Once Upon a Time S04E03: Rocky Road (Full Reaction)

Rocky Road- Fabulous!!! Thank you so much for another reaction to the first of my favorite episodes from season four's Frozen arc, Reds!!! I absolutely love Rocky Road very much, and there are so many twists and turns throughout this episode!! Twists and turns that I love so much!! Wow!!! First... My absolute favorite moment within this episode is the moment between Killian and Emma in the end as Emma confesses to Killian that she's been pulling away from him because she's so afraid to lose him like she's lost Neal, Graham, and even Walsh, who no fan of this show who loves Emma and Killian together, even consider him to be any sort of real love interest for Emma. But I absolutely love the look of surprise and adoration on Killian's face as he looks at Emma the moment she confesses this to him, and then when he states... "Well, love... You don't have to worry about me. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's surviving." I mean... Hook is after all over two hundred years. :) And then... Killian pulls her body close to him and kisses her passionately and lovingly. So beautiful. It's a perfect moment! There are so many beautiful moments between them. I absolutely love these two together!!!! :) I know some people feel that their relationship has come on too soon, but I absolutely disagree. I think it's about time, really. I mean... Killian's been in love with Emma ever since their first kiss they shared back in season three's episode... Good Form, from the Neverland arc. Longer, I think... given that he's liked Emma ever since they first met back in season two's episode... The Doctor, in spite of him still being a villain then. And he has worked hard to prove himself a hero, whether he believes himself to be or not. And from season three's episode... The Jolly Roger, we know that deep down, he sadly doesn't believe himself to be a hero. He's acts more confident than he really is deep down, as a way of protecting himself from what he believes are weaknesses in him. And Emma... While she's been distancing herself from Killian for multiple reasons, mostly until Killian has worked to prove himself a hero after giving up being a villain, and because she had been resenting him ever since he brought her home from New York within the Wicked Witch arc of season three, she's also been really struggling with her own fears of losing one more man she's grown to care about more than just as a friend. Someone she can see herself falling for. Killian's and Emma's relationship has been a long time coming and while they may be together now, they're still taking their relationship slowly. Just because they're now officially together, it doesn't mean they're going to be speeding their relationship along quicker than what feels right. As for the Snow Queen... I'm so excited for you to get to know her!! A character well known from the story of The Snow Queen, written by Hans Christian Andersen. A fairy tale not too widely known, given that she doesn't come from any Disney movie, including Frozen or even Frozen II. :) Now... I really don't care all that much for the continued Marian storyline due to the addition of her character creating yet another love triangle between her and Robin, and Regina. However, Marian becoming frozen by the Snow Queen leads to a different take as to what I was expecting for a love triangle storyline between Marian, Robin, and Regina to be like. And I really do appreciate the turn of events, especially when Robin comes to Regina for help to save her, then later admits he believes True Love's Kiss has failed Marian because he is truly in love with someone else... with Regina of course. I really like this brief moment between Robin and Regina. And while some people may interpret this to mean that Robin no longer loves Marian anymore, it's not true. Robin loves her very much. However, Robin has moved on. He has mourned his wife's loss and grieved for her and has spent many years coming to accept his loss. Now... Robin has found love again with Regina and their love is just as real and strong as his love with Marian once was. So yes... Robin still loves Marian and always will, but he's moved on and is now in love with Regina. I hope this makes sense. Next... I also really enjoy the storyline between Emma and David as they find the thief in the forest, who turns out to be Will Scarlet, a former Merry Man and friend of Robin's until something caused them to part ways. I like that this thief leads Emma and David to the Snow Queen's ice cream shop... Any Given Sundae, where their suspicions that someone else must have ice magic after trusting that Elsa wasn't the one who hurt Marian, was confirmed because the ice cream throughout the shop is all still frozen despite there being no electricity or running compressor to keep it so. I really like that Emma is struggling lately, not only with trusting in her magic, but also with simply being sheriff, especially after Regina snidely retorts that Emma's the one in need of saving as of late. Emma has always struggled with being the Savior and with believing in herself, but up until this point since the events within There's