samhalliwell

The sheer effort put into that post is astounding. I'm pretty sure anyone who isn't a fan of the show might consider it a bit of an exageration (and not actually open every link, to their own disgrace), but seeing how there's no one like that here I'm also sure the "I REGRET NOTHING!" motto is in full force. Daddy Charming will do that. Heh.

Hi back to all who said hi already! Also, YAY for the recaps!! I started reading my fave Downton Abbey episodes' recaps just so I'd get a taste of it, today. Good to know I won't have to rush it anymore, but it's still kinda bittersweet with the whole not having new ones part :(

I read someone on another forum post that he might end up locked up in a bottle as a genie and cast into oblivion, parallelling the Aladdin movies and neatly making a come-back possible. Though that'd be interesting, I agree that he should die. Dude was nasty.

They really ought to have her develop her powers actively and not just when they need some magic and there's no Rumple/Regina nearby. Fun fact: her being more open and ready to acknowledge and allow herself to feel emotions both to herself and around others should totally become a plot-point and make her magic stronger. IMO, self-affirmation and emotional openness sound like great sources of/fuel for white magic. Hope they'll do it eventually :)

Well, unless we don't take MRJ's tweets after the episode aired at face value, Nealfire's seems to be the logical one. Sure he can be brought back and flashbacked to both as Neal and Bae, but still be dead in present-day narrative. Of course, there's still a lot of season to cover, so WWW may bite in the end (especially if she's the only truly irredeemable villain on the show).

It goes a long way to show that the first Baelfire-centric episode was actually more about Emma and Rumple. Then again, he's always largely been a plot device in their respective stories, so it's only logical.

That does make sense, though it'd really miss the point of Belle's actual characterization in the original movie. The "oddness" everyone pointed out was simply how she was a young woman more interested in reading than doing what girls usually did in small French towns in the 18th century. Likewise, her dad was eccentric because he made inventions that were arguably ahead of the times. Regardless, I can see the Once people going for that particular route and as long as they continue to delve into her character more deeply/often, I can totally get on board.

Well, when put into this clear a perspective it's almost a relief someone actually paid a price for giving new life to something so awful and the paying results in general awfulness. Yet another poignant aspect that could have been addressed if there hadn't been 300 other plot points that need to be quickly resolved in 40 minutes of episode. The thing that bugs me the most about Zelena is that they are so selective about what she's up to. Yeah, in this episode she planned to get Rumple back and perfectly manipulated everybody to that end, but it's irritating that her Storybrooke aim is still so vague. I get that they need to keep us on our toes (and they're probably getting around to that this Sunday when she has to collect The Heart), but it feels like they should have showed something far earlier. Also, I am fully lobbying for a mind-haze in the Curse because even if I could buy Mary Margaret's gullible nature and the unexpected pregnancy interfering with Snow's judgement, the amount of times Zelena touched her belly and the way the scene played out should have made Snow's Spidey-sense tingle, somewhat. I am aware it has all been already shot and edited, but what. Ever.

Heh, that should make for an amazing all-round family experience, MedievalGirl. Sometimes it seems like we can underestimate the impact our shows can have on our daily, mundane lives and then stuff just makes it pop out of nowhere. It's wonderful.

Sometimes I'd just prefer they'd accept magic as a force of nature in L'enchantement that can be harnessed and used via emotion and forget the whole "price" thing. The price is mostly something Rumple uses/used to intimidate/benefit from his deals, and sacrificing "the thing you love most" for the Curse(s) could very well be treated as an ingredient/requirement for any other ritualistic spell we've ever seen on any story that dealt with magic, ever. Again, the plot plot plot train runs over something that should really have been addressed (or hand-waved) in-show. Also, is anyone else dreading the eternal use of Da Curse for the remainder of the show? It dawned on me not too long ago that, considering budget and settings and all that real-world stuff, the Storybrooke Curse is very likely here to stay not because it's a show staple within the story itself, but just because it simply is part of the logistics the crew and network have set for it. They might end it eventually, but I can still theorize and worry about it (because what else am I a fan for but that and nitpicking on the characters' hair/clothing?).

