#plus one episode he actually sees henry gets more attention for his bad behavior

[thetimelordbatgirl]

Generally love how anyone who at least watched a little Horrid Henry agrees on one thing: those parents were beyond shit and Henry will very likely go no contact as soon as he's an adult.

#and maybe peter depends though #cause like i will admit do not like his character much #as gives vibes of the sibling joining in on the abuse #but at the same time its clear the shitty parenting got to him #aka perfect child syndrome who will get anxious if things arent perfect #and does try to divert attention to him #let alone the whole telling on henry thing has only been encouraged by the parents lets be real #since they just yell at henry for anything #plus one episode he actually sees henry gets more attention for his bad behavior #that he actually decides to try and be horrid to get some attention too #and its kinda sad the parents have pushed peter to that point #granted again as said its mainly the mom whose shit #the dad at times does seem to try at least #as he has similiar interests to henry at times #but the mom kinda ruins that at times for the two #plus you got the uh episode of peters birthday where the clown did say for a magic trick he'd make henry disappear #and the mom instantly started cheering and saying bravo #much to ralph and margaret giving her the 'wtf' look #and keep in mind margaret is henrys arch nemesis who hates him #so says alot when even shes giving that look to the mom #and yeah theres too many examples in this show but short: the parenting really does suck #and i get its a kids show and it was like that in the books too #but damn even the books parents wont this bad

[anepiphany]

the bau & jury duty: headcanons.

w/ @ellegreenawy​

spencer reid:  mutters under his breath when they get slight details wrong. 

"do you think you know more than the judge or the lawyers?" 

"actually, yes." 

"in what respect?" 

"in all of them.”

corrects people when they don't call him doctor.

"up next we need mr. spencer reid." 

"that's doctor spencer reid." 

shows his fbi badge when they ask him for id. would for sure be correcting the layers’ statistics.

"actually, that's not quite right. did you know..."

penelope garcia:  would "somehow" never get picked for jury duty. in her words, it’s “magic”. she avoids the topic to the best of her ability, though.

“say, garcia, you haven’t had jury duty in a while, haven’t you?”

“o-oh, i guess i’m just l-lucky. it’s magic. oh look, i think that’s hotch calling me. gotta go!”

emily prentiss:  emily would probably convince garcia to do the same thing for her that she does for herself and then once every few months take around 4 days off because of "jury duty".

"emily, you had jury duty this weekend, right?" 

"yeah, i did." 

"then why are you a lot tanner than you were last week?"  

 "...tanning lotion in my hotel bathroom?"  

 "sure, prentiss."

hotch or another bau member questions her about it sometimes, but they didn’t really care enough to actually check. emily was always there for cases and turned her work in on time, so it didn’t matter too much.

“hey emily, you really have jury duty a lot. didn’t you just go like 6 months ago?”

“yeah, must be my bad luck. i should go, gotta pack! yes, need a lot of stuff for the next four days.”

david rossi:  rossi just sits there and does not give a single fuck. he doesn’t want to be there and makes sure that everyone knows that. he knows that his team is doing more important cases at the moment, but he’s stuck in this stupid trial. he’s the least involved with the other jurors.

"um, mr. rossi? what do you have to say for this?"

"hmm?" 

"mr. rossi, are you paying attention?" 

"mhm." 

"well, you have to make a decision, it's a tie. it's all down to you now." 

"well i don't really care. whatever gets me home faster."  

 "mr. rossi, do you know who you're talking to? i'm a judge." 

"no, do YOU know who you're talking to? i founded the behavioral analysis unit of the fbi. and i’m a best-selling author to boot. what have you done besides sit here and be a pompous dick?"  

 "i-" 

he might not be involved with the other jurors, but he’s definitely paying attention to the trial. the jury would be arguing and he’d make one point that ends up making them all stop talking and end up agreeing. he would also totally do the "hush, the adults are talking" thing that jj and emily do in that one episode with morgan’s cousin.

jennifer jareau: jj wins everyone over with pictures of her kids. she’s too pure to use it to influence other jury members (plus her morals wouldn’t let her either) so instead she just uses it to get really nice catering and bathroom breaks whenever she wants. 

"and this is henry, he's 7. the other one is michael." 

*everyone awws* 

"and that tall one is spencer. not biologically my kid, but close enough."

"how old is he?"

"oh he's 32."

bonus points because she also has jack’s picture on her phone.

"so how many of these are your actual children?"

"depends on what ‘actual’ means." 

as the trial goes on, she's complaining about people's incompetence, and the other jurors are so confused. 

“is this the really sweet woman who was just showing us baby pictures?"

jj is also either fully supporting the prosecution or fully supporting the defendant. there's no in between. she listens to the evidence so she can decide it fairly, but once she has a decision she has a decision. 

"i see this happen every day. i'm a profiler, for fuck's sake. can you not see how the defendant’s story was almost the same, word for word, each time he said it? it was clearly rehearsed. plus, he kept on looking to the left as he thought. it’s a possible sign that he was lying."

“the evidence clearly doesn’t add up! the prosecutor is creating a story out of nothing.” *proceeds to poke holes in every part of their argument until the whole jury is nodding along with her*

aaron hotchner: a little like spencer. he would totally be making comments about everything, because he was a prosecutor. they’d be quiet though, under his breath. he never actually corrects anyone, but you can definitely hear him muttering.  sometimes it's a trying-to-be-helpful tone and other times it's a you-dumbass-what-are-you-doing tone.

