S05.E02: The Price

[ParadoxLost]

True. At least in that last scene with Guinevere he seemed to be the less shady of the two. Other than that, he's not too bright regardless of whether his intentions are dubious or not.

 

I guess I have blinders on to the shadiness around him.  He's so focused on the prophecy to reunite the sword so he can rule Camelot that all I can think in any of his scenes is 'why don't you just forget that and try being a king worthy of being followed.' Its kind of like all the Woegina crap.  If you want to be the savior, try being a better human being.

Edited October 5, 2015 by ParadoxLost

[Rumsy4]

And Percival actually seemed like a decent guy, not an annoying pest like Owen. This show makes us root for the Six-Fingered Man to kill Inigo Montoya.

 

Word! Only in this show... 

 

All the Regina scenes were yawn-inducing. I don't even get how the Fury was defeated. And why didn't Snow jump to do the same thing when Emma took on the Darkness? 

 

I guess Merlin was right about the warning to wee Emma, as apparently Excalibur got put back in the stone. Guinevere is shady.

 

Loved all the CS scenes (only reason, man). 

[Chaos Theory]

I know a lot of people on this board don't but I really enjoyed Regina's story arc this episode. Especially this episode. People in town have forgiven her but there is a difference between forgiveness and acceptance and belief. They don't completely accept her and they don't believe in her. This episode was about changing that. Making them accept that yes she has really changed and maybe can be the one who can protect them because they sure as hell can't protect themselves especially against Emma who has been the one saving them up until now.

I also liked her scene with a comatose Rumple. That made scene to me as well. It is the kind of thing you would see with someone who has failed the first attempt at trying to get people to change their minds about you and going back to at least one of the sources of what made them doubt you. Ultimately yes Regina is to blame but it was Rumple who manipulated her for years. I thought that scene was well done as well.

Most of all I like how the Fury was defeated when finally Snow and the others believed in Regina. I think it was them all standing together with Regina. Standing as a team. All of them together. No one can do it alone and I think that is what has always been Regina's first instinct and now she is no longer alone.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[mjgchick]

Jennifer looked REALLY good in that black number. Jesus. I just had to say it again how much I loved her dresses this episode.

[Souris]

Well, somebody liked it.  "Queen of Hope" is trending on twitter.  

 

Only if you have tailored trends. I was checking U.S. & Worldwide trends during the ep. "Regina" trended in the U.S. (I saw a LOT of Regina complaints, so it wasn't all Regina love that drove it.) If you don't change your trends to a location, then your trends are tailored based on who you follow and what you post.

 

The CS and Hook and Belle scenes made the episode worth while for me. Wow, the dark magic really does make Emma horny! I felt bad for Charming having to watch Emma mack on Hook. I'm happy that Hook was able to resist Emma's advances. She must not be that angry with him for what happened in the missing time, and it did look like she was happy when he resisted her. Still not sure what is going on there. I'm also not sure why the Hook and Emma kiss didn't have any TLK effect, because I do believe they are true loves.

 

The co-writer Andrew Chambliss said on Twitter that the Dark One explained it: It doesn't work if you like the power too much.

 

In conclusion, Emma needs to stay away from anything that has to do with Regina.

 

 

Everyone does!

 

This show makes us root for the Six-Fingered Man to kill Inigo Montoya.

 

That is such a perfect analogy! At least, they TRY to. I have yet to want to root for Regina.

[mjgchick]

At the end of the episode Rumple explains what it means to be the Dark One I think and a lot of it has to do with family, friendship, love and wanting to protect them.

[pezgirl7]

 

The co-writer Andrew Chambliss said on Twitter that the Dark One explained it: It doesn't work if you like the power too much.

I feel like it still would have been nice if they could have shown a glimpse of the power of the TLK, like they did when Belle first kissed Rumple. But it was actually Killian pulling away from Emma in their first kiss with her as the DO, so the effects seem to be inconsistent. Shocker, I know.

[Rosiejuliemom]

Regina's ball angst did have one unexpected upside for me. I now know what the back of my eye sockets look like due to excessive eye-rolling.

 

Leroy's "If anyone is going to save this town, its you." to Regina made me gag.

 

Would it be too much to ask for a cutaway gag next week of a couple of dwarves standing at the town line chucking tacos at Dopey-tree?

 

Since the fury's price was split between five people, did each one lose about ten or so years of their lives?

 

I don't trust the Camelot crew.

 

ETA: I forgot to add how much I adored Emma warning Regina against using the dagger. Actually, I adored all of Emma's snark at Regina tonight. It was long overdue.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Rosiejuliemom

[ParadoxLost]

At the end of the episode Rumple explains what it means to be the Dark One I think and a lot of it has to do with family, friendship, love and wanting to protect them.

 

Because we can't have an episode about making Regina the savior without giving Rumpel a core of noble intentions.

