Monday, October 1, 2012
Review - Season 2 Episode 1 - Broken - "Another Beginning"
We're not from this world.
Yeah, well, you're in it now.
As the purple haze dissipates over the town of Storybrooke, the recently amnesiac fairy tale characters gather. It’s a joy-filled reunion, but there are many questions. What was the purple smoke? What does it mean? Who did it? Why aren’t they back in Fairy Tale Land?
Snow White and Prince Charming can’t answer their questions. But it’s true. They remember now.
Emma is shocked. With confusion in her voice, she questions her newly found parents. Is it really them? Yes, and they want to know everything that’s happened to her since they gave her away. What is her life like? Essentially, who has their daughter become?
Emma doesn’t want to answer those questions. It’s hard enough to swallow this pill. I mean, of all the scenarios she’s concocted over the years of who they might be, fairy tale characters was not one of them. But now, standing before them, she has to accept it.
She just needs time to digest it all. And first, while the rest of the town wants to kill Regina for all she’s done. Henry begs Emma to not let anyone kill Regina. She’s still his mom. Emma and gang must stop the angry mob.
At Regina’s, Dr. Whale and his posse provoke Regina. They want her to come out so they can kill her. Regina, thinking she has magic now, pompously walks out. Whatever they have planned, they’ll never be able to touch her. Raising her hands above her head, she prepares to unleash lethal magic. But nothing happens. Whoops.
Before Dr. Whale can hurt her, Emma and gang show up. They can’t stoop to her level. Sure, she may have sent them here and they can deal with that later. Right now, just lock her up and go after the real person responsible for unleashing the purple smoke, Mr. Gold.
Mr. Gold couldn’t be happier. He’s got his beautiful girlfriend back, not to mention all the magic he could ever want. Belle sees his greed in his eyes and makes him promise that he won’t kill Regina. He promises, but that’s not all he has planned.
Locked in the Storybrooke jail, Regina can’t use magic to get out. She’s at the mercy of Mr. Gold, who informs her that magic is different here. He tells her he’s promised Belle, who is indeed alive and well, that he won’t kill Regina. But not to worry, he has just the thing that will take care of that.
Grabbing her arm, he shoves a medallion into Regina’s palm, branding her with the symbol it bears.
She knows what it means. She’s as good as dead.
In the woods away from Belle, Mr. Gold summons a wraith. This wraith is amongst the deadliest of creates for it sucks the very soul from anyone who is marked with a particular symbol, the one he forced upon the queen herself. There is no escaping this creature.
Before facing Mr. Gold, Emma sends Henry away with Ruby. She wants him to be safe from whatever Mr. Gold’s reaction might be, especially now that there’s magic in the air.
With Henry gone, Mary Margaret/Snow wants to talk, to Emma, about everything, but she can’t help but feel Emma isn’t happy that they’re together. Yet Emma is happy, but she’s also angry. How could they have sent her away? What truly would have been worse of a curse, separation forever or together but never knowing who they truly were? (What Emma’s forgetting is that if they hadn’t sent her away she would have stayed a newborn, for forever maybe, and the curse would never have been broken).
Ending this line of conversation, she leads her parents to Mr. Gold’s pawn shop to interrogate him. But he’s not giving anything away.
The ground suddenly shakes. The sky turns dark. The wind whistles deafeningly down the streets of Storybrooke. Power lines transmitters spark.
That will take care of Regina. And before they leave, Mr. Gold reminds Emma of her favor to him. Belle overhears the conversation and comes out of the back room when the three Charmings leave. She’s disappointed. He’s still a man who makes wrong choices. And she storms out as well.
In the jail, the lights flicker. Regina knows what’s happening. The wraith appears and begins suck the life out of her. The Charmings storm in just in time. David throws a chair at the creature and Mary Margaret uses a handy-dandy lighter and aerosol can to blow torch the monster. It breaks out a window and flies away. But it’s not dead. It will only regenerate and come back.
But there might be one way to get rid of it. The wraith is dead and according to Regina, Fairy Tale Land is non-existent. If they can send it to a place that doesn’t exist, well, it will be trapped in oblivion.
Mr. Gold warned Regina that magic is different here, and no matter how hard Regina tries, she can’t get the hat to open up. The wraith is back, but David and Mary Margaret are armed with broom torches. They can hold it off until the hat works, but that hat is still.
Emma grabs Regina’s arm and the hat spins. It’s working!
But as the wraith is sucked into the swirling vortex it grabs Emma into the hat. With the hat still open, Mary Margaret goes in after her daughter. She can’t lose her again. David races after them, but the hat closes and he lands on the hard tile floor.
David is angry and in tears. Regina must bring them back. She can’t. Nor is she grateful. Rather than thank David for saving her life, she uses her new-found magic and pins him to the wall, entrapping him with vines that sprung from the wallpaper. She should have killed him when she had the chance. And she won’t get it this time either, for Henry bursts in.
David drops to the ground. Henry’s angry for what Regina did and refuses to live with her. Instead he’ll live with his grandpa. Until Regina can prove her love to Henry, he wants nothing to do with her.
And what of Mary Margaret and Emma? Are they still alive? David can’t be sure, but he comforts his grandson, telling him they must have faith.
He’ll find them. He’ll always find them…
In Fairy Tale Land we see a young maiden, ensnared by eternal sleep. That is until her prince awakens her with true love’s kiss. Her name is Aurora the Sleeping Beauty, and he is Prince Phillip.
He’s not alone, however. With him is Mulan, a woman he’s fought many battles with. Aurora is thankful for the heroism, but the joy is cut short.
Out of the palace’s floors a creature burst into the courtyard. Prince Phillip slashes at it with his sword, but only manages to cut off a medallion around its neck. The wraith flies off and Phillip picks up the medallion, but slips it into a pouch under his cloak.
Mulan knows what it means. The symbol can mark anyone who touches it, and the wraith will kill anyone with that mark.
Unbeknownst to the two women, Phillip knows he’s been marked. He touched it and the symbol is now branded into his hand. He can’t put them in harm’s way, and if the beast will only track him until he’s dead, he has no choice but to sacrifice himself.
In the woods, he makes an excuse to leave, knowing he will never see his love again. When he doesn’t return, Mulan suspects it’s because he’s been marked. She’ll save him.
Aurora isn’t going to stay back and let it happen. She’ll come to. Together they can save him.
But the wraith isn’t one that can be defeated. The two women see Phillip just as the wraith begins to suck the life out of him. There’s nothing that can be done. The wraith finishes its job and is pulled into the medallion. Phillip is dead.
The two women transport him back to the palace. It is there that Mulan imparts her knowledge of what’s happened. While Aurora thinks she’s only been under the sleeping curse for a year, it has actually been 28 years.
You see, Regina, the Evil Queen, cast a curse on the land. For some unknown reason this corner of it was untouched. A small group of people found a safe haven away from the new dangers that fill the land. Mulan and Prince Phillip had been en route to saving Aurora when the curse hit. Time was frozen in Fairy Tale Land, but 28 years later the curse began to weaken. Mulan and Phillip resumed their search and found Aurora.
As for the safe haven, they must go there now.
That’s when they hear rustling. It’s coming from the rubble near the whole in the floor. Mulan and Aurora move to check it out. What they find is two new sleeping beauties: Mary Margaret and Emma, unconscious, but stirring on the hard floor.
This, Mulan says, is what brought the wraith that killed their prince!
Burning Questions:
1) Who is the mystery man in New York? Could he be Rumplestiltskin’s son?
2) When and how will Mary Margaret and Emma get back to Storybrooke?
3) Does Emma still have magic in her, or did she transfer it all to Regina?
4) How far does the new magic reach? Just Storybrooke or the whole world?
5) Will Phillip ever come back to life?
6) Who is Dr. Whale?
7) What happened to August? Still wooden?
8) Will Ruby be able to turn into a wolf again?
9) Where is Kathryn or Jefferson?
10) Will Regina ever be able to prove any real love for Henry?
11) What happened to the Fairy Tale Land we know and love? Will Emma and Mary Margaret try to go there?
12) What new dangers does Fairy Tale Land have?
13) Why didn’t Regina’s curse send all of the fairy tale characters to Storybrooke? Rumplestiltskin’s plan? Does Regina know that there are still people left in Fairy Tale Land?
Extra: Funniest line of the episode: “Maybe I don’t need answers. Maybe I just need to punch you in the face!” ~ Emma to Mr. Gold. Wouldn’t we have loved to see that?!
Any more questions you want answered? Leave a comment on my comments page or on the blog under this post!
~ Taryn
Yeah, well, you're in it now.
As the purple haze dissipates over the town of Storybrooke, the recently amnesiac fairy tale characters gather. It’s a joy-filled reunion, but there are many questions. What was the purple smoke? What does it mean? Who did it? Why aren’t they back in Fairy Tale Land?
Snow White and Prince Charming can’t answer their questions. But it’s true. They remember now.
Emma is shocked. With confusion in her voice, she questions her newly found parents. Is it really them? Yes, and they want to know everything that’s happened to her since they gave her away. What is her life like? Essentially, who has their daughter become?
Emma doesn’t want to answer those questions. It’s hard enough to swallow this pill. I mean, of all the scenarios she’s concocted over the years of who they might be, fairy tale characters was not one of them. But now, standing before them, she has to accept it.
She just needs time to digest it all. And first, while the rest of the town wants to kill Regina for all she’s done. Henry begs Emma to not let anyone kill Regina. She’s still his mom. Emma and gang must stop the angry mob.
At Regina’s, Dr. Whale and his posse provoke Regina. They want her to come out so they can kill her. Regina, thinking she has magic now, pompously walks out. Whatever they have planned, they’ll never be able to touch her. Raising her hands above her head, she prepares to unleash lethal magic. But nothing happens. Whoops.
Before Dr. Whale can hurt her, Emma and gang show up. They can’t stoop to her level. Sure, she may have sent them here and they can deal with that later. Right now, just lock her up and go after the real person responsible for unleashing the purple smoke, Mr. Gold.
Mr. Gold couldn’t be happier. He’s got his beautiful girlfriend back, not to mention all the magic he could ever want. Belle sees his greed in his eyes and makes him promise that he won’t kill Regina. He promises, but that’s not all he has planned.
Locked in the Storybrooke jail, Regina can’t use magic to get out. She’s at the mercy of Mr. Gold, who informs her that magic is different here. He tells her he’s promised Belle, who is indeed alive and well, that he won’t kill Regina. But not to worry, he has just the thing that will take care of that.
Grabbing her arm, he shoves a medallion into Regina’s palm, branding her with the symbol it bears.
She knows what it means. She’s as good as dead.
In the woods away from Belle, Mr. Gold summons a wraith. This wraith is amongst the deadliest of creates for it sucks the very soul from anyone who is marked with a particular symbol, the one he forced upon the queen herself. There is no escaping this creature.
Before facing Mr. Gold, Emma sends Henry away with Ruby. She wants him to be safe from whatever Mr. Gold’s reaction might be, especially now that there’s magic in the air.
With Henry gone, Mary Margaret/Snow wants to talk, to Emma, about everything, but she can’t help but feel Emma isn’t happy that they’re together. Yet Emma is happy, but she’s also angry. How could they have sent her away? What truly would have been worse of a curse, separation forever or together but never knowing who they truly were? (What Emma’s forgetting is that if they hadn’t sent her away she would have stayed a newborn, for forever maybe, and the curse would never have been broken).
Ending this line of conversation, she leads her parents to Mr. Gold’s pawn shop to interrogate him. But he’s not giving anything away.
The ground suddenly shakes. The sky turns dark. The wind whistles deafeningly down the streets of Storybrooke. Power lines transmitters spark.
That will take care of Regina. And before they leave, Mr. Gold reminds Emma of her favor to him. Belle overhears the conversation and comes out of the back room when the three Charmings leave. She’s disappointed. He’s still a man who makes wrong choices. And she storms out as well.
