So, I’ve been thinking about the season finale of Once Upon a Time. And, personally, I’ve had some issues with the last half of the season. However, the finale combined several of my favorite things: heartfelt conversations, a charming pirate, a very wise Grumpy, and enough Rumbelle to warm my heart before snapping it in half. I mean, the whole “I’m sorry I woke you up to die, but I needed you” line just reached into my chest and…well, you get the picture. I was absolutely gutted when they had to part – but, as the Bard said, the course of true love ne’er did run smooth.

Now, I’m curious. In the play/movie etc, Peter Pan’s shadow was mischievous, not evil. But he really couldn’t control it (it’s been a long time since I’ve read the play, so…). I’m wondering if Peter Pan, as we recognize him, will be a character. I think it’d be rather awesome if Henry was Peter Pan, but that’s just an off-the-cuff thought.

Thankfully, Neal isn’t dead. Because I really like him. He has obvious, and earned, issues with trust. I feel like he’s a complicated character and an interesting match for Emma – although, Emma has a subtle hint of something going on with Hook.

Of course, in season three, there are possibilities. We’ve got the Gang off searching for Henry. We’ve got Neal in Fairytale Land. And we’ve got Storybrook. Now, the finding Henry part of the adventure will obviously focus on Neverland. I need mermaids, people. They have to happen. And Tinkerbell. May I suggest Kristin Chenowith? Because she’s delightful.

For Neal, obviously, that’s going to be a hard time for him. Because he’s done everything possible to avoid the place he’s found himself in. At least he’s found friends, assuming that they don’t mind the Dark One’s son hanging around. I am interesting in seeing the conversation between him and the three who found him on the beach.

Lastly, we’ve got Storybrooke. Personally, I want to see Belle take charge. She was pretty badass when she went on her adventure in Fairytale Land. I’d like to see more of that. Because yes, she is  the perfect match for Gold. And I love everything about their relationship. But she deserves a chance to blossom.

So do the dwarves. Sneezy FINALLY has his memory back. I cannot wait to see him be someone other than Clark. But who is going to be Sheriff? Mayor? I think Grumpy is generally wise and levelheaded in tough situations. Why not elect him Sheriff? The dwarves would make excellent deputies. And you KNOW that cloaking spell that Gold gave Belle will not go smoothly. It’s too easy. “Do this, and no one will bother you!” Pffft. Where’s the fun in that? Plus, she’s going to need help managing an entire nation of people. The town’s going to need guidance.

To me, Once is a twisted fairytale, like Into the Woods. The possibilities are endless. We shall see what season three brings, but I’m hoping for some Belle. I’m hoping that Emma gets to be a badass. And I need Team Seven. Because they’re awesome.

From a storytelling point of view, I want to see character arcs. I want redemption. I want risk. I want complications and catastrophes. I want the characters of FTL et al to be given a chance to grow. In season one, Mary Margaret and David had this epic, complicated love story. They struggled. I want more of that. I want Grumpy and Nova, because I love them – and I feel like they were great together. There was growth and hope, disappointment and sacrifice. And man, those fireflies. I want to know more about Granny. I want Red to go on a date – with Dr. Whale. Those two are interesting, together. They provide a nice symmetry.

Of course, these stories are not mine to tell. I have thoughts and ideas of how I’d handle things, but I am a not a tv person. I’m curious to see how these tales as old as time develop – how the characters develop. I’ll see the cast on Once in the fall. How about you?

MONDAY:

8:00 p.m.              “Dancing with the Stars”

10:00 p.m.            “Castle”

TUESDAY:

8:00 p.m.              “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

9:00 p.m.              “The Goldbergs”

9:30 p.m.              “Trophy Wife”

10:00 p.m.            “Lucky 7”

WEDNESDAY:             

8:00 p.m.              “The Middle”

8:30 p.m.              “Back in The Game”

9:00 p.m.              “Modern Family”

9:30 p.m.              “Super Fun Night”

10:00 p.m.            “Nashville”

THURSDAY:

8:00 p.m.              “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland”

9:00 p.m.              “Grey’s Anatomy”

10:00 p.m.            “Scandal”

FRIDAY:

8:00 p.m.              “Last Man Standing”

8:30 p.m.              “The Neighbors”

9:00 p.m.              “Shark Tank”

10:00 p.m.            “20/20”

SATURDAY:                

8:00 p.m.              “Saturday Night College Football”

SUNDAY:

7:00 p.m.              “America’s Funniest Home Videos”

8:00 p.m.              “Once Upon a Time”

9:00 p.m.              “Revenge”

10:00 p.m.            “Betrayal”

I find this scheduling even more perplexing since ABC has an easy solution to help them and DWTS. DWTS could be off for 7 months and come back in January. Back in ’05 The Bachelor was suffering fatigue after running 3 editions almost all 9 months of the TV season and ABC rested it for 7 months and the show was resuscitated when it returned in Jan ’06. They should take a page from their own playbook here, especially since The Voice likely won’t be on in Jan and ABC won’t be directly competing with another performance show. The Bachelor is a younger skewing show but it’s also not a music/dance/performance show and has its own different audience. Opposite The Voice last winter it held up fine and that was for a weak edition of The Bachelor.

ABC doesn’t even have to order a different show or cancel a show. All they would be doing is basically rearranging the order of their Mon franchises to better their own ratings average and to elongate the lifespan of DWTS.

I’ve been suggesting for the better part of 6 months that Shark Tank should be used on Tue, a more viewed night for such a show that has grown every one of its 4 seasons. Even moving it to Thu at 8 would have made sense. ABCs fall sked has it staying on Friday. I would understand this more if ABCs schedule was rock solid the rest of the week. I have no doubt that The Goldbergs and Trophy Wife are more broad and mass appeal than Happy Endings/Don’t Trust The B were last year, but they are new and FOX is already airing comedies there (less broad and more niched shows, but comedies nonetheless). More importantly, The Voice is on at 9 and while I think Tue at 8 is the perfect spot for ABC to launch Shield, it’s not crazy for many of those people watching Shield to switch to The Voice at 9. It was one thing when ABC had 4 new comedies on Wed. They were all comedies. Shield going into brand new family based comedies is still a shift. If they were going into an established mass appeal hit comedy, fine. But new comedies vs. The Voice  seems very risky -too risky on a night they currently have no hits. SHIELD into Shark Tank into Lucky 7 has a perfect flow. The 8p and 9p shows are shows for the entire family from 8 to 88. Plus Shark Tank has a shot to grow even more (like it has every one of its 4 seasons) out of Shield. At the very least it’s a hit. Why is ABC more satisfied leaving a growing asset like Shark Tank on lower viewed and less competitive Friday than to use to their advantage together with Shield and build a whole new night?

