myril

Don't think that what they're going to do with the characters of Frozen in the show here has to have any impact on any future, possible sequel of Frozen. I am not even sold yet that there will be a Frozen 2 to movie theater, regardless that Frozen is bringing that much money at the moment, they will still have to come up with a good story, one they think is good enough to make it in the theaters. At the moment they're rather busy with other things, and with taking Frozen to stage. If there will be a sequel it might take a while, some years, and whatever they do with the characters on the show will not be of much use for any marketing for that, People might pretty much have forgotten by then whatever they do on the show. If they screw up Elsa's character on the show I doubt it will damage the Frozen franchise, one still can say that was the screw up of the showrunners,their sad twist on it, and true canon, the original story is what the movie told, and then move on. After all Once is seen as the show taking a different view on tales anyway, so one can always argue that was their view on things. After all they killed Pan, they took Mulan pretty much out of any of her movie story, and the Evil Queen is as far away from any version of the Evil Queen, Disney or otherwise, as can be. I highly doubt that will keep anyone in Disney from telling a different story of these characters, Pan, Mulan or whoever ever, nor has it undone any of the movies. Okay, Elsa is a bit fresher in the Disney universe, but doesn't change the principle, that Once has some unique take on tales, their very own take. It can damage though Once quite a lot if people get angry about what they make of Elsa. Different from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Once doesn't directly tie into the movies of the fairy tales, it uses the characters, motifs, gets inspiration, sometimes just makes use of references, but it doesn't tell the sequel or prequel or anything between of the stories as seen in the movies or in other places, it has its on take on things, it's independent of the rest of the Disney universe in this. SHIELD on the other hand is an integrated part of the Marvel Movie Universe.

Not from California and not firm in California's family law, but from what I gathered in 5 minutes online your're right, at least since 1997 it takes acknowledgement of both parents if they are unmarried, to even write the name of the father on the birth certificate. They didn't say he signed it though, just that his name was on the certificate. Maybe they didn't pay attention to detail. I am not sure how it will develop, if he is a nice guy but a bit messed up, why he left her mother though he says he loved her (maybe family thing, wealthy family didn't like working family girl, not approved relationship?). Callie's first reaction was, well, very Callie, burst out first, ask + think later. She can be a bit impulsive at times. I can understand though that she reacted that way, given what she knew. Don't think that her half-sister's reaction is so strange, she's an only child, and plenty of only children wish for siblings. Why shouldn't she be exited to have a sister, she is old enough to understand that a man sometimes doesn't even know he has more children. They seem to be a wealthy family and it is to be expected they have some lawyers keeping an eye on things, making as sure as they ever can that they have the upper hand in legal matters. Paternity test might have different reasons, to exclude fraud but could be as well his assurance that Callie is his daughter whatever his big family might wish for. I don't mind if it's not simple good guy or bad guy and more a complex matter causing complex mix of feelings. Yes more drama for Callie, but I want it to play out longer and not be some few-episodes and done thing, because then it would be just angst-story to drag out the adoption process. There should be more to it. Timothy didn't sign the donor contract but does that legally equal with withdrawing his consent after he had given them his sperm? As dumb as what Lena and Stef did is, as dumb is what Timothy did, he gave his sperm before signing the contract. Could be interesting for a lawyer, after all if Timothy had slept with Lena he couldn't ask his sperm back either. We have 3 idiot adults here. The pregnancy story is a mess, though not sure if intentional mess or just story telling mess, but different from many here I am not annoyed by it. They were immensely lucky that they had a hit the first time they tried (not highly likely but not impossible), very convenient, and maybe what I find the least plausible. Find it more plausible that Timothy first was enthusiastic about it but then had second thoughts and at the wrong time. Not sure if it was necessary to let him back down and not sign the contract, he still could have had doubts and struggle with what it meant afterwards, causing enough emotional stress. But I have friends who I am very sure could be as dumb and impulsive as Lena and Stef were about it all, straight and queer. Guess I know strange people. Was Emma really sure about what she was doing? I perceived that scene in the car quite differently, that was not a young woman acting like she had any good idea what she was doing. So my guess is actually Emma is a virgin, and particular because of that stressed so much out about making it the perfect moment, while at the same time she was pushing for it as if it's some kind of race to win Well, losing your virginity is a token for reaching womanhood, so there is some pressure on teenage girls to be cool and do it early. But as well Emma was way too proud to let Jesus know it would be her first time, she keeps an image of cool buddy girl up, tough, knowing what she does, always on top of things and in control. But even if it was not her very first time doubt she has much experience. Emma probably read somewhere, that telling him what she likes to do is the key to make it good for both of them, not the worst advice, but still takes to know what you want and like and figure out a way to express it without killing the moment. The truth is Emma is insecure, feeling not all sure about herself, her tomboy attitude, but not wanting to bow on the other hand to common societal expectations (refreshing and rightly so), obviously wishing she could as well be sometimes girly but still be accepted to do men's stuff. A lot of people mistake aggressive toughness with aplomb, confidence. Emma is about as confident as Mariana, maybe even less. That is why Emma's seemingly independence and taking lead behavior comes across as off and pushy. It's not like Jesus now has that much experience either though. And remember how pushy Lexi was about doing it with Jesus again, before she left and when she was back for some days. Different from Emma though Lexi had some healthy self-confidence. It seems like there is a pattern evolving for Jesus. They are. The adults are not perfect, even quite messy and frequently overwhelmed, do stupid stuff, fail to always communicate decently, and nevertheless somehow manage things. Sounds like pretty much most people I know including myself, and we mostly have decent jobs, and some even have kids with typical teenager problems. And in the most unlikely moments, when totally inconvenient relationship problems can come up, thinking of, they seem to always surface when they are most unwelcome and things are in turmoil anyway. ;) But I agree, it is often a bit too much drama in one episode, too much maybe for a season. It's an annoying thing about current scripted TV shows, it's not just The Fosters IMO, to rush and do it like some wild jumping around MTV music video clip, makes my head ache. No time for taking time, letting a story space to breath, let some little daily moments in , no time for lingering shots, no time for letting feelings evolve. Reminds me always of the people who can't stand a silence for longer than 5 seconds, they just have to burp out something and talk!talk!talk!. It's action, drama rush, cut crazy and dialogue whirlgig. Interesting that more people seem to find it more exhausting by now. This episode though even offered some needed space to let the characters, the stories breath. More of that. Welcome to the forum, Toothless.Bandit.

