Is Staying Good Good For Snow?

Once Upon A Time, S02E15

Snow discovered Regina and Kora's plan, and she and David rushed to find Rumpelstiltskin's dagger first.  In the past, Snow tried to find a way to save her ill mother and fought the urge to use dark magic to achieve that.  In New York, Rumpelstiltskin asked Emma to convince Neal to come to Storybrooke with them and tried to endure Henry's anger.  They had to make hurried plans back to Storybrooke when Hook unexpectedly showed up and attacked Rumpelstiltskin.

I thought maybe Regina and Kora so openly talking about their plan to get control of Rumpelstiltskin was incredibly foolish until I realized they must have wanted their plan revealed in order to have Snow and David lead them right to it.  I mean, they shouldn't be doing anything supsicious in town, at least not together if they can help it.  I don't know why else they would risk being overheard when there's no guarantee that no one would see them out in the open like that.  I'd just like to believe that they are sneakier than they look, rather than careless.

I don't know if it was the best idea for Snow to confront Regina about the truth and appeal to her distrust of her mother.  If anything, it seemed to convince Regina to continue with her mother's plan rather than bother to win over the townspeople who would probably take a hundred years to honestly forgive her crimes.  I mean, Regina did seem a little doubtful of her mother's intentions when she heard that there was a beef between Snow's mother and her own, but so far it doesn't look like Snow's words really reached Regina at all.  I'm sure there will come a time where Snow will prove to be right (I totally agree that Kora would kill Henry in a second if he got in her way), but I think Regina will have to see her mother betray her first before she realizes that.

It was horrible that we got to see someone who played a mother-like figure for Snow get killed so easily during that dagger exchange.  I sort of wanted Snow to hold onto the dagger and let Johanna go, even if that would be cruel to an innocent woman.  The things that Regina and Kora could do with Rump in their power would be far worse than one old woman dying.  But Snow being the Snow who wouldn't even execute Regina, handed over the dagger in the end.  And her reward for doing the "right" thing was that Johanna got her heart back only to be pushed out of the window to her death.  Kora is not playing around!  She seems much more frightening now that it's clear that she has an axe to grind with Snow as well.

In the past, I didn't care too much about the Queen's illness as much as I did the meeting between Snow and the "Blue Fairy."  Even though I knew that Snow's mother died, I felt a little afraid she was going to sacrifice someone's life with that candle and it would turn out not to work at all (letting two people die).  Instead, Snow followed her mother's wish to stay good and stayed away from black magic.  It was a surprise to find out the whole thing was just a plot by Kora to get Snow to go to the dark side.  It was a little disturbing to see Kora hovering over the Queen's dead body, gloating about how she was going to corrupt Snow one day.  What in the world did Snow's mom do to Kora?  Did she just hate her because Kora was a miller's daughter and Snow's mother happened to be royalty?  There's got to be more to that story than that.

I feel a bit disappointed that Snow is deciding to stray from the path of good and dip her toe into the dark side.  Sure, I'm all for killing Kora--that bitch needs to die--but I'd hate to see Kora win by tainting Snow and getting revenge on her mother as well.  Charming tried (and I'm sure will keep trying) to tell her about this, but Snow rationalized that all of her seemingly good choices had led to bad endings.  I can't argue with her there, but almost all of that was due to someone else wanting to do her harm.  You can't beat evil with evil--it doesn't work that way.  I really hope once Emma comes back she might be able to convince her mother that being a cold-blooded murderer isn't the best decision.

Speaking of Emma, I hate that she has to put up with Henry's attitude.  I really wanted to punch him in his face when he talked about how the pizza didn't lie to him.  Shut the hell up, Henry!  How is Emma supposed to make up for her lies when Henry keeps throwing it in her face?  I'm starting to wish that Rump would kill Henry for whatever reason he needs to.

I really liked, though, when Henry asked Rump if he should call him "Grandpa" now.  Rump casually told him to call him whatever he liked.  It's funny that Rump doesn't really seem to care all that much that Henry is related to him now.  I mean, he's not thrilled or anything.  I think he likes better that Emma is sort of connected to him and he can get her to help with Bae a little bit by using Henry.  Can't blame him for that.  His son barely wants anything to do with him, so he's got to use whatever method he can.

The biggest surprise in this episode was when Hook attacked Rump seemingly out of nowhere!  One moment he was in Storybrooke reclaiming his hook, and the next he was stabbing Rump through the chest.  That was crazy!  Later, they explained that he used he boat to travel so quickly, but it still feels like he teleported or something.  I was just so shocked that Hook showed up that I couldn't pay attention to the mortal wound that Rump had been given.  I felt like he was going to be okay (even though he was poisoned) because he was well enough to yell at Henry to stay away and blame him for everything.

I can't believe that Neal once lived in Neverland.  That's the only explanation of how he knows Hook and isn't much older than he should be.  If they reveal he's freaking Peter Pan too, I'm going to be pissed.  That's too much for one character to be.  Come on.  But at least it allows Neal to be able to navigate a boat that could get them back to Storybrooke quickly (although how the hell will they find the boat?).  I'm about ready for them to get back and have them deal with this dagger business.

Speaking of that dagger, which Rump had hidden in a pretty clever place, I guess it wasn't the best idea for him to entrust the location to Emma and the others.  Snow and Charming had that thing for like two minutes before it was in the hands of enemies.  But I guess Rump can't really worry about that at the moment.  He could be dead before he even reaches Storybrooke, so having power over him would be moot.

Neal's fiancee...  Well, I saw that coming.  I hate that I sort of feel bad for Emma, despite that she and Neal are through at this point.  But I think that Rump is right in that she sort of hoped that they might work things out.  I don't know if I want them to right now.  I'm still a fan of Emma and Graham.  I know he's dead, but he was still my favorite for her so far.

