The Hunchblog of Notre Dame

25May 2017

Once Upon a Time Season 4 Episodes 9 & 10 Review

by jess

Episode 9; Smash the Mirror Part 2

Georgina Haig as Elsa & Elizabeth Lail as Anna

Over the course of the season, Ingrid has told Elsa that it was Anna who trapped her in the urn which was true but Anna was under the shattered sight spell. Elsa refuses to hurt Anna so she lets herself get trapped. Elsa getting trapped in the urn wasn’t part of Ingrid’s masterplan so she took Elsa memories of her but Rumple turns up and wants the hat and takes the urn for leverage. Ingrid is about to summon Rumple to make the but the apprentice shows up because Ingrid made a deal with the sorcerer which was to exchange the hat for a magical third sister match. He tells her that if Ingrid gives the hat to Rumple she will never get her happy ending. In the end she gives the apprentice the hat and he sends her to “the real world.” That answered how Ingrid got to the real world, or place without magic, who trapped Elsa in the urn and why Rumple has the urn.

So in Storybrooke, Ingrid tries to stop Emma from getting of her magic which she thinks is suspect so she goes to the mansion. Basically Rumple manipulates Emma further saying that as a villain he wouldn’t give up his power but Emma is a hero who makes the right decision so she should. Elsa shows up and tells Emma that she really needs to love herself to control her powers. This gets through to Emma and she doesn’t go through the door to the hat. Everyone is happy except for Rumple who didn’t get Emma into the pokeball erm magical hat. Instead he takes Hook’s heart as part of what he need for the spell to be free of the dagger and for fun. He needs so one who knew him BEFORE becoming the Dark one.

Then no one is happy since Ingrid put ribbons Emma and Elsa to harness their magic so she can cast the shattered sight spell that will make everyone in Storybrooke hate/kill each other.

B plot is MORE Regina and Robin. Robin is looking for clues on the author and he finds an alternate page where Regina goes to meet Robin at the bar when Tinker bell showed her true love instead of the page in the book where she walked away. Basically it shows her that she has hope if only she makes better decisions and that she not doomed as a villain.

Nitpicks! Why didn’t Ingrid use her powers to puncture Emma’s tires or tried to immobilize her? I’m not one for noticing continuity errors but Ingrid’s neckpiece falls down between cuts during her scene with the apprentice.

Also this isn’t really a nitpick but a more of visual metaphor which again isn’t something I tend to pick up on. Rumple is shutting out the light and love for power when he closes the ball room door to set-up the hat trap. He is literally shutting out from light and the love come from the place where he danced with Belle

This wasn’t a bad episode. It did answer a lot of questions and it didn’t feel like it jerked the plot all over the place. I’m sick of the Rumple’s plot though and now Hook is more of a minion than he was before. Still it wasn’t a bad episode it was pretty okay.

Episode 10: Fall

Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Georgina Haig as Elsa, Elizabeth Lail as Anna & Scott Michael Foster as Kristoff

Anna and Elsa are reunited! Apparently Arendelle was frozen for 30 years and of course once unfrozen Hans is back to being a douche conqueror. Ok but like why would anyone in Arendelle follow him? Doesn’t matter because Anna and Kristoff are off to find Blackbeard to get a thing called the Wishing Star. Turns out Blackbeard already sold it to Anna’s parent but they didn’t have pure hearts so it didn’t work doesn’t matter though because Blackbeard is in league with Hans and Kristoff and Anna are thrown into a truck and pushed into the sea.

In Storybrooke, Ingrid sets the curse in motion. Rumple brokerages a deal with Ingrid to protect Belle and Henry so he can leave with them. Awww, Rumple does like Henry. It can be hard to tell with him. The good guys try to climb the wall but that doesn’t work but Elsa finds the necklace she gave Anna for her wedding, the same necklace that was in Rumple’s shop that she lost in episode 2. Turns out since Anna was inflicted by the curse and thus they can make an antidote with her hair. Apparently The Spell of Shattered Sight is like the chicken pox. So it off to find Anna using the necklace and a locator spell. However Elsa and Emma hit a literal dead end. Turns out since time is a factor that they can make the antidote with the necklace but the it will destroy the necklace. Since the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few they elect that the town is more important so Elsa gives them the necklace however since everyone is super trusting and doesn’t looks in the bag to see if the magical item is there, Elsa switches the necklace for some rocks to find Anna. It’s the bean from season 2 all over again. Hey Emma’s lie detector doesn’t go off here? It’s better for drama if it doesn’t.