In the jail, the lights flicker. Regina knows what’s happening. The wraith appears and begins suck the life out of her. The Charmings storm in just in time. David throws a chair at the creature and Mary Margaret uses a handy-dandy lighter and aerosol can to blow torch the monster. It breaks out a window and flies away. But it’s not dead. It will only regenerate and come back.
But there might be one way to get rid of it. The wraith is dead and according to Regina, Fairy Tale Land is non-existent. If they can send it to a place that doesn’t exist, well, it will be trapped in oblivion.
Mr. Gold warned Regina that magic is different here, and no matter how hard Regina tries, she can’t get the hat to open up. The wraith is back, but David and Mary Margaret are armed with broom torches. They can hold it off until the hat works, but that hat is still.
Emma grabs Regina’s arm and the hat spins. It’s working!
But as the wraith is sucked into the swirling vortex it grabs Emma into the hat. With the hat still open, Mary Margaret goes in after her daughter. She can’t lose her again. David races after them, but the hat closes and he lands on the hard tile floor.
David is angry and in tears. Regina must bring them back. She can’t. Nor is she grateful. Rather than thank David for saving her life, she uses her new-found magic and pins him to the wall, entrapping him with vines that sprung from the wallpaper. She should have killed him when she had the chance. And she won’t get it this time either, for Henry bursts in.
David drops to the ground. Henry’s angry for what Regina did and refuses to live with her. Instead he’ll live with his grandpa. Until Regina can prove her love to Henry, he wants nothing to do with her.
And what of Mary Margaret and Emma? Are they still alive? David can’t be sure, but he comforts his grandson, telling him they must have faith.
He’ll find them. He’ll always find them…
In Fairy Tale Land we see a young maiden, ensnared by eternal sleep. That is until her prince awakens her with true love’s kiss. Her name is Aurora the Sleeping Beauty, and he is Prince Phillip.
He’s not alone, however. With him is Mulan, a woman he’s fought many battles with. Aurora is thankful for the heroism, but the joy is cut short.
Out of the palace’s floors a creature burst into the courtyard. Prince Phillip slashes at it with his sword, but only manages to cut off a medallion around its neck. The wraith flies off and Phillip picks up the medallion, but slips it into a pouch under his cloak.
Mulan knows what it means. The symbol can mark anyone who touches it, and the wraith will kill anyone with that mark.
Unbeknownst to the two women, Phillip knows he’s been marked. He touched it and the symbol is now branded into his hand. He can’t put them in harm’s way, and if the beast will only track him until he’s dead, he has no choice but to sacrifice himself.
In the woods, he makes an excuse to leave, knowing he will never see his love again. When he doesn’t return, Mulan suspects it’s because he’s been marked. She’ll save him.
Aurora isn’t going to stay back and let it happen. She’ll come to. Together they can save him.
But the wraith isn’t one that can be defeated. The two women see Phillip just as the wraith begins to suck the life out of him. There’s nothing that can be done. The wraith finishes its job and is pulled into the medallion. Phillip is dead.
The two women transport him back to the palace. It is there that Mulan imparts her knowledge of what’s happened. While Aurora thinks she’s only been under the sleeping curse for a year, it has actually been 28 years.
You see, Regina, the Evil Queen, cast a curse on the land. For some unknown reason this corner of it was untouched. A small group of people found a safe haven away from the new dangers that fill the land. Mulan and Prince Phillip had been en route to saving Aurora when the curse hit. Time was frozen in Fairy Tale Land, but 28 years later the curse began to weaken. Mulan and Phillip resumed their search and found Aurora.
As for the safe haven, they must go there now.
That’s when they hear rustling. It’s coming from the rubble near the whole in the floor. Mulan and Aurora move to check it out. What they find is two new sleeping beauties: Mary Margaret and Emma, unconscious, but stirring on the hard floor.
This, Mulan says, is what brought the wraith that killed their prince!
Burning Questions:
1) Who is the mystery man in New York? Could he be Rumplestiltskin’s son?
2) When and how will Mary Margaret and Emma get back to Storybrooke?
3) Does Emma still have magic in her, or did she transfer it all to Regina?
4) How far does the new magic reach? Just Storybrooke or the whole world?
5) Will Phillip ever come back to life?
6) Who is Dr. Whale?
7) What happened to August? Still wooden?
8) Will Ruby be able to turn into a wolf again?
9) Where is Kathryn or Jefferson?
10) Will Regina ever be able to prove any real love for Henry?
11) What happened to the Fairy Tale Land we know and love? Will Emma and Mary Margaret try to go there?
12) What new dangers does Fairy Tale Land have?
13) Why didn’t Regina’s curse send all of the fairy tale characters to Storybrooke? Rumplestiltskin’s plan? Does Regina know that there are still people left in Fairy Tale Land?
Extra: Funniest line of the episode: “Maybe I don’t need answers. Maybe I just need to punch you in the face!” ~ Emma to Mr. Gold. Wouldn’t we have loved to see that?!
Any more questions you want answered? Leave a comment on my comments page or on the blog under this post!
~ Taryn
Monday, October 8, 2012
Review - Season 2 Episode 2 - We Are Both - "Crossing the Line"
I don’t want power. I want to be free.
Freedom is a powerful thing. Freedom of choice, both good and bad. Freedom from magic, to come and go as you please.
Regina has grown up under her mother’s thumb. She has had very little freedom to do any of the things she pleases, namely marry whom she wants.
Her wedding day is nearing, and Regina tries desperately to run away. She doesn’t get far before her mother stops her with magic. She’s put her daughter under a boundary spell. She can come and go as she pleases so long as she is not far from the king, her husband-to-be.
Regina is angry and it’s all Snow White’s fault. She’s so angry that she daydreams about telling Snow White all of the horribleness involved in Daniel’s death and then killing the young maiden.
She cries out her sorrows to her father who lets it slip that Cora’s magic came from a certain imp. He doesn’t know the man’s name, but he’s the true owner of the magic book Cora carries around.
Regina decides that she must talk to this man and find a solution to get rid of her mother.
Sneaking her mother’s book from under her pillow, Regina summons Rumplestiltskin. He offers her a solution. Push her mother through this looking glass into a new world. He has no use for this world, but it might come in handy for Regina.
Regina hesitates. She doesn’t want to be like her mother. She doesn’t want to use magic, but she does want her mother out of the way from interfering with her life.
Rumplestiltskin leaves her with a choice. He can provide the magic necessary, but it will be entirely up to Regina to use it.
Later, Cora tries to convince Regina that she needs magic. Cora can teach her everything there is to know about magic. But Regina doesn’t want to use magic. She doesn’t want to be her mother.
But as her mother continues to throw her power around, Regina’s had enough. With one magical push, she shoves her mother at the mirror. Her mother is engulfed in the looking glass and disappears. The glass shatters.
Regina stares at her hands, afraid and shocked at the power that just coursed through her. She’s now free to leave.
On her fast steed, she runs. However, in the road stands Rumplestiltskin. Regina hands him back his book and tells her she doesn’t ever want to use it again. Rumplestiltskin is curious. Did Regina enjoy the power?
Reluctantly, Regina admits to it. She doesn’t ever want to use magic again because she loved it too much.
Rumplestiltskin is pleased. He knows that someday Regina will use magic to do something very worthwhile for him. She will be his ticket to his son’s world.
As I said, freedom is a powerful thing. It allows one to come and go as they please, and to make choices. Storybrooke citizens are just discovering new-found freedom. But do they really have freedom at all?
The town is mangled. Cars are totaled, electrical posts are down, and people are missing. The fairy tale characters are in a panic. Not only are they in a strange land, but they have memories of their fake selves and their true selves. They want to get back to the Enchanted Forest but it seems they are stuck. But how stuck? Just in this world, or more so, in this small town?
The dwarves decide to investigate. At the city limits Grumpy draws a line and then hands out sticks. The short stick loses and its holder must cross the barrier. The dwarves aren’t happy about this plan but they have to know if they can leave Storybrooke safely. Vaporization or any number of bad things could happen, and when Sneezy holds out his short stick, Grumpy pulls him to the line and pushes him across.
Back at Regina’s, Charming is upset. He’s just found his daughter and true love only to lose them all over again and at the hands of her Evil Highness. All that’s left behind is a beat up hat, and Charming wants answers. Regina’s not budging. The only thing that can make her talk is Henry, and since she doesn’t have him, then too bad.
Charming decides to talk to the Blue Fairy. Maybe she can think of some magical way to get them back to the Enchanted Forest. But there are no solutions. And it only gets worse.
The dwarves know what happens if anyone crosses the town limits. You lose your memory of your fairy tale self and are left with only memories of your cursed self.
Back to square one, stuck in Storybrooke, Maine. Only this time magic is possible.
Regina’s powers are fading. Emma touched her, but the effects didn’t last. She needs a shortcut, a way to jump start the magic within her. Only one person can help her with that. Mr. Gold.
Mr. Gold, unaware of the dire consequences for leaving the quaint town, is packing. He’s already planned this trip, years and possibly centuries, in advance. His only goal is to find his son. And since he’s not in Storybrooke, there’s a whole world of possible hiding locations.
But Regina wants one last favor. Give her back her magic. A magic book that used to belong to her mother is the answer and Mr. Gold has it.
Mr. Gold mocks her first, tries to get her to leave with his “pleases”, but it doesn’t work. He has no choice but to hand it over. He doesn’t care anymore. He’s leaving. Regina can do what she wants.
Mr. Gold doesn’t quite make it out the door before Charming drops in. He wants a favor too. Magic. A potion to find something, much like Rumplestiltskin did to his mother’s ring to find Snow. Mr. Gold wants to know who the mystery person is that Charming is seeking, but Charming won’t tell. It’s none of Gold’s business.
Very well. Mr. Gold hands over a bottle of magic and sends Charming on his way, but not before questioning Charming on the commotion outside. It’s then that Mr. Gold’s worst nightmare comes true. They’re all stuck. Here, in Storybrooke, forever, unless someone can find an answer.
Outside, Charming pours the magic on the hat, which comes to life and leads him to Jefferson. Jefferson doesn’t have any solution. He’s already had to suffer this type of fate for 28 years, living two lives in his head. And no matter how hard he’s tried, there is nothing that can be done.
But Charming won’t give up. There has to be an answer.
At City Hall, the town has gathered to hear Charming explain a plan, a way out of this mess. Charming is late, and Regina sees this as her perfect opportunity to share with the town that she has fully gained back her powers. And with them, she plans on getting back her son.
Henry doesn’t want anyone to get hurt and so he goes willingly with her. Regina is pleased. No Emma. No Snow White. Only magic and her happily ever after.
Henry does not plan on staying long in Regina’s care. With a stashed bed sheet rope, he climbs out the window. The only problem is that Regina has anticipated this move. With her powers, she wraps him in tree branches and pulls him back into the house.
She tries to persuade Henry into joining her on the dark side. She can teach him all she knows about magic. He can have whatever he wants if he uses magic.
However, Henry doesn’t want to be like her. He doesn’t want magic. It’s then that Regina realizes that she’s just like her mother, the one person she never wanted to be like.
At the Storybrooke limits, the fairy tale characters are packed and ready to leave. Charming rushes to stop them. In a valiant speech, he admits that they are both people: Storybrooke and Fairy Tale Land characters. But they can use their weak Storybrooke counterparts to goad them into being the valiant people they truly are. For now, stay in Storybrooke, play the parts of teacher, nurse, fireman, whatever. But they need to stick together; then they can find a solution.
Charged by the courage from his speech, Charming stops by Regina’s a second time to demand that he see Henry. Regina offers him one better. Charming can have Henry.
Henry is overjoyed!
Regina apologizes for taking Henry and that she doesn’t know how to love very well. She truly does love Henry. She doesn’t want to be like this, and she wants to redeem herself. She doesn’t want Henry to hate her, but want to be with her. She can prove her love for him.
Charming wants her to prove it now by answering one question for him. Does the Enchanted Forest still exist?
Yes, she says. But she doesn’t know how to get back. Her only request: take care of Henry.