In the next episode, I'm most looking forward to Emma and company coming back to Storybrooke with a still alive Rumpelstiltskin.  Fans would riot if he died, so I know he'll make it, but brushing that close to death might have a bigger effect on him than expected.  Of course, once they do return, it'll become clearer whether Kora is playing Regina for a fool or really sticking to her word.  Either way, Rump will get controlled and Snow and Charming's family will be in danger.  I doubt that the new Snow "Black" will be able to do any better in protecting her family, but we'll see how her new attitude will play out against Kora and Regina.  I guess after failing to save Johanna, Snow should at least be better motivated not to let one more person die she loves and perhaps release a little more whoop-ass on her enemies.

The Cycle of Abandonment

Once Upon A Time, S02E14

Rumpelstiltskin, Emma, and Henry arrived in New York and found the apartment of who they assumed was Rumpelstiltskin's son.  Emma was shocked to find that Baelfire was actually Neil, and she struggled with the decision to let him go or turn him into his father.  In the past, Rumpelstiltskin went to war and met a seer who predicted the birth of his son and Rumpelstiltskin leaving his son fatherless.  Regina, her mother, and Hook looked for information about the whereabouts of Rumpelstiltskin's dagger.  Greg also got video proof of magic in Storybrooke.

Wow.  This episode was incredible.  I actually realized that Baelfire might be Neil when I saw that they were in New York City.  Before I had thought that they were just going to that airport, but going to a different city.  It's weird that I didn't immediately think New York City.  I'm just glad I had gotten to that conclusion before Emma had chased Neil down the street otherwise I would have kicked myself for not piecing the obvious clues together.

I can't believe that Neil is Baelfire, making Henry Rump's grandson.  Henry has some kind of amazing blood ties and non-blood ties (if you count Regina and her mother).  Also, Emma is firmly connected to Rump more than ever now that Rump is her son's grandfather.  She's never going to be rid of him.  I really like that they decided to do this.  Baelfire's identity has been something I've wanted to know for the longest time, and it was satisfying to know that we've already seen him, but we just didn't know who he really was.

I don't blame Emma for not telling Rump right away about Neil.  The reunion of that father and son was inevitably going to make the father-son reunion of Neil and Henry, and Emma didn't want any part of that.  I was just scared when Rump knew she was lying and started to threaten her even without magic.  He's still pretty scary without fire coming out of his hands.

Neil, even with his abandonment issues, has some nerve giving Emma crap about hiding Henry from him.  He can go straight to hell, as far as I'm concerned.  I know that Neil only acted as August had told him to, but I could give two craps about that.  That's actually another lie that he kept from her--knowing that she was the savoir.  I don't think her ending up in jail for his crimes while pregnant was such a small thing that she should have been looking for Neil a long time ago.  Yeah, right!  I would never want to see his punk ass again!  Anyway, Neil being involved would have stopped Henry from ending up in Regina's hands and Henry bringing Emma to Storybrooke.  So if Neil was so damn concerned about following August's advice to get her to Storybrooke, he didn't need to know about Herny in the first place.  I was pissed that he wanted to be outraged.  

Still, I got a little teary-eyed hearing that Neil went sleep every night seeing his father let him go as a boy.  That's damn harsh.  No wonder he turned out to be a thief who would send his girl to prison.  I can't imagine the kind of trauma that put upon him.  I would hate to see that happen to Henry (although, you can't feel too abandoned when you think your father's dead to begin with).

I was disappointed in Rump's first words to Neil.  Instead of talking about the struggle he went through to be reunited, he kept talking about making up their separation with magic.  What the hell was he thinking?!  Who wants to have magic turn them back to fourteen so their father can raise them again?  That's so messed up.  Rump could have done so much better.  He didn't show that he had changed at all.  And he has changed, to some degree.  I never thought that Neil and Rump would get off to a good start, but Rump pretty much killed their reconciliation before it even began.  Damn.  I hope that he finds another way to redeem himself with Neil.  I really want him to show that from the first moment he held Baelfire, he just wanted to be there for him.

In the past, I felt bad at how manipulated Rump was by his own fate.  Once that seer had put the fear of the future in him, he was doomed to be the father he never wanted to be.  It's so damn sad.  Milah was so quickly disgusted with the way he had injured himself so he could come home alive to his son, and his cowardly decision to desert the war only put him the fast track to become the Dark One.  Rump's story is such a tragedy because all he wanted was to not be a coward nor an absent father.  His efforts to avoid that put him directly on that path.

The past also showed that Rump will be undone by Henry one day.  How ironic that the boy the seer foretold ended up being his grandson.  Rump declared that he would just kill him, but is he going to live up to that promise?  He'd have a lot of people against him if he tried.  Maybe Henry will be the one to break him of the Dark One status or something.  Those futures are so vague, it's not quite clear whether Henry is a life-threatening danger to Rump or not.

Speaking of Henry, I hated that he didn't quite understand why Emma lied to him.  Even if she was being selfish, she did have a decent reason for being so.  Likening her to Regina is a bit childish.  If he thinks everyone is just going to tell him the truth all the time, than he's a bigger child than he looks.  Maybe Henry could have handled the truth, but Emma sure as hell couldn't.  And if Emma did tell him about Neil, we know Henry would have sure as hell went looking for him.  He's that kind of gun-ho kid.  It pisses me off.  He has no idea the pain that Emma went through.  Him thinking his father was a dead hero isn't so bad as the reality.  Get over it, Henry.  As if Neil in your life would have made everything better (then again, maybe so because he might not had to live with Regina).

