[Slurpeez]

@Phee wrote:

Anyway, here’s the blurb slurpeez is refering to…

When I spoke to Colin O’Donoghue last week, he said that through episodes filmed to date, “Hook hasn’t had a huge interaction with many of the other characters” — possibly because he falls in with the wrong (meaning a righteous) crowd upon setting boot in the Maine burg. “It’s shocking and it’s exciting, and it’s not what you would expect,” Dallas says of Hook’s entrance into Storybrooke society. “He gets thrust into the group, as it were, quite violently!”

There would be few in town more righteous than the nuns, and Cora may want a spy in their ranks to keep an eye on Blue. How does one get violently thrust into hanging out with the local nuns though? Hmmm.

Perhaps Cora uses magic to “thrust” Hook into the group of nuns, which comes across as violent because Hook protests the transformation. I wouldn’t blame the guy for not wanting to be a nun, since taking a vow of celibacy and being an amorous pirate don’t really mix. As a dude with an eye for a pretty lady, I don’t think Hook’s efforts to flirt with every woman in the convent would come across as er, orthodox, if he were disguised as a fellow sister. I’m not sure I actually believe my own theory, but it’s the first wild idea that sprung to mind when I read the key phrase, “a righteous crowd.” It certainly would fit Josh Dallas’ description of being “shocking”, “exciting” and not what you’d expect.

[Slurpeez]

After listening to Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis’ official podcast for 2×9, I have a new theory regarding the identity of Barrett, who could be “The Outsider” who comes to SB. Adam and Eddy said that we’ll find out what happens to King George after the hiatus. However, they said trying George for the murder of a mouse and frame-job of a werewolf is made complicated by the matter that if found guilty, George would have travel outside of SB to a state penitentiary (which we know would cause George to forget his fairytale identity). Since “Decker” was the district attorney of SB, he must have been an official of the state of Maine. I have a feeling that Barrett could be another state official who travels to SB to investigate a rather unusual case of a former DA on trial for murder. It would be very mysterious to see a complete outsider come to SB to overhear a trial full of supernatural occurrences.

"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy

[Slurpeez]

Adam and Eddy confirmed in their official audio podcast for this episode that the giant did not die.

"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy

[Slurpeez]

@AntBee wrote:

I’m not really an expert on etiquette, but someone in the chat pointed out that it would have been wrong for Henry or any of the other Charmings to invite Regina because Ruby is the one that invited everyone. It wasn’t their place to invite her.

I love debating the finer points of etiquette, since Regina obviously doesn’t usually even abide by common decency, let alone curtesy. I suppose it really was up to Ruby, but it wouldn’t have been totally out of place for Emma to suggest extending an invite to Regina. I highly doubt Regina would’ve even accepted, but it least it would have made her feel like her former enemies were grateful to her for saving their lives. And yes, I know Henry and Emma both thanked her, but sometimes actions speak volumes louder than words.

Etiquette aside though, I don’t think it should fall on the Charmings and the others to help Regina from relapsing. She barely interacts with Ruby and the Dwarves, so they have no idea what is going on with her. All they know about her is that she’s the Evil Queen who kept trying to keep Snow and Charming apart, sent everyone to Storybrooke where they had a set of false memories, and then when that plan didn’t work, she used force on anyone that tried to keep her from her son, until he had to intervene and save everyone. They might know that she’s trying to change, but her past evil behavior is still pretty recent, and they’re probably very wary that she’ll eventually return to her old ways.

I don’t think it’s up to the Charmings to help Regina from relapsing either because imo it would be like asking a family that a murderer went after to help that person rehabilitate him/herself. I think that they’ve done more than enough in being nice to her, especially David, considering the circumstances. They didn’t have to protect her from the mob, but they did. They didn’t have to protect her from the Wraith, but they did. David didn’t have to let her be able to see Henry and even stay with Henry unsupervised, but he did.

It’s not up to Henry either because he’s only a child, and that’s too much responsibility for him to burden. It would be too much like Bae having the burden of his father being the Dark One and trying to change him.

I agree Regina does need a support system, and she has one in Archie, which is a start. She needs more than that, but right now I don’t think it should fall on any of the townspeople to be that for her because of all that she’s done to them in the past.

I know one major good act doesn’t cancel out a lifetime of evilness, but leaving Regina alone, high and dry, isn’t a very good long-term strategy either. It’s just not very smart on the Charmings’ behalf to leave Regina like a sitting duck unattended. There’s a proverb to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I’m not saying the Charmings need to invite her to Christmas dinner or have her join them on their family game nights. I just think Emma sitting down with Regina for a drink at Granny’s and talking about how they’re going to both be a part of Henry’s life would have been a really good strategy on how to manage Regina. It’s kind of like two divorced-parents putting aside their differences in order to preserve the best interests of the child. They must find a way to be civil.