Charming and Henry leave, and Regina decides the first step in proving her love for Henry is getting rid of her magic. Taking the book off the shelf, she walks over to the fireplace. But before she can toss it in, she pulls it back. She can’t do it. What if she would need it someday? And so, she places the ancient book on the shelf.
In present day Fairy Tale Land, Emma and Mary Margaret are being hauled to the safe haven. There, Mary Margaret tries to help them escape, but Mulan is quick with her sling and knocks Mary Margaret out. She orders the women locked away.
Emma follows as men drag the unconscious Mary Margaret to the cell and throws her in. Emma tries to revive her mother and friend, but to no avail. They are, however, not alone.
In the cell with them is Cora, Regina’s mother!
Burning Questions:
1) Is Regina’s mother the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland? (I think so).
2) Does Regina really love Henry? Can she prove it?
3) Is Cora the key back to Storybrooke for Emma and Mary Margaret?
4) Where did August go? (Yay, he’s alive!)
5) Will Sneezy ever regain his memory?
6) Can the dwarves conjure up fairy dust in Storybrooke?
7) What will Mr. Gold do now?
8) Will/Can strangers come to Storybrooke?
9) What adventures will Emma and Mary Margaret go on in Fairy Tale Land?
Until next time...
~Taryn
Freedom is a powerful thing. Freedom of choice, both good and bad. Freedom from magic, to come and go as you please.
Regina has grown up under her mother’s thumb. She has had very little freedom to do any of the things she pleases, namely marry whom she wants.
Her wedding day is nearing, and Regina tries desperately to run away. She doesn’t get far before her mother stops her with magic. She’s put her daughter under a boundary spell. She can come and go as she pleases so long as she is not far from the king, her husband-to-be.
Regina is angry and it’s all Snow White’s fault. She’s so angry that she daydreams about telling Snow White all of the horribleness involved in Daniel’s death and then killing the young maiden.
She cries out her sorrows to her father who lets it slip that Cora’s magic came from a certain imp. He doesn’t know the man’s name, but he’s the true owner of the magic book Cora carries around.
Regina decides that she must talk to this man and find a solution to get rid of her mother.
Sneaking her mother’s book from under her pillow, Regina summons Rumplestiltskin. He offers her a solution. Push her mother through this looking glass into a new world. He has no use for this world, but it might come in handy for Regina.
Regina hesitates. She doesn’t want to be like her mother. She doesn’t want to use magic, but she does want her mother out of the way from interfering with her life.
Rumplestiltskin leaves her with a choice. He can provide the magic necessary, but it will be entirely up to Regina to use it.
Later, Cora tries to convince Regina that she needs magic. Cora can teach her everything there is to know about magic. But Regina doesn’t want to use magic. She doesn’t want to be her mother.
But as her mother continues to throw her power around, Regina’s had enough. With one magical push, she shoves her mother at the mirror. Her mother is engulfed in the looking glass and disappears. The glass shatters.
Regina stares at her hands, afraid and shocked at the power that just coursed through her. She’s now free to leave.
On her fast steed, she runs. However, in the road stands Rumplestiltskin. Regina hands him back his book and tells her she doesn’t ever want to use it again. Rumplestiltskin is curious. Did Regina enjoy the power?
Reluctantly, Regina admits to it. She doesn’t ever want to use magic again because she loved it too much.
Rumplestiltskin is pleased. He knows that someday Regina will use magic to do something very worthwhile for him. She will be his ticket to his son’s world.
As I said, freedom is a powerful thing. It allows one to come and go as they please, and to make choices. Storybrooke citizens are just discovering new-found freedom. But do they really have freedom at all?
The town is mangled. Cars are totaled, electrical posts are down, and people are missing. The fairy tale characters are in a panic. Not only are they in a strange land, but they have memories of their fake selves and their true selves. They want to get back to the Enchanted Forest but it seems they are stuck. But how stuck? Just in this world, or more so, in this small town?
The dwarves decide to investigate. At the city limits Grumpy draws a line and then hands out sticks. The short stick loses and its holder must cross the barrier. The dwarves aren’t happy about this plan but they have to know if they can leave Storybrooke safely. Vaporization or any number of bad things could happen, and when Sneezy holds out his short stick, Grumpy pulls him to the line and pushes him across.
Back at Regina’s, Charming is upset. He’s just found his daughter and true love only to lose them all over again and at the hands of her Evil Highness. All that’s left behind is a beat up hat, and Charming wants answers. Regina’s not budging. The only thing that can make her talk is Henry, and since she doesn’t have him, then too bad.
Charming decides to talk to the Blue Fairy. Maybe she can think of some magical way to get them back to the Enchanted Forest. But there are no solutions. And it only gets worse.
The dwarves know what happens if anyone crosses the town limits. You lose your memory of your fairy tale self and are left with only memories of your cursed self.
Back to square one, stuck in Storybrooke, Maine. Only this time magic is possible.
Regina’s powers are fading. Emma touched her, but the effects didn’t last. She needs a shortcut, a way to jump start the magic within her. Only one person can help her with that. Mr. Gold.
Mr. Gold, unaware of the dire consequences for leaving the quaint town, is packing. He’s already planned this trip, years and possibly centuries, in advance. His only goal is to find his son. And since he’s not in Storybrooke, there’s a whole world of possible hiding locations.
But Regina wants one last favor. Give her back her magic. A magic book that used to belong to her mother is the answer and Mr. Gold has it.
Mr. Gold mocks her first, tries to get her to leave with his “pleases”, but it doesn’t work. He has no choice but to hand it over. He doesn’t care anymore. He’s leaving. Regina can do what she wants.
Mr. Gold doesn’t quite make it out the door before Charming drops in. He wants a favor too. Magic. A potion to find something, much like Rumplestiltskin did to his mother’s ring to find Snow. Mr. Gold wants to know who the mystery person is that Charming is seeking, but Charming won’t tell. It’s none of Gold’s business.
Very well. Mr. Gold hands over a bottle of magic and sends Charming on his way, but not before questioning Charming on the commotion outside. It’s then that Mr. Gold’s worst nightmare comes true. They’re all stuck. Here, in Storybrooke, forever, unless someone can find an answer.
Outside, Charming pours the magic on the hat, which comes to life and leads him to Jefferson. Jefferson doesn’t have any solution. He’s already had to suffer this type of fate for 28 years, living two lives in his head. And no matter how hard he’s tried, there is nothing that can be done.
But Charming won’t give up. There has to be an answer.
At City Hall, the town has gathered to hear Charming explain a plan, a way out of this mess. Charming is late, and Regina sees this as her perfect opportunity to share with the town that she has fully gained back her powers. And with them, she plans on getting back her son.
Henry doesn’t want anyone to get hurt and so he goes willingly with her. Regina is pleased. No Emma. No Snow White. Only magic and her happily ever after.
Henry does not plan on staying long in Regina’s care. With a stashed bed sheet rope, he climbs out the window. The only problem is that Regina has anticipated this move. With her powers, she wraps him in tree branches and pulls him back into the house.
She tries to persuade Henry into joining her on the dark side. She can teach him all she knows about magic. He can have whatever he wants if he uses magic.
However, Henry doesn’t want to be like her. He doesn’t want magic. It’s then that Regina realizes that she’s just like her mother, the one person she never wanted to be like.
At the Storybrooke limits, the fairy tale characters are packed and ready to leave. Charming rushes to stop them. In a valiant speech, he admits that they are both people: Storybrooke and Fairy Tale Land characters. But they can use their weak Storybrooke counterparts to goad them into being the valiant people they truly are. For now, stay in Storybrooke, play the parts of teacher, nurse, fireman, whatever. But they need to stick together; then they can find a solution.
Charged by the courage from his speech, Charming stops by Regina’s a second time to demand that he see Henry. Regina offers him one better. Charming can have Henry.
Henry is overjoyed!
Regina apologizes for taking Henry and that she doesn’t know how to love very well. She truly does love Henry. She doesn’t want to be like this, and she wants to redeem herself. She doesn’t want Henry to hate her, but want to be with her. She can prove her love for him.
Charming wants her to prove it now by answering one question for him. Does the Enchanted Forest still exist?
Yes, she says. But she doesn’t know how to get back. Her only request: take care of Henry.
Charming and Henry leave, and Regina decides the first step in proving her love for Henry is getting rid of her magic. Taking the book off the shelf, she walks over to the fireplace. But before she can toss it in, she pulls it back. She can’t do it. What if she would need it someday? And so, she places the ancient book on the shelf.
In present day Fairy Tale Land, Emma and Mary Margaret are being hauled to the safe haven. There, Mary Margaret tries to help them escape, but Mulan is quick with her sling and knocks Mary Margaret out. She orders the women locked away.
Emma follows as men drag the unconscious Mary Margaret to the cell and throws her in. Emma tries to revive her mother and friend, but to no avail. They are, however, not alone.
In the cell with them is Cora, Regina’s mother!
Burning Questions:
1) Is Regina’s mother the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland? (I think so).
2) Does Regina really love Henry? Can she prove it?
3) Is Cora the key back to Storybrooke for Emma and Mary Margaret?
4) Where did August go? (Yay, he’s alive!)
5) Will Sneezy ever regain his memory?
6) Can the dwarves conjure up fairy dust in Storybrooke?
7) What will Mr. Gold do now?
8) Will/Can strangers come to Storybrooke?
9) What adventures will Emma and Mary Margaret go on in Fairy Tale Land?
Until next time...
~Taryn
Monday, October 15, 2012
Review - Season 2 Episode 3 - Lady of the Lake - "Memories That Hurt"
This is the life I wanted you to have. I was going to teach you to walk in here, how to talk...how to dress for your first ball. I never got to do any of it. We never got to be a family.
In Storybrooke, Henry has ditched Operation Cobra, his secret plan to unveil the truth of the curse, for Operation Scorpion, aka Get-Emma-and-Mary-Margaret-Back. David wants the same, only he wants Henry to stay out of the way, to stay safe, of course. Henry doesn’t want to just sit and wait. So, tricking Regina into leaving her office, Henry sneaks in and steals the keys to her heart vault.
Once in the vault, he stumbles upon the dangerous Agraba Viper (the one that killed King Leopold, Snow White’s father). Before it can inflict harm, David shows up. He agrees to let Henry help more, but right now Henry needs to go to school.
On another story, Jefferson is hesitant to approach his long-lost daughter. Henry talks him into reuniting with her. That’s all Jefferson ever wanted, right? So why the hesitation? Jefferson takes Henry’s advice, and the reunion is a near tear-jerker.
Later, David tries to cheer Henry up by playfully engaging him in a sword fight. Henry’s so lucky to be learning from the best!
But the happiness is shadowed by a shady onlooker, the vengeful King George. Yes, he’s still in Storybrooke and I can bet he’s waiting to seek revenge on the man who most likely dethroned him, hence the fact that Snow White and Prince Charming lived in King George’s castle post-marriage.
Back in Fairy Tale Land, all the way back, Snow White, Prince Charming and company are planning to take back the kingdom. Their planning is interrupted by King George’s men.
The King raids the camp and captures Snow White with the help of a burly Lancelot. King George knows that the key to destroying Charmin’s life is to destroy his true love. But rather than kill Snow White, he tells her a sad story, one about his wife not being able to bear children as a result of drinking a potion that left her barren. Hence, he “stole/adopted” Prince Charming’s brother, who was killed, and then blackmailed Prince Charming into being his son.
While a touching story that was, it’s laced with poison, for the very potion King George’s wife drank, he has offered Snow White, which she drank unknowingly.
Snow White is shocked and hurt. Now what’s she supposed to tell her fiancé?
King George isn’t finished inflicting pain. For Prince Charming’s insubordination, King George decides it’s high time he killed Prince Charming, his mother, and destroyed the valiant shepherd’s farm.
But Lancelot, yep the man responsible for Snow’s capture, is a turncoat and helps Snow White escape and track down her beloved. But they’re too late. The king has ambushed the prince and his mother and struck his mother down with a poisoned arrow through the heart.
While not dead, Charming’s mother is overjoyed to finally meet the woman who captured her son’s heart.
