[AKA]

Wow this one was a confusing mess 4/10

Liked:

Zelena’s come on my monkies let’s fly

Henry trying true love’s kiss parallel to season 1, He definitely has the heart of the truest believer.  I think it would have been better pay off if it had actually worked

Regina and Zelena still having a loving sisterly relationship

Robin shooting arrows like her father and the fact that we got her actual age which was 25 (Bye the way that means that Emma was nearing 50 when she got pregnant)

I am somewhat intrigued by the concept of the 8 witches who are they, what powers do they have

Gothel betraying Ivy and throwing her down the well with her mom.  I like this just because I really need Ivy and Victoria to fix their relationship and maybe working together to get out will help.

Rogers giving the elephant to Cinderella so she would be able to know who her daughter was in the curse, was good form.

CONFUSED and DISLIKED:

Rumple is now imp rumple?  What, when did that happen?????  Last time we saw him he was in human form so why in the world would he have changed

The Oldest part of the Enchanted Forrest is the original enchanted forest?  That makes no sense.  I thought this was a completely different realm and that is why there is a new cinderella, and a new rapunzel, and new whoever else.    What happened to that?

The scene between Hook and Alice was first of all mumbled so I could not understand it even after watching it four times.  So I had no idea what in the world they were talking about, but I guess that it was that she should be reunited with Robyn her love? Okay thanks for that with absolutely no background.

A white elephant figurine helps you keep your relationship in a cursed world? That is a stupid magical maguffin.

Anna is the “guardian” okay where is the story?  Why is she the guardian, what made her the guardian, and really so what was the purpose of Rumple dropping into the new/which is just not the old part of the enchanted forest in front of Henry, Alice, and a Rabbit to be put on the path to the guardian if none of them is it.  And since when did Anna have magic?  We saw none of that in the flashbacks.  Did her dying in the lake give her magical powers?  None of it made any sense and what could have been really good writing having Alice or Henry the guardian turned into sloppy and unrelated writing, badly done.

Finally this is the winter finale and should have been a really good episode, especially this year when they are trying to keep the fans that they have and instead they give us a complete and utter mess that we now get to wait until March to clean up.

[AKA]

Marcus was not likable.  I mean didn’t they play off that Marcus and Cecilia were “true love” and that is how Ella knew that her and Henry was supposed to be together was because they had the same glowing lockets as her parents.  If that is so, we can all truly start to route for someone else for Henry and Ella because Marcus was playing both women.  I still love you Rapunzel, see I kept your old coat and I look like I want more but I’ll just leave and be with my current wife.  Oh Wait her heart got magicked?  I will leave my three daughters and go find her. Wait she died, oh well back to Rapunzel.

I liked that Rapunzel saved herself and I actually liked the story of helplessness, to despair, to strength, to despair, to what she thought was finally her happiness, and finally to bitterness.  I think it would have been even better if they had taken the time to tell the story more slowly but I get what they were doing.  I also understand that instead of turning to Drizella after Anastasia’s death she pushed her away and focused on bringing back Anastasia instead.  I think it is horrible and selfish but Rapunzel never truly mourned Anastasia because she held on to the thought of bringing her back to life (think Regina and Daniel, Regina was not able to let go until she failed at bringing him back it consumed her life and left her bitter) In Rapunzel’s mind Anastasia was the only one who “wanted” her back.  Drizella gravitated towards Cecilia who basically raised her and her husband was remarried.  Now Rapunzel being an adult and a mother should have understood and had some empathy for what Drizella was going through, her psychological trauma of loosing a mom, gaining a new one, and then the old one coming back.  Who should she be loyal to? She probably felt caught in the middle of this very uncomfortable situation and so she picked a side.  Can’t blame the kid,  have to try and understand and work with them, instead Rapunzel throws up her arms and gives up (not good parenting)

[AKA]

Anastasia has been “dead” just about as long as Lucy has been alive. If Lucy is Anastasia reincarnated, then there’s just one soul between the two of them. This would explain why one needs to be comatose while the other is up and about, and why Tremaine was so interested in “winning” Lucy even before the tear spell became possible.

Wow I like that theory.

[AKA]

I liked this one for the most part 8/10

Liked:

Rumple and Bae:  This made my heart melt.  I love that Rumple was trying to save Ivy and Victoria’s relationship.  It shows tremendous growth that Rumple cared enough to open up to Victoria in an attempt to get Victoria to see the value of the daughter that she has.  He has always had a soft spot for parent/child relationships but he really tried very hard to get Victoria to see the light

Ivy:  They have really developed a complex character in her and I love it.  She goes from villain to victim and back so many times in just this one episode.  The great thing about her character is that she really is both.   She is a very hurt and angry  little girl who just wants her mother’s love.  The actress by the way is outstanding!

Victoria:  She went back and forth in the episode also and I actually doubted myself for a minute thinking maybe she was not going to be a horrible person.  She was a truly a good person who fought hard for a family that just wasn’t going to succeed, and in that failure and the loss of her daughter she turned angry and bitter.  I think the fact that her husband had a choice and chose his step daughter (probably to remind him of his late wife) over their daughter was the end.

Rumple and Rogers:  There is no secret that I have never been a Hook fan and Rogers still irritates me with his constant yelling, but the scene between Rumple and Rogers was very well done.  Who in their right mind would have ever thought that Rumple would open up to Rogers/Hook, and who would have thought that Rogers/Hook would accept that and try and help.  I actually thought it was very touching given their history (even if he is wish Hook, and actually maybe that makes it even more impressive since their only relationship should be revenge)

Mixed:

Lady Tremaine being Rapunzel.  Although I did like that she rescued herself that was Awesome girl power!

