Once Upon a Time 6x21/22 "The Final Battle" Review

SPOILERS

“The Final Battle” was a delightful mix of seasons 1 and 3, with a special emphasis on the relationship between Emma and Henry and hey, if this is the last episode with most of the main cast, I am so beyond fine with it because I just loved it.

The whole episode was full of callbacks and tying up all the loose ends. It begins with a montage which I at first thought was going to be a look back through all the seasons, but it ended up being a highlight reel for Henry, which makes sense after watching the episode. Once again, Henry is the only believer in the whole town, which has reverted to “curse” form with Fiona as the evil mayor. The only difference is Emma is there too, as a mental patient who never broke the curse in the first place. Henry needs to get her to believe and Fiona is doing everything she can to stop him. Emma even ends up leaving the town, but it is Henry, as an Author of a little book of “Emma The Hero”, who manages to bring her back and believe again.

Emma is in a mental hospital and not believing anything.

It’s a good thing she believes too, otherwise every other realm that exists would be doomed to oblivion, including the Enchanted Forest and her family. Killian sets off to find a magic bean, a callback to the first adventure they had together. David gets crushed by the fallen beanstalk, and it’s Snow’s kiss that wakes him up, a callback to the very first scene of the show, which they added clips in there to show the parallels in case we somehow didn't get what they were going for, and I guess to reassure us that, yes, he’s alive, don’t worry. They use Jefferson’s hat to rescue people from other realms, including Aladdin and Jasmine, a callback to both Season 1 and Season 6. I was happy to see Zelena without the green, despite being in Oz. All of them huddled in the room as the blackness got closer and closer was chilling, even though I was about 98% sure they would all survive.

Rumple ended up killing Fiona, which I guess made the most sense. It wasn’t Emma’s fight there, it was his. It should have been his to begin with. He becomes “good”, I guess. Gideon faces off with Emma, and to his credit he is trying to do the right thing but since he is still under Fiona’s control, he can’t help it. She ends up throwing down her sword, and as he stabs her she gets all glow-y (I was reminded of that incident with Cora in Season 2). He disappears, and becomes a baby again so Belle and Rumple have a second chance with him. Emma lies on the ground, apparently dead, but then Henry says “I love you” and kisses her. And she wakes up. Season 1 finale, of course. There is a nice little montage of everything working out (and apparently “Evil” Regina and “Wish” Robin get a happy ending) and it ends with a big family meal at Granny’s…which is also an illustration in another storybook. The little girl from the beginning is reading it. It’s the future. What’s going on?

Emma refuses to kill Gideon. She is the Savior.

That ending, though. I watched a react video who guessed the guy was Henry the first time we saw him; I didn’t realize it until they set up the scene to be exactly like Season 1, Episode 1. The little girl was just adorable and I loved how they played the scene the exact same way. The show came full circle. Also, I noticed his apartment number was 815. I wonder, after all this time, if there will be a significance to that number/time or if the creators just liked using it over and over as a fun Easter Egg like A113.

In conclusion, I am so excited for next season. I wasn’t sure if I would be watching, with Jennifer Morrison and many others announcing their departure. But I am more curious than anything. Why was grown-up Henry in the Enchanted Forest? How did they get back to our world?  Why would he not remember he had a daughter? How is their family in trouble? All these, and more, should be answered next season. I can’t wait.

10/10

Once Upon a Time 6x20 "The Song in Your Heart" Review

“The Song in Your Heart” was the highly anticipated musical episode of Once Upon a Time, landing in that interesting spot between the plot-smashing “The Black Fairy” and the two-part season finale.

I kept going back and forth between if I liked the episode or if I didn’t. I was on board with the musical storyline up until they found Hook in the pub. Like a lot of this season, it felt very early season. We have Snow and Charming wanting to defeat the Evil Queen and Regina in turn wanting to destroy them. Snow makes a wish on the Blue Star and they wake up the next morning uncontrollably singing and dancing (I got some “Once More, with Feeling” vibes from that). I liked how they flitted around the Enchanted Forest and let a lot of the side characters have a line to sing, only to be interrupted by Regina. And then they go in search of Captain Hook and I kind of lost where they were going with it; it was clear they were finding a way to throw him in because he could sing (And wow, can Colin O’Donoghue sing high notes!). But in terms of storytelling it bugged me.

Snow and Charming meet with Captain Hook.

