Quarantine Watch List

We're not only big readers - we all enjoy narratives through television and movie as well! Here are some of the things we've been watching recently.

Rebecca T: I just finished a grand rewatch of all 4 of the Hunger Games movies. I reread the book and then rewatched the movie and I was really blown away by how faithful the movies are to the books - there are whole sections of dialogue lifted straight from the books! Obviously, there are a lot of things missing. That's just what happens with movie adaptations. But these are some of my favorite and, in my opinion, some of the best done book to screen adaptations. Now I'm ready to read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes!

rachelyons: I discovered Chopped was on Hulu so I’ve been watching approximately 20 hours of it per day.

Jenn N: I have been watching a DVD box set of Cagney & Lacey gifted to me by my boyfriend. When I was a kid my mom was on a bowling league on Monday nights. For some reason I always wanted to stay up and watch Cagney & Lacey which came on at 10pm. My dad only allowed me to watch the opening credits before going to bed. The show holds a special fondness in my heart of a simpler time. I caught a rerun on an obscure cable channel a few weeks ago. It was awesome. Extremely well written, engaging and still relevant and relatable despite the passage of time. My boyfriend then surprised me by sending me the box set of the complete series to subdue the quarantine blues.
 
Melanie:
I'm watching Ugly Betty for the first time.
 
Alan:
In the last week, I've completely caught up on
Better Call Saul
The Good Place
Forged in Fire
Brockmire
I'm halfway through book 5 of 5 in Chris Fox's Void Wraith series. That's about 40 hours on Audible.

Now I'm sifting through Naked and Afraid, looking for unwatched episodes, while my wife and I are waiting for the new season of Dead to Me.

Albert:
Upload on Amazon, Also, I am catching up on Ru Paul's Drag Race.

NaomiRuth:
I just finished watching Bryan Fuller's Wonderfalls. I am planning on re-watching the first season of American Gods next.

Summer of Fear 1978 TV Movie

Welcome to the sixth installment of Summer of Fear,  a weekly series of posts where I will review/revisit a classic YA Horror/Thriller from the 70s-90s. This week I’m changing things up a bit by looking at the 1978 TV film version of Summer of Fear based on the novel by Lois Duncan.  

Summer of Fear stars Linda Blair as Rachel with Lee Purcell as creepy cousin Julia and was directed by Wes Craven before he went on to achieve horror legend status with Nightmare on Elm Street. Fran Drescher in one of her earliest film roles plays Rachel’s best friend, Carolyn.  

The film follows very close to the book with a few changes that to me actually benefited the story. In the book, Rachel’s beloved pet dog passes away under mysterious circumstances. In the film, it’s established that Rachel is a talented Equestrian whose normally horse timid horse goes wild when meeting Julia. The action with the horse continues to build with a devastating outcome. 

An awkward moment in the book for me was Rachel’s brother, Peter’s  romantic interest in Julia. It’s even more overt here. Julia ultimately sets her sights on Rachel’s boyfriend whom Julia hilariously referred to as Rachel’s “special feller.”  Also unintentionally hilarious was the photo Rachel had of her boyfriend. It wasn’t just framed, he’d signed it like an autograph. My boyfriend was watching this with me and I told him he’s clearly not my “solid feller” as he hadn’t gifted me an autographed portrait of himself yet. 

Blair does a great job at showing Rachel’s frustration at trying to get everyone to see that something isn’t quite right with Julia and that the cousin is the cause of all this misery. 

If you loved the novel Summer of Fear, you’d love the film. It’s a faithful but more dramatic adaptation plus the passage of time has added humor by way of corny dialogue and dated hairstyles. The 70s score that sounds straight out of an episode of Charlie’s Angels was a delight. It’s currently availabile for “free” with an Amazon Prime subscription. 

🌟🌟🌟.5/5 

What I'm Reading Now: August Edition

I hope you've been getting some summer reading in, whether by the pool or curled up in an air-conditioned room. I've been back in the reading groove and here's what I've got going on right now.

