Monday Recap: The Tower

Who did we meet?: Rapunzel. Framing device for the latest magical widget. Is the reference to her dead older brother a clever semi-reference to Sondheim's Into the Woods or another deceased character of color?  Both?

Humor Credit: Lily Sparks

 





What did we learn?: We know what Zelena is after, and it's not (just) the Charming-Snow baby. We saw her go after David's "courage". Which means she's quite probably going after a brain and heart as well - unless she's already got them. I quite literally had a light bulb moment watching tonight's episode when I realized that Rumpel really is the only character in town with any brains. So that just leaves the heart.

Possible candidates for heartsnatching include:

• Henry. Is the heart of the truest believer still true if his memory is wiped?
• Snow. Does her heart still have that 'out out damned spot'?
• Emma. Because...she's ostensibly the protagonist?
• Regina. Because...magical powers? If Zelena gets Henry, does she have Regina's (and/or Emma's) "heart"?
• Hook. This is the one that's most interesting to me. I'll come back to this.

Where and When do the events take place?: The EF between a year or 9 months or so ago. Storybrook present day

Why is this important? This is important: Where. Is. Neal? 1. He seems to be the only unaccounted for party that the Storybrookians are concerned about, 2. Zelena talks to Rumpel about trying to get her hands on what he spent a lifetime seeking? Spent a lifetime seeking, and was never able to find - courage. Rumpel is a self-identified coward. 3. Zelena's got the Dark Dagger which presumably gives her control over Rumpel - last we HEARD about that knife, Belle and Neal were going to find it in the EF. The last we SAW of it, Rumpel was using it to kill (?) Peter Pan.

Wait, what?: Didn't Hook say that Charming and Snow were in trouble? Is he going to follow up on that, or...what? They don't actually seem to be in any more danger than anyone else/any more than usual.

Oh Henry!: Totally still down with Teen Henry. He sleeps, he eats, he plays video games and we dump him at Granny's.

Really OUAT?: We're really going to go after the latest Magical Big Bad without even looking for any of the faries or Rumpelstiltskin? Why is Belle so resigned to Rumpel being dead? Perhaps most importantly - WHO IS RUNNING THE LIBRARY?

Shut Up Charming: I'm actually glad they gave His Royal Derpiness something to do in this episode, but that first scene with Emma was creepy and awkward as HELL.  Her dress was cool though. It sort of made up for the fact that she was wearing Eric's white cable knit sweater the rest of the episode.

Shut Up Snow: I know you're supposed to be innocent and trusting and all but would it kill you to ask for references for the a-little-bit-too-damn-convenient midwife who showed up at your door?  I mean, she was a midwife for more than just the past year that no one can remember, right?

Rando Thoughts/Crackpot Theories:

I think Zelena's got Hook's heart and is using it to control him a la Cora.

I don't think Zelena is actually Regina's half-sister. This week we saw her snatch blood from Rumpel and use it to open the safe. We know she snatched blood from Regina as well, via the flying monkey, which she may have used to open Regina's secret passage to Cora's mausoleum/vault

I think Zelena's end game includes Neal (where else did he go in his bean-jumping-realm travels??) but I don't know why. This  might explain why she sent a monkey after Emma. Did Neal cast a (modified) Dark Curse to bring everyone back to Storybrooke, hoping to wipe memories to escape Zelena and simultaneously get himself back to Emma and Henry?

Or maybe Zelena dangled the potential of Emma in front of Hook to get him to work with/for her and take out Neal?

What's the purpose of  doing the "sisters" reveal, and then wiping Regina's memory? When Regina cast the Dark Curse it wiped everyone's memories except for her, and separated them from their happiness. What's the point of having everyone's memories erased this time around?

Monday Recap: Ariel or The Prince is Giving A Spoiler Ball!

Who did we meet?: Ariel, Eric, and Ursula (?) and some very oddly dressed court attendees.

 

When/Where did the events take place?: Pre-Dark Curse Enchanted Forest. (Presumeably around the time of the events of Skin Deep), Present Day Neverland.

Wait, What?: It's daylight in Neverland! Probably because all the SPECTACULARLY BAD nighttime CGI took place in the EF. Also they've been there a week. Camping. No one's hair looks like that after a week of camping.

Why does this matter?: Pan can only be killed if Rumpel dies? How does THAT work? Is this like...a Demona/MacBeth thing? Is it worth remembering that Pan is typically depicted with a dagger as his chosen weapon? It's interesting that we keep seeing Rumpel's survival instincts come to the fore.

