Senna

Regina's actually getting pretty real up in here.

May wasn't a character I ever considered to be a possible death before (I was figuring it would be Mack, Lincoln, or Elena), because it's hard to imagine the team without her. But now that Andrew's gone ... I could kinda see them pulling it. I definitely would not like it.

In this episode: Skye and Ward "made babies"; Chekhov's cross appeared; everybody got tricked. I agree that the resolution for Lash lacked punch. Would've been nice if he could've at least freed a few more inhumans from the Hive and not just "special snowflake" Daisy. If Talbot doesn't have the power as head of the ATCU to order a military attack on a threat -- as they implied this episode, that he couldn't tell the truth about it (are inhumans a secret? I didn't think so), and there'd be too much red tape, anyway -- then what exactly is the point of the ATCU? At least Ros was fun to watch. I still miss Ros :( As a side note, I also thought it was stupid to say Hive was the "devil"/source of devil mythology. I don't see any connection there, since Hive's been on another planet for ages, though of course we haven't seen yet how the Hydra cult started around him. I am a bit interested in that piece of the equation -- how exactly did Hive gain that loyalty of people trying to bring him back for hundreds of years in the first place? I guess we'll see next episode. Mack having the cross this episode almost relieved me slightly because usually shows don't have the guts to prolong that kind of dramatic irony, so assuredly he will be handing it off to someone else like a deadly hot potato. Though he could still get caught with it at the end ... I hope not.

So it's Liam. WHAT A SURPRISE. Not really. I'm (not) looking forward to whatever cocked-up reasons they supply for his terrorism. But I'm glad it's not anyone I liked, I guess? Actually liking characters this week WAS a surprise. Simon and Raina in the diner were really cute; definitely the best couple this show has supplied (and probably the best actors on the show as well) . Pity they get so little time together. And since I've become inexplicably fond of Caleb, I enjoyed his parts in the episode too. "The Dark Prince," huh? I'm already sick of Shelby's parents, though. They "forgot" about her when she was regularly sending money to them? But now they suddenly feel bad because she's no longer out of sight, out of mind. Still The Worst. And Shelby made no sense. She was supposed to be getting her answers? I thought she was getting her parents arrested? Whatever. Reviewing the investigations of high profile terrorist attacks actually seems like legit work for FBI trainees, so for once I don't have complaints (even if there was a lot of stupid speechifying about how they've been "broken down and built back up" blah blah). Except maybe the "unrestricted access" to real evidence. Anyway. Maybe I'm feeling more charitable because this show is almost over (or maybe it was because I drank two glasses of wine before watching).

That was some impressive derp face on Robin as he died. I'm sorry, I should be serious, but I was long spoiled, and it's such a random death that that was all I could focus on. I do feel sorry for Robin's actor, as he was badly underutilized for most of his run. We barely saw him this arc! And now it seems he's been sacrificed on the altar of Regina's pain. (Because that's the only purpose I can see; I don't blame her for his death, just the writers.) I wonder if they'll ever bother explaining what they mean by "ending" his soul, other than he can't be retrieved from the underworld. I'm glad Arthur died in such an ignominious way, after all the dickery he got up to in the first part of the season. The fact that he's supposed to repair the Underworld ... ehhh, whatever, so long as we don't have to see it. (I do wonder what became of poor Guinevere.) (EDIT: I guess I'd be OK with some of Arthur's underworld adventures if it means the souls get freed. And Cruella shows up.) His little adventure with Hook was fun though, and made this episode enjoyable. More like, I really enjoy Hook's adventures, and that this one ended up in his reunion with Emma was the cherry on top. (Even if the timing was weird to say the least.) So Hades end game was merely taking over Storybrook. That's ... dull. Welp, on to the next crisis!

Maybe "accent" is not the right term. But he's definitely doing something different with his voice, and it sounded nasally to me last night. Whatever you want to call it, I find it distracting.

Oh, good, I'm not the only one who is bothered by SquidWard's accent. It was painful to see Mack let Daisy use him as a punching bag.

Drew is dumb, so I am completely uninterested in his being part of the conspiracy, and I definitely don't buy that he's the guy in charge. I guess the top candidates for "The Voice" right now are still Liam and maybe Simon. Ryan may be deceptive, but he never struck me as being capable of masterminding anything. But then again, no one really seems all that smart on this show. There was a nice symmetry in having the close quarters training between Alex and Ryan in the flashback and their fight in his office in the present. Thaaat's about it.

FitzSimmons were just too cute this episode. I wouldn't say I'm a shipper, but I want them to be happy, so I'm glad the Will part of SquidWard didn't derail things between them. And I was so proud of Jemma for finally being able to shoot SquidWard (even if it didn't do anything). Is it just me, or does SquidWard's accent jump around? There's something really off about the way he talks that I find artificial and distracting. Like (many) others, I appreciated May calling out Coulson's dirty hands. Yeah, just a little bit of hypocrisy there, giving Lincoln a murder vest (I kind of liked Lincoln and his snarkiness this episode) while you're off to save Damsel-in-Distress Daisy from the same affliction ... I hate that they keep popping up that flash-forward ~shocking death~ scene. Why do shows/promo monkeys love to call attention to character death? I really would rather not think about it (because it makes me worried -- it better not be Mack!).

