What a way to say goodbye to 2012 Once Upon a Time! Great episode and a great winter finale. We have a Jack Sparrow wannabe, two story hairdos, attempts at heart stealing, the heartless, a magical Snow and Emma, a goading Rumpy, surprising turnabouts, a sleazy line, and two new citizens to Storybrooke! We have so much to talk about!
FAIRYTALE LAND PAST
Hook kills a guard while making a quip about being called captain. Okay, enough with the Jack Sparrow references! Did you want Hook or Jack writers?! lol! He enters the cell where the Evil Queen kept Belle unbeknownst to Rumples back in the day. Belle thinks she's saved until she says she won't help Hook kill Rumples. No duh! So Hook knocks her out and prepares to kill her.
Okay, about Belle for a moment. This episode which was heavy on heart stealing and controlling people who are heartless gave me the idea that if Cora herself isn't being controlled by someone (my bets would be Rumpy. Yeah I think Rumpy could have her heart. Sounds weird but he is always two or 5 billions steps ahead of everyone on this show.) then I believe it would be very interesting if Cora or Hook one day tries to control Belle. The damage they could do to RumBelle would send fans into a major frenzy! Belle could be turned against Rumpy so much so he tries to kill her but discovers she has no heart. Oh what would happen then?! Okay, my RumBelle speculations are over. Back to the episode.
Belle is rescued from being killed by her captor. A female Elvis impersonator walks in and gives Hook a deal. Wow, did you noticed that lady's hair?! The giant from a couple of episodes back would have competition with the height of that do! Nope, did not like Evil Queen Regina's outfit this time. She struts around in that getup while giving Hook the job of keeping Mommie Dearest out of the way while she plans her Evil Curse. Hook is on a trip to Wonderland to kill and bring back Cora's (who is finally revealed to be the Queen of Hearts which I'm sure everyone had guessed by now) body to Regina.
Regina gives Hook Jefferson's hat and the dead guard to travel to Wonderland. While there he is captured of course by the Queen of Hearts and this time it doesn't take long for Cora to reveal herself behind the mask. Regina enchanted Hook's hook so it could take one person's heart. She of course wanting that person to be Cora. The table turns however when we learn along with Hook that Cora is heartless! We all knew Cora was heartless before but we didn't know it was so literally. Hmmm. Where is Cora's heart? Does she have it hidden as she claims? Is it somewhere in Wonderland? Or is it in someone else's hands? Could Cora be under control? My guess is Rumples but we have to wait and see because there is no time for that now. Cora grabs Hook's heart and brings him over to her side choosing to let him keep his heart and just use him to get to her daughter.
Later, she pretends that Hook killed her and she lies in a casket while Regina claims she still loves her but that love is a weakness and she cannot risk having that weakness in the new place the curse will bring her. (Henry is a weakness then isn't he? When will Regina realize that and what will happen to our poor Henry?) After Regina leaves, Cora and Hook plan to shield themselves from the Evil Curse and bide their time until Regina is weak enough for Cora to cross over and have her revenge! We are subjected to a pretty cool scene where we're shown how the land that survived the curse was protected.
STORYBROOKE
Regina is worried and talks to Gold about how Charming will not wake up until Snow is there to kiss him. Rumples tries to talk her into going along with his plan to keep Cora from making it to Storybrooke even if it could kill Snow and Emma too. He tells her if Snow and Emma go through the portal then Henry will only have her, Regina as a mother. I really don't know what Rumpy's plan is here but he sure was quite cruel in this episode. I kept thinking Belle has a lot of work to do on this guy!
Later after a heartfelt talk with Henry. Henry begins to believe that maybe Regina is changing for the good and that seems to be what Regina wants to hear even though she knows about Rumpy's plan. Rumpy and Regina take all the diamonds from the tunnels. They are absorbed into the Fairy Godmother's wand that Rumpy stole from the murdered fairy. Later, Red and the dwarfs discover this theft. Red and Henry confront Rumpy and Regina at the well where the two have placed a force field in the well that would kill anyone coming through the portal that formed there from Fairytale Land!