Throughout the next several scenes, Snow White and Prince Charming’s mother speak openly to one another, all the way from the joys of finally meeting to grandchildren that may-not-be. And when Prince Charming takes his dying mother and crew to Lake Nostos, which has healing powers, they discover the lake is dried up, all but one small drop that was miraculously saved within a shell.
Prince Charming’s mother fights Snow over who should take the healing water, and in the end tricks Snow into drinking it at her impromptu wedding, which is held on the spot and performed by Lancelot as the powers-that-be.
Left behind is a Prince Charming’s mother’s gypsy necklace, which has the powers to tell the gender of an unborn child, even before conception. Prince Charming has obviously heard his mother share this information before because he holds it up to Snow, who thinks she’s barren, and it starts to sway. Snow knows she will have a baby girl and is overjoyed that she is healed.
Prince Charming, unaware of what the swaying indicates, is proud. Together, as a family, they will take back the kingdom.
Now, in Present Day Fairy Tale Land, Mary Margaret has come face to face with Regina’s evil mother, the one responsible for this mess. Oh, yeah, she recognizes her and doesn’t want anything to do with the woman. She doesn’t want to hear her lies, nor does she want Emma to get sucked into her deception.
However, they’re rescued from this dilemma when they are suddenly released from their cell only to find themselves in the presence of an old friend, Lancelot.
Mary Margaret, happy to see an old ally, requests that they be released from the camp to seek a portal that may take them back to Storybrooke. Lancelot grants the request and sends Mulan, and the reluctant Aurora, with them.
Mary Margaret confesses to Emma that they are going back to her place, the castle, where the wardrobe that sent Emma to Maine might still be, if it survived the curse. And if there is still magic left, they might get back to Storybrooke soon.
Along the way, Aurora has been planning her revenge on these interlopers who killed her prince, and attacks Mary Margaret. Emma, who’d been warned that ogres roam the land and that they sense their surroundings by sound not sight, fires her gun to stop the fighting. Naturally, an ogre roars in the distance. The women run for safety, but Emma trips and comes face to face with an angry, half-naked Ogre, with almost certainly bad breath.
Mary Margaret, who truly is no more, at least not in this land, transforms fully into Snow White and fires off an arrow to the ogre’s eye, killing the beast and proving she is capable of putting her motherly instincts into action.
Near dark, the group arrives at the castle, which has collapsed and not at all resembling the majestic structure we’ve come to recognize.
Mary Margaret leads the group to Emma’s nursery where the wardrobe still stands.
But as joyous as the discovery is, and unexpected arrive appears: Lancelot, or should I say Cora in disguise. That’s right. She killed Lancelot a long time ago and she absolutely still has her powers. And there’s more: she wants to get to Storybrooke too. She misses, er, wants to enact revenge on her daughter. Probably.
Emma can’t let Cora get to Henry or Storybrooke and quickly sets fire to the wardrobe. Cora is angry, but disappears.
Mary Margaret and Emma have a mother-daughter moment, but know it’s time to leave since there is nothing helpful left in this room. It’s then that all the unfulfilled memories hit Mary Margaret. There were no first steps, first words, or first dances in this room, only heartache and loss, and Mary Margaret is fully aware of what she’s missed. And to see it in complete disarray is almost too much.
By far, the most heart-warming and heart-wrenching moment of the night.
They leave in search of another way to Storybrooke. But back in the nursery, Cora reappears. Up her sleeve is a glass bottle that looks very much like Rumplestiltskin’s bottles. She scoops up a handful of wardrobe ash and places it in the bottle. It begins to glow…which can only mean one thing: magic!
Burning Questions:
1) What can Cora do with her bottled portal magic?
2) When/Where will Mary Margaret and Emma find a portal back?
3) What is King George/Storybrooke DA going to do now that he’s found Prince Charming?
4) Can Emma and Mary Margaret gain Aurora’s trust and/or forgiveness?
5) How will the kingdom be dethroned?
6) What happened to King George after Prince Charming and Snow White become king and queen of the kingdom?
~ Taryn
In Storybrooke, Henry has ditched Operation Cobra, his secret plan to unveil the truth of the curse, for Operation Scorpion, aka Get-Emma-and-Mary-Margaret-Back. David wants the same, only he wants Henry to stay out of the way, to stay safe, of course. Henry doesn’t want to just sit and wait. So, tricking Regina into leaving her office, Henry sneaks in and steals the keys to her heart vault.
Once in the vault, he stumbles upon the dangerous Agraba Viper (the one that killed King Leopold, Snow White’s father). Before it can inflict harm, David shows up. He agrees to let Henry help more, but right now Henry needs to go to school.
On another story, Jefferson is hesitant to approach his long-lost daughter. Henry talks him into reuniting with her. That’s all Jefferson ever wanted, right? So why the hesitation? Jefferson takes Henry’s advice, and the reunion is a near tear-jerker.
Later, David tries to cheer Henry up by playfully engaging him in a sword fight. Henry’s so lucky to be learning from the best!
But the happiness is shadowed by a shady onlooker, the vengeful King George. Yes, he’s still in Storybrooke and I can bet he’s waiting to seek revenge on the man who most likely dethroned him, hence the fact that Snow White and Prince Charming lived in King George’s castle post-marriage.
Back in Fairy Tale Land, all the way back, Snow White, Prince Charming and company are planning to take back the kingdom. Their planning is interrupted by King George’s men.
The King raids the camp and captures Snow White with the help of a burly Lancelot. King George knows that the key to destroying Charmin’s life is to destroy his true love. But rather than kill Snow White, he tells her a sad story, one about his wife not being able to bear children as a result of drinking a potion that left her barren. Hence, he “stole/adopted” Prince Charming’s brother, who was killed, and then blackmailed Prince Charming into being his son.
While a touching story that was, it’s laced with poison, for the very potion King George’s wife drank, he has offered Snow White, which she drank unknowingly.
Snow White is shocked and hurt. Now what’s she supposed to tell her fiancé?
King George isn’t finished inflicting pain. For Prince Charming’s insubordination, King George decides it’s high time he killed Prince Charming, his mother, and destroyed the valiant shepherd’s farm.
But Lancelot, yep the man responsible for Snow’s capture, is a turncoat and helps Snow White escape and track down her beloved. But they’re too late. The king has ambushed the prince and his mother and struck his mother down with a poisoned arrow through the heart.
While not dead, Charming’s mother is overjoyed to finally meet the woman who captured her son’s heart.
Throughout the next several scenes, Snow White and Prince Charming’s mother speak openly to one another, all the way from the joys of finally meeting to grandchildren that may-not-be. And when Prince Charming takes his dying mother and crew to Lake Nostos, which has healing powers, they discover the lake is dried up, all but one small drop that was miraculously saved within a shell.
Prince Charming’s mother fights Snow over who should take the healing water, and in the end tricks Snow into drinking it at her impromptu wedding, which is held on the spot and performed by Lancelot as the powers-that-be.
Left behind is a Prince Charming’s mother’s gypsy necklace, which has the powers to tell the gender of an unborn child, even before conception. Prince Charming has obviously heard his mother share this information before because he holds it up to Snow, who thinks she’s barren, and it starts to sway. Snow knows she will have a baby girl and is overjoyed that she is healed.
Prince Charming, unaware of what the swaying indicates, is proud. Together, as a family, they will take back the kingdom.
Now, in Present Day Fairy Tale Land, Mary Margaret has come face to face with Regina’s evil mother, the one responsible for this mess. Oh, yeah, she recognizes her and doesn’t want anything to do with the woman. She doesn’t want to hear her lies, nor does she want Emma to get sucked into her deception.
However, they’re rescued from this dilemma when they are suddenly released from their cell only to find themselves in the presence of an old friend, Lancelot.
Mary Margaret, happy to see an old ally, requests that they be released from the camp to seek a portal that may take them back to Storybrooke. Lancelot grants the request and sends Mulan, and the reluctant Aurora, with them.
Mary Margaret confesses to Emma that they are going back to her place, the castle, where the wardrobe that sent Emma to Maine might still be, if it survived the curse. And if there is still magic left, they might get back to Storybrooke soon.
Along the way, Aurora has been planning her revenge on these interlopers who killed her prince, and attacks Mary Margaret. Emma, who’d been warned that ogres roam the land and that they sense their surroundings by sound not sight, fires her gun to stop the fighting. Naturally, an ogre roars in the distance. The women run for safety, but Emma trips and comes face to face with an angry, half-naked Ogre, with almost certainly bad breath.
Mary Margaret, who truly is no more, at least not in this land, transforms fully into Snow White and fires off an arrow to the ogre’s eye, killing the beast and proving she is capable of putting her motherly instincts into action.
Near dark, the group arrives at the castle, which has collapsed and not at all resembling the majestic structure we’ve come to recognize.
Mary Margaret leads the group to Emma’s nursery where the wardrobe still stands.
But as joyous as the discovery is, and unexpected arrive appears: Lancelot, or should I say Cora in disguise. That’s right. She killed Lancelot a long time ago and she absolutely still has her powers. And there’s more: she wants to get to Storybrooke too. She misses, er, wants to enact revenge on her daughter. Probably.
Emma can’t let Cora get to Henry or Storybrooke and quickly sets fire to the wardrobe. Cora is angry, but disappears.
Mary Margaret and Emma have a mother-daughter moment, but know it’s time to leave since there is nothing helpful left in this room. It’s then that all the unfulfilled memories hit Mary Margaret. There were no first steps, first words, or first dances in this room, only heartache and loss, and Mary Margaret is fully aware of what she’s missed. And to see it in complete disarray is almost too much.
By far, the most heart-warming and heart-wrenching moment of the night.
They leave in search of another way to Storybrooke. But back in the nursery, Cora reappears. Up her sleeve is a glass bottle that looks very much like Rumplestiltskin’s bottles. She scoops up a handful of wardrobe ash and places it in the bottle. It begins to glow…which can only mean one thing: magic!
Burning Questions:
1) What can Cora do with her bottled portal magic?
2) When/Where will Mary Margaret and Emma find a portal back?
3) What is King George/Storybrooke DA going to do now that he’s found Prince Charming?
4) Can Emma and Mary Margaret gain Aurora’s trust and/or forgiveness?
5) How will the kingdom be dethroned?
6) What happened to King George after Prince Charming and Snow White become king and queen of the kingdom?
~ Taryn
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Review - Season 2 Episode 4 - The Crocodile - "A Magical Crutch"
Magic has become a crutch that I can't walk without.
Rumplestiltskin has known one thing his entire life: he’s a coward. When we first see Rumplestiltskin in this episode he is a younger man, without power and full of timidity. Baelfire is younger boy and his mother is present. However, it is because of her that we discover more about Rumplestiltskin’s desperate need for power.
Milah, Rumplestiltskin’s wife, is like a dark cloud in Rumplestiltskin’s life. She hates the fact that she’s married to such a coward. The only reason she’s probably stayed this long is because of their son. But the strong pull to get away is too much and when Captain Killian Jones (AKA Hook) floats into town, Milah can’t pass up the offer to sail into the sunset with him.
Rumplestiltskin, on the other hand, can’t bear to see her leave. He loves her and what is he supposed to tell their son if she leaves? Rumplestiltskin, mustering up the courage to board Captain Jones’ ship, he awkwardly climbs aboard only to promptly fall in front of the whole crew.
Just one more thing Milah is ashamed of: Rumplestiltskin’s bum leg, which is a constant reminder of his cowardliness.
But Rumplestiltskin can’t just let Milah leave and he begs Captain Jones to make her stay, for Rumplestiltskin, for their son!
Captain Killian Jones, being that he is Captain Hook and a great villain, does not oblige. Instead, he offers Rumplestiltskin a challenge. Fight for her. If a man truly wants something, he will fight for it.
Rumplestiltskin has used up all his courage in his plea and barely glances at the sword the captain offers him. He won’t fight. He can’t. His only weapon is his words, and even they fail him.
The captain snubs Rumplestiltskin’s begging. Rumplestiltskin must leave.