More comfortable than any of us will ever live, even in this world, and even more so compared what our status would be if living in the Enchanted Forest. Snow and Regina were both rich brats. Although made me snicker, that Regina didn't seem to have much of a lofty style, obviously to the horror of her mother. Didn't seem to know much about courtly manners or never learned to care about them. Let's be nice and say she was in her early twenties then (despite that Lana Parrilla sure didn't look like it), it is interesting that she seemed to have kept some of her independent and free mind, seemed to be not a broken personality at that point. Watching your love being murdered by your own mother is traumatizing regardless age, and early twenties we are still quite impressionable, but already have developed some sense of her own. Makes it somewhat harder for me to find plausible what followed. For many it is worse if someone has feelings for someone else than if they were sleeping together. Not that I would be shocked or see it as impossible, but I don't think that it meant, that they were sleeping with each other. Small town, almighty major - of course Regina was allowed to watch. And when crime shows sometimes don't get it right, why should a fairy tale show be any better? ;) But yeah, sometimes such detail can annoy me as well. What do you expect from ? ;) Cora's looked like a low curtsy just with too much of a bow to it, a woman can bend her knees quite low to show greater respect, but still should keep her spine pretty much upright and only bow her head and lower her eyes. Guess Regina liked to skip her etiquette lessons whenever possible to take a ride.

Quite sure they do, it's called acting ;-) Of course sometimes an actor improvises in the very moment they're filming, but there is a lot of thought they might have given the scene before, rehearse it in their head, try options, some making plenty of notes on the script, others keeping their notes in their heads so to speak. It's not like they just learn the lines, walk on set and then see what will happen (although some might do that, and some aren't even good at learning their lines). They might try different version on camera as well, but as they often enough do several takes of a scenes with different angles, camera position they have to settle with one version and come as close as possible to that again and again even down to gestures, movements, facial, otherwise it might be noticeable in cuts. The more I think about the mess with this character, the more I find the premise they choose for her difficult to ever agree on a redemption arc. That Regina hold such a grudge against Snow, and then as well somewhat against Charming was childish, nothing else. There was nothing truly furious and dark in it (the Maleficent movie is actually better in that), she was some rich, abused brat abusing now power herself (even as Duchess, or whatever they were they lived comfortable already, had a lot more than most of us ever will). Regina would have plenty of more reasons to go after Rumple, after all he needed her desperate and lonely and made sure she was, he manipulated and exploited her while posing as benevolent mentor, Snow was just another pawn. If they would have set it more as that she went after Snow and Charming because Rumple was hiding behind them, that I could have bought into better as tragic story . Regina blamed the innocent fool for her misery,and made a lot more innocent people pay for it. Now I can accept that Regina would have struggled to go against her mother, on the other hand she send Hook after her to kill her. If they really want me to sympathize with adult Regina though and not just with the abused child she once was, then Regina has to grow up and open her eyes and see, that blaming Snow was totally wrong to begin with. That crappy half-hearted moment between Regina in Snow in "Bleeding Through" was not it. Snow and Eva sure were no perfect people and doing enough things wrong on their own, but mixing it with Regina admitting her mother was no good either took away from making it a real grow for Regina. I even want to sympathize with Regina, I sure have a heart for underdogs, but I have no heart for bullies. And so far all they made her was a poor "teenager" being exploited by her mother and her mentor, a teenager who then turned bully and still mostly is one as adult. And she still doesn't seem to get it. Makes Regina neither smart nor any redeemable. We say often, that the writers love the character too much, but I think they love this character too little or in the wrong way, they don't let her grow but keep her in a sort of teenager tantrum status for the sake of whatever fits they're next action figure shenanigan. They don't do the character any good, if she mostly shines because the other main characters are written even weaker, and doesn't make it her work and effort to be able to wield even light power for a moment but a gift thanks to Henry's love. I liked the potential the character had, but I dislike what they make of it.

