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"!

Mama Drama

We have already met so many characters on "Once Upon a Time" and we are about to meet a few more.  It is hard to imagine some of these characters as anything other than their present selves or their Fairy Tale Land counterparts, but we are going to see some of our favorites as children and young adults.  Once upon a time, Rumple was a young boy and had a father.  Snow was a little princess with a beautiful mother.  Cora was once young and unmarried, perhaps with a family secret or two.

Episodes 15 and 16 are called "The Queen Is Dead" and "The Miller's Daughter", and I believe they are a continuation of the same story (a two-parter).  In "The Queen Is Dead", we will flashback to a time when Snow was a child, before her father married Regina, and she had a beautiful mother named Queen Eva.  There have been rumors that Queen Eva may be related to another queen we may know, a certain Queen of Hearts.  We know that Snow's mother died when she was a child, and it is a save bet that we will see how and why she dies in this episode.  Sisterly feud maybe?

The second half will focus on young Cora, played by the fab Rose McGowen.  The creators of the show have made it no secret that Cora was the miller's daughter who had to guess Rumpelstiltskin's name in order to keep her baby (probably Regina).  If you want to learn more about that fairy tale, here is the Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumpelstiltskin.  This may also be the episode we learn about Cora and Rumple's relationship and why he taught her magic.  We might want to prepare ourselves, because that relationship may have been romantic at one point (the horror!).  I hope we get a definite answer about who Regina's father is as well.

Both episodes should be really interesting and I can't wait!

Manhattan

I am really excited to see the new episode "Manhattan" this Sunday.  Really excited.  Will some of our questions actually be answered?

This will be a Rumple-centric episode, which are always good.  Emma, Henry, and Rumple will be in NYC trying to track down Rumple's son Baelfire.  SPOILER ALERT!!!!  In the preview for this episode, we saw Emma chasing down a man in the street and looks startled when she discovers who he is.  The man that she runs in to is Neal Cassidy, aka Henry's dad.  The real question is - is Neal also Baelfire?  We won't know for sure until Sunday, but I am 99.999% certain that they are one and the same.  If they are the same person, did Rumple know?  Did he ask Emma to accompany him because he knew they had and history?  Did he know that Henry was his grandson?  Is it Sunday yet????

The other really cool thing about this episode will be the flashbacks.  As far as I know, these will be the earliest flashbacks we have seen, focusing on Bae's birth.  Below, I have included part of the press release for this episode.  We see Neal of course, but we also see Milah.  There are some pictures of a time when Rumple and Milah appeared to *gasp* like each other!  From what I understand, Rumple is going off to fight in the Ogre Wars (presumably where he hurts his leg) and returns to find Milah either pregnant or with a new baby.  We may even see why Rumple and Milah's relationship started to sour.  Another guest star also caught my eye: David Quinlan as father.  I think this man is playing Rumple's father, when Rumple was a child.  Wouldn't that be cool?  I never really thought of Rumple ever being a child, but it could be really enlightening.

This episode won't be all fun and games.  Cora and the rest of Team Evil will be trying to track down Rumple's most treasured possession - the dagger that controls the Dark One.  Oh dear.  Can you imagine these three having Rumple for their personal slave?  I have a feeling that even if they do get the dagger, Rumple will outsmart them as he always does.


WHILE MR. GOLD GOES IN SEARCH OF SON BAE IN NEW YORK, CORA ATTEMPTS TO TRACK DOWN ONE OF RUMPLESTILTSKIN'S MOST TREASURED POSSESSIONS, ON ABC'S "ONCE UPON A TIME"
"Manhattan" - While Mr. Gold, Emma and Henry go in search of Gold's son Bae in New York, Cora, Regina and Hook attempt to track down one of Rumplestiltskin's most treasured possessions. Meanwhile, in the fairytale land that was, Rumplestiltskin realizes his destiny while fighting in the Ogres War, on "Once Upon a Time," SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
"Once Upon a Time" stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O'Donoghue as Hook, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills, Meghan Ory as Red Riding Hood/Ruby, and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.
Guest starring are Barbara Hershey as Cora, Michael Raymond-James as Neal Cassidy, Rachel Shelley as Milah, Ethan Embry as Greg Mendell, Spencer Drever as boy, Brighid Fleming as little girl, Shannon Lucio as Seer, David Quinlan as father, Primo Allon as Gadling, Mackenzie Gray as Hob, Toby Levins as sergeant and Aaron Brooks as soldier.

If you want more hints about what happens in this episode, check out this link to an interview with the always awesome Jane Espenson:

http://portalsofperception.tumblr.com/post/42897408775/just-listened-to-barbara-barnetts-radio-show

One Big Dysfunctional Family

When Cora kissed Rumple in "In the Name of the Brother", I started thinking that maybe all the characters are more connected to each other than we realized.  There are three important families on this show - Rumple's, Regina's, and the Charmings, though there is some overlap, such as Regina being Snow's stepmother.  I have created a graphic of the family tree of these families showing the relationships that we know and some that are just speculation.  Enjoy!