Oh Henry!: Henry Free - Way To Be! We get so much more ACCOMPLISHED when he doesn't feature. Really, I'm just looking out for productivity here.

Really OUAT?: EVERYONE WANTS NEW DO-OVER BABIES. Since, y'know, we kind of sucked at 'parenting' the first time around.

Crackpot Theories: We've now ruled out Rumpel as the other person in the suspended cage. (Welcome back Robert Carlyle. We missed you.) That leaves Tinkerbell or Greg/Owen as our known knowns. Then there are the unknown knowns and the unknown unknowns. My money is still on Owen/Greg. Rumpel seems so sure that ShadowBelle is Pan's Shadow...I'm not convinced.

Best Line: "Mini Trident!" - Ariel. This was the BEST allusion to the Disney film.

Random Thoughts:

Emma is learning to use magic! From Regina. Anyone else reminded of Zuko teaching Aang to firebend?

Why are everyone's ears huge in this episode???

WEIRD design choices at the Ursula Ball. Epaulets and sashes and foofy tri-corner hats for the gentlemen and...Pzaz clearance rack for the ladies. And no, you can't curtsey in that dress Ariel baby. This is a family show.

Take a drink every time there's a hamfisted allusion to Disney's The Little Mermaid(tm)! Take two every time the allusion is to a song!

Omg. #ShutUpSnow. Please come back and write Jane Espenson. Consulting producer is not enough to keep this ship from listing.

"I can't ask him to give up his dream for someone he just met." - Ariel.  Uh....why not? He asked you to give up your LIFE with little more than a 'Shall We Dance'. I mean damn. Someone had his bossy boots on. This whole situation could be handled with a simple 'why don't we just get to know each other?', or failing that, YOU'RE A MERMAID. FOLLOW THE SHIP. Oh right, True Love means never having to say you're a mermaid. Did anyone else think that Ariel falling in love with Unconscious Prince Eric was a smidge...rapey? Then again I'm sure neither Snow nor Aurora would find it odd. Feminism in the EF. Oy. You're doing it wrong.

What could be in Rumpel's shop that would constitute A Fate Worse than Death? ARE WE GOING TO TURN PETER PAN INTO A PUPPET???

Regina-as-Ursula: THE FUCK is on your face?? Did a BP oil rig explode?

Prince What-Might-Have-Been.

Ursula's the sea goddess, right? I mean, she's either a goddess that merpeople worship OR she's a myth that no one takes all that seriously. Or are there mer-atheists? Ariel dear, there are cracks in your theology. Also, weren't you just in a cheap off the rack prom dress ballgown? Did you change your outfit to stand on the beach at night?

GilMcKinney made a very stiff and bossy sort of Eric. I wish they'd cast Matt Bomer.

Monday recap: Nasty (Spoiler!) Habits

Who did we meet?: The Pied Piper...sort of. Yay OUAT for including the definition of 'pied'. But Fables still did it better. Read Peter and Max - you won't be sorry.

When and where do the events take place?: Enchanted Forest Pre Dark Curse. The further back we go along the OUAT timeline, the less useful the DC is as a marker. We're in the EF after Rumpel gets his powers, but before Baelfire gets access to the portal bean portal. Present Day Neverland. We STILL have not been back to Storybrooke.

What did we learn?: Neal is bomb. He cold clocks Felix, and immobilizes Pan. (although it's a poor sort of immobilizer that allows the victim to talk...) He doesn't take ANY shit from Rumpel, and he made a star map from a coconut. Take that Gilligan and Co. Ok Emma, I get it.

Also! Peter Pan is a MASTER manipulator. He knows how to make his words find their mark. He's very good on preying on the weaknesses that people aren't even fully honest with themselves about. In this episode alone, we watch him manipulate Henry, Rumpel, and Baelfire/Neal. Is it possible that he's not getting his way through magic, but sheer mindfuckery?

Why does this matter?: Rumpelstiltskin, Baelfire, and now Henry have all been Lost Boys. Rumpelstiltskin knew Peter Pan when he (Rumpel) was a boy. So he's been in Neverland (not aging!) since Rumpel was a kid. It's heavily implied that Rumpel knew Peter as a kid, before he somehow became such a Big Bad. What's the story there?

Really OUAT?: The Pied Piper of Hamlin pipes the children away while they sleep. When Rumpel happens upon Hamlin, they're organizing search parties. Rumpel sticks around for the Piper's encore performance, which is spiriting away young men. Those were NOT exactly boys shimmying down those buildings.  But no girls. No young women. So is Pan not taking them, or are the people of Hamlin not that concerned about missing daughters?

