Girls Want To Be Cinderella, Not Scientists

Big Bang Theory, S06E18

After deciding that if their committee wanted to encourage more women in the sciences, they should start at the middle school level, Leonard, Sheldon, and Howard visited Howard's old school to speak to a group of girls about their jobs and the allure of science.  Penny, Amy, and Bernadette got the idea to play hookie and go to Disneyworld while they were helping Raj decide what he should do for his first date with Lucy.  With little help from his girl friends, Raj planned a text date in the library for himself and Lucy.

From the moment that I heard what their committee was about, I didn't feel like the three of them would do a great job in acheiving their goal.  I'm sure that Leonard felt that it was a worthwhile cause, but Howard and Sheldon could have cared less.  As Leonard had suggested, it looked a whole lot like a typical forced group work: one person does all the work, while the others just slack off.  Also, I don't feel like these guys are the best people to get girls interested in science.  They should have had at least had one woman in their group to give the female perspective on the problem at hand.  It made me wonder why it took until nearly the end of the story before the scientist girlfriend and wife were consulted with their points of view.

It's hard to say which one of them bombed the biggest at the middle school.  I suppose it's a toss up between Leonard and Sheldon.  Leonard tried too hard to be cool, making himself look even lamer, and went off on a tangent about how his parents pushed him into science (and the cello) and how he wanted to be a police-friendly version of Snoop Dog.  Actually, without even bringing up Sheldon, I would say that Leonard was the one who discouraged the girls best from science with all of his whining.  Sheldon was a little graphic and certainly grim about the one female scientist he brought up as an example, but at least his incompetent presentation was short and sweet.  Plus, he redeemed himself when he put an end to Leonard's bitching and acknowledged that the girls present there were being done a disservice by them.  I loved when the girls clapped at him then.  Then Sheldon finally got Amy and Bernadette on the phone, so at least he did a little damage control.  Leonard just looked like science was the reason why he needs a lot of therapy (that and his overbearing parents).

One other part I enjoyed was when Sheldon thought he should Google how to get 12 year-old girls excited and Howard and Leonard ran over to stop him.  Wow, I don't know how that would have ended if they had simply let him do that.  Sheldon might have thrown his computer into a wall after seeing those results.

It was sort of cute that the girls all decided to play hookie together, especially since their destination was Disneyland.  I thought we might see them go on some rides or eat some crazy junk food, but instead it turned into a bit of a battle for the right to be dressed as Cinderella.  Not too surprising that Bernadette, who had suggested the Disney princess makeover in the first place, made it entirely clear that she was going to be Cinderella and the other girls would have to physically fight her if they didn't agree.  I like when Bernadette gets aggressive like that.  She has that look and sound of someone sweet and gentle, but get in her way and she'll come at you like a poisonous snake.

I thought that Amy's Snow White looked the best.  I would have never guessed.  I mean, Bernadette did make a wonderful Cinderella, but it was sort of like a no-brainer choice for her.  I don't think I could have seen her as any other princess.  Penny's Sleeping Beauty (I guess) looked a little rough.  I don't know if it was because Penny was so unhappy she couldn't be the princess she wanted or if they just did her makeover a little less special.  I don't know, but I didn't think she should have went home in that outfit.

I liked Howard's reaction to Bernadette coming home in the Cinderella getup.  It's amazing that he was already fantasizing about her being dolled up so before he even saw her.  He must have really been giving a lot of thought of her day at Disneyland because who would have guessed she'd come home looking like that?  Never underestimate Howard's dirty mind, I guess.  Leonard was about as  excited to see Penny as a princess, but Penny wasn't as into it as he was.  Sadly for Amy, who looked pretty good lying so still on the couch, Sheldon had no intention of fulfilling her fantasy of being awoken by her prince.  I would pay to see Sheldon (especially if he had to dress in a puffy prince costume) bend down and give Amy an overly romantic kiss like in that story.  Maybe if he was drunk that could be possible.

Raj did a great job on his first date with Lucy.  I didn't know how he was going to find something for them to do that wouldn't be too social nor involve too much talking.  A text date in the library was as cute as it was creative.  My favorite part of their texting was the auto-correcting.  Lucy had mistakenly written "porn" instead of "prom," but Raj was smart enough not to confess how often he visits porn sites. He dodged that well.  He was also lucky that when he was gushing about how proms were like fairytales come to life, Lucy let it slide as another auto-correct for him.  Nice save, Raj.