Anyway, the necklace is the wishing star, or another magical out, and Elsa wishes for Anna to be with her and POOF Anna and Kristoff are saved from drowning along with a message in a bottle. They try to get Anna to the fairies making the antidote but Rumple has Hook trap the fairies in the hat. Freaking Rumple, just doom the town for literally no reason. You could only be redeemed for your son except no. So with the curse falling everyone locks themselves up in various why to avoid murdering each other.

The reunion was nice but really Hans shouldn’t have gotten this far being evil. It’s just not believable especially when aside from just wanting to rule he has no other motivation for wanting Arendelle. Is Arendelle the Jean Valjean to his Javert or the Esmeralda to his Frollo. Hugo did a lot obession stories. Tangent, if this show does Les Mis over Hunchback I will quit!
The music as the curse fall is nice. Especially with all those epic stares. Otherwise this episode was fine. Kept the pace and is at least moving forward. Wish all the stuff with Anna getting Storybrooke happened sooner but drama.

23May 2017

The Order of the Story in the Ballet

by jess

Esmeralda & Gringoire, La Esmeralda, Kremlin Ballet Company, Moscow

The order of how the story plays outs in La Esmeralda is baffling. It’s near insulting to the original story. Who in their right mind puts a scene that is Quasimodo’s grand introduction halfway through the story? At least that is what I thought at first.

Quasimodo as The Pope of Fools, Kremlin Ballet Company, Moscow

Yes, it’s an odd choice to have key scenes like the kidnap attempt and the Pope of Fool to unfold out of sequence however it’s a ballet so the story can’t follow as rigidly to have the same dramatic flow of the book or movies. The more I thought about the order of the scenes as they appear in this Ballet the more I relived that the second act was lacking in context. There was more dramatic performance but they needed to pad out the runtime. This why that Greek myth segment was a major focus in the second act and why I think the Pope of Fools was at the start of second act. I think dramatic flow was the reason behind the switch of Esmeralda’s marriage to Gringoire and the kidnap attempt.

Esmeralda & Phoebus, La Esmeralda Kremlin Ballet Company, Moscow

Now I could be wrong, I know nothing about Ballets but the strategies for adapting a book into a ballets are different from movies or third-rate kid videos based on better movies based on depressing French literature from the 1830s. I would say that the switching of the scenes is evident of the adaptation strategies employed by the creator(s) of La Esmeralda. So while I may disagree with the choice in theory, I understand why they rearranged the story.

22May 2017

Once Upon a Time Season 4 Episodes 7 & 8 Review

by jess

Episode 7: The Snow Queen

Pascale Hutton as Gerda, Elizabeth Mitchell as Ingrid & Sally Pressman as Helga

This episode introduces us to Ingrid’s back story. Ingrid’s powers were moderately kept in check but her two younger sisters, Helga and Gerda. However Ingrid feared love was not enough so the three went to Rumple. He traded them the gloves we see in Frozen and the gold urn for the ribbons they all wear that were a sisterly pact to always be together. However when the Duke of Weselton tries to put the moves on Ingrid even though he in a courtship with Helga, Ingrid uses her magic on him. Helga comes out and dumps his ass, however Ingrid accidentally freezes Helga and she dies. When Gerda sees this she traps Ingrid in the urn and the begs the Rock Trolls to erase Helga and Ingrid from everyone’s memory so that Arendelle will survive this. Ardenelle seems so high maintenance for a Kingdom.

In Storybrooke, Ingrid tries to convince Emma that her family fears her powers and she sort of right. Emma can’t control her powers that well and her family is a little on edge especially when she knocks out a wall and makes a light post fall over.

So Ingrid gets the ribbons back from Rumple by giving him some info on what he needs to get the hat to sever the hold of the dagger, so he can rule the world except Storybrooke. They didn’t say that in some many words but he’s back on the villain side of things so yeah he wants the world and his powers to be working outside Storybrooke.

B plot is Regina and Robin. Robin says to hell with his cursed wife and picks Regina since he can’t forget about her and doesn’t want to try to re-fall in love with Marian even though she made him into the noble thief of legends. Ok, now some nitpicks on this waste of time B plot out of a daytime soap opera, though thank god Robin doesn’t have a evil twin with an eye patch …yet. Do you guys remember in season 1 and 2 and even in this episode where there was potion that erased certain memories? Admittedly this episode had rock trolls doing to erase a country’s knowledge of two princesses but in season 1 Snow White used a potion to forget her love for Charming and in season 2 Regina used to forget that she knew Henry’s birth mother was the savior. Even if Robin didn’t want to forget Regina, why not offer him the option. Maybe have him dwell on the decision instead of JUST drinking with Will. Also WHY ARE THE PEOPLE SO DENSE? Have Roland kiss Marian! Gah. This plot is super annoying. Do only mothers have true love for their children but not the children for their mothers? If so you could just say that but no ever mentions that since the parenteral true love this is supposed to a subversion but the show has done it twice. Once Upon a Time is better when you don’t think about too much.

