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I have been profoundly disappointed with this season, y'all, especially the second half. It seems like they didn't know what to do between Emma and Snow getting back from EF and whatever they're doing for the finale (probably a cliffhanger "will she or won't she" re: Emma going 'home' with her parents). Tamara and Growen better prove a point to their existence like right the fuck now, because I can't tell why they're on this show.
Hook is such a troll, I almost like him sometimes. Oooh, Tamara knows about the Dark One. Who the hell is she? Why should I care? Would killing the magical creature mean Rumple is free of the Dark One? Growen fails at being sinister and thugly. It doesn't help they dressed him like a stereotypical twenties New York Irish thug. I expect him to break out in song.
THE RETURN OF REGINA'S FIERCE QUEEN WARDROBE!!! Fezes are cool. Awesome. I'm glad we're back to the main storyline here. Regina has like, negative emotional IQ.
OMG, I am so so so happy Snow and Charming are talking about the ethics of leaving Regina in Storybrooke. Charming's offer is so tolerant, given everything.
I can't help but blame Cora for Regina's inability to understand the nature of love. Rumple gets it, but chooses to be feared, so it's really interesting that he's overall the more sympathetic character. Hey, Quantum Leap! Great technique for showing shapeshifting without having to lose the actress.
Henry's finally getting wary of Regina again. That's good. He seemed to have forgotten how she made his life suck and whatever convinced him she was evil for a while. Heh, Regina can't even get Cora's manipulation technique right. [sigh] Regina and Hermione. At least now she understands the nature of what Henry actually wants from her, what counts as good in his eyes. I read a fic once where McGonagall noticed how Snape wasn't really punishing DA members, nor was he allowing the Carrows completely free rein over the school the way a real DE would, went to him and said WTF. He said to protect both of them, he would have to erase her memory of having figured out whose side he was really on; when she asked how many times he'd done that already he said something like five. Behavior is a pattern, and anyone exposed to that pattern frequently enough will eventually see it, no matter how many times you remove their memories of it. So now we know the season endgame. But why do we need Tamara and Growen for it?
Regina's horror at the effigy is genuine. Pity she didn't learn anything from it. I love how she totally didn't listen to what Rumple said about the spell's effects. The guards are hilarious in their rationality.
She stole a bean plant to grow in her office? How shockingly subtle. Hook is much better at this manipulation thing than Regina is. Probably because he simply tells the truth with a request at the end. I have a really hard time telling if the request is genuine or simply part of the game. I think he is really sad Cora's dead, if for no other reason than her skirts were an extremely protective place to hide. He's a failpirate and he knows it. I love how they've kept that part of canon canonical; he did get consistently beat up by a band of preteens in Neverland.
Ah, so Tamara has a cheat sheet. Who's her source? Hey! Emma's superpower finally kicked in! About fucking time. It's so intermittent. AND SNOW CALLS HER ON IT!! Fantastic. I love the Charmings sometimes. Snow's got a really good point about Henry's expectations. I was hoping Operation Cobra was over.
The library's elevator is delightfully steampunky. What's down there besides dragon corpse?
Snow to the rescue! She's a better Robin Hood on this show than Robin Hood. Regina owes her a life debt? Well, that complicates some things.
Fuck, I love Hook's little revenge lecture. So very true. I can't believe Regina still thinks she and Henry have a future if she destroys the town. She'll have to keep erasing his memory to the point he won't be Henry anymore. Rumple needs to give that kid some anti-magic training or a ward ASAP. I wonder what the consequence of the cuff transfer will be. It's been made stupidly obvious. YAY MALEFICENT DIDN'T DIE! Sort of. She's kind of looking like the Mouth of Sauron these days. Pity, I kind of liked her. The vial of twu wuv, the destruction trigger, what else is down there? If Emma ever wanted to engage in some dungeon crawling to level up... (who am I kidding, we all know Henry will be the one to do it)
It's a good thing Maleficent spends more time shrieking than fighting. Gives Hook a chance to be distressed and pretty. In Snow's coffin? That's ... actually not a bad hiding place. That's a really big ruby. Does it click into something? You have to crush it? Is it actually a heart piece? OMG, hunting pieces of the town's heart. Are we going to see Sora? He's totally a Disney character, right?
All these chances for Regina to learn and she fails every time. [sob] ALL MY STABLE BOY FEELS OMG Looks like all Regina's Stable Boy feels too.
"I need a why? You never need a why." Emma, when did you become my favorite character? Emma's starting to feel like the odd one out, not wanting to go to EF. Jennifer sounds like she has a cold this week. Henry is really terrible at this investigating thing. Emma, OTOH, is being ept again. Of course Neal comes back. FFS. Story logic. I ... Neal left EF hundreds of years ago, how the hell does he know who everyone is. Did August tell him? (How the hell did August know? Did he send a briefing packet after the postcard?) IDK why everyone assumes Emma's still in love with Neal. She's given no indications of it. I can forgive Henry because he's a kid (and an idealistic emotional idiot thanks to Regina), but Neal? He may just be an idiot. I am unfond of him. Never thought I would want Graham back, but at least he and Emma had something resembling chemistry. And he was aware enough of his stupidity to be easily led.
[facepalm] Snow, a peasant would not know how to use a sword. She's like as to cut her own leg off. Oh, fuck, Snow, I love you so fucking much. I love this whole scene. I love Snow and Regina when they love each other. They could be SO good for each other. Regina seriously does want to be good. And the mass grave just killed it. Yay cholera. And Regina blows it. Naturally. The floofiness of Snow's inexplicable collar seems like it would interfere with the bowstring.
[sigh] Regina shot herself in the foot with her scheming again. I think Hook would have genuinely turned if she hadn't treated him so callously. Ah, that's what the cuff was about. So, how did Hook get out of the mine so fast? Or do Growen and Tamara have a field projector? Did they give Hook the taser before they let him go? If so, why did he go to Regina instead of straight after Gold? Can you tase a lich?
Emma's ambivalence about leaving intrigues me. Hey! Regina did burn the field! Every once in a while she acts like a smart person. I love how Snow feels like she even has to ask.
Science trumps magic? Huh. How did they find enough magic to experiment on? Science requires experimentation. Growen is almost a competent villain. GFD.