The kiss that almost happened between them was another good moment.  I was hopeful that Lucy would be able to go through with it, but it was more amusing to hear her yell about a panic attack and leave Raj hanging.  And while Raj didn't get a kiss on their first date, he still managed to be upbeat about it all.  I think for him and Lucy that was about as perfect of a first date as they could have.

I liked this episode.  Leonard and his "excited" committee did a poor job of encouraging young girls to pursue the same career, but it was a bit fun to see them interact with kids and do the opposite of what they intended to do.  I think it would have been much more successful if they had incorporated Amy and Bernadette from the beginning.  The girls' transformation into Disney princesses was pretty great, except Penny who looked like she had been kidnapped and forced to participate.  Although Amy's costume looked the best to me, she had the worst ending with her targeted prince.  There was a happy ending for Raj, however, who almost got a kiss after executing an excellent date for himself and Lucy.  Finally it looks like Raj is going to stop being the butt of every joke when it comes to romance.

Left Behind

Suburgatory, S02E15

Tessa confronted Ryan about his unexplained absence and found out that he was investigating possible colleges.  Realizing that their futures would soon go in different directions, Tessa tried to think about college herself, while Ryan tried to find a way to stay with Tessa on a long-term basis.  Marty's sudden death made George realize no one knew him in Chatswin at all.  With Noah's help, George tried to find a good place to leave Marty's ashes after he had been the only one they could find to take them.

What a relief that Ryan wasn't doing anything particularly wrong!  He was just worried that Tessa would freak at the mention of him going off for college.  It's adorable that he was so concerned she wouldn't want to be separated from him that he tried to hide it.  That idiot.  I just wish that Tessa was more worried about them parting one day rather than almost gleefully imagining her life in New York City without Ryan.  I mean, it reflected badly on her when Ryan was moping around about his blessing being a curse because it would put himself and Tessa in different places in the future, while her first thought wasn't to find a way to maintain their relationship.  He was even ready to get himself "hobbled," so that his time with Tessa wouldn't have to end.  It took Tessa while before she thought about how precious her remaining time with Ryanwas  and rushed off to see him.  Sometimes I don't like how long it takes her to realize these things.  She's human, but still.

That guy who works at the photo shop is crazy as hell.  I knew he was a troublemaker from the moment he babbled to Ryan that he wasn't a biological Shay.  Sir, mind your own business!  This time he wanted to be a "hit man," and whack Ryan with a metal pipe?  What is this grown man doing?  He should be arrested, even if Ryan asked him to do it.  Like, Tessa pointed out that he had to hear the message she was leaving for him before he ran out to attack Ryan, but Mr. Photo acted like he had no idea.  After coming back for a second attack that failed, thankfully, I was happy to see Tessa snatch the pipe from him.  What a nutcase!  I don't like the idea of Ryan hanging out with that guy.  Nothing good ever comes from it.

Besides Ryan saying that he wanted a life-size of Tessa over a pocket-size (aww!), I loved when Tessa ambushed him in the bathroom:

[Ryan] Tessa.  You're not allowed in here unless you have a penis.[Tessa] Then what's your excuse?

I liked that Tessa was not playing around when it came to lying to her like that.  I'm guessing that he was just going to keep avoiding her, so she had to resort to such methods.  Thank goodness.  I wouldn't have wanted half of the story to be about him running away from her.

In George's story, Marty's death was so predictable.  If hadn't died after talking about having his life ahead of him, it would have seemed like false advertising (or foreshadowing).  It was sad that not one damn person knew more about him beyond a few superficial things like what his driver's license might tell you or what his mailman could say.  It's ironic the second George thought to learn one thing about Marty that he kicked the bucket.  Especially because the few bits of information he gained tipped the scale enough to make him the owner of Marty's ashes.  That's a crazy responsibility for someone who barely had a conversation with the guy.  But I guess Marty was sort of lucky he ended up in George's hands.  He could have gone to Dalia who sang this horribly monotone song for his slideshow, yet easily admitted she had never even met him.  She really set the overall sentiment for those in attendance of Marty's memorial.

It was sort of cute that even though Marty's "girl" turned out to be another stranger, Fatima still was grateful enough for the gift of the tickets to give his urn a kiss.  It was a little weird, but nice that she wasn't creeped out by receiiving a gift from a dead guy.  That was closer than he was going to get with Fatima at that moment, so George sorta did Marty a favor.

