#the judge from hell 1x10

[1liv]

THE JUDGE FROM HELL 1x10

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

1x10 | 4x10

[nataliescatorccioapologist]

I visited the WGA library to read Yellowjackets scripts and wanted to share some of my findings! (Pt. 1)

So as some of you may know, scripts for the latter half of Yellowjackets Season 1 have already been released to the public (you can find 1x05-1x10 here: https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/1FctrMniXqWRFJOe-rX6dSgvmXEO2KyLE?usp=share_link) and the Pilot script is pretty easily accessible on the internet if you look it up.

However, I have never been able to find the scripts for the rest of S1. An old draft of 1x04 can be found on Script Slug but A LOT has been changed from this script to the final product (Van is dead, Nat actually killed her dad, Javi is called Cody?!). It’s an interesting read for sure but it seems the actual final script of “Bear Down,” along with “F Sharp” and “Dollhouse,” are not accessible on the internet. So I headed over to the WGA Library and checked out those three scripts to read! It was super interesting (highly recommend going if you’re in the LA area!). I was not able to get any pictures of the scripts due to the Library policy, but I took lots of notes and saved some of my favorite lines!

I’m going to start with 1x02 and make two separate posts of 1x03 and 1x04 because otherwise this post would be way too long!

1x02 “F Sharp”

•The episode starts with Misty’s POV of the crash, and there’s this line that I love:

“Across from her, Lottie reaches forward to desperately clutch Laura Lee’s hand in the aisle. Their shared terror making it all the more clear that, in this moment, Misty is all alone.”

This shows Misty’s longing for companionship and affection. Even in what she thinks might be her last moments, she is utterly alone. I think this moment is part of what tips her over the edge into obsession in her relationships with Coach Ben, Crystal, and Natalie.

•In the final product, we don’t really see what Nat’s POV of the plane crash is (other than her nightmare in 1x03 but I’m not sure if that actually happened or not?) but in the script she gets knocked unconscious and buried under a bunch of luggage and equipment and the other girls have to dig her out.

•Misty and Taissa are the ones to pry the exit door open for everyone to escape.

•Jackie doesn’t even try to save Van in the script, she just immediately runs over and tries to drag Shauna away from Van from the get-go.

“Jackie runs after Shauna and starts clawing at her, trying to get her to move toward the exit.”

•After Shauna and Jackie make it outside the wreckage, Jackie and Shauna “begin fighting angrily in the dirt, Jackie clearly still desperately afraid to remain so close to the fiery wreckage” as Shauna tries to go back in for Van.

•And I just thought this descriptor was a cute little addition; after Misty chops off Coach Ben’s leg, we get this line:

“And as we realize this little show called ‘Yellowjackets’ is sick, unexpected and awesome, we smash cut to—

MAIN TITLE”

•“Laura Lee trying in vain to hold and comfort a struggling, hyperventalating Javi.”

A nice little moment of Laura Lee comforting Javi as he’s trying to find his dad.

•”Jackie: For the record, I was trying to save you. I thought…

I was going to lose you. Jackie bites her lip, a little teary. Shauna glances at her and nods, I know—but we also get the sense that Van isn’t the only one judging Jackie right now.”

A little Jackie/Shauna moment. You can see how much Jackie loves Shauna, but Shauna is still conflicted over Jackie’s choice to leave Van behind.

•Some things Caligula says when Natalie breaks into Misty’s house:

“Hello, pretty lady!”

“Hells bells! My dogs are barking!”

Love this.

•The information Misty has in her secret file: articles and magazine covers about the crash, press clippings, a local wedding announcement for Shauna and Jeff, Taissa’s campaign flyer, and a brochure for Natalie’s rehab clinic.

•When Nat asks Misty why she has all of this information, Misty says:

“You guys are the most important people in my life.”

Just another reminder that Misty’s whole existence revolves around the Yellowjackets, even after 25 years.

•Nat is hyper focused on looking at Travis’s drivers license in the bar scene when Kevyn walks up to her. She totally ignores Kevyn, just focused on Travis’ picture. She is described as looking “pale” and “like she’s seen a ghost.” Just shows how hung up Nat is on Travis and how much that relationship fucked her up.

•Misty says “Holy macaroni” when she sees Coach Martinez’s body. Insane.

•Okay brace yourselves for this one guys, in the script Coach Martinez is STILL ALIVE when they find him impaled on the tree.

“The coach’s eyes pop open. He suddenly grabs Travis. Eyes wild with pain and fear, the coach tries to speak but only makes raspy sounds as blood bubbles at his lips.”

“Travis: Dad! Let go!”

Travis’s dad won’t let go and there’s a scene where Travis is trying to claw him off of him, then the tree branch cracks and Travis shakes his dad off of his arm, “knows it’s his dad or the both of them” and the tree branch falls.

Wow. As if the scene that ended up making it in the final product wasn’t traumatic enough, Travis has to actively let his dad fall to his death when he’s still alive and desperately clinging to him? Ouch. I’m glad they cut that scene honestly poor Travis.

•Shauna is holding Javi and comforting him during and after this scene.

“We see Shauna still comforting Javi, we can’t hear what she’s saying but her body language is very giving—a maternal streak she didn’t know she had.”

Love the nod to Shauna’s maternal nature here. She’s naturally very nurturing and caring, but after she loses her baby she becomes more cold and distant with her other child, Callie, in fear that she will lose her too. I just love seeing the before and after here, we get to see what Shauna was like before all of the trauma. Shauna wants to nurture Callie, it’s a natural part of her personality as this scene with Javi shows, but she can’t get too attached after what happened in the Wilderness.

•In the adult timeline, there’s another deleted scene in which Nat drives to Shauna’s house and spies on her from outside.

“She seems to be fighting an impulse to get out of her car, but her feelings are unclear. Does she look uneasy? Vindictive?”

Another hint the conflict between these two that we still haven’t seen yet? Maybe this is lingering resentment from Shauna challenging Nat’s leadership as the new Antler Queen?

•When Nat hands Travis her flask to drink from after the whole Coach Martinez incident, there’s this line:

“She wants to tell him there is nothing he could have done. How guilt like this is poison, and if he’s going to blame himself she will punch him in the face”

I think this is clearly a nod to Nat’s own guilt around her father’s death. She knows that Travis is likely tearing himself apart inside because she did the same thing after her father’s death. She blamed herself, as Travis is doing now. Also love the punching him in the face line, it’s very on-brand for Nat and honestly wish she had punched him in the face a few times when he deserved it.

*1x03 and 1x04 notes to come!*

[backjustforberena]

rambling anon here!

i’m not gonna lie, i wanted… more from the reactions that we got. and not simply with corlys. i wanted more from rhaenyra, from baela. hell, even daemon, bc she was the last relative that he had from his childhood and now she’s gone, and so is his mother’s dragon, although i don’t think i want to talk about daemon in relation to his mother for a long time lol.

but i will focus on corlys, who is quickly becoming my favorite character to study for some reason lol. i wish we got immediate reactions only because i know steve would have knocked it out of the park. but when we first see him, alone in this hall that was all for her, sitting on this throne that truly means nothing to him anymore, heart broken and surrounded by ghosts - not just rhaenys’, but his children’s, hell, even vaemond’s - with that lone tear falling down his cheek, it’s clear that he’s not the man that he was when we met him.

we didn’t see his reaction to laena’s death, at least not the initial one, but with laenor, his immediate reaction was to reach for rhaenys. and yes when she rebuffs him he turns to anger but his first reaction was to reach for her. his anchor. his rock.

and now he’s free floating, and the desire to run again is there, because high tide is not home anymore, all the riches that he has accumulated mean nothing to him anymore because his family, his wife no longer there, and the sea has always been a second home, maybe his first before his marriage. but he doesn’t. he can’t. not when he owes it to rhaenys to be there for their grandchildren, to see this cause, her cause, through. but (and honestly this is my favorite thing lol) there’s this underlying resentment towards rhaenyra.

from steve, we know that corlys supports rhaenyra’s claim simply because viserys declared her his heir. that simple. it doesn’t mean he believes that she would be a good ruler. he doesn’t really care for her as a person - laenor is gone because of her, and now, his wife has died fighting her cause. “that girl destroys everything she touches.” he said in 1x10 (rough quoting but something to that effect), and the anger that is simmering just below the surface. of course, he’s not simply angry with her, there’s anger towards himself, the realm, the gods, but i do think at this point he thinks his family would have been better off if it never got involved with her. It’s a realization he had in 1x10 but I think will be more prominent as we move forward. hindsight is always 20/20 though.

he’s almost blinded by this resentment of rhaenyra until baela sets him straight. baela, who is so much like the women he’s lost. his wife’s heir. his wife who told him again and again that driftmark should pass through laena’s line. and he doesn’t have the confidence that rhaena will make a good lady of driftmark, but he does have faith in baela. baela was raised their. baela is the best of his wife, of his daughter. baela makes him reconsider being the hand.

i will say as a little aside, i prefer the reasoning that baela’s actress gave for turning down the offer, that corlys had his chance. i like thag much better than baela just being a targaryen heir. she can be both a targaryen and a velaryon. laena was both. rhaenys was both.

do i think we will get more? i hope so. we still have the line “what i do now, i do for her, i do for my wife.” that i’m expecting to hear. and it should bleed into his interactions with alyn and addam honestly. one of his last interactions with rhaenys was that she knew that he had betrayed her, that they were a product of that betrayal. would he feel like the decision to make one of them his heir feel like he was betraying her all over again?

another random little aside, i do like that laenor and corlys grieve very similarly - the drinking and staring off at sea. like corlys judged him (because he did it publicly instead of corlys’ private moping) but look where he got it from!

all in all, this was a very long way of me saying i liked what we got from the ep, but wished we got more!

