Title The Apprentice

Two-Sentence Summary Hook uses his knowledge of the truth about the dagger to get his severed hand back from Rumplestiltskin before his big date with Emma, but that proves to have disastrous consequences when his hand appears to still possess the darkness he’s learned to let go of. As part of a deal to get Rumplestiltskin to take back the hand, Hook is forced to help him capture the sorcerer’s apprentice, whom we’re first introduced to in flashbacks, as Anna learns about the danger of making deals with the Dark One.

Favorite Lines
Emma: I don’t pillage and plunder on the first date, just so you know.
Hook: Well that’s because you haven’t been out with me yet.

My Thoughts There are two ways you could view “The Apprentice.” You could worry about what this episode means for certain characters and their arcs and relationships, letting yourself get caught up in the potential negatives. Or you could choose to believe that the storylines introduced in this episode will actually lead to really good things and focus on the many positive parts of this episode.

I’m choosing the second option. I’m choosing to hope. I’m choosing to be happy. I was reminded recently of the importance of choosing positivity and optimism when it’s easy to believe the worst, so I’m going to apply that little real-life lesson to fandom. And I hope that any of you who feel disappointed or discouraged after this episode can walk away from reading this feeling a little bit better.

Was “The Apprentice” perfect? No. It had its moments of contrived drama and angst. However, this was a “setup episode” if there ever was one, and the potential for character development in the stories it set up is phenomenal.

At its heart, “The Apprentice” was an episode about Rumplestiltskin, and it was so much fun to see my two favorite sides of this character come out to play: the impish, evil glee of the Dark One in flashbacks and the controlled malice of Mr. Gold in the present-day storyline. Of course I enjoy watching him be romantic with Belle (or at least I did before he was constantly lying to her) and trying to be a better man, but I like my Rumplestiltskin best when he’s working in the darker shades of gray. It’s when he’s at his most compelling as a character, and it’s when Robert Carlyle is at his most compelling as an actor. He makes me furious as I’m watching him, but I can never look away.

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Source: http://www.rickey.org

Title Rocky Road

Two-Sentence Summary In flashbacks, Elsa and Kristoff work together to eliminate a threat posed by Hans and his brothers, which leads them to the urn that will later be used to imprison Elsa and was also used to imprison a woman claiming to be her aunt, who also has freezing powers. In Storybrooke, that same woman freezes Marian in an attempt to turn the townspeople against Elsa, but her villainous identity is uncovered by Hook and Elsa (after Hook blackmails Rumplestiltskin) and Will Scarlet (after Emma and Charming discover him in the woods).

Favorite Line “Hey, Dairy Queen!” (Emma)

My Thoughts The first two episodes of Once Upon a Time’s fourth season were very strong, but I think we can all admit they were a bit imbalanced. The season premiere was fairly heavy on the plot, while “White Out” favored focused character development over really moving the plot forward for a variety of characters (which I didn’t mind one bit but I know was an issue for some). “Rocky Road,” however, struck a really lovely balance between plot progression and character growth for the entire main cast.

What made “Rocky Road” work despite the sheer number of storylines was its thematic cohesion, which was my favorite part of “White Out,” but was even more impressive in this episode because of the broader scope of its storytelling. Despite the sheer number of stories being told, each one was—at its core—the same: a story of a person who believes they are fated to be unhappy and alone struggling to let themselves hope that their fate can be changed.

Regina’s story this season seems to be the most literal interpretation of that overarching theme. When it comes to the “changing the book” plot, I’ll admit to still being very confused by the details. I was always under the impression that the book ended with the casting of Regina’s curse, so I don’t know what exactly she’s planning to have them change in order to get her happy ending. Does she simply want the book to reflect her point of view as well as that of the heroes, or does she actually want to change the events of the past so she looks less villainous? Because she may be changing in the present and may not a villain anymore, but it’s not incorrect to say she was a villain in the past. I was hoping Henry would ask for more clarification, but I think he was so happy to be spending time with her again that he just went along with it. It was cute to see him excited to embark on “Operation Mongoose.” Also, did anyone else notice that Regina’s name was a subtle—but very in-character—dig at “Operation Cobra?” (Google “mongoose versus snake” if you need proof.)

What I find the most interesting about Regina’s story so far is that she’s already changing her fate without changing the book, simply by being a better person. It makes sense for Regina to feel as if she needs the validation of the book claiming she deserves a happy ending, but I hope she comes to earn that happy ending by continuing to do the right thing in Storybrooke. I loved her choices with Marian in this episode because they were so selfless. There was a part of her that did it for Robin (because true love is selfless love), but there was also a part of her that seemed to want to do the right thing simply because it’s right.

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Source: spoilertv.com

Title White Out

Two-Sentence Summary In her desperation to find Anna, Elsa creates an ice cave that knocks out Storybrooke’s power (which Snow is left to fix) and traps Emma in fatally freezing temperatures. To help free his daughter, Charming digs into his past and a life-altering meeting with Anna to inspire Elsa to control her magic, but there are more sinister forces than Elsa afoot, as we meet a Storybrooke resident with her own chilling set of powers.

Favorite Lines
Emma: Aren’t you cold? I’m freezing.
Elsa: It’s never bothered me.

My Thoughts I love Once Upon a Time. I love its ability to be a little bit ridiculous and not take itself seriously all the time—this is a show about fairytales, after all. I love its unashamed optimism and the fact that it wears its heart so blatantly on its sleeve. I love its focus on love—between friends, romantic partners, and family members. And, more than anything, I love that it makes me feel. “White Out” was an episode that highlighted all of those things that I love about Once Upon a Time, and it did so by focusing on the family that was the reason I fell in love with this show in the first place and the sisters that had me so captivated in last week’s season premiere.

I was a little apprehensive after “A Tale of Two Sisters” about the sheer number of storylines being set up for this season and how that would affect the time spent developing the characters and relationships on the show. Thankfully, this episode chose to focus its attention on one angle—the Frozen arc and its connection to Emma and her family—instead of trying to cram too much in. For Rumplestiltskin and Regina fans, I’m sure it was a bit disappointing to see so little of your favorites. (Although both did have good moments.) However, I’m sure their time will come to take center stage again, and I for one really enjoyed this episode’s sense of focus, especially given how broad the scope of the premiere was. (But I’ll admit that my bias towards all things “Charming Family” probably helped with my enjoyment of this episode.)

When I saw that “White Out” was a Jane Espenson-penned episode, I knew we were in for a treat in terms of self-aware humor because she’s the best at weaving in funny and genre-savvy details throughout her episodes. From Emma making a “cool” pun with Elsa to Henry’s little comment about how Google doesn’t have answers for what to do when your mom has a breakup like Regina’s, I thought “White Out” had just the right amount of humor to balance out its emotional depth. And Bo Peep as an evil warlord was the kind of campy perfection you just have to embrace as a fan of this show. It was ridiculous, but that’s why it worked—kind of like Josh Dallas’s Fabio/80s hair band/Beyoncé wig. And it gave us the perfect detail of Bo Peep working at a butcher shop in Storybrooke. Between that and “Any Given Sundae,” it was nice to have some fun new details emerge about how Enchanted Forest personas transferred over to Storybrooke.

Also, you can’t talk about fun details in “White Out” and not talk about the plethora of perfect Frozen references. There was the cold not bothering Elsa (“Let It Go”), Anna loving sandwiches (“Love Is an Open Door”), and Anna’s alias being Joan (“Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?”). Each one made me smile.

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