Source: tvline.com
Title Street Rats
Two-Sentence Summary After Jasmine reveals that Aladdin was also a Savior, Emma leads the charge to try to find him alive, with her family’s full knowledge of her visions and how Aladdin’s fate is tied to hers. When Aladdin is found, he gives Emma a pair of shears that can sever her fate and save her life by making her no longer the Savior.
Favorite Line “I have actual magic in my life—I have you. If I could go back, I wouldn’t change a thing.” (Emma, to Henry)
My Thoughts Honesty is power. We’re at our strongest when we’re honest with ourselves about who we are, and our relationships are at their strongest when we’re honest with those we love. Accepting the truth—both our own truth and the truth that lives in the hearts of those we love—is the key to developing into the best version of ourselves and creating strong and stable relationships.
Honesty seems to be turning into a major theme this season on Once Upon a Time. For as strange as the Evil Queen and Zelena’s spa day was (and it was incredibly strange), it brought up a central concept for this season: owning who you are and what you’ve done. Although the last thing I want is for Zelena to raise her daughter to only know her mother as the Wicked Witch, the Evil Queen brought up a good point about how she can’t hide that part of her identity from her daughter. She was right; Henry hated the fact that Regina lied to him and made him feel like he was crazy for so much of his life. It was only when she became honest with him about who she was and her struggle to be a better version of herself that he could find it in his heart to love and forgive her.
Zelena’s little girl should know who her mother was, but she should also know the better person her mother was trying to be. For as much as Zelena is the Wicked Witch, she is also the woman who wanted to be more than that not so long ago. She needs to be honest with herself about the fact that the good part of her is as much a part of her as the wicked part. And the only way she can do that is by getting away from the Evil Queen, who wants to bring out her worst self.
The Evil Queen was at her worst in this episode, encouraging Zelena to embrace her darkness (Poor Archie!), taking a page out of her mother’s playbook and taking the form of someone else in order to get information and create discord (Poor Archie again!), and killing an innocent because she wouldn’t help her. (Looks like I was wrong about the seer being Jafar in disguise.) But I must admit that I didn’t mind that she ended up being the plot device that led to Emma’s secret being out in the open. It was past time it happened, and if it took the Evil Queen masquerading as Archie to force Emma’s hand, then so be it.
Jennifer Morrison’s acting in the scene in which Emma was forced to tell her secret was heartbreakingly honest. She didn’t oversell the emotions, but you could feel her fear and exhaustion finally spilling out as she confessed. I also thought it was a nice choice to have her lock eyes with Killian throughout her confession; it added an intimacy to the scene that was incredibly poignant. But the poignancy of that direct delivery to the man she loves was negated somewhat by the fact that we never got to see them really talk about both her secret and what her visions could mean. It could happen later on, but I wouldn’t have minded a scene that gave voice to the feelings that were all over Colin O’Donoghue’s handsomely brooding face throughout the episode. Although he managed to convey Killian’s anger about Emma keeping things from him and his fear over the fact that he might lose her in just his facial expressions, giving those two characters a chance to really talk through those issues would have been even better than the nice kiss and talk of fireplaces and rum that ended the episode. (I know, I can’t believe I’m saying I could have done without a kiss and a cute domestic moment, but if it means more substance, than yes, I’ll sacrifice a kiss or two.)
Part of me was expecting more dialogue between Emma and Killian because Snow seemed to be setting them up for it. I always love the rare moments of mother/daughter bonding we get between Snow and Emma these days, and this was no exception. Snow was right; Emma may have been scared, but that’s when she should go to her mom. Handling life’s scariest moments alone is a hard habit for Emma to break, but I thought it was nice that her mother was the one to remind her that she can trust her and the rest of her loved ones with the whole truth—even when it’s scary and painful.