And now more nitpicks! Emma seeing Lord of the Rings has nothing to do with reading elvish. I don’t know Dothraki from watching Game of Thrones. Lame reference is lame and lazy. How does time work in this show? Ashley’s a baby from season 1 is still a baby but Neal conceived in the middle of season 3 with a year time skip is what a month old or so? Doesn’t matter, Ashley’s kid should be over a year old but time works weird. Because Henry is clearly aging but babies don’t? This isn’t Game of Thrones where you could blame the wall except that is actually dumb in Game of THrones too the wall thing is a weird fan theory to justify the mistake of a baby never aging.

We get the Duke of Weselton from Frozen but no Olaf. Not even homage to Olaf but the stupid evil duke. Then to make me a little more annoyed, Ingrid mentions Emma’s “superpower.” This will not go away. So apparently young Emma knew about her lie detection ability but yet Lily lied to her about being in the system and Emma sensed nothing. I know this isn’t a “superpower” more like insight but it never really works, ever. Emma just boosts about it and sometimes a bad liar crosses her path and she’s like “I have a superpower!” No, you don’t, you have light magic but not lie detection. Oh and side note, Emma’s magic come from being the product of true love not being the savior, so should Neal also be magically inclined? No one mentions that.

Despites the nitpicks, this a decent episode. The Past section really showcases Ingrid’s motivations and her personality. It makes sense though it is a bit like Frozen 2.0 but it’s understandable. You feel for Ingrid but you don’t completely sympathize with her since she chose the gloves and urn over her sisters’ love which she didn’t have total confidence in to control her powers even though Rumple said that love was enough.

Episode 8; Smash the Mirror Part 1

Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan

As this a part one of two parter it fair to say that this is mostly set-up for the next part. Henry finds Emma in the woods but she accidently hurts him which freaks her out. She decides to talk to Rumple about getting rid of the her powers which he agrees, basically he going to trap her in the hat. Which Hooks figures out and Rumple tells Ingrid to both gloat and detain her. Really hate Rumple

The past section has Elsa and Anna sneaky around the palace so they can trap Ingrid in the urn.

B plot is more Regina and Robin. Robin has also enlisted Will’s help to find the author. I wonder if the sorcerer is the author? I mean what is he doing?

And now nitpicks, Rumple straight up lies to Emma about the spell and yet nothing. At least the super power wasn’t mentioned but the show brings it up all the time so I can mention when the show just forgets about it. Rumple’s plan is so dumb. What is he going to do when Emma goes missing? Or if Belle ever uses the dagger to like summon Rumple and doesn’t come? Rumple has lost all his charms. Any character development he ever had is right out the window. I need a new favorite character. Maybe that super smart dove from season 3. Baby Neal is also likable, I really believe that he is a baby.

Why are Elsa and Anna sneaky around the palace? Elsa is the queen not Ingrid you don’t need to trick your guards, you pay them lady. Or is it so Ingrid won’t be suspicious? Still why the act and the sneaky around? I’m confused. At least give a reason for it. You can do that much show.

Also in the case of Robin and Regina, does Storybrooke not have a divorce lawyer? Seems like once Marian gets better Robin and her could divorce and problem slightly solved right? Or does Robin not believe in divorce but cheating is alright as long you’re true to your heart?

Didn’t hate this episode but it all set-up for part 2 but I really hate Rumple’s plan and Emma is dumb for believing him.

Also I’m going off Netflix order of episodes, so it’s all going to off for the rest of season. Not saying it’s right.

18May 2017

Once Upon a Time Season 4 Episode 5 & 6 Review

by jess

Episode 5: Breaking Glass

Georgina Haig as Elsa and Elizabeth Mitchell as The Snow Queen

Yet another episode of set-up with some Emma and Regina character development thrown in while they try and find that pesky Snow Queen. The Snow Queen also lures Elsa into the woods Basically Emma wants to be Regina’s friend. Emma relates this story to a past event when she was teenager and she befriended a girl named Lily. Lily was a runaway who claimed she was in the system. When Lily’s family comes for her Emma walks away from Lily’s friendship. Emma regrets what happen and does wantn’t that with Regina, since she feels Regina understands her more than the Charmings and Henry.