"no, no. that's not the argument you want to be making."

besides that, he’s pretty much silent. when the jury is discussing, he’ll make one statement and give his opinion and then shut up unless he’s directly talked to. very few times, he’ll get mad or frustrated, like when the case is especially bad or the trial isn’t going well, but he’s still polite about his displeasure.

derek morgan: honestly a lot like jj. decent, upstanding citizen. wins over all the grandmothers. he helps them to their chairs, walks them to their cars, helps them get food, etc.

“hello, i’m derek.”

*cue grandmothers swooning*

he also gets the phone number of every single girl there, regardless of age. but when he starts dating/marries savannah, every time a girl hits on him, he just shows a picture of hank so everyone just simps instead. (he might get those girls' numbers anyway just to offer them dating advice.) 

"look at you, hot stuff!"

*shows his lock screen, which is a picture of sav and hank*

"oh, my bad."

“but if you’re ever in need of dating advice, i’d be happy to help.”

he always makes sure justice is delivered, even if that means going against what most other people think. and he’s very vocal about what he thinks.

#criminal minds #headcanons #bau team #jury duty #bau team x jury duty #spencer reid #david rossi #jennifer jareau #penelope garcia #emily prentiss #aaron hotchner #derek morgan

[travasourus-rex]

DC’s Stargirl soars high and shines bright! (Spoilers.)

I logged into my DC Universe account last Monday totally ready to my hopes surpassed by the service’s newest original program Stargirl after I was pleasantly surprised by the complete balls to walls delightful wackiness of the Harley Quinn Animated Series. Now, I confidently say that DC Universe has hit another home run with Stargirl’s pilot episode, and I’d like to explain why. To say that I was simply interested in Stargirl by the end of the pilot is a vast understatement. No, I was completely captivated by the show’s superhero world and sophisticated action by the time the pre-credits sequence was over, I couldn’t to see what else the show had in store throughout the episode, to the point where I was actually sad that I had to wait a week when the end credits rolled.

 The pilot begins ten years ago on Christmas Eve with Luke Wilson’s Pat Dugan racing down a Los Angeles street in a retro red and white Chrysler as his superhero partner Starman/Sylvester Pemberton fights alongside the Justice Society of America battles against the evil Injustice Society of America led by the villain Brainwave in a knock down drag out fight for the ages,which the JSA is desperately losing. Unfortunately Pat arrives too late with Sandman, the Golden Age Flash, Dr. Mid-Nite, Wildcat, and Hourman dead or currently dying, meaning Pat has no time to worry about the rest JSA as he searches the battle site for Joel McHale’s Starman, who’s busy kicking the ISA’s asses with his Cosmic Staff, but Pat’s presence at the battle causes Starman to become distracted and be fatally wounded before Pat is able to drag to him to safety in his car, which is capable of more than meets the eye, because it can fly for a hot second until Solemen Grundy forces it down. The night ends with Pat’s car totaled and Starman dying in Pat’s arms, but not before telling his soon to be former sidekick that the JSA’s legacy must live on, and someone with honor, strength, grace, and heroism must carry the Cosmic Staff. 

Elsewhere in LA, a young five year old named Courtney Whitmore waits to give a Christmas present to what later will be confirmed as her absent father by Courtney’s mother Barbra played by Amy Smart, as the present remains unopened even up to the present day ten years later when Courtney and her mom are about to move cross country to Blue Valley, Nebraska with Barbra’s new husband Pat Dugan and his son Mike played by Trae Romano. Courtney mopes about missing her friends in LA and pretty much ignores her family in the process, especially Pat’s attempts to bond, until lunch time of her first day at Blue Valley High School when Courtney sits with a table of outcasts right before the school’s meathead jock Henry King Jr. begins slut shaming a girl who will become the new Wildcat alongside his band other meatheads, they even go so far as to steal the girl’s phone until Courtney steps for her and pushes Henry into a juice tray, an act that lands Courtney in detention on her first day, which isn’t a bad thing when you do it for the right reasons. and it’s shows Courtney as being someone with strength and heroism to stand up for others like Starman said, 

Long Summary kinda short, Courtney continues to mope about the move and be frustrated with Pat’s attempts to be fatherly to the point where she takes her frustration on a box of Pat’s stuff in the basement, where she discovers box of his old JSA stuff, including files on the ISA  a picture of the entire JSA team as well as Starman’s costume, which causes the Cosmic Staff to become  sentient to Courtney’s command, leading her and the Staff to teach the meatheads by kicking their asses and blowing up their ride home after the group is bullying some other kids at the town drive-in. Pat is able to catch Courtney and the Staff in the act as they return home through the basement window, which brings me to my favorite parts of the episode as Courtney and Pat confront one another about the secrets they hiding, and the two are finally able to bond over the lameness of Pat’s code name Stripesy, I do hope their bond continues growing in future episodes

The action-packed episode doesn’t end there, because Henry confesses that the car was blown up by a masked person with a glowing staff, catching the attention of Henry's father who just so happens to be Brainwave, still alive and even aniger. Another thing that I love about the first episode is the relationship between Courtney and Stafie, as I'm calling it, Stafie clearly adores Courtney and follows her around like a little puppy who is ready to take her on superhero adventures, even if that over excitement leads them directly to Brainwave before he easily trounces the girl with mastery of his telekinesis powers against the relative inexperienced Courtney, who struggles to get away from the villain, until Pat comes to her aid while sporting a gigantic robot mech suit in a cliffhanger to end the episode.

