Sunday 13 May 2012

Once Upon A Time: A Land Without Magic


YOU GUYS, THAT WAS THE BEST SEASON FINALE I'VE EVER SEEN, EVER!!!!

My brain is like mush right now, that's how amazing that was!!! I sobbed, I laughed, I freaked out, I screamed...Aside from my theory about Emma's kiss waking Henry because it's a kiss of true love (posted that on my Facebook page), I had NO idea what to expect, and I was SO impressed with every single thing about this episode!

Because this episode switched back and forth so often, and because the two worlds overlapped quite a bit, instead of posting the recap of one timeline, then the other like I usually do, I'm going to recap it all at once.
Forgive me if it's a bit messy looking! ;)

Here we go!

We begin in Fairytale Land, with Charming still locked in his cell. The guards come and take him and while they're walking down the hall, Charming fights back, knocking two of them out.
Unfortunately, he runs into two more. Fortunately,one is THE HUNTSMAN!!!! (Did anyone else squeal and tear up when they saw him? No? Just me?)
He kills the second guard and helps Charming escape.

Flash to Storybrooke.
Henry is in the hospital with Dr. Whale checking him out.
He's unconscious, and Emma tells Whale he was poisoned. Whale disagrees because Henry's showing no signs of it.
Whale tells Emma he needs something to treat. That what's wrong with Henry 'It's like..."
"Like magic.", is Emma's reply.
Emma takes the book out of Henry's bag. As she's holding it, she remembers everything Henry's told her about Fairytale Land. All of the stories flash through her mind.
And she believes.

Regina walks in and Emma drags her out of Henry's room.
Regina finally admits that it IS real. The stories, Fairytale Land, all of it.
She tells Emma that she can't wake Henry because she has no magic left, and she has no idea what the sleeping curse will do to Henry.
Regina realizes they need help, and the two go to Mr. Gold.
"Actually, he goes by Rumpelstiltskin."

Back in Fairytale Land, the Hunstman enters the Evil Queen's chambers. He tells her Charming has escaped. He promises to find him, but Regina can see the prince through her magic looking glass.
Charming suddenly finds himself in the woods. The camera pans back and we see he's in the same woods where poor Hansel and Gretel were--Miles away from anything.

Luckily, Charming runs into Rumpelstiltskin.
Rump offers a deal. He'll give Charming his now-enchanted mother's ring that will help him find Snow--Before we can find out what ol' Rumpy wants in exchange, Charming says no and the two do battle! (Who knew Rumple was so good with a sword?!)
With the help of his magic, Rumple wins, of course.

Charming finally agrees to help Rumple when the sorcerer tells him that they want the same thing--For Charming and Snow to be together.

Back to Storybrooke--
David finds Mary Margaret and tries to apologize to her again. And again, he tells her he loves her.
And AGAIN, she turns him down.
He tells her he's leaving Storybrooke.

And back to Fairytale Land!
Rumple tells Charming that he needs help to hide his bottle of true love magic.
He explains that he'd once been in love and so he's not as ignorant on the subject as Charming thinks.
He wants the magic protected inside 'the belly of the beast', because he's 'saving it for a rainy day'.
Charming agrees to help.

In Storybrooke, Regina and Emma go to Gold's shop.
He can see that Emma believes as soon as she walks in.
He agrees to help, and explains about the true love magic.
It seems that when he created the Queen's spell, he put a single drop of true love on the parchment, which is why Emma is the saviour. She was CREATED through true love. The same true love in Rumple's magic potion! (BOOM, there's a HUGE answer to one of the many questions we've had since the pilot!)


Gold tells Emma she has to get the rest of the potion. The bottle that he'd 'saved for a rainy day'.
Dancing around the 'who', exactly, Gold helps Regina figure out where the potion is.
Emma, still clueless, is told she needs to be prepared.
Gold opens a case and tell her she'll need 'this'.
Emma asks what it is.
"Your father's sword." is Gold's reply. (I squealed in glee at that line!)