The Charmings’ B plot deals with Snow White thinking David set up a thief, Will Scarlet’s escape from jail so she could get her groove back. Snow in the scene where she finds Will is amusing because she is dumb but she thinks she being oh so smart. Oddly I haven’t mentioned Will Scarlett yet till now because he annoys me. This part of the plot has a Thor reference because Disney owns Marvel. Disney owns pretty everything days, including your soul.

Also the Snow Queen used Sidney to get Regina’s pocket mirror for her scheme of getting a family. Okay, Lady, you don’t need to be evil to get a family. I may have to read the original story of the Snow Queen because was there a mirror in this or is this Snow Queen making the Hell Mirror? Like from that other version of the Snow Queen. A quick Wiki search confirmed that the evil mirror is in the original story.

Also it’s revealed in this episode that at some point in season 1 Emma met with the Snow Queen in her ice cream shop but has no memory of it. The reason it’s pinpointed at season 1 is because Regina had Sidney tailing Emma. It’s also revealed that Emma’s foster home after the Lily’s incident was with the Snow Queen. Again Emma has no memory of that.

This was not a super bad episode just so much setting-up, get on with it show. There is like four plots going on and why do I have a feeling Lily will be coming back? Seems an odd backstory if all Lily’s purpose was get Emma on Regina’s semi-good side again, although with show maybe. I mean there is a long list of forgotten characters in this show.

Though I did like Emma’s backstory section. What I didn’t like was the fricken stair recreation from Let it Go. Does Elsa alway run up the stairs like that? With Her arms flared out? In the song, sure it was dramatic and she was singing, here it was just so awkward. Also why does Elsa need a cloak? Sure, it’s pretty but the cold doesn’t bother her.

Also WHERE IS OLAF! Snow Queen even mentions making a snowman, you’re trying to antagonize me show!

Episode 6: Family Business

Emilie de Ravin as Belle & Elizabeth Lail as Anna

About this whole “Magic comes with a Price” saying, I’m calling BS! What price does Regina pay when she poofs out in a puff of smoke? An Extra hour at the Gym? Mostly this episode focuses on Belle and Rumple, yay (sarcasm.) Apparently Belle ALSO knew Anna, just like David and Rumple, except Belle left Anna fall of a cliff and into the clutches of Ingrid, the Snow Queen. Ingrid is Elsa and Anna’s long forgotten aunt. All she wants to have a perfect family but since Anna isn’t cool with Ingrid, pun so intended, Ingrid locks Anna up in the dungeon. Does she have that authority to arrest the heir of Arendelle?

The reason why Anna and Belle were together was because Anna was all her way to the Rock Trolls to learn the truth about Ingrid and Belle wanted to learn how her mother died. The two met at Oaken’s sauna shop thing. So we have Oaken but no Olaf. The trolls give Belle a memory stone thing to be brewed in tea but when Ingrid sets a storm on them and Anna hangs off the cliff as does Belle’s memory stone, Belle tries to save it over Anna but both fall. The stone breaks but Anna is fine aside from being Ingrid’s prisoner.

In Storybrooke Belle is acting cagey to Elsa, Feeling guilty over Anna, Belle orders Rumple to take her to Snow Queen to find Anna. In the Snow Queen Pier One style lair, she sees the evil mirror. Evil Mirror Belle is smarter than normal Belle as the reflection tells her that the dagger is fake. Rumple tells her that the mirror is a liar and it part of spell that will make everyone in Storybrooke murder each other aside from Emma and Elsa.

Speaking of Emma, there is a prophecy that she will be Ingrid’s sister. Basically Ingrid wants a family that accepts her for who she really is, an ice magic wielder.

Well the plot is moving a touch. We know what Ingrid wants, Love and Acceptance. Kind of what Zelena and even Regina wanted, they just had it rolled up into their own insecurity and power hungry ambition. Ingrid’s a bit more watered down. She seemed less likely to have been “evil” if she had total familial acceptance. It was suspect of that there was no record of her or the other Aunt in Arendelle but these Rock Troll with their memory altering does more harm than good. We also know her evil plan involving a mirror too bad the plot was bogged down by Belle and Rumple.

16May 2017

The Rest of the Characters from La Esmeralda Ballet

by jess

I put a lot of thought into the pronouns for the subject line however there isn’t much to say on the characters’ characterizations, so we’re combining them into one post.

Ye Gringoire

Esmeralda & Gringoire, La Esmeralda, Kremlin Ballet Company, Moscow

As Phoebus is Esmeralda’s primary romances focus there isn’t that much for Gringoire to do especially in the second act. Gringoire does marry Esmeralda, tries REALLY hard to seduce her and helps out with her act. Basically he is her friend. He does seem to be a writer as evident but him holding paper in his first number.

