S03.E19: A Curious Thing

[formerlyfreedom]

Zelena threatens to kill Henry if Hook - whose lips have been cursed by the Wicked Witch -- doesn't proceed with kissing Emma, which will drain all of her magical powers away, and things begin to heat up between Regina and Robin Hood. Meanwhile, back in the Fairy Tale Land that was during the past year, Snow and Charming go in search of Glinda, The Good Witch of the South, to see if she can help them defeat Zelena, and the curse that will ultimately send the Fairy Tale characters back to Storybrooke is cast -- but from an unlikely source.

[Last Time Lord]

Holy Kitsis. Times like this, I Horowitzing love this show!

 

I'd also like to point out that Regina was able to perform True Love's Kiss without a heart. Like a boss.

[juice318]

I'm glad Henry got the Book and his memories back. Love the shared heart. Still confused why Regina was knocked unconscious when Emma saved Henry.

Edited April 28, 2014 by juice318

[Worsel]

I liked this episode, mostly made sense to me although I could not understand why it was so easy for them to break into Rumple's castle and talk with him without Zelena showing up or knowing about it - you'd think she would have a monkey around keeping watch or something.  I would like to know what happens to the monkeys when they are shot - are they killed or do they dematerialize and dematerialize somewhere else?  We know they can survive falling off a tall building.

[Grammaeryn]

Ugh, I deeply disliked this episode.  How dare Emma snap at a mouthy teenager!  I really hoped Charming was toast.  Of course that didn't happen because writers can pull magic rules out of their asses. Why didn't Regina try to save her father the same way?  There were only two things I liked:  Hook fessing up about his mouth draino curse and Neil being the one who set the wheels in motion to find Emma.  I think this is probably going to be my last season of OUAT.  If I was a Captain Swan shipper, maybe I could suffer through season 4... I don't care about any of these characters anymore.

[lucindabelle]

! was also kind of "Go Emma!" when she pulled the "I am your mother" thing on Henry. Too bad it backfired. So now Henry gets to have memories of both worlds? Did he "see the movie" a lot in that one year in New York? Are those faux memories? Because we know he didn't see "Peter Pan" in storybrooke the first 10 years of his life. I think they don't have the Disney Channel there.

 

Regina got poufed back when Zelena showed up, and just hit the floor hard. How did Neal die in two different times?

[Mari]

Well, we know what has to happen before Snow is interested in Emma--she needs Emma to save everyone.  Now Snow remembers Emma.

 

Regina Actions Teflon Effect strikes again--of course Henry remembers her easily, and somehow, even though her heart is gone and her feelings are muted, loves him enough to overcome that and True Love Kiss him?  I can believe that hearted Regina would be able to break that curse with a kiss.  But if taking out a heart actually means something, she should not have been able to do that.

 

Plus, (speaking as someone who actually kind of likes the Robin/Regina pairing and finds the 3B Regina much, much improved and usually very enjoyable)  shouldn't it at least come up that Robin's a single father now dating a woman who is most famous for killing her previous husband and tormenting his child for thirty-odd years?  Because that sounds like something that should come up.

I'm not even mad at the character--I'm mad at the all over the place writing.

 

I was surprised to see Neal was the one to send for Hook.  I thought it would be Rumple.  It was a good surprise, though.

[Happy to be here]

I am liking this season alot.  At least alot more then last season.   

 

What I liked most:

 

1.  That it was Snow and Charming that actually cast the dark curse this time.  

 

2.  That Regina was the one to actually break the curse.  The deep irony in the relationship between the two families is always amusing.

 

3. I actually found Henry bareable in this episode.  He was season 1 uhhh charming.   I like him when he is like this.

 

4.  I am started to really ship Regina and Robin Hood (Sorry SwanQueen Shippers) 

 

5.  The Comedy was fun.  "I'm helping!"  

 

6.  Neil was the one who sent the remembering potion to Emma.

 

 

What I found Meh

 

1.  The conversation between Snow and Emma.  It has been done over and over.  We get it.  Emma's life was good in NY and she didn't actually want to come back.