Well, there you have it.  It took me forever to make and I'm still not sure it is right.  As you may have noticed, I left off some of the parents who aren't essential for the diagram - Snow and Charming's moms and Belle's dad.  Some dating relationships were also left off, such as Regina and Daniel.

I don't know for certain, but I would probably bet money that Neal and Baelfire are the same person.  We aren't sure the nature of Cora's and Rumple's relationship back in Fairy Tale Land before she became all evil.  There is a small possibility that Rumple is really Regina's father.  Ew.  We probably won't know for sure until "The Miller's Daughter" or maybe even another season.

Some interesting info:  Henry Mills is the adopted son of Regina Mills, but Regina is also Henry's step-great-grandmother.  And she doesn't look a day over 30!  That would make Cora Henry's grandmother.  If Baelfire and Neal really are one and the same, that would make Rumple Henry's grandfather.  If Rumple and Belle get married, she will be Henry's step-grandmother!  Ha! And if Milah were still alive, Hook could have been Henry's step-grandpa.  See, every relationship on this show centers on Henry.  Potential Henry grandparents: Snow and Charming (maternal), Rumpelstiltskin (paternal), and Cora (maternal).  Yikes!

Another other interesting relationships you noticed?

Really, Rumple?

"In the Name of the Brother" was full-on crazy.  Dr. Whale and Ruby bonded (cute!) and a dangerous new stranger came to town.  We also got to see what happened after Hook shot Belle and she fell over the town line.

Sure enough, Belle lost her memory and now seems to be terrified of Rumple.  She spent most of the episode in the hospital, even after Rumple fixed her bullet wound.  Rumple seemed very sad during this episode, which is understandable considering Belle doesn't remember him and even seems scared of him.  Rumple doesn't give up though, and visits Belle twice in the hospital.  The first visit, Rumple tries to give a sleeping Belle true-love's kiss.  She smiles for second and then screams bloody murder.  Poor Rumple, he really does love her and he must have been so upset.

The second time, Belle was awake and Rumple brought her a present - the chipped cup and Rumple's most precious possession, which he says was charmed to help her remember.  Belle, being scared of this man she doesn't remember, does what probably made most of the viewing audience gasp - she threw the cup across the room and it shattered.  Rumple was heartbroken.  All he could do was walk away and apologize.  The only good this about this situation is that now Rumple can concentrate on finding his son.  But what will happen to Belle now that Rumple is on his way to find Bae?  Will she have to stay in the hospital until she regains her memory or will she stay with Ruby?

Just before Belle threw Chip, something horrifying happened.  Cora showed up at Gold's shop, looking for her daughter Regina.  As a peace offering, she gave Rumple a globe that would show the location of Baelfire.  Then, she called him "master" and suggested they have a truce and seal it the way they used to.  Uh oh.  That is when the old broad kissed Rumple.  He looked surprised, she looked pleased, I looked for a trash can to vomit in.  So, what was that all about?  We know that episode 16 is called "The Miller's Daughter" and is about Cora (played by Rose McGowen!) before she had Regina, so will probably learn about her association with Rumple.

We know that Rumple is the one who trained both Cora and Regina in dark magic, but it made me wonder if Cora and Rumple were in love at one time or if they even, heaven forbid, had Regina together.  Geez, I hope that is not the case.  Cora is evil - even more evil than Rumple.  While Rumple is able to love both Bae and Belle, Cora does not seem to have the capability.  But I will say right now, from now on, Cora better keep her mitts off Rumple!  Rumbelle forever!!!

Who is the Biggest Villain of Them All?

Who is Storybrooke's biggest villain?  Just when I think I have it figured out, a new episode completely changes my mind.  One of the cool things about "Once Upon a Time" is that even the bad guys have a little bit of good in them and the good guys sometimes do bad things.  So, who is bad and who is good?  The good guys are fairly obvious - Snow, Charming, Henry, Ruby, Belle, Emma, Gepetto, the dwarfs, Blue Fairy, and Archie.  Dr. Whale, Jefferson, and August are a little more complicated - neutral characters.  The bad guys would be Rumpelstiltskin, Hook, Regina, and Cora.  That brings me to the question - who is the biggest villain of them all?