Indeed, some SwanFire fans rival for worst fans trophy with attacking Jennifer Morrison on social media, not to mention all the anti-Hook tweeting. Think one can or will find bad apples in any faction of the fandom, though as long as they feel satisfied of course they don't attract attention as such. On the other hand, SwanQueen at times are told that their ship is absolute crazy, not even acceptable as non-canon shipping, because the characters never even would be interested in someone of the same gender. No can't be because. For me there are plenty of other way more effective reasons why Emma and Regina don't fit whatever tension one can see on screen (no intentional subtext, but doesn't exclude that scenes can be read in different ways), gender is not a good reason against that ship. And OUaT lacks diversity, like at least two third of TV and movie. But as gender is no reason against SwanQueen, diversity is not a good reason for it. It's not just OUaT, just take a look at Agents of Shield panels. Shipping mania. And no, it's not the teenagers, as many assume, making it so bad. Not sure though if it truly was better in the past. Most of the times the cast and crew are handling it rather okay on panels and in interviews, although think that the warped humor of Horowitz and Kitsis eludes many people. I find it though interesting, what actors think their characters are thinking, but more in the venue of how they prepare for the role, how they work on it, develop it, work with the material they get from the writers, their interpretation of the character, what they think the characters are thinking is part of the acting choices they make. I want to talk about their art. Like it was really interesting to hear, that Carlyle looked at comedia dell'arte and that his own son inspired him, or that Ginnifer Goodwin did some research and realized, that there is a certain vanity in the character of Snow White. That is interesting stuff. Couldn't care less about spoilers, despite that speculating about story development is a lot of fun, but it's even more fun IMO without revealing spoilers, it's about developing the story based on what has been done so far which is the real thrill, and then see if the writers agree with it or have a different take. Let my imagination fly and not be bothered what the writers have in store, I can later rant about their writing choices. But neither do I mind spoilers, regularly skip to the end of a book or book series or movie just to know the end, and then go from the beginning and enjoy the ride, it's less about where something ends, more about how it is told. What are the next, upcoming cons where we can see more shipping and spoiler drama unfold besides of course ComicCon? Has someone an overview?

Rumple is a hypocrite. The seer told him, that his actions would leave his son fatherless. He fought that fate with all means, and doing that ironically made it happen nevertheless. And now he is a father without his son. Rumple has meddled with fate and destiny all the time, convincing himself maybe, that he was doing nothing but letting fate run its course, while telling people meanwhile, they have a choice. Beside magic has a price another mantra of Rumple was, people have a choice, while at the same time his actions where pretty much what was meant to happen, despite that he was trying to change fate all the time. Rumple's dilemma: He had to believe and find proof that people have a choice and can change things while at the same time it was a relief of his own guilt if that were not so, because then it was not his responsibility that he betrayed his son and let him go alone through the portal, but it was destiny. It's why I find Rumple rather appalling and worse than Regina. This guy should step up and accept that not destiny but he messed up his family. Wouldn't be surprised though, if Rumple meddles again with destiny while pretending he's just bowing to destiny. After all the prophecy was, his son would be fatherless, not that he would lose his son... Making it Marian's destiny to die would be the cheapest writing way out I can think of. Beyond bad fanfiction level bad. Unfortunately am not convinced the writers wouldn't go there, make Rumple the scapegoat or come up with some freaky accident (oops, Elsa had no control of her powers, too bad) so superhero-mom Regina can now get a clean slate and happy, happy feelings with her fateful true love Robin, instead of her having been the one who murdered Robin's beloved wife and mother of his son. Who cares that little Roland would be traumatized losing his mother a second time at young age, it's all destiny. Regina hardly will care, she separated Hansel and Gretel from their father, Jefferson from his daughter, Greg/Owen from his father, Emma and her parents, killed her own father, tried to kill her own mother (she send Hook to do it), it's not like the Evil Queen has any healthy idea of family. If Regina has changed, has grown over the past season, then though she should step back for the sake of Roland. Her own happiness can't be more important than the happiness and future of a child. If it's some freaky accident motherly Regina can step in and comfort the poor boy though. As if Regina really knows how to handle loss.

Hat is too small and humble for that. Don't mind that much the hat per se, but the combination is not good, the hat doesn't fit to the skirt. Besides that in the sun such light-hat offering no shadow at all is absolutely useless. Ever heard of elegant, stylish and still purposeful? The art of milliners. Not the craziest hat in Ascot. http://metro.co.uk/2014/06/18/a-look-back-at-crazy-and-quirky-hat-fashion-at-royal-ascot-4765907/ Pssstt. Outed myself as hat fan ;) Guess what I would have to visit if coming to Vancouver - The Saucy Milliner. Gracing frequently Tracy Conner Keegan's beauty and characters of Once Upon a Time. Something about Belle's wedding dress hat: http://thesaucymilliner.com/2014/05/12/a-saucy-belle-once-upon-a-time-season-3-finale-features-my-deco-cloche/

Putting the dazzling screen presence of Jolie as Maleficent aside the movie was at best mediocre. Very Once-ish. Have the same problem with the movie that I have with Once Upon. Digging deeper one can find some interesting themes in it, but that seems to be more by accident, because the execution of it is poor. It's like Once with far bigger CGI budget and a spectacular Jolie.

