Once upon a Time 4.16

[selenak]

In which Ursula gets a backstory.

Comments

[trobadora]

I liked a lot of this episode, but Ursula's ending was way too pat, and I'm incredibly annoyed that despite Ariel's return, Hook's lies about her still haven't been exposed. *grumbles*

As usual - more Regina/Snow, please. I'm liking the whole Regina, Rumple et al. storyline a lot, though. And I liked August in this, too!

[selenak]

It was such a weird experience for me re: August! He was back! And I didn't hate him! I liked him, even!

Remind me again about Hook's lies re: Ariel, I have clean forgotten them?

[trobadora]

Last season, remember when Zelena disguised herself as Ariel, and eventually ended up cursing Hook's lips? That episode.

From what I remember, basically, Hook refused to help real-Ariel find Eric during the missing year, going so far as to kill the only person who knew who Eric was. He did eventually confess that to fake-Ariel in Storybrooke, but of course she turned out to be Zelena. But after fake-Ariel had vanished, he explained her disappearance by claiming he'd helped her find Eric. And everyone believed it because a magic mirror showed that Ariel and Eric were together now - real-Ariel found him after all. Oh, and Emma was very impressed with what Hook supposedly did, too. *sighs*

I can see why they didn't want to revisit that whole mess and explain all of that when Ariel's role in the new episode wasn't even that big. But I'm just really annoyed anyway.

[tigerpetals]

I don't think he said he'd helped Ariel. I thought Emma believed he had and he said the credit was Ariel's--but he was lying about how Ariel hadn't been there at all, so Emma thought he was being modest. He chose not to explain the Zelena plot. Which I didn't like either. I guess his hiding what he'd done to Ariel was supposed to be ameliorated by his eventual confession and willingness to try atonement--then everyone would've known--even without that actually having consequences except for the Zelena plot, which Emma did get mad aboiut

[cmattg]

If you're making the analogy I think, that should probably say "Rumpelstiltskin as Jason Wyngarde." Shaw was only peripherally involved in what happened to Jean.

[selenak]

True, Jason Wyngarde did the actual mind messing, but wasn't it Shaw's idea in the first place because he wanted Jean as the Red Queen of the Hellfire Club?

[cmattg]

No, there are some bits in the sequence inside the Hellfire Club that show Wyngarde using Jean's power as the basis for a power play against Shaw. If Mastermind was working with anyone, it was Emma Frost; she designed the mindtap that let his illusions work directly on Jean's thoughts.

[tigerpetals]

I'm sad about Ursula too, though glad she wasn't killed off. I feel weird about the reconciliation, because it kind of glosses over how he used her for murder against her will. I guess Ursula then went on to kill for her own reasons, if we're to give her threats in the present-day weight, but I feel like the relationship was too easily repaired. You're right that it's very Disney though (actually my feelings on the repair of that father-daughter relationship are similar) and it's also OUAT, where all happy endings are tied with family.

I didn't expect to like August's return, but he was smart. And Emma put her past with him behind when she forgave Neal, so it's okay she isn't mad at him or conflicted about his presence. (Even if it would have been nice to see her doing that earlier.)

[selenak]

So we're three unexpected approver of August's return so far. :)

[tigerpetals]

OUAT *Hook voice*: Does that surprise you? c:

[masqthephlsphr]

I was upset about Ursula leaving, too, until I realized she can't because she was banished to our earth. And her father made a comment about seeing her only "for a short time." Unless I missed something at the very end where her banishment was rescinded.

[tigerpetals]

I thought he made that comment because he believed she wouldn't want to return with him. We might see her in flashbacks, to explain how she and Cruella got to LWM.

[selenak]

Her father said (before she forgave him) that he wanted to hear her voice "one last time". I don't think either of them gave the impression Ursula could not return with him if she wished to. (Though presumably she couldn't have done so on her own.)