Hook:  Has Hook always been bad?  We don't really know his back story yet, but judging by how he has behaved so far, I would have to say yes.  He is a pirate after all - he steals money, ships, and other men's wives.  Not cool.  His real troubles started when he fell for Milah, Rumple's wife.  While Rumple the spinner was a wimp, Rumple the Dark One would cut your hand off and kill his own wife, which is just what he did.  Now that Hook is in Storybrooke, he wants revenge on Rumple in the worst way.  Is it warranted?  He stole Milah and lost his hand.  Does Rumple deserve payback for that?  Another point against Hook - he broke in to Belle's prison and knocked her out when she wouldn't help him find Rumple.  Any man that would hit a woman (especially a teeny tiny one like Belle) is a Grade-A a-hole.  Then there is also the little matter of Hook trying to kill Belle in the library, holding a gun to her head, and later shooting her over the town line.  He got hit by a car and totally deserved it.

On the non-villain side, Hook did give Aurora back her heart before going to Storybrooke.  That was nice, but the captain is still firmly in the villain category.  Villain score: 2 1/2 out of 4 poison apples.

Regina:  Regina used to be a good girl.  She loved her father, riding horses, and the stable boy Daniel.  Her mom Cora, however, was rotten to the core.  After she killed Daniel, Cora taught her daughter how to be ambitious and arranged for her to the marry the king, Snow's father.  Regina was very frustrated with her mother but didn't start to become evil until she met Rumpelstiltskin.  He taught her dark magic and how to get rid of her mother, by pushing her through a looking glass into another land.  She became queen and tricked a man (Sydney Glass/Genie) in to killing her husband so she could become the supreme ruler of the land.  Regina tried to kill Snow, the girl she believed caused all her misery, but always failed.  It was her hatred of Snow that caused her to enact the curse that sent everyone to Storybrooke.  That was bad enough, but she had to kill her own beloved father to get the curse to work.  She kidnapped Belle and kept her prisoner in her castle and then in the Storybrooke Hospital, to use her later as a bargaining chip against Rumple.  There was also the little matter of keeping the Huntsman/Sheriff Graham as her sex-slave after she stole his heart.  Creepy.

However, Regina is not all bad.  She is capable of love - first with her father, then Daniel, and finally Henry, the boy she adopted and raised.  Regina struggles with getting her son to love her and trying to be a better person by not using magic.  Henry tries to run away from Regina several times and goes to his birth mother Emma, which pains her greatly.  Regina has no friends in town, no love interests, is openly feared, and seems very lonely.  Villain Score: 3 out of 4 poison apples.

Rumpelstiltskin:  Rumple is the most complicated character of all.  He is the very oldest character, being hundreds of years old.  He started as a poor spinner who was made a cuckold by his wife Milah and raised his son Baelfire alone.  He killed a man, becoming the Dark One.  Dark One Rumple was a whole different animal.  His appearance changed and he became obsessed with making deals.  Rumple always knows what his happening before anyone else and always has a plan.  Because of Rumple's ambition, his son Baelfire left him, a mistake Rumple has spent hundreds of years trying to fix.

So what did Rumple do that was so bad?  Well, for reasons unknown to us, he trained Cora and Regina in dark magic.  And, it was his curse that was used to destroy Fairy Tale Land and brought everyone to Maine, even if it was Regina who cast it.  He took Hook's hand and killed his wife for abandoning their son.  He bargained to get Belle as his indentured servant then kicked her out when she fell in love with him.  He beat up Hook, Smee, Belle's dad, etc.  The list could go on and on.  The point is, Rumple behind most of the bad things that happen on this show.

Like the others though, he is not all bad.  He is trying desperately to get back to his son, which is the reason he created the curse.  His love for Bae is very strong and he would do anything to get his son back.  He also reunited with Belle, his true love and is trying to deserve her affection.  For the most part, Rumple is very kind and loving toward Belle, except for the little matter of hiding his past from her and telling half-truths.  They make a pretty cute couple.  Though now that Belle has lost her memory, Rumple will be devastated   I'm pretty sure Rumple would kill anyone who stood in the way of getting back his son or who tried to hurt Belle (something we have seen many times). Villain Score: 3 1/2 out of 4 poison apples.

Cora:  This chick is a piece of work.  She has no redeeming qualities and cares only about her own agenda and power.  Her own daughter Regina was terrified of her and Cora ruled her with an iron fist and restraint by dark magic.  How she ever managed to find a husband, I'll never know.  Cora killed her daughter's boyfriend Daniel and arraigned for Snow to be taken by runaway horse to serve her own purposes - to have Regina be queen.  We don't know her reasoning yet, but she has an episode coming up - "The Miller's Daughter" and we will probably learn more.

Cora is the reason Regina became so dark.  In retaliation, Regina sent Mommy Dearest to Neverland, where she took over and become the Queen of Hearts.  Many people were beheaded during her reign.  Now, Cora has made her way to Storybrooke.  Will it be a happy reunion between mother and daughter?  Heck no!  Cora will be only too happy to toy with her daughter's affections, manipulate Henry, and take over the town.  You thought Regina was bad?  She's got nothing on the ultimate bad seed - Cora.  That is why she is "Once Upon A Time's" biggest villain.  4 out of 4 poison apples.