Once Upon a Time REACTION - S01E20 - The Stranger

This is another one of my overall favorite episodes from season one and what a twist with August turning out to really be Pinocchio. They absolutely handled the mystery behind who August is really, really well. I had no idea that he would be Pinocchio when I first watched this series as it aired on television. So brilliant! As for why August is turning back into wood... I love that it all has to to with Blue's warning to Pinocchio when she first turned him from a wooden puppet after he sacrificed his life for his father, to a real boy. She tells Pinocchio to always remain selfless, brave, and true, otherwise he would turn back into a puppet. Just like he does in the Disney movie Pinocchio. And because he is now in a land without magic, he's dying because puppets can't come to life in a land without magic. I love this storyline from Pinocchio, and especially Once Upon a Time's take on it. My favorite moments within this episode are hands down... between August and Emma in the woods towards the end, as well as the moment in the very end between August and Marco (Geppetto, his father). But I'll get back to these moments later. First... this episode begins with August making a special lock for Mary Margaret's and Emma's loft apartment so that Regina can't break in ever again with her skeleton keys. The lock is made out of wood and August states he learned how to make it in wood shop, which sadly, is another a lie. I really like that this is the second clue, the first clue in this episode which indicates who August really is. In past episodes, they kept harping on the possibility that August has been lying about things. This was the first clue. Next... Henry calls Emma to Granny's and explains to her how someone had added pages to his storybook. Which we had seen August do earlier in a previous episode. And this brings us to the backstory... that continues to reveal more of who August is, as we see the ending from the Disney movie as Geppetto and Pinocchio are trying to escape from Monstro the whale, as Pinocchio gives his life so that his father can live. And then we see Blue come down to save Pinocchio upon hearing Geppetto's plea. I love seeing Once Upon a Time's take on the Pinocchio story. Next... we see August inside his room, as the pain in his leg flares up again even worse than before. And we finally see what's wrong with it, as we see his leg has become wood again. So, August then calls Gold asking for his help with Emma, knowing he's running out of time to convince Emma to believe. When August arrives at Gold's shop some time later... Marco is there upon Gold's request for help with an antique clock, because Gold has figured out who August really is since his confrontation with him the night before. And August is clearly nervous to see him there, and unable to say so much as a word to him. It's a pretty cruel move for Gold to make, taunting August by bringing his father there to his shop knowing that August would be there then too. However, once Marco's gone, August asks Gold to nudge Emma his way, after she had refused to go with him earlier to where he needs to take her in hope of making her believe in the truth. Emma finally comes to August when Gold refuses to help her with getting Henry away from Regina once and for all. And August at last takes her to the diner outside of Storybrooke where Emma believes she was found, on the side of the road. August then reveals that he was the seven year old boy who found Emma and brought her to the diner where they were later taken to the orphanage. And Emma is immediately angry because she discovers that August has been lying to her all along about who he really is, and she's afraid because he knows about who she is and knows about her sad past. This brings us to my first favorite scene between August and Emma, as August continues to reveal to her the truth about who he is and how he and Emma are connected to one another. I love his explanation with how he's dying upon turning back to wood, that he had strayed and fails to raise her like he promised his father he would, and tells Emma that he fell to all kinds of temptations while he was away. And I love even more so that Emma can't see the wooden leg because she refuses to believe in the truth. Because she doesn't want to believe and only wants to get Henry back. This moment is Jennifer Morrison's time to shine as she fights back with August and tells him that it's crap that she has to be this all powerful Savior destined to save everyone in Storybrooke. And when August states that everyone is depending on her to save them, that he's depending on her to save him, I absolutely love how Emma responds... "Then you're all screwed." It's so tragic and sad, but what a powerful moment! And the look on August's face is devastating. Amazing! I also love the continued backstory with Pinocchio, Geppetto, Jiminy Cricket, and Blue, as Blue returns to Geppetto to tell him that their plans have changed and that he can't send his son through the wardrobe with Emma and Snow, since Snow has given birth early. Unfortunately, Geppetto goes against the Blue Fairy's warning and sends his son through anyways. I love how well acted the both of them are in this scene, and I really feel the emotions from Geppetto's and Pinocchio's acting. Beautiful. And in the end... we have my second favorite scene between August and Marco, as August comes to offer help to his father so he can spend his last days with him because he's dying and had failed to help Emma to believe. Again... I feel the deep emotions in this scene, especially as Marco assures August that if he had a son, he would be proud of him for trying to keep his promise even if it wasn't fulfilled until many years later. You can see and feel the pain coming from August as you see his pain on his face. The pain from believing how he's failed to be the man he believes his father would have wanted him to be. I love it. So beautiful. I just love seeing them come to interact together, knowing that they are father and son. As for the side storyline between David and Regina... it is a set up by Regina because she's trying to lure David away from his love for Mary Margaret by seducing him. Regina picked up that was a note supposedly from Henry after they walked inside her home. David was about to leave, as she supposedly reads that Henry is going over to talk with Archie after school. However, when we see the note, the paper is actually blank. Regina is trying to play on David's sympathy to convince him to stay for dinner, hoping she can later seduce him. However, she later leans in to try to kiss him, and he pulls away. Despite his confusion and pain from losing Mary Margaret, it still feels wrong to him to fall for Regina, even more so than it felt wrong to him to fall for Kathryn. As for how I feel about this whole storyline... it's okay. I somewhat like how Regina has come to be desperate enough to try to seduce David even though she hates him almost as much as she hates Snow White, but more so I understand the reasoning for them to write this storyline into the episode. As for the scene between Pinocchio and baby Emma inside the orphanage... it's so sad. Baby Emma is so cute and it's so sad that Pinocchio abandons her too like Emma believes everyone in her life has done as well. Of course I understand why August left the orphanage with the other children, because it was awful there. And sadly, this leads August down the wrong path and Emma to thinking she's all alone. So sad. I really liked seeing and getting to understand why August strayed from his promise to his father. I really appreciate that this scene was included in the episode. And lastly... Emma gets Henry out of bed and then asks him once and for all if he wants to come live with her. He sincerely says yes, but sadly, Henry doesn't quite understand her intentions and before he can object, Emma immediately tells him to buckle up and together they drive off towards the town line to leave Storybrooke. Emma is most definitely in the wrong, because she is kidnapping him and she's not thinking rationally. And this isn't good. Thank you so much for another fantastic reaction!!! I love this episode and I hope that you loved it as well. Two more episodes to go and these two episodes are the big two part finale for season one. Thank you!!

Heidi Elizabeth Marcum