However, I had to roll my eyes at the irony of Snow telling Emma that she and Killian needed to be more like her and Charming when it comes to honesty. Oh Snow, first of all, your husband essentially kept the same kind of secret from you that Emma kept from Killian back in Never Land when he thought he was going to die. And second, you don’t know it yet, but he’s keeping another big secret from you now after he didn’t destroy the information about his father’s death like you asked. No relationship is perfect, and it’ll be good see Snow and Charming deal with this when his secret inevitably comes out (because I know Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin will ace whatever material they’re given). But with all the secrets already happening this season, Charming’s secret just feels like overkill at this point. But I suppose it all fits with the season’s theme of every character and every relationship having good in them and darkness in them. Even the show’s most perfect marriage isn’t immune when it comes to dishonesty.
I know Snow and Charming will overcome his secret because they have True Love, and this episode reminded me that True Love can overcome any obstacle. And the best thing about that reminder was that it came from the show’s foundational True Love: the love between Emma and Henry. The way this episode focused on their relationship out of all Emma’s relationships was lovely and incredibly important.
“Street Rats” was a great episode for Henry. I thought his scene with Jasmine was one of the most emotional in the episode, and so much of that came from the way both characters were honest with each other and themselves about the guilt they were feeling. Karen David was excellent throughout the episode, but she was particularly stunning in that scene, projecting a vulnerability that made Jasmine feel so human in that moment. That scene created a wonderfully unexpected parallel between Aladdin and Jasmine and Emma and Henry, with Jasmine and Henry able to lean on each other as they dealt with feeling responsible for the ones they love taking on a role that means certain death.
Not only was Henry able to be honest with Jasmine about his guilt, he shared his true feelings with his mother as soon as he got the chance. I loved that Henry was one of the few characters who wasn’t keeping secrets in this episode; he was feeling burdened by his guilt, and he shared that burden with his mom—just like Snow wanted Emma to do with her. And in doing so, both he and Emma found comfort and strength. That’s what True Love does.
Henry and Emma’s scene was the most moving moment Once Upon a Time has had so far this season, and it harkened back to some of their earliest scenes just in time to celebrate the anniversary of the show’s pilot episode. Morrison was fantastic in that scene. You could feel the maternal love radiating off of her, and I believed every word of what Emma said to him in that scene, which made me cry upon thinking about how Emma has grown from a woman who felt she couldn’t be a mother to a woman who doesn’t regret a path that might lead to certain death because it also led her to her son.
Emma might be afraid, but her truth is simple: She does not regret anything that brought her to this point—even if it means she might die. Because she’s right; endings usually suck in real life. What matters is having a happy middle, making the most of the time you have so that when the end comes, you feel like you’ve lived your best life. And Henry has given Emma her best life. He might have thought his belief couldn’t save her from being fated to die, but his belief saved her already by giving her a life worth living. He gave her a family, he gave her the truth about who she was, and he gave her the chance to be his mom, which she so beautifully referred to as the source of magic in her life. Henry is the best thing to ever happen to her, and even if she died because of the path she was placed on the day he came to her door, it was clear in this scene that Emma thinks it was all worth it because she got the chance to be the truest and best version of herself, and that’s not the Savior; that’s Henry’s mom. Henry’s love has always been Emma’s greatest source of magic and the key to her accepting who she truly is, and it was lovely to see it back in the spotlight when Emma needed it the most.
It was interesting to see Emma and Henry’s relationship reflected in Aladdin and Jasmine’s relationship in the flashbacks because it allowed the latter’s relationship to feel more developed than a lot of other one-episode love stories because we could draw parallels between it and one of the show’s formative relationships. Further parallels could be drawn between them and nearly every other “True Love” romance on Once Upon a Time: Nearly every couple fell in love on a journey to collect a magical object to defeat a foe, and Aladdin and Jasmine were no different. I thought Karen David and Deniz Akdeniz had amazing chemistry, but I actually ended up somewhat confused by how Jasmine really felt. At the end of the flashbacks, I thought Jasmine didn’t want to go with Aladdin because it paralleled Emma always putting her relationships on hold until villains were defeated and threats were neutralized. But then when Aladdin came back to her in Storybrooke, I was a bit annoyed that her first reaction was to tell him she needed the Savior to help her people. I know that was the setup for him to explain that he’s not the Savior anymore, but it made me wonder how much Jasmine cares for Aladdin as Aladdin and how much she cares about what he can do for her people.