Years later, which we know by Rumplestiltskin’s new appearance that is brought on by his powers, Rumplestiltskin is sitting in a bar. He’s meeting a man who may know how to get Baelfire back. The man tells Rumplestiltskin that there is a magic bean. Yes, there is one left and he can get it for Rumplestiltskin.
The man tells Rumplestiltskin that he can get the bean on one condition, that Rumplestiltskin makes him eternal. Shocked but overjoyed, Rumplestiltskin quickly agrees to this man’s offer. However, his price is adjusted; he can turn the man back into a little boy. That’s as close as he can get to eternalness.
The man agrees to this, but their conversation is interrupted when the swaggering Captain Killian Jones and crew bust through the door.
Now powerful, Rumplestiltskin has a bone to pick. No longer is he a cowering man in front of someone with power. Now he wields the power.
Following Captain Killian Jones out of the pub, Rumplestiltskin springs on the man. Captain Killian Jones tells Rumplestiltskin that Milah is dead. Angered, Rumplestiltskin offers the captain the same challenge from all those years ago. Fight!
This time Rumplestiltskin has the upper hand.
At dawn the two men dual. Rumplestiltskin quickly knocks the man to his knees and, pulling a Regina (or maybe that’s his move that Regina and her mother acquired) thrusts his hand into Captain Killian Jones’ chest. Before he can rip his heart out, Milah shows up. Alive!
Dressed in pirate garb, she begs Rumplestiltskin to spare his life. Both of their lives. She can give him the magic bean, just let them leave.
Desperate for that bean, Rumplestiltskin lets them live. He follows the two back to Captain Jones’ ship. But then something happens.
Angered by Milah’s deception and for the fact that he had to tell their boy that she was dead, he pays her back. He pulls out her heart. Dead.
Captain Killian Jones is holding the magic bean in his right hand. Rumplestiltskin, in one deft move, chops off the man’s hand and disappears.
Later, however, Rumplestiltskin discovers that bean is gone. It was not in Captain Jones’ hand. He’d been tricked.
It’s here we are introduced to the crocodile. As some of you may know, Captain Hook had lost his arm because of Peter Pan who then fed it to a crocodile. The crocodile like the taste of Hook so much that he’d been following him around ever since to taste more of him.
For this reason, Rumplestiltskin is the crocodile, for I believe we have not seen the last of a Captain Hook and Rumplestiltskin dual!
Back on the ship, Captain Killian Jones is bleeding, but he quickly remedies that by grabbing the nearest hook and attaching it to the missing limb.
He has the bean, and with all the crew aboard, he tosses it into the water. A great vortex opens up. Where are they going, asks the crew?
Neverland! Replies, Hook.
And one lucky man aboard, Mr. Smee, the man from the pub who said he could get Rumplestiltskin’s magic bean, is promised ageless life.
In Storybrooke, Belle and Rumplestiltskin are officially an item. They’re in love, but Belle is having doubts when she discovers Rumplestiltskin secretly concocting potions. He promised he would give it up. And she’s especially peeved because he won’t explain why he’s doing it.
Now she’s had enough of his changing moods. One day he gives up his powers for her and the next he’s back to using them. And so she leaves.
Ruby offers her a place at Granny’s and the suggestion to open up the library which has been boarded up for years.
Knowing how much she likes books, Belle goes to the library to check it out. It’s locked, of course, so she peers into the small window. Dust bunnies are running rampant but all looks to be in order.
She smiles, imagining herself amidst the pages. It’s then that she is approached by a young man. He asks her some questions, who are you, are you alone, all of those questions that parents warn their children not to answer if they are alone!
And indeed, he kidnaps her.
For everyone in Storybrooke, they’ve just recently discovered themselves again. However, not everyone has found their beloveds. Belle’s father is one. Having searched for his daughter, he’s finally found her. While he may have used unorthodox methods, when the man brings Belle through the door of his floral shop, he smiles.
The two are ecstatic to be reunited. But the joy is soon gone. Her father does not want Belle to have anything to do with Rumplestiltskin. He’s a bad man and her father would do anything to keep them apart.
Even something as evil as force Belle across the Storybrooke boundary…
Rumplestiltskin is desperate to get Belle back. He’s messed up, royally, and he wants to make it up. Using Prince Charming and Ruby, they search the small town. When they get to the floral shop, Rumplestiltskin knows Belle is in there.
Before Rumplestiltskin can do any damage to Mr. French (Belle’s father), they learn of his evil plan.
He’s going to push Belle across the border via handcuffing her to a mine cart and let it wheel her across.
They must stop her before the damage is done.
Down in the mines, Rumplestiltskin uses his powers to stop the runaway mine cart and haul Belle back to them. Thankful that Rumplestiltskin saved her life, she still won’t come back to him. He hasn’t proved himself to her.
A day or so passes and Rumplestiltskin approaches Belle. He has a gift for her. The key to the library.
It’s a touching moment, but Belle is cautious. She doesn’t want to be bribed into coming back to him.
Rumplestiltskin then offers a long-time coming explanation. He tells her about Baelfire and their life, how his wife left him and then Baelfire. He explains about getting his powers. But he shares a piece of wisdom that he’s learned throughout his LONG life.
He was a coward, but his power did not take that away. Instead it was just a crutch for the timid man deep down. The power has only tricked him into feeling strong, but instead, he is still just a man with major character flaws.
His powers, he had hoped, would give him everything he desired, everything he could not do when he was simply a coward. But the powers backfired. He lost what he held dear. As Mr. Gold he was again powerless until the curse was broken again he was free. He hoped that by bringing back magic he would again become powerful.
For a second time, the plan backfired. The magic which was supposed to be freeing only created another barrier from the ones he loved.
Without power, Rumplestiltskin was a coward; with power his cowardliness was merely covered up; for it will not be the magical abilities that can make him strong, but his ability to overcome the magical crutch as a lowly man. Then he can be powerful and free!
Belle is pleased by Rumplestiltskin’s confession, that he finally shared who is really is with her. The truth. For that, she rewards him by making the first move into repairing their damaged relationship.
In Present Day Fairy Tale Land Cora has found an ally. He’s a pirate without a crew, but he holds a sever grudge against a crocodile, a beast who took his hand. Cora knows he wants revenge, as does she from her daughter and Cora has the beginnings of a pathway to get to him: the wardrobe’s magical ashes.
Is it enough to get to Storybrooke, an oddly named place? No, Cora says, but it’s a start. However, there might be some newly returned people in Fairy Tale Land that can lead the way…
Burning Questions:
1) What is Cora and Hook’s plan? Will it involve Emma and Mary Margaret?
2) Will Cora and Captain Hook get to Storybrooke? What will be Rumplestiltskin’s and Regina’s reaction?
3) How can Rumplestiltskin’s/Mr. Gold’s magic curse be broken so he can leave Storybrooke? Will it be broken? When?
4) Will there be any other close calls with Storybrooke’s city limits in the meantime?
5) Will Belle and Mr.Gold/Rumplestiltskin work things out?
6) Where is Baelfire? Is he alive? Does he know his father is in our world? Does he care?
7) What will Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold do to Belle’s father for his little stunt?
8) Can Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin change? Can he give up magic for her?
9) Did you enjoy this episode? Where you expecting something different?
10) Do you think we will see Peter Pan?
~Taryn
Rumplestiltskin has known one thing his entire life: he’s a coward. When we first see Rumplestiltskin in this episode he is a younger man, without power and full of timidity. Baelfire is younger boy and his mother is present. However, it is because of her that we discover more about Rumplestiltskin’s desperate need for power.
Milah, Rumplestiltskin’s wife, is like a dark cloud in Rumplestiltskin’s life. She hates the fact that she’s married to such a coward. The only reason she’s probably stayed this long is because of their son. But the strong pull to get away is too much and when Captain Killian Jones (AKA Hook) floats into town, Milah can’t pass up the offer to sail into the sunset with him.
Rumplestiltskin, on the other hand, can’t bear to see her leave. He loves her and what is he supposed to tell their son if she leaves? Rumplestiltskin, mustering up the courage to board Captain Jones’ ship, he awkwardly climbs aboard only to promptly fall in front of the whole crew.
Just one more thing Milah is ashamed of: Rumplestiltskin’s bum leg, which is a constant reminder of his cowardliness.
But Rumplestiltskin can’t just let Milah leave and he begs Captain Jones to make her stay, for Rumplestiltskin, for their son!
Captain Killian Jones, being that he is Captain Hook and a great villain, does not oblige. Instead, he offers Rumplestiltskin a challenge. Fight for her. If a man truly wants something, he will fight for it.
Rumplestiltskin has used up all his courage in his plea and barely glances at the sword the captain offers him. He won’t fight. He can’t. His only weapon is his words, and even they fail him.
The captain snubs Rumplestiltskin’s begging. Rumplestiltskin must leave.
Years later, which we know by Rumplestiltskin’s new appearance that is brought on by his powers, Rumplestiltskin is sitting in a bar. He’s meeting a man who may know how to get Baelfire back. The man tells Rumplestiltskin that there is a magic bean. Yes, there is one left and he can get it for Rumplestiltskin.
The man tells Rumplestiltskin that he can get the bean on one condition, that Rumplestiltskin makes him eternal. Shocked but overjoyed, Rumplestiltskin quickly agrees to this man’s offer. However, his price is adjusted; he can turn the man back into a little boy. That’s as close as he can get to eternalness.
The man agrees to this, but their conversation is interrupted when the swaggering Captain Killian Jones and crew bust through the door.
Now powerful, Rumplestiltskin has a bone to pick. No longer is he a cowering man in front of someone with power. Now he wields the power.
Following Captain Killian Jones out of the pub, Rumplestiltskin springs on the man. Captain Killian Jones tells Rumplestiltskin that Milah is dead. Angered, Rumplestiltskin offers the captain the same challenge from all those years ago. Fight!
This time Rumplestiltskin has the upper hand.
At dawn the two men dual. Rumplestiltskin quickly knocks the man to his knees and, pulling a Regina (or maybe that’s his move that Regina and her mother acquired) thrusts his hand into Captain Killian Jones’ chest. Before he can rip his heart out, Milah shows up. Alive!
Dressed in pirate garb, she begs Rumplestiltskin to spare his life. Both of their lives. She can give him the magic bean, just let them leave.
Desperate for that bean, Rumplestiltskin lets them live. He follows the two back to Captain Jones’ ship. But then something happens.
Angered by Milah’s deception and for the fact that he had to tell their boy that she was dead, he pays her back. He pulls out her heart. Dead.
Captain Killian Jones is holding the magic bean in his right hand. Rumplestiltskin, in one deft move, chops off the man’s hand and disappears.
Later, however, Rumplestiltskin discovers that bean is gone. It was not in Captain Jones’ hand. He’d been tricked.
It’s here we are introduced to the crocodile. As some of you may know, Captain Hook had lost his arm because of Peter Pan who then fed it to a crocodile. The crocodile like the taste of Hook so much that he’d been following him around ever since to taste more of him.
For this reason, Rumplestiltskin is the crocodile, for I believe we have not seen the last of a Captain Hook and Rumplestiltskin dual!
Back on the ship, Captain Killian Jones is bleeding, but he quickly remedies that by grabbing the nearest hook and attaching it to the missing limb.
He has the bean, and with all the crew aboard, he tosses it into the water. A great vortex opens up. Where are they going, asks the crew?
Neverland! Replies, Hook.
And one lucky man aboard, Mr. Smee, the man from the pub who said he could get Rumplestiltskin’s magic bean, is promised ageless life.
In Storybrooke, Belle and Rumplestiltskin are officially an item. They’re in love, but Belle is having doubts when she discovers Rumplestiltskin secretly concocting potions. He promised he would give it up. And she’s especially peeved because he won’t explain why he’s doing it.
Now she’s had enough of his changing moods. One day he gives up his powers for her and the next he’s back to using them. And so she leaves.
Ruby offers her a place at Granny’s and the suggestion to open up the library which has been boarded up for years.
