AmeliaBedelia

Well, that was kind of disappointing. The tone was very uneven and way too jokey. The fighting could have been amazing, but that would have meant character development. I did not care for the Snow Queen offing herself. What a copout. The music also seemed off to me. I found myself paying more attention to it than the dialogue.

I've watched the ep three times now. It seriously made my whole day. Ryder Strong looks good and he and Ben Savage haven't missed a beat. I was slightly bothered by the generic holiday mentions even though it was obviously Christmas. I liked the inclusion of more mature topics like Alan being an older dad and Shawn leaving the city. Joshua is great. He should stay. I did not miss the school setting at all. Shawn slayed me in almost all of his scenes especially when he said "I don't mean to" and his "We can't do it!" The only real sour note for me was Topanga. Thirteen episodes in and DF still seems awkward/uncomfortable in front of the camera. She doesn't embody a grown up Topanga to me.

I have mixed feelings about this episode. I thought most of the flashbacks were boring. If it were up to me, I would get rid of the fairybacks completely. They worked in season one, but not anymore. They seem like a crutch that the writers use so they don't have to come up with compelling storylines/character arcs for the main cast every ep. I did like a few scattered moments. It was funny when Rumple pulled out the furniture polish. I enjoyed the idea of the Mommy and me class, but I didn't like that Snow, Aurora, and Cinderella are now all about rearing their children. Fine in real life, but lame on tv. I liked Hook and Charming being paired up in the ep. They didn't get much to do, but it's nice they are getting along. Will Scarlett actually got me to watch a Robin Hood scene. I fast forwarded all the others, but had to stop when Will came into Granny's. More Will please. I felt that Emma losing control of her powers happened too quickly. There should have been more bread crumbs in the previous episodes to build up to this moment. I truly hate what they've done to Snow. Her scenes this whole season have been useless. I would rather not see her at all, which is a shame, because she was my favorite in season one. I am looking forward to Rumple executing his plan. His scenes made this episode not a complete waste of time.

Aurora looks horrified in the bottle pic so maybe Emma offers to heat the milk in the microwave or something. Snow, as always, is failing in the wardrobe lottery.

I don't know why I bothered to put my glasses on to watch this ep, it was 90% filler and garbage. Definitely one of the worst eps of the entire series for me. Admittedly, I am not a big Belle fan...and her scenes with Anna and Rumple did not change my mind. I did like the thirty seconds of Hook/Emma and the DQ/Rumple stuff. The last scene was interesting. I just wish the episode had focused more on that and less on pointless fairybacks.

My favorite Emma scenes were her first and last ones. The rest were utter crap. LP sounded like she had a cold. The word "assuage" is just weird to hear out loud. Emma wants Regina to be her friend? Not buying it. Will never buy it. Elsa was boring this week, which is a shame because I do really like the actress. That cape was truly terrible. I liked the minor Snowing plot. They got to kiss like four times. So, win. SQ wants a family? So has every other Once villain. It usually doesn't turn out well. Hook and Emma are still so damn adorable. JMo should wear her hair in a low ponytail more often. I'm glad Hook's guilt was put on hold this week so that he could be a supportive boyfriend. Emma flashbacks were kind of a waste of time. Could have gotten to the video tape in a faster more interesting way.

This episode was very uneven for me. I was pleasantly surprised I didn't experience secondhand embarrassment over the date (I love Captain Swan, but I hate intentional awkwardness on television). While I wasn't embarrassed, I definitely wanted more meat to the date. I thought we'd get to see Emma ask Hook some questions about himself. Instead, we got Hook looking at his "evil" hand in half of their scenes. Pacing, as always, was my biggest issue with this episode. The Hook/Rumple stuff could have easily been spread out over two or three episodes. Hook both got and lost his hand in a short amount of time. That is one plot point that should have been given space to breathe. Letting things unfold more slowly would solve some of the writer's problems with juggling multiple storylines. Did I need to see what felt like twenty minutes of Anna? Not really. I truly missed Elsa and wanted more Snow Queen. Also, will Charming ever get to hold his new kid? The little moments did ultimately make me feel positively towards this episode. Hook and Emma held hands twice! Snow and Charming got to fawn over their daughter for a bit. Emma wore Hook's jacket. Will and Hook both said bloody hell and Will was snuggling Alice in Wonderland. Not sure how I feel about the Apprentice stuff. My mom hated Fantasia, so I never got to watch it as a kid. Don't like the idea of Henry getting more screentime. He's at that age when kids should be shipped off to boarding school. He's no longer young enough to be awww cute, but he's too young to be involved in the more interesting adult plots.

MVP's for me in this ep were Kristoff, Will, and Hook. I am a sucker for charming, funny men (especially when they have accents). I love just listening to Will talk and Hook's delivery of "Meself" had me rolling. Hook and Will should have a "bloody hell" off. Maybe that will happen in an upcoming episode lol. I find the Snow Queen intriguing. I like that EM is not chewing the scenery (looking at you Zelena). She comes off as distant and cold (heh) which I appreciate, but there is underlying tension there. I am curious to know about her connection to Emma. Sucks to be Marian. I like the character, but I already not paying attention to that storyline. Helps keep my blood pressure down. Only major disappointment of the season so far has been Snow's scenes. I would like a moment where she and Charming get to enjoy their new baby together. I would also like to see Emma bonding with her little brother.

