Once Upon A Time - 5x01 "The Dark Swan" FULL REACTION

Ha! I've finally caught up with your OUAT reactions, just in time for the season I never got around to finishing! I should probably do that soonish lol. I do remember some great stuff from what I saw of it, and I'm excited to see what you think... Also I really love Dark Emma's look, I remember the first time I saw it I was floored. I tend to prefer subtlety in my costumes, and this show definitely does not do subtlety, so the costumes tend to be pretty hit or miss for me, and mostly misses really. But the first time I saw Dark Emma I was really floored. It's the perfect balance of being radically different and strange looking, while also not feeling dress-upy and fake.

Season 5, let's go! I'm excited!

AngelicMouseGirl

Haha the ring light😂 I found the idea that the Dark One Dagger is the other half of Excalibur so intriguing, like I could never have guessed that. Can’t wait for the reactions! :)

Miguelito

The Dark Swan- I really enjoy this episode a lot. It's a fabulous start to a new season. And while I have a few favorite moments throughout this episode, the one scene that really stands out to me above all the rest comes in the very end, when Emma first appears as the Dark One after she has succumbed to the darkness. When Emma appears in the doorway of Granny's Diner in the dark, as lightning suddenly flashes behind her. Her look as the Dark One is sensational! She's still beautiful, and yet dark and terrifying in the best sense. I love her pale skin, her hair turned white and pulled back into a tight braided bun behind her head, feathers in her hair on the sides of her head and in her braid that represent the look of a swan's feathers, and her red lips. Her look as the Dark One is completely different from Rumplestiltskin's look, and I absolutely love it! I also love how cold Emma is towards her family and Killian. And I like how she so unexpectedly turns Sneezy into stone just for him sneezing as she is walking into the room. This scene is eerie, and it absolutely makes you want to know just what happened in Camelot to cause Emma to give into the darkness, which is fantastic!!! So sad, but fantastic! :) But to back up a little... I really love the opening to this episode, when we see a much younger version of Emma played by the second young actress, Mckenna Grace, playing Emma outside of baby Emma shown in the Pilot episode and in season one's episode... The Stranger. I love that young Emma walks into a movie theater along with the other children inside the group home she once lived in back then, as they come to see Disney's, The Sword in the Stone, which is a beautiful way to set up what's to come for the season, given that season five brings our heroes to Camelot. And then... we meet a mysterious new character dressed as an usher who catches Emma stealing a chocolate bar from another patron. However, it's clear from his words that he isn't really an usher, as he sternly warns Emma not to pull the sword from the stone no matter the temptation. We don't know who this is at the time and yet if you pay attention to the scenes shown from the Disney movie onscreen in front of Emma in this moment... a number of scenes with Merlin are shown, which is a brilliant way of foreshadowing that this mysterious man may very well be Merlin, the Sorcerer whom the Apprentice told Emma and the others to find so they could defeat the darkness in the end of last season's finale... Operation Mongoose Part Two. I really love it. And then... we are introduced to King Arthur and a number of his knights as they find Excalibur trapped within the stone. I really like Once Upon a Time's version of The Sword in the Stone, and how Arthur is the seen to be the only one destined to pull the sword from its stone after Sir Kay is turned to ash the moment he grasps the sword's hilt to try himself. In the Disney movie, Kay is a bully towards Arthur, just as he is in Once Upon a Time as well. SO this is another fun nod to the movie. But most of all... I love that in the moment Arthur pulls the sword from the stone, we see that it isn't whole upon the tip of the sword being broken off. And as Arthur studies the sword, we see the designs etched into the blade match the Dark One dagger, that we suddenly see again when the episode transitions beautifully to the moment in Storybrooke just after Emma disappears within the darkness in the end of season four's finale, leaving behind only the dagger with Emma's name etched into it. And the transition from Excalibur to the Dark One dagger is brilliant. I love that we immediately learn that the two blades are one that has been broken into two pieces. At last... we come to seeing what's next for our heroes after the tragedy that ends with Emma being taken by the darkness. I love how Regina, Robin, David, and Mary Margaret are confused and afraid by everything that just happened, while Killian is more angry that Emma felt obligated to make such a heavy sacrifice that caused her to become the new Dark One, an entity that has been his darkest and greatest enemy for centuries. Rumplestiltskin was the monster who took his hand and murdered his first love. Who consumed his heart and dreams in his search for revenge. However, I do believe Hook also understands very well by this point that the darkness that had been trapped inside of the man he helped turn into a villain is what really corrupted him, and not so much the man himself. And then... as Killian attempts to summon Emma back to them, we learn that Emma is no longer anywhere within their world, but somewhere unknown to the heroes. And I was so excited when I first watched this episode, to find out we would be traveling to a new land outside of Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest once again. And to Camelot no less, which I absolutely love because I love, love, love the legends of King Arthur, Merlin, and Camelot. And at last, we come to the Enchanted Forest outside of Camelot, where the Dark Ones vault shown previously in season three's episode... Quiet Minds, resides. And from it, Emma is reborn as the new Dark One as the darkness emerges from inside the vault and reforms into Emma. And while Rumplestiltskin's look had changed drastically right away when he first became the Dark One upon stabbing Zoso to take his power shown back in season one's episode... Desperate Souls, Emma appears as her normal self. Why doesn't Emma look any different? I believe it's because Emma doesn't accept the darkness now inside of her right away like Rumplestiltskin did. And I also believe it's because of the circumstances behind how Emma and Rumplestiltskin become the Dark One. Rumplestiltskin killed a man in order to