# Ouat



## Addison

I can't believe no one's started a Once Upon a Time thread yet. So I will. 

Warning, if you're not caught up on the episodes then don't read, possible spoilers. I'll try to hide them but, ye be warned. 


I watched the recent episode and I have to say the new villain's background is.....oh brother. She doesn't have to be Regina's you-know-what to hate her. The creators seem to think that the only valid reason for the heroes to hate the villains is if they're related. Like Snow and Regina, David and King George, now Regina and HER. 

The creators could have just made it that (new villain) was Cora's apprentice but was thrown aside, or magically exiled, when Cora became pregnant with Regina. Besides, one of the villain's pets got Regina's blood remember? And the villain put it in a phial, a fusion of Regina's blood and a magic potion which would allow her to break the Blood Magic protection. 

I love the series, it's one of my favorites, but this development almost made me cry inside.


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## Addison

Lots of character development and revelation in the latest episode. Teeth gritting and tear wrenching. Lots of cliffhangers at the end, toward the good and bad. Poor Emma.  

If I got a chance at the witch I wouldn't just throw the water on her, I'd give her a friggin swirly then throw her in the ocean. I gotta say, their villains are as dimensional and hate-able as the heroes are dimensional and likeable. Where's Dorothy when you need her?


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## CupofJoe

I kind of lost interest in OUAT at the start of Season 2.
Apart from spotting Keegan Conner Tracy as the Blue Fairy, I though it fairly flat.
I think Robert Carlisle is a great villain even if he's not the villain.


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## Addison

I have to admite I'm losing interest too. I predicted Pan's relation to Gold and about ten other developments. The only reason I'm excited for the next episode is because of the showdown between Evil and Wicked.


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## Addison

Watched the latest episode and youtubed the promo for the next one. 

OMG, I grit my teeth so hard I thought my teeth would crack. 

Not to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't seen the episodes, the entire episode was full of "Holy Crap", "Oh My God!" and "Oh no - no- please no!" moments. There was an adequate sprinkling of humor and bright moments, but overall I was on the edge of my seat pulling my hair out. 

And the promo.....I got the idea the Glinda the Good Witch isn't so helpful. Zelina....oooh Zelina, when will she get it?! For what she did in the promo she doesn't have a heart! She didn't take it out or have it stolen, it got so dark and evil it just dissipitated in her chest and poisoned her....maybe that's why her smoke and skin is green. 

But I do agree with Charming in the recent episode, Leopold is a questionable name. If they nickname the baby Leo but call him Leopold when he's in trouble then it's good.


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## Addison

Season 3 is over and sewn a huge cliff hanger for season 4. 

Great character development, and such a CUTE baby! 

But as for the season 4 cliff hanger I have my fingers crossed. I'm worried the writers will base their spin on the movie and not the fairy tale the movie is based on. Also worried that it'll be another weird twig of the Charming or Regina family tree. Why can't it just be an old weird nemesis of Rumple's with no relation to the heroes? Heck maybe her past can be connected to a different villain, like Maleficent? And the character can explore a different shape of evil.

If you haven't seen the finale, wake up and watch.


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## Addison

Ginnifer had a baby boy! XD Congratulations to her and Josh and their bundle of joy. 
This recent news on the "Once Upon a Time" stars got me thinking about the coming fourth season. I have to ssay, not really looking forward to it, other than seeing more cute baby. 

So far their fairy tale adaptions have been based on the tales themselves. Whether from the brothers Grimm or Hans Anderson. But from the news and articles I've seen, they're basing their adaption of "The Ice Queen" on another adaption. I've read the Ice Queen, it's one of my favorite fairy tales. Disney's adaption was beautiful and an obvious success. But if they base it off "Frozen" I'll stop watching and I'd have lost faith in Horowitz and Kitsis.

If I were them and did an adaption of "The Ice Queen", I'd keep the brother-sister character relation. The Ice Queen herself would have been a victim of Maleficent. (Give the Charming/Queen tree a break) Besides Maleficent seems to make a hobby of cursing babies. So when the curse comes the Ice Queen is created, her brother is injured in some way because of it. Rumpelstiltskin plays an involuntary hero when he catches her in that bottle and puts her away in his vault. As Ice Queen lets loose in town looking for Maleficent, who's responsible for her cursed life and her brother's fate. Which is a problem as Maleficent is dead, and their window of opportunity is closing. The longer she's cursed, the more her heart will freeze, and soon the innocent girl will be lost and there will only be a monster of ice with zero humanity.

That's my two bits on it. I don't know what they're worth beyond this website, but as a person who grew up on fairy tales I had to get it out.


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## ThinkerX

Ah...'Once Upon A Time'...pretty much the only television show I was watching at the time my reception went away a little over two years ago.  Lost reception right before the last couple of episodes, which was annoying.  No TV since then.


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## Addison

I don't have a lot of faith in the premise of season 4. The foreshadowed character developments, and seeing a cute baby, are all good. But basing the season on Frozen, not so much. They made their name by making their own renditions of fairy tales, not renditions of renditions. The movie Frozen, while great, is nowhere near the real fairy tale. I can see the fairy tale being a better main conflict than Frozen. 

For those who don't know, the fairy tale is called "The Snow Queen" and it's a Danish fairy tale. The Snow Queen is more like Sauron, not really doing evil toward the hero just sitting in their throne doing their own thing. The victim with the frozen heart is Kai, a boy who has pieces of an enchanted mirror in his eye and heart. the pieces were part of a mirror which only reflected the distorted image of the evil/bad in the world. The Snow Queen takes him to her palace to use the shards to make a puzzle, specifically to spell the word eternity. His friend Gerda does not believe he's dead so she goes on a journey to find him. Escaping enchantments and imprisonment, getting help from a crow, a robber girl, a reindeer and two wise woman. Oh and there are fat bee-like snowflakes that serve the snow queen. They get to the castle, the power of her innocent heart keeps the bee-snow-flakes away. She goes into the palace and finds Kai. She kisses him, melting the piece out of his heart. He weeps, getting the other out of his eye. Those two pieces fall into place, spelling the word and freeing him from the witch. (Oh, she kissed him twice once to protect him from the cold and again to make him forget about Gerda and his family. One more kiss will kill him). They go home and live happily ever after. 

So the person who makes the mirror could have been Rumplestiltskin, or maybe an evil friend of the snow-queen. Gerda and Kai are themselves, the reindeer-Bae- is still a reindeer. But instead of a crow it's Blue. So in the Ouat universe Rumple could have put Kai and/or the snow queen in the bottle so the puzzle wouldn't be completed, itx's completion would have screwed up his plans somehow. Now, if the puzzle is the completed in Story brooke and the closer it gets the more frigid and icy things get. When completed, Storybrooke is in eternal winter. 

Okay, so I still like their creativity and ambition, but come on. Even my kid sister, an Elsa wanna-be, doesn't want anyone messing with Frozen. What do you guys think?


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## Addison

I'm waiting for the fifth episode of season 4. So far it's getting interesting, there's a lot of balls rolling, lot of foreshadowing and head games. The Snow Queen (not Elsa, for those who aren't watching) knows Emma and not from Storybrooke, also she didn't come to Storybrooke via any curse, so there's a huge mystery. 

I'm glad they're pulling in the character of Snow Queen, hopefully they'll be able to work in some of the original Snow Queen fairy tale. I have my fingers crossed. I also have them crossed for: Regina to get her happy ending, Operation Mongoose, Hook and Emma, Elsa finding Anna, Anna and Kristoff getting their marriage, more scenes of baby Neal (so cute!), to find out what the Snow Queen's plan is!

Also as they're doing the fourth season like the third, two parts with different arcs, I'm excited to see what they do with the second half.


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## Vilya

Once Upon A Time lost me after last season, but I used to absolutely love it.   I guess that I just got tired of them sweeping things under the rug, and well without Rumple for quite a bit of the second half, it really wasn't holding my interest.  I haven't watched any of the current season, but what does everyone think, is it better written?  Should I give Once another shot?


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## Addison

Meh I'm on the fence with this season myself. The family dynamics between Henry and Regina, Henry and Rumple, Regina and Robin and the Charmings is still intriguing. The Snow Queen's back story was well written but how they shoved Elsa and Anna into it was just...gyah! Once Upon a Time got big hits because they were making renditions of fairy tales. By making a rendition of a rendition they killed the first part of the season. In the latest episode it's like they rushed and shoved a character development (not to mention the writers are getting a little weird with Snow White) with Emma. She went from finally getting some control of her powers to losing control. This is what happens when they go off script. 
But I'm holding out in hopes of a few things; find out who the author is, see how Regina and Robin get their happy ending, see the Snow Queen get a serious slap of reality when she gets her butt kicked, see what's in store for the next half of the season. Hopefully they'll make a comeback, not continue down hill.


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## Vilya

I broke down and started watching season four.  I'm two episodes in.

One of the main problems I have with this show is that it just all seems to gimmicky to me.  I love the core cast, and I would like more focus on them.  They just keep adding more and more people, and it is hard to know who to be attached too.  I just get the feeling like they are spreading themselves too thin, and I have to admit that I wasn't exactly excited that they were borrowing characters from Frozen (even though I really like the movie).

I do still really like Regina and Rumple.  I do hope that she gets her happy ending...and I am always wondering what the Dark One is up to.  I still think that he is going to try and find a way to bring Neal back.  I think that wand (if he hasn't used it) could still cast a time portal spell.  I have a hard time believing that Rumple could resist bringing Neal back if he had the means.  

I hope that they make a comeback too.  The last time I was really engaged was the Peter Pan arc, and I had to roll my eyes back when Peter was really Rumple's dad -I mean everyone doesn't have to be related....


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## Addison

Vilya said:


> I hope that they make a comeback too.  The last time I was really engaged was the Peter Pan arc, and I had to roll my eyes back when Peter was really Rumple's dad -I mean everyone doesn't have to be related....



I know! Remeber "New York Serenade" when the evil monkey cut Regina and gave Zelena the blood? When we saw Zelena in Regina's office and she said only Blood Magic can beat her blood magic I knew how she did it, the blood. But then she pulled the sister card! GYA! Hopefully, my Christmas wish, is that the next half of season four is one heck of a come back! I heard they have Ursula and Cruella DeVille coming in. Ursula I can see...Cruella? That'll be interesting.


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## Addison

Okay everyone, the season 4 mid-season finale is tonight! The end of the Frozen storyline, FINALLY, and the introduction of the second half coming in...March or May, one of the "M" months. 

Anyway, what we'll have is like the evilized, fairy-tale version of the Halliwell sisters. Please welcome to the small screen for their Storybrooke debuts the Mistress of Evil who wields all the powers of Hell with her trusty pet unicorn, Maleficent! 

Apparently back from the dead! Or undead, I guess we'll find out how that happened. Striding up behind her in fabulous heeled boots with a thick fur bunched around her shoulders, the woman who will make poor Pongo bleach his spots, please welcome the devil, Cruella De'Ville. 

Last, but certainly not least, she flows like the element she lives in and as powerful as the storms that ravage the seas. She got a brief cameo in season 2 and is now here to brandish herself entirely. Let's welcome the Goddess of the Sea, Ursula. 

There will be a LOT going on tonight at eight. The end of the Frozen arc, wonder how they'll find Arrendell when they get back? The town is recovering from the Spell of Shattered Sight. Will Emma find out Hook lost his heart? Who will Robin choose? Regina or Marian? Will Rumple escape Storybrooke with Belle and Henry? 

Hopefully, wishing on a star, this is a strong symbol of Horowitz and Kitsis getting back on their writing that got us hooked on the show in the first place. Tune in!


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## Addison

The Frozen arc was nicely wrapped up, a healthy dose of arcs were wrapped up while others continued or new ones were made to leave us waiting for March 1st. I'll be waiting a few more days to post my entire opinion. I'm hoping to get some more opinions from you guys.


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## wordwalker

My main thought: I see that Robin has "left" Regina (but stuck around for the next-year clips, hmm) just as "Operation Mongoose" gears up to give Regina a chance to give Destiny an earful about her life... which I always thought was a more sensible plan than most characters have ever had. But she's still overlooking the big picture:

We always say this is the show that's gone from _Can Snow and Charming have five minutes of happiness?_ to _Can the Evil Queen have five minutes of happiness?_ But Regina's life has been bullying her for the same ruthless reason it's been kicking Snow around.

Sorry, Regina. You've been a hero for years now.


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## Addison

Overall opinion of the first half of season 4? A LOW point in the series. Like I stated earlier they got to be popular by making renditions of fairy tales, not renditions of renditions. The story of "The Ice Queen" by Hans Anderson is a beautiful, incredible pinnacle of fairy tales. Also as they planned to explore Maleficent, Ursula and Cruella Deville in the second half they could have planted those seeds in the first half if they did it right! 

Not to mention they completely RUINED a great opportunity with the hat! They had previously addressed Henry wanting to be a hero like his family. After all the intensity with the Wicked Witch he'd be even more propelled to be a hero. He could have found the hat while playing detective (like season one when he helped August, or went into the mine) and either accidentally absorbed its magic and not know it or become an apprentice.  If they really wanted to explore Emma's past (that part felt thrown in) they could have done it a LOT better. Was Emma always good at finding people or did she learn from someone? Did she get her hard-core attitude from her parents or did she pick it up from someone? Possibly the same someone who taught her how to find people and, maybe, to tell when people are lying? So many other questions, better questions, to answer than one they threw into the pot. 

Oh brother, deep breaths. :spin:  Several articles have said that the coming episodes will be "Back to Basics". So hopefully, please MUSES of Horowitz and Kitsis, please Leprechauns of the world, let the show rise back to its grandeur!


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## Vilya

Anyone else excited about the second half of Season 4?


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## Addison

I was excited and I'm still interested. I have been curious who the author is. Maybe, at some point, we'll find out where Snow got the little bottle of dark fairy dust she used on the trolls. 

My only peeves so far concern Ursula and Cruella. Last I checked the actual fairy tale which Ursula is cast in has Ariel turning into foam. Yet the Ariel in the story is flesh and blood and scales. So once again they are making renditions of a rendition. Then there's Cruella. Umm....I don't believe 101 Dalmations was a fairy tale. I'm interested and curious to see how Kitsis and Horowitz pull her off.

 I would have been interested to see another fairy tale villain like Baba Yaga. Or maybe they could touch on some of the unsung heroes of the fairy tale genre. Like BearSkin, the White Snake, The King of Gold Mountain etc. They do know that the Brothers Grim wrote two hundred and eleven fairy tales? Not to mention that, even though some of their tales were rewrites from Perrault and Anderson, those authors and several others wrote incredible stories that few have heard of. Anyone heard of, or read, "Bluebeard", "East of the Sun West of the Moon"? 

Their latest episode "Enter the Dragon" did end on good cliff hangers. To avoid spoilers, someone has returned and is in peril, unless Regina is really true to her new path of light magic and happiness. Emma suspects Snow and Charming are hiding something and the clock is ticking until Hook's secret with Ursula is revealed. Not to mention Rumple and Belle are bound to bump heads...possibly after he sees that the Knave has an accident.


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## Addison

Okay we're closing in on the end of the season. And I gotta say I hope they finish it with a bang, take a well-deserved, long overdue vacation, and make their fifth season as good as the first.

They're kinda losing me. (Spoiler Alert)

 In their most recent episode they had one element which I found interesting. Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold winds up in the hospital after having a heart attack. Why did he have the heart attack? Apparently being magically-evil and going through such emotional trauma delivers physical damage. I also found it interesting, and ironic, how Rumpel can send people to all other realms but none of these methods are to this world. 

The part I didn't like? You guessed it, Zelena. SERIOUSLY!? That was reaching! Dead is dead, unless you're in the Marvel or DC universe according to my brother. It's like they realized that to keep the story going they needed Rumpel to have some leverage on Regina and realized all the players who could do it were either in Storybrooke already, or were killed off. That doesn't mean they had to invent a story for their idea to make more sense. 

Instead of this they could have revealed that, in fact, Robin and Roland were in Storybrooke but were prisoners. Or maybe, while in Manhattan, Robin was either unable to get the elixir or was arrested and the elixir returned, so in fear, anger and his own personality, Gold used his natural cunning to keep Robin in jail and, as consequence, Roland would be taken away as Marian has no job history and so forth. The threat of Robin losing his son, and losing a second son, would compel Regina to do as Gold says. 

The Enchanted Forest story was nice. I could see how Robin and Marian were and such. 

The title of the next episode is catchy "Sympathy for the DeVill". It looks promising, mostly because Cruella isn't a fairy tale character like Snow, Cinderella and such so it will be interesting to see how they pull her off. 

But I gotta say I'm kinda seeing how the episode "Lucy" will play out. After the "DeVill" episode Emma and Regina leave Storybrooke to save Robin and in their quest Lucy pops in and helps out, or makes some appearance which triggers the final events, and they all head back to Storybrooke. 

Horowitz! Kitsis! Please! You did the same thing in LOST. No repeats, new show, please! Get back to the roots, those dramatic, enticing, entertaining roots! Thank you.


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## Addison

Oh-kay. I love the show, the character connections and everything, the mix of fantasy, drama and modern world. 

It's taken a dark turn as the Savior turns dark. :shudder: 

But seriously guys (Kitsis and Horowitz) what-the-heck. I stated in an earlier post that they didn't have to do Lily's character. They could have shown how Emma got so good at finding people, got her super power etc. Besides, they've left one question still unanswered. If you recall in season 1, Snow White had a little necklace bottle of Dark Fairy Dust. They could have made how she got the dust as her dark revelation and maybe what they did to avoid her end of that deal as another darker turn. 

But they kinda screwed up. Lily was given the potential for great darkness. The potential, not the destiny. Like Regina said, we make our own destiny. So far Lily has only lied and stolen, to survive and keep those she cares about. That doesn't scream daughter of the Mistress of Hell. 

I am trying to make an update without spoiling. This episode started, went and ended on a bubble so, it's up to you guys. The storylines are good and leading to a great finale. I just hope their fifth season gets back to basics. And, if Emma does go dark or dies or whatever then it could make a great fifth season. She was who people counted on for a Happy Ending. They've lost focus and inner strength to realize what they had before in the Enchanted Forest. The power to find their Happy Endings on their own.


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## Addison

Okay, the promo and recently released sneak peek has given me hope. 

