To Neverland!

I have to admit, I was never a fan of "Peter Pan".  The cartoon just didn't interest me and "Hook" was only a little better.  But, for some reason, I was super psyched to see Bae (with a much deeper voice!) meeting the Darling children.  I have never quite been able to figure out the timing in "Once Upon A Time", but if Rumple is around 300 years old and Bae was sent to England when he was fourteen, shouldn't it have been mid-1700's, not 1900?  Things that make you go hmmmmmm.

The Darling children were, well, darling, but the shadow who took Wendy away definitely was not.  Being not so familiar with the Peter Pan story, I do recall Peter being separated from his shadow but don't recall that shadow being an evil tyrant who kidnaps children and never lets them leave.  There was a lot of speculation that Bae was Peter Pan, but now we know that he is not.  He was actually picked up from the water by Captain Hook and presumably worked on his ship.

It was very frustrating to see Emma try to convince everyone that Tamara was evil and everyone just patted her hand and told her to sit still.  With Neal, it was a little more understandable because Tamara was his fiancee, but Emma's parents are just morons.  There, I said it.  It's one of the things that kills me about this show.  It is basically a story about Snow White (my least favorite Disney princess), but Snow and Prince Charming are so stupid and unlikable that they are hard to watch.  The really good parts of the show have nothing to do with these characters.  That is a problem.

Of course, Emma was right, and Greg and Tamara are up to know good.  I have said many times before that I dislike Regina, but I also dislike seeing someone (especially when it is a man to a woman) being tortured.  It's gross.  Isn't this supposed to be a family show?  Kill her quickly or yell at her, but torture is just gross.  I get that Greg just wanted his dad back and Regina killed him (probably) for no reason, but still.  Tamara is also gross because Neal is a pretty good guy and she told him she never loved him and then shot him.  She needs to go.  Now.  I am pretty curious about this whole organization that they work for.  I have a sneaking suspicion that this is some sort of religious organization, which I really have a problem with.  I don't like religion being made fun of or mocked.  It has become popular in Hollywood to do so, but I am just not cool with it.  So, I am hoping I am wrong about that.

Even though this episode was pretty great overall, there were definitely some annoying moments.  The Charmings rescued Regina.  Genius move.  She will try to kill them again.  Although.....  (ha ha!)  "Lacey" was drinking again and bringing out Rumple's violent side.  And how creepy was it when she asked if he could make her be young forever?  Is she just using him?  It was really sad to see Neal fall through that portal and Emma refusing to let go of him.  It was surprising to hear them admit they loved each other being apart so long, but it was nice too.  I hope they can be together someday.

So, what is next in the season finale?  According to the episode synopsis, Greg and Tamara will use that diamond to try to destroy Storybrooke and Regina will try to stop it.  Rumple will find out what happened to his son, and of course, be really bummed out about it.  But, will Neal live?  I don't know, but if you pay attention to spoilers, there have been a few pictures of Neal hanging out with Mulan, Aurora, and Philip in the Enchanted Forest.  So, I am guessing, he will be found next season some time after the actor has a chance to film some movies.  :)  And what of the villains?  Well, again, spoilers say that they will be kidnapping Henry and his extended family will travel to Neverland to get him back.  I am not sure if this includes Rumple and Belle.  So, we will probably have another great episode and then have to wait another four months to see what happens!

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.

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!

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?

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!  :)

When Will Emma and Snow Return to Storybrooke?

Emma and Snow have been stuck in Fairy Tale Land all season, and if you ask me, it's high time they returned to their loved ones in Storybrooke. 

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

Our favorite Mother-Daughter duo may be returning to Maine soon.  Not that it hasn't been interesting seeing the remains of FTL and meeting Mulan, Aurora, and Hook, but reuniting with Charming and Henry is just what this family needs. 

Van City Filming, a really cool site I recently discovered, is dedicated to posting photos of tv shows filming around Vancouver, Canada.  They have posted some great pics recently that are spoilerific.  Check out this page:  http://vancityfilming.com/articles/once-upon-a-time-second-reunion/  Third picture down.

It's a Charming Family reunion!  This is rumored to be episode 9 (Queen of Hearts) which is probably Cora-centric.

It got me wondering though, could the duo be Cora and Hook in disguise?  You might scoff, but nothing on OUaT is coincidence. The clothes Emma and Snow wear are pretty consistent. Snow often wears a white shirt or coat (except in the dream sequence when Regina was tied to a tree and Snow was wearing black).  Emma wears jeans and a leather jacket or sweater, pretty casual.  JustJared posted these pictures of Snow in black and brown and Emma in a dressy gray jacket.  Am I wrong?  Could it be possible that Hook and Cora took over their bodies or at least cast a spell to look like them?  It would create drama and doesn't it seem a little early for them to come back?

http://www.justjared.com/photo-gallery/2745987/ginnifer-goodwin-josh-dallas-once-upon-a-time-pawn-shop-filming-10/