Once Upon a Time - The Broken Kingdom

5.4 "The Broken Kingdom"

This week we had a flashback with a flashback, giving us the backstory on the slimeball who calls himself King Arthur. David and Snow fight and then plot to reveal the truth and Lancelot gets thrown in the dungeon where we find with relief that Merida wasn't just a one-shot plot device. Meanwhile, Hook's doing his best to free Emma from the dark voices in her head. It's too bad it only worked temporarily. Can she actually use Merida to turn Rumplestiltskin into a hero so she can pull the sword from the stone? (and there's a sentence you would only see in relation to Once Upon a Time)

I haven't liked Arthur since the first time he rode onto the screen and I haven't been too shy about it either, but now there's proof that he's an obsessive jerk face who ignores his wife and kingdom in the pursuit of power. Hm. Sounds like other people who haven't done well in the long run on this show.

Major themes of lies and truth this season. Almost every character has lied to another character - for varying reasons, some more altruistic, some evil. But the unifying theme is that no matter the purpose for the lie, it doesn't end well.

It was nice to see that Lancelot wasn't really the villain he's been made out to be. I would have hated to have to see him as the villain after coming to like him before. And I am relieved that Merida is back, mostly because it felt really lame to have her just pop in for that one episode. It seemed pointless. I'm curious to see where they take her storyline now.

A couple of other thoughts:

Excellent casting on the kid versions of the characters again. Really well done on Arthur.

Aw.. all the dreamcatchers in Emma's room - a nice touch and also a connection to Emma's past and one of the other people who loved her sacrificially and unconditionally.

Why did that curse viney thing go after Lancelot and not Guinevere? Sexist curse :P

I loved Emma and Hook's reaction to Henry's revelation about the girl. Emma's all, say what? and Hook's just smiling and nodding like, nice going, lad.

Regina wins best line again when talking about Snow and David: "Those two can outlive a cockroach."

Better episode than last week. Curious to see where it goes next week.

Once Upon a Time - Siege Perilous

5.3 "Siege Perilous"

In tonight's episode, the dwarfs get sassy, Belle finally gets a little more screen time, and David has an identity crisis while Dark Emma tries to have lunch with Hook. In flashback Camelot we learn that Arthur is as sneaky as I've been suspecting and that, once again, because their memories have been wiped we can have the same story line take place twice without the characters knowing it, which makes for some amazingly dull television.

Now normally I would be all over a David-centric episode. I love David Charming! I like that he's struggling with feeling useless and helpless. But the story line was not particularly inspiring. He goes on a quest. He fails. He is tricked by Arthur. He gets to sit at the Round Table. Whoop.

Also, as he was fighting the knights on the bridge, this is all I could think about:

Ahem.

I have been suspicious of Arthur since we first met him. He has a very smirky face and I just didn't trust him. At all. But I put my suspicions aside because so much other stuff was going on. But I was right. I just don't know if he's really acting for the best of his people or if he has some sort of ulterior motive. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until he made his man POISON himself. Because that's something normal people ask their most loyal servants to do.


But YAY! Lancelot. I forgot about him and I liked him.

Let's see - oh, I would totally pay to see an all female tournament on this show. That would be awesomesauce.

I really do love that Belle has had more screen time. Here's hoping she continues to play a bigger role.

Dark Emma is not doing it for me. I was excited to see her get to play the sinister side, but it's not coming across sinister so much as, um, how to say this tactfully - bad acting. I don't know. It's just not working. It's too dead and almost old Emma, but not, but not really evil feeling. Just blah.

However, I am very excited to see Gold back in two different roles. Excited to see how, and if he can be, crafted into a hero. That seems like an awfully risky, long, and complicated plan. But most villains choose plans that are like that, so I guess Emma has learned one of the great villain trademarks.

And why no Henry? *sigh*

So. It was an episode. Next week I'll be on vacation, so the post may go up late, just an FYI. Ciao!

Little Lit: The Nest by Kenneth Oppel, Illustrated by Jon Klassen

Summary:
Steve's life is a bit topsy turvy right now. The new baby isn't doing well and has been in and out of the hospital, which means his parents are tired and distracted. His little sister Nicole doesn't really understand what's going on, and now Steve is having strange dreams of someone saying they can help fix the baby if he'll only say yes to helping them. But can he trust the dreams? Do the creatures really have the baby's best interest at heart? If Steve helps them will it really help his family or could he be hurting the very people he's trying to protect?

The book just came out this week!
You can learn more about Kenneth Oppel on his website or GoodReads or follow him on Twitter.
You can learn more about Jon Klassen on his tumblr or GoodReads or follow him on Twitter.
I had the chance to meet these two at Book Expo America this year where they so kindly autographed my Advance Reader Copy of this book. They were so much fun and such lovely authors to meet. NaomiRuth brought Wombly the Wombat and the two of them were absolutely hilarious as they tried to figure out what he was. I love being able to meet authors!