 

2.  The heart thing was necessary but weird.  I love the pairing of Charming and Snow but this time it was a little too over the top for me.

Edited April 28, 2014 by ChaosTheory

[pcta]

OK - this was great until Emma was such a prissy twit about Hook. Emma has never been my favorite character - I was beginning to warm to her - but now . . .

[TrininisaScorp]

Man, they packed it all in there, didn't they?! 

 

I guess I lean Captain Swan, but regardless of the romance, I just like Emma and Hook's friendship and the characters individually.  I feel like Hook wasn't acting like the Hook we've grown to know.   He had all this great growth end of last season and through the Neverland/Pan arc and it feels like it is totally two steps back now.  Boo.  I also didn't care for the madness of that "oh, LIAR" scene and then cut to Neal scene because it isn't clear where Snow/Charming/Emma left it with him.  I like the relationship Hook has with Charming too and was sad to see the automatic lack of trust.  I also expected Emma to have a little more trust for Hook.  Come on, man.

 

I was moved by the Snowing curse scene.  For me, Ginny and Josh bring it when they do these type of scenes. I buy what they are selling and I really felt for Snow.  In that scene, Regina was also very strong in her reactions to the sadness of Snow crushing Charming's heart.  What a difference some time and character development makes. 

 

Glad to see Neal doing something smart.  Good man!  The only person thinking straight!  And YAY for Killian just going with it to find and convince Emma.

 

I loved Henry's "Robin Hood?  Awesome!".  It felt so "Henry" to me and put a smile on my face.

 

Can someone explain to me why all the "light witches" suck?  Glenda was so damn useless.  Right up there with Blue and the other  "good" fairies. There seems to be no balance of power between the "light" and "dark" witches.  If you want to be even slightly effective, you have to be a dark witch.  Boo, again.   

Edited April 28, 2014 by TrininisaScorp

[Dani-Ellie]

OK - this was great until Emma was such a prissy twit about Hook.

 

I think Emma has a right to be angry with Hook. He endangered her son's life by not telling her that Zelena had specifically threatened Henry. I understand that he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I get that he was trying to fix it by getting Henry out of town but that should have been Emma's decision to make, not Hook's. (Plus, what was he going to tell Emma when she found him? "I kidnapped your lad to keep him safe"?)

Edited April 28, 2014 by Dani-Ellie

[shapeshifter]

I've gotten used to all the fairy magic induced retcons on this show, but I could not quite understand how Snow, looking like a 10-month pregnant Ginnifer Goodwin, could possibly pump blood for herself and a baby with only half a heart. </end of mother-of-3 rant>

If Emma can't forgive Hook, I'm sure there are plenty of other damsels who will.

I loved Henry's "Robin Hood?  Awesome!".  It felt so "Henry" to me and put a smile on my face.

Yeah, what preteen boy wouldn't be thrilled to find out Mom is dating Robin Hood?

Well, actually, it would at least take the edge off of Mom dating period.

But isn't Henry going to need some sessions with Dr. Hopper to resolve his confused Mommy issues? I mean, he still has memories of 12 years in New York and Storybrooke, right?

Edited April 28, 2014 by shapeshifter

[Happy to be here]

Can someone explain to me why all the "light witches" suck?  Glenda was so damn useless.  Right up there with Blue and the other  "good" fairies. There seems to be no balance of power between the "light" and "dark" witches.  If you want to be even slightly effective, you have to be a dark witch.  Boo, again.

