tv show review

Once Upon A Time Review 12/2/12 – Emma is the True Queen of Hearts

/ Ajmorse / 4 Comments

Wow! Much to be said about the fall finale of Once, and while Storybrooke’s fairytale characters got their happily ever afters, did they really?

Spoilers Ahead, (and soon to be rough waters I’m sure!) Arrr!

Photo credit: ABC.

I said it once before and I’ll say it again, Regina has to be my favorite character in this TV show, and she has also made her way into my heart as being one of the best characters ever written on television. It is amazing to me when you are able to write a character that is so well-rounded that one minute she is evil and you are hating her, and the next you feel bad for heartbreak. THAT right there is the mark of good character building. THAT right there is the mark of good writing. I cannot be more in love with this character, ah, thank you writers!

In ‘Queen of Hearts,’ we learn that Regina’s mother, Cora, was banished to Wonderland by Regina, where she becomes the Queen of Hearts. I mentioned before that the Never World reminded me of the Queen of Hearts, but I had no idea how close I actually was, haha. She really is the new big bad!

While Snow and company try to figure out a way to get out of their predicament, Emma surmises that she, the savior, is really a pawn in Rumpelstiltskin’s plan to break the curse. He admits later to getting her where she needed to be, when he needed it, but her strength is all her own. A fact that Cora learns when she tries to rip out Emma’s heart and finds that she can’t. Could it be that Emma really is the savior after all? Planned or not?

Henry is able to convince Regina to stop Rumpelstiltskin’s curse to let Emma and Snow through the porthole unharmed, and while she gained Henry’s respect and appreciation, what did she really gain? She, who loves her son, a son that doesn’t trust her. This is where I feel sorry for Regina. It really is quite heartbreaking!

Meanwhile, Mulan and Aurora are left in Enchanted Forest world, where they’ve decided to set out on a quest to get their Philips’ soul back. And while Snow, and Emma have finally been reunited with their families…Hook and Cora find another way to enter Storybrooke…soon to be rough waters ahead! I can’t wait!

Observations:

  • Hook’s incredible likability. While he’s scheming and doing things for himself, we are reminded that he is also not a complete monster. He has layers this handsome Hook. 😉
  • I think it was good to leave Mulan and Aurora where they are, as there is a lot that we still don’t know about them. This also gives us more of a chance to see more fairytale characters that we haven’t met yet. (I seriously hope the little mermaid is one of them!).
  • Regina really has lost everything, will it be so easy for Cora to manipulate her back into being our Evil Queen? And what happened between Cora and Rumpelstiltskin?

Ah, much to be learned and viewed and I just can’t wait!

What did you guys think of the episode? 🙂

Once Upon a time Review 11/25/12 – I Will Always Find You

/ Ajmorse / 2 Comments

Been caught up with a new job (more on that later) and haven’t had time to get much TV watching in – I know, even my favorite TV show! I might be a little bias, because really it is the only TV show I watch at this time, but anyway…wow lots to be said about “Into the Deep!”

Spoilers ahead!

Photo credit: ABC.

Hook pretends to betray Cora and let the captured princess Aurora go, while meanwhile, Snow and company must figure out a way to defeat Regina’s mother, to prevent her from following them to Storybrooke, (something that both Mr. Gold and Regina fear.) Snow gets put into a deep sleep to go meet Henry in this Never World; although it isn’t Henry that meets her there, but Charming.

It just goes to show what these two will do for love. “I had to see you,” he tells her and “I will always find you.” Awww! (The sap in me teared up quite a bit during their scene in the fiery room. No matter where or when or under what circumstances, these two have a love that lasts! This is the true love that all us fairytale lovers dream about! He tells her that to defeat Cora, they must find the magic ink that was used to stun Rumpelstiltskin, which he conveniently left a bottle of in his jail cell.

While Charming is murmuring “I will always find you,” to a distraught Snow, we learn later on that Hook has taken Aurora’s heart to be used and manipulated by Cora. Just when we are just starting to like the handsome captain…hmm, well, we knew he wasn’t perfect.