One thing that confuses me and I’m sorry if I didn’t mention it before, Esmeralda marries Gringoire BEFORE meeting Phoebus. This means her rejecting him is less about being a naive girl who thinks she was in love with handsome soldier and is more about that she just isn’t into him. I don’t know but it seems less dramatic if you ask me, which no one did.

Back to Gringoire. His character seems to air on the side of comic relief. His numbers are light and almost fun. Esmeralda rebuffing him and indicating he would be hanged if he didn’t do as he was told were cute. Though he does try to something to Esmeralda when she was sleeping which is creepy, though he did do creepy things in the book, like spy on her through a keyhole so it’s not out of character but why would you have that but mess-up the order of the story. There are some weird decisions in this ballet.

He does seem like a good friend to Esmeralda. He tries and comforts her when she learns about Fleur de Lys and he gives her two hugs in the second act. Once right before the first execution attempt and a second right before she actually executed. Since there is no attack on Notre Dame to save her hugs are all he really does and maybe that is enough to show he cares.

Il Clopin

Clopin, La Esmeralda, Kremlin Ballet Company, Moscow

Clopin is definitely there. Since he looks like a pirate I would say that he is a leader of Court of Miracle- Leader of the Thieves and not the Duke of Egypt- Leader of the Romani. So many version combine the two characters and yet I’m pretty sure there was a third guy in that leader mix. Yet the text is confusing because it makes it seem like Clopin has all these titles, like Daenerys Targaryen, so reading the book I got confused and felt like an idiot that I would even think that Clopin wasn’t the Duke of Egypt but yes Clopin and the Duke are separate characters and there is a third guy, the Emperor of Galilee. Duke’s given name is Mathias Hungadi Spicali and the Emperor’s name is Gulillaume Rousseau. I do recall the duke being in the 1950’s version and the Jetlag version but no version has had a the Emperor of Galilee for good reason he is fat drunk who doesn’t do anything that I can recall.

Anyway back to this Ballet’s version of Clopin, I assume that is what they call him but I can’t read cyrillic so I don’t really know. While he doesn’t lead the attack on Notre Dame he does care for Esmeralda as evident by a hug he gives her in the second act.

He does try to hang Gringoire, which a one of Clopin’s tasks and oddly like the Disney movie he hosts the Pope of Fools crowning. Not much to him but he seems like a jovial guy in an eyepatch.

De Fleur de Lys

Fleur de Lys & Phoebus, La Esmeralda, Kremlin Ballet Company, Moscow

Fleur de Lys is a justifiable bitch, like in the 1956 version, I’m starting to see a little bit of a pattern. She loves Phoebus but her gives his love away to another girl. This metaphor is made clear by the scarf Fleur gives Phoebus which he gives to Esmeralda.
Unlike some other versions of Fleur, this version of her doesn’t help bring Esmeralda down or revel in her death. She is just sad and angry about Phoebus loving someone else but she does take him back without question and marries him. She is boring in this version and that is about it.

15May 2017

Once Upon a Time Season 4 Episodes 3 & 4 Review

by jess

Episode 3: Rocky Road

Georgina Haig as Elsa and Elizabeth Mitchell as The Snow Queen

This episode isn’t exactly bad just boring, dare I say underwhelming. We learn more about this Snow Queen Lady. She apparently knows Emma and Elsa but they have memory lost. Memory loss is such a crutch for this show but at least Rumple makes like a meta joke about it. It makes the memory loss tactic worse if they are aware that they are doing this plot again for the third time in four seasons.

Basically Snow Queen is Elsa’s aunt who was also trapped in the urn. The whole past section of the episode involves Hans looking for the urn to trap Elsa so he can rule Arendelle. Kristoff and Elsa try to beat Hans to the punch and instead of trapping Elsa out comes the Snow Queen.

Ok, I have a nitpick. Why does Han want to rule Arendelle? It seemed like in the movie Hans just wanted to rule any place he could and Arendelle had an unwed heir and unwed Queen, seems like an ideal situation, so it makes sense. Now he just wants to conquer it for no real reason. Is Arendelle wealthy is some way? Like Ice? Trading? Precious Metals? Minerals? Reindeer? What is it show? Or is Hans butt-hurt that he didn’t get his way? It’s so contrived. One line would have given him some motivation.

In Storybrooke the Snow Queen is causing deadly shenanigans so that Elsa will be blame so that everyone in town will hate her. Really? That is your plan? Are you a child? She puts a freezing spell on Marian. Robin tries to break it with true love’s kiss but it fails since we all know that Regina is his true love. Hey Idiots! Get Roland to do it. True love’s kiss has worked two times out three from the parent-child bond and both times it was Henry with his moms. Ok, now I have massive confusion, shouldn’t true love be like between two people in a two way street situation? Henry has two true loves? Or is one way? Henry is Regina’s and Emma’s true love even though that doesn’t seem right. The point is they blame the ice for blocking the lips or the skin as foreheads work too but they didn’t think of using Roland, instead Regina removes Marian’s heart to keep it from getting frosty.

