Ron_Beckett

Okay because I'm anti-WOZ I'm never gonna comment on that or Zelena.

I still can't believe that I enjoyed the episode.

It was fun all around.

Emma's magic scenes were awesome and so were the scenes with the Charmings and Henry and the dinner scene with Regina.

crazy_diamond

TBH I thought this was a filler episode and didn’t give us really that much information, saying that though we still have great character moments

- Considering this was about Hook’s missing year, I thought we would get some details about who gave him the message and how he found Emma, so I was disappointed when basically it was about his ship and nothing else...
- Great seeing Ariel back again
- at Emma and Charming trying to put furniture, we’ve all been there
- Like that Regina teaching Emma about magic...it seems Rumple’s teachings have rubbed off on her
- I agreed with Charming about Henry should be with his grand-parents, yes Henry likes Hook, but not 24/7, he should be with other family!, it seemed to me Emma was replacing Bae already
- Loved Ariel giving the smackdown on Hook
- Belle/Ariel!!!! Meet up, I do love their friendship
- Belle using magic , she is certainly getting used to the magic ways
- Emma at Regina teaching school, nice
- So big thing about Blackbeard, but we only saw him for 5 mins before he died, bit of an anti-climax that..
- Great driving lesson with Charming and Henry , watch out Storybrooke
- at Regina’s expression when she found out..
- Zelana did a double cross with a criss-cross , damn...and she certainly wants to get into Belle’s space....
- Lovely moment with the Charmings/Regina at the end, how times have changed.....
- Glad that Ariel and Eric got their happy ending..


With the promo I see we are getting back to the story next week and oh my, my emotions will be frail again

Miss Cam

Loved all the Charmings scenes, the crib building, the walk on the beach, the very bad plan to teach Henry how to drive to be cool grandparents, the family dinner at the diner... All those scenes really made me happy.

Also, it's nice to see how far Regina has come with them now. She stills snarks on them and everything else, but she's helping to protect Snow's baby (having tried to kill the last one), hanging out with them and seem to enjoy family dinners with them.

Ariel was properly badass, and then she was Zelena - who certainly is a lot like her mother.

I prefer Hook interacting with the main cast as that tends to bring out some great reactions from them to some of his comments or attitude, so the Hook on his own stuff wasn't as interesting to me.

Belle using Rumple's shop and stuff to help out and do good is a nice way to involve her in the plot. I like that direction - more of that, please.

Overall, an episode with some scenes I really loved, and a lot of stuff I was indifferent or okay with.

scififan2009

"Skype"

That was great.

Cabo

I agree with everthing! I dont get this!! with a bunch of storyline to develop...they waste another 40 minutes episode!! with things they could do in one scene! its Rapunzel episode all over again!

but I will try just to focus on positive things
-Belle and that hug was so cute!! Ariel would be her perfect daughter
-I'm glad that Ariel&Eric got their happy ending but they clearly gave them a closure
-Magic lessons THAT BRIDGE SCENE WAS AWESOME
-Can I drive? NO
-the dinner scene was beautiful!!

oh Hook
I dont like hook getting this close to Belle or Ariel lool
I know he is less awful now but I still have/feel this ... "wrong thing" about him. Plus I dont really like when I have to watch an entire episode pratically with hook! but I do enjoy season3!Hook a lot better!!
what I find very clever about the writers is: everytime they want us, fans like me, to pay attention to Hook or Robin they give us swan queen scenes!

Kelaine

I think my subconscious figured out why Zelena went through all that very elaborate trouble to get the spell on Hook and make him kiss Emma (anyone who got all this--maybe it's completely obvious if you aren't feeling ill watching the scene [although 40% of the people I work with went home sick the other day, so maybe I shouldn't blame the episode]--I was too busy groaning at Zelena's plan)

I had this weird dream last night. In fact, this dream was so weird once I had it figured out that, if you want to skip to the part about the musical number (see italics below), be my guest.

Zelena had been defeated and drained of her powers. A side effect of this was that she looked kind of anorexic. Also, she was a school teacher instead of a midwife. Emma had gone to have some kind of talk with her as she set up her classroom before the students arrived.

Yes, a little alarm bell was going off even in my dreaming head about letting Zelena near a bunch of kids, especially when she had power to restore.

Then, I noticed she was dressed in a sort of frumpy, 80's style, big glasses, and a high, slightly frilly collar (silky polyester, silver-grayish-lavender with reddish-mauve pinstripes and darker gray pinstripes) and a tweed jacket that wasn't doing anything for her (and was a bit too big since she'd lost too much weight). Her hair had gone curly but was back in a bun, so you only saw the curls around her upper face (which emphasized how much thinner her lower face was).

Then, I noticed she was black.

I woke up before the confrontation between her and Emma went anywhere and tried to figure it out. Normally, if a dream replaces one actor with another, there's at least a vaguely appropriate reason (Draco Malfoy gets replaced by the Hulk: He's Slytherin green and he can actually be physically intimidating if necessary [I didn't say they were good reasons]).

I kept trying to figure it out. Finally, it came to me.