Some observations in this episode:

  • Belle and Rumple in the diner finally getting that hamburger. He tells her “Condiments are this world’s most powerful magic.” (Hehehe).
  • We love to see Regina, Gold and Charming working together. (I don’t know if I would have trusted the evil duo to put me under a sleeping curse! Such a brave Charming!)
  • Regina’s balance between good and evil. Here’s an evil character where we actually like to see trying to better herself. She is by far the best character ever written for television. (In my opinion at least!)
  • The Never World is as creepy as can be…especially the room that charming is first in…
  • The “bed time story” that Gold tells a sleepy Henry. In the deepest bottomless ocean, there is a rare squid, only found except by a mermaid –  *gasp* could it be our very own little mermaid?
  • No flash back scenes in this episode, and I have to say that is the first since the season began…it would have been a nice to include some Aurora flashbacks, but perhaps there just wasn’t time. Hmm.

Will post my review on the latest episode in a few days or so! I see that it is entitled “Queen of Hearts.” So excited! Were my earlier predictions correct? Hmm…we shall see!

What did you think of this episode? Thoughts below!

Once Upon a Time Review 11/11/12 – Becoming the Wolf and Bad Dreams

/ Ajmorse / 2 Comments

I enjoyed the Emma-centric episode much more than Red’s for some reason…and I think a lot of that had to do with the love story. Red’s was great too, but the wolf pack seemed to lack credibility. I think if they expanded the flash back through a few episodes, Red’s relationship with her mother, or lack there of, would have made more sense to me.

Disclaimer: Spoilers in this review!

Photo credit: ABC.

In Story brooke, Red gets framed for the murder of Gus the mouse and another man by Spencer/King George as he tries to take his revenge on Charming. For some reason, he has it in his mind that Charming is not as good as every thinks he is and wants to reveal that he really is just a lowly Shepard who can’t lead his flock sufficiently or whatever. Mainly, I just think King George is dumb.

In flash back enchanted forest world, we pick up some time after Snow and Red join forces, (after Red has to leave her village for killing Peter and everyone discovering she is a wolf.) Red discovers a wolf pack and coincidentally her mother is with them, surprise! Granny lied again! The pack teaches Red how to become the wolf and in doing so, she can control it.

Meanwhile, Henry is still haunted by dreams that turn out not to be dreams, but a limbo of some kind. Whenever someone endures a sleeping curse, according to Mr. Gold, they return to that limbo in their sleep and to unimaginable horrors. He does, however, give Henry a medallion or potion of some kind that will help Henry control what happens in that world. On the house! Interesting. But, we are not fooled Mr. Gold! Magic ALWAYS comes at a price!

Henry also discovers Aurora in limbo with him and introduces himself and so the episode ends with Emma and Snow in shock. How can their friend dream about Emma’s son, a person she’s never met?

Some Observations:

  • I personally hoped the dreams had something to do with another big bad…sigh. The queen of hearts seemed like such a fantastic idea! But plus side: Emma and gang now have a way to communicate with Story brooke.
  • Rumple so easily giving up a magic solution to Henry for his problems. On the house he says…but remember how giddy he was to teach Regina her magic?
  • The mob and the whole “Kill the beast” feel to the end of the episode. Where was Gaston?
  • Oh! King George burned Jefferson’s hat, his only hope for a portal to enchanted forest world. Charming almost lost it. Maybe he really is just human after all?

Highlights:

  • Granny with that cross-bow again! She’s so awesome.
  • Charming as sheriff. Still looks good. Yep.
  • Ruby and Gus the mouse scene…I wonder when Red will have some kind of romance in her life?
  • Loved seeing the closeness between her and Belle, too!

I can’t believe we have to wait a whole two weeks just to see what’s going on in this dream world of Aurora’s and Henry! Ugh! Does this mean more flashback world of the sleeping princess? Hope so!

A sneak peek below:

Once Upon a Time Review 11/4/12 – What’s so great about Tallahasee?

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I know this review is a little late…okay it is VERY late, but look forward to a review later this week of the more recent episode…

Beware…Giants and spoilers ahead!

Photo credit: ABC.

Hook and Emma make a climb up the bean-stalk in search of the magic compass, while in the flashback world, Emma falls in love with a fellow car thief, Neil. A man, who, coincidentally turns out to be the mysterious man in the very first episode of this season.

Meanwhile, down on the ground, Aurora is haunted by dreams, a side effect from her sleeping curse. While Mulan honors her promise to Emma, by marking time in the dirt with a stick. If she’s not back in ten hours, cut that bean stalk down!

There was a lot of character juicyness in this episode and there is definitely no way that I can cover it all, but here’s an interesting plot twist: Perhaps Henry’s father is not as bad as Emma believes him to be. Does this mean that Once Upon a Time’s loneliest character might actually get a chance for a happily ever after?