Agreed, Regina still has some way to go, but disagree a bit about that she's not there yet to find love. But I have a different view on love than fairy tales, to me it's not the prize to win but the way to go, a process, a daily never ending challenge. Love is not the apple to pick but the apple tree to grow and to maintain. Interestingly Regina has been attending to an apple tree, remember season 1. What has become of that tree btw? She had Henry and she had the apple tree and one could wonder who she cared more about sometimes. And remember how she dreamt of being bound to an apple tree on mainstreet, and Emma squashed one apple showing how rotten they were? There was so much in that image. Apples, come on. They made Regina show up with a whole basket of apples and offering Emma one (while Emma was just out of bed and wearing underwear) - that moment I was sure a new queer ship was born (although even in the pilot there were moments nudging it). Guess they never really looked into the depth of apple symbolism. Yes, Marian could be a blessing in disguise. Though I would prefer Regina and Robin being just a temporary couple. Frankly, otherwise I can understand more and more that SwanQueen shippers are ranting, that Robin is more or less just a bad male version of Emma. If he and Regina get together, now that we know Regina had the intention to execute Marian for not betraying Snow, and probably did in the erased timeline, it would weaken significantly one of the good arguments against any romance between Regina and Emma: The fact, that Regina created so much suffering in Emma's life, taking away family for her for so long. Regina did something alike to Robin, taking away his wife, the same to Roland by taking away his mother, though at least father and son had still each other and support by friends and other family in the Enchanted Forest. Still. No double standards.

They're writing is character driven (as they are saying), so seems in their view details of the plot are not that important to be thought all through, even if that means unleashing the species of blackplotholes, sucking in elements from other plots and of the overall story arc. Everything has to serve the character development, so decent world building is irrelevant. Disregarding decent fictional world building as they do harms character driven story telling though. There has to be a basic structure, rules, a matrix in which the characters have to operate, exposing the conflicts and trouble and drama going on inside a character and between characters. The world has to limit powers and possibilities and consistently so, especially if it is a fantasy magical world, otherwise one can wonder more and more why they are not finding ways to use magic to make everyone live happy. But think most on here agree with that. Likely Zelena was at the time Regina cast the Dark Curse in Oz. In my perception In OUaT lingo the word realm is often used equally to the word world and meaning another world, not another kingdom in the neighborhood. But, who knows, could be as well the case, we know nothing about the geography of the magical world, or worlds, or realms. Could be on different planes, or not, different dimensions, or not. Open for correction but think they use for different regions, spheres, domain, provinces inside one world more the term kingdom, like Eva is from the Northern Kingdom, not Northern Realm. Protected - the Dark Curse Regina cast had not the full impact on it. Zelena was not necessarily in the dome that Cora created but under a protection alike the dome Cora created for herself and Hook in the Enchanted Forest, keeping them from being taken to our world/realm, while the time was in a way stopped even for them. It was established with Cora's dome that not everyone from the magical lands was transported to Storybrooke, no more no less. Neverland time works different anyway, no idea about Wonderland and fictional Victorian/Edwardian England because didn't pay much attention to Once Upon Wonderland. Guess it doesn't cause me much headaches because always assumed the Curse had impact to some degree on all worlds/realms with magic but maybe not in the same way as on the Enchanted Forest kingdoms. And we can have additionally a long and as unsatisfying talk about how magic in OUaT works or not. Including what the differences are between Rumple's Dark Curse cast by Regina, Peter Pan's alternated version of the Dark Curse, stopped by destroying the scroll, and the now by Regina and Snow cast curse to bring them back to Storybrooke, why some were able to come to the Land Without Magic and others not.... I'll go and get some packages of painkillers for the headaches Besides that there seem to be different ideas or understanding, what character driven is. Funny, think in that tweet Adam was thinking way to complicate about the matter. It could be rather simple: different realms/worlds, different impact of the Dark Curse because the realms have the same basic rules of magic and are all affected by magic, but magic expresses in slightly different ways in every realm, that's why there are different realms/worlds. And Cora created a bubble of difference in the Enchanted Forest so the curse worked differently in that dome of hers as well. Even our more or less non-magical world was affected, but in a different way, it was adapted to make the existence of Storybrooke possible, but in a limited way, adapting if need be papers and connection, and the spot were the town is, so no one from our world in our world would stumble upon its existence. Sure not answering all questions of a scientific inquisitive mind but it gives a crude matrix to work with.

novhappy, sounds to me like the last episode you have is the first episode of season 03, "Vulnerable". The murder of an old lady with bedridden husband is the case of that episode, Scott is kinda the one discovering it. In the final episode of season 2, episode 8, "Divided Loyalties", the case is that of a husband of an old lady who first seemed to have died by accident, meanwhile Bailey struggles with the aftermath of a drunken night. Season 1 has 6 episodes, season 2 and 3 have 8.

Samira's German is quite good. Sounded even better than one of my USAmerican cousins (German mother, they spend a few years in Germany, their father working for the army; I myself am German). But have found no information so far, where she learned it. Nina Rausch, who plays Poussey's friend Franziska is German.