B plot is Snow White is the mayor and she puts a bird on the wall of the office, which Regina hates, and Snow is super clingy with Neal. You know in other culture Mothers constantly carry their children, so this plot was dumb aside from put a bird on it part.

What else to say? Oh! Emma mentions her “super power” again. Writers please stop with the BS of Emma saying she has a super power because it’s more like Emma has an instinct sometimes but only when the plot says she can so either have it or don’t. Or at least make her not so damn confident about it.

A positive I had was Elsa’s up-do was pretty. Like it was really pretty, A+ on her hair style. However I got to say in Frozen the CG work really enhanced the ice but not here, OUAT doesn’t do the computer generated stuff that well, at all. And where is Olaf? Elsa mentions making a living Snowman but she could have been referring to Marshmellow? I demand Olaf so I regret demanding Olaf!

For all my complaints and nitpicks this was unassuming episode. It did move the plot forward but the plot points seemed hindered by the writing.

Episode 4: The Apprentice

Colin O’Donoghue as Captain Hook & Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan

They went and did it again! They made Hook a patsy for the villain using blackmail. This time Hook coforcesives Rumple to give back his hand by threatening to tell Belle about the fake dagger. Rumple restores Hook’s hand for his big date with Emma but Rumple plants the idea that the hand holds Hook’s villain mojo and reattaching it will make Hook revert to his old ways of being a villain. So when Hook starts acting out he thinks it’s the hand ask Rumple to remove it. Rumple then makes Hook help him trap the sorcerer’s apprentice in the hat so Rumple can charge up the hat with magic, sure okay that makes sense. Then Rumple frames Hook by magical altering a videotape to make it look like that he did it all, it’s so quaint that they still use video tapes. And turns out Rumple lied to Hook about the hand. So Hook is dumb because pre-hook, he was just arrogant pirate who had love. His villain persona happen AFTER Rumple killed Milah, so if Hook had thought about it he wouldn’t have fallen prey to Rumple. Also Hook did you not learn from last season which in the scheme of things was a few days ago, tell Emma the truth and then you don’t have to a pawn in this. Geez.

Also I’m sick of Rumple’s yo-yoing between of good and villain. It’s like all the character development you had in the past three seasons is gone. Rumple was an interesting character when he was trickster to achieve his goals but now he is tedious.

I guess that means we should bring out the past section. Anna meets Rumple. And if you recall last episode Rumple says that he didn’t know of Anna right to Emma’s face, where is your superpower now? Anyway Rumple makes a deal with her to have her give some old guy who may or may not eat children a suspicious vial. This guys is the sorcerer’s apprentice. Anna can’t bring herself to poison him so she doesn’t do it. Turns out it was trick and Anna had the antidote to poison that Rumple gave him and sorcerer’s apprentice turns in a mouse al la Mickey Mouse. You see Rumple needs Anna to break an enchanted on a box that has the sorcerer’s hat so he be free of the dagger’s control. The hat also can stripe a person of magic which is why Anna’s parent were looking for it. In the end, Rumple does get what he wants from Anna, but Anna gets the dagger and she orders him to give her the box, turn the apprentice back to a man and send her back home. Rumple has to comply but he is not happy.

There is other stuff happening in this episode , like Henry and Regina mission to change the book, Emma and Hook’s date, David and Snow being weird parents to their adult daughter, Elsa looking through public records for Anna, and the Snow Queen stalking Emma.

There just so many plot going on in here and yet it’s mostly still just set-up for the season.
Though apparently Henry is OK with letting Marian be curse so Regina can have a happy ending. Henry is thinking like a villain. Has his character deteriorated? Apparently a former villain can get away with like that in his mind but not a hero because he went to pieces when Snow White did questionable things or when Emma bent the truth. I did like the date but I’m a fan of Lady and the Tramp. Hook looked good in normal clothing. Personally I was getting bored with his costume. Emma’s dress seemed a little out of character like it was too girly for her. Will Elsa get a costume change?