While teenage Emma in the flashback world definitely appeared wise and more grown up behind her years, the love that she had for fellow thief Niel was believable. It is even more understandable now why Emma struggles with trust. A fact that becomes apparent to Hook, who gets left behind with the giant.

Some other observations:

  • Every character that has been through a sleeping curse goes through nightmares, a side effect, Snow says. Of a red room, fire and someone watching. For some reason, all I can think about is the Queen of Hearts. A coincidence that every one else has the same dreams? I think not! Snow said that they go away after a while, but she turned away when she said this. Dun, dun dun!
  • Now, what is in August’s box of tricks? My thoughts: maybe it reveals the future.
  • We will see Henry’s father again!

Highlights:

  • Hook! His pirate-ness. “Waste of some bloody rum, if you ask me.”
  • The love between Niel and Emma. He’s not so much of a douche after all.
  • The appearance of August. I wondered when he was going to make his appearance. (He so did not give that money to Emma, just saying.)
  • I loved seeing some back story of Emma, and definitely makes me feel more empathetic towards her character.

A great episode and now off to this weeks episode! Expect a review for that one in a few days at the latest. Did I mention how much I love this TV show? 🙂

Once Upon a Time Review 10/28/12 – Regina lets go of the past

/ Ajmorse / 2 Comments

Well, I FINALLY got to watch last Sunday’s episode and what is more appropriate for Halloween than Dr. Frankenstein? I must say, I love Once Upon a Time’s incorporation of characters from all different worlds and stories. It is a fan fiction writer’s paradise!

Warning! Spoiler Alert!

Photo credit: ABC.

In this episode, Regina tries to let go of the past; the memory of her fiance, Daniel. She is also trying to honor Henry’s wishes to not use magic and visits Archie to talk about it. Meanwhile in present day fairytale world, Cora destroys Mulan and Aurora’s “safe haven” and leaves a survivor behind – Captain Hook. Snow and Emma are not fooled by his tale of being a blacksmith and immediately get to the truth of the matter.

Regina is still haunted by the memory of her lost love in present day Storybrooke, and in the flashback fairytale world, we are reminded that it was Rumpelstiltskin that taught Regina her magic. We are also introduced to a character’s identity: Dr. Victor Frankenstein, or Dr. Whale. And as told by Jefferson, he is the only one who can bring back her Daniel from the dead, because he has something more powerful than magic: Science!

The Highlights:

  • David punching Dr. Whale. “That’s for sleeping with my wife!” (If only we could all use the excuse, “I was cursed!”) 😉
  • David or “Gramps” giving Henry knight lessons. Horseback riding!
  • The appearance of Hook.
  • Speaking of eye candy…Our prince charming looks pretty good with a weapon strapped to his chest and that sheriff badge. Just saying.
  • Regina’s emotion in the stable when David tries to kill Daniel.
  • Oh, and Jefferson! He has this “holier than thou” attitude that I’m just loving.

There was a lot in this episode, including a lot of information about Regina’s past – we love seeing flashbacks of the young queen and any scene between her and Rumple is just the best, of course. The most surprising was the revelation of Dr. Whale’s identity.

While appropriate for a Halloween week episode, I was a bit surprised and did not expect that at all. To be honest, I thought Dr. Whale had more of a princely or knight sexual appeal, but there are many interpretations as to the character of Victor Frankenstein. I always thought he was a bit of a coward, though. Here he appears much more lecherous. Still handsome, of course.

Tomorrow’s episode seems to be very interesting! Captain Hook leads Emma, Snow, Aurora and Mulan to a magic compass that when paired with Cora’s ashes from the wardrobe, should be able to open a portal back to the Storybrooke world. Also, more on Emma’s past! 🙂 A sneak peek below:

Any thoughts or comments…you know what to do! 🙂

Once Upon a Time Review 10/14/12 – Ogres, Emma and a Parent’s Love

/ Ajmorse / 4 Comments

Well, after going on hiatus from here for a while, I’ve come back with an idea. I will now only review shows that I think are worthy of viewing. I like trying new shows and giving people a heads up on great TV and what to avoid – but this girl just doesn’t have the time. After wheedling out the shows that I think will make or break it this season, I think I will stick to my reviewing of Once Upon a Time and a new one I have high hopes for – Arrow.

That being said…Once Upon a Time certainly knows how to pull the heartstrings!

Disclaimer: Mild spoilers in this review!

Photo credit: ABC.

Sunday night’s episode of Once Upon a Time seemed to focus on this theme: a parent’s love, and what said parent may or may not do for the sake of their child.