FAIRYTALE LAND PRESENT
The four (Snow, Emma, Mulan, and a Cora controlled Aurora) have finally made it to Rumpy's old cell. All they find within though is an empty ink bottle. Where is the squid ink that Rumples said would be there. Doesn't matter at the moment because Aurora triggers the latch that brings down the cell doors on all of them. Now they are trapped and they learn that Cora and Hook have Aurora under their control. Cora magics the compass out of Emma's hands and leaves the four there to face their fate. They find a scroll where Rumpy wrote Emma's name over and over on. Thinking he went nuts thinking about Emma the gang almost give up hope of ever escaping. Emma has a talk with her mom about being Rumpy's pawn. That she really isn't anything important or magical. This was all Rumpy's plan from the beginning. In a way she is right because a surprising bit of a lucky break comes their way in the Emma scroll. Snow remembers watching Cora doing spells back when she was a little girl. Snow figures out that the scroll is written in squid ink and blows the letters off the scroll where they drift over to the bars of the cage and make them disappear! Right here was a moment I think Jennifer Morrison made a little mistake. When she figures out what's going on and says something like "the scroll was written on squid ink!" Shouldn't that be "the scroll was written on with squid ink"? Just thought it sounded funny. Go back to the part. I love to hear what you think. Maybe I'm mistaken.
Anyway, the four are free but Aurora stays there thinking it would be best since she is under Cora's control. The trio make it just in time to Lake Nostas where Cora has made a watery portal to Storybrooke and Hook and herself are about to jump in when I believe the compass is knocked out of their hands. Emma, Snow, and Mulan find Hook and Cora. There's a moment where Emma is fighting Hook and he has an incredibly sleazy line about his sword and Emma! Ewwww! Emma takes control of the situation though! Yay! Cora tries to take Snow's heart but Emma jumps in between them and Cora takes hold of Emma's heart instead! Surprise, surprise! Cora cannot take Emma's heart because she is a product of true love and Cora learns the hard way that love is not weakness. It is strength. Snow and Emma finally jump through the portal.
STORYBROOKE
Rumple knocks out Red and Regina tries to make Henry understand what they're doing. Henry is worried that it won't be Cora who comes through but it will be Snow and Emma. He wants them to stop this magic for his mom's and grandmother's sakes! In a shocking turnabout Regina absorbs all the negative magic out of the portal! For a brief second we wonder if Regina was too late. Then out of the well comes the two heroines we love. Henry is overjoyed and so are Snow and Emma. They thank Regina and leave. Over at Gold's shop Snow wakes up Charming with her kiss and everyone is once again happy and together! Everyone is invited to go over to Granny's to celebrate. Well, almost everyone. Rumples and Regina are left out of all the happiness. Henry only thanks her and leaves with his real mom. Rumpy sees an opportunity to rub this in Regina's face. Regina is left to feel the pain. Good job everyone! Lets leave out the once evil woman who is trying to redeem herself after she made a major sacrifice for her son. What a great way to turn her evil again! Congrats! How cruel was Rumpy during this moment? Does he truly enjoy hurting these people or are we once again only seeing all of his motives from one angle? Sometimes the writers truly frustrate me! Grrrr!
Later Emma talks to Gold about how if he had the squid ink while he was captured in the cell back then why didn't he escape. Gold replies it was all part of his plan of course. Emma asks if all she has done has also been all his plan. He tells her that Cora not being able to take her heart was a magic that is solely Emma's very own. She is magical because she is true love.
All seems relatively well in Storybrooke until we learn Hook has a bean from the giant and with Cora's magical help they are somehow seen making their way to the shores of Storybrooke in Hook's ship! Wow! What a way to out until January 2013!
Oh my gosh! Next time scenes look awesome as well! Did Gold ask Emma to find his son? Looks like leaving Regina out of the celebrations is already coming back and biting Emma in the butt! Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and then onto the next episode of this epic series! Thanks for being patient and reading my reviews! I love to write them and I hope you all love to read them. Until next time! Tootles! :D