 

 

Rules.  Light obeys the rules. Dark doesn't.  Look at what Snow and Charming have to be willing to do to get back to Storybrooke.  They have to enact the dark curse which means Snow has to crush the heart of her one true love.    I am not sure light magic could have done the same thing and not sure how believable it would have been to do it.   Now stoping Zelinda that is different.  I can see Emma being the Savior being born of "TWU WUV"  having enough light magic to counter act the dark.  She was able to stop "Who was it again" from taking out her heart.     However as magic goes; black magic tends to be cooler then white magic.  (At least in theory)

[BoPeeps]

Liked it. Moved fast and answered a lot of questions. In true OUAT fashion some great one liners and bits of visual comedy tossed in. I had no problem with Regina and Robin settling into a comfortable familiarity. The heart sharing was so very very Charming that I liked that, too. Romantic Sap living in my jaded heart likes to come out for an airing now and then just for old time's sake!

 

It had the flavor of irreverence and suspension of disbelief needed to be true to the spirit of Adam and Eddy vision.

 

A few widening gaps here and there, as always and I am assuming that the monkeys weren't killed, just poofed. I fully expect them all to come back to human form when Zelena is deliciously disintegrated. They've created a good hate machine in her. The remainder of the season will be interesting for sure.

 

Having Regina be the TLK to break the dark curse just leaves the door wide open for Emma to practice an unforced TLK on the luscious lipped Captain, which is actually much better. Her hypocritical *how can I trust you* to Killian was for momentary angst drama to keep the UST alive and kicking for Swan and Hook, because she has been lying by omission to Henry all season. Suck it up Emma. You are far from perfect, Darlin'. You've been pawning the care of Henry off on Hook all season and NOW you are going to act the all high and might, control freak Mama???? If you tighten up on us/him again, I hope Killian tells you to hit the pike.

 

Neal thanked Hook in the hospital before he died for getting the message to Emma, so the hurried dove scene fell into place nicely, and contrary to all the self-indulgent, whining of weepy *the show should always be all about Neal* mourners....that was one hellaciously touching headstone. Beloved Son...which was Neal's true purpose of the show.

Did like the clever little *Game of Thorns* sign in the background during Hook commandeering Henry scene.

Edited April 28, 2014 by BoPeeps

[LilWharveyGal]

I'd give half my heart for Regina's awesome red dress.  And I'd give the other half to destroy Snow's awful wig.

[Shanna Marie]

I'd give half my heart for Regina's awesome red dress.

That dress is MINE. I mean, like casting the Dark Curse to get it.

 

We get it.  Emma's life was good in NY and she didn't actually want to come back.

Now when I hear the words "New York" my brain automatically fills in "we had a good life."

[P2C2E]

I did like Snow's hair in the early scene where Philip and Aurora were turned into monkeys. It was very Snow White-ish.

I was surprised at the gang shooting the monkeys when they knew there was a chance they were people they knew. It's a safe bet that the poofed monkeys still exist and can be turned back.

[Camera One]

This is just a repost from the other message board...

 

This was the first episode this half-season that felt enjoyable and engaging all the way through, with a good mixture of character moments and actual plot progression and momentum, along with some hilarious lines plus use of the supporting characters.  Of course, there were some flaws, but I liked it.

The episode got me from the beginning with the war council that actually contained Granny and Grumpy, and we actually got to see Belle catching everyone up and Aurora and Philip explaining that whole betrayal thing (which I still hated, and I hate that they killed Flying Monkeys which could be their friends even though the effects were cool).

Is Glinda as useless as the Blue Fairy or what?  I didn't need her to be friends with Crazy Zelena.  Why would she be.  Clearly a horrible judge of character considering Ze-ze is clearly wacko to anyone with half a brain.

I don't read spoilers so the show almost gave me a heart attack when they killed Charming and kept him dead for 5 minutes.  I would be so broken up right now if that had truly happened.  But it seems like I didn't know about the Heart Bissection Transplant Procedure they have in the Enchanted Forest.  While I don't like the concept of Snow enacting the Dark Curse and Charming sacrificing himself on paper, those two have so much chemistry that the scene was powerful and moving.  I liked that Snow and Charming took the lead in the flashback portion, which made me like Snow again with her can-do attitude.  I also liked her little conversation with Emma.