Now on to my mini review of the book. There are some spoilers here. I usually try to keep my reviews spoiler free, but really can't manage that in this case, so be forewarned.

What I Liked:

• I loved the illustrations. I just adore Klassen's style - it's so stark and simple and striking and beautiful. I particularly liked the way the chapters were demarcated by adding wasps - so chapter 1 had 1 wasp, chapter 4 had 4, etc.
• I liked that Steve struggled with anxiety and obsessive compulsions. It was so great to read about a kid dealing with these things in the middle of the larger issues going on with his family. And it wasn't magically solved at the end. though he makes progress in understanding himself and finding some ways to help live with and work through some of his struggles.
• I liked that the family was cohesive. Even with all the stress of things going on, there was a complete family unit who loved and cared for each other even in the middle of the strain when they aren't always nice to each other, you could tell they all still loved each other.
• I loved the message it sent that physical and mental perfection are not and should not be our goal. Our deficiencies, problems, struggles - the things that make us different - are what make us us.

What I Would Have Liked:

• I would have liked to get a little better sense of how old Steve was. He seemed younger to me at the beginning, but as the story went on I realized he was most likely older than I had originally thought. Unless I missed it, I wish there had been some sort of indication as to his grade or age.
• One of the things that made me uncomfortable was the knife left by the mysterious knife sharpener. I understand that it was part of the sort of mystical aspect of the book, but I wasn't sure I liked the message it sent of making it the weapon Steve literally wields to try to destroy the creatures.
• Again, I realize that they were mystical creatures, but if anybody had a fear of wasps, this would certainly not allay their fears in any way and I can see some kids being really affected, particularly by the ending with the swarms attacking and nearly killing Steve. So this isn't so much an I-didn't-like-it thing as a it-might-be-too-much-for-some-kids thing.

Verdict:

• It's a beautiful and touching story with gorgeous illustrations. Except for the intensity of the wasp swarms at the end, the message overall was a moving one about the importance of embracing our flaws and caring for our family in the midst of difficult circumstances.

Once Upon a Time - The Price

5.2 "The Price"

Tonight's episode did a good job of moving the story along and opening up many of the mysteries to be solved this season. Emma "The Dark One" Swan swoops around being cryptic and then revealing just enough to keep everyone confused while Regina tries to step up and become the savior Storybrooke needs to survive. The dwarfs jump into the fray with some decent action and an evil spirit tries to suck out Robin Hood's soul while the Camelot transfers settle into their new home in the 21st century. Meanwhile in Camelot flashbacks Regina takes dancing lessons from Charming and wardrobe advice from Snow, proving she really has changed and Emma tries to "conceal, don't feel, put on a show" because "one wrong move and everyone will know" she's the Dark One.

I know that Regina was only trying to protect Emma and keep things on track, but I really have to wonder if denying Emma the chance to embrace her role as the savior ended up causing her to embrace her darkness. What would have happened if she'd acted as the savior? How would that have affected her magic.

Also, concerning the magic - I guess as the Dark One, she can only use "dark" magic? Because the glowy thing she did to Robin certainly looked more light than dark. You'd think that the purpose of the magic would affect the effect of using the magic. *sigh*

I thought it was an interesting point that Emma knows everyone's weaknesses and strengths and so, therefore, would be an even more dangerous and formidable opponent. She's fought alongside them, so she knows exactly where they are most vulnerable. It's a good thing they've had so many issues to deal with and have started to learn how to stand against any kind of evil.

Something I was thinking about when they all linked hands with Regina to repel the demon - every single time someone goes off and tries to solve a problem alone, everything gets worse. Exponentially worse. It isn't until they work together that they're able to prevail. And it seems like this message is finally getting through to them. It was so great in both Camelot and in Storybrooke to see people supporting and believing in Regina. It's amazing how things have changed. And just because Regina isn't THE savior from her own curse, it doesn't mean she can't be A savior and she's made some good strides in that direction. I like this role reversal thing.

And this week's Dark Swan was definitely more entertaining and creepy than last week's dead fish Dark Swan. Some really great moments - especially with her and Killian - where the smiley, creepy, off thing worked out nicely. And some moments where I was rolling my eyes. She doesn't seem to quite have settled into her role yet for me.

I was trying to figure out Killian's plan and then felt utterly stupid for not realizing he was going for True Love's Kiss. I think Belle made a really significant point when she said "A curse isn't a curse when the person wants it."
It's so true. Rumple, when he was in love with his power over all else, couldn't be saved. As long as Emma sees herself as the Dark One rather than as the Savior she can't be saved. Like Snow said, if they win, Emma loses. Emma has to want to change, even a little bit. It will be interesting to see what else happened at Camelot to bring things to where they are now.