[Mari]

Would it be too much to ask for a cutaway gag next week of a couple of dwarves standing at the town line chucking tacos at Dopey-tree?

I didn't know I wanted this until you posted it, but now it sounds like a necessity.

[Jul 68]

Would it be too much to ask for a cutaway gag next week of a couple of dwarves standing at the town line chucking tacos at Dopey-tree?

Too funny. We should create a hashtag for this and spread it around. How about #TacosForDopey?

[stealinghome]

I rolled my eyes when the announcer in Camelot addressed "Mary Margaret". I don't understand why she can't use her birth name in a land people might know her better as such.

Because the writers have clearly decided to roll with "Mary Margaret" as her name in the present.

[ParadoxLost]

So did anyone notice if the tree Merlin is trapped in is similar to the tree that wouldn't talk to Snow and prompted the egg stupidity?

[sharky]

I actually liked this episode, even the Regina stuff. There were a lot of little things that just made it good. Snowing was great together, and I really liked the return of Hooks and Books -- or should it be Hook and Book? ;-) The two of them as lovers of Dark Ones seems like a good connection. As others have mentioned, some of the Regina stuff was over the top, but I liked how she actually showed some emotion for Robin.

As for the inclusion of "Only You" I wonder if that was a clunky nod to The Office UK. I'll admit, I kind of squeed when I heard it in that kind of dreamy romantic context because of Tim and Dawn on The Office

[Mari]

So did anyone notice if the tree Merlin is trapped in is similar to the tree that wouldn't talk to Snow and prompted the egg stupidity?

 

Nope.

 

Possibly because I've chosen to think of the egg stupidity as one of those not-real things, and have blocked it out of my mind as much as possible.  I did not remember the tree.

 

But, it they're interested in pulling in last season's weird random things, that would work.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Mari

[YaddaYadda]

I sort of love how Hook for two weeks in a row gives no fucks whether Robin lives or dies. I sense a pattern.

 

It will come as no shock to anyone who hangs out in the Spoilers Thread that I still don't think a TLK is breaking this curse.

[Rosiejuliemom]

Too funny. We should create a hashtag for this and spread it around. How about #TacosForDopey?

 

If I knew how to do that, I would.

 

The more I think on it, I want that as a running gag for as long as Dopey is a tree. Bring in a different group of characters each episode. I'd shell out Pay-Per-View money to see Gold do it. Dark One Emma can just eat them, though, because she's evil like that.

[Shanna Marie]

I have joked that this show's morality makes A Game of Thrones look like Sunday school, but boy, they topped themselves tonight. We have yet again a true victim of Regina's, someone with a legitimate gripe against her, and he's turned into a villain. So she can devote her entire life to revenge against someone who was tangentially and unintentionally responsible for her losing one person, causing countless deaths and destroying countless lives along the way, and it's all okay because the past doesn't really matter and the slate gets wiped clean, but it's a terrible, horrible, unforgivable thing for someone whose entire village was destroyed by her -- with her gloating about it -- to want to take out this mass murderer? And Snow gets a dark spot on her heart for killing Cora, the woman who murdered her mother, murdered the nurse who raised her, and who was on the verge of becoming the Dark One and starting a reign of terror, but Charming doesn't get any shade for killing the guy who wanted to kill Regina for slaughtering his village?

 

And worse, when confronted with her past crime, the supposedly completely reformed Regina who is being hailed as the new Savior only feels bad about being reminded of being the Evil Queen and is worried that others will find out. She doesn't show any remorse or guilt, no sign that she feels the tiniest bit bad about slaughtering a village, no apology, no feeling bad that Percival died and Robin almost died, and it's actually her fault because her sins are catching up to her.

 

If I weren't curious about what's going on with Emma, I think this might be the final straw for me with this show.

 

I do think it’s funny that either Emma or Regina (probably Regina, considering the episode and it’s Henry, talking.)  got Henry a “You saved us!”  present.

When did they have the time for present-giving? Emma got turned into the Dark One the night they got back from the AU. I wonder if that was actually a bit of truth bending by Henry, using the iPod as an excuse to drop in the mention of his heroism. It's not entirely a lie because he did what he said he did, but maybe it wasn't actually a reward.

 

I'm really glad that Belle went to comfort Killian at the diner because I was getting really annoyed that the Charmings didn't seem to care at all about the fact that their daughter's TL is in some obvious pain. Gotta make sure Regina is coddled instead I guess.

At least Snow was still acting worried about Emma. I love David, but I kind of hated him here. He was so caught up in glee about Savior Regina that he seems to have forgotten that his daughter is in danger, it took him a while to notice that his wife was deeply upset, and he completely disregards Hook's cloud of doom. I did love the scenes between Belle and Hook.

 

I rolled my eyes when the announcer in Camelot addressed "Mary Margaret". I don't understand why she can't use her birth name in a land people might know her better as such.