I will be very disappointed if Will is dead. Drew, on the other hand, could not be gone soon enough. His "Go to the doctor when I might be sick? How dare you suggest that?!" storyline, similar to all his others, was a bore. The twins' plot with Freedman the handler was the worst though. Apparently you should trust strangers right away, even when they treat you badly ("I'll call you one and two" ... really?) and act shady! Or ... maybe you should not anyone at all. I'm not sure, and this show doesn't seem to be either.

I really liked seeing Cora interacting with Zelena and bringing her and Regina together in the present; that's the kind of stuff they should be mining in this arc -- bringing together characters who never got to interact before. Rebecca Mader was killing it in those scenes, and it's getting easier to buy a redeemed Regina. The flashback was ... kinda cute but kinda over the top. I really couldn't take the baby Regina dramatizing with that makeup smudged all over. Cora going to the light though? SMH. I feel like they could've done more with James. I liked that he was such a spoiled brat that he was jealous for such a petty reason. I am soooo ready for more Pan!

I had a lot of questions about poor, locked-up "druggie" Caleb (like, when exactly did he become a druggie? If it just after his dad died, then his mom had plenty of opportunity to get him into therapy or rehab with an "acceptable" explanation -- grief -- before it became like this. And why the big production with the old-fashioned key -- who was she even keeping out?), but apparently it was all a farce anyway! So Caleb continues to be the shadiest of the bunch, though Liam was looking pretty bad this episode too. And sorry, Miranda, I want to feel bad for you, but ... I just don't. I did feel bad for poor Will getting beat up.

Count me as another who would've preferred to see Red Warrior over "Ruby Slippers" (or Wolfie Kansas? Ew). At least it seems like Mulan and Red like each other. While Meghan Ory was trying her best to sell the instalove, I found Dorothy absolutely charmless (and I honestly don't expect her to show up again, so there's little chance of me ever finding her likable). But maybe now we can get a Shang (male or female, doesn't matter to me) for Mulan? I'm definitely ready for this arc to quit it with the filler and go somewhere.

I didn't understand why Stephanie was all "u lied!" to Malick before SquidWard killed her. Because she found out he was afraid at some point in the past? Or did Malick tell her about his brother being "chosen" and claim it was such an honor or something? On that note, I wonder how the secret circle explains its (mostly prominent, wealthy, from what we've seen) members disappearing to the outside world. "Oh, where's Nate? He heard Tahiti is a magical place!" As SquidWard carries the memories of his previous hosts, it'd be interesting to see him interact with Jemma. I wonder if we'll get to see some flashbacks to the original inhuman (Alveus?). This was kind of a lowkey episode, but at least now it feels like we're going in the direction of a big showdown.

Could Shelby's parents be any more scummy? War criminals using their own daughter to continue running from the law, yeesh. They claimed if they hadn't faked their own deaths they would've lost Shelby, their company, their freedom ... all of which they lost anyway. Though I guess since they "died" Shelby got to keep their fortune, soooo that's that. That said, even though they're the worst, it was totally messed up of Caleb to terminate contact with them without a say-so from Shelby. That's not the kind of decision you make for someone you've been dating a few months. Despite that, I've somehow developed a soft spot for Caleb, even though he was one of my least favorites at the start. Maybe because I feel sorry for him when I try to remember what's happened to him and Shelby since the timeskip and recall that she slept with his dad (still gross). ... I also still think he's the mastermind, particularly since we haven't heard from him in the present. Are we supposed to find Drew sexy? So far he hasn't done anything that's changed my initial opinion of "obnoxious." Alex sleeping with him continues the theme that she has terrible taste in men.

I wouldn't mind seeing a Belle who embraced the havoc she causes; that's what makes Rumple (... sometimes) fun. It's obnoxious to see her continuing to abet evil while claiming that she's better than that. She barely even cared that Rumple murdered her fiance! But at this point Rumbelle just makes me roll my eyes, so whatever (to think, Skin Deep was my favorite season 1 episode). I did like the other parts of the episode all right, little though they were. I like Ruby/Red, so I look forward to wherever that's going. EDIT: I forgot to mention, per my closed captioning, Gaston's last name was ... LeGume? Like ... a bean? I was going to make a crack about this until I googled it, and apparently that's his official name in the Disney movie too!

I don't usually swear but ... FUCK THIS SHIT. I have never felt so badly used and abused, nor been made so unhappy, by a TV show before. This is NOT OK. P.S. It's probably cancelled anyway, but if it's renewed ... I ain't watching.