Hello, rambling anon! Lovely to hear from you this morning. I definitely sympathise with the writers (sort of, ish, against my better judgment) because the way they are telling the story, they have written themselves into a corner and they do have to deal with a shorter episode count and they have a lot to cover that means things are a lot more "telling" than "showing" - and they do, and I've spoken about this before, have a horrid habit of cutting time which leads to cut reactions.

We don't see anyone actually receive the news of Rhaenys's death. Unless, possibly, Rhaena is learning in her brief scene, but even then, we get a look and then cut away. By trying to get to the next event or issue or plot point, they cut time. I don't think it's helpful to measure impact, in this case. Sometimes it's okay, but here, I think it mutes things for both sides of the conflict. It arguably slows it down because nothing seems specifically reactive or impulsive.

In terms of the specific mourning reactions, I don't think I wanted more, I just wanted more recent. Different. I would have preferred to see people get the news. Especially Corlys. But in terms of more? I mean, always, because I enjoy the characters, but I felt like I got what I needed to get from the scenes that we got. Does that make sense? I understood his brief little journey with the episode, going from A to B, from being lost to possibly (?) finding purpose by accepting the role of Hand. It was a bit ambiguous as to if he has accepted it wholeheartedly, but I'm sure that's going to be covered in the next episode. I know how he's feeling, I just don't know how he felt when he got the news. Which is information I would have preferred, I think.

when we first see him, alone in this hall that was all for her, sitting on this throne that truly means nothing to him anymore, heart broken and surrounded by ghosts [...] it’s clear that he’s not the man that he was when we met him.

It's a really powerful image to me. It's the most undone we've seen him. His hair isn't done, he's wearing an outfit that's the most sloppy we've ever seen him, he's so heavy with his footsteps and then he just sits down and you can just feel how tired he is and how devastated. He looks like he's in physical pain and I think that's possibly what marks his grief out from the other displays shown in that episode. He looks like he's in pain. I absolutely think he'd trade it all for her.

Do I think he's a changed man? Ooooh I don't know. I think it's very difficult to get rid of a flaw, especially when you've lost the person who can possibly act as a compass for that. So, I'm still expecting him to be proud, brash, ambitious and selfish. Is he the man we met? Absolutely not. But he's going to be put into positions that will play into the man that he was and he'll have to make choices, big or small: at the council, about his legacy, about his sons. How that will be impacted by either the loss or Rhaenys or the memory of Rhaenys or his love for Rhaenys remains to be seen.

we didn’t see his reaction to laena’s death, at least not the initial one, but with laenor, his immediate reaction was to reach for rhaenys. and yes when she rebuffs him he turns to anger but his first reaction was to reach for her. his anchor. his rock.

And I think that plays into this idea that I'm floating. What is he when he hasn't got her? When we're past the initial devastation of her death and when he has to engage in the political games around him and the war before him? Because his reaction, after she's rejected him, is to lash out at the guards. It's to go with impulse. It's to satisfy himself. Then he goes to sea for six years because it's what he wants to do.

So we've not only got the lack of Rhaenys to keep him grounded, we've also got the lack of Rhaenys to keep him from any new perspective, unless he either gets that influence from somewhere else or he will deliberately take a step back and think about what she'd think or advise etc. After all, half of his desire to go for the Iron Throne so vehemently was out of his love for her and getting justice for her. I can see him justifying choices because he thinks he's doing right by her or for "them". Whether she'd actually agree, I don't know! I don't even know if the writers will go down this route, but it's interesting to think about. He's not going to become pure and selfless overnight, especially within the environment he's about to plunge back into.

and now he’s free floating, and the desire to run again is there, [...] but he doesn’t. he can’t. not when he owes it to rhaenys to be there for their grandchildren, to see this cause, her cause, through.

It's a very interesting change. It's implied in Fire & Blood that becoming Hand of the Queen is accepted just because that's what'll do it and there's no back and forth and no idea that it wouldn't work or it's in doubt. That's what seals the deal, he's an ambitious man, that position is enough for him to come back into the fold and there's no idea that Corlys was ever reluctant to engage in the war in the first place. And they start planning an assault and, certainly from my reading, you get the sense that that is also part of the deal: almost as if he's fueled by the idea of taking out those who took his wife from him. It's motivated in a very masculine way: power, rage, ambition, vengeance.

Making him continue because it is her cause, and the reason she died and a dream that she died for is really cool to me. Corlys has two motivations and Rhaenys is always one of them and, arguably, the strongest (because Rhaenys was also something that could curb him, whereas his ideas of legacy only ever enabled him and spurred him on with whatever cause he'd decided to rally for). Corlys is going to give everything to this because he's got nothing else.

And by making it Rhaenys's cause, rather than his own specifically, also leave things open to continue a fractious relationship with Rhaenyra. So far, this series, we haven't seen them interact. They shared a scene together but there's been little between them. As you say, Corlys supports Rhaenyra's claim simply because he thinks that's how the world works: he made a vow, he's honouring it. Viserys named her, and so that stands. He's got no affection for Rhaenyra herself.

he’s almost blinded by this resentment of rhaenyra until baela sets him straight. baela, who is so much like the women he’s lost. his wife’s heir.

Steve Toussaint recently gave an interview with The Ringer Podcast where he was asked about why Corlys offers Driftmark to Baela and it's pretty much exactly as you say it. He looks at her and he sees that spark. He sees that Baela is her mother's daughter and her grandmother's grandchild. She says: fine, do what you like, and he admires that spirit.

I also think there is a sense of just trying to hold on to what he can. We talk about how he has these ideas of legacy but he has no heir. Certainly no heir in proximity to him: he's got Rhaena and Joffrey but Joffrey is just a kid and Rhaena (in his mind) isn't particularly suitable because she isn't equipped and both are far from his reach or influence. He can't GIVE Driftmark away, in his mind. It's useless and empty and worthless and he has no family that actually belong to him and only him. He's really isolated.

(As an aside, I dislike the idea that Corlys is dismissing Rhaena because she's a girl. I don't think that's really the case when he's dismissing Joffrey as well and they're both for the same reasons - he doesn't make direct reference to her sex as a reason. Nor do I like the narrative that Rhaenys was pushing for Rhaena. The conversation isn't very serious, she's says there is Rhaena or Joffrey but doesn't press for either, just presents the options. But I'm aware that's a personal reading).

i will say as a little aside, i prefer the reasoning that baela’s actress gave for turning down the offer, that corlys had his chance. i like that much better than baela just being a targaryen heir. she can be both a targaryen and a velaryon. laena was both. rhaenys was both.

Yes, I like that as well. There's obviously a lot of unspoken history between the pair: Corlys buggered off for six years and Baela felt that but also, perhaps more importantly, saw the effect that had on Rhaenys.

I think it's also a bit of Baela choosing her Targaryen side, not because she's not proud of being a Velaryon or because she can't be a Velaryon, but because her Targaryen legacy is what matters to her. Being a dragonrider is what matters to her and what will aid her in being like and honouring these incredibly important female figures in her life. We get the impression that Baela is sticking with Rhaenyra and engaging in this war in order to honour Rhaenys and a reaction in part to her death. So it makes sense that this is just a continuation of that. This is her purpose, not Driftmark. Being more like her grandmother is not being Lady of the Tides. And she owes her grandmother far more than she owes her grandfather.

do i think we will get more? i hope so. we still have the line “what i do now, i do for her, i do for my wife.” that i’m expecting to hear. and it should bleed into his interactions with alyn and addam honestly.

I absolutely think we're going to get more. I'm very much looking forward to "what I do now, I do for her" - I am hoping it's something he says to Rhaenyra, when he accepts the job of Hand. It could almost sound like terms. Like: I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this her. Don't push me, don't mess me about, and then as soon as this is done, I'm out. Another alternative that I've mused is that it could be something said to one of his sons, when they speak about naturalisation. I think that's plausible. A little admission, a little vulnerability, especially if they question him.

would he feel like the decision to make one of them his heir feel like he was betraying her all over again?

Steve actually touches on this in The Ringer Podcast (you should check the interview out, it's on Youtube, about 3 hours in). And from that, what I gather, is that he thinks this isn't betraying Rhaenys. That the last interaction was some form of blessing. Or, at the very least, she'd understand. Which, I think she would have, if you want my two cents. She wouldn't like it but an heir is what he needs and he needs an heir that can really take the reins in the event that he dies in war and they need to take over the Fleet tomorrow. And this is the best option: the most pragmatic option for him. I also don't think she'd want him to be alone. We can absolutely separate Rhaenys's pain and her feelings over the betrayal from her thoughts surrounding Corlys's heir dilemma, I think.

It's also the most grown-up option, which she's always advocated for. For him to pull his head out of the sand and do the painful thing in order for a greater good and greater security. I think the question I have, left over, is whether this will have any impact on her memory? The idea that he "shames" her by doing this.

