Belle Remembers and Gets Left Behind

Season two ended on Sunday, and I have mixed emotions about it. This show just drives me crazy sometimes. We learned a little more about Neverland through flashbacks with Hook and Baelfire.  Hook rescued the kid and had him work on his ship and Bae was just starting to trust the pirate.  Of course, once Hook found out that Bae was the son of his former love Milah and his enemy Rumple, his tune changed.  He told the kid that Rumple was the one who killed his mom.  Bae blames Hook for breaking up his family.  Peter Pan, who we can safely assume is a villain, sent out his evil lost boys to capture Bae.  Once Bae is captured, we learn that it wasn't Bae who they wanted, it was a boy who wouldn't have been born for hundreds of years - Bae's son Henry.  Yikes!

Rumple is trying to kill his own grandson with his mind when the Charmings show up to tell him that his son has been shot through a portal and is probably dead.  Rumple of course is very sad, but refuses to help save the town.  He has lost the will to live.

The bad guys Greg and Tamara activated the self-destruct diamond to wipe Storybrooke off the map.  Regina thinks she can slow it down with her magic but it will kill her.  The others plan to open a portal and escape to the Enchanted Forest.  Snow thinks there is a way to save Regina too and Henry would be heartbroken without his mom.  After a tearful hug with her same-aged parents and little son, Emma harnesses the magic in her and helps Regina absorb the energy from the diamond and saves the town.  The magic throws them back and just as they are getting to their feet, they notice that Henry has been taken.  Good job grandparents!

Meanwhile, Grumpy has a bottle of blue stuff that can bring back the memories of those who went over the town line - Sneezy and Belle.  The only catch is that they have to drink the solution from a cup that belonged to them.  As much as Rumple enjoys Lacey, he would rather be comforted by Belle in his last moments.  He uses magic to put together the pieces of the chipped teacup that she had broken and poured in the drink.  Since Lacey never met a drink she didn't like, she drinks without hesitation.  Belle is back!  She tearful makes out with Rumple and comforts him while he cries about his son.  It was beautiful.

Regina and the Charmings are determined to save Henry and high-tail it toward the docks.  They are just in time to see them open a portal in the water and jump in.  Rumple and Belle show up.  Hook brings his ship and everyone boards.  Hook has a bean that can take them to get Henry.  Rumple stops Belle.  She can't go!  She needs to save the town!  Really?  Why must you push her away Rumple?  Stay with your hot girlfriend who would undoubtedly be all over you or board a ship with all your enemies to find a grandson you don't care for and leave your woman forever.  Tough choice!  Of course, it won't be forever, but seriously, he needs to quit abandoning her.  So, Belle walks away crying and everyone else boards the ship and heads to Neverland to rescue the kid.  We also got to see where Neal landed when he went through the portal - on a beach where he can be tended by Aurora, Mulan, and a newly-alive Phillip!

So, overall, lots of good stuff happened.  Belle came back and we get to see what Neverland looks like.  Next season will probably be in that location while we are left to wonder what is happening with Neal and Storybrooke.  Is it fall yet?

Regina the Unsympathetic

There are characters on "Once Upon a Time" that I love and even more that I hate.  I love Rumpelstiltskin and Belle.  Emma is usually one of my favorites when she is not acting like an idiot. Snow can be really annoying and self-righteous, which I hate.  Charming annoys the spit out of me with his "I am your leader and I know what's best for you!" Jack Sheppard-like qualities.  Henry is an annoying kid who I don't care for.  Hook hits women and is a Jack Sparrow knockoff without any of Jack's charm or appeal.  And then there is Regina.  The one I hate the most.