In regards to the "price" for Robin - Emma doesn't tell Regina that something might be required or that Regina would be the one responsible for the price, so it certainly doesn't seem fair to blame Regina for using magic without paying the price. Emma accuses Regina of always blaming someone else and it's often true. Even in this episode Regina berates the unconscious Rumple for "making" her the way she is. But no one forced Regina to make the choices she did. But Emma isn't any better. She's blamed a lot of people for things that were her choice. Even now she's blaming Regina and the rest of the town for making her be the Dark One. Taking responsibility for your actions is key to moving forward and moving in the right direction.

A couple of random thoughts:

I'm so happy the dwarfs are bigger parts of the action in this season. But poor poor Dopey :(

Is there some sort of magical Sam's Club on the other side of town? How do they get food. I mean, I wouldn't think that they'd have much luck getting deliveries what with so many curses and people unable to come and go freely and all of the other things that have happened. I've never thought about it, but seeing all those cases of water made me ponder.

How adorable is Henry. I'm so glad he gets some actual life storyline stuff - something other than running around behind people's backs because no one trusts him. How cute is he bragging to Violet about saving everyone. I love it.

That little music montage scene at the dance was the perfect light moment we needed in the middle of all the insanity. And then the music had to get all ominous and someone had to try to kill Regina *sigh*

Super excited to see where all of this leads!

What did you think about the episode? I'd love to know!

10 Things I Loved About The Shrunken Head by Lauren Oliver & H.C. Chester

Pippa, who can read people's pockets; Max, who can throw a knife so accurately it's scary; Sam, the strongest boy in the world; and Thomas, who can bend and fold his body in remarkable ways, all live in Dumfrey's Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. There, among a group of people labeled freaks by society, the four children have found a sort of family in each other. But after Mr. Dumfrey unveils the newest marvel, a shrunken head, a series of horrible tragedies including murder and the theft of the head itself, sets them on the trail of a dangerous criminal as they try to unravel the mystery and save the museum. Can they figure out how to work together to retrieve the skull or will they lose everything they care about?

This book just came out this week, so go to your local book store and get yourself a copy!

Here we go! 10 things I loved about Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head by Lauren Oliver & H. C. Chester.

1. The Tone: At the risk of using an over-used comparison, this book had a very Snicket-esque feel to it. Not in the writing style itself. Instead it was more in the sensibility of the story and the plot. It had the quirkiness and the definition of the characters and the utter lack of condescension to the audience.
2. Pippa, Max, Sam, and Thomas: One thing I particularly enjoyed, was the way the four main characters had such agency. They see something that needs to be done and they do it. I also loved their "freak" traits, especially the way Pippa reads what's in people's pockets rather than their minds in a traditional sense.
3. The Secondary Characters: There are a lot of secondary characters and some of them are only roughly sketched in, but those sketches are enough to give you a feeling for who they are - they don't feel flat.
4. The Curiosity House: There's just enough described to give you a good feeling of the setting, which is important for the overall tone and feel of the book, but not too much so it becomes tedious. There's a very real sense of place.
5. The Sense of Time: I liked that it was set in a historical period, so not only the physical place of the house, but also the sense of time provided a great backdrop for the happenings. It's all woven into the story in a very organic way with all the little historical details adding to the story.
6. The Mystery: I sort of had a feeling I knew where things were going, but it didn't make the journey any less enjoyable. It was interesting seeing them find their way through all of the twists and turns to figure out what was actually going on.
7. The Stakes: I'm not trying to diminish stories where the stakes are less physical, but I enjoy when there are significant physical stakes - people's lives in danger, their home literally at risk. It adds something, especially when there are also emotional and mental issues at stake as well. The combination of the two sides make the story more intense for me.
8. The Villain: I liked that there was an actual, physical villain - someone actually against the children. Though the villain isn't revealed until basically the end, I like that there is so much potential for future books.
9. The Artwork: I didn't even get to see all of it, because this is the Advanced Reader Copy, but what was there was so interesting and so beautiful. I liked the chapter headings, but I did wish that they corresponded better with the POV of the chapter. It sort of switches between silhouettes of Max and Pippa, but not straight back and forth so I was a little confused, and the chapters include Sam and Thomas' perspectives as well, but there weren't silhouettes of the boys. Maybe that's something that will be different in the final copy, but I found it a little distracting (though pretty).
10. There's More! At least I'm assuming so, since it leaves us hanging at the end! (that and it's listed as #1 on GoodReads) I want to know what happens next!

I received this Advance Reader's Edition via BookExpo America

Once Upon a Time - The Dark Swan

And we're back! Woohoo! Let's jump into the season premiere!