In the promo we see an evil Snow White almost rip out the pure-hearted (possibly bandit-queen) Regina. The promotional photos had me going back and checking things. Like Zelina in a wedding gown with Robin at the altar!? I'm really hoping he's the best man. Or Regina's date to the wedding. 

In the promo we saw Emma locked in a tower, then we see her with a sword fighting the knight, Rumpelstiltskin? So it looks like the Author was an actual author before he was recruited. 

As for the sneak peek...I have a suspcion. We saw Snow White accompanied by David and she snarled at Regina that she was responsible for Snow losing her true love. As I saw David right there I thought that either the author did some serious rewriting or the man we see is actually James, David's twin brother. And Snow is controlling him as an eye-candy of sorts as her true love Sheppard is dead. 

That's just a theory anyway. 

Also, Regina using a sling shot it cool, but if the villains are supposed to get their happy ending....why isn't she a queen with Snow locked in a dungeon or something? Guess we'll find out this Sunday.


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## Addison

The finale has replenished my faith and love in Once Upon a Time. 

I loved Henry's huge involvement in the plot from the beginning. The universal flipping of the rules was interesting and exciting. Evil Snow was scary, she could give Evil Queen a good battle. 

I am trying very hard not to give spoilers because you seriously have to watch this episode. 

The only things I'm saying next are great cliff hangers. The challenge with Regina-Robin-Zelina still exists but Regina is taking it as a Hero. Then there's Henry's new job and the transfer of power for one character, a clean slate for another and a mystery for another, which could help that person find balance in their life. 

Okay I am ending this post before I blab. Happy Writing!


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## Addison

My previous post said my faith has been replenished. The comic-con promo of Dark Emma has restored it more. I'm curious and excited to see what Kitsis and Horowitz do with the King Arthur legends. 

Then I saw the kick-butt archer with the wild red hair. 
Please-god-NO! I love the movie Brave, my sister does, even my beebee gun toting brother. But seriously they said that the last part of seven four and on would be them getting back to basics. Making their renditions of fairy tales. Brave was a rendition of lore and legend, now they're hinting that they'll being doing another rendition of a rendition. Seriously! Please have them cut it, or just have the character's looks inspired by Merida but the story completely different. 

Seriously the brothers Grimm wrote more than three hundred fairy tales and legends. Then there's Hans Christian Anderson, Christopher Perrault, not to mention more material in Wonderland, Oz maybe, 1001 Arabian Nights and the lores and legends across the world. Millions of inspirational tales NOT from Disney or Pixar or Dreamworks. 

{Deep breath, happy thoughts} Okay, I'm looking forward to the season five premier. Come on Kitsis and Horowitz, don't let us down!


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## Addison

Sorry for my absence guys. 

Okay season 5 is going well so far. The premiere was amazing (Zelena has problems...Regina should have her on a regular schedule with Archie) For those of you who have not seen the episodes yet I'll be as clear and spoiler-free as possible. I apologize in advance if anything slips out. 

From what I've seen in camelot Emma has...had...was putting up a great fight against the darkness. Sadly the Darkness seems to be like the Enchanted Forest's version of Venom with a touch of Carnage. The thing learns from past experiences, building its repertoire of magical knowledge and, because it used to be in Rumpelstiltskin, it knows Emma and it knows how to trick her, to get under her skin and into her heart. It almost succeeded, luckily her family arrived. Then they met the heroes of Camelot. My favorite part in the premier, it was a close race, is that Kitsis and Horowitz stuck to mythology when they revealed Merlin. 
     As Hook said, "You mean to tell me the most powerful wizard in all the realms is stuck inside a bloody tree?" True to mythology, thank you boys. It almost makes up for you bringing in Merida. Please know that Merida is one of my favorite Disney princesses but it took me back to season 4A, they made a rendition of a rendition. True "Brave" was based on several lores (I'm sure it's on one lore but I can't find my Celtic Lore book), but the boys didn't NEED to bring in Merida, they could have made their own character to show Emma's first test. 
     The end of the premiere was jaw dropping. Another curse, with the odds tipped toward evil as the curse was made without a savior being thrown in, and we got to see Dark Swan. And what she did to Sneezy, eep. We saw how tough and powerful Emma was against evils, now she's evil. Her friends and family clearly felt the chills that their past enemies felt before Emma kicked their butts. Worst is Emma has embraced the darkness and has her dagger. Ooh, and she erased the memories of everyone's time in Camelot so they don't remember what went wrong so they have no idea how to fix it.


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## Addison

Episode two started with the usual test of the town line. Let's review real quick . During the first curse, before Emma broke it, anyone who tried crossing it had something bad happen to them. Granny's heart attack, Cinderella's car and labor, Catherine abducted etc. After the first curse was broken crossing the line costed memory loss, reverting to their cursed selves. Zelena's curse had people abducted and turned into flying monkeys. The ice wall attacked anyone who tried and, after it fell, once someone crossed they could never come back. 
    Now if someone crosses they get turned into a tree. Emma seems to be a little more creative with her curse than the others. Putting the residents in the same prison on Merlin, the one person who can stop her. 
     With Emma evil and a forest of Camelot natives, people are looking for answers, a savior and excalibur. Yeah Arthur, his men and family are there but his sword is gone. Robin gives Regina a confidence boost after she has a tense banter with Emma during which Emma says something is coming that only a savior can stop. We soon realize what that is when the thing abducts Robin. Even with all the good Regina has done she doesn't believe in herself that she's good enough to be a savior. (Shocker, neither does Snow) 
    After going to Emma (who's partially responsible for the abduction after being tricked by the darkness to use magic to save Robin only for the cost of that magic to bite Regina in the butt) Emma proves, in my opinion, that she's still in there when she tells Regina that if she's really the savior, if she really wants to save Robin and the town to step and do what needs to be done. 
     Regina does so, giving herself to the evil in Robin's place. Then Snow comes and offers herself, then Charming, Leroy and so many others that the Fury leaves. Go Light!
     The evil Jimmy Cricket that is Rumple's Dark ghost is still whispering in Emma's ear. (It occurs to me that he wouldn't be there if she's embraced the darkness so that furthers my belief that she's still fighting) In the end as we follow Emma we find Excalibur. 

Ooh, on a cute sub-plot, Henry has a crush on a camelot girl Violet, who seems to have the same feelings for him. I did hear that the fifth episode is going to be very Henry so maybe he'll do something for his mom(s) and show Violet just how much of a knight and hero he is. Who knows, can't wait. The only thing I haven't figured out is if this season is going to be one whole season based around Emma's being the Dark One and Merlin destroying the darkness? Or if season 5 will be split like the last two, and if it is then what's in store for season 5B?


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## Addison

Just read an article about the show and the season. So it looks like the season will be broken but not so severely as the last two seasons. The 100th episode will show the middle and the switch. So the only fun guessing part will be what the switch will be about. So the first half could be Emma's going deeper into darkness and the second is her coming out. Or the first half could be Emma's embraced Darkness and the other could be an inner battle as the others get closer to getting Merlin. If you think about it he can't really destroy the darkness and save Emma if she's welcomed it inside her. Only when there's friction, a clear difference between Emma and the Darkness would he be able to save Emma and destroy the Darkness.

Although it raises a question. If Merlin is "the most powerful wizard in all the realms", having enough power to send the Snow Queen to our world and even himself to Emma then how come he didn't just kill the Darkness instead of binding it to a person? My theory is, as the writers are reaching into the mythology, that the Darkness is the soul of either Mordred or Morgan. Even when worlds are at stake there's a hesitancy when it involves killing family.


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## Addison

Heck of an episode!

Rumple is awake which is both good and bad. Good because he's not dead, Belle is happy and his wisdom and past experiences can help the team help Emma. Bad because Emma brought him back for a reason. We know what for- if her plan pans out- and there's no clear vision of how Rumple will lead his life with his clean slate. True he doesn't have the Darkness in him, he doesn't have those powerful temptations, but after hundreds of years with that magic teaching three powerful sorceresses he doesn't need the Darkness to use magic. He knows how to use it. So with his knowledge will he go back to the Magical Arts, if so will he go back to his dark ways or will he be a magical hero, like what Emma needs?

    And wow with the twist in the Camelot tale. I got a sense about Arthur at the second episode when he and Guinevere were at the round table but I had no idea...I mean yikes. I think we're going to see a rude awakening around the message of "wrong thing for the right reason is still the wrong thing". I'd like to see just who slugs his senses and how. 

    I loved how the episode was very David/Charming centered. He hasn't gotten that much attention and opportunity to really show his stuff in a while. Which is a shame because there's great depth that hasn't been fully explored. His growth, fulfillment and renewed strength and determination, I hope his presence and part in future episodes stays strong and grows. 

    I gotta say there is still an enticing mystery to Merlin's prophecy and Merlin himself. We saw in the premiere that someone -undoubtedly Merlin- talked to a young Emma and warned her against pulling Excalibur from the stone. So either he projected himself from inside the tree or the tree thing happened after the first curse in which case Camelot was not affected. Although that last part is clear anyway. 
    But his prophecy said that the savior will free him from the tree. So it begs the question really with the present story line: Was he freed and left in Camelot so he wouldn't interfere in Dark Emma's plan? Will Emma regain control of her heart and fight back enough to grasp her light powers? Or, taking a deeper look, was Merlin referring to the Savior-born (Emma), or the Savior-made (Regina)? 

   Something that has been bugging me for a long time (Sn 2 is) about the dagger. It's purpose is to control the Dark One. But if someone is putting up a fight and winning as Emma did then the Darkness is a separate entity almost. So Regina could have used the dagger to forbid Emma from using the new dark magic and only use her light magic. Or even command the Darkness to write out its history to give them a leg up.   Also if the dagger can control the Darkness is the immediate time, in the short run, like Anna, Zelena and Regina have, then why not the long run? From all the talk whatever someone says/commands while holding the dagger must be done. If a person commanded that every five years the Dark One must go to a special cave and destroy any walking dead types then that command will stick forever. So why didn't anyone ever command that the Dark One can never kill anyone? That the Dark One can not use their magic in moments of anger, vengeance, or pleasure of pain? 

   Speaking of the Darkness I strongly believe Savior Emma is still in there and fighting. As we saw with Rumple's history he sought the Darkness to save his son from dying in battle. Then he spent centuries pursuing the prophecy that he would be reunited with Bae in a land without magic. But if you think about it, Rumple was kinda along for the ride. We've seen that he is (Rumple in his own head, not the Darkness) is a wise and clever man. So how could he not notice after the first century that he was to be reunited-alive-with his sone -also alive- in a world without magic when BAe is not immortal? He'd realize what world he'd been taken to, hop over and be reunited sooner maybe. The Darkness was using Rumple's light, his pure desire, to cause its own mischief and chaos. 
    Now it's doing the same with Emma. I mean come on, if parents and family (all heroes in their own right) swore they'd free Emma of the evil and failed I'd be pissed, hurt, disappointed, betrayed. But I'd still care for them, for the people I love. I'd want to get my family back, to fix what the parents couldn't. The Darkness is using that same desire to cause its own chaos and Emma has the natural power and traits it needs to get it done. 

....I'm now seeing just how epic this season will be, and we're still in the beginning.


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## Addison

Sorry for the the length of the last post. I had a lot to say and was excited. Today I realized I forgot one important item:

How the heck is Lancelot in Camelot?! Either he's a ghost clinging to the earth because of what's happening or the writers are doing a bit of reaching. Cora killed him, as we'll remember form season 2. She killed him, took his place and tried to trick and use the heroic group. Zelena's "resurrection" was a stretch (seriously was there no better way to test Regina's dedication to Light and Robin?) but this? Oh boy if Lancelot is in fact living flesh and blood there better be a really really good and valid story behind it. From what I've seen of the magic and world that makes believable sense, the only one who can die and come back is the Dark One. If the dead person is not the Dark One then dead is dead with no exceptions. 

I've seen some photos of "Broken Kingdom". I think we'll be seeing Guinevere (or Violet, I couldn't really tell) in battle gear next to Lancelot so we may be getting a glimpse of Camelot before the Storybrookers arrived at a time when the love triangle was in full swing and -what may be- a vacation Rumple took to Camelot in his dark days. Like seriously Dark, it may be the lighting but he looked really evil in the photos.


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## Addison

While King Arthur isn't the deepest character to be in the main group I really hate him. I mean come on! Could someone tell me one or two words that can describe someone who is: obsessed, manipulative, lying, controlling, greedy, ignorant with a healthy dose of narcissist? 

The episode had zero Storybrooke story. It focused on Camelot before and during the Storbrooker's vacation. 

In the past we see that Merlin is in the tree. Since-and most likely before-Arthur started his journey. Merlin, from the tree via dream, told Arthur he would pull the sword from the stone and be king and all that good stuff. We see that Arthur and Guinevere have been friends since they were kids and Guin has supported Arthur since day one. Jumping ahead in time a bit we see that Arthur, now king, is obsessed with making excalibur whole. Guin and Lancelot, fearing for Arthur's well being (psychologically) use Merlin's Gauntlet to guide them to the dagger. From there we see the development of the love triangle and how Rumplestiltskin got the gauntlet. We also see Arthur's steps toward being a world class jerk. In exchange for the gauntlet Rumple gave Guin some of the Sand of Avalon, which can apparently enchant a person to see something broken as whole. Basically mass hypnosis in a bottle. 

    So Guin returns, Arthur through spyglass sees a tender (non kissing) moment between Guin and Lancelot as the latter leaves Camelot. She gets to the tower and says that they found the dagger. Arthur tears through her bag and she's ready to use the sand but can't bring herself to it. She has such faith that the man she loves is still in there. She tells Arthur, at his sniping, that there's nothing between her and lancelot but she will leave if he doesn't make the right choice. Arthur decides to have his cake and eat it to. Using the sand on Guin she forgets and he continues his plan with her full support. But I don't think it's really support if it's not genuine, you know?

    In Storbrooker's Camelot we see the scene from the sneak peek, Emma following the voices, finding the dagger and nearly blasting Hook. But effects of the darkness plus using magic take a toll though. Emma collapses and Regina, Snow, Hook and Henry are right there. Charming arrives after a discussion with Arthur who tells him about the dagger and the relation to excalibur. (I have a feeling that he already knows the dark one is Emma) David says Arthur can help, Snow says they can't trust him. Regina and the others leave, Henry takes the couple to Violet's stable from which they go on a romantic horseback ride. Then we see a fight between the royal couple. 

    Cut back to the round table, Charming tells Arthur Lancelot is alive. In comes Guin and she's not happy at the news. David reveals that he brought the dagger, showing the box it's kept in. But when he opens it, no dagger. Snow swiped it and has met with Lancelot at Granny's. He then leads her to the vault where they proceed to hide it. Only Arthur has followed them. He threatens Lancelot's life, but Snow gives him the dagger. In a small monologue we see just how messed up Arthur's wiring is. He'll make excalibur whole, command Emma to free Merlin. When Merlin is out the first thing he'll apparently see is excalibur-before Arthur runs him through with it. Then he'll snuff out the darkness. He raises the dagger and summons Emma, but she doesn't come. Snow tricked him, it's a fake. Then we see that David followed, hearing everything. It was all part of the plan. 

    The three (four with prisoner Arthur) go to Granny's to try to figure out how to make excalibur whole so they can use it to help Emma. Only Arthur's soldiers are right outside. Through the back comes a few men, and Guinevere. Lancelot lights up only for his heart to visibly break when she frees Arthur and kisses him. She takes Lancelot's sword and excalibur before he's marched away. David says they can't lock them up cause their friends will know. Arthur says they won't, as he's hoping they'll help him. Uh, big fat no...until Guin approaches with the sands of avalon. 

    Cut back to the castle and we see Regina "wearing out the masonry" as Robin put it. Apparently she gets antsy when she doesn't know who to hate. Hmm. Then in come Snow and Charming, under the sands power, saying Arthur can be trusted and they should give him the dagger. WE take a trip to the dungeon and see the nice meet and greet between Lancelot and Merida. Now why does Arthur have her locked up? 

   I don't know, but in the sole Storybrooke scene we're in Emma's basement. She's holding a pink rose, the kind young Arthur gave young Guinevere. Rumple is tied to the gate behind her, telling her he remembers how the darkness felt and she doesn't have to give into it. He asks to be set free but she says no. He's just a dull knife and she knows how to sharpen him. She walks through a tunnel, we see her car and hear a strange noise. Merida is tied to the bumper. She spouts that she should have trusted her gut when they met, that Emma is a witch and she should have killed her. Emma agrees, saying she should have crushed her heart, then proceeds to rip it out. Has Merida get her bow and arrows from the car and tells her "there's a guy I know, you wouldn't like him, he's a coward. I need you to make him just like you. I need you to make him brave." 

So now that we got a History of Camelot I'm hoping the next episode will focus back on what Emma's up to and all that. I mean we can see now how she got Dark. Enchanted parents were tricked to give Arthur the dagger, dagger made whole, Arthur goes evil king and we get Evil Emma. Or something along the lines, otherwise Emma's dagger wouldn't be separate. But I have a feeling this new curse is all Arthur's fault.


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## Addison

Sorry about the long post before. Had a lot to say. 

Just came back to say-shortly- that I found some photos of season 5. Looks like a little happiness may be coming to Storybrooke, as it looks like there's a block party. So Henry just might get the girl. Maybe, via the sneak peek, having Emma help him find Violet's horse-and her happy ending, will put a little more light in her heart and have her fighting again. 

The rest of the photos tell a bit more of the story. Hook, Robin, Bell and Regina find excalibur in Emma's basement (wonder if her dagger's there too) so they start piecing together her plan. There's also pictures of Regina and Emma chatting outside Regina's house, and Regina is hiding a dream catcher behind her back. Fits the title. 

From what I understand, back in camelot, Emma and Regina will use a dreamcatcher on the tree to find out how Merlin got turned into a tree (or trapped inside), maybe-if they succeed-we'll find out why Arthur wants to kill him. Maybe Arthur himself is under the Avalon Sands power. But the photos of Storybrooke-Camelot showed some interesting things. Snow and Charming, under the sand power, are trying to get the dagger but it looks like Regina suspects something and-while holding it in their sight-might not be giving it up. We see a little gathering of the family at Granny's then we see Emma going apparently bad ass magical. She doesn't get the sleek outfit but she's clearly bringing it all, and the watching Henry and Regina are a little anxious after the fact. The question is, who or what was Emma using her magic against? Was she freeing Merlin? (If so where is he now?) Some other monster that protect an ingredient that will free Merlin? Or perhaps a shield against the sand, which Arthur may be trying to use on them?