Making it about fate, destiny, the simple fairy tale solution (the universe rights things, right) is in my view the convenient, conservative, but more importantly easy way out of an interesting, complex dilemma they created for the characters with bringing Marian into the present time. Find the destiny babbling by Rumple and Neal straining, as Snow with her naive love-will-always-find-a-way mantra is annoyingly boring, and all of it is limiting story potential and character development. It was a potential, an idea I found intriguing when the show started, in season 1: to confront fairy tale characters with rich, complex worldly challenges and stories, which can't be shrugged off with some magic or are rather easily solved by simplified ideas of good and evil. I know, by now we rushed through Neverland and Oz though and are all so covered with magic and pixie dust, that we should be in some sort of wacky waking dream all time, not noticing the standstill of character development, and just having a laughing fit when stumbling into one of the plot holes. Where would be the development in the character of Regina if fate or destiny will see to it that Marian will be taken out of her way anyway? Or if Regina just falls back into her evil own self? Funny, you bring it up. Questioned that like 2 days ago as well in another forum. Who can tell what Marian's destiny is or was? Destiny and time travel are ingredients for plenty of headaches and plot holes and confusion. I wouldn't read to much into the contract status of an actor or actress for story development. Regular means the actors have to be available, which is nice for the showrunners, they don't need to consider availability that much, but it's not always that desirable for the actor, because they are bound, although in agreement they could work on other things as well, but priority is clear. It offers certain income for a time, and good one, but on the other hand you might want to stay free to work on other projects on your own terms. Some people are rather more happy with recurring guest star status, reasons are not always on the side of the showrunners. Having a contract as series regular doesn't make anyone main cast per se by the way, still can be a supporting character. Meghan Ory had a contract as regular, that means she was paid for being available, not just for acting. Of course actors normally want to act and develop their skills further and not just sit around waiting for new scenes to be written, so she asked them about their plans and they were so fair to let her go. It sounds sometimes in commentaries as if there was some betrayal or conflict but I would be very cautious about reading that into what Meghan Ory said in the Interview with Keck. They got the right to work with the stories of Peter Pan, they changed their plans for season 2, and Red/Ruby had not much place in that. It was sure unfortunate, and I am a big fan of the character Red as quite a fan of Meghan Ory, very much missing more story about Red (making her the wolf was brilliant), but we shouldn't make more of it than it was. That they rushed so into Neverland like they did was a bad choice and was done at the expense of a more coherent character development of all characters and interesting stories of some characters like Red, agree on that impression. We're fishing very, very hard for the tiniest bit of information at the moment, and so do some TV news site. There are not really spoilers to work with, just speculation and theory, and opinions and judgement about the show and it's writing so far.

It was interesting, though because of not so great acting of some people it had something comical. Guess they did it to give a sense of fear the Evil Queen was meant to spawn: Look, the people are so afraid, they don't even look at her and sort of try to hide from her. Had that thought of Medusa as well, but they never work with it again. One could say, Regina did create the curse, but Rumple gave her all the instruction how to. Rumple would not have even lied then - and knowing how much he likes to play with language, word meanings and phrasing that would be exactly something I think Rumple would say and think.(at least when Jane Espenson has a hand in the writing) Regina hating Snow because of being beautiful: Still find that sentence somewhat odd, because doubt they ever had it that simple in mind. It's more a bow to the traditional, or have to say, best known version of the tale of Snow White. On the other hand, when looking a bit deeper into the tale and how it was told, beauty doesn't just mean physical beauty, it very well means in Snow White as much if not more the beauty of the soul, her innocent, gentle, even somewhat naive nature. The inner beauty then shows in outer beauty, as evilness in fairy tales likely reveals in ugliness, eventually hidden by a certain, mysterious, glamorous kind of beauty for a while (look at drawing of witches, trolls, look at Disney's animated Evil Queen and Maleficent). Research in psychology about perception suggests that we still tend to assume that good looking people are more trustworthy and respectable. Occasionally there was a glimpse of that on the show, how easy it seemed to be for Snow to make friends, get help,, that Regina raged that the people didn't accept her as their queen (only by fear) though she was doing them some good (or think I remember she said something like that in an episode, in some flashback). Besides evil shows in some form of ugliness idea is visible in the appearance of Rumple as Dark One or recently Zelena. Of course on screen, family Sunday eve prime time show even ugly is still in a way beautiful though. That Snow said it felt to me out of place even when I first watched the episode, it felt like a forced reference to the classical known tale, not organic in the tone of the episode. One can call it retcon, but I wouldn't, because doubt they ever had the intention to go with that. To me it's more a clumsy attempt of a nod to the Disney movie.

