Tuesday 29 April 2014

Once Upon A Time - Season 3, Episode 19 'A Curious Thing' [Recap + Review]


 With only 3 more episodes until the finale episode, 'A Curious Thing' was bound to speed things up in the defeating Zelena front - and it didn't disappoint. Apparently good can really triumph over evil, or in this case 'light'. For an incredibly spoiler-filled recap + review-esque type thing (you know the deal), read on. 

RECAPPING-CAPPING-CAPPING. 

Okay, let's kick this whole thing off. 

In The Enchanted Forest 

For some reason, Snow and Charming are preoccupied, planning their announcement of their royal baby birth (because that's totally what everyone should be focusing on), until Regina points out that that may not be their biggest problem right now - 'ya think. Belle arrives, and recounts to the gang about what has happened with Rumple and Neal, and that Zelena now has The Dark One. Mr and Mrs Helpful (in the form of Sleeping Beauty and that other Prince who everyone forgets) then confess that Zelena wants Snow's little baby. Cue The Wicked Witch herself, who enters via broomstick (although it would be cooler if it was Floo Powder) and turns Philip and Aurora into flying monkeys, and then does some gloating/makes pretty standard threats. 

Fast forward eight months, and the gang have come up with no plans about how to stop Zelena. At this point, they decide to talk to Rumple, and Robin Hood says he can get them all in. So off they go, and arrive eventually at Rumple's castle - where he is deliriously singing whilst spinning inside a cage - ooookay. Belle manages to reason with him and he reveals they should talk to Glinda The Good Witch, and they can find her North of The Dark Forest, and then mentions something about a door and those who are of pure heart can step inside. Regina, Snow and Charming manage to go to the forest and locate the door, and sure enough, inside is Glinda. Except, only Snow and Charming make it through as Regina's heart is well, um, not exactly what one might call 'pure'. Glinda is basically no help, and says she is too weak to help - thanks for nothing? 

She does say that pure light magic can defeat Zelena, and Snow realises that means they need Emma. Snow immediately thinks of The Dark Curse, but when they go back to Regina she says they are crazy and that it won't work because they have nothing left that they love most. But Charming says that Snow does, and it's him. He offers himself up as a martyr for their cause. After much deliberation, Snow finally agrees and Regina rips out Charming's heart and Snow crushes it into the potion. 

Zelena arrives, with her usual bad timing (or good, in her case) and drops in a forgetting potion to the mixture, and does some more gloating about how Snow won't even remember how her dead husband died. Ouch. She then flies off, and Snow convinces Regina to split her heart in half like a biscuit and give Charming the other half. Regina is sceptical, but Snow convinces her, and sure enough, it works, just as the potion consumes them. 

Back at Rumple's castle, Zelena takes a remembering potion, and offers one to Rumple as well. Just as Rumple is about to drink, Neal takes over and writes a message to Hook to tell Emma, and attaches the memory potion to a white dove. 

In Storybrooke 

Regina is snogging in a corridor with Robin Hood, when Henry sees her and they stop. Regina then meets up with Emma, Snow and Charming and they say they need to break the curse, in a similar way to what happened with Emma. In order to do that, they need Henry to remember so they go off hunting for the Story Book that Henry had. 

Snow says it might be in her closet in the apartment as that's where it was before - genius. Hook however, is absent and it is revealed that he has been kidnapped by Zelena through Rumple. Zelena says that she needs Hook to kiss Emma so that her powers will be removed, stressing the importance of completing the task or she will kill Henry. Emma leaves for the apartment with the gang, but Henry confronts them and asks what she is up to, she shouts at Henry and he asks to borrow her keys, pretending that he left his. 

He tries to drive back to New York in her beetle, but Hook intercepts him and takes him to the docks, hoping to ship him off in a boat with Smee, to save him from the Witch. Searching through the closet, Emma finds a box but it has nothing in it, until Snow looks in it and suddenly the Story Book appears. It's hinted at the fact that Emma doesn't really want Henry's memories back, therefore couldn't 'see' the book. Emma realises Henry is missing, and using GPS in his phone, tracks him to the Docks. Henry, Hook and Smee are being attacked by flying monkeys, until the rest of the gang arrive and manage to incinerate all the monkeys. Emma convinces Henry to trust her and gives him the book, and he regains his memories. 

Just as she is about to kiss him, he disappears in a cloud of green smoke, and Zelena appears with her hands wrapped round Henry's neck. She says that Hook didn't do what he was supposed to. She gloats (again), and Regina tries to stop her, but gets blasted back and hits her head. Emma then gets angry and burns Zelena with light as if she were some sort of vampire. She disappears but vows to complete her mission. Henry runs to Regina, and she wakes up and says she will never leave him again and kisses him. This triggers the break in the curse, and it was revealed that the true love's kiss was Regina and Henry, not Emma and Henry, this time. 

With everyone's memories back, Emma learns that Snow and Charming enacted the curse, and that she is the one who can defeat Zelena, with her 'light magic'. Regina talks to Henry about his time in New York, when Robin Hood arrives and the three leave together. Emma confronts Hook about what Zelena says, and he reveals the secret about his cursed lips, Emma, Snow and Charming say they can't trust him because he said that they sent him the note, but they (now remembering) say he didn't. At the grave of Neal, Emma and Henry reminisce about Neal being a Hero, when suddenly - Snow goes into Labour. 

'A Curious Thing' had lots of elements which were reminiscent of the ending episode in Season 1, where Emma broke the curse, and of course, that was the intention. It certainly makes a change to see Regina being the love-struck school-girl, kissing Robin in the corridors, and having a chance at true love, like before - of course, this could turn out terribly tragic, like before. It seems only fitting that Regina was the one to break the curse this time, thus stabilising the relationship between parents and their adopted children, which was satisfying to see. As per usual, Regina got the justice she deserved through the snappy lines she always possesses, and Parrilla always looks to be in her element playing her character, though it was nice to see her get a little bit more emotional when she realised she was the one who broke the curse, through her love for Henry. Snow and Charming (Goodwin and Dallas) were back pulling at the heartstrings as Goodwin put in a convincing performance, whilst crushing her husbands heart. 

Key notes/thoughts about the episode:

Hook's cursed lips - Seriously, how could Zelena think that would even work in the first place? It's not like they are even dating, not to mention, it's a little creepy. 

Two halves (hearts) of a coin - Sooooo, that's a thing? They can just live with half a heart? How does that even work anatomy wise? Do they have more valves or something? Seriously, someone do the science. 

Henry's back - Finally! Now we can put Operation Cobra back in full motion and take down the Green Witch!

Light magic? - Since Emma's 'light magic' is the only thing that can beat Zelena, does that mean that she'll melt? She seemed to be getting pretty burnt from the UV rays Emma was laying down, so here's hoping she burns alive or something. *Fingers Crossed* 

Snow's baby - Boy/Girl? And is he/she going to survive the birth and the after-care? Or will Zelena get to enact her re-do after all? How is this going to work sibling relationship wise? And what effects is that potion that Zelena gave snow a while back, going to have on the baby? 

Robin - Will he die? (short, but sweet)

The Flying Monkeys - So ummmm, all the incinerated monkeys? Are they just, like, dead? Because that must suck for the people who they were. Here's hoping Philip was one of them, so y'know, Mulan and Aurora can get together. 

The next episode is entitled 'Kansas', and it looks like Dorothy might feature! Watch a promo for the next episode, below: 

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