Once Upon A Time - Kansas

“Oh Dorothy, we aren’t in Kansas anymore!” I wasn’t really sure what to expect in tonight’s episode of Once Upon A Time but I wasn’t prepared for this, that’s for sure. This was like a triple whammy and most of it occurred in the last thirty minutes.

If you haven’t seen the episode, here is your SPOILER warning.

We begin with Emma and Regina putting up a protection wall to save the baby as Henry shops for a seaside rental so they can settle down in Storybrooke. Cringing when Emma announced, again, she plans to go back to New York, I did not have high hopes especially when it seemed everyone just played into Zelena’s hands: Emma and Hook, Robin and his men, Regina, Glinda and the sisterhood, and Dorothy stacked up like dominos.

It wasn’t until the second half that things got interesting, Zelena had everything she needed for time travel so she could unravel the disaster of her life but then our heroes arrive. Regina finds her light magic and pushes back at her half-sister – which is very intriguing because when Regina plays hero it is really convenient for her.

Courtesy of ABC Studios

Regina also makes a move that surprised me, she picks up Rumple’s blade when he is about to enact his revenge for Neal and stops him. Rumple isn’t real happy about that but she has the blade. Regina gives the blade to Belle and that turns out to be a mistake.

The next time we see Zelena she is in prison where Regina gives her a choice to change her destiny. We know that the Wicked Witch has no intent in doing that but Regina gave it a shot.

Rumple and Belle are reunited and engaged after Belle trusts the Dark One enough to give him the blade. Rumple professes his love and gratitude and plays a sleight of hand trick on his beloved replacing the blade with a copy.

This, was devastating. Here is our other favorite anti-hero getting his happy ever after and he blows it into another realm when he sneaks into the jail cell where Zelena is and stabs her turning her into a statue that crumbles at Rumple’s feet. It appears to be a metaphor for Belle’s love and I don’t see them getting over this soon.

And of course, in true Once Upon A Time traditions, nothing is as it seems and Zelena’s green smoke appears and flies back to finish opening her portal in time. Now we have to wait until next week to see what has been unleashed.



Once Upon A Time & The Power of Love

“How do you know if it’s really love?” If anyone wants to know the answer to that question then they need to watch last night’s episode of Once Upon A Time. Love is strong in the face of adversity and it makes Wicked things hesitate and falter.

Zelena’s plot seems to be unravelling a bit. Hook has refused to use his sexy mouth on Emma and suck her magic out so the Queen of Green has decided to kick things up a notch by threatening Henry. In order to protect him, Charming, Snow, Regina and Emma finally decide that it is time for Henry to learn the truth and they go in search of the book.

While they are searching we learn a lot more about the missing year in the Enchanted Forest. After finding the Good Witch of the North, our heroes and Regina learn that Zelena can be stopped by removing her pendant. Only the strongest light magic can do this so Snow and Charming know they have to get back to Storybrooke and Emma. But, the only way to do that is to enact the Dark Curse again and we know what that means…

Courtesy of ABC Studios

Charming offers his heart as sacrifice but Zelena interrupts the Curse and adds an element of forgetting to the mix so that no one will remember how to defeat her.  Charming is dead and Snow demands that Regina take Snow’s heart and split it. She and Charming are of one heart anyway and Snow would rather die than live without him.

This was such an amazing symbol because it played out a couple of times. Snow and Charming. Then Neal and Rumple. I love how no matter the odds each character was willing to fight for the greater good and willing to risk all when it came to love.

I also loved how this time Regina broke the Curse and how comfortable she is with being on the side of good for a change. Can’t wait for next episode and the arrival of Dorothy – should be interesting how the little girl from Kansas plays into things.

Once Upon A Time: "Bleeding Through"

“Bleeding Through” is wicked little family ties that reveal hints to Zelena’s true plan in this week’s episode of “Once Upon A Time.” Hatred, jealously and vicious little secrets litter Cora’s life and her one true desire – to marry royalty.

A tiny mistake stood in the way of her becoming a queen and Cora always thinks of herself first. She let Zelena fend for herself much the way Charming and Snow left Emma. The savior grew up strong and street smart and Zelena grew up vicious and vindictive.

The veins of twisty tangled plot maneuvers are nothing short of brilliant. When “Once Upon A Time” began, it was clear to see what side the characters stood. Now, there are so many intersections you need a scorecard to keep track.

Courtesy of ABC Studios

Zelena has a plan and she doesn’t care what she needs to do to get there. Belle discovers the witch plans to travel back in time to change fate and kill Snow’s mother. This will effectively eliminate most of Zelena’s enemies and then there is the spoils of Rumple if he’s willing to go along with the plot.

I know there were some fans worried when it came the promo photos of Rumple kissing Zelena. Rumple always has ulterior motives and this time it was his knife. I’m pretty sure we need to worry more about next week when Henry is finally pulled into the game.

Once Upon a Time - "The Jolly Roger"

Wow, Zelena definitely puts the “W” in wicked. I mean, seriously, you are impersonating Ariel. Who does that? Conniving, thieving bratty little witches, that’s who! That takes a special kind of low to sneak around pretending to be a sweet mermaid looking for her true love when in reality, you are just toying with Captain Hook.

