'Once Upon A Time' Season 5 Episode 11 'Swan Song' Mid-Season Finale Review

Non Spoiler Review- A mixed bag of an episode in my opinion. This was a great episode that had some insane twists that were unfortunately undercut by some mind blowing reveals. I enjoyed the episode and it was very emotional and I will discuss in more detail what I exactly disliked as there were a few things that bugged me in this midseason finale. However I'm very excited for the rest of the season and can't wait for the show's returning March.

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

1. Trip to the Underworld- The end of the episode sees Emma wanting to bring Hook back from the Underworld with plans to share her heart with him like Snow and Charming. The promo for the next episode showed a few dead characters that the gang will come across and it got me thinking and I really think that each character will run into someone and be compelled to bring them back or it will complicate relationships. I wouldn't be surprised if Emma runs into Neil and he is confused why she didn't come for him and Hook instead. I also think this means Hades will be the main villain for the rest of the season since he is the ruler of the underworld and Hercules and Meg have both been cast for the show. One thing that bothered me about this was that I didn't understand why they would allow Henry to accompany them into the Underworld. That just bothered me as it seems like awful parenting. But in all seriousness, they should be looking for Henry's safety and best interests and there's not really a reason he needed to tag along. Another thing that bothered me about this was that this totally undercut the importance of Hook's death and I like Hook's character but I feel like there are no stakes for the characters if they can just journey to the Underworld to save someone. I'm glad Hook won't be gone for good though. 

2. Rumplestiltskin tricks everyone-  The huge twist that I feel a little mixed about in this episode was Rumple's big reveal that he turned Excalibur into a conduit and somehow re retrieved the Dark One Dagger, which doesn't make sense to me since it was a part of Excalibur and vanished with the sword, and he is the Dark One again with the power of all the previous Dark One's so he is significantly more powerful than ever before. Once again I felt that this undercut Hook's sacrifice as he dies to stop the darkness and really died for nothing. This also seemed to contradict the direction of Gold's character arc as he was becoming a hero and seemed to finally fill that void and just became a villain again unexpectedly. It didn't feel natural for the story and his character given the recent episodes but I personally prefer Gold as a villain and Rumpelstiltskin is one of my favorite character so I'm glad to see him back as the villain but didn't feel that it progressed with the story.

3. Hook's death- The big moment of the episode that was undercut by the above highlights was Hook's sacrifice. This moment was very emotional and it made it even more emotional when Emma had to be the one to put Excalibur through him. I thought he had a very noble sacrifice and it worked effectively for the episode and wish that at least one episode had passed before they decide to try to bring him back.

4. Belle and Rumple- Another crucial heartbreaking part of the episode was the drama between Gold and Belle. First Gold does the noble thing and provides Belle with a means to travel the world and leave the town as she's always desired. I liked this as it contributed to Gold's hero arc that was unfortunately undercut by the twist later. She then returns after learning the truth and says she wants to stay and be with Rumpelstiltskin. I'm curious to see how she will react to the truth about Gold's schemes and if it will continue this cycle between them where she constantly changes her mind. 

5. Hook's strained past with his father- A very interesting piece of the episode were flashbacks that delved more into Hook's backstory. I was surprised to see Hook choose to kill his father as Regina made it seem as though Hook made the "right choice". I feel as though this may return to be part of the larger story arc for the rest of the season especially since a majority of the cast is currently in the Underworld.

6. Regina sends Zelena back to Oz- This episode also had Regina send Zelena back to Oz. Hopefully we will see Zelena in a future episode as I quite enjoy her as a villain for the series and would be interested to see if she makes her way back for her daughter, which still is un named for some reason.

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'Once Upon A Time' Season 5 Episode 10 'Broken Heart' Review

Non Spoiler Review- This episode of 'Once Upon A Time' manages to answer all the questions involving the flashbacks and another very intriguing episode of the series that will as the episode title implies will indeed break your heart if you're a fan of the show. A great episode that really sets the stage for next week's midseason finale. 

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

1. Hook brings back previous Dark Ones- At the end of the episode after Hook's duel with Rumple, he is able to use Rumple's blood to open the door to the Underworld and bring all of the Dark Ones back for an army or something. I'm curious to see what Hook will use the Dark One's for and what his grand scheme is aside from extinguishing the light. I have a theory that this is a subtle hint that the Underworld will have significant importance for the next half of the season and that Hades will be the villain of that half especially after seeing that Hercules was cast on the show. 