What exactly did the mushroom do?  So that is what affected the heart?  So Marcus runs to Wonderland after Cecilia and then when she dies he comes back and gets back with Rapunzel, have to say wow dude take some time and morn.

I didn’t understand the Jacinda scene where she kisses the ex and he leaves and she has a big smile on her face and then runs and gets the mixed tape?  I thought the smile meant hey maybe I do feel something for this guy but then why go get Henry’s mixed tape.  I think she is just all over the place with her acting and it comes off as ridiculous and not in a good way.

So if we eliminated all the Jacinda and Lucy moments this episode would have gotten a 9/10 for me.

 

[AKA]

At first I thought well it is probably still cursed somehow.  There have been so many curses on the town line that I can’t even keep them straight.  Have they all be lifted or are they still present?  Can you leave Storybrooke and still find your way back to it?  I think they lifted that one at the end of season 5 becasue they all went to NYC along with the leaving Storybrooke and turning into a tree that was lifted at the end of season 5 also correct? Anyway maybe the town line is again cursed so that outsiders can’t get in?

My second thought is maybe this is a parallel universe, maybe HH is not in the same realm as Storybrooke? Maybe this is fictional Seattle?  It is not like they have not done that before.

My other thought is that is has to do with whatever curse has brought them to HH.  We know that if the curse is broken something “bad” will happen to the ones Regina loves so maybe she doesn’t want to bring anyone else into the curse.  We also know that this curse is meant to spread out the fairy tale characters and bring in non fairy tale characters into HH so that they intermix.  Why is this important?  Maybe that is why Regina and Rumple can’t bring in outside characters into HH maybe these characters can leave but new fairy tale characters can’t come in?

[AKA]

I thought she was trapped by Rapunzel who she was trying to trap?  Hook and her time together was rather odd and convenient.  So she just magically got pregnant after a one night stand and then gave birth to a full term little girl after Hook fell asleep?  Wow that is crazy and rather stupid.  Poor Alice who was not only abandoned by her mother but conceived only so she could be used for her mother’s freedom.  Gothel may give the other bad mothers  (Cora, Milah, Victoria, Black Fairy) on OUAT a run for their money.  I think Gotehl will be the ultimate big bad.  Rumple seems afraid of what she can do, Victoria(maybe she is Rupunzel?) is definitely not happy that she is free, and even Regina is now really worried.

[AKA]

I thought Gothel inflected this on them, but I could be totally wrong.  Why would Drizella and how could she as she has just acquired magic through Regina? Alice and Hook have been cursed for a long while correct?  Anyway maybe they each need to be true loved by someone else which would cure them individually?  More likely they will have a magical mcguffin that will cure them.

[AKA]

And will he cause a “bizarre love triangle” between Henry, Cinderella, and himself?

Well let’s hope not, because I might actually root for Nick/Jack rather than Henry as I feel Henry and Cinderella have very little chemistry.

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Who is Ella’s biological father and does it matter?

I don’t think that will ever matter.

Who is Drizella’s father?

I was hoping it was Hook, but nope apparently not.  Since she has magic and her mom does not maybe her dad has some kind of magic?

Who put the Curse of the Poison Heart on Ella’s mother and step father?

I don’t know why but I assumed it was Gothel, I guess we had no evidence of it but since Gothel put the same curse on Hook and Alice’s hearts I just assumed it was hers.

[AKA]

It is hard for me to separate out the two episodes when I watch them back to back.   They also ran together rather well so that makes it even harder to remember what happened in each one. So in other words I am critiquing both together.  All in all they were entertaining and we found out a lot 7.0/10

Liked:

Rumple trying to protect Hook from himself, I thought that was a great character moment for Rumple.

So Gothel was trapped by Rapunzel in the tower and then tricked Hook in bringing back the flower so she could make a one day baby (?) but I did like the fact that she was so incredibly evil that she was willing not to just abandon her child but to create her just so she could be free.   I also really liked the fact that Hook decided to give up his revenge to be a daddy.  Makes me want to like the guy.

I like the fact that I am not sure who is MORE evil, Victoria, Ivy, or Gothel.  I have a feeling Gothel is manipulating everyone but for what reason I am not sure.

Mixed:

The scene between  Rumple and Regina rubbed me the wrong way.  I see what they were trying to do with the season 1 feels but it did not work.  I also did not like the fact that Rumple actually denied knowing Belle as a Rumbelle fan that felt incredibly wrong.  I loved the thought of Regina and Rumple teaming up, but nope we have Regina running to San Francisco to go get Zelena I would assume.

The Wonderland scenes were more about Jacinda than they were about Alice which was disappointing.  I can’t seem to care about her character so i could care less about her family that is long gone and has nothing to do with the story

Alice being Hook’s daughter. Again they gave way too many hints and we knew it way too soon.  A little mystery would have gone a long way.  I also hate when the adult characters try and use the word “papa” it just comes off wrong no matter who you are.

Disliked:

–How is Drizella already a powerful sorceress, capable of casting curses, and leading people down rabbit holes when it was literally YESTERDAY (for the characters) that Drizella killed the Prince???!

GREAT QUESTION, this made no sense!

Instead of falling in love slowly over time, Henry and Ella have a necklace do the work for them! Geeeeeez, come on.

I also agree that OUAT is trying to shove Ella and Henry down our throats and now they are saying that they are true love because of some necklace.  How about just developing their story slowly so we can actually try and like them.

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