Like I said before, I think, maybe Arthur himself is under the sand's power. He's obsessed with making the sword whole, now it's Emma's mission. I stated before I think that the Darkness is Mordred's soul and power and Merlin got transfigured by Morgan, or possibly the reverse. Whichever one is not the Darkness is probably staying on the sidelines (as people think they're dead) to snuff out the light and bring their coveted age of Darkness.  I guess we'll find out in a week. Ooh! And we'll see Hook's past, his dad and his brother. We only got a small glimpse of that in season 3. It'll be fun to learn more about it.


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## Addison

Sorry about the long delay guys. Been out of town on a job and apartment hunt and have been studying like crazy for a license test. 

So, episode 5, Dreamcatcher. 

FINALLY HE'S FREE!! Right off the bat Merlin is a likable character. We've seen the extent of his powers, both with warning Emma when she was a kid, communicating with the apprentice in season 4 and who knows what else he's accomplished from the tree. Emma really busted out her powers to get him out, and Regina brandished her fireballs nicely against Arthur and his soldiers. 
While Henry was a hero a few times in this episode I don't think it was the way he intended, even in Storybrooke, although it helped him get the girl. At least now in Storbrooke the group has an idea of what Emma's up to. (I still have have an inkling that Emma's under the sand. That or it's just Emma's flesh and the original Dark One is who's really talking, with Emma hanging on deep inside. Like Venom.) 

The twist at the end, when it showed what Emma did in Camelot to get the elusive ingredient....yikes. She was putting up a fight but right there she let the darkness take over. She didn't have to do that, although had to do was ask Violet to help her and when it was done she can tell Henry. Okay so the sand theory not so likely after that. 

Sorry if that's sketchy. It's been a while since that episode and I didn't catch the last one. Like I said I've been busy. I'll get it off ABC and get back to the thread. Happy Writing


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## Addison

Y' know what, if someone else could jump in and maybe add more for Dream Catcher and do Bear and the Bow, that would be great. It'll be fun to get other opinions and views on the arcs and characters. Come one, come all!


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## Addison

A perfectly time study break allowed me to watch tonight's episode "Nimue". First, an interesting thing at the end was that the next episode(s) are the 2 hour premier, yet I thought the two hour event was the 5A finale. Hm.

We saw Merlin's origin, looks like an escaped slave who found the Holy Grail. Wow. He drank, got magic and immortality and a forest (possibly Camelot) sprung up from his touch. 

So, as the title said we see the story behind Nimue. Young woman, village attacked and demolished by evil person and she got out and wanted revenge by helping a certain pink flower to survive his terror. Instant click of love. Yet Merlin faced an problem, he's immortal, she's not. Hard to grow old and die with the person you loved with that. Yet we saw a little history of Excalibur, forged from the Holy Grail after being melted by the flame of Prometheus. I had a lot of theories about Nimue and the person who put Arthur in that tree. Wow was I right, the story behind it is interesting. Nimue accompanied Merlin to turn goblet into sword and, while he was making sure they were safe, she drank from the goblet. He didn't find out until the evil who destroyed her village "killed" her only for her to spring up and rip the guy's heart out. Merlin warned her not to crush it as it would turn her dark. She was so hungry for revenge, she crushed it. Just like that she turns into a turquoise fish lady. Well now we know how and why Dark Ones get the scaly look. How did excalibur become two? Nimue broke it against the prometheus stone. 

We got a look into how and why Emma went dark. Her scenes in Camelot are all good and strong. Lovely moment between her and Hook during which he gives her a ring. Not a proposal dang it. But gives her strength in direction when she and Merlin get to the Prometheus place. She calls forth the original dark one, Nimue and does what Rumple did in the first episode. Controlling her through the dark magic. Emma's got Merlin pinned (whom can only be killed by a Dark One) about to kill him when Nimue makes a mistake of saying Emma was nothing. Emma snaps, puts Nimue in her place and gets the Prometheus ember out of her spirit. Merlin asks how it felt to take the right path. Her reply "Dammed Good." 

But the others have a harder challenge. They have to get the rest of the blade. With an unexpected assist from Zelena, although to be fair she gave honest input on their first plans of invasion. She shows them the route she found to escape, on their condition Regina removes the cuff. They go in, agreeing to remove the cuff if it's legit, leaving Snow to guard. They reach Arthur at the round  table with excalibur. Problem is they actually trusted Zelena to be decent. She faked pregnancy pains which allowed her to get out and take Snow hostage. She and Arthur are in league as she uses her magic to do to excalibur what merlin did to the tip. Only now the major blade tethers merlin. Arthur summons him, has him under control. Merlin teleports the group out, leaving him with snapped Arthur and insane Zelina. 

The only things we see in Storybrooke are Emma's basement, Emma, Rumple, Nimue and the blade. In the end we see a Dark One reunion. The blade is reforged and, briefly, Good-Emma returns as Merlin's warning flashes through her head. Nimue and her "kids" goad her into taking it. EEp. Interesting fact though, while Emma doesn't have the scaly look, she does have the same hair-do as Nimue.  I know I haven't done Bear and Bow, and it looks like no one else wanted to, so that's up next.


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## Addison

Bear and the Bow, a very Merida episode. A very brave spin off. Seriously guys you couldn't just make a rendition of some other Arthurian character or lore? 

Anyway, in the past we see Merida and Lancelot freed from their cells. Soon after escape, and a warning from Merlin, Merida takes the magic wise Belle. As in knocks her out, puts her on a boat and takes her to Clan Den Broch. Merida instantly likes Belle when she threatens to whack her overboard with an oar. But she agrees to help Merida save her brothers, who face execution at the hands of the suitors from the movie. We see Merida's incredible bow skills, telling how great her late father was. Rest in peace King Fergus. "Always remember what you're shooting for and you'll never miss." Merida says. After seeing the impending execution of her brothers she asks Belle to whip up a potion to help. They reach her brothers, Merida states her claim to her throne. Which I stand by, a woman doesn't need a man to do her job or anything. She drinks the potion, but Belle switched it with water. "How do you expect them to follow you if you use magic? You need to prove yourself a queen." Bold move, but it works. Thanks to CGI and good acting Merida shoots three arrows - in flight with one arrow- and saves her brothers. She draws her sword, getting all the soldiers to kneel to her. Yay Merida! 

In Storybrooke, oh man. Rumple sacrifices the tea cup to escape. He makes it to Belle via mine shaft realizing Emma let him escape because she's coming after Belle. Emma uses Merida's heart to sick her on the couple in the shop. They escape, Rumple driving them to the town line but Belle stops him. She walks away, maybe believing in him or just tired of being pulled around. But she walks into Merida, who has the real potion Belle made before. Cue the true-Brave-rip-off. The potion turns her into a HUGE bear. Belle tears away, about to identified from bear scat, when Rumple arrives. He says he's not running anymore and is under Merida's jaws when he throws magic in her mouth. (Magic which would have protected the couple from becoming trees), thus turning her back to human. They go back to Emma because, as Rumple said, she'll tear the town apart until she gets what she wants. They get to the basement where Rumple pushes the dark buttons of deal making to get MErida's heart and info on her brothers in exchange for him pulling out the sword. He succeeds and leaves with a warning that Emma made a mistake making him a hero. She says the darkness has faced and defeated heroes before. Rumple's confident. "Yes, but none of them were me." He's right, none of the heroes were ever the Dark One's before. I'd like to see how that plays out.


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## Addison

OOOOHHH!! So much to tell! Spoiler Alert!

First of all, Arthur is a stupid, lousy king. A royal jerk but that's as royal as he gets. The complete his arc through this two hour episode he tried to kill Hook, got beat (no killed) by Excalibur wielded by Emma. That's all he did for that part, but in the glimpse to the past we see that he slew Merida's Father, King Fergus. His reasons were further proof that he is a terrible king and has no idea how to be king or how/what makes a king. Fergus had gone to the Witch from the movie for magic which would secure his kingdom's future, which turned out to be a helm which, when worn, would empower the wearer to control his people. So Merida's arrow, fired form her father's bow, missed, taking a piece of Arthur's cloak. Arthur stabbed Fergus and took the helm from his body. Why then is he and his new partner Zelena back in Dun Broch after that battle looking for the helm? Fergus didn't wear it to battle. Ha! That's a real King. Arthur of course tries to kill Merida- a real ruler- for it, but fails. He and Zelena poof away. OOH, and he gets his butt kicked at the beginning! Haha! That was fun to watch...except when Arthur nearly killed a beloved character. 

Good news, yet heart wrenching, is we finally see what made Emma go Dark. She saved her family and Merlin from Arthur and Zelena, pulling out some incredible magic. She confessed to Hook she's scared of letting go of the darkness because that means the future is open and waiting. Yet she wants a future with him. So sweet. That sweetness doesn't last long. In the diner Emma has the ember on high and puts dagger and blade in the ember only for Hook to fall. The blow from Excalibur, which Emma had healed, reopened and he's bleeding to death. Emma is in terror and panic. Hook tells her to finish it, put the sword together and rid the darkness. Everyone else agrees but she catches them by asking if they'd just let go if they had a chance to save their loved ones. Emma poofs off with the blades, in the clearing with the pink roses. Hook is out, knocking on death's door, if not through the threshold. Emma uses excalibur to put her darkness, some of it, into Hook to save his life. There in comes the price. For her to accomplish such a task she had to embrace it. In one act there came two Dark Ones. 

In Storybrooke that comes to light. Creepy note first, Dark Emma had sped up Zelena's pregnancy and she's in labor. Regina is torn, as is Robin. Then out comes the baby girl. (I'm thinking her name will be Morgan) Regina is happy for Robin and sweet to the child. If you remember she cursed herself so she can't have kids. Then in poofs Emma. Regina is ready to protect the baby with a  fight. Emma says she's not there for the baby and poofs out with Zelena. We then see her basement where Zelena and Hook are shackled. Zelena sees the array of magic equipment and deducts Emma wants to take Zelena's power. But Emma says she's wrong. She's going to put her Darkness into Zelena. She needed a vessel and wasn't about to harm an innocent baby. Hook tries to talk her out of it but no use. She goes upstairs when Regina and her parents arrive. Her parents are ready to do everything they can to save their daughter while Regina is ready to show Emma was Dark Magic really looks like. Emma, with excalibur, freezes the trio  and puts up some kind of shield.   In the basement Hook uses his enchanted hook to get the wrist band off Zelena and they both escape. But Hook isn't leaving until he's found someway of knowing what happened, of someway to help her. Selena's gone, obviously and Emma comes in. Hook found squid ink so Emma's stuck. Then in walks Zelena, acting very Zelena-like and we only see shears behind her back before she plunges them into Hook's chest. She taunts hook then holds out the dreamcatcher with his memories, where he sees what Emma did. Zelena proves it by removing the glamour form Excalibur, showing Hook's name on the blade. This episode ends with the two, in possession of Excalibur, facing Emma. 

In DunBroch we bounce between the time of the war and the time after Merida saved her brothers. In the past we see Merida on the front lines for the first time. Fergus gives her his bow, as he carried it into his first battle so he thought it fitting for her to do the same. Then he lands the punch that he hired a tutor to train her in the art of war. Merida attacks the trainer to show her father wrong, but gets beat. Yet she's not upset when she sees the tutor is a woman. Mulan! The two train, Mulan complimenting Merida on her fast learning and knowing that winning a battle is about wisdom, not strength. Merida goes to the shore looking for her father, who is looking at the helm. She asks, after seeing his rousing speech, how he leads men into a battle where they'll die. He says they'll follow their leader into a battle where the leader themselves is willing to die. Merida and Mulan train only for Merida to realize Mulan's keeping her from the fight. We already know how that ends. 

In current DunBroch Merida is about to be fully coronated when BANG go the doors as the witch strides in. Why is it that no one in that world can get through a wedding, coronation or anything like that without being interrupted? She tells them about Fergus' magic and the lack of payment. She threatens to curse the clans, turning everyone into bears, if she's not paid by sunset. So the search is on for the helm. Merida leaves on the quest, refusing her father would use the magic, and finds Mulan. Who has taken up a job as a bully. She's shaking down brutes for gold. Merida pays her to help. They get to the battlefield where Merida finds the foul arrow and the piece of the man's cloak. They intend to use it to find the man when in comes Arthur and Zelena. But the two villains leave, with Fergus' bow. Merida rides home, saying she'll renounce her crown and do everything she can to save the clans. Milan goes the witch and encounters her guard dog...who turns out to be Red. (She apparently, thanks to Tiny's help. got a magic bean from regrown bean pants and used it to come back to find others like her) The two race to Merida where they begin the scent tracking. They find Arthur, Red knocks Zelena out with sleeping powder. The clansmen arrive to help Merida, as even the three other leaders accept her (finally) as their queen as she was willing to give up her crown to save them. Back at the coronation Merida is finally coronated and in comes the witch. But she was never going to curse them, Fergus asked for magic to secure his clans and Merida's quest to save the clans told her what it meant to lead. The episode ended with us finding out Mulan went rogue because of a broken heart and leaving with Red to help her find others like her. Merida used the witch's coronation gift, I didn't catch the name (magic ale), to summon her father's spirit. They have a warm, tearful talk and hug. The last quote is Merida saying that Arthur has no idea what he's started. Oh please let there be a showdown!


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## Addison

This post is just thoughts on the promo for the next episode and a few other bits. 

First, next episode looks like the long-standing hate between Hook and Gold is coming to a climactic battle as they agree to "finish what they started" all those years ago. Uh-oh. 

The writers had a good idea using Arthurian legend for this season (Although, as great as her character and story is, I could have done without the Disney story) but if I don't see Mordred or Morgan Le Fay by the end of 5A I'll be VERY disappointed. Seriously they were the head villains in the Arthur tales so where are they? They haven't even gotten a mention. It's like the writers didn't think they were worthy, what the hay!?

Finally I came across an article that the writers are casting, or have casted, Hercules and Meg. Please-God-no. The name Meg says they are definitely NOT sticking to mythology, they're leeching Disney again. Seriously guys get back to your skills! Hercules himself, as a mythological person, was the ideal role model of heroism. He was a proud, arrogant, not-so-smart (as he tried to shoot the sun with an arrow because it was hot) jerk who faced Hera's challenges and was a person worthy of such power. 5B is said to have the Devil in it so there's probably some soul in trouble (most likely one or both Dark Ones) and they probably won't be able to be free of the devil unless they pass challenges. Enter Hercules, who's faced such challenges, and there you have it. No Disney needed, that's all from mythology. So please please PLEASE Lords of Imagination and Creativity, go to Horowitz and Kitzis, get them out of the rut and back to the show's roots!


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## Addison

Sorry 'bout the delay guys. My TV kept cutting out (we got a ton of snow here) so I didn't see a lot of the episode, had to Youtube clips but I got the whole episode. 

Okay, the Camelot time bites Emma in the butt. It seems like, in that Camelot time, events pushed her to kinda revert to her season one self a bit. She thought the best way to protect the people she loves was to push them away. While her actions did save Hook, physically, she still lost him to the Darkness. 

The Camelot Arc was kinda....flat. Emotionally is was thrilling but other than that, meh. It was very centered on Hook and Emma. I thought the moral behind them would be "Even in the greatest of Dark there is Light," as they were still in love. I believed Emma when, after turning and reuniting with her family she said, "It looks worse than it is.". Then in came the villain everyone loves to hate and hates to love, Rumplestiltskin. Poking his fingers in the right places to get Hook dark to start the plan began who knows how long (most likely since Dark Nimue died) to bring all Dark Ones back to life. Then we see that, to save Hook and destroy the darkness Emma completed Hook's curse, which he started by killing Merlin. R.I.P great wizard. Then we see her reverted self as she takes everyone's memories to "protect" them so she can take care of things herself. I blame the darkness, sure for the majority of Camelot time we didn't see Emma embracing it but, like Merlin said, the Darkness finds a place deep inside and takes hold. 

Camelot is where the story really gets going. WE know, via Camelot time, what Hook is up to and we saw Hook take Emma's memories of the plan so, EEEK! Things get explained between her, her parents and Regina, who wastes no time telling her off. The group, with Rumple and Bell, gather at Regina's and talk when Hook calls Rumple out to "finish what they started". Even Henry takes a turn at Emma, calling her out for her backwards actions so Emma is not rid of the anti-magic bracelet. Emma stays behind, protected by Merida, while the group leaves to find a way to stop Hook, only for a tender moment to pass between Rumple and Bell. "I know not wanting me dead isn't the same as wanting me." Rumple says, proving just how far he's come in a short time w/o darkness. So he goes to the ship, fights Hook - who heals his leg- and they fight. At first Hook gets the upper hand, even getting a congratulations from "the crocodile" only for Rumple to use his brains and best Hook with his own ship, getting Excalibur. Instead of killing Hook- which would steer him back to the villainous path, Rumple lets him live with the knowledge that he beat him. 

In a sub-plot we see what Zelena's up to. She went to the hospital, only for Regina to beat her and hide the baby. She tells Zelena off for what she's done, how she doesn't deserve the baby after how she came to have her. Zelena, true to her twisted, warped sociopath way, takes it as a compliment. Then Regina realizes the madness has to stop, and there's only one way. They go to Snow's apartment where Robin is with the baby. Regina agrees that Zelena can have time with her child, hoping that the genuine, incredible live between mother and child can do for Zelena what it did for Regina. I gotta say, when Zelena was holding her baby, it looked like it was working already. 

Hook pays a visit to Emma at Regina's. Despite Emma's genuine, sincere apologies and words to guide Hook back to the light, he proves that there's no Hook, no light, as he will hurt Emma like she hurt the man she killed once he put the darkness in him. 

Afterwards she finds Henry and apologizes, promising she'll make it up to him. He has a little belief, by making her prove it by saving the day. On a little Operation they find the dreamcatchers and meet everyone at the Mayor's office. Emma gives everyone their memories back and, by the look on their face, they remember and understand her turning and seem willing to trust her. Emma remembers what Hook's up to and in that instant I think I saw her Dark One look fade and Emma come out a bit. 

We see Hook and Crocodile at the same lake the Fury went. With Rumple's blood on his hook, Hook dips it in the pond, opening the gate to the underworld. The episode closes with a boat straight from the river Styx coming out of a fog. The first of the cloaked figures to walk on water and get a gentlemanly hand from Hook to the surface is Nimue. They've come to snuff out the light.