In this episode: Ward learns of the Matrix. (But really, that jacket ...) Andrew surrendering himself to SHIELD felt a bit anti-climactic right after we saw how hard May and Simmons are looking for him. And other than Andrew and the team seeing not!Ward, this episode felt a bit filler-ish. So the guy was supposed to see a vision every time he touched someone, and he only ever saw visions that ended in death. Unless he was responsible for the deaths in some way (and I guess this was the case in some of them), it's a bit much. I wonder if he tried heavy duty gloves? (It looked like every vision involved skin to skin contact.) Plastic wrap? (Suddenly I'm thinking of the show Pushing Daisies!) I would've appreciated more details about his trying/failing to escape and outwit his "gift."

That was definitely some truth bomb dropping in that conversation between Belle and Rumple. I wish this could've happened a long time ago, but I suppose that either way it'll just go back to Belle "believing in" Rumple or whatever she wants to call it. I was definitely feeling the Zades love during their cute bike ride ... that a scene between the Wicked Witch and Hades should be cute is an accomplishment. Then of course Hades had to screw it up by babbling about true love. Too soon, man. I can't even decide if he was trying to be manipulative or is just obsessive. Either way I don't blame Zelena for noping out of the conversation, but it was a little bit much that she never wanted to see him again. A part of me is honestly rooting for them ... Soooo. When exactly will Robin "know" Pistachio enough to give her a real name? When she's 2? 10? 25?

This episode. Killed me dead. All the Ichabbie goodness at the beginning ... then Joe DIES ... then Betsy's ALIVE ... I mean, I've been feeling the second one coming all season, I just kept hoping it wouldn't happen, because her character (but mostly her actress) has always been a weakness in the show, and having her around in the present is just shudder-inducing. Though since the preview , maybe there's hope. Also, did they say who was going by Betsy Ross after she got stuck in the catacombs? Or maybe they can figure out how to fling her back into the past, so it is her, but changed after that experience? I didn't foresee Joe dying, and at Jenny's hand, no less. I'm still half expecting them to switch that around somehow -- maybe Betsy's life for Joe's? Papa Mills being in the know is interesting, though I'm not sure where they're going with it. I feel like now that Danny has admitted he was spying on Abbie to Sophie, he's going to die.

I legit squealed when Mack christened his contraption a "shotgun axe." (But I still won't be satisfied until he gets a proper one.) Also, have we ever learned his full name before? Is Alfie short for Alfred?! His little brother was a bit annoying. What kind of person sees a building with people in it implode and gets excited like a little kid? I might buy the thoughtlessness if he was a teenager, but on an adult it's pretty disgusting. I really liked the Simmons and May scenes tonight. Simmons' wanting to become stronger from her guilt, and May's resolve. Good character moments.

Is it bad that a part of me is hoping the spinoff will fail so Bobbi and Hunter can come back to SHIELD? I'm gonna miss those two crazy kids. (Not to say I won't watch the spinoff, because I will.)

OK, something confused me this episode, possibly because I don't watch that closely anymore. Nimah was watching a house where Raina had been. Ground is snow-covered. Nimah impersonates Raina, goes inside, discovers a stash of guns. I was thinking because of the snow-covered ground that this was a present time scene, and Raina had fallen back in with the terrorist group. But then we see Nimah confront Raina about the situation and they appear to be in the dorms and cooperating with Miranda (as opposed to the present), so I guess the whole thing was actually a trainee-flashback, and thus the start of Raina's undercover mission? Can anyone confirm this? I really wish they would just quit with the trainee flashbacks. We've pretty much seen how they affect the present (other than maybe how Nathalie and Ryan ended up together), the new people are dull, and the training exercises are stupid. (Sure, FBI agents may be called on to be witnesses, so training is good. However, 100 percent guilty beyond a doubt people going free? I'd think that'd be a bit on the prosecutor.) Except I guess we get to see further evidence of Caleb and Liam being shady. Which is totally new information. Oh, and confirmation that Alex and Liam slept together. Ewwww. Simon's actor sure has the crazy eyes down. I figured he wasn't killing himself with setting the house on fire but ... I mean ... really, WHY? Also, do they not have electricity in Vermont?

Really good episode. I wasn't sure how the show was going to deal with Milah, but I felt they did a good job giving her more layers and making her sympathetic (while Rumpel murdering her was horrid, I never really liked Milah for leaving Bae behind; that makes more sense now). And I agree that Rumpel has put himself beyond redemption by this point; I hope Milah becoming a lost soul isn't forgotten and she can be rescued somehow. I was definitely among those wondering what the heck the horse's unfinished business is.

The past few episodes have been boring me a bit, but this one snapped me back to attention. The donut shenanigans, the odd couples of Hidden One/Crane and Pandora/Abbie, the bloodline connection (not that we didn't already suspect), the Joeny, CranexAbbie hug, and of course, *hands flutter* Mind blown! I'm actually feeling a bit excited for the last two episodes.