Back in Storybrooke, it was sort of weird to see Regina, Cora, and Hook hanging out together semi-publicly.  They were all at least in the library (which is closed, granted) looking for that book.  I think that Cora is straight-up playing Regina.  She's probably after Rump's power, not seeking to use it to destroy their enemies.  Hook isn't going to get anything out of helping them.  He's been played like a damn fiddle.  I would have loved to see him go to New York and fight Rump fairly.  Rump probably could still kick his ass with just that cane, I bet.

Regina was a moron in this episode, though.  Not just for believing that her mother is just going to use that power to get Henry back, but for openly using her powers to go through Belle's purse.  What the hell?  I knew that was going to be a problem, but I hoped it wouldn't be.  Nope.  Greg got it all on video!  Damn.  Well, the only good thing is that perhaps Regina will get involved in keeping Greg quiet later on.  If it's just left to Charming and Snow, I don't think they'll be able to keep a lid on the town's secret for much longer.

Also, Charming sounded like such an idiot when he was getting confused about how it was possible he was Henry's grandfather and Rump was too.  Um, duh!  Charming is really lucky he's brave and good with a sword because he's sometimes a moron.

Can't wait to see if Rump can get somewhere with Neil.  With the way he started to repair their relationship, Rump has a very long way to go.  Emma also needs to smooth things over with that moron Henry.  Sure he feels hurt that he's been lied to, but Emma's situation is too complicated for me to feel that Henry was betrayed severely.  Henry's getting to meet his father, so he should get over already.  Now that Neil has been named Baelfire, and Henry has been named Rump's grandson, it's unknown whether Rump will still see Henry as a threat and do away with him for his own sake.  Rump probably has a greater threat from Regina and Cora, who are conspiring to find the dagger that can kill and control him.  I'd hate to see Snow and the others get killed, but it would be entertaining to see someone use Rump as a puppet for a while. That could make a really awesome story down the line.

You Don't Need Magic--You Just Need A Cane

Once Upon A Time, S02E11

Rumpelstiltskin had finally found a way to cross the line without losing his memories, but his plan to start searching for his son was stopped when Hook finally made a move on Belle.  After securing her safety, he found that the shawl he needed to cross the town line was stolen by Hook, and Belle went to retrieve it for him, despite Rumpelstiltskin asked her to stay out of it.  In the past, Belle joined a group of men to find a beast, but found herself doing the adventure alone until she finally teamed up with Mulan.

I was thrilled that this episode started off with Rump dragging Smee out to the town line and him slightly roughing him up with his cane as he tested out his potion.  I mean, it was great to see that he had found a way around that curse-lifting side effect, but I just loved seeing him smack around someone who may or may not deserved it.  I was actually hoping he had brought Smee out there to attack him for something he had done to upset him, but it turned out to be less about intimidation and more about discovery.  Boo.

Things started to pick up when Hook decided to show up at Belle's library and try to grab her.  I was so excited that he was finally making a move and that Belle might tell Rump about Hook before Hook could get the jump on Rump.  It actually started to look like some kind of horror movie when Belle was hiding in that elevator and Hook kept banging on the doors.  With Belle's phone not working and Rump being unable to get the message that Hook was after her, I was scared that when the doors did open it was going to be Hook.  Thank goodness it was Rump and she was safe.

I thought it was crazy that Rump gave Belle a gun and told her to hide in the library (because Hook couldn't possibly get her there again) until I realized that Belle is no coward and doesn't seem to shy away from danger.  I was sort of terrified when she found Hook's ship (which was impressive, but seemed rash on her own) and just walked on in as if there couldn't possibly be someone waiting on board to kidnap her ass.  It was commendable that she managed to save Archie, let Archie get away so that he could get Rump to come help her, and temporarily escaped from Hook with the stolen shawl in hand.  Wow.  Just when I thought Belle was just big-hearted girl with a pretty face, she showed that she is just as badass as the rest of the women on the show.

My favorite part was when Belle looked like she was way over her head with Hook and Rump showed up to save the day.  I was expecting more of a real fight between them, but it was pretty one-sided.  Still, watching Rump beat the hell out of Hook with his cane was so amazing.  I mean, it was horrible that Hook couldn't even return a blow, but I was laughing so hard at Rump letting out all of his fury upon Hook without using any magic.  That was what was so cool about it.  Rump could destroy Hook in a second, but he chose to fight him like a person and beat him with just his cane.  After a while, though, I was glad that Belle stepped in to stop it.  I wasn't ready to see Hook die just yet.  I mean, I at least wanted to see a more dramatic fight between the two of them first.

Belle's commitment to Rump is so endearing.  He straight up lied about killing his ex-wife and why Hook wants to get revenge on him so bad, and she still stood by his side.  I think any other woman would have jumped off that ship, especially when he was beating a man nearly to death and five seconds away from ripping his heart out of his chest.  I was really worried that the ugly side that Hook brought out in the usually calm and collected Rump would send Belle away, but she really showed that she's in this for the long run.  And you gotta love that sweet moment when she put the shawl around him and they held each other on opposite sides of the line.  It would have been even better if they had gotten that kiss, but alas Hook had just begun with his revenge.

I can't even begin to wonder who busted into town and took out Hook before Rump could turn him into ash because Belle not only got shot, but lost her memory as well!  No!  I figured that Hook wouldn't be swayed by Rump's threats or faux mercy, but I never would have imagined him shooting Belle in the back!  That was a good twist, even if it was sort of heartbreaking.  I wonder what Rump is going to do next?  Is he just gonna leave Belle there and hope he can get her memory back later or will he stay in Storybrooke and try to use some new magic to fix her (even though he said it couldn't be undone).

