You may or may not have noticed that I didn’t blog about the episode last week. The reason for that is because I didn’t watch it. I had access to the episode from Monday which I was supremely grateful for. However, I’d thoroughly spoiled myself with the liveblog, and the gifsets, and I just couldn’t face it. I didn’t want to watch the scenes with full sound and picture. I felt an incredible disconnect between what I felt, and what it was clear the writers wanted me to feel.
Anyway, when I woke up this morning I had a message saying episode 10 was amazing, which was the best news we’ve had all season. So I steered clear of tumblr to remain unspoiled for 6.10 – I wanted to see for myself and yikes, they really weren’t kidding. My expectations were admittedly low but well they have said repeatedly about “darkest before dawn” and this was like a ray of sunshine and sweet merlin we needed the boost. I might have got a bit incoherent because I was just so damn excited.
Spoilers for 6.09 and 6.10 under the cut and boy was 6.10 amazing!
6.09 – Changelings
I’m not going to talk very much about this episode. I try and remain positive and I had a real problem with some of what happened, and more importantly how it was portrayed. Basically, there was almost nothing good about this episode. It wasn’t like last week where I thought it was going to be terrible, and then actually I found something redeeming. No, this was just flat out awful from start to finish. I’m sorry, I do try and remain positive but no, I have almost nothing good to say. When I have nothing good to say, I tend to not say very much at all. I always think it’s better to remain silent. I’m going to try and pick out some good stuff but you might just want to skip this whole section.
So was there nothing good? Well I loved the Evil Queen as always. The layers Lana is putting into that character, it’s a real master class on acting. I know I say that every week but I am continually impressed. The way her face flickered when Zelena said that baby Robyn had missed her. The Evil Queen wants a family, she wants that hole in her heart filled. It was also fairly obvious that the Evil Queen didn’t want to kill Zelena. She gave Zelena ample warning, and she got her out of the house and away from the baby.
Regina and Zelena’s conversation about redemption and forgiveness and what heroes do, was incredible. I’m finally glad somebody said that to Zelena. If Zelena wants redemption then she needs to do something to earn it. Regina took the first step, Zelena needs to do the same, rather than just demand forgiveness. As much as I hate Zelena, I do try and be even-handed, if Zelena does actually go on a journey of redemption like Regina did, then I’ll accept it. It was this instant-redemption over two episodes Zelena had last season that I didn’t like.
So Rumbelle? A little bit of sarcasm – sleeping without intending to sleep aka having visions – yeah that’s not suspicious at all! Anyway, I’m wondering if maybe Belle and Emma’s visions are linked, seeing as they are both vision type things. Honestly, I just don’t get why people aren’t more suspicious.
Anyway, I did love how they repeated mentioned Baelfire. So often it feels like he’s forgotten and Bae was important in so many ways, and to so many people, and especially for this storyline it’s important to remember him. I do wonder how Rumple learned that the Black Fairy was his mother. Is there some kind of genetic test? Did Malcolm tell him?
Right and then Rumple’s declaration at the end – “I play a very long game.” – I would be more excited by this if I hadn’t been burned once before. I was thrilled when Rumple made his declaration about how “There’s a lot of heroes in this town but none of them are me.” after pulling Excalibur from the stone. That didn’t come to anything, so I’m not going to get my hopes up.
Basically, I’m sorry, for this episode I wasn’t positive at all. I hated it and watching it was the opposite of enjoyable. I actually asked myself at one point why I was doing this. The answer is I want to watch 6.10 which is supposedly good and I couldn’t skip 6.09. I have to watch them all in order, whether I like it or not. Anyway, onwards!
6.10 – Wish You Were Here
Wow, wow and more wow. There were actual legit tears. There was a painting of Baelfire on the wall. I never expected that they would do that. I really didn’t think they would and so to acknowledge it like that. I mean I have so many questions like – why is Rumple upset about his dark curse if Bae obviously made it back to the Enchanted Forest? Also how did Bae make it back? Just wow, I am so freaking happy about this.
Also they remembered the globe from season two! I love it when they remember stuff. My question was why didn’t it work, but then Rumple answered that later with “dark magic realms” and I have all the questions – seriously so many questions!
Right, right, wow I don’t know what order to put my comments in. I’m just so freaking happy about this episode. Ok, I’m just going to out of order really, big splurge of excitement. When Emma said “We could kill her.” – my immediate response was ‘but you shouldn’t’ – I actually said that out loud because the Evil Queen is half of Regina! You can’t just split a person like that, neither will be whole without the other.
I loved Regina being smart – seriously I love it when characters are smart! Which made it suck even more when David tricked the Evil Queen so easily later on and got the lamp away from her. The Evil Queen should not have been that easy to trick. Anyway, Regina was smart, and it seems she did give David a heads up about what she was planning, I was slightly worried about that. When she was greeted with fear by the dwarves that was so accurate. Honestly the dwarves should get more screentime, they are always comedy gold. Leroy later on bursting into the apartment – “big trouble team” – I love it!
Ok wow that was a disorganized paragraph. I really, really loved when Regina saw the statue/plaque and went “seriously?” because wow, just wow – seriously all the awards people! Master freaking class in acting. Oh and then Rumple in the cage, wow sorry I’m really dancing around, but he was on fine form. Full on imp like season one or early flashbacks, absolutely amazing!