I think it's a tightrope. It could easily go unaddressed (especially in this show tbh, we've got lots else going on), focusing on the reaction that Corlys has these sons rather than how that reflects on Rhaenys - and the reaction that Corlys has these sons are not going to be earth-shattering because he's a bloke and having children out of wedlock, even whilst married to a woman, in Westeros is par for the course. Corlys's personal shame over the whole situation is sort of an anomaly. It's also just, objectively, a good thing that he has these sons (for the Blacks) because they're going to turn out to be pretty handy.

[bonniehooper]

MR. ROBOT REWATCH, 1x10: “eps1.9_zer0-day.avi”

-Wait, why is Krista talking to this guy again?

-What? Does he have cancer?

-Seriously?! He called her, told him he was dying, just to talk to her about Elliot? WTF dude?!?!

-Flipper is better off with Elliot than your dumb ass.

-She doesn't have to help you do shit.

-Lenny: "We were a good thing." Yeah, except it was all a LIE!!!!!!

-Wait, did you take up a table at that restaurant, only to not get anything there and go get fast food?

-Elliot, why are you sleeping in your car?

-Two days? What the hell has happened in those two days?

-Wait, Angela took the job at Evil Corp?

-Oh no, Gideon's has to close Allsafe?

-I get your point lady, but I don't think that's really comforting to Gideon.

-I love how no one in this building cares that Elliot is just walking around.

-Is that Tyrell underneath the mask?

-What the fuck is this song that's playing while they're burning all their drives?

-An interaction between Joanna and Elliot? Interesting.

-I love that even Elliot is unnerved by Joanna.

-Oh, is Joanna cracking a little bit?

-Angela's looking at this guy like, "What are you doing?"

-Holy shit, he just killed himself!!

-You're inviting her to your press conference? Didn't you just tell her to go home and recover from watching a man kill himself?

-Does the group not know that Elliot and Darlene are related?

-You need to get yourself arrested? What?

-Dude, just do your job and stop judging her. People deal with shit in their own ways.

-Oh God, I love that they're actually showing us what others see when Elliot and Mr. Robot interact.

-Wait, Angela did show up to the press conference?

-Mr. Robot: "Stop talking to them." Wait, Mr. Robot knows about us?

-How did they film this scene between Mr. Robot and Elliot in Times Square?

-Okay, now how did they pull off Elliot by himself in Times Square? Is it green screened?

-Wait, that's how the season ends? With Elliot answering the door and we don't get to know who it is?!?!

-Oh wait, end credits scene?

-Whiterose and Price know each other?

-Wait, does Price really know who's behind the hack?

-Whiterose: "As he watched Rome burn." .... What is happening?!

[stahlop]

Once Upon a Time 2x06 “Tallahassee” Review

Reviews 1x01 1x02 1x03 1x04 1x05 1x06 1x07 1x08 1x09 1x10 1x11 1x12 1x13 1x14 1x15 1x16 1x17 1x18 1x19 1x20 1x21 1x22 2x01 2x02 2x03 2x04 2x05

The mystery man from the season premiere is finally revealed and he is Henry’s father! And apparently a complete asshole. As is August. Ugh! I get that forces apparently had to converge together to get Emma pregnant so she could put Henry up for adoption and Regina could adopt him, but did she have to be betrayed by the man she loved to do that? No wonder Emma’s such a tough cookie and doesn’t let people in. Also, Emma in the past will be referred to as young Emma to distinguish the two.

Summary: Emma and Hook climb a beanstalk to find the magic compass that will get her and Mary Margaret back to Storybrooke. In Emma’s past, we meet Henry’s father and how she ended up in jail (and how she acquired the yellow bug).

Opening: Growing beanstalk

New Characters:

Neal: I know he was in new characters previously as Mystery Man, but since we actually know who he is now, I’m putting him in here again. Also, my initial reaction to him was correct, I hate him. We first meet Neal in Portland, OR as he pops up in the backseat of the yellow bug young Emma steals. She thinks he’s the owner, but it turns out he’s also a thief, so, of course, she feels a kinship with him. Now, I’m not sure why, but the costumers did nothing to make him look any younger in this flashback, so he just seems like a creepy, older pervert using a young girl to help him with his stealing exploits. I’m not sure how old he’s supposed to be, but he’s at least 21 since he repeatedly asks young Emma out for a drink and she’s only supposed to be 17. But, I’m guessing he’s more between 23-25, even though he looks his real age which is around 35. Anyway, he gets out of a cop pulling them over by being completely misogynistic with the cop, and they go on their way. We next see him and young Emma in a convenience store and she’s very pregnant, and he refers to her as his wife. Neal distracts the cashier from him and young Emma shoplifting by asking him directions to Eugene on a map. A customer comes in and notices them stealing so young Emma pretends to go into labor. This whole scene is hilarious. They leave and we find out that young Emma is not pregnant and that she was using the bag under her dress to collect the pilfered items. And then they’re kissing in the car. Ew! They go to a motel and grab a room that a family is leaving and happens to not close the door all the way. Well, that’s lucky. Young Emma notices a dreamcatcher and explains what it is to Neal. He calls it flypaper for nightmares. He thinks they should keep it. They’re still living in the bug so young Emma doesn’t find that feasible. Neal suggests getting a real place together. Young Emma is skeptical and even suggests Neverland, which angers Neal slightly. He finds a picture of a map and tells young Emma to point to a place with her eyes closed. She points to Tallahassee, so they decide that’s where they’ll go. Young Emma asks if this is what he really wants and he says what he really wants is her. I really want to believe him, but knowing what we know later, I find it hard to believe. Neal is in a mood the next time we see him. He’s apparently wanted by the FBI and he managed to snag his poster from the post office. He stole some expensive watches when he was in Phoenix. He came to Portland and stashed them in a train locker. He tells her Tallahassee is out, he needs to head to Canada. Young Emma assumes she’ll go with him. He needs to go alone. She doesn’t think so. They argue until she decides that she’ll get the watches out of the locker. They can fence them, use the money to change their identities, and go to Tallahassee. Honestly, I thought that Neal was doing this to set young Emma up even before August came on the scene. But, apparently he really does love her and didn’t plan on being a complete asshole. So young Emma goes and gets the bag out of the locker. I’m still not sure why Neal couldn’t do this. It’s not like anyone knows where he is. Why would security think it odd if he got a bag out of a train station locker? It doesn’t seem as if it’s being watched for any reason. Why did young Emma have to be involved with this whatsoever? It seems like the fencing of the watches would be the more dangerous part of this whole scheme. Anyway, young Emma brings them to Neal and he thinks he can fence them for around $20,000. He’s going to  fence the watches and reminds her to meet him at 9:00, and gives her one of the stolen watches so she has the time. Again, seems like this would be some sort of set up, except he hasn’t met with August yet. Neal is walking to meet his fence and feels someone following him. He runs off and the person runs after him. The guy tackles him and Neal thinks it’s a cop, but it turns out to be August!  He and Neal argue about who’s doing a better job taking care of young Emma. August realizes Neal actually loves young Emma. He thinks that will make leaving her easier, because he’ll want to do right by her. August asks Neal if he believes in magic. Neal considers this before telling August that he obviously does (you didn’t answer the question Neal). August says he’s going to show Neal something that will make him believe. It’s in his typewriter box. And Neal does believe the minute he sees what’s in the box. August tells him about the curse and that Emma needs to break it, and she can’t do that with Neal in the picture. August asks him if he’ll do the right thing. And the right thing is apparently setting young Emma up for stealing the watches. WTF, Neal?  We see Neal meeting with August two months later in Vancouver, Canada. He feels guilty about young Emma (GOOD!) and just wants to know if she’s okay. August informs he she got 11 months. He says it should be him in there. Well, it’s good to know he has feelings about this. Why didn’t he just get himself arrested and not let young Emma know? Why did he have to frame her? Ugh!! Neal wants August to promise he’ll be there for young Emma since he can’t. He does. He gives August the money from the watches and the car (with a clean VIN just like young Emma had suggested) to give to young Emma so she’ll have a fresh start when she gets out of jail. He also asks that August let him know when the curse ends. I’m sorry, I don’t know what could scare Neal so much that he would frame the woman he purports to love for his crime. That is not love.