I liked George's idea of spreading out Marty's ashes outside of Chatswin to let Marty travel like he always wanted to.  I guess they couldn't afford to go somewhere really far, but I think George's heart was in the right place, so it was good enough.

Noah admitted that he was in love with Carmen--duh!  Who didn't know that?  There is no way Noah's affection for her only amounted to how well she took care of Opus.  Please.  He took her to an opera and got her fancy gifts.  It explains a lot of why he couldn't let the feud with Dallas die for the longest time.  He wanted his woman back, not his nanny.  I don't know how Jill will fit into this whole thing, but I'm sure Noah's love won't come easy.  Jill and Noah don't have the most spectacular marriage, but I doubt that Jill will be able to save face if Noah divorces her for "the help."  I just hope that Carmen, who hasn't done anything wrong (so far) doesn't get caught in the crossfire of Noah's decision to pursue her.

Speaking of love, Dalia is so aggressive when it comes to Evan.  I don't think that he'll be able to push her away after that intense kiss she gave him.  That was insane.  I admire her for going after the one she wants, even if he's so outside of my imagination of her preference.  I wonder if Dalia and Evan will make as a wonderfully mismatched couple as Tessa and Ryan do.

This was a good episode.  I couldn't hate it for any reason as long as Ryan wasn't trying to go after another girl behind Tessa's back.  I should have had more faith in him--he wouldn't be that much of a scumbag.  I don't know if they'll be able to survive Ryan going off to college, but at least they've agreed to enjoy their time while they have it.  And it's great that Ryan didn't throw away his future by letting a crazy photographer destroy his leg.   George was burdened by giving Marty his final resting place, but he eventually figured out the best thing to do.  The lesson he and Noah learned through their journey of Marty's unknown life made Noah confess his love for Carmen, which seems equivalent to lighting a stick of dynamite to me.  There might be another explosion of love soon between Evan and Dalia.  I doubt that little dork will be able to keep Dalia off his mind after the passionate kiss she gave him this week.

Get Out Of Here, Schmidt!

New Girl, S02E17

Schmidt found an empty parking spot and started a competition for it between him, Jess, and Nick.  Nick dropped out of the race initially and became the deciding vote for Schmidt and Jess, but he only got manipulated by them due to the kiss situation.  Fed up with being toyed with by Jess and Schmidt, Nick made a mad dash for the spot, prompting all three of them to stake out the parking spot until one of them finally gave it up.  Winston also ran around town looking for a condom so he could have sex with Daisy during her tight schedule.

Schmidt got on my nerves with his reaction to Nick and Jess' kiss.  I feel like they should have never told him because he made into something more upsetting than it was.  Jess and Nick were bringing a new and awkward vibe to the apartment, but that didn't give Schmidt the right to give them shit about it like they had been having sex or anything and were stirring up drama because of that.  Mostly I think Schmidt was worried about the parking spot and Jess using sexual tension to get an advantage over him.  He did bring up the loft oath about some no-nailing policy that the guys had all signed, but hearing that just made me hate the fact that Schmidt knew about Jess and Nick all the more.  He made it so much worse talking about that agreement and forcing a kiss with Jess (so gross).

Schmidt also interrupted one of the best parts of the episode.  Jess had forfeited her rights to the parking spot after Nick talked about how much he regretted kissing her.  I absolutely loved when he said that his real regret was that he made things between them weird and the reason he kissed her was because he couldn't help it.  The way they were looking at each was just like they would finally get to kiss again until "Pee Pants" Schmidt walked in between them and basically peed all over their moment.  I was so pissed about that!  I almost wish that Jess and Nick didn't care about the parking spot from the beginning and just let Schmidt have it so they could have all that time to concentrate on themselves.  Wish Jess had rammed into his car so hard that it flipped over and slid down the street into traffic.

One part that was equally as good that Schmidt didn't ruin was when Jess decided to seduce Nick by wearing his hoodie paired only with some tights.  I can't believe how much she wanted that parking spot or how much she unconsciously wanted to flirt with Nick.  Typically you would think that it would be hard or embarrassing to come on to your roommate for the sake of easier parking, but Jess looked like she was more than willing to slide that hoodie down to show him what was underneath.  I loved it because Nick was surprised and confused, yet not against her methods.  I even liked when he offered her a hug and Jess panicked and gave him a purple nurple.  One of the comedy benefits of them being so awkward with each other now.