Interesting how different reactions can be, I liked that moment, because it was rather absurd to ask Callie that question, her life had been a nightmare for a while, Guess should simply assume, that Timothy (the teacher) didn't know and didn't guess anything about Callie's situation, because it was insensitive. Insensitive though well meant, he wanted her to get into a dialogue. I found it smart that they brought up Kafka's novella Metamorphosis in that scene. Probably not everybody noticed, what Timothy was talking about, though as I now discovered it was even written on the blackboard, but not everyone read Kafka at school, I guess. I knew even without the blackboard what Timothy was talking about, but I love Kafka. Metamorphosis is not just a story about a man who suddenly (was) changed, Gregor Samsa woke up one morning as a kind of giant vermin or bug (Ungeziefer), but it's a story of a transformation of a family, the change has significant effects on all of the family of Samsa. Besides Gregor his sister Grete is an important character in the novella, she is in the end the one growing up and taking on responsibility, though it means giving up dreams she had, so it is ambivalent. Rather brilliant to refer to it, because there is a lot of change going on in the Adams Foster family. Before Timothy asks about waking suddenly up in a nightmare and addresses Callie, he asks: "But did he (Gregor) participate in his own transformation? Did he will it? Did he want it to happen? Or was it something that happened to him?"And it is an interesting question how much of our life is our own doing, and how much doing of others, of circumstances, nature, fate. Callie probably would have said, most is not in her control, no matter how hard she tried. That little scene suggested to me, that the showrunners and writers might have a bit more on their minds than just some modern family and high school kids drama, and helped to get me more interested in the show. Family drama and particular anything involving high school is usually not so my thing to watch, I am not the target or typical audience of ABC family. Only tuned in to see what they are doing with a lesbian couple. Liked the chemistry and dynamic between Stef and Lena well enough in the pilot to keep me watching, and the kids and their stories were bearable enough to not drive me away.

To some people, especially in this strange form humans take at some early age called teenagers, boring equals horrible, tops it even ;-) I grew up in a village that in many ways had that charm of Storybrooke. Already the first two minutes of the pilot have some nice photography, classic aerial shot establishes the place, a magical land (and BC has some grandious, cinematic landscapes to offer), the light and snow flakes in the woods for mood and more magic feelings, the colorful wedding (particular the bird's eye view shot, like a kaleidoscope), well done. Lana Parrilla: Her entrance at the wedding as Evil Queen, the photgraphy with the somewhat swerving track in, then that slightly low angle, medium hip high shot of her majesty in all her splendour (and nice tilt up from the floor, as if someone daring to raise their eyes), the costume, makeup (the lips as red eyecatcher and color contrast to black or dark), the Evil Queen floating down the aisles, Lana's line delivery, her evil looks (if a look could kill...) and her voice - just wow, goosebumps. And that was just the beginning. Later as Regina in Storybrooke she shows such a different side, vulnerability, insecurity, honest fear to loose her son Henry. When Emma asks Regina, if she loves Henry, I don't think Regina was lying, although she might not have actually felt anything, but she believed that she was loving Henry, or wanted to believe it. Nor was Emma necessarily assuming, Regina might have told a lie, but she picked up, that something about the whole situation, with Regina, her feelings and the town was off, so she decided to stay. Jennifer Morrison/Emma: While a part of me is always still marveling at the view of Lana Parrilla as Evil Queen (so most of the times I barely notice Henry's first appearance) the next main female character gets her impressive entry. Elevator doors opening (some nice interior set design there, lines, curves, - and the elevator somehow reminded me of Star Trek turbolifts, couldn't help it), and there she is, magenta tight skirt, blonde, determined look, and have you seen those upper arm muscles? A lovely smile later even (yes, she can smile and laugh, showed it in the pilot, not that she often had reason to). May we introduce: Emma Swan. Funny thought: While the Evil Queen kinda busts (crashes) the wedding party, Emma busts this guy and his hot date / infidelity plans. Not to forget: Emma's red leather jacket she wears later (It has its own Twitter account by now) As Lana Parrilla Jennifer Morrison shows a range of emotions, less expressive, less explicite, more subtle, as it fits the character. Their characters had so much dimensions. And some tension and chemistry between them. I can understand why people booked the SwanQueen ship, without shipping it myself (not much of a shipper anyway) The lie detection superpower: I never took it as a "real" superpower of Emma and still don't do it, whatever the writers have said in interviews. It just cracks me up (as does, or even more so the use of lie detection machines on any crime or sci-fi drama) Robert Carlyle / Rumple: What a brilliant imp, multi-layered, somewhere dancing on the thin line between genius and crazy, calculating, temperamental and volatile. What acting. Not a character I would trust with my life in real life, but a great character for story telling. Some great lines (not jotted them down though) Little details, references to the animation movies, the stories as most know them, and more like... - the blue bird - a kid giving Mary Margaret a pear (no apple!) before Regina comes into the classroom - Snow's Gaia like hair do and costume in the Enchanted Forest - the yellow bug (I have fond childhood memories of a 1970's beetle like that one, though it was skyblue - two mothers, four kids, shared family car, bliss) - Rubik's cube in Emma's kitchen - blue star candle - Tinkerbell figure in a garden Emma's passes on the way into town. - the sparking aerial line - Pongo! - the Clocktower - the nursery - Granny's Bed&Breakfast reception ... and more I haven't noted. The last scene of the episode, Granny and Ruby bickering. Pretty much fell in love with those two that moment. (and I could swear, it looks a bit like Ruby is checking Emma out). And then Mr. Gold appearing out of nowhere The writing was good, the pacing mostly, photography (maybe going to rewatch it just for that to take note about more details), acting, costumes, props. I was skeptical before the show aired, but the pilot got me interested.