The back story focused on Snow and Charming; and Snow meeting Charming’s mother. Lancelot makes an appearance as a knight for hire working for King George, and admits that he has fallen from grace because of a woman. All I can say is that I am relieved that they gave this Lancelot a new face and have not fallen into the cliché of making Lancelot the Casanova of the Round Table; like what we’ve seen in various movie renditions. More of his story to come, I’m sure!

Snow, Emma, Mulan and Aurora spend some quality time together in this episode and I have to say I am impressed with the way these characters are coming together. Pairing two unlikely characters (Mulan and Aurora) together was a risky business, but I am loving the comradery we are seeing between these two. They are learning and growing from each other and I love how Mulan is just the right amount of bossy and caring for the princess Aurora that we can’t help but care for her some, too.

I also love seeing Emma in a world where she is not comfortable, because it is also forcing her to grow as a character. Emma is hard to sympathize with at best because she has always been so cold. I, personally love her complexity. But in this episode we are reminded again why she is so closed off and the scenes between her and snow are much more poignant because of it.

Some other observations:

  • Regina’s joy at getting a call from Henry. We love the boy, but a woman’s heart can only be broken so many times. Once again we are left feeling sorry for the evil queen.
  • No Mr. Gold in this episode, but that’s alright. Lots of Charming, though, to make up for it!
  • King George is in the Storybrooke world, too! (Alan Dale) Lost fans will recognize him as Charles Widmore.

Highlights:

  • Henry’s new code phrase, “Operation Scorpion.”
  • Snow saving her daughter from the ogre.
  • Snow flipping Princess Aurora over her shoulder and telling her to get over her crap and find new ways to channel her anger. Will be interesting to see how she finds ways to do this.
  • Emma loaning the jacket to the princess, who says, “What kind of corset is this?”
  • Jefferson’s reunion with his daughter.
  • Cora, Regina’s mother. The big bad is also in the Enchanted Forest world, huh, go figure.
  • And lastly, Emma admitting her anger to Snow and her realization that she is not good at being a daughter, because she never had someone to put her first before.

This scene between Snow and Emma really moved me. (It’s also because I am a sap and get too attached to characters that I love.) But there were a few times in this episode where the tears were just at the surface. Another great example of good character development and growth. Another great episode!

Here’s a sneak peek of the next episode:

A Night of TV: Elena Lives and Beauty Meets the Beast

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Disclaimer: Spoiler Alert! For 10/11/12 ‘s episodes of Vampire Diaries and Beauty and the Beast.

Well, was able to catch the premiere of The Vampire Diaries tonight and decided to stick around for CW’s debut of Beauty of the Beast. It went something like this:

The council finally has enough of vampires in Mystic Falls and decides to enact their revenge. Meanwhile, in the middle of this is transitioning Elena, who is reassured by Stefan that there is a third option – Bonnie is, of course, set the task of working on it.

Caroline’s mother loses her job; the mayor, (Tyler’s mother) gets arrested and Dr. Fell is threatened. And although Alaric is gone, he has managed to leave a legacy in his wake: a very determined council. The council captures Stefan, Elena and Rebecca, hoping to flush out the other vampire’s: Rebecca’s siblings and Damon.

They do manage to flush out one, however, Klaus in Tyler’s body is too busy rescuing Caroline, a fact that does not go unnoticed by Rebecca as she was left behind. And if the council thinks that any of the original siblings care a lick about each other anymore, then they are just as stupid as they look.

Damon blames Matt for Elena’s predicament, something that Stefan also beats himself up over, but like always, it was Elena’s choice. And because it was Elena’s choice, it had to be the right one, right?

Bonnie goes to the other side to try to bring the alive part of Elena back, but is warned of dark magics by her Grandmother and cannot complete the task. She is, of course, confronted by dark magic as she returns to restore Klaus back to his body and Tyler back to his, and her Grandmother gets punished for it.

The highlight of the night was Caroline discovering that Klaus was in Tyler’s body. Something that surprised me, because I thought it would be a storyline that the show might want to drag on for a while, especially considering Klaus’s feelings for Caroline. Hmm. But we’ll accept Michael Trevino with his shirt off any day. Klaus or no Klaus.

A good portion of the council gets blown up, Elena feeds and becomes a vampire and the show ends on the note that although she is now one of the undead, at least she’ll be with Stefan forever. And as nauseatingly sweet as that sounds, it also sounds rather boring. At least Elena has all those memories of Damon now, though.

