S04.E05: Breaking Glass

[FormerMod-a1]

Regina reluctantly teams up with Emma to search for the Snow Queen after Sidney, who is once again Regina's prisoner in the mirror, discovers her whereabouts and agrees to lead her to the location. With Belle babysitting baby Neal, a nervous Mary Margaret and David prepare for their first date night away from their child and find themselves on a mission to track down Will Scarlet, who has escaped from the town jail. Elsa sees Anna in the Storybrooke woods. Young Emma finds herself a kindred spirit when she befriends a girl who, like her, is a runaway orphan.

 

 

[Mari]

I’m going to start with the good stuff.  Sidney stood up to Regina.   Snow and David’s thing was actually pretty good.  Also, Emma opened up to Hook.  The Snow Queen’s tiny bit of backstory with Emma was nicely done.  Those were all good.  Okay--yay, Sidney!  Yay!  Sidney!  But, can I point out that when Sidney is the only voice of reason in the episode, if you’re a writer?  You’ve probably screwed up.

 

No, Emma, you didn’t screw Regina over.  And what, exactly, has Regina done for you?  Beside, you know, being responsible for a whole lot of your past misery and dumping bile on you at every opportunity?

 

Seriously?  We’re supposed to enjoy an episode of Regina lashing out at Emma for helping someone not Regina, because that “Did Regina wrong”, while Regina is gloatingly holding Sidney hostage and lying about it?  And interspersing it with childhood flashbacks of homeless, sad, lonely Emma--who was lied to by her startlingly Regina look alike childhood friend--it was like the Emma abuse hour.

 

Leaving aside everything Regina did in the past to Emma and her family, Regina, screaming about how Emma hurt someone because she didn’t allow Regina to kill Marian?  Really?  With no discernable irony or self-awareness at all?  That was an actual moment?  Really? 

 

I hate this episode.  I really, truly, hate this episode.  And if this episode wasn’t meant to make us hate Regina and think she’s extra crazy and unreasonable, the writers are just as delusional as Regina is.

 

(Also, completely selfish side note, but I’d appreciate it if my show were not associated with the Chanel No. 5 commercial with the creepy version of “You’re the one that I want” song.  It just unpleasant, and makes me not want to watch the show live.)

Edited October 27, 2014 by Mari

[Crimson Belle]

Can we all please take turns birch slapping this zombie that is masquerading as Emma until it tells us where the real Emma Swan is hidden?

Oh, and fuck you Regina.

[scarynikki12]

I really wish the show would aStop acting like Emma is the bad guy for saving Marian from execution.

I really liked the Emmabacks and I hope we see Lily again somehow. If she truly was adopted, and felt isolated, invisible, and alone like Henry once did, then it would be good to revisit her. Knowing the show she would also be from the Enchanted Forest but I could live with that if Emma gets more friends.

Good call everyone who said that DQ was her foster mother.

I see Hook still hasn't said anything about Rumpel. Secrets are bad Hook!

[bmoore4026]

Can they just play this song whenever Mary Margaret and David are on screen:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwELovShqqs

[CatMack]

I just…can’t deal with Regina’s crap any more.  I just can’t.  She has things in her life past and present that are legitimately upsetting and damaging and she’s allowed to be hurt and upset.  But she continually expresses herself in the most childish, selfish, immature way imaginable, with no signs of growing up.

 

Like, I’m sorry, the lack of self awareness it takes for her to yell at Emma for “ruining her life” because she stopped past-Regina from murdering an innocent woman and it accidentally screwed up Regina’s new romance, when Regina is the one who ruined Emma’s life by cursing an entire kingdom for decades forcing her parents to abandon her so Regina couldn’t murder her when she was an infant like she planned too…

 

Grow the fuck up and deal with your feelings like a big girl.

 

God she grosses me out so much this season.

[InsertWordHere]

Josh Dallas said Asgard. I cheered.

 

Good for you Sidney. Hey Regina, it's not betrayal if you've constantly imprisoned someone (mirror twice, curse, mental ward) for 30+ years. Snow Queen remains very intriguing. I like it. Despite my feelings about Regina, I also enjoyed the women with magical powers showdown.

 

Is there a significance to the star that Lily's always had? Or was the star also fake?

 

ETA: I already knew Lily was a fake, but her knowledge of Harry Potter, which was just becoming popular in the States in 1998, clinched it for me. Sad that this is only three years (two if we do the math correctly) before Emma met Neal.

Edited October 27, 2014 by InsertWordHere

[YaddaYadda]

Regina is a spoiled brat.  She behaves like everyone owes her everything when no one should owe her anything.  And no, you are not God's gift to humanity.  She needs to get over herself.