By contrast, we know for sure that those who love Emma—her parents, her son, Killian—love Emma not for what she can do for them but for who she is. They love her for every part of her—the street rat, the diamond in the rough, and the Savior. Like Aladdin, Emma was a common thief who rose to become a hero, but she has a bigger team behind her than he had, which might be the difference between her fate and his.
Right now, it seems Aladdin is no longer the Savior, cutting his ties to his fate with the magical shears Jafar gave him. (I love a good magical deus ex machina, especially one that symbolizes the idea of physically separating yourself from an unwanted aspect of your life!) But his willingness to accept that story of how his life would play out made me think about the fact that the only people who have said that Saviors have to die are villains. Why should anyone believe them? I was proud of Emma at the end of this episode for choosing to believe that she could find another way that will allow her to remain the Savior and still live. And I was so happy that her family supported her choice, because that support and belief is the key to Emma feeling strong enough to push back against the visions and villains trying to tell her what her fate will be.
Of course, those happy feelings couldn’t last forever, so, of course, Killian had to go against Emma’s wishes and keep the shears just in case they couldn’t find another way. O’Donoghue did a great job of showing that something was off with Killian in that last scene, but in the spirit of honesty, I have to admit that I groaned when he pulled the shears out of his pocket.
Do I understand why Killian kept the shears? Of course—just like I understand why Emma kept her secret from him. He doesn’t want to lose her, especially after having to say goodbye to her so many times. Saving the shears gives him the opportunity to save her if her life really is in jeopardy, and we all know that he loves her as Emma and not as the Savior anyway; he doesn’t need her to be the Savior. It makes sense that he would feel desperate enough to go against her wishes and hold on to the one thing that could keep her alive. In that way, his actions reminded me of Emma going against his wishes in last season’s “Birth” in order to save his life, which was a controversial decision I really didn’t need to see repeated.
Ultimately, what frustrated me the most with this scene is that it was clearly meant to prolong the angst between Emma and Killian, which seems wholly unnecessary at this point. Emma’s agency has always meant a lot to me, and I always loved the fact that Killian never tried to get in the way of her making her own choices—until now. Emma made a clear choice to get rid of the shears, and she trusted him enough to ask him to do that for her. But instead of honoring her choice or talking to her about why he didn’t agree with it, we were shown a Killian who went behind her back and ignored her choice—right after she told him that there should be no more secrets between them. In that way, this felt like a contrived decision to continue the theme of lies and secrecy when that has already felt too prevalent this season after such a dark Season Five.
I don’t ask for fictional relationships to be perfect or to be without conflict. However, I like it best when those conflicts feel organic. I’d love to see Killian and Emma tackling problems as a team—including fighting about whether or not she should keep the shears—instead of creating more conflicts by keeping things from each other. Relationships don’t always need this kind of drama to be interesting on television. It’s okay to have characters talk through things like adults. But if Snow and Charming can’t even do that right now, I suppose it’s a lot to ask of any couple on this show.
I have no doubt that the truth will come out soon enough and Emma and Killian will emerge from this stronger than ever, but it would be nice to have a few episodes where I don’t have to work to convince myself of that same thing over and over again. This is a show about hope, but at times this season it’s felt more like a show about secrets. And while that makes for some interesting themes to examine, it doesn’t make for the kind of uplifting, unique television Once Upon a Time can be when it’s at its best.
Extra Thoughts
• I may not have liked the aftermath of the scene between Killian and Emma at the docks, but the idea of the two of them eating pizza or Chinese and drinking rum in their house is adorable.
• I don’t know what was sadder: Regina thinking she wasn’t in Emma’s vision because she was dead or Regina realizing Emma thinks she’s not in her vision because she’s the one who kills her.
• All the Aladdin references were so much fun—from the apple and the scarab to the magic carpet and the sultan’s toy palace.
• I’m a sucker for a good almost-kiss, so you can imagine how much I enjoyed that motif with Aladdin and Jasmine. It’s a great way to judge a pairing’s chemistry, and, as I said previously, those two have it in spades.
• I was so happy to see the return of Emma’s superpower when she was interrogating Jasmine.
• I know O’Donoghue makes brooding look great, but it would be great to see him genuinely smile again sometime soon.