Their voices were actually all really good. I can see why people wanted a musical episode. I just felt like it was a little wasted. Honestly, the biggest problem I had with the music was it all started to sound the same. The orchestration was pretty much the same modern musical orchestra and everything was loud and there was key change after key change after key change. I will say there were some unexpected resolutions in the melodies; good job to the composer for playing with my expectations. Also, Rebecca Mader slayed it. I’m not the biggest Zelena fan, but that was good. That song in particular sounded the most like an actual song from a musical – any ideas on what it could be?

I do appreciate that they did wipe the musical event from their memories, and that they did tie the musical part of it into the present storyline and gave Emma some literal strength in her actual heart so she won’t be alone in the Final Battle. That way the musical storyline was not too forced and it gave a little bit of light-heartedness before the season finale.

I loved the end. I kept watching the clock, thinking “there’s three minutes left. Plenty of time for something to happen”. But no, we get puddle-inducing Captain Swan wedding vows and first dance without a hiccup. Then they all break out into song (the big question is whether or not they remember it the next day) and everything seems to be great…until they all somehow still forgot about the Black Fairy’s curse and Grumpy/Leroy had his “The curse! It’s here!” line and the early season callbacks keep coming. Season finale next week, and I’m just excited to see how this is all going to turn out.

9/10

Once Upon a Time 6x19 "The Black Fairy" Review

SPOILERS

“The Black Fairy” was an interesting episode, and that’s really all there is to say there. There were some good moments, some bad moments, and some shocking moments which ended up not even mattering in the long run. The stakes are definitely higher and it’s obvious the season is so close to being done.

I still hate the Black Fairy, or Fiona, since I guess we now know her name. For some reason, as a villain she was never very believable, and as a human she was even more intolerable. A lot of what happened in the dream sequences/flashbacks was just weird. So Rumple was originally a Savior, literally the subject of the prophecy Emma is part of right now, but his mother used those stupid shears and cut away that fate once she thought it would cause him to die and she couldn’t find the person who was supposed to it…promptly poofing from yellow to black and magically finding a cresent-shaped scar on her wrist. It’s one of those classic, in avoiding something, you make it happen, instances when it comes to seeing the future. I was reminded of Rumple and Bae a little bit (I literally just rewatched the Rumple in the war episode). The thing I believed the least was how easy it was for Fiona to turn into a fairy; was she already a fairy? It just wasn’t very clear.

Gideon doesn't know where his heart is.

There’s three episodes left! Why can’t Rumple just be good already, or redeemed? I definitely saw the ending coming. There was no way it was going to be that easy, that he destroyed her and everything would be happy and wonderful. They gave us a happy little scene with Henry and Killian to throw us off (which reminds me: I thought the consensus of last episode was they were going to wait a while to get married? I guess not?). Gideon getting his heart back was a nice touch as well, but it’s also a little ominous: she’s trading one “son” for another. Gideon’s gonna die in the finale, isn’t he? By the Black Fairy’s hand, and Rumple is going to be so mad he kills her, becoming the Savior or some workaround like that. You heard it here first, folks!

Make a wish for a happy ending and suddenly everyone is singing and dancing? This was Jane Espenson’s idea, wasn’t it? I cannot wait until next weekend!

8.5/10

Once Upon a Time 6x18 "Where Bluebirds Fly" Review

SPOILERS

Okay, so it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: Captain Swan domestics made me melt in a puddle. And I really get why Snowing is getting all…Snowing about the upcoming wedding, but I really was not enjoying those scenes. I was actually a little invested in the other story. I know they needed a light-hearted storyline and a way to stick Snowing in there somewhere, but it got a little tedious after the second cutaway. Perhaps it’s because I’m rewatching the series as well and early season Snowing is just so good. “Wanna elope?” “I’ll bring the rum.”

The whole focus of the episode was Zelena. We got to see a young Zelena rescue a baby bird with a completely new character, Stanum, and then we get to see an older, bitter, Wicked Witch Zelena almost brush him off, but then decides to go with him, not admitting to herself that she is lonely. It turns out he is slowly turning to tin due to a curse and he needs to find a magical heart to break the curse. On their way, they fend off a ferocious lion who ends up being a coward (the animation was so good there; his poor face was so sad. Also, “king of the forest” was a nice little reference). I have blocked out a lot of the middle seasons so I can’t remember if they have ever had the Scarecrow, but this is the first time I remember them doing this part of the Oz story.