11May 2017

Once Upon a Time Season 4 Episodes 1 & 2 Review

by jess

Episode 1: Tale of Two Sisters

Georgina Haig as Elsa & Elizabeth Lail as Anna

Going to be honest, not a fan of this episode. I feel like the show getting cheesier. One reason for this is how on the nose the Frozen material. I would guess the reason is that Frozen is Disney’s most successful product line so leaving it as pretty much an off shot of movie makes monetary sense, why mess with something profitable? It just feel so diveritive. I feel like part of the strength of this show is the reimaging aspect not how close it is to the original movie. I mean for fuck sake they recreated the split door scene from Do you want to build a Snowman with Emma and Regina.

So speaking of Regina, she is now reverting slightly to her not to nice self as her plan is rewrite the book so villains can get their happy ending. Also Rumple and Belle found a mansion for their Honeymoon and even they got a divertive scene recreating the Beauty and the Beast dress. And someone they made that yellow gown look so childish. Her other yellow gown was better. OUAT why do you constantly try to upset me with your costumes? Also the show throws the hat from soccer’s apprentice in there. Sure, why not? I hope the dinosaurs from Rite of Spring the dancing Hippos makes an appearance in this show too, I’m sure the writers can figure out how to work them in. I mean the romance with the hippo and crocodile was palpable or some magical McGuffin artifact from there will save the day at the last minute.

Also The Enchanted Forest has another name, Mist Haven. Why? It never seemed Misty so why? Is there Mist surrounding it? EXPLAIN SHOW! Or why bother even calling Mist Haven for no reason other than a few minutes of mystery.

This episode was a tepid start to this season. Also they had Sven (best character in Frozen), Marshmallow and the rock trolls, can’t wait to see Olaf! There better be Olaf!

Episode 2: White Out

Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan & Georgina Haig as Elsa

Really episode? You made Bo Peep a Warlord? You OUAT writers are smoking so strong stuff. Like in no way should Little Bo Peep be menacing. Also in the plot of the past, Anna teaches David, who is still a shepard, how to not give up and how to sword fight. So lovable, goofy Anna is a pro at sword-fighting. I don’t know either. The past portion called for too much suspension of disbelief to be enjoyable.

In Storybrooke, Elsa puts up an wall, insert a topical joke here if you want or even Game of Thrones. The ice wall knocks out the power. The power outrage fuels the B plot line where Snow has to fix it because she now deemed the mayor and mayors are electricians, but she does fix it. Also in the B plot, or maybe it’s the C plot, Henry is trying to cheer up Regina with wine and chocolates, Henry is weird. Anyway Regina doesn’t want to see him but he doesn’t give up. Okay back to A plot, so many plots in this show per episode, Emma, David and Hook check out the wall and Emma sees Elsa. Elsa gets spooked and traps Emma and herself in like an ice cave thing. Emma nearly dies but David convince Elsa to help Emma because he knew Anna. So it turns out Elsa isn’t going to be a villain, you really had me going there show (sarcasm). In the end the crew is going to help Elsa find Anna as Elsa thinks Anna is in Storybrooke because of a Anna’s necklace was in Rumple’s shop. Elsa tries to remove the wall but can’t because the ice cream lady is also so ice wielding magic user, dun dun DUNN!

Let’s talk some reference. Regina sends a crow or raven with a message saying she wants to be alone. You know the saying from Game of Throne “Dark Wings, Dark Words.” Totally applicable here. That is a straightforward one however towards the end of the episode in the past section David’s mother gives Anna some sandwiches to which says she loves sandwiches. This is a slight reference to Love is an Open Door where the lyrics go

Hans: I mean it’s crazy,
Anna: What?
Hans: We finish each other’s-
Anna: Sandwiches!

That in it of itself is a reference to Arrested Development Season 3, Episode 11, Family Ties. That is like referential inception.

I also just want to touch on my thoughts of the actress playing Anna. In no way do I think she can’t act but I don’t believe her as Anna. She pretty much just a Kristen Bell impression, which was pretty much Anna. I find her performance a little distracting. She may grow into it but right now, it’s not working.
Personally, I did not like this episode. The A plot with Emma and Elsa was fine but everything else was too much to deal with, I can’t process the idea of Little Bo Peep as a magical Warlord, maybe with the right chemical combination, maybe but sober, nope. The Hook/Emma hug was nice.

10May 2017

Watch this Channel

by jess

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNqh8aYN7uc

Here is a channel that focuses on all things Hunchback, I encourage people to watch and do all the youtube stuff.

Also a few comments on the subject of this video, I agree Djali is the far superior side-kick over the gargoyles. I do wonder if less would have been more with gargoyles. Instead of having three if them maybe one good one that off-set Quasimodo’s personality. I think the idea of them could have good but they did shift focus away and while most of the jokes were not funny they didn’t make sense with in the context of the story. Hunchback is not a magic driven story and being “part of the “architecture” is no excuse for anachronistic humor. I guess Aladdin ruin it, it just made sense in Aladdin and was a bad decision in Hunchback.