In the past, I was sort of confused why Belle would randomly go beast hunting, but I suppose she's always had a thirst for adventure and never thought to quench it until Dreamy encouraged her.  I liked that she was able to read like Chinese and find the Yoaguai on her own.  I didn't care too much for Mulan popping up and being as about as friendly as a rattlesnake poked with a hot stick.  She redeemed herself by acknowledging how smart Belle was to find the beast faster than anyone else, but I was still annoyed that she is always so abrasive with new people.  In the end, I loved that Belle managed to subdue the beast and find out that it wasn't really attacking people but was Prince Phillip just cursed.  It established Belle better as a character and explained how Phillip and Mulan met.  Check check.

With Regina not even being in the story really, I was happy to see her at the end of Belle's past story even if she was just throwing Belle into a cage.  I sort of missed her and yet I forgot about her because I was too busy delighting in seeing Rump get to use his cane as an ass-kicking tool so much.  I am really curious as to where she is and if she's bumped into her evil mother yet.  With Archie being alive and Emma knowing that Regina is innocent, I wonder if it's too late to apologize to her and pull her away from the dark side.

Lastly, it was interesting to see Snow and Charming discuss getting a home for themselves.  I liked how she was ready to settle down and be with her family, while the non-stop hero Charming wanted to go back home like the others and fight.  I have to side with Snow that they have been fighting for a damn long time.  It's about time that they freaking stopped and grabbed onto some freaking happiness and peace.  I mean, it sucks for those left back home like Mulan and Aurora, but it's not like Snow and the others were brought to the non-magic world by choice.  I do see where Charming's coming from, but I think he's a little addicted to fighting and saving people.  As for the other townspeople, they might just be homesick and worried about the rest of the world finding out about their magical and abnormal lives.  If Charming was arguing that angle, I might feel like siding with him.  I'm not sure that either of them, especially because they're stubborn, will come to agreement about that soon.  That's a bit of a shame because I'd love to see what their house might look like.

Fantastic episode.  There was finally some fighting going on between Hook and Rump, but it wasn't as intense as I was hoping, but with Rump dishing out so many cane lashings, I couldn't complain too much about that.  Rump had me worried that he was going to lose Belle with all the violence and deceit, but Belle proved that her love for him runs deep and her faith for him is unshakable.  However, that doesn't matter too much now that Hook has made her fall across the line of memory loss and she doesn't even know who Rump is anymore.  It's frustrating now that they've gotten so close again, but it does add some good drama to the mix.  There's also some good tension brewing between Snow and Charming concerning whether they should stay or go.  I can't tell who's going to give in that argument.  More than their issues, I have to know what's going on with Regina.  Cora was absent in this episode as was Regina (at least in Storybrooke).  It seems like a pretty bad sign that next time we see the Queen, she might be a lot like her old self and beyond returning to her new and improved self.

Regina's Redemption Reversal

Once Upon A Time, S02E10

Regina was seeming to be turning over a new leaf until Archie ended up dead after being seen having an argument with Regina.  Emma was the only one who doubted her guilt until with Mr. Gold's help she was able to see the murder scene for herself with magic.  When confronted, Regina used magic again to attack Emma and went into hiding.  In the past, Charming tried to rid the kingdom of Regina's threat by having her executed, but Snow was against it.  After trying to give Regina a chance to start over, Regina's final attempt on Snow's life got her banished from the kingdom to live in solitude.

Regina pretty much deserves everything she's gotten, but I can't help but feel bad for her because she has for once learned from her mistakes and tried to change.  It's obvious that she does it all for Henry and would probably die if he wasn't in her life.  It was nice that despite all the horrible things she's done that Emma recognizes that Regina's desire to change is sincere.  No one else does, most of all her parents who seem like a duo of mistrust (with good reason).

Again, Cora is the one who seems to be there right when Regina is debating whether to go to the dark side or not (or Rump).  Regina was on the path to be someone that people didn't ask if her lasagna was poisoned (that was a good one, Grumpy), but her controlling bitch of a mother has to drag her name through the dirt when it wasn't squeaky-clean to begin with.  And since she's still moving around in the shadows right now, no one is going to believe or can even imagine that the Regina look-alike isn't Regina herself.  It sort of makes me mad.  Regina is no angel, but even a monster like her deserves another chance.

What also got me to sympathize with her was that in the other world, she was so blinded by her hatred for Snow that she wouldn't let herself be reformed.  It wasn't wrong of Charming or anyone else to want to see her dead (especially when she made her final words be regret that she didn't do more damage to all her victims), but I couldn't help but be relieved when Snow stopped the arrows from killing Regina at the last moment.  We all know that in the beginning Regina was just a young woman who wanted to live happily with the man she loved, but all her bad deeds sort of erased everyone's memory of that.  Everyone but Snow.  I was disappointed that Regina didn't take the free pass and tried to stab Snow in vain.  She wouldn't have made the curse if she had turned a new leaf in the past, but I still wished that she had seen the light then and there.

It's interesting in the past Snow was like Emma, the only one who believed in Regina's goodness until she failed the test.  It was funny to see Snow (and Charming--but he's always suspicious of people) fighting against Emma, who wouldn't back down.  With good reason because Emma has a natural gift for knowing when people lie.  I was hoping that even with that dream catcher showing her what had happened she would listen to her gut and refuse to think that Regina was guilty.  No such luck.

Speaking of Emma's parents, I really loved how Rump commented on how Emma was a combination of Snow and Charming:

[Rump] You have your mother's chin, Ms. Swan.

[Emma] We know that you killed him.

[Rump] And your father's tact.

That line was as golden as his name.  He made me realize that Emma is a lot like Charming in so many ways.  They both are sort of hardheaded, especially when they think they are right and rush into action sometimes without considering all of the evidence.  It's hard to change their minds once they made them up.  In a way, I sort of felt bad for Rump for having the whole Charming family assaulting him.  Haha.  They are a force of annoyingly persistent people.