And worse, they called her "Lady." She's a queen, dammit. She's the rightful queen of the Enchanted Forest.

[thuganomics85]

 

And thanks for ripping off an awesome part of Guardians of the Galaxy, Show. What a bunch of a-holes, and not in the good way.

Seriously!  That was totally what I thought, too!  And it was lame as hell!  You are no Starlord, Regina!  Although, I guess Leroy is a decent enough substitution for Rocket Raccoon.

 

So, basically, it looks like this season is that it's going to Emma as "The Dark One" and Regina is the new "Savior", by default.  On another show, that could work, but I have a feeling this is just going to turn into another Regina lovefest for the writers.  They once again had her dump her being the Evil Queen on Rumpel (sure, he played a part, but it wasn't all him, your majesty).  They have Percival be a victim of her tyranny, but he's already dispatched, and Arthur doesn't seem to give any shits about it.  So, yeah, I don't see things changing.  Regina will be the big damn hero, and everyone will worship her.  I loved that the final shot was her unfreezing the dwarf and it was done in a "Isn't she great?!" way, and I was just like "Why did you wait till now?"

 

Totally think Guinevere is up to something.  I'm not familiar with the actress, but as soon as she appeared, she just gave a vibe that there is more to her, and I think she'll play some kind of major role going forward.

 

Dark Emma is going around being dark, but not fully changed, since she does still want a piece of Hook, and doesn't like everyone having a party without her.  But it's hard to bond when you've got a Rumpel in your head, mucking things up!

 

I actually kind of love that Robin is always getting captured, killed, etc.  It just amuses me that Regina's "true love" is someone that can barely defend himself.  How in the hell did the Merry Men get anything done?

 

Can't say Henry getting a love interest is on the top of my list of things I want to see.  That music choice didn't help either.  Charming giving fatherly advice was kind of fun, at least.  But what I really want to see his Hook giving him dating advice.  

 

I hope they step it up in the next few episodes, because I'm not quite feeling the new season yet.  It's kind of bad when I'm actually kind of missing Zelena and wondering where she went off to.

[Mari]

I actually kind of love that Robin is always getting captured, killed, etc.  It just amuses me that Regina's "true love" is someone that can barely defend himself.  How in the hell did the Merry Men get anything done?

 

Marian.

[retrograde]

I know the point of the dwarves at the town line scene was mostly about people questioning Regina's abilities as a savior and protector, but I like that someone on this show finally wised up to the fact that Storybrooke is super dangerous and everyone would be safer in the real world.

[StaceyNotStacie]

I enjoyed the episode, especially the Camelot scenes.  I also loved the dwarves.

Unless I missed it, I'm wondering who Henry's girlfriend is related to.

[KingOfHearts]

I could probably nitpick this episode all night because there were numerous inconsistencies and plot holes. There just wasn't much entertainment until the last act. I was constantly taken out of the story from the contrived ridiculousness constantly punching at me. Almost every scene there was something off or didn't make sense. Not all of its was worth hating, and I found a new moments charming, but tonight the show's problems were put on display for all to see and it was a Regina-centric of all things.

 

 

but I like that someone on this show finally wised up to the fact that Storybrooke is super dangerous and everyone would be safer in the real world.

I was truly hoping there would be no effect when they stepped over the townline. Then we could get all this drama about people wanting to leave or stay. But nope, we got Dopey turning into a tree instead. This presents another question... why does everyone assume this is a new curse? All the other citizens were in Storybrooke for those six weeks. Wouldn't the townline have the same rules it did before, with people just not being able to come back if they left? From the way the characters were talking it seemed as if it wasn't just a memory curse, but a new Dark Curse.

Edited October 5, 2015 by KingOfHearts

[Shanna Marie]

I noticed that when Arthur was looking at Percival's shield, the shield was half black, half white, like it's representing someone who is a mix of dark and light. Actually, before Arthur mentioned something about Percival and they showed the other shields around the Round Table, I thought it was going to have something to do with the prophecy, and what they were really looking for was someone who was the Savior and Dark One in one person, so Regina's lie actually was what ended up ruining everything. At any rate, I wonder if that shield will still have some kind of significance. Or was it just supposed to mean that Percival was good but was also dark because he wanted to avenge his slaughtered village.

 

As for "Regina's first ball," didn't Cora scold Regina in one of the flashbacks about needing to be more ladylike instead of riding all the time? I'd think that a mother who was concerned about her being ladylike would have forced her to learn to dance. Also, even if Leo didn't actually know Regina was plotting to murder Snow, he probably picked up on some scary vibes, and how would she expect him to want to dance with someone who barely hid her loathing? Still, this is terrible writing because the king and queen would have had to open balls by dancing so that everyone else could, even if they were barely concealing their hatred for each other while they did it.