steal his power. It was a cruel act, whereas Emma sacrificed herself to save Regina from becoming cursed with the darkness. She didn't kill anyone upon becoming the Dark One. Her act was noble. Therefore, the darkness was unable to corrupt her heart so quickly. And I absolutely love it!!! Also... I really love that the darkness takes on the form of Rumplestiltskin seen only by Emma upon him being only inside her mind, a former Dark One with whom Emma is familiar with in order to show Emma the ways of becoming a Dark One and to tempt Emma to fall under the darkness' thrall. I absolutely love their interactions throughout this entire episode while Emma struggles with the darkness inside her head, as she continuously argues with Rumplestiltskin. Back in Storybrooke... Killian and the heroes all work to find their way to Emma. They first turn to the Apprentice who offers them a magic wand capable of opening a portal to any land so long as the one wielding the wand can wield both light magic and dark magic. Sadly, the Apprentice dies because he's too weak to survive the darkness' earlier attack against him. And unfortunately, Regina is unable to wield the magic needed to open a portal due to her having done too much good since she had become a hero. I absolutely love the banter back and forth between Hook and Regina, as they argue about Regina being unable to get the wand to work. So, Hook suggests they enlist Zelena's help, which Regina is very much set against the idea. However, Killian is so desperate to find Emma and therefore, he goes against everyone else when he comes to Zelena inside her cell to try to get her to help him. Of course, she is quick to betray Killian the moment he is forced back against the wall upon magic knocking him back when he attempts to rip out Zelena's heart, which is protected by magic. And Zelena quickly grabs hold of the knife she sees on Killian's belt, then without hesitation, she cuts off her own hand at her wrist to be able to take off the magic dampening cuff and is able to reattach her hand. I love it! Is it foolish of Killian to think Zelena wouldn't find a way to escape? Of course his actions weren't smart, but desperation makes anyone act irrationally and foolishly. And his actions are very much in character, which I love. Next... I like how Zelena comes to Robin disguised as Regina so she can use him against Regina and the heroes so that she can get the wand and use it to escape back to Oz with her baby. And I really like how Regina counted on Zelena to be predictable, which allows her to take the wand back when Zelena becomes weakened upon opening the portal. And I love how Regina taunts Zelena when she states that those in their family know how to exploit pain, which is very true. And then... we're introduced to Merida from Disney's, Brave, played by Scottish actress, Amy Manson. And she's perfect in the role of Merida. I love her spunk, her accent, and her wild red hair, and she's beautiful too. I love how her character is introduced when she and Emma comes face to face as they both arrive to seek out a will of a wisp, also from Disney's, Brave. I love that Merida is seeking it out to find her three brothers who have been taken prisoner by the other clansmen from DunBroch, while Emma is seeking out the wisp so it can help her to find Merlin so he can free her of the darkness. I love Emma's and Merida's overall interactions, as Merida comes to fear Emma more and more the longer they're working together to find the wisp, especially when Merida overhears Emma arguing with the voice inside her head. And I love their battle when Merida fires multiple arrows at Emma, which she is able to catch easily. I love the intensity in Emma's eyes. And unfortunately, Emma falls so deep into the darkness as it consumes her, that she comes to rip out Merida's heart, then fights with the voice in her head tempting her to crush it, saying that doing so will be the only way for her to use the wisp for herself. And this leads me to another of my favorite moments within this episode... as Killian suddenly appears in front of Emma, as do Regina, Mary Margaret, David, Henry, and Robin. I love how they've arrived in Camelot and are able to find Emma through her baby blanket, and I especially love Killian's pleas to Emma as he helps to pull her back from the brink of darkness. I love how Killian convinces even Mary Margaret, who is willing to force her own daughter to give Merida back her heart, that Emma is strong enough to make the right the right decision for herself without being controlled. I love Killian's complete faith and trust in Emma and in her strength for goodness that he has seen in her from the moment he met her and that has made him fall in love with her. This moment between Killian and Emma is so beautiful, especially when Emma finally is able to fight the darkness as she restores the heart inside Merida's chest, then collapses into Killian's arms as he holds her so lovingly. Beautiful. :) And lastly... King Arthur and his knights arrive and introduce themselves to our heroes whose coming has been foretold to Arthur by Merlin through a prophecy. I love it! I love how this prophecy brings about a new mystery within Camelot, outside of how the heroes suddenly find themselves back in Storybrooke after six weeks have passed, and how Emma has come to give fully into the darkness. I do think it's a little silly that the heroes come to Camelot as they fly through a tornado inside Granny's Diner, and that they bring both Roland and baby Neal with them on their adventure. But at the same time... I also like that it's a nod to The Wizard of Oz, with the house flying in a tornado. And in case you didn't see it... I absolutely love the design of King Arthur's castle within Camelot, because it is designed after the Disney castle, or Cinderella's castle in both Disneyland and Disneyworld, which is designed from Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, a beautiful and historical landmark where I have been privileged to visit in my travels and I absolutely love. Also... I love the nod once again to Beauty and the Beast as well, when Blue gives Belle the enchanted rose so she can knew when Gold gets better, or should he get worse upon seeing how the petals fall. Fabulous! :) Thank you so much, Liam! I love this episode overall. I think it's really strong and like I said above, I truly feel this is a very strong beginning to season five. And if there is a season that I choose to stand out as my absolute favorite in spite of how difficult it might be... I have to say that season five is my favorite season for a lot of what's to come. I am so excited!!! Thank you again! Until next time...

Heidi Elizabeth Marcum