Emma's fight with Henry was really good and well-played.  I liked their quest to get Henry to remember.

I must say I was annoyed that Regina broke the Curse by kissing Henry though.  That was to be expected with these writers' love affair with her, but that was the one sour note in the episode.  It was strange how Emma didn't kiss Henry the moment Zelena repelled Henry away from Emma's magic.  Though I really liked Regina throughout the flashback, how she was incredulous at Snowing for picking flowers and how sad she looked when Snow lost Charming for a brief time. 

I still don't feel any chemistry between Regina and Robin Hood but that pinecone line was hilarious.

[legaleagle53]

How did Neal die in two different times?

 

He didn't.  He separated from Rumpel just long enough to prepare the note, attach it and the bottle containing Zelena's memory potion to the bird's leg, send the bird on its way to Hook, and then made it back into Rumpel's body just in time to avoid dying.

[lucindabelle]

No, he was dead at the beginning of the Fairy Tale segment. The people in long pretty gowns were sad, when they were considering announcing Snow's pregnancy. Right at the top of the episode.

[thuganomics85]

At this point, I feel like maybe I should just quit thinking about all this heart stuff.  Regina was telling Robin that without her heart she can still love, but just "not as much?"  And even without it, her love is still powerful enough to break the curse when she kissed Henry?  While, in comparison, in the Wonderland spin-off, when Will lost his heart, it seemed he couldn't love at all.  I just don't get the rules and now my head is hurting.  Yeah, I just need to quit trying to find reason in this particular gimmick.  I mean, now we are in the "A person can live with half of a heart" phase, so clearly there are no rules to this.

 

So, everyone gets their memories back and Robin's basically like "Hey, I know you were a mega bitch to me in the past year, but you still look like Lana Parilla, so I'm down with continuing this!"  Well.... I guess I can't fully blame him.  At least her bitchiness can be funny.

 

Considering that we find out Aurora and Phillip were turned into Flying Monkeys, it made that slaughter-fest kind of disturbing.  Who knows who those monkeys use to be?  Then again, since they just disintegrated, did they actually die permanently?  I hope they address that.

 

Cool seeing Sunny Mabrey as Glenda, even though she didn't amount to much.  I do hope we get a flashback about what went down with Zelena and Glenda.

 

Neal escaping from Rumpel's body and being the one that delivered the message and bottle to Hook, was a nice twist.

 

Yeah, you should have just told the truth, Hook.  Keeping secrets never work out.  I expected better from you.

[shapeshifter]

Now when I hear the words "New York" my brain automatically fills in "we had a good life."

Every time I hear it, I wonder if they go back now, will they still have that gorgeous piece of real estate that would cost 20 bail bonds persons' salaries per month. And even as annoying as it is whenever Emma or Henry says it, it is very realistic. I have an adult daughter who went to NYC for college and is still there at 30. I think talking about how great a place NYC is to live is actually a necessary psychological defense mechanism if one is going to live there.

And I suspect New Yorkers usually keep their hearts in train station lockers to prevent loss due to mugging, but that's a metaphor on a Brooklyn Bridge too far to nowhere.

I found it oddly satisfying that Philip and Aurora became winged monkeys; to me they never seemed to have personalities anyway.

Edited April 28, 2014 by shapeshifter

[MelsW]

This episode makes up for last week's steaming pile of crap. It was fast paced, moved the story line along, and had that mix of comedy and drama I expect from OUAT. I thought Henry's character was well utilized this episode and am glad Hook's lip curse is out there in the open. It was a nice twist that the Charmings actually set the curse in motion this time around.

 

So Glenda is pretty useless, eh? She was about as helpful as the Blue Fairy. Hopefully she will be more useful in an upcoming episode.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Now when I hear the words "New York" my brain automatically fills in "we had a good life."

Heh, it's a cousin to "Tahiti - it's a magical place!"

 

Stupid me, I thought the show was going to have the balls to actually kill off Charming but of course they found a way around it.