Revenge got a 1.7 for their season finale this week. A show that began season 2 with a 3.3 dropped significantly. Both OUAT and Revenge are down and it would seem logical to slide Revenge down to 10 and put a really strong new drama at 9 to drive people to the night and possibly help both shows around it. Putting Betrayal there is just filling another hole like ABC did all this year and with Revenge down so much, the odds on it helping launch a new show seem low. I feel like OUAT into new drama Resurrection at 9p into Revenge at 10p could have been a very strong night, with Resurrection possibly bringing people to 9p and having a halo effect on the other two shows.

I am surprised that ABC is going with Super Fun Night after Modern Family. It seems like a tonal shift and when younger skewing comedies like Happy Endings aired there, it dropped too much. Super Fun Night and Mixology seem like they would make a perfect hour together somewhere on the ABC sked (possibly midseason) and The Goldbergs (or even Trophy Wife seem like a perfect match with Modern Family that could retain more of its audience)

Many of ABCs new shows look good and innovative and on brand while still trying new things and I applaud them for that, but the way some of them are scheduled seem like they have less of a chance breaking out. On the other side of the coin, ABC is relegating two strong reality shows in The Bachelor and Shark Tank to one edition the entire season (as opposed to 2 editions for lower rated DWTS) and lower viewed Friday nights, respectively. It seems counterproductive and in the case of DWTS, its complete surrender.

I think The OUAT:Wonderland spinoff actually makes sense for Thu at 8. It’s the first ABC Thu 8p drama in recent years that should serve the female audience of the other two strong Thu dramas. A scripted drama will garner far higher ad rates than any reality show and could possibly help Grey’s not have to self start at 9. There’s a flow. I recently suggested this as one of a few possibilities for Thu at 8, and I definitely understand the logic of ABC here. There won’t be any dramas in this timeslot and only CBS is really a threat, though if TBBT goes to 9, possibly somewhat less of one.

I think ABC does many things right and they take many big swings and they have more successes than the industry gives them credit for, but its the kinds of moves mentioned above (DWTS not resting and occupying Mon, ST staying put, Revenge staying at 9 etc.) where they step on their own foot that keeps them from ascending beyond 3rd or 4th place. They have the assets, there’s no reason to surrender. I don’t get it.

Fall Schedule News: ABC Takes Their Turn

*ABC announced their fall schedule this afternoon. To be honest, their schedule is underwhelming to say the least. None of their new shows (outside of the Marvel franchise show) sound intriguing and they mostly left everything else in their same timeslots from last season. They don’t win points for innovation, but let’s take a closer look.*

SUNDAY:
7PM: America’s Funniest Home Videos
8PM: Once Upon a Time
9PM: Revenge
10PM: Betrayal

*Not a surprise here. AFV does solid at 7PM and its not worth launching a new show at that hour. Once Upon a Time does great. I was surprised that Revenge remained at that timeslot. It hasn’t been doing great and the reviews haven’t helped. I figured that ABC would move it to 10PM, where the loyal audience would follow, and use the 9PM timeslot to launch a new show. Maybe ABC doesn’t have a strong enough drama they want to promote. Betrayal sounds like a good match for the night but I’m just not interested in the plot or the cast members.*

MONDAY:
8PM: Dancing with the Stars
10PM: Castle

*No surprise here. The only thing worth talking about is the elimination of the results show for Dancing with the Stars. The elimination will now be incorporated into the 2 hour show. It’ll probably follow the format of FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance, which had its results show eliminated last summer. They’re hoping they can reenergize the show, which has been quickly falling in the ratings. And having an extra day open in the schedule may encourage higher profile celebrities to participate in the show.*

TUESDAY:
8PM: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
9PM: The Goldbergs
9:30PM: Trophy Wife
10PM: Lucky 7

*ABC is attempting to recreate a formula they found in the 2009-2010 season, when they had a Wednesday night block of entirely new shows. That worked out for The Middle & Modern Family and ABC hopes to do it again. Marvel’s Agents is one of the highest profile pilots of the year and should do well to lead-off the night. Tuesday night comedies haven’t worked out for any networks (besides FOX), so that should be interesting to see if ABC can change the tide. Lucky 7 is a drama about a group of gas station employees that win the lottery. It reminds me too much of that NBC drama a few years ago Windfall and the cast doesn’t feature anybody interesting this time.*

WEDNESDAY:
8PM: The Middle
8:30PM: Back in the Game
9PM: Modern Family
9:30PM: Super Fun Night
10PM: Nashville

*The three anchors of the hours remain in place. Nashville has been slipping in the ratings, but its still one of the most talked about shows and didn’t have a chance anywhere else. Back in the Game was one of the most buzzed about pilots, so it’s not a surprise to see that get a prime spot. Deadline was reporting that ABC wasn’t hot on Super Fun Night, but they wanted to keep Rebel Wilson (who is getting more and more popular). It surprises me that it got the best spot behind Modern Family, but it must mean that ABC really believes in it and wants it to do well. I like Rebel Wilson and I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do with a weekly TV series.*

THURSDAY:
8PM: Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
9PM: Grey’s Anatomy
10PM: Scandal

*The 8PM hour has been a huge trouble spot for ABC. They are placing a spin-off of a strong franchise there now, so maybe the bad luck will change. But will it have trouble competing with The Vampire Diaries on CW? There seems to be an audience crossover problem. No surprise with Grey’s Anatomy or Scandal staying put. ABC is still a force on that night and they would’ve been stupid to change up that combination.*

FRIDAY:
8PM: Last Man Standing
8:30PM: The Neighbors
9PM: Shark Tank
10PM: 20/20

*Last Man Standing has done okay on Friday nights and its closer to syndication, so I expect at least one more season from the Tim Allen show. The Neighbors landing here was a little bit of a surprise. It doesn’t seem to match the tone of the Allen show, but ABC believes in it and is giving it another chance. Their other multi-camera pilots must not have been as promising or else they would’ve been picked up and put on this night. Shark Tank is the top show on Friday nights and 20/20 is a mainstay. No surprise there.*

Midseason: The Bachelor, Killer Women, Mind Games, Mixology, The Quest, Resurrection, Suburgatory and The Taste

*Obviously The Bachelor will be used in between cycles of Dancing with the Stars. Suburgatory will be ready to fill in a hole if one of the new comedies gets cancelled. I’m surprised to see the Anthony Bourdain cooking competition The Taste coming back for another season. It didn’t do great in the ratings and ABC has other things to premiere in midseason. None of the new drama shows sound that great to me. The comedy Mixology has a good cast but the premise sounds too much of a high concept to work for more than a few episodes. The Quest is a new reality series from the producers of The Amazing Race and the film producers of The Lord of the Rings. Basically it’s a cross between those shows that doesn’t make any sense. We’ll see though.*

Special: Toy Story of Terror

*ABC also announced that they will be airing an animated Halloween special featuring the characters from the Toy Story film franchise. Here’s the info from the official ABC press release. I can’t wait. [From Disney·Pixar comes a spooky new tale featuring all of the favorite characters from the "Toy Story" films. What starts out as a fun road trip for the "Toy Story" gang takes an unexpected turn for the worse when the trip detours to a roadside motel. After one of the toys goes missing, the others find themselves caught up in a mysterious sequence of events that must be solved before they all suffer the same fate in this "Toy Story of Terror." The cast of "Toy Story of Terror" includes Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz, Joan Cusack as Jessie, Carl Weathers as Combat Carl/Combat Carl Jr., Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, Wallace Shawn as Rex and Kristen Schaal as Trixie. "Toy Story of Terror" is produced by Galyn Susman and directed by Angus MacLane. The special, from Disney·Pixar, will premiere on ABC in October 2013.]