[Jul 68]

I think that the writers gave Henry a love interest as a way to acknowledge that he's growing up. She'll either end up evil or dead. Either way, she's already served her purpose.

Regarding the looming big bad that Emma warned Regina about: She has said/demonstrated that Henry and Hook are still in her good graces. She's implying that BB's (I'm guessing Merlin) arrival may have deadly consequences. Unless she's planning to zap Henry and Hook out of town, why is she leaving that a mystery? Maybe that IS her plan. I could see her giving zero Fs about everyone else in town and just sitting on a hilltop and eating popcorn, watching it all go down.

Could you imagine driving down a quiet road in Maine and coming across a tree growing in the middle of one section, surrounded by tacos?

Edited October 5, 2015 by Jul 68

[ParadoxLost]

I could probably nitpick this episode all night because there were numerous inconsistencies and plot holes. There just wasn't much entertainment until the last act. I was constantly taken out of the story from the contrived ridiculousness constantly punching at me. Almost every scene there was something off or didn't make sense. Not all of its was worth hating, and I found a new moments charming, but tonight the show's problems were put on display for all to see and it was a Regina-centric of all things.

 

There were some decent things in the episode.  There were two fundamental problems.  First, it was the wrong time for a Regina centric.  The really should have set up Emma as a bigger menace that she is right now.  Having Emma in costume is not enough for the town to get on board with Regina proclaiming herself the Savior.  Its just not.  A nd having everyone but Hook focused on Regina but Hook is just baffling.

 

The second problem is that its ok to move Regina towards redemption without everyone having 100% belief in her new found heroism. I mean, they like evil Regina enough that they can help throwing in these little Evil relapses.  Why can't the Charmings hold a little grudge?

 

I think a lot of this episode was aimed at viewers that refuse to get on board with a redeemed Regina.  There were too many moments that seemed aimed at maximizing annoyance.  It felt petty.  If I had made a checklist of the things that I would have never thought would happen and would most annoy me they would have checked every Charming, Henry, and Dwarf related box.  They seem a little scared of messing with Captain Swan too much.  I hope it stays that way.

Edited October 5, 2015 by ParadoxLost

[Blue Plastic]

So Emma healed Robin. And she launches herself at Hook.  Dark magic makes her... horny?

 

Which I guess fits with trying to seduce him at her new fancy house too, but still, weird.  So many questions, but that bit stuck out and confuzzled me a tad.

I was confused by that whole scene, including the fact that pre-dark Emma didn't tell Regina that there would be a price for saving El Dippo (Robin Hood).  Then in Storybrooke, Dark Emma seemed pissed off that Regina was complaining to her about the Fury.  Well, I hate to defend Regina here, but #1 - Emma didn't tell Regina there would be a price and #2 - Emma took Regina's memories anyway.  So how was Regina supposed to know why the Fury was there?  That whole thing annoyed me.

 

Didn't like:

Apparently, friendship is its own kind of magic. This is not My Little Pony. Holding hands should not have defeated the fury.

So agree.  That was crap.  At first I thought we were going to get a side adventure where Regina, Snow, Charming, Robin, and Grumpy got sucked into Hades.  That might have actually been better because what happened made NO sense.  Wouldn't the Fury just take them all or try again later?  Return with backup maybe?

 

The dancing lesson scene irked me in so many ways, but I did think it was hilarious that Regina's go-to fairytale gown default is still evil queen style.

[Curio]

I could probably nitpick this episode all night because there were numerous inconsistencies and plot holes.

 

Speaking of inconsistencies and plot holes...

 

Did anyone else find it strange that there was a weird scene hop in Merlin's tower? In one scene, Emma leaves the room because she needs to take a nap. But then we cut to that same room and everyone looks like they've been standing in their same exact positions the entire time while Emma has been napping, but now Arthur is standing in the door apologizing and Emma is behind him. So what happened? Did everyone literally just stay in that room for an hour while Emma took a quick cat nap, and then Emma ran into Arthur in the hallway, he said he wanted to apologize for the deadly ball, and so those two walked back to everyone in the tower?

 

Then the scene where everyone is having a jolly ol' time in Granny's at the end...why is Belle the only one who notices that Hook is upset? If that were Regina at the counter, Snow, David, and who knows what other people would be right at her side encouraging her things would be okay. Which was basically the entire plot of this episode. And when Emma is looking all sad and left out on the street watching everyone have a good time inside, wouldn't she notice how miserable her boyfriend looks sitting at the counter? It's like they wanted to show us that Emma feels like no one cares about her and have already moved on, but there's a clear shot of her loved one drowning himself in alcoholism through the window.