“In the Jolly Roger” episode from Sunday night, Ariel washed up in Storybrooke without her Prince which leads the good-hearted residents on a quest to find him. Killian has recently been very helpful to the townspeople so it was surprising he refused so blatantly. Then we find out that our good captain remembers more of his time in the Enchanted Forest, specifically the part where he agreed to help Ariel find Prince Eric in the first place. Hook gets out maneuvered and ends up hunting clues in Mr. Gold’s shop where Eric’s cloak is discovered.

Courtesy of ABC Studios

While all of this is going on, Mary Margaret and Prince Charming distract Henry – sigh and Regina takes Emma out for a little magic training. The magic lesson ended as expected but Regina’s reaction was priceless.

Now for the latest wicked little threat: Since it appears that Zelena can’t kill Emma, she’s decided to suck the magic out of her via Hook’s lips. While Hook thought he was confessing his selfishness to Ariel, Zelena in disguise, he let the witch get too close and she swabbed his lovely mouth with a green concoction designed to get rid of Emma’s powers when he kisses her.

Hook refused and Zelena promised to start killing people. I really can’t wait for next week and I’m hoping the witch gets her just desserts very soon!

                                                                                       



OAUT - "Quiet Minds"

“Quiet Minds” was a shocker on so many levels, it makes you wonder what sort of tally system the writers use to keep score with. The ripples of this episode will be felt through the season finale I am sure and it will definitely embed itself into some of our favorite characters.

Crazy Rumple is not a pretty sight. That said, let’s move on to the rest of the episode.

I was a bit surprised that Emma admitted wanting to return to her pretend life in New York City to both Neal and Charming. After a few years of magic, curses and a host of villains you would have thought she’d get it by now. Nothing is going to be easy for the savior and as soon as she figures this out her life might actually be kind of fun and Henry would probably be happier too.

Courtesy of ABC Studios

Regina recognizes her chance at true love and walks away. This was very intriguing because it makes you wonder, is she scared this isn’t going to work and her heart will be broken or is she scared one of her many enemies will find out and use him against her? Robin doesn’t look like the walking away kind of guy so it should be fun watching this play out.

The journey in the Enchanted Forest to uncover the “tomb” of the Dark One certainly peeled back a relative circus of writing opportunities. Neal wants to find his father only because he thinks Rumple can get him back to Henry and Emma – totally ignoring the fact that Emma pretty much told him there was no chance with her – and appearing a bit selfish in the pursuit. Belle, on the other hand, just wants her guy back.

Now, I’m not saying Neal’s death wasn’t tragic but again, I go back to the writers and that mystical tally board thinking whose death would serve the greatest purpose.

The Wicked Witch knows exactly what she is doing. She cut Rumple deeper and faster than any blade by sinking his son into his consciousness. Zelena also knew that by ripping him away she would shackle any thoughts of Rumple trying to escape. He is battered and beaten.

Now, with the showdown coming between Evil and Wicked it will be interesting to see if the Dark One’s blade turns back into his hands.

And who else thinks Snow’s baby is going to have a wee touch of green?

OUAT - The Tower

It took me a day and a half to think about this episode and it wasn’t because I didn’t like it. There were just so many aspects of Sunday’s Once Upon A Time episode that I needed to just digest it a bit and formulate a few ideas where the writers are taking us for the rest of the season.

I will be up front here and state I didn’t like the business with Charming and Emma in the opening. I really think they should’ve used a little girl to play Emma because the dance sequence was a bit disturbing with adult Emma.

I loved the Rapunzel thing and hope she will make an appearance in Storybrooke but alas, there are dozens of characters already in line to do their time in our favorite Maine hideaway.

Courtesy of ABC Studios

One of things I absolutely loved occurred on Twitter Sunday night with William Shatner. No one has really brought up yet was the whole Henry in limbo thing and the poor kid is just wandering around.  Mr. Shatner suggested handing Henry his book which has been the catalyst for the entire show on more than one occasion and I have to agree. C’mon Snow, give the boy his make believe back!

Speaking of Snow, her common sense seems to have flown out the window in “The Tower.” Seriously, if your new midwife seems too good to be true, then she is green and you need to run!

Regina is still being underutilized but I have a feeling that as soon as we all catch up with Rumple that will change. Belle has got to get the vibe that her man is running around soon as well so hopefully, next week the good guys will give Rumple his knife back and crazy will go away.

Wicked Relations

“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.” Shakespearean quotes seem to come in handy when talking about the tangled business of plot twists and family ties this season on Once Upon A Time. It seemed almost prophetic last night when Regina nearly pricked herself to save the misery of Henry not remembering her in Once Upon A Time’s “Witch Hunt” which gave fans a lot of weirdness and the return of the Dark One.