Knowing how much she likes books, Belle goes to the library to check it out. It’s locked, of course, so she peers into the small window. Dust bunnies are running rampant but all looks to be in order.
She smiles, imagining herself amidst the pages. It’s then that she is approached by a young man. He asks her some questions, who are you, are you alone, all of those questions that parents warn their children not to answer if they are alone!
And indeed, he kidnaps her.
For everyone in Storybrooke, they’ve just recently discovered themselves again. However, not everyone has found their beloveds. Belle’s father is one. Having searched for his daughter, he’s finally found her. While he may have used unorthodox methods, when the man brings Belle through the door of his floral shop, he smiles.
The two are ecstatic to be reunited. But the joy is soon gone. Her father does not want Belle to have anything to do with Rumplestiltskin. He’s a bad man and her father would do anything to keep them apart.
Even something as evil as force Belle across the Storybrooke boundary…
Rumplestiltskin is desperate to get Belle back. He’s messed up, royally, and he wants to make it up. Using Prince Charming and Ruby, they search the small town. When they get to the floral shop, Rumplestiltskin knows Belle is in there.
Before Rumplestiltskin can do any damage to Mr. French (Belle’s father), they learn of his evil plan.
He’s going to push Belle across the border via handcuffing her to a mine cart and let it wheel her across.
They must stop her before the damage is done.
Down in the mines, Rumplestiltskin uses his powers to stop the runaway mine cart and haul Belle back to them. Thankful that Rumplestiltskin saved her life, she still won’t come back to him. He hasn’t proved himself to her.
A day or so passes and Rumplestiltskin approaches Belle. He has a gift for her. The key to the library.
It’s a touching moment, but Belle is cautious. She doesn’t want to be bribed into coming back to him.
Rumplestiltskin then offers a long-time coming explanation. He tells her about Baelfire and their life, how his wife left him and then Baelfire. He explains about getting his powers. But he shares a piece of wisdom that he’s learned throughout his LONG life.
He was a coward, but his power did not take that away. Instead it was just a crutch for the timid man deep down. The power has only tricked him into feeling strong, but instead, he is still just a man with major character flaws.
His powers, he had hoped, would give him everything he desired, everything he could not do when he was simply a coward. But the powers backfired. He lost what he held dear. As Mr. Gold he was again powerless until the curse was broken again he was free. He hoped that by bringing back magic he would again become powerful.
For a second time, the plan backfired. The magic which was supposed to be freeing only created another barrier from the ones he loved.
Without power, Rumplestiltskin was a coward; with power his cowardliness was merely covered up; for it will not be the magical abilities that can make him strong, but his ability to overcome the magical crutch as a lowly man. Then he can be powerful and free!
Belle is pleased by Rumplestiltskin’s confession, that he finally shared who is really is with her. The truth. For that, she rewards him by making the first move into repairing their damaged relationship.
In Present Day Fairy Tale Land Cora has found an ally. He’s a pirate without a crew, but he holds a sever grudge against a crocodile, a beast who took his hand. Cora knows he wants revenge, as does she from her daughter and Cora has the beginnings of a pathway to get to him: the wardrobe’s magical ashes.
Is it enough to get to Storybrooke, an oddly named place? No, Cora says, but it’s a start. However, there might be some newly returned people in Fairy Tale Land that can lead the way…
Burning Questions:
1) What is Cora and Hook’s plan? Will it involve Emma and Mary Margaret?
2) Will Cora and Captain Hook get to Storybrooke? What will be Rumplestiltskin’s and Regina’s reaction?
3) How can Rumplestiltskin’s/Mr. Gold’s magic curse be broken so he can leave Storybrooke? Will it be broken? When?
4) Will there be any other close calls with Storybrooke’s city limits in the meantime?
5) Will Belle and Mr.Gold/Rumplestiltskin work things out?
6) Where is Baelfire? Is he alive? Does he know his father is in our world? Does he care?
7) What will Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold do to Belle’s father for his little stunt?
8) Can Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin change? Can he give up magic for her?
9) Did you enjoy this episode? Where you expecting something different?
10) Do you think we will see Peter Pan?
~Taryn
Monday, October 29, 2012
Review - Season 2 Episode 5 - The Doctor - "Creating a Monster"
Magic can do much, but not that. Dead is dead.
Under the tutelage of Rumplestiltskin, Regina is learning the ways of dark magic. Her first assignment is taking and destroying the heart of an innocent unicorn. Yes, a unicorn.
But Regina’s heart is still soft; she can’t do it.
Rumplestiltskin is displeased. He needs Regina do become powerful in magic…powerful enough to one day give him what he desires—a land without magic.
Regina wants to learn magic but she will not become her mother. She will not take hearts and destroy them (figuratively and literally). Why then does she want magic, Rumplestiltskin queries? For what purpose will her magic have?
Regina immediately exclaims, to bring back her dead fiancé, Daniel.
Bring back the dead? Oh no. It can’t be done. Dead is dead. That is beyond Rumplestiltskin’s realm of magic.
Enter Jefferson. Ah, but there is one who is able, he shares. One who is known for bringing the dead to life.
Who is he, Regina wonders? Can Jefferson bring him to her? Of course, but for a price. A heart, an enchanted heart is all this wizard asks for.
Regina knows about her mother’s stash of hearts. She can’t take a heart herself, but she can give the wizard one that her mother has taken. Who’s heart? Even Regina does not know for her mother has taken so many.
The wizard agrees. For one heart he will give Regina’s fiancé life.
Under the cover of night, the wizard tells Regina that this experiment, for it is strictly experimental seeing as it has never been successfully completed before, he needs to be alone.
The wizard walks into a tent that has been set up. Daniel’s body lies peacefully. The wizard opens the box with the heart, and with a spark of lightning he pushes the heart into Daniel’s chest.
Did it work? How can Regina be sure that this man can hold up his end of the deal?
Jefferson says that the wizard’s powers are beyond magic. In the wizard’s world, he knows of things stronger than magic. What exactly, Jefferson does not know. Regina must simply trust.
However, when the wizard exits the tent, Daniel remains as still as the grave. It did not work.
At this, Regina’s heart becomes hard. She has lost the very thing she loves most so she has nothing more to lose. And with that she approaches Rumplestiltskin, pulls out the heart of his new apprentice and crushes it, proving her new, unwavering desire to learn the dark arts.
So pleased is Rumplestiltskin that he later approaches Jefferson and the wizard. He is overjoyed that their ruse worked. By convincing Regina that the wizard could not bring Daniel back, the wizard had indeed created a monster out of Regina for Rumplestiltskin. Now she is mold-able for Rumplestiltskin’s benefit, that is.
With the deed done, the wizard prepares to be transported back to his world. He has some unfinished business. Creating a monster is too vile a term. Rather he is bringing back someone he lost as well. And this requires more than mere magic.
Rumplestiltskin disagrees. Nothing is more powerful than magic. Besides, it is only through a magical heart that this wizard can perform his task.
Alas, the two agree to disagree. Jefferson takes the man back to his world where we see a scene straight from Frankenstein, for this is who the wizard truly is. With the heart he acquired during his time in Fairy Tale Land, Dr. Frankenstein, with electricity, brings to life his brother, the famously pieced together monster.
For it is not magic that has done this but science…
In Storybrooke, Regina has gone two days without magic. Her promise to Henry is wearing her thin. This leads her Dr. Hopper’s office. She needs a support system if she is to kick this habit.
Archie’s only too happy to help, but when Dr. Whale interrupts their session, Archie can’t help but question Regina’s steadfastness. Can she truly quit using magic?
Later, Regina is driving home in the rain. Through the downpour she glimpses a familiar figure: her fiancé. But how can that be? He’s dead and preserved wholly in her mausoleum?
Dr. Whale will know; after all, he tried, unsuccessfully, to bring Daniel back once before. Down in the eerie hallways of the hospital, where Regina kept Belle, the lights flicker. Unperturbed, Regina calls out for Dr. Whale. It’s then that she spots the bloodied cloths and a severed arm on a cart. Jumping back, she shoves the cart aside and discovers Dr. Whale, minus his left arm, on the floor.
Demanding to know what he’s done, Regina gets Dr. Whale to confirm that he has indeed brought Daniel to life. Regina gets Dr. Whale some immediate hospital attention from upstairs.
Meanwhile, Prince Charming has taken Henry to the Storybrooke Stables to teach him all about knighthood. The first step is learning to take care of one’s valiant steed. Mucking out stalls, feeding it, and waiting until it tells Henry that it is ready for Henry to ride it.
Charming leaves Henry to check on the dwarves’ progress in the mines. Henry can stay and begin his care for the horse. Charming will be back soon.
Disappointed that he can’t ride the horse right away, Henry begins to brush the steed, frequently asking the horse if he has anything to tell Henry, aka, ride me.
Back at the hospital, Regina is waiting for her chance to visit with Dr. Whale. She needs more answers…specifically, where is Daniel?
Prince Charming, after receiving a call that Dr. Whale had been injured, enters the hospital and spots Regina. She confesses to him her knowledge about Dr. Whale and that he is truly a wizard. He can bring people to life with enchanted hearts, and he has brought her fiancé back from the dead.
Whose heart does Daniel have? Regina doesn’t know; she’s taken so many. (Sound familiar, Regina)? And yes all the hearts are in Storybrooke.
Charming is shocked, but Regina continues. She needs to confirm Daniel’s location with Whale. The only solution she has come up with is that Daniel must have gone to the last place they were together, much like Charming did when he awoke from his coma and went to the Troll Bridge.
Where were they together last? The stables…
Henry.
The two rush to the stables.
Henry, impatiently questioning his horse, is interrupted by a shadow. The horses spook as a large figure enters the stall. Daniel has his sights set on Henry, who, in defense, outstretches his hand.
Wrong move, Henry! Cora did the same thing when she took Daniel’s heart!
Daniel lunges and begins to choke Henry. But before any irreparable damage can be done, Charming and Regina swoop in. Locking the monster in the stall, Henry makes a run for it.
Regina fights Charming. She wants to talk to her fiancé. Maybe she can calm him. But she will not let Charming kill him, nor will she use magic on him.
Finally, Charming opens the door and Daniel immediately lunges at Regina, choking her. Regina, through strangled breaths, professes her love for Daniel.
The change is immediate. Daniel, “human” again, tells Regina that she must let him go. If she loves him, she must give him up and love another.
Heartbroken, but wanting to end his suffering, Regina uses magic on him to make him disappear. She visits Archie and confesses that she used magic.
In Mr. Gold’s shop, Dr. Whale has recovered quickly. Slung over his shoulder is a large cooler. Missing his left arm, he sets the cooler before Mr. Gold. He asks Mr. Gold to cure him. Give him back his arm.
Why? To use it again, of course.
No, the other reason. Oh, to get back to his world. He still has some unfinished business involving his brother.
While Mr. Gold can’t get Dr. Whale back to his world, he can cure him…for a price.
Dr. Whale knows what Mr. Gold is asking for and out of his mouth comes the words Mr. Gold desires: Magic is the most powerful.
Viola! Dr. Whale has his arm back, fully functional.
Now to Present Day Fairy Tale Land. We finally get to see what’s happened to Mary Margaret, Emma and crew.
The morning is bright and clear, but death is in the air. The small band of women stumbles upon their safe haven; however, the haven is not so safe. Bodies litter the ground. An ogre attack? No, Mary Margaret exclaims, Cora! See the missing hearts, that’s Cora’s signature.
But under the rubble, there is a survivor. A man without a hand. He claims his hand was taken from an ogre attack and that he merely hid from Cora when she attacked this camp.
Emma, with her “ever-reliable” inner lie detector, doesn’t believe a word of his story. Her group supports her feelings and ties the survivor to a tree. With an earsplitting whistle, Emma essentially calls for an ogre. In minutes the beast will appear and he can eat the lying stranger for all she cares. That is unless he confesses the truth.