Regina, like Rumple, is a complicated villain.  She has reasons for doing bad things, but she never seems to learn anything to actually become a better person.  Once upon a time, she had a really crappy (literally) heartless mother who killed her boyfriend.  Instead of blaming her mother, she blamed Snow, who was a little girl at the time.  It became her mission in life to destroy Snow.  It is all very tragic, because the two liked each other at first.  She chased her down for years with no success.  She decided to enact the curse, pulling everyone from the Enchanted Forest to Storybrooke, Maine.  I never understood this.  Is Regina's idea of paradise living in a small town with terrible winters and having to see your mortal enemy every day?  Why didn't she just stab Snow with a letter opener?

In Storybrooke, Regina was the town's feared mayor.  She had no magic, but she also had no one to talk to.  See, when you kill a whole bunch of people, you don't become very popular.  Her only friend in her old land was Maleficent and that didn't work out so well.  (And how creepy was it that old Mal keeps regenerating in the pit under the library.  Can't that woman get some peace?)  Her only romance was with Sheriff Graham who was only with her because Regina was able to control him by removing his heart.  Regina had adopted Henry as a baby and even he wasn't very fond of her.

You almost want to feel sorry for Regina.  Crappy childhood.  Dead boyfriend.  Married to a king she didn't love.  Friendless.  You know what?  I don't feel sorry for her.  At all.  As much as I hate Hook, she really could have used him as an ally.  And what did she do?  Leave him to fight Maleficent until he died.  Only Hook somehow escaped.  Hook even took her magic.  It was awesome!  You see, Regina has run out of chances.  She can't be good.  She is a villain through and through.

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"!

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.

What Should Happen in 2013?

SPOILER ALERT!!!

I am so excited "Once Upon a Time" is finally coming back from hiatus!  Five weeks has been too long!  The good news is that there is a big batch of new episodes and some awesome stuff coming up!  Six episode titles have been released: "The Cricket Game" (Regina/Archie-centric), "The Outsider" (Belle-centric, introduces Ethan Embry's mysterious new character, Mulan is featured, Hook gets in Belle's face), "In the Name of the Brother" (Whale-centric, Gold tries to get back with Belle), "Tiny" (Giant-centric?), "Manhattan" (Emma-centric, Emma goes on a road trip and meets up with Neal - more proof that he is Bealfire), and "The Queen is Dead" (probably Snow or Charming-centric, maybe Regina).  They also just cast a young Cora (Rose McGowen), so she will also have an episode soon.  Lots of good stuff ahead!

During this break, I have come up with some ideas of what I would like to happen.  It doesn't mean they will, just wishing.  This is a very difficult show to predict:

• Gold is reunited with Baelfire, who of course will turn out to be Neal.  Bae will find out from Hook that Rumple killed his mom and he will be really angry.  Then, they will make up and hug it out.  Neal will move to town to get back in Emma's good graces.  Henry meets his dad.
• Hook will try to get back at Gold by flirting with Belle.  Belle won't fall for his tricks.  After all, he did knock her unconscious in Fairy Tale Land.  Gold will beat up Hook (with magic of course).  Belle and Gold will profess their love for each other and they get engaged.
• Belle will make new friends in town, particularly Henry, Archie, and Emma.  She will also finally get angry at Regina for locking her up for all those years.
• We find out about Jefferson's wife and Grace's mother.  She has to be Alice, right?  But is she dead?  I will guess yes.
• Snow and Charming, along with Henry and Emma move into a new house.  It is awkward at first because Snow and Charming start to act like Emma's parents even though they are all similar in age.  Emma starts to call them Mom and Dad.  Lots of love.
• Sheriff Charming will become Mayor Charming.
• Hook hooks up with Regina.  Whether there is real affection or just trying to get back at Cora is up for debate.
• Cora will survive the season, but will somehow be trapped in Fairy Tale Land again.  Killing her is really series finale material, right?
• Archie will find love with Mother Superior aka the Blue Fairy.  Or maybe Red?
• Red will find something to do other than be Snow's sidekick.  Maybe become a leader of a gang of werewolves?
• August will return to town to reunite with Gepetto.  He will also have some explaining to do about that twenty grand he stole from Emma.
• Someone will travel back to Fairy Tale Land.  Regina maybe?  Gold? Whoever it is should bring Mulan, Aurora, and Philip back to town. 
• Mulan meets Shang.