2. Hook was responsible for the curse- The episode also comes full circle answering every question from the season premiere when everyone awoke in Storybrooke confused. We learn that Hook killed Merlin to create a curse so he could seek revenge once again. The reasoning behind this is that a a curse requires the death of the person you love most and since Hook is a Dark One and all of the previous Dark Ones are inside him technically Merlin is the thing that Nimue loved most and so it worked. Emma then arrives and wipes everyone's memory so that she can stop Hook and make him the man he was before he became a Dark One. I felt that this made Emma seem less like a villain as her motivations were very pure and revealed that she never really did anything that was very evil. 

3. Hook and Emma splintered apart- One interesting subplot was seeing Emma's mistrust of Hook drove him away from her as he gave into the darkness and then in Storybrooke seeing Hook vengeful of what had happened to him so he wants to both stop Emma and seek his revenge. It was very sad to see their relationship destroyed in some aspects and I think it's led to next week's midseason finale will result in someone's death given the stakes. 

4. Gold bests Hook- I liked how Gold managed to best Hook despite being at a significant disadvantage with no magic while Hook is a Dark One and he uses his wit to win and seizes Excalibur, which is revealed can no longer control either Hook or Emma but can harm them. I'm curious to see if Gold will become more of a hero in the coming episodes and if he will strike the final blow wiping out darkness. 

5. Belle breaks Rumple- At the end of the episode Gold had told Belle to meet him at the well if she did love him and she does arrive but instead tells him that she's tired of having her heart broken by him and needs time to figure herself out really breaking his heart. To me this made absolutely no sense since Rumple is clearly changed, his heart is pure and he is a hero now with noble intentions. This was a very sad moment and I'm curious to see if she'll change her mind and how Gold will be affected by her words. 

6. Emma restores everyone's memories- Emma finally returns everyone's memories after working with Henry and gains everyone's trust once again, which I was very happy to see because I worried that could be dragged out. I also liked that Henry has restored faith and confidence in Emma as that was slightly annoying. 

7. Zelena is allowed to see her child- One very small subplot involved Regina and Robin allowing Zelena to see the child. I liked that they still don't trust her and say that one of the two must be present for her to see her daughter. I'm curious to see if the child will have any greater significance later in the season. I really liked Regina's speech telling Zelena that Henry made her good and she has hope that Zelena's daughter can do the same for her. I'm curious to see if that development will take place throughout the season. 

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'Once Upon A Time' Season 5 Episode 7 'Nimue' Review

Non Spoiler Review- This week's episode is once again another episode primarily set in flashbacks to provide necessary exposition and I really enjoyed learning the origin story behind how Merlin got his magic, the creation of Excalibur and the Dark One dagger, etc. I especially liked the introduction of the Nimue character and hope that she returns in a future episode. I also liked the many reveals and twists of the episode, really enjoyed this episode and can't wait for next week's two hour episode. 

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

1. Emma unites Excalibur- At the very end of the episode, the episode returns to the present day and we see Emma unite Excalibur after a little hesitation considering Arthur's words. I liked that she hesitated because it showed she's not completely dark and I think it's possible she may resist the Dark One's currently influencing her. I'm curious to see how long she waits to use it and if she chooses to instead use it purge the darkness from inside of her. 

2. Emma confronts the first Dark One- A very great character moment in the episode was when Emma resisted Nimue's influence over her and didn't turn to darkness but rather took the spark from Nimue. I was happy to see that this wasn't how Emma went dark and am very curious to learn exactly how that occurs and what else will happen in Camelot. 

3. Nimue becomes the first Dark One- I wasn't too surprised by this due to how this information was slowly revealed as it seemed logical to me that Nimue would be on elf the Dark One's although I didn't guess that she would be the first of them. I really liked her origin, motivation for becoming Dark, as well as the creation of Excalibur and the Dark One dagger. I thought it was interesting that she was the one to shatter the blade and I liked that Merlin placed Excalibur in the stone and create the dagger to help control the Dark One. I'm interested to see how she will be involved for the remainder of this arc as she will obviously be of great importance since Merlin said she will be needed to stop Emma although this is confusing since she went dark so it seems she would only make things worse. 

4. Zelena betrays all the heroes- I wasn't surprised that Zelena betrayed the group but I was surprised that she decided to help Arthur and bound Excalibur to Merlin to allow Arthur control over the magician similar to the Dark one's dagger. I liked this as it was an interesting twist that makes me wonder how the Camelot flashbacks will be resolved. I think it may be what forces Emma to go Dark as she may have to kill Merlin to save the heroes since he can be manipulated by Arthur. 