The only thing that I liked in Winston's story was when he ran to Cece's for a condom.  Shivrang crazily was giving Cece a second chance, it seemed, and she was trying to convince him that her friends were chill and drama-free.  I liked that after Winston had made Shivrang confess he did have a condom and assumed that Cece wasn't going to give Shivrang any that night that Shivrang claimed this second meeting with Cece's friends was worse than the first time.  I had to agree, and he'd be the biggest idiot in the world to give her a third chance.  Not sure if Cece's dodging a bullet or not--we haven't quite gotten to see what Shivrang is all about yet.

I liked this episode mainly because of how Jess and Nick were acting around each other.  I don't know how long it will continue to be like this with them, but since it's creating a lot of funny situations, I don't mind if it drags on.  I just hope that Schmidt will butt out and let their natural attraction for each other play out.  I'm getting a bit antsy to see what next step they will take.  Whether they decide to start seeing other people or try out dating each other, I'm ready for it, even if it causes a lot more damage to their friendship.

The Kiss's Many Effects

New Girl, S02E16

Jess and Nick couldn't face each other after the kiss, so they both tried to avoid each other by spending time with their friends.  Unfortunately, they ended up running to the same place, a marriage convention.  Schmidt attended so that he could stop Cece from finding a husband there, but he ended up defending her when the table placing made Cece look like an outcast.

I should have known that neither Jess nor Nick would be able to play off such a passionate kiss like it was nothing.  I didn't think that Nick would resort to moonwalk retreating from Jess, though.  I really loved when he kept doing that because it's such an flashy way to run away from someone, at least when Nick does it.  It doubles the attention you would get from just walking away normally.

Winston also had a funny reaction to hearing about their kiss.  He surprised me both by hitting Nick in the balls and telling him that Nick would have to move out if he didn't make it right.  I know that Nick isn't the best roommate in the world, but I thought for sure he would stick by his childhood friend's side.  That was great.

Another great moment in this story was when Jess and Nick had to make that table out of newspaper and tape.  Despite them bickering through the whole activity, they made the strongest table.  I liked seeing Nick jump on the table to prove that it would break and it remained intact under Nick's weight and another guy's.  It was nice to see like a physical piece of evidence that Jess and Nick would make a strong couple.

 Before that, Nick said something really funny about their kiss, which was great not only because it was a flimsy argument but it also showed that he's oddly attracted to Jess:

You have to take a little responsibility!  Tarting around in that little, soft, pink robe and not expecting to get kissed!  I'm a man, Jessica!  Pink robes are my catnip!

What man can't control himself when he sees a girl in a pink robe?  What?  The weirdest things turn Nick on, and I love it.

I was glad that Jess didn't try to lie about the kiss to Sam, but I felt bad that he wanted nothing to do with her as soon as he heard about it.  I thought Jess might get some time to explain or something, but he was done with her pretty much the second she ended her sentence about Nick.  Sam continued the series of surprises in this story when he swiftly punched Nick in the chest when Nick came along to defend Jess.  Wow.  He got his one hit on Nick, said his piece and was out.  That is not how I imagined the end of their relationship, and the speedy end actually made me a lot more sad than I had thought.  I mean, Jess got dumped pretty hard.  Plus, it wasn't like she was going to run into Nick's arms right after that, so it wasn't painless for her.

I did love Nick's dancing to a Taylor Swift song while Jess was drinking in sorrow.  He has such gaudy and strange dance moves!  If it were me, I would have forgiven him instantly after seeing that.  It was cute that he wanted to cheer her up, and I sort of wish that Jess would have laughed at him like I had.  Later, though, I was disappointed that Nick looked like he was going to break his promise to not to kiss her again, but he only hugged Jess in an unnatural way.  I guess that's just how it's going to be between the two of them for a while.  I doubt they'll let down their pride and admit how much they like each other for real.

Schmidt, on the other hand, has no pride at all showing up at the Indian Marriage Convention dressed in traditional Indian clothes.  Nick was too busy running from his problems to comment on how ridiculous he looked, so I was happy that Winston managed to get the job done:

You look like the fortune-teller in Big.

 However, Winston didn't look too bad in the white shirt he was wearing, but Nick looked just as bad as Schmidt (I don't think Nick can pull off any hat, really).  It's no wonder that the coordinator at the convention was literally all over Winston's ass.  I loved seeing that, even if he's sorta with Daisy now.  That lady was super-aggressive, and it made Winston a little uncomfortable.  I would have liked to see him get with her.

