Once Upon A Time SEASON 2 EPISODE 18 FULL LENGTH REACTION

Selfless, Brave, and True- Thank you so much for another fun reaction for Once Upon a Time, Timothee!! I enjoy this episode for August's storylines, both in the past and in present day Storybrooke. I love how his past storyline connects to how he eventually comes to find Neal, and then Emma shortly afterwards in Storybrooke. However, there are also some aspects within this episode that I dislike this episode as well, because I am not at all a fan of Tamara's character. And I will explain why shortly... First... I absolutely love August/Pinocchio as a character throughout this fabulous show! And I love the actor who plays him... Eion Bailey, whom I've seen in a number of shows and movies. So, seeing August become a little boy again is a little bit sad for me. However, this moment is also very beautiful too, because upon August becoming a real boy again... Becoming Pinocchio again... This allows for him and Geppetto to start over and to live happily together the way they were meant to, had Geppetto not sent his son through the wardrobe. They are given a second chance and a fresh start. And so... I really love this for both of them. This moment for me is bittersweet. I love that Pinocchio and Geppetto are reunited and that they can be together as they were always meant to be, but I am sad that we no longer have August in the show. Next... I also very much love Mary Margaret's storyline and how she comes to find August hiding out in the motor home in the woods. And I love how by helping August despite her own pain, helps Mary Margaret feel more assured that she too can be saved. Especially after David lovingly encourages her to stay strong and to have hope. I love this moment in the end between them. I especially love the moment David takes his wife's hand and tenderly lays it over her own chest above her heart while he tells Mary Margaret that her heart is what will allow her to find her own redemption, and that he knows her heart better than anyone. So, so beautiful. They are such a beautiful couple, both as Charming and Snow White, and in real life. And both Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas are wonderful actors. This moment between them is one of my absolute favorite moments in this episode. If not my very favorite moment in this episode. And it is. :) Sadly, August is fully made of wood again just like he was when he was still a living puppet back when he was a boy because he fails to remain selfless, brave, and true. Just as the title of the episode suggests and as the Blue Fairy warned him. It's like Geppetto tells Mary Margaret and Emma... August has struggled with staying on the right path because he was forced into having to take on so much burden to take care of Emma back when she was a baby, and he was only seven years old. So, I can certainly understand why August had fallen astray. All that he did while in Hong Kong seeking out a cure from being turned back into wood from the Dragon was wrong, but understandable. He is another desperate soul. His actions are his own, but he is also desperate to save himself. Boy... Had Rumplestiltskin been around and not cursed living in Storybrooke at the time, he would have only been too happy to trick August into making a deal with him. However, no other magic could have actually helped August. And to be honest... I'm not so sure even the Dragon's magic would have worked to heal August had he actually succeeded in drinking his potion before Tamara stole it back from him. And that is the point. The Dragon says that remaining a man made of flesh depended on him. That curing the wood was merely a symptom, not a cure. It's like Blue says to everyone when she saves August in the end... Only by August being selfless, brave, and true could save him. He had to save himself. Speaking of the Dragon... Think of him as a mystic, or rather a seer of sorts. Not like the Seer from the previous episode... Manhattan, with Rumplestiltskin, but a person who is very intuitive beyond any normal human's capacity to be. It's clear he somehow knows everything about those who come seeking him out for a cure. Whether he can see the future, or read minds to learn these things, or something else entirely, it's unclear. However, he is a very interesting character for sure. And in regards to his death being anti-climatic... I believe so. I think it's so strange that they would build his power up so much, especially when he suddenly flies towards Tamara and starts to turn himself into what I assume would have been a dragon of some kind, only for him to suddenly be killed by a taser. First of all... The Dragon never should have gotten so close to Tamara, especially if reading minds is one of his powers. And as for the taser which Tamara uses to kill the Dragon and later August too, in spite of the Dragon being a magical being, and August being made completely of wood... There is possibly a reason for the taser being powerful enough to kill them both. I won't say why because it would be spoilery, but once you discover this reason, you will understand what I mean. As for Tamara... While her storyline in this episode is most certainly full of twists and surprises, she is another character I actually