 

One thing I really liked about the scene where Snow sacrifices Charming is how obviously terrible Regina felt because it was such a contrast to where she started and how much has changed. Three years ago, she would have reveled in forcing Snow to sacrifice the thing she loved most, knowing how much pain that would cause her. Now after all they have been through, Regina took no joy in ripping out his heart and letting Snow crush it.

 

While I understand Emma's frustration and anger with Hook, I hated that they had him go the total soap opera route making general statements like "I was trying to protect you," without actually explaining what happened. It would have taken just as long for him to explain the exact nature of the curse Zelena put on him. Instead he only admitted enough to make himself sound shady as ever so that Snow and Charming could jump in with "He's a lying liar who lies!"

 

When Zelena was holding Henry, I saw Hook standing next to Emma and I thought he was going to grab her and kiss her to save Henry. I'm glad he didn't though.

[beadgirl]

 

I've gotten used to all the fairy magic induced retcons on this show, but I could not quite understand how Snow, looking like a 10-month pregnant Ginnifer Goodwin, could possibly pump blood for herself and a baby with only half a heart. </end of mother-of-3 rant>

I'm going to assume it happens via the same mechanics that allow Regina to pump blood through her system even though Zelena has her heart.

 

Way back at the beginning of the show, one thing  I felt was absolutely necessary was for Regina to have a genuine love for Henry, no matter how evil she otherwise was, or how unhappy he was.  Despite any misteps with Regina's characterization over the series, the writers have kept that up, and I was so, so pleased to see that her love for Henry was true and strong enough.  Even if she doesn't have her heart (maternal love is strong, y'all!).

 

So not an Emma/Hook shipper, but even I thought the manufactured anger was lame.  I can get behind a friendship between the two, though.

 

Finally, a thought I had throughout the episode: why hasn't anyone tried to throw water on Zelena?  Belle, with her book-knowledge, is pseudo-genre savvy, and both she and Emma should know about that if they know the OZ stories. I began wondering if there was some reference I missed in the last few episodes, indicating that water is not her weakness (my damn wiener kids often keep me from catching everything that happens on this show), or whether they were saving it for the finale.  But in the previews, we see Dorothy and the water scene, so I guess they have not forgotten it; it's just not a permanent solution, apparently.

[MMLEsq]

One thing that confused me was this:  when Rumpel said that only the pure of heart would be able to pass through that magical door, I said, "Well, Snow White can't then."  Doesn't she have a black mark on her heart from killing Cora?  I thought only Charming was going to be able to pass through it.  Obviously, I was wrong. 

I don't read spoilers so the show almost gave me a heart attack when they killed Charming and kept him dead for 5 minutes.  I would be so broken up right now if that had truly happened. 

I don't read spoilers either, but since that scene happened in the past, and Charming is clearly alive and well in the present, clearly something was going to happen to save him.

Edited April 28, 2014 by MMLEsq

[Izzyboy]

Heh, it's a cousin to "Tahiti - it's a magical place!"

 

LOL, you beat me to the joke!

 

I really liked this episode.  Yeah, not a lot of things made sense, but I don't watch OUAT for logical and well thought out plotlines...I mean these are the same guys behind Lost! :) It was a briskly paced and entertaining episode so I appreciated that.

[Helena Dax]

Great episode! Lots of things happened. We had some answers and good lines.

 

I still don't understand why Hook didn't tell Emma about his cursed lips earlier, it just doesn't make any sense.  And  now Emma's angry at him, poor thing.

 

I'm glad this time it was Regina's kiss what broke the curse. 

[myril]

This show is training my abilities to compartimentalize. Keeping some of the fantasy computing parts of my brain inside the Once universe and my brain otherwise on mute helped a bit to make this episode watchable.

