Souris

I updated Scenes From Season 4.

I wholly disagree with this. We saw him come to the realization in S2 that he wasn't happy after he thought he got his revenge against Rumple. He realized it didn't make him happy, it didn't magically make everything better. He even verbalized this to Regina and that maybe nobody liked them because they were just being villainous. And he started taking steps to act in a better manner. To me, it stemmed WAY more from realizations within himself than from any mercenary plan that would get Emma in his bed. Even though he fancied her, Emma was more a conduit to giving him an opportunity to be a part of something and, to quote As Good As It Gets, "You make me want to be a better man." To find somebody that will help inspire you to be a better person isn't a negative to me. He absolutely didn't save David's life because he expected something from Emma in return -- as far as he was concerned, Emma was never going to know about it. He tried to stop David from telling everyone about it, until he realized that David was making up a story, and he was still then uncomfortable with the praise. Now, he did indeed save David's life FOR Emma, because he cared about her and didn't want her to lose her father, but it wasn't out of any expectation that he would get something from her in return. There was no quid pro quo, Clarice. He certainly didn't expect her to ACTUALLY kiss him, even though he flirted for for it. He expected her to roll her eyes and walk away as usual. Likewise, he could have used trading away the Jolly Roger any number of times during 3B to make her feel beholden to him if that was all he was interested in, but he didn't until she seriously asked him about it. I don't think he would have ever said anything about it if she hadn't directly asked. If all he wanted was something from her, he could have used that ace up his sleeve a dozen times when she was New York-ing all up in his grill. But he didn't, until she'd already decided to stop running and stay in Storybrooke.

Taking my reply to the Hook thread.

I haven't seen any concrete spoiler about a Hook/Elsa connection. Just a lot of ship speculation. But do tell if there is actually one! As fast as they've moved with Regina and Robin, not only will they get the TLK, but they'll be married with five kids and an SUV by the end of 4B. Hook and Emma seem to be the only relationship they're taking at a standard TV pace. But I want any TLK this season to be theirs, dammit.

Q is for the Queen's bedroom, where Regina sent de-hearted Graham. Grrr.

I just read that apparently Lana got married today. Not much time for a honeymoon, then!

J is for Jungle, where they kept traipsing through on Neverland.

C is for castles, of which there seem to be a lot.

U is for Ursula.

R is for Ruby/Red.

L is for Liam Jones!

Ah, yes!

J is for James, David's erstwhile twin. (I should have waited for K.)

Truthfully, I can only remember him being left with his grandparents, Hook, Regina, Archie and Leroy.

That's 100% exactly the reading I got, too. I totally saw Emma be rattled around him multiple times because he was getting to her in a way she wasn't ready to deal with. I certainly can't see things through other viewers' eyes and experiences, but the fact she was attracted to him was clear as day to me, practically from the start. She was totally mesmerized when he was bandaging her hand in "Tallahassee." She abandoned him on the beanstalk because she sensed something there and couldn't make the leap of faith to trust it and him. Then there was the "You and I? We understand each other" at the end of S2 -- very telling, as not many people seem to understand Emma. Most of the time, she would go right along with the flirting and innuendo, because that's something Ms. One-Night Stand was fine and comfortable with. But get deeper and serious? Eek! Run away! If he wasn't getting to her, she wouldn't have run. She would have simply let him be serious because it meant little to her, or made it clear she wasn't attracted to him. She never tried to shut his feelings for her down -- she simply refused to allow herself to deal with them. And yet, for all her running scared from him, at the same time, she opened up to him far more than with any other character on the show ever. She told him things she wouldn't and didn't tell anyone else. That's SUPER telling for Emma. She's always been more vulnerable with him than anybody else. For Emma, that's a huge tell. I saw this long before I actively shipped them -- in fact, I was actively trying NOT to ship them or anyone else on this show or any other. I instituted a no-shipping TV-show policy for myself seven years ago, because I got too annoyed and frustrated by past ships. I wasn't getting invested in any other couples, absolutely not. Specter of a triangle? Oh, HELL TO THE NO. And I kept faithfully to that rule until late in this season with Hook and Emma, because it was just so. freaking. obvious. to. me. that I finally threw my hands up and caution to the wind and said, "OK, FINE!!" Neal dying removed the last obstacle for me, that dreaded triangle possibility. But I saw it from "Tallahassee." I was just being Emma about it, LOL. Of course, I also happened to be there when two co-workers were introduced for the first time, and I practically saw the little electric heart bubbles pop up over their heads. There was absolutely nothing in their words to indicate this, just something in the air, but I went to a friend immediately afterward and said, "I'm calling it now, "Bob" and the new girl? They're totally gonna get together." And now they're inseparable. So maybe I just especially notice stuff like that.

JMo's white outfit screams Princess Leia to me.

OK, characters. A is for Ariel!

Z is for Zelena, who had strong magic.

Word. I just wanted them to have a couple of freaking DAYS when they didn't have to worry about a crisis. They all need naps. I mean, they can realize it's unseasonably cold, but that happens. But it's not like OMG!CRISIS!!!!!

New interview with JMo. Not a lot about Once, but she says she read a lot of memoirs of people who grew up in the foster system as prep for Emma.

Yes, I was also thinking we'd see Walsh again and agree that your scenario would have been good for Emma. Seeing he was an actual human (the Wizard!) who'd been turned into a monkey would have indeed made her feel less like she had had some icky cryptozoological relations. But, you know, Zelena needed her monologuing time.

F is for Fireballs, which Regina likes to magic up.

I saw a theory somewhere (can't even remotely remember where) that the king who sent Liam/Killian after the dreamshade was Elsa's father, who actually did think it was a healing plant that could cure Elsa of her freezing magic. Liam and Killian just sort of jumped to the conclusion he wanted it for nefarious purposes after discovering it was actually poison. Wouldn't that give Hook a massive guiltapalooza if he finds out his whole reason for being a pirate was based on a misassumption? He'd do everything he could to help Elsa after that! Perhaps Elsa's parents were attempting to sail to Neverland to get the plant themselves when their ship sank.

I love that scenario, Serena, but the timeline doesn't fit for all of it. If it's Rumple who urned up Elsa, it had to happen AFTER Hook became a pirate, because Rumple became the Dark One while Milah was with Hook. UNLESS the bad king that Hook/Liam sailed under was Hans during the brief period in the movie when he was in charge while Anna was looking for Elsa. Though Hans wasn't really king, just acting regent or whatever, and it was a brief period. But I could handwave it happening in that brief period, because Hans was the kind of douche who'd do something like that. Though we haven't heard anything about him being cast, so....

That could be interesting. Though it would be sad for Arendelle to lose all their ruling family, and for Elsa and Anna to lose control of their land.