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Oh, just saw this …..(Hope the spoiler thingy works!) But BRING IT!
Removed the actual spoiler because it’s too early to make sure I’ve got the spoiler codes right…. 😉
Nice! Where’d you find the article? I want to check out whatever they’re linking to – you know, because I think I let myself get overspoiled for 3/12 and am going to do exactly the same thing for all subsequent episodes because I don’t learn…
Haha, I like the “for once” part of the question – I have a feeling other ships would disagree with that phrasing…hey, our pirate can’t help being a media darling!!
[adrotate group="5"]I think this is my favorite breakdown of 3×12 so far – http://nerdygirlnotes.com/2014/03/10/tv-time-once-upon-a-time-3-12/
~CS Highlights:
~Favorite Lines
Emma: You could be a crazy person, or a liar, or both.
Hook: I prefer dashing rapscallion…Scoundrel?
Emma: Give me one good reason not to punch you in the face.The biggest theme of this episode was the idea of finding a home. Just as “The Heart of the Truest Believer” set up the Neverland arc’s major theme of belief, “New York City Serenade” raised the question of what home means for each of the major characters.
And what does home mean for a woman who’s never really had one? Yes, Emma built a home with Henry in New York, but that was a home with a false foundation. It seems that, for Emma, home is less about a place than it is about a feeling, and I think the same can be said for all of these characters. Home is where you feel safe, stable, and loved.
I think a lot of the credit should go to the actors. There was a genuine sense of comfort, confidence, and understanding between all of them in this episode. Nothing felt forced, and that was important for an episode that was heavily dependent on the chemistry between certain actors to make various plot points believable.
Another Enchanted Forest dynamic I enjoyed was the one between Charming and Hook. Josh Dallas did an excellent job playing Charming’s reactions to Hook’s departure. These two characters are mirror images of the other—driven by love, lost without the women who make them their best selves. And I think Charming has understood that since Neverland. His expression as Hook left to find his ship (and passage back to Emma?) was one of understanding, one of hope.It’s that same kind of chemistry that drove the plot in the NYC-based half of this episode. In order for anyone to find Emma drinking Hook’s potion believable, you would have to find their connection believable. Thankfully, Jennifer Morrison and Colin O’Donoghue aren’t struggling to generate chemistry. Their dynamic actually felt more natural than ever before.
Morrison really sold the fact that something in Emma connected with something in this leather-clad stranger. I always think Morrison is great at playing the sarcastic skeptic, and I was a huge fan of the way Hook and Emma’s early interactions in this episode paralleled Emma and Henry’s interactions in the pilot (down to the way both told Emma to use her superpower, thus making them the only two characters to believe in Emma’s superpower as much as she believes in it). Another callback I enjoyed was Emma once again chaining up the unsuspecting pirate because she’s concerned about trusting him, just as she did in Season Two’s “Tallahassee.”
Despite all her protestations, Emma kept coming back to this self-proclaimed scoundrel. (Anyone else take that as a deliberate Han Solo reference, or do I just watch The Empire Strikes Back way too often?) Neal’s apartment, Henry’s camera—these were strong pieces of evidence, but what made Emma really believe Hook was her gut. Unlike in “Tallahassee,” Emma ultimately bailed Hook out of jail because she decided to trust her instincts when it came to him.
That’s why all the stuff with Emma, Walsh, and Henry was so important in this episode—despite Walsh actually being a flying monkey. (I still can’t think about that without getting disturbed.) In encouraging Emma to open her heart to Walsh, Henry was unknowingly encouraging his mother to open her heart to believing Hook. I loved Henry and Emma’s relationship in this episode because all Henry wanted was his mother’s happiness, and that allowed Emma to follow her gut. Both Hook and Henry encouraged her to trust herself. And when she did, she knew what had to be done.
Emma chose to take a leap of faith, which is no small feat for this woman. She had the choice to leave Hook in jail; she had the choice to refuse the potion. But she chose to find out the truth for herself; she chose to believe. (Hmmm….and what are we always discussing in here?? 🙂 )
Emma didn’t want to give up her good life, but Hook wanted to remind her that maybe the life she was about to remember wasn’t all bad. His line about her loving someone in the life she lost was beautiful, and it was a nice callback to “Going Home,” in which Emma’s “Good” seemed to encourage Hook to believe his affections weren’t wholly unrequited. Morrison played Emma’s reaction to that perfectly—there was some fear in her eyes, but there was a surprising bit of hope there, too. Emma wants to be able to love; she doesn’t want to lose that part of herself. So when Hook implied that she might still be able to love—and to love this person she already feels herself drawn to—it gave her a sense of hope that not all the good things from her life would be lost.