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## Addison

Tonight's episode is apparently delayed due to Obama's speech. So I have a small opportunity to say some things before the winter finale. 

First, via the sneak peeks, I think this is going to be a heart-racing, heart-wrenching episode, just on the peeks at Hook being all Dark with Rumple and Emma voicing that she will kill Hook if she must. Also, in the promo, we did see Hook slowly strangle her. 
As per the Enchanted Forest sneak peek I think Hook's wine had some kind of potion in it. Seriously, think back to the Evil Queen in her prime, wouldn't she do something like a magical mickey? Although Hook is pretty cocky as a Dark One. He shows and tells Rumple what's going on. Uh, did he forget that Rumple was the longest living Dark One so he knows all about Darkness? Also, Rumple's a hero now, no powerful dark temptations, so when Hook threatened Belle (or even mentioned her) He lit a fire he will regret pissing off. 

On a note on the Camelot story tie in, if I don't see or hear mention of Mordred or Morgan Le Fey, either as a hero that can help or a past Dark One I'm gonna be pissed. Seriously! They exchanged two terrific, core characters from Arthurian legend, for Merida. They chose Disney over their own power and skill of rendition. Please Muses of the World and Spirits of Writers Past, let there be Morgan or Mordred. I'm not picky.


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## Addison

I want to start this post by voicing my favorite part of this episode. When Regina wielded the power of self-belief she used the apprentice's wand to save Robin's baby from a dark path. Ding! Dong! The witch is gone! About friggin time, thank you!

We'll start in the flashbacks, where we learn a lot about Killian. First off, he was clearly born with good looks. Also he seems to be born with a father who could give Pan a run for "Worst father in history". Pan gave Rumple up for eternal youth, Brennan (Hook's dad) basically sold both his sons for a rowboat so he could save his own butt. Seeing as Pan went down a darker path I say he wins. 

We then cut to grown up Killian having to prove himself to Regina that he can in fact do what she needs. My prediction in the last post did not come true, no magical mickey. But Hook does get a surprise when he must face his father, who is alive and just as young as the day he abandoned Hook and Liam. The bond-mending only lasts so long. Hook reconnects, gets a letter that would save his father...and his son. Hook's half-brother. Naturally Killian is pissed, burns the letter, "decides the kind of man I want to be" and kills his dad. Which is his ticket to revenge. 

The real actions is in Storybrooke. Everyone splits up to find Killian and talk him out of the plan or, if it comes to it, kill him. All while finding a way to stop the past Dark Ones from destroying them. Too late, one by one the heroes are found by Dark Ones and stepped through. Like ghosts the Dark Ones step through them, leaving a mark. So David, Snow, Regina, Robin, Henry and Rumple all have marks. (Given the sheer number of Dark Ones I think most, if not all, of Storybrooke were tagged) Emma talks to Gold and gets Excalibur, with no deal, no strings attached. Emma finds Hook but, after some dirty fighting from Hook,  loses Excalibur. 

They meet and figure out that they're to take the Dark Ones' spots in the underworld so the Dark Ones can stay top side. Rumple says they should live their last moments with the people they love. Emma's not giving up, even getting support from Regina. Her family goes to the diner for one last dinner, with Emma promising to come over. She does, just not seen, leaving a letter about how she's going to undo what she did by sacrificing herself. 

She hunts for Hook while Nimue and others arrive at the diner and have the Marks burn, sending them all to the pond. Emma shows up and is ready to fight but Nimue chokes her. True Nimue can't kill her, but she can stop her. In that moment OUR Hook comes around and stops Nimue. Using Excalibur he absorbs the Darkness into the blade and has Emma finish what they all set out to do. Emma can't, she can't bear to lose another loved one. Hook begs her to let him die a hero. They kiss, say I love you, and she runs him through and Excalibur disintegrates. In that act the darkness leaves her and she's back to her human blonde self (somehow with her red jacket) as Hook falls with the excalibur wound again taking his life. 

Emma's laying on the sofa in her house and hears a whispering. For a brief moment I thought it was Hook's spirit saying thank you. Uh, no. It's something bad and confusing. She storms to Gold's and knows he has it. He reveals he does, the dagger with his name on it. Now he has all the power of the Dark Ones combined. (So I guess while each Dark Spirit hung around to nag and poke the new guys they kept their own individual power. Hm.) Rumple somehow, in his mortal state, tweaked Excalibur to act as a conduit, transferring the power to Rumple. Emma blackmails him to help her or she'll tell a returned, loving Belle what he did. Here we get to see the set up for 5B. Emma plans to go to the underworld and save Hook by splitting her heart with him...or his with her, I didn't catch which. But she won't be alone, she's going with her parents, Henry, Robin and Regina. Rumple uses his blood to bring the boat, which everyone gets to by walking on water. The last thing of dialogue was a classic, said by Emma "I will always find you."


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## Addison

Some things I didn't want to clutter up the last post:

1. Is the underworld a different dimension, like a layer of a world? (Think Tarturus and Hel.) Or a different realm entirely like Neverland and Oz? Can't wait to see how they'll spin that. 

2. You'd think that after everything he's been through Rumple would know that nothing stays secret for long and the stunt he pulled could lose him Belle FOREVER. Here I thought having no Darkness in him would allow the return of common sense. 

3. While I do not and will not miss Zelena, I am curious if this will open a door for the heroes to go to Oz. If you remember, when Zelena lost her powers in season 3 her magic was undone. So Glinda would be back in Oz. So if they do go then they may find the three god witches in different forms. Glinda could be the Tin Man,the other two would be the scarecrow and the lion. Whether the villain would be Zelena or someone else form Frank L. Baum's world, who knows. 

4. In the episode Regina, upon being Marked, was told that everyone she killed would be waiting for her down there. Now she's going by choice. Also there will be villains beaten by the heroes down there. Pan, Cora, and James, David's brother. So 5B's theme could be facing demons of the past. 

5. I heard that Milah will be making an appearance. I know she abandoned her family, and we don't know what she did as a pirate, but she didn't strike me as Hell-material. Hm? Maybe we'll be seeing what she and Hook did in their time together. 

6. Finally, a confusion about what happened at the end of Swan Song. Emma could hear the whispers in the blade. First of all, the spirits are dead and only the power is in the blade, Rumple is the only one tied to it. Emma is no longer the Dark One so how could she hear it at all? Plot Hole anyone?


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## Addison

To add to and clarify number 5 in above post I learned that there's a great distinction between Hell and the Underworld. As the heroes are going to the Underworld they're not really going to where evil souls of the dead have been sent to rot. The Underworld is the residence of those passed who have unfinished business. Seeing as we saw formidable villains, that's pretty chilling. Let's not forget that it's life for life, as Rumple said. So with seven people suddenly in the Underworld they could have very well opened a window for seven people to go topside and seal the heroes fate in the Underworld. 

That still doesn't explain some of the people we saw, and heard will be, in the Underworld. It's been established we'll be seeing old faces. (I saw the Gingerbread Witch in the episode 12 promo), something doesn't make sense.  

 As it's Storybrooke, and the Underworld they reached is a post-apocalyptic Storybrooke- it figures that only those who died in Storybrooke would be there. So why's the Gingerbread Witch there? Shouldn't she be in Enchanted Forest Underworld? Also I saw Henry, Regina's father. Either what we saw was a villain in disguise or, as his death/murder resulted in the first curse he was bound to the product so that's why he's there. His unfinished business is obvious, helping his daughter back to the light. Yet we only see Killian's headstone. So maybe he has no unfinished deeds and headstones are an official testament of passing on. That or they're like name tags to show who is in Under-Storybrooke.

There's no telling what the heroes will face, who will be in the Underworld, but I think, with everything that's happened in the past four and a half seasons, we could see: Milah, Pan, Cora, Merlin, The Apprentice, Marian, James (David's brother), Jack/Jaqueline, Queen Eva, King Leopold, David's Mother and Father, Cruella, Graham, Felix...those are just ones with names and officially dead.  I mean come on the 5B is about past demons and such so it makes sense that we'd see a lot of flashbacks and see old familiar faces.


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## Addison

I can't believe I missed this for so long. Nor can I believe that Kitsis and Horowitz not only didn't realize it but, if they did, offered no explanation. There's a HUGE plot hole in the Zelena arcs. 

Okay, we all know Zelena's the elder sister of Regina. She maybe 2...4 years older, tops. But she wasn't hit by the first curse! While everyone was in Storybrooke for 28 cursed years she was in Oz, torturing the land and scheming and figuring out the time travel spell. So when everyone went back to the Enchanted Forest and we saw Zelena she could still pass as Regina's older sister. She should be able to pass as her aunt, or mother. So what the heck? If I missed the obvious explanation please tell me cause this...oh my god if Horowitz and Kitsis missed that....


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## Addison

Please no, no, no, no. 

I read an article on Entertainment Weekly about the premier. The Underworld Dictator is Hades, that's good, they said the character is drawn from mythology, good. He's also inspired by the Disney version, bad. True I like the flames for hair thing but please, please back to your own imagination and originality! So many myths on Hades and mythology, so many sources to draw from. Disney is not a must.

Another interesting piece in the article, Hades is connected to one of the heroes. Not related, thank you Muses for stopping that tree from growing, but connected to a character. A surprising connection. So if the reveal is that he's connected to Gold, that's not surprising. So somehow the lord of the underworld is connected to someone else. Snow?...well she did use that evil candle so maybe that, maybe Hades made it. Regina... possible. Robin, I doubt...unless he stole something of Hades in his Prince of Thieves days. Henry...he was in Limbo while in the sleeping curse. Emma, she was the Dark One after a long run as a Savior, maybe there's something there. David, he did take his brother's place, or maybe he's connected to Hades via his father. We don't know a lot about him, maybe we'll learn more about him. Or it could be what Snow and Charming did with Lucy. That's was a big magic trick which would have an equally big price. They didn't just transfer potential for darkness, doing so they altered and changed fate, they tweaked it for Emma's favor. 

Lots of possibilities. Also, as he's the Underworld's King, we may be seeing a showdown tween evil minds. True there's plenty of villains down there. Yet of all the villains from past seasons who will be down there aren't even in Rumple's ball game. Except Hades, so those two may have some kind of face off. As we've seen, evil's greatest desire is for power. More and more power. Rumple now has the combined power of all Dark Ones, sure Hades is Lord of the Underworld but, as Rumple has shown us, there's no such thing as enough power. 

So long as they keep Disney out of it I'll be happy and excited.


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## Addison

I read that Gaston is coming back. Although, in season 1 he was a charming, brave suitor. According to the new article he's a villain. Then again Belle isn't joining them so I guess he's only a villain to Rumple. I wonder who has the most "villains" in the underworld: Regina or Rumple?


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## Addison

I'm happy the show is back and making great promises. This episode did answer a question I've had since season 1, how did Henry, as in Regina's father, wind up in a box in Wonderland? 

The answer takes us to the Enchanted Forest pre-curse. Happy Birthday Regina, and she starts by terrifying a village and nearly killing two people. But apparently her birthday makes her benevolent so, when confronted by Snow, Charming and the Dwarves she poofs away. Her father implores her to stop her path of darkness and revenge, to not let her mother control her. He even asks the mirror to contact Cora hoping she'll kick Regina off the path. No luck as Cora, when he's not looking, comes to the Enchanted forest. She disguised herself as Henry and went to see Snow to ask for some peace, when real Henry arrives. Cora takes Snow's heart, makes her forget, and puts it in a nice box as a gift. At the palace she shows Regina, who at first doesn't believe it until mirror shows Snow in agony as Regina squeezes. Luckily it was just Jimmy in her shirt, and a guard falls dead. Real Henry had switched hearts, knowing that Regina could only find redemption if Snow lives. Regina, in anger, shrank him and put him in a box. She confronts her mother about her dark controlling ways. Mirror pulls Cora back through the mirror to Wonderland, not before Cora summons the box wit Henry inside. 

So that was the past. In the present the team is in the Underworld. Emma got a nice dream-chat with Neal, who tries to talk her out of her journey but understands why she's going and figured she'd go no matter what he said. He's glad that Henry's doing great, and tells Emma he has and will always love her. 

In the Underworld, yikes. The second everyone was in focus and saw the townspeople I saw targets appear on everyone's back. Oh man they're in for a rough ride. The atmosphere alone is creepy and intimidating. Then of course we got to see the kind of people who could, and possibly will, become severe obstacles. Like Pan, who makes it clear he wants and will fight for a passage out of the underworld. Basically he's not picky which of the group stays in the Underworld so long as he gets their place. I really hate that kid.

Granny's diner is especially creepy. The cook looks like a member of Leather Face's family, and if I remember right he was chopping up meat. And when the gingerbread witch, who also works there, offered Snow a plate of Children I gagged. Luckily it was a joke, I hope. Then in came James, who played as if he were David to kiss Snow. He left with a message for David that there's a new sheriff in town. So a possible obstacle between brothers, I doubt James is as big a threat as Pan, or even in that ball park. 

Regina gets one hell of a surprise though. Escorted to the Mayor's office by Blacktooth she sees her mother is mayor. My alarms went up thinking Cora would be just like Pan, wanting out and up to her old ways. But Cora instead urged her daughter to leave. To get out, take Henry and Robin and leave as Cora secured passage. She takes Regina to a fiery pit and tosses Blacktooth into the fire and says that if Regina doesn't leave then the same fate will meet Henry, her father. 

Then there's the graveyard. Apparently, as everyone who's in the Underworld has a grave, the graveyard kinda acts like a roll call chart of sorts. As Rumple got the magic ale Merida used from Pan, the group finds Hook's grave and uses it. Hook appears, but not wholly. The spell's not holding, bad reception and the guy looks terrible. Bleeding, dirty, like a tortured zombie. Regina then uses the ale on her father's grave and they have a tender heart-to-heart chat. Her father isn't angry, holds no grudges, he's proud of the hero she's become. They hug and he disappears, but Regina's not done. She and Henry 2 go to the pit where Cora has Henry senior ad the edge. Cora urges Regina to leave, Regina refuses and Cora sicks the fires on Henry senior before poofing out. But the fires disappear. A path appears before Henry Sr, leading to a beautiful light. HE again says he's proud, and now that his unfinished business is done (freeing Regina of Cora's control) he can move on. He meets his Grandson and thanks him for being there, then leaves. Back at the street everyone regroups, but Rumple says he's striking out on his own, not leaving (I hope, but wouldn't be surprised) and doesn't say why. As the group heads down the street Regina spots the clock as it moves for the first time since they arrived.

Cora goes to the library and goes down the elevator. Makes sense, underworld, hell, the deeper you go the worse it gets and the more powerful forces you'll find. We get an interesting shot of the quarters down there. Several rivers, one red, blue, yellow and green, converging to a big circle. (Or spewing out, I couldn't tell, the shot didn't last long). There's violin music and Cora walks to the circle where a blonde is giving a well-dressed man a pedicure. Not what you'd expect Hades would enjoy. He asks Cora if he heard it. She says she's never really liked the violin. He remarks he's not surprised as it seems above a miller's daughter (ouch), but he was referring to the tick. A tick to him is a signal that someone has moved on, for better or worse, and he doesn't like that. Apparently he and Cora had a deal, that Cora would get her daughter out of his realm. Hades doesn't go into detail, or hints, why Regina is a threat. But as Cora failed, after promising she'd succeed, Hades turns her back into a miller for eternity and sends her on her way to deliver flour. As she leaves, sobbing, his hair goes up in blue flames. :/ brother.


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## Addison

Really? I get Hades, greek mythology is big but there's more than one underworld, more than one mythology, all of which could have been done in a way that wouldn't involve pulling from Disney! Seriously guys, just make him look demonic, Disney not required. Hell maybe his eyes could flame, go white, something which would allow him to look though the eyes of his prisoners. Or heck, go to a different mythology. We saw the celtic magic so why not celtic hell? That could open one heck of an obstacle at the end. For those who don't know, in celtic mythology a similar quest  was done. A man went to hell to bring back the woman he loved and lost. HE found her, but to get her back he had to walk her up to the earth and NOT look back and see her. Well he did and she was then forever trapped in hell. Or go Norse, the lord- or lady- of the Norse Underworld is Hel, daughter of Loki. I'm not saying her dad had to make an appearance but still. 

I wish Hades' hair was the only Disney thing that would happen. But after seeing the Promo for "Love's Labor", that's not gonna happen. They find Hercules' grave, so he's down there. If they stopped at Hercules I'd be happy, but he says Megara. That's Disney! Oh my friggin god. I triple checked the myths and legends of Hercules, Megara was a Disney creation. Now if he was trapped in the underworld due to yet another act of his brainless, rage-fueled actions as occurred in mythology, then YAY! But it's not so boo. Although I am excited as it looks like we'll get to see Mary Margaret in full Snow mode. Against Cerberus of all obstacles. Wow.


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## Addison

I need to correct something on my last post. Megara is in fact part of Greek mythology, of Hercules. In mythology she was given to Hercules as a wife by her father, a king, for his heroic acts. Megara had a son and daughter, and they died when Hera struck Hercules with temporary madness, causing him to slay them. So, Megara is not Disney, I just hope the writers link any other mythological parts to actual myth and have the Disney stop at Hades' hair.


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## Addison

So the sneak peeks are good. We see that Hook is in the underworld, a prisoner underground. He's back to his old self, the self we love that is, as he help another prisoner escape. Despite her objections they take off as they hear the sounds of their approaching warden, a monster. I'm guessing Cerberus. 

Then we see Snow and Charming at the graveyard and the tombstone says Hercules, in greek lettering. Snow says she knew Hercules when they were kids. Wow. Like David said, "It's not every day your wife tells you she was friends with a god.". So they start on a quest to help Hercules finish his business, figuring they'll be able to help each other. 

So the episode will hopefully answer, who (if anyone) will escape the underworld? Will this be the only episode we'll se Hercules? Will we find out even a bit more of Hades' plan? Or why he's so anxious about Regina and company?


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## Addison

"Labor of Love".

It was a good episode, kinda brought back the feel from seasons 1 and 2. 