Now that the overly long summary is finished, I'd like to give some positives and negatives that I haven't mentioned yet. First, the positives.

Geoff Johns: It's clear that getting Stargirl on the air was a passion project for the character's co creator, Geoff Johns, who based Courtney off of his own sister of the same name after she tragically passed away in an airplane accident. Johns also has an affinity for the JSA, I mean, it's pretty obvious since he had notable runs writing about Stargirl and JSA, but that love doesn't hinder his ability to write a gripping episode of TV that pays respect to the past comic books with clever easter eggs, yet tells a new origin story for Stargirl than the one seen in the comic books, which is friendly to those unfamiliar with the character. Plus, some of the jokes in the script got an honest chuckle out of me, like Michael Dugan asking what sports team Gerald Ford played for and Pat's response.

Brec Bassinger as Stargirl: I was pretty unsure how to feel when DC Universe cast a relative unknown actress as the lead of one their shows. If you asked me what my reaction to the casting news was, I'd say that I was cautiously optimistic and wanting to see more, as it turns out, I wouldn't have to wait long for a first look, because Stargirl and The JSA had cameos at end of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Now that the show has premiered, I have nothing but positive things to say about Bassinger's performance of Courtney, she plays the character with an understated confidence which she grows into as the episode continues, and she also plays the role with a great deal of physicality and physical reactions to things happening around her, such as the reaction Courtney has in school ID photo, as well as the reactions she has when Stafie tries to drag her along for the first time. It will be interesting to see how the character will evolve over the first season.

The production and the world building: Maybe it's because the show is co production between DC Universe and the CW Network, but the budget has put to good use by the production team, I mean, they built an actual S.T.R.I.P.E robot for use in certain shots, the show should be commended for that alone. The costume design and special effects are all top notch, as usual in any superhero show nowadays, but I want to bring special attention to spectacular background details used in things like ISA's criminal files, the photos of the JSA, and the photo between Starman and Stripesy, pretty much everything in Pat's box of JSA memories gets a nerdy chief's kiss from me.

Luke Wilson as Pat Dugan: To put it simply, I can describe the way Wilson plays Pat Dugan as a good dad who rolls with the punches life throws at him and tries to do the best thing in every situation to keep his family safe, even when he's overwhelmed, but he doesn't let that fact dampen his positive and charming attitude. Honestly, I'm rooting for him to succeed as much as I am for Courtney.

Now, the negatives.

The New JSA: I wish the kids who will eventually become the new generation of JSA had more to do in the two episodes of Stargirl released so far, or at least had their characters set up. Only the new Dr. Mid-Nite played by Anjelika Washington has a small handful speaking lines over the two episodes and any character establishment as a girl named Beth Chapel, who is in need of friends so much that she talks with her parents over video chat at lunch instead of the other kids, while the new Hourman played Cameron Gilman only has one line before leaving the scene to probably get in trouble because he's in detention in the following scene, so I guess he's the bad boy/powerhouse of the team. The same one line treatment wasn't given to the new Wildcat played by Yvette Monreal, who must sit in shy silence as the meatheads bully her until Courtney steps to her defense. I know the new JSA members will become more confident and open up emotionally once they adopt their superhero personas, but I would've liked a hint of the heroes that the kids would become during these two episodes, or at least have the new Wildcat work up the courage to thank Courtney for what she did for her.

Travis: One of kids in Henry King Jr.'s band of meatheads has the audacity to besmirch the good name Travis with his repulsive douchey behavior, putting other people who just happen to have the same name to complete shame, but I want to tell you that not all people named travis are the alike.

For the last section of the post, I'd like to ask some questions brought to my mind after watching the first two episodes of Stargirl, which I hope will be answered in the remainder of the first season.

Is Sylvester Pemberton truly Courtney's Biological father? Sylvester seems like an obvious red herring, but I wouldn't be surprised if the show decided to change Courtney's Bio Dad from who he is in the comics, they changed Courtney's sport of choice from cheerleading to gymnastics.

If Sylvester isn't Courtney's Bio Dad, and Pat said the Cosmic Staff only worked for Starman, then why does it also work for her?

What's up with the janitor of Blue Valley High? Something's up with that bearded janitor who gave Courtney weird looks during her first day of school, like he knows more than he's letting on, maybe he's an old JSA member. My guess is he's Doctor Fate because he wasn't one of the confirmed dead on the night the original JSA team perished, I think he used his magical powers to peer into the future on that night and saw what Courtney and the new JSA would become, so Janitor Fate planted himself in Blue Valley to watch over them. Either that, or he's just a crazy man

Does Rick Tyler know what his father did with the JSA? In the second episode, it's revealed that the original Hourman, Rex Tyler also survived fight against the ISA, at least long enough for him and his family to follow the villains to Blue Valley before he and his wife are killed in a car accident, so does Rick have a clue about his father's superhero life, or was it hidden from him like Pat tried to do with Courtney? Does Rick become the new Hourman to get revenge for/honor his father?