Back at the hospital, Emma tells the still-sleeping Henry that he was right and leave the book beside his bed.
Regina comes in to see the boy and Emma leaves.
As she's at the bedside, she apologizes aloud, and in walks Jefferson.
He wants Regina to hold up her end of the bargain. He wants his daughter back.
Regina refuses and Jefferson walks away after Regina calls his bluff.

Meanwhile, Emma goes to Granny's to see August. He can't open the door, so Emma breaks in.
She can now see that he's Pinocchio, and that he's turning to wood.
She asks for help because she doesn't think she can do it alone.
He gives her a confidence boost--and then completely turns to wood before Emma's eyes.
(I really hope he's not dead and is able to return next season!)


Regina and Emma meet at the abandoned library and Emma goes down in the hidden cage elevator.
In the 'basement' (it's more a cave, really), Emma spies a glass coffin (*gasp*) and a HUGE fire-breathing dragon!

In Fairytale Land, Charming is in Maleficent's castle looking for the 'beast'.
It turns our Maleficent IS the beast, and she turns into a HUGE fire-breathing dragon! (*gasp*)

In a series of EPIC, wonderful, parallel scenes, we watch father and daughter battle the same dragon, with the same sword (well, mostly) in two different timelines and two different worlds.
I LOVED everything about this part of the episode!!

Finally, Charming stuffs the jeweled egg containing the true love potion into the dragon's..er...gills?

And in the Storybrooke timeline, Emma THROWS her father's sword into the dragon's heart and kills it, then finds the jeweled egg in its ashes. (Please forgive me if I'm wrong. It's been years since I've seen it, but doesn't Prince Charming kill the dragon the same way in Disney's Sleeping Beauty?)


At the hospital, Mary is reading the Snow White story to the unconscious Henry when he takes a turn for the worse.
Alarms beep and Doctor Whale rushes in to start CPR.

Also in the hospital, Jefferson, now wearing the white scrubs of an orderly, gives the basement nurse a drugged tea.
When she passes out, he rescues Belle (who now lives next door to Sidney Glass, apparently!) and tells her to 'Find Mr. Gold and tell him Regina locked you up.'
He tells her Gold will protect her and he sends her off.

In Fairytale Land, Rumple is waiting for the now-wet (wet leather pants...Oh my) Charming as he climbs out of the water after fulfilling his part of the bargain.
Gold gives Charming the ring--and changes his clothing into something a bit more regal. ;)
When Charming asks why Rumple is doing this, Rumple replies, "I'm a fan of true love, dearie. And more important, of what it creates."

Charming finally finds Snow, but he's too late. She's dead in her coffin, surrounded by her dwarfs.
He leans in to say goodbye--and kisses her.
She wakes, as we already know. :)

Charming proposes, Snow accepts, and she then suggests they take back the kingdom. (EFF YEAH!)

In Storybrooke, Emma is almost to the top of the elevator when it stops.
Gold calls down to her that is's been sabotaged and that Regina has left her. He convinces her to throw the egg up to him. Emma does and Gold takes off.
Emma climbs to the top and spies Regina tied and gagged. The two go off after Gold, but they're stopped when both get calls from the hospital.
They arrive at Henry's room and they're told he's dead.

Back at Gold's shop, he now has the potion--And in walks Belle. (HIS FACE! OMG HIS FACE IS PRICELESS!!)
Of course, she doesn't know him...but he knows her. :)
Belle tells him what Jefferson said, and Gold hugs her and promises to protect her.
She asks if she knows him and he replies, "No. But you will."
(Was anyone else completely fooled into thinking ol' Rumpy would change now? Become a good person? Just me again? Bah!)


Back at the hospital, Emma and Regina are in tears. Emma leans in to kiss Henry and tells him she loves him.
As her lips meet his forehead, THE CURSE IS BROKEN!!!!!!!!!

The WHOLE TOWN remembers! Snow on the street, Charming on his way out of town, Archie in front of his office, the Blue Fairy in the hospital--THEY ALL REMEMBER!!!
(Oh, God, did I SOB!!!)


