The Cake is a Pie

They missed such an opportunity by making Lauren evil. The whole premise of the show was built around Sydney's dual life, and by the time Lauren came in, the show was really missing a lot of the "normal life" stuff. I thought they could have mined a lot more emotional storylines out of having her being exactly who she said she was, and that her marriage to Vaughn was valid and real. Then all Vaughn's guilt about wanting to go back to Sydney and "cheating" on his wife would have been real and lot more significant. She didn't even have to die. They're international super spies, but they still have to deal with mundane, everyday issues like marriage and divorce.

Well, yes, that's what we all know, but like I said, if the show wants to retcon it so that Regina knew Ursula, I can handwave it. Maybe she was a mermaid legend specifically and hadn't been seen for centuries under the sea because she was actually living on land. Of all the dumb possible retcons, I can believe that one more than say, giving Cruella magic powers.

Regina knew enough about Ursula to impersonate her look and kind of attempted her voice, so I can handwave that they had at least met before "Ariel". What I will not accept is if they make Ursula the SEA GODDESS somehow be a student of Rumple. No.

Reavers! Did they stare out into the blackness of space and go bibbedy? Is it just me or when Abbie and Ichabod first climbed out of the demon manhole, for some weird reason Ichabod's hand looked HUGE. Glad to see Agent Jones. He's looking good since leaving the bureau.

I want to know what kind of party this is that Granny needs FIVE different pineapple-olive-ham concoctions. FIVE! This really has me more intrigued than anything having to do with either Regina or Rumple. And Belle is actually reaching for a skewer. One of them appears to be some sort of pudding or jello mold. I CAN'T EVEN. On a completely different note, I never noticed that awesome forest wallpaper before. I want it.

Maybe in the face of Captain Swan cuteness overload Regina will wish for another sleeping curse again under her breath and Mal will burst into the diner all, YOU RANG?

I wonder whose castle is getting purple-screened into Darkness HQ. Probably Maleficent's. That furniture looks to be more her style than Rumple's. Also, I thought Cruella is supposed to hate dogs (hence the puppy skinning). Whose cute rottweiler is that? Another one of Mal's pets? She's got more animal friends than Snow. Edit: Maybe all the pineapples means the Psych writers are taking over the show. A GIRL CAN DREAM.

Looks like Granny is throwing a party. What's with the pineapple cocktail appetizers? Hehehe... in the photo with Regina, Hook, and Emma, Emma is holding Hook's hook.

Show, please stop trying to make Helen of Cry happen.

I need a chart or scale to keep track of who falls where on the magic power scale.

Time travel. Ugh. Just...no with that, I can't. I can accept if Abbie goes under a trance or spell to let her witness past events, but to have her actually physically go back into the past and alter events that have happened? I'm out. I've hated it on all other shows that have done it, I'll likely hate it here, too.

Someone else already pointed this out earlier in this thread, but I can't find the post to quote it.... How is it we saw Grandma von Tassel and Katrina's mother in the flashback? Did her mother have her out of wedlock? Did her father take the Von Tassel name? Was she an immaculate conception? Because Helena Von Tassel should have been her paternal grandmother for her to have the same last name. Edit: oh, here's another possibility: Katrina's parents were both Von Tassels because they were cousins! =D

I'm on board with those who think we haven't met the husband yet. I'm not even sure if I ever want to meet him (maybe only in hints, but not as a major character). Thompson I could see turning into a valued ally for Peggy, and possibly having some unrequited attraction (I've only ever known The Chad from Gilmore Girls, so he's forever Tristan), but I don't see Peggy ever falling for him. I haven't really seen the guy playing Sousa in anything else (tried watched Dollhouse, but never got into it), so I don't have any preformed love for the guy, but I just don't see any chemistry at all between him and Peggy. It would be nice if he does figure out what's she's up to, but comes around to her side. I would like to see he and Thompson being Peggy's "team" in the SSR, along with Dooley's support. It's nice to watch a show with a female lead and not have it completely be about her love life.

Wait, was Zelena's LIFE tied to the necklace or just her magic? I thought it was her magic. Did they show what ultimately happened to the jewel? Didn't Regina snatch it off her neck? Does she still have it, and if she does, then supposedly she would possess Zelena's power (or life). I would welcome a Pan reappearance if it means more Neverland flashbacks, especially ones with him, Hook, and Tink. We were robbed of quality Captain Hook vs. Pan (and Tinkerbell) scenes.

Why is the top of Zelena's hat squished in? It looks like she's wearing a black traffic cone on her head. Zelena-as-Marian makes no sense whatsoever. It's more likely Marian asking Zelena for help with something to go against Regina, or vice versa. Common enemy and all.

There was also the squid ink that could incapacitate Rumple and Cora's magic nullifying cuffs.

I am holding out hope that the "six weeks later" from the last ep was only a cliffhanger for the rest of the season and the next ep will pick up where they left off and show us what happened during that six weeks' time. I hope, but that hope is not high.

I still don't understand why Emma's first reaction on finding out about Operation Moron wasn't to slap both Henry and Regina upside the head and point out that the book obviously only records events as they happen since she SAW it being erased and rewritten when she and Hook went back in time. Unless the Continuity Fairy being in the hat means the writers have completely forgotten that happened. Hopefully Emma tells Hook what they're up to and he just laughs and says, you know that's a pointless wild goose chase, but hey, whatever gets Regina to stop whining about Robin.

Well, at least now we know how Katrina has been keeping her hair nice and red. I'll fully support an evil Katrina if that means Ichabod will finally buy a clue about his shady witch wife and chooses to stand with Abbie against her.

He had more personality on that script page than he ever had on screen.

I can't really think of a character I want to see a full episode centered on LESS than Robin. This is going to have to be one of those read-the-recap-then-decide-to-watch-or-not episodes.

Everything about the gauntlet, from past to present, was a big, fat fail.

I thought karaoke would be unbearable cheese (as it often is in real life) but it was amusing. Do we know if this is it for Hawley? I liked him in small doses. He was a nice contrast to Ichabod's sometime stuffiness and do-goodiness. I hope the door is open for him to make occasinal reappearances. This amount of Katrina I can deal with. If they kept her at this level, hopefully helpful but in the background, then I can tolerate her existence. So.... Irving is a vampire now? Even if he shows up on video, don't all interrogation rooms have that giant two-way mirror? Wouldn't that have been noticed then? * If I recall correctly, Irving and the ex were divorced, but still loved each other and it was Frank always choosing his job over his family that drove them apart. So now that he's no longer police captain (or anything, really), then they're together again? Jamie Murray's charm is apparently all in her accent. *I just went back and checked the DVR and YEP, in the scene where Abby goes to talk to Irving and first walks into the room, the camera clearly shows his reflection in the big ass mirror. So something either changed between the last ep and this one or someone dun goofed. He's even reflected by the shiny metal table.

After seeing the shipless pirates on Galavant turning to sustainable farming, now I envision this video as Hook's job in the future after being in Storybrooke for years. Apparently he moves into Zelena's farmhouse and farms orchids for a living. And bought David's truck from him, after the Charmings got a minivan. And apparently never redecorated. I thought this, too. Esspecially at the end when she's standing by the truck.

Yeah, I should have reworded my post to I wish the show had "the capability" to have Emma go dark. It would have been interesting, but not in these hands. If Hook and Emma parallel Snow and Charming, and he's supposed to protect her heart, then I expect to see a scene where Hook pleads for Emma not to kill a villain. For whatever black heart reasons. *hurl things at screen*