 

DQ is also looking for a family that loves her?  What is it with this show?  EM has been pretty awesome thus far, however.

 

Next week looks more interesting than I had anticipated.

 

The rest, I enjoyed.

 

Is there a significance to the star that Lily's always had?

She's one of the sailor scouts.

Edited October 27, 2014 by YaddaYadda

[Rilla-my-Rilla]

Blow it out your ass, Regina!

[AmeliaBedelia]

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.

[mustbekarma]

I don't have a problem with Regina thinking Emma ruined her life and her romance with Robin Hood. Regina is wired that way, so that response from her is totally in character. Emma being all damn apologetic about it and not saying "Listen, Regina, get off the cross. You were going to murder that woman. I'm sorry not letting you burn that woman alive ruined your life."

 

It burns my ass that Emma wants to be her friend. It really does.

 

I swear to Kitsis, Regina needs a fucking reality check.

 

Other than that, I loved this episode, especially since I finally figured out who played Lily. It was Christie from Defiance. That was just bugging me I couldn't remember her.

[RandomWatcher]

And the Snow Queen was one of Emma's foster moms. Anyone making a family tree of her family?

[sharky]

Glad I'm not the only one mad about the Emma/Regina nonsense. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt with the spoilers but wow. That whole Regina pitypity party monologue pissed me off. Yes, Emma actually does know what it's like to feel abandoned by people she cared about because her parents abandoned her after you cast the first curse. What the hell was going on there? Did Adam and Eddy forget about what they based this whole show on?

Glad to at least see that nice scene at the end with Captain Swan. Hook's interest in Emma's childhood was sweet and I enjoyed that little moment with the Polaroid of Bae/Neal. Regardless of how things turned out, he played an important part in each of their lives. And I'm giving Hook some leeway because the episode only covered a day, but he has some confessing to do soon.

Emma and Hook are my favorite characters on this show, but it feels like their brains have been frozen this episode.

[Emma]

I just want Regina off my screen.

 

Poor Emma. I'm pathetic when it comes to how protective I am of her.

 

A nice bookend with Captain Swan.

[Writing Wrongs]

I was expecting more from the Emma flashback. Some display of magic or something. When the dad called the girl "Lilith", I was afraid we were going to get into some kind of demonic/biblical territory.

 

I refuse to get my pressure up by talking about the Emma and Regina scenes. I will sum them up by saying, "Fuck off, Regina." and "What kind of kool-aid has Emma been drinking?"

 

Yay, Sidney. You go, boy!

 

 We still haven't found out about Emma's tattoo, have we?

 

"Portal to Asgard." Hee.

 

It's funny that we hardly see any scenes between Emma and Henry now.

Edited October 27, 2014 by Writing Wrongs

[stealinghome]

So I missed the first 15 minutes of the episode, but I have to say: Emma's desire to be Regina's friend is completely inexplicable. Even if we put aside all the times Regina's attempted to murder Emma and her family, Regina is a giant asshole to Emma 99% of the time. That's not a healthy friendship at all. It's just gross. I'm sorry, but Emma can find other people in Storybrooke who have felt "rejected" or "unwanted" or wtfever. All that stuff was just...so gross.

 

Also, A+ sheriffing, Emma, for not giving a shit that Regina confessed to imprisoning Sidney in the mirror and was planning to murder Marian. A+++ sheriffing, in fact.

 

Double also, the show really, really, really needs to stop acting like Emma saving Marian was a bad thing, and start letting Emma snap back at Regina for it.

 

Snow+Charming was super cute and Snow's whole plot with Will was just cute enough--and well acted enough by Ginnifer Goodwin--to make it charming instead of stupid and obnoxious...but the total illogicality of Emma wanting to be Regina's friend makes this episode pretty bad. I still think the opener was the season's weakest episode, but this one was bad in a different way, in that it made no sense.

 

That was a great surprise end, though.

 

Oh, and Giancarlo Esposito is like 50% more attractive when he rocks the facial hair. I did cheer when Sidney finally got his own back from Regina. I had to roll my eyes when she started shrieking about betrayal. Oh Regina. You have all the self-awareness of a potted plant.

 

Other than that, I loved this episode, especially since I finally figured out who played Lily. It was Christie from Defiance. That was just bugging me I couldn't remember her.

Yes, thank you! I KNEW she looked familiar, but couldn't place her.

Edited October 27, 2014 by stealinghome

[KingOfHearts]

This episode was mostly pointless, but it had a few intriguing points.

Pros:

* Sidney's betrayal was the BEST part of the episode.

* Emma flashbacks.