Oh man, oh man all the callbacks to the pilot! Seriously all the callbacks. It was the same location as when Regina burst into their wedding, Snow took David’s sword, and Regina used the same lines of “sorry I’m late” and “I’ll destroy your happiness” but Lana really knocked it out of the park. There was the proud moment, where she was proud of Henry.
Oh, oh and then when she went to her ruined palace and she was trying to goad Emma into remembering. Poor Regina she was getting so frustrated that Emma wasn’t responding right. Why was Emma so weak like that anyway? Perhaps because her parents shielded her from too much? It didn’t feel right anyway. Emma should have been stronger than that. Then Regina wouldn’t fight Henry and just awwww.
There was a weird CGI moment when Regina was walking into the ballroom area, it looked like she was float sprinting, but who the hell cares about effects when the content was actually so good! I loved it when Emma said “Although that was very dark” and then Regina’s expression – so awesome.
Then Rumple turned up and wow, just wow. Him being all teasing dark one. “On behalf of Rumplestiltskin’s everywhere” and then him “I’m going to go raze fake villages” and *incoherent screaming* – I freaking love it! Rumple never razed a village in his life, and I love the teasing. Although I do have to question – magic beans can cross reality now? That’s interesting.
Right, and then they lost their ticket home because of Robin Hood. Poor Regina, and Emma stayed with her! I mean she could have jumped in the portal but she wouldn’t leave her! I just – wow, what a freaking episode and I haven’t even really got to the Rumbelle part.
I was begging Rumple to challenge Belle’s assumption that he sped up the pregnancy, to tell her it wasn’t true. Yes she probably wouldn’t believe him but by letting her continued accusations stand, it’s like he’s admitting it. Anyway, he finally told her and then Belle was like “what have we done to one another” and I saw that script tease but I didn’t dare hope. Could they finally be getting on the same page?
Seriously I have all the questions about the Black Fairy and the dark realms and seriously Belle’s visions/sleeping dreams because so not normal! Morpheus’s eyes had gone all evil when he took off the hood in the shop, there was no warmth there like there was in episode one. He is getting shadier and I don’t trust that Blue fought as hard as she could, or doesn’t know more than she’s saying – Blue is shady!
Ok, ok, wow. You know I was prepared to cut ties with the show. When I realized I couldn’t face watching 6.09, I figured that enough was enough and that maybe I should quit. However, what a difference one episode makes. I’m now sad I can’t watch 6.11 next week but maybe that’s a good thing, now they’ll be a happy buzz over hiatus. It’ll make me want to watch again in January when quite frankly I was getting to the point when I never wanted to watch again.
I mean I love this show but it was becoming something I couldn’t recognize. However, this episode right here restored a small part of my faith. All the callbacks were incredible – they put Bae on the wall! Rumple and Belle are communicating, there’s an interesting mystery. Regina was awesome, all the actors need to win all the awards! Over use of exclamation marks!
I’m sorry, usually I’m more coherent and thoughtful than this but I’m actually enthusiastic and I care again. I went from loathing 6.09 and wanting to quit, to really enjoying 6.10 and wanting to watch more. This is what a good episode can do! I know, I said I wasn’t going to write much about 6.09 and then I tried to find some good stuff to say, and now this 6.10 review isn’t that much longer. I need to be more thoughtful about this and less excited.
But they put Bae on the wall!
Seriously, that did it. That was only a tiny little thing and it made me really happy. It’s not like we ask for much but man I have all the questions and I don’t know if there’s going to be any answers. Regina and Emma are still in the ‘alternate reality’ so maybe they will run into people again.
Does Emma have her fake memories? Did they leave Henry frozen in the castle? They are probably going to have to see Rumple again to get another ticket home. What happened to Belle in this reality? I’m guessing if Regina captured her, then she was freed when Regina was vanquished and went on to make a life for herself somewhere, maybe back in Avonlea or perhaps she teamed up with Mulan and became a travelling hero.
I just want to know how Bae got back to the Enchanted Forest. Did he ever see his dad? How did he die? How did he and Emma meet? I know, I should care more about present day Rumbelle but I’m sorry I’m just overwhelmed that they made Bae Henry’s father! I really didn’t think they would. I thought they would avoid mentioning it one way or the other at best. My theory was that the Henry we saw was from our reality, because Henry wouldn’t exist in the alternate one. I was imagining it to be like the time travel adventure thing, and that it would be Hook not Regina that woke Emma up by romancing her. Instead Hook was unimportant and Regina got it done – so awesome!
Ok, ok, present day Rumbelle. Well hopefully we’re going to see the Black Fairy again. I would love to learn more about how the Black Fairy and Malcolm met and why the Black Fairy abandoned Rumple – he wants answers, so do I! Also, I want to know what the Black Fairy did to Gideon (I suppose I should stop calling him Morpheus) – I want to know how much they were influencing Belle, what’s up with Emma’s visions. Is Morpheus a dark one, is he the next savior? Seriously, there has to be something.
All the questions, all the questions. Like why isn’t Robin old Robin? David and Snow were obviously supposed to be 28 years older but Robin doesn’t look aged. Was in he in a sleeping curse? Did he spend some time in the land of untold stories? Where’s Roland? All the questions. Wow, just wow, so freaking awesome! 6.09 can die in a fire of a thousand suns but I’m framing 6.10 on the wall. 6.10 was very good. I liked 6.10 oh yeah 🙂