5. The Holy Grail- I was very surprised to see the Holy Grail introduced to the show's lore and I liked it's inclusion as well as the reveal that it provided Merlin with his magic as well as immortality.

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'Once Upon A Time' Season 5 Episode 'Dreamcatcher' Review

Non Spoiler Review- This episode was by far the best of the season as it had interesting reveals, great character moments, and some pivotal emotional scenes. 

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

 

1. Emma breaks Henry's heart to free Merlin- The big reveal was that in Camelot, Emma manipulated Violet using her heart to ensure Henry's heart would be broken so she could free Merlin from the tree. I think this moment as highlighted in the episode paralleled to what Cora did for Regina. I think it was a very difficult decision for Emma to make but she did it to ensure that Merlin could be free and help them. It seems as though she was trying to make up for it through manipulation by helping Henry win over Violet in actuality as she interfered in Camelot.

2. Merlin freed- It was interesting to finally see Merlin on the show as he was been teased since last season and I wasn't expecting him to appear so soon. He seems to be very powerful and I'm curious to see if and how he relates to Emma going full dark.

3. Emma still cares about Henry- Even though Emma is full dark she still certainly cares about Henry as she wanted to see him happy and ensure she made up for her mistake in Camelot even though Henry didn't know about it. There's a piece of her that still wishes to be good similarly to how Rumpelstiltskin cared about Belle and Neil and was willing to do anything for either one of them.

4. Merida teaches Gold to be brave- I thought it was very interesting to see Merida go research about Rumple's history and then use that to instill courage in him. I liked that she used the chipped cup that is so significant between him and Belle to motivate him. And then she mentioned she wants to use him to stop Emma so she has other motivations to training him besides being forced to. 

5. Emma sees Regina's heartbreak through the dreamcatcher- I thought it was very interesting how Emma was able to see into the Dreamcatcher's as they relate to her history and how she was even able to see Regina's memories inside of one. I'm curious to see how important dreamcatchers are to her role as the Dark One and if they relate to her plan. And then it must have been eyeopening for her to experience Regina's pain through viewing the memory and understand what she went through.

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'Once Upon A Time' Season 5 Episode 2 'The Price' Review

Non Spoiler Review- Another solid episode to this fifth season that maintains the mystery and intrigue while revealing some of the events that occurred in Camelot through flashbacks. The episode really focused on Regina along with a subplot for Hook that was nice to see. One thing I really like about this show is that it does a terrific job of switching the focus on specific characters from episode to episode so each character is given a compelling arc at one point or another.  For the most part I really enjoyed this episode and I'm looking forward to the upcoming episodes as they reveal more in the flashbacks, etc.

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode 

1. Emma's plan revealed- At the end of the episode,  Rumpelstiltskin appears to Emma and tells her that he is there to help her complete her plan and we learn that she plans to use Excalibur to wipe out the light. As of now, I like Emma as the Dark One because it's so different and I enjoy how they included Rumpelstitskin into her consciousness, etc. 

2. Hook wants to save Emma from the darkness- I really like how this arc is developing because it's interesting to see Hook, who was once a villain, have the desire to save Emma when he could easily become evil again. I also like how this led him to have a better relationship with Belle because she understands his problem. I can't wait to see this arc further explored.

3. Regina saves Robin- A man attempts to kill Regina when he learns she is the evil queen and instead Robin ends up being stabbed and so Regina turns to Emma to save Robin. She then asks Emma to use dark magic to save him which works but is said to come with a price. And we see that it starts expediting the process of Emma becoming dark. And at the end of the episode she saves him from the fury potentially revealing she could be the Savior now that Emma's dark. 

4. Henry's first crush- Henry seems to have a crush on a girl and I feel like this girl will later be important. This is because she seems to remember hearing the song that Henry shows her in Granny's Diner from before when he showed it to her in the Enchanted Forest. I think this means that maybe she could be able to have her memories restored somehow. 

5. Merlin trapped in a tree- This episode also reveals that Merlin is trapped as a tree but prophesied the events that have occurred.

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'Once Upon A Time' Season 4 Episode 21 'Mother' Review

Non Spoiler Review- This episode was really focused on mothers and the relationships between mothers and their children. I think the show did this because this episode premiered a week before Mother's Day and the mother theme really fit in quite nicely with the over-arcing story. Overall this was a great episode with plenty of great character moments and a huge surprise. 

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode 

1. Author is writing a new story- The big surprising cliffhanger this week is that the author finally has everything he needs. He now plans on writing a book where the heroes lose and villains win, based on the promos it seems that the villains are heroes and the heroes are villains. I'm unsure of how morally grey characters will fit into this (ie. Captain Hook, Regina, and Emma) because they exhibit qualities of both at times. 

