Since ABC is owned by Disney and Once Upon a Time, my favorite tv show, is on ABC- that makes it fair game for this blog! Therefore, I've decided to share my thoughts on the season 3 premiere.
First a warning- Do not read this unless you have seen the episode! It will contain spoilers!
Ready? Good.
I thought this episode was a really great opening for the season.
Although I doubt it will be my favorite in the long run, it did really
well at setting things up. We got our first real taste of Neverland.
I'm loving the whole running on belief thing already. I do think I ODed
on the spoilers, and I'm glad the press doesn't get advanced screenings
every time because I have trouble resisting what they write! I already
knew a lot of the twists and turns in advance, although I still enjoyed
watching. I'm more excited for next week's, though, when we really get
to delve into how Neverland works.
The banter among those on the ship was great- I've been wanting to see them address more of those issues since the curse broke.
I've
seen stories in which emotions affected the weather before, so it
wasn't completely unexpected. I'm still trying to decide if Emma
jumping in the water was incredibly brave or foolhardy! At any rate, it
worked- everyone banded together, and the storm stopped. I like how
Emma is going to be the leader- she is the one who gets along the best
with the greatest number of fellow travelers. For the most part, Regina
was surprisingly cooperative- snarky, but still trying to help in the
only way she knows how. And I almost liked Hook here- although I still
want Emma to end up with Neal. I love how Neal meant something to Hook
too- I'm hoping that once they both learn Neal survived, Hook is glad as
well. I really don't want to see a huge catfight love triangle.
It
was funny to hear Emma actually state that Snow and Charming are the
same age as her! I did think saying everything was their fault was a
little harsh though.
Why did no one administer CPR after they rescued Emma? They just stared at her!
There
is a lot of disagreement about Neal among fans, but I like him. I
might have a weakness for love stories. I loved the interaction between
Mulan and Neal- the reference to Mulan's movie was great and how he
explained that their stories are legends in our world. I've been
waiting for someone to point that out! I loved Mulan calling Neal out on
his issues and helping him to use the crystal ball. I loved that Neal
wants desperately to get back to Emma.
How did Neal know his father had a castle? They were still in a house when he left.
It's
funny- several of us were trying to figure out what it was that Neal
was holding in the behind the scenes pics from the castle
scene...Rumple's cane or a magical item...turns out we were both right!
:D
Robin Hood squatting in Rumple's castle
was great- but what happened to Marian? And why did he say he owed
*Rumple*? How'd he know he let him go? Shouldn't he say he owes
*Belle*? I was disappointed they didn't take advantage of a chance to
bring her up. Since she was not in the premiere, I was really hoping
she would at least be referenced. As much as I loved the ep, I missed
Belle greatly- but I'm biased.
Rumple was
quite intense this ep. Robert was right- yet another version of the
character. He's colder, darker, more angry. I was initially worried
when I heard he was going to abandon the JR crew pretty fast, but I
found that while I didn't think it was the best decision, I appreciated
the way he explained it. He absolutely had a point about Emma, and he
didn't taunt her or snark at her. I have to say, I love the combination
Gold/Rumple look he is sporting now. He may be 20 years older than me,
but he looks smoking in the leather!
I'm
still not fully on board with the Rumple was a Lost Boy or Pan's brother
theories. I'm not keen on the idea of Rumple having been to Neverland
as a kid. However the question remains- is the little doll a reminder
of Bae or a reminder of Rumple's childhood? I could see it being either
at this point.
I have a hunch Pan is going
to be a fascinating villain. The creepiest, most dangerous villains are
those who play manipulative mind games. That's how most cruel people
operate in real life. The casting was perfect. I have to admit, though,
that I'm still not sure how I feel about a villainous Peter...part of
me thinks it's an awesome twist on his story and can't wait to learn
more, but because I have a soft spot for the stage musical version,
there is another part of me that misses the heroic Peter...the one who
crows and exclaims, "I am youth! I am joy! I am freedom!"
I
was surprised they killed off Greg and Tamara so quickly, but I never
cared much for the characters. I think they came across as strictly
plot devices to get Henry to Neverland. You still have to wonder how on
earth Pan and the Lost Boys created all of the workings of The Home
Office and convinced two adults to follow through. I loved how Henry
snarked to Greg and Tamara about how foolish they were.
Overall, the episode is a great introduction to what I think may just be the best season yet!