Regina tells Zelena to go back to Oz.

Zelena was very “Zelena” about everything and against everyone’s wishes made her way down to the mines to meet the Black Fairy. It is obvious she is more powerful than Regina. The Black Fairy uses Zelena’s magic to turn the crystals dark, and Zelena ends up giving up her magic in order to set the Black Fairy back and turn the crystals light again. I really thought she was going to jump to Oz and live happily ever after with Stanum or something, but this was close enough.

I think Killian summed up my feelings about her best: “How is it when she’s not the villain we’re fighting she’s the villain we’re fighting?”

Next episode we are getting some more Rumple and Black Fairy backstory, and possibly the waking up of Blue. Storylines are wrapping up so quickly; I’m really excited. Also, I didn’t realize they were actually doing a musical episode this season! This is going to be awesome; I can’t tell yet if it’ll be a one-off or a “Once More, with Feeling” situation. I’m game for either. It’s like “The Prom” with Buffy or the party with the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi: a little bit of fun before the most likely heart-wrenching season (series?) finale.

8/10

Once Upon A Time 6x17 "Awake" Review

SPOILERS

“Awake” wrapped up two plot threads, which only brings us closer to the end of the season and possibly the series.

The pixie flower is a new magical device that was introduced in the episode, and I really didn’t like it, just because it was a new thing that appeared and magically solved their problems. Their explanation made sense; it only appears in the presence of great evil, and the Black Fairy is apparently the biggest evil out there. That doesn’t mean I have to like it.

The cryptic preview from last week made a lot more sense. They did not re-write the series, but rather showed a bit into Storybrooke’s past in which Snow and Charming manage to wake up thanks to the pixie flower Snow finds. They are able to see Emma as a young girl and have the choice to claim her and raise her, or leave her alone and let her grow up to be the Savior and save the town in the future. It was a really touching scene, and it was nice to see Snow and Charming back in their early selves. I liked seeing them integrate themselves carefully into the town and I really liked the scene with Charming and Mr. Gold, how Emma’s name “wakes him up”.

Snow and Charming outside of the gateway to Emma.

Killian Jones finds himself captured by Tiger Lily, and then the Lost Boys, and through a bit of magic sap he manages to send back a message to Emma with his shadow. I really liked Tiger Lily and want to see more of her. I’m glad she escaped; does that mean she will be back someday? It kind of seemed like a waste of using Neverland, though without Pan is it really the same Neverland anymore?

Snow yet again chooses to sacrifice her own happiness for her daughter and makes her take the pixie dust from the last flower to get Killian back (let me also just remind everyone that Gideon was the one who left one flower – he is still pretty annoying in the sidelines but not as evil as he could be). Finally we have him back, with words of forgiveness and a proper proposal this time. The unnecessary drama of the last few episodes is resolved and Emma has enough support to bring her into the Final Battle.

Regina convinces the townspeople to share in the sleeping curse and weaken the power of the curse. They do and it lifts the curse. Again in a callback to the early days of Snowing, the pair wakes up and sees how much the town supports them. And this (sort of) unnecessary drama of the sleeping curse ends as well. Everything is being cleared away and getting ready for the Final Battle, whatever that will be.

Since I’m not a fan of Zelena or the Black Fairy, I’m not really looking forward to next week’s episode, though maybe I’ll get lucky and one will kill the other.

9/10

Once Upon A Time 6x16 "Mother's Little Helper" Review

SPOILERS

I'm not sure what I'm supposed to feel with this episode. It was okay, and I was relatively dismissive of it until the very end.

Okay, so Gideon really isn't a thoughtless evil annoying person? His heart is being controlled by the Black Fairy and he somehow isn't able to tell his parents or Emma about what is going on? I am glad they gave us more looks into his past, as depressing as they are. His friend Rodrick was a nice touch. I was guessing he was the one who had stolen the key, and I was definitely predicting his death, but Gideon's raw reaction to it made it even better. He had a very rough childhood, I’ll give you that.

I hate the Black Fairy. Not just as a character, but a bit like Zelena. Once she starts talking I just want her to shut up. Too sickly sweet. Her and Gideon's relationship is a bit like Season 1 Henry and Regina (thanks for that idea, Twitter). I like it and don't like it at the same time.