SAM is the writer of From My Write Side, and her story The Elven Games has reached an impressive eleven instalments.  The titular remains in the future, with SAM opting to develop her characters further.  The focus of this has been Edgar, the noble yet insecure young warrior, and Tribba, the dwarven lady who convinced him to take up the challenge.

The pair has found themselves in perilous situations in recent times, with the lady going so far as to call on extra help to get her young charge prepared.  These situations have come to highlight their vulnerabilities and deep-set fears, while also helping to forge a deeper bond between them.

Looking at SAM’s front page, she is proving quite the prolific writer in different areas.  And she is also a helpful one, regularly running or participating in Master Classes.  That she can be both the teacher and the student is the epitome of what a writer should be; bold and confident enough to share and guide, while also being humble enough to know there is always more to be learned.

Be sure to check out her work; I know I will be =)

– Tu –

I am looking for a visual muse for another character in my ‘Big Project’.  They do not appear until the opening chapter of Book 2, and the reader’s meeting of her is in an OMG! way.

The defining prerequisite:  The person needs to be able to look plain or even plain geeky, but also be able to drop jaws when required.

I have discovered two candidates:  Meghan Ory and Cobie Smulders.

For those who watch ‘Once Upon A Time’, we all know and love Meghan as Ruby ‘Red’ Lucas.  She may be best suited since some of her scenes in OUAT were quite confronting in their presentation.  And no, shape-shifting is not a requirement of my character.

On a personal note, any girl who can look good rocking a Joker Smile gets a tick from me.  Thanks to Google Images and Hawtcelebs for the picture.

The many ‘How I Met Your Mother’ fans know Cobie better as Robin Scherbatsky.  I do not watch the show, but have noted her attractiveness.  In terms of my prerequisite, a Google Images search of her proves she can glam it up very well, while other photos show her as very plain.

The two girls link together well.  Both are Canadian, both are born the same year as me, and both are pretty without relying on other ‘assets’ to grab attention.  A fuller figure is preferred normally, since girls starving themselves are the epitome of ‘not cool’.  For my story, their thinner figures play well into the character, who has been on the run for a good amount of time.  No time for good nutrition when you’re being pursued!

– Tu –

The only show I can fangirl with my eleven year old sister without worrying that boobs or female or male genitalia might make a surprise appearance on the screen is Once Upon A Time. Its clever mix of fairy tale characters, magic, love and hope makes it one of the most family friendly shows on TV right now.

Once Upon A Time

Once Upon A Time is a television series from the writers of Lost, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Its premise is fairly simple. All of the fairy tale and fictional characters you might know of are real. They once lived in the Enchanted Forest, until the Evil Queen (played by Lana Parilla) cast a curse that brought (almost) everyone to Storybrooke, Maine. Everyone now lives frozen in time, unaware about their lives back in the Enchanted Forest. Only Emma (Jennifer Morrison), Snow White and Prince Charming’s daughter, escaped the curse and has the power to break it and save them all.

(Warning: Some light spoilers ahead but it won’t ruin your OUAT experience, I promise. Don’t worry, I won’t pull a How I Met Your Mother.)

The second season of Once Upon A Time picks right where the season one finale left off. Henry (Regina’s adoptive son and Emma’s biological one) brought Emma back to Storybrooke and after some convincing, she finally broke the curse and everyone got their memories back. However, Rumplestiltskin (played by Robert Carlyle) brought magic to Storybrooke which kind of complicates things a bit.

OUAT’s second season introduced us to more characters like Captain Hook, Princess Aurora (from Sleeping Beauty) and Mulan. It also opened more storyline possibilities since OUAT finally opened its doors to other worlds such as Wonderland (from Alice in Wonderland) and some others. It’s exciting to see characters from different stories interact with each other and how their paths will cross. The show also gives its own twist to the old bedtime stories we know of. Think you know Red Riding Hood’s story? How about The Mad Hatter? Think again! Mwahahahahaha!

Once Upon A Time still followed the storytelling technique it used during its first. Scenes alternates from Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest (pre and post curse) which further propels the AMAZING CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!

You see, one of the reasons why I am in love with Once Upon A Time is that it makes you root for the bad guys. I know other shows have done that (see Game of Thrones) but OUAT takes character development to a whole ‘nother level. Have you ever wondered why on earth the Evil Queen is evil in the first place? Or how did Rumplestiltskin get all his power? Is Snow White really as good as the stories say? It’s not just cheap flashbacks that explain why this and that happened; it also helps the viewer understand further the current storyline (in Storybrooke).

I love how OUAT presents us with a world where a character can’t just be straight up bad or good, much like the real world. It shows the journey of how certain people become so evil and corrupt with power. Regina and Rumple’s mission for redemption is probably one of the things I look forward to watching in Once Upon A Time. It even made me (kind of) hate the Charmings since they’ve become so self-righteous all the time, giving Regina and Rumple little benefit of the doubt. :’(

I LOVE YOU REGINA

you’re such a bamf, rumple. i luv u

I CAN’T

We also get new bad guys this season WHO ARE SO UGLY I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHY THEY’RE PART OF AN ENSEMBLE SO GOOD-LOOKING.

LOOK AT THIS PERFECT CAST JUST LOOK AT THEM! Hook isn’t even in this poster and it’s already oozing of attractiveness (x)

Tamara and Greg appear during the latter part of the second season with a horrifying mission: eradicate magic and destroy Storybrooke. In the end, it is revealed that Greg and Tamara are just pawns of someone whose power (according to Rumplestiltskin) is to be feared by everyone. Yes, even Rumplestiltskin himself.

We also get to see how Emma lived pre-pilot. As for Henry’s father, well, you wouldn’t believe who it is. P.S. They’re so perfect together! Their little moment at the end of the season made me cry! (Then again, I am usually an emotional wreck, so maybe it wasn’t that special)

Any show isn’t complete without the couple pairing/ships in the show. I couldn’t care less for Snow White and Prince Charming, since they oh-so-perfect already. There’s the weirdly perfect Belle and Rumplestiltskin pairing whose flashbacks are very enjoyable! Watching Rumple battle against his rash and rough demeanor towards Belle is so precious!