I wasn't really moved by the grand speech that Schmidt made to defend Cece at the end, but I did like how he ended it:

You people could have had it all.   And you shoved her over there at a table with Nick.  Get your crap together, India.

I liked that he brings up Nick like everyone knows who he is.  It was just generally interesting in the first place that Nick and Cece were seated at the same table.  I never thought of her life choices being similar to Nick.  That's a wake up call, if I ever saw one.  It made me notice that she is the type of person to just go from one thing to the next without much planning.  I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, but apparently it didn't make her the most attractive wife candidate.  It's pretty surprising considering how beautiful she is.  Guess looks will only get you so far.  Damn.

Schmidt and Cece ended up sleeping with each other again.  They might have missed doing that, but I sure haven't.  It hasn't been long enough since the last time we had to hear Schmidt talk about their sex, nor see the two of them jump into bed.  Gross.  I mean, I'm happy they're sort of back together because I'm tired of Schmidt stalking her, but I'll never get used to how dirty Schmidt makes everything they do in the bed sound.

This was a good episode, full of a lot of reactions that I didn't expect.  I mostly didn't calculate that Sam and Jess would be over so soon after the kiss was done.  That was good for the sake of Jess and Nick in the future, but I couldn't help but feel bad for Jess getting tossed away in a blink of an eye.  I liked Sam enough that I could have tolerated them at least trying to work it out.  I'm not too much overjoyed to see Schmidt and Cece working their way back to a shared bed.  I haven't missed the filthy things I have to see and hear regarding that.  I just wish that Nick and Jess would stop being so ashamed of their love.  They need to turn all this awkward energy resisting each other into an awkward power couple!

Rump Saves Belle, But Wants Death For Others

Once Upon A Time, S02E12

Emma and the others tried to save the life of a mysterious newcomer to town, even though they were worried that he might have discovered Storybrooke's secret.  Dr. Whale deserted his duties at the hospital, still haunted by his past where he tried to bring his brother back to life.  Rumpelstiltskin tried to jumpstart Belle's memories in vain and received a gift from Cora to help him locate his son.  Cora found Regina and convinced her that her only goal was to repair their broken bound as mother and daughter.

I was pretty distracted by Hook getting run over and Belle getting shot and losing her memories to think too much about what problems a stranger could bring to their town until Rump very expertly laid it down to the group of Emma, her parents, Red, and Grumpy.  He not only let them know that this guy Greg could have seen him tossing fire around, but suggested they let him die.  I liked that they didn't immediately reject Rump's idea, as cruel as it might have seen.  I mean, the guy did run over a person, so it's not like Greg was completely innocent.  Although, not so guilty that he deserved to be killed by them.

Rump had instantly healed Belle, of course, but when Whale asked him to do the same for Hook who was suffering from internal bleeding, Rump did not give one damn.  I mean, why would he?  He kicked Hook's ass and was ready to choke him if Emma and Charming hadn't stopped him.  Still, it was funny that Whale thought Rump would be decent enough to save his enemy's life.  Um, did he just meet Rump yesterday or something?

Belle, with no memory, might as well have just met Rump because she has no emotional attachment  to him now.  It was sweet that he had kissed her while she was sleeping (perhaps in an attempt to cure her with true love?), but despite that I'm sad that Belle and Rump's romance has been put on hold, when she woke up from the kiss and screamed, I had to laugh.  He seemed like such a pervert!  Since I know it's not true, it was funnier than I expected.  Plus, he just hurried out of the room like he had done something really wrong.  Poor Rump.

The situation hit a sadness peak when Rump came back with the chipped cup that Belle had held dear.  I thought maybe he was onto something there, but Belle fought back against him so hard as if he was trying to inject her with poison or something.  You can't blame her when he's talking about him living in a castle and magic when none of those things make sense to her.  At that point, I knew that Rump was going to fail, but I didn't think Belle would throw the cup and shatter it!  Oh, no!  I felt like a piece of their relationship had been shattered.  It was pretty awful to see those shards on the floor and watch Rump leave defeated.  Thank God, I guess, that he's leaving town so he doesn't have to go through the torture of reminding Belle of a past that has been erased from her mind.

