S06.E20: The Song in Your Heart

[InsertWordHere]

Guys, "A Happy Beginning" is still stuck in my head. I'm gonna have to buy it. It's just so cheery and uplifting. Why couldn't we have this some of the time on the show without music?

[MaiLuna]

I loved it. Was it perfect? No. But I'm gonna take my critical cap off for once and just enjoy it. It was fun, it was hopeful and it was beautiful. 

[jhlipton]

1 hour ago, tribeca said:

Did the blue fairy finally do something right ? 

I'm sure it was an accident.

[Curio]

This is by far the best episode of the season and it will probably go down as one of the most memorable episodes in the entire series, but half of the episode's script was essentially freelanced by two broadway guys who aren't even on OUAT's writing staff. That really tells you something about the productivity of the current writing team.

Edited May 8, 2017 by Curio

[ABitOFluff]

10 minutes ago, InsertWordHere said:

Guys, "A Happy Beginning" is still stuck in my head. I'm gonna have to buy it. It's just so cheery and uplifting. Why couldn't we have this some of the time on the show without music?

Buy it! I think the whole soundtrack is worth it. Like any soundtrack there are weaker songs, but overall it's good to have on your playlist.

[Curio]

22 minutes ago, scenicbyway said:

So how did Emma and Hook have time to shop for new, new wedding clothes between the Mayor's office and the ceremony?

 

Sorry, you'll have to tune into Once Upon a Time in Offscreenville to catch those scenes.

[CCTC]

22 minutes ago, Shanna Marie said:

It's not like Hook and Charming hang out in the pub singing pub songs together

I would like to think that they do.

[Jul 68]

I just discovered that the soundtrack is on Spotify, so I'm quite pleased.

As I was listening to it, I realized that back in the SEF (Singing Enchanted Forest), Hook clearly got Snowing to the Queen's castle. I guess that Hook and his crew didn't get to Rumple before Blue erased their memories. Must have been an interesting conversation ?

Hook: How in the bloody hell did we get here?!

Smee: Rum? By the by boss, where are we?

[pezgirl7]

54 minutes ago, Jul 68 said:

I need it on Spotify.

All the songs have been on Spotify for a few days!

27 minutes ago, Kktjones said:

Also, was that another failed TLK btw Emma & Hook? 

Maybe a person can't be TLKed if they are frozen by dark magic? The TLK rules are pretty unclear.

[Shanna Marie]

9 minutes ago, CCTC said:

32 minutes ago, Shanna Marie said:

It's not like Hook and Charming hang out in the pub singing pub songs together

I would like to think that they do.

#Ithappenedoffscreen. Along with everything else even remotely interesting.

17 minutes ago, Curio said:

This is by far the best episode of the season and it will probably go down as one of the most memorable episodes in the entire series, but half of the episode's script was essentially freelanced by two broadway guys who aren't even on OUAT's writing staff. That really tells you something about the productivity of the current writing team.

It really did have an entirely different feel. We may not have been seeing the characters bursting into song all along, but during the songs the characters felt like themselves. Yeah, the villains have changed in the present, but Hook was definitely the cheeky pirate we first met, before he was mired in doom and gloom in both past and present (loved the "that's in verse two, love" line, or however it went).

3 minutes ago, Jul 68 said:

I realized that back in the SEF (Singing Enchanted Forest), Hook clearly got Snowing to the Queen's castle.

But what I don't get is why they needed a pirate ship to get to the queen's castle. Hook and Charming got there on foot/wagon from Midas's castle during the time travel, and Charming and Abigail were going from George's castle (where the Charmings ended up) to Midas's castle by carriage. That would suggest that you could get from George's castle to Regina's castle by foot/carriage. Regina's castle looked pretty landlocked. That was the thinnest excuse to fit in Hook's musical number.

[TheGreenKnight]

2 hours ago, jhlipton said:

I'm sure it was an accident.

Maybe this is why she was so useless the entire series--she used all her power to guarantee Emma won the most important, Final Battle. (Not that the writers knew that before they wrote this episode, I'm sure.)

Edited May 8, 2017 by TheGreenKnight

[BoPeeps]

Wellll, that was a helluva lot of fun!!!!

just as it should be :)

[Shanna Marie]

The weird thing about the "Happy Beginning" song is that my head keeps mashing it up with "A Happy Ending for Us" from Galavant -- the one in which the servants sing cheerfully about poisoning the nobles so they'll be free from servitude. It's a very weird and unsettling combination.