"not a boy not yet a man"? "Mrs.Parker and the vicious circle"?

"wet Newfoundland dogs with googily eyes"?

"operation sleepy weasel"?

http://previously.tv/extra-hot-great/the-canon/

"Thank you, my wife"?

"nothing makes me angrier"?

I enjoyed this one even though the balance was way off. The Good: Emma being comfortable enough to use the word "Dad." Grumpy's one liners. Baby Charming...he's adorable. Captain Swan hug and handhold! I liked their stuff in this ep way better than the premiere. Anna in the flashbacks. Her voice even sounded like Kristen Bell. The Bad: The CGI ice was distracting. I don't remember David's dad being branded a drunk. Hook chipping at the ice with his hook (admirable but dumb). Snow's references to lactating (I know it's natural, but blech). Henry's changing voice was very grating on my ears. Ice Queen freezing half of the shop at the end. I understand the effect they were going for, but that was silly.

I was sure Sarah was going to mention Ichabod and Abbie. It is my sincerest hope that they don't go down that road....they have such good friend chemistry.

On rewatch, I noticed a few things I had missed. When Anna put the dress on, it did not look like the same wedding dress that had been hanging up. Hook and Charming were laying with their heads next to each other on the ground when "unconscious." That was adorable. Emma actually said, "Now you wanna go home and watch Netflix?" It was more of a sarcastic comment than I originally thought, but it definitely fits her character and Hook wasn't deterred.

Reading the recaps from last week definitely helped lower my expectations (which turned out to be a good thing). I enjoyed most of the Frozen scenes, but was annoyed by how little we saw of Emma and company. Episode basically felt like set-up. I don't care about Rumbelle, but their dance was surprisingly short. The snow monster was silly looking, and I hated how everyone was conveniently knocked out for twenty seconds...just enough time for Regina to save the day. The Captain Swan kiss was cute. I appreciated Hook's exasperation with her. The troll was perhaps the best bit of CGI the show has done. Looking forward to next week where Emma will hopefully get more than five minutes of airtime.

Things I liked: Brandon/Callie kiss-I know these two won't go away since they were telegraphed in the pilot, and I do see loads of chemistry between the actors. I wish the show hadn't rushed their relationship in season 1, but that can't change now. I am looking forward to what happens next. Rita-Rosie is awesome. I hope she's in a couple eps the next half. Mariana's brown hair! Robert's reaction to Callie's speech was very sweet. I was very indifferent to Robert when the character was introduced, but I do like him now. DIslikes: Lena quitting her job...not smart and I hate when there's tension between her and Stef. Jude not telling what happened in the tent. Did they smoke a cigarette? Kiss? Buy a kayak with a stolen credit card? I want to know! Sophia probably hurting herself in the bathroom. I will not feel sorry for this character and the actress has bugged me since her stint on OUAT. Lou: Why is she still around? Overall Rating: B

I felt a teeny bit bad for Wyatt in this one and I have never liked his character. He wanted to protect Callie so badly and it didn't work out. I'm not really sure where else the writers can go with Wyatt and Callie. I've never thought he had a chance at winning the "triangle" so his scenes just come off as filler.

I liked this ep a bit better than the last one, but it certainly wasn't a home run. Callie's continued panic attacks felt plot pointish. I also thought Lou's behavior was inconsistent. She was cool and distant to Brandon and all of a sudden she wants to jump his bones. Good on Brandon for turning her down (for now at least). I am over Jesus. I don't feel badly for him. I just want him to go away. Stand out scenes for me were Stef/Callie and Brandon/Mike.

Super resilient Callie...I think that's why I rolled my eyes instead of cheering when she ran back inside. The show had the flames going and of course Becca was unconscious and of course Rita couldn't lift her alone. Callie is petite. Not sure how much help she would have been even if her adrenaline kicked in. I also agree with others who said this episode was a momentum stopper. I was looking forward to the Dani fallout and nothing happened.

I didn't care for this one. Felt like a spin off to The Fosters that I know and love. The only character that is allowed to disappear suddenly because of something like "wrestling practice" is Jesus. No more Judeless eps please. Not sure I buy callie rushing back into a burning building. The whole thing was rushed and sloppy.

I personally don't think Callie has to be adopted in order to be part of the family. However, her relationship with Robert and Sophia takes time away from the Foster household scenes which are my favorite part of the show. I really enjoyed this episode. The brandon, mike, stef, Lena scenes were so intriguing. I kept getting mad when other scenes were playing out because I wanted to get back to the action. The romantic relationships for the kids on this show are hard to get attached to. I absolutely love brandon and callie as best friends. That needs to keep happening despite anything else that may go on.