Once Upon A Time’s second season isn’t disappointing at all! Some might think they’ve pushed the boundaries of too many magical worlds but I think it’s genius! The story can’t just revolve and stay in Storybrooke or in the Enchanted Forest forever! They needed to travel to different worlds in order to make the show more interesting. Plus, we get to see new characters, okay?! CHARACTERS WE WILL SOON LOVE OR HATE. This show just evokes so many emotions in me.

All in all, Once Upon A Time is great show with great characters and plot lines. It isn’t one of those show who puts a dark and twisted flair to fairy tale characters. If anything, Once Upon A Time makes the characters we know from our childhood more magical than ever.

Step 1: Get a copy of Once Upon a Time Season 1 Episode 1. The show is streaming on Netflix for free (with the streaming membership though there is a free one month trial for those of you who don’t have it) or you can rent it from Amazon.com or iTunes for 1.99. Or I guess if you’re really old school you can get the DVD or the VCR or the… eight track… or whatever.

Step 2: Play the episode but as soon as it starts press pause.

Step 3: Follow one of these two links and press play. HERE is a link to the youtube video which might be a little easier for you. But for those of you who want to just download the audio file you can get that HERE. Once you’ve got it just play it, the instructions on the video will get you where you need to be!

Step 4: You may need to adjust the audio a bit as you watch, you’re gonna want me to be louder then the show (cause I’m awesome) but you’ll still want to be able to hear the show itself as I’ll be commenting on stuff that’s being said.

And that’s about it. I know it sounds a little complicated but it really isn’t that much and after a minute or two of tweaking you’ll be set to go for forty minutes of awesome hilarity… I think. Feel free to comment here or on the Youtube channel! I’ll probably do a couple more just to get in the rhythm of it and then depending on how much you guys like it I might even expand it and work on a couple more shows. I’m also wide open to suggestions as to which shows those should be! Thanks for watching!!!

What ever happened to that moment…to coasters in bars and napkins and borrowed pens?  To the last look before she smiled and wrote it down and touched my palm.  Before Google and Facebook and Instagram?  There was a time I had to ask…

Train rides and busy sidewalks are the last frontiers of anonymity.  Standing room only at 8:00am with earbuds and leather bags hanging from wrists to free a hand for iphones and androids between stops. 

A young girl at Christmas wore Christmas tree earings with little colored ornaments and when she saw me looking she smiled.  “I like your earings”, I smiled.  And looked away…and after a long pause she tapped my shoulder and said, “You missed the best part…”, and I looked again, and she smiled, again, and lit the tiny lights on the little Christmas trees.  They blinked, we smiled and it was her stop.  I never saw her again.

Whatever happened to those moments?  Before text messages at dinner tables. Those moments across the candlelight were golden and precious and as fragile as the sliding doors on trains that left us forever apart unless we reached out…unless we lean into the kiss it will fade into the awkward moment of loss at the curb on a warm night beneath the layers of milky blue turned black somewhere far above those streetlights, once upon a time.

Meet me there…

Words // Staff HUH.

Karl Lagerfeld has once again played the role of director, releasing an 18-minute short starring Keira Knightley and entitled Once Upon a Time. The film was created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the very first Chanel boutique, which is located in Deauville Normandy, and revolves round the first day of the store’s business. Knightly – who is currently the face of Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle fragrance campaign – plays the role of the Coco Chanel, acting alongside models Stella Tennant and Brad Kroenig, his son Hudson, and up-and-coming actress Tallula Harlech. The film will be screened at Chanel’s Singapore cruise-collection show later this month.

Speaking about the interview, I tried to prepare some more for the interview. I’m still not done, but I hope to finish in the next few days so that all I have to do is practice a little bit on talking professionally and maintaining my composure. I’m sure it will be a little nerve-wracking on Saturday, but I’m going to do my best to show the interviewers that I will be a valuable asset to the company. If all else fails, I’ll charm them into submission! Not really. I’ll be a little charming, but mostly I just want to prove to them that I am ready for this job and I’ll do my best to represent their company well.

Switching gears, I watched the finale of “Once Upon A Time” on Sunday and it was so good! Probably one of my favorite episodes this season. The acting was spot on and the story has brought the characters to an interesting point. But they had to go and end the season on a cliffhanger! Now I must wait along with all other OUAT fans until next season to see what happens. I’m sure it will be worth the wait. I also need to catch up on my backlog of “Revenge” episodes as it also had its season finale, so I’ll need to do that sometime in the near future.

Alright, that’s my bit for tonight. I’m on time for once! I’ll attempt to continue this pattern.

Until tomorrow, good night!

-Tyler

P.S. In case you wanted to know, Daft Punk’s new album, “Random Access Memories,” is streaming on iTunes. Feel free to listen and get infected by the magic of Daft Punk!

http://www.examiner.com/review/ouat-tallahassee

http://www.examiner.com/review/ouat-child-of-the-moon

http://www.examiner.com/review/ouat-into-the-deep

http://www.examiner.com/review/ouat-s-queen-of-hearts

http://www.examiner.com/review/ouat-the-cricket-game

Via Screen Rant

Though some parts in the Season 2 finale of “Once Upon a Time” were rushed, that didn’t stop “And Straight on ‘Til Morning” from being a brilliant episode. I expected all the Storybrooke inhabitants to be relocated back to the Enchanted Forest. Never failing to take us by surprise, though, our favorite dysfunctional family (Emma, the Charmings, Rumple, Regina, and Hook) set off for Neverland to find Henry instead.

Saving Henry is an excellent story arc for our main characters next season. The fact that he’s a kid makes the storyline even stronger. While it’s obvious why Emma, the Charmings, Regina, and even Rumple want to save Henry, I’m a little confused by Hook’s motivation. There’s no doubt that he’s necessary, especially since Greg and Tamara took Henry to Neverland. Hook certainly knows the most about the land, except maybe Rumple, who seems to know everything about everything.

Revealed in the flashback, Hook has a deeper history with Neal/Baelfire than anyone currently on the ship may suspect. Perhaps if Hook’s story about being abandoned by his father is true, then Hook feels like he owes Henry (and Neal) so Henry doesn’t succumb to the same fate and have to grow up without a family. Hook let the Lost Boys take Neal, and it doesn’t seem like he’s ever gotten over that guilt, especially when he discovers Neal might be gone forever.

Speaking of Neal, there’s still hope that he’s alive. He washes up to shore and is discovered by Mulan, Aurora, and Prince Phillip. I’m pretty confident that Neal will survive (at least, for a little while) — there’s no way the writers would show him being found by three characters we already know and then have him die immediately.