I think that is it!  Probably none of my wishes will actually happen, but will have to see!  :)

Who's Your Mommy?

Even though he is the youngest, Henry Mills is a very important character on "Once Upon A Time".  After all, he is the reason Emma came to Storybrooke and broke the curse.  Without him, no one would have regained their memories.  Little Henry is kindof awesome, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have problems.  He has two - his mothers.

Emma Swan got pregnant when she was eighteen.  The father was Neal Cassidy, a thief who got Emma arrested.  Emma had a baby in jail.  Being so young and so aimless, she gave the baby up for adoption.  Whether by coincidence or by design, the baby got a new home in Storybrooke, Maine and a new mother in former evil queen Regina Mills.  Regina named her son Henry after her own father and came to love the boy more than she had ever loved anyone.  There was a problem though - Henry didn't love her back.

By most standards, Regina was a good mother to Henry.  She loved him, fed him, clothed him, protected him.  But, Henry was a very intuitive boy.  When he got a book of fairy tales from his teacher (Grandma!) Mary Margaret Blanchard, he discovered the truth.  Storybrooke, Maine wasn't a normal little town - it was a place inhabited by amnesiac storybook characters!  His adopted mother fit the profile of the evil queen.

Henry learned something else in that book of his.  His birth mother was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and she was the key to breaking the curse on their town.  Henry stole a credit card from his teacher and headed to Boston to find now twenty-eight year old Emma Swan.  It took Emma a little convincing, but she took Henry back to Maine and to his mother Regina.  Emma meant to just drop Henry off, but her mothering instincts kicked in and she decided to stay to watch over Henry.  Henry immediately was drawn to Emma and loved her.  It took Emma a little longer, but she came to love Henry as well.  That love broke the curse.

The end?  No way.  If this were the real world, Emma might try to fight for custody of Henry and would lose.  Even though he dislikes her, Henry would stay with Regina until he turned eighteen.  The kid would rebel and do everything he could think of to make Regina's life miserable.  Loud parties, piercings, drugs, running away, you name it.  This isn't the real world though, and this problem won't be solved anytime soon.

Yes, Henry feels a connection with his birth mother Emma.  Regina also loves the kid with all her heart.  So, who should Henry live with?  The answer is simple really.  Both mothers live in the same town, so they should have joint custody.  If Regina wants Henry to love and respect her, she is going to prove that she wants what is best for him.  Even if it is a good solution, I really doubt it will happen.  Henry was living with Grandpa Charming in Emma and Snow's apartment, but now that Emma is back from Fairy Tale Land, I think Henry will being living with her, while Charming and Snow live together elsewhere.  Regina will probably give in to the evil magic she has been fighting so hard against and will get Henry back by force.  I think in the end, Henry will be with Emma and Regina will be alone.  It's sad but we will just have to wait and see!

A Whale of a Tale

We will finally find out the Fairy Tale Land identity of Dr. Whale in the next episode, appropriately named "The Doctor".  His identity has been a big mystery, but I believe ABC gave away the answer in the previews.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!  SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!

When I read that people thought Dr. Whale was Dr. Frankenstein, I laughed.  Why in the heck would they use a character from a horror novel when this is a show about fairy tales?  I should have believed the people who guessed correctly, because I also laughed when they thought August Booth was Pinocchio and they were totally right.

So, I guess it fits that the upcoming episode will be shown around Halloween, because we are about to meet the evil doctor and his monster. The monster?  That would be Daniel, Regina's long dead love.  According to previews released by ABC, we will see flashbacks of the doctor attempting to give Daniel life after he was murdered by Cora and the experiment goes horribly wrong.  Will Dr. Whale survive the episode?  We shall see.