Once Upon a Time | 7x13
Added 2025-01-03 11:00:18 +0000 UTCno spoilers in comments pls :)
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“Why, give it to someone else” I can’t with you 😹😭
Symone
2025-01-04 01:36:14 +0000 UTCKnightfall- Thank you so very much for a fun reaction for another of my absolute favorite episodes from season seven, that's centered around Wish Hook and Rogers, and his daughter, Alice and Tilly!!! I wish you enjoyed it more than you did. But nonetheless... I love, love, love this episode very much, and I was so excited for you to react to it, Travis!! And I enjoyed watching this episode again with you for sure. Believe me... I understand you love more action than just a lot of talk, and that's absolutely fine. We all like and love what we like and love. And there is nothing wrong with the ways we feel towards these characters. Personally... I love the drama throughout this show too, including episodes where there is a lot of talk. Especially when these episodes are centered around my favorite characters! :) Also... I wish that you could get behind more of this season's new characters more than you have been able to so far, and most likely ever will at this point. I promise you, I understand you disliking some of these new characters such as Lady Tremaine/Rapunzel/Victoria. And I absolutely understand you hating Cinderella/Jacinda. I do too. More than you know. I really don't understand why she was casted to play Cinderella and Henry's True Love. But with this being said... I really wish you liked Alice/Tilly more, at least as much as you appear to love Tiana/Sabine. Because Alice/Tilly is easily my favorite of all the new characters!! Not including Wish Hook/Rogers, who is my absolute favorite character this season!! Wiish/Rogers is a new character, but he absolutely feels like an old character we've loved for some time, because he is a new version of the Captain Hook we know so well and love!! Back to Alice/Tilly... I absolutely love her!!! Not only does Rose Reynolds play both sides of her character fabulously, but I love her overall story arc between her and Wish Hook/Rogers, and them being father and daughter!! And I love her crazy madness side too! First of all... I love the nod to another fun Disney movie, as Maui's fishhook comes from Disney's, Moana. However, Maui's fishhook being brought here into Once Upon a Time, I actually believe is more about the Polynesian legends about Maui himself, as Rumplestiltskin mentions to Wish Hook, and not so much his character within the Disney movie. Otherwise... Someone would have most likely mentioned Moana too. Although, the Disney movie, Moana, came out in 2016, and this episode first aired in 2018. So, the nod could very well be in reference to the movie as well. Okay... So, the timeline within this episode once again is a bit confusing at first, unless you really work hard to think it all through. I hope I can help you to understand it a bit more. This episode's backstory is centered around Wish Hook, along with all of the Wish Realm's versions of Rumplestiltskin, Mr. Smee, and Captain Ahab. And this backstory is set within the Wish Realm about ten to twelve years or so after the backstory events occurred between Wish Hook and Mother Gothel first shown in this season's seventh episode, titled... Eloise Gardener, when Alice is conceived. Because Alice appears to be about ten to twelve years old in this backstory. This story also takes place a few years, maybe a little less, before Wish Hook becomes the fat old drunkard we see he had become shown in the episodes, titled... Tougher Than the Rest from season six, and this season's episode, titled... A Pirate's Life, when Wish Hook meets Killian, as well as Emma for the second time. If you remember... Wish Hook tells Killian in A Pirate's Life, that their stories were the same up to a point, until they diverged and become different after the Wish Realm version of the Evil Queen in the Wish Realm had failed to cast her dark curse. Shortly afterwards, Wish Hook meets Mother Gothel disguised as Rapunzel when she herself is trapped in the tower, and they conceive a child so that Gothel can leave her in the tower in her place, as Gothel then escapes and therefore traps Alice there instead. All of which is shown in this season's episode, titled... Eloise Gardener. So, these three episodes are very connected. And both A Pirate's Life and Eloise Gardener are very important episodes to the events shown between Wish Hook, Alice, and Mother Gothel here in Knightfall too. And I absolutely love, love, love it all!! Personally... I absolutely love, love, love every story centered around Wish Hook/Rogers and Alice/Tilly!!! Their relationship is so adorable and beautiful, and yet it's so full of tragedy as well. And my heart breaks for both father and daughter. This episode's backstory starts off about ten years or so later after the events shown in Eloise Gardener, as Alice continues to have nightmares that Gothel will come for her and to kill her father. At this point, Wish Hook makes it clear that he's done absolutely everything he can, short of the one path he has feared to take above all others, to try to free his daughter without success. And