as Neal & Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin

While I do like Rumpelstiltskin heavy episodes, it a case of second verse same as the first, he has a bad past except that he did love his son and he trying to change but it’s hard. The character’s past involve Rumpelstiltskin meeting the Pied Piper who took away Baelfire. Rumpelstiltskin confronts him but he turns out to be Peter Pan who Rumpelstiltskin curiously knows, hmmmmm. Curious indeed.

The Neverland plot deals with Rumpelstiltskin and Baelfire meeting again. It should be pointed out that Rumpelstiltskin was down for killing himself along with Pan because he thought Baelfire/Neal was gone but now that he know Neal/Baelfire is alive that nasty habit of self-preservation as kicked in. Neal gets the idea to use squid ink to immobile Pan. When they get to camp Henry is gone. Pan tells Neal about the seer’s prophecy that Henry will be Rumpelstiltskin undoning. Rumpelstiltskin says he won’t hurt Henry but Neal doesn’t believe him and immobilizes him with the ink.

Meanwhile Emma and crew find Neal’s secret cave and find a coconut that has a star chart  and Henry falls deeper under Pan’s influence believing that he will bring the magic back to Neverland.  

Is this combination of the Seer’s prophecy? Another confrontation between Neal and Rumpelstiltskin? How Rumpelstiltskin wants to be redeemed but he likes being alive and death is scary? Isn’t he immortal? Why should self-preservation even be a thing for him?

It wasn’t an unenjoyable episode but characters don’t seem to move forward as much as one would hope. I guess Rumpelstiltskin is the most dynamic character but he moves in small increments.

 

Episode 20: The Evil Queen

Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White & Lana Parrilla as Regina Season 2 Episode 20 The Evil Queen, ABC Once Upon a Time picture image

Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White & Lana Parrilla as Regina

Poor Queen Regina, no one likes her. In this episode Regina wants Snow White dead, of course, and hates that the subjects prefer Snow to her. Rumpelstiltskin disguises her as commoner to learn about the common people and kill Snow. However Regina and Snow hang out and Snow thinks there is good in her that is until Snow sees the village Regina has slaughtered and takes it all back.  Regina then decides she doesn’t want her people to love her but fear her for she is The Evil Queen.

A lot in Storybrooke this episode. It’s introduced that the curse has a fail-safe trigger that will destroy everything. Regina plans on using it and having her and Henry escape back to the Enchanted Forest.  Regina and Hook, who has double crossed Greg and Tamara go adventuring to get it down in the dragon pit. However it was a super double cross as Hook only did it so that the fail-safe will kill Rumpelstiltskin.  And they take away Regina.

While that is happening Emma is suspicious of Tamara  and Henry overhears and wants to restart Operation Cobra or now Preying Mantis.  Emma and Henry break into to Tamara and Neal’s room but Neal catches him and call Emma out her lie detector power, thank you Neal.  

This episode was more of the alright to average range. The show is trying to do a lot to get the plot to the season finale and set-up the next season. The magical doomsday for Storybrooke seems like straight out left field and Greg and Tamara are weird as villains.   Greg has some motivation but Tamara doesn’t so far.

 

Episode 21: Second Star to the Right

Dylan Schmidt as Baelfire & Freya Tingley as Wendy Darling Season 2 Episode 21 Second Star to the Right, ABC Once Upon a Time picture image

Dylan Schmidt as Baelfire & Freya Tingley as Wendy Darling

I was wrong and yet I was sort of right. Baelfire was not Peter Pan, though he did go to Neverland and was Lost Boy for a time. In the character past after Baelfire went through the portal he went to Edwardian London, sure ok, wardrobe goes to Maine, Beans go to London. There he was an orphan till he met Wendy Darling and is taken in by the Darling. Baelfire learns that Wendy is being visited by a shadow and it takes her away. When she returns in the morning she says the shadow let her go because it only wants boys and it will come for one her brothers. Baelfire doesn’t want the Darling family ruined and so he gets taken away. He arrives in Neverland but gets away from the shadow and Hook saves him.

Still a lot going on in Storybrooke but the main thing is Greg and Tamara are torturing Regina. Turns out they are working for someone to get rid of magic in the “world without magic” but also Greg wants to know where is his father is. Rumpelstiltskin gives Snow a spell so that she can see thing through Regina’s eyes, but all see senses is pain and the smell of fish.