Well, they sure love making parallels to highlight... stuff they want highlighted (forgive the ineloquence, but it is my point, lol). I still remember how the Regina/Robin scene in 3x15 was a direct callback to their first in 3x12 to oh-so astutely clue us in to the fact that whatever happened in the lost year was Capital I Important enough so that when they meet again while cursed they interact in a whole different way. Back on topic, they clearly intend to explore how the loss of Bae/Neal affects everyone, but a bolder storytelling choice would be to truly have his bad choices resurface and be confronted about them. I get it's a big character and they clearly wanted him dying engraced with everyone, but yeah, we're not getting what many of us seem to view as the right punch anytime soon.

Maybe, and this is stretching it a lot, the Storybrooke outfits they put Belle in could function as reminders of the Lacey persona. Or perhaps it's just that Emilie DeRavin has weird taste in clothing.

Charming was stated to be courage last week, I think. Everyone' money seems to be on Hook being heart, even if many characters fill that particular bill IMO. Also, on the Regina/Robin thing: I think Robin's aggressive approach and Regina's welcoming reaction are supposed to be both a callback to the totally cold and uninterested first moment they spent together in 3x12 and a callforward to the fairybacks showing their relationship in the lost year we're bound to see in the next eps. Another small tidbit that just came to mind, what with the other gazillion things happening in the episode. Lol.

GreyBunny, I do need to rewatch so I can catch the details better (besides rewatches being fun regardless), but I suppose I didn't notice Hook' subtle emotion in that scene because I found Snow and Belle's overt sadness weird and that took me out of the scene a lot. I still think revisitting Bae/Neal is a very likely possibility, what with Barbara Hershey and Rose McGowan both coming back to play a character that was killed off almost a year ago, so getting backstory shouldn't be an issue (even if closure will).

Just because I'm really nitpicky tonight: anyone else bothered by how Snow's idiocy seems even worse after the way she acted through this episode? How the HELL is it that the "best tracker in the room" couldn't home in on the GIANT EMERALD IN THE CLOTHES OF THE MIDWIFE SHE MET PRECISELY WHEN THIS CURSE STARTED, at any point prior to it being revealed? I hope they show Zelena inserting a mind-hazing clause into the curse, because otherwise it's just silly and a disservice to Snow's character.

I loved how he totally understood what Emma was feeling regarding Henry and NYC before she even said. He'd know, considering it's what he and Snow did for Emma.

I can only hope they manage to streamline their characters' participation in the story with this, somehow, though the show still has more people than they can manage. I still find it jarring how such a key player got snuffed out without any build-up, while an actual throwaway character who could have easily been forgotten (Robin) is going full soap-opera with Regina for the remainder of 3B. Mind you, I like Robin, but him having more mainstay presence than Nealfire is just silly.

Was I the only one who almost screamed at the tv for an Emma or Rumple's goodbye True Love's Kiss? I mean, that'd have been a great callback to either Graham's death (though no kiss was there, either) or the S1 finale where familial love undid the curse. I would have absolutely loved it if the writers totally changed the way the story was going halfway through and have Zelena and everyone else be forced to get their sh*t together with no time react after an early curse-breaking. Of course, it'd have led to even more disjointed moments later on, but an actual plot twist that alters the dynamic would be great, IMO. Also, reposting this from the Nealfire thread as it is appropriate: Quiet Minds really left me feeling... awkward, for lack of a better word. For a character that is so central to absolutely everything the overarching story hinges on and directly related to three of the most important plot-starters and movers (Rumple, Emma and Henry), the episode felt more like a quick wrap-up for some pesky and inconvenient plot element than a proper send-off to a main character. They can revisit him in flashbacks, but I still think a moment between him and Henry and the Charmings re: Tallahassee will leave an important character arc unresolved. On a different but not unrelated note, considering The Hug of All Awkwardness that took place, IMO Hook is the one who should have been an emotional wreck at Gold's shop, not Snow and Belle; I know he's not about grand emotional displays and they are (and the hug itself was such a display and showed he must have known what was coming), but he'd still be the most organic, given he's the one who actually knew Baelfire for an extended period of time.