 

It had a nice allegorical moment with David's sacrifice and Snow sharing her heart with him - as long as one could very much forget about even any logic in the Once universe, let alone other logic ( and don't even bother to think of science her, it's a magical place). That's character driven story telling, making use of a plot device to give characters a special moment regardless of any hiccups it creates in your own story universe. Not much of a character development here though, we know that Snow and Charming are always finding a way and are always ready to sacrifice themselves for each other. But beautiful allegory, poetic moment. They add new dimension to the idioms to break or crush a heart, share a heart, to give one's heart away. Take it literally.

 

The acting in the curse casting scene of Lana Parrilla, Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas was emotionally stirring, great work. Main reason why this kitsch mostly worked.

 

The episode had a nice throwback to season 1, but this time Regina was the one proving she is capable of true love and broke the curse giving her son Henry a kiss. In my view it would have happened as well if Emma had kissed him, but Henry was whisked away by Zelena before she could. So we have prove Henry has two mothers truly loving him, and he loving them, wonderful. Not going to end the debate who is the better mother, we have to fight about something. By the way, did anyone else notice that skeptical look Regina threw at Emma at the end of their morning war council at Granny's, where they decided, they had to get Henry's memories back, Emma obviously hesitant though?

 

Get it: Desperate times call for drastic measures. And as well that Snow and David didn't rush to think of chance to reconnect with their daughter and grandson. But it would have made a difference, if they had had one tiny moment before wondering if there is a way. So it comes now with a sore taste. That is how family works for some people: If you're in need, you call for them, and when you think everything is fine, you all go your merry ways. Emma is the savior, so destined to be called for in emergency situations. Of course her parents get only serious to get back to her when they are in dire need of her help. Otherwise they are so utterly mature to keep themselves out of her business. Or not.   And then Snow gets snippy, that Emma forgot about them (as if she had a choice, curse, remember) and that Emma dared to be even happy and now, more outrageous, still ponders if maybe leaving would be the better choice for her and Henry? What a way to make Emma feel loved and welcomed.

 

Can someone explain me what Zelena needed Aurora and Phillip for? Why threaten them to tell her when Snow would be back. And how could Zelena know that Snow would come back to the Enchanted Forest and would be pregnant soon? Crystal ball? But seeing the future is never an exact science, so she had to force people to keep her up-to-date. It's not like Zelena really needed Aurora and Phillip, the sudden appearance of a number of people hardly would have gone unnoticed by anyone, and Snow was about to announce her pregnancy to all public. What a waste of characters and actors.

 

What happened to Aurora's baby when she was turned into a flying monkey?

 

Speaking of monkeys: were those monkeys killed when they went up into blaze and ashes or somehow automatically magically poofed away? If they were killed they might have killed a few of the dwarves, or even... no, even this show is not going there, I think, killing pregnant Aurora and Phillip. But would be a quick way to reduce recurring cast. Can understand in the heat of the moment that the heroes didn't hesitate, but the writers established rather at length, that the flying monkey were people enslaved by Zelena, and now that didn't matter?

 

Regina is feeling something even without her heart, enough to convey true love, but it's too difficult to explain. Or in other words: The writers have no idea how to explain it, but it has to be for the sake of the plot, and they are aware of fans nagging about such details, so the writers let us know that they know but have no answers. Thanks.

 

They worked so hard to convince us that Snow might have a spot of darkness on her heart, that Cora succeeded somewhat with what she told dead Eva she would do, darken Snow's soul.  But guess thanks to the magical healing power of her unborn Snow's heart is as good as pure again. Whatever.

 

What was that with all the roses in the episode? A rose on Hook. Regina nagging that Snow and David spend time smelling roses (her words, though it were snowbells). An then Henry putting a rose on Neal's grave. No, not guessing anything, just taking note.

Edited April 28, 2014 by katusch

[flyingmonkey]

Did anyone else get creeped-out by seeing the upcoming scenes for next week?  They have Henry in a wig playing Dorothy---I had to replay it several times to make sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing.