I'm trying to decide if this one episode warrants getting the season on Blu Ray. That won't affect the sound that much, and the visuals weren't too great. I guess we'll see how the finale looks. This is likely to be the only episode this season that I rewatch often.

[jhlipton]

14 minutes ago, pezgirl7 said:

The TLK rules are pretty unclear.

Rules?  Rules??? We don't need no stinkin' rules!!!

[MadyGirl1987]

Really enjoyed this episode. I am a big Broadway fan, in addition to being a CS fan and seeing potential in them from the episode they went against the giant together way back in season 2, so I was looking forward to this. I was surprised at how good everyone was, even if Zelena's song felt a bit touched up and Regina's song wasn't right for Lana(she sounded much better in the final song). Wasn't it Ginny who was saying she couldn't sing? I don't know why... She did great!

Wish we would have had more wedding but what are you going to do? I am trying to think of other weddings from TV shows and how much time is spent on the ceremonies. I guess this was comparable? Thinking on shows that have shown weddings, like Friends, I feel like it's usually the chaos around the day that's the focus. I might have a low bar around wedding episodes on TV, though, since How I Met Your Mother

Spoiler

Spent their whole final season, and a good part of the back half of the season before that, centered around the wedding of Barney and Robin only to divorce them 15 minutes into the finale. 

 As long as they don't pull those shenanigans here, I'm good...

Edited May 8, 2017 by MadyGirl1987

[KingOfHearts]

Quote

That was the thinnest excuse to fit in Hook's musical number.

Not nearly as the thin as the excuse for Zelena's...

[Katherine]

Why can't all episodes be as fun as this one? I was heavily spoiled but still really enjoyed it. Maybe I had just lowered my expectations enough because I was actually pleasantly surprised that Emma and Hook had as much emphasis as they did (even if it was only in the last ten minutes of the episode). I was also surprised they didn't give any moments to the Emma/Regina friendship. It felt like they actually let the focus be where it should--on Emma and Hook, Emma and Henry, and Emma and the Charmings. I wish there had been more time spent in the present day and way, way more build-up to the wedding, of course, but I had already been prepared for that. 

Out of all the songs, Happy Beginnings was my favorite. It was just so upbeat and fairytale-ish. It felt like what's been missing from this show for a long time. I also loved Hook's song. I thought Colin had the best voice but I thought they all did great. I wasn't fond of Lana's singing or dancing, but I'm sure lots of Evil Regals loved it.

I was disappointed with Emma's wedding dress and make-up. I would've rather she had her long, flowy princess hair and had worn something less covered-up and formal, as it didn't fully feel like Emma, but oh well. I guess Jen picked the dress and seemed to put a lot of thought into it. Overall, I thought the wedding was well-done, though too brief of course.

As a Captain Swan fan, this whole season has been so disappointing. The moving in together and the engagement were both letdowns, and Hook murdering Charming's dad almost completely ruined the couple for me. That being said, after four seasons of rooting for Emma and Hook, I couldn't help feeling a little giddy that they're finally married. If next week's finale disappoints, I'll be content to pretend this was the series finale.

[KingOfHearts]

It hasn't even set into me that Emma and Hook are married now. Their wedding was more like a finale to the musical than a celebration of their relationship. I'm not bashing it; it's just very oddly placed. The happy couple won't even be given time to consummate, by the looks of things. I'm not a disappointed Captain Swan shipper, but it's like, "Oh, I guess that happened." Emma and Henry had more interaction than the bride and groom.

It's like what @Shanna Marie has pointed out in the past. The writers have great ideas, such as Snow throwing knives with vikings, Charming and Hook going on a bromance adventure, or even a musical. But everything is so cluttered and the pacing is so awful that the fun gets overtaken. I really enjoyed the musical content itself, but the context not so much. Don't think longer than 5 seconds on this show, or your suspension of disbelief will be whammied.

Quote

if done well, musicals have the ability to evoke much stronger emotions and reactions from viewers than a normal story.

That could have been true here if the songs had anything to do with the story. Other than "A Happy Beginning" and "Emma's Theme", the songs were pure fan service that did nothing to further the plot or character development. 