sadly, Wish Hook understands why he truly fears going to see the Wish Realm's version of Rumplestiltskin. And it's not because he's ever been afraid of the Crocodile. But because Wish Hook knows and understands he's weak. Because for all these years that he's raised Alice, he's only suppressed his hatred of his darkest enemy for the sake of his daughter. But more than this... It's like I mentioned to you in my comments under your reaction for season three's episode, titled... The Jolly Roger, about Killian when he comes face to face with Captain Black Beard, who also accuses Killian of having gone soft as well. Both versions of Hook are accused of having gone soft because they have changed for the better. However, they both lost so much and both men have had to fight to maintain their reputations as the fearsome pirate Captain Hook, out of survival. Because in their world, their reputations were and are what protected them from being killed by other villains. Especially pirates also fighting to make names and build reputations for themselves. Wish Hook still has his daughter, but his survival instinct and his pride sadly causes the rest of these tragic events in his life to happen to him. Alice's fears of being taken by the witch and of losing her father, trumps his own fears, so Wish Hook leaves to confront his oldest enemy... The Wish Realm's version of Rumplestiltskin, who so far has only seen before back in season six's episode, titled... Wish You Were Here, when Regina from Storybrooke, after wishing herself into the Wish Realm to find Emma after she had been transported there in the Evil Queen's wish, comes to him asking for a magic bean so they can get back home. Regina is the one who finally sets Wish Rumple free from his prison years after the events shown here in Knightfall's backstory between Wish Hook and Wish Rumple. I hope this helps you somewhat despite it still sounding a bit confusing. You can see from the gray hairs seeping through Wish Hook's black hair that he's getting older since he's stayed with his daughter in the tower. Whereas Killian from seasons two through six never really has aged much due to him having been frozen in time for the twenty-eight years it took for Emma to grow up before she first arrived in Storybrooke to break the first dark curse, thanks to Cora's magic revealed back in season two. I will get back to the main storyline from this episode momentarily... I just wanted to momentarily talk about the scenes between Henry and Ivy, then Ivy and Jacinda. I don't really care too much for this storyline much at all. It's okay. But I do appreciate that Ivy appears to be trying to do the right thing for once, and I've actually started to believe that maybe she can be redeemed. I also don't care much for the scene in the beginning between Regina and Henry because she spoke about being with Facilier the night before, without actually admitting it was him she was with. I still don't like that they have any kind of relationship. It's so wrong. I do love the scene in the end between Regina and Lucy however, when Regina tells Lucy that she now believes her about everything and that she is her grandmother and Regina... the former Evil Queen. And I love that they've come together to be heroes to bring back everyone's happy endings, in their new operation... Operation Hyacinth, which is the name of the blue flower which Henry first gives to Ella back in season seven's premiere episode, titled... Hyperion Heights. In its backstory. This a sweet scene. And now back to the most important, and my favorite storylines within this episode... I absolutely love, love, love all the moments between Rogers and Weaver like always!!!! And I love seeing how protective Weaver has been over Rogers ever since he's woken up. Or rather... Since the present day events shown throughout Eloise Gardener. I really love that Eloise comes to the station in this episode to talk to Rogers, as she attempts to, and succeeds fairly well to continue to manipulate him like she's sadly done to him ever since they first met. Also... Alice actually is shown to have gotten her love for painting from her father, as Rogers mentions to Weaver that he paints too. And in the beginning scene when Alice is talking to her father about having lost her will to paint, as she's painting her own picture of a ship on the sea during a storm, we see behind her another painting of a ship at sea that Wish Hook had painted. And we see that it is the painting which Eloise asks Rogers to bring into the station to show it to her, knowing it that it's a valuable painting to him because of what it represents. His loneliness. Because Rogers feels that's he's all alone in the world. And boy does Mother Gothel ever get into Rogers' head as Weaver warned him that she would, because she sadly gets Rogers to admit to her that he is lonely. Which is exactly what Gothel wants to hear. And it's what she wants for poor Rogers. Of course, Rogers is willing to give up the meaning behind his painting in spite of Weaver's protests, not understanding the price of making such a deal with her. I was so anxious to find out what about the painting Gothel wanted. And it's brilliant that Gothel talks with