Anyway if you like Hunchback and go watch her videos and other Hunchback videos on youtube and maybe Disney/Hollywood will take a hint that people have an interest in Hunchback.

09May 2017

Another Ballet Postponement

by jess

I’m writing this at 2am and this very much off the cuff. If you read my twitter, I said I might not have make all any posts this week but I am some what conditioned to get posts out on days when I allocate posts. I’m not 100% sure that is a good thing and honestly not sure how much I should reveal in a blog post. I will say that I have had a very emotional draining week and it won’t get much better. I will say that it will likely get much worse for me before it gets any better.

In all likelihood I may switch to posting less frequently but trying to up the quality because I have another ideas for posts but since I feel that I have to get a post out I tend to post a video or something which probably isn’t the most interesting thing to find, for either long time visitors or people stumbling across a page. It’s just a hard habit to break.

Minor heads up, I may stop reviewing Once Upon a Time after season 4. I’m just not sure if people are enjoying the posts. If you are enjoying them let me know or if there a specific episode you want me to review in particular Let me know. I haven’t fully decided if I will stop reviewing the episodes yet but I have like half of season 4 written so it seems like if I do stop than that is the logical place.

Sorry if this post is all over the place. Again I’m sorry I’m so behind with the ballet. I feel bad about that.

08May 2017

Once Upon a Time Season 3 Episodes 21 & 22 Review

by jess

Episode 21: Snow Drifts

Colin O’Donoghue as Captain Hook & Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan

In this episode is all about Emma and Hook’s adventures back in time, where they steal clothes, meet Rumple, go to a ball and mess up Snow and David’s meeting resulting in them never falling in love so Emma will never have been born, oops. Basically they are told that messing with the past will have consequence but it doesn’t really. Hook even punches himself because “in time” Hook is kissing Emma and Hook is jealous of himself. It is weird and somehow endearing. Good thing there is no time paradox or something in this show. I bet Hook and Hook could have a drink and nothing would have happen aside from Hook calling himself handsome, as he does.

The worse thing about this episode is seeing Abigail’s hideous dress again. The costumes in this show are growing on me BUT that dress is a TRAVESTY, it’s horrible and I hate it. It’s good so see Abigail and Kathryn mention, people disappear a lot in Storybrooke. Like she she and the gym teacher ever get together after the curse?

Also we got a BIG Star Wars reference, when entering the ball Emma calls herself Princess Leia, wonderful. Hook is Prince Charles.

Mostly I liked this episode, Emma and Hook were fun but Time Traveling isn’t a story line I like also I don’t really like redoing David and Snow’s meeting, but all the whole an ok episode. Emma is still annoying about the whole New York thing.

Episode 22: There’s No Place Like Home

Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White, Josh Dallas as David with Baby Neal

This episode was a little bit of a trial because I can’t take it seriously when they talk about Princess Leia, Emma isn’t Leia. It might have easier to take if they just referenced to her as Leia but they used Princess. It just made me giggle too much every time they said it which diminished the impact of this episode.

Ok, so what is the finale of season 3 about? It wraps up both Emma and Hook’s past adventures which was operation “fix Snow and David’s meeting and get her in that ring so they can fall in love,” I’m not good at code name formation. It also wraps up Emma’s wanting to return to New York because she relieves she misses her parents and to her home is the place that when you leave it you just miss it. So Emma got a little more character development which we saw her somewhat working towards all season with the help of Hook and her family. Also the baby’s name gets revealed, it’s Neal.

There is a lot of plot elements that get sort of wrapped up but more elements to set up the next season. For instance in the past Emma saves a random do-gooder lady from execution. As a means to make sure the lady doesn’t mess up the past, Emma brings her to the future. This lady turns up to be Marian, Robin Hood’s dead wife, which throws a major wrench into Regina’s love life. Let’s just say Regina isn’t too happy with Emma. Emma learns how Hook got to her in New York, as he sold the Jolly Roger for a bean. That pretty much sells Emma on a romance with Hook, the ship lives because he sold his ship. Rumple and Belle get married and I’m sure it’s smooth sailing for them, I mean what can go wrong? Knowing Rumple, everything because drama.

Let’s see anything else that will be relevant next season? Do, do, do, do, think think, think. Oh yeah, friggin Elsa gets transported from the past via a gold urn thing and she seems PISSED, with her trail of ice. Elsa is the Groke!
All in all is was a good season finale. It is a little underwhelming that their trip back in time didn’t have a little more consequence aside from an extra story in the book but shrugs.

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