Once Upon A Time SEASON 4 EPISODE 8 FULL LENGTH REACTION

Smash the Mirror Part One- Thank you so very much for another fantastic episode for Once Upon a Time, Timothee!! I absolutely love this episode!! It's not quite as strong as Part Two, but it's still so very good, and I really love it, nonetheless! :) First, in regards to the abrupt ending to this episode... It only ends so suddenly and abruptly, because this is a two part episode. If it was just a regular, one part episode, I think it probably would have ended a little differently. Or maybe it would have ended with the amazing scene between Gold and the Snow Queen, which I absolutely love! This scene between Gold and Ingrid is one of my favorite scenes throughout this episode! As frustrating as both of them are, or rather can be, this scene is just absolutely amazing, and so well acted by both Robert Carlyle and Elizabeth Mitchell (the Snow Queen). Gold often has moments within numerous episodes where he circles around a character he might be trying to outsmart of defeat for his own personal gain. So, seeing him circle around Ingrid in this moment within this episode, isn't anything out of character for him. And it's nothing that stands out ot be odd in his character either, so we as the audience have no idea that he is actually circling around this character with dark intentions this time. We very quickly come to see that Gold actually has a good reason for circling around the Snow Queen this time. Because he has outsmarted the Snow Queen in order to keep her from thwarting his plans for Emma by entrapping her within a circle of the remnants of the urn that had been destroyed by Elsa back in this season's premiere episode, titled... A Tale of Two Sisters, upon her arrival in Storybrooke. I absolutely seeing how Gold does this! It is absolutely brilliant! And I love his entire explanation for how he goes about collecting the remnants of the urn he had found inside Zelena's barn too. I love watching these two villains face off against one another, and seeing just how unafraid they are of the other. I just absolutely love their power struggle and how they both threaten one another like they've done since the beginning, in spite of the appearance that they aren't threatened by the other. Now, the real question is... Which of these villains will come out on top? As for another of my favorite moments, which is actually my very favorite moment throughout this episode... Of course, it involves Killian, and you know it's partly because he's my favorite character and because I believe Colin O'Donoghue is just phenomenal as Captain Hook!! But there's so much more to it than this too. I absolutely love the moment when Killian calls Emma the second time from within Gold's shop and confesses everything to her, even if it is over the phone. In this very moment, Killian doesn't believe he will find Emma or Gold, in time to save her himself. He has no idea where to even continue looking and he has no form of magic to find either one of them. So, he leaves Emma this beautiful and heartbreaking message for her in the hope that she will listen to it before she follows through with her plan to rid herself of her magic with Gold's supposed help. However, this is when Killian sees the map left out on top of one of the shop's countertops a few seconds later, that allows him to quickly discover where Emma might be heading upon Gold leaving the map behind, allowing him to see the area Gold had circled to guide Emma there. And while it's never explained... I suspect that Gold leaves the map out on his counter on purpose for Killian to find, knowing Killian would quickly figure out his true intentions for Emma, given that Killian knows of the Sorcerer's hat and that he has plans to collect people with magic inside the hat, knowing that Killian would come to see him. Why? You'll see. :) I absolutely love the emotion Killian shows as he's leaving Emma this heartfelt message. Especially in the moment he admits the truth about having lied to her and how he hopes she will never forgive him, because it will mean that she will hear this message in time to save herself. Killian pours his heart out, and oh... the pain and tears in his eyes! He's so broken and I can't help but feel so heartbroken for him. This kind of emotional moment is when Colin O'Donoghue shines. He acts this scene and all throughout both of these episodes so phenomenally, and I just love him so, so much!!! I'm sure you must be tired of me repeating myself over how much I love Killian. I just can't help it! But this moment is just very powerful and emotional. And that's why I love it so much! And while Killian hasn't told Emma yet that he loves her through these three little words, this moment proves once again to us as this show's viewers that he does love Emma very deeply. :) Now, to back up a little... I enjoy the beginning scene between Ingrid and the Apprentice. I like how they talk about the Sorcerer, who may very well be Merlin. Merlin is known from all the Arthurian legends to be the most powerful of any Sorcerer to have ever lived. So, it's right that anyone should suspect him to be this Sorcerer whom the Apprentice speaks for. Plus... The Apprentice is a character that comes from Disney's, Fantasia. As are the Sorcerer's magical hat and his magic walking broomstick. And in Fantasia, Merlin speaks to his Apprentice... Mickey Mouse. So, it would make sense that this Sorcerer whom the Apprentice keeps speaking of, is Merlin. I also love how Ingrid is completely unthreatened by the Apprentice when he firmly presses his sword's blade against her throat. She doesn't scare easily. At least not anymore. Not since she remained trapped within the urn for thirty or so years. And I like how the Apprentice eventually comes to give into