Character Observations:

Young Emma/Emma: I’m just going to come out and say it. Young Emma is an idiot. She may know how to steal a car, but she clings to Neal because they’re both thieves, and they don’t have any family. We know she’s grown up in the foster system and she was moved around a lot, so she’s clinging to the little bit of stability that she can find. Even if it’s with a much older man that is a thief. So let’s just skip to the part where she’s set up, because this whole thing is absurd. Young Emma goes to meet Neal at the prearranged location after he fences the watches. She calls him up on her flip phone and finds his number has been disconnected. Then a cop comes and tells her that her boy set her up. He called in a tip and is probably off to Canada by now. Why does the cop know all this information? Neal called in a tip to check the surveillance footage at the train station. Ok. What does this prove? She took a bag out of a locker. Unless they have proof that there were watches in that bag, they have nothing. All they have is the one watch young Emma is wearing and there is no proof she stole it. Technically, it was a gift from Neal, so she’s done no wrong there. The cop tells her to give him the watch and then asks if she knows her rights. He doesn’t even say them to her. She just answers yes. Now, while this technically wouldn’t set her free, anything she would say after this would not be admissible in court, so most likely the judge would throw out the case unless there was other evidence that could be used. So when the cop asks where the rest of the watches were and she said ‘Gone, not coming back’ (and yes, she’s actually talking about Neal), that would not be admissible in court as her knowing about the stolen watches. And the wanted poster had Neal’s picture on it of him stealing the watches! Who was young Emma’s public defender? They did a real shit job for her to get 11 months for possession of stolen goods that she a) didn’t steal and b) they never recovered. I seriously cannot figure out how the hell this case even made it to trial, let alone a guilty verdict. The only thing I could even think they’d get her on was being Neal’s accomplice, but she didn’t even know him them, and they could see what foster home she was in and that it wasn’t in Phoenix.  But back to young Emma, who is feeling very betrayed, obviously. We next see her in jail. The prison guard has a package for her that she has to open in front of her. It’s car keys to the bug, with the swan keychain. The guard says at least she has a car when she gets out, and apparently a baby, as young Emma is holding a positive pregnancy test.

In the EF, Emma volunteers to climb the beanstalk with Hook, which makes him very happy. He has a magic cuff they need to use to climb the beanstalk as it’s enchanted so no one can climb it. Was this instituted before or after Jack? Mulan gives Emma poppy powder to knock out the giant. She also asks Mulan to cut down the beanstalk after 10 hours. Emma’s story is about trust. Hook asks her to trust him several times, but after the betrayal of Neal, it seems Emma can’t trust anyone. Or at least not flirty, innuendo dripping, hot pirates. They manage to knock the giant out and get to the treasure room (with a lot of flirting from Hook, and a lot of eye rolling from Emma), before the giant wakes up and comes after them. Hook gets trapped under some fallen pieces of the roof while Emma freezes when the giant comes after them. Emma manages to trap the giant in his own cage. The giant shares with her that he is alone and how the dried bean he wears around his neck is a reminder of how all humans are killers. This hits a bit too close to home with Emma and she walks away rather than kill him with Jack’s poisoned sword. The giant frees himself and shows her a way out as a favor for not killing him. Emma starts to leave but negotiates another favor since she could have killed him twice. Turns out she wants him to not let Hook go free for another 10 hours after Emma rescues him from the rubble and then conveniently handcuffs him to a chain that happens to be there. Emma says she can’t take a chance she’s wrong about him as Hook pleads with her not to leave him there. She tells him he’ll be okay, she just needs a head start. Emma manages to get down the beanstalk right after the original 10 hours is up. Mary Margaret is upset that Emma told Mulan to cut the beanstalk down. Emma tries to explain but Mary Margaret makes it clear that they go back to Storybrooke together.  Emma hugs her (awww!) and agrees.

Hook: He’s overly flirtatious with all the ladies, but especially Emma. He’s the master of innuendos, and he’s sexy and he knows it. Plus, he can read Emma like an open book. He guesses correctly that she’s an orphan due to the same look in her eyes that the Lost Boys have. He also realizes she’s had little love in her life and asks if she’s ever been in love. She lies and answers no. But after she sees Milah’s tattoo, and deduces that Rumplestiltskin most likely killed her as well as taking Hook’s hand, she confesses that she may have been in love once. This whole conversation is weird. What does having been in love have to do with her perception of Hook?  He continues to be flirtatious throughout their whole journey up the beanstalk and once they reach the giant’s lair. And he’s dead sexy when he has to tie Emma’s hand with his scarf. Yummy! Sorry, but that’s just hot!!! He asks Emma to trust him several times but she just can’t do it, which leads to him being handcuffed in the giant’s castle and pleading with Emma not to leave him there. She tells him she just needs a head start, and he screams for her. I think we have an angry pirate now.

August: Ok, I cut August some slack for leaving Emma when he was seven, because he couldn’t handle that kind of responsibility. I get that. But now he’s technically behind her going to jail because he somehow spooked Neal into leaving her? He calls himself young Emma’s guardian angel and he’s trying to make up for leaving her when she was young. Okay, I get that, but to help frame her so she goes to jail? What’s that all about? August admits to Neal that he can’t say no to temptation, that he’s not built that way. This is true, Pinocchio was never good at making the right choice, but it’s such a cop out. And then it gets worse. Neal gives August the car keys and $20,000 to give to Emma so she has a chance to start over once she’s out of jail. Emma gets the car keys, mailed to her from Phuket, where August apparently took the money meant for Emma. August is an even bigger ass than Neal is. Neal at least felt guilty. August only came back to help Emma break the curse because he started turning into wood. That money could have let her keep Henry.

The Giant: We don’t get a lot of backstory. Only that it seems the fairy tale and EF history got his story wrong. That Jack attacked him and killed his family and he’s the only giant left. He’s very angry toward humans because of this. But in the end, he finds an ally in Emma and gives her the compass and agrees to watch Hook for 10 hours so she can get a head start.

Mary Margaret/Aurora: They find some common ground due to both having been under a sleeping curse. Aurora is having nightmares about a burning red room and someone inside it watching her. Mary Margaret seems happy to have a princess to mother, since Emma won’t let Mary Margaret mother her. And Mary Margaret goes all mother bear on Mulan when she tries to cut the beanstalk down. Mary Margaret makes it quite clear to Emma that they are going home together, no matter what.

Henry: He’s apparently having dreams of the burning red room with someone else watching him as well.

Questions:

Was Cora really going to climb the beanstalk with Hook? She doesn’t seem the type to do that.

Has Mulan been to Oz? Poppies are what put Dorothy and her crew to sleep in the movie.

How long have young Emma and Neal been together by the pretend pregnancy scene?

Is Neal having nightmares? Is that why he wanted to keep the dreamcatcher?

The map that Neal has young Emma point to is a map of all the states the motel chain is located.

What does being in love have to do with being perceptive about why Hook wants revenge on Rumplestiltskin? If Emma had never been in love she wouldn’t understand that Rumplestiltskin killed Milah? That would make her a pretty bad bail bonds person if she couldn’t figure things out like that.

Why does young Emma say Neal got away clean with stealing the watches? The wanted poster has a picture of him stealing the watches! Why does Neal have to explain about the security cameras?

Why is Neal running to Canada? They have extradition laws there. He could still be arrested and sent back to the US. Better to go to Mexico instead.

Is Neal not wanted by the FBI anymore? How is he currently living in New York if he’s still wanted by the FBI? Did he change his identity? He would have to if he has an apartment and seems to working somewhere that requires a suit.

How long has Neal had this train station locker? I don’t know what lockers were like in 1999 or 2000, but according to Google, you can only store something in a train locker for a day.

What’s in the box, August?! What’s in the box?!

Neal doesn’t seem to find August talking about curses weird at all? Could he be from the EF?

Why didn’t Neal just leave? Why did he have to set Emma up to go to jail? Just ghost her and run. 

What does it matter if Hook steals other things from the giant? 

If Neal felt so guilty about what happened to Emma that he wanted to know when the curse broke, why hasn’t he come to Storybrooke to find her? Or is he currently on his way?

Why did the giant have the compass on him? Was he expecting someone to try and steal it? Was it special to him in some way?

Are Aurora and Henry seeing each other in the burning red room? Will they be able to communicate with each other?

Did Emma spend two years in Tallahassee waiting for Neal? Or did she just like the idea of Tallahassee enough to go there after she was free?

Observations:

It’s nice that Emma’s false eyelashes stay on so well throughout this entire journey without bugging her at all.

There are apparently no more magic beans to make portals with, as they were destroyed by the giants after a great war led by Jack the Giant Slayer. 

The swan pendant Emma wears around her neck is the keychain Neal stole for her.

Tallahassee is not near a beach. The closest beach is about 90 miles away.

According to the wanted poster, Neal’s birthday is March 23, 1977. That makes him 22-23 at this point.

Now we know why young Emma went to jail in Phoenix; that’s where Neal stole the watches.

The giant’s castle seems to be made pretty shoddily if just walking makes everything shake and pieces of the roof cave in.

Jack’s skeleton is still in the giant’s castle and his sword has his name on it.

Emma has a flower tattoo on her left wrist.

August says that Emma was sent to a minimum security prison in Phoenix. In Desperate Souls Emma says she was in juvie and her records were supposed to be sealed. A juvenile detention center and a minimum security prison are two separate places. Juvie means she’s under 18 and minimum security means she was tried as an adult.

August sent Neal the postcard in Broken.

That’s a pretty big cage considering the giant’s enemy seems to be humans.

Once Upon a Time Firsts:

We actually saw a dreamcatcher hanging in Neal’s apartment in Broken, but this time it’s shoved in our faces and we will be seeing them again throughout the series.

Hook asking Emma to trust him.

Emma’s tattoo.

Names:

Neal Cassidy: Neal Cassady is the name of a beat poet in the 60’s and hung out with Jack Kerouac. Not sure if this was intentional somehow by the writers or if Neal made up his name being that he’s a thief.

