Favorite Moments:
– Anna & Elsa scenes. I wasn’t particularly impressed with Frozen myself – I loved the messages but was bored by the story. But I really like how they’re incorporating it into OUAT. Anna was hilarious – she provided great moments of comedic relief. I thought her running around after her sister in her wedding dress was funny, myself.
– CGI. I was pleasantly surprised. Considering how much they use on this show and how hit or miss it can be, I did not have high hopes that the fantastical elements of Frozen would be captured particularly well. The snow monster was a bit much but I loved Pabbie. I didn’t mind the snow around Elsa, I thought it was a nice visual to explain to people who perhaps aren’t very familiar with Frozen to understand sometimes Elsa has very little control over her powers.
– Regina and Emma’s scene at the door. It was interesting to see Regina so very vulnerable. I think Regina’s struggle was evident and understandable. They made a point to show the many times Regina of the past would’ve just killed Marian and be done with it, and it may still be a struggle, she’s not giving into the evil that has become second nature to her.
– “I’m actually quite perceptive…” I won’t go too much into CS territory but I did like that exchange.
Least Favorite Moments
– I like Robin. I like Outlaw Queen. I think they have fantastic chemistry, and I don’t necessarily think their emotions were rushed – they were in that happy beginning part of a new relationship before Marian came back, when everything’s amazing and love is grand and you make everyone around you want to vomit…but I seriously wanted to inflict pain on Robin when he went to Regina’s to talk to her. Talk about stirring the freaking pot!! I love you but I made a vow? That was insulting to both women. And if someone built me up and then metaphorically punched me in the gut like Robin did to Regina…well, let’s just say she handled it better than I would!! That scene made me think Robin’s going to be his own worst enemy and inadvertently push Regina closer to the edge than she’d get if he left crappy situation alone.
– Rumple at Neal’s grave. I think it really showed Rumple’s true colors – he may have done a lot of things “for his son” and “in his son’s name” but anyone in child-Bae or adult-Neal’s presence for 5 minutes would know those actions are the exact opposite of what Bae/Neal would want. He wasn’t there to honor his son – he was there to justify his actions. I’m hoping it was to show just how far gone Rumple is and how much he’s going to have to work to redeem himself for killing Zelena and lying to Belle, otherwise it was a waste of screentime and insulting to Neal’s character.
Overall, I loved the episode. I guess I’m not nearly as critical as some, because yeah, I asked myself how freezing the lock allowed Elsa to break it, and what on earth were Rumbelle doing sneaking around some house that’s just sitting there…in SB? Really? That’s trouble, not a honeymoon spot. But when I’m watching, I’m still there to escape for an hour and have some fun watching a bunch of fairy tale characters getting themselves into and out of the most fantastical situations and dilemmas. I don’t begrudge people wanting to criticize but I have to agree with Angiebelle and say that sometimes, coming into the threads is not nearly as fun as it used to be because the criticizing overwhelms any positive remarks made.