In a flash back we saw Snow (played by a new actress) who is just starting as a fugitive from the queen and protector of her people. She encounters bandits harassing and robbing her people, and it doesn't go so well. Luckily Hercules is nearby and not only helps her out but trains her. Arriving again at the village and encountering the bandits she shows she, and her people, are not to be messed with. We see the birth of Snow White the bandit. After the little celebration Hercules and Snow say good bye, and Snow gets her first kiss. XD

In the underworld we start with the sneak peek scene with Killian in the underworld tunnels. He and fellow prisoner run, Killian stays behind to distract the monster while Meg runs off to find Emma. Emma and Regina, in the woods looking for any signs of Hook, find a blood trail. They follow it and find Meg just as they hear a monstrous roar. Emma teleports them to her parents' place. I don't know which is weirder, the fact that her parents' place exists in Under-brooke, or that it's apparently all set up for when her parents die. Meg tells them about cerberus, saying that no one can defeat it. In comes Mary Margaret who says there is such a person. Her old friend Hercules who is down there with them. 

Emma, Snow, Regina and Herc go into the tunnels, Hercules in the lead to fight Cerberus. He hears and sees the monster and runs back to the ladies. They brace for battle only to hear a whistle and the dog goes away. In comes Hades, they finally meet. Hades seems to know a lot about them. He knows about Snow mostly from Hercules, his nephew (thank you for sticking with the mythology), and Emma from Hook. He says he's there to deliver Hook's next message personally, and shows his bloody hook. Hades says they shouldn't be worried about what he HAS done to Hook, rather what he WILL do. 

Up topside the group gathers in the apartment and Regina says they, Herc and her family, don't need Mary Margaret as that person is a school teacher. They need the hero who defeated a villain no one thought could be defeated in the most incredible way: Regina, who is now Snow's friend. With a great pep talk Snow makes a plan, using Meg as bait for Cerberus. It kinda works, only the first party, Emma and her dad, lose track of the dog. How the hell two people can't see a giant three headed dog I don't know. But they split up again. Snow and Herc find Meg curled up by the clock tower. Cerberus comes and they hide in the library. Snow says all three of them are fighting it together, each of them attacking a head. Cerberus busts through the door and they strike. It works! The power of teamwork. After that Herc's unfinished business, his labor of defeating cerberus (who killed him), is done. He and Meg are shown the glowing path. Here gives Snow a hug, saying she's an amazing hero. They leave. Snow says she is back, as in no more calling her Mary Margaret. 

As two souls have moved on the clock ticks twice. We see a little clock in Hades' chamber, with Hook beaten underneath. In comes Hades, who tells Hook what happened. Hook is ready to take whatever Hades' will throw at him, but he gives him a metal rod. Hades summons three blank head stones and tasks Hook with an assignment. For every soul the group helps move on, one of them will have to stay. Apparently Hades doesn't like his smooth, death operation getting gummed up by people finding actual rest. Hook must choose who stays. 

If you're wondering about Robin and Henry, they're on their own little mission. They're looking for a map of the underworld, which will hopefully show how to get into the tunnels and out. Henry decides to climb through the heating vents. He doesn't find a map, at least I don't remember, but he does find Cruella. Crap! She asks Henry, as the author, to write her out of the Underworld. Write her back to surface life as she misses it, mostly the gin. Henry says the magic pen is destroyed but as the pen is a living thing in its own way, and thus has unfinished business, then it too is in the Underworld. She then hits him with a little motivation, if he does use the pen to help her, he'll clear his mother of murder. I gotta hand it to her, she's psychotic but clever.


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## Addison

Ooh, and I heard Emilie DeRavin is a first time mommy. She has a baby girl. Congratulations!


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## Addison

"Devil's Due". 

Milah's episode at last. 

The smallest, and by small I mean less prominent, of the plots this episode was Regina's magic. It works differently in the underworld and she's having trouble with it. So she first goes to the blind witch, but instead gets help from Cruella, who also gives her a map of the cemetery. The tombstone tells where the person is. Upright means they're in the underworld, toppled over means they moved on, cracked means they're in serious hell. So Regina and Mary Margaret go to the courtyard and find Daniel's tombstone, toppled over. Regina has a tender, loving good bye. As the two walk back through town they find a horse, which is hurt. Regina instinctively uses her magic and voila!, it works. The horse gets up, nickers a thank you and gallops away. 

In the Enchanted Forest of the past we see Milah and Rumple still married and little Bae. The adults are in a tentative relationship, the only glue is Bae. They're talking when Bae screams. They run over and see he's been bit by a poisonous snake. He only has twenty four hours, as they learn from a healer. The healer says the antidote will cost 100 gold. Youch. As the adults leave Milah says they don't have to pay if the healer is dead. She goes to a tavern to get a drink, gets spilled on my a jerk and saved by everyone's favorite captain. He says he's in port for a while and if her marriage falls apart, to come find him. Rumple, not having the money and not wanting to lose his son, goes to the healer and hunts for the antidote. Then the healer comes in and they fight, Rumple is ready to kill him, but doesn't. The healer asks what his son is worth. That's never good. Rumple returns home with the antidote and no blood on his hand. The cost? His second child. Milan is pissed as he's basically decided her future. She goes to the tavern.

In "Underbrooke", as Regina calls it, Rumple goes to the shop which Pan has left to him. Makes you nauseous thinking about where Pan is and what he's plotting. Rumple uses what's in the shop to empower a crystal ball. He asks to see who he desires. He sees Belle in storbrooke, at Granny's, eating with Leroy. Rumple is shocked, even horrified, and drops the crystal ball. He goes to the others who are gearing up in the apartment. Says he knows a way to get into the tunnels without Hades' protection killing any of them. He knows Milah is there, who has a job as a crossing guard, which he chides her on. "Your job is protecting children.". He tells her Killian is being held by Hades, and she agrees to help. 

Cue a very awkward meeting of Milah and Emma. Via the basement in Emma's house they enter the tunnels. Emma tells Milah her son is in a good place, he's happy. Milan joins them on their quest to save Hook. They find, or get, a boat on the green river, the river of lost souls. Milan stays with the boat to keep an eye on Rumple as Emma runs to save Hook, who is dangling over the river, slowly lowering toward it. Emma gets to him in time, telling him he loves her 'cause she doesn't listen. 

Back at the river Milah and Rumple have a nice talk. She says her unfinished business was Bae, being a mother. Rumple, knowing when he dies he's not going up, asks her to say hello for him. In comes Hades! Milah is frozen as the two men talk. Hades has Rumple destroy the boat, doing what he does best/likes doing. (The guy's messed up). He leaves and Milah is back. She saw Hades, and Hades knew she'd have to go. Rumple says she should be happy as he's the man she's wanted, a man who takes what he wants. Milan screams for Emma, Rumple screams for Milah as he blasts the boat and sends Milah into the river. When Hook and Emma arrive he says Hades did it. Emma tells Hook Milah helped them find him, Hook swears that Hades has much to answer for. 

At the house Hook says that, due to Rumple's using Hook's sacrifice and yet saving him, he's post poned killing him. Regina is ready to do the heart split but can't get in Emma's chest. Hook takes them to the cemetery and they see three head stones. Emma name is on one, Regina's on another and Snow's on the third. He tells them what Hades wanted him to do, looks like Hades did it himself. 

Speaking of the jerk, he's in his basement suite when Rumple arrives. He says, as he held up his end of the deal, Hades must send him up. Hades says he will, but not yet. He says he knows Rumple, a precise, clean man of thought and composure, dropped the crystal ball he worked so hard to fix. Hades fixed it and saw what Rumple saw. He figured it out, Belle's pregnant. Hades brings in the healer, who is in the underworld. He says that death doesn't destroy or nullify a contract. The healer just signed it over to Hades. Now Hades can cash in the debt, the baby, any time, unless Rumple works for him. It's like Milah said earlier, "You may be dark but you're still an idiot.".


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## Addison

"The Brothers Jones".

Sorry it took so long to write, I was fuming for a while courtesy of the ending scene. GAAAH!! Zero imagination IMO. The writers were doing so well basing Hades off of mythology, why'd they stop!? 

In this episode Henry had a nice part. He and Cruella cruise around trying to find where the magic pen is and Henry bumps into the Apprentice. He is stuck in the underworld because his unfinished business is Henry. Particularly stopping him from abusing his author powers as he is supposed to write down the stories as they happen, not write his own version of what should happen. But Henry tells him why he's looking for the pen so the apprentice tells him where it, and the ink apparently, is at. 

Meanwhile Emma tends to Killian, who is healed in time to reunite with his brother. Putting their heads together the group determines that if the pen and so much more in Storybrooke has an Underworld twin then so does the Story book. Only problem is they don't know where it is. But they find out that it's locked in a house, the key to which James has. Snow and James go the the sheriff's office and find the key. Only Snow hurries out when Cruella shows up. Apparently she and James are a thing. David poses as James but he can't do it, hand cuffing her to get away. But she knew he wasn't James, he lacked a glow of damage or some twisted turn on. She promises Dave that James will be meeting him. Can't wait for that episode. 

Liam is at the bar, which he tends, when Hades shows up. Hades tells Liam to find the story book first and destroy the pages about Hades, or he'll tell Killian his secret. Hades flames out and by the sickened look on Liam's face, he'll do what Hades wants. 

In a flashback we see the Jones brothers on a ship, captained by Captain Silver. Killian is his favorite punching bag, and Killian seems to give him plenty of reason as he's pretty rebellious. Liam gets a letter, saying he got the job in the royal navy. But he doesn't take it as Killian needs him. When a storm hits the brothers lead a mutiny, with Liam at the helm. Liam ducks downstairs for a moment and finds Hades there. That took me a back, I mentally rewound to see when Liam died, but Hades was actually in the world of the living. He told Liam that if he sailed into the eye of the storm Hades will make sure he and his brother live. He also throws in a gem called the Eye of the Storm which would guarantee Liam his navy job. Liam does as he's told, and Killian rallies the crew to listen and follow his brother. The ship sinks, obviously, but the brothers survive. They're rescued by a navy ship and, upon seeing the gem, Liam gets the job. 

In the Underworld the heroes find the house and split up to find the book. Liam finds it and, again, does as he's told. Emma's superpower kicks on and she knows he's hiding something. She tells Hook about it but he refuses to accept that his brother would do such a thing. He even claims that she's just angry because Liam doesn't think she's good enough for him, even a bad influence. (Then again she did embrace the darkness and turn Killian into a dark one against his wishes so...) Anyway Killian's about ready to leave Emma and go with Liam when the crew of the sunken ship arrives. Captain Silver had seen Liam with Hades at the bar and rallied his crew. Liam confesses, then Hades arrives and whisks them to the fiery pit. Liam gets thrown in but Killian, brother to the end, grabs him, refusing to let go. Then the bright light comes and Liam moves on, as he amended his unfinished business, his brother. Hook tells Emma he's staying, as they have to take down Hades. (A rag-tag band of mortals- some magical- against a God who happens to have the Dark One on the payroll, that will be epic). 

Back at the apartment the group goes through the book looking for Hades' weakness, but Liam took the pages. Hook apologizes for his brother while David goes up to talk to a gloomy Henry. He tells Henry about his brother and that Henry has what James never had and apparently hates David for, having a loving family. Henry tells David about the pen. Telling the others Henry realizes what the apprentice meant. He says that with the pen and his untapped power he can recreate Hades' story, revealing what could make a God act in such fear. 

The end scene. Oh boy. When I first saw Hades in his underground suite I thought it would be a mythological cameo of Persephone. He reached into a steaming pool and pulled out the pages. Then we see an illustration of him, and ZELENA!! I was yelling at the screen. He told the illustration that their secret is safe. Are. You. Kidding? What, was greek mythology too stale? First of all Zelena isn't dead so she's not in the Underworld. She's not powerful enough to poof between worlds. Last I checked Dorothy still has the slippers and Zelena doesn't have the blood of someone who's been to hell and back. 

So the next episode, which will be answering all the WTFs, will enlighten us to those answers. I gotta say, it better be good not just on its own but good enough to explain why they threw Greek Mythology out the window. So the episode was great up until the end. That's just me though. Thoughts?


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## Addison

I read some small articles and saw some promo photos that are of interest. 

First, Robbie Kay will be returning as Pan in episode 19. Not sure what it's about yet, only that's is supposedly titled "Sisters". I'm really hoping it's about different characters, Henry's family tree is big and twisted enough. 

Second I saw promo photos for the twentieth episode "Fire Bird". It shows a young Emma. I'm guessing it's how she became a bail bondsman. That or her first days on the street prior to meeting Neal. 

Finally I read that there may be a great secondary antagonist as the head doctor or such of the mental hospital. According to the article it could be the brothers Grimm. So that, if it's still in the works, will be interesting. I mean they did write the fairy tales that Emma grew up with, and now they're in the underworld. So they'd be authors, or possibly citizens of the Enchanted Forest, in the normal world until they died. So what's their unfinished business, and why is one of them a doctor and the other a mental patient?


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## Addison

"Our Decay"

Sorry this post is late guys. Bad stomach bug. 

The recent episode made em do something I never dreamed I'd do. I cried FOR Zelena. No joke. First she didn't give herself a chance at happiness in OZ, then she had to do what's apparently a trend in the story, giving up their child for their best chance. 

In OZ we see a bad ass, grown up Dorothy stride into Zelena's palace and save the scarecrow, who was about to lose his brain to Zelena. He, Dorothy and Toto escape and Zelena is pissed. In a munchkin village she demands to know where the scarecrow is and who called Dorothy when Hades arrives. "Who the hell are you?" Zelena asks, to which Hades replies, "You have no idea how appropriate that question is." Zelena refuses his aid and goes to her palace, only to find him there. She reluctantly teams up. I was happy to hear that Hades' backstory is rooted in mythology. Zeus stopped his heart so all he felt was anger, vengeance and hate. The only thing that can make it beat is true love's kiss. Hades' trip to Oz, originally to have part in the time travel spell, has brought him that true love: Zelena, go figure. But Zelena, even after he tells her he loves her and she clearly realizes she loves him, pushes him away. She thinks he's just using her for her spell, as that's what she would do. Hades leaves in flames, saying she'll regret it. 

Which takes us to the present. The tender sub-plots are Henry's author power: Apparently he kinda falls asleep and he writes, and apparently illustrates. But he's getting frustrated with himself and feels the pressure of being a hero so he cops a teenage attitude. His powers intersect with Snow's and Charming's sub plot, which is to get a message to Neal. Using a magic phone booth, with a line down the block, they get inside and dial Neal so they can "haunt" him, letting him hopefully hear their voices. They're unsure if it worked when Henry says he wrote again, about Neal. The phone worked as Neal heard his parents sing the lullaby as if they were right there. It also acts as a fire under their feet, motivating Snow to take Hades down NOW. At that particular scene she could have shot an arrow outside as Hades was right there. 

The episode was centered on Zelena as she wound up in the underworld after somehow getting to storbrooke. I don't know how she did that, I saw no tornado and she wasn't wearing silver slippers. She tried to get her baby by posing as Blue, but it didn't work. She, Blue, and Belle (who was there checking on both babies) are in a stand off when the house starts shaking and a portal opens in the floor. 

The portal is courtesy of your local Dark One. To destroy the contract over his unborn child he must make a portal to Storybrooke, even though Hades won't say why. 

Belle is able to get the baby and leaps into the portal with Zelena right behind her. The portal closes, in both worlds, and Hades is pissed. "Where's the baby?" Why would the lord of the dead want a living baby? 

Well the new arrivals find themselves outside the sorcerer's mansion and Zelena realizes where she is and she is terrified, less for herself and more for her baby. She's hurt and her magic isn't working, giving Belle the chance to run off. She figures Rumple somehow did the portal because he needs her. She runs to the library where she's reunited with her husband. In a few short minutes she gets a lot dropped on her. She learns she's pregnant with a child Rumple sold YEARS ago and Rumple is working for Hades to break the contract by using his Dark One powers, which he regained. Rumple says she didn't fall in love with a man behind the monster, she fell in love with both. That while he can't change, he can be a better man which he has and will prove. I don't know if he was expecting her to understand and choose/condone his behavior right there, or if Belle assumed that, but she was strong enough to leave instead of passing out. 

At the apartment the group discovers Zelena. A bit of hope in Regina that her sister was dead. Sorry, no. She's looking for their help to find her daughter. So the sisters and Robin go off in search of Belle. Selena asks if Robin's named the baby, "god you haven't named her Marian did you?". Robin says he hasn't named her because he has to get to know her. And he hasn't gotten to know her because he's setting an example of heroism. Selena's all...well Zelena at that. Regina tells her sister that she used to be just like her, to which Zelena says, "Don't flatter yourself." Regina says that she once thought her vengeance was all she needed, that because no one cared about her, she didn't care about anyone else. But when she did care, and others cared back, she's never been happier. Her words hit home, Zelena says the person she cares about is her daughter. 

They find Belle in the woods. Selena has a bottle of formula and gets to feed her daughter. Selena, feeling a bit of magic, believes she can protect her child. She flees, knocking them back. A short distance away she's horror struck as her one act of magic gave her daughter a rash. She hides in her house, which the trio find. Zelena hobbles out with her child and gives her to Robin, begging that they protect her. They promise they'll do everything they can. Zelena tells them everything about Hades, how he wants a time-travel spell to get revenge on his brother. She goes inside crying, the trio slowly leaves. Robin says he can't name his child yet, seeing as what Hades can do with names. He says he'll take her into the woods in case Zelena accidentally tells Hades something. 

Zelena goes into town and calls Hades out. He arrives and she tells him if he hurts her daughter she'll kill him. He says he'd never hurt her child. We finally learn why the underworld looks like Storybrooke. Hades made it that way for Zelena, her own kingdom. A kingdom of decay, "but it's our decay". He did everything for her, to give her what she wanted of Regina's. Hades says his feelings for her are true. While Zelena still doesn't know if she can trust him, he says he understand and when she's ready he'll be waiting. He flames out and Zelena is left in tears. 

A few notes. One, we've seen what happens when those of dark power are hurt in some way. They lash out and it's never good or pretty. Seeing as the hurt dark magic is Hades, who knows everyone in his kingdom (one that our heroes can't escape from), his "tantrum" can't be good. From the promo of "Her Handsome Hero", he lashes out at Rumple through one of his citizens. And he could be collecting on the contract. Poor Belle.


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## Addison

Before I forget I've read some articles and Q&A's and have found the following elements that will come to light this season.

1. We'll be exploring Regina's child hood. 
2. There will be death.
3. Henry will use his author powers and could be targeted. 
4. All five rivers will come into play.