As far as it goes, I’ll give it a B minus. There was a lot going on in this episode, but then, none at all at the same time. For a series that kept the audience hopping with all its twists and turns the previous season, this episode was rather predictable.

They couldn’t make Elena human again because of the fans and they couldn’t let her die. Ah, oh well. Maybe she’ll complain less now that she has super powers. But who will Damon and Stefan rescue now?? Matt??

Beauty and the Beast 

Surprised me with its lead character, “Cat,” a kick-ass detective who does what she does best, sticks her nose in where it doesn’t belong. At least this show knows how to respect the female protagonist. And there are a few of them here and done well for a show that doesn’t seem to have a high budget. (The special effects weren’t that great.)

The story is as follows: “Cat’s” mother is killed one gloomy and creepy night by a group of men and would have been killed her self, if it weren’t for the help of a ‘beast.’ A man with strong capabilities and beast-like physicality, but everyone tells her she must have been imagining it.

Four years later, she’s working as a detective for the LAPD and she encounters another anomaly: DNA that is not quite human, evidence that was also found at the crime scene of her mother.

She meets Vincent, a man who is supposed to be dead but isn’t. This is the man who saved her the night her mother died, and the whole truth comes out. Vincent was in the military and was selected for a special project. They were given something that was supposed to enhance the soldier’s capabilities. Well it did. But with startling results. Once the adrenaline kicks in these “super-beings” become beasts and there’s nothing that can stop them.

Except annihilation from the very own people who created them, of course. But it looks like Vincent, and several others managed to escape and now live in secret in the city, helping women in need from the “human monsters” that prowl the streets at night.

Although predictable, and “Cat” (Beauty) and “Vincent” (the beast) have no chemistry, the creativity of the story and bad-ass female leads surprised me. I’ll probably tune in for another viewing.

10 Reasons why you should watch Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog Tonight

/ Ajmorse / 2 Comments

Well, as emphasized in a recent blog post, you all know my love for Joss Whedon. I believe he is an amazing writer, a talented director, and just a great example of a person who loves great entertainment and wants to share that love with others.

During the writer’s strike in 2008, Joss Whedon, with the help of his brothers, Zach Whedon and Jed Whedon as well as actress and writer, Maurissa Tancharoen, created a musical web series: Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog.

The short film is about Dr. Horrible, or “Billy” (Niel Patrick Harris) who longs for the love of a young woman named Penny (Felicia Day). In the midst of an evil plot to do wrong in order to be considered for the Evil League of Evil, he final meets her, Penny, the love of his life. But like all of his plots to do wrong, he is immediately pushed aside by Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion), his arch nemesis.

So, WHY should you be tuning in to see Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog on the CW at 9pm tonight?

  • Joss Whedon! Joss Whedon! Joss Whedon! – If you like great writing, you’ll pretty much love anything he’s involved in. ‘Nuff said.
  • Great cast – Nathan Fillion (Castle), Niel Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother),  and Felicia Day (The Guild).
  • Nathan Fillion – Just ’cause I love him so much!
  • Great music – You’ll be surprised how talented the Whedon family is as emphasized by the creation of this film.
  • Catchy songs – You’ll want to sing along with it. Durrh!
  • Great Story – It’s cleverly written, funny and oh-so-very entertaining.
  • It’s award winning – It’s won 7 awards already!
  • Great Characters – Never thought you’d feel sympathetic towards the bad guy? Ohh, think again!
  • Niel Patrick Harris – Great singer, great actor, great looking, great everything!
  • It’s Intelligent – Like everything Whedon is involved in, it’ll make you think and surprise you!

Okay, now I’ve given you my reasons time to find your own! Be sure to tune in tonight at 9pm on the CW!

Here’s a look at the first act right here, the rest is, of course, available on youtube:

And if you’ve already watched it, leave a comment and let me know what you think! I’d love to hear from you! 🙂

Revolution Review 10/8/12 – Tragic death, Nate and a Mother’s Love

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***Spoiler Alert! If you have not watched Revolution’s most recent episode, I suggest you go do that now before reading this review!***

Photo credit: NBC.

Well, as my expectations for this fourth episode of Revolution weren’t great, my review tonight will be brief. Well, as brief as I can make it.

In tonight’s episode, the group gets chased by dogs as the search for Danny continues, while said brother barely escapes a storm with Captain Neville. Meanwhile, “Nate” joins the group to be “used for information” although, we know that he is just there to have sexy scenes with Charlie.