Nerdy Girl Notes 
I totally agree with you on Killian keeping the shears. It’s drama for the sake of drama and we’re even getting in out-of-character territory – or, even worse, Moonlighting Curse if the writers are not careful.
OK…your analysis echoed everything I felt about this episode! I was really missing the follow -up conversation that should have happened between Killian and Emma after she revealed her secret. I’m ready to see those two working as a team, without all the secret-keeping going on. They have had so much angst, I’d like a little happy for them already. There’s enough angst coming at them from outside their relationship.
I loved Henry’s scenes with both Emma and Jasmine. They were really well done and heartfelt. I can see having that guilt about leading someone into a life fraught with danger. But, I knew that Emma would never regret the things she’s gained from being the Savior.
I also love those Snow /Emma moments, but I miss the closeness and honesty they had in the earlier seasons of the show.
Wonderful review…..I just wanted to say, “Me too!”
Sooo many “Amen, sister” and “yes!” moments in this post. Such a great breakdown of the theme of honesty in this episode.
I have always loved the character of Jasmine, and I loved what they did with her here. This is the strong princess we know from the movie. She wants to save her kingdom — yes, maybe she didn’t see the suffering until it impacted her, but she did step up once she saw it. The actors did a fantastic job with these characters — fantastic enough to divert me from mourning Hyde. Like you, Katie, I internally “seriously-ed??” when Jasmine’s blurts out that she needs the savior when reuniting with Aladdin. Until I have evidence otherwise, I am going to assume she cares — that she’s putting duty ahead of a relationship . . . I’m seeing this as a parallel to Emma unable to confess her love to Killian after seeing him die in the Author/Rumple reality. Jasmine defaults to duty rather than honesty. (Right now someone will have to drag me kicking and screaming from the idea that she loves him. Perhaps later I can be more of an adult. Maybe. No promises.)
Randoms:
— I may have laughed a little too loud at Emma’s “but the movie . . .” Her expression was priceless.
— “EVERYONE DIES!” This is what I yell at my tv when someone says that every savior dies. I may turn it into a drinking game.
— Evil and Wicked go to the spa . . . and evidently no one shares this information with the sheriff or the mayor . . . Of course, the nail techs are going to have some serious gossip to share.
— Am I terrible for laughing at the EQ’s babysitting ultimatum? (If the baby dies, you die.)
— You know I’m with you on the sexy broodiness and jaw clenches. But YES! we need smiling Killian. Mischievous Killian. Please.
Thanks for this, Katie! I just wanted to add another hearty “Me too!” to your review. There were some really great things about this episode: the Henry scenes you mentioned, and I thought Denis Akdeniz was really funny and delightful. However, the frustrating Emma/Killian developments and lack of growth for them definitely hurt. Those two need to have the same kind of fight that Snow and Charming had back on Neverland after he had to admit that he’d been poisoned and couldn’t leave. She was really angry that he’d lied, and they yelled at each other, but all the issues they had were rooted in love, and it got all the feelings out in the open so that they could move on together. I was hoping for that kind of scene tonight, but maybe it is still to come.
Also, I am glad you mentioned how strange the spa day scene was. The EQ talking about how she should have been honest with Henry about her true nature was interesting, but the whole discussion about Rumple was very weird and off-putting. Like, is that what the writers think grown women (with children and complicated lives) talk like when they are getting manicures? Nope!
Definitely looking forward to a more Killian-focused ep next week.
I completely agree about the yelling/argument that needs to happen with Killian and Emma that happened with Snow and Charming in season 3.
I thought that this was a great episode. It set up whats coming with enough angst to have me hanging for the next episode but with enough emotion to be fully invested in this episode.
I have to say Katie and those above, I disagree about Killian keeping the scissors as not being organic. Yes he was sad and hurt that she had lied to him and yes he was fearful that she is going to die, but he was also hurt and angry that she didn’t discuss her choice with him on dying. I don’t think that Emma was fair to him by not even discussing with him that she will pay the price and her making the decision without him, without even hearing how that would affect him. Yes it’s ultimately her choice but it’s a choice that affects his life too. They are a couple now. There are decisions that affect both of them. She has taken away his voice without any thought of the repercussion to him.. For that reason, It may be wrong, but I think that it is organic and understandable and in line with what Killian’s character would do. Let’s not forget that he has also been alone for 2 hundred odd years and also can easily fall back on old behaviors. That he watched his first love die in front of him. That he has lost Emma already a number of times. If there is something that can save her, of course he will. “Your hearts desire Swan, I promise that is all I want” There was so much more in that comment.