While Regina going to therapy is an excellent first step on the road to recovery, it’s not going to be enough by itself. And really, a town-rehabilitation program for recovering magic-addicts is actually in everyone’s best long-term interests. No one, especially the Charmings, wants to see Regina go all haywire on them again. They know what she’s capable of when she starts using magic for evil. So, purely for the pragmatic reasoning of keeping Regina placated and on the no-magic bandwagon, she needs a support group ASAP, and there’s really no one else to help Regina. While it would make good sense for Archie to start a group-therapy session for recovering magic addicts, I think that group would be pretty small since Mr. Gold is the only other magician, but he has no real intention of giving up magic since he’s the one who brought it to SB. He’s also Regina’s enabler, as we saw him convince Regina to toy with words to con Henry. As Lana Parilla said recently, Rumplestiltskin is sort of the only one Regina has left to turn to (not a very good combination).

Yes, patience is definitely not a virtue that Regina possesses. I’m just glad that I was right that it seemed too easy for her up until now and that when Emma and Snow returned, so would her struggle because they do set off all her issues. I agree that it’s much more realistic that Regina is going to be really struggling with trying to be better, which is great because if and when she finally is able to deal with her anger and feelings in other ways besides turning to dark magic, it will be more rewarding for her and the audience.

Perhaps Snow and Emma aren’t her real issues at all; perhaps Regina’s real issues are with her twisted mother, Cora. While Snow and Regina may never be BFFs, we’ve just seen Regina risk even her mother’s return for the sake of saving Henry’s birth-mother and grandmother. They can find a way to coexist and to co-parent Henry, for his own sake. Regina’s bigger issue is how to deal with her mother. There’s no way she can handle that on her own and I have the horrible feeling that Cora is going to impersonate Archie, Regina's therapist and one confidant.

"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy

[Slurpeez]

@frumpybutsupersmart wrote:

I think it might have been before The Stable Boy – she’s been pretty lacking in empathy ever since we’ve known her. When Graham didn’t have his heart, he said he couldn’t feel anything emotional, so I’m guessing that Cora removed hers when she realised it could be a liability (“love is weakness”, after all). Her actions are still driven by wanting the best for her daughter, but since she lacks her heart, she has a problem with looking at things from Regina’s point of view, and has no qualms with ripping out the heart of the man her daughter loves.

Perhaps Cora simply removed her own heart to protect herself from Rumplestiltskin’s control. Since he taught her dark art of taking a heart, Cora probably felt the safest thing was to hide her heart outside of her body, likely in her own secret vault in her and Regina’s family home. This may have been long ago when Cora, the miller’s daughter, managed to keep baby Regina from Rumple by correctly guessing his name. She may have removed her own heart then so he wouldn’t try and take it to kill her as revenge.

"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy

[Slurpeez]

@Hannah97 wrote:

Okay, so in FTL, Regina is after Snow, wants her dead, has her against the wall… when did this happen? Clearly she’s in Evil Queen mode, but did you see her hair? I mean, she’s wearing normal clothes, her hair is in a normal ponytail, and yet they appear to be in some sort of castle. Whaaaaaat?

I’m thinking that scene happens after Snow White and Charming were secretly married by Lancelot but before their public wedding we saw in the pilot. Perhaps the reason Regina is dressed normally is because she is fighting against Snow and Charming taking back the kingdom.

@Hannah97 wrote:

So…. the Charmings confront Regina, I think about Henry. Why would they want to keep Henry from her? Seriously, Emma? Why do you wish to make her angry? She was doing so well! Please don’t make her go back evil! Please!

I think that Regina isn’t herself of late in that scene. I have a feeling that Cora’s return to SB could be sparking Regina’s newly-discoverd rage. Even Emma merely suggesting Henry live with her for a while could be enough to set off Regina’s anger. As Mr. Gold said, Regina won’t be able to be a better anything if Cora comes through, and now that Cora’s in town, expect to see Regina on edge.

@AntBee wrote:

Yes, everyone in Storybrooke already knows they’re coming, but geeze, Cora and Hook, wouldn’t it make more sense to be on the down low to gather intel and do some retcon first.

