Once Upon a Time has been in a hot streak since it came back from its hiatus and I’m coming to like very much what’s happened so far. For one I finally came to fully accept the show for what it is: though I pretty much liked season 2 it was so widely different from season 1 that I always felt that part of the charm of the show went missing, and the first half of season 3 spent so much time away from Storybrooke that it felt like a whole new show with the same characters. But now, by the second half of season 3, I see a clear story arc that somehow makes sense altogether, it’s like it is in between season 1 and 2 while also considering all the development done so far and for that I’m really loving what the show is doing.
Most of what I’m saying is because “A Curious Thing” is an episode that offers a lot of answers to lingering questions. Who casted the curse? How was it casted? How can it be broken? And that’s just a few of the questions that got answered, because there are way more details that get developed and talked about in this episode.
Let’s talk the flashback first: Snow and company learn that what Zelena really wants is Snow’s baby (Phillip and Aurora get turned into flying monkeys, either permanently or temporary) so in order to defeat her they decide to do the same thing they did in order to defeat Regina: go to Rumple for advice. Of course, our beloved dark one is under Zelena’s control, so they will have to break in the castle (with help from Robin Hood who just disappears half way through the adventure) and get the info there with Belle’s help (who will also go missing after such task is done).
It’s always great to see Robert Carlyle work around madness, and he plays confused Rumple with wonder: he tells Belle that the answer to defeat Zelena is with the good witch of the south, who is exiled in the north of The Enchanted Forest. So Snow, Charming and Regina head there (sharing a couple of fun scenes, such as Regina scolding Charming and Snow for picking flowers) and both Snow and Charming get to meet with Glinda, the good witch of the south.
The moment in which Snow crushes Charming’s heart is by far the most surprised I have ever been in this show; Charming offered himself as sacrifice, telling Snow that he will live on in their child, and so Regina takes his heart (even though she clearly doesn’t want to) and Snow reluctantly- and shockingly- agrees to crush his heart so that they can cast the curse. Now that’s a twist I liked! I never believed that the show would have the guts to do something like this. However, not everything goes accordingly, as Zelena stops by to drop a memory loss potion into the mix of the curse.
I was really surprised by how Charming was sacrificed, and even though I knew he had to be alive (since his courage couldn’t have come from a clone or something of the sort) I was quite hyped and excited playing with that possibility in my head. OUAT decides to take “the easy route” if you may, by having Regina splitting Snow heart into 2 so they can both live; though I didn’t particularly liked the death fake out, the moment was so reminiscent of Fringe’s “Brown Betty” that I couldn’t help but smiling, and within the logic of the show it makes sense.
Now, back in Storybrooke, Regina is almost truly happy, as for once in a long while she truly loves someone (romantically speaking) and she can finally make out in peace with Robin Hood. She is still hurting for Henry not remembering her as his mother, but as they discuss about how they can break the curse and decide that making Henry believe is the answer Regina is filled with joy while Emma is filled with concerned.
Jared S. Gilmore has never played Henry better than when he plays clueless Henry, mostly because he feels like a real 12-13 year old kid for once, so bringing back his memories made me worry that we would go back to see his terrible acting, but I must mention that while miles away from being emmy worthy the actor has shown some growth, and it is much more tolerable (and little bit more believable) than before.
So Emma tells Henry that they are following a lead, but the kid knows that her mother is lying to him and calls her out for it, but he only ends up being yelled by his mother who tells him that she knows best. So instead of pulling a tantrum, Henry asks for the keys to go find his Gameboy (shouldn't it be a 3DS by now?) and play games while she is gone, only that he plans to take a drive to the nearest bus station to go home, and he is stopped by Hook, who sees this as a chance to take Henry to safety from Zelena.
While looking for the Once Upon a Time book Emma is struggling with the fact that she has to bring Henry back to this world of fairy tales and magic fights, she just wants him to enjoy a good life in New York away from all this danger, but as Snow points out it’s not home, and she is offended when Emma remarks it was for them, as it seems that Emma would have preferred not to remember if she could keep Henry out of the danger.
So Hook is about to escape with Henry on a boat, but he is ambushed by Zelena’s army of flying monkeys; luckily for them Emma and company come fast enough, with swords, guns and fireballs to take them down. Henry is confused, but Emma gets through him, she hands him the Once Upon a Time book and Henry remembers, and just as Emma intends to break the curse, Henry is taken away by Zelena.
The episode does a great job answering all the lingering questions on this arc so that now the show can focus on the big showdown against Zelena. Hook is once again put in a difficult place in which he must stay away from his true love, and Emma finally realizes that she can’t protect Henry from the truth forever and as she come to that realization she gets ready to do whatever is necessary to defeat The Wicked Witch. OUAT did everything it wanted to do quite well and managed to keep the momentum this season has gathered. Now I expect a big closer with the following episodes.
Grade: A-
Stray Observations:
-Was it just me or there was a kind of Bachelor/Bachelorette feeling when Zelena said “or the next rose…”?
-I’m very eager to find out Zelena and Glinda’s story on this week’s “Kansas”.
-Golden lines from multiple characters:
Regina to Robin Hood: “Where you come from, people bath in the river and use pine cones for money.”
Snow to Charming: “After true love there is no more powerful magic than footwear, it has to be protected.”
Confused Henry: “What are those things, and why does he have a sword?”
-Regina: “We are at the edge of the dark forest, trying to find the one person who can stop our imminent doom and savior unborn child and you stop to smell the roses?”
Snow: “Snow belles!”
Regina: “I don’t care if they are dancing daffodils!
Oh god, I love how Regina interjects in the cutesy moments!
-Did you catch the "Game of Thornes" reference? I did on my second watch.
-Regina is ready to use a tracking spell.
Emma: “I’m way ahead of you; I have GPS in his phone.”
Gotta love how OUAT mixes magic and technology.
-Who else is curious to see what spin will OUAT take with Dorothy this week?
