Is August Gone For Good?

I wish I could say I was shocked at what happened on last Sunday's episode, but loving spoilers as I do, I was not.  Yep, our dear August turned back into a little boy.  The kid is cute and all, but I much prefer Eion Bailey.  Did you notice that old and young Pinocchio had totally different coloring?  Red hair and brown eyes for the younger and brown hair and blue eyes for the older?  Kindof sloppy casting there.

Why did August have to die?  And how did he die, because we aren't really sure of that right now.  I was hoping to see an interview from Kitsis and Horowitz (show creators) or Eion Bailey, but I haven't seen any.  It is very possible that Eion just wanted to do other projects and be written off the show.  If this was just a creative decision, frankly, it doesn't make any sense.  So, I am just going to guess that this was the actor's decision.  I am really disappointed that August is off the show, because while he did do some crappy things, he was one of the only characters who know what was going on.  He escaped the curse, knew Neal was Baelfire, and has been all over the world.  And I still think he had something to do with writing Henry's storybook.  Sigh.

So, back to Tamara.  Originally, I thought she only existed on this show to keep Emma and Neal apart. But no!  She is an evil ho (pardon my language) who doesn't care about Neal at all and is only out to find magic.  Real magic.  And boy did she find it in Storybrooke!  Not only did she hit the magic mother lode, but she also reunited with her other boyfriend Greg Mendel aka little Owen who is looking for his dad.  Yep, these two baddies are in this together, although I would bet that Tamara is playing him too.  Tamara is clearly the "her" that Greg was always talking to on the phone.  So, where is Tamara getting all this money to buy other-worldly cures from dragon men in Asia?  And what about that taser that she killed the dragon and August with?  Since August was made of wood, he was likely not electrocuted, so the device must have been magic somehow.  What is Tamara's deal?  Is she from the Enchanted Forest?  She said she is human, but she could be lying.  Although, how would she have gotten there?  Was there another magical wardrobe like Pinocchio and Emma used?  My guess is that she is some kind of evil scientist and will exploit everyone in Storybrooke for the right price.  Could she even be the catalyst for some of citizens to go to Neverland?  Hmmm.

So, now we have a four week break until the new episode "Lacey", one I am really looking forward to.  Will Belle get her memories back or will she remain as her alter ego Lacey?  Will she and Rumple fall in love again?  I am really looking forward to this one!

Will "Once" Visit Neverland?

Season two is coming to a close soon, and the big question is - what game changer is in store for season three?  If you remember, in the season one finale, the curse was broken, everyone got their memories back, and Rumpelstiltskin brought magic to Storybrooke.  A lot has happened this season.  Snow killed Cora and blackened her heart, Emma and Snow visited the Enchanted Forest, Hook came to town to kill Rumple, Belle got shot and lost her memory, Henry met his father, and Rumple was reunited with his son.  What could possibly be next? 

Since "Once Upon a Time" was created by people who used to work on "Lost", it is very likely that "Once" will try to reinvent itself some way each season.  If season one was about everyone being cursed and season two was about everyone having their memories back, what could season three be about?  We don't know, but is it possible that everyone will lose their memories again or that we will be in a different time period?  I would really hate that, but could it happen?  We know that the last two episodes of the season are called "Second Star to the Right" and "Straight on Til Morning".  That's right ladies and gents, we are headed to Neverland.  But why?  We know that Hook is from Neverland and it is more than likely that Neal (aka Baelfire) spent some time there as well, whether he is Peter Pan, a lost boy, or just a visitor.  We also know that Anton the giant was planting some magic beans that could open up portals to other worlds and that Henry is desperate to get rid of magic.  And what about Neal's fiancee Tamara, who has some sort of agenda, and the stranger Greg Mendel (little Owen) who has been taking an awful lot of videos of the magic happening in Storybrooke.  I have a feeling Henry will somehow send some of his family members to the land of Peter Pan.  But who?  Will everyone go?  Just Emma, Neal, and Henry?  Hmmm.  I'm sure we will get a better idea of where the story is headed by the end of the season, so we may just have to be patient and wait.  I just hope that we don't lose any major characters along the way.  Can't wait until May to find out!  :)

The Many Loves of Rumpelstiltskin

You can open your eyes now.  The super icky love fest between Cora and Rumple is over.  That had to be one of the most uncomfortable episodes for me to watch.  Any time two characters get turned on by talking about killing people, you know that is not a match made in heaven.  I am a big fan of Rumple, but I prefer Rumple when he is not gold and doesn't have bad teeth and claws.  So, what did young, hot Cora see in him?  Just the power?  Cuz, she seemed pretty game for making out with him and having his baby.  Ew.

It wasn't just lust though.  Cora actually fell in love with Rumple.  He loved her too, but it wasn't enough to break the curse like Belle was able to do.  Cora even decided to rip out her own heart, so she would stop loving him.  That is commitment.  What does this tell us?  Cora was even more evil and ambitious than we thought.  Rumple as the Dark One is not a good guy, but he can love.  He loved his wife at one point, and he still deeply loves his son and Belle.  Cora doesn't need and doesn't want love.  She was even willing to kill the only man she ever loved (Rumple) and become the Dark One herself, even at the expense of her own daughter.

This was an emotional episode for Rumple, both in the past and the present.  In the present, the ship they borrowed from Hook arrived in Storybrooke and the Charmings prepared for battle.  Gold lay dying in the back room of his shop while Emma, Bae, and Charming tried to fight off Cora and Regina.  Rumple felt the need to make one last phone call to Belle, even though she still doesn't remember him.  Belle still got pretty choked up when Rumple said he was dying.  Bae seemed horrified that his father even had a girlfriend, let along that he had to be in the same room while had made the very private call.  It did however let father and son bond for a moment and hold hands though Bae was still hurt and angry.

Snow has been struggling with her feelings.  In the last episode, she found out that Cora was responsible for killing her mother when Snow was a child.  Naturally, Snow wants to get some revenge.  Rumple reminds her that he still has the candle that can take life from one and give life to another.  HINT!  Kill Cora, save Gold.  Snow struggles with what to do, but ultimately she needs to protect her family and Cora wants them all dead.  The really tricky part of the candle trick is that Cora's heart, long since removed, needs to be put back in her body. That's where Regina comes in.  Playing with Regina's emotions, Snow gets her to do the dirty work.  Regina gets a moment of happiness with her mother, then mommy falls over dead.  Right before that happens though, Rumple and Cora have a heart to heart and we learn that Cora really did love Rumple, which is something that Rumple has been wondering about for years.  Why should he care anymore if Cora ever loved him?  Doesn't he supposedly love Belle now?  Isn't Belle his true love?  Well, Cora dies and Rumple lives and gets his dagger back.  Regina is out for blood now.  No more Miss Nice Queen.

Next week, we get to see the first week of the curse in Storybrooke and have a Regina-centric episode where we may learn why she wanted to adopt a child.  And I could not care less.  Bring on "Lacey"!