So, I’m extremely angry over young Emma’s shoddy frame job, and the fact that Neal and August got away scott free apparently. I love Hook’s flirtiness and his innuendos. All in all, Emma’s backstory was really important to understand why she doesn’t trust real easily, but I don’t see her trusting Hook any time soon, regardless of the circumstances. But she’s finally starting to trust Mary Margaret and hopefully see her as her mother.

Please leave comments and reblog! Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future reviews.

@searchingwardrobes​ @thisonesatellite​ @justbecauseyoubelievesomething​ @laschatzi​ @profdanglaisstuff @mariakov81

[tortoisesshells]

Turn 1x09 and 1x10, and that's a wrap on S1!

Oh, poor Bucephalus. ;_;

Gosh, this scene with Baker and Mary always breaks my heart. "You're the only one who really lives here now." / "There is love here, Mrs. Woodhull. I know because I know what it's absence feels like." Is there actually Baker fic out there? I feel strangely compelled. Anyway, #savebaker2k19

And I was all excited for Simcoe to have offed Judge Woodhull.

Go, Reverend Tallmadge, go!

Simcoe looks so disappointed that they actually have to have a trial for the rebels. You mean he can't just kill them? Intolerable. Injustice.

That's cold, Ben, not telling Anna that Selah's alive.

This cover of "Katie Cruel" is, and I do not say this lightly, perhaps the best use of music in Turn. Perhaps. Definitely my favorite. 

God help me, bumbling lawyer Abe Woodhull is such a fucking delight. And the fuck-you smirk from Reverend Tallmadge? A+.

OH SHIT she gasps, as though she hadn't seen Mary Woodhull find Abe's spy stash several times over by this point in her life.

And here we are at last! The Battle of Setauket!

... in Baker's bed??? I. Why. Also, where is Baker?

shit shit shit

That cut from Simcoe holding a pistol to Reverend Tallmadge's neck to Ben charging up the hill? Ow.

"And remind the men that no private property is to be destroyed." *gunshot*

BTW Anna your husband isn't really dead! Sorry, forgot to tell you?

"This conflict will be conducted in a civil manner!" Hewlett. My son. What do you think goes on in a war?

Selah's kind of a dick when he's angry, but I can't say I find it unreasonable that he'd be spitting mad about his property being seized?

Aww, Ben being so courteous to Mary.

"They that sow wickedness reap the same." Apparently righteous little-shit-ness is a Tallmadge family trait, which is pretty sexy of them tbh.

I'm... confused. Why does Abe want out right now? That's my complaint with this episode, I guess? Abe waffles twice and it seems - at least to me - to come from nowhere?

Ah, war criminal Simcoe.

God, that must have been cathartic for Hewlett.

And now Abe wants back in ... ?

Does Reverend Tallmadge know Samuel is dead? This feels like something that should have been discussed, but -?

Do I even need to start chanting "annlett" again, or is it just assumed?

Which is not to say that I don't feel for Selah, I suppose, who just saw Anna apparently choose her former fiance over him.

... I feel bad for Rogers, which is a strange state of affairs.

shit shit Shit SHIT SHIT SHIT

Listen I know now is not the time for my crack theories, but this confrontation is the only time Baker called Mary Woodhull "Mary" and not "Mrs. Woodhull" and that seems meaningful, all right?

Also who the hell gets in a shouting match about treasonous espionage activities with a redcoat officer literally! under! the! same! roof!

"I know how to clean up a mess." Most iconic line or most iconic line?

So that's all for season 1. I'm just as aggravated with Abe Woodhull as I recall, RIP Baker, gonna miss Selah Strong who disappears into an alternate dimension for four years, can't wait for Simcoe to lose the wig and Hewlett to get some USDA grade A character development!

[qqueenofhades]

I was (?) a Lyatt shipper who loved Flynn since S1 bc I love a good bad boy. I've been sympathetic to him since the 70s (ha!) when we found out about his wife and kid being murdered. So I found your blog and was loving all the Flynn stuff but I wasn't into Garcy. Thought "ew"--isn't he more like cool young uncle material for her? Fast forward to today and I have read every Garcy ff you have written and have fallen completely into the trash can. I know you prob hear this a lot lately...(1)

(2) but I wanted to thank you so much for writing The Tangled Web of Fate. What a masterpiece! You make the storyline in the same tone as canon somehow. You really have Flynn’s emotions and voice down pat. So good. Makes me believe in Garcy. In fact, makes me want Jessica and Logan to figure out their crap and that way everyone can be happy bc at this point I don’t want Jessica to be unhappy or go away either. Anyway, I went from Garcy sounds gross to GIVE ME MORE. So thanks?

(3) sorry. I feel panicked that we are running out of time (unoriginal pun) and might only get 5 more episodes and Flynn won’t get the full character development and happy ending he deserves. If it were up to you, would you give him a redemption arc and a happy ending or would you keep him as garbage boss? Also, dude is a full head taller than the industrial fridge in the bunker and they need to find a couch he can be comfy in. He looks like a giant living in a tiny house. My poor baby.

Ahaha. This delights me to no end, ngl. My powers are groooowing. And you have given me a lot to talk about here, so thanks. :)

Honestly, the people insisting on reading Garcy as familial/platonic/theorizing that Flynn is somehow Lucy’s son/they’re otherwise related are… very confusing to me? To say the least. Though to be totally frank, it’s often clearly by people who have an agenda in discrediting Garcy as a viable alternative to Lyatt (which they… probably don’t need to do, I mean for better or worse, the writers have made their preference/narrative direction clear. Alas). I obviously have no problem with people shipping whatever they want in whatever way they do, but… yeah, Garcy’s vibe ain’t platonic or familial (and if for some wild reason they DID end up Magically Related, like Flynn was somehow Lucy’s long-lost brother from an alternate universe or whatever, I wouldn’t stop shipping it, or even writing smut for it. I’d be like, “well writers, you got yourself into this with this far-fetched and illogical forced plot twist that does not fit with anything that has been written or acted beforehand, so I’m going to just go for Time Traveling Flowers in the Attic. Ooops?”) I’ve had plenty of posts with the way Flynn looks at/acts around Lucy (just saying, if my uncle looked at me like that, I would make sure never to be alone with him at family events) and the way she’s started to look back at him. And Goran Visnjic has straight up said that Flynn is “infatuated” with Lucy and we’ve had a lot of teasing about “does Flynn have a thing for Lucy” re: 2x06 that makes me wonder if we’re going to get some kind of more explicit confirmation of the way he feels about her. Goran has also encouraged us to read between the lines, so people can want it to be just a friendship (because they prefer another romantic partner for Lucy, and again, that’s fine, whatever) but he’s consciously acting it as a pretty romantic fascination. So yes. We aren’t just making that up.

Also, just saying, we KNOW who Flynn’s mom is, she’s a named and identified character, she appeared in an episode, Rittenhouse was originally sending Rufus, Lucy, and Assassin Goon to kill her in 1x15 with the aim of erasing Flynn from history. So “Flynn is Lucy’s son” is just… did you guys not notice Maria Thompkins? Who was awesome and I love her? Besides, if Flynn was Lucy’s son, she wouldn’t NEED time travel to meet him, and we know the journal is connected to new time tech (traveling on your own timeline). He couldn’t be anything less than her grandson and that would still be ludicrously complicated, as it would require Lucy to have Maria at some point while traveling in the past, then… straight up abandon her, then go back to her own timeline, then wait for Flynn to grow up, then travel back to meet him…. etc. It’s a mess. We know Flynn’s parents’ names (Asher Flynn and Maria Thompkins); hell, we know more about his family than we do about Wyatt’s. Why is no one theorizing that Wyatt is secretly Flynn and Lucy’s son? (I kid, I kid. But still. It makes about as much sense, if not more, which is to say it doesn’t.)

Anyway yes, I always felt like that was a pretty transparent attempt to make Garcy a non-romantic option in order to remove it as a shipper threat, but that doesn’t mean people can’t ship it as a friendship/brotp. I’m just saying, however, that it has been (at least certainly on Flynn/Goran’s end) played as a romantic thing, even if latent and unspoken and complicated. (Also, he went really quickly for the “honey…” and “what my wife failed to mention” lines in 1x11 and 2x04, so even if Flynn won’t admit it, he instinctively sees Lucy in some way as his wife.) So yes. Making them related would be a COMPLETELY illogical stretch, but… if they did that, yeah, I’d probably still ship it. (Shrug emoji.) Because I would recognize that the council had made a decision, but given as it was a stupid-ass decision, would elect to ignore it. (Insert Nick Fury gif here.)

Next, I am obviously glad that you are enjoying my fic and it has converted you to one of us. I started writing the Wyatt/Jessica stuff before she arrived back on the show and am rather pleased with how nicely it fits. Wyatt in canon needs a serious reality check, which I am hoping he gets. I obviously forgave Flynn for being a total fuckup and hurting everyone, I am absolutely willing to do the same for Wyatt, but he needs to have the “well shit I’ve been a selfish ass and am going to substantively make up for it” moment first. I hope the big finale moment is him finally owning up to his dickish behavior and putting everyone else first and otherwise reversing course. Because yeah. I’m judging.