Sharing a drink like old times after Emma’s memories were restored, there was a real sense of understanding and openness between Emma and Hook. This was the scene where I felt Morrison and O’Donoghue were at their best together. When Hook told Emma there was nothing left for him in the Enchanted Forest, all Morrison needed to do was change her facial expression slightly to show us that Emma understood that Hook was lost without her. And when Hook told Emma that he came back to save her, O’Donoghue delivered that line without any real sense of romance. It was a fact. But it was a fact Emma has never heard in her life—someone is capable of making her their top priority. Emma was defined by her role as the savior from before her birth; it’s her job to bring back happy endings. But Hook wanted to save her from a life she didn’t choose—a life of false memories. His job in this episode was to give the savior her own chance at a real happy ending. (There’s that ‘c’ word again!)
Emma let Hook see her vulnerabilities, and that’s something new for this relationship. More than anything, I liked that this episode let Emma and Hook’s relationship deepen as friends, confidants, and partners without making it all about the romance and attraction.
I found myself pleasantly surprised by the easy humor in many of the NYC scenes—from Hook and Henry bantering over his clothes to Hook’s distaste for bologna. That ease made Emma and Hook feel like a team, especially as they both prepared to face whatever had happened to Storybrooke. I loved the little moment when he touched Emma’s hair with his hook because it spoke to a new level of comfort between them. And that comfort was made even more obvious when Emma told him to watch Henry as she went to find her parents. The fact that she trusts him with the thing she loves most is no small detail.
Emma found her family again—just as Hook found Emma. That’s what love does in the world of Once Upon a Time; it leads you home.
Our voting numbers are still holding at 63%, Rumbelle at 64%, Swan Queen at 57%, and Snowing at 54%. Great job voting shipmates ur doing awesome 🙂
http://www.zimbio.com/brackets/TV+Couples+March+Madness+2014
The #CaptainSwan podcast is finally discussing a new episode tonight! Do you have any questions for the podcast?
— as you wish (@onlycaptainswan) March 12, 2014
Voting update:
We’re still holding our strong lead as is Rumbelle. The round is over tomorrow, it’s gonna be close but I think we’re can get Snowing through the next round, that means all four of our Once teams have made it to the sweet 16! Keep voting everyone whenever you can thank you all for putting up with me while I go super competitive 😛
@ginnygoodwin @jenmorrisonlive @colinodonoghue1 @OnceABC @heglahegla Hook: Where's my ship? Emma: I'm right here you dope!!
— Con O'Donoghue (@ConODonoghue) February 20, 2014
Colin’s dad ‘ships it 🙂
I dont know if this has been posted here yet, but just came across this (interviewer is an obvious SF shipper)
She still cares deeply for Neal (Michael Raymond-James), so what’s the challenge like for her now being around Hook?
Morrison: Neal and Hook are always a challenge for Emma because they’re both important in her life for very different reasons. No matter what, Neal is always going to be the father of her child. That’s always going to be a big deal. Hook is the first person who hasn’t let her down. Even though he’s done some bad things in his past, he’s never done anything bad to Emma. He’s always been good to her and shown up for her. That’s been her biggest issue with how many times she’s been abandoned and left behind, and Hook shows up for her. It is confusing and challenging for all of them because Neal and Hook like each other. They spent a lot of time in Neverland together. They respect each other. It’s not a catty love triangle. It’s three people who really respect each other. It makes it more heartbreaking to try to figure out what the right decision would be.Emma also thought she was in love with Walsh (Gorham) and now realizes that he was planted there. How does she feel being duped by this guy? Morrison: In a weird way, what happens with Walsh is what she’s used to. Of course it’s always upsetting and devastating. You don’t want to be duped by someone. But she has a survival mechanism to get through that. It’s more that she’s pissed that Henry looked at him as a father figure and potential stability in their lives. If anything, it makes her guard go up higher because she wants to make sure she can protect Henry
In a weird way, what happens with Walsh is what she’s used to. Of course it’s always upsetting and devastating. You don’t want to be duped by someone. But she has a survival mechanism to get through that. It’s more that she’s pissed that Henry looked at him as a father figure and potential stability in their lives. If anything, it makes her guard go up higher because she wants to make sure she can protect Henry
Very true! And…who does she then leave Henry alone with??? Hook?
I think Morrison’s answer to that first question is very telling. She’s been answering the triangle like that more and more lately – giving it that “Yes, Neal’s Henry’s father, but….Hook….” It’s ok, JMo, we all ship CS here, too. You’re safe. 😉
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