On my Nook: I have been working through Andrew Lang's collected Fairy Books and I'm on the twelfth and final one - The Lilac Fairy Book. These have provided a lot of fun and some ideas for novels, as well. The further I got into the series, the less familiar the stories became and the wider the cultural spread, though I do have to wonder how much was changed when they were translated and "adapted" for children. An excellent place to start, though, if you want to spread your fairy tale wings.

On my Phone: Still chugging along in Don Quixote - got past the familiar parts and realized I haven't, in fact, read this before. Enjoying it when I have a few minutes to read here and there.

In Print - Fiction: I just started Fairest by Marissa Meyer. Now getting into the part of the series I hadn't read before and loving every minute of it. I'm particularly curious to see Levana's back story, because I have a feeling there are going to be some big surprises there. The Lunar Chronicles is an excellently told and crafted YA fairy tale retelling and I highly recommend them.

In Print - Non-Fiction: Also just started All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg. I'm already intrigued and I'm only a chapter in. I really enjoy memoirs and biographies.

On Audio in my car: The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan is the final book in the Kane Chronicles trilogy and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. It's a fun series and a fun take on Egyptian mythology. And, as I mentioned before, the narrators totally sell the story through their narration.

On TV: I just binge watched the entire first season (all 8 episodes of it) of the new Stranger Things on Netflix. Loved it. I was trying to describe it to NaomiRuth, who I knew would also enjoy it, and it's basically X-Files meets Pretender meets Super 8 with some Lost sensibilities. It's dark and fun and creepy and mysterious and most of the main cast are middle schoolers.

So what are you reading or watching? Share in the comments!

What I'm Reading Now: June Edition

May flew by and we're heading into summer! Here's a peek into the things I'm reading right now.

On my Nook: Still mainlining L.M. Montgomery's works - now reading through her collected short stories, which I've never read before. She certainly has a fascinatingly broad spread of fiction.

On my Phone: I thought I would try reading some classics on my phone and I started Don Quixote, but I haven't had any time to read it, yet - I think I'm still on page 1!

In Print - Fiction: Did I mention I'm reading a lot of L.M. Montgomery? Right now I'm in the middle of Magic for Marigold and I'm finding it not quite as enjoyable as the last time I read it. I thought maybe I was just getting Montgomery'd out, but I'm still really liking the short stories and I actually picked up and read A Tangled Web and had no trouble getting caught up in that one. I can't put my finger on why this one isn't captivating me as much as it has in the past.

In Print - Non-Fiction: All Cracked Up by Patsy Clairmont. She is one of my favorite speakers and her voice carries over well in her book. The short little chapters make it easy to read a little whenever I have time.

On Audio in My Car: Nothing right now. I know, shocking. I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows last week and haven't figured out where I want to go next. Maybe a re-reading of The Chronicles of Narnia is in order.

On TV: I just started watching Leverage on Netflix. I've watched a lot of individual episodes before, but I always find it interesting to see how the story lines build when you watch something, even a serial type show, from the beginning. I just love the different characters and their tics and how they work together (and get on each other's nerves). It's just a fun show.

What's on your summer reading list? Anything good that you're reading now or are looking forward to getting to this month?

Once Upon a Time - Only You/An Untold Story

5.22/23 "Only You" & "An Untold Story"

Sorry this is so late! I thought the finale was from 8-10, not 7-9, so I missed the first half and, since I only have antenna and ABC makes you wait 8 days to stream on their website I had to wait to watch it, and then I had a wedding, and then I just felt so incredibly uninspired by the episodes that I haven't really wanted to even write this. BUT here it goes - My last Once Upon a Time recap (yes, I know that the series is continuing with another season, but I have no desire to watch it anymore, even to make fun of it). So to all of those who have followed along with my ranting - thanks for reading! You'll have to tell me if anything absolutely ridiculous happens next season :)

So in this season's finale people get sucked through a portal and trapped. Again. Because why not? Where they meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I don't know why I'm surprised that we'd add another world at this point. And Emma decides that the best way to keep Regina safe is to... keep her out of everything? While Henry goes on an impulsive teenage mission to save everyone by destroying magic without thinking through the ramifications. And Rumple runs around chasing power somehow still believing that he's doing it for Belle.

