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"Shattered Sight"
Episode Review
We last witnessed Snow and Charming as they stopped holding hands and started glaring at each other. Glass shards from the Snow Queen's evil mirror were coming through the vents and raining from the sky as people chains themselves to furniture and locked themselves in rooms so they couldn't escape and hurt anybody. Did Sunday's episode live up to our expectations?
"Shattered Sight" was a definite improvement over last week. I always enjoy an Emma backstory, as she's very private and probably the main character whose past we know least about. I enjoyed the beginning with the fake fortune teller, adding an amusing touch to a serious backstory. Elizabeth Mitchell nailed it in every scene, fully playing all aspects of her character beautifully. Her portrayal as the foster mother was lovely and heartbreaking, showing us that she really did love Emma, and that she was crushed when she ran away. She reminds me somewhat of Regina in the early days when she first adopted Henry, trying to handle a situation which is very unfamiliar. Love is a new thing to both of them, something that they long for but aren't quite sure what to do with. It was nice to see the two just talking and connecting, something that we assumed Emma had always been without. It's nice to see that she had someone on her side, even for a short time.
The Storybrooke portion was fun. Generally the few episodes before the plot climax are always intense, and it was nice to let a breeze through. I was pleased that the spell actually hit, instead of being stopped just in time as it sometimes is. It's nice to see a character change every once in a while, making us laugh but glad to welcome their old selves back. Although the writers could have taken a more serious note and had somebody do something serious under the spell that would lead us to season four, they chose instead to make it on the lighter side, something I think the season needed. It's always great when they play with the characters and the funny possibilities. I absolutely loved the all-night street brawl, with Granny pacing around with a crossbow and Doc demanding that Dopey open his mouth. How about Snow and Charming bickering while Kristoff threw paper at them? Hilarious.
And need we mention the Evil Queen? The classic evil glare she made at the door when Emma was approaching the vault just made me happy. And the fight between Regina and Snow was amazing. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed the Evil Queen and Bandit Snow until now, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them throw each other over desks and sneer. And the "I WAS TEEEEENNN!!!" cracked me up. Sadly we haven't had a backstory from either of them this season so far, so I'm hoping in the next half we make up for it. There's nothing like a Snow White/Evil Queen scene, something we've been sorely lacking. And the ending was my favorite. Although tearful embraces and memorable lines are amazing, I loved that when it was all over, Regina repeated her line about "What am I wearing?" like she did when she turned back into her old self in the vault, and everybody started laughing. Snow trying to keep a straight face, Charming collapsing in a fit of mirth in his jail cell, and a red-faced Regina doubled over laughing was priceless. It was a just plain fun, and the perfect reaction to a purely funny sequence.
I am increasingly disturbed by Rumple's character nosedive, although I'm still hoping against hope that there's a crumb of reasoning behind it all. If it can make sense in any way to me, I'll feel a lot better. As I've mentioned, stay tuned for a character progress report on the Dark One coming up soon, along with some theories about his recently enigmatic behavior. But I do find it interesting that he intends to go to New York. Possibly something to do with Bae? I hope so!! One good thing is, we know his plan will never work. No one can ever be all-powerful, even in a story. So we know that the fairies will have to be released, and with them I imagine some other fairy tale characters that we will see eventually. Perhaps even our Big Three next season will come from there. What better way to get to Storybrooke?
The Snow Queen portion in Storybrooke was also heartbreaking, but surprisingly for a villain, rather heartwarming. We finally got the answer of what was on the note, and I admit it was a surprise. Apparently Rumple told the king and queen what he told Ingrid herself; that love is the only thing necessary to control the magic. Having the note contain a confession and apology was a very nice twist, and the scene was well-played on all emotional levels. This is the first time the visiting big bad really hasn't been a villain, but a lonely person desperate for love. I liked that once she found the truth, that the Snow Queen did the right thing and was willing accept the consequences of her actions and save the town, even when that meant her own life. Although she went about getting love the wrong way, I couldn't help feeling sympathetic toward Ingrid. My only objection is that her transformation seemed to happen too fast, a classic reaction to having to complete a storyline in only half a season. But it means the end of the Frozen characters, So I'm not complaining.
My final rating is a 7.5/10. It wasn't an character episode, nor a plot mover, but I shattered sight spell made for a very enjoyable time, as well as some first class zingers from the characters. Although I'm not sure what next week's story will be, as the villain has already been defeated. We do know that we'll be introduced to Maleficent, Cruella, and Ursula. Stay tuned!