Strong, complex, female leads portrayed as rather normal people - it's great. They're filming season 4 at the moment (no air date set yet, sometime later this year). They have a Twitter account if anyone wants to keep track (SandBTV). Finally got around to watch third season. And loved it. Had the pleasure recently as well to watch A Touch of Cloth, a comedy crime show, the Police Squad! / Naked Gun kind of spoof but for British crime drama shows, staring John Hannah and Suranne Jones (yes, Rachel Bailey). No idea how they managed to play that as straight as they do. My abs got some extra training. Recommend it. But warning, after watching it is possible, that occasionally you will have a hard time to keep a straight face watching the serious stuff like Scott&Bailey.

I get that one can feel empathy for the kid Ward once was, the victim of abuse. But whatever he has been through as kid and what Lorely recently did to him, Ward wasn't brainwashed, he had no implant threatening to be exploded if not following orders, he could have said no to Garrett in prison and face trail - Ward had choices, and he made wrong and evil chocies. What happened to him as child explains, why he sees himself as survivor and is pretty much indifferent to people, but that is it. Ward's feelings for Skye are in my view more an unhealthy obsession, that has not much to do with empathy or love. He might think he loves her, but he is miles away from doing so. The only reason I don't call Ward a psychopath right away is because of the childhood trauma background story they gave him. Ward doesn't have Stockholm syndrom, he was never a hostage. Garrett didn't kidnapp Ward, he gave him a choice to stay in prison and face trial or leave with him for big adventure - and Ward made his choice. Garrett dropped him in the wilderness to assess if Ward was the survivor ready to do anything he thought he was, and was proven pretty much right. Didn't see brainwashing happening, but a manipulator making use of some issues and traits of Ward. No, I am not saying that it would have been any easy for Ward to go a different way, but he had choices. Ward was abused in this episode? He had a gun, he is a trained assessin and close combat fighter, he would have killed May if he could to get Skye. And he sure gave her some bruises as well. Ward betrayed them all, and for May it was not about them having been co-workers with benefits, it was that Ward worked for/with HYDRA, an organisation standing against what May believes in. It was about Ward's betrayal, which was especially bitter in his case, because they trusted him personally and not just as some other SHIELD agent, as Skye put it so well, Ward betrayed the people "who gave (him) a chance at being a decent human being." Sorry, what does the abuse he suffered as kid has to do with him trying to kidnap Skye and his willingness to kill May? What does the abuse he suffered has to do with the betrayal he committed? Having a glimpse of what Ward went through as kid might create a feeling of sympathy in general for the character (in my case a faint one though seeing he had years to change and turn away from Garrett), but it doesn't make me feel any bad for Ward, nor do I see any reason why it should, when he gets beaten up in combat, and doesn't make me question that the others have the right to feel angry and hurt, and express it and are not rushing to give him a second chance right away. Ward had choices, he made bad ones, he betrayed Coulson, Skye, May, Simmons, Fitz, and exception Skye, he didn't seem to mind much to kill them. No, I am not cheering for Ward being beaten up either, I wouldn't even cheer for Garrett being blown up, but I don't feel pity for Ward in this moment. And that people cheer for May has partially something to do with media representation and societal images of women, and somehow women still are not shown as much as fighting back, making their own stand, kicking the butt of anyone who wronged them, and are a lot more expected to play along nice and keep smiling if wronged than we expect men to do. It is as much or even more about May than about Ward.

Kitsis said in interviews it is Elsa. So it was not just to invoke the Frozen connection, Elsa has come to Storybrooke.

In Andersen's Snow Queen an evil troll made a looking-glass, that showed everything in ugly and bad ways, making everything bad and worthless bigger while everything beautiful so small it was hardly visible at all. When some trolls tried to bring it up to heaven to have troll fun up there, they lost it, it fell and was broken into pieces. Some pieces were so small they could enter eyes and hearts and made then people only see the worst and turn hearts cold like ice. The mirror in the vault was still intact but more importantly, Hook found his reflection in it handsome, so it can't be that mirror from the Snow Queen. Thought for a ,moment it was the mirror used to push Cora into Wonderland, but can't be either, the mirror was broken afterwards. Hook found the urn after he looked into the mirror.

There was a close-up. Rewatched the episode 2x19 by now particular for that. Didn't know the name of the actress, but looked it up, and it is not in the opening credits of this episode, or in the press-release, only in the end credits, guess on purpose. Have a better memory for faces than for names though.

Tinkerbell only followed the fairy dust. Not her fault that destiny seems to have a beef with Regina, or a wicked sense of humor. Speaking of wicked. Zelena might have not accomplished all she might have wanted to, but she managed to destroy or seriously threaten Regina's happiness in a way now. It amuses me somewhat, that they avoided so hard to give Marian's name in this episode, she was played after all by the same actress in 2x19 Lacey (Christie Laing). Did they count on people's bad memory? Oh, right, Regina couldn't know that she had Robin's wife in her dungeon and killed her, or wanted at least to kill her in the A timeline, before the big tragic reveal in the future, or presence.

