Once Upon A Time SEASON 3 EPISODE 20 FULL LENGTH REACTION

Kansas- Yay!!! Thank you so much for another marvelous reaction for Once Upon a Time, Timothee!!!! :) I absolutely love, love, love this episode!! Mostly for the present day storyline. Not quite as much for Zelena's backstory in Oz, but I do love it as well. First... I absolutely love all of Hook's efforts to try to help the heroes, and one of my absolute favorite scenes within this episode is when Hook continues to try to convince Emma that she and Henry belong in Storybrooke with their family and friends while they're walking towards Zelena's farmhouse. And even though he doesn't say it... With him too. Sadly, because she's still being so stubborn upon denying her true feelings for him, and is holding on tight to her resentment towards him, Emma mocks him to hurt him, saying, "Let me guess... With you?" Because she knows how he feels about her. So mean. And then... Of course, Zelena and Rumple interrupt them and because Zelena knows very how Hook feels about Emma too, and how Emma feels about him in spite of Emma's denial, Zelena orders Rumple to drown Hook in the well outside of her farmhouse in order to force Emma to sacrifice her powers if she wants to save Hook's life. As cruel as her words are, I love Zelena's lines, "See, Emma, you’ve got a decision to make. You can keep your magic which makes you oh so sad, or you can save the man that you can’t wait to run away from." Such a brilliant quote from the Wicked Witch of the West. I love it!! Of course, Emma rushes over to try to save Hook by pulling him free because she does deeply care about him, in spite of being angry with him and in spite of resenting him. Hook has done a lot to show everyone just how much he's changed and become a hero in spite of his past and mistakes. Unfortunately, she's unable to save Hook in this moment from being drowned because Gold is holding him under water with his dark magic. However, Gold and Zelena both disappear once they know Emma will have no choice but to put her lips to Hook's lips by giving him mouth to mouth if she wants to save him. And sadly, yet thankfully, Emma does so. The only way to save Hook is if Emma sacrifices her magic by giving him mouth to mouth and kissing his cursed lips. And what a beautiful moment it is. I absolutely love this moment!! And on top of it all... When Hook awakens, his first thoughts are fear for Emma upon feeling her lips touch his, knowing that Emma just sacrificed her magic to save him. He didn't want Emma to sacrifice her magic even to save his life, and I believe it. Beautiful and truly selfless indeed!! Emma may have been mad at Killian and has been pushing him away, but it's all just more of her own insecurities. And she's needed someone to take her frustrations out on. Sadly, and unfairly, because she's so in the wrong... Emma takes her frustrations and insecurities out on Hook, as she's been doing to him since he first arrived in New York to bring her home upon restoring her memories. Thankfully, Emma quickly snaps out of her anger towards him as she realizes just how wrong she's been the moment he's put in danger because of her, and she immediately rushes to save him. Emma really does care about Hook more than she understands and cares to admit right now. I love it!! :) Hook may be without magic, and more of a hindrance to Emma because the villains are able to use him against Emma, allowing for Zelena to steal her magic in the end. However, this isn't Hook's fault, or David's. Despite the danger, whether a hero has magic going up against a villain with magic, a true hero always stands up against the injustice. This is part of what makes someone a hero. Just as Regina is when she stands up against Zelena in the hospital in spite of knowing Zelena is much more powerful than she is while she had been wielding dark magic... Not knowing she is capable of wielding light magic. Hook wants to prove himself a hero in spite of the dangers of being killed, and he wants to protect those he cares about. He had refused to kiss Emma to steal her magic away in spite of Zelena's threats to him. He didn't know that Zelena and Rumple would use him like they had done. Nor did David. Like I've said many times, I understand Hook's actions and reasonings. Now, as for why Zelena is so easily able to get through everyone in the hospital in spite of Emma and Regina casting a protection spell together earlier on in this episode... Emma's light magic has been taken from her upon her saving Hook, and therefore the magic she puts into the protection spell vanishes as well, leaving behind only Regina's dark magic she uses too, which Zelena is easily able to beat because she's stronger than Regina with her dark magic. And as for Emma's magic... It most likely winds up inside Zelena's pendant, which allows for Zelena to grow that much stronger. Just like we see within the backstory, when Zelena's pendant absorbs Glinda's magic too upon Zelena banishing Glinda to the North in the Enchanted Forest. Next... I absolutely love the moment between Regina and Henry in the hospital as Henry encourages Regina that she has the power to defeat Zelena because he believes in her so much. And tells Regina that she has light magic to defeat her. It's so nice to see Henry's unwavering faith in Regina, when he distrusted her for so long throughout seasons one and two. Rightly so of course, but still... And thankfully, Regina defeats Zelena when she finds the strength and will to fight her with light magic, not dark magic like she's always used until