* Snow Queen's lair is positively epic.

* The mirror stuff was super intriguing.

* Regina being her psycho self again.

* Snow Queen foster mom twist!

* Still loving the Snow Queen.

* Don't know why, but it cracked me up that Regina put Sydney in her clamshell mirror

* So the Snow Queen wants a loving family? I'll buy that.

Cons:

* Like I said, this episode was absolutely pointless for the most part.

* They tried way too hard to let Lily parallel Regina.

* Flasbacks didn't really give us any necessary information, except for the camcorder.

* Emma just taking Regina's crap was the worst part of the episode.

* Emma to Regina: "You've done a lot for me" What the flipping heck.

* Emma is happy because Regina doesn't want to kill her? That's the start of a friendship?!

* Here I was hoping it was just Emma's "I have to fix everything" mentality, but nope she wants to be Regina's friieeeend!

* The monster was utterly stupid. Such a repeat of 4x01.

* Belle is in yet another episode with no speaking lines just to be... there.

* This episode felt like a complete mess.

* The Anna hoax was kinda lame and made Elsa look kinda naive.

* So, Snow and Charming accomplished nothing?

* So, Emma and Regina accomplished nothing?

This episode setup some super cool plots, but the matter itself was chaotic and unproductive.

[Grammaeryn]

That was boring and awful. Didn't all of us guess the Snow Queen's connection to Emma after like episode two? I am not on the Regina Sympathy train and the heavy-handed flashback GET IT LILY IS REGINA storyline left me cold. It was nice to see Defiance's Christy in another role and kudos to makeup for making her look like a teen. Now I want a pop tart damnit...

[Guest Accused Dingo]

I know i am in the minority here but i love when the show pairs Regina and Emma. I don't ship them but i do think they have good chemistry together. And i love what the episode did with Them this episode. I honestly perfer Regina's push/pull toward redemption then Mary Margaret and her baby issues. That was just stupid and pointless and boring.

Edited October 27, 2014 by Accused Dingo

[SimoneS]

I am close to done with show. The writers have a perverse sense of morality. The good guys are begging the evil murderous queen to be their BFF because why exactly? I can see Regina happily killing and imprisioning people while having dinner with the Charmings who cheer her on.

Edited October 27, 2014 by SimoneS

[Dani-Ellie]

Whine first:

 

Seriously, show, if you wanted me to feel at least somewhat sorry for Regina, maybe you shouldn't have had Emma save Marian from Regina's death row. Because otherwise all I hear coming out of Regina's mouth is, "Wah, you didn't let me kill someone and now it's screwing up my romance, wah." And you want to talk about life ruining, Miss I Cast the Curse That Directly Led to Emma's Sad, Lonely, No One Loves Me Life Because Her Parents Had to Send Her Here Alone So I Wouldn't Kill Her?

 

Spare me the violins, Regina. And Emma, sweetheart, you don't need Regina to be your friend. Stick with Elsa and you'll be fine.

 

Now that that's out of the way:

 

The Snowing stuff was adorable, and this now marks the second week in a row I've liked Snow more than I liked her pretty much all last season. Care to keep this up, show?

 

Wee Emma was heartbreaking. I want to know where the hell the casting department finds these wee little versions of their main cast because they've been awesome. I can only imagine how gut-wrenching it was for her to find out that Lily was rejecting something Emma herself had always wanted and never had and not for lack of trying.

 

Elizabeth Mitchell is freakin' killing it. Her soft-spoken way really works here because it's somehow creepier that she's doing all this evil stuff while not sashaying around chewing the scenery. Chewing the scenery has its place, of course, but I'm really, really liking that she's keeping it very understated so far. Also, that bit with allowing Sidney to leave and then popping up right in front of him as he turned around? That legitimately startled me. Medium used to do similar things with their ghosts, and it startled me then, too. Which of course is awesome.

 

The end with Hook and Emma going through the box of her stuff was heartbreaking. And I totally called the DQ being her foster mother at some point! I don't even care how much logistical gymnastics will more than likely be required to make this work! I'm so excited for this!

 

 

 

Poor Emma. I'm pathetic when it comes to how protective I am of her.

 

You and me both.

Edited October 27, 2014 by Dani-Ellie

[El Seed]

I swear to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, this show is trying to turn me into an alcoholic.

 

I enjoyed seeing an Emma flashback, everything with the Snow Queen, Sidney standing up to Regina, Snow getting out without Snowflake and doing something, and Hook being supportive. I also really loved Elizabeth Mitchell's line reading of "I'm going to build a snowman."

