SOME SPOILERS AHEAD,
Henry was the star of this episode! And I was glad for that.
I really wanted him to go to the school dance and have a normal teenager experience for once, which he did at the end by holding a private one at Granny’s for him and Violet, but I would have liked an actual dance. A few episodes back was the first time in a long time we went back to the school and saw Henry with people his own age.
Taking Violet out on an “operation”, though, is so him and I loved how she didn’t pout or whine about missing the dance and was totally ready and willing to tag along (except she didn’t; he left her somewhere), despite how excited she was about the “ball.”
We all knew that he would figure out that the Evil Queen trapped Emma and Regina in the mirror world, but I feel like it took him a little too long. The way she spoke to him about Violet being common and his regality should have been what tipped him off. Regina does not speak like that.
The Evil Queen’s plan to have Henry kill The Dragon so he understands her better wasn’t actually sound. He would have been doing something awful in order to save the ones he loves. The Evil Queen on the other hand, has never done anything for anyone but herself. Her evil deeds benefit her and her alone. The motivations and intentions behind their actions were different. His were noble and hers were selfish. So she wasn’t actually doing what she set out to do.
Rumple, as usual, was one step ahead! I was really hoping that Belle would succeed in her plan to flee Storybrooke for the Enchanted Forest. Seriously, why has she not served him with divorce papers yet?
He claims over and over and over again that he loves her, but he can’t. Not truly. Not with the way he has been treating her for the past season and a half or more. He is not considering how she feels and what she wants at all. He is being completely selfish.
I was rooting for them to get back together – their relationship was so beautiful when it worked – and for him to come around and see the error of his ways. Not anymore. I am as done with him as Belle is. There is no redeeming Rumple at this point.
Belle recruiting Aladdin to steal the sorcerer’s wand for her was a nice way to incorporate him and Jasmine into the episode. They are sticking around a lot longer than I assumed they would be and I am surprised every time they show up in an episode. I don’t yet see how their storyline fits into the bigger picture, but it kind of feels like the writers are setting up a spin-off perhaps?
It was so cute how Snow and Charming were working around the sleeping curse. It wasn’t perfect, but it was something. I didn’t consider them doing something like that and it was a nice touch that all Snow had to do was rip out the paper and crumple it in her hand for Charming to know exactly what it meant.
Random thoughts:
- When will they learn that the Evil Queen has a plan for every plan they can think of?
- Zelena actually wasn’t a pitiable little puppet this week.
- Where the hell did Killian come from?
- I was hoping Genie was in the lamp.
Once Upon A Time airs Sundays at 8 PM on ABC.