Lastly, I WORRY ALL THE TIME ABOUT US GETTING CANCELLED AFTER THIS SEASON BECAUSE IT WOULD BE A TRAVESTY. A TRAVESTY. The short season has always hurt us narratively, though of course it’s great to get it, but then to cut it off there with no more space at all… god. It gives me the shudders just to think about. And one of the reasons is yes, give me my full redeemed-antihero Garcia Flynn redemption arc. Goran has talked a lot about how we’re seeing more of his real nature this season, and just yes. We saw throughout season 1 that Flynn hated to do a lot of what he was doing, but he did it anyway in the larger purpose of bringing down Rittenhouse (and nobody has yet acknowledged that he was right all along about them…we need more conversations/authentic character moments, guys, NOT SOAPY RELATIONSHIP DRAMA. JUST SAYING). He never really WANTED to be a garbage disaster, but he loved his wife and daughter more, and he was dedicated to taking Rittenhouse down to the point that he thought he couldn’t return to them even if he did save them. So no, he was not a character who was just out there burning shit down for the fun of it (though he does enjoy it in some ways, because… he’s a disaster). But Flynn’s character file in canon has him fighting in a lot of small-scale liberation wars (Chechnya, Bosnia, Kosovo, etc) against occupying/oppressive regimes, and that’s basically what he’s doing with Rittenhouse. He is a good man with a very strong moral code, but also a very grey one. He has correctly identified the overall enemy and is dedicated to destroying them, but he won’t be the hero wringing his hands over it because “it’s not right” to use violence. Which the Time Team is leaning on themselves (they basically left Flynn in 1934 to be a hitman, so… no more judgey remarks about “he’s a killer” would be nice, guys. You know he is and you’re using that because you need it.)

So yes. Flynn doesn’t WANT to be a garbage disaster, so it would be cruel to keep him as one. He is sassy as hell, but he also seems happier working with the team than he ever really did alone (as Goran has also discussed). Again: MORE CONVERSATIONS!!! Did Flynn just see it as business in trying to take out the team before, since they were trying to stop him from taking down Rittenhouse, and now that they agree on who the threat is, he’s happy to work with them? Is Garcia “why do I even delegate” Flynn really trusting them (at least aside from Lucy, who he clearly does) to do what’s needed, or does he essentially think he still has to do it himself? DEVELOPMENT PLEASE!

I wanted Flynn to permanently join the team ever since 1x10 (as that episode threw me down the dumpster in SO many ways) so obviously, I want that to keep up. The 2x07 pic of him and Rufus clasping hands made me hella emotional (also: we still haven’t had a Flogan scene since Flynn arrived in 2x03 and Wyatt stormed out in a hissy fit…still judging for skipping the Messy Boys Trip in 2x05). I want him to be developed and integrated more into the team and made a part of them, because I’m a hopeless sucker for villain becomes weird family member and redeemed antihero and found family and enemies-to-lovers/enemies-to-friends. So yes. Please don’t screw it up, guys.

(Also yes. Yes, I noticed him being taller than the god damn fridge at the end of 2x05. He’s HUGE and it’s ridiculous.)

[once-upon-a-ouat]

OUAT Rewatch 1x10 “7:15 A.M.”

Okay, I don’t usually do that, but for this episode I feel the uncontrollable need to review it scene-for-scene because I have something to say about every scene and they were all freaking awesome. That will eliminate the need to point out favorite and least favorite scene in this episode, but I’m keeping the favorite and least favorite lines. With that said, let’s dive right in.

The opening scene with August and Henry built up the suspense as to who August is and what he’s doing in Storybrooke and also served as a set-up for two more scenes throughout the episode. I also loved Regina’s worry as to who that might be. First, Emma came to town and started trouble, and now another person just showed up. You could practically see the cogwheels turning in her head.

The weather forecast we heard as background in the next scene informed us about the storm which played a major role later in the episode. Mary Margaret was very funny in her hurry to go out. I loved how quickly she came up with a lie to tell Emma. We know she’s not that type of person and yet, she lied to her closest friend because she herself knew that what she was doing wasn’t right and didn’t want Emma to know about it.

It was quickly revealed why Mary Margaret was in such a hurry. It’s really sad how desperate she was for even the smallest contact with David. And the fact that he was buying two coffees just made it even worse (there goes OUAT with the details once again). It would’ve been plenty horrible on its own, but seeing David walk up to his car, give one to Kathryn and kiss her cheek was just heartbreaking (and I also felt horrible for Kathryn because I know how this is going to end and that she’ll be hurt). Good thing Emma showed up as the voice of reason. I loved how she didn’t judge Mary Margaret, but also firmly and clearly told her that she had to put a stop to that. She’s understanding and supportive and yet, doesn’t let her friend fall even deeper.

Snow looked hella badass with that spear in that next scene. So she didn’t flee the kingdom? Or did she? I’m a little confused. The parallels between the two timelines were cool though. What I’m not a fan of is Snow’s desire to get rid of her feelings in both realms. I know loving someone when you know there’s no way for you to be together hurts, but that doesn’t mean that you have to erase them from your heart. For me that just doesn’t do a favor to their romance and the idea that it’s the greatest romance ever.

Snow and Rumple’s scene was awesome. I loved the way he used her hair to make the potion ‘personal’ because no two loves are exactly the same. That was such a great idea. I also loved how he said that love is the most powerful magic and then made that look horrifying. Given what we know about his personal experience with love, it just became even sadder. Also, now that we know what he used her hair for, this scene is just more brilliant.

Mary Margaret’s shock when she saw the pregnancy test was heartbreaking but I do have a problem with that scene. David’s words in the cabin and his actions on the whole imply that he and Kathryn don’t even have sex. Why did she think she was pregnant? I loved how Regina had only two lines but managed to make a bitch of herself. Also, I loved that she and Kathryn were shopping together. I think this can count as one of the genuine moments of their friendship and I loved it.

The dialogue between George and David was awesome. You can understand where both of them are coming from and sympathize with them both. I honestly couldn’t pick a side in that scene. The implication that George had loved before was very important to me because in many scenes later on in the show he comes off as heartless and it’s nice to have a reminder that that’s not true.

I love how they used the doves as transitions between scenes several times in this episode. The dove is a symbol of love and they used it to show that Snow and David’s love transcended realms and even the Curse. I think it was genius.

I loved how Snow wanted to help the dove so badly. Especially when she learned that it would be alone for the rest of its life if she didn’t get it to its flock. I feel like she was seeing herself in the dove a little bit and that was super weird, but I love how she was determined to help it. It’s just an animal but she did everything in her power to help it. I also loved how she rejected David’s offer to help her. She practically told him “I’m no damsel in distress”.

I loved the scene between Regina and Emma. It once again showed that the one thing that can make them work together is Henry. It was manipulative on Regina’s part though because August’s ‘interest’ in Henry was not the only reason why she wanted to know about him. She thought that she would use the Savior in order to learn about a potential danger to the Curse. It was brilliant.

I love how the dove landed on Snow’s hand while she was holding the vial with the ‘cure’. The joy on her face when she read the letter was so genuine and heartwarming. Damn that show!

Even faced with the very real danger of the storm and the obstacle of the road being closed, Mary Margaret still didn’t give up on her quest to help the dove. The transition between that scene and the next was just fucking awesome!

I love how Snow quickly figured out a way to sneak into George’s castle, but it doesn’t say anything good about the security of said castle. And just when she was about to reveal herself to David, the guard caught her. I really wanted to scream (but it was 2a.m. so that wasn’t an option).

It was adorable to see Snow so determined to break out of the cell and not wanting to give up. Meeting Grumpy was awesome (so he tried to get back with Nova then?). I just loved how this episode kept portraying love as the worst thing ever (sarcasm, if you couldn’t tell). Holy shit! I had completely forgotten about Stealthy. Damn! That’s one of the best twists on the show. I love how Grumpy decided to get Snow out of there too.

David showed up just in time and thank God. He saved Mary Margaret’s life. It kind of sent her not-a-damsel-in-distress attitude to hell though. Even that way, I’m not mad because she could’ve died or gotten seriously injured, seeing how she wanted to keep going even despite the storm.

Stealthy’s death was pretty heartbreaking (mostly because of Grumpy’s anguish but still) even though we didn’t know anything about him really. I loved how Snow was ready to sacrifice herself to save Grumpy even though they didn’t really know each other that well. That’s really admirable about Snow.

Mary Margaret’s little rant was heartbreaking but I really liked the fact that she decided to get all that out in the open. I also liked the fact that she didn’t let David kiss her but not the reason behind it. If she hadn’t seen that pregnancy test, she would’ve given in. Given her turmoil about David choosing Kathryn over her, it just felt like she didn’t have any self-respect.

I don’t really know what to make of the scene between Emma and August. They really built up the tension as to what’s inside the box and then just showed us. Granted, that didn’t make August any less mysterious. I loved how Emma was calculating if it would be better to let him buy her a drink and learn what’s in the box immediately or just leave it be.

Well, that storm turned out to be awfully convenient. Not only did it stop the flock from departing, but it also gave Mary Margaret and David a chance to talk about their feelings and possibly make some more mistakes. I loved how Mary Margaret pulled her hand out of David’s. Honestly, David’s indecisiveness pisses me off so much. If your feelings for Mary Margaret are so real, then just leave Kathryn and be with her. It’s not that difficult, goddammit!