 

As for Regina...so much rage and loathing for this bullshit. "You've never had my back and you never will." Why the fuck should Emma have her back ever? She's the reason she grew up an orphan. Emma owes her jack shit. She tried to kill Emma, Snow, Leopold, and god knows how many other people, she raped and killed Graham, she abused Henry, she locked up Belle, she tried to separate Owen and Kurt and then actually killed Kurt, she enslaved Sidney, and who knows how many other horrible things she's done. No one should have her back because she hasn't earned it. I'm so fucking done with this Woegina bullshit.

 

"I was looking for you to be my friend." For the love of god why? This makes no goddamn sense. To quote Marian, what is wrong with you people?!

 

My most hated line of the night was definitely "You ruined my life." My response was pretty much what Omar G's was to Lana Lang from the recap of Smallville's episode Rosetta (substitute "Regina" for "Lana"):

 

Shut up! SHUT UP! I've taken this shit for thirty-eight episodes, just SHUT! THE FUCK! UP! Oh my god, SHUT UP! (Deep breaths. Deep breaths.) I'm sorry. I don't know what happened there, I just...LANA SHUT UP!

 

To finish with something happier, I loved Hook telling Emma "I'd love to know more about your beginnings." So would I. And without Regina's pity party bullshit next time.

[elle]

Can they just play this song whenever Mary Margaret and David are on screen:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwELovShqqs

I have no idea how this fits into the show, but thank you very much posting it!  My earworm and I are both happy.

[Minneapple]

If someone could give me one good reason why anybody -- not just Emma -- would want Regina to be their friend, hit me with it, mkay?

 

Poor Emma. I'm pathetic when it comes to how protective I am of her.

I know. She's just had so much crap dumped on her and has had such an awful life (YES, PARTLY BECAUSE OF REGINA, OH WOE IS SHE, SINCE EMMA STOPPED HER FROM...KILLING SOMEONE). And yet she's goodhearted and kind. I love seeing her happy, and I just want that to continue for her. But for some reason the writers continue to want to dump on her and for her to be unhappy.

[stealinghome]

* Snow Queen's lair is positively epic.

YES! The sets on this show can be super hit-or-miss, but that's a definite hit. That ice palace is AWESOME. And Elizabeth Mitchell continues to rock the absolutely nuts but super menacing villain.

 

Here's the part that I don't get about the Regina/Lily parallels: Young!Emma was absolutely right to dump Lily on her ass and never look back. I mean, what that girl did to her was super shitty! I cheered when Young Emma walked away. If the show wants me to buy that Emma regretted it, maybe they should have tried to convince me that Young!Emma walking away was a bad thing? And when we add in the Regina parallel...do you seen what I'm getting at, writers?

[retrograde]

Well, this is the first episode of the season I haven't enjoyed that much. So much happened and yet... so little happened. 

 

Let's start with the positives:

• Emma childhood flashback! About time.
• I didn't see it so much in her first episode, but the girl playing teen Emma is well cast.
• Emma continuing to open up is nice.
• I liked the scene with the Snow Queens and Sidney for some reason. Had a Labyrinth kinda vibe.
• I am still enjoying the mystery of the Snow Queen and now this new twist of the mirror
• The CGI on the ice bridge was better than average (average for this show, I mean)
• Although I thought the Snow/Charming C-line was a snoozer, at least we are seeing a bit more of the "day to day" stuff, which a lot of us have complained gets lost in the Plot Plot Plot. 
• I'm glad there was no Frozen flashback this episode. I am enjoying the Frozen stuff, but I'm glad the show is allowed to focus on something else for an episode, and I'm happy to have a week off from The Adventures of Anna in the Enchanted Forest. 
• Sidney working for the Snow Queen was a good twist and one I didn't see coming.
• Even though nothing effing happened for 99% of this episode, the reveal of the Snow Queen as a foster mum (or group home worker or whatever she is supposed to be) was good.

 

Disliked:

• I don't even think I need to elaborate on everything wrong with what went on between Emma and Regina this episode, because I'm sure others will do it better than I can. I can sometimes handwave Regina's murderous past and just enjoy the character in the present, but it's pretty much impossible when she's holding Sidney captive and being horrible to him one second, then trying to take the moral high ground the next. It would be one thing if we were supposed to see that Regina is full of shit, but the writers clearly expect us to empathise with her, which... ugh.
• I was fine with Emma wanting to keep Regina from going off the deep end to protect Henry and the town, but I just can't buy her wanting to be friends (since when?) and enduring all of Regina's high-handed BS.
• Regina trying to equate her and Emma's circumstances. As if Emma "having to live with" inadvertently bringing back Marian while trying to do the right thing because Regina wanted to kill her is anyway near the same as Regina "having to live with" people hating her because she very deliberately murdered a bunch of people?
• ... okay, I'll stop with all the Regina/Emma stuff. There is too much to list. 
• I don't think teenage Emma made a mistake at all by cutting out her drama queen "friend" at all. That kid was trouble.