I don't know how the heroes will get around three of them being trapped in the underworld. Maybe, as Zeus has already been mentioned, there could be a reunion/stand off between them. That would be an awesome battle.


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## Addison

Wow, huge apology guys. Here we go:

"Her Handsome Hero". This was a very Belle centered episode. I was happy with this episode. There wasn't a lot with Regina, Emma and co. Although their little experience did come into play toward the end. It starts with the group at the library and Emma having a nightmare, which we saw, in which a tornado touches down, delivering a monster which kills Mary Margaret. She wakes up just when she and Hook get the signal that they're ready inside the library. Once inside we see Regina has covered the elevator in "squiggly lines", as Hook calls the runes and glyphs, and she and Emma combine powers to open the elevator. Only it's blocked by a brick wall. Emma goes to the graveyard to use a spell to get everyone's name off the tombstone, joined by Hook and Snow. Only reality starts to mimic her nightmare and Emma freaks, rushing them out of the graveyard after the tornado touches down and a monstrous roar spooks them. They hide in Regina's vault, soon joined by said sorceress, and Emma tells them about her nightmare and she feels guilty as everyone's there and stuck because of her. Snow says they wanted to come, no one was forced. I'll save the end part for the end of the post. 

In flashbacks we see Belle with her father in their ravaged kingdom. He says he's arranged a marriage between her and a kingdom which can help them in the ogre war. She's irritated, then she meets Gaston and a little "doesn't look so bad" spark flies between them. They take a little walk, getting to know each other and they discover an adolescent ogre in a trap. Belle convinces Gaston not to kill it as they could get information. They go back to the castle and Belle shows him a book, one she treasures and points her toward a mirror which would reveal inner evil. (So they crossed Belle's story with the real Ice Queen story, interesting) Belle goes on a quest to find the mirror, and succeeds. When she returns she discovers the ogre has escaped and the hunt is on. Belle races after them and uses the mirror. The ogre is nice, but she sees Gaston's evil. She knows he tortured the ogre. At the end of the flashback she's approached by her father for her actions but she says it was their mistreatment of the ogre that sparked the newest ogre attack. Yet she and Gaston, for the sake of the kingdoms, agree to marry. 

Present Underbrooke: Belle goes into the pawn shop and confronts Gold. She doesn't want to lose her baby, at the same time she doesn't want her family to be dug into a deeper hole thanks to Rumple's dark magic so she says, if he's serious about protecting their child, "no one will fight for their child as hard as you", she said, but he can't use dark magic. So they hit the books looking for light magic. Which proves in vain. They step outside, Belle in a rage and Rumple seeking her forgiveness, when he's nearly hit with an arrow. Look who's in the underworld! Gaston!. Hades, upon seeing a flower bloom in his realm, went to the pissed hunter and told him who had taken a residence. Belle tries to stop them but Gaston fires again, Rumple gets them out. Belle confronts him about killing Gaston, which Rumple says was a favor to her on account of their arranged marriage. He shows her the arrow, the head made of the stone from the river of tortured souls. If he's so much as scratched, he's finished. 

They go to GAston's work place, the pet shop, as Belel believes if they just find Gaston's unfinished business then Rumple will be safe. She finds the book she gave her and realizes she's his unfinished business. Rumple gives her time alone, only for Hades to show up. He says that he'll rip up the contract on her child if either Gaston pushes Rumple into the river or vice versa. Belle finds Rumple and tells him, but pleads not to. She ever more fervent after meeting with Gaston and realizing that she isn't his unfinished business. Rumple poofs off and finds Gaston. He's about to throw him into the river, when Belle arrives. She kisses Rumple and slips the dagger from his jacket, commanding him not to condemn Gaston. But Gaston is a jerk so he tries to take a cheap shot. Belle, in that moment, chooses Rumple as she pushes Gaston into the river. In comes Hades as Rumple tries to reassure Belle that there wasn't any other way. Hades will not rip up the contract as Belle pushed Gaston into the river, not Rumple. So Hades plucks the flower, which has now wilted and flames off. He sends it to Zelena at the diner, some kind of darkly-romantics collage. 

Which takes us back to the hero-brigade. They're in the forest hunting the monster. They see it in the distance and both Emma and Regina hit it with magic. Snow is the first to the creature and sees Emma's vision/nightmare wasn't about saving Snow, but finding her. Snow finds a red cloak next to the monster, a big wolf, throws it on the wolf and it turns into Red. Which sets up the next episode.


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## Addison

"Ruby Slippers"

I have to admit, this episode kinda burst my bubble. I was hoping that we'd see Oz and Zelena's reign there as a season, half season, on its own. Well maybe we still will. 

In Oz flashbacks, which don't take us that far in the past, we see Red and Mulan in Oz, with Red making comments about the book and movie versions of the land. Then Toto appears, with Dorothy right behind to defend her doggy from the confessed werewolf. Red gets the scent of Toto and leads them in the right direction, only for Dorothy to steer them away as Zelena's coming. They go to where the tornado touched down with a house (seriously?) and tells Red that her friends banished her to Oz to keep her away from her newborn child, whom she loves. Selena snatched Toto and says she will kill Toto if Dorothy doesn't give her the slippers and she has until sundown to decide. Mulan plans to make a sleeping powder to put Zelena to sleep to save the dog, but she needs poppies. Red and Dorothy go to the poppy field. Dorothy gets the nick name "Kansas" from Red, as she got the nickname "Wolfy". They bond as they've been prosecuted for their differences. Dorothy's family wanted her to be committed after all her stories. except Em, who loves and believe her, giving her Toto before she died. Red tells how she was chased from her village after she accidentally killed her boyfriend. 

They get the poppies and are spotted by a flying monkey. Red, upon Dorothy's trust, changes into a wolf and Dorothy rides her back to Mulan. Dorothy leaves abruptly. Red realizes what she's been looking for has been someone like Red, but is shaken as Dorothy took off. Mulan says not to give up, or wait until it's too late. Red goes to the house and discovers Dorothy is missing, leaving only a scrap of gingham behind. Dorothy is at Zelena's castle with the sleeping powder. Zelena freezes Dorothy and hits her with the sleeping curse. 

In Underbrooke:
In the apartment they have Ruby safe on the bed and wonder if she's alive or dead. If alive, why's she's there. Ruby wakes up and says she's looking for Zelena, as she can't find Dorothy and knows Zelena did something. They say Zelena is there. Regina goes to confront her sister while David goes to the phone booth to talk to Neal. 

Hades arrives at Zelena's house and tells her that Red is here. Selena worries what the heroes will do, that she may act in a way that will over her her child or they'll find out what she did and take her child away completely forever. She won't let Hades help or interfere, he flames out. Regina arrives and confronts Zelena about what she did. Selena shows, via mirror, Dorothy in a sleeping curse, a basically unbreakable as she has no true love. But she offers the silver slippers in exchange for her daughter. Regina says she can't be redeemed by this path, only by doing good. Selena hands the slippers over,s saying neither of them will change. 

David, Hook and Henry arrive at the phone booth only to find Cruella watching as it's ripped up, on Hades orders as it's inspiring hope. Cruel offers a deal, that she'll look the other way while he calls. He refuses, good bye phone booth. 

Upon Regina's report Ruby knows only one person who can wake Dorothy, her auntie Em. Going to the graveyard they see Em is there, and she's the Blind Witch's competition. They arrive, only to be joined by Hades. He turns Em to water as "Gods don't like when others play with their things". He bottles Em-water and leaves, and her tombstone is cracked. 

At the graveyard, joined by the men and learning what Hades is doing, Emma says it's time for her parents to go home. A little problem as Snow's name is on the tombstone. But Hook can apparently change it, thanks to Hades giving him that power. He switches Snow's name for David's, so she can return to their son. Snow and Ruby use the slippers, stopping at Oz. Ruby, after finally realizing she loves Dorothy and Dorothy loves her, wakes her with true love's kiss. Yep, Dorothy and Red. Back at the apartment Henry's author powers show Dorothy's wakening, then Snow returning to Storybrooke and reuniting with Neal, which inspires hope in the remaining group. 

Yet there's a little Rumple/Belle Drama. Belle hasn't gotten over what she did, as she says she tainted her soul. Rumple reminds her she did it to protect her child. She leaves, having to figure it out herself. She goes to Zelena and asks for help, mother-to-mother. Selena has a way to stall the contract, which we find out when Belle returns to the shop. A sleeping curse. After seeing what Emma did to Zelena to get her baby she knows Hades could do the same thing. She also knows that Rumple can't wake her, ouch, and tells her that when it's safe to take her home she rather will wake her. Belle pricks herself and Rumple catches her, laying her on the bed and spurring him to action. Which we'll see next episode. 
Snow, Emma and Red go the graveyard looking for Auntie Em.


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## Addison

"Sisters"

Little Regina is adorable. She had hope for what would really make her happy. Too bad she had Cora as a mother. We saw that all Regina wanted was a sister, a family. Cora made her usually petty intimidating reason for "no". Then Regina unwittingly used dark magic, or just magic (I couldn't really tell). Only to hurt herself. Cora realized there was only one person who could help Regina. Somehow, without a tornado or slippers, she got to OZ. How did she even know where Zelena was? How did Cora get there? Plot hole anybody? Anyway she sees Zelena has the gift and saves her from getting beaten by her father. She takes Zelena to her castle, not telling Henry who Zelena is. She's ready to teach Zelena what to do only to witness Zelena's desire to do good tapped her magic and presto she's doing what needs to be done. Regina wakes up and the sister meet.   It's a happy meeting! The girls play dress-up and Queen, or witch battles. Selena sees the box which Regina opened, and it opens at her touch. The girls know and run to find Cora to ask if they're related, only for Cora to be spying from the hall. They find her and Cora sees how happy Regina is, then takes it away. The guards haul Zelena away, both girls screaming for each other, and Cora uses a potion to make both girls forget. 

Flash forward to Underbrooke, Regina tries to stop Zelena from her Hades relationship. It looks like Regina is really trying to reach her but Zelena thinks she's only wanting to save herself. (Not an entire lie). Regina realizes there's only one person who can get through to her, Cora. So Hook helps bust Cora out of the lower hell. Cora, as a miller, finds his hook and uses it to get the anti-magic cuff off. She gets away from the guards, who were laughing at her misfortune, and finds Hook, who takes her topside to Regina. Regina fills her in on everything that happened. Cora believes the only way to save Regina and the others, and Zelena, is to make Zelena forget about Hades. She takes Regina to a river, one of the many rivers of the underworld, the waters would make a person forget everything/anything whether they drank or got wet. She says a small pool of the river water was on their estate. 

They go to the farmhouse, Regina hidden, and Cora meets with Zelena. They have a good talk, both women voicing troubles they've held for a LONG time. Cora goes to get Zelena water and gets the potion from Regina. Cora underestimates Zelena, as she was aware that her sister was there and their plan. Regina and Cora say they're trying to help her as Hades can't be trusted or changed. The girls are ready to torch the house down in a fight. Cora puts out the fire and undoes her magic, letting them remember their first meeting and how much they loved each other. Cora knows her unfinished business was her daughters, so they go to the cave with the fire and such. The fires race up when Cora reaches the end of the rock, then a light appears and she moves on. Zelena's sad that she lost her mother soon after getting her. Regina hugs her and supports her in dating Hades. 

Meanwhile the heroes have an adventure. It's time for a supply run to Robin. David got the supplies when the sheriff's car pulls up. Out steps his brother on a seriously high horse. David calls him James and his brother has a fit, "That's price James". James is pissed, saying his unfinished business is killing David, that David took his glory and the life that should have been his. David defends himself with a board only for James to knock him out with a taser. James plays shepherd, locking David in the jail and James takes his place. He goes to the apartment and sees Emma, who's looking at a photo of David and Snow. James almost blows it as it "remembers" the photo from a birthday, only for Emma to say anniversary. He manages to blow it off as being confused form all the curses and jumping around. They leave to get to Robin and find him in the woods, James showing his personality "How do we find him? Rob some poor people?". Robin appears, the baby with him, and James slaps the anti-magic cuff on Emma and pointing a gun at Robin. Cruella arrives and slaps Emma. They say they want the baby as leverage to get out of the Underworld. Robin refuses, putting an arrow in James. Only it doesn't hurt him. So they go to the docks and Robin and Emma are about to be sent into the water when David and Hook arrive in time to save them. Cruella, unable to kill anyone, finds a place to watch as James and David fight it out. In the end James goes into the water, which David was hoping and trying to avoid. 

A scene from the beginning comes full circle at the end. Rumple was at Belle's side, telling her he will save their child. In the end we see Zelena at the diner, Hades has a romantic date set up, lighting a candle with his breath and cuing the jukebox. He dances, getting more things prepared. Zelena is just steps away when Rumple appears. He believes she gave Belle the sleeping curse not to help her but hurt him. He gets two birds with one stone, hurt her and Hades and save his child? How? Introduce her to his father. Pan is there and greets Zelena. "I hear you're wicked. I'm worse". He throws a bag over her head and end episode. Yikes. Rumple declared war on the god of the underworld. There's a fine line between confidence and arrogance, which I think Rumple will learn the hard way tonight.


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## Addison

"Firebird" (Only three episodes after this. :-( )

Flashbacks take us to our world, before Henry found Emma. It starts with Emma at a lobster house asking if anyone remembers a baby that was abandoned nearby twenty years ago. The cashier doesn't, but a woman believes Emma was that baby. She also knows that Emma robbed convenience stores and jumped bail. The woman is Cleo Fox, bounty hunter/bail bondsman. She catches Emma and the ensuing adventure shows us how Emma took up a job as bail bondsman and got her jacket and put up armor. Cleo, upon Emma promising she'll go quietly if she helps, takes Emma to the courthouse to find anything on Emma only for Cleo to say it's a dead end. She tells Emma she can't be emotional, she has to protect herself. Emma sneaks out of their motel that night to come back to the courthouse, with Cleo right behind her. They don't find anything useful, Cleo came not for the money put to protect Emma s, if they're caught they're both in trouble. The avoid the guards by going through the newly broken back window. Only Cleo cut her stomach on the glass. She tells Emma to go, to pay for what she did. Emma runs and, evidently, does pay her bail and takes up the job.  We see her later as she's on the trail of a bail jumper and sees her target. But it's not a bail jumper, it's Cleo's daughter Tasha, who Cleo apparently gave up. Emma tells Tasha her mom is dead, but gives her all the information she could find. Before leaving Emma buys a jacket, the red jacket. 

In the underworld it gets awkward, tense, and at the end very emotional and angry. First Hades arrives at the heroes looking for help. Rumple and Pan kidnapped Zelena and he needs an ace up his sleeve. If Emma helps him save Zelena, he'll take everyone's name off the tombstones. Hades gets to the diner and the jerks arrive, with Zelena trapped in the anti-magic cuff. Hades tears up the contract and Pan is ready to rip Zelena's heart out so he can leave, only for Emma to blast him. She notices Rumple is still there even after Hades ripped up the page. He poofs out with a  startled Pan right behind. Selena realizes how much Hades loves her and they kiss. It is true love, the familiar pulse of light rushes out. The ground quakes as Hades can now leave for good, his punishment is over. 

Everyone goes to the cemetery where the clock tower has appeared. The hands are spinning faster and Hades says that soon a portal will open and it will stay open until sunset. He keeps his end of the deal, taking everyone's names off the tombstones. Emma does the heart split, but it doesn't work. Hook's been dead too long, it worked for David because he was only dead for a minute, his soul hadn't moved on. Emma, refusing to believe there's no way to save Hook, realizes from Hades' face that someone did defy the odds and get out.  They go to Hades' suite and he tells the story of Euridycys (I can never spell that right). The only problem is that with all the tests and such in the path even he never went to that level of the underworld. All he knows is that Emma will have to weigh her heart in a sense, but as she won't be able to use magi down there Hades does a gentle manly thing and rips her heart out for her. Emma and Hook go down the elevator. 

Meanwhile Robin arrives and sees Hades and Zelena. Regina explains what's going on and, as he won't leave Regina but he won't risk trapping their child in the Underworld, reluctantly gives the baby to Zelena. She and Hades leave. Robin, needing a moment, strides through the aisles and finds Rumple, who takes his heart. No one knows, up oh. But they're distracted when Cruella saunters over and Regina is ready to fight, even if Cruella can't die. But Cruella isn't alone, the blind witch appears as Cruella doesn't have any real magic so to speak. She pushes the heroes into the library and seals them inside. Regina realizes the spell trapping them is out of the blind witch's level, Hades gave her the spell. They realize that they've been set up. 

Down in the belly of the underworld Hook and Emma come to a pair of scales, and we learn Hook can read latin, or greek, courtesy of the royal navy. Emma puts her heart on the scale, after a lovely dialogue of how Hook has helped her take down the armor around her heart. Emma's suddenly in pain. Hook goes for her heart only to be wrapped in flames. Emma tackles Hook out of the fire and the pain stops, the doors open. They passed the test. But it was for nothing. The tree is cut down, the ambrosia dead. They realize Hades sent them down so they'd be trapped. They race to the elevator but Hook doesn't get on. He tells Emma to leave, having her promise not to put her armor up again just because she lost him. She has him promise not to have her be his unfinished business, to move on. They kiss and hold hands as the elevator takes Emma up until they can't. 

Emma reaches the top and everyone's caught up. Emma and Regina combine their powers and open the door. Henry, who used his author skills to write down everyone's unfinished business, leave his work in the library for people to find so they can move on. Thus completing Operation Firebird. They reach the portal just in time but Emma is still reluctant to get it. She says she got the jacket as a reminder to protect her heart, now it's a reminder to protect those she loves. She jumps into the portal ready to take Hades' head off. 

Ooh! Rumple, right, the guy we love hating, or hate loving. He's in the shop and kisses Belle, but she doesn't wake up. A+ for effort though. Pan arrives and says that he'll accept Rumple for who he is. Rumple shows Pan Robin's heart. Pan says he's a good son and Rumple shoves the heart in his chest. But Pan is in pain. Rumple said he knew Pan most likely had his shadow watch him while Pan was occupied. So he didn't take Robin's heart. What he put in Pan was a wine skin full of water from the river of tortured souls. Pan finally, for good, dies. Rumple uses Pandora's box to carry Belle and he made it through the portal. Leaves one to wonder that, even though his unborn child is safe, will he help in the fight against Hades? He told Belle he can't change into a different man, but he can be a better one. Will he keep that promise?