What else could Pat be doing in Blue Valley? Is he following in Rex's footsteps and completing his mission to stop the ISA, or it just a fresh start for his family?

How will the different members of the new JSA assume they're superhero roles, and how they help Stargirl stop the ISA?

How does "The American Dream" initiative to help Blue Valley prosper factor into the ISA evil plans?

Do the ISA's children factor into their parents' plan as well?

Will the new Wildcat finally get to speak in episode three?

Suffice to say, I love the new Stargirl TV series quite a bit, it has quickly become my favorite thing DC is producing right now and it's even gotten me interested in the comic books Stargirl is based on, which I believe is the job of any adaptation from page to screen after delivering a compelling story and characters.

Thanks for your time.

#stargirl #courtney whitmore #brec bassinger #dc stargirl #pat dugan #luke wilson #dr. mid nite #anjelika washington #hourman #rick tyler #cameron gellman #Wildcat #yvette monreal #starman #sylvester pemberton #joel mchale #barbara whitmore #amy smart #mike Dugan #trae romano #justice society of america #JSA #injustice society of America #dc universe #dc comics #geoff johns #harley quinn animated show

[stahlop]

Once Upon a Time 2x08 “Into the Deep” Review

Reviews 1x01 1x02 1x03 1x04 1x05 1x06 1x07 1x08 1x09 1x10 1x11 1x12 1x13 1x14 1x15 1x16 1x17 1x18 1x19 1x20 1x21 1x22 2x01 2x02 2x03 2x04 2x05 2x06 2x07

We get to see more of the Burning Red Room this week and David decides to go under a sleeping curse to relay the message to his wife and daughter better than Henry’s been doing. And Hook goes back to Cora and gets back into her good graces in a spectacular way. Honestly, this episode is a bridge episode to me. It doesn’t have any big revelations and it’s basically just the characters trying to communicate information to each other. And considering this is my third watch through, I’d forgotten most of what was going to happen in this episode, including the fact that David went under the sleeping curse.

Summary: Hook and Cora have a falling out, but Hook manages to steal Aurora’s heart so their deal to get to Storybrooke is back on. Mary Margaret, Emma and Mulan go to make more poppy powder so Mary Margaret can go back to the Burning Red Room to communicate with Henry. David decides he doesn’t want Henry to continue to suffer, so he goes under a sleeping curse to get the information to the girls.

Opening: Zombie Army

Character Observations:

Cora: She’s had enough of Hook’s bullshit once he gets down from the beanstalk without the compass. She cuts him out of the deal to go to Storybrooke and poufs herself back to the safe haven where she makes all the dead people rise. There’s the zombie army I was expecting back in The Doctor. The zombies easily find Emma and crew, and in the scuffle, Aurora is taken captive and brought back to the safe haven dungeon. Cora is being all nice and bringing her food but Aurora informs her that Emma and Mary Margaret won’t trade her for the compass. Cora doesn’t think they’ll let an innocent die. Well, Mary Margaret might not, Emma is another story. I guess Cora assumes that Emma is like her mother, sweet and full of hope. Cora figures out that Aurora wanted to go to Storybrooke with Emma and Mary Margaret and chastises her for forgetting Phillip already. She then tells Aurora that Phillip’s soul is in another realm, and if she helps her, she’ll tell her how to bring Phillip back. Cora gets a plate full of food kicked at her for that, so she throws Aurora into a rock and knocks her out. She then sends a Crow? Raven? to Mary Margaret letting her know that Aurora will die at sunset if they don’t bring her the compass. We next see Cora in the dungeon when Hook has released Aurora. She’s rightfully angry. She has that really scary anger in which she’s completely calm the entire time she’s talking to you, and that makes it even worse because screaming would be better, magic would be better, but no, she’s just calm (my dad was like this, never raised his voice, scary as hell, that’s probably why he was such a good principal). She pins Hook to the wall and threatens to kill him again. I really thought Cora would have been a kill first, ask questions later type person. Hook already seems to know that she won’t kill him right away and that he’ll be able to have his say, along with a few other innuendos. He gets her attention by telling her he brought her a gift and that gives her pause. She is immensely pleased that Hook brought her Aurora’s heart. She speaks through it, as Aurora, letting the women know how Hook helped her escape and how he might fancy Emma. Cora tells Hook that Emma won’t trust him, and he knows that, but it’s enough that he freed Aurora. Cora is impressed, which I’m sure is very rare for her, and agrees to let Hook come to Storybrooke with her again.

