selenak

I heart season 3. (And I've forgotten the code for making a heart sign, please tell me again?) Both the Neverland arc in the first half and the WW arc so far in the seocnd have been fabulous. It really is my favourite season, unless something spectacularly bad happens in the last few episodes.

Doesn't mean I think it's perfect; for example, Robin and Regina being antagonistic in FTL flashbacks feels weird because the last time we've seen them in the Enchanted Forest he just had helped her regaining her castle, and the sole point of it seemed to contrast it with them making out in present day Storybrooke. But that really is a very minor thing: plus the present day making out includes them bringing up one of my favourite things about their relationship, which is it making the point, for both of them, that you can fall in love more than once. And the Henry pay off at the end if priceless. (Oh, and I got canon verbal confirmation of how this heartless yet feeling thing works from Regina when Robin very sensibly asks; Regina's reply is basically what I had assumed when writing my Five Things for Cora.) (Will in the spin-off show is another case in point, btw.)

Overall, the episode finally gave us an answer as to how the present day curse came to be and why, and you know, the problem of how Zelena was supposed to have enacted it when the show had made a point out of saying the only being she felt love (however twisted) for post adolescence was Rumple (who still lives and breathes) should have occured to me before but hadn't. And as opposed to Pan and Felix, Zelena hadn't brought a convenient sacrificiable minion along (well, there are all the monkeys, but no attachment to same, and speaking of monkeys, so that's what became of Aurora and Philipp? Ouch), plus, as everyone wonders in this episode, if her goal is to change the past, why would she need to do that from Storybrooke as opposed to the Enchanted Forrest? So yes, it really should have been obvious to me Zelena hadn't been the one to cast the curse, and yet it caught me by (good) surprise. Not to mention that the explanation also meant the show keeps feeding my penchant fo rmeaningful Regina and Snow scenes. This time with another scene involving a heart and the symbolism of Snow sharing hers and trusting Regina with accomplishing that may be on the nose but I loved it anyway. If someone does a Snow and Regina vid after this season, that mutual embrace-plus-heart-sharing has to be in it. And not to short change David: him volunteering to die so everyone can get back to Emma and save the world is totally a Charming thing to do. Just like Snow finding a way to save him anyway is a Snow thing to do.

We also get a reply as to the "who notified Hook" question that emotionally satisfies, because Neal-in-Rumple is another thing I should have thought of but didn't which makes sense given all the emotions involved (Neal's for Emma and Henry, and his backstory with Hook). What this DOESN'T explain, however, is how Hook made it into our world (unless we're to assume he got swept along when the curse was cast?).

Winning for most emotional moment of the episode, however, is of course Henry remembering and the subsequent curse breaking, which I hadn't expected to happen before this season's finale. I had vaguely wondered, though not recently, whether there'd be ever a parallel scene to the original curse breaking involving Regina and Henry, but these vague thoughts never went further than this involving life saving of Henry or Regina again. But part of Regina's road to redemption was her not being solely focused on Henry (and doing positive things solely because of him, or in the hope of regaining him) anymore. So it is absolutely perfect that what we get here are two steps: first, Henry remembering - which happens through a leap of faith on his part re: Emma, just it was key for Emma's development in s1 to make a leap of faith for Henry - and THEN, the kiss between the remembering Henry and Regina. (True Love's kiss only working when both parties are emotionally involved has been a consistent plot point on the show, and so has the fact that true love doesn't have to be romantic in nature for it to win the day.) Henry's unconditional joy in seeing Regina again with his memory intact and the love between him and Regina being treated as strongly narratively as the one between him and Emma is the best reply to the ongoing complaints about biological ties being privileged over adoptive ones. (BTW complaints I thought may have been justified in s1, thoiugh even then you get crappy bio parents and good adopted ones - Archie's parents versus Gepetto & Pinnoccio come to mind) but not later than that, but I still see them being made for some reason as if the last one and three quarters seasons never happened.) And of course Henry-with-memories would consider having Robin Hood dating his mother awesome. :)

Minor thoughts: so there is a Glinda in this 'verse, who used to be Zelena's friend. I'm assuming that's a flashback we'll still get, showing the transition for Zelena from the end of the "It's not easy being green" flashback to supervillaindom. Also, by making a point that you can reduce Zelena's power without killing her via amulet smashing I wonder whether the show is setting up an ending in which she's vanquished but, as opposed to Peter Pan, not killed?

I don't pay that much attention to the costumes, but Snow in the first flashback wearing red is a new one, isn't it? Red usually gets associated with Emma (leather jacket) and also flashback Cora (both her younger self, when crashing the masque ball in "The Miller's Daughter", and her "Queen of Hearts" outfit in Wonderland.)