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## Addison

I just realized there's a little hiccup with the year of the flashbacks. At least in my opinion. The flashbacks take place in 2009 and 2010. That's just two and one years from when Henry finds her. Emma was sentenced to eleven months. So if she did jump bail, first of all, what property would she put up or who would post it? We know it wasn't Neal. Secondly the flashbacks would take place in 2001, 2003 latest. Hmm.


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## Addison

Still waiting for a "Last Rites" sneak peek. But I did find an article about the rest of the season. If you remember, there was a post about a previous article about two new characters who will come in at the end of this season and play a pivotal role in season 5's ending and launching season 6. At first, due to Henry's author powers being connected or in some way a key as well, we speculated it was the brother's Grimm. But apparently they're not. 

The characters are a jerk-warden of the mental asylum and the other a meek patient. Seeing as Hades is now in Storybrooke I'm thinking they're Gods themselves. I don't know much about Greek mythology, I know a few but not a whole lot about Hades. If they are Gods then I figure one of them is Zeus. The other could be Cronus, Hermes, or Poseidon. If they're not Gods then that sets up a whole new set of possibilities. We don't know a lot about the Author powers, the legacy, so we may get some insight to that. Guess we'll have to wait and see, but it's fun to speculate.


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## Addison

I looked up images for the next episode, "Last Rites". My computer is not liking me so sadly I can't post the photo. What I saw suggests that we could very well be seeing Merida on Sunday. Hey maybe she's the one that dies? Oh, spoiler alert, some one apparently dies in the next episode. LOTS of speculation about who it will be. The promo said the death will shake the very heart of Storybrooke.I can tell you, based on an article, that it isn't Henry. He plays a crucial role in the finale. Things come full circle for the rest of the Charmings in the finale so a good chance it's not Snow or David. The finale will also test Regina about her heroic turn as she's tested about her Evil Queen days. Seeing as Storybrooke is kinda a big family it could be anyone. A picture of the grave, from the back, showed few flowers on top and Emma standing at it holding something not a flower. It looked thin, palm-sized and shiny. 

Guess we'll have to wait and see. Biting our nails until and during the episode, and possibly bawling during and after the episode.


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## Addison

"Last Rites",

With everything that happened in this episode the finale will be HUGE, in story and thrills. 

We pick up right where "Firebird" left us. We open with Hades and Zelena on the Toll Bridge in Storybrooke. Selena leaves her baby with Hades while she goes into to town to both tell people that Hades is a good changed man and to find Regina. It's nice to see the sisters getting along. Then, while Hades seems to be enjoying his time with the baby, in comes Arthur. Freshly escaped from jail. He hits it off with Hades as they were both imprisoned, "wrongly". Only Hades reveals that he too was destined to rule a kingdom and, seeing Arthur as an obstacle, magically breaks his neck. So we see why Hades wanted the heroes stuck in the Underworld, a clear path to a kingdom. 

The heroes are in Storybrooke. The Charmings reunite, baby Neal is so cute! We see that Merida took over as sheriff, yet made a not so good call to put Sleepy on guard duty. Which explains how Arthur got out. Regina and Robin find Zelena and tell her what happened, but she's so in love she refuses to believe them and poofs out. She finds Hades at the mayor's office and tells him what she was told. He's "Willing" to turn himself in. Yet she, as I'm guessing he predicted, doesn't want to lose him and proposes they fight back. Hades reveals an heirloom he brought with him, olympian crystals which look like power-free Zeus bolts. They also looked pretty plastic, no offense. 

Down in the underworld Arthur isn't so happy and meets Hook. As they both have a score to settle with Hades, and Arthur doesn't feel like going to hell where he belongs, they team up to send Emma a message on how to kill Hades. They go to his suite/dungeon and Arthur, putting his king skills to the test, find the Storybook pages in Hades' throne. We learn that the god's heirloom can be his death. The problem following is how to get the information to Emma. Cruella destroyed the phone booths and, as self-proclaimed Queen, isn't about to help souls move on. She sent the storybook on a journey down the river of souls. The two men race after it, with ARhtur nearly getting thrown into the river by an angry soul and the book nearly sunk by another. Yet no one falls in. Hook puts the pages in and Emma, who is topside sees her version of the book burst open and flip to the fixed pages. 

Regina and Robin emerge from the tunnels, passing Zelena's protection spell and find the baby. But Hades is waiting for them. The crystals won't kill them, they will end the heroes. No moving on, nada, just there and gone. He aims for Regina as she's the one who, to his mind is turning Zelena against him but he's just pissed because he was almost caught he Zelena also loves Regina now. Narcissist much Hades? Robin takes the shot meant for Regina. Selena comes in and there's a tense conversation as Zelena just came from a fight with Emma and got the pages. Hades is putting himself and not doing a good job convincing Zelena. Thankfully Zelena is smart enough to see the truth, and the right thing, and plunges the crystal into Hades who goes up in a burst of blue fire. Regina cries over Robin's body and Zelena weeps at Hades' pile of ashes. A tender hug between sisters. 

Down in the underworld Hook and Arthur catch their breath when a white light appears. Now that Hades is dead Hook can move on. He tells Arthur to come with but Arthur sees that the broken kingdom he was destined to fix wasn't Camelot, it was the Underworld. So Hook goes. He's in a long hallway with greek columns, and a young man who's apparently Zeus. He's there to escort Hook where he needs to go. 

Back in Storybrooke the town tends Robin's funeral. Roses wrapped around arrows are placed on his coffin. Poor Roland. :'(
Zelena arrives with the baby and says she found  fitting name, Robin. Emma sticks around as Hook's grave is nearby. She sets a flask of rum on his grave and cries, finally getting to say good bye. She returns to Robin's grave, her mom says it's not her fault but, as we've seen, Emma gets hit hard with survivor's guilt and has felt guilty about everything that's happened leading up to, during and to that point of the Underworld adventure. Snow gives her a moment alone. Not ten seconds when Emma is hit with a ripple of light. Hook is behind her! Flesh and blood and back for good. (At least until the next life-threatening adventure). Zeus sent him back as a thank you for his part in destroying Hades. 

Yet that wasn't the end of the episode. No. The end was in the mayor's office where Hades' ashes still sit. Rumple crouches by them. Earlier, after hearing Hades was in town, he called to offer Hades protection in exchange for him leaving Storybrooke. Hades refused, to which Rumple reminds the ashes as he sifts through this and pulls out a piece of Olympian Crystal. That much power in Rumple's twisted mind. Not good! Sunday can not get here soon enough.


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## Addison

"Only You," and "Untold Story", as it was a two-hour finale, basically two episodes in one night, I'll cover them both. In two posts don't worry. 

The episodes were very Henry-centered. The articles were right he did go rogue, but in an understandable way. To recap Henry's experience with magic he has experienced & witnessed; lost the town sheriff, been put under a sleeping curse, nearly lost his mom and grandma to a portal destroyer thing, seen Snow in a dark place and nearly killed by Regina because she used magic to destroy Cora, had his mom and grandma taken away through a portal, been abducted to Neverland, nearly killed by giving his heart, switched in pan's body, lost his grandfather, had his memories erased/changed, was taken from happy New York, lost his dad, nearly lost his uncle, had his grandmother possessed, the entire town was put under a curse, seen "Marian" turn to ice, his mother in pain courtesy of the ice queen, hook nearly die thanks to Rumple, the blue fairies sucked into a hat, a mosnter set loose in storybrooke, Maleficent returned from the dead, tricked by Pongo, the entire town sucked into a book (sorta), the apprentice killed by the darkness which nearly took his grandfather, his mother turned into the dark one...okay you get the point. Henry has seen and experienced the dark side of magic. 

So he teamed up with Violet on a quest to destroy magic. Adventurous first date. They get to New York and learn that Neal had searched for a way to destroy magic. They go to Neal's old place and find a journal. They go to the library to the research area. They find Storybooks, like Henry's, but with unfinished stories. Violet recognizes an artifact in the display as the holy grail, rather its twin. They figure that if the silver grail was the beginning of magic then that grail is the end. They test it on the crystal, which Henry acquired using his powers, and it works. They stuff everything in their bags and leave, only for Rumple, who followed to knock them out with a sleeping spell. The super-charged crystal has been spreading/restoring magic to the real world. 

His moms find him and look for Gold, realizing Gold did something to the crystal. Gold is going all out to use the crystal to wake up Belle. He's in a hotel suite, which he just let himself into, and has drawn squiggles all over a table. Then a portal opens and Gold goes for the crystal only to lose Pandora's box. Now he is pissed and driven. Regina soon arrives, finding Gold thanks to the purple storm cloud swirling above his hotel. She says he needs the evil queen, which she's ready to re-embrace to stop losing the people she loves. Rumple agrees and they talk, Regina tells him that she learned her sister was sucked through a portal. She's distracting gold while Emma sneaks in. She finds the crystal, only for Rumple to poof it to his hand. He was wise to them, just easier to kill them both when they're in the same room. His fireball is ready when Henry jumps in with the goblet and violet and sucks the fireball and the power from the crystal. The adults tell him what's happened with the family, Rumple tries to play a huge guilt trip but Henry sends it right back. 

He's outside at a fountain with Violet when Emma comes. They talk about how they were happy in New York, with out magic yet without family. They had family, lost them to magic and now they might never see them again. Emma says they'lld o what they did in New York before. Wish their problems away in the fountain. 

Remember the Dragon? The chinese wizard from season 2 that August went to? He's alive. And he blows Rumple off but agrees to help Regina as he sees a noble fight between light and darkness, one she must win. Using a beautiful flower and a bowl of water he shows them where their family is, but isn't strong enough to open a portal. Yet they still have the power. It isn't the land without magic, it just appears that way. Magic is all around if they just see. If they believe. Henry has an idea and takes them to the fountain. He says that he wished his family was together and Hook found them. The fountain is full of true wishes, belief, magic. Each of them throws in a wish coin and the crystal starts glowing, but it's not enough. Henry stands at a statue and gets the attention of dozens of pedestrians, inspiring them to believe in magic and make a wish to help him save his family. Everyone throws in a coin, the crystal glows brighter and brighter until the water rises and delivers everyone from the other realm. Only rumple is missing. And their family is joined by another person. 

They make it back to Storybrooke where Henry and Violet kiss. Yay! Teenage joy! We also learn that Violet is a legacy of another story. Her father is originally from Conneticut. You know the story "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court"? Her dad's that yankee. So she's staying, so is he. Henry joins Regina as she restores magic to Storybrooke. Very happy, especially as she's rid of the evil queen. (that's in the next post). Their happy time is interrupted by a scarred yet handsome man. Hyde. He's in Storybrooke, and he brought friends, to play out the rest of their untold stories. Apparently he traded with Rumple, Hyde gets the town, Rumple gets help saving Belle. Regina warns that she knows how his story ends, he loses. Hyde says it's not that easy getting rid of/destroying their dark side. So we've set up season 6. Partially.


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## Addison

My previous post covered Henry's adventure. This one covers Zelena, David, Snow and Hook's adventure. 

In Storybrooke they're at the diner mourning Robin when the ground shakes and in comes Hook, back from the dead. They go to the clock tower and Zelena says she detects the power of the olympian crystals. One must have survived. They know Rumple is gathering power to save Belle but they know that if/once he succeeds he won't return the magic. So they have to stop him, but they don't know where he is. They're in the loft making a plan when Regina tells them Henry is missing. They read his text that he's going to destroy magic. Rumple arrives, telling them what Henry did, and poofs out to find him. 

While Emma and Regina leave to find their son the rest of them find a way to send everyone back home before magic disappears. Zelena uses the sorcerer's wand, promising no twister "you heroes take the fun out of everything". They say goodbye to Merida, the residents of Camelot, and the Merry Men. They say Regina will understand that Roland left as Robin would want him to grow up in Sherwood. Zelena promises he'll see Regina and his sister soon. The last person goes through and Zelena tries to close the portal but it won't. It stretches out, like a creepy worm monster, and sucks in Zelena, Snow, David and Hook. They land, with the wand broken, in a strange land. Across from a rocky gorge is a large building. 

They find a groundskeeper and ask for help but he takes off. They catch up and he says if he's caught talking to them, or using magic or anything like that, he'll be in trouble. A man, Poole, arrives and knocks them out with a fancy taser. They wake up in a cage, which is enchanted against magic. The warden arrives, scarred yet handsome, radiating "psycho". He asks, with his hand around Hook's neck, why the Dark One sent them. Snow tells him the Dark One is their enemy too and they just want to get home. He leaves, not letting them out. 

A little later the groundskeeper returns and says he can help them fix their wand. He can't bring the ingredients to them but he can take the wand. Zelena hands it over and he goes to a lab. He fixes the wand only for Poole to arrive. He subdues the groundskeeper, not believe that the warden wanted the wand fixed, and injects him with a serum. The groundskeeper is in agony and we see him change into the warden. Ladies and gentlemen, Jekyll and Hyde! Jekyll realizes Poole injured Jekyll and sends him running. He does use the wand though, opening a portal which gives him pandora's box. Leverage to use against the Dark One. 

The groundskeeper wakes up in a straight jacket. Poole is asleep, allowing him to get out and free. He gets the keys off Poole and frees the others. He leads them out of the hospital through the city which is like a fusion of several realms. Jekyll explains that everyone here is an untold/unfinished story which Hyde apparently collects in a way. They reach Jekyll's apartment and he finishes a serum which he says will separate him from his inner monster. Then Poole arrives, saying he let him escape so he would finish the serum. He uses the old one on Jekyll, who tells the heroes to run as he transforms into the warden. 

The warden uses Jekyll's serum, kicking Jekyll out of his body. The two are separate. Hyde calls him weak and starts strangling him. Only for Hook to race over and tackle him off. Zelena knocks out Poole and Snow uses his taser on Hyde. Jekyll takes his serum stuff and they run. He thanks them for coming back as they try to escape. Running through the city they're almost free but are cornered in an alley. Then it starts raining money. Pennies, nickles, dimes. Sounding familiar? A portal opens and the heroes jump in. Hyde tries to follow and fails. He goes to his office and tears it up in a fury. Rumple interrupts his tantrum. He starts magically choking Hyde unless he gives Belle back. Hyde says he can help him wake Belle. Rumple releases him, saying he's lying to save his own skin. Hyde swears he's not, as he's collected people from many realms so he's learned a lot about magic. They make a deal. Hence Hyde in Storybrooke. So we know how Hyde and his citizens/patients got to Storybrooke, the wand. But did Rumple come with him? Or did he stay in that other world? 

So yeah, season 6 has a good lead in. Unfinished/untold stories from many realms. We know Jekyll and Hyde, what else? Dracula, Wolf man, will we learn how/where Jefferson got his hat? Where and how Snow got that dark fairy dust? Who Lily's dad is? Also, as the stories are untold and such, Henry's author duties and powers will come up a lot, I'm guessing. 

Ooh, right, there was something else forboding at the end. In new york, prior to everyone coming home. Regina told Emma about her battle against her dark instincts, the baggage that she, as a hero, must carry from her Evil Queen days. She tells Snow on the roof of Robin's apartment building and Snow tells her there's a way to be rid of the evil queen. They use Jekyll's serum and Snow and Emma are there to support her as the evil queen literally comes out. Emma subdues the evil queen, who taunts Regina as she doesn't have it in her to destroy her as she needs the evil queen. Regina says she doesn't and crushes her heart. The evil queen disintegrates and everyone returns to Storybrooke. But we see that evil queen dusts swirling over New York at the end. She materializes in the Dragon's shop and sets him straight. Regina might have won the battle over her sould, but now it's war. She rips the dragon's heart one, not crushing it, and proclaims she's back. Will the evil queen conquer our world? Or will the two come to Storybrooke? I haven't been this excited for a new season of Once since season 2 ended. That was before I knew Pan was Rumple's dad. If I had known, then I haven't been this excited since season 1 ended. 

Come on season 6!


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## Addison

Season six will air in a month. 

Kinda conflicting reports, imo.

The end of season 5 saw the citizens, good and evil, from the land of Untold Stories coming to Storybrooke. (How many people can a small town house?) We also saw the Evil Queen rip out the dragon's heart. So she's not dead...is the dragon? 

We do know the Regina vs Evil Queen will be a big part of the season. Lana is apparently taking sword fighting lessons. While the incomplete storybooks from the research library were incomplete and about all kinds of stories across the genres, right now we're only hearing about one set of stories, A Thousand and One Arabian Nights. There are still only rumors about Sinbad and Scheherezade. But we did see a sneak peek with Jafar and Aladdin. Wasn't Jafar defeated somehow in the Wonderland spin-off? Honestly I didn't really watch the entire spin-off. The original series is better and the writers were shooting themselves in the foot by using future story material for Once on a new series. 

Anyway we do know the season won't be broken into A and B like the last three seasons, one whole season dedicated to the incomplete stories and the Regina vs Evil battle. Oh, and Rumple and Belle. He got part of the job done, got his family back to the world, although we don't know if he's actually in Storbrooke. Now the hard part, waking Belle up.


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## Addison

For those who haven't seen the sneak peek, here you go. 






Kinda makes you wonder what Emma will face this season. There is a rumor of wedding bells for her and Hook, maybe her Savior fate gets in the way. Or maybe Emma has to knock that nonsense out of Aladdin's head.


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## Addison

A few points I forgot. Sorry. 

Archie will return. Yay! So will Cinderella, who apparently has a mysterious connection to the Land of Untold Stories. We'll also get to see more of Hook's past. After all he's 300 years old, he's done a LOT. Sounds like some of it will come to light, putting him in awkward position with the people of Storybrook, as he's not proud of it. 

We'll also get a peek into David's past. The mythology of his character is founded on something he's believed to be true for so long. The truth will come out which will affect him, and through him the people he cares about. I'd be willing to be it's about his dad. In season 4 when he told Anna about his father I thought it was a little....meh. 

Belle will definitely be out of the box, soon in the season. But when she'll wake up will be a mystery. Seeing as her dad refused to wake her, how will she be woken? All magic comes with a price, and Rumple doesn't like to pay so if it doesn't bite Belle in the butt, then it could affect their unborn child. Wow the possibilities are many and exciting.


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## Addison

Once Upon A Time is returning this month! By all the articles and such it looks to be getting back to it's golden roots. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping, wishing, praying, everything short of illegal activity, hoping they don't do to "Once" what they did to "Lost". 

