[sunnykerr]

In fact, now that I remember correctly, the show didn't actually start with Emma's 28th birthday.

It started with Snow and Charming in the Enchanted Forest.

Long story short, it started with them putting their newborn baby daughter in a magical tree so she could escape from Regina's dark curse and save them when she was 28.

Again, without Henry, that wouldn't have happened.

I fully acknowledge that.

But, yeah, to me it was always about getting Emma to recognize that she's a fairytale character and, thus, to have her own fairy tale.

Maybe that's not what the PTBs intend.

I don't know and, even if they'd said it somewhere, I wouldn't trust them.

I saw the Hook/Emma reunion.

It made me breathe a sigh of relief.

[There You'll Be]

Okay.

I had no clue where it started.

I have season 1, I just haven't watched it since the first time.

Well, it looks like they're on separate missions in the finale.

But it's hard to say.

It's like no one get some time to just be happy.

[sunnykerr]

I haven't seen it in a good long while either.

So I could be wrong about the order of specific scenes, but I do remember seeing Regina interrupt their wedding to announce her plans to have revenge, I remember Snow giving birth and Charming grabbing baby-Emma in one arm and fighting his way through the corridors to get her to the magic tree.

Even this season, when you think about it, they've harked back to that.

For instance, when they talk about needing get a message to baby-Neal because they don't know how long they'll be away and they don't want him to think he isn't loved.

That's a reference to what happened with Emma.

I saw that they're going their separate ways for the finale episode.

That makes me nervous.

It's the finale!

I don't want next season to be all about trying to get them back together.

[There You'll Be]

I believe you are right.

I can't remember the order of what happened when either. You know my memory.

Yeah, I got that they learned from their mistake, and were feeling guilty, and tried to make it better by getting in touch with baby Neal.

Well, she'll be separated from her parents as well, so she'll have to rely on Henry for family.

They may go after them and get to them in the finale. All be together for the beginning of next season.

[sunnykerr]

I don't like the idea that next season may potentially start with Hook and Emma in different universes.

I also don't like that they're playing up Regina's reaction to Hook being suddenly alive in the finale.

I'm actually willing to get on board with Regina here.

So, you know, it would be nice if she could have a rational reaction to Hook being alive.

I 100% get that Robin's death will be huge with her.

I'm not asking that she be completely reasonable.

She's grieving.

Emotional reactions are to be expected. That's 100% fine.

They're just making it sound like she's gonna want to go all Evil Queen on everyone (or at least just Emma) because Hook's alive and Robin isn't.

Which is deeply unfair, granted.

But it's not like it's anybody's fault or doing, really.

Blame Hades.

[There You'll Be]

I don't know anything about the previews for the finale really.

I think Regina, losing both Daniel and Robin, I wouldn't blame her if she goes postal.

I would. And, I'd be jealous that Hook and Emma get to be together.

I don't know that she'll blame them. We'll see.

I'd resent Hook and Emma, based on my emotional reactions to the unfairness of it.

I don't know if she'll go bad, but I would be hesitant to trust previews.

I think she'll blame Hades, though my first reaction would be to blame Zelena for trusting Hades and bringing him to Storybrooke.

And if I were Regina, I'd feel a little guilty for telling Zelena to go to Hades. It set everything in motion.

[sunnykerr]

I wouldn't blame Regina at all either for going postal.

I just think you don't solve one unfair situation by creating another.

So I'm hoping she's grown enough to realize that blaming or resenting Hook and/or Emma for something they can't control would be wrong.

You can't help your feelings, but a person (especially one as inherently powerful as Regina) can certainly control their actions.

I don't think Regina should blame herself for the situation either.

It is Hades's doing, regardless of what she told Zelena.

She couldn't have anticipated that Robin would sacrifice himself to save her.

It's not her fault.

It's also not Hook's fault that Zeus brought him back.

He never thought that was going to happen.