[P2C2E]

No, he was dead at the beginning of the Fairy Tale segment. The people in long pretty gowns were sad, when they were considering announcing Snow's pregnancy. Right at the top of the episode.

From memory, it went something like this:

Belle: "Neal is dead. Rumple is alive."

Snow: "Neal is dead?"

Regina: "Rumple is alive?"

Belle: "I think?"

Regina: " Which one?"

Belle: "Both?"

And then she explained Rumple absorbing Neal and Zelena having the dagger.

[jhlipton]

Grammaeryn:

Why didn't Regina try to save her father the same way?

 

 

Regina would never have thought to share a heart.  Even the New and Improved Regina was skeptical that either Snow or Charming would survive. 

It shows the difference between a "curse" cast by "light magic" vs one cast by "dark magic".

 

I liked the episode -- I've learned not to let little things like "how do hearts work?" bother me.  It makes the show much more enjoyable.

 

(Speaking of hearts, I never really believed Regina when she told Snow that there was dark on her heart.  Even if there was, Snow has felt far too guilty for killing a mass-murderer for far too long -- her heart would be all nice and clean by now,)

[smarter than me]

I really loved this episodes simply for all the surprises. I did not see it coming that Snow/Charming were the ones to cast the curse. Wow. Desperate times indeed. And I liked that they weren't the ones to call upon Emma- they didn't want to pull her back into the madness.  I thought it would be Zelena who would be revealed to be the one who brought Emma to Stroybrooke. It being Neal was a total twist for me. Such a dramatic moment when he pulled himself out of Rumple's body and then collapsed back into it.  I actually liked the guy again!

 

Final amazing twist that it was Regina kissing Henry to break the curse. I personally loved that, and it cemented her character arc. This is the woman who, at the beginning of the season, was a bit ambivalent towards Henry even when she had her heart. Now she's True Loving all over him. (Henry is running out of moms to break curses though.)

 

I get that people are skeptical of True Love's kiss working, but losing a heart doesn't prevent one from loving...In all characters we have seen without a heart, it bareley seems to affect them.  Cora ripped out her own heart to stop herself from running off with Rumple, yet she still clearly loved Regina enough to go to great lengths for hope a reconciliation with her daughter. It didn't make her totally unable to love.   Even without Regina's awkward exposition of that fact, we knew that removing one's heart doesn't make one incapable of love or having other emotions... 

 

Re: sharing hearts, Regina's heart wouldn't have been strong enough anyway to split with her father. It's pretty manky and blackened.  (hence it's ridic that Zelena thinks it is "resilient" enough for it to work for her dumb spell but whatever).

 

I liked that Regina was actually touched by the Charmings, instead of just disgusted. Again, a big sign of her emotional development and arc.

 

 

They have Henry in a wig playing Dorothy---I had to replay it several times to make sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing.

 

 

 

 

WAIT what?! Seriously? I didn't get a good look. That is bizarre.

 

Speaking of monkeys: were those monkeys killed when they went up into blaze and ashes or somehow automatically magically poofed away?

 

 

I want to know this too. The whole time they were killing monkeys I kept thinking-- shit, they're killing their friends! They could have killed Little John and maybe Philip/Aurora if those two got pulled over.

[Dani-Ellie]

They have Henry in a wig playing Dorothy---I had to replay it several times to make sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing.

 

I can't find confirmation on IMDb, but I just found the promo on YouTube and I don't think that's Henry.

Edited April 28, 2014 by Dani-Ellie

[NCChic]

Has the florist always been "Game of Thorns?" Because that's quite a funny pun.

[MedievalGirl]

Yes. The Game of Thorns van was seen in the first season. It belongs to Belle's father.

[shapeshifter]

I can't find confirmation on IMDb, but I just found the promo on YouTube and I don't think that's Henry.

Can you post a link to it here? Thanks.

[Rick Kitchen]

Stupid me, I thought the show was going to have the balls to actually kill off Charming but of course they found a way around it.