this point. Such a powerful moment, and I absolutely love it!! Definitely another of my favorite moments throughout this episode. Hook and Emma are still my absolute favorite characters all throughout Once Upon a Time, but Regina comes in very close with being my favorite too. Especially after this episode upon seeing just how strong and incredible she really is. Next... I love how conniving and deceitful Gold is in the end of this episode! Don't get me wrong... What Rumple does to Belle as he proposes to her, only to go behind her back so he can kill Zelena, is absolutely despicable because we know he never had any intention of letting his anger and hate towards Zelena go, nor did he ever intend to let Belle keep the real dagger to show his trust in her. And I hate him for this. Absolutely. However, as frustrating and angry as I feel towards him as well, this moment when Gold comes to Zelena in the jail and reveals the truth about keeping the dagger after he had lied to Belle about giving it to her is fantastic. Because it's absolutely in his character. Gold is a villain, and he is the Dark One. Capable of love, but more susceptible to losing to the darkness inside of him because of the dark living entity still living inside of him. And God often chooses the easier, darker paths to take, because he's too much of a coward to take the right path. To make the right choices. Nonetheless... I really love that he has switched the daggers, giving Belle a fake dagger. It's rotten and terrible, and I feel so badly for Belle because she does sadly believe him capable of changing for the better. And yet, this twist is so brilliant! Proving once again that Gold is the more powerful villain and that he always has a plan. And I love the moment between him and Zelena just before he then kills her, all so he can get revenge for her killing his son. Rumplestiltskin is most certainly not ready to seek out redemption. Sadly... Not even for Belle. And what's worse, is that he kills Zelena in his son's name, having vowed to avenge Neal's death by killing Zelena, when it's really done out of vengeance. But this is very much who Rumplestiltskin is and as frustrating as it is, what a phenomenal performance! Robert Carlyle is once again amazing! In regards to Zelena's death... I do believe that Rumple transforms her into the porcelain figurine in order to kill her. And we've actually seen him perform this same magic before, back in season two's episode, titled... Lacey, when Rumple has a nightmare where he sees himself kill Henry to keep Henry from being his undoing. Rumple transforms Henry into a porcelain figuring then too. Not sure why... Maybe just because it's a way to kill his enemies that would enable him to take something from them for himself. Who knows? Now... I also really love the moment between Henry and Archie in the hospital too. It is short, but sweet. I love that Archie tells Henry he is happy to see him again, since Henry hadn't been to see him in their therapy sessions for quite a while on account of Henry having no memories of Archie. I love any scenes between them. I also love the moment David hands Mary Margaret their son back once they've defeated Zelena. So sweet. And then... Emma and Henry return to the hospital room and everyone's happy. Except for Hook, who also returns with Emma too. He's happy for the Charmings because they're all happy to have a healthy newborn son. But sadly, Emma tells Hook that after everything, she's still planning on taking Henry back with her to New York, and Hook is heartbroken. You can see the pain in his eyes. It's so sad because the look in his eyes shows he's brokenhearted by her decision to leave. Hook loves Emma so much and yet he believes she doesn't care about him like he longs for her to in return. So sad, but oh... So good! Emma is definitely still resentful towards Hook for taking her away from her ignorantly blissful life in New York, and while she loves her parents, she still isn't close with them, and she feels very much like and orphan in spite of their love for her. In spite of them being her mother and father, because of her insecurities. This is why Emma is still very much insistent on returning to her fake life in New York with Henry. And it's so sad. Now, as for the backstory scenes in Oz with Zelena, Glinda, Dorothy, and the other two sister witches, the Good Witch of the East and the Good Witch of the North... First... The actress chosen to play young Dorothy Gale is only so so. She's not great by any means. In my opinion... They could have found a better actress for sure. But despite this... I really like the overall storyline, especially with how Zelena fakes her death in order to get Dorothy out of the way so she could continue with her plans to discover how she can travel back in time to destroy Regina. I love the twist with the Wizard of Oz storyline as Dorothy uses water to "kill" the Wicked Witch, yet that it is all a ruse by Zelena so she would be able to stay in power of Oz and become the land's ruler. I think this was a fabulous twist!! I just love all of the nods to The Wizard of Oz. However, the rest of the overall backstory with Zelena's constant envy of Regina, as well as of Dorothy annoys me a bit, because it's just more of the same storyline we've seen from Zelena for some time at this point in the season. Zelena is always just jealous, or envious of everyone. I would have preferred to get to know Glinda and the other witches a bit more since we're getting a backstory that includes them. But with this being said... I understand