Episode 17: Awake
Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White and Josh Dallas as David
There is so many issues with this episode that I’m amazed it got written in the first place. First off as it turns out Snow and David woke up from the curse ten years in because of pixie flowers. These deus-ex-machina flowers unite people with their true love which does connect Snow and David to Emma, remember that for later. So when they have a chance to get Emma back they can’t because if they do she’ll never be the savior. How? How does Emma growing up alone without her parents make her the Savior? Because if recall she was the “savior” or the one to break the curse because Rumple put that into the curse that a product of true love would break the curse. Her being a savior has zero to do with her being an orphan. They could have raised to the age of 28 and something else could have led her to Storybrooke. This just a retcon for no purpose. It doesn’t even make sense. No wonder the rules of magic keep changing, the writers can’t remember the reason why Emma was a chosen one or where her powers come from, they just made up the Savior thing as they went. I do wonder if they started that to keep Emma special because there is another product of True Love who keeps getting forgotten, Baby Neal, who is somewhere, probably, maybe. Are Snow and David good parents?
Also Snow and David wake up from the curse and not in the way you think. The Idea of their curse is that since they share a heart they share the curse and when one is awake the other is asleep. Oh, if only there was another person that was part of this True Love triangle. Oh but wait there is.
By the episode’s own admission Emma is part of that love ergo she could have woken them up this whole time. The freakin epsiode said she was their true love as children often are BUT the episode didn’t do that. Instead of the logical method which they have done before the show opts for a Kumbaya method where the town’s people take the curse to share it with them to wake them up. How does multiple people taken a weaken sleeping curse even wake them up in the first place? It makes no sense. The only reason I can think of for why the didn’t have Emma kiss her parents because it would have less dramatic and kind of a “duh” moment if it had come to that. But then again Rumple was under the dark curse till David woke him and then went back under even though in season 1 and past section in that Welcome to Storybrooke episode in season 2, he was clearly not under curse, so whatever.
They only decent part of this episode was Tiger Lily and Hook. They teamed up to get Hook home so that he can give Emma a wand to banish the Black Fairy apparently Tiger Lily has a history with her. And also Hook return via the pixie flower and pops the question again.
This episode was a trainwreck. It retcon elements to the point of ruining the story and the previous set-up which the writers have clearly forgotten.
Episode 18: Where Blue Birds Fly
Lana Parrilla as Regina & Rebecca Mader as Zelena
This epsiode rounds out Zelena’s arc as a sort sidebar friend-sister-enemy. The Black Fairy tricks her into charging some fairy crystals with dark magic as Zelena wanted to prove she was the best like no one ever was. Turns out she chooses to fix her mistake and picks friendship over magic and in doing so elects to drain her magic from herself which drains the crystals. So Zelena is sans magic.
The b plot was about finding a wedding venue. Snow is all cheery and happy saying a diner would be perfect but David has higher standards. Turns out David just wants to stall things till the battle is done so Emma can enjoy the day but Snow is all hope speeches. But I agree with David, a diner, really Snow. If only there was a lavish unoccupied space like the Sorcerer’s Mansion? Or A park that is the gates to hell? They also plan on postponing the wedding till the Black Fairy is dealt with. Anyway not a bad B-plot but very much a b-plot.
This episode was alright aside from rounding out Zelena’s arc it didn’t do all that much for the plot. There is this part where the Blue Fairy wakes up from her coma which Gideon caused to reforge the sword that kills Emma. Apparently the Black Fairy wanted her off the table because she know her darkest secret. What could it be? If it’s that she is really Blue’s darker side, that would bring the season full-circle and aside from the Aladdin plot, the other plot threads would make sense. Would also make Blue more interesting.
Also Pancakes are to Hook and Emma to what Tacos are to Snow and David. ^_~.