At the end of S2, Wendy says that the shadow only keeps boys on the island. Why? The quick 'n'dirty answer then seemed to be that he knew he was looking for a boy. But this Pied Piper business seems to negate that, when he says he wants friends. Does he not want to play with girls? (shut it) Pan seems willing enough to have Emma as a "lost girl". All he seems to want and need around him are people with feelings of abandonment that he can poke at.

Oh Henry!: Henry I-won't-dance-don't-ask-me Mills.You are so great when you are unconscious. You and Aurora should team up. Wonder snooze powers activate!

This is David's 'Oh no you didn't' face.

Wait, what?: All it takes to lure a  fairly-large-although-maybe-not-technically-giant-but-still-plenty-honkin-big squid to the SURFACE is a toot on a conch shell? I WAS PROMISED MERMAIDS.

Also why is everyone so goddamn sold on the idea that Neal is dead? He was SHOT. That doesn't automatically equal dead. Have none of you heard of Suge Knight?

Best Line Exchange: "Why do you care?" "Why don't you?"- David and Hook.
Captain Hook just told Prince Charming to man the fuck up.

Crackpot Theory: Can't take credit for this, but it's an interesting one - Peter Pan is grooming Henry to take over his role. It's interesting, and plausible...but I dunno. Peter seems to like his seat of power just fine. If anything, I think he might want to expand it. Is it possible that Peter is trapped in/by Neverland? A prison that you can control is still a prison.

Random thoughts: GOOD FOR YOU TINK ASKING FOR AN ESCAPE PLAN. You are officially smarter than the United States Congress. I have to wonder about Tinkerbell. I'm not prepared to rule her out as a double agent, and she and Hook CLEARLY have some kind of past-with-a-capital-P. That P can stand for whatever you like.

Getting reeeeeal sick of Halluceno-Belle.  Also Felix. Dear sweet baby Jebus in the manger. LEVELS. Play with them. But Belle. Honey? Self-preservation is not a "nasty habit". It is...I don't know how to be any plainer - it's self-preservation. Not dying. You said that not dying is a nasty habit...for an immortal. That makes no sense.

Apparently there "wasn't enough left [of Greg/Owen] to find anything useful". RIP Ethan Embry maybe. And I saw that smile Regina. Gross. Remember there was a time you wanted to adopt him as a kid and bone his father. Tell us again how you're not a villain?

Oh, and Regina I appreciate you not complaining and nagging to use magic to find Henry, but I'm not sure constant snarking is any better. I'm still not seeing this teamwork we were all so hot for in the first ep of this season.

HIS NAME IS NEAL, MOTHERFUCKERS.

Can we please find a less awkward but still gender-neutral phrase to use instead of 'bail bondsperson'? I like bounty hunter. And are we still not discussing Emma's non-superpower? Ok, good.

We're never going to see Neverland in daylight, are we? We're also never going to see Emma, Snow, or Regina in anything other than impeccable clothing and hair, are we? Is it a royal thing?

You're no Jamie Dornan, but you'll do.

Hook remembers that Milah liked to draw (D'aw.) Now all I can think about is Hook naked on a fainting couch asking to be drawn "like one of your French girls."


Yeah, I'm going to wrap up on Hook Naked.

September Speculation: Killian Jones Edition!

Things I did not do between May and September: Catch up on Scandal, Revenge or even all of Game of Thrones. Blog intermittently while re-watching episodes of OUAT.

Things I did do between May and September: Read all of the currently in-print Song of Ice and Fire Series. Began watching The Big Bang Theory, Watched Bob's Burgers, and Orange is The New Black. Bitched about S2 of OUAT being UTTER NONSENSE while trying to entice other people to watch the show. (I was bad at this last thing. You see the conflict.)

There are other things that I did and did not do, but those would make this blog long and entirely too personal and not at all about OUAT, so...yeah.

Welcome to September and S3! It is a new season! Jane Espenson is back! I am optimistic! I want to be optimistic! I remember what happened the last time I was optimistic!

I could write about my hopes and fears and disappointments about this show - but I'm going to make a very conscious attempt to be forward thinking, and only look back as it relates to what we know or don't know about the story so far.

With that in mind - I'm going to start off with some speculation about Captain Killian Jones - aka Hook.

"No, you're right. I wear less eyeliner than
Jack Sparrow. Three guesses why."