He and Emma said their goodbyes.

[There You'll Be]

The finale, I don't remember most of it.

The Jekyl/Hyde stuff, and their land, was just a big, annoying distraction for me.

Because I'm too lazy to try and pick out other mystery characters.

I am glad they're back in Storybrooke for sure.

And I'm super glad Regina and the Evil Queen are both there.

They tried to separate the Evil Queen (Snow and Emma) and have Regina kill her.

Emma told Hook she loved him, after saying she wanted to say it when they weren't in danger or crisis.

I know, reasonably, that it's ALL Hades fault.

The thing is, emotions and reason do not co-exist for me.

Not in life, or on shows.

In time, yes, but there was no time to separate it-to deal with natural guilt and anger that come about with those emotions.

That's what I was trying to say.

[sunnykerr]

I'm still catching up.

I'm looking forward to seeing Sam playing the villain, though.

I don't think reason and emotions co-exist well for anyone.

Especially not in the heat of the moment.

But that's what a good night's sleep is there for.

And when you can back as big a punch as Regina can, I would hope she would know to let time do its thing and let cooler heads prevail.

I have no expectations that anyone would have a perfectly rational response in the moment.

But she's a grown-up and she's done a lot of work to be a better person.

It would have been a shame to lose all of that over something that no one did to her.

[There You'll Be]

If I didn't know it was Sam, I wouldn't have recognized him.

Regina did, let things cool off.

It was just looking (obviously) questionable in previews and ads.

Regina never really had a chance to blame anyone. And I doubt she would have.

That's where I question showrunners/writers. I don't have any reason to believe they'll follow through (on growth, change, or anything) until they show me they've learned to.

Henry annoyed the crap out of me this episode-he was so "drama" angst filled.

Liked Violet a lot. And, Henry had a couple of moments I enjoyed with her.

[sunnykerr]

I find Henry is generally annoying.

I hear his plea to random New Yorkers to bring back the magic was particularly lame.

I'm glad Regina didn't revert to her old ways.

It's easy to change when things go more or less your way.

It's much more telling when you stay the course when things go to crap.

[There You'll Be]

Henry just was awful these episodes.

I think the plea to the New Yorker's was the worst thing I've ever seen on TV.

Well, it's the most recent, so the only one I remember.

Yeah, I thought Regina was fine.

I know-it really is harder when things go wrong-and she was never considering becoming evil again.

[sunnykerr]

So it's another instance of previews lying.

Regina was never gonna take the fact that Hook was granted life again by Zeus as some sort of personal injury.

She's way more rational than the preview-makers give her credit for being.

Which, you know, considering she's a mother and everything, is a good thing.

I wonder what next year is going to look like.

Rumple doesn't have the authority to "give" Storybrooke to anyone, so Mr Hyde can't just come in and say the town is his.

But I am curious to see how that will shape up.

[There You'll Be]

Right-she didn't even have time to process it much.

And when she seemed to realize it, she didn't at all think that about Hook.

I really dislike the Hyde storyline, other than he's bringing alone other people/characters with him.

I think I hope it doesn't turn out to be a lot of characters, because that would feel overwhelming to me.

I'd forgotten Rumple "gave" Storybrooke to him.

I think they were trying to say Rumple felt he was the villain of Storybrooke, and that he offered up that position to Hyde.

Which, as you said, doesn't make sense, but I think that's what they were going for.

I hadn't even given much thought to next season.

[sunnykerr]

I was talking about the Hyde storyline next season.

I can't wait to see what that is, because he's nothing special by himself.

But I do like the actor, so at least that's a reason to look forward to it for me.

And, obviously, they're gonna do something with the Evil Queen, because if the writers can do more Regina, they'll do more Regina.

That could be interesting, too.

Actually, now that I think about it, Hyde's only move is to partner up with the Evil Queen, because she has the kind of power he never will have.

It'd be ironic if he made her happy.