Well they couldn't have very well killed him off in the past when we know he's alive in the present.  :)

[MedievalGirl]

I wondered briefly if current day Charming was some sort of doppleganger and a spy for Zelena but then I realized the whole courage thing wouldn't work with a false David.

[flyingmonkey]

OK...on third, fourth, and fifth look at next week's promo, I stand corrected----on Youtube it doesn't look as much like Henry in a wig as it did when I saw it last night on the TV screen.  I stand corrected--I'm going to go check my glasses now.

[Dani-Ellie]

Can you post a link to it here? Thanks.

 

Ask and ye shall receive. :)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw0W3r_U2nc

 

 

 

I wondered briefly if current day Charming was some sort of doppleganger and a spy for Zelena but then I realized the whole courage thing wouldn't work with a false David.

 

I was afraid that it was going to be some quirk of the curse keeping him alive and that he was going to keel over once it was broken. (No, really, all the way up until the splitting-heart scene, I was on David Collapse Watch.)

Edited April 29, 2014 by Dani-Ellie

[KAOS Agent]

 

I did not see it coming that Snow/Charming were the ones to cast the curse. Wow. Desperate times indeed. And I liked that they weren't the ones to call upon Emma- they didn't want to pull her back into the madness.

 

The whole point of them casting the curse was to get back to where Emma was because Glinda told them that only the most powerful of light magic users could defeat Zelena. Snow immediately jumped to Emma is the Saviour. We have to get back to her. They absolutely did want to drag her back into the madness. Just because they had zero planning about how they would do that, doesn't negate the fact that they were perfectly willing to use their daughter again to fix their problems. 

[formerlyfreedom]

Just a reminder - some posters consider previews to be spoilers, so if you are going to discuss them, please spoiler tag them.

 

Now that said, it appears

Dorothy ISN'T Henry in a wig :)

, so that's a good thing, cause that would creep me out majorly!

[Dani-Ellie]

Eep, my apologies! I just edited my post above to put the preview video under a tag. :)

[formerlyfreedom]

No problem, Dani-Ellie! I wasn't even thinking about the video post, people can choose to click or not.

[zmeliz]

Regina had some great lines, I laughed out loud ar the pine cone one, especially at Lana's disgusted delivery. Aside from the mass execution of villages, I think she is even regarding Snow and Charming and most of Storybrook now. But ewwww, peasants, amirite?

I also was shaking my head at Henry being all 'Smee, like from Peter Pan?!' next to the guy dressed like a pirate with a hook arm.

It's ok that they had Emma being all offended about Hook's lie. I mean, there had to be something separating them until the finale. Too bad it was this dumb.

Great episode!

[Heather Lynn]

I get both sides of the "using Emma" argument but Zelena's planned time reversal impacts both Emma & Henry. Emma would likely have been raised with her parents in the Enchanted Forest and Henry would never have been born. The only way they found to even get back was to kill Charming so I can understand why they wouldn't have tried something sooner. It wouldn't be a happy reunion if Emma heard they killed her father to get back to her even though they knew she & Henry were living a good life. In Emma's shoes, I would consider that just as selfish but YMMV. I'll fanwank that they discussed missing Emma offscreen.

I did enjoy the episode but hope we find out what happened with FlyingMonkeyAurora and FlyingMonkeyPhillip.

[shapeshifter]

Thanks, Dani-Ellie. Wow, Dorothy sure does look like Henry!

[whiporee]

Would it have killed them to get Kristin Chenowith to be Glinda? Or even Galinda? I know it would have been hard to get Idina for the whole season (though maybe they could have gotten Adel Nazeem), but KC's not doing much -- she could have put in a couple of weeks of shooting. Thought a Broadway guy a bone, wouldya? Especially if you're going to emphasize the red lips. 

 

As a reader of all four of the Wicked novels, I really do have a hard time keeping my Ozes straight.

[Rick Kitchen]

Cheno has four movies in post-production, she's been a busy bee.