Regina out of commission and slumbering might have spelled doom for the citizens of Storybrooke who are doing a really creepy shape shift into flying monkeys. If that isn’t weird enough still no one can recall exactly what took place the past year but almost everyone thinks Regina had something to do with it. (I was really glad to see that Emma was just setting a trap for the wicked Miss Green. I would’ve been really disappointed if she’d reverted back to her old form.)

Courtesy of ABC studios

And what was that business with Zelena and Snow White? “Oh, I’m a midwife! And look, you’re pregnant.” Yikes! We seriously do not want those green hands helping in the delivery room.

Outside of the sibling connection – if you haven’t watched last night’s episode, Spoiler alert! Who else thought it was strange that Zelena’s daddy wasn’t mentioned? She danced right over that and let Regina assume that Rumple was merely her old mentor. We know Rumple and Cora had an affair and Rumple was sort of greenish. Anyone else making the connection here?

OUAT - "New York Serenade"

“New York City Serenade” was everything “Once Upon A Time” is about and more and with the added bonus of the “Wicked is Coming” compilation/tease featuring the actors’ commentary about the show it was a magical night indeed.

Dreams can come true, love is out there and hope remains a magical source of the human spirit. “Once Upon A Time” continues to touch and expand on those old fairytale themes that many of us grew up with and still enjoy. It weaves a complicated spell of excellent storytelling both light and dark and the spring season opened with a bang.

When all our favorites minus Emma, Henry and Rumple bounce back into the Enchanted forest things seem a bit off for everyone. It is definitely not right here and no one is talking for fear of repercussions from the Wicked Witch who has barricaded herself in Regina’s castle.

Regina is devastated to the point of burying her own heart in the woods so she can avoid the pain of losing Henry. It was really nice to see that Snow was the one who caused her to reconsider revealing a definite growth in the two characters until one of the flying monkeys, with extremely long fingernails, tries to snatch Regina.

Courtesy of ABC studios

Meanwhile in New York City, Emma is living an enchanted life. She has her son, her job, an awesome apartment and a guy who is head over heels for her. All seems well until Hook forces her to face the fact that this is not real and her parents are in trouble. While Emma resists, her awfully sweet boyfriend pushes for commitment and Emma’s own curiosity causes her to take another look at her life.

With the help of a magic potion, Emma recovers her past and learns her boyfriend was one of the monkeys making it a lot easier to take Henry and return to Storybrooke. We were all led to believe that this quaint little town was devastated by the curse so it was a surprise to discover all seemed well except for a definite lapse in everyone’s memory.

No one recalls how they returned or what happened while they were there but there is obviously a lot that happened like Snow’s pregnancy.

Are there new portals to travel back and forth between realms? There must be because the Wicked Witch seemed to have a definite interest in keeping Emma trapped in her fantasy life. How far is Wicked’s reach and what will the citizens of Storybrooke have to do to get rid of her?

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Courtesy of RyanSeacrest.com

There is just something about the fantasy that wraps around you when you consider running your fingers through Ichabod Crane’s silky blond hair that just kind of evaporates when you discover that actor Tom Mison is wearing a wig for the part.  Now, don’t get me wrong, Tom is a hottie but Ichabod is well, beautiful.

I sparked a bit of a debate this week about Tom’s hair on Twitter after commenting that I was shocked when I found it he really had short hair so I began to examine the origins of my hair trauma and unraveled my own mystery.

For me, it’s about the fantasy of the shows these actors are in and the roles they play. In “Sleepy Hollow,” Ichabod’s hair is long. When I saw a picture of Tom Mison recently it just kind of ripped my fantasy away – not that it is a bad thing. It just made it quite clear where the lines in the sand are when it comes to our favorite shows.

Courtesy of Contact Music

I was stunned when Stana Katic from “Castle” cut her hair last summer and not because the cut isn’t cute and she isn’t gorgeous and uber talented but more along the lines of “How could you just cut it all away?”

I think I’m okay if I know upfront the actor wears wigs like in the cases of the beautiful and talented ladies Lana Parrilla and Ginnifer Goodwin from “Once Upon a Time.” Hair lengths switch back and forth and I can maintain my hair composure because I still have that little conditioner of fantasy to fall back on. Maybe a chat with my stylist will calm my issues but until then I will have to accept hair today that might be gone tomorrow!

Is Rumple Really Gone?

Previews can be so misleading. Scenes are shown out of context to create the illusion of one thing, when in fact it could be something else entirely.

Back in December, fans of the ABC series “Once Upon A Time” saw the shocking disappearance of Rumple with the Dark One’s dagger embedded somewhere in his flesh skewering him to his ultimate nemesis – his dear old dad.

Photo courtesy of ABC

 

Speaking as a huge Rumple fan, I for one can’t imagine “Once” without him and if we are going to kill someone off that could drive a lot of character movement, I am voting for Neal.  He has served his purpose by revealing that Rumple could be selfless and honestly, Neal for all his talk did worse things than his father did like abandon Emma.  At least, Rumple never pretended.

Rumple appears to be gone in the previews that have teased us for months except for one brief glimpse along with the voice over that someone “will die.” This, I am sure is done with great purpose because I have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of him.