There’s a lot of motivation to keep Neal alive in the show. Not only is he Henry’s father and probably Emma’s true love, but his backstories will probably reveal a lot more than a history with Hook. As a young boy, Neal is mistaken as the one that a mysterious figure (later revealed to be the one and only Peter Pan) wants. One of the creepy Lost Boys unrolls the scroll, revealing a drawing of Henry.

Oh, how cute. They’ve mistaken a young version of Henry’s father as Henry. But besides that, there’s nothing cute about the situation at all. We have no idea why Peter Pan wants Henry, but it must be a darn good reason because Peter Pan is willing to wait a long time for him. Anyway, I hope Neal is reunited with his family because he has been in Neverland before, has probably faced Peter Pan, and has even escaped Neverland! I can’t wait to see how he managed to do the last one.

Most of all, I’m excited to see how the main characters deal with each other on the ship next season. There’s clearly a lot of tension, with Hook/Rumple, Emma/Regina, Snow/Regina, Rumple/Regina, and so on. Neal would bring even more tension (maybe too much?), but would still add a great dynamic.

“Once Upon a Time” has set itself up well for Season 3. I’m glad we’re not going to the Enchanted Forest quite yet — discovering Neverland is so much better. Season 3 will be a lot different than the Storybrooke-centric Seasons 1 and 2, and the change is more than welcome.

Vivianne Nguyen is a contributing writer.  Email her at entertainment@nyunews.com.

Courtesy of Google Images

I have written similar articles about sections of Season 2.  I’ve chosen to now review the season overall instead of having an article just for Episodes 19-22.  At the bottom of the article I will have the links to the other articles.

 Emma- She has had this season to accept magic as apart of her life and heritage.  She has taken on motherhood and hasn’t been perfect at it (as no one is).  But she has a moment of weakness at the end of this season where she almost sacrifices someone else’s life when everyone else knows it is wrong.  I want to see her learn how to use her magic, but in her few uses of it she seems to have no problem doing it at will.  Which is interesting considering Regina had to be taught.

Regina- She briefly lost her path on her redemption road and went back to evil.  But she eventually found her way again and ended season 2 on an impressive phase.  She is now officially a hero.  But like any hero, she can and is even more likely to lose that status and have weak moments in the future.  She did pocket the trigger, she could use it to end Storybrooke if she got Henry back and she was in another land.

Snow- She is handling her post murder well.  She didn’t let it depress her too long.  She is doing what is right again and has learned that the best choice isn’t always the easiest.  She has stepped back from being as close to Emma in the second half of the season.  But I think her parenting style is greatly affected by her mother’s parenting style, and the show will touch on that next season hopefully.

Charming- He has improved mostly.  For the most part I’ve always found him to be a bit of a doofus.  But his warming up to Emma has made me respect him more.  But even more than Emma he has a tendency to want to sacrifice Regina.  So that is questionable.  But finally in the season finale, Charming cracked a sufficient joke.  I gave him a standing ovation.

Henry-I knew he was important.  His destiny to un-do the Dark One must be bigger than we know right now if Tamara and Greg think he’s important.  Also I think he is the paragon of Good on this show.  Snow was before he existed, but she has blood in her ledger now.

Rumple-He has mostly stayed the same.  But his decision to save his grandson instead of kill him was a great leap.  He finally chose love over power, which was his biggest crutch before.

Neal- Now that I’ve really thought about him, like his younger self he is kind of boring.  I think a far more interesting love interest for Emma would be Hook (or maybe even Jefferson, bring him back!).  He is a great father to Henry, but I don’t think he should be Emma’s true love.  I think they were teasing us by making us think he and Emma were meant to be together.  He could die and the show would survive.  But preferably I want him reunited with his family, and maybe then they will learn they aren’t supposed to be together.

Hook-I like him a lot more than I did when he first started out.  His turning over a new leaf in the finale was a great choice for his character.  I love his storyline of caring about Bae.  But I do have to roll my eyes at the writers giving him an “I was abandoned” storyline.  In case any of us forgot, this show is about family.  Durrrrr……..

Belle-I’m psyched her memory is back.  But I hate that what keeps breaking her and Gold apart is him pushing her away.  She should have gone with him to Neverland.  I also can’t help but think that while they are having their tear felt goodbye she is probably still feeling the booze.  Will she have an alcohol problem now?  I hope she gets to step up next season.  The writers have been abusing her character for too long.

Greg- He is the most pathetic villain ever.  His face is constantly pouting and he talks like a baby or like he’s chewing gum.  His attempts to be scary are embarrassing.  I think of the two (Greg and Tamara) he will be the first to die.  I don’t know how Hook couldn’t handle him.

Tamara- Not quite as fun of a villain as she could be, but I prefer her over Greg.  I have a feeling she is the brains of the operation.  And I won’t lie, I wanted Charming to kill her when he got the drop on her.  But I better get over my issues with both her and Greg, because their “office” is probably going to come into play a lot next season.  If any storyline will lose them viewers…it will be that one.

Favorites from EP 19-22- Belle getting her memory back, Regina finally redeeming herself, Emma saying Mom and Dad, Hook working with the good guys, Snow saving Regina from her own men, Snow and Regina buddying up briefly when Regina was disguised, Neal letting go to save Emma, Neal finding out about Tamara too late, and the anti-magic cuff.

Aversions from EP 19-22- The new Neverland storyline for season 3, assuming Neal had to be dead, Regina’s embarrassing moments while disguised, Robin Hood storyline being thin and not going anywhere, Greg and Tamara as villains.

Opinion Overall- In at least the last four episodes OUaT’s habit of kicking important things under the rug wasn’t happening, but it was a problem before.  While the Neverland story next season will be interesting I haven’t quite warmed up to it yet.  I honestly thought the show would have them go back to Fairy Tale Land.  But what I thought would happen there wouldn’t be as interesting as what the Neverland story will be.  And it would probably not get OUaT a fourth season.  And when it comes to the home office story that I’m iffy about liking, I think I only don’t like it because Greg and Tamara aren’t fun.  But Rumple said they were just pawns.  So the real fun will come later.  I am happy with season 2 and the finale.

Once Upon a Time Season 2 so far (Episodes 1-9)

Once Upon a Time Season 2 So Far (Episodes 10-18)

Written By Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz

What Happens? Picking up where last week’s “Second Star to the Right” left off, this episode begins with the characters dealing with two tragedies: one recent (the shooting of Neal and his disappearance through a portal) and one impending (the destruction of Storybrooke and all of its residents born in the Enchanted Forest, meaning everyone but Henry). Regina believes she has the power to slow down the destruction of the town enough for everyone else to escape, sacrificing herself in the process. In order for the townspeople to escape, though, they have to open another portal, which means getting at least one magic bean from Tamara and Greg. Charming is aided in this quest by Hook, who believes in self-preservation rather than dying for his cause as Tamara and Greg do.