Poor Killian. I have to say, My heart broke for him this episode. He was so jaded with just enough hurt dejection and sadness throughout once he knows the truth. O’Donoghue did an amazing job.
In the cave, he is hurt sad and angry because she has shut him out and wants to be alone when all he would want to do is to help her, comfort her and protect her, but he is also worried/scared that this is it – she is going to die and hurting for her because she is hurting.
When she says that she’s sorry that she didn’t trust him, his look showed that even though she was sorry, that he was still deeply hurt that she hadn’t told him. Upset that she made the decision without any thought to him and sad because she is hurting and also deeply concerned because it might mean her death. I’m a bit angry at her for not being more aware and considerate of his feelings. And his brooding looks reflects his own hurt and anger.
The last scene, his resignation to the path he had chosen by keeping the scissors just in case, holding his own secret now, and the overwhelming sadness he so obviously felt over that decision, makes me so sad and nervous as to where this is going. Funny thing was, as he watched her walk away, his stance and expression reminded me of old Hook.
Our happy ending for these two is just not happening. Ugh. I really hope he expresses verbally how he feels to her soon.
Other notes:
=Although I am finding the evil queen a little camp in this season, which I suppose is because Regina is no longer part of her, I really loved her scenes with Zelena. The way that she is (easily) twisting/ manipulating Zelena to fall back into the darkness. It really is in character for Zelena, who is quite weak in many ways. I think that Zelena is very quickly losing hope of redemption again.
-Did anyone else notice at The spa that Sneezy was getting a manicure!
-Poor dr Hoper.
– I quite liked the story of Aladdin and Jasmine. Needs more depth though. I’m sure that is to come.
Thanks for adding this perspective on Killian’s scissor-keeping. I love reading the different views on things like this. I have to admit that I was simply frustrated with ANOTHER secret and hadn’t moved past that to analysis. I am curious to see how this plays out . . . Right now I’m in favor of the yelling/argument option . . . followed by rum (in a Doctoberfest mug) and a fire. 🙂
Thanks Tempest. I agree that the whole thing is frustrating and caused me much angst, but I understood it. By Emma not discussing her choice with him, she has made it impossible for him to discuss his choice with her. Is it wrong of him?… Yes. Is it believable. Yes. I realise that many disagree and that’s cool, I like hearing other peoples perspectives as it opens my eyes to look at things in other ways.
That’s one of the many things that I love about this show (and am grateful for this site) – it makes you feel deeply and think about those feelings!
MeMe, thanks for this really well thought out perspective on Killian’s feelings and actions in this episode. I was feeling all his pain too, for all the reasons you articulated so well. My issue with the episode was that they jumped from one secret between Killian and Emma to a brand new one, without even giving them a scene to process the first one. (And by the way, I’ve been married a long time, but even before I was married, my future husband and I talked about big decisions like jobs and moving ourselves before we brought our parents into the discussion. It did feel like Killian didn’t have enough of a voice in the decision to ditch the shears.)
I did not have a big problem with him keeping the shears, and I’ll throw another reason onto the list of great ones you already noted. Katie always rightly points out how important Emma’s agency has been to Killian. I saw a connection between his childhood history of being sold into servitude and her having been born into the savior role (and an early death) without it being her choice. The shears represented another possible choice for her, and even though she and the family sat around the table and made that decision in the moment, he just couldn’t bring himself to allow her to throw away that option forever. You were so right to point out that the “your heart’s desire, Swan” was really important in the way it was phrased. He was trying to tell her (and us) the he was keeping the shears for her, so she didn’t have to be locked into one choice and one sad fate, that if her heart’s desire changed, there was still another choice.
Thanks again!
Thanks Kate. I love and agree with your other point too. Spot on.