 

Other thoughts:

• Is Hook still out sailing stolen boats? Because Emma probably shouldn't be ok with that.
• Speaking of Sheriff Emma's tenuous upholding of the law, should she not have even got slightly annoyed that Regina was holding Sidney captive? I know she can't exactly lock her up, but she could at least give her a stern talking to or something. Kidnapping is a felony.
• Was there supposed to be a point to the photo of Emma and Neal? Must have gone over my head.
• Remember when Emma cut down Regina's apple tree with a chainsaw? Good times.

Edited October 27, 2014 by retrograde

[Mari]

 And when we add in the Regina parallel...do you seen what I'm getting at, writers?

Yes.  I guess, personally, I've no idea what we were supposed to take away from this at all--at least in regards to Regina/Emma.  Were we supposed to find Regina sympathetic?  Because that was a giant failure.  That was Gigli level failure.

[YaddaYadda]

And when we add in the Regina parallel...do you seen what I'm getting at, writers?

 

That's because they want to make something that doesn't exist happen.  There are no parallels between Lily and Regina at all.  Lily felt invisible and so she ran away.  If anything Regina's parents paid too much attention to her.  The only thing I can see between Regina and Lily is that they're both brats.

 

ETA - Never mind that Emma and Regina are polar opposites on basically everything under the sun.

Edited October 27, 2014 by YaddaYadda

[KingOfHearts]

It wasn't Regina's lashing out that bothered me (though it felt detached from the rest of S4), but rather Emma's stupidity. Between Lily and Regina, she needs a lesson in choosing better friends. I can't believe Emma just stood there listening to her bark, then later said she wanted to be her friend. I can't begin to describe how dumb that was. You just can't explain that.

The A&E love affair with the Evil Queen continues. Stay tuned for the 72nd part of their ongoing fanfic next week!

[Mathius]

No no, you guys are missing one of the only good parts of the episode: the twist was that Lily = EMMA in the present, not Regina. Emma in the flashback = Regina in the present; refusing to forgive someone over something that really wasn't all that bad (Lily told one lie about her life, so what? Telling the truth can be painful for kids like her. Emma holding it against her was akin to Regina's grudge against Snow telling her secret...except that Emma actually recognizes that she was wrong now, something we STILL haven't seen from Regina.)

Here's the part that I don't get about the Regina/Lily parallels: Young!Emma was absolutely right to dump Lily on her ass and never look back. I mean, what that girl did to her was super shitty! I cheered when Young Emma walked away. If the show wants me to buy that Emma regretted it, maybe they should have tried to convince me that Young!Emma walking away was a bad thing?

Why? It was literally ONE lie, one she only told after Emma made the presumption that she was on the run from the foster system all on her own. Lily clearly wanted a friend and was afraid telling the truth that it was her father she was running from would turn Emma away. It was a mistake, but "super shitty"? Cheering for Emma to dump her and not look back even as she was in tears? Sounds like some Emma-centered morality to me, hypocritical if you're also condemning Regina's irrational holding of grudges.

Edited October 27, 2014 by Mathius

[Emma]

Can we keep Elizabeth Mitchell? She's owning this role and a breath of fresh air for this show.

 

Sydney. Yeah, I'm smiling at you sir.

 

I've done a redo with all the Emma-Regina stuff and I'm in a much happier place now. I'm going to pretend what happened during the episode was some little weird side show for Adam and Eddy. And pray to anything that will listen to me that we have minimal scenes between the two the rest of the way out.

[InsertWordHere]

I loved the ice bridge.

 

• Is Hook still out sailing stolen boats? Because Emma probably shouldn't be ok with that.
• Speaking of Sheriff Emma's tenuous upholding of the law, should she not have even got slightly annoyed that Regina was holding Sidney captive? I know she can't exactly lock her up, but she could at least give her a stern talking to or something. Kidnapping is a felony.
• Was there supposed to be a point to the photo of Emma and Neal? Must have gone over my head.
• Remember when Emma cut down Regina's apple tree with a chainsaw? Good times.