No Place Like Home, she's been better thanks to Killian because he believes in her and has always given her the strength and courage she needs to believe in herself too. Sadly, she's once again begun to doubt in herself, and even more so now thanks to this new villain in Storybrooke, who appears to have already been here for some time before Emma and Killian travelled back to Storybrooke through the time portal and beyond this time, with Elsa trapped inside the urn accidentally in tow. In case you can't remember... Killian pulls the urn out from the cupboard inside Gold's vault with no windows or doors where he and Emma are trapped in just before Emma finds her magic again when he's looking for something to help them escape their prison. And when the portal reopens so they can finally return home, the urn then gets pulled into the portal with them, hence bringing Elsa to Storybrooke. I love this new mystery. Next... I absolutely love, love, love the storyline between Elsa and Kristoff in the past in Arendelle. And I love their friendship and seeing Elsa accept Kristoff as someone suitable to marry her sister. I love how Kristoff has continued to remain with Elsa while Anna's still on her own journey, as he continues to try to help Elsa as she deals with her duties as Queen. I love their friendship that is bloomed throughout this episode, especially when Elsa defends Kristoff the moment the Snow Queen is about to threaten him. Love it! Also... I love that their relationship isn't solely focused on because of each of their relationships with Anna. I love seeing them get to know one another, especially because they don't have any interactions in Frozen. I am so happy you enjoy Kristoff!! I love them, and Kristoff is definitely my favorite of all the new characters who have been brought into Once Upon a Time this season!! Along with Anna too. Elsa and the Snow Queen come very close. But I really, really love Kristoff, and especially the actor who plays him... Scott Michael Foster. And in this storyline, we learn that Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, and his twelve brothers are on their way to Arendelle in search of the magical urn we see that Elsa had later become trapped in at some point within the past. Also... The actor chosen to play Hans most definitely looks just like his animated character in Frozen. Like always... The casting is top notch and even Hans is no exception. While I hate Hans' character in Frozen and here in Once Upon a Time for the proper reasons just as anyone should hate any villain, I do actually quite like learning more about him and getting to know more about him, including his relationship with his twelve brothers. Also... I love how Kristoff then sneaks off to spy on Hans with Sven in spite of Elsa asking him not to out of worry that he'll get into trouble, which fortunately for Kristoff, he doesn't. But he learns of Hans' plans for the urn and runs back to warn Elsa that Hans plans to use it against her so he can become the new King of Arendelle. So... Elsa and Kristoff make plans to find the urn on their own before Hans and his brothers can. I also love the moment between Kristoff and Sven when he's talking to his closest friend while spying on Hans. This reindeer is so adorable. I love his expressions and sounds he makes, and how Kristoff talks to him upon understanding what he believes Sven is saying to him. I love the whole scene in the cave, when Kristoff and Elsa reach the urn and how Kristoff warns Elsa to destroy it, only for her to fail to do so because she wants to study it instead. And I love the fight between Elsa, Kristoff, Hans, and three of his brothers, until Hans threatens to kill Kristoff unless Elsa turned over the urn to him. I really love Kristoff's and Hans' banter back and forth, then the moment when Hans unleashes the Snow Queen from the urn and is suddenly turned into an ice sculpture by her. Hans gets exactly what he deserves. And like I said above... I just love how Elsa pleads with the Snow Queen not to hurt Kristoff, saying to her and mostly to Kristoff that he's her friend. Beautiful. The fight could have been handled differently, and Hans' threat against Kristoff might appear too simple, or easily avoidable, but I still understand Elsa's hesitation too. Any small mistake might have gotten Kristoff killed and Elsa never would have forgiven herself if he had been killed because she wasn't fast enough, or smart enough. I get it. And I really enjoy this whole scene. Then... Later in another scene between Elsa and the Snow Queen, we learn that the Snow Queen is Elsa's and Anna's mother's sister. I thought they might be related somehow, but not such as they are. I didn't see that coming at all and I love this twist outside of the Frozen storyline. I love that the Snow Queen is Elsa's and Anna's aunt. Now, back in Storybrooke... My favorite storyline outside of the beautiful moment between Killian and Emma, is between Killian and Elsa, after Emma kind of demands that Killian look after Elsa and protect her, due to a number of the townsfolk being afraid of Elsa on account of what happened to Marian, to Emma as she nearly froze to death inside the ice