As the ground starts to shake, the stranger confesses that his name is Killian Jones, AKA Captain Hook. Emma rolls her eyes. Captain Hook, really? But she listens as he explains Cora’s plan to use the wardrobe’s enchantment to get to Storybrooke. However, she needs more magic, which is encased in a compass. Hook knows its location, not Cora, and he is willing to help these women find it before Cora. Just let him live!
Not so fast, Emma says. Why does Hook want to get to Storybrooke? He better answer truthfully if he wants to live.
Hook, eying the dagger aimed at his throat, replies, he wants to seek revenge on the one who took his hand, the crocodile Rumplestiltskin.
Emma needs not further explanation. She cuts Hook down and they all set off to retrieve the magical compass.
Where is it? Why up a beanstalk of course!
And it’s not the climb they must worry about but the giant that resides at the top!
Burning Questions:
1) What is so magical about the compass at the top of the beanstalk? How will it get them to Storybrooke?
2) Will Emma’s and Snow White’s strengths complement each other while in Fairy Tale Land? Or must Emma still completely rely on her mother?
3) When will Emma and Mary Margaret return to Storybrooke? Will Cora sneak back with them? What about Hook?
4) Can Hook be trusted?
5) What more havoc will Dr. Whale wreck upon Storybrooke?
6) Does Storybrooke really have hospital doctors that can be trusted with lives?
7) Can Regina truly change and quit using magic? Will she earn back Henry’s trust? Will Regina find another man to love?
8) What will happen to all of Regina’s hearts now that Charming knows about them?
9) Can Once Upon a Time truly meld the fairy tales we love with the likes of Frankenstein?
10) Who loved this episode? I know I did!
~ Taryn
Under the tutelage of Rumplestiltskin, Regina is learning the ways of dark magic. Her first assignment is taking and destroying the heart of an innocent unicorn. Yes, a unicorn.
But Regina’s heart is still soft; she can’t do it.
Rumplestiltskin is displeased. He needs Regina do become powerful in magic…powerful enough to one day give him what he desires—a land without magic.
Regina wants to learn magic but she will not become her mother. She will not take hearts and destroy them (figuratively and literally). Why then does she want magic, Rumplestiltskin queries? For what purpose will her magic have?
Regina immediately exclaims, to bring back her dead fiancé, Daniel.
Bring back the dead? Oh no. It can’t be done. Dead is dead. That is beyond Rumplestiltskin’s realm of magic.
Enter Jefferson. Ah, but there is one who is able, he shares. One who is known for bringing the dead to life.
Who is he, Regina wonders? Can Jefferson bring him to her? Of course, but for a price. A heart, an enchanted heart is all this wizard asks for.
Regina knows about her mother’s stash of hearts. She can’t take a heart herself, but she can give the wizard one that her mother has taken. Who’s heart? Even Regina does not know for her mother has taken so many.
The wizard agrees. For one heart he will give Regina’s fiancé life.
Under the cover of night, the wizard tells Regina that this experiment, for it is strictly experimental seeing as it has never been successfully completed before, he needs to be alone.
The wizard walks into a tent that has been set up. Daniel’s body lies peacefully. The wizard opens the box with the heart, and with a spark of lightning he pushes the heart into Daniel’s chest.
Did it work? How can Regina be sure that this man can hold up his end of the deal?
Jefferson says that the wizard’s powers are beyond magic. In the wizard’s world, he knows of things stronger than magic. What exactly, Jefferson does not know. Regina must simply trust.
However, when the wizard exits the tent, Daniel remains as still as the grave. It did not work.
At this, Regina’s heart becomes hard. She has lost the very thing she loves most so she has nothing more to lose. And with that she approaches Rumplestiltskin, pulls out the heart of his new apprentice and crushes it, proving her new, unwavering desire to learn the dark arts.
So pleased is Rumplestiltskin that he later approaches Jefferson and the wizard. He is overjoyed that their ruse worked. By convincing Regina that the wizard could not bring Daniel back, the wizard had indeed created a monster out of Regina for Rumplestiltskin. Now she is mold-able for Rumplestiltskin’s benefit, that is.
With the deed done, the wizard prepares to be transported back to his world. He has some unfinished business. Creating a monster is too vile a term. Rather he is bringing back someone he lost as well. And this requires more than mere magic.
Rumplestiltskin disagrees. Nothing is more powerful than magic. Besides, it is only through a magical heart that this wizard can perform his task.
Alas, the two agree to disagree. Jefferson takes the man back to his world where we see a scene straight from Frankenstein, for this is who the wizard truly is. With the heart he acquired during his time in Fairy Tale Land, Dr. Frankenstein, with electricity, brings to life his brother, the famously pieced together monster.
For it is not magic that has done this but science…
In Storybrooke, Regina has gone two days without magic. Her promise to Henry is wearing her thin. This leads her Dr. Hopper’s office. She needs a support system if she is to kick this habit.
Archie’s only too happy to help, but when Dr. Whale interrupts their session, Archie can’t help but question Regina’s steadfastness. Can she truly quit using magic?
Later, Regina is driving home in the rain. Through the downpour she glimpses a familiar figure: her fiancé. But how can that be? He’s dead and preserved wholly in her mausoleum?
Dr. Whale will know; after all, he tried, unsuccessfully, to bring Daniel back once before. Down in the eerie hallways of the hospital, where Regina kept Belle, the lights flicker. Unperturbed, Regina calls out for Dr. Whale. It’s then that she spots the bloodied cloths and a severed arm on a cart. Jumping back, she shoves the cart aside and discovers Dr. Whale, minus his left arm, on the floor.
Demanding to know what he’s done, Regina gets Dr. Whale to confirm that he has indeed brought Daniel to life. Regina gets Dr. Whale some immediate hospital attention from upstairs.
Meanwhile, Prince Charming has taken Henry to the Storybrooke Stables to teach him all about knighthood. The first step is learning to take care of one’s valiant steed. Mucking out stalls, feeding it, and waiting until it tells Henry that it is ready for Henry to ride it.
Charming leaves Henry to check on the dwarves’ progress in the mines. Henry can stay and begin his care for the horse. Charming will be back soon.
Disappointed that he can’t ride the horse right away, Henry begins to brush the steed, frequently asking the horse if he has anything to tell Henry, aka, ride me.
Back at the hospital, Regina is waiting for her chance to visit with Dr. Whale. She needs more answers…specifically, where is Daniel?
Prince Charming, after receiving a call that Dr. Whale had been injured, enters the hospital and spots Regina. She confesses to him her knowledge about Dr. Whale and that he is truly a wizard. He can bring people to life with enchanted hearts, and he has brought her fiancé back from the dead.
Whose heart does Daniel have? Regina doesn’t know; she’s taken so many. (Sound familiar, Regina)? And yes all the hearts are in Storybrooke.
Charming is shocked, but Regina continues. She needs to confirm Daniel’s location with Whale. The only solution she has come up with is that Daniel must have gone to the last place they were together, much like Charming did when he awoke from his coma and went to the Troll Bridge.
Where were they together last? The stables…
Henry.
The two rush to the stables.
Henry, impatiently questioning his horse, is interrupted by a shadow. The horses spook as a large figure enters the stall. Daniel has his sights set on Henry, who, in defense, outstretches his hand.
Wrong move, Henry! Cora did the same thing when she took Daniel’s heart!
Daniel lunges and begins to choke Henry. But before any irreparable damage can be done, Charming and Regina swoop in. Locking the monster in the stall, Henry makes a run for it.
Regina fights Charming. She wants to talk to her fiancé. Maybe she can calm him. But she will not let Charming kill him, nor will she use magic on him.
Finally, Charming opens the door and Daniel immediately lunges at Regina, choking her. Regina, through strangled breaths, professes her love for Daniel.
The change is immediate. Daniel, “human” again, tells Regina that she must let him go. If she loves him, she must give him up and love another.
Heartbroken, but wanting to end his suffering, Regina uses magic on him to make him disappear. She visits Archie and confesses that she used magic.
In Mr. Gold’s shop, Dr. Whale has recovered quickly. Slung over his shoulder is a large cooler. Missing his left arm, he sets the cooler before Mr. Gold. He asks Mr. Gold to cure him. Give him back his arm.
Why? To use it again, of course.
No, the other reason. Oh, to get back to his world. He still has some unfinished business involving his brother.
While Mr. Gold can’t get Dr. Whale back to his world, he can cure him…for a price.
Dr. Whale knows what Mr. Gold is asking for and out of his mouth comes the words Mr. Gold desires: Magic is the most powerful.
Viola! Dr. Whale has his arm back, fully functional.
Now to Present Day Fairy Tale Land. We finally get to see what’s happened to Mary Margaret, Emma and crew.
The morning is bright and clear, but death is in the air. The small band of women stumbles upon their safe haven; however, the haven is not so safe. Bodies litter the ground. An ogre attack? No, Mary Margaret exclaims, Cora! See the missing hearts, that’s Cora’s signature.
But under the rubble, there is a survivor. A man without a hand. He claims his hand was taken from an ogre attack and that he merely hid from Cora when she attacked this camp.
Emma, with her “ever-reliable” inner lie detector, doesn’t believe a word of his story. Her group supports her feelings and ties the survivor to a tree. With an earsplitting whistle, Emma essentially calls for an ogre. In minutes the beast will appear and he can eat the lying stranger for all she cares. That is unless he confesses the truth.
As the ground starts to shake, the stranger confesses that his name is Killian Jones, AKA Captain Hook. Emma rolls her eyes. Captain Hook, really? But she listens as he explains Cora’s plan to use the wardrobe’s enchantment to get to Storybrooke. However, she needs more magic, which is encased in a compass. Hook knows its location, not Cora, and he is willing to help these women find it before Cora. Just let him live!
Not so fast, Emma says. Why does Hook want to get to Storybrooke? He better answer truthfully if he wants to live.
Hook, eying the dagger aimed at his throat, replies, he wants to seek revenge on the one who took his hand, the crocodile Rumplestiltskin.
Emma needs not further explanation. She cuts Hook down and they all set off to retrieve the magical compass.
Where is it? Why up a beanstalk of course!
And it’s not the climb they must worry about but the giant that resides at the top!
Burning Questions:
1) What is so magical about the compass at the top of the beanstalk? How will it get them to Storybrooke?
2) Will Emma’s and Snow White’s strengths complement each other while in Fairy Tale Land? Or must Emma still completely rely on her mother?
3) When will Emma and Mary Margaret return to Storybrooke? Will Cora sneak back with them? What about Hook?
4) Can Hook be trusted?
5) What more havoc will Dr. Whale wreck upon Storybrooke?
6) Does Storybrooke really have hospital doctors that can be trusted with lives?
7) Can Regina truly change and quit using magic? Will she earn back Henry’s trust? Will Regina find another man to love?
8) What will happen to all of Regina’s hearts now that Charming knows about them?
9) Can Once Upon a Time truly meld the fairy tales we love with the likes of Frankenstein?
10) Who loved this episode? I know I did!
~ Taryn
Monday, November 5, 2012
Review - Season 2 Episode 6 - Tallahassee - "Something About Thieves and Honor"
There was a guy named Jack, and a cow, and something about evil giants with a treasure, and a golden goose…or harp.
Sounds like a lovely tale, but the truth’s a little bit more gruesome.
In Fairy Tale Land, Emma, Mary Margaret, and crew, including Hook, are faced with a very tall, green, vine-y challenge. While the legend of Jack and the Beanstalk may have been distorted for us in the real world, the truth of Jack the Giant Killer and his brave, albeit foolish, quest up the beanstalk is not lost on those native to the enchanted land. And they are all too aware of the magical compass that is in the hands of the giant of the giants who resides at the stalks summit.
Motivated by her love for Henry, Emma volunteers to accompany Hook up the stalk to retrieve the compass. Before leaving the ground, she makes Mulan promise to cut the beanstalk down after 10 hours if they aren’t back, and make sure Mary Margaret gets home.
Several thousand feet in the air, minus harnesses or safety nets, Hook strikes up conversation, quickly alluding to Emma’s past, her abandonment and her desire to be reunited with her son. Emma, suspicious of Hook, keeps her responses to a bare minimum. Just get the job done and get home.