Edited May 8, 2017 by KingOfHearts

[Curio]

Quote

That being said, after four seasons of rooting for Emma and Hook, I couldn't help feeling a little giddy that they're finally married. If next week's finale disappoints, I'll be content to pretend this was the series finale.

 

Seriously, it's impossible to watch the "Happy Beginning" song/dance scene without having a huge dorky smile on my face the entire time. That's the exact feeling I want when the series finale finally happens, and I don't know what the writers could possibly do to top the level of Hook and Emma's wedding happiness in the future. There's something about a lot of people singing a large musical number that you can't replicate with just a serious monologue. The Season 3 finale with the Mark Isham score was a pretty good ending, but it evoked such a different emotion than this final song. I know people gave La La Land a bunch of crap this year for whatever reasons, but the director made a good point—if done well, musicals have the ability to evoke much stronger emotions and reactions from viewers than a normal story.

Edited May 8, 2017 by Curio

[retrograde]

Well that wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I'm hardly going to buy the soundtrack, but I thought the opening Snow/Charming number was great and funny and the others were all... fine. I think I'd have preferred classic Disney songs but eh.

[Curio]

6 minutes ago, KingOfHearts said:

It hasn't even set into me that Emma and Hook are married now. Their wedding was more like a finale to the musical than a celebration of their relationship. I'm not bashing it; it's just very oddly placed. The happy couple won't even be given time to consummate, by the looks of things. I'm not a disappointed Captain Swan shipper, but it's like, "Oh, I guess that happened." Emma and Henry had more interaction than the bride and groom.

 

It's this weird combination where it feels like Emma and Hook have been married for a while now because of how slow the writers have taken the relationship, but now that they're married, it's like I blinked and missed it. So on the one hand, the wedding wasn't entirely necessary because I feel like they've been married since Season 5 now, but on the other hand, I wish we spent more time actually giving them a proper crescendo to this wedding. For a season that was apparently building up to and Emma/Hook wedding, Emma and Hook didn't get very many significant scenes together. Even this episode, like you said, they were separated for most of it until the very end.

[Daisy]

7 minutes ago, retrograde said:

Well that wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I'm hardly going to buy the soundtrack, but I thought the opening Snow/Charming number was great and funny and the others were all... fine. I think I'd have preferred classic Disney songs but eh.

that. would have been amazing. 

:) I am really glad that most of you all enjoyed it.  Sitting on it (and actually catching the bits i missed) - I really again fall back on the . "meh" side of things (and I love musicals so it's not that) however, because I think i'm sitting alone at this table (plus I fully admit, that since I am not team Captain Swan, the fact that even though - no TLK (again) makes me wonder how true-lovey this couple is - and that they did get married i was gonna be 'meh' about it regardless, I'll see you guys next week because i don't want to bring the vibe down for y'all :) )

[Clawdette]

I loved it all.  For me, Hook's number was the most like one I'd see in a "real" movie or stage performance. It was evident that Colin has on-stage singing experience. 

[InsertWordHere]

"Emma's Theme" made me emotional. This show hasn't made me emotional in a long, long time. 

I don't see how any finale can top the joy evoked by "A Happy Beginning" and I don't know if I want them to even try. 

[Camera One]

The songs were fun, which made the episode fun to watch.  I also liked the concept of Emma using the songs of the people she loved to give her strength (in that sense, it makes sense that Emma would sing the Snowing theme).  The Evil Queen's dance moves and song were pretty cringe-worthy, though, so that song should have been cut down in length.  All the other characters had good voices.  Snowing's side-eyed looks at Hook during his song were hilarious.  The choreography was a bit laughable, though, especially the servants dancing in Snowing's bedroom.  I didn't really like the melody of the wedding song, and they forgot to show Granny in that production number, except for a blurry background.  Emma's hair really made her look like Dark Swan.. ugh.  I did like how she was happy to see Snow's dress.  Sadly, I found a lot of Jennifer Morrison's acting a bit "off" in this episode.  I don't know if her lines were bad or what.  She seemed to be talking weirdly during the vows.  I did like her singing, though.