Before she flees, Regina tells Henry that she DOES love him.

On the street, Charming, now back in town, spies his love.
"Snow!"
"Charming! You found me!"
"Did you ever doubt I would?"
And the two kiss in the middle of the street.
(And I cried even harder, if that's possible)

At the same time, Gold and Belle are walking through the woods when the curse breaks.
"Wait."
"No, no, we're very close."
'Rumpelstiltskin, wait."
He realizes the curse is broken and she remembers.
The two hug and declare their love for each other, but first, there's something he must do.
They arrive at the magic well. The well who's waters have the power to restore that which has been lost.
Rumple drops the true love potion in the water....and a purple smoke drifts across the town.

Regina, looking through her window, smiles.

Magic has once again returned to Storybrooke--And magic is power.

The town clock once again ticks to 8:15.





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So...
HOLY CRAP THAT WAS THE EPICEST MOST EPIC THING OF EPICNESS, EVER!!!!

I was SO worried about how they'd answer all the questions, how they'd NOT leave us hanging regarding Snow/Charming and how'd they'd close out the season...WHY was I worried?!
I'll never doubt you again, OUAT writers! I swear!

Best lines:

"Actually, he goes by Rumpelstiltskin."--Regina

"It was a brief flicker of light amidst an ocean of darkness."--Rumple

"What is that?"--Emma
"Your father's sword."-Gold

"You can see it now. You believe."--August

"Now you're ready for your big moment!"--Rumple

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"--Belle
"No. But you will."--Gold

What questions do we have after this episode?
-Is the magic only in Storybrooke?
-Are the townsfolk still trapped?
-Is Emma now trapped, too?
-How will they get back to Fairytale Land?
-What does this mean for Regina? Is she once again in control of the town?
-Will Rumple go back to his ugly old self?
-Will Belle stay with Rumple?
-Will August survive now that there's magic in the town?
-Now that they all remember, what does that mean for the town? Are there consequences? Repercussions?
-Will Jefferson reunite with his daughter?
-How did Jefferson know Belle was being held prisoner?
-How will Snow and Charming relate to their daughter, who's now all grown up?
-Why does Rumple want to bring magic to Storybrooke instead of going home?
-What will season two bring???


Let's Talk Theories!
It's obviously REALLY early for anything but guesses, but here are my thoughts!

It's going to be the town against Regina, with a bit of Rumple thrown in. ;)

Regina will once again be the scary Evil Queen with control over the land, but I think that, somehow, Emma will  now have magic to rival the Queen.

I think August will be okay...but he'll still be wood. At least for a little while.

And I think that we'll meet Henry's father...who will turn out to be Rumple's son, Bae.

Speaking of Rumple, he'll be conflicted. He'll want the power he once had, but he'll also want Belle. There will be many episodes showing his conflicting sides.
And he'll declare an all out war against the Queen for what she did to Belle.

If my theory about Henry's father is right, I believe Henry will turn out to be the most powerful of them all...but he'll have to grow into his power.
And, of course, the Queen and Rumple will fight over Henry and that power.

What Stories Would I Like To See Next Season?
-Alice in Wonderland from Alice's point of view
-The little mermaid!
-Sleeping beauty!
-Peter Pan!
-More Pinocchio, with Jiminy
-More of the dwarfs stories
-Grumpy and Nova in Storybrooke now that they remember!
-Who is Dr. Whale?


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And now a note from me. :)

You guys, there are no words for how much you've all meant to me during this amazing, awesome OUAT season.
Because of you, this little blog has grown into exactly what I dreamed it would be.
A place for me to geek out. A place for me to 'talk' about my crazy little obsessions. A place of comfort and fun and friendship.

While I don't get a ton of comments (I'm okay with that!), I can SEE that you guys DO read these posts, and my OUAT recaps have quickly become my most popular posts, getting hundreds of views each week.

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU.