Hook: It’s about 11-12 hours after Emma left Hook chained at the top of the beanstalk (10 hours plus however long it takes to climb down), and he’s finally free and back in the Enchanted Forest. And, oh look, Cora’s waiting for him, how sweet, but not. Turns out Hook stole the enchanted bracelets from Cora that he and Emma used to go up the beanstalk. She wants to compass but he doesn’t have it. Cora’s tired of Hook’s games, realizes that he chose Emma for reasons and now he has to face the consequences. Hook is all swagger and sass when he asks if Cora is going to kill him. Seriously, does this guy have a death wish? Cora could snap his neck instantly and not give a damn. But Cora won’t kill him, she’ll just leave him behind so he can’t get to Storybrooke and never get his revenge against Rumplestiltskin. Hook looks like he’s an elementary school kid getting yelled at by the teacher, but then he turns on the charm again and he looks like he’s about to kiss Cora or something else with the way he says ‘discuss things’, ew. Cora isn’t falling for his pretty face and basically says she’s done with him. Hook is understandably upset and tries to stab her with his hook but she poufs away and he’s left on the ground. The next time we see Hook he’s waking Aurora up after Cora took her hostage. He’s letting her go as retaliation for Cora not letting him get his revenge. Aurora obviously thinks this is some sort of ruse, but Hook says he doesn’t like being double-crossed (um, you double-crossed Cora first, Hook). He’s all dark and broody about it, but then, just as Aurora’s about to leave, he gets all sheepish when asking if Aurora will ask Emma if their deal is still on. He’ll get the ashes if she brings him along. Cora comes into the dungeon and finds Aurora gone and Hook there. How Cora didn’t kill Hook right away is beyond me. Maybe his pretty face does buy him time. He gets pinned against the wall for his behavior and even when she takes his Hook and skims it over his chest, he still has no worries about being killed. He just looks annoyed. Cora says she has to kill him now, but he tells her she should thank him because he brought her a gift. Turns out, Hook knows how to take a heart, and he took Aurora’s heart! Cora uses it to give false information to Emma, Mary Margaret, and Mulan, including that Hook may care for Emma. Cora tells Hook that Emma still won’t trust him, he says that letting Aurora go will at least make her think he’s genuine. Cora let’s him back in on the scheme of going to Storybrooke.

Mary Margaret: She’s been on the back burner for much of this season, but tonight she gets to shine. She admits that she has been to the Burning Red Room as well and figures out it must be a side effect of the sleeping curse. Aurora’s mad that Mary Margaret didn’t say anything when she described it to her. Mary Margaret was protecting her and didn’t want to scare her. Said like a true mother, and what? How is not potentially bonding with Aurora over a shared experience protecting her? If anything, it would give Aurora hope that the dreams would fade just like Mary Margaret said they would. Aurora accuses Mary Margaret of being a liar and wonders what else she lied about and Mary Margaret gets really offended. Her expression is hilarious. Mary Margaret tells Emma they have a way home now because they can find out how to defeat Cora from Rumplestiltskin.  Emma finally catches on that they can communicate with Henry through Aurora in the Burning Red Room. They all go to find some shelter so  Aurora can meet with Henry in the room again. Emma is blaming herself for Henry being in the Red Room, but Mary Margaret tells her it will be okay. Unfortunately, this is when the zombie army decides to attack, so not everything is okay. They have to quickly wake up Aurora so they can run. Mary Margaret fends them off with her bow and then shoots one who tries to steal the compass from Emma. Mary Margaret and Emma make a run for it and catch up with Mulan who tells them Aurora’s gone. While regrouping, they receive the message from Cora about trading Aurora for the compass. Mulan demands the compass, but Emma won’t give it to her. Mary Margaret says they need to find a way to rescue Aurora and keep the compass. Mary Margaret decides she needs to go meet with Henry in the Netherworld and she’ll be able to get back there if she’s put under with poppy powder. Mulan doesn’t have any left but knows where she can get a poppy to make some. Emma notices Mary Margaret looks nervous and asks how bad the Netherworld is. Mary Margaret explains it, but more in terms of emotions and feelings, which makes Emma feel uber guilty about Henry going there. Mary Margaret tries to convince her that no one believed Henry’s stories, but Emma’s feeling that as his mom she should have. Mary Margaret one ups her by saying that she’s the guilty one because she told Cora about Daniel and none of this would have happened if she’d kept her mouth shut. Emma can blame herself all she wants, but it won’t get them home. Emma questions Mary Margaret about whether she thinks they’ll really make it home. She says that David taught her never to give up. The poppy powder is ready and Mary Margaret goes to sleep. She’s yelling for Henry, who isn’t there, when David drops in, literally. She gets the info about going to Rumplestiltskin’s cell for the squid ink and then realizes that David shouldn’t be able to be there. She looks so sad when David says he willingly took a sleeping curse just so he could see her. He leaps over the flames to kiss her and be free from the curse, but it’s just their souls, so they can’t actually kiss. Mary Margaret realizes she’s waking up, but David tells her they will find each other as they always do. Mary Margaret tells him they tend to lose each other a lot too and will this keep happening. David tells her it won’t. He tells her to have faith. Mary Margaret is starting to wake up and she’s crying because she doesn’t want to leave David. Mary Margaret awakes and immediately starts freaking out. She wants more poppy powder so she can see David. She explains to Emma what happened. They have to get back so she can wake up David. Emma assures her they will. She’s dispensing Mary Margaret’s advice about having faith. Mary Margaret tells Emma what they need to get to stop Cora and they prepare to leave when Emma realizes that Mulan took the compass and ran while they were sleeping. Emma and Mary Margaret manage to catch up to Mulan and Mary Margaret fires a warning arrow. Mulan says she’ll give the compass back but attempts to pull her sword. Mary Margaret is not having it. She tackles Mulan and tells her they found out how to defeat Cora. Mulan doesn’t want to do another journey, she just wants to rescue Aurora.  Mary Margaret is in Mulan’s face and Mulan basically dares Mary Margaret to stab her with her arrow. There’s a brief hesitation, like she expects Mulan to back down, but then she grabs the arrow, and thankfully, Aurora shows up at that exact moment to prevent Mary Margaret from becoming a murderer. Aurora tells them about Hook and her escape and they tell her they’re heading to Rumplestiltskin’s cell.

