Title Welcome to Storybrooke

Two-Sentence Summary Flashbacks to the first days of Storybrooke reveal Regina’s isolation and boredom as she watches its cursed inhabitants relive the same day over and over again—until a man and his son who were camping in the woods when the curse created the town enter its limits, and Regina discovers that a child might be the way to fill the emptiness in her heart. In present-day Storybrooke, Regina embarks on a quest to cast a spell on Henry that would make him believe he really loved her, Snow’s guilt turns suicidal, and the boy who entered Storybrooke in 1983 is revealed to be Greg, the hospital patient.

Favorite Line “You know what my problem is? I never learn from my mistakes.” (Regina)

My Thoughts I know this episode is a divisive one, and I’m not even sure how I really feel about what the writers are trying to say and what direction the rest of this season is going to go in. But I think there’s one thing we all can agree on: That last scene between Ginnifer Goodwin and Lana Parrilla was nothing short of brilliant. No matter what you feel about this episode, it gave us that brutally powerful moment between two actresses who are both masters of genuine emotion—perhaps one of the strongest scenes of the entire season.

I’ll talk more about the combined brilliance of Goodwin and Parrilla later, but first I think there’s one more thing the entire Once Upon a Time fandom can agree on: It’s always good to see Sheriff Graham again. It’s been too long since that beautifully scruffy face and swoon-worthy accent were on my television screen. The only bad thing about seeing Graham again was the reminder that I loved him and Emma together so much more than any other option we have now. (Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of both Emma/Hook and Emma/Neal for different reasons, but Emma and Graham’s second kiss will be difficult if not impossible to top, in my opinion.)

I love all of the flashback portions of this episode. I know it’s weird to say, but I kind of missed cursed Storybrooke and its inhabitants. There was something reassuringly simple about the Storybrooke of Season One, before the chaos that this season has brought descended on the town. I loved the unsettling take on Groundhog Day, and I loved the way Parrilla played Regina’s initial glee and then growing restlessness over the results of the curse. I especially liked her interactions with Mary Margaret. Regina’s glee over Snow not recognizing her husband was only bested in my opinion by her frustration with Snow’s fighting spirit being taken from her. Regina wants Snow to suffer—not this little mouse who barely resembles the strong woman she was challenged by back home.

Regina is a woman who wants to have everything because she was a girl who grew up with nothing—no love from her mother, no support from her father, no hope of love after her mother killed Daniel…So even the curse isn’t enough for her; she wants her subjects to love her because they choose to, not because she’s forcing them to. This is the reason she clings to Owen—because he genuinely seemed to care about her and wanted to bond with her. But Regina is so broken, so damaged by growing up with a (literally) heartless mother and spineless father that she has no idea how to show Owen that she cares about him. She’s so desperate for love that she becomes blind to logic and the feelings/needs of the person whose love she desires, which is something we see again and again from Regina. It’s a tragic flaw, and Parrilla does such a wonderful job of allowing you to see the tragedy inherent in the incompatibility between Regina’s twisted obsession with love and her inability to show love properly.

That dichotomy between wanting love and being unable to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy means of obtaining it is beautifully paralleled in Regina’s relationship with Henry. For a woman who was so desperate to find someone to love her out of their own free will, she seemed frighteningly quick to take away her son’s free will in this episode. That spell showed me just how broken Regina is. While I may not sympathize with her as much as some do, it’s hard not to understand why she is the way she is. Regina has never been irredeemably evil, and so much of her complexity comes from Parrilla’s tortured performance. I wanted Henry as far away from Regina as possible at the start of this episode, but after she destroyed the spell, I actually found myself angry that he ran to hug Emma rather than Regina. If that’s not a sign of a truly complex relationship between villain and audience, then I don’t know what is.

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First of all, I would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to one of my favorite fellow Nerdy Girls, the Ann to my Leslie, Heather! 

Title Manhattan

Two-Sentence Summary Rumplestiltskin finds his son, Emma finds Neal, and Henry finds his dad, while, back in Storybrooke, Regina, Cora, and Hook begin to search for Rumplestiltskin’s dagger—and a way to kill the Charming family without getting blood on Regina’s hands. In flashbacks to Fairytale Land, we discover how a meeting with a seer on the eve of battle turned Rumplestiltskin from a beloved husband to a coward.

Favorite Line “It’s a good thing we don’t have Thanksgiving in our land, because that dinner would suck.” (Charming, talking to Snow about Henry’s complicated family tree)

My Thoughts “Manhattan” was Once Upon a Time at its best. It had truly transcendent moments of acting, brilliant pacing, and a story that’s still haunting me in the best possible way today.

I’ll get this out of the way first: I didn’t care much about what the Storybrooke folk were doing in this episode. I found it incredibly unbelievable that Regina wouldn’t lock the door before using (highly unnecessary) magic to retrieve information from Belle’s purse. I also still don’t care about Greg the way I feel like I’m supposed to. There are so many more interesting things going on right now that are taking my attention away from his parts of the story. I’m sure this won’t always be the case, but right now his story seems kind of tacked-on to the plot in a superfluous way.