Who is he?: Killian Jones, pirate, Captain of the Jolly Roger. Former ally of Cora, enemy of Rumpelstiltskin, Relationships with the rest of the Storybrooke Gang - unclear, bordering on antagonistic. Emma is CLEARLY drawn to him, but (rightly) doesn't trust him. Snow White is understandably repulsed by him, and he and David are doing the alpha dog 'circle and snap' deal that guys do. To be fair, Hook has been charmingly lewd toward David's wife and daughter, so David sort of has the moral upper hand (HA! Get it?) here. His relationship with Regina is a bit fraught. She's got to hold him a little responsible for Cora's death - which is for some reason upsetting to her, even though she sent Hook to Wonderland with instructions to KILL CORA. Then again, Regina's default is to blame Snow White, so maybe not.

What do we know about him?: He's the current Charming Rogue in Emma's life, whether she knows it or not, or wants to admit it. It'll be interesting to see if her "superpower" re-manifests in his presence. He spent time in Neverland for the purpose of living long enough to plot his revenge against The Dark One. He has a healthy (?) fear/respect of the Lost Boys.

"Captain, I really don't think we should
accept blankets from these colonists."

What do we NOT know about him?: How he became a pirate. How he became a captain. How much time he spent in Neverland, (Query: How can one "spend time" in Neverland? We know there is day and night, and they're not on some kind of temporal loop that causes them to repeat actions a la 'Groundhog Day', but people...lifeforms?...don't age. Does this include plants? If nothing dies, how do food chains work? I've been watching a lot of The Magic School Bus lately.) and what he did or who he interacted with while he was there. Incidentally, we also don't know what happened to the rest of his crew. When he heads into Neverland, he's got a ship full of pirates. All of whom but Smee go conspicuously missing. Smee goes missing later. There's a very good chance he's still a rat.**

Where is he from/going?: Originally from the Enchanted Forest, Hook travels to Neverland after Milah's death and his impromptu amputation so that he can remain the same age and plot the death of the Dark One.

Why does he do the things he does?: Short term - revenge and survival. "If there's one thing I want more than my revenge, it's my life." Hook wants to survive long enough to get to Rumplestiltskin and kill him, thereby avenging Milah. Long term - Hook, like everyone else on this show, is looking for love. D'aw. The bitter pill is that he FOUND it, albeit briefly. Moral of the Story: Happily Ever After, rarely is. The bigger question is what led Killian/Hook to become a pirate, and why does he have these fixed ideas about Good Form and fair fights?

A black pirate captain?
Why not? It worked in Blazing Saddles.
(Wait, that's not right...)

Before S2 began, I entertained the idea that Lancelot after being banished from the Round Table in disgrace, might have become Hook. Swordsman, strong principles, it could have worked. Oh well.

How does he impact the story?: Well, his only motivation that we've seen, is to kill Rumpelstiltskin. Which means he has to get in the same universe, to begin with. I'm not sure why Cora needed Hook, but we know why Hook needed Cora. Now that he knows where his nemesis is, and what some of his weaknesses are (Belle, the dagger, and garden variety poisons APPARENTLY.) he's....helping him get to Neverland because....reasons?

What does the protagonist want?: I know, I know. Hook isn't a protagonist. ...in Peter Pan's story, as we know it. But first - that's Captain JAMES Hook, not Killian Jones. And bigger point, that's in Peter Pan's story.  No one is ever the villain in their own story, and EVERYONE has their own story. Told from Hook's POV, he's avenging the the death of his beloved at the hands of the Dark One through the use of Good Form and Pointy Objects. So, what he wants is...unclear. The only way to put it right now, is that he wants an opportunity. Whether that's to genuinely redeem himself in the eyes of the Charming-Snow-Swan family, or just lull Rumpelstiltskin into a false sense of security remains to be seen.

Crackpot Theories: Hook's not just captaining the ship, he's going to be the guide to Neverland. Rumpel seems to have a passing familiarity with Neverland, and we know Regina knows about it - but David and Mary Margaret are in the dark (Why are they going? How are they supposed to be useful?), and Emma might only know what the rest of us know about Peter Pan, which is never absolute knowledge.

Hook as a love interest for Emma, natch. Especially since we're all comfortably assuming that Neal/Baelfire is dead, which he is NOT. That'll be an interesting love triangle - Daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming at the crux of the pissing contest between the Son of the Dark One and the Pirate Captain who used to be all about the Dark One's ex-wife. JER-RY JER-RY JER-RY!!!