I'm not really sure I understand Henry's sudden (very very very sudden) decision that all magic is evil and must be destroyed? I mean, this is the Henry who was just complaining about not being able to be all heroic and was finally figuring out how to use his gift as the author in a constructive way? Oh, wait. I forgot and was looking for some sort of consistency in the writing. hahahaha.

Ahem.

Henry and Violet are very adorable though. And I really liked getting some quality Henry time in on the story line, even if he was being reckless and heedless.

But. After Henry runs from Storybrooke to New York and Emma and Regina find him in the library, I cannot fathom what on earth would ever make them think that it would be okay to leave Henry and Violet alone in the library and that he would actually listen and stay put? Emma and Regina aren't that stupid, writers. I promise you that.

Side rant: I was really really ticked off that they gave the librarian the line, "people usually just want that YA stuff." First off, I 100% know that tons of people go to libraries for many many many other things than young adult literature. Second, I feel like that was really demeaning and dismissive to young adult literature - as though there is something wrong with wanting to read "YA stuff." That was totally uncalled for and unnecessary to anything related to the plot, story, or anything else.
/rant.

And Henry's speech at the fountain was pretty adorable, too.

Also, did I miss something? How did Henry bring the pen back from the Underworld? Wasn't it destroyed? And if there are all of those other storybooks, then are there other authors floating around? Do they have an author club or Facebook page Henry could join to get some help?

And hasn't Henry heard just a few people on this show talk about doing things for "the greater good" when trying to justify a bad decision? Has he never read Harry Potter?!

I did like the revelation of how much Regina still struggles to keep herself on the good path. It was nice to see her show how much she has changed, because her first instinct now is to stop herself from doing anything evil.

Which is why I'm so angry at how quickly Zelena turned so perfectly good. I mean, Zelena did things just as bad as the Evil Queen. So how is it that Regina has to fight constantly while Zelena is all prancing around being completely trusted 13 seconds after "resolving" her mommy issues? Her easy change completely undermines the real struggles that Regina and even Killian have fought through over the last seasons.

I did like the bonding moments between Regina and Emma and how Regina didn't automatically go all dark because Killian was brought back.

More on Regina in a moment.

There WERE some good quippy lines in this episode.

When Regina and Emma are going after Rumple and Emma says they don't have magic and Regina says, "I still have a fist." and Rumple's response: "Didn't you see the sign?" when they go into the room were delivered hilariously.

I also loved that when they find out people got pulled through a portal, Regina's just like "Again?" with more exasperation than any real surprise.

And when they're talking to Jekyll about why Hyde is bigger and stronger and he says the alter-ego presents itself how the mind perceives it's darker half, I about died laughing when Hook said, "Perhaps next time try an aggressive bunny rabbit."

Speaking of Jekyll and Hyde (rolls eyes so hard I fall over backwards) I'm not sure I understand why there was the big struggle to keep Jekyll from drinking the potion - why did Hyde have to become Hyde first, if the whole point was for them to separate anyway? That made no sense to me whatsoever.

And I really don't understand Hyde's desire to turn Storybrooke into a refuge when that is quite literally (as they explain to us in one of the expository speeches) the purpose of steampunk world - a "place of refuge" for outcasts or runaways from other stories. Oops. Sorry, once again looking for some internal logic to the show.

And finally, Regina's spectacular decision to separate the two halves of herself. Gah.

First of all, Regina uses all of her talents to help people - even the ones she hones as the Evil Queen - how many times has her slyness or her ability to distance herself or even her ability to think like a villain helped to save lives? And the struggle she talks about is basically just called being human.

I understand that she's done horrible things, but all of those things are also what have brought her to where she is now. Henry wouldn't probably exist. She wouldn't have met Robin and enjoyed a brief period of happiness with him at all. She wouldn't be friends with Emma. SO much of Regina's personality is tied up in what she perceives as her evil self. It's Regina's conflict, her remembrance of what she's done, that helps her to be strong and survive and protect those she loves and do the right thing now!

Did anyone else notice her evil self sort of reach back in, like it was going after something inside her? I'm really afraid that Regina will have lost her spark, her self!