Although this episode was more entertaining than most (due to the music), the current-day storyline was atrocious.  What was the point of Rumple faking The Black Fairy's death last episode when she just waltzes in the next day and spews the same three lines she has had for the last few episodes?  If she wanted Emma weakened by being alone, why would she let Henry off free?  Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose?  The plot was clunky as hell.  If Emma was strong enough to use the songs to stop The Black Fairy from taking the heart from her, why wouldn't she use it to defeat The Black Fairy instead of having the Wedding.  They knew exactly when The Black Fairy Curse would hit, so it's not like it was a surprise.  It makes no sense.  Rumple was being a total jerk but Belle and Gideon are convenient MIA?  They're okay with him keeping The Black Fairy alive?  I seriously don't understand how Andrew Chambliss can become a showrunner with such horrible plotting skills.  

The flashback was more entertaining than usual, but as mentioned by several above, their need to have those characters sing in flashbacks weren't convincingly worked into the story.  They have never had to take a ship to go to the Evil Queen's palace.  Uh Writers, remember "New York Serenade" and "Witch Hunt"?  They all walked there.  And why would they need a pirate's ship?  Zelena's "wicked" plan to give Regina the solution to her problem was even more dumb.  Why would Blue appear to them AFTER... why not warn them NOT to go to Regina's castle to risk their lives for nothing?  Why didn't Regina just kill them both?  Why wait for the Curse?  You really can't put on your thinking cap while watching this show.

Edited May 8, 2017 by Camera One

[cuppasun]

35 minutes ago, Daisy said:

I really again fall back on the . "meh" side of things (and I love musicals so it's not that) however, because I think i'm sitting alone at this table ... i don't want to bring the vibe down for y'all :) )

I'll buy ya a mug of ale and join you at the table... I was, to be kind, underwhelmed. If pressed, I liked Hook's number best.

And while I'm not a big-time shipper generally (I'd prefer representations of healthy relationships, which hahahahahaha...never gonna happen on teevee!), I do have a soft spot for hot reformed bad boys paired with tough heroines... so I've been okay with Killian & Emma in general. The "true love" stuff doesn't move me. I bet it's easy to guess what other pairings I've been content with, though, huh?

[Curio]

2 minutes ago, Camera One said:

The Evil Queen's dance moves were pretty horrible, though, so that song should have been cut down in length. It was a little cringe-worthy.  

 

Maybe Snow's father never wanted to dance with Regina not because she couldn't dance but because she danced like that.

It's a shame Regina never remembered she had these dance moves inside her as we could have been spared Regina whining to Snow and Charming about not knowing how to dance.

[twoods]

The wedding was perfect. It's about damn time.

I could hear Josh Dallas sing all day. Had no idea he had a musical background but I'm a big fan. Him and Ginnifer were great. I thought they all sounded good. I'm a sucker for musicals so this is definitely a keeper on the DVR. 

[SiobhanJW]

This episode made me smile from start to awesome finish. I'm such a musical theatre nerd, so I already knew I would probably like it, but I actually really loved & enjoyed it. It was just fun! Excited that Emma & Hook are finally married and the whole cast looked like they were having so much fun during the final song. 

Edited May 8, 2017 by SiobhanJW

[Nalan]

3 hours ago, tribeca said:

I have never hated Belle   She was not missed by me this episode and happy no one invited her to the wedding.

You've never hated her, yet you were happy she wasn't invited?  Um . . . confusing.

[Artsda]

I thought I saw Belle in the wedding audience. 

[InsertWordHere]

30 minutes ago, Camera One said:

Why didn't Regina just kill them both?  Why wait for the Curse?  You really can't put on your thinking cap while watching this show.

Wait, I actually know this one! Didn't they have the protection spell on them that made it so Regina couldn't hurt them in the EF? I'm surprised that didn't extend to not being able to stop their weaponized song. 

[Camera One]

1 minute ago, InsertWordHere said:

Wait, I actually know this one! Didn't they have the protection spell on them that made it so Regina couldn't hurt them in the EF? I'm surprised that didn't extend to not being able to stop their weaponized song. 

Oh right... good point.  Though she could have apparated them to a swamp or something, not safely back to their castle.

[MrsR]

I think that final gown was a copy of Grace Kelly's wedding dress.

[Noneofyourbusiness]

4 hours ago, Blue Plastic said:

Does anyone know if all the singing was actually done by the actors?  Some of them didn't sound

And where are Belle and Gideon?  Are they still asleep?  Shouldn't they be kinda pissed off at Rumple?