I’m hoping that we will have a domestic scene soon. The most memorable are always after they kiss and make up right? So hopefully it will be an awesome fulfilling moment for us all. But it is a Disney production, so I’m expecting something very tame :-).
Lovely job looking into Killian’s motivations. This is definitely a scenario of being able to understand and sympathize with Killian’s motivations, but at the same time still being frustrated about it. I think most of us just want them to talk about all these things out in the open, but the show wants to torture us for a bit first. The most heartbreaking part of the episode for me was the part where Killian tells Emma he is with her in her decision of not wanting to use the shears, and sacrifice herself if she has to. He cant even bear to look at her, he is staring down at the table with that clenched jaw of his. As you mentioned, it was frustrating to see Emma mistake his reaction here for anger about her keeping a secret, when I am pretty sure hes just really hurt and upset about the thought of losing you. HENCE WHY THEY NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT.
I dont like that Killian is acting against Emma’s wishes, but I also don’t necessarily see it as taking away Emma’s agency, not at this point – if he somehow was able to use it on her against her will, that would be a different story, and I think a bit more in line with what Emma did in Camelot with turning Killian into a Dark one. But his decision does have the potential to put her in danger again, just as his secrets have done in the past. The ‘if these things fall into the wrong hands it could be dangerous’ line is sounding pretty ominous at this point. Just last week Rumple acted in a way to try to protect Belle that put her in more danger, and the same can be said about Killian’s decision here. And now I have just compared Rumple and Killian and that is not something I found joy in. But now I want Killian to confide in Belle that he kept them and for Belle to talk some sense into him.
Emma has had a few days to process her fate, and sessions with Archie, and Killian has only had a couple hours. They just arent on the same page yet. I wonder if Killian went out on that boat with the intention of throwing the shears away, but when it came down to it, just couldnt do it? I think its a pretty unreasonable thing to ask someone who loves you to get rid of something that has the potential to save your life. Just as its pretty unreasonable to make a huge decision like getting rid of a powerful tool that could save your life without having a (private) conversation with your partner about it (as others have mentioned). She could have easily asked someone else to get rid of the shears, and to me there is no logical reason for giving them to Killian aside from the fact the writers wanted there to be prolonged angst between them, hence my frustration.
Reading this comment now makes me wish the writers would have had Emma ask Regina to do away with the shears because that actually makes sense given the pacts they’ve made in the past. I know they felt they needed the angst with Killian, but it would have made so much more sense (and actually would have been so much more thematically relevant) for it to have been Regina. But she would have actually done what Emma asked, and where is the drama in that? 😉
I originally thought that Regina made the most logical choice too (I had Regina specifically mentioned in my comment that then changed it to be generic haha). But I thought if Emma is unsure enough to consider that Regina may be the hooded figure in her vision, she might be hesitant to trust her with that task.
Great point! I hope they really dive into that soon because considering how far those characters have seemingly come, it’s no small thing for Emma to still harbor thoughts that Regina might kill her. That’s another one to add to my list of “Conversations OUAT Characters Need to Have.”
Yes to this whole thread! It really didn’t make sense to have Killian dispose of the shears, and it seemed cruel for all the reasons you stated so well above. I also suspected he went out on the boat fully intending to comply, but then couldn’t go through with it. Why couldn’t Emma just dispose of them herself? It’s these contrivances for drama’s sake that really bug me.
My feelings about this episode are so conflicted. Really, I absolutely adored the Aladdin/Jasmine storyline, but aside from Emma and Henry, I didnt really care much about what was happening to our main cast here, and that feels wrong.
But really I just want to gush about Aladdin and Jasmine. Aladdin was my favorite Disney movie growing up, and I really didnt expect them to do their story justice, but I loved this. The moment where Aladdin rolls the apple down his arm?! It spoke to the 10 year old girl in me and I actually squealed on the couch. It was perfection. They had great chemistry, the casting was spot on (as always) and I actually want to see more of the two of them even outside of our main cast members. A lot of the time I feel their references to the source material are a bit heavy handed, but I thought they did a great job here. Or maybe its just because I love the original so much I didnt care if it was heavy handed?