Emma, Baelfire/Neal, Snow and Charming all converge of the canary.  Snow and Charming save Regina but Greg gives them the slip. Tamara confronts Neal and Emma. Neal gets shot and then goes through a portal as Tamara threw a magic bean at them. Emma is heartbroken as she believes Neal won’t survive the portal and a gunshot wound. Also Tamara and Greg get away with the trigger to Storybrooke destruction.      

While I don’t love the story of Peter Pan, I do like that there is a somewhat nefarious tone to the story.  Pan’s shadow is near demonic taking boys away in the dead of night. Though he doesn’t like girls. Though it’s weird because Neal says the World Sans Magic wasn’t his right stop way back in episode 14 but it was. He just went to Neverland too afterwards. Would have sucked for Rumpelstiltskin if Neal was dead in the real world the whole time, very convenient.  

This was an ok episode. Lots of stuff happening though Tamara and Greg are not as enjoyable as Cora or Hook. They are weak bad guys.  Really they just seem like zealots, and no one likes a zealot least of all a boring zealot. But the episode was engaging aside from them. I love that Neal called BS on Emma’s on again off again lie detector.

  

 

Episode 22: And Straight on till Morning

Colin O'Donoghue as Captain Hook & Dylan Schmidt as Baelfire Season 2 Episode 22 And Straight on till Morning, ABC Once Upon a Time picture image

Colin O’Donoghue as Captain Hook & Dylan Schmidt as Baelfire

The character’s past involves Baelfire’s involvement with Hook and the lost boy pursuing him. As it turns out Peter Pan is a bit of some demi-god who controls Neverland, you don’t leave unless Pan lets you. Baelfire and Hook are bonding nicely till Baelfire learns that it was Hook who took his mother away even though Milah and Hook had plan on going back for Baelfire one day. Baelfire leaves Hook and that is how he becomes a Lost Boy but he is not the boy Pan is REALLY after, Peter Pan is really after Henry, who now is apparently some child of prophecy or something. Man everyone wants this kid.    

In Storybrooke, Tamara and Greg activate the trigger but Hook, is having second thoughts as he doesn’t want to die. The people come up with a plan THAT Regina will hold off the trigger as long as she can while everyone escapes back to the forest with a bean portal. Things go awry and everyone thinks they will die but together Emma and Regina stop the trigger.

Rumpelstiltskin learns that the Blue fairy fixed the whole cursed persona thing so the Dwarf and Belle are cured, wow that whole Belle as bad girl plot really went far.  Also apparently Tamara and Greg’s goal were to bring Henry to Neverland.

The season  ends with Rumpelstiltskin, Emma, Regina, Snow White, Charming and Hook going through a bean portal to Neverland. 

Also everyone thinks Neal is dead but Mulan, Aurora and Phillip save him.  Wow, Aurora and Mulan saved Phillip off screen huh?   

This episode was ok, not real conclusion to any storyline but set-up for next season. It’s really dumb that ALL the character think Neal is dead. Like why do automatically assume that. Because it’s most dramatic?


Season 2 was more smaller stories than a long goal narration so it felt more choppy than season 1 but it wasn’t bad. It had some strong episodes and even the lower episodes felt better than the lower episode in season 1. So while no ultimate conclusion was reached in season 2 it definitely made you want to continue to season 3.

Episode 17: Hat Trick

Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan & Sebastian Stan as Jefferson ABC's Once Upon a Time, Hat Trick picture image

Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan & Sebastian Stan as Jefferson

Emma and Mr Gold find that Mary Margaret has escaped and Emma needs to find by 8 A.M or they are screwed. While Emma is looking for Mary Margaret, she meets a guy named Jefferson,  who is apparently hurt. Emma takes him back to his house where he gives her some delicious tea but it turns out to be deadly poison.  Actually it’s just a roofie. Emma escapes from her restrainments and finds Mary Margaret in the house and tied up. As Emma and Mary Margaret try to escape Jefferson threaten them  with a gun and makes Emma tie Mary Margaret back up and then demands Emma makes a hat that works. Turns out Jefferson knows about the dual worlds and that he is a fairy tale character and he wants Emma to make a hat because she has magic and the hat will enable him to go home. Emma does make a hat but she knocks him out as she just thinks he is crazy. Mary Margaret, freed by Emma, helps defeat Jefferson who along with his hat is knock-out the window but he vanishes. Also Mary Margaret gets back in time but that wasn’t part of the plan cooked up by Regina and Mr. Gold, who surprise, are working together. Oh Mr.Gold playing both sides.    

