It’s really hard for me to find anything about the episode that I didn’t like. I certainly didn’t like finding out that Emma has to die for the curse to break, but I’m not putting too much stock to that. I have a feeling that it is not true, so I’m not destroyed by the fact.
But other than that, I enjoyed the episode. I’ll admit that the dream scene seemed a bit cheesy at some points, but it served its purpose–it showed how frightened Regina was becoming. I wonder where Mr. Gold is going–back to Fairytale Land? Why? Or is he planning on going to another world? I did love the conversations between Regina and Mr. Gold–they always reveal a lot of the story, yet they open up a pile of questions. I also wonder why Regina didn’t use Belle to force Mr. Gold to help her. She may be saving her for something useful, but I would’ve thought that keeping the curse intact was important to her. Enough to use her resource.
Snow White and Prince Charming were wonderful–I wished there had been more of them. The actors have such great chemistry, and they always manage to convey the longing, love, and frustration they have for each other and of the circumstances around them. The scene where Mary Margaret scolds Emma was also well done, along with the scene between August and Henry. August has become a favorite of mine pretty quickly, and the scene where he shows Henry his arm really made me feel for him
The rescue scene was done well, though I knew it would end in failure. The Evil Queen is not stupid. But the battle, particularly with the Fairies, was enjoyable, and it even seemed threatening, despite the outifts the fairies wear. The scenes with Jefferson were amazing–he’s such a wonderful character. I know people are angry that he helped Regina, but in all honesty, Rumpelstiltskin did worse. He created the whole curse in the first place.
Overall, my favorites were with Jefferson and Regina, and Emma and Henry, particularly the last scene when Emma is practically pleading with Henry. Emma’s been seen to get angry fairly quickly, so it was a nice change, as it was with the last episode, that she is emotionally, crying and fragile, trying to make Henry understand that she can’t be who he wants her to be.