I've made a bunch of new friends with the help of this little blog (Hi, Laurie and Mary!), and I look forward every week to my 'regulars' posts (Hi, EB, Sheena-Kay, Deborah, Sophia!), and to all the newbie posts I do receive.

I'll still be here, reviewing books, movies and summer shows (yet to be determined), and I hope you'll all join me again in the fall when season two of our beloved show begins.

Now, lets hear YOUR theories on season two! What do YOU think will happen now that magic has returned? What did you think of A Land Without Magic? What stories do you hope to see next season?


And with that, I sadly bid you adieu for the last time this season, Oncers. Thank you for making this show such fun for me to watch.
I heart you all. :)



12 comments:

  1. Laurie Riesberry14 May 2012 at 01:19

    Great recap and my comments are going to follow along with yours ;)

    I knew the episode was going to be awesome, but I don't think I was really prepared for how awesome it actually was! I don't think I've ever talked to the TV as much as I did tonight! I also agreed with the theory that it would be Emma's kiss that would wake Henry, and I'm so glad it was right.

    Charming was a BA knocking out the guards and no, you were not alone, I squeed and yelled at the TV when I saw it was the huntsman!

    I loved Emma flashing through all the stories and the look of amazement and realization on her face. That was so awesome.

    Rumple was in fine form and the fight with Charming was epic. When Charming wanted to know what Rumple wanted I flashed to Rumple/Mr. Gold telling Snow/Mary Margaret that he was invested in her future, and I told Charming and the TV he wants you and Snow together so you can have Emma!

    Oooo, the "belly of the beast" and then "she's locked in the basement"; Becca and I both looked at each other and said Maleficent!

    I was practically in tears when August turned completely to wood :(

    I totally agree, the scenes with Emma, Charming and Maleficent were definitely epic. You are absolutely right, the Prince in Sleeping Beauty does kill her exactly the way Emma did ;)

    As soon as Charming found Snow surrounded by the dwarfs I squeed again! The finale comes full circle with the premiere, but now we are head over heels in love with these characters!

    Okay, I have to say from the time we learn that Henry had died pretty much to the ending, I was in tears! In Gold's shop and the bell rings on his door and we knew it was Belle! Her voice and then he slowly turns around and his face and he's even clumsy walking! It was beautiful!

    Then to Emma's kiss - Henry wakes and the curse is broken and so was I! A flood of tears. Everybody remembers and then Rumple has to be Rumple ;) and magic is back and it's 8:15!

    The ups and downs in the episode were so fast and furious. A rollercoaster of emotions. I was ecstatic that so many characters were brought back.

    Ooo, I like your theory on Henry's father ;) Definitely Rumple will be out for revenge against the Queen, but I hope it won't destroy what he and Belle have found again. I also think he will try to find what happened to Bae now that he's brought magic to Storybrooke. That was his initial agenda.

    Since I found your blog I've looked forward to reading your recaps every week. It's like watching the episode over again and you always have great theories and questions :) And I made an awesome friend too which is the best part!

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    1. Agreed about Bae! Does this mean Rumple can now leave Storybrooke to look for his son?
      Hmm!

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  2. I was so glad to see The Huntsman! I'm still holding out hope that he's not really dead- more the same sort of dead that soap opera characters suffer.

    Interesting theory on Henry's father. Might have to see if those are still streaming for a rewatch.

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    1. I would LOVE to see Graham back, yes!
      I'll keep you all updated if I hear he's been seeing filming over the summer! ;)

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  3. I was so glad to see Grahm/the Huntsman! The rest of the episode I was sobbing trying to scheme in ways they can bring him back. Though it probably won't happen for me.

    I didn't catch on the the Emma and Henry true love but when he died my Dad was like "It's okay she'll kiss him and be all better." As he nervously watched the screen.

    Despite my best wishes Regina and Gold are still the evil people they once were. But without that there wouldn't be a season 2, right;)

    I also like the theory on Henry's father though I'd like to see a more noble Bae than that....

