Title Queen of Hearts

Two-Sentence Summary In this season’s winter finale, Emma and Snow go head-to-head with Cora and Hook in order to get back to their loved ones in Storybrooke, and Emma discovers some interesting side-effects of being the product of Snow and Charming’s true love. Before they can get back, though, Henry must convince Regina to undo Rumplestiltskin’s deadly spell on the portal, which is designed to kill Cora and Hook but could end up killing Snow and Emma instead.

Favorite Lines
Emma: Your mom, she’s…She’s a piece of work, you know?
Regina: Indeed, I do.

My Thoughts This was truly the perfect midseason finale. It left the audience with some excellent new questions, raised the stakes for the second half of the season, and resolved important story arcs with major questions being answered. What I liked the most about it, though, was that it did all of these things in an organic way. Each plot development also came with character development. Though the hour raced along, it was grounded in beautiful interactions between characters we have come to care so much about as well as stunning performances from the leading ladies who make this show so consistently powerful on an emotional level.

One of those leading ladies was Jennifer Morrison, who showcased incredible layers of vulnerability in “Queen of Hearts.” Morrison played Emma’s self-doubt with an understated sadness; when she said that optimism skipped a generation in her family, I felt the broken heart underneath the humor, and that’s when Emma feels her most real.

I also loved Emma’s interactions with Captain Hook. Their dynamic is so interesting because it can go from surprising depth (their interactions in Rumplestiltskin’s cell) to cheeky innuendos (Hook’s sword fighting dialogue) without feeling forced. But my favorite thing about the two of them in this episode had to be the fact Emma bested Hook by taking advantage of his compulsion to turn their fight into a twisted kind of flirting.

I really enjoyed Hook as a character in this episode, especially after worrying that his character would become irredeemable after taking Aurora’s heart. My favorite thing about him so far has been his moral ambiguity, so I didn’t want him to become Cora-like levels of pure evil. The explanation for him being able to take Aurora’s heart was smart; I’m happy that this power is canonically reserved for our three main villains. Also, it felt wrong that Hook would be so willing to take a heart after what happened to Milah, so I really appreciated the writing choice of having him give Aurora her heart back.

Speaking of hearts, Aurora and Mulan finally felt useful and well-written in this episode! Aurora’s selfless streak brings out a strength in her that she didn’t have initially, and even Mulan felt more complex and interesting once she was given more to do as a character. The moment when Mulan put Aurora’s heart back in was surprisingly intimate and lovely, and I found myself hoping that this isn’t the last we see of these two princesses now that their motivations aren’t overshadowed by Emma and Snow’s.

I’ve loved seeing Emma and Snow work as a team so far this season, and that continued in a really beautiful way in this episode. I liked seeing Snow’s knowledge of Fairytale Land come in handy once again when she got them out of the cell (even though I did want to scream, “The ink is on the scroll!” at them for the longest time). But I was most impressed with seeing Emma truly become her mother’s daughter at exactly the right time.

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Title Into the Deep

Two-Sentence Summary After Henry suffers intense burns and Aurora is captured by Cora, Charming willingly subjects himself to the sleeping curse in order to communicate with Snow. Lives are endangered, alliances are tested, and one broken family struggles to keep their faith as both good and evil race to get back to Storybrooke.

Favorite Line “And if there’s one thing I know about your grandparents…They always find each other.” (Regina)

My Thoughts “Into the Deep” was one of the strongest episodes of this season (so far, at least). There was a tightness to the plotting and character interactions that had been missing in other episodes as the writers sometimes struggled to balance multiple plotlines and a growing cast of characters. This episode worked because it was about the people we have cared about since the pilot: Charming, Snow, Henry, Emma, Regina, and Rumplestiltskin. By focusing the plot on these characters and their interactions, this episode’s stakes felt higher and its emotional moments felt more resonant. The plot progressed, the characters deepened, and all of this was done with the beguilingly earnest sentimentality that has been Once Upon a Time’s calling card from the start.

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Title Tallahassee

Two-Sentence Summary As Emma and Hook climb a beanstalk to retrieve a magical compass that could be the key to getting back to Storybrooke, we learn about Emma’s past as a thief, how she ended up in jail, and how it all connects to the mystery of Henry’s father. Meanwhile, Aurora and Henry are both plagued by eerily similar nightmares brought on by their time under the effects of the sleeping curse.

Favorite Lines
Emma: Don’t think I’m taking my eyes off you for a second.
Hook: I would despair if you did.