And, just throwing this out there, if you've only got one dose of that potion left, wouldn't it have been a better idea to give it to oh I don't know RUMPLE and then kill the dark side and leave the good side who would probably be able to wake Belle? Except that probably wouldn't work. But it seems to me a better idea than Regina taking it.

Of course, I guess we're due for more Regina time rather than more Rumple time, which, if I were watching next season, would probably excite me.

I would like to say that it was pretty obvious that the Evil Queen wasn't going to have been destroyed. I really felt like that was ridiculous and predictable.

One final note - did anyone else notice the extremely obvious placement of the wedding dress between Hook and Emma when they were having their cute moment at the end of the episode? Because I was laughing so hard at it. And wondering if maybe they'll leave them alone just for a little bit next season.

And... there you have it. So. What were your thoughts? Are you intrigued enough to hang on for another season?

And once again, thank you to everyone who's come to read and comment or let me know on Facebook you're reading. You guys are what kept me going this season and I will now have to find a new show to recap next year!

May you all live happily ever after :)

Once Upon a Time - Last Rites

5.21 "Last Rites"

This week one half of a couple decides that power is more important than love and that controlling others is more important than keeping the trust of his significant other. And no, I'm actually not talking about Rumple and Belle (though it continues to be true of them, too). This time it's Hades and Zelena! So Zelena decides that she can believe that Hades has changed despite virtually not knowing him at all and having virtually no evidence to support that change. And Regina decides to trust Zelena and is, shockingly, not wrong? But she loses Robin in the process. Meanwhile Killian tries to move on and has to team up with Arthur in order to take care of his unfinished business.

Okay, so I'm kind of upset over Robin's death. But last week's teaser said the "heart of Storybrooke" died and, even though Robin's a great guy and everything, he's not the heart. Sorry. So I'm glad Henry's not dead, but I feel annoyed by that? I kind of feel, though, that I would have been annoyed no matter who died, because I'm just annoyed with the show in general.

We'll get to my conflicted feelings on Captain Swan in a moment.

I want to know why Zelena is so sure that Hades has changed. His entire line in all the time that he has known her is revenge, revenge, rule the world, revenge, kill everyone who hurt me, rule the world. Of course, the revenge and kill everyone who hurt me parts were Zelena's byline until recently (and I'm really annoyed that she changed so quickly when I think about how hard Regina has had to work and struggle to change and to earn the right to be trusted and Zelena has one hug from Cora and *poof* is all happy go lucky saved and changed?), so I guess I can understand why she wants to trust him. And, of course, in the end she realizes she can't trust him and that Regina does actually have her best interests at heart.

And this was where I knew he was doomed
from here

Robin's death just seemed like a sideline in the midst of the kill Hades story, which is one of the things that annoys me. It just felt completely unnecessary and pointless. Pretty much from the moment he told Regina that she was his future I knew he was doomed. Just because they would need to kill someone off. And, to be honest, though Robin is nice, I never really connected to him and though I liked him with Regina, I rarely felt any real chemistry between them. So the death sort of lost its impact. In fact, I didn't even tear up at the funeral and I am the biggest crier in the world.

Also, just pointing out that basically all Hades and Zelena did was stand around while Hades shot blue light at the broken lightning bolt.

I do love that Belle's father is a florist in Storybrooke - that cracked me up. But I don't understand how Belle's father can give her True Love's Kiss after selling her to Rumple and then getting angry when she fell in love with him and now refusing to wake her? How is any of that love? Much less love strong enough to break a sleeping curse. I mean, if Emma and Killian can't get True Love's Kiss to save his life in the Underworld, then that certainly should not be enough. And why on earth would Rumple think that Belle would ever be okay with him beating up her dad to wake her up. Because it doesn't seem like he's entirely given up on winning her back and I'm pretty sure that would break things even further.

Even at the end Rumple is still all, this is my kingdom mwahaha and running after power while Belle is sleep cursed. Here is where I don't understand people who are still pro Rumple. I am not against people being redeemed, obviously. But it's all based on actions and choices. Regina has consistently made decisions moving in the right direction. It took time and she backslid a lot, but she was making regular progress. Same with Hook and many of the other villains.