I almost could shed a tear for Regina when Emma went to tell Henry that his mother was a murderer and a liar (for using magic again).  I mean, it wasn't as if Regina had done anything wrong this time, yet she was paying the ultimate price.  Emma doesn't want to let her be a part of her son's life anymore and the town hates her more than before (which is saying a lot with the whole curse thing in the first place).  As long as I know that Regina really does love Henry, it saddens me to see her unable to be with him.

I wonder what Cora plans to do with a broken Regina.  Team up with her to terrorize the townsfolk?  I thought she was coming to get revenge on Regina, but perhaps she's just collecting her so that she can use her powers for her own purposes.  I feel bad for Hook too who's just sitting around itching to end Rump's life with that hook of his (why is he sharpening it, though--it's not like it's getting dull from use).  I can't imagine why Archie would be value to their plans, either.  I'm pretty ambivalent about him still being alive (his character is all right, but definitely not one of the key people).

I liked this episode, but I was pretty sad about Regina being framed (though karma is a bitch).  It's nice that Emma is going to be more of a mother to Henry from now on, but I don't relish seeing Regina return to that dark place that convinced her to unleash a curse onto innocent people in the first place.  I'd like Cora's plan to start getting a little clearer from now on.  I thought once she made it to town, things would start getting less mysterious, but they haven't yet.  Also, I'm anxious to see Hook and Rump have another battle!  Can't wait to see how Rump handles an old enemy now that he's supposedly changing himself.

Scramble To The Portal

Once Upon A Time, S02E09

Emma and the others went to search for squid ink in Rumpelstiltskin's jail cell, but were trapped there by Cora and Hook.  Regina and Rumpelstiltskin worked together to use magic that would destroy whoever came through the portal, fearing that it would most likely be Cora and Hook.  The past between Cora and Hook was also revealed.

It was obvious to me that finding that scroll with Emma's name written on it in a stalkerish manner was going to be useful for something.  I didn't think it would be able to melt away the cell's bars, though.  That was a little weird to me.  Weirder than Rump sitting in there many years ago writing down Emma's name.

Later, it was interesting that Emma went to Rump and pointed out that he could have broken out of that cell anytime he wanted, but he was just chilling out there plotting his revenge.  I would have never gotten to the conclusion, like Emma had, that Rump had written out her fate long ago.  Rump does have a past of using people like his puppets for some long-term goal that's not clear (like his hand in molding Regina into a powerful magic user), but I feel like a lot more people were involved in what's happened in Emma's life than just Rump.  August, for instance, played his part.  But I guess that scroll with her name on it written before she was even born freaked her out to make her supsicious.

I wonder what sort of magic Emma will be capable of now that there's evidence that her being a product of true love protects her from heart-ripping attacks and the like.  Rump had been interested in bottling "true love" in the past, so I feel like he'll become even more interested in Emma in the future now that he knows she has some kind of unique magic about her.  I wonder if he'll try to take advantage of her magic one day.

Speaking of the heart ripping thing, that fight around the portal back to Storybrooke was so dumb.  I mean, you would think that with Cora being the only one using magic that she could use something really big to wipe out Mulan, Snow, and Emma in one wave of her hand.  Mulan was fighting her pretty well for someone only having a sword, as well as Snow who only had arrows.  Then it was just weird to me that Emma wasn't cut in a deadly way within two seconds of fighting Hook when she has had no training to sword fight.  Hook should have destroyed her!  He clearly had the upper hand, but it was crazy that he had any problems with Emma at all.  It was funny when she knocked Hook out--didn't see that coming.  It was moving when Emma took the "bullet" for Snow when Cora was about to rip Snow's heart out.  Lucky for her that it didn't work.

Back in Storybrooke, I felt pretty bad for Regina.  She clearly wanted to do the right thing and help Emma and Snow the best way she could, but then Rump came along and poisoned her mind.  Don't get me wrong, though--I loved seeing them work together even if it was for something bad.  I knew that Regina wasn't 100 percent on board with Rump's "win-win" view of what they were doing, and I was happy that she was swayed by Henry's words.  The funny thing about that was that Rump was just standing around not doing anything.  I mean, he did blow Red away the second she tried to get close, but the real danger to his plan was Henry and he didn't do much to stop him from changing Regina's mind.  And after it was all said and done, he just quietly limped away to his store.  No one held him accountable for anything.

Anyway, Regina nearly kills herself after reversing the magic they put on the portal, and she got the short end of the stick at the end.  Emma did thank her and so did Henry with a hug, but after everything was good again, she didn't get an invitation to dinner.  Okay, so Regina isn't friends with anyone in town, really, but she did sort of look after Charming while he was under the sleep spell.  As much of a bitch that Regina was I couldn't help but feel bad when everyone joyously left Rump's store and left her there by herself.  It was just thanks for helping get Emma and Snow back, but don't you dare eat with us.  Really?  That was cold, ya'll.  Rump did not make it better by pointing out that Henry was just going to get closer to Emma, but Regina had little hope of even sharing a meal with him.  Talk about twisting the knife!  But I sort of liked that he had to stir the pot a little.

That was the part that made me the most outraged, while I was most moved by when Henry saw Emma coming out of the well and called her "mom."  I don't know if he ever has done that before, but he still calls Regina "mom," so it was just sweet to see Emma and Henry hug while he called her that.  I mean, it was like "Regina who?" at that moment, but Emma had worked pretty hard to get back to her son, so it was nice to see her achieve her goal.

I was hardly moved by Snow reviving Charming with her kiss.  I was especially annoyed at the dwarves standing around looking sort of worried that Snow's kiss might not work.  Um, we all know that it will!  The sleeping curse has been broken so many damn times.  It's almost like when has it ever been permanent?