I had legit tears in my eyes in that scene between Emma and Henry. It was perfection. Probably one of my favorite scenes in the whole show.
I was pretty nervous about the CGI, but it wasnt too bad. To quote Al, the carpet was a bit much, but everything else looked pretty good. Although really, if Al just had to magic away the hourglass, he sure took his sweet time going it. Less flare dude.
I have a feeling they are saving an Aladdin/Jasmine kiss for a big moment (TLK?). I am interested to see how they handle the whole savior power thing. I understand completely wanting to be free of the savior burden and I actually wouldnt hold it against him if he didnt want to try to get his savoir powers back, but I would be surprised if that is where they went with this. But on the other hand I am so protective of Emma Swan that a part of me wants her to be free of the savior burden too (Killian you arent alone in that, you are just being a broody butthead about it). She seems pretty self sacrificial right now, and while she is doing a great job of not letting it get in the way of her present, its still upsetting to me that being the savior is a burden she has to carry. Even if she has embraced it, and in a way chosen it, it still doesnt seem fair. I am not quite giving up on my hope that everyone in the town takes on the responsibility of being their own saviors. After all, Emma and Killian clearly need a vacation away from all of this drama so they can get at least a week of calm where they dont have to be moody about the other one dying.
Randomness:
-Loved the little nod to Abu with the golden monkey
-Archie the kidnapped babysitter CRACKED ME UP. Hey if you are going to kidnap someone, at least get something useful out of it!
-Loved the dig at David and Emma being too busy to notice a serial larcenist.
-Is there some law somewhere where every scene with Zelena has to include the word ‘wicked’ at least 3 times? I think this show has ruined the work “wicked” for me forever. Luckily its not really a word you need to use much in every day life, hence why its overuse on this show drives me so freaking crazy.
-I really need all the characters to stop talking about Rumple as a love interest. Its not getting any less creepy.
-Can we get a scene between Emma and Snow where Snow doesn’t look like an idiot? Her claim that they never lie to each other was cringe worthy. She could have just said “we arent perfect, and trust me, keeping secrets never ends well.” THATS IT. You can still get the same irony of Charming without her looking stupid. I am bitter about that piece of dialogue.
-I have learned that I really dont care how good it might be for the story, I was completely over brooding Killian after Neverland. For once it would be nice if he just did something stupid and kinda owned it without sulking? Just like, hell yes I am keeping these stupid fate scissor things, and we are going back to our house to make out and I am not even going to feel guilty about it. I want him to get angry and yell and for them to work out their crap. I am going to hold out hope that this is going to happen eventually, because it needs to happen. Its clear that Killian has a bunch of feelings he is not expressing about this whole scenario. Anybody in a committed relationship knows its not about who is right or who is wrong, its about being honest with each other about your feelings. Feelings arent always rational, but they are always important.
-Emma gets more Buffy-like with each episode. Her declaration that she is a stronger savior with her support system is pretty much what Buffy the Vampire Slayer was all about.
-Is it just me, or was the whole “move in with me” thing a bit anti climactic? I guess hes living there now, but they didnt even give us one cute domestic scene before they gave us more angst? Not cool show. Im tired. Killian and Emma are tired. Leave them be.
-But ALADDIN and JASMINE though! I think this may be the first episode I go back and watch only for the flashbacks. Also, killer costumes.
I have much love for this comment . . . However, I may have made the mistake of having a beverage while reading this . . . I won’t give details, but suffice it to say that laughing and beverages don’t mix. 😉
YES! to everyone taking on responsibility for saving themselves. (I mean, the dwarves are leading the charge on this . . . de-treeing Dopey.) YES! to Buffy parallels.
YES! to Abu and the carpet and the apple and squealing like a 10-year old.
YES! to Snow and the dramatic irony. We don’t keep secrets . . . oh, dear.
YES! to Emma and Henry. *sniffle*
I should probably stop now. But just sooooo many “yes!” moments.
I enjoyed the episode, generally. If I saw Aladdin it was a very long time ago and not at an impressionable age so all the references went over my head. I enjoyed Emma’s reactions based on her movie expectations. I liked both Jasmine and Aladdin.