Once Charming retrieves a magic bean, he and Snow decide to take a chance and send the self-destruct mechanism to another realm through the portal instead, saving Regina in order to do what’s good even though it might not be easy. However, once the Charming Family reaches Regina, Emma discovers that Hook took the bean for himself, leaving them with no option other than to prepare for their death and leaving Henry alone without his family. While Emma says goodbye to her parents and Henry shares a moment of understanding with Regina, Rumplestiltskin prepares for the destruction of this world by restoring Belle’s memories (thanks to a magical potion made by the Blue Fairy and given to him by Grumpy, who never forgot the kindness Belle once showed him) and allowing himself to grieve for his son.

Before Storybrooke is demolished, however, Emma realizes that while Regina may not be powerful enough on her own to stop the destruction, her magic may be able to work with Regina’s to stop it—and she’s right. But as soon as the moment of relief ends, panic sets in when the Charmings and Regina realize that Henry has gone missing. It turns out he’s more valuable to Tamara and Greg than the destruction of Storybrooke, and they take him through a portal to another realm.

Just as all hope appears to be lost for Henry, Hook returns with his ship, a magic bean, and a change of heart. It turns out he has a soft spot for abandoned boys with selfless streaks and big hearts, as we discover his relationship with Bae through flashbacks. What was at first a chance for Hook to find family and redemption in raising Milah’s son and keeping him safe from the shadow hunting him, turned into one of Hook’s darkest moments when he let the “Lost Ones” take Bae after the boy learned the truth about his mother, Hook, and his father. In the present, Hook wants to redeem himself for what he did to Bae by saving his son since everyone believes that Bae/Neal is dead (although we see him at the episode’s end being discovered by Aurora, Philip, and Mulan). Hook’s knowledge of Neverland will surely come in handy on the journey to rescue Henry, as Rumplestiltskin sees that’s where the boy is headed. Leaving Belle behind to keep Storybrooke safe and hidden as he goes to rescue his grandson (although Henry was once said to be his undoing), Rumplestiltskin sets foot on Hook’s ship with Charming, Snow, Emma, and Regina to save Henry from Peter Pan—the shadow who has been hunting a boy who looks just like Henry since Bae was a child in Neverland.

Game-Changing Moment Following last week’s big moment where Neal was sent through a portal, this episode also used a different realm to change the course of the show in a major way and set the stage for a very interesting Season Three. I definitely thought this season’s cliffhanger was going to be Henry going to Neverland somehow, but I honestly believed Hook was going to kidnap him for some reason. I didn’t see Tamara and Greg’s involvement coming at all (and I can’t say I’m thrilled about it). However, the quest to find Henry has the potential to create some fantastic storytelling and powerful moments between the men and women who I feel are the best actors on the show. It unites all of these characters against a common enemy, and that can only be a good thing after a season of so much fighting and so many fragmented stories. Also, the introduction of a new realm and a new villain have me excited for next season to start already—and isn’t that exactly what a finale should do? I think the choice to make Peter Pan evil is fascinating (and actually pretty believable—his story was always darker than it looked at first glance), and making a beloved fairytale character a kidnapping shadow creature is exactly the kind of twist on a classic story that makes Once Upon a Time compelling television. This is how you create a mysterious, interesting villain—not the haphazard way Tamara and Greg were thrown into the show. With Henry and his family’s journey to Neverland setting the stage for Season Three, I feel optimistic that this show, which has felt disjointed for some time now, will find its direction and heart once again.

Finale M.V.P. Colin O’Donoghue was a revelation for me in this episode. I thought his performance was beautifully nuanced and quietly powerful. I especially loved his scenes with young Bae. There was such a sense of internal conflict in those moments, and O’Donoghue played Hook’s complicated mess of emotions about Bae with impressive restraint. Yes, he was charming and roughish as always, but there was an undeniable softness to his performance as well, which caught me off guard. That same softness and sense of moral conflict came out again in his scene with Jennifer Morrison where Emma revealed that Bae is Neal, Henry’s father—and that he’s possibly dead. O’Donoghue made Hook’s multiple changes of heart—both the good and the bad ones—believable, which was no easy task. That kind of ambiguity is wonderful to see onscreen when it’s done right. Near the beginning of this season, I loved Hook and the potential in his relationship with Emma, and I was so happy to be reminded of both of those things in this episode. Hook works best as a character when he’s a conflicted, tortured soul with a pirate’s swagger rather than a one-dimensional villain, so I like that the complexity seems to be returning to this character and to O’Donoghue’s performance.

Most Memorable Line “Everyone looks at me as the Evil Queen, even my son. Let me die as Regina.” (Regina)

What Didn’t Work If you guessed that I was going to start this section with “Tamara and Greg,” then you win! I really hoped they were going to die in this episode, but, alas, sometimes when you wish upon a star, you dreams don’t come true. I don’t want them to be any more involved in this story than they already are—with their horrible dialogue, stilted acting (especially from Tamara), and ridiculous mentions of the “home office” that I can guarantee 99% of us don’t care about. I don’t understand why they were so willing to abandon their plan to destroy magic and jump to another land that is far more magical than this one. I understand that the point of a finale is to raise questions, but this doesn’t feel like one I even want answered.

There were some other questions raised in this episode that seemed by-products of less-than-stellar writing rather than intriguing cliffhangers: Wouldn’t sending the “Diamond of Self-Destruction” to another realm be just as “evil” as letting Regina die? (Or would the destruction not happen anywhere other than Storybrooke? Sorry—I’m not well-versed in the rules and regulations of all these curses.) Did Belle even have a moment of anger with Rumplestiltskin over his “relationship” with Lacey (aka the total opposite of her)? Was sending Henry swinging into a sharp rock the weirdest way possible for Rumplestiltskin to attempt to kill him? Wouldn’t Cinderella’s daughter also be left behind with Henry if the town was destroyed (because she was born in Storybrooke rather than the Enchanted Forest)?

Speaking of Henry, I’m still having trouble working through the finale’s big cliffhanger. Yes, it was cool. Yes, it was a shock. But I’m still trying to figure out how it could possibly make sense. How did Peter Pan know about Henry years and years before his birth? Is this going to be a LOST-esque time-jumping thing? Because I’m scared of Henry meeting the child version of his father. I don’t think that’s actually going to be the case, but I’m still more confused that intrigued by the whole situation. I love having Peter Pan as the villain, but I don’t understand why he wants Henry, who doesn’t seem to possess any magical abilities right now (unlike his mother). There are already so many prophecies and predetermined events surrounding this family that I’m not sure I’m ready for another one.

