Once Upon a Time - Rocky Road - Review: "The issue with the reasoning"

My biggest issue with the episode was the Snow Queen’s logic; she said she caused all the hustle and trouble around town, she turned Marian into a freaking popsicle, all so that she could teach Elsa the lesson that everyone eventually turns your back on you. Now that’s idiotic: the reason most of town believed it was her was because: A) She is the only one known to have ice powers and B) She is a complete stranger, so there is no reason to believe her. So, what there is really to learn from that? That Storybrooke people are not gullible idiots?
I bring this up because I found it to be rather disappointed that the Snow Queen’s reasoning is so lousy; even if she is lying, that’s a stupid lie, and if Elsa bought that- even for a moment- then that means she is pretty stupid too, and that’s not a vibe I want to feel for their characters.

That is probably why I just can’t give this episode an A even though I really enjoyed, and it may be the reason that keeps me from grading OUAT higher the rest of the arc; as much fun as I’m having with the show right now, I just can’t forgive stupidity. I can let it slide, but I can’t forgive it, and it’s even harder when a great actress like Elizabeth Mitchell is playing a villain whose sole reasoning sounds incredibly stupid.

The only reason I can think of that reasoning is plot convenience: it allows the writers to give out villain a quick motivation while reserving more to her background for the rest of the season. The same goes for Elsa’s memory loss, which also serves the purpose of stocking information for future episodes, but it could have been handled more elegantly.

But enough with the criticism; that’s all I got on the negative front of the episode, because, man, I really, really enjoyed this one! Let’s start with the flashback:
Hans is planning an invasion on Arendelle by using an urn that can trap Elsa and leave the whole kingdom defenseless as their powerful queen goes missing. Cue to both Elsa and Kristoff quest to get there first.



It’s really interesting to see them both bonding over this trip and to see them get some time together; during Frozen Kristoff didn’t get to interact with anyone other than Anna, Sven and Olaf- to a degree- so I had high hopes for what his relationship with Elsa could be like: and I wasn’t disappointed.

The sense of camaraderie built during the episode is one of the high points of the whole hour; I talked last week about how little by little OUAT characters became more human like as opposed to their fairy tale/movie personas and this episode continues that track. Elsa and Kristoff are off saving the kingdom, but they share laughs on the way, they joke, they share their worries, and it suddenly feels like a very complete picture: it could have easily been just busy work with straight faces, but OUAT writers are letting us know by the little moments that these characters are not just doing what the plot demands, they are also interacting. And the sense of camaraderie built between Elsa and Kristoff carries that over the whole flashback.

Also there is a really great ongoing theme about loneliness; Elsa is one of a kind- or so she thought- so she always felt a bit lonely because of that and she always wanted to know if there were others like her, if there was some kind of root that could be linked to why she has magic. Georgina Haigg sells Elsa’s concern greatly, and it really ties with the show’s ongoing theme of identity; we are our strongest when we know who we are and what we want to be, so by not knowing we feel lost and we find ourselves at our weakest points.

The show needs Elsa to talk with Kristoff about it which feels a little bit like exposition, but mostly it shows rather than tell: somehow the show tells you that Elsa’s insecurities and fears lies within that quest for identity and it doesn’t have to tell it out loud, which is what great TV show does; without exposition they let you see how everything is tied up together and why the characters are how they are. And as such Elsa’s character has proven to be quite powerful during her performance on OUAT, I’d even say even stronger than she was on Frozen.

Elsa’s need to find someone like her makes her unable to destroy the urn in hope that it can be a clue to find anyone else who can use ice magic, so that gives Hans enough time to ambush them and take Kristoff hostage. Elsa is given no choice but to give up the urn, and just as it’s going to be used against her, surprise, surprise! The Snow Queen comes out of it and freezes Hans over.

It was a clever twist and a great way to introduce the Snow Queen into the Frozen world; and because this is OUAT and every single villain has to be related to someone, she is revealed to be Elsa’s aunt. As long as this doesn’t turn up to be recycling already used family drama on the show, I’m up for it.

So back to Storybrooke, where Snow is a major- one that is clearly lacking some backbone- and people turn into popsicle after eating icecream. Marian is the first victim to the Snow Queen’s scheming and as no one knows she exists yet, everyone suspects its Elsa… well, everyone but our main characters.

Regina gets a chance to prove that she is over her villain days as she decides to help and keep Marian alive. As soon as she said that if the ice touched her heart she’d be dead I knew she was going to take out her heart to keep her alive. And that’s exactly what happened: though usually I don’t like when I can predict things on a show it just seemed so clever and it made so much sense that I was happy about the way this came through. She still has her villainous tones- just like when she suspects about Elsa-, but that’s just who she is. I love when her character is just allowed to be a heroine.

I’m also liking that Regina is being supported by Henry on her quest to find the writer- they even have their own little operation. I swear my heart was about to melt-. For the first time ever we have Regina and Henry actually teaming up, and they have a surprisingly strong chemistry on screen. May it be that Jared S. Gilmore is improving even further or that Lana Parilla is just that awesome, it feels now that they can really have mother and son quality time Henry is becoming more and more likeable, certainly more than ever before and that makes me really happy- just as he was the major issue during the Neverland arc I doubted I could ever really care for his character.