Honestly, it's hard to form a proper crackpot theory around a character who's motivations are so obscured. We've seen him ally himself with literally every character at this point, however disingenuously. He agreed to kill Cora on Regina's behalf, he assisted Mary Margaret and Emma at Cora's behest, He helped Baelfire evade the Lost Boys, he even helped Greg and Tamara trap Regina. Now he's helping Rumpelstiltskin and Company get to Neverland. He seems to be playing a very ADHD endgame. Stay tuned!








** Actually a rat. S2 Ep11

Recap: The Miller's Daughter - I don't have to tell you that spoilers dwell here, right?

Who did we meet: Young Cora, Young Princess Eva, and Young Prince Henry (who time is NOT kind to - yipes!)

When and Where did events take place?: Present Day Storybrooke, Pre Dark-Curse Enchanted Forest - it's important to note that this is before Regina's birth, and this is AFTER Rumpel has aquired the seers powers. So Milah and Baelfire are gone at this point.

What did we learn?:  We learned how, when, and why Cora removed her heart. We learned that Rumpelstiltskin CAN die - despite the Dark One having "life eternal". We learned/reiterated that Emma IS magical - as opposed to Cora, Regina, and Rumpel, who either learned or acquired their magical skills. If all magic comes with a price - what is Emma's? (Please OUAT writers, introduce a character named Price as Emma's next love interest.)

Why does this matter?: Cora married Prince Henry and became queen. Why did she need her daughter to become King Leopold's queen? Not clear on that. There seem to be 4 kingdoms in the enchanted forest, and royal title seems to be conferred upon firstborn regardless of gender. So by all means kill Eva, since she seems to have been a right little piece of work - but why did Regina have to be queen of THAT kingdom? There's more to this story, I suspect.

Remaining Questions/Problems: Hook is still out in the wide wide world. That's a concern to someone, right? However - Rumpel is back to full power. Cora is out of the picture. Rumpel can leave Storybrooke without losing his memory, and he's got Baelfire and Belle back, or at least he's got them both within the realm of his magical power. So what does he want now? To kill Hook? To kill Henry? To have all the power? He's arguably pretty dangerous right now.

Oh Henry!: What a great episode. Can we make a habit of ushering Henry off to the diner? Or failing that - school?

Wait, what?: Regina! Let me put a few ithings in perspective for you. Cora killed Daniel. Mary Margaret tricked you into killing Cora. V. grey area. YOU killed your own father, as well as Snow White's - so you win all the awards for patricide. Cora killed Queen Eva. YOU sent Hook to assasinate Cora. Please, let's not play the role of the aggrieved avenging daughter now. Do us all a favor, and schedule some couch time with Archie - OR an actual licensed therapist since you can leave town and all, and give us a break.

Really, OUAT?: So hey, remember that time that Regina was Mayor, and Emma had superpowers that told her when people were lying, and that guy Greg came into town and is texting someone about all the magic he keeps seeing like some kind of modern-day Gladys Kravitz? Yeah, me either.

More on the 4 kingdoms soon!

Monday Recap: The Queen is Dead OR "What's the Good of Being Good?"

Actually on a Monday! Woohoo! And Spoilers Ahead for The Queen is Dead - obviously.

WHO did we meet: Queen Eva. Her name is actualla Eva, right? (King Leopold suspiciously absent.) Johanna...for whatever that was worth. I wouldn't see be surprised if we see her again in flashback. Then again, we may have enough of Snow's backstory at this point

WHAT did we learn: A LOT! A mega f*ckton.  Not the least of which is Cora's penchant for poison.

WHERE and WHEN did events take place: Enchanted Forest - before the Dark Curse. Present-day Storybrooke. Present-day Manhattan.

WHY was this important: Neil has a fiancee. Ok...so what? He has to tell his fiancee that he has a SON. He doesn't *have* to tell her that he's the son of Rumpelstiltskin or that he's (probably) Peter Pan - in fact, it's probably better if he doesn't, because Hello Nuthouse. That'd be the most interesting way to end an engagement ever. So there's this whole section of his life that he can't tell her about. Unless she turns out to be The Little Mermaid. Or a private eye. It'd be interesting if this fiancee is the "her" that Greg (The Outsider) keeps communicating with. ALL THE COINCIDENCES. I doubt it though.

Really OUAT?: "Help us Mother Superior, you're our only hope." YE GODS, WE GET IT. DISNEY OWNS STAR WARS. WE KNOW. WE ARE AWARE. 