The scene between George and Snow was intense. We once again saw that George was ready to do whatever it took in order to save his kingdom and I liked that. His plan was also very smart although I’m not really that certain if it would’ve worked out the way he imagined it would. I really loved the part with “He’s not my son”. You could see George’s disappointment because if it were actually James, he wouldn’t have betrayed him like that. In this episode, just like in 1x06, it’s easy to understand where George is coming from. You still don’t support his actions but you see the driving force behind them and that helps you empathize with him. That complexity was later lost and I’m really sad about that.

The scene between Snow and David was so awesome but also heartbreaking. I loved the fact that she let him hug her and hold her hands for as long as possible. She wanted to get as much as she could out of that encounter because she thought it would be the last one. I also loved how she couldn’t make herself say “I don’t love you”. She said it but in parts and she actually told him that she loved him (“Love you”). She quickly came up with a reason why she had come all the way to the palace too. And her face when David couldn’t see her anymore just killed me. And David also started crying. My heart! (That was my favorite scene if you couldn’t tell.)

Kathryn was so insanely adorable. You see how much she wants to make it work but also that David’s behavior hurts her. And yet, she didn’t want to be a bitch about it. She was trying to be understanding. And she wanted them to be a family and have kids but she knew that they weren’t ready and didn’t try to rush it. She wanted to get help and fix what wasn’t working. I just love her so much! And I’ll give credit to David for actually trying in this scene (although he threw it to the wind pretty quickly).

The scene between Snow and the dwarfs was very cute. I loved that after all the statements in this episode that love is horrible, we finally got another perspective. Because yes, it is, and it hurts us in the worst way possible, but that makes us who we are. Also, it was sweet of them to offer her a home and their support.

I loved the quiet scene between Mary Margaret and Emma. It showed that Mary Margaret was trying to be strong and that Emma was there for her and supported her. Their relationship was already so strong that they didn’t need words.

They never showed what made David go after Snow and it just came off as random and odd to me. Ruby’s face when David said “I will always find her” tho. She was like “I ship it”.

Seeing that Snow took the potion broke my heart all over again. And just when hope showed on the horizon. In Bulgaria we have a saying that states that no one can do to you what you’ll do to yourself and I think it fits the occasion. Sometimes we’re our own worst enemy. Grumpy’s face at the end of the scene ruined my life.

I guess they really can’t stay away from each other (Ruby’s face during that scene though). What I hated about that scene was that “She’s not pregnant” was the engine for their kiss. So, yeah, it’s okay to lie to her as long as she’s not pregnant. Way to go! I loved the fact that Regina saw them though (and her face). Even walls have ears... or eyes in this case.

Favorite line: “As wretched as it is, I need my pain. It makes me who I am.” - Grumpy to Snow

Least favorite line: “Come on! I helped you when no one else would.” - Snow to Red

That was just manipulative as fuck and I really didn’t appreciate it. I know Snow was desperate but that was just nasty. Just guilt-trip your best friend. That makes sense!

This episode was so amazing. I just don’t know what to say. Every scene did something for the story or the characters. Everything was on point. They managed to establish a clear difference between David’s two personalities. The acting was awesome. The episode was mind-blowing and I was hooked from beginning to end.

P.S. Sorry for the confusing format of this review. I myself see that this doesn’t really work so I’ll stick to my original format and try to avoid another review like this one at all costs. I just really had things I wanted to discuss from every scene and I’m sorry if it’s scattered or confusing.

[televinita]

@empress-of-snark​ replied to your post “Jackson V. Jamie”

And it wasn't even nearly her fault that Abigail shot everyone?? She was trying to prevent exactly that by killing her, how the hell was she supposed to know Abigail was gonna come back to life and go on a killing spree??                

Right! That's what hurts my brain if I try to think too hard about why they keep blaming her specifically for them all almost dying. Jamie's idea was in fact successful. Even if she'd talked it over with anyone, if they'd disagreed, it would have been due to Jackson's "we need the information she has" reasons. Nobody would have foreseen her inability to die and stay dead in order to go on a murder spree (unless...we still don't know how she did that, did she? Would someone have raised the possibility of Duncan double-crossing them?) But mostly: everyone’s knee-jerk reaction is flawed.

+ 2 more

@melaux​ replied to your post “Jackson V. Jamie”

The thing that gets me so angry about Jackson is the fact that he seems to just have this blind hatred for Jamie. Jamie tries to kill Abigail, he locks her in the cage. 2 seconds later he's telling his girlfriend to take her out. He blames Jamie for destroying his life, um that clearly wasn't her intention, she didn't make him the son of Robert Oz and she said herself she spent years trying to keep him from being found.     

Then in 3x12 when Mitch said he let her out he's still salty about it.. THEN she saves the entire plane and everyone on it from dying and he still seems hostile like what more can the girl do? She's trying her best and he always seems to want to give her a hard time...                    

I wanted to argue the “blind hatred” thing, but actually...yeah. He apparently doesn't care why or what her motivations were or how she tried to fix it, he is gonna ride this grudge to the moon. Raised by a madman? Sure, that's unfair, all the sympathies. Wanted revenge for the death of someone you love? Pure nonsense, get over it, and if you hurt a friend by not foreseeing the consequences than that’s proof of your moral bankruptcy, I guess. What double standard?

(Consider this: Jackson has buried a lot of people, and he has never gone on a vengeance quest. He's thrown his efforts into helping innocents, not getting even. I'm guessing he doesn't understand why Jamie can't do the same. I'm also guessing Jackson doesn't notice that his coping mechanism accidentally has a lot in common with avoidance. It's not a better response, except in Jackson's eyes, it's a different one. and it's not working anymore.)

I would think her saving the plane would at least get him to grudgingly admit she's not The Worst.

kateschechterxthorwasmyfirstotp replied to your post “Jackson V. Jamie”          They should just subtitle the show Bad Idea Theater.  The idea that ANY of them are in some sort of position of moral superiority to judge any other is laughable.  They have all done really dumb shit.  Abigail could not have shot anyone if she wasn't on the plane, Jackson.  Last season someone (or more than one) would have pointed out Jackson's stupidity.  This season, those words are only from Jamie, who is written off and locked up, so Jackson  remains smugly naive and certain of his righteousness.  And none of it is making me like him more.

-----

...also, yeah, good point about the moral superiority / lack hereof, and despite my steadfast loyalty to his face, I pretty much agree with the rest of that. (Jackson is the go-to guy for Super Terrible Ideas That Get People Shot, isn’t he? I noted this in 1x10, I feel like I referenced a round II of it at some point, and oops he just did it again. More people probably SHOULD be talking about how they need to keep an eye on Jackson.)

[stahlop]

Once Upon a Time 1x11 “Fruit of the Poisonous Tree” Review

Reviews 1x01 1x02 1x03 1x04 1x05 1x06  1x07 1x08 1x09 1x10

I wasn’t a huge fan of this story. In the EF I found the king too gullible. In Storybrooke, Emma is too trusting and what the hell is up with her superpower, because it didn’t work at all this episode. I also felt they cast the wrong actor as the king and Genie. Richard Schiff usually plays lawyers and doctors. He did not make a very good king. Giancarlo Esposito is so much better than either Genie and Sidney.

Synopsis: Sidney asks Emma to bring down Regina by uncovering evidence that would expose her corruption. In the EF, a king finds a magic lamp with a genie and wishes him free. He falls for Regina, the king’s wife and they plot to be free from the kingdom.

Opening: Genie appearing.

New Characters: 

King Leopold: Although he is never called by his name in the episode, this is how he is listed in IMDB. He is Snow’s father and Regina’s husband and he’s an idiot. He is granted three wishes by a magical genie and he just stands there thinking because he is so happy and his kingdom is so happy that there is nothing that he could wish for. I call bullshit on this. Even if he is so ridiculously happy, there has to be something he would wish for. Or, after Genie tells him that all wishes end badly, that he would still free Genie because he feels it is the right thing to do. If you have nothing to wish for, just don’t wish for anything. This whole scene rubbed me the wrong way (no pun intended). Later on at the king’s birthday party, he dotes on Snow. Ok, I can be on board with that. But then bringing up your dead wife while you’re new wife is sitting right there, making her feel like she doesn’t even exist? Who does that? And then, he gets pissed that, even though he doesn’t love Regina like she deserves to be loved, that she has the audacity to have feelings for another man. Well why wouldn’t she? Do you really expect her to be unhappy when you’ve told Genie that everyone else in your kingdom is happy? The king also mentions that ‘love makes people do foolish things’. Yes, it does, like Genie lusting after your wife. He seems to be the only new man in the palace. Come on, use your brain!  I mean, killing him was a little extreme, but dude was an idiot. 

Character Observations:

Genie/Sidney: This is the magic mirror’s origin story. Before he was trapped in a mirror he was the genie of the lamp. Apparently, he’s just meant to be trapped somewhere. He was trapped in the lamp, then he was kind of trapped at King Leopold’s castle, and then he became trapped in the mirror. I understand that Genie was new to love, and Regina was unhappily married, but did he really expect her to give up her kingdom for him? What did he do besides dispense advice to the king? Did he get paid at all? Did he really expect Regina to live poorly with him? For all that Genie has supposedly seen with his wishes, he really got duped pretty badly. When he does end up making his wish in a desperation to keep Regina, he says he ‘wishes to be with her forever, to look upon her face always, and to never leave her side’. Technically, that’s three wishes, but the lamp doesn’t seem to care, and that’s how Genie ends up trapped in the mirror.