really hate throughout this show. She's one of this show's worst characters for many reasons, some of which you will come discover soon. In my opinion, her character just doesn't make sense. For me... There's no real point to her character throughout this episode. Regardless of the story the creators and writers are trying to tell. I wish they would have revealed why she's doing all she's doing. There's certainly more to come for her, but her storyline is a bit frustrating. And I wish that they had come up with a better storyline for her. Although... I will say that I do somewhat like the twist that she has masterminded everything and used August to get her hands on the vial of magic, knowing she wouldn't be able to get it from him herself given that he would have seen through her lies since she really isn't sick. Now... I do think there are a lot of twists and surprises in Tamara's storyline like I said above. And I appreciate the few surprises we do get with her character. However, as I have also said, I don't really care for her overall storyline, especially when we learn that her whole story she tells to August and to Neal is a lie. I felt bad for her at first when she tells August her sob story and then August steels her money, but then she turns out to have ulterior motives and we discover that her entire story is all a lie from the very beginning. And while at first, I liked finding out that Neal was engaged to Tamara earlier on because I had hoped that he wouldn't ever be given a reason to want to get back together with Emma, for my own selfish reasons that I won't get into just yet... I just didn't like Tamara's relationship with Neal after this episode. It all just brings too much unnecessary drama to the show, and I think I might have mentioned this before... I hate love triangles in any show or movie, which this has now somewhat become. Because now there's also Greg... or rather Owen too. Far too much unnecessary drama for each of the characters involved. Another reason why is because Neal has always been just an okay character for me, but I won't get any more into that. Another of my favorite moments in this episode is seeing Marco finally become reunited with his son in the very end, just as August is sadly dying trying to warn Emma and the others that Tamara imposes. I felt so bad for both August and Marco, and it is just so beautiful to hear Marco to assure his son that no matter what he's done, he will always love him and that he's been forgiven. And then Blue arrives just in time to cast her magic to save August, as it turns him back into a real boy and gives both August and Geppetto a fresh start to live their lives over as father and son. So beautiful. Sadly, Pinocchio doesn't remember what he was trying to warn Emma about, and Tamara's secret is still hers. So, she's still a threat. I know his memory loss seems like a very convenient storyline to be written, but I actually enjoy it, and to me it does make sense. And now... Tamara and Greg are also together, as it's discovered she has been only using Neal and August to get into Storybrooke like Greg had to find his own way in too. And gross... I hate that they're together. A twist I didn't expect, and that I don't like at all. Part of the reason why both Greg and Tamara are my absolute least favorite characters throughout this entire show. As they are for pretty much every fan of Once Upon a Time, as far as I know. Like I mentioned above... I absolutely love the very end between David and Mary Margaret, as he assures her that she will be okay and find redemption again, because Charming knows her true heart and it's good. So beautiful! Another reason for me to love David/Charming and Mary Margaret/Snow. And I do love them. They're both so sweet and adorable together. And they're both so good. :) Oh... And I also love the scene in the woods when Marco finally apologizes to Mary Margaret for taking away her chance to be with her daughter when he sends Pinocchio through the wardrobe ahead of Emma instead. It's such a sad moment, but nice. Also... I love the continued build up with Mary Margaret's blackened heart, and how she slaps Marco because of how her heart is emotionally affecting her. And lastly... In the opening scene, we see August waking up in Phuket, Thailand, where August reveals to Emma back in season one's episode... The Stranger, that Phuket had been where he was living at the time when Emma first arrives in Storybrooke upon Henry coming to Boston to find her in the Pilot episode. Emma arrives in Storybrooke at 8:15 at night sometime in 2011, where in Phuket it was 8:15 in the morning. The moment Emma had arrived in Storybrooke, time started moving forward again and magic slowly started to change, which is why August's mistakes suddenly caught up with him then and caused him to begin to turn back into wood. All because Emma is the Savior. I hope all of this makes sense. :) Overall... This is a good episode. It's not great, as it's probably another of my least favorite episodes this season and throughout the entire show, but it's definitely still good, nonetheless. Thank you again, so much, Tim!!! I can't wait for more like always!!! Until the next episode reaction... Sincerely, Heidi

Heidi Elizabeth Marcum