But Rumple always - always - chooses power over love, even when his relationship with Belle is on the line. Every. Time. And every episode confirms this. He occasionally makes a good choice or helps someone, but the pattern is selfishness. So how can he ever be a good partner for Belle?

And shouldn't someone have dustbusted Hades up or something? It seems really dangerous to leave a pile of god-dust just laying around.

Arthur is dead! *dances*
One thing I really disliked about the Underworld is the way they let people off the hook for so many things. Like Cora - She shares a tender moment with her daughters and suddenly everything's okay? It sort of counters a lot of the premise of the show. And now Arthur. All the terrible things he did and he's just an okay guy who's going to help bring order to the Underworld?

Okay. So I am really conflicted over the Killian thing.

Honestly, aren't they the cutest!
from here

On the one hand I am SO HAPPY he's back with Emma and their reunion was pretty much the most adorable thing of all time. SO CUTE.

BUT I'm really conflicted about the whole Zeus/Hades thing and that Zeus was happy Hades was destroyed and decided to reward Killian by bringing him back to life? But if Zeus is lord of the dead, how does Zeus have that power? and it's all just so argh! I really wish they had stayed away from the mythology because the whole thing has just made me want to flip tables.

What could possibly happen in the finale next week? I feel like there's no story left for another episode, much less another season. I'm pretty much planning on not watching Season 6, but I have a feeling something is going to happen next week that will suck me into this train wreck again. We shall see.

Once Upon a Time - Firebird

5.20 "Firebird"

I am so done. Put a fork in me I'm done and if the previews for next week are suggesting what I think they're suggesting I will have absolutely zero reason to ever watch another episode. Because I can't.

So tonight they decide that it will suddenly be a good idea to make a bargain with Hades because he's just proved so trustworthy and Regina has decided that a moment with Zelena has suddenly made her super trustworthy. Killian and Emma go off on a quest (sent by Hades) to find ambrosia to save Killian's life and Rumple pulls the old switcheroo on his dear old dad taking another opportunity to choose power and revenge over love and forgiveness.

Look. I know that Regina has changed a lot and been through a lot, but she's also suspicious and realistic so I find it really odd that she would just so wholeheartedly throw her support behind Zelena. I'm not saying distrust her, but she's dating Hades for pete's sake, so maybe hesitate just a moment before sending them off alone with your boyfriend's daughter? I dunno that seems like it would be not the greatest plan especially because there's no proof that Hades isn't planning on stabbing you all in the back.

from here

Also, how on earth can Zelena and Hades, who have known each other approximately 90 seconds, have true love's kiss while Emma's heart is true and she and Killian have consistently and repeatedly sacrificed everything for each other and yet somehow don't get it? That is completely inconsistent and makes me so angry I'm basically spitting.

Also, also, when did the Hades actor get so bad. He was super stilted and awkward tonight.s.

from here

I liked Henry's plan to help people move on by using his author powers. What a great way to use the time while they had to wait. And Cruella as the evil ruler with Emma Caulfield by her side is hilarious.

As for Rumple's little plan to defeat his father. I understand why he wouldn't want Pan coming back. I'm pretty surprised Pan would ever think that would actually happen. What I don't understand at all is why Rumple had to wait so long before doing it. Wouldn't it have made more sense to do it right away so he could make sure that he didn't miss the portal? Or was he behind the plot to keep the heroes locked in the tower. But why? What would he have to gain from that? Basically nothing, right? I don't know. And even if he was behind it, it wouldn't have precluded him from leaving any earlier. It felt like BECAUSE PLOT except there wasn't even a plot reason for that to happen.

Question: Does Emma now wear contacts? Or did she get lasik surgery? Or do they sell contact solution at the Underbrooke pharmacy? These are the really important questions I have.

Okay. Emma and Killian. First of all, how did they not realize that the fire thing was a test. Pretty standard fair people. You'd think they hadn't gone around saving people for the last almost five seasons.

All right, I understand that Hades would trick them and try to keep them there. That's a very Hades move. Though I would have liked some sort of smirk thing when he turned to face the camera right before going through the portal. A little gloating moment. Or something. Unless it wasn't actually him, but I find that highly doubtful. Highly.

from here

I'm guessing that Killian didn't come back up with Emma because he's off to find the magic rock bridge so he can move on? Was that even in the same place though? I'm super confused by that. Couldn't he at least have come to say goodbye?