 

Oh, and how in the world did Rumple-in-Emma's-head never pop up once during the whole Regina-is-the-Savior-of-Camelot crap? I thought for sure we were going to get a plot of Rumple digging into Emma about how Regina gets to have all this special recognition of being the Savior and how that necklace and applause actually belongs to Emma, and then Emma growing jealous. In fact, that would have been an interesting parallel to Regina's jealousy over Snow when she was growing more evil.

 

Don't even get me started on how in the hell that Guardians of the Galaxy rip-off somehow counted as sacrificing one life.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Curio

[YaddaYadda]

As usual, what bugs me with this show are timelines. If anyone wants to be of assistance, please feel free.

 

- Lancelot meets Snowing while they're still fighting to take their kingdom back. It's what? A year, a year and half before the Dark Curse if it's not before. Lancelot left Camelot because of a woman as he said. We are all assuming it's Gwen he's talking about. That means Arthur is already on his throne.

 

-Lancelot is with Percival when Arthur goes to retrieve Excalibur. So this even happens before Lancelot meets Snowing.

 

-Arthur tells the Nevengers that they found out about them coming to Camelot a decade before through Merlin's prophecy.

 

-Percival was a kid from a village that was slaughtered during Regina's reign of terror, so this is also during Snow's bandit years, which can be anywhere during a 5 year period before the Dark Curse. So they already fudged up that timeline or Percival was the EF's oldest child ever.

 

-Curse happens, part has gone to Storybrook, another part is stuck in Cora Dome. I'm assuming Camelot is stuck in Cora Dome too. 

 

If that's the case, then these people are supposed to be in stasis. How the feck did they find out about the prophecy 10 years ago if they were in stasis? 

 

Either the writers fucked up (which is very possible because these writers after all, or someone is telling nasty lies. I wanna know what's up!

 

Meanwhile, Merlin who is stuck in the tree has gone to Minnesota and paid wee Emma a visit and tried to change whatever stunt she's about to pull. He forgot to tell her she would be blasted back by the sword though. 

 

Also, lovely...Arthur now knows that Emma is the Dark One, if he hadn't found out in Camelot that is.

[maryle]

I was really conflicted about the episode, but I did watch it! All of it...and I am sorry but, savior Regina is looking more like pity party Regina.

Regina feels sorry for herself so often I lost count... 1) for never dancing at the ball 2) looking at a Merlin enchanted tree ....

Next time I am definitively fast farward her.

the good) All the rest.

Percival and his ruse, too bad that the price to dare to speak the truth about Regina is deserving the death penalty on this show.

CS scene and special mention to the mother daughter moment (Snow, Emma) why not more of that? it is gold.

I honestly I am mostly happy that the obligatory Regina centric is over and really looking for next week and the JOLLY RODGER scene.

[tennisgurl]

Also, who the hell thought bringing Zelena was a good idea? And where did she go anyway? 

[YaddaYadda]

Also, who the hell thought bringing Zelena was a good idea? And where did she go anyway? 

Granny's freezer? Is Regina going to keep her mute during their whole stay in Camelot or something?

 

And they dressed Leroy kind of like Lee Arenberg's PotC character.

Edited October 5, 2015 by YaddaYadda

[PixiePaws1]

Does anybody else get the vibe that Dark Emma was testing Killian and was actually pleased he said he was no longer dark? The look on her face when he snapped at her was almost regret. ..I think she wants to tell him the truth but she's protecting him.

Just re watched that scene and it's more like she was proving something. ..a small distinction but an important one.

LOVE the writers actually remembered (or someone hit them in their thick skulls to remind them!!) that Hook spent so long fighting the DO AND that he and Belle have this nice supportive vibe - when allowed in the same vicinity.

Edited October 5, 2015 by PixiePaws1

[YaddaYadda]

It seems that the writers have finally realised how important Hook is to this storyline!!

 

I think they always knew how important he was to this storyline. It's people jumping to conclusions before the season even began that made the hiatus unbearable.

 

LOVE the writers actually remembered (or someone hit them in their thick skulls to remind them!!) that Hook spent so long fighting the DO AND that he and Belle have this nice supportive vibe - when allowed in the same vicinity.

How do we know they even forgot? 

 

I don't understand what's going on with the sword. Is it light if it gets wielded by a hero and dark if it's wielded by the Dark One? Again, why is that idiot Merlin making a weapon that can snuff out the light?

 

Is touched in the head? Did his battle with the dark one inflict untold brain damage? WTF is the matter with this guy? Like the fuck! 

[Lady Calypso]

I liked the episode. I've accepted that Regina's probably going to be the hero to pull the sword out of the stone (though I'd adore it if it was Charming or Snow) and I've accepted that Regina's good now. It's the only way for me to enjoy this arc and not be annoyed.