So Blackbeard is a scumbag, but that isn't a surprise. Killian makes a wager and gives up the Jolly Roger in exchange for a magic bean, but because of the enchantment put on him by Gideon he isn't able to get back to our realm and is instead transported to a Pan-less Neverland. This might be interesting. My only quip with that scene is Blackbeard and Killian shouting as Blackbeard rows away. HOW can they hear each other? I know, that's the most unrealistic thing I found in this episode.

Blackbeard leaves Hook to the Lost Boys of Neverland

You know, I was expecting Gideon to really be a “good guy” this episode and everything would be fine: Killian would be back, Gideon wouldn't be wanting to kill Emma, and they would all be teaming up against the ultimate evil, the Black Fairy. I really did not expect Gideon to turn on her, though at that point in the story it was very much in character and we had not yet seen he was being controlled. Is he going to double-cross the Black Fairy and is only pretending to go along with her game? Probably not, but that would be a good twist. I am holding out the smallest bit of hope for him, that he will be a redeemable character, or at least have a good death and not cause Emma’s.

I must say I highly enjoyed the Hamilton tickets plug. No one has powerful enough magic to get Hamilton tickets. I'm glad Henry is getting a little more attention and can’t wait to see where they’re going with this “possessed Author” storyline.

It's the Final Chapter of the story book! Is this the last season? Apparently no one knows. I’m excited to keep this all going next week. A re-write of the entire series? The sci-fi nerd in me says, bring it on!

8.5/10

Once Upon A Time 6x15 "A Wondrous Place" Review

SPOILERS

Okay, maybe I was feeling a bit pessimistic last week. This episode wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It definitely isn't without its criticisms, however.

There was a bit of a parallel drawn between the two main couples of the episode, Captain Swan and Aladdin and Jasmine. They have problems of communication. Jasmine doesn't tell Aladdin the whole truth about what happened with Jafar and there is a whole bunch of not talking between them about how they really feel. It's the resolution of that which leads to Killian talking to Emma. I think the point of Ariel in this episode was to get Killian able to talk to Emma by using the magic seashell (otherwise, I don't know why she was there). Good. I'm glad they cleared that up just a little bit. It makes sense that Emma would not be sure what to feel during the bar scene. The writers do not want to make her completely give up on him, just ready for the end of the episode for the talking and to make the distance between them even more sad.

The whole Aesop's Tables sidebar was okay. It ended up being necessary but it took until the very end for us to understand the point. I wasn't quite getting into it. Yes, I was all for a Emma and Regina Girls' Night Out, but I wasn't into the Drunk Snow challenging some Vikings. (I think I found the definition of “shoehorn”.) Emma got some small catharsis by opening up to the bartender (not a mixologist, my goodness) and they made a big show of her wiping her tears on a napkin. I was really prepared to like Aesop but of course OF COURSE he was Gideon in disguise.

Continuing the Season 1 callbacks, the spell that had Agrabah trapped in the ring was broken by True Love's Kiss. Should have seen that coming, but I'm glad they finished up that storyline. Agrabah is found, Aladdin is free, and Jafar is a stick (I think he could have gotten a better ending but Jasmine being a badass was pretty good after a whole season of being generally whiny).

Jasmine faces Jafar again.

I never thought I would hear Captain Hook say the words “off-season tiki bar” but I did.

Next episode looks amazing. Not in a carefully-edited way either. The Black Fairy, Blackbeard, Never Land (!?), Isaac, Emma helping Gideon. It's looking really good. They'll drag out the Hook's gone story for a little bit since they haven't had a major character trapped in a different realm much this season (unlike the past with whole stories set in another realm). There are only 7 episodes left, so obviously they can't make Gideon not want to kill Emma anymore.

8/10

Once Upon A Time 6x14 "Page 23" Review

SPOILERS

You probably could have cut everything else out and just had the Regina parts and this episode would have been perfection. Props to Lana Parilla. That's all I have to say.

Well, there's more.

I am glad they finished off the Evil Queen storyline in a believable way. The flashbacks into the past were enjoyable. Pure Evil Queen with a bonus Henry. It's a typical "Kill Snow White" scheme that turns into a feels fest. Seriously, the saddest moment of the entire episode was when she realized the person she hated most was herself. I guess I never realized that until now, but it does make sense. And we knew we were gonna get a Regina versus Regina face off, but I was a little thrown by the sword fight. The dialogue leading up to the sword fight was a little bit cringy ("this town's not big enough for the both of us") but the rest of it was pretty good.

Regina in the Enchanted Forest, once again looking for Snow.