Rogers about who he really is, without trying to tell him to wake him up, and that his painting represents so much more to him than he knows. I absolutely love all of the moments between Rogers, Tilly, Weaver at the station, then later at the hospital as well!! As Tilly has once again begun to desperately sense that things are very, very wrong especially with Eloise. Because Tilly is caught between this world in her cursed memories and her true world. She is absolutely partially awake. However, the drugs she's been taking keep her in this constant haze, and she doesn't understand what's happening to her. And therefore, she is terrified. Especially more so for Rogers as he goes in to talk with Eloise. I love how she appears to be going mad again, and more so... just how afraid for Rogers she's grown to become. Afraid that he is going to be hurt by showing Eloise his painting, and therefore his weaknesses. She is so concerned for Rogers, even though she doesn't understand why because she doesn't know that he is really her father. Also... I love how Rogers refuses to believe Tilly is guilty of murdering the blind witch in the hospital, as Weaver does too. I love that Rogers will now be working to find Tilly again and to clear her name. Another fabulous moment within this episode, is when Weaver is talking with Rogers inside Tilly's makeshift home out of the shipping crate, as Weaver finally reveals to Rogers why she's so uneasy with Eloise and her coven, in a way that helps Rogers to make more sense out of the real truth he can't possibly fully understand right now! I love how Weaver reveals to him that Tilly's uneasiness about them comes from her belief in this world that the coven are responsible for taking away the one person in Tilly's life who ever truly cared about her, listened to her, and truly loved her unconditionally... Her father. Because in a sense... Weaver is absolutely right. Gothel is responsible for ripping Alice's father away from her, when she poisoned his heart and forced them to live apart. Rogers just can't remember any of this, so of course Weaver can only reveal so much to him. And it's wonderful! In regards to Wish Hook telling Killian and Emma in A Pirate's Life how he is searching for his daughter... Wish Hook does tell them that he's been searching for her. However, this whole situation is a little wonky because it is strangely written. Because Wish Hook definitely knows that Alice remains trapped inside the tower, and he remembers exactly where the tower stands. However, Alice does manage to escape from the tower that is now in shambles somehow, and you will come to see how soon. Although... From his wording when he's speaking with Regina in this season's episode, titled... Pretty in Blue, when Regina reveals to him that the tower Alice lived in had been destroyed, and seeing his immediate fear that something terrible might have happened to Alice upon the tower's destruction, Wish Hook clearly didn't know until Alice then shows up in this moment, that the tower had been destroyed or that his daughter escaped first. So, in a sense... Wish Hook was never necessarily looking for where his daughter is, but he has been constantly searching for a way to free Alice from the tower, as well as for a cure to his poisoned heart so that he and Alice can one day be together again. And sadly, Wish Hook for a number of years had lost any hope of being able to save his daughter. So... Wish Hook has definitely been searching, but not to find his daughter in the literal sense. But he's searching for a way to save her and his heart upon him eventually coming back to finding himself again thanks to meeting Killian, Emma, Henry, and Regina. I hope my explanation for you helps this whole storyline to make a little more sense to you. Now, back to Wish Hook's backstory... I absolutely love, love, love the first two scenes between Wish Hook and young Alice!! The first being Alice's nightmare in seeing her father being killed by Gothel. And the second being Wish Hook vowing to free Alice from the tower by going down a dark path that he's always feared taking. I also love hearing him call his daughter, "Starfish", as well as "my little rook." So sweet. :) I really love that Alice paints just like it is established that her father does as well, and that the painting she is shown painting last before giving up on it despite her father's compliments is beautiful, is her own version of her father's painting behind her. I love that both Alice and Tilly can sense when something bad is coming. And I love the moment when Alice's awakens from her nightmare, and we see Wish Hook come in to comfort her. So sad and so sweet. I love that he believes her about her fears that they're in danger this time around, even though he may have been skeptical before. Another of my favorite scenes... I absolutely love, love, love when Wish Hook walks into the caves to visit Wish Rumplestiltskin inside his former prison again after so many years!! It is amazing to see Robert Carlyle playing Rumplestiltskin again after so long, and he is brilliant like always! And I love that Wish Hook comes to him for help in trying to free his daughter. But more than this, I love that Wish Hook