 

That being said, it doesn't mean I'm not annoyed still at some parts. Charming and Snow, for instance. This writing seems to hate Charming/Emma scenes in any capacity. They still do the Snow/Emma scenes well, but they're so few now compared to the first two seasons. Now Snow's obsessed with Regina, and now Charming is too (and the rest of them). So really, it's everyone else's actions toward Regina that annoy me. I wish we could have had less Regina/Charming/Snow and we could have had Emma telling her dad that she wanted him to teach her how to dance. Despite doing it in 3B, it would have still been a cute moment, and a cute nod to Charming's dream way back when. 

 

I love Dark Swan now, but I really do need to see her do something evil. Right now, she's all bark and no bite. If she had sent the Fury, it would have been different. She either needs to kill someone or injure someone she loves for me to buy this. I get that even Dark Rumple wasn't inclined to hurt people, but I wish we had Emma break up with Hook so we can see her choosing power over love. Otherwise, she just looks like a more badass form of her already badass self, complete with snark and no fucks given. I just really, really don't want her to be faking it. Please god no. But her seeing Rumple makes it seem like she hasn't fully embraced the darkness, despite the fact that she was telling us, the audience, that she has.

 

The Hook/Belle scene was really good to see. But show, don't actually have that Rumple voiceover about romance and show the two of them in Granny's. 

 

Henry has a love interest. Finally. The girl looks like Guinevere's daughter.

 

I'm glad Dark Emma pointed out that nobody can be just good or evil, so it's really just her. I'm ok with that lesson being taught. Then we don't have to have goody-goody Regina.

 

Poor Percival. I found his actions entirely alright. He wants to avenge his village. Good for him. 

[KAOS Agent]

So I watched this episode. I'm pretty zen about this being the Regina Sue Fantasy Hour because I realized that I'm starting to just not care. Though I am disappointed that Robin didn't die. Pity.

 

Here's a few thoughts:

 

- If you want to dance and no one has asked you, you know how you solve that? You go and ask someone. I remember sitting on the sidelines during school dances when I didn't have a boyfriend and even though I'm one of the shyest and least forward people around, I went up a to a boy and asked him to dance. Then we danced. I just don't understand the need for such petty digs at the Evil White Clan. 

 

- Regina's use of the dagger and the grin & comment about getting used to controlling Emma were just awful. Like I felt physically ill at it. 

 

- This was yet another instance of Regina being motivated to really get involved because it had to do with saving Robin. If that had been Random Guy #3, would Regina have offered to pay the price? Incidentally, Emma did offer to pay the price for healing Robin when talking to Mind!Rumpel because Emma, even clouded in darkness, is a good person. Why the hell should she care whether Robin lived or died? Ultimately, Emma was the one who paid the price. 

 

- I'm also confused about how Regina was protecting Emma by claiming her title. If Merlin says that only the Saviour can free him and Merlin is never wrong, then Regina is not going to find another way and Emma will be the one to free him. 

 

- Hook truly does seem to be the only one who cares about Emma. He saw the sand slipping through the hourglass on her control and recognized that they shouldn't waste time on dancing. Also, once Emma started talking to nothing and acting all crazy, no way in hell should they have allowed her to heal Robin. 

 

- Could not care less about Henry. 

 

- The tale of Regina grinning with glee in the carnage and destruction of an entire village while a young boy watched was truly horrifying. This is the woman who deserves a happy ending. Percival was entirely justified in wanting revenge. Particularly because Regina's instinct was not to apologize or feel guilt, it was to worry about her lie being exposed. 

Edited October 5, 2015 by KAOS Agent

[shoregirl]

I'm still annoyed at the sacrificing Emma for Regina but now I'm also annoyed at them ignoring Hook. They spared hardly a glance at him, who is sitting alone drinking ,but that's fine because Regina feels better about herself. I hope none of these jerk figure it out ands it's all Hook and Belle. Also Snow and Charming..what if holding hands didn't work? You are willing to make another child an orphan because of Regina? Neither of you try to talk to Emma?

I thought the Snow and Emma Camelot scene was well acted but does Snow just ignore the fact that Regina is the reason she never got those moments before with Emma?

I'm Team Dark Swan. I hope she wins.

Edited October 5, 2015 by shoregirl

[Curio]

When Emma begs Regina in the alternate universe timeline to go tell Robin how she truly feels because she thinks that's the only way Hook can live, Regina doesn't listen to her. What happens? Regina gets touted as the light savior of that universe and her magical blood is physical proof of that.

 

When Regina begs Emma in the real timeline to save Robin's life using magic because she thinks that's the only way Robin can live, Emma listens to her. What happens? Emma is still the Dark One and in fact falls further into darkness because she now has sparkly skin as physical proof of that.

[tennisgurl]

 

The tale of Regina grinning with glee in the carnage and destruction of an entire village while a young boy watched was truly horrifying.

Its the strangest thing. They want us to feel SO SORRY for Regina and root for her redemption, but at the same time, they keep reminding us of all the awful things she has done, without the show itself acknowledging that they were horrible. Its like last season when we were supposed to feel sorry for Regina right after the flashback of her murdering an innocent man on his wedding. Like, the show sometimes remembers that Regina was an evil murdering dictator, but just does not care? And expected us not to care? What?