Ingrid's demands to help her find a new magical sister, because he knows just how important the magical hat really is. But in doing so... The Apprentice also leaves her with a warning. That her request will take time and patience. As for the scene between Emma and Henry... While a part of me wishes that it had been Killian who finds her early on in the woods, it does makes sense that Henry would find her first instead, given that he knows his mother, probably better than anyone including Killian and her parents. I like how Henry pleads with her to come home and to believe that no one is afraid of her. That he's unafraid of her. He does try to force her too much... yes, but he's worried about her. And unfortunately... Emma loses control of her powers again, causing her to unintentionally hurt her son. And while the cut left behind on the back of his head may appear small, it's most likely meant to be worse than it looks. Plus... He would probably have a heck of a headache from the impact. But sadly... Henry finally just leaves Emma once again like she asks of him to do so that she won't hurt him again. In regards to Emma losing control of her magic... It's like I mentioned before in my comments under your reaction for the previous episode, titled... The Snow Queen. Ingrid merely gets so deep inside Emma's head, just like Gold does to Killian back in episode four, titled... The Apprentice, and I really love the parallels between their storylines within these two episodes. But back to why Emma is continuing to lose control... It's not because she becomes jealous of her brother, but because she's been reminded that she had to grow up all alone, causing Emma to completely begin to doubt herself and lose faith in her strength as the Savior. She's become distrusting that anyone could ever fully love her completely for exactly who she is with or without her magic. Which is why she's so quick to be afraid that her parents really do fear her more than they've ever admitted before. And they don't fear Emma. They love her truly and deeply. It's just that Ingrid is most definitely very clever because she knows all too well the right things to say and do in order to convince Emma that her loved ones fear her, while she does not. And what's worse... To a small degree, Ingrid is right. Emma's parents did fear Emma's magic upon seeing her boil the milk in the bottle when she becomes upset in the beginning, then again upon learning Emma broke the hole through the side of the station, and especially upon seeing her lose complete control of her magic, which nearly causes a lamppost to fall on Hook, until David pushes him out of the way and is hurt when it strikes him instead. Even though their sudden fear is purely instinct and not really any fault of theirs. Sadly, things only become worse when she sees she has hurt her father and nearly hurts the man she is falling in love with, and especially when Mary Margaret immediately cries out her name with fear of her in her eyes, even if it is only seen for a split second. By this point, the Snow Queen has gotten so deep inside Emma's head, that she can't any longer control her own powers, making her lose complete control. Like magic works for anyone who possesses it... Emma's magic is connected to her emotions. So, because she feels so out of control right now, so is her magic. I hope all of this helps you to understand further what's happening with her. I also like the mother/son moment later between Regina and Henry as well, when she encourages her son to believe he has more power within him even though he doesn't have magic, because he not only is the Heart of the Truest Believer, but because he is the one who brought their family all together and has helped make it possible for each of the three curses to have been broken. Plus... She reminds him that heroes always win. I also like how Regina doesn't push him into talking to her about what's bothering him, until she senses he's ready to, while biding her time by reading comic books with her son too. So cute! :) I also appreciate the nods to the Marvel movies once again, and the comics as well, as Regina talks with Henry about Wolverine, his claws, and the Hulk's purple shorts. Si fun! :) Next... I like the scene between Emma and the Snow Queen in the woods as well. I like how Ingrid tries to convince Emma to listen to her as she offers her what is actually really good advice, even if she does so with the hope of bringing Emma over onto her side. That the only way her fear will end is by embracing who she really is. Sounds like good advice. As for the continued storyline between Regina and Robin having an affair while Marian is still frozen... I do absolutely love Regina and Robin together! Absolutely! I just really hate that once again... We have two more characters having an affair, because I cannot stand affair storylines. I most certainly do not condone affairs whether they are fictional, or real. Regina and Robin being together is wrong and while their scenes together both in The Snow Queen and in this episode are adorable... I still wish the writers had written their story just a little differently, so that they could be together without there being a repeat of David's and Mary Margaret's overarching storyline throughout season one. I wish Robin could have held onto his conviction and moral core. But with all this being said... I really love how Regina shares with Robin her story about Tinker Bell's help in finding her True Love, and how her fate is decided by the Author who wrote her as the Evil Queen in all of her stories within Henry's storybook. Which leads me to my thoughts on Robin enlisting Will to help him find more answers about the Author... I really like these scenes between these two thieves. And it makes sense that he would