 

• I have a feeling that despite the many words typed by this fandom on the crimes committed by various characters on this show, the showrunners couldn't care less. We are just supposed to be entertained and not worry about how messed up it is that Regina enslaves someone and Emma apologizes to her in the same episode or that Hook may possibly be taking Henry out on stolen vessels. To be fair, Emma also drives around in a stolen vessel.
• Same as above. I've decided we are all supposed to be Snow and pardon these acts. Can't wait to hear Snow get yelled at for letting Will go, because like the land Will just came from, up is down and black is white.
• Actually, Neal also fits in with the above. We are supposed to be sad for him but forget about the fact that Emma met him 2-3 years after the events of this flashback and that he falsely presented himself just like Lily.
• Yes, they were good times. I'm sure she'll apologize for it soon.

[SzmuttyPratfall]

Ya know, I am fine with the Regina-Emma shit if it turns out to be an exploration on emotional abuse and how emotional abusers convince others that they are to blame for their own actions. 

 

Elsa feels milquetoast at this point, its obvious that they were doing Frozen for the publicity so they could do the Snow Queen story. They are writing SQ a million miles ahead of the Frozen characters, and she is already more impressive than Zelena and Pan. She already has more sympathy from me than Regina by a mile.

[angelwoody]

I hated this episode. The writing for the Regina/ Emma interactions (really the Regina/ anyone reactions) just baffles me. It's not a story that I want to watch because it makes me angry, lol. I might soon be breaking up with this show. What was once light, fluffy fun now seems more like a large-scale psycology experiment with the writers trying to see how many people they can convince that black is actually white, and up is really down.

[Writing Wrongs]

Why did Regina bother tramping through the woods, when she can poof anywhere? That always baffles me.

 

I don't like the way The Charmings thought they could just leave Will in jail indefinitely, because they felt like it.

[stealinghome]

Why? It was literally ONE lie, one she only told after Emma made the presumption that she was on the run from the foster system all on her own. Lily clearly wanted a friend and was afraid telling the truth that it was her father she was running from would turn Emma away. It was a mistake, but "super shitty"? Cheering for Emma to dump her and not look back even as she was in tears? Sounds like some Emma-centered morality to me, hypocritical if you're also condemning Regina's irrational holding of grudges.

I do, actually, think that what Lily did to Emma was crappy. She lied to and emotionally manipulated a pretty vulnerable Emma for her own purposes, and afterward tried to excuse it by claiming that they had equivalent experiences, even though they didn't really (which is not to say that Lily's feelings weren't real and valid, but their situations weren't really the same). That she has a sob story of her own, and perhaps (?) was acting with the best of intentions, doesn't negate the fact that what she did to Emma was hurtful. Who needs friends like that? Emma made an assumption, yes, but Lily lied, and if she'll lie within the first 5 minutes of knowing someone--and lie BIG, to boot!--what else will she lie about when she feels like it? imo Lily came off to me like a pathological liar. Not someone it would be good to be friends with. I also don't know why Lily crying because she got caught in a lie should somehow overpower Emma's very earned feelings of hurt and betrayal. Just because a liar claims they're sorry doesn't mean you're obligated to believe them or forgive them. Wronged people are never required to forgive the parties that wronged them.

 

I don't think it's hypocritical to think Regina holding a grudge for something that was clearly not Snow's fault--and destroying worlds/mass murdering people because of it--is at all the same as Emma holding a deserved grudge against someone who lied to her and emotionally manipulated her (actions that DIDN'T lead Emma to destroy worlds/mass murder people)? ymmv.

Edited October 27, 2014 by stealinghome

[Dani-Ellie]

I don't think it's hypocritical to think Regina holding a grudge for something that was clearly not Snow's fault--and destroying worlds/mass murdering people because of it--is at all the same as Emma holding a deserved grudge against someone who lied to her and emotionally manipulated her (actions that DIDN'T lead Emma to destroy worlds/mass murder people)? ymmv.

 

This. And I'd also like to add that at the same of said grudge, Emma was an emotionally vulnerable, unloved 15-year-old who, as she got older, ended up regretting her decision to walk away from Lily (not curse her). Regina was older than Emma at the time of her grudge against Snow, and after all these years and supposed growth, still hasn't shown me any signs of regretting it.

Edited October 27, 2014 by Dani-Ellie

[Emma]

Just how many colors of magic does Regina have anway? It's low on her annoying list of crap but it still irks me.

[Crimson Belle]

So I guess the show telling us we're to equate a 40-something (really 70-something) Regina with a 13-14 year old girl in terms of emotional development. That may be the most honest thing it has done.

[CatMack]

But for real, why does Emma wants to be Regina’s friend?

 

I get that they share a kid, that’s a complex bond even without the curse shenanigans, and I don’t even necessarily have a problem with them theoretically being actual friends at some point (I’ve said before and I’ll say it again, I’m not against Regina redemption, I just don’t buy the version the writers are trying to sell us, and it gets harder with every episode for me to believe they’ll ever fix the storyline enough for me to be OK with it now).