What Worked This scene—all of it:

This is when Once Upon a Time is at its best, when it focuses on the relationships between the characters we love and the family dynamics that made this show so beautiful in its first season. Morrison was incredible in this scene. When she finally called her parents “mom” and “dad,” I broke down in tears on my couch; I’d been waiting for that moment for two full seasons, and it was executed perfectly. She sounded like a little girl who finally got to call out to her parents when she was scared and have them be there to hold her. I was especially struck by the way she called for her dad as her voice cracked. We’ve seen her relationship with her mother building for a long time, but to see her finally accept her father—the man who almost died to keep her safe as a newborn—was perfect. The other beautiful thing about this scene was Henry’s interaction with Regina. He didn’t want her to die alone, so he went to her. Despite every evil thing she’s done, he could see that she really did try to save him from being alone in the end, so he wanted to do the same for her. For the first time in a long time, I believed in the goodness still inside Regina, and I loved that Henry and the rest of his family saw that goodness too. Lana Parrilla is so good at showing Regina’s struggle between light and darkness, so it felt like a real victory to see her do something so selflessly good in this episode. The whole season had been building to that moment of self-sacrificing love, and it was worth it.

The whole season had also been building towards Emma using her magical abilities to do something hugely important. I loved that, in a show that is at its best when its characters are morally complex, magic was at its strongest when dark magic (Regina’s) was paired with magic born of pure love (Emma’s). It was a lovely callback to them getting the hat to work in the season premiere, and I’m excited to see them work together more to save Henry.

While I liked the Peter Pan cliffhanger and other aspects of the plot, what made this episode so good (and it really was good—better than most of the other episodes this season, even the stronger ones) was the emotion behind almost every scene. It was there in Hook’s desire to form a bond with young Bae. It was there in young Bae’s tears of anger over Hook’s role in the destruction of his family. It was there in Henry’s faith in his mother’s goodness and in Regina’s love for her son. It was there in Grumpy’s desire to help Belle find herself again and in Belle’s ability to bring the humanity out of the Dark One. It was there in the way Charming and Emma looked at each other—the daughter needing her father’s stability when her world was coming apart and the father never wanting to lose his daughter again. And it was there in the way one broken and very dysfunctional family came together to save the child who is the tie that binds them all together.

Burning Questions to Keep Us Guessing All Summer What does Peter Pan want with Henry? How will Neal get back to his family (and will he even live to see that reunion)? Who are Greg and Tamara working for?

Final Grade B. While I found some of the dialogue clunky, some of the twists confusing, and some of the characters I wanted dead still alive, this was still one of the best episodes of Once Upon a Time’s second season. In a season that seemed at times to lack an emotional core, this finale returned to the relationships and heartfelt scenes that make this show something special. With an intriguing new villain, a united cast of main characters, and a clear direction for at least the start of Season Three, this finale set up the next season in a smart way and was an emotionally satisfying hour as well.

Supermodels, and Chanel muses, Cara Delevingne and Lindsey Wixson both attended the Chanel Private Screening Event this past Wednesday in Singapore, of Karl Lagerfeld’s newest film, “Once Upon a Time,” starring the lovely Lindsey Wixson herself, and actress Keira Knightley, the day before Chanel’s Resort 2014 show, also in Singapore, channeling baroque looks, from the Chanel Resort 2013 collection.
Both of the dresses are short and sleeveless, with the baroque on them, and look ver sexy. Lindsey wears a white baroque dress, with a silk gold ribbon around the waist, the straps, and on the neck line of the dress. Lindsey also carries a baby blue Chanel bag. Cara wears a dress with gold only on the baroque, and white outside of the baroque, also with the gold silk ribbon on the straps, pockets, neckline, and waist of the dress. Lindsey wears silver sandals, with silver studs on them, and Cara channels back moccasins.
Both looking Very Chic in their Baroque dresses.

Here is a photo of Lindsey and Cara together at the Chanel Private Screening in Singapore.

And to top it off my sister had just been stationed at Fort Bliss Texas and my closest friend would be going with her husband to Fort Hood Texas in a few weeks – my two best friends were suddenly going to be very far away from me.

It basically took me the entire month of January to feel like things were some form of normal. That my schedule and life had balanced out.

One day after I picked my daughter up from daycare, we stopped at a park area along the way. We found out that it was the site of an old mill that had used the river for power. The wheel was even still preserved there:

My friend was also able to come and see me on her journey down to Texas. It was great getting to spend that time with her. I only wish there could have been more time:

On a humorous note, I also found out that my 6′ 2″ husband can fit into my car trunk with room to spare. I now know how many people I can fit into my trunk – ya know, in case I need to perform a kidnapping:

We went to an awesome Hello Kitty birthday party for my friend’s daughter. I think my own daughter had a lot of fun…and cake:

My brother rode the Amtrak train for the first time and came to visit during his spring break, and was here for Easter. We took a fun hike up a trail that led to some beautiful cascades. It was too cold then, but when the weather is warm enough I want to go back and play in the water:

My daughter participated in the neighborhood Easter egg hunt and found a winning egg! Her prize was this rock n’ roll themed basket. She loved it:

I finally became enough of a fan of something to buy a t-shirt! I absolutely love ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” and was excited when I heard Hot Topic had come out with shirts for it! I wanted one of the other styles, but this one was the only one in my size by the time I got to the store:

I signed up to do the Color Run 5k coming to my city! Although I hear that most people do not actually run, it has given me great motivation to become more active and I have taken to running a few miles a week. In honor, I got some new bright and comfy running sneakers and a pedicure to match:

A couple of weekends ago my parents and brother came to visit to celebrate my birthday with me:

The morning of my birthday my daughter gave me a surprising gift. She decided she wanted hair like daddy’s and tried to cut it herself. Her attempt looked something like a mullet/rat-tail combo and I wish I had taken a picture of it. This is the cut she has now after the salon stylist fixed her up:

For Mother’s Day my daughter had a sleepover at my mother-in-law’s. She ‘helped’ her grandma frost some cupcakes. And she helped her great-grandmother collect eggs from the chickens:

Now I am enjoying the last few days before my Summer Semester classes start. I did well last semester and made the President’s Honor Roll, so I am hoping to do just as well with these classes! Wish me luck!

Pending an expected adjustment upward, those numbers are on par with last Wednesday’s penultimate episode yet mark dips of 2 percent and two tenths from a year ago’s One World closer. Likewise, Caramoan’s reunion special (8.35 mil/2.2) was off two tenths from last spring’s.

RELATED | Once Upon a Time Season Finale Recap: The Lost Boy

Over on ABC, Once Upon a Time’s Season 2 finale drew 7.2 mil and a 2.2, shedding a handful of eyeballs week-to-week but steady in the demo. Revenge’s two-hour capper then did 6 mil/1.6, down 13 percent and two tenths.