My Thoughts I had been waiting for this episode since I saw the pilot, eagerly anticipating the time when we got to take a closer look at one of the most interesting and important stories Once Upon a Time will ever tell: the story of how Emma came to have Henry at 18 years old while in jail. This episode answered so many important questions about Emma, while raising a surprising number of them as well.

My one major gripe with this episode was the really poor quality of the special effects in terms of the giant and his lair. I can usually ignore the bad effects because I’m so engrossed in the story, but these were distractingly bad. I think I was especially bothered because they distracted me from Jorge Garcia’s guest role as the giant, which was something I was really looking forward to.

However, the chemistry between Emma and Captain Hook was almost blinding enough to make me forget the bad green-screen work around them. Jennifer Morrison has incredible chemistry with any actor she’s paired with on this show, and her sparks with Colin O’Donoghue rival hers with Sebastian Stan (my personal favorite match for her in terms of chemistry, and probably hers, too). I’m really enjoying the lovable roughish side of Hook; he’s a delicious mixture of the traditional Disney villain and Jack Sparrow, with the eyeliner, love for rum, and buckets full of flirtatious charm. The scene with him tying the bandage on her hand was all kind of wonderful, and their entire dynamic throughout the episode (with them both challenging each other) had me seeing some immense potential in a possible Hook/Emma pairing.

The most interesting part of the Hook/Emma partnership in this episode, though, was the way it worked to show Emma’s development as a character when viewed in conjunction with the flashbacks. When she left Hook handcuffed in the giant’s lair, it showed that she’d learned her lesson about trusting bad boys, no matter how attractive they may seem. There was a hardness to Emma in that moment that really spoke to how much hurt she still carries with her from Neal’s believed betrayal; her resolve was both sad and empowering, and I give Morrison a lot of credit for being able to pull that dichotomy off convincingly.

Morrison had to bring her A-game as an actress to make this episode work on both a plot level and an emotional one, and she did that and more. It wasn’t until this episode ended that I really found a full appreciation for what she’s done with Emma as a character throughout the course of the show so far. She’s given Emma such a believable hardness and jaded view on the world and on relationships in particular that it was almost like a shock to my system to see her so young, happy, and in love in these flashbacks. Morrison may not have looked 17, but she certainly convinced me through her performance. Her smiles, her relaxed body language, her expressive tone of voice, and the brightness in her eyes were all so different from any way we’ve ever seen Emma before. There was something so relaxed, open, and youthfully reckless in Morrison’s performance, and the way it contrasted with the detached and cautious way she plays adult Emma proves that Morrison is an acting force capable of holding her own against any of the talented members of this cast (if last season’s finale didn’t already prove that to you).

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Title The Doctor

Two-Sentence Summary The mysterious Dr. Whale is revealed to be Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a man young Regina goes to with the hopes of bringing her beloved Daniel back from the dead, and in Storybrooke, Victor manages to resurrect Daniel with the hopes of finding favor with Regina but instead creates a monster that she has to let go of once and for all. In present-day Fairytale Land, Snow and Emma discover Captain Hook, Cora’s plan, and a beanstalk that could help them return home.

Favorite Line “Please, let me talk to my fiancé.” (Regina)

My Thoughts I enjoyed this episode, but it definitely wasn’t my favorite of the season. Until Snow and Emma return to Storybrooke (which I hope happens by midseason), their scenes in present-day Fairytale Land distract from the heart of each episode unless the flashbacks and/or Storybrooke scenes directly deal with or reference them (which is why I loved “Lady of the Lake” so much and why I’m really optimistic about next week’s Emma-centric “Tallahassee”). This week’s episode felt rushed in important places, which has been one of my problems with a few episodes in this young season already. I appreciate what the creators are doing in balancing these three storylines and introducing so many interesting possibilities for new characters, but I just don’t want the emotional punches that made last season so wonderful to get lost amid the growing plot.

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Title The Crocodile

Two-Sentence Summary In Storybrooke, Belle and Rumplestiltskin’s relationship falters when his inability to give up magic and be honest with her causes her to leave and attempt to make her own life in the town. Flashbacks to Fairytale Land show how Rumplestiltskin lost his wife and what that has to do with how Captain Hook lost his hand.

Favorite Line “You don’t get to decide what I do or how I live. I do.” (Belle)

My Thoughts While it wasn’t as strong as last week’s “Lady of the Lake,” this week’s Once Upon a Time was still a solid episode (the second-best of the season so far for me). I find Rumplestiltskin a fascinating character, so I am always drawn to episodes that prominently feature both his Fairytale Land persona and Storybrooke’s Mr. Gold. This episode gave us plenty of both, and it introduced a charismatic new villain as well.