David: He’s just a little ball of sunshine in this episode, isn’t he. Going on about faith and hope. Seems Mary Margaret rubbed off on him pretty good. He’s pretty much Henry’s cheerleader about going into the Netherworld until Henry gets hurt. Then he decides he’ll go in. And for some reason he’s convinced Mary Margaret will be there and not Aurora. What? Where would he even get that idea? As far as he knows, Mary Margaret hadn’t had those dreams in years. Why would she suddenly be able to get back to the Netherworld now? And also, how does this prevent Henry from going there in his dreams? Is Henry just not going to sleep anymore? This whole plan is ludicrous! Also, David makes this plan before he finds out that he doesn’t go directly to the Burning Red Room and Gold doesn’t even tell him that until he’s literally about to prick his damn finger. What if there was no way to get there? What if being in the sleeping curse and being in the Netherworld are two totally separate realms? David tells everyone not to worry, because Mary Margaret will be there and kiss him awake. Which, really, is everyone taking stupid pills this episode? They are in a dream, they are not physically in the Netherworld. Why would anyone think this would work? Ugh! Henry gives him his amulet to control things (which Henry used so well) after giving another faith speech to Henry. So David pricks his finger (which for some reason has to administered through a spinning wheel spindle while it’s spinning) and falls asleep. He finds himself in a dark room with just a torch for light and realizes he’s in a circular room filled with mirrors. The amulet starts glowing, leading David to realize the Burning Red Room is under him. The floor is hot when he touches it. How convenient. And he’s able to get through by using the torch to break through the ceiling. He breaks the amulet in the process of falling through the ceiling. He finds Mary Margaret and tries to get to her but the flames are in the way. Mary Margaret does her whole ‘You found me’ thing, and David tells her about the squid ink hidden in Rumplestiltskin’s cell. He tells her to find it and come home. Mary Margaret finally realizes that David shouldn’t be there, and he admits he took a Sleeping Curse to see her and protect Henry. David tells her they need to kiss to wake him up. He leaps the flames in an over dramatic fashion to kiss Mary Margaret, but when they go to kiss they realize they aren’t really there and they can’t kiss. Again, how did no one foresee this? Mary Margaret is also starting to wake up and she’s scared. David reminds her that they always find each other and Mary Margaret reminds him that they keep losing each other too. He tells her to have faith. He is now stuck in the Netherworld under the Sleeping Curse until Mary Margaret is able to come home.