Sidney is, well, Sidney is acting on Regina’s orders the entire time. He’s her puppet. He probably has no idea why he’s so attracted to Regina, but the curse has made him take orders no matter who it hurts. He pretends to be so upset about being fired from the paper and being made a fool of for losing the election that he wants to take Regina down, and Emma believes him. And because the audience believes in Emma, we also believe in Sidney until we see him with Regina at the end. We also get a lot of Genie and Magic Mirror sayings from him. He tells Emma he can ‘grant her wish’ when she and Mary Margaret are talking about taking down Regina. He, again, says to Emma ‘all we need is a crack in the mirror to show everyone’ when he tells her about the missing money.

Emma: She really made me mad in this episode.  She starts off saying she’s the sheriff, she has to do everything by the book. Then when they’re looking through the public records for where the money supposedly went, they find that the files are missing and Sidney wants to get a warrant to search Regina’s office. Emma doesn’t think a judge will go against Regina, so when she decides to confront Regina about the records (yes, please, lets let the person we’re trying to take down know we are looking into their financials), she decides to plant a bug, something she would need a court order to do. She changed her mind pretty fast about playing by the rules. And then, when they miss the secret meeting that they follow Regina to, Emma decides to just break into Regina’s office and steal her files!  Emma has a quick change of heart when she realizes she did exactly what she told Henry she wouldn’t do, stoop to Regina’s level, and that all their ‘evidence’ is illegally obtained, so it won’t hold up in court. Emma’s pretty much done at this point, so Sidney pulls out the box of photos Regina had him take of her when she came to town. He also says he’ll go after Regina if Emma won’t. Now, here is where it goes off the rails for me. If Emma had let Sidney confront Regina at the City Council meeting without her being a part of it, she would have been able to look into his accusations without it coming back that things were obtained illegally.  It would have been Sidney, not a member of law enforcement, who had stolen the files, and then Emma could have confiscated them for evidence. But no, she decides to play her hand at the City Council meeting and ends up getting her ass handed to her by Regina when she reveals it’s a playground she’s building. So now Emma looks like a sheriff with a vendetta against the mayor because she accused Regina at a public forum and Regina tells Emma to stay away from Henry, so now she’s lost the one person who believed in her.

Evil Queen/Regina: I think I said in either episode one or two that the Evil Queen doesn’t know how to play a long con, that she only thinks in the short term, well, I was wrong. The way EQ manipulates Genie is genius. The moment she sees him she knows she can use him. We haven’t seen how Regina acted before she was the Evil Queen. We saw her in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter after Leopold died. She seemed at that point to be sweet and then we saw that she had been plotting all along. Snow seems to believe she is a sweet and loving step-mother, right up until she realizes that The Huntsman is meant to kill her under Regina’s orders. We don’t know how long Regina and Leopold have been married, so we don’t know how long she has been planning his murder.  Did EQ ever love Leopold?  Was this an arranged marriage? Was EQ nice at one point and morphed into the EQ because of this marriage? Hopefully, plot points we will learn in the future. But we see her skillful handling of Genie. She sees that he is taken with her, she uses it to her advantage. She makes him believe that she is lonely and unworthy of his love. She pretends she is going to kill herself with the Agrabahn Viper and makes Genie believe it is his idea to kill the king for her. Once his usefulness is done, she shows her true colors. Although, she has provided safe passage for him when she could have just let him take the blame and be killed, so it seems she had some feelings for him.

Regina uses Sidney in much the same way she used him as Genie, except, due to the curse, he doesn’t understand why he’s so devoted to her when he knows she’s using him. Regina knows just what to tell him to get him to do what she wants, and she tells him exactly what to say to Emma so she will do what Regina wants. Notice that when Emma accuses Regina of building a summer house in the woods with the stolen funds, Regina already has a slide presentation ready to go about the playground. She knew Sidney would steer Emma in the direction to confront her at the City Council meeting. And Regina uses the leverage she has over Emma making a fool of herself to keep her away from Henry. Game, set, match.

Snow/Mary Margaret: Neither are in this episode that much. Snow basically feeds into her father’s obsession with her. He calls her ‘fairest in all the land’ like her mother. She doesn’t seem to be bonding with step-mother dearest either as neither of them were talking to each other in the garden or the king’s party.

Mary Margaret is continuing her ‘affair’ with David. They are having secret picnics out by the old toll bridge, and she clings to Sidney’s advice that ‘sometimes doing a bad thing for a good reason is okay’ as to how she can justify her affair.

Henry: He’s sad that his castle is first destroyed by the storm, and then torn down by Regina. He also loses the story book when Regina tears it down, as he had hidden it in a toolbox in the sand. He later tries to recreate the story book from memory in his own notebook. Later, he’s playing on the new playground and tells Emma that she doesn’t have to listen to Regina when she tells him they can’t see each other for awhile.

The Stranger: He still doesn’t have a name. We only see him twice this episode. Once when Henry is trying to recreate the story book. Henry wants to know why the Stranger is really there, and he responds with ‘stuff’ (as was Henry’s answer when he asked what the book was about), and second when we see he has taken the toolbox and is now in possession of the story book. He seems in shock and awe and that this he knows exactly what it is that he is looking at.

Gold: Again, very little screen time, but he does give Emma and Sidney some good advice. He tells them that ‘emotional entanglements can lead us down very dangerous paths.’ Speaking from experience again I assume. He also tries to ally himself with Emma again but she turns him down. He has some agenda that he needs Emma for, we just don’t know what it is yet.

Henry, Sr.: We see the depth of his love for Regina, as he will do anything to help her escape her marriage. He even mentions this to Genie that the guards know he would die for Regina. He goes to Genie with the box containing the viper and tells him that it will help free Regina. Does he know how evil Regina is becoming, does he know that the king will be dying once the vipers get to Regina or does he honestly think she will use it to kill herself like she makes the Genie believe? I am very interested in Henry, Sr. and Regina’s background. He loves her very much, so how did he let Regina get into a loveless marriage. Why is he her manservant? Where is Regina’s mother?

Questions:

When was Sidney fired from the paper? After he ran an article about Emma being in jail? After he lost the election? Was that just part of the ploy to get Emma to feel sorry for him? Has this scheme of Regina’s been going on since the election?

How long was it between Genie coming to the castle and the king’s birthday?

Is there a judicial system in Storybrooke?

How did Genie get the mirror out of the lamp to give to Regina? 

How does Regina not spot the sheriff’s car following her into the woods? They are the only two cars on the road!

Did Gold give Emma and Sidney a lift back to town or did they call a tow truck?

Didn’t Sidney say he was fired from the paper? Why do he and Emma meet at the newspaper office to look at the blueprints and escrow statements?

Did Emma even look at the blueprints? They clearly state the ‘mansion’ Emma thinks Regina is building is only 4 feet tall if she read the measurements.

Why is the playground being built in the middle of the woods?

How did the playground get built so fast? Henry was playing on it the day of or after the council meeting.

Is the Stranger the author of the book?

Observations:

Genie states that he’s granted 1001 wishes and seen them all go wrong. 1001 is not divisible by 3, so either he’s exaggerating or some people didn’t get to make all their wishes. Most likely this is a reference to 1001 Arabian Nights, the collection of stories Aladdin is originally from.

The lamp still grants wishes without the genie.

Regina’s name in EF is also Regina.

Not only does Regina’s computer not have a password, but it turns on immediately!

Emma types in ‘land, sold, Gold, property’ to find the correct files on Regina’s computer.

Regina has a large amount of skeleton keys in her office.

Even if Regina used the City Council funds to build a playground, it’s still illegal to take the money secretly and build a playground without the rest of the council’s approval. 

The Agrabahn Viper has a head on either end and no tail.

The jewels in the lamp start out green. Once all the wishes are made they are now red.

Timeline Issues:

Sidney tells Emma that Regina stole the City Council funds at least 3 weeks ago (according to the records). Emma confronts Regina about it and plants the bug that day and then follows Regina to the meeting with Gold that night. Obviously, Regina is buying the land to build the playground on, unless she’s sending Emma on a wild goose chase. Then it seems as though Emma and Sidney go to break into Regina’s office later that night, or possibly the next night. Then the City Council meeting is the next day and since Regina so conveniently has the slide show presentation ready about the new playground, it would seem she was planning on bringing it up to the council. After the meeting, Regina tells Emma to stay away from Henry. We next see Emma watching Henry on the already built playground, most likely later that same day or the next day. How is this playground built already? Also, Emma wears the exact same outfit in every single scene in this episode even though it takes place over several days (black pants, dark grey turtleneck, grey beanie, and blue, leather, racer jacket). Regina has three changes of clothing throughout.

I didn’t like this episode. Emma is made a fool of by using her emotions instead of her instincts. She’s manipulated by both Sidney and Regina and makes awful choices. Regina is now attempting to play nice by asking Emma to do her job as sheriff instead of looking for things that aren’t there. She never once raises her voice or insults Emma as she had been doing. And Emma paid the price for her foolishness and can’t see Henry for awhile. Honestly, this episode should have been called Fool in Love or Foolish Heart for how foolish Emma, Genie, and Leopold were in this episode.

Please leave comments and reblog!

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