 

4 hours ago, Worsel said:

Yes I was wondering where she was and what she was doing - unless she was sleeping through the whole thing courtesy of Rumple trying to hide his villainy once again

 

3 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

ISurprised over how good the cast was, assuming they did the singing themselves. 

Yes, Belle and Gideon are still asleep, and the cast did the singing themselves.

[scarynikki12]

51 minutes ago, Camera One said:

If she wanted Emma weakened by being alone, why would she let Henry off free? 

Deus ex Henry had to be spared because Emma can't solve anything on her own. 

[Noneofyourbusiness]

4 hours ago, PreviouslyTV said:

The power of song helps Emma work through some abandonment issues in the run-up to the final battle.

View the full article

"Somehow, from that image alone, he's able to figure everything out."

It wasn't just an image, it had writing under it. Henry read Blue's explanation to Snow and Charming.

[KAOS Agent]

I was less spoiled than most going in in that I hadn't listened to any of the songs prior to the episode, so I think maybe I enjoyed it a bit more than I would have otherwise. The cast seemed to be having a great time too.

Some notes:

- Why would they need a love song to defeat beans? I know it was a rhyme, but it made zero sense. Beans are evil now.

- Snow & Emma are not the same size, so I didn't see that sharing of the wedding dress working. I did appreciate that Zelena and Emma were enjoying mimosas while waiting for Snow.

- It was nice to see Hook get one over on the Dark One and reiterate his need to skin his crocodile. I'm glad they aren't pretending that's over. I know, I know, it will all be brushed off next time Rumpel's good heart shines through, but I desperately want Hook to kill Rumpel. Why can't he just die already?

- So Belle and Gideon are still sleeping. Belle is so right about Rumpel's Good Heart™

- The wedding was cute and I loved the Happy Beginnings song. I see Jen shining through there in correcting Hook about happy endings because she's always been on record as saying an ending means you're dead.

- Why do we care about the Final Battle? Why does the Black Fairy care? This is all because prophecy reasons? It's just so stupid. 

- Was anyone else amused that the show airing immediately after this was about the final 100 days of Princess Diana? Such a happy tale of royalty, right?

Edited May 8, 2017 by KAOS Agent

[AudienceofOne]

Henry: The Final Battle. It's why I brought you to Storybrooke in the first place

Me: Ummm, no, Really, no.

How many retcons can this season clock up? Now apparently Snow and Charming met Hook before the Curse? That seems improbable. Why do Snow and Charming need a boat to get to the Evil Queen's castle anyway? 

Having said that, the music in this was way better than I was expecting. I particularly liked Zelena's song. It sounded like it could have been from Wicked.

My problem with this episode was that all the songs didn't tell us anything new. They were all about where the characters started; things we've known for years. So instead of Emma and Hook singing about their wedding and the Final Battle and everyone showing us how they feel about each other now, we had to endure them singing about stuff that happened years ago that's been retread a zillion times. Only OUaT could make a magical episode that mostly had nothing to do with their so-called main character. 

[superloislane]

Emma and Hook are MARRIED!!! That's all I care about right now.

Am I annoyed that it lasted for 5 minutes and they were separated for most of it? Yes, but I enjoyed the wedding part so I'll deal.

I really wanted to hug Emma throughout this whole episode. Why oh why does she feel like she has to be the sacrificial lamb at all times? Not only that but she can't get peace before her wedding and she can't even enjoy more than half a reception of being married. 

Emma had a couple of dresses hung up and Hook had a white jacket and yet neither of them wore those outfits in the end? When did they change them?

My favourite song is 'A Happy Beginning' because it was so damn joyous. I surprisingly liked the Wicked Witch song but talk about random! She wasn't even in the same world as Snowing when the singing began but she still sang? 

I did laugh at the Snowing vs Evil Queen song being the exact same songs they sang before but just together this time. Aren't they selling that song separately on iTunes? Ha!

Hook shooting Rumple with that dart was all kinds of awesome! And I guess no one can say that Rumple was just playing the Black Fairy in the last episode anymore. 

Honestly, this could have been the series finale if they cut out the curse at the end. Defeat the villain, Emma and Hook get married, all the cast join together for a big happy celebration with the hope of more adventures to come and end the show with a happy feeling. I don't know how the actual finale will be able to top this.