When Rump did decide to leave town, I thought it was going to be on pretty good terms.  Like him just packing his bags and disappearing before he killed himself over Belle or killed Hook for revenge.  Strange enough (or perhaps not so strange since she's not a prisoner to Storybrooke), he decided to not go alone and take Emma.  What?  Emma does specialize in finding people (family trait, I suppose), but why her?  Even if he had a favor to cash in, it seems sort of a waste to bring Emma when he has that globe from Cora to tell him Bae's location.  I mean, it seemed like before Belle got shot, he was going to leave on his own in the first place.  Maybe I misread what he was doing and he was only testing his talisman at that time.  I dunno.  But if taking Emma wasn't bad enough Rump also announced that he was going to kill the whole Charming family if Belle was hurt in his absence--damn!  To me, that came out of nowhere.  Since when did he need to threaten their family like they had done something to him (it should be the other way around)?  Maybe that was his way of asking them to watch over her for him, but it just looked like he was just so angry at them.  I'm actually pretty frightened for them all (although his threat did make me laugh).

We finally got to see Regina and thankfully she hadn't fallen into her mother's hands.  Or so I had thought.  Cora didn't have to do very much before she had Regina crying on her shoulder and taking her advice about how to get Henry back.  Regina, you freaking idiot!  Your mother doesn't even know what the word "sincere" means!  I was a little proud that Regina was just going to take her mother and make her explain how Regina was innocent, but then Cora used her feelings for Henry to make her into her puppet again.  Damnit!  Not looking forward to the "ideas" that Cora had mentioned. Regina's going to end up losing Henry for good with that old hag's help.

There's not much I wanted to say about Whale's past.  I really couldn't care less with all the other more dire things going on.  Who has time to worry about Frankenstein lamenting about turning his brother into a monster?  The only thing that was interesting was him meeting Rump.  Not really sure why Rump wanted to learn Whale's technique for rising the dead.  Maybe it was all just a ruse to get Whale to meet Regina and for Regina to see that reviving Daniel wasn't going to happen.  Not sure.  But anyway, I couldn't enjoy the look into the past when I was so worried about what was happening in the present.

In the end, it looks like everyone should have listened to Rump (as pretty much always) because Greg had indeed seen Rump's magic.  I really wonder what the consequences of that will be?  I mean, who the hell would believe what Greg had seen without proof?  I can't imagine what he saw being enough to convince anyone else.  Unless, as Henry had suggested, there are other people from other worlds in the Storybrooke world that they just don't know about and Greg is from one of them.  Who knows--the possibility is just endless.

This episode was a lot less sadder than I anticipated.  I was worried that I wouldn't be able to watch Rump interact with Belle who has no memory of him or herself.  Their love problems were less pronounced by Emma's group trying to decide to kill or save Greg.  Unfortunately, they probably would have been better off killing him now that he knows what Rump can do.  There was also little time to worry about Belle when Regina was falling into her mother's hand again with hardly enough resistance.  I think when you consider Emma's going on a road trip with Rump and Regina's succumbing to her mother's ploy, Belle's memory lost doesn't seem so terrible.

Being With Loved Ones

Suburgatory, S02E07

Ryan freaked out after learning he was adopted and stayed at Malik's house during his identity crisis.  George set up avacation package for Tessa and Alex to enjoy during the holidays, so they could spend time together.  Dalia wanted Carmen to come home for Christmas and made a music video that expressed her feelings.  Carmen and Jill didn't get along well, and Carmen considered whether she wanted to stay at that house.

Ryan was sort of acting like a mixture of the Hulk and some kind of wild animal once he found out he was adopted.  I knew he would be mad and confused, but I could have never predicted that he would jump on his parents' car and start banging on it in a fit of rage!  I really loved how he scared the hell out of his family.  It was so funny.  Especially when he went to Lisa's window calling her a liar and she quickly rolled up the window in fear.  He probably would have pulled her out of the car and started swinging her body around like a bag or potatoes.  Ryan is so crazy!  He even hit things like parking meters and lamp posts like some kind of maniac.

I loved that he somehow happened to be running on the street when Malik's family was driving by.  It was cute how Malik coaxed him into coming near with a Starburst.  He's such a simple guy!  Then it was really weird that Malik threw him into the trunk and closed it.  Malik's dad responded in a funny way:

Did you just put a human being in our trunk?