At the top, amidst Hook’s frequent come-ons, Emma knocks out the overly giant giant with some magical powder Mulan gave her, and the two begin to search for the priceless compass.
But do you know how long magical knockout powder lasts on someone so large? Not very long. And before Emma and Hook can find the compass, the giant is upon them, crashing and breaking nearly everything in sight.
The two duck for cover; Hook is covered with large debris, and Emma is at the mercy of the giant who only wants revenge on the human species.
Quick on her feet, or teeth, Emma bites the giant, captures him in his own trap, and bargains with his life for the compass, which he hands over. Humans are all the same: killers. So what does it matter if she has the compass or not. She’ll kill him anyway.
Emma is many things but she is not a killer. So she lets him live. In return, the giant breaks out of his confines and offers her one favor, a safe way out and down the stalk.
But Emma could have killed the giant twice, so she demands a second favor. Delay Hook for 10 hours, then the giant can let him go. It will give her and her friends a head start.
Down on the ground, the girls have taken shifts. Aurora doesn’t want to sleep due to frequent nightmares, but Mary Margaret convinces her it will be okay. Mary Margaret will watch over her, and should Aurora have any nightmares, a side-effect to the sleeping curse, Mary Margaret will be right there.
Sure enough, Aurora is soon in the throes of a nightmare. Mary Margaret quickly wakes the young girl up, asking Aurora to share the nightmare.
She was in a room, a red room. There were blood red curtains, but no windows. The curtains were on fire. And when she looked up from her place in a corner, there were eyes, his eyes, watching her.
Mary Margaret consoles Aurora and somehow convinces her to sleep again.
Ten hours have passed since Emma and Hook disappeared up the beanstalk. Honoring Emma’s request, Mulan, sword in hand, begins to whack at the beanstalk.
Enraged, Mary Margaret flings herself at the she-warrior, knocking them both to the ground. No one, and she means no one, is ever going to put her daughter in danger!
The fight is short-lived because Emma immediately appears, falling the last several feet down the beanstalk.
Mary Margaret is overjoyed and angry. How dare Emma suggest such nonsense, leaving Mary Margaret alone? They came to Fairy Tale Land together and they leave together. Does Emma understand?
She does. Mother-daughter hug!
Now all they have to do is steal the wardrobe ashes from Cora! (Good luck, ladies!)
In Storybrooke, or should I say Portland, Oregon, some 11 years ago, Emma is on the run. Young and dumb, she decides that today is a great day to steal a car: a bright, yellow VW bug!
Jacking the car, she begins to drive, but she’s not alone. His name’s Neal, Neal Cassidy. And no, this is not his car either. In fact, Emma just stole a stolen car.
Can you feel the chemistry?
Well, even if you can’t, there is. With a Bonnie and Clyde-esque lifestyle for a few months, the two rob some convenience stores, planning to ultimately settle down in Tallahassee.
But that life would be a dream if only Neal, in his life before Emma, hadn’t stolen some high-end watches. While he never did time, he’s a wanted man. Tallahassee is out of the question.
That is until Emma decides to steal the stolen watches. (She’s pretty good at this second-hand thievery). Anyway, Neal had stashed the watches at a train depot. He still has the key. Emma can grab the watches, sell them to a fence, and they can make off to Tallahassee with dozens of G’s in pocket.
Key in hand, Emma grabs the watches and meets back with Neal. All he has to do is hand the goods off to the middleman and they can be on their way. They’ll meet again in a few hours.
However, after years of failing at his duty, August Booth has caught up to Emma, or rather, Neal. Cornering the man and showing Neal some undeniable evidence (which the camera fails to let its viewers in on), August explains Emma’s destiny. Let Emma go so she can do her job.
Neal reluctantly agrees.
At the rendezvous, Emma waits. When Neal doesn’t show, she calls him. No answer. It’s then that a police officer spots her and the watch around her wrist that Neal gave her. Yeah, it was one of the stolen ones.
Cuffed, Emma lands herself in a minimal security prison for 11 months.
Two months in two things happen. First, Neal meets with August in Canada. He can’t just let Emma go, not unless he knows she’s alright. August tells Neal that Emma is serving time, but she’s safe. When she gets out she can follow her destiny, but only if Neal stays away.
Neal gives August some cash and a key chain. He wants August to get them to Emma. And he wants to give Emma the yellow VW Bug. He’s legally registered it so she shouldn’t have any problems.
August agrees to give Emma Neal’s gift. And when Emma breaks the curse, he’ll send Neal a postcard.
Secondly, in jail, Emma receives the gift. But more than that is the news that she’s pregnant with 9 months left on her sentence.
In Storybrooke, for real this time, Henry had a bad dream. Prince Charming rushes to his side, lights a candle like he did for Snow when she had her nightmares, and waits for Henry to share.
He was in a room, a red room. There were blood red curtains, but no windows. The curtains were on fire. And when he looked up from his place in a corner, there were eyes, her eyes, watching him…
Burning Questions:
1) What does the red room with fire curtains mean? Are Henry and Aurora seeing each other? How and why?
2) How hard will it be to get the wardrobe ashes from Cora?
3) Will Hook catch up with the girls?
4) When did Emma actually live in Tallahassee? Why did she stay there so long?
5) Will we get to see more of Emma’s back-story? Will this reveal who helped Rumplestiltskin procure Henry for Regina?
6) What was the object Neal saw in August’s box? Would Emma have seen it too, and not a typewriter, if she had believed in magic when August showed her in Season 1?
7) Will Neal Cassidy go to Storybrooke? What will happen when/if he does?
~ Taryn
Sounds like a lovely tale, but the truth’s a little bit more gruesome.
In Fairy Tale Land, Emma, Mary Margaret, and crew, including Hook, are faced with a very tall, green, vine-y challenge. While the legend of Jack and the Beanstalk may have been distorted for us in the real world, the truth of Jack the Giant Killer and his brave, albeit foolish, quest up the beanstalk is not lost on those native to the enchanted land. And they are all too aware of the magical compass that is in the hands of the giant of the giants who resides at the stalks summit.
Motivated by her love for Henry, Emma volunteers to accompany Hook up the stalk to retrieve the compass. Before leaving the ground, she makes Mulan promise to cut the beanstalk down after 10 hours if they aren’t back, and make sure Mary Margaret gets home.
Several thousand feet in the air, minus harnesses or safety nets, Hook strikes up conversation, quickly alluding to Emma’s past, her abandonment and her desire to be reunited with her son. Emma, suspicious of Hook, keeps her responses to a bare minimum. Just get the job done and get home.
At the top, amidst Hook’s frequent come-ons, Emma knocks out the overly giant giant with some magical powder Mulan gave her, and the two begin to search for the priceless compass.
But do you know how long magical knockout powder lasts on someone so large? Not very long. And before Emma and Hook can find the compass, the giant is upon them, crashing and breaking nearly everything in sight.
The two duck for cover; Hook is covered with large debris, and Emma is at the mercy of the giant who only wants revenge on the human species.
Quick on her feet, or teeth, Emma bites the giant, captures him in his own trap, and bargains with his life for the compass, which he hands over. Humans are all the same: killers. So what does it matter if she has the compass or not. She’ll kill him anyway.
Emma is many things but she is not a killer. So she lets him live. In return, the giant breaks out of his confines and offers her one favor, a safe way out and down the stalk.
But Emma could have killed the giant twice, so she demands a second favor. Delay Hook for 10 hours, then the giant can let him go. It will give her and her friends a head start.
Down on the ground, the girls have taken shifts. Aurora doesn’t want to sleep due to frequent nightmares, but Mary Margaret convinces her it will be okay. Mary Margaret will watch over her, and should Aurora have any nightmares, a side-effect to the sleeping curse, Mary Margaret will be right there.
Sure enough, Aurora is soon in the throes of a nightmare. Mary Margaret quickly wakes the young girl up, asking Aurora to share the nightmare.
She was in a room, a red room. There were blood red curtains, but no windows. The curtains were on fire. And when she looked up from her place in a corner, there were eyes, his eyes, watching her.
Mary Margaret consoles Aurora and somehow convinces her to sleep again.
Ten hours have passed since Emma and Hook disappeared up the beanstalk. Honoring Emma’s request, Mulan, sword in hand, begins to whack at the beanstalk.
Enraged, Mary Margaret flings herself at the she-warrior, knocking them both to the ground. No one, and she means no one, is ever going to put her daughter in danger!
The fight is short-lived because Emma immediately appears, falling the last several feet down the beanstalk.
Mary Margaret is overjoyed and angry. How dare Emma suggest such nonsense, leaving Mary Margaret alone? They came to Fairy Tale Land together and they leave together. Does Emma understand?
She does. Mother-daughter hug!
Now all they have to do is steal the wardrobe ashes from Cora! (Good luck, ladies!)
In Storybrooke, or should I say Portland, Oregon, some 11 years ago, Emma is on the run. Young and dumb, she decides that today is a great day to steal a car: a bright, yellow VW bug!
Jacking the car, she begins to drive, but she’s not alone. His name’s Neal, Neal Cassidy. And no, this is not his car either. In fact, Emma just stole a stolen car.
Can you feel the chemistry?
Well, even if you can’t, there is. With a Bonnie and Clyde-esque lifestyle for a few months, the two rob some convenience stores, planning to ultimately settle down in Tallahassee.
But that life would be a dream if only Neal, in his life before Emma, hadn’t stolen some high-end watches. While he never did time, he’s a wanted man. Tallahassee is out of the question.
That is until Emma decides to steal the stolen watches. (She’s pretty good at this second-hand thievery). Anyway, Neal had stashed the watches at a train depot. He still has the key. Emma can grab the watches, sell them to a fence, and they can make off to Tallahassee with dozens of G’s in pocket.
Key in hand, Emma grabs the watches and meets back with Neal. All he has to do is hand the goods off to the middleman and they can be on their way. They’ll meet again in a few hours.
However, after years of failing at his duty, August Booth has caught up to Emma, or rather, Neal. Cornering the man and showing Neal some undeniable evidence (which the camera fails to let its viewers in on), August explains Emma’s destiny. Let Emma go so she can do her job.
Neal reluctantly agrees.
At the rendezvous, Emma waits. When Neal doesn’t show, she calls him. No answer. It’s then that a police officer spots her and the watch around her wrist that Neal gave her. Yeah, it was one of the stolen ones.
Cuffed, Emma lands herself in a minimal security prison for 11 months.
Two months in two things happen. First, Neal meets with August in Canada. He can’t just let Emma go, not unless he knows she’s alright. August tells Neal that Emma is serving time, but she’s safe. When she gets out she can follow her destiny, but only if Neal stays away.
Neal gives August some cash and a key chain. He wants August to get them to Emma. And he wants to give Emma the yellow VW Bug. He’s legally registered it so she shouldn’t have any problems.
August agrees to give Emma Neal’s gift. And when Emma breaks the curse, he’ll send Neal a postcard.
Secondly, in jail, Emma receives the gift. But more than that is the news that she’s pregnant with 9 months left on her sentence.
In Storybrooke, for real this time, Henry had a bad dream. Prince Charming rushes to his side, lights a candle like he did for Snow when she had her nightmares, and waits for Henry to share.
He was in a room, a red room. There were blood red curtains, but no windows. The curtains were on fire. And when he looked up from his place in a corner, there were eyes, her eyes, watching him…
Burning Questions:
1) What does the red room with fire curtains mean? Are Henry and Aurora seeing each other? How and why?
2) How hard will it be to get the wardrobe ashes from Cora?
3) Will Hook catch up with the girls?
4) When did Emma actually live in Tallahassee? Why did she stay there so long?
5) Will we get to see more of Emma’s back-story? Will this reveal who helped Rumplestiltskin procure Henry for Regina?
6) What was the object Neal saw in August’s box? Would Emma have seen it too, and not a typewriter, if she had believed in magic when August showed her in Season 1?
7) Will Neal Cassidy go to Storybrooke? What will happen when/if he does?
~ Taryn