In the past, it was interesting that both Regina and Cora tried to use Hook.  He eventually sided with Cora because she knew more about the curse than Regina did and her knoweldge better suited his plans for revenge.  But besides that, it was a nice change of pace to see Regina in her queen mode again.  I feel like it's been a while since we've seen her like that.  For some reason, I really enjoyed her outfit with all that bling hanging down her back.  It's a sharp contrast to the stuff that she wears around Storybrooke.  She may have been really wicked back then, but at least she had some style.

Anyway, who would be surprised that Cora was the Queen of Hearts?  I mean, I figured that out as soon as I saw Regina toss her mother into a magic mirror--you had to know where she was going.  It does make me think of that one time when Regina went to Wonderland and was trying really hard to avoid the Queen of Hearts.  Was her mother the ruler then?  I feel like I need to revist that older episode now.

Another interesting part from the past was Cora's change of heart.  She seemed shocked that a daughter who pushed her into another world to escape her might want her dead (really, Cora?  That surprised you?), but she easily decided not to murder Regina when Regina confessed her love for her mother and the reasons why she had to have her killed before she went to Storybrooke.  I'm surprised that someone as cold as Cora would be moved by that.  Especially since Cora's heart doesn't even seem to be in her body (or maybe she just put it in her butt or something--it's so weird).

The end where Cora and Hook came into the bay or port or whatever of Storybrooke on a big ship was kind of dramatic in a good way.  I like that they arrived somewhere that isn't going to be obvious to someone.  Damn them for leaving that kind of cliffhanger!  

I liked this episode, but I wish the fighting was a little better.  I just always think that Emma should be killed in every fight she has.  Well, at least with anyone magic.  I'm eager to see what kind of magic Emma can do, especially if it will help fight against Cora.  I'm really excited about Cora and Hook entering Storybrooke.  The next episode has got to be super explosive! I can't wait!

Playing Burning Room Telephone

Once Upon A Time, S02E08

Emma and the others tried to contact Henry through Aurora to find a way to defeat Cora, but were interrupted by an attack by Cora.  Once Aurora was captured and they lost their connection to the other side, Snow used Mulan's sleeping powder to return to the burning room.  She met Charming there who had put himself under the sleeping curse so that Henry wouldn't have to go through the danger again.  Hook tried to get back on Cora's good side by making Aurora one of her pawns.

I never considered that it wouldn't be so easy for Aurora and Henry to communicate, even though they are only linked once both are asleep.  Once Aurora was taken and Henry was getting all burned up, I started to doubt that Emma and the others would ever learn that Cora could be defeated by the quill ink in Rump's old cell.  It was a nice turn of events that Snow would take Aurora's place and Charming would do the same for Henry.

It was kind of funny how Rump was mentioning that Charming was going to get to take the sleeping potion in the old fashioned way--the so-called way before the days of "poisoned apples."  I loved that.  I loved that as much as him saying that Charming was going to join a "distinguished club."  Yeah, a club of cursed people!  Rump is a laugh riot.  Also, why the hell was he spinning that damn wheel?  That wasn't necessary in order for Charming to prick his finger.  But it was a nice touch before Charming went under.

My favorite thing of all is simply that Regina went to Rump and Belle enjoying some burgers (that just tickles me by itself to see him hanging out) and told him that it was time for some teamwork.  Yes! I think that Rump is still resistant to the idea, but now that they have worked together to make a sleeping potion, I think that going back to strictly enemies is too late now.  Plus, Charming is out of commission until Snow gets back, so it's not like they will have a "mediator" anymore.

I don't know how Storybrooke is going to survive without Charming around.  The townspeople are a bit of wildcards.  Like something with Spencer could happen again--any person wanting revenge on another could take this opportunity to cause havoc.  I don't know if people like Red are really going to step in and do Charming's job to preserve the peace.

Anyway, Mulan is really starting to piss me off.  I know that her main goal is to protect Aurora, but it's wrong of her to steal that compass and run off while Snow was risking her life to go back to that damn fire room!  What a bitch!  I could understand her trying that if Snow and Emma were just sitting around not trying to fix anything, but they were getting important information.  I was really happy when Snow had Mulan on her back with an arrow to her throat.  I wouldn't have blamed Snow if she had cut her throat!  Mulan needs to trust people a little more.  She can't do everything herself.

Now speaking of Aurora, what a horrible thing that has been done to her!  She can't get a damn break.  Hook took out her damn heart and now Cora's using her like a puppet.  I never saw that coming.  I didn't think that Hook was really sincere about helping Emma and the others, but damn.  He really wants to kill Rump.  Not that he wasn't already a despicable person when he was just a pirate having fun.

Wow, there was so many good things this week!  It was well worth the wait.  I don't think that Emma and the others will be able to beat Cora to returning to Storybrooke now that Cora has a spy within their group.  However, at least now if Cora and Hook do soon make their way to the other world, Rump and Regina are already in the beginning of a new alliance.  Seeing the two of them work together to help Emma or stop Cora is something I can't wait for!  I'm sure that will just as exciting as it will be humorous.

Emma, The Bad Boy Magnet

Once Upon A Time, S02E06

Emma volunteered to go up the beanstalk with Hook, and they worked together to find the compass in the giant's belongings.  Emma's sorted past was revealed, where she committed petty crimes with Henry's father.

I want to start with Emma's past.  I really didn't want to see a flashback about her, even if it did shed some light on Henry's father, until I saw that her first love (I'm assuming) was played by the same guy who played Renee on True Blood!  Wow.  I couldn't help but think of him as that character throughout the episode, especially since I failed to catch his name on OUAT and had to look it up.  Besides being entertained by Neal's actor, I was engaged in her flashback when August made an appearance and became the reason that the two split.  I was further surprised that Emma only spent 11 months in a minimum-security correction facility and that was where Henry was born (although, it might have already been mentioned that he was a prison baby).  No wonder Emma has so many walls up when she spent time in jail, lost her love, and lost her baby all in a short period of time.  She sort of has August to blame for that, but if Emma wasn't already stealing cars in the first place, she would have never met Neal.  She did get a car out of it, but that's hardly a compensation.  I'm surprised that she still wanted to use it after all the pain he probably put her through.