ask for Will's help, because Robin knows that Will has lived in Storybrooke far longer than he has, and if there's anyone who might know of anything... it would be Will. Since he is after all a thief and known for being highly observant. And I love how Will takes Robin to the library so they can begin searching for answers there. The moment Will attempts to break in again is hilarious, especially when Robin opens the door upon recognizing that the library's still open. Very funny. I like the dynamic between them. :) As for the backstory revealed so far between Elsa, Anna, Ingrid, and briefly Kristoff as well... I really enjoy the overall backstory. I like how Ingrid admits to Elsa the truth about Anna being locked down in the dungeons, yet lies about the circumstances of her having been locked up. However, I love when it's revealed that Elsa had played her aunt by pretending to believe everything she had told her about her sister trying to betray her. As for why Elsa and Anna are so untrusting of their own guards... I suspect it's because they fear that Ingrid might have influenced them all to stand with her, either through magic, or perhaps she may have simply paid them off to stand with her. I doubt it's because Ingrid would have become the rightful Queen of Arendelle upon her return, especially since no one can actually prove she is who she claims to be given that no one actually remembers her. I think it's simply because Ingrid is very conniving. Plus... Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff don't trust anyone so easily, especially since the events played out within Disney's, Frozen between them and Prince Hans. He did after all play on their trust and then betrayed them. So, I think this makes sense. Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff simply choose to trust in themselves and no one else. And yes... It is Prince Hans who is frozen within Ingrid's wardrobe where Anna finds the urn hidden as well. After the Snow Queen had frozen him back in this season's third episode, titled... Rocky Road, when he had attempted to pull Elsa into the urn, unintentionally freeing her instead. As for the scenes between Killian, David, Mary Margaret, and Elsa, while they're all worried about trying to find Emma... I enjoy the scenes overall. I love the humor when Killian talks about going to get whichever dwarf Emma most despises so he can go talk with her upon them believing she doesn't want to talk with any of those she's closest to. I also love how Killian is silently and wearily concentrating on trying to find Emma by studying the maps of the woods, while listening to the conversations going on around him. And upon hearing Mary Margaret's end of Emma's call, Killian then leaves the Charmings' loft to try to call Emma, then to confront the Crocodile, knowing full well that Gold intends to use the Sorcerer's hat to steal Emma's magic, just like he witnessed Gold do to the Apprentice. You can really see his worry for Emma in his eyes and on his face. So sad. Oh... And it's hilarious how Killian once again is confused by what to call his cell phone upon calling it a talking phone, after which David halfheartedly teases him about it just being called a phone to which Killian then responds, "What an impractical name. Be back in two shakes." So funny!! :) Next... I really love David's and Mary Margaret's sad and very difficult conversation about their daughter towards the end of this episode. It makes absolute sense with Mary Margaret being unsure if Emma destroying a part of herself is a good decision for their daughter to make, because she is speaking from her heart and because her being the Savior means so much to who Emma has become. While David is more rational and logical by believing that Emma is right to make this decision because it would mean that the reasons for the Snow Queen wanting Emma would be taken away from her and therefore... Emma would be safe from the villainess' threat. I appreciate hearing both sides, and I can absolutely understand both sides. They both just want what is best for their daughter above all else. I also really love the scene inside Gold's shop between Gold and Emma as well. I love seeing Gold walk in to find that a number of the trinkets and items within his shop are moving and are being turned on by Emma's out of control magic. I love that Gold of course knows right away that it's all because Emma is trying to hide in his shop from everyone. But more so... I love how Emma asks Gold for his help to take away her magic so that she can be free from her burden and fear of hurting those she loves. And while Emma believes him when he tells her he can help her, of course Gold is lying. And unfortunately, because Emma is so desperate, she doesn't sense his lies. I love how Gold comes up with a story about having a very powerful spell that can take away her magic, but that it's so dangerous given that the powers he's taking away from her is Savior magic. What a clever way of drawing her to where she will be all alone, and where he will be able to steal her magic by pulling her into the Sorcerer's hat. Love it!! Oh, and in regards to Killian's role throughout this story arc... There's still a lot to come for him, that stems from the reawakened rivalry between Hook and Rumplestiltskin, that is especially brought out further from the events between them within the fourth episode, titled... The Apprentice. And what's to come is fantastic!!! I can't wait!!! Thank you so much once again for your reaction, Tim! I really enjoyed watching this episode again with you, and I absolutely enjoyed watching your reaction for it!! You're amazing! And I can't wait for your upcoming reaction to Smash the Mirror Part Two!!! So, until then, my dear friend... Sincerely, Heidi

Heidi Elizabeth Marcum