'Once Upon A Time' Season 5 Episode 8 'Birth' Review
Non Spoiler Review- A fantastic episode that finally answered many questions that have accumulated over the previous episodes with a very intriguing reveal that I will discuss in the spoiler section of the review. I really enjoyed this episode as the drama was interesting and I liked both the current story arc as well as the flashback arc featured in the episode as they culminated for a huge reveal. I also like the increased prevalence of Zelena in these recent episodes as I really like her as a villain. Overall a terrific episode that was one of the best this season and I can't wait for the next episode which will be in two weeks due to the AMA's.
*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******
Highlights of the episode
1. Hook is a Dark One?!?- This reveal was very shocking to me and I really found it to be quite interesting. I like the idea of two Dark Ones and thought it was even more interesting that Hook and Emma are the two Dark Ones as they are also both also lovers. I liked that Emma had a reason for why she went dark and what has occurred since Camelot. Emma tethered Killian to Excalibur to save him since Arthur cut him with the blade leaving him with a mortal wound. The reason she had to resort to this was that Excalibur's blade is so powerful that even Emma's magic couldn't fix it and when she tries to bring Excalibur back together Killian begins profusely bleeding. She then talks it over with the group and Merlin says there isn't a way to heal the wound so Emma poofs away with both halves of Excalibur and Killian. She then starts to tether Killian to the sword instead. I especially like that she did it to save Hook although Killian doesn't quite agree. I'm curious however to learn what happened to Merlin as a result of her actions since she tethered Killian to Excalibur in place of Merlin. I'm unsure if this also took Merlin's immortality killing Merlin but saving Hook but I'm sure that will be answered in the next episode.
4. Merlin resists Excalibur's hold over him- One small moment of the episode was when Merlin resists the power of Excalibur as Emma tells him he's so powerful that he shouldn't be restricted by the blade. Merlin then stops himself from killing Snow White. I liked this as it showed just how powerful Merlin is however this took a huge toll on him as he is fatigued by resisting Excalibur.
5. Regina tries to learn the truth- In Camelot Regina seizes the Dark One dagger and asks Emma for the real reason she doesn't want to let go of the darkness and doesn't believe her so she keeps asking which I think was very clever of her since Emma is the Dark one now and could lie to her. However everyone sees this and puts it to a stop as they think Regina is being a bit extreme. They take the dagger and give it back to Emma because they have trust she can control her actions.
'Once Upon A Time' Season 5 Episode 9 'The Bear King' Review
Non Spoiler Review- A "good" episode that just felt out of place as the episode was another flashback episode that only took place in the past. This felt out of place because it debuted with an episode that took place in modern day Storybrooke that had a huge reveal and cliffhanger that I really wanted to see resolved but instead will have to wait two weeks since tonight they showed two episodes in a row. I enjoyed the episode but just felt it didn't make for the best companion episode to 'Birth' since it was focused on Merida. I didn't mind the shifted focus but it just felt a little random since she hasn't been in an episode since episode 6 and it just felt out of place airing with the previous episode. Overall, I can say I liked the further development of Merida as well as the inclusion of some female characters who haven't been seen onscreen for awhile and these elements combined made for an entertaining episode.
*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******
Highlights of the episode
1. Team-up- My favorite part of the episode was seeing the team-up between Mulan, Merida, and Red Riding Hood. liked that these characters were brought back to the show and there was even a flashback that explained why Red Riding Hood has been absent from the series for a while. I hope to see more unexpected team-ups of characters similar to this in future episodes.
2. Merida crowned Queen of Dunbroch- In this episode Merida is officially crowned as queen and I liked that she was brought with a challenge as soon as soon as she became leader of Dunbroch. I led that Merida overcame the challenge by refusing to let the witch threaten them to which the witch reveals was the lesson her father wanted her to learn and allows the kingdom to prosper.
3. Mulan, Red Riding Hood, and Merida vs Arthur and Zelena- The final fight was quite entertaining especially with the team-up between the three women against Zelena and Arthur. I liked that Mulan and Red Riding Hood were resourceful in regards to defeating Zelena and that the fight between Merida and Arthur felt more intense when it's revealed that Arthur was the knight who killed her father.
4. Fergis- I liked the inclusion of Fergis in the flashbacks and I thought the series did a great job casting Fergis as he looks just like Fergis did in 'Brave' transferred to live action. I thought the character was handled well for the series and would like to see him return in any flashbacks or communicating with Merida through his spirit as it occurred in the episode,
5. Mulan trained Merida- I really like how the show had Mulan's inclusion feel less forcedly establishing that Merida and Mulan had previously established a friendship when Mulan trained Merida. I liked how this added to both Merida and Mulan's character as Mulan helped Merida in the past and Merida helped Mulan realize she lost her honor. I would really like to see these two back in any future episodes through flashbacks or in the current story.
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