I did like that this episode explained who the hell that guy was in the season premiere that I didn't recognize as the actor from TB at the time.  It was Neal and he had finally gotten the postcard from August that the curse was broken and he could he could return to Emma's side.  I guess.  I doubt she would take him back very easily.  That could add some drama along the way if Emma ever makes it back to Storybrooke.

But I wonder what it was that August showed Neal in that box to make him believe in magic.  Because whatever it was, how come that didn't work on Emma?  Or was it the same as her not being able to see August turning into wood thing--because she didn't want to believe, she couldn't see the magic right in front of her.  I hope they will let us know what he had in that box (unless it's something we've already been shown and I've just forgotten).

In the present, I was glad to see Emma and Hook climb the beanstalk together because they were kinda of funny.  I mean, he was telling her that he knew her because he had experiences with the Lost Boys, who had the same look as she did.  Emma didn't care for that, nor for him openly flirting with her.  This was funny, but also a little creepy because I know that Hook has to be kinda old (he's been preserved thanks to his time in Neverland).  Anyone who knew Rump before he became the Dark One, has to be a little long in the tooth.  But Hook might have just been teasing her to get her guard down and sort of gain her trust.  I liked that they managed to take the giant down together (and that the giant was played by Lost's Jorge Garcia--cool), but ultimately when the giant was free it was Emma that got shit done and got the compass in her hand.  I loved that although Hook thought they were buddies at the end, she cuffed him and left him up there so she could get a head start.

Well, Emma and the rest have half of what they need to get home, but I don't know how they'll manage to get that wardrobe dust from Cora without suffering some damage.  Plus, I don't think that Hook will be so eager to work with them again with Emma sort of betraying him (even though she had a lot of reason not to trust him).

And what's up with that red room that Aurora and Henry were dreaming about?  It sounds really creepy and makes it sound like they are connected in some way.  Their dreams did differ slightly with Aurora seeing a man looking at her, and Henry seeing a woman (were they seeing each other?).  I can't guess what kind of disaster those dreams are foretelling.

I have to admit that I missed Rump in this episode.  Every episode can't be about him, but even with these guest stars and Hook sleezing on Emma, I wasn't so focused on this week's story that I didn't wonder what was up with the rest of Storybrooke at that time.  I'm really anxious to get back to a Storybrooke-centric story.  Emma's love story was okay, but I don't think I'll be okay to see more of her story next time.  Save that for maybe five more episodes later.  Haha.

Making Monsters

Once Upon A Time, S02E05

Regina tried to overcome her past, but had trouble when Dr. Whale brought Daniel back to life.  In the past, Regina struggled to learn magic from Rumpelstiltskin because she refused to use magic for evil.  In the magic world, Emma and the others suspected that Hook was not who he seemed to be.

I suppose what I was most concerned about (despite Franken-Daniel was walking around) in this episode was who the hell Dr. Whale was.  At first I thought he was the Wizard of Oz or something.  It wasn't until he was shown trying to revive Daniel with a bolt of lightening crashing near his tent that I suspected he might be Dr. Frankenstein.  Man, they are taking characters from all kinds of stories...  I guess that's okay.  But I feel like I'm soon going to be yelling "come on!"  But Dr. Whale (someone I was hardly concerned about before this episode) did bring about some interesting events.

The most interesting thing he did in the past was work for Rump to help Regina "come over to the dark side."  I can't believe I didn't think that Rump wasn't involved when it was Hatter (who used to be Rump's lackey) who almost randomly offered to help Regina when Rump wouldn't.  I thought that was strange even when he was asking for something in return.  So Regina really never had a chance to stay good when Rump was pulling all the strings (and apparently has had his eye on her before they even met).

It's also interesting Regina called her mother a monster for ripping people's hearts out and then collecting them.  For she became the same thing, thanks to Rump making her give up her moral obstacles.  And of course, Dr. Whale made a real monster out of Daniel who was brought back to life when implanted with one of Regina's stolen hearts.  That was quite like a horror story when Regina was looking for Whale and found him missing an arm in a hospital dark and in shambles.  Plus, it was a bit freaky with Daniel walking around attacking people like Henry and Regina.  I felt a little sad that Regina had to put him out of her misery herself, waving her hand and turning him into dust.  I don't know how that will ultimately affect Regina, even if she seems more open to the idea of therapy.

I was proud of Emma in the magic world because for once she wasn't acting like a fool.  In fact, she was pretty awesome in the way that she didn't really trust Hook for one damn second. I loved that she put a knife to his throat and then she and the others tied him up to a tree so he could be torn apart by ogres.  I actually thought that Hook wouldn't cave in and he'd keep pretending, but he cracked pretty soon.  That was suspicious to me, but at least the girls were all on their toes about being led into a trap by him.  It's just weird to me that Hook would end up teaming with them.  I'm sure that he wants to get revenge on Rump, but not so sure he really wants to double-cross Cora.

Oh, and on a completely different note, isn't it pretty cool that Rump just waved his hand and returned Dr. Whale's arm to his body?  Wow.  And I like how they have this long-ass argument about which is more powerful: science or magic.  It seems like the two can work pretty well hand in hand.  Well, maybe not because Daniel's revival wasn't a success.  So why the hell does Whale think it'll work again with his brother?  Talk about a one-trick pony.