 

But am I supposed to enjoy watching Emma bend over backwards and continually put up with Regina’s rudeness and cruelty?  Am I supposed to find it commendable that she wants to work so hard to be best buddies with the woman who caused her to grow up an orphan and who has continually hurled abuse at her throughout the course of the show?

 

I know they’ve had good moments, but since the writers can’t figure out how to let Regina grow consistently instead of reverting constantly, it never lasts.  Has there ever been more than 3 consecutive episodes where, at minimum, Regina didn’t say something nasty and mean spirited to Emma, to say nothing of trying to murder the people she cares about?  Why is it on Emma to carry this friendship?

 

These two have the potential to have a very interesting and complex relationship, but what the writers are giving us isn’t interesting, and it isn’t complex.  It’s abusive and gross and I’m sick of seeing Emma suck up to the woman who spent decades trying to murder her family and who has since gone out of her way to say she has no remorse about it whatsoever.

 

Regina has been a victim at various points of her life, but she has also been an abusive, raping murderer.  Her playing the victim card because her new relationship that was about a week old didn’t work out because someone changed the past and stopped her from murdering one of her many many many many many victims is beyond galling.  I mean, were they actively trying to make us hate Regina this episode, because I'm not sure what they were thinking if that's not what they were going for.

 

You wanna talk about your abusive mother or the way Rumple used your grief to manipulate you and encouraged the worst parts of you, I’m all ears Regina.  Literally every thing else you brought on yourself.  Being victimized is never an excuse to victimize others.  Your own evil actions and the harm you caused countless others through your selfishness is the cause of 99% of your current problems, so stop acting like the world owes you something.

[Hook75]

WTF was that? So much hate for this epe. STFU Regina and GO AWAY!

 

I have no words.

[l star]

Elizabeth Mitchell is beyond awesome in this role. I rolled my eyes when she said she just wanted a loving family but she is killing it. Appearing in front of Sidney, her lair, the way she said she was going to build a snowman, the reveal that she really wanted Elsa to escape- I loved it.

 

I laughed when Sidney turned on Regina but I also have the feeling he will be running back soon. His spot as her mirror started with his wish, not hers. She told him she didn't love him so he wished to be able to see her all the time, forever. He has been a sycophant for decades and was happy to see her in the premiere after she kept him hidden in a prison cell for over a year. I think it will take more than Regina putting him back in the mirror to break that.

 

I would feel worse for Emma if it wasn't for the fact that she couldn't take a freaking hint. Regina is a psycho. I find her to be a very entertaining psycho but she is both nuts and unreasonable. Regina told her repeatedly to leave her alone. I don't know why Emma thinks she and Regina should be friends but trying to shove that on Regina is not going to get her there. I wasn't shaking my head in sympathy at their reactions- I was thinking Regina is acting just like Regina and Emma is a freaking moron for pretending otherwise.

 

How long was Will going to stay in that cell for getting drunk and breaking into the (still closed at this point right?) library? Seriously, that is some skewed law enforcement for this town's standards. Snowing was cute though.

 

The most interesting thing of the Regina/Emma interactions to me was when Regina told Emma that it didn't matter what her intentions were, someone got hurt. I'm hoping Emma and Regina both get to that middle ground at some point because right now, they are both being way too drastic about this. I also liked that she told her to stop trying to make it up and just learn to live with it, like she did. That was a surprising bit of self-awareness from Regina that I'm not sure how to place.

[FabulousTater]

All I have to say about Regina and her shitting all over Emma and Emma taking it and grovelling for forgiveness is (BTW, my sincerest apologies for the excessively coarse language) --- FUUUUUUUUUUCK! FUCK YOU SHOW. FUCK YOU WRITERS. FUUUUUUUUUCK, Fuckity, Fuck fuck FUUUUUUCK!  Fucking writers and their fuckng Regina permaboner.  1000% FLAMING HORSESHIT VICTIM BLAMING PUTRID ROTTING HORSEHIT!!!!!!

 

*deep breath* *shot of jagermeister* *deep breath*

 

And now focusing on the good stuff:

I really loved the end scenes with Emma and Hook. Emma just broke my heart, but I'm happy for her that she's got Hook there to support her and be a shoulder for her to cry on (despite the fact that he's carrying the idiot ball as of late). Dang, it was such a gut punch when I realized that Emma prefaced what was in that cardboard box as "What's left of my childhood", and lo, wouldn't you know it, in there was a picture of the 26(226) year old adult male, Douchefire, the guy who fucked her teenage self over, sent her to prison for his shit, never looked back and brought her childhood to an emotionally and psychologically devastating end. How Emma ever picked herself back up and became a such a strong, kickass woman instead of a raging alcoholic I will never know. My love for the character grows the more we learn about her.