But also Why. Why on earth would they keep Killian trapped in the Underworld after all of this. Just. Just why. This is how I reacted to Emma getting on the elevator without Killian:

I REFUSE I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE FOR HER TO LOSE HIM LIKE THIS. NO NO NO NO NO. I can't. I'm so done with this show. I am so very done. TRUE LOVE'S KISS SHOULD HAVE SAVED THEM. You know what I am just done. I don't even want to watch it anymore if they can never let Emma ever be happy. First Graham then Neal and now Killian. It's just not. Like I'm so mad I just want to I can't even talk I am so angry right now.

I seriously can't. And if they kill off Henry the way the previews for next week are suggesting, then I will have zero reason to go on with this show.

So, I was super happy with tonight's episode, can't you tell? Check in next week for more angry rants because at least I don't have to suffer in silence.

Once Upon a Time - Sisters

5.19 "Sisters"

Family was the word of the episode. Zelena, Regina (werd how did I never realize they're names rhyme before, seriously I feel like an idiot), and Cora make up while David and James finally have their showdown. And that's pretty much it except PAAANNNNNNN shows up at the end. Oh Pan how we have missed your devious little face.

So, Regina and Zelena as itty bittys were pretty much the most adorable thing (boo that I can't find any pictures of them). But I'm not sure what I think about them having made up. Does this mean Zelena will be on the show more? Will I like her more when she's not just whine whine revenge revenge? And, the better question is will Hades still love the softer more lovable Zelena? Because I seriously doubt it.

from here

I am very conflicted about Cora being able to move on. I mean, she did make up with her girls and gave them back their memories, but think of all the other people she murdered and manipulated and and and yeah. I mean, I'm all for redemption, but it felt sort of cheap? And I know Regina and Zelena made up, but what about all the things Zelena did like pretending to be Marion for example? Can you just forget all of that because of one happy memory? I don't know if I can buy that quick of a turnaround either.

HOWEVER, I would really love it if someone made a parody of the White Christmas "Sisters" song using Zelena and Regina clips.

I'm not a big fan of the Hades/Zelena pairing. I think Hades is just being selfish and manipulative. But I also think that it is in great part because I despise the way they portray Hades - and no it's not because he's not like the Disney's Hercules Hades (though if you're going to nod to that you could get a little closer to it - I feel like the funny writers all left the show this season or something. There has been a serious dearth of witty banter and notable one liners when there used to be multiple clever lines an episode). Mainly I just really don't like the way they've written Hades. It's like the very worst cliched approach to him with virtually no nuance (except maybe him being in love with Zelena which I still kind of doubt). Blah.

from here

In the other family story line James comes after David for REVENGE. Because David ... stole his glory? Even though knowing what we do about James before he died, I doubt he would have won much of anything on his own.

I'm disappointed Emma didn't feel at all suspicious that it wasn't David, though. Lame.

The eagle cry when Cruella pulled up in her car was pretty much the funniest moment of the episode. Okay, I almost forgot - I will give her funniest one-liner of the night: "Why is everything in the woods with you people?"

Emma's face at this was hilarious as well
from here

WHY does everyone insist on taking the showdowns down to the dock. And really? Did they have to kill of James in EXACTLY the same way they killed off Gaston? I mean, that was just lame (too). And it was all over SO quickly. The secondary storyline didn't get much screen time at all because of how much the Zelena/Cora/Regina story took up. I didn't mind that one getting more time, but it would have been nice for the David/James story to get a little more time - maybe wrapping over into the next episode or something.

And Pan is back! But he and Rumple have no idea all the stuff that just went down with Zelena and Regina and everything. So I'm not sure what all is going to happen there.

The preview for next week makes me scared. Because if they kill off Killian in basically the same way they killed off Neal (and I'm sorry but that preview REALLY made it look like this could be a possibility) I will be so done with this show. I'm already this close to being done with it, but that would just push me over the edge.