I was about to get really mad at Henry for saying he brought Emma to Storybrooke to fight the final battle because he really brought her there to break the curse and save the town and him from a lonely, unloved existence. But then I looked at the transcript for the Pilot and he does actually say "I was hoping that when I brought you back, things would change here. That the final battle would begin.". Well damn! He did say he wanted her to fight the final battle!

The Blue Fairy knew Emma would have to fight a big battle and yet didn't tell her parents this? She only said it to them when she knew they would forget!

Emma and Hook's song and dance was lovely but I wish we'd seen Charming and Emma get a real dance together. At least we got a nice head hold though.

Edited May 8, 2017 by superloislane

[kitticup]

I liked the episode.  I loved Snowing's song the best.  The songs were good.  The cast seemed to be having fun.  It was better than I would have thought.

 I feel that Hook and Emma's wedding kiss should have been TLK and totally obliterated the Black Fairy's curse. I also wished we spent more time on the wedding preparation and the wedding itself.  We didn't need any OQ this season.

[AudienceofOne]

5 hours ago, KingOfHearts said:

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually disappointed Belle didn't get to be in the musical episode.

Nice to see the show trending on Twitter. So is "#OnceUponAMusical" and "Emma".

5 hours ago, Worsel said:

Yes I was wondering where she was and what she was doing - unless she was sleeping through the whole thing courtesy of Rumple trying to hide his villainy once again

I'm pretty sure that Emilie de Ravin's singing would be about as good as her acting so I'm personally relieved. It was bad enough I had to sit through Regina singing about her character motivations from six seasons ago: listening to Belle sing about how much she loves the good she sees in Rumple would have been too much. 

5 hours ago, jhlipton said:

There's "family" and then there's "meshpukah"! Besides, it's Henry!!!

Rumple's devotion to his family also seems weirdly selective, especially since he and Henry used to have an entire relationship thing going on and his mother is the worst. I still don't know why the Black Fairy does.... anything... but I also have no idea why Rumple would side with her over Gideon whom she abused for years.

4 hours ago, Artsda said:

I kind of laughed at Charming & Snow going to Pirate Hook to help save their unborn daughter. Hook's so robbing the cradle. She wasn't even born yet in the flashback and he marries her by the end of the episode. lol 

Oh dear God, I didn't get that when I watched it. You're right; that's a little creepy. 

4 hours ago, mjgchick said:

My only problem with the episode was that whole "Emma was never alone." Sorry but Emma grew up miserable because she was alone. O

But she had a song in her heart! That's more important than the security of knowing somebody gives a crap about you. Coming on the back of the recent 'revelation' that Snow and Charming could have raised her but chose not to, this is a particularly galling 'revelation'.

4 hours ago, Curio said:

This is what I keep repeating to myself. I'm tempted to write up a long analysis and nitpick things apart, but I just end up deleting my thoughts because, "Don't care, Emma and Killian are finally married."

Still don't care about the wedding so much as getting some real scenes between them, but I'll take this rushed ceremony squeezed in between an attempted murder and a curse if that's all I'm going to get. 

1 hour ago, Camera One said:

What was the point of Rumple faking The Black Fairy's death last episode when she just waltzes in the next day and spews the same three lines she has had for the last few episodes?  If she wanted Emma weakened by being alone, why would she let Henry off free?  Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose?  The plot was clunky as hell.  If Emma was strong enough to use the songs to stop The Black Fairy from taking the heart from her, why wouldn't she use it to defeat The Black Fairy instead of having the Wedding.  They knew exactly when The Black Fairy Curse would hit, so it's not like it was a surprise.  It makes no sense.  Rumple was being a total jerk but Belle and Gideon are convenient MIA?  They're okay with him keeping The Black Fairy alive?  I seriously don't understand how Andrew Chambliss can become a showrunner with such horrible plotting skills.  

This. All of this. The Black Fairy makes no sense as an antagonist, Rumple makes no sense as anything but "evil, just 'cause'. This episode made no sense. We even had Blue say the song was for the Final Battle but then we were told this wasn't the Final Battle so what was the point? 

Edited May 8, 2017 by AudienceofOne

[oncebluethrone]

This review is basically a recap of the episode combined with my feelings while watching it because that is how my brain is working tonight. It is also long. You have been warned.

 Captain Swan is married! I repeat. Captain Swan is married! This episode combined three of my favorite things: Once Upon a Time, Captain Swan, and music/musicals. I loved this episode. Just loved it. It is definitely my favorite episode of season six and is either tied with the Season 3 finale for my favorite episode of all time or is in second place.