In the fairy Tale world Jefferson lives with his daughter, Grace. Grace is also in Storybrooke but is called Paige and has a different family and doesn’t know Jefferson. Jefferson wants to live a peaceful humble  life but that darn Evil Queen wants him to take her to Wonderland via his magic hat. Jefferson at first says no but wants a better life for his daughter so he agrees. Before they enter Wonderland Jefferson tells the Queen that the same number of people who enter must leave together, rule of the hat. They enter Wonderland so the Evil Queen can take something that the Queen of Hearts stole. They get it back and it turns out it’s her father, Henry. Since it’s now three people the Queen makes it so Jefferson can’t leave. Jefferson gets captured by the Queen of Hearts and she takes his head, it’s what she does. He is fine  though and is told that he will have to make another hat to get out of wonderland which drives him mad. Mad Hatter, it’s not subtle.

  

Again, what happened to Emma’s lie detection? Jefferson was faking his injury which is a lie. Can she only spot when people say lies and not fakers? It’s just irritating. Also I love that his name is Jefferson, nice little reference to Jefferson Airplanes. I had a good laugh at that one. I do like that Jefferson is half mad for knowing the truth. I did like this episode. The Storybrooke parts were better than the fairytale plot.

Episode 18: The Stable Boy

Lana Parrilla as Regina & Noah Bean as Daniel ABC's Once Upon a Time, The Stable Boy picture image

Lana Parrilla as Regina & Noah Bean as Daniel

Mary Margaret asking Regina what she ever did to make her hate her so much is like what Esmeralda said to Frollo when she was in jail for murder. I’m sure it was unintentional but it made me chuckle.  So this episode reveals why Regina hates Snow White a.k.a Mary Margaret. Regina in the Fairy Tale world was in love with a stable boy named Daniel, but her Mother, Cora, wants Regina to aim higher in status. One day Regina saves a little girl from a runaway horse. The girl is Snow White and her father asks Regina to marry him which her mother says agrees. Regina asks Daniel to  marry her and Snow sees them kissing. Regina begs Snow not to say anything as her mother wouldn’t understand. Snow does tell Cora since she wants Regina to be happy and have a relationship with her mother. Cora then takes Daniel’s heart and crushes into dust. Regina finds out Snow told her mother and that her mother was behind the whole thing of Snow’s Horse going wild so Regina could get the attention of the King.

Apparently this whole murder/missing person plot was all Mr. Gold’s doing really just to get Mary Margaret out of Storybrooke since the curse can’t left them leave so she will die I guess. Emma talks to August about approaching the case differently which causes Emma to return to the place where the heart was found. They find a shard from the shovel the was used to bury the heart. Emma breaks into Regina’s garage and indeed the shard matches her shovel. However Sidney planted a bug in Emma’s office so Regina is able to switch out the shovel before Emma can lawfully confirm the match. Also Regina confesses to Mary Margaret that she knows she didn’t kill Kathryn. The episode ends with it being revealed to Emma, August and Ruby that Kathryn is alive.   

First off, I’m not shocked. This why I have been trying to watch and episode and then write the posts instead of binging watching a bunch then writing. I will admit between episodes  7-13 I was binge watching it, which is more fun since this show is REALLY watchable but I did ask back in episode 16 if Kathryn was really dead. Full disclosure I did watch/wrote my assessment of  episode 16  Heart of Darkness the day before I watched/wrote this one, so it was fresh in my head.

I did really enjoy this episode, Barbara Hershey is like the perfect casting for Regina ambitious mother. Bailee Madison, young Snow, matched Ginnifer Goodwin’s inflections perfectly, easily one of the better child actor in the show.  I don’t know how I feel about the reason for Regina’s evilness  and her bitterness towards Snow. I mean tragic love is it? That is only reason really for her cruelty? She isn’t mad at her mother?  Snow was well intentioned and a child. I did like the episode but does seem too simplistic even for a fairy tale.   

Bailee Madison as Young Snow White, ABC's Once Upon a Time, The Stable Boy picture image

Bailee Madison as Young Snow White