Don't ask me when I saw this or how I remembered it, but it seems there was a singer in the 80's who did a music video. She isn't dressed quite the way she was in the dream (although the coat is obviously a close cousin of the jacket in my dream, her glasses had black rims). And, please, try not to be too appalled at stuff lying around in my brain. In fact, don't bother with the link below. I just feel a need to be thorough about these things and can't actually force myself not to include it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Qxyf0YTJmA

The point is, once I'd figured it out, I remembered the chorus of the song she sings.

Give me
Your unconditional love
The kind of love I deserve
The kind I want to return.

That was when it all fell together. Zelena wants Emma's true love power as her third ingredient. Yes, she also feels she deserves the unconditional love she feels she didn't get as a child, and the promo told us about her plan to return.

Apparently, my subconscious put that together.

With a music video.

When Freud talked about monsters lurking in the id, he had no idea how bad it can get.

DR76

Why is Emma still being hyped as "the Savior", so long after the Season 1 finale?

Due to Rumpelstiltskin's manipulations, she was chosen to be "the Savior" who would break Regina's curse. Well, she achieved in the Season 1 finale. She fulfilled her "destiny" so to speak. So, why are Kitsis and Horowitz still fixating "the Savior" label upon her?


I found it very interesting. I never understood the antipathy toward Hook. Is it because he fails to live up to some "noble hero" persona? He foils the desires of those Emma/Neal fans? Because he once harmed Belle? Is Rumpel the only male character allowed to be morally complex?


Why can't Zelena kill Emma? The latter is not as powerful as Rumpel. Although one cannot remove her heart, I'm sure there are other ways to kill Emma. Why can't Zelena used them?

GrhmLz

I have to be honest, I am confused about this as well as far as the plotline goes. I would also like a clearer explanation as to why Emma has her magic. Is it because she is a TL Baby and if so, why the only one we know of so far?


**********************

The episode itself was okay. Not one of my favs, though. I think I was anticipating that Hook's story would involve more of the forgotten year and who sent the message and potion to him. It's not like we have a whole lot of episodes left this season. A flashback hour dedicated to finding the Jolly Roger was just 'meh' to me even if the episode title is kind of obvious, lol.

What I did enjoy:

Regina and Emma teaming up for Regina to teach Emma magic.

The Charming | Regina scenes: In the beginning, Emma and David attempting to put the crib together. Regina coming over with the protection spell.

Lol, David letting Henry drive ... All the reactions to that, Regina, Emma, and Snow.

The diner scene ... All the Charmings with Regina.

Did not see the twist with Ariel coming ... That it was really Zelena in SB the whole time.

Ron_Beckett

I am so happy to be back on board with this show.

Sure I was mad and angry at it for a while but as long as it continues to give me great family scenes then I can deal with the rest of the things I don't like

Jiorjiina

He harmed Belle twice (knocking her out in the dungeon, shooting her in the back at the town line), and tried to kill her once (dungeon again). And I don't think he was planning to shake her by the hand when she rescued Archie from his ship, either.

He has also:

• Bullied a crippled Rumplestiltskin (challenging a cripple to a duel? Not Good Form),
• Bullied another cripple before he realised it was Dark One Rumple in disguise,
• Sold young Baelfire out to Pan (who Hook even called a demon, which also kind of puts the lie to all this "I cared for him as a child" crap they're now wheeling out - if he genuinely cared, where was he the rest of the time Bae was in Neverland?)
• Made a load of really gross rapey jokes, to both Rumple (impliying that Milah had been gang raped by the crew), and to Emma ("When I jab you with my sword, you'll feel it", "Normally, I prefer to do more enjoyable activities with a woman on her back", etc) including while she was physically pinned to the ground under him,
• Been complicit, if not actively involved, in the murder of a load of innocent villagers before Emma Snow, Mulan and Aurora got back,
• Removed Aurora's heart while she was lying unconscious,
• Left Emma and the others locked in an inescapable dungeon, with no food or water,
• Tried to stop Emma and Snow from getting back to Storybrooke and their family,
• Abducted, imprisoned and tortured Archie for information (which, by the way, he already knew) about Rumplestiltskin,
• Choked Ariel
• Spied on Emma
• Lied to Emma

I like morally complex characters. I don't like bullies and sleezes. And in spite of them trying to retcon the character that is exactly what Hook is.

celeborns

Hello,

I am not very keen of the last idea. I mean it seems to me that Regina is not powerful at all, just imagine - there are at least five other wizards and they all are stronger then her.

Cora was more powerful, Zelena is more powerful, Peter Pan was more powerful, Rump is more powerful and last but not least Emma. The only which powerless than Regina is Maleficent.

It looks like that this idea with powerful magician Emma is something that is called 'deus ex machina'. In other words, the authors are not able to solve the conflict between Regina and her sister in other way, so they are using Emma to do that.

Gwen107

I think maybe it's also that people are harder on Hook because he and the writing set the hero standard like when they call him a hero in promotion or they have so many characters say it that he is such a good person at heart and that he is such a hero now and he calls himself a gentleman and a man of honor, but it's more words than anything else. So it's two things, 1. that they use the 'hero' standard for him so quickly after they introduced him as a villain and when the only characters on the show before who were called that before were men like Prince Charming and 2. that they always tell the viewers how we should feel about Hook now and they use other characters for it and it feels to me like manipulating the viewers with words and not let action speak for itself.