has humbled himself and proclaims he is no longer the man who vowed revenge against him for so long. Such a beautiful moment for Wish Hook, and just as brilliantly acted by Colin O'Donoghue!! A perfect scene between both enemies!! I love the tavern scene with Wish Hook, Wish Smee, and Captain Ahab, who is an interesting new character. I'm happy he is just a one episode character, because he's certainly not needed for more, but I think his character is fine. Captain Ahab comes from the famous classic novel written by Herman Melville, Moby Dick, about a ship's Captain who vows to kill the great white whale, Moby Dick, who hunts him. And no... Ahab and Moby Dick have no ties with Maui. Their stories just happen to be brilliantly brought together by the creators and writers of Once Upon a Time. It is great to see Smee again and I absolutely love the conversation between the two infamous pirate Captains when they come together inside the caves where Wish Rumplestiltskin is still imprisoned!! Ahab is so cruel when he accuses Wish Hook of going soft. This whole scene and overall story arc between Wish Hook and Captain Ahab, always makes me think back to Black Beard, who accuses Hook of having gone soft too, in season three's episode, titled... The Jolly Roger. I love how when they first come together, Wish Hook challenges Ahab to a game of chance and then wins because Wish Hook regards the rook Alice has given him to protect him as his good luck charm, much like Liam's ring that Liam had given Killian to protect him as well!! I love these parallels!! :) Then, Ahab unfortunately follows Wish Hook back down into Rumple's prison and overhears him as Wish Hook is about to free Rumple for his help. I really love this confrontation between the three men, and I love, love, love seeing such deep pain and conflicting emotions all over Wish Hook's face as he really struggles with his decision to free his enemy, or his decision to fall back into his old life upon being taunted about going soft. And then Ahab challenges Hook to a pistol duel so that everyone will be able to see the man Wish Hook has become. Sadly, because Wish Hook fears the safety of his daughter and of himself, and fears that his reputation will die and therefore they will no longer be protected by it, Wish Hook gives into Ahab's taunts and agrees to duel with him. Thankfully, Wish Hook wins the duel. I absolutely love this scene, especially when Hook realizes he has made a horrible mistake by being there and falling back into his old ways!!! Because he fears he has failed his daughter. Again... His pained facial expressions are beautiful. Colin O'Donoghue excels at such. I love the slow motion as both Captains were taking their paces and then turn to shoot one another. It is great that Wish Hook is shot only in the arm, while as Smee says... Wish Hook's aim is as true as the north star, because Ahab may survive through the day, but eventually, his wound will kill him, given that it is a fatal wound. But oh... My heart breaks even more because we finally learn how Mother Gothel has poisoned Wish Hook's heart, by poisoning the bullet that strikes his arm during the duel. Because she knew that Ahab's taunts would get him to stray from coming back to his daughter, even if just for a moment. Revealing to us that Gothel has planned all of this to break Wish Hook even more so than she already has. So tragic. But I absolutely love, love, love every moment of this storyline for Wish Hook, Alice, and Mother Gothel!! It is heartbreaking to see just how broken both Wish Hook and Alice are, when Alice turns around to face her father with disappointment in her eyes upon learning that he hadn't come right back to the tower right away as he promised her he would. Gothel's taunts and cruelty are perfect, and I love how she accuses Wish Hook of caring more about his own honor rather than about his daughter. We know it isn't true of course. However, Wish Hook does absolutely make a mistake when he gives in to Ahab's taunts despite Wish Rumplestiltskin's warnings. I love, love, love seeing Mother Gothel's overall revelations, ever since we learned of Wish Hook's heart being poisoned way back in A Pirate's Life!! These scenes are all so perfectly and beautifully done by all involved! I feel both Wish Hook's physical and emotional pain every time I watch this episode, because Colin O'Donoghue plays his anguish so well. And Mother Gothel's scenes throughout this episode, as well as a number of her other scenes with Wish Hook and Rogers throughout this season are more of why she is one of my absolute favorite villainesses all throughout Once Upon a Time!! Oh... And I love the moment inside the police station, when Gothel taunts Tilly as she looks directly at her through the security camera and waves at her, knowing full well that she's there watching her and Rogers out of fear for Rogers. So eerie and so creepy. So perfect for her character! I just absolutely love, love, love it all!!!!!! Overall... I absolutely this episode so much, as I've said all along!!! So brilliant and near perfect!! So, thank you again, so much for this marvelous reaction, Travis!! Sincerely, Heidi
Heidi Elizabeth Marcum
2025-01-03 11:48:43 +0000 UTC