I'm assuming that Malik did so because there was no room in that little ass car for one more person, but I felt kind of bad for him.  But at least he had a place to go.  While there, he apparently had time to print out business cards with his new "opposite name," Eugene Goldfarb.  Horrible name.  Doesn't fit him at all.  It was funny that he had "no longer living a lie" written on there.

The best part of Ryan's story was when Lisa asked Tessa to go talk to him.  It seemed that she had straightened him out and made him realize that the Shays were his real family because they raised him, but he ended up running away.  However, I was so happy that Tessa admitted that she had a crush on Ryan too and kissed him.  It was adorable how happy he was about it because she had used tongue.  It was the only thing he wanted for Christmas--Aww!  Ryan and Tessa forever!

Speaking of Tessa, I'm surprised that she missed George so much.  She just seemed so gung-ho about spending time with Alex that I thought she would be super excited.  But I guess during Christmas you just really long for your traditions and those that you remember spending them with.  It just didn't feel like Christmas when she was in a spa and sitting in a hotel lobby with a mother she barely knew.  Also, there was that incredibly clumsy hug the two of them did.  Ugh.  It was nothing like the quick one George had to remind Tessa to give him before she left.  So it only made sense she would want to come back.  I was a little touched by her feelings because it reminded me of my own feelings for my father during Christmas.

There were lots of great things in the other stories, but Dalia blew away all the other stories with her music video "You Missed A Spot."  That was hilarious and cute!  She even had her stepmother in there sort of rapping in a futuristic flight attendant outfit.  And I loved seeing Dalia making a heart with her hands but seem so emotionless doing it.  I think I enjoyed every second of that video.  I had high expectations, but Dalia exceeded them.  Wow.

Another "wow' thing was that Dalia called George "Daddy Altman."  I don't know if she meant it sincerely (because her voice always sounds the same), but it was sort of sweet because it caught me off-guard.  Has she already started to think of George as a father figure?  Because that would great. He might have scored enough points to earn that right since he managed to get Carmen back for Dalia.  I thought he might, but I hoped Carmen wouldn't have to actually be in a box (she must love Dalia to sit in a box with packing peanuts just to surprise Dalia).  He also scored points with Dallas too--good job, George.

Great Christmas episode.  It's a little earlier than I was expecting, but I suppose it's all right since it's already December.  I guess that just means that they won't be showing any more episodes for a while?  I hope that Ryan goes home soon and gives up that stupid name he invented.  I'm happy that Tessa hasn't forgotten about her father in exchange for her mother.  Dalia's hilarious music video also helped get herself reunited with her loved one.   She really needs to have another reason to make another video again--I don't care what the song is about.

The Mastermind, Mr. Gold

Once Upon A Time, S01E22

Emma finally believed in magic once Henry was in a coma after eating the poisoned turnover.  She confronted the Queen about her actions and asked her to fix the situation, but Regina couldn't do anything without magic.  The two went to Mr. Gold for help, who gave Emma a sword and told her where to find the last bit of magic snuck into the Storybrooke world.  The magic was in an egg, which was hidden in the belly of a dragon held in secret underground  location by the Queen.  Emma managed to reduce the beast to ash and get the egg, but Mr. Gold tricked her into handing the egg over to him.  Emma and the Queen didn't have the time to take it back from him because the hospital called with news about Henry.  When it looked like Henry was dead, Emma gave him a kiss that cured him and removed the curse.  All around town, everyone remembered their original lives.  However, Gold used the last bit of magic in a well that can bring back lost things.  We also saw the story of how Charming saved Snow from her own poison apple and how they were engaged.

As much as I wanted Emma to believe in Henry, I was just a little disappointed in the way that she realized that the stories were true and who the Mayor really was.  It just seemed so simple that she would hold the fairy tale book once again and only at that moment would the truth be revealed to her.  Then again, August did say that Emma was only seeing what she wanted to see, so I guess if she had even the faintest desire to want to see past the illusion of the curse, that was when she would come to her "senses."  I got over this disappointment when Emma took the Mayor into a closet and was throwing her around.  It was funny and it was nice to see that after all the crap that the Mayor had pulled.  Most of all, it was nice to see the Mayor defeated by her own game and Emma the one calling the shots.  Of course, since Emma is new to the game, she had no idea what to do to help Henry (since the Queen was useless then), but I knew that Mr. Gold would be able to help.

