4 x 01 TALE OF TWO SISTERS — FAVORITE AND LEAST FAVORITE MOMENTS

They froze Walter. That’s a Disney reference.

The dance. I wasn’t sure how they’d make it work but oh it was lovely. I could watch that over and over and over and over…if I weren’t supposed to be packing. Ah, well, 13 hours on a plane, right?

The graveyard scene…I’m so glad that Rumple went to Bae first to tell him about the wedding. That felt right. And he followed through on his promise…if only for a little while. We know how power tempts him.

All of Arendelle. I’m actually glad they’re being very, very true to the film…it’s not the usual once “twist” from, say, S1, but I’m loving it, and Anna and Elsa are pretty much perfect so far.

I’m excited about Regina’s desire to figure out the author of the book, too. I so want her to get Belle in on that mission. Also, I’m just waiting for Belle to tell Elsa she’s not a monster…just like she told Rumple and Red.

Least favorite…yeah, I dislike the love triangle thing with Marian. It’s…kinda icky in a lot of ways. (Not as icky as SOME love triangles they’ve had, but still.) I’d like to see some more characterization for Marian, too, if they’re going to have her around for any length of time. Right now, she’s still just “Marian” without any actual personality.

Okay, after sleeping on it I still have mixed feelings from last night.

Least:

-Rumple and the graveyard scene: I have a tear but he seemed to have lost his whole character arc that was built up over the past seasons. It was a fall from grace so to speak.
-Rumple and the hat: While I like that it is the iconic hat from Fantasia, it just feels thrown in there. Also, it goes with the above statement. Really? No character growth…he just wants more power. How original is that?
-Marian: I just don’t like her and the whole thing confuses me. I mean it has been 28 years! I wasn’t a big fan of Robin to begin with and last night just proved why I didn’t like him.
-Henry: Still not living with his mom. Instead of Emma reaching out to Regina, it should have been Henry. End of story.
-Author of the book: Out of nowhere Regina decides that it is a books fault. Really? Really? (yes I am sounding like Tina Fey and Amy Phoeler when I say this) This makes me wonder if this will be the last season after all. The hat and this newfound mission seem like finale stuff.

Gray Area
-Hook & Emma: They do seem to be working through their issues. However, it seems kind of fast given Bae just died. Netflix comment was the best of the night.
-Belle finding an abandoned house. It just screams something from a horror flick. So I found this house abandoned…let’s honeymoon there?
-Frozen stuff: Not a fan of Frozen so I am just biding my time until 4B. I do have to say the person playing Anna has the character spot on with the fast talking though.

Favorite:
-Grumpy letting Sleepy be his designated driver.
-Belle: I mean she really has a newlywed glow all over her. The dance sequence was awesome.

How many liters of water did they throw at Pascale Hutton, Oliver Rice and the ship crew in the storm scene at the beginning? Hope it was warm enough, but shivered a bit just seeing it. And ponder if it would make an interesting behind the scenes docu to show, what it takes to get a “small” scene like this from script to screen, preparations, logistics, probs/costumes to shooting, CGI, editing, sound and scoring. It’s so easy to forget sometimes how much effort and working hours and people power goes into just a minute of the show.

least favorite:

Regina.
Can people stop tiptoeing around Regina?
And again it’s Regina saving the day while the rest is running around headless or knocked out by one tiny blow. Marian pleading with teary voice for help to Regina made me cringe even more. Why give the character character, she’s just some gimmick to trigger Regina’s newest back and forth.
Regina had kinda forgotten that she had locked up Sidney again or all the time (what was with him in the EF?) – yup, she is such a reformed person and closer to redemption. But right, Sidney by now is so fanatic about her and crazy that he better should stay locked up (and Regina should better watch her back), so she did right. Whatever.

Robin – what an honorable thief. Being Regina’s cheerleader doesn’t suits him well though, I just can’t take this character any serious. Love makes blind, or so.

Rumple’s scene at the grave of his son was pathetic, and not in a good sense. Rumple should have made a deal, he is not good at keeping promises.

The dance scene, including the set-up and follow-up. Just no. Disney cheesy overdose aside this relationship just gives me the creeps. Rumple lies to Belle, he tricks her, takes the dagger and puts it back as it pleases him, wows her with illusions. And Belle is all giddy adventure with him. Bad memories coming up. Good thing that I watch most of the time recorded so can fast forward through this.

favorite:

Elsa and Anna. Glad that Georgina Haig not just looks pretty much like Elsa but gives her some depth and nuance without being just a blunt copy of the animated version. Elizabeth Lail is great as Anna. If you compare the character to how Elizabeth appears in interviews you can see it is plenty of acting, she is quite a different person. But on screen she is pretty much like animated Anna, perky, wired, gaily, but adding her own touch. And her voice: so close, amazing. Only beef: costumes and wigs, somehow making them stiff.

Sven. Brilliant!

conclusion:
Not sure if the Frozen story will be good, but the characters as introduced were enjoyable and so will stick around for that. If it comes to the stories of the regular cast: don’t give a monkey. Okay, maybe a tiny bit still care what they bring up for Emma, minus Hook though.

…yeah, I dislike the love triangle thing with Marian. It’s…kinda icky in a lot of ways. (Not as icky as SOME love triangles they’ve had, but still.) I’d like to see some more characterization for Marian, too, if they’re going to have her around for any length of time. Right now, she’s still just “Marian” without any actual personality.

They are most likely not going to give her a personality other than “that woman who relates Regina to a monster”. If the writers give her a personality it will make it easier for casual viewers (because of course we are so blind) to feel disgusted when she is killed or unceremoniously removed from her husband and child, so that Robin falls back into Regina’s arms. Everyone ignores the little “innocent woman is treated unjustly” tidbit, the fans of Regina are simply happy to see her happy, and the show moves on. This is the way of the ship, my friend. She is not a person. She is an obstacle.  (And of course a PoC, but that is the subject of entirely different hateful banter that I can indulge in.)

Oh, how wonderfully and blissfully naive I was back in my first comment on this situation. However, the more I think, the more I know that I was expecting too much.

Marian pleading with teary voice for help to Regina made me cringe even more. Why give the character character, she’s just some gimmick to trigger Regina’s newest back and forth.

Oh my, I didn’t think of this. Well, then. This makes me wonder if they’re giving her tiny bits of character because they truly haven’t given an inkling of thought to how terrible their OutlawQueen message really is. Ah well, either way, this is miles away from the best writing on the planet.