The scene with Henry and Emma was great.
I was glad that Snow talked to Emma (and I had forgotten about David’s secret). Disappointed that Emma and Killian didn’t have a good talk. Colin did a great job of conveying a lot of emotion with very few lines, but I have no idea if Emma was paying as much attention as we were, and anyway, they still need to talk. The scissors thing had me feeling 😦 but I will withhold judgement and see how that plays out. I was all excited by the pizza/Chinese domestic fluff opportunity but that dark moody scene should have warned me that I was going to be disappointed. I feel a bit cheated by the moving in story line… so far it’s not living up to my (fairly low) expectations. Every time I see them all gathered in the loft I feel like we lost an opportunity.
I’m with Shauna in being totally over the word wicked. Zelena has never been one of my favorites anyway and her hanging out with the EQ isn’t helping.
I was annoyed that when Jasmine finally found her Aladdin that all she could think about was what he could do for her people. I mean, duty, yes. But still, I was sad. I had thought she would finally see him as more than a Savior.
But for all that I probably sound a bit down on the show right now, I’m not really. I’m enjoying it. And I’m really hoping that the stories will play out well in the end.
This is where the internet lets us down. I really just want to have everyone over for popcorn, chocolate, etc and watch Aladdin.
I’m in… but that would be an expensive movie night for me as travel woudl be a bit pricey… I’m in Sydney Australia! hehehe.
Great comments and I agree with most of what you said. I also didn’t watch Aladdin at an impressionable age and therefore a lot of the references went over my head too. When I saw the monkey I was wondering about the movie and trying to remember if he had a monkey or not… so ditto for me. 🙂 But I loved the whole arc anyway. I was more invested in this one – much more than I was the Jekyll one last week.
For me the Snow/Emma conversation and my sarcastic remark to the tv was…. Snow, dont you remember that Charming kept the poison arrow info from you? I forgot all about the whole other lie going on with them at the moment.
I think we are all in agreement that Killian needs to express how hurt he was by Emma’s action. I really hope that happens because otherwise I would hate my love of Killian to be tainted, which that would do.
:::Offers her copy of ‘Aladdin’ to everyone:::
I actually liked that Jasmine in present day went right to ‘Agrabah needs a savior’ when she is reunited with Aladdin, because it plays well into the theme of identity they have set up for this season. While Jasmine could have just welcomed him as Aladdin and not the savior, I think they would have missed the opportunity for Aladdin to be self conscious about his worth outside of being a savior. That frustration of Jasmine going straight to “I need the savior’ is exactly the frustration I have with everyone expecting Emma to solve their problems. One of the things Emma has been struggling with is who is she if she is not the Savior? Aladdin mentioned he has been living in Storybrooke without his savoir powers for awhile now, and he has a unique perspective to be able to talk to Emma about the burden of being the savior, and what its like for people to only see you as a tool, and what its like to live without that burden. Im excited to see what Aladdin and Emma can learn from each other.
Nicely put, as always ❤
Killian keeping the shears is drama for the sake of drama. I read in an interview recently that although Hook is keeping the sheers, he does it because he wants to give Emma the choice to use them if worse comes to worse.
He still believes in her agency and of course, if there isn’t a way to save her, Emma will have that option to use them.
I’m confused how this Jafar taking over Agrabah fits in with the Wonderland timeline. I get the feeling Adam and Eddy tried to make Wonderland fit into the world of Once, failed and now they’re even trying to make it work. Which is a shame because even though the series was short lived and only a few watched, it was still good.
This Jafar feels very one-dimensional compared to Wonderland’s version because it seems Once’s version is only after power.
I’m still confused why Jasmine thought Aladdin was the Saviour. Okay, he has light magic and he didn’t know he has light magic like Emma but does she know something about his parent and that’s why she sought him out? Because Emma is the Saviour because she is the Product of Snowing’s True Love. Are Aladdin’s parents the same? – or is it like Buffy and the Vampire Slayers – one saviour “dies” and the next one is born?
I don’t like what they’re doing with Zelena. I feel like Zelena should be asking herself, why does the Evil Queen need her to be Wicked? What is her game?
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