It was a tragic love story by Andersen, the little Mermaid didn't get the love of her prince and died in the end, even though Andersen described that as a kind of happy ending for her, because she becomes a "daughter of the air". Would call that the biggest difference. But even though I might have agreed in the first season, the show is not a show about classical fairy tales, let alone playing with original ones (then Sleeping Beauty should have been about a king raping sleeping beauty, she getting pregnant and being woken up by her new born children, Snow White's mother should have been the Evil Queen trying to kill her own daughter). Peter Pan and The Wizard of Oz might be in some places classical tales for children but don't classify that much as fairy tales in my opinion, and if, so most certainly does Star Wars. Frankenstein is classical horror science fiction and seemed quite displaced in OUaT at first. Emma and Henry have not even any storybook equivalent, no matter how hard some people tried to connect them to any more known fairy tale or even less known one. I don't see that the show breaks any of it's own "rules" here with Frozen, it's not going against a founding charter of Storybrooke, they have used different resources for inspiration for their stories during all of the show. Might not like it that way, but the show was never restraint to adaptions of classical literature and for sure not to fairy tales. They were not outside of the curse, they were inside the dome Cora created. And all what that dome did was to prevent them from being taken to Storybrooke. The Dark Curse still effected them in freezing time for them, putting them into a time loop more or less in which they didn't age, but they didn't have fake new identities. It was never specified how Marian died. She got sick, probably cursed, while pregnant with Roland, and Robin went to steal the wand from Rumple to save her. Belle serving Rumple at that time, saved Robin and Robin saved his pregnant wife. These events must have played out a couple of months before Marian refused to betray where Snow is and Regina wanted to execute her, what Emma now stopped from being done. The past was in a way not altered, because Marian was gone and Robin believed she was killed and that that somehow was his fault. Emma altered elements of the timeline, the way they played out, but the important key moments still happened in a way, so Storybrooke and Emma came to be as before. If the Cora dome made that much sense is a different matter. Even less now that we've learned, that Hook somehow outrun the new Dark Curse, and before that Ariel and Eric somehow where in a place out of the curse's reach (what, was Blackbeard able to travel realms?). Not to mention, where and with who did Hook trade the Jolly Roger for a magical bean? Was Tiny able to grow a new crop up in the cloud, and was that a place not effected by the curse again, where he stayed with some folks? And why should it matter for Rumple to drink that forgetting potion considering he is able to see pieces of the future anyway, or has he somehow lost his abilities he stole from the seer? Or why did he brew it in the first place, he believed in fate and destiny didn't he, so what should knowing a few more things change about that? Can buy that maybe in the moment he learned that Bae died in the future as hero he wanted to forget that immediately out of pain, but still doesn't answer, why he made the potion in the first place. It was a nice funny line Rumple had there in the vault, but the forgetting potion plot made no sense.All for letting Emma say once to him, she loved Neal? That was so contrived.

David helped to save him, getting the water from Lake Nostros, killing the Siren guarding it, which though lead to the lake falling dry and them being not able to safe his mother later. And her name was given as Abigail. So, no. Unless King Midas as a second daughter. Didn't expect because thanks to Star Trek have by now a sort of allergic reaction to time travel, but I even enjoyed this episode. No wonder anymore, why Jennifer Morrison loved making these so much. Plenty of Emma in it, and a lot of different emotions and emotions to show. Morrison did a great job. And yeah for a glimpse into Emma's foster past. Had some fun with Emma and Hook banter. As well had fun with how they used the same lines now differently due to the changes in the story. Guess when rewatching will get big time continuity, loopholes and story logic headaches, but for a moment I choose to be oblivious to whatever. Saw the twist with Marian coming the moment she was on screen, but find it interesting. Not seeing yet though that Regina will go all crazy evil over that again. Yes, her first reaction was hurt, bad, but that is Regina, rash to lash out first and reflect later. Don't mind some rekindled tension with Emma, but doubt Regina will go all evil again. Barely noticde that Neal was in a flashback, still don't care much about the character and don't mind he's gone. But liked that Emma got her line about home being the place when you leave you miss it from Neal. Rumple is up to no good as long as he is the Dark One. But Belle said she loves even the Dark One, so. Still think that she is reduced to be his love and wish they would give her more of a story on her own. So Frozen is coming to Storybrooke. Bringing in Elsa intrigues me. Just don't find the umpteenth version of Arthur and Camelot, or 1001 Nights that interesting (the latter only if telling some of the unknown stories), and I have made my peace with OUaT being more of a pop culture storybook Disney fanfiction than digging into classical fairy tales and fairy tales from all over the world. So open to see what they'll make of Elsa.

Right, it depends on the new recruit. Agree, they approach people in different ways, whatever they think will get them, if it's a person they're after,and it's always better to convince them into joining than coerce them to work with them. But sure there are as well people quite eager to join them the minute the learn they exist, because they share their views, some of them people HYDRA might have not much use for than being cannon fodder. Ward was hardly the type to care about ideology at all, he was connecting more with people than ideas, so that was what Garrett appealed to as the good manipulator that he is, and to Ward's motivation or instinct to do all to survive (Garrett mention HYDRA "understands the importance of survival", making a connection to the twisted Nazi version of survival of the fittest). Ward didn't knew what HYDRA was at first, but should have learned about them in training, and I think he his no dimwit but actually smart, but even when he knew still choose to ignore, he convinced himself that there was nothing wrong in what he was doing. There are signs though, that Ward has an idea that it was not all right. Unlike Garrett, who doesn't care about right or wrong, to whom everything is right that serves him, Ward has a touch of conscience.