Also, Snow White had no idea Johanna was in Storybrooke? Granted, she was a bit distracted after the curse was broken. (True Love, Firstborn Curse-breaking Daughter reunion, sent back through the hat - I get it.)  But come on. I've had the impression that this is NOT a large town. With the restoration of memories, she should have realized that her childhood governess was at least IN TOWN.

AND - we're not even going to try and react to Johanna's heart being ripped out? No roundhouse kick? No hail mary tackle? I know Cora and Regina have magic, but does that mean that Snow White Warrior Princess goes AWOL? And David! You're not just set dressing! Do something heroic. At least TRY. Johanna - you sort of tried. You could have done more, or maybe not. I've never had someone rip my heart out of my chest - you at least have an excuse. But come on - you all had to know that Cora was going to kill her no matter what choice Snow made.

Wait, what?: How does everyone suddenly have knowledge of this dagger? I was under the impression that this was a secret, sort of? Not just the location of the dagger, but its existence. Ok - we all know about the dagger now.

And...we're just going to leave Hook in Manhattan. Without his ship. Granted, they haven't actually LEFT yet, they're just planning to. Still. Bad form. But, I suppose there are worse plans. A swarthy rogue with a hook for a hand...the only place he'd attract less attention than NYC would be Comic-con. If he starts running his mouth, he'll just get locked up.

Crackpot Theories: God I wish I'd posted this here sooner. Clearly Baelfire is Peter Pan. The hints have been pointing in that direction since Tallahassee. I SAID THAT BEFORE THIS EPISODE. I have witnesses. I do. Also, still pretty sure that August isn't making it out of this season alive.

Bae as Peter opens up some really interesting avenues. Father and Son have a common enemy. It adds a layer to Emma and Neil's relationship. (Peter Pan syndrome indeed!)

Don't Trust: The Blue Fairy - although at this point I *might* be willing to concede that she herself is not all evil. I never thought she was ALL evil, just that her motives weren't totally pure. But she was up to some shady business in Storybrooke BEFORE Cora's arrival. So I'm not totally prepared to give up the ghost on this theory. Clearly we can't trust Cora. The question now is how often has Cora pulled this disguise?

Remaining Questions: What was Cora's relationship to Eva? It has to be to her, because when she "meets" King Leopold (The Stable Boy), he doesn't seem to have any prior knowledge of her. So why the venom? (OMG OUAT PAGEANT MOMS!!!) Clearly we're going to learn a LOT more in The Miller's Daughter.

Problems to solve: Cora, obviously. She can't die if she's got her heart hidden away somewhere, and Cora's GOT to die. Otherwise, she'll either control Rumpel, or take his powers and to paraphrase David in his one moment of episodic usefulness or clarity - I don't like either of those options. Even if Cora DOES take the Dark One's powers, then it just becomes a game of hot potato. Someone has to kill Cora to take her powers, and then someone has to kill that person, and so on and so on. WHERE DOES IT END? ...can the person "hosting" the Dark One commit suicide? Noble self-sacrifice and such. Still, I don't see Disney doing seppuku.

Regina is CLEARLY conflicted. She doesn't trust Cora (rightly), and she doesn't trust David and Mary-Margaret (understandably). The one person she MIGHT be able to trust is Emma, since she and Emma have the common goal of doing what's best for Henry. Cora will never really control Regina, unless she controls/has posession of Henry - BUT if she tries, then Regina will immediately distrust her. Cora is on VERY thin ice, and she knows it. She just has to keep everyone else - especially Regina - from knowing it.

Also conflicted is Rumplestiltskin. Is he going to kill Henry? I don't think Rumpel the man actually wants to. I think those are his Dark One powers talking. As much as Henry irks me, I don't want to see him die at Rumpel's hand. Not because I'd particularly miss Henry, but because it would make Rumpel really dastardly.

And Hook - what becomes of Hook when/if he realizes that one of his antagonists is actually Milah's son?


Best Line: "I was always  the queen. You added evil to my name." or "It's a sad truth that the people closest to us are the ones capable of causing us the most pain." Not an original sentiment, but very true.

Oh Henry!: I had something for this, I forget what it was. But really. This kid bugs me. He'd better do something interesting or heroic, but quick. And by heroic I mean "Do a better job acting. Make me like you." I miss Jefferson. And August. Not Dr. Whale though. Or King George. Or Belle. Or Aurora. Or Mulan. Or Greg. Or Ruby. You can all continue your disappearing act for awhile.