[HoodlumSheep]

Whoops, haha, I just realized I accidentally posted my last episode response in the spoiler discussion thread rather than here. :P

...And now the thread is locked so i can't edit my post. :( I'll have to fix it later. Sorry guys, it's probably my fault the spoiler thread got locked. It's way past when I usually go to bed, so stuff is starting to all blur together.

Anyways, looks like Dana Horgan is fond of the DO True Loves book club.

https://twitter.com/horgandee/status/650881509591658497

Edited October 5, 2015 by HoodlumSheep

[Leia1979]

I'm a sucker for a ball on this show (love that season 3 finale), but I rolled my eyes so hard at Savior!Regina. I did enjoy most of the actual Dark Swan bits, and I may rewatch the episode, skipping over the Regina and Robin stuff that I just don't care about.

 

I guess I'm tired because I'm more interested in critiquing the costuming than anything else tonight. I found Snow's dress terribly unflattering--something about the combination of that neckline with the wide skirt didn't work for me. Emma's dress was lovely from the back, but I didn't like the high neckline with all that white. I thought maybe it was supposed to say "Nope, no evil to see here" between the high neck and the flower crown that seemed better suited to a girl than an adult woman. But I also like this theory:

 

Maybe Emma is so covered up to hide the fact that her skin is turning scaly.

 

The hair folks also went a bit too heavy with the white hairspray--it seemed worse than last episode. But on a positive note, I love Dark Swan's long black wool coat. I want one. I thought that outfit (with the black dress underneath and black heels) was classy and beautiful while also being so entirely different from what Emma normally wears.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Leia1979

[Camera One]

So for the first time in 5 million years, magic actually has a price?  Of course!  It only has a price when you want to do something good with magic.  

 

Considering it was a Regina centric and accompanying pity party, I actually liked this episode more than last week.  

 

Mostly because there were a lot of little things which were a step in the right direction.  Of course, each of those came wrapped with problems, but I'm going to take what I can get with this show.

 

1. It was nice to have more lines from the Dwarves, and we got a zinger from Granny two episodes in a row.  That is awesome.  Having said that, the whole Leroy learns to trust in Regina thing just did not work.  I loved that he got a line with Belle, but there's no way he would encourage her to think positively about Rumple staying alive.  But if I ignored some of the dialogue, it was nice to see them using the minor characters.

 

2. Snowing as usual got dragged into more than a few Regina scenes (including the WTF, Regina didn't know how to dance scene), but they also got a record number of 20 second family scenes.  I almost had a heart attack when they actually gave Snow and Emma a conversation before the ball.  It was a nice seeing Snow looking so dejected and sad at the end, and her line about Emma was true and bittersweet.  I had to laugh when Regina accused Snow of not believing in her after the Fury smacked her down, and Snow didn't reply.  She did speak up in protest along with Hook when Regina asked Emma to heal Robin.  They even gave Charming a scene with Henry, as well as Emma with Henry.  This is all we can ask for in terms of more Charming family scenes, I think.

 

3. Giving Belle and Hook a few scenes was another good move.  However, another unintentional laugh came when Belle "explained" to us that the true love kiss didn't work with Rumple because when he pulled away, "the darkness forever regained its hold on him".  How did she know this exactly?  This is the writers pulling an explanation out of their you-know-what as per usual.  

 

4. Dark Emma was so much better without the white stuff all over the place.  I even felt sorry for her at the end.  Jennifer Morrison did a good job with the scene with Henry and Regina at the docks.

 

5. Yes, another of Regina's victims was made to be a villain and they had Charming kill him, which I hated.  But at the same time, they actually did show Regina acknowledging that Percival's grudge against her was justified.  I actually liked Percival a lot and I think he would have had good chemistry with Regina.  It sucks they killed him off, when he didn't deserve it.  

 

Having the "price" of saving Robin Hood from death de-activated by everyone sharing in the "death" was full out stupid.  I think I ended up liking the episode for a number of moments, but overall, it was still disjointed and the overall message about everyone gaining faith in Regina made no sense.  I mean, you don't need a degree in rocket science to acknowledge that Regina is the ONLY magic user in the whole town. so of course if anyone can take on Dark Emma, it would be her.

 

 

 

The co-writer Andrew Chambliss said on Twitter that the Dark One explained it: It doesn't work if you like the power too much.

 

What the hell?  

Edited October 5, 2015 by Camera One

[Free]

I think after 4+ seasons, I'm finally starting to grow weary of this.  Really struggling to care about these storylines going around and around in circles.

 

It's too repetitive and it's a shame too since this arc had the chance to shake things up with Emma being the Dark One, there could've been fun role reversals.