I wonder what we'll learn about next in Regina's past or Rump's.  The more I learn about their past together, the more I'm convinced that Regina was no more than a product of her mother and Rump's manipulations.  I like that this show is really reinventing some of the characters that we thought we knew from last season, but are finding out that we didn't know half of their story.  It'll also be interesting to know what will happen when Emma and the others ascend that beanstalk.  There's no way a giant thrown into the mix can't mean more adventure to enjoy. 

More Enemies Than You Can Shake A Hook At

Once Upon A Time, S02E04

Rumpelstiltskin went looking for Belle after she disappeared from his home.  Belle found her father after being "kidnapped."  Rumpelstiltskin's past was also revealed, concerning the fate of his ex-wife.

At first, I had no idea why they were showing us Rump's past because I hadn't really thought about his wife at all.  But it was incredibly interesting to see him as his former self, which was a man who was too cowardly to even fight (even though his opponent was a pirate captain) for his wife.  It all tied into his current self, who despite having so much power, was still too cowardly to be open with Belle to have a significant relationship with her.  They do a nice job of tying things together, for the most part, so I don't have to feel like they are throwing in extra stories for the sake of a story.

I was definitely very interested in Rump's past story when I found out that he had lost his wife not to some illness or something, but to an attractive and thrilling pirate his wife happened to meet.  And of course, when Rump met Hook again as "The Dark One" it was so good!  I mean, it was really unfair that he was fighting Hook with all that magic he had at his command, but I just loved him getting back at both Hook and his wife who didn't have the decency to tell him that she was leaving him for another man.  Even still, I never thought he would rip out her heart.  That was pretty badass.  Then he also chopped off Hook's hand, which was expected.  Even though I was rooting for Rump in this episode, it was poetic justic that the hand he had sliced off didn't contain the magic bean he had sought.  Can't win them all.

It's also interesting that Hook has teamed up with Regina's mother.  Wow.  Never saw that coming.  So not only will Storybrooke have to deal with that bitch, but they will also have Hook running about.  That's going to make things really heat up and possibly get Rump and Regina to stop playing the roles of the local villains.

Another thing that tickled me during this episode was when it was just so evident that Rump has a long list of enemies that goes way beyond Hook and those we've seen.  I just loved when Charming was helping Rump out and pointed out that few townspeople wanted to help him because he's made all of their lives unpleasant at one point or the other.  In particular, there was a butcher who was pissed at him because he had turned his father into a pig.  But Rump being Rump, he didn't have the slightest memory of him.  I doubt he'll be like that when he meets up with Hook again.  I don't know what tricks Hook might have learned in Neverland, but hopefully he has some kind of power that can give Rump a run for his money.

Speaking of Neverland, I am confused as to why Smee is in Storybrooke, but Hook is not.  How did that come about?  And I'm also weary of them bringing up Neverland, in fear that Peter Pan might pop up one day.  Ugh.  I'm tolerating Hook because they've worked him into the story so well, but I'm not going to be so keen if that little boy in tights shows up.  Haha.

Anyway, I'm a little happy that Rump was able to share his past a little bit with Belle and she seems willing to give his evil ass another chance.  He doesn't really deserve pity, but he did stop her from being mind wiped and gave her a place to work (and possibly live outside of his walls).  They are a weird couple, but most of the time I want to see them together because it's a rare chance to see Rump in a softer light.

Loved this episode.  It could be my favorite yet.  I'm definitely looking forward to just watching this episode again as much as I am to know what might develop next.  All I have to say is that I was so engaged in this story that I didn't give a damn that we didn't get to see Emma and Snow at all.  But they better get back to that story next time because I'm curious to know what their backup plan is to get home.

Take That Penny!

Big Bang Theory, S06E03

Sheldon hired a new assistant to look through his old journals and papers to see if there was anything brilliant in there, and Amy felt threatened by a woman working closely with him.  However, when Amy dragged Penny along to spy on the assistant, Penny was the one who became worried about her and Leonard.  Howard was getting antsy and unraveled during his final days of space and getting worse with the news his return home would be delayed.

After last week, I was questioning whether I really liked the little side story about Howard in space until he started to go insane this time.  I liked how it was sort of a turn on or something for him to see people drop pencils for him, and it had made Raj uncomfortable when Howard had asked him to do that for him numerous times.  But my favorite thing was when Howard was trying to make a secret code for him and Bernadette to speak in:

We should probably talk in code. From now on, "frog" is me, "sandwich" means you and "lemon" means rocket.  So, come on, sandwich, build me a lemon 'cause froggy wants to come home!

That was probably my favorite line of the episode.

Another notable quote was when Amy and Penny were putting on makeup and Amy remarked how the eyelash curler looked:

[Amy] Looks like something used by Tinker Bell's gynecologist.[Amy] Who I hope for her sake is not Captain Hook, so...

A little gross, but pretty clever.  I don't think I'll look at an eyelash curler the same again.

What I liked most about this episode was that Penny finally got a little payback for stringing along Leonard when she saw that Alex and he were having a pretty good conversation.  Maybe Leonard's not the most desirable guy, but it's nice to see them do a story where Penny is reminded that Leonard does have options if he were to stop blinding himself with his love for her (which can't possibly last if she keeps treating him like a charity case).  I really hope that sort of thing continues on in the next episode.  Oh, and I liked how Leonard sort of set up Raj so he could easily chat with Alex, but in Raj's condition of being unable to speak to women he just moved to a different table.  That was a great moment too.  Almost as good as Penny experiencing some jealousy.

For once I sort of want to see what happens next.  It would be interesting if Alex wanted to date one of the guys, no matter who it was.  Although, I would most like to see her get with Raj because he really hasn't had any luck with girls at all.  Like I've said many times, it's way past due for someone to throw him a bone!  Come on, when are we going to see Raj find love??