The first scene is of Young Emma, humming a song, which turns out to be the melody of Emma’s Theme. In the past, Snow made a wish that Emma would get her happy ending, which caused everyone to sing. The opening number, Powerful Magic is very fun, catchy, and oh-so-Disney. Josh’s strong vocals paired wonderfully with Ginny’s light soprano. He did out sing her, but I expected that since he spent about a decade on the West End. The first scene in Storybrooke was with Emma and Snow in the Swan-Jones house. Emma was trying to pick a wedding dress, but was unable to choose. That is until Snow said the first curse brought over her own wedding dress and asked if Emma wanted to wear it. When Emma picked up the dress, it turned black and The Black Fairy appeared. A lovely moment ruined by a villain saying stuff about the Final Battle.

Emma, Snow, Regina, and Zelena go the the clock tower and discover the Black Fairy’s curse, which is set to go off at six, during Emma and Killian’s wedding. Back in the Enchanted Forest, The Evil Queen was, of course, furious that she had to sing, which is seen in The Queen sings. I enjoyed this song the least, but the moments where The Mirror, the dwarves, Gepetto, Granny, and Snowing sang were good. Then Regina decided to allow her self to sing and sang a Rocky Horror-esque solo. Love Doesn’t Stand a Chance, while having a catchy melody fails slightly in the vocal department as Lana’s singing isn’t the best. She can carry a tune (as evident in A Happy Beginning), but a hard-rock song was probably not the best choice for her singing ability. After this, Emma then goes to see Killian to tell him what Gold did and we get a moment between them where Killian is his superstitious self. Emma says she has to fight the final battle alone, which is true, unfortunately, but Killian wanted her to let him help. She tells him she loves him and then leaves. Before this, we got a nice Captain Charming scene involving a white jacket which is definitely not Killian-wears-black-leather Jones’ type.

The next scene involved the absolutely phenomenal solo, Revenge is Gonna Be Mine, sung by Colin O’Donoghue as Captain Hook/Killian Jones. This song is a Queen-style one, and Colin’s tenor voice can handle it. And he handled it perfectly. The song is catchy and rousing and involves plenty of table-jumping, rum-drinking, and sword-swing. The perfect song for the perfect pirate. Then in the present day, Killian shoots a blowdart infused with dream shade into Gold’s neck for endangering his fiancée and says he’s going to skin himself a crocodile. Guess Hook vs Rumplestiltskin is back. Henry then finds the tape of Emma singing as a child, but Emma doesn’t want to listen to it because it reminds her of being alone. Cue sad face. The next song is Zelena’s solo. Wicked Always Wins is a Wicked-inspired song with soaring vocals. I was surprised at how well Bex could sing. Her voice is lovely. While the melody and feel of the music as a whole serious, the lyrics were actually quite funny as Zelena sang about her jealousy. During the song, Zelena sends a magic-box to Regina’s vault so she can use Regina’s demise to her advantage.

Back in Storybrooke, Gold steals the part of the curse that R and Z isolated, the time-stopping part. He uses this potion on Emma’s family and friends because he is the worst. Emma then goes to confront the BF and the BF reminds her what it’s like to be alone because of course she has a recording of Em singing as a child in her crystal ball. Henry then gives Emma a pep talk, which she takes in the wrong direction and decides she give the Black Fairy her heart. The next song is The Charmings vs The Evil Queen. This song is basically a mash-up of Powerful Magic and Love Doesn’t Stand a Chance. Nothing new and the different styles of the songs made it a bit difficult to listen to. It ended with Regina sucking the music out of Snowing with Zelena’s box. The Blue Fairy visits Snowing and tells them that she granted the wish and that it was meant for Emma so she could face the Final Battle and not be alone.

Henry discovers the page of this scene and realizes what it means. Emma has decided to give the Black Fairy her heart, but Fiona can not kill her because her heart is stronger than that. Henry shows the page to Emma and she realizes that the song she sang as a child was placed there by her parents. Emma’s Theme is a hauntingly, beautiful tune about Emma’s journey from orphan to a Savior who is surrounded by the people she loves and who love her. Jennifer Morrison’s voice is definitely my favorite out of the entire cast. It is very strong and powerful and at the same time soft and light. Her singing flows beautifully from one note to the next. I really, really wish this song was longer. Emma’s song is able to unfreeze her people. Snow wonders how she was able to do it. Emma tells her what happened, which confuses her. Emma tells her it doesn’t really matter, which I was slightly disappointed by because I wanted to see her (and everyone else's) reaction to be being part of a musical. Emma then runs into Killian’s arms and the scene transitions to... THE WEDDING!