A few new points I've found is that it looks like Regina and Zelena will be roomies. They do have a common bond, with their happy memories back and them each loving Robin's baby. Although I do see some "Mommy" drama as Zelena is the mother but Regina was Robin's love. 

Another is that the Evil Queen, although returned, won't be focused so much as her better half as it will be on pursuing her grudge against Snow. Let's not forget that there's also Hyde in town and we've seen his power. Come on the guy absorbed Zelena's blast. If those two team up....oh man! I'm smiling and shivering simultaneously.  

Something that hasn't been brought up, at least not in depth, has been Henry's role in the coming season. I'm not talking about Evil Queen using him as bait or trying to trick him. That's kinda obvious. I'm talking about him as the Author. He has chosen to honor his role and use his powers the right way. No matter how the story plays out or how long it takes, he's doing it the right way. Something tells me not every character from "The Land of Untold Stories" will like that. Or they want their happy endings NOW, before their greatest opposition or such villain catches wind. They may put Henry in a tough position where he may have to use his author powers in the corrupt way. 

Here's the trailer, love the Evil Queen look


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## DragonOfTheAerie

I watched this show for some time; it was a brilliant concept, and I loved the character development and the backstories of all the villains. Unfortunately the story took a huge downward plunge in season 5. The writers had the perfect opportunity to end it in season 4, but no...they had to keep going with it.

Why didn't Henry write everyone their happy ending, and have Lily eat Zelena? (I never liked Zelena.) 

I liked Rumple for a while, but when I saw at the end that he was *still* just backstabbing everyone I didn't care for him anymore. Ruby was my favorite, but sadly there's a lot of wasted potential. Regina was great too. 

If they didn't end it they could at least have had a new set of characters take center stage and let Emma and Hook (*drools*) and Snow and Charming have their happy ending and have Henry, Ruby, Lily, all the younger cast members become more important...Trying to manufacture more and more and MORE tragic backstory for everyone gets old. 

Once Upon a Time: Everyone's evil and everyone's related.


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## Addison

Several great points, especially the last paragraph and the log line. Also, thanks for the post. I don't know why there are so few. If I'm scaring people I apologize. 

I also apologize that this post is coming late. I know in the past I've been basically posting synopsis of episodes with my own critique, but now I'll just be reviewing and critiquing episodes. 

So, let's jump in with the first episode. It picks up pretty much an hour, tops, after the season 5 finale left off. Everyone's happy, Hook and Emma are about to get romantic then cue the ominous signal of a new arrival. A giant "dirigible" as Jekyll calls it (Basically a steam-punked zeppelin) soars over Storybrooke and crashes in the forest. The citizens follow and Emma and Regina face Hyde, losing. When they find the wreckage it's empty, but Jekyll uses the scraps to make both Hyde-proof cuffs and the happy thing that took him down in the finale. Yet, with the clanging and banging of searching the site, Emma has a vision. At least a scattered clip of one. The vision continues to try and coalesce at seriously crappy timing. Emma's hiding, ready to fry Hyde only for the vision to come and nearly cost Regina her life. But Emma gets it together and Hyde is imprisoned. Yet Hyde knows what's happening to Emma. Archie tries to help but Emma goes to Hyde, who tells her to follow the red bird. Which she does. Seriously? She just takes the word of a powerful, evil villain who can't be hurt by her magic? But she finds an oracle, supposedly (I have my doubts seeing as Hyde brought specific people) and sees the full vision. She's fighting a powerful hooded figure, and is run through. The oracle is a ray of sunshine and tells her that she will be killed by the person no matter who long she put sit off. Emma keeps it secret, even hiding her shaking hand from the people she loves. 

On the Belle-Rumple front I smell another evil-god. In exchange for Storybrooke, Hyde gives Rumple a map to the Temple of Morpheus, the god of dreams. Rumple sprinkles sand from a giant vase on sleeping Belle and enters her dream where he meets said God. Morpheus acts as a guide through Belle's dream, which gradually turns from morbid to light as Rumple shows his loving side, only for Belle to have some doubts and Morpheus to come in at perfect timing. He says he's their son, as Rumple sprinkled sand on him too. He proves it, as he loves his mom especially as he's seen she won't fall for Rumple's crap, and kisses her brow. She wakes and leaves Rumple in the temple. They. Actually. Bought that?! Seriously? Morpheus is the god of dreams and sleep so of course he can wake someone from a sleeping curse! Did neither of them think to make sure? If that baby-teller-amulet is still around then they can use that. If it's a boy then maybe I'll buy it. If it's a girl, time to worry! 

There was a nice sub-story with Regina and Zelena. Basically it's two sisters in pain and, not wanting to hurt the other, accidentally have a fight and one moves out, only to run into the arrived Evil Queen. Regina has a nice talk with Snow who says that Regina, not the evil Queen, inspired her strong faith in a better life. Regina opens up about her realization that now it's her story and it's as important as every story. As the two leave, a feather flutters to the bench. The very feather that started the sister fight. Kinda weird, and cruel, how that stuff happens all the time.


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## Addison

A Bitter Draught.

The residents of The Land of Untold Stories are starting their Storybrooke assimilation at Granny's. A warm welcome from Regina and Henry meets a mysterious stranger who disappears when he offers to help him with his story. The person is revealed to be the Count of Monte Cristo, who was hired by the Evil Queen to kill Snow and Charming. He's back to finish the job. Regina tries to call him off, but no good. It's not that he's stubborn, as the Evil Queen reveals in a dramatic re-entrance to Regina's life. Evil Queen has his heart. He almost finishes the job, but Regina kills him. At least he's reunited with his love, Charlotte. Prior to all this Zelena didn't tell Regina the Evil Queen was back, thanks to the Evil Queen pulling at her strings. I mean, come on, that's was the Evil Queen does. Apparently string-pulling is a family trait when the women are evil. 

Meanwhile Emma goes to Archie to talk about her vision. She's honest about it, a sign of development. But when Archie gets close to buttons about her identity "I'm the Savior, if I don't help people who am I?" she leaves in angry-Emma fashion. After the Evil Queen returns Emma goes to Archie and says she's not telling her parents as now they'll be really worried. Also that in her vision she saw all of her family with her except one, Regina. Uh, Emma you do realize Regina may have been injured, imprisoned, poisoned or dead in that vision? Or fighting the Evil Queen and the hooded person is someone else? Heck it could be a really pissed off Rumple. Or maybe Lily's dad? Hopefully that's a story we'll finish this season. 

A nice set up in this episode though. At the end David and Hook are ready to help Henry figure out the stories when David sees a letter for him. Inside is a coin and it strikes a nerve. He goes outside for air and cue the evil queen. She doesn't attack, physically anyway. David says he dealt with his father's death, but Regina puffs away after asking if David is sure it was a "cart-accident". I knew it would be David's dad! Ha! 

So far the sixth season is doing good in terms up mounting suspense and deep stories. Or at least deepening, as we've basically seen the equivalent of 8 novels in the last five seasons. [Season 1, 2, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4c, 5a, 5b.] Luckily the third episode will show us more about Cinderella's story. So, DragonOfTheAerie and others, we will be getting a break from the main cast after all. Hopefully this won't be a one time thing. Please writers let's branch out, and double-please, no more family relations.


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## Addison

The Other Shoe


I really hope this episode gave Emma something to think about. In Archie's office she bumped into Leroy, who told her that they freed Dopey from his tree state (Dopey is apparently pursuing a Master's Degree) weeks ago. "You think we sit around waiting for you to fix things?". So Emma doesn't have to help everyone, people are capable of saving themselves. Also, she's not a savior just because of her powers or anything, her lifestyle make her a savior as it was her Bailbondsman skills which helped them find and save Cinderella and her sister. 

On that note, fantastic backstory for Cinderella. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone has some darkness inside. Looks like Cinderella's slip-up put her in the role of evil stepsister for a bit. In her defense step-mom Tremaine is a vicious piece of work. Even after Cinderella spilled, she still broke the slipper. But it's was nice to see Cinderella and Clorinda have a true sister moment. And that someone viewed as evil has good pure happy thoughts and a good path there. Chlorine in love with the footman and having to act so cruel so her mother won't destroy her and/or the footman Jacob. In the end Tremaine looked hilarious in an orange jumpsuit and that goofy "aristocratic" hair-do. Cinderella and Clorinda got their happy ending. In the style of the season 1 episodes. 

Hook and Henry were great helps in this adventure of "Operation Mongoose 2" as Henry named this sequel. Hook was even teaching Henry fencing. Looks like the three are getting along, which was good as Emma asked Hook to move in with her. Guess now Belle has the Jolly Roger all to herself. Although her wall around her heart may be chipped, thanks to a cassette from Rumple. It was sweet, not only was it not some plea from Rumple for her to return, it was a sweet poem for their child. Also David, who was the messenger, said that between his father being home drunk and sad and his father being gone, it was worse when his dad was gone. 
We'll get back to that. 

At the dirigible wreckage, Jekyll tries to recreate the serum but fails. He and David went back to the wreckage to get more items. Regina realizes the Evil Queen is attacking the cracks in their family and hurries to Zelena. She sees the rattle in Robin's crib and knows the truth. She tells Zelena, angry at Regina telling her to get rid of the rattle, that she's trying to protect her as she knows there will be strings. Zelena claims Regina's trying to protect herself as she's the one who literally ripped herself in two, setting the Evil Queen free. 

Some movement on the Snow front as she is sick of "defeat and repeat" and wants to teach again. To have a normal life where she teaches and David is the sheriff. In an inspiration she creates a team up between Jekyll and Frankenstein in the latter's garage, where she then sees members of the school science faculty. Gotta admit, a school with Jekyll and/or Frankenstein as science teachers would be awesome. 

Back on the David front he takes his father's coin to Rumple's shop. In exchange for information on the coin he delivered the cassette. He learns the coin was found in the wreckage of a cart. Yet his father was stabbed. He's ready to find the killer, if they're in town. Snow tells him he's seeking revenge, not justice. She says they have a life, family, normalcy in their family. He agrees and says he'll burn it, but doesn't. You'd think, after seeing other people's secrets come to light and his own, he'd know his secret would come to light in a not-so-pleasant way. 

The final scene saw the Evil Queen pacing and pissed in Hyde's cell. Realizing Hyde can't help while imprisoned, she frees him. Why she waited so long, who knows. But they walked out, arms locked. Talk about a power couple. (Not counting the creepy-gross scene in the previous episode between the Evil Queen and the Dark One. Blech!)


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## Addison

"Strange Case"

I want to start this post with the following proclamation; I knew it!  I freaking knew it! Yeah, I knew there was something off in the Jekyll and Hyde story. If you look back at the episodes we never really see Hyde do anything evil. Yeah he attacked Hook but that was, apparently, out of fear of facing Rumpelstiltskin again. Aside from that.....yeah he's done nothing evil. The heroes' view of Hyde is only portrayed by their own brief experience. Yet this episode revealed the real villain/monster was Jekyll. I mean come on he was so ashamed of his inner feelings and passion (what separates man from robot) that Hyde literally came out scarred and beaten. Yet we saw Jekyll try to kill pregnant Belle! At least we got to see how to kill a doppelgÃ¤nger, seeing as Rumpel was unable to kill Hyde earlier. Kill the original, kill the double. Which doesn't bode well for Regina. She even told Emma, that if it comes to it, Emma will kill Regina to stop the Evil Queen. 

The flashbacks were interesting and enlightening. Although the writers still haven't told us where exactly that Victorian England type place is. Clearly it's not our world. My best guess is that it's another kingdom in the world of the Enchanted Forest. Like Arrendelle, only more technologically advanced. We saw Jekyll try and fail to get into an exclusive scientific club with the help of his not-so-subtle crush Marie. Then in comes Rumple to see Jekyll's temper tantrum and help finish Jekyll's serum, which apparently will  separate a person from his or her inner weakness/darkness. Well, it works, with Hyde succeeding where Jekyll failed both with the elite scientists and Marie. Apparently, not only does neither know what the other did during their time awake, but the serum has apparently separated the personalities. So whatever intellect, science genius and jerk-hole from Jekyll does not leak into Hyde and he doesn't even feel Jekyll. The same way vice versa. But we do see where the hostility between the two comes. Hyde and Marie connected, seriously and beautifully, and fall asleep at her place. But in the morning Marie wakes up with Jekyll. She freaks out even more when Jekyll says that he is Hyde. Marie tries to leave her room as she tells Jekyll she does not and will never love him. That bites her in the butt as he shoves her out the window. Jekyll drinks his serum, bringing out Hyde and thus making everyone think Hyde killed Marie. Like I said, Jekyll's the jerk. Back at the lab though Hyde swears to Rumple that he didn't kill Marie, which reveals to Rumple that the experiment didn't work and he tries to kill Hyde, but instead lets him live "with your weakness". 

Back in Storybrooke, where we only get three of scenes of David and Emma. Also an adorable Neal scene, mixed well with over-protective dad. Henry and Snow go through a normal Storybrooke day, as Snow stated she wanted. I'm happy to report that Henry and Violet seem to be in a good (jr?) high relationship. Snow meets her teacher's aide, a woman from the Land of Untold Stories. They go to class where Snow seems to have lost touch with her teaching side. Her aide gives her great advice, as Snow is teaching as Snow White, not Mary Margaret, to which Snow returns to class and gives a lesson I wish I was given. She sticks the bad papers to a tree and demonstrates Newton's third law via shooting the papers with an arrow. 

In the ending scene we finally get a glimpse of the long awaited story of a prior Savior. The teacher's aide is at the well where she meets with the Oracle, to whom she swears she wasn't followed and no one knows who she really is. The oracle says that "he" is in Storybrooke. The teacher's aide is Jasmine and Aladdin is in Storybrooke. So, my question, just how long has Aladdin been in Storybrooke? Jasmine came from the Land of Untold Stories, did Aladdin stow away? Or did Jasmine follow a lead to Storybrooke? Seeing as the next episode is titled "Street Rats", sounds like we'll get the answers.


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## Addison

I lost interest in Once, for good reason. Put simply the creators have done to Once what they did to Lost. They've had so many unanswered questions, tangles and such that I've flat lost interest and, according to the show's views and ratings, I'm not the only one. 
The few unanswered questions that have stuck with me are "Why did Zelena need Regina's blood in season 3?", and "Where and How did Snow get the dark fairy dust?". But the biggest plot hole appeared in the promo for the most recent episode. 

For anyone who's watched, the Black Fairy's quote is "I created the dark curse you were born to destroy.". Uh...no you didn't. I went to Netflix and cued up season 1's final episode. According to that episode, Rumplestiltskin made the curse. Yet he retracts in in season 6 to make the finale and its villain more pungent? Sorry, no thank you. 

R.I.P Once Upon A Time, you had a good run but you lost steam at season 3 (Which could have been the series finale if they hadn't ripped off Frozen).


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## DragonOfTheAerie

Addison said:


> I lost interest in Once, for good reason. Put simply the creators have done to Once what they did to Lost. They've had so many unanswered questions, tangles and such that I've flat lost interest and, according to the show's views and ratings, I'm not the only one.
> The few unanswered questions that have stuck with me are "Why did Zelena need Regina's blood in season 3?", and "Where and How did Snow get the dark fairy dust?". But the biggest plot hole appeared in the promo for the most recent episode.
> 
> For anyone who's watched, the Black Fairy's quote is "I created the dark curse you were born to destroy.". Uh...no you didn't. I went to Netflix and cued up season 1's final episode. According to that episode, Rumplestiltskin made the curse. Yet he retracts in in season 6 to make the finale and its villain more pungent? Sorry, no thank you.
> 
> R.I.P Once Upon A Time, you had a good run but you lost steam at season 3 (Which could have been the series finale if they hadn't ripped off Frozen).



Sad to see  I lost interest after season 4, as stated before.


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## Alora pendrak

Addison said:


> I can't believe no one's started a Once Upon a Time thread yet. So I will.
> 
> Warning, if you're not caught up on the episodes then don't read, possible spoilers. I'll try to hide them but, ye be warned.
> 
> 
> I watched the recent episode and I have to say the new villain's background is.....oh brother. She doesn't have to be Regina's you-know-what to hate her. The creators seem to think that the only valid reason for the heroes to hate the villains is if they're related. Like Snow and Regina, David and King George, now Regina and HER.
> 
> The creators could have just made it that (new villain) was Cora's apprentice but was thrown aside, or magically exiled, when Cora became pregnant with Regina. Besides, one of the villain's pets got Regina's blood remember? And the villain put it in a phial, a fusion of Regina's blood and a magic potion which would allow her to break the Blood Magic protection.
> 
> I love the series, it's one of my favorites, but this development almost made me cry inside.


 In once upon's a time's defense most fairy tales  delt with family issues and abusive parents. The brother grimm did things such as change biological parents to step parents becuse they found the idea of evil parents too horrifying not encouraging good morals or makeing a father who wanted to marry his daughter repulsed by the idea in their version. i'm actually more annoyed at its inconsistant plot threads, tendency to make the heroes too stupid to live and inability the balance the good and bad traits of heroes and bad guys  Regina's redemption ark sucks such she hasn't have to do much to earn forgiveness and the fact she is a rapist was just brushed under the rug. i don't get me wrong i love Regina as a character but the show is often full of shortcuts for her.   and Rumplestilkin is cleary a bad guy so i'm confused as to why the writers want him to get a happy ending at the expense of distroying everything Bell stood for in the beauty in the beast franchise. The whole thing was when the beast was a jerk, Belle didn't put up with his bad behavior here she's been reduced to a prop for Rumple aka the beast. Also what do the writers have aginst Captain Hook? He's the only bad guy who actually made amends but with every season they have to either torture him or make him completely unable to do anything. When he was evil he was able to do a lot more without falling for traps he should of seen comeing. also why are Snow White and Emma so blah? I liked Snow White in the first season but as time went on the writers made her hypocrital, dumb and terrible to Emma. Also they couldn't decide if they wanted Snow to an actually human being or perfect so flip flopped between the two persona's.   Emma is the biggest let down of the series they hinted that Emma had a rather rough childhood did some things she wasn't proud of but the show always potrayed Emma on screen as pure as driven snow, the charmings the prefect family. Also i recent its overall shift from season 1's darker tone to the later seasons of the family friendly dumbing down tone. Season 1 had people die, little red ridding hood eat her own boyfriend, Graham enslaved. The peter pan arch brought back some of the darkness but even then it just wasn't the same.


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