You gotta love how Gold was putting the Queen in the corner when Emma went to him for help.  He basically told her to shut up and let Emma handle everything.  Made me laugh.  Gold wasn't surprised that Emma had realized the curse was real and already had her father's sword prepared for her to take.  This man really was just sitting around until things just fell into place for him.  It doesn't surprise me at all that he managed to hoard some magic into their current world, but it did surprise me that it was in a dragon that existed in both worlds.

The scene where Charming puts the egg into the dragon and Emma is trying to retrieve it were so similar that I got irritated that they kept switching back and forth.  I like when the stories from both worlds blend, but this was too much.  What was good about those scenes was seeing Kristin Bauer as Maleficent again.  She doesn't have much of a role on this show, but I think she plays a witch quite well.  It's too bad she had to be a dragon in both worlds.  How is it that she remained a beast in the other world as well?  I suppose that everyone was reborn in the way that the Queen saw fit and that was how she chose to keep her.  Still, Gold must have really been scheming well to know that the Queen would bring her to Storybrooke in that form so that he would have a way to get his egg back.

Unlike her father, Emma was not an impressive dragon slayer (not that he was there to kill it).  She thought it would be a better idea to shoot at the dragon before she used the sword that Gold (someone who freaking knows how the magic world works) gave her to use.  But I'll give Emma a break because it's not common knowledge on how one should defeat a dragon.  I wasn't too impressed that one random throw of the sword landed in the dragon's belly and destroyed it.  Emma basically ran around for a little bit and threw the sword one time and won.  I wanted her to work a little more for it.  It was supposed to be the cure for Henry's condition anyway.

I loved that Mr. Gold so easily stole the egg from Emma and had the Queen tied up.  Everything he does is so simple, yet it is very smart.  I mean, he didn't have to hide the egg himself in the magic world, nor did he have to do the work to get it back in the other world.  The Queen was a fool not to buddy up with Gold better; he's the one with the smarts to make everything move according to his own wishes.

Since a kiss worked on Snow before, it was not too surprising that Henry came back to life from Emma's kiss.  I expected more of a big reaction from the townspeople as they regained their memories and less of Regina's easy retreat back to her empty mansion.  I would have at least loved to see someone throw some old fruit at her for all the crap she's done!  But the biggest fireworks from the curse being lifted were Snow and Charming embracing each other in the middle of the street.  I wish that it moved me as much as it should.  I was still unable to forget about Charming as David, the weasel.  But I'm sure that Snow has no intentions of ever holding that against him.  At least "David" as we know it is gone.  I will miss, MM, though.

I think I was more moved by Belle finding Gold and their reunion.  It was even sweeter when Belle realized who she was and they both said that they loved each other.  Of course, that moment was diminished by the fact that Rump seemed to be bringing back magic to their world for nefarious reasons.  There was something very sinister about that purple smoke rolling over the town.  It looked more like a new curse than Rump simply bringing back magic to their lives.  However, it must have been just that because the Queen looked upon the fog with satisfaction.  Nothing good can come out of her having her powers back.

I wonder what will happen to Jefferson after he arranged for Belle to escape and sent word to Gold that the Queen was behind her being locked up (and seeming to be dead)?  The curse has been lifted, so he should go back to being with his daughter, but surely the Queen won't let him get away.  He also seemed to have something to do with Henry taking a turn for the worst before Emma saved him.  I hate that he needed to get at Henry to punish the Queen, but he is a little obligated after the way she used him as she did.

Lastly, I just wanted to say that I expected a little more emotion when Charming awoke Snow from her kiss.  Snow woke up so casually, and Charming just as casually responded to her being alive again.  Neither of them knew that would happen!  Why weren't they more shocked??  And Charming should have shown a little more joy and appreciation, rather than be almost cocky about curing her curse.  Maybe it was just me, but I was bothered by that scene.

I wish that the season finale was twice as long because they were just starting to get into some new drama!  We knew that Henry would be saved, but it took nearly the whole episode to see him cured.  I wanted to know more about Rump's ultimate plan and what he has in store now that the curse is lifted.  He has Belle back at his side, but he surely doesn't look like a man who is going to kick back and enjoy his happily ever after.  There was little shown of everyone's reactions to their memories being returned, and I desperately wanted to see what they thought about how they had conducted their lives for the last 28 years.  And of course, I wanted to see the Queen pay more for her crimes beyond losing Henry.  I simply can't wait to see what Gold has up his sleeve and what the Queen will do to try to regain her position on top.  It was a good finale, but they left me wanting for a lot more!