5.1 "The Dark Swan"

Tonight - well, tonight Emma faced the fact that she had become the Dark One. And fought against it as best she could while running around with Merida and trying not to listen to the creepy Rumple voice in her head. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang tried to figure out how to get back to the Enchanted Forest to help her (which involved a rather unconvincing set of plots involving Zelena). Oh, and of course, we discover that the dagger is actually part of Excalibur. Because why not.

So now we have lost time again, with a six week gap of memory loss to ensure the ability to have flashbacks. Because that's how Once rolls.

I thought Emma's costume was interesting - sort of faded, old and scraggly looking, which I guess was a reflection of her wavering in accepting her role as Dark One, yet not being the Savior anymore. I expected a bit more of her Dark One costume at the end though. It's a bit austere between the simplicity and the severeness of her hair. Also, not quite sure what I think about the rather dead way she's playing the Dark One. At least Rumple's Dark One had some pizzazz (a word that here means a creepy and annoying giggle and glittery skin) (sorry, I've been listening to A Series of Unfortunate Events recently and may be channeling a little Lemony Snicket).

It's really too bad they couldn't have sent Zelena to Oz before heading off to the Enchanted Forest. I'm so over that story line. And very much over her. Which I'm sure comes as a shock to anyone who has read any of my recaps from last season.

I found the various plots and intrigues around setting her free, tricking her into creating the portal and then recapturing her, etc to be a bit odd. And a bit too easy.

However! I love Killian and Henry plotting together, so let's have a lot more of that shall we thank you very much.

And how very excited was I when Leroy stormed into Granny's demanding to be part of the excursion? Yes! There needs to be much more of the tertiary characters. There has certainly not been enough of Grumpy Leroy.

I definitely agreed with Emma's decision to give the dagger to Regina. Honestly, probably one of the best choices she could have made. Because, even with all of the change for the better, Regina still has enough of the evil edge. However, it doesn't seem to have worked all that well. Let's see how Emma got it back.

And speaking of the dagger ... IT'S PART OF EXCALIBUR? WHAT?

Quick question, why is Camelot in the Enchanted Forest - shouldn't it be in a different realm? Sometimes I'm not quite sure I understand the world logic on this show. Such as Brave also existing in the Enchanted Forest. What. I'm perfectly happy for all of those different things to exist in the world, but they shouldn't all exist in the same realm technically. I would think. But whatever.

A couple of other random thoughts:

Why is Emma's group going into the movie when it's basically over? I will never understand why this happens so often in tv shows. If someone is taking you to a movie, you don't show up for the last 10 minutes. That just doesn't make sense.

I love that Sneezy made himself sheriff by wearing Emma's coat.

Lancelot's delivery of the line "Your turn" after Sir Kay poofed into dust was perfect and hilarious.

Regina's snark game remained strong in this episode providing my three favorite one-liners.

When referring to the item significant to Emma: "I couldn't very well carry her yellow bug."

Talking about Emma being whisked away: "It's not like she rode off on a unicorn."

Any my personal favorite for the night to Hook as he held the dagger: "Put that thing down before you hurt yourself, Guyliner"

An interesting episode that sets up an interesting season, or at least half a season. I'm really curious as to whether Merida's story line will cross into theirs again or if it was a one time thing because they could. I'm hoping it was more than that, but not holding my breath. Also hoping Emma's Dark One gets a bit more ... Dark One-ish rather than cold fish-ish.

What did you think? I'd love to hear your take in the comments!

What I'm Reading Now: September Edition

Can it be September already? School has started and I'm heading into the thick of things, but I'm still making time to read of course. Here's a snapshot of my currently read pile. I'd love to hear about what you're reading right now too!

On my Nook: The Blue Fairy Book edited by Andrew Lang - I've been wanting to get to these for a long time and I'm really enjoying it. I may even get my NaNoWriMo idea out of one of these fairy tales.

On my Phone: A Medicine for Melancholy and Other Stories by Ray Bradbury - I've only read a couple. Good, but so far I liked the stories in The Illustrated Man better.

In Print - Fiction: The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands - Loving this one. I can't wait to see what happens. Sands is doing a great job of weaving in the historical context without overwhelming the reader.

In Print - Non-Fiction: Still making my way through The Madwoman in the Attic. It's good, but long.

On Audio in my Car: Finally doing my reread of The Series of Unfortunate Events and I've made it to The Miserable Mill, the 4th book in the series. This one has always been my least favorite, but I still love this series so very much. And having Lemony Snicket or Tim Curry narrating makes it even better.

On TV: I'm really looking forward to the new seasons starting up in the next couple of weeks! But one of my favorites just started on Saturday: Doctor Who. Can't wait to see what hijinks Twelve and Clara get up to.