Episode 15: Enter the Dragon
Lana Parrilla as Regina & Kristin Bauer van Straten as Maleficent
Regina is both Snape and a manic pixie dream girl in this episode. Actually I’m not sure she is really pulling a Snape here, I have only a passing knowledge of Harry Potter.
In the Storybrooke part, Regina is trying to convince the bad girls that she wants to join their reindeer games which means some collateral damage and kidnapping. Emma in the episode is super annoying and now she says her super power is working. Whatever. Basically their goal is the same as Regina which is to find the author but Regina just wanted the author to change her fate, the villains want the author two make villains win and heros lose. Geeze, I think that is a super bad goal. I mean it’s like a 4th grader came up with it.
In the Enchanted Forest, Regina plays manic pixie dream girl to Maleficent who off her grind after she lost to Briar Rose. Briar Rose is also Sleeping Beauty. Aurora is her daughter who ALSO is sleeping Beauty. Basically Regina gets Maleficent back into her groove and her dragon form hence the title. It’s also a reference to the 1973 Bruce Lee movie. This plot was marginally better than the Storybrooke plot.
In other news Belle is a dummy who couldn’t see through Rumple’s rouse of getting the dagger in Hook’s form. I mean sure it’s convincing at Grannies BUT not so much after that. Belle is wasted in the show and so is Sarah Bolger as Aurora. Bolger was great in The Tudors and the production wastes her.
Also Pinocchio went through instant puberty and is now August again. Basically the Villains want to interrogate him.
Couple of things. Rumple tells Regina about how Maleficent burnt down a forest that still has a tree on fire because the fire was so hot. Is the fire hot or is the wood strong? Because I don’t think the fire being hot means anything for the longevity of the flame. I love Maleficent’s wardrobe in the real world. It’s great. Also Regina’s leather coat was great.
I liked that this episode focused on Maleficent and Regina but Emma’s annoying brand of worry and trying to insert herself into the plan was taxing to say the least. I think the villains are carrying the arc because it would be so dull without those three ladies.
Episode 16: Poor Unfortunate Soul
Merrin Dungey as Ursula
For the most part this was an enjoyable episode. I liked how they made movie Ariel’s backstory into Ursula’s back story. As she is the mermaid with the beautiful voice who wanted to keep music alive after the death of her mother but her Sea King father shut it down. S Basically it’s the plot of Ariel’s Beginning without Sebastian except with her goes to land to sing. Hook tries to help but ended up taking her singing voice.. It was nice that Ursula got a happy ending and it was nice to see Ariel again, I feel like show should use her more or it could be a case of less is more.
The Storybrooke plot did offer a nice twist that the door to this author is the page itself. The show can be clever with its twists. But the other twist of how Rumple plans to “change the rules” but filling Emma’s heart with darkness is dumb and seems convoluted. There was also Hook whining about how he was a villain so he afraid of slipping back into the “darkness” and losing his happy ending. But really, WHAT DID HE DO TO BE A VILLAIN? It was just kind of a ass and pirate. I guess violence makes on a villains and not evil schemes of power grabbing.
Also if the characters move out of Storybrooke do the rules still apply? Like how does this author work in the “Land without Magic?” Also not fan of seeing CG Wooden August agian. Wish the show wouldn’t reveal in their terrible CG work. But it was a good episode and hey they got Bernie Hudson to play Poseidon .
While I’m on the subject of actors, the guy who plays August, Eion Bailey, was on an episode of 30 Rock, Season 4 episode called It’s never too late for now, and Ursula’s actress, Merrin Dungey, was Sheila on Better off Ted, I love those two shows.