 

Killing is okay if it's to save Regina.

 

That and to portray yet another of her many countless victims as in the wrong.

 

Its the strangest thing. They want us to feel SO SORRY for Regina and root for her redemption, but at the same time, they keep reminding us of all the awful things she has done, without the show itself acknowledging that they were horrible. Its like last season when we were supposed to feel sorry for Regina right after the flashback of her murdering an innocent man on his wedding. Like, the show sometimes remembers that Regina was an evil murdering dictator, but just does not care? And expected us not to care? What?

 

Just slap on a scene of Regina's sad face or crying or whining at the end, it's what they've been doing since S2.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Free

[KAOS Agent]

 

The co-writer Andrew Chambliss said on Twitter that the Dark One explained it: It doesn't work if you like the power too much.

 

Which makes zero sense because Emma had the power to heal and do all kinds of magic before she took on the Dark One. She wouldn't lose that power once she sheds the darkness. And Emma trying True Love's Kiss on Hook showed that she did want to get rid of the darkness, so I call bullshit on the whole contrived thing.

[Souris]

Totally think Guinevere is up to something.  I'm not familiar with the actress, but as soon as she appeared, she just gave a vibe that there is more to her, and I think she'll play some kind of major role going forward.

 

It's her first acting role, so I doubt she's going to be playing a major role.

 

Regarding the looming big bad that Emma warned Regina about: She has said/demonstrated that Henry and Hook are still in her good graces. She's implying that BB's (I'm guessing Merlin) arrival may have deadly consequences. Unless she's planning to zap Henry and Hook out of town, why is she leaving that a mystery? 

 

She was talking about the Fury, I believe.

[KingOfHearts]

The co-writer Andrew Chambliss said on Twitter that the Dark One explained it: It doesn't work if you like the power too much.

My explanation was always that a TLK required two willing parties. It didn't work in Heart of Darkness because Snow didn't love Charming and she didn't want her memory curse broken. That's also why it didn't work with Emma and Hook this episode, because Emma was closed to it. That's always been my reasoning behind Skin Deep's TLK failure. Chambliss's explanation is a bit off the mark and doesn't work in all cases.

 

Point being: If someone is unwilling to TLK, it won't work. Darkness/power is only relevant if that's the reason they don't want to.

 

It's her first acting role, so I doubt she's going to be playing a major role.

And then there was Anna.

 

 

This season is SO much better than 4 already.

I agree. I didn't give a flying flip about the Author plot, nor did I really care for Frozen's outcome that much. But I'm sincerely intrigued by the Dark One and Camelot stuff. I'm also glad things seem to be centered more on the main characters despite all the newbies thrown around.

Edited October 5, 2015 by KingOfHearts

[Hookian]

Loved the episode. Captain Swan killed me. Captain Beauty BROTP slayed. Arthur and Guinevere are shady shady. Outlaw Queen was great.

 

This season is SO much better than 4 already.

 

Do you guys think they're setting up CS for a TLK that WILL work this season. It's just gotta happen when Emma chooses love over power.

[Souris]

And then there was Anna.

 

Point taken!

 

It really was gross how Snow & everyone ran to sacrifice themselves for Regina, when they just stood there when Emma was in the same position. And then proceeded to tongue-bathe her.

 

Also gross was turning yet another of Regina's victims with a legit beef against her into a villain who got no sympathy. Poor Regina instead! Her victims are ALWAYS presented as being in the wrong.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Souris

[mjgchick]

Emma needs to just stop doing good things for these people. Every time she does she keeps getting punished. Maybe that's why she refuses to give a fuck now.

Also how did the Camelot folks not know who the fuck Snow White or the Evil Queen is? Killian kept his hook on. Y'all going to tell me that they don't know who Captain Hook is?

[KingOfHearts]

 

Also gross was turning yet another of Regina's victims with a legit beef against her into a villain who got no sympathy. Poor Regina instead! Her victims are ALWAYS presented as being in the wrong.

Waiting for the ghosts of Greg, Percival, Kurt, Graham, and Leopold to haunt Regina in her sleep.

 

That scene with Percival really made me wonder how Regina can walk around just forgetting all that without any guilt. Funny how her victims finally get a face and he dies instantly at the hands of another one of her victims. It's just a friendly reminder of how screwed up Regina's redemption is. Thanks writers for whitewashing then tearing your work down only to whitewash again.

 

I knew it wouldn't happen but I was pulling for Robin's demise.  He's an insult to the legend.

 

Someone needed to die. You can't just say someone is going to lose their life as a price, then proceed to hold hands and repeal it. They put Robin on death's row (and killed off Percival) just to solidify Regina's status as Savior II. When Belle mentioned it was a life for a life, I thought something was gonna go down. But nope. They went with Care Bear stare!

Edited October 5, 2015 by KingOfHearts