 

Also, WOW, Emma keeps all these really personal items from her past locked in her office where no one, notably her parents, will ever find it. It's so sad that she can't share this with them because she knows it would hurt them, and yet, it would probably help her to share that part of her past. That's so very tragic...I'm gonna go drink heavily now.

Edited October 27, 2014 by FabulousTater

[sharky]

In reading these, I do feel the need to add that I'm also loving Elizabeth Mitchell. With Zelena, it was HOLY HELL SCENE CHEWING ALL THE TIME!!!!! But EM is bringing a quiet sinister that I'm loving. Although as others have mentioned, what is up with wanting family that gets so many characters all in a tizzy on this show? Regina, Zelena, Rumple, Bae, Emma, Hook, etc etc etc. Can't someone be evil for other reasons?

ETA: I didn't mind the Neal photo and that she still had it. Don't we all keep things from ex-boyfriends? She kept the keychain he gave her after all those years. Plus, I think Emma and Hook really do miss him or rather miss who he had the potential to be for them before turning his back on them. And isn't it interesting that all Emma and Hook wanted from Neal/Bae was love and now they are finding that with each other?

But damn you Hook if you don't come clean soon. Seriously.

Edited October 27, 2014 by sharky

[Mari]

But am I supposed to enjoy watching Emma bend over backwards and continually put up with Regina’s rudeness and cruelty?  . . . Has there ever been more than 3 consecutive episodes where, at minimum, Regina didn’t say something nasty and mean spirited to Emma, to say nothing of trying to murder the people she cares about? 

I think we're supposed to see it as "sassy" and assertive, and upon occasion, funny.

 

It's not. 

[bmoore4026]

I have no idea how this fits into the show, but thank you very much posting it!  My earworm and I are both happy.

 

Just the bashing over our heads, over and over again, of how damn much Snow and Charming love each other.  We get it, show.

[MaiLuna]

Sigh. Emma wanting to get Regina to be her friend kinda made me sick. Do the writers even remember season 1? It's not the same as Lily, it's not like Regina lied to you and you have to forgive her. It's not the same as she ruined you life and now you're begging her. WTH? That's sick. At least it's over and luckily we'll never have an Emma/Regina episode ever again. It wasn't as bad as I thought though, but still it should've never never happened.

 

I liked the Snow Queen and Elsa and Will tricking Snow. And I loved that Sidney is finally over Regina.

 

That last Emma/Hook scene was beautiful but it's gonna hurt like hell when Emma finds out what he's been keeping from her. She's opened up so much,

[retrograde]

Oh I forgot one other thing I disliked:

• Regina's pants.

[El Seed]

So I guess the show telling us we're to equate a 40-something (really 70-something) Regina with a 13-14 year old girl in terms of emotional development. That may be the most honest thing it has done.

 

 

HA! And sadly true. I can't help but compare Regina's emotional development and self-awareness to my 7-year-old nephew, and it really isn't favorable to Regina, because as immature as my nephew can be at times, he still recognizes when he's done something wrong, he apologizes for it, and he's cognizant of other people's feelings. I have trouble feeling sorry for Regina when a 7-year-old is more mature than she is.

 

Dang, it was such a gut punch when I realized that Emma prefaced what was in that cardboard box as "What's left of my childhood", and lo, wouldn't you know it, in there was a picture of the 26(226) year old adult male, Douchefire, the guy who fucked her over teenage Emma, left her in prison for his shit, never looked back and brought her "childhood" to an emotionally and psychologically devastating end.

 

 

And my loathing for Douchefire is back with a vengeance.

Edited October 27, 2014 by El Seed

[stealinghome]

I also liked that she told her to stop trying to make it up and just learn to live with it, like she did. That was a surprising bit of self-awareness from Regina that I'm not sure how to place.

The problem, for me, is that Regina hasn't ever learned to live with anything. At this moment, Regina is still scheming to find the author of the book and force a happy ending from him/her, in whatever nebulous form that may take. Regina still doesn't regret anything she's done (ah, No Regrets Regina, my old friend). So I'm not sure what, exactly, Regina thinks she's "learned to live with." It's not reconciling yourself to something that happened if you a) don't feel bad about it in the first place or b) are actively scheming to change it.

 

Oh I forgot one other thing I disliked:

    Regina's pants.

Yeah, did Lana Parrilla piss off wardrobe or something? Put her back in her pantsuits, please!