I guess this goes to show how much Regina grew; I was expecting her to crush the Evil Queen's heart, but she doesn't do that anymore. I'm not sure what I was expecting to happen, but it definitely wasn't combining the two hearts (I guess I was expecting more of a literal merging than a figurative one). She now loves and accepts herself and everything is all right in her world for now.

No surprise that "Evil" Regina and "Evil" Robin seemed so well suited to each other. I enjoyed their behind-the-scenes bantering, the almost-flirting. I figured when she sent "Evil" Regina away she would end up at the tavern. But it was still a nice ending. A bit open-ended, but at least there's the possibility of a happy ending for them.

The reason this episode isn't a perfect 10 is because of Captain Swan. Sometimes I suspend belief, but at this point I can almost see the planning behind the scenes of how exactly we are going to orchestrate this drama. I was following along on Twitter, and someone pointed out how exactly did Emma know what her grandfather looked like? Why was Killian watching the memories instead of just tossing them in the fire? Why don't they ever talk to each other? (Why doesn't Emma give Killian a chance to talk?) Why did Killian go back on the submarine? (He could have just not showed up!) (Also...effing Gideon. What is his motivation here? To shake up Emma?)

I don't think I'll enjoy next week's episode very much. Drawing out the drama with Captain Swan is just annoying at this point. Then again, no one really gets a happy ending in this show, do they? Crossing fingers that the preview was edited to make it look worse than it will be.

8/10

Once Upon a Time 6x13 "Ill-Boding Patterns" Review

SPOILERS

"Ill-Boding Patterns" was an okay episode, visiting the characters we ignored last episode. I enjoyed the fact that some parts felt like Season 1 and 2, but there were other parts I just did not enjoy. Let's get into it.

My first problem was Beowulf. You had to bring in Beowulf and his story and I was waiting for a huge Grendel showdown and it was the stupidest thing ever. Beowulf was reduced to a dickish wannabe hero who was "Dark One-ist" against Rumple and wasn't even grateful for him getting rid of the ogres because he used dark magic. Did we know beforehand Rumple was the one who killed all the ogres? I didn't remember if that's the case, and so that was a surprise. I loved the small scene in the tavern when the people were praising him until Beowulf has to go and ruin it. And he killed villagers to set up the villagers turning against Rumple. AND THERE WAS NO GRENDEL!! My eleventh-grade self was very disappointed.

Rumple and Baelfire, many years ago

Bringing back Baelfire was such a surprise and there were parts of that I really liked. I just missed his presence on the screen  and seeing Rumple acting loving and gentle and "I'm doing it for you, Bae." I didn't like this actor as much as the first one, but he got the job done. And I know they only brought him back to bring up the parallels between Bae and Gideon, but I still liked it. Again, it's some early-season stuff. Surprisingly, Gideon and Gold did not annoy me as much as I thought they would. Gideon did have a rough childhood, and Gold sort of did the right thing (?) by doing the dark act to keep Gideon from doing it himself. (Also, how did the clock face get repaired that fast? Magic? Well, yeah, probably magic.)

A shot of rum later, and there's a mangled proposal over with. He has to tell her, he just HAS to. It's stressing me out, and Killian is probably feeling a lot worse. I wasn't expecting it to happen this fast, and it just felt awkward. Emma will definitely forgive him, so why keep drawing it out? Speaking of mangled, I still hate Zelena, but Robin is growing on me. It makes sense that he would want to leave, and there's a part of me that thinks he should. But then again, he probably wouldn't fit in well with the rest of the real world, big-time thief and all. Partnering up with the Evil Queen is going to be good. So good.

As much as I am hating Regina getting constantly pummeled by the show runners, I can't have been the only person who got happy chills when the Evil Queen theme played at the very end! I'm predicting next week somehow Regina will find s way to bring the Evil Queen back into her, once she's complete she might be happier. Let's hope. Poor woman's had enough sadness for a lifetime.

7/10

Once Upon a Time 6x12 "Murder Most Foul" Review

SPOILERS

   This episode had a whole roller coaster of feelings, causing me to yell at my TV in anger and then leaning forward in anticipation waiting for the next scene. I enjoyed it a lot, more than I thought I would. Next week’s episode looks a little Lord of the Rings, but it might be okay.