Ultimately, this episode wasn’t about Storybrooke. It was about three broken people and a little boy coming together in an apartment in Manhattan. Although the background looked fake at times (especially on the fire escape), there was nothing artificial about the performances each actor brought to this part of the episode. Their interactions crackled with an intensity and a depth not often seen on Once Upon a Time.

Robert Carlyle once again proved that he is the best actor in this talented cast with his work in this episode. Rumplestiltskin broke my heart in the flashback scenes. It was incredibly sad to see him as such an eager, brave young man about to go to war when we know it’s going to end badly.

Sometimes big plot reveals can fall a little short (see August’s box in this episode), but I was shocked in the best possible way by the circumstances surrounding Rumplestiltskin’s “cowardice” in the Ogre War. The seer was terrifying in a way straight out of Pan’s Labyrinth. And I’m still haunted by the questions she raised. Can we escape our fates? Are our lives predetermined, or can we choose? Even with free will, are we destined to go down a certain path?

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Title Tiny

Two-Sentence Summary After Emma and Henry leave with Rumplestiltskin to find his son, a security screening at the airport leads to a most unwelcome change for one of Storybrooke’s most powerful residents. Meanwhile, Snow and Charming must stop Anton the giant from destroying the town in pursuit of revenge against Charming’s brother James, who (along with a woman named “Jack”) was responsible for the murder of Anton’s family.

Favorite Lines
Hook: You didn’t even ask about my recovery.
Snow: How are you feeling, Hook?
Hook: Come closer and feel for yourself.
Charming: You want to lose the other hand?

My Thoughts This was a fantastic way for Once Upon a Time to return from its mini-hiatus. “Tiny” incorporated all that’s good about the show into one hour of fast-paced television: feminist twists on classic fairytales, great acting, fun little character moments, big twists, and a heart worn firmly on its sleeve.

I loved the Fairytale Land flashbacks in this episode. I thought Anton was such a fantastic character, and Jorge Gracia was such an inspired casting choice. He really is a gentle giant, and he made me feel so much for this character I barely knew. I loved that his story was kind of a dark twist on Disney’s version of The Little Mermaid, with the endearing love for human culture ultimately coming back to haunt the protagonist.

Another great twist was the gender-switch involving the character of Jack. When she revealed her name, I actually jumped up and down on my couch—that’s how much I love seeing Once Upon a Time turn fairytales on their head and give them new life as female-centric stories. However, Jack’s fate ultimately made me despise James all the more. He was a truly horrible human being, but I have to admit that it was kind of awesome getting to see Josh Dallas really sink his teeth into playing such an arrogant jerk.

Back in Storybrooke, I enjoyed the way we were shown rather than told just how different David is from James. (Anybody else totally call David being his real name?) David is such a beautiful character, one who always strives to do the right thing, even when it’s the hardest choice. He’s a hero not because he can swordfight with a baby in his arms or slay a dragon; he’s a hero because he selflessly fights in whatever way he can for what is good and for the people he loves.

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Title The Cricket Game

Two-Sentence Summary The joy of Emma and Snow’s return to Storybrooke soon disappears after Archie is found dead after a supposed visit from Regina, who turns out to be Cora in disguise. In flashbacks to Fairytale Land, Snow saves Regina from execution but the final pieces to the curse are set in motion.

Favorite Line “It’s impressive that we can still provide her with a few traumatic childhood memories at this stage of the game.” (Charming, after Emma walks in on him in bed with Snow)

My Thoughts I found myself alternately fascinated and frustrated by this episode. There were some moments that made me incredibly happy as well as some good plot development. However, I found myself angry with the central plot of the episode. Sometimes dramatic irony is a beautiful thing (which Once Upon a Time proved over and over again last season), but sometimes it’s almost painful to watch characters make incorrect assumptions and do the wrong thing because they don’t know what we as an audience know.

Let’s begin with the good stuff, shall we? The scene with Charming and Snow being interrupted by Emma and Henry was played to perfection by all involved. Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin’s bright, joyful chemistry leapt off the screen. Goodwin’s smile was especially luminous; she made me feel every bit of Snow’s giddiness at being reunited with her husband after 28 long years. The brief moment where Charming stole a kiss at the end of the scene was the perfect touch. If these two in that moment are what “happily ever after” looks like (both on and off-screen), then sign me up for my own fairytale.

I also have to give credit to Jennifer Morrison for her perfect reaction to walking in on her parents in bed together. What could have been cringe-worthy was instead hilarious because Morrison played Emma’s shock with the subtle humor I have come to love from her as an actress. All three characters are in such a strange situation, and this was the best possible way to introduce the complications of their relationships with humor (while the end of the episode, with Charming talking about his insecurities about being a parent, was the perfect way to introduce it with heart).

I loved Emma’s emotional arc throughout the episode—from her open support of Regina to her crisis of faith, culminating in their showdown. It was nice to see someone finally invite Regina to dinner! And I loved that Emma initially saw a lot of herself in Regina’s quest for redemption. They are more similar than it would seem at first glance—both closed off to love until Henry came into their lives.

But the difference between these women is that Emma has a mother who is the epitome of noble while Regina’s mother is as evil as they come. I love how evil Cora is; there’s something deliciously dramatic about the sight of her walking around with her black parasol in the dead of night. It fits well with the flourish Lana Parrilla gives to her performance as the Evil Queen. Evil runs in the family, but so does style.

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