I wonder if some of the new footage isn’t actually footage from the next several episodes. It just seems like a lot of big things to fit into one episode. I also share the feeling that Hook and Cora would want to lay low for awhile as they plot their next move. I read in a post winter-finale interview that Hook’s ship is enchanted to be invisible and that Hook decides to keep a low righteous profile. Maybe Cora disguises Hook as a nun (Tinker Bell)! 💡 How hallarious would it be if Dr. Whale finally works up the nerve to hit on a nun who turns out to be Hook in disguise! 😆 That interview can be read here: http://tvline.com/2012/12/02/once-upon-a-time-midseason-finale-recap-burning-questions/2/

@AntBee wrote:

Yes, I don’t know what’s going on with Regina in the promo. Her eyes looked to be glowing in one scene, and then she’s using spells on Emma. It looks like she’s having a major relapse. I bet Cora has something to do with it. (Hey just maybe impostor theory can survive if Cora/Archie is causing this relapse in Regina.)

I also have a feeling that Cora is going to use her magic to impersonate Archie, hence the title “The Cricket Game.” Disguised as Regina’s therapist, Cora could play mind games with Regina, plant negative thoughts about the Charmings in her head, and convince her to keep Henry “safe” using magic, thus pushing Regina off of the no-magic bandwagon. More than anything, I believe Cora wants to mold Regina into her own twisted, magic-junkie image, so planting false thoughts in her daughter’s head while disguised as Archie would be the ultimate form of mind-control Cora could use on Regina. Going from saving Emma’s life in one episode to hurling Emma through the air with magic in the next episode happens all too fast unless Cora preying on Regina’s weaknesses is compelling this sudden shift in character judgement.

@Naomi wrote:

Yup, it looks like Gold is going to use that favor to ask Emma to find his son.But if Bae is really Neal, let’s hope she doesn’t shoot him on sight. 😆

Yes, Emma finding Baelfire is surely the favor she owes Mr. Gold. Also, Jennifer Morrison confirmed that while Emma thinks she knows all about Henry’s dad, Neal, there is also a part of him she doesn’t know at all. I think the part she doesn’t know is that Neal’s real identity is Baelfire.

"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy

[Slurpeez]

I call that upon their arrival in SB, Cora disguises Captain Hook as a nun and herself as Archie! I also call that when we finally meet the Little Mermaid, she'll be one of the mermaids from Neverland, except she'll be the only nice one amongst the group.

"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy

[Slurpeez]

@Oncewatcher wrote:

I haven’t heard anymore filming news about O’Donoghue since these shots were released. Is 2×11 where Hook is killed, or something? It doesn’t sound like CO’s done anymore filming past this point.

Colin O’Donoghue was promoted to a series regular for the last 9 episodes of S2, so Captain Hook isn’t going anywhere for a long while.

"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy

[Slurpeez]

I think tales of far-off realms like Neverland could simply be the stories that the people of the EF have heard of since childhood, kind of like the way people in our world hear about fairytales growing up. Plus, Hook had Smee, who certainly knew about magical beans being portals between realms. It’s possible Smee divulged off-camera to Hook that the Dark One needed the bean to travel to another world. Since I believe the bean simply goes where the traveler needs to go, Hook made a snap-decision that he’d keep the bean and travel to a world he’d heard of where people never age. That way Captain Hook could live long enough to figure out how to enact his revenge against Rumple.

There's a picture of Hook on a SB rooftopwith Smee, who is holding a cape that strangely resembles the cape Baelfire was wearing when he disappeared from the EF all those centuries ago. https://oncepodcast.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=80&t=2015&start=10#p27607

If Baelfire ended up as a lost boy in Neverland, it's possible Captain Hook figured he was Baelfire, based on that time Rumple saw Milha's and Rumple's young son in the tavern in 2×4. Hook probably then guessed that Baelfire going missing is what drives Rumpel. Kidnapping Baelfire and then making Rumple believe his son is long gone dead is surely the cruelest form of torment that Hook could inflict on his arch enemy.

"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy

[Slurpeez]

@craxyfox wrote:

I do agree that an invitation to dinner wasn’t exactly expected, and noone’s saying that she should have joined everyone, but the tiny bit of gratitude she received was a little rushed, and it didn’t help having Rumple rub it in.
But yes, leaving her alone like that will be the set up of her possibly turning back to her evil ways, so I suppose that was needed ):

While I don’t think the Charmings should suddenly embrace Regina as a member of the family, I think even MIss Manners would agree that a courteous dinner invitation was merited, considering that if it hadn’t been for Regina, Emma and Snow would be toast by now. Excluding Regina is just setting her up to fall off of what little high moral ground she’s gained recently. Every recovering addict needs a support group. Leaving her alone is just setting her up to fail again. Henry and Emma especially needed to take the lead and include Regina, since Snow and Charming have the worst history with Regina. I’ve never been a huge fan of Regina’s, but I do want her to continue to recover. (Regretfully, I doubt Regina will stay on the straight and narrow now given Cora’s arrival in SB. If anything, it probably means at least a temporary relapse for Regina).

"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy

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