Once Upon a Time 3x20 Review
May. 13th, 2014 11:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaKansas
Well that was kind of anticlimactic.
• The defeat of Zelena felt really easy and kind of unearned in a way. After several episodes of Zelena easily throwing Regina around, Regina so easily getting the better of her here and without much of a battle was kind of meh.
• I admit I was disappointed that Emma lost her powers and then was backgrounded in the fight and it was Regina using light magic for the first time that defeated Zelena. I guess I was looking forward to ass-kicking magic-wielding Emma the Saviour more than I realised.
• What I did like about the 'Regina defeats Zelena' end was how it's concluded Regina's arc of personal growth. Her embracing light magic instead of dark and especially her choosing to let Zelena live and stopping Rumpel from killing her. It worked to have Regina defeat her sister after half a season of Zelena gunning for her and constantly kicking her ass. It was pretty satisfying to watch Regina throw her around for once. I also loved Henry expressing his complete belief in her.
• I'm trying to figure out what is going on with Emma. She started the series wanting a family and home, and now she has not only her parents back but a baby brother as well and yet she is still completely focused on going back to New York. She is being strangely focused and stubborn about it. Her smilingly telling Hook that she's going back to New York and then immediately asking Henry if he wants to meet his uncle and being all happy with her family was weird. I feel like there has to be something more going on with her.
• I loved the Charming/Emma exchange where he tells her to take Hook. I loved her calling him on keeping secrets, on Hook's relief at getting backup and I loved Charming being all dad with her. (Even though he was wrong.)
• So Rumpelstiltskin fooled me. I thought that Belle giving him the dagger was a bad idea and that he would take it and kill Zelena. But him returning it and asking Belle to marry him made sense to me as a mirror to Regina. They've been doing it all season both of them making their way towards being good usually in similar ways. So Rumpel giving up vengeance to mirror Regina doing the same and letting Zelena live worked. Except it was a lie and instead Rumpel once again backslides. As always. And honestly I like this turn of events. It makes sense and I like that not both our villain's are completely reformed yet.
• I am really hoping that Belle isn't going to immediately forgive this as she does everything Rumpelstiltskin does.
• We got Robin mentioning that the flying monkeys were their friends, so that was nice. Except that for all that Charming acknowledged that it didn't stop him from trying to kill one and it was only luck that had the magic break right then or he would have beheaded Little John. Not once did anyone mention all those other flying monkeys they killed. This especially sticks out with Regina's whole "hero's don't kill people" bit. Apparently that's only true if they look human! Also they have their memories back so is anyone going to wonder about Aurora? This really bugs me.
• The pendant situation with Zelena bothered me in 3x19 but how it actually works - by accepting the pendant you get increased power but also tie your magic to it - ends up working for me. It makes sense.
• I loved what they did with Dorothy 'melting' Zelena but I was sad that there was no Scarecrow, Lion or Tin Man on her journey to meet to wizard.
• I have to shake my head at Glinda not realising it wasn't the wizard behind the curtain. 'He' made the magic slippers appear on Dorothy's feet, and she knows that he has no real magic.
• Glinda really reminds me of the Blue Fairy. Their manner is so similar as is how they interact with people. Her reaction to Zelena's melting was giving me deja vu. The casual 'what will be will be' superiority, I think. You could have switched Glinda with the Blue Fairy and nothing significant would have changed.
Well that was kind of anticlimactic.
• The defeat of Zelena felt really easy and kind of unearned in a way. After several episodes of Zelena easily throwing Regina around, Regina so easily getting the better of her here and without much of a battle was kind of meh.
• I admit I was disappointed that Emma lost her powers and then was backgrounded in the fight and it was Regina using light magic for the first time that defeated Zelena. I guess I was looking forward to ass-kicking magic-wielding Emma the Saviour more than I realised.
• What I did like about the 'Regina defeats Zelena' end was how it's concluded Regina's arc of personal growth. Her embracing light magic instead of dark and especially her choosing to let Zelena live and stopping Rumpel from killing her. It worked to have Regina defeat her sister after half a season of Zelena gunning for her and constantly kicking her ass. It was pretty satisfying to watch Regina throw her around for once. I also loved Henry expressing his complete belief in her.
• I'm trying to figure out what is going on with Emma. She started the series wanting a family and home, and now she has not only her parents back but a baby brother as well and yet she is still completely focused on going back to New York. She is being strangely focused and stubborn about it. Her smilingly telling Hook that she's going back to New York and then immediately asking Henry if he wants to meet his uncle and being all happy with her family was weird. I feel like there has to be something more going on with her.
• I loved the Charming/Emma exchange where he tells her to take Hook. I loved her calling him on keeping secrets, on Hook's relief at getting backup and I loved Charming being all dad with her. (Even though he was wrong.)
• So Rumpelstiltskin fooled me. I thought that Belle giving him the dagger was a bad idea and that he would take it and kill Zelena. But him returning it and asking Belle to marry him made sense to me as a mirror to Regina. They've been doing it all season both of them making their way towards being good usually in similar ways. So Rumpel giving up vengeance to mirror Regina doing the same and letting Zelena live worked. Except it was a lie and instead Rumpel once again backslides. As always. And honestly I like this turn of events. It makes sense and I like that not both our villain's are completely reformed yet.
• I am really hoping that Belle isn't going to immediately forgive this as she does everything Rumpelstiltskin does.
• We got Robin mentioning that the flying monkeys were their friends, so that was nice. Except that for all that Charming acknowledged that it didn't stop him from trying to kill one and it was only luck that had the magic break right then or he would have beheaded Little John. Not once did anyone mention all those other flying monkeys they killed. This especially sticks out with Regina's whole "hero's don't kill people" bit. Apparently that's only true if they look human! Also they have their memories back so is anyone going to wonder about Aurora? This really bugs me.
• The pendant situation with Zelena bothered me in 3x19 but how it actually works - by accepting the pendant you get increased power but also tie your magic to it - ends up working for me. It makes sense.
• I loved what they did with Dorothy 'melting' Zelena but I was sad that there was no Scarecrow, Lion or Tin Man on her journey to meet to wizard.
• I have to shake my head at Glinda not realising it wasn't the wizard behind the curtain. 'He' made the magic slippers appear on Dorothy's feet, and she knows that he has no real magic.
• Glinda really reminds me of the Blue Fairy. Their manner is so similar as is how they interact with people. Her reaction to Zelena's melting was giving me deja vu. The casual 'what will be will be' superiority, I think. You could have switched Glinda with the Blue Fairy and nothing significant would have changed.