Mulan/Aurora: Emma and Mary Margaret show a picture of Henry to Aurora who confirms that it’s him in her dream. Aurora is confused about how she’s dreaming of Emma’s son, but Mary Margaret admits that the room is a side effect of the Sleeping Curse, and since they’ve all been under it, that’s why they go there. Aurora wonders what else Mary Margaret has been lying about since she didn’t admit to being there before when Aurora talked about it. Mary Margaret figures out that Aurora can now speak to Henry when asleep, so Aurora goes back to sleep to talk to Henry again. She tells him that he needs to speak to Rumplestiltskin and find out how to defeat Cora. The princess crew look for higher ground for the next time Aurora needs to meet with Henry (they planned to both fall asleep and meet in 2 hours). Aurora gets her shawl caught on a bush and Mulan wants to know if something is wrong. Aurora says she’s just caught, but Mulan is talking about her arm which she’s hiding under her shawl. It’s burned from the Burning Red Room. She plays it off to Mulan like she brushed it against a poisoned leaf, but Mulan is too smart for that. Mulan tells her she shouldn’t do this if it’s hurting her and Aurora tells her she doesn’t have much of a choice. Mulan reminds her that she vowed to Prince Phillip that she’d protect her, not have her risk her life for strangers to get to another land. Aurora wants to help because Phillip and Mulan risked their lives to save her from the Sleeping Curse. She wants to help others in the same way now. Mulan doesn’t seem too happy about this. Mulan stands guard while Aurora goes back to sleep. Henry is trying to tell Aurora what they need to do to defeat Cora but the flames are too much. Aurora keeps hearing her name called by a distorted voice above her and then is whisked away by a tornado, and she awakes to Mulan shaking her. Aurora is upset that she didn’t get the info from Henry, but they have bigger problems. The zombie horde has found them! In the scuffle, Mulan and Aurora take off, separating themselves from Emma and Mary Margaret. Mulan is attacked when she trips over a tree trunk. She fights off the zombie, but Aurora has been captured! Mulan finds Emma and Mary Margaret and lets them know that Aurora is gone. Aurora is in the dungeon at the safe haven. She seems pretty calm for being captured, especially when Cora comes in with food. Aurora immediately thinks it’s poisoned, but Cora wants her alive to trade for the compass. This is the most personality we’ve seen from Aurora. Cora keeps calling her plucky. She’s being a downright bitch. Good for you, Aurora. She tells Cora that they wouldn't trade her for the compass. They barely know her, why would they trade her? Cora says they won’t let an innocent die, but Aurora isn’t convinced, or at least, makes it look like she doesn’t care. Cora figures out that Aurora wanted to go through the portal with them and start a new life. She can’t believe Aurora’s over Phillip so quickly. Aurora says Phillips is with her every day and if she could bring him back she would. Cora says there is possibly a way to bring him back if Aurora helps her out, but Aurora continues being a bitch (in a good way), by kicking her food plate at Cora and telling her she’ll never help her. Cora throws her into the rock wall and knocks her out. She sends the others a message that she will kill Aurora if they don’t bring the compass by sundown. Mulan demands the compass from Emma and is outraged that they might put Aurora’s life over it. Mary Margaret says they need to find a way to rescue Aurora and keep the compass, but Mulan vowed that she’d protect Aurora. She tries to rip the compass out of Emma’s hand, but Emma tells her to go find her own. Mary Margaret breaks up the squabbling by asking Mulan if she can just give them some time to defeat Cora before making the trade. Mulan reminds them that their link to Henry is gone, but Mary Margaret thinks she can get into a deep enough sleep, with the help of the poppy powder, to reach Henry. Mulan is out, she used the last on the giant. Mary Margaret tells her to make some more. Mulan tells them the poppy is rare in this land, but she knows where they can get some, and they’ll make it back before sundown. Aurora wakens in the dungeon to Hook trying to wake her up. She thinks he’s here to kill her. He tells her waking her up wouldn’t be the best course of action for that. He lets her go. Aurora, of course, questions this, as he’s one of the bad guys, but he’s doing it to get back at Cora for not taking him to Storybrooke. He also tells Aurora to tell Emma he still wants their deal. He’ll get the ashes if they take him along. Aurora leaves. Mulan makes the poppy powder for Mary Margaret and then steals the compass while she and Emma sleep. We get a nice little slow mo shot of Mulan looking at the compass while running through the woods. They catch up with her by shooting an arrow as a warning. She makes to go get the compass but then reaches for her sword. Mary Margaret tackles her. Mulan basically dares Mary Margaret to kill her because she’s not giving up the compass and Aurora shows up before Mary Margaret actually does it. She lets them know about Hook and how he was very upset about what Emma did and how they could defeat Cora together if she just trusted him a little. But it’s not Aurora actually speaking, Cora is speaking through her stolen heart! Aurora asks if they found a way to defeat Cora and Emma informs her they have to go to Rumplestiltskin’s cell. So off they go.

Emma: She is feeling loads of guilt this episode. She blames herself for Henry being in the Netherworld while he sleeps because she didn’t believe him about being the Savior and the curse. She shows her guilt to Mary Margaret numerous times before Mary Margaret gets tired of it and says she shouldn’t feel guilty over what happened to Henry. No one would have believed that story. And besides, if you want to blame someone, blame her because she told Cora about Regina’s true love, Daniel, and that caused Cora to kill him and this whole thing to start. Emma finally decides they just need to blame Regina, which is completely where the blame needs to be placed.

Regina/Henry/Gold: Aurora tells Henry that his mom and grandmother are with him. He tells Regina and David who are sleeping in his room with him. David tells him having faith worked and they’ll find a way to get them home. Henry tells them they need to defeat someone to get home, Regina’s mother. Gold and Belle are on a date at Granny’s. Belle seems to be oblivious to the gossip going on around them that is about them. Granny makes some quips to Gold about dark magic and Gold reminds Belle that he has a complicated relationship with just about everyone in the town. Belle points out to him that it took her awhile to warm up to him as well. It’s really cute to see Gold actually courting Belle instead of manipulating her. Regina interrupts their date, which Gold is not happy about. Granny tries to clear the restaurant thinking there is going to be some sort of battle between the two. Regina claims they’ll be civil to each other. Gold reminds Belle that Regina was the woman who locked her up for 28 years. Belle attempts to leave but Gold insists she stay. Gold says Regina won’t get what she wants from him. Regina says it’s the one thing that may unite them and Gold is doubtful. Regina tells him Cora is trying to get to their land. Gold thought she was dead and that Regina saw the body.  Apparently she faked it. Gold doesn't seem to be as worried as Regina, he can handle Cora. And he won the last time he was up against her. Regina points out that he has Belle this time and she is his weakness. Regina is actually sweet by bringing Henry his blanket for his next Netherworld meeting with Aurora. It’s nice seeing some real growth from her. Henry asks if she’s really powerful. Gold says yes, but not as powerful as him. Regina says that’s debatable, but Gold says it’s not. I mean, unless she can’t be killed and can live forever like Gold, then no, she’s not more powerful. David wants to make sure Henry’s up to this, but Henry is tired of sitting on the sidelines. He wants to be a hero. David wants him to realize that being a hero also means knowing when to back away. Gold tells Henry the info he needs in the form of a bedtime story. He puts Henry to sleep with magic. Henry tries to tell Aurora the information, but the flames are too rough (use the damn amulet!) and Aurora gets sucked out before she can hear what he’s trying to tell her. He gets his arm burned in the process when he wakes up. Gold heals the burn with magic. Gold says because they are trying to stay in the Netherworld, instead of away from it, there are risks. And apparently waking Aurora before she was ready caused the injury somehow (what?). David and Regina don’t want Henry going back in, but Gold is adamant they get the info to Emma and Mary Margaret, otherwise Cora will be coming to Storybrooke. Regina says Aurora is gone so how can they send Henry back with no one there to receive their message? How about you wait until night time, when they’d normally be sleeping, and then they can send the message? Or wait a few hours and see if she’s back?  And that’s when David assumes that Mary Margaret will get herself there. Even Regina thinks that’s the dumbest thing she’s ever heard. David wants to go in Henry’s place, but Gold reminds him that he’s never been under a Sleeping Curse. David wants Gold to put him under one and Gold says he may never wake up because there’s no guarantee Mary Margaret will get back to kiss him. But David thinks they’ll be able to kiss in the Netherworld, which, really, Gold should have known this wouldn’t work, and they agree to put him under. Henry watches Regina make the Sleeping Curse potion. Henry wants to know if Regina’s been using magic. She swears she hasn’t except to stop Daniel. Henry’s just glad she’s using it to help people now. Henry wants to know if David will be okay under the curse. Regina says he’ll be asleep and unable to die in there, which I guess makes Henry feel better. Henry doesn’t want David to go in. He’s already been under the curse, but Regina reiterates that she and David value his safety first. So, is Henry just done with the Netherworld? He doesn’t want to go there and he won’t? This makes no sense!!! Regina says that his grandparents always find each other, so David will be safe. Hey, Regina actually said that lovingly and with no sarcasm whatsoever. Regina takes the spindle needle and places it in the potion which absorbs it. Henry hugs David and asks how he knows this will work. David gives him the faith speech and Henry gives him his amulet. Gold then tells David that he won’t be going to the Burning Red Room right away. He has to find it on his own because that’s only for the people who’ve already been under the sleeping curse. This would have been nice information to know at the beginning of the plan! Henry, Regina, and Gold wait for David to wake up.