2. Regina takes Lily's blood- It was assumed that Gold needed darkened Savior blood to get the magic ink to work but we learn that Lily makes a good substitute as Regina slits her wrist and takes her blood. I didn;t see this coming and assumed they would have to convert Emma but Regina found a shortcut. This then results in lily turning into a dragon just like her mother. 

3. Regina realizes she what her happy ending really is- Regina realizes she is what stands between herself and her happy ending. Her happy ending is feeling at home and she realizes she doesn't need to punish Zelena. I liked this as a step forward for Regina because Regina has grown to become one of my favorite characters on the show and she only gets better and more interesting each week.

4. Emma forgives Snow- Emma finally forgives Snow when she realizes that they were looking out for her best interests. I think this was a big step forward for Emma's character as she comes to forgiveness which seems to always be quite difficult for her.

5. Mother Daughter reunion- Maleficent comforts Lily and tells Lily she wants to be a part of her life after the dragon escapade and Lily realizes she's telling the truth and the two accept one another. I wonder how long this happy ending will last though given what is coming in the season finale. 

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'Once Upon A Time' Season 4 Episode 20 'Lily' Review

Non Spoiler Review- Sorry for the late review I realized after posting a wek of reviews I had forgotten 'Once Upon A Time'. This episode was a very interesting episode of 'Once Upon A Time' that is filled with surprises and a great performance from Jennifer Morrison where she plays a conflicted Emma Swan in this episode.

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode 

1. Zelena is pregnant- One of the big plot twists was the reveal that Zelena is pregnant with Robin's child. This puts Robin in an interesting predicament as he can't just abandon Zelena and his child because it's the wrong thing to do and at the same time puts Regina in an awkward position. I'm curious what Regina will do to counter this.

2. Lily knows about the Enchanted Forest- One surprise I didn't see coming was the revelation that Lily already knows about the Enchanted Forest, etc. It was even more surprising to learn that the Apprentice informed her of everything in a flashback. I'm very interested to see what trouble she will cause in Storybrooke.

3. Emma spares Lily- This moment really determined Emma's fate and thanks to Regina she chose the lighter path and I don't think Emma will become evil but she was very close in this moment because she could have killed Lily or helped her and chose the heroic option.

4. Gold returns Belle's heart- A very touching moment in this episode is when Gold works with Will Scarlet to steal back Belle's heart and Rumple returns it to Belle in person. Gold basically tells Belle to stay with Scarlet because he is the better man and that Gold 's heart is too dark. I'm curious to see what Belle will choose.

5. Emma's past further explored- I enjoy seeing flashbacks that reveal more about Emma's life as a foster kid, etc. because we don't know much about her past so it's always nice to learn more about a character's background. 

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'Once Upon A Time' Season 4 Episode 18 'Heart of Gold' Review

Non Spoiler Review- This episode focuses more on flashbacks and fills in the time which Gold, Robin, and Robin's family left Storybook and were in New York. It also provides another flashback to Robin becoming who he is today and why he has the moral code he has, etc. A very interesting episode with several plot twists that look to pay off for the rest of the season. Overall another great episode of 'Once Upon a Time'. 

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode 

1. Zelena is alive- The big twist was the reveal that when Gold "killed" Zelena she didn't die but went back in time and ended up killing Marion and posing as her using magic. So the entire time the Marion that was brought back was Zelena. Selena plans on attacking what Regina loves most; Robin Hood. So she is using Robin's feelings for Marion against Regina. I think it's an interesting plan and I'm glad to see Zelena back.

2. Gold blackmails Regina- Gold reveals to Regina he is working with Zelena and she will kill Robin of Regina falls out of line. He wants to use Regina to help guide Emma towards becoming evil. I find Gold's plot to be very interesting and can't wait to see how it plays out.

3. Gold enlists the Author- Gold finds the author before the good guys and convinces the author to help Gold in his evil scheme. It seems that Gold has everything about his plan in motion and everything is in his favor because he has the author, the remaining Queens of Darkness, Zelena, and control over Regina.

4. Flashbacks- It was interesting to learn what happened to Gold, Robin, and Robin's family while they were in New York. I especially liked the subplot of saving Gild's heart which lead to the revelation that Selena is indeed alive. I hope for more flashback like this to help fill in gaps in the timeline.

5. Robin gains a moral code- It was interesting to see Robin gain the moral code where he steals to help the unfortunate and for the better good, etc.

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