I don't know if they do it because it's quicker to tell us over and over until they think we will all believe it or resign ourselves to it than to do what they have done with Rumplestiltskin for example or Regina where it took them much longer to get where they are now or what their reasoning is. I don't think hate Hook but I don't relate to him and root for him as much as the writing has made me root for Rumplestiltskin and for Regina because to me with Hook it just feels cheaper and like he doesn't earn it the way others did. The writing makes the redemption too quick and easy for me and now he gets so much handed to him because the writing wants to push it that he can be in a relationship with Emma soon.

sasijaha

This looks like a fun, new game. I'll match you point for point.

-Rumple bullied a man who was physically unable to defend himself against him and instead of allowing him to leave, he turned him into a snail and squashed him (in front of his own son).
-For what was probably years, he used psychological torture (including having someone fake trying to bring her love back from the dead) Regina into becoming the Evil Queen in order to get her to cast a curse that would rip every person from the EF and ruin their lives and require her killing her own father to cast it.
-Tried to kill his own grandson
-Made a really gross rapey joke about Belle to her father...something about his 'rather large estate' as I recall...
-Actually committed murder of villagers including a mute maid, the snail guy, the fairy godmother
-Removed Milha's heart and crushed it, and the unicorn...what kinda jerk does that?!?
-Couldn't think of one where he left someone in a dungeon...he usually just killed them outright
-TRIED to kill Snow and Emma when they were trying to come back to SB with the spell on the well
-Imprisoned and tortured Robin Hood for trying to steal a wand
-Stole the Sheriff's tongue and beat him with his walking stick
-Spied on everyone by using the seer's sight that he stole when he killed her
-Lied to Belle (or at the very least withheld the truth) about what happened to Milha

And for the top part...killed his mute maid and b**** slapped Ruby across a field magically.

Your morally grey character isn't any better than anyone else's morally grey character.

Cabo

yes.
you know...I dont know english enough to explain well why I dont like hook ... but I will try...imo he is noothing like Regina or Rumple. at some point we all felt sympathy and we kind of understood regina & rumple actions but with Hook? I'm still waiting for that day to come.

I think shooting Belle in the back was a really bad bad move on the writers!! everytime I see him near her I'm just ready for him to do something with/to her

The CS is just too forced for me... thank god he stopped with those innocent jokes but in some way, I "like" him better this season.

Funny enough: I only enjoy Hook with tinkerbell I think the writers should show more times "the friend" side of hook...instead of this insane-out-of-nowhere-love story with Emma. For us (me) to like him I need him to have a friend! or to be at least friendly to someone... so sweet and kind like Ariel.

Jewel Leigh


I kind of thought a some of Hook hate is because of his relationship with Emma. Emma, being the main protagonist and “savior” is subconsciously put on a pedestal and is deemed that only the best type of person “deserves” her. Other people haven’t liked that he gets in the way of pairing Emma with Neal or Regina. 



Yes, I know this isn’t completely true and some people dislike Hook regardless of shipping. I think he may be a personal trigger to some people. 



In the real world, most people don’t know a real villain -- someone who is bent on destroying other people’s lives - in Rumple’s case manipulating and meddling in people’s lives, but still causing great harm to them if it goes wrong. Because we don’t know people like this, it doesn’t elicit the same type of emotional reaction. Objectively, we can say “Rumple is wrong” but it’s not personal.



We all know someone who is like Hook... a bit selfish, sometimes a jerk. Maybe we haven’t been treated well by someone like Hook, so when we see that on screen, the natural reaction would be “meh” (or something more fowl).

I think there is also a huge misunderstanding of what Hook’s character is supposed to be. Hook is not a villain nor a hero and hasn’t ever truly been either. He has switched between an anti-villain and anti-hero. There’s a reason that when he was a villain people complained that he was a terrible villain and when he is a hero, people don’t think he is truly heroic. His motivation has usually been self-motivated, and this can be either good or bad (thus, the anti-villain or anti-hero). Even his honor code is based on what he deems honorable and not what a traditional hero would necessarily say is honorable. 



Honestly, that is why I relate to Hook more than Rumple or Regina. While I can't really relate to being a villain and taking it out on everyone, I can understand being selfish and a loner who dismisses other people. I’ve turned a blind eye in helping someone for my own benefit (maybe not to almost cause anyone to die, but possible injured like in school by ignoring bullies.) Personality wise, I’m nothing like Hook, but my point is... I appreciate the Hook is a very human character. His struggles and reactions to difficulty are relatable.


Or why anyone has magic. Rumple told Zelena it is a “gift,” implying that not everyone would have the capacity to develop magic. Being that Regina and Zelena both have magic makes me think is could sometimes be genetic, although there’s no evidence that Cora had natural magic before being taught. 



It is possible that many people have the latent gift. Emma might never been aware of her gift if she hasn’t been in the life-threatening moment of trying to save Snow.