    I squealed and sobbed the entire episode along with you and walked around in a state of shock trying to figure out how I could trick time into coming faster.

    I worry about Rump and Belle though because Rumple is still obsessed with magic. He's bringing power back but "All magic comes with a price, dearie." And I can't help but wonder what his price will be.

    I adore your blog posts and having lots of people to squeal and talk theories over.*Or notice that the title page changes each episode half way through the seasonXD

    Thank you so much and I loved meeting everyone!

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    1. I agree about Bae, but I can see how he may have had a rough life in the real world!
      His father chose magic over his own son, and young Bae was alone in a world without magic.
      He may have turned to a life of crime, mingled with the wrong crowd and lost himself in drugs...at least for a little while.
      I believe that IF I'm right about him, it'll be a more noble Bae we meet. One worthy of being Henry's father.

      And wouldn't a love triangle between Emma, Bae and Sheriff Graham be awesome?! (If Graham also returns)

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  4. Long time reader/first time commenter...yada yada yada.

    I only have one minor gripe about how things turned out.

    Oh, but before I get to it, I wanted to thank you for your excellent recaps and thoughts. I love reading this every week.

    But, here's my gripe. Over the course of this season, we saw several of the Real World characters grow and evolve. Two that immediately come to mind are Mary Margaret and Archie. But, it's even true of Ruby and others. In these cases, the RW characters grew to start to show some of the strength and resolve that their Fairy Tale counterparts have.

    On the other hand, that's not been the case for some others. Most notably David. If anything, David has shrunk over the course of the season, and each week seems less like Prince Charming. I was really hoping that Season 2 would be David's turn to grow. I was looking forward to seeing the evolution of David.

    But with the breaking of the curse, and restoration of memories, that seems unlikely. We don't get to see David grow into Charming. Instead, we just flip a switch and David IS Charming.

    Perhaps it's a minor quibble, and perhaps it was unavoidable, but I do feel like we lost a good potential storyline here.

    Finally, after weeks of feeling almost sympathetic to Rumple/Gold, it now appears that we'll have to deal with the power hungry madman side of him next season, not the sympathetic lonely father. I don't mind that, but I'll miss the Rumple we've seen recently.

    Oh, and one more thing (after finally! :)) was I the ONLY person that said, as soon as the purple cloud started to flow..."ummm...Purple isn't usually a color that represents GOOD things in Disney fairy tales..."

    Ciao! Great work as always!

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  5. And one more thing...think about the significance of yesterday's episode airing on...Mother's Day.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh...still one more thing.

    You missed my favorite quote:

    "If I were you, your Majesty, I'd find a place to hide." -Blue Fairy/Mother Superior.

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    1. Hi, Chris!

      So nice to 'meet' you!

      You know, I hadn't thought about it before, but you're totally right about Charming/David!
      David was so NOT Charming at all in Storybrooke, and I'll miss watching him come into his Charming side. :(

      Also, that was a GREAT quote by MS/BF, right?! I should have added it, yes!

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  7. Yay. I didn't expect you to mention me as a friend you've made on here. Thank you. I always have to read your blog as soon as I finish each episode because it's *my* place to geek out as well about one of my favorite shows.

    For some reason, I waited forever to watch the season finale, so I just finished it right now. And I am so glad I didn't watch it with anyone else in the room. LOL. Because it was one of those moments where I got so emotional about a television show that I was sobbing through out the entire thing.

    There were so many great lines through out this entire episode. I was so happy that they dealt with the Belle/Rumplestiltskin romance because that episode was hands down my favorite (before seeing this season finale.)

    And they left us on such a huge cliffhanger. It's driving me crazy. I can't wait until they start up the next season. I literally screamed at my computer (because I watch the show on ABC.com) when the credits started rolling. Because I didn't want it to be over yet.

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    1. LOL, I do that too! Put off watching the last episode of something, or the last few pages of a good book, because I don't want it to end!

      I'm happy you finally watched it. It was amazing. I'm STILL thinking about it weeks later...and I miss the show SO MUCH.

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