   I was watching on Twitter a bit and oh my goodness I think the Captain Swan fandom broke a little. I was a small part of that, though I wasn’t too surprised. They practically got engaged in the Enchanted Forest last season anyway. It just makes sense that they would take that same step in Storybrooke. It’s nice to see Emma so casually happy with him, not worried about doom and gloom or creating problems for the sake of the story (those stupid shears). No, Hook does that fine on his own at the very end, with a twist I did not see coming but I did enjoy. This will make the rest of the season interesting (Will you marry me? BTW, I killed your grandfather apparently).

   Robin cursing the alarm clock is how I feel every morning. It’s been so long since we’ve had a new character in Storybrooke and that was a nice touch. I am also appreciating the stark contrast between the two Robins. This one is definitely a thief, and has a thirst for vengeance and doesn’t like following the rules. Him trying to kill the sheriff of Nottingham was a little much, but I enjoyed the scene in the vaults. And him stealing that special powerful box next week? That I’m looking forward to. Regina in pain is never fun, but this season will be a good learning experience for both of them. I’ve never liked Zelena and her appearance in this episode was just grating. Why can’t she just get killed off?

   Can someone explain to me how sweet little James becomes such a jerk? He’s such a pure, innocent soul who doesn’t want to be a knight, but wants to hide in Pleasure Island (a place which I thought was a little creepy). I loved the cameo of Pinocchio as well and his little lying bit. Again, this is feeling like early season stuff and I’m loving it. I liked the actor for David/James’s father, though I didn’t like the actor for their mother. The story was kind of sweet and very sad, but seemed to work. At least we resolved that coin from earlier. (Also, anyone else think “Rickon Stark!” when they saw little David/James?)

Killian likes David's answer.

   Like I said in my last review, I’ve been getting a little bored with the Charming/Snow storyline. I’m still not a fan. It did take me a little while to remember the whole drama about David’s father from last season, but most of it got re-explained anyway. However, I did appreciate Josh Dallas’s acting in the scene in the prison, as he struggles to make his decision and just breaks down. A little bit of fragility in an otherwise stoic character. Though how he remained a bit “pirate-ist” against Killian got on my nerves after a little while.

   Overall, it was a pretty good episode. A lot happened, and as we resolve old storylines new ones keep popping up. I suppose that is how it will go until we come into the inevitable final showdown in the finale. Next week’s episode looks like it might be a little “meh”, with more Gold and Gideon drama, though the flaming arrows and CGI trolls or whatever might be interesting.

9/10

Once Upon A Time 6x11 "Tougher Than the Rest" Review

SPOILERS

Season 6B seems to be off to a strong start. I for one enjoyed this episode, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season. For being a continuation of the fall season, it seemed more like its own unique season with a different feel to it. It just felt like an early season episode, what with August and the magic tree. That I liked a lot.

First of all, props to the writers for not having Emma and Regina stuck in the wish-land all season. That is an early season trope that I’m glad they did not continue to adhere to. I knew Robin was going to come back with them, but I am just looking ahead with cautious optimism. I want Regina to have a happy ending as much as the next person, but since to the best of my knowledge this isn’t the final season, I’m just waiting for one more heartbreak. At least it seems like Robin is on board, glad to be in a new place. I’m curious as to what a future meeting with Zelena and Baby Robin will entail.

Regina and Emma in the wish-land.

I am so glad they brought back August/Pinocchio. The moment when we realize he had always been looking out for Emma was so sweet and brought back those early season feels. I always liked his character, though I had to do a wiki check to figure out when he came back to Storybrooke (because I could have sworn he was dead). And we finally get an explanation as to why her name is Emma Swan. The Ugly Duckling, of course, and a nice little metaphor of untapped potential and the fact that she was always the Savior wrapped that up nicely. For a second I thought that they were going to play out the vision as soon as Emma got back. That would have been a major plot twist, I guess, and would go along with the fast-paced way they had been solving problems the entire episode. Luckily they didn’t and saved something for the rest of the season.

I’m reading Gideon’s destruction of the clock to be a metaphor for “time’s run out”. I can’t tell if I like him as a villain or not. What I do know is I am so done with Mr. Gold as a character. I was probably done with him last season. Rumpelstiltskin? He can keep coming back. But Gold needs to be finished. Speaking of characters I’m done with, I’m so glad it seems like they will be ending that curse for Snow and Charming. Last few seasons I’ve just been tuning them out whenever they’re on screen. Maybe when they’re not whining about losing each other they might be a bit more interesting.

Also, Killian versus David? Sign me up!

9/10