wall, and because the ice wall is now surrounding the town and keeping them all trapped inside. And yet... Instead of leading Elsa to the sheriff's station like Emma asked of him, Killian decides to lead Elsa to Gold's shop where they can get some help, because Emma's possibly heading into danger, and he refuses to just wait by while she is so. Once they reach Gold's shop, Killian threatens Gold as he states that he knows Gold better than most upon seeking revenge against him for over two hundred years, and knows that the dagger Gold had given Belle is a fake, just as we know to be true. And Gold certainly doesn't deny it. Instead, he becomes very cold and defensive. Proof to Killian that he's right about believing as he does about Gold. And we see Gold once again take back the real dagger from Belle so that he could free the Sorcerer's hat from the round box we saw in the first episode, and now be able to use this hat for his upcoming plans. I just love Hook's and Gold's entire conversation and the looks they give one another. Until at last... Gold gives in. I absolutely love, love, love seeing the rivalry between Hook and Gold come back unto this show again. It's absolutely fabulous!!! :) I also love, love, love the conversation between Killian and Elsa as they're walking through the woods and talking about Emma, and how Elsa recognizes Killian's love for her. Then, they finally come to where the ice magic leads them, where they find the Snow Queen. I love how Killian pulls out his new phone Emma must have given to him for use, and I love that he hardly understands how to call Emma, and how he struggles to explain how it works to Elsa because he barely understands its technology. So cute and so funny. "I don't bloody know... I just press the Emma button and she answers usually." And yet she doesn't, like most times he tries to call her she doesn't, and he grumbles about having to carry the phone when she hardly ever answers him. I love how he struggles with having to use his phone, or any modern day technology... given that he's a two hundred year old pirate. So cute. :) And then... The Snow Queen attacks as she traps Killian by freezing his feet and lower legs to the ground, then uses her magic to not only create a number of falling icicles over Killian, but to also neutralize Elsa's magic so she can't use her own magic to help Killian. Thankfully, Emma and David at last appear just as the Snow Queen is about to kill Killian in order to frame Elsa to show Elsa that everyone will turn on her and see her as a monster. Just like the Snow Queen did to Marian in order to try to turn everyone against Elsa. To get everyone to fear her so that she can teach Elsa this lesson that we can assume she herself learned the hard way some time ago. I believe Marian was just a target of opportunity for the Snow Queen, and nothing more. And thankfully, Emma saves Killian just in time by blasting him and David, who runs forward to try to help Killian first, backwards with her own powers. I also love the moment the Snow Queen suddenly lets slip that she knows Emma, making Emma suspect there's more to this new villainess as well. What another great twist in the story... that's there's a possibility Emma and the Snow Queen knew each other like Elsa knew the Snow Queen in a time in her life she can't remember either, due to the rock trolls supposedly using their power to make Elsa, and possibly Emma, forget about the Snow Queen. Brilliant!!! And finally... I love the conversation between the Snow Queen and Gold in the very end. The Snow Queen's quiet and eerie voice is very creepy, and I absolutely love it! And I love her as the new villain for this arc of the season. I also love how Rumple seems to know a lot more about this Snow Queen as well, and I love that he is now eagerly awaiting for the Snow Queen to come to him to make a deal. Yikes! I can't say for an absolute certain exactly which season or story arc is my favorite because I love them all, but this arc alone probably has the highest number of episodes that I consider to be my favorites within a season. There are so many good episodes that I absolutely love. And overall... I love, love, love this episode so much! And lastly, just as a reminder... Will Scarlet is not only one of Robin Hood's former Merry Men, but he's also actually the cross over character brought over into Once Upon a Time from this show's short lived spinoff... Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. A few other characters in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland will also come over much later into Once Upon a Time, but these characters come to be played by different actors, and their characters are very different versions of them from who they are in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. And some of the characters you already know and love from Once Upon a Time, also travel over into Once Upon a Time in Wonderland too. Thank you once again, Reds!!! I can't wait for your next reactions for more Once Upon a Time!!! This next episode is also another of my absolute favorite episodes this season as well!! :) Thank you, my dear friend! Sincerely, Heidi

Heidi Elizabeth Marcum