Quiet Minds really left me feeling... awkward, for lack of a better word. For a character that is so central to absolutely everything the overarching story hinges on and directly related to three of the most important plot-starters and movers (Rumple, Emma and Henry), the episode felt more like a quick wrap-up for some pesky and inconvenient plot element than a proper send-off to a main character. They can revisit him in flashbacks, but I still think a moment between him and Henry and the Charmings re: Tallahassee will leave an important character arc unresolved. On a different but not unrelated note, considering The Hug of All Awkwardness that took place in the same episode, Hook is the one who should have been an emotional wreck at Gold's shop, not Snow and Belle; I know he's not about grand emotional displays and they are, but he'd still be the most organic, given he's the one who actually knew Baelfire for an extended period of time.

I'll definitely have to rewatch the episode, because even though I do remember that bit between David and Hook, what I remember the most about that scene is the (weird and somewhat misplaced) absolute devastation Snow and Belle had going on. Was gonna get lengthy on how I see Belle and Snow's moment as weird, but I'll take it to the episode or Neal thread. Back on topic, my David-bias became clear today, what with his backseat-taking and all. The Tower may have had something to do with it. All the Daddy and Daughter moments were absolute gold, among other nice bits in an overall disconcerting episode.

I still can't seem to get over that 1) they, again, went with the single most predictable plot twist available, and 2) that they literally had every single character beat related to Nealfire resurface just to have him killed in the end. I'd like to think they'll somehow subvert it later on, but I doubt it what with the obviously intended finality and tragedy of it all. (Should I be taking all this to the 3x15 thread? Not sure if I'm breaking forum rules or basic on-topicness with all this).

Thank you, stealinghome, for that absolutely amazing and not at all time-wasting screencap recollection. Now I'm left wondering: is it possible Charming's had more different hairstyles than Snow throughout the show? I know that with all the wigs and up-do's it's hard to outdo women in the hair department, period, but since 3B started it's been bugging me that Ginny seems to be limited to non-flattering wigs and short-short haircuts. (I know, curse stuff, but whatever, one has to be superficial every once in a while). The David/Hook bromance needs to keep up, stat. They just seem to have these built-in little moments where they really sell the odd friendship angle without it being slammed on our faces. I suppose that's more about the writers finding a way to let the characters actually interact more often than the speed of the plot allows them to, but it'd still be nice.

*SPOILERS, for anyone who hasn't seen today's ep* Not a spoiler-follower here, but is it safe to assume that after today's episode we won't be seeing most of the Nealfire closure we were talking about here? I sincerely hope they delve into it more deeply, especially when Henry gets his memories back (which is a thing that is totally happening). Also, regarding what everyone else has said, I'd love to actually see Ursula and Maleficent in all teir glory. Ruby, Tink, the two couples from the Wonderland crew and maybe Ariel, too, somehow.

It just goes to show how social media has changed what everyone expects from... anything, really. The fact that the people involved with a tv show can interact with fans as the show airs makes for a remarkable entertainment experience, but even then I think the TWoP recap style can be enriched further by it. I suppose deep-thought, lenghty written recaps with a single train of thought are not more appealing to current viewers than the numerous stream of consciousness posts that can be found on Twitter or Tumblr.

I shouldn't try and make theories up when it's so late at night for me, but between all the James/David dichotomy and all the stuff at the Wish thread, I can't get the idea of an inevitable Curse Reloaded and what said new curse would do to each character out of my head. Crazy, possibly bad fanfic-like theorizing ahead. Specifically related to Charming, maybe having him (1) think/believe he was actually James all along, (2) have the twins' souls/minds/however-they-decide-to-call-it traded somehow and have James wreak emotional havoc as a Magnificent Bastard for a while (my Charmed roots are showing here, something for which I fully apologize), or maybe even a shared mind/split personality where both brothers interact inside David's head. Yeah, my comicbook roots are also showing, as that last one is not easily conveyed without focusing the camera work/writing on the personality split/mental dialogue. (I did warn you. Heh). On a lighter note, the Charming Hair Club totally has to be a thing. I need to do the absolutely gruelling task of reviewing his looks through the years, but the one InsertWordHere linked to (the first one, not the funny shepherd one which is clearly an in-joke and shouldn't trascend that status, EVER) and the one he's sported since season 3B began are definite favorites :) ETA: LOL at the Wig of Doom being an elligible Curse-trait for poor David. I can not imagine how much they must have teased Josh over that look while filming.