Once Upon a Time - Ruby Slippers

5.18 "Ruby Slippers"


In tonight's episode Belle sets out to find a way to save her baby from Hades, Emma and the hero squad look for Auntie Em, and in a flashback to "sometime in the past" (I see that the writers have given up trying to make time work at all) Dorothy and Ruby try to find a way to defeat Zelena. Meanwhile David looks for a way to send Snow home to "chisel-chin Jr." (honestly Cruella has some amazing lines) and Hook comes to the rescue.

Okay, I'll start with the end - Zelena and Hades together? I mean, we saw it coming, so why did Zelena have to dither over it at all? No clue. When Hades comes to her at the beginning and she turns him down again I had to laugh at the way he said he could give her everything while handing her a dead rose. Because, yay, I'm sure she's always wanted one of those.

Hades' revenge on Auntie Em was harsh and when he tells Zelena that he did it only for her is a bunch of hogwash. He gets WAY more out of it like the crushing the spirit of everyone in his realm, ensuring that Emma and her group don't succeed in their current task, and preventing them from easily doing anything else to mess up his world. Plus the bonus of keeping Auntie Em there permanently. But no - he gets absolutely nothing out of it. uh huh. sure.

I'm super happy Belle realized that Rumple isn't her true love, but putting herself under the sleeping curse? I can't tell if that's brilliant or the stupidest thing she's ever done.

from here

Speaking of brilliant/stupid plans, Killian and David's plan to get Snow home fits right in there. I knew that David couldn't go back yet, though, because he hadn't had the confrontation with James. Because we ALL knew that had to happen. I love that David and Killian worked together to figure it out. Now they just have to figure out how to get the names off altogether.

And I would just like to say that I would be more than happy for a David Charming to come into my life anytime now.

Once Upon a Time - Her Handsome Hero

5.17 "Her Handsome Hero"

Tonight Belle has to save a monster from Gaston. And in the flashbacks, shockingly, Belle has to save a monster from Gaston. Meanwhile Emma, Snow, Regina, and Hook have to save ... a monster (but not from Gaston). AND in all three story lines the monster isn't really a monster (well, except arguably Rumple).

from here

I feel very conflicted by the Gaston story line. I mean, in the end he turns out to be the jerk with evil in his heart (in both the present and flashback), but he's not supposed to be likable, but it does make it more conflicting for Belle that he's not just a jerk. BUT I did figure out why this bothers me so much - it's because Gaston is a Disney creation - he's not based on any character in the original fairy tale. So when they mess with his character, they're messing with their own character for ... no real reason. (I feel the same way about Megara, but she is based on the myth, so I'm feeling differently conflicted over her)

Also this outfit is so gorgeous
from here

The fact that Rumple thought, for even a second, that Belle would agree with him destroying Gaston or using dark magic shows how little he really takes her seriously. And I loved that Belle took her knowledge of Rumple to get control of the dagger. Because she knows that he will kill Gaston if she doesn't intervene. She continually stays true to who she is, to her pure heart, despite her struggle with loving Rumple. And she consistently does so. Even when her baby is at risk, she refuses to make a deal with the devil because she knows it's not the right thing to do. She may be overly idealistic at times, but she's also fiercely intelligent, and usually makes the right decision in the end. tl;dr Belle is the best.

Side note: Every time Hades says "baby" it's the most creepy thing in pretty much the entire underworld. It's like he's going to eat it or something.


When Gaston whines to Belle, "You broke into my locker," he sounds like a peeved eighth grader or something. I'm convinced that Gaston was his own unfinished business. He turns away from the ideals that Belle tried to instill in him, and the book is there to try to remind him of that. His continual turning away from it is what is keeping him in Underbrooke. And his choice to continue to go after Rumple is what led to his own downfall.

from here

It is so great to see Snow finally making sense and acting like a real person again, with hope and persistence.

I am also really grateful that Emma finally expressed her frustrations and that Snow, Regina, and Killian helped her work through it.

from here

Also

WAIT RUBY IS BACK THIS IS THE BEST THING EXCEPT IT MEANS THAT RUBY IS PROBABLY DEAD? I am so conflicted by this because I want to be excited, but I am also sad/scared.