the reasons why this backstory is written as it is. So, we can learn about how the jeweled pendant around Zelena's neck helps Zelena to harness her magic and grow stronger, and how by its removal would result in Zelena losing her magic, as consequence of Zelena seeking out growing more powerful. Which is important, since Glinda had told Snow and Charming in the previous episode, titled... A Curious Thing, that to defeat Zelena, a bearer of light magic would have to remove the pendant, and we see Regina do so upon overpowering her sister at last in the present day. So... The storylines in both Storybrooke and in the backstory are parallel with one another. As for Glinda... Her storyline doesn't really add all that much to the overall storyline taking place in Storybrooke, and while I really love Glinda here in Once Upon a Time because as the Good Witch of the South, she is the bearer of love and she's fairly similar to Glinda from The Wizard of Oz, who also doesn't ever fight against the Wicked Witch... Her character in my opinion, feels slightly weak overall because she isn't able to tell that Zelena is still alive. I can understand her not fighting back because she is the bearer of love and because Glinda wants to do everything she can to save Zelena from her envy and wicked ways. However, I just feel like she could have at the very least done something to prevent Zelena from banishing her to the frozen land within the Enchanted Forest powerless, where she's later found by Snow and Charming in A Curious Thing. I wish this backstory could have revealed more about Glinda. Now, regarding Glinda being the Good Witch of the South, and not North such as she is in The Wizard of Oz... In this episode, she is said to be the Good Witch of the South, just like she was revealed to be in A Curious Thing too. Yet in the movie... The Wizard of Oz, Glinda is the Good Witch of the North. Here in Once Upon a Time, Glinda is actually the Good Witch of the South, until Zelena banishes her to her frozen wasteland somewhere North within the Enchanted Forest, where Glinda is now powerless. Making her now... Glinda, the Good Witch of the North just as she is in the movie. So, even this detail about Glinda matches her character within The Wizard of Oz too, just in a different way. Which I really appreciate. I hope this explanation helps. And in regards to Glinda keeping quiet about the rest of the prophecy... Glinda is hesitant about telling Zelena anything, especially about the part of the prophecy she left out, because I suspect she knew how Zelena would interpret what it might mean. And rightly so, because as we do see... Zelena does misunderstand the prophecy. Glinda tells Zelena that the prophecy could mean more than just the literal translation. It states... "A sorceress from another land cannot make Oz her home until she fulfills her destiny and unseats the greatest evil Oz has ever seen." To me... this prophecy could definitely be talking about Zelena being this greatest evil. However, I believe that it could also be interpreted very differently, and that Glinda truly believed it could have meant that by Zelena choosing to be good and striving to become better, in doing so it would mean Zelena would have defeated the greatest evil. The evil that is inside of her. Zelena still could have been the Good Witch of the West had she allowed Glinda to continue explaining, and had she given up her wicked ways. But Zelena didn't give herself the chance and it's so sad. Back to the present day storyline... In spite of Gold truly still being evil, I do like the moment Gold proposes to Belle. Even though Rumple has sadly and depressingly deceived her when he promises her that he wouldn't go after Zelena to kill her and rewards her trust in him with a fake dagger, I still believe he is genuine in his love for Belle and that he wants to be that good man for her, despite having no intention of obeying Belle's wish. His lust for revenge is just too strong. And he certainly doesn't deserve Belle. However, this is still a beautiful moment between these True Loves, sadly poisoned by Rumple's hate. And I am almost sad for thinking so. And in regards to Rumple telling Belle that not everything he did under Zelena's command was all her... Rumple is saying that he enjoyed doing some of the things she commanded him to do. And no doubt... Rumple clearly enjoyed drowning Hook given their history together. Not cool, Rumple. :( I do love Belle and Rumple as a couple throughout this show because they are cute together in spite of Robert Carlyle being so much older than Emilie de Ravin. But because Gold doesn't deserve Belle's love for so long, they are most certainly my least favorite couple throughout the show. And their love for one another is very wishy washy, which I hate. And lastly... Zelena now appears to be dead, but because Rumple kills her, her magic is set free from the pendant and escapes Regina's vault because it's no longer tethered to anyone or anything, because the pendant must not be powerful enough alone to hold in her magic without Zelena being alive. And unfortunately, her magic has now opened up the time portal after all. Overall... Another fabulous and beautiful episode, and a fabulous reaction from you once more, Timothee!! Kansas is definitely another one of my favorite episodes within the Wicked Witch arc, as well as throughout all of season three!!! Thank you so much again like always, my dear friend! Until part one and part two of the upcoming epic two part finale... Sincerely, Heidi

Heidi Elizabeth Marcum