Questions:

Did no one go into Lancelot’s quarters while at the safe haven? How can Cora just have a heart vault sitting out where anyone could see it? Was it cloaked?

I’m confused about the zombie army. Were those people really dead or was Cora making them pretend to be? The heart she took out of the vault was not glowing until she blew on it, but the people obviously aren’t alive. Did she enchant dead hearts somehow?

Does Emma just randomly keep a picture of Henry in her pocket?

How are Emma, Mary Margaret, Mulan and Aurora keeping their clothes so clean, their hair so nice, and their make up so fresh?

Why aren’t you controlling the fire Henry?

Did Henry explain to Aurora that the Burning Red Room was called the Netherworld? Mary Margaret and Mulan both start calling it the Netherworld after Aurora talks to Henry and lets them know Emma and Mary Margaret are okay.

Does Mulan not know who Snow White is? She makes it sound like she and Aurora are just helping some random strangers, not royalty.

Why does David decide to go under the sleeping curse to protect Henry? Won’t Henry be going to the Netherworld in his dreams regardless?

If Regina knows how to make a Sleeping Curse, why did she need to steal the apple back from the Blind Witch in True North? Could she not have made another batch? Or was there something special about that apple?

Why is Mary Margaret attempting to fall asleep and talk to Henry during the day? Why would they expect Henry to still be asleep?

Why did the needle need to be on the spindle and the spinning wheel spinning for David to prick his finger? Or was that just for dramatic effect?

Does everyone go to the mirror room when under the Sleeping Curse? Didn’t Regina say the Sleeping Curse would make you dream of all your regrets in An Apple Red as Blood? 

Shouldn’t Gold have known that kissing in the Netherworld wouldn’t work?

Will Regina be taking care of Henry now that David is under the Sleeping Curse?

How the hell did Aurora find Emma, Mary Margaret, and Mulan in the middle of the woods?

How can Hook take a heart? Does he have magic we don’t know about?

Can anyone control someone through their heart? Hook took the heart but Cora is the one speaking through it.

Observations:

Cora kept her heart collection at the safe haven in one of the makeshift houses.

According to the patrons in the diner, this is Gold and Belle’s third date.

Cora is supposed to be dead and Regina saw her body.

Aurora falls asleep really fast.

The ink in the quill that can stun dark magic is from a squid that lives at the bottom of a bottomless ocean, that’s impossible to find unless you’re a mermaid, or Rumplestiltskin.

Rumplestiltskin left squid ink in his cell.

We are reminded that Mary Margaret can talk to birds.

David starts out in a mirrored room above the Burning Red Room when he’s under the Sleeping Curse.

The amulet is broken in the real world after David breaks it in the Sleeping Curse.

You can talk through a person and listen in on their conversations if you control their heart.

Once Upon a Time Firsts:

Healing an injury with magic.

I think this is our first Captain Floor moment!

Well, that was longer than I expected, especially since this was an information dump episode. I did like the growth that we saw from Regina and the juxtaposition of her trying to change with Emma finally realizing that Regina is to blame for everything. That will be quite the reunion when they get back. So Storybrooke is now left without any law enforcement since David is asleep, and no one to keep either Regina or Gold in check. Oh, boy! No one really thought this through, did they? Mainly, I just felt that David was really dumb, and Gold wasn’t too far behind.

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