OUAT - "There's No Place Like Home" Review

I am still recovering from last night’s “Castle” season finale so bear with me while I try to organize all the thoughts and feels from Sunday night’s season finale of “Once Upon A Time.”

Really, who did not want to smack Emma at least four times during the show? At one point, I wanted to clack her and Rumple’s heads together just to reset the absolute irritation that was brewing inside. For those that have not seen the finale yet, I would advise stop reading here.

“There’s No Place Like Home” had dual meanings for Emma. She got another taste of the Enchanted Forest and this time she nearly managed to erase herself from history by foiling her parents first meeting. Along for the ride is Hook and it’s a good thing too because he keeps Emma from totally screwing things up in the past.

Courtesy of ABC Studios

Rumple is back to his old evil self and lies blatantly to his future bride. In the Enchanted Forest, he is an unreliable ally but that is to be expected of Rumple. Once he aids Emma and Hook who are disguised as royalty to help get Snow and Charming back on track things go a bit haywire. Of course the time travelers are caught and Emma decides if they make it out of their new dungeon digs she is going to take along what turns out to be a parasitic stowaway back to Storybrooke.

With her last puff of green smoke, the Wicked Witch definitely won the round. Belle marries a liar with no idea how evil he truly is and Emma’s stowaway causes a ton of damage.

Poor Regina, all good and shiny with new love on the horizon and here comes Emma toting Maid Marian back to Storybrooke and right into Robin Hood’s arms. Nice job, Emma and honestly I don’t blame Regina for coming after you.

When the green smoke around the portal faded, things became icy blue. I suppose for now we’ll just have to let the season finale go. Otherwise, Elsa may freeze our tongues.  

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 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!

                                                                                       



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?