Perhaps it makes sense now why they made the “children” so old. They are required to do “adult things” in this show and apparently, no one will buy into the belief that a sixteen-year-old could kill, cross the country and rescue her brother. Although, if this were a young adult novel things would be different. Perhaps better written, too!

Anyway, tonight’s show focused on the back story of Maggie, a woman from England, who after the blackout makes an incredible journey from Seattle to try to get back to her kids. As it is impossible to get back to England, she finds a temporary happiness in the discovery of Ben and his family. Later on in the episode, Maggie is then stabbed by a random crazy man, who happens to own the “wild dogs” and who unluckily punctures an artery.

Perhaps most impressive from this episode was from actress Tracy Spiridakos and her outpouring of emotion as Charlie when Maggie dies. Miles then comes to a realization that although he is selfish and “comes up with the same crap excuses,” according to Nora, he is not all-terrible and finds some humanity left in him to comfort his niece and let her know that although he is a jackass, he will not abandon her. Shame. (I personally think that the character of Charlie shines when he is not in the picture. My opinion is it’s because they are both too strong of protagonists and essentially weaken the other.)

It was a nice to see “Nate,” our only hope for some kind of romance in this story, but through most of the episode he remains tied up and silent. He is, of course, ever faithful to a kidnapped Charlie and springs into action with convincing damsel in distress heroism. Meanwhile, we are left with the information that the reason that Rachel (Elizabeth Mitchell) remains Monroe’s “guest” is because she left her family to turn herself in to Miles, for whatever reason. For the guaranteed safety of her children? Who knows. I’m starting to think it’s for a sexual relationship with Monroe, who seems creepily familiar with the mother of two.

Although the death of Maggie was remarkably touching in this episode, (I have to admit there were tears) my frustration at this show remains. Charlie finally has a shining moment where she pushes aside her recent brush with death to comfort a dying Maggie, but sadly, it is not enough for me.

While the characters (the ones that are now alive that is) are not touching me at all, I had a feeling that although we discovered some information, tonight’s episode did not progress the plot very much. So, now we’ve got a slow-moving plot-line as well as bad characterization. Revolution loves to emphasize that there are many ways to die is this dystopian world, I hope they didn’t mean themselves, too?

The fact remains: as gut wrenching as this world is to watch because of all the easy deaths, harsh living, violence, etc., it’s even harder to watch when you don’t like the characters doing it. Best of luck, Revolution! I may or may not be seeing you again!

Once Upon a Time Review 10/7/12 – Why we love these characters

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***Mild Spoiler Alert! If you have not watched last night’s “We are Both” episode of Once Upon a Time, I suggest you go do that now before reading this! And it was a great episode, I highly recommend it!***

Photo credit: ABC.

In this episode, we are reminded that if you love your favorite show’s characters enough, you will follow them anywhere. Once Upon a Time’s second episode, “We are Both,” reminds us why, we as fans, love this show so much. The characters are alive and accessible to us; we feel their tension, their heartbreak, their struggle. We love it when we see certain characters conversing with others. Regina and Charming. Charming and “Mr. Gold.”

It is the mark of great writing. To be able to take your characters anywhere. To make them grow. To show their weaknesses, to show their strengths. To remember that a character is loved not because they are perfect, but because of their imperfections.

Because perfect characters are boring characters and no one is as UN-boring as Storybrooke’s very own evil queen, Regina.

The episode focused on her story this time around and I love how we get to see the building blocks of evil and it makes us question and think: What is evil? Who is evil? Because everyone has a purpose of living, or a motivation of some kind.

The Highlights?

  • Granny with a cross-bow.
  • Seeing Rumpelstiltskin’s true golden self.
  • Dr. Whale asking if he can date a nun. And then standing next to Blue in a certain point of an episode. Coincidental? I think not!
  • Charming’s speech. He’s still got it!
  • Regina’s realization that she doesn’t want to be her mother.
  • The dwarfs with pick-axes.
  • Henry and “Gramps” at the diner. So adorable.
  • A glimpse of the enchanted forest.

Last night’s episode really reminded me how much I have come to adore these characters. It’s like with LOST all over again. I feel like I know these characters. They have written them so well that I feel like if they ever had to disappear, I would fight for them. That is the mark of great writing, and great characterization. And something that I think many TV writers/producers forget is the main point of great TV watching. We watch something because we love it. And Once Upon a Time definitely knows how to woo its viewers.