First, let’s get one thing out of the way right now: There was an embarrassment of riches in terms of gorgeous people being gorgeous in this episode. I have never seen a more beautiful cast on television. Emilie de Ravin looked even more incredible than usual; Belle’s costumes were stunning (this look was my favorite—especially the shoes!). And then there’s the whole matter of Josh Dallas and his biceps, which made it nearly impossible for me to focus on anything else in the episode. Between Dallas and Colin O’Donoghue as Captain Hook, I had to remind myself to pay attention to the actual plot of the episode on more than one occasion.

I am glad those reminders worked because I really liked the balance between the flashbacks and present timeline in this episode. I was definitely disappointed in the lack of Snow, Emma, and Regina, but their absences allowed for a more concise story to be told. Last week, the three storylines felt connected in a way that was both logical and emotionally engaging, but it would have worked against the tight pacing of this episode to shoehorn in scenes with Emma and Snow which wouldn’t have had any impact on the main plot.

What I liked most about this episode was the fact that the moral ambiguity and conflicting feelings surrounding Rumplestiltskin weren’t lost just because this was a “Rumbelle”-centric episode. This episode did a fantastic job of showing the monstrosity Rumplestiltskin became after becoming the Dark One. Of course I felt sympathy for him when his wife said she’d wished he’d died in the Ogre Wars. Of course my heart broke for him when he walked away from Hook’s proposal of a duel because he was too afraid. But none of those things excused the fact that he murdered his wife. When he ripped her heart out, I could barely watch.

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Title Lady of the Lake

Two-Sentence Summary In flashbacks to the Fairytale Land that was, King George places an infertility curse on Snow White, and his men mortally wound Prince Charming’s mother with an arrow to the chest, leading to a private wedding officiated by Lancelot (formerly of the Round Table) and a parent making the ultimate sacrifice for her child and the woman he loves. In the present, the bonds of family continue to be strengthened, as Charming and Henry, Jefferson and Grace, and Snow and Emma face emotional turning points in their relationships.

Favorite Lines
Emma: I’m not used to someone putting me first.
Snow: Well get used to it.

My Thoughts This was—by far—my favorite episode of this season. One of the things I love most about Once Upon a Time is that everyone seems to have a different reason for watching/loving it. Some people love Regina the most. Some people watch for Rumplestiltskin and Belle. Some people live for the twists, and others watch for the romance. As for me, I watch it for every relationship within the “Charming family”: Henry, Emma, Snow and Charming. When those four characters and their interactions take center stage both in the present plot and the fairytale flashbacks, it is almost a guarantee that it will be one of my favorite episodes. This was no exception.

First, let’s talk about the events in Storybrooke. I’m really enjoying watching Charming learn how to be a parent (or in this case a grandparent) with Henry, including watching the struggles of taking responsibility for a very headstrong little boy. Josh Dallas has an amazing paternal chemistry with Jared Gilmore; he makes you believe the warmth and the instantaneous love Charming feels for Henry in gestures as simple but as important as kneeling or bending down to talk to him on his level whenever they have a big conversation. Their sword-fighting scene warmed my heart in the way only this show can, with a sentimentality that could have come across as cheesy but instead comes across as genuine because of the believability of the actors.

Another moment that warmed my heart was the reunion between Jefferson and his daughter. I’d been waiting for that moment since “Hat Trick” last season, and it did not disappoint. Sebastian Stan absolutely blew me away with the vulnerability he showed in this episode, both in his scene with Henry and in this reunion. He says so much with just his facial expressions, and that exquisite nonverbal acting was exactly what was needed to give his hug with Grace the gravitas necessary to make it a standout moment in an episode full of powerful scenes. Like every actor on this show, Stan excels at making you feel every ounce of what his character is feeling—to the point where you stop marveling at the acting and simply go along on the character’s journey.

Speaking of actors who make you feel every emotion, let’s start discussing the perfection that was Ginnifer Goodwin’s performance last night, shall we? Yes, the Fairytale Land flashbacks were kind of a moot point since we know that Snow ended up having a baby (and we could also assume Charming’s mother was dead since she was never mentioned in the pilot episode nor seen in Storybrooke). However, I didn’t care at all about the predictability of his mother giving up her chance at being healed to give Charming and Snow a chance at having a family, and that was because it brought out incredible performances from two actors who should be contractually obligated to share the screen at least once per episode (Dallas and Goodwin).

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