Emma and Killian’s vows were simple. Killian’s involved giving up his revenge because he fell in love with Emma and because a heart full of love is better than a heart filled with vengeance. Cue a rendition of A Heart Full of Love from Les Mis. Emma’s vows were about how Killian made her believe in True Love and the possibility of a happy ending. Or as Emma put it, a happy beginning. And then they kissed for the first time as husband and wife. Yay! The best part about this kiss was when Killian swung her around and down. I was slightly disappointed that they didn’t  actually kiss while he was dipping her, but that doesn’t matter to much because Captain Swan is married!!! Ahem.

After they kiss, they begin to dance and Emma starts to sing A Happy Beginning. Jen and Colin’s voices blend together beautifully and I desperately wish their duet was longer. After the verse of Snowing, Regina/Zelena, and Henry, everyone else joins in for a rousing chorus repeated multiple times with plenty of dancing and fun. I loved this song, but it of course had to end on “Warning! Curse is here!” notes. The Black Fairy’s curse (which takes the form of snake-like black clouds), begins to take everyone away, one by one. The last people we saw were the newlyweds. Killian asks where Emma thought the curse was taking them, to which Emma says that it doesn’t matter, because they’ll win. To recap: most of the songs were phenomenal and the cast can sing. Emma and Killian are married. The Black fairy cast her curse. The plot was Emma-focused. Now, was I bothered by the fact that they retconned Snowing meeting Killian and everyone forgetting that they sang? No, because I’m not bothered by things like that. On to the Final Battle (which looks really good based on the promo).

[KAOS Agent]

Quote

Why oh why does she feel like she has to be the sacrificial lamb at all times? Not only that but she can't get peace before her wedding and she can't even enjoy more than half a reception of being married.

I was upset about this as well. Yes, she got a nice wedding and five minutes at the reception to enjoy it, but she went to say goodbye to Hook and spent her entire wedding day worrying about the Black Fairy. It's pretty gross when you think about it. David was right a couple of episodes ago when he said they should wait. They absolutely should have waited. And now they don't even get a wedding night and are separated again. It was supposed to be happy and I know I'm not supposed to think about how miserable Emma was during the entire episode because yay! she wasn't alone due to the song in her heart (whatever, show) and she got to say her vows, but looking back is she really going to remember the day fondly? Way to destroy yet another moment of Emma's life!

[Camera One]

There was zero reason why Emma would have had the wedding.  It made no sense given they knew the giant ball of Fairy Dust would drop at 6pm.

Speaking of which, how did The Black Fairy get all that?  I thought Zelena prevented that from happening 2 episodes ago.

[Rumsy4]

1 minute ago, Camera One said:

Speaking of which, how did The Black Fairy get all that?  I thought Zelena prevented that from happening 2 episodes ago.

"Your questions are pointless"

"It's a long story"

"We can't sacrifice Regina's story"

Take your pick. ;-)

[diva2themax]

I have to rewatch I was very distracted during most of it BUT damn the ladies wedding dresses were so ugly & blah. Snow, Regina & Zelena looked so dowdy & like they were going to work in some random office. With all of the fun costumes they've worn plus Emma's beautiful dress they were very underdressed in comparison. 

[AudienceofOne]

6 minutes ago, Camera One said:

There was zero reason why Emma would have had the wedding.  It made no sense given they knew the giant ball of Fairy Dust would drop at 6pm.

Speaking of which, how did The Black Fairy get all that?  I thought Zelena prevented that from happening 2 episodes ago.

Anyone would think the specifics of each episode had no bearing on the overall plot. I mean, I think that was the same episode where they decided to postpone the wedding but then didn't. 

[Camera One]

I don't see how anyone at the wedding could even relax.  It was literally 10 minutes before they could all be dead.  But they were singing and dancing like there was no tomorrow, so...

[oncebluethrone]

51 minutes ago, KAOS Agent said:

Beans are evil now.

Bad, bad, beans!