Versus their freshman finales, Once and Revenge were each down 25 percent in total audience and 33 percent in the demo.

RELATED | Revenge Season Finale Recap: A View to a Kill

On Fox, Family Guy (4.7 mil/2.4) was up, The Simpsons (4.1 mil/1.9) was flat and the finales of Bob’s Burgers (3.3 mil/1.6) and American Dad (4 mil/1.9) were down 6 and 17 percent, respectively.

NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice (4.2 mil/1.3) dropped 13 percent.

Want scoop on any of the above shows? Email insideline@tvline.com and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line.

During the Season 2 finale of “Once Upon a Time” on Sunday night, ABC debuted the first trailer for the upcoming “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” series.

The video showed several Marvel superheroes, including The Hulk and Luke Cage. Captain America’s famous shield and Thor’s iconic hammer are also present.

Read more at Mstars

What do you do when you’ve got an over abundance of characters, a few mythology based plotlines and 22 episodes worth of story to tie up? If you’re Once Upon A Time, you open a portal and…send your main characters on a pirate ship to Neverland.

My prediction for the end of the season (bold might it have been) was that the fail-safe for the curse would be activated, Storybrooke would be destroyed, and everyone would be saved but also be forced to start over – say, in Neverland. Despite Greg and Tamara’s best efforts (and a rather close call), Storybrooke didn’t get destroyed, and Regina (with the help of Emma) was able to stop the fail-safe before it could take down the town. But while Storybrooke still stands, it does appear that we’ll be actively visiting Neverland next season via the journeys of our core characters, as they search for a kidnapped Henry. This is where we effectively left off in our finale, so what does this mean for season 3? It means that come September, we’ll now be split between three different worlds – Neverland, Storybrooke, and the Fairytale Land That Was (not to mention flashbacks.)

In other words…if you thought it was hard to keep track of going between two worlds at the beginning of this season, you might want to prepare yourself.

“And Straight On Til Morning” was undoubtedly the stronger half of this year’s two-part finale, though slightly less strong than last year’s single hour outing, which had Emma finally facing her magical past and as well as Emma and Snow going through the portal. A large part of this hour’s strength came from the more emotional moments, which finally gave some focus back to characters whose storylines we had been building up all season – Regina and Emma, Rumple and Belle, and Charming and Snow. I have to admit, like Rumple, I found it more than a little convenient that the Blue Fairy just happened to find a cure to the memory loss problem right before the world was about to end. Still, it didn’t stop me from feeling moved when Rumple accepted the potion from Grumpy and then used it on Belle – proving that, for all his slips from redemption, he still very much loves the one person who forever changed him.

Realistically, could Rumple have used magic to restore Belle’s signature broken cup before now? Yes. But keeping the shattered pieces bore a greater meaning to Rumple’s character – shattered, they were representative of his loss and the person that he could never get back. Put back together (for Belle to use in order to get her memories back) they became representative of hope. By fixing the cup, Rumple fixed himself, as well as his relationship, and more importantly, he fixed Belle – something that grounded him more than any other experience could have. I’m a little sad that we seemed to tie up the Rumple/Belle storyline in this hour, but I’m hoping that was just for this season’s plot and that we’ll have other scenes to look forward to next season.

Picking up where we left off last week, with Bae being taken in by Hook’s ship, the hour gave us some backstory on Hook’s travels with Bae in Neverland and the path to Hook’s revenge. Turns out that Bae is ultimately the one that spilled the beans about how the dagger and how his father could be killed, but he’s also the reason why Hook returned to Emma after making off with the bean. I wish we had a little more insight into Hook’s past life, especially after his admission about how his father left him as well – and after tonight, I’m petitioning for a full, or at least semi-full, Killian Jones backstory in season 3. (Maybe that will be my number one question at Comic Con this summer!)

As a viewer, I remain completely intrigued at the route Once is taking in their decision to make Peter Pan completely and totally evil, to the point where we’re possibly looking him being one of the main villains of next season. While the historic rivalry with Hook is still there, it’s in a much different way than we know. Peter steals shadows? And he wants Henry? Why? I suspect that will be the big question when we return next season, especially since I seem to remember creators Kitsis and Horowitz saying that at some point, we’ll get backstory on Henry’s adoption. (Is it wrong that the first thought in my head was that the kidnapping storyline was a clever way to take care of the “Henry is clearly growing way too fast” problem? Nonetheless, I do hope this means that we’re free of the Greg and Tamara, whom I’ll admit haven’t been my favorite people this season.) It was also nice to find out that, as suspected, we haven’t seen the last of Neal/Bae and I’m curious to see what’s going to happen now that he’s back in the fairytale land – picked up by Aurora and Phillip, no less.

One of my bigger issues with the second half of the season was the fact that I felt a lack of emotional connection between some of the main characters that usually pull together such wonderful performances – but this episode made up for that tenfold, specifically with the exchange between Regina and Emma. Watching the two characters together made me realize just how little we’ve gotten in terms of emotional scenes between Lana Parrilla and Jennifer Morrison, as most of their interactions have been heated arguments. Once started its show by grounding the two rivals in a common interest, one that has become the foundation of their mostly volatile relationship: Henry. Bringing that back to the forefront by having Regina make the decision to sacrifice herself and having Emma choose to help based on realizing that Regina was choosing the greater good made the entire scene – as well as their journeys of the season – that much more powerful…and both actresses nailed their respective moments.

So is this the completion of Regina’s redemption arc? Just as Snow’s heart will always be black from her murder of Cora, I believe Regina will always have a bit of corruption inside her – as will Rumple. But this hour went out of its way a good deal to put all its characters on a renewed path, one that ended with them bonding together in perhaps the strangest way possible despite their differences and prejudices, but nonetheless leaving the viewer with the theme of Once’s main message – hope.

Final Thoughts:

• Interesting that the Lost Boys weren’t Lost Boys but Lost Ones.
• After I got slightly emotional when Emma called Snow and Charming “mom and dad” – it is in our most desperate moments that our emotions truly become unleashed, and there was something so pure and genuine about the way Jennifer Morrison delivered those lines that it hit me in a very specific way.
• I touched on this earlier, but just to reiterate, Lana Parrilla absolutely sold all of her scenes tonight – from her goodbye to Henry, to her apologies to Emma, to admitting that the town will always see her as “the evil queen.” In that moment, Regina’s redemption arc came full circle, finally saying out loud the one thing she’s struggled with coming to terms with since making the turn towards good in the season premiere. Well done.

That’s a wrap for this season of Once Upon A Time, folks! I’ve enjoyed bringing you your weekly reviews, and look forward to doing it all again when we return to Storybrooke in the fall. But for now, what did you think of the finale? Did it live up to your expectations?