So Emma and company is looking for the one responsible for all this; she keeps Hook away- we’ll talk about it in a minute- and she goes with David to go find whoever is responsible. And through the woods we find something rather surprising: Will/Knave of Hearts from OUAT in Wonderland is in Storybrooke as of right now.

I’ll confess something to you right now: I only watched the first episode of OUAT in Wonderland, so I don’t really know what his character was up to, or if the show happened before or after this show, so I really can’t make sense of the timeline, but I found it a cool addition. Besides, it was fun when he was trying to lock pick a door and Emma ended up helping him.

Will shows Emma and David where their true enemy lies and then he runs with the cash of his pocket- which serves the Snow Queen’s right after she froze Marian if you ask me-. Emma wants to chase him, but David- the voice of reason- tells her that they should look out for the one who is making people dying popsicles rather than a thief. He’s right, that should be the priority.

Meanwhile, Hook gets Rumple to help them find the Snow Queen’s- by blackmailing him, which can be really interesting for their dynamic in the future- and so they are off to the woods. On their way Hook and Elsa get to chit chat about how Emma may be pushing Hook aside because she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. I must say that I like how fast Elsa and Emma are coming to understand each other, it shows that a strong frienship is forging out of their mutual understanding, and that’s really nice.

And well, then comes the bad. I already explained at the beginning that I hated the Snow Queen’s reasoning to do what she is doing. She is planning on killing Hook and blame Elsa,
but Emma arrives just in time. She is recognized by the Snow Queen, but there is no time to lose: she outright uses her magic to save Hook and she obviously deals some good damage to the Snow Queen, in an unexpected display of badassery by Jennifer Morrison, even when she just moves her hands and body a bit.

Now onto Emma’s powers, they are obviously triggered by intense emotions: this is on the logic of the show that magic is about what you feel, and Emma’s struggle with magic comes from how much she usually shut them down. I also like to point out that it is very reminiscent of the way Olivia on Fringe struggled to use her own abilities for the very same reason; it reflects how damaged these characters truly are, and even though Emma has come along way from her past self, she still has a way to go.

So everything is good for now, but Emma and Hook need to talk: she finally admits that she is scared to let him in, because everyone who she loved up until now- Graham, Neal, even Walsch- has ended up dead and after losing so much, she just can’t have another lose like that. Luckily Hook is good at surviving, so he tells her that and they kiss. It’s nice that they finally get to talk things out and- seemingly- become a couple. The “will they/won’t they” dance grows stale quickly so I’m glad this is already resolved… for now at least.

Finally, we get to the end in which we get to know that Rumple and the Snow Queen actually know each other. It turns out that Snow Queen and Emma have some history, but Emma doesn’t remember anything about it. It is puzzling, though, the fact that Rumple offers his help to the Snow Queen. Why? Is Rumple going bad again? Or is the Snow Queen not as bad as we think she is? Either way I hope there is a good explanation there, because I’m all up for this story as long as it makes sense.

This episode, as a whole, was just short of being outstanding. The work OUAT is doing with its characters so far is wonderful, but the writers have to be careful with their motivation. The Snow Queen looked so utterly stupid with her reasoning that it almost threw every goodwill to the trash can. So here’s hoping that’s dealt better in the future, because OUAT is just about to become very, very entertaining, and I’d hate to see these kind of stuff impairing my enjoyment of the show.

Grade: B+

Stray Observations:

-Robin Hood: “In our world our choices of flavor for ice were dirt and mud”.

-This is a little detail, but I love that the Snow Queen’s icecream shop is called “Any given Sundae”.

-How long before Snow realizes that she can’t just be sweet and nice to everyone while being major? And by the way: why are people suddenly so rude to her? Granny and Grumpy are complaining too much to her, they are being quite hard on her, and considering their past history they should be more understanding. This is an issue that needs to be dealt with.

-I really want to know what comic books Regina gave to Henry. Anyone realized what they were?

-Almost forgot: no true love kiss for Marian, as Robin Hood professes- indirectly- his true love to Regina. This marriage will fall apart sooner or later.

-Elsa: “Do you mind if I use my magic now? Or would you prefer to hack away it with your ice axe?”
Kristoff: “You know my hacking arm is a little tired, I think you should do the honors, your majesty.”
Elsa: “Why thank you, ice master.”
I’m seriously coming to love the interaction between these two.
-How long before Belle realizes her dagger is a fake and her relationship with Rumple hits the fan? It’s going to be a rather ugly fallout when she finds out.

-The ratings are still falling: this week’s episode got a 2.7. Still higher than any S3 episode, but it’s becoming a bit worrisome. Considering how good the season has been so far, I really want OUAT to keep its hit status.

-Till next week! Hopefully I’ll be able to bring you the review sooner!

About the Author - Pablo

I'm currently studying Psychology while also writing fantasy books (one already published in my home country, Chile, you can check it out on the facebook icon). I watch many different types of shows, including my favorites Revenge, Game of Thrones, Once Upon a Time and about 23 more. Currently writing reviews for Once Upon a Time, The 100, Community and Marry Me

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