Once Upon a Time S04E01: A Tale of Two Sisters (Full Reaction)

A Tale of Two Sisters- Where do I begin? Oh... I am so excited to see you get into season four!!! I absolutely love these overall Frozen storylines done in Once Upon a Time style! I love Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff, and a lot of it has to do with the casting for them. And of course, I love Sven too. :) He's so cute! Phenomenal! I am so excited to watch this amazing season with you as you begin watching it for the first time, Reds!!! All of season four is amazing, just like all of the rest of the seasons you've seen so far!!! First... I have so many favorite moments in this episode, but of course I will start with the end moment between Emma and Killian, since they are my absolutely favorite True Love couple in the show. As you know. :) I love that Killian comes to Emma in the woods to comfort her, and the kiss they share once Emma asks him to be patient... Beautiful. Killian is of course understanding, and I love his lines when he states, "I've all the time in the world. Unless of course... another monster appears and kills me." So sweet and just... This is the Killian we know and love. And the Netflix line with Hook not knowing what Netflix is... Hilarious and so cute too. :) I also love the earlier moment between Killian and Emma just before they get interrupted by Grumpy's cry of danger, as Killian tries to encourage Emma that she ought to try to have a life between the crises that arise, or she'll miss out on having a life. I love Killian's face of pure frustration the moment Grumpy cries out that there's a new danger arising. And of course, Grumpy has to ruin the moment by screaming they've been attacked. He's definitely become the town crier. It's hilarious in the moment, and I do love Grumpy's screams. But unfortunately, I feel that the town crier is all Grumpy has become at this point and this really isn't fair to his character that I have loved since season one. Also... I really think Grumpy should have owned up to what he did instead of conveniently leaving out that Elsa had only defended herself when he and Sleepy had almost killed her with their truck. Next... Emma and Killian seek out Elsa, or the person who left the trail of ice behind upon learning that someone with icy magic has attacked Grumpy and Sleepy, only to then come face to face with a giant snow monster. It knocks them both to the ground upon feeling threatened and I love that Emma immediately dives over Killian when her gun goes off to protect him from the gunshot and the Snow Beast's rage. I'm not sure if this was intentional to have Jennifer dive over Colin in this scene, or not. But I like to imagine that it was. I like seeing her act protective of him. :) And as for the snow monster, or like Olaf calls him in Frozen... Marshmallow, I honestly felt skeptical upon first seeing him brought into Once Upon a Time, but upon seeing how everything came about by the end of this episode including its resolve, the snow monster makes sense and the effects for him, as well as for Grandpabbie are actually pretty good. They are pretty good all things considered. We know from Frozen that Elsa created that snow monster when she became scared and felt the need to push Anna and Kristoff away. And now that she's come to Storybrooke... a strange town where she doesn't know anyone, doesn't know where Anna is, or how she came to be here... Of course Elsa is frightened. And she sees two people chasing after her, so she simply creates magic that could protect her, in the form of this snow monster like before. I love seeing the snowflakes swirling around Elsa just like we see in Frozen too. Snowflakes that certainly represent her fear. Overall... I really like this idea. I also love the beginning scene with Elsa and Anna in Arendelle, as Elsa brings Anna up to the attic to show her sister their mother's wedding dress, so that Anna can wear it for her own to Kristoff. They're both so cute. The actresses chosen to play Elsa and Anna (Georgina Haig and Elizabeth Lail) are perfect for their characters within Frozen, and they're both beautiful. And Scott Michael Foster, who plays Kristoff, is perfect as well. I love them as these characters. Fantastic! And yes... Scott Michael Foster is indeed Cappie from Greek! Fantastic memory, Travis! I love Cappie in Greek, which makes me love Scott Michael Foster as Kristoff here in Once Upon a time all the more!! :) I also love the moment when Kristoff first comes on screen as Elsa comes looking for him in the barn and we see Sven there too. I really love the banter between Kristoff and Elsa, and how he stalls Elsa for Anna, but does so very clumsily. He's so cute. And so is Sven, whose faces and noises are absolutely adorable! :) And then this scene continues as they reach the harbor, and watch as the ship with Anna on it sails away towards what is revealed to be Misthaven, otherwise more commonly known as the Enchanted Forest. By the way... I believe this Frozen storyline within the past takes place about two years after the end of the movie, because it's shown that it takes place five years after Elsa's and Anna's parents' deaths seen in the very beginning of the episode, which in the movie it's said that most of the movie's storyline takes place three years after their deaths. I hope this makes sense. I absolutely love that the Frozen characters' storyline within Once Upon a Time takes place after the events seen within the movie, and that it's not once again another retelling of the movie like most other fairytales are. The creators must have known that we as fans wouldn't have appreciated seeing just another retelling of a fairytale, especially since we have just seen it in Frozen about six months earlier. So, I really love and appreciate this continuation of their story. Oh, and in case you don't know... Because the second Frozen movie came out long after this season first aired on TV, the story we get here in Once Upon a Time for these characters is completely different from the second movie. The first Frozen movie is canon to Once Upon a Time, while Frozen II is not canon. Now... I'm not at all a fan of seeing Regina slowly begin to turn back into the Evil Queen again, even if it is an interesting surprise to see Sidney return to the show in spite of me not really caring much for his character at all. Don't get me wrong... I absolutely love the Evil Queen! But after how hard Regina has worked to change and to become a good woman who has earned her happy ending with Robin... It is sad for me to see her slowly reverting back into her old ways like Emma, Killian, Snow, Charming, and Henry all fear she will. But she has also shown she plans to take a different approach to helping her find her happy ending. By finding the person who wrote the storybook, which I absolutely love, and am definitely intrigued by. I love seeing Regina's desire to change her fate by hoping to convince the Author of the storybook to change her story. That is... if such a thing is possible. I do believe that people's choices are what determines their fates. However, it's just possible that the Author has more power over our characters' fates than we realize. But then like I said in my comments under your season three finale... There's No Place Like Home, we are the only ones in control of our fates. Karma also plays a part too. So... What does this all mean? Keep watching! I think you will really come to love all that's to come within this season, Travis! :) After Regina learns who Marian is and why she wanted to kill her initially upon watching their first meeting back in her past through her Magic Mirror, I believe that Regina realizes and understands why Marian can only see her as a monster, upon seeing the glee and pleasure her old self took in sentencing Marian to death within the mirror's reflection. And because she does, I feel this is why she is able to actually save Marian from being killed by the snow monster in the end. Not to try to prove to Robin and the others that she's still good. And I really love this moment when Regina states to her, "Welcome to Storybrooke, Marian." I do feel so bad for Regina in spite of her having been a villain until not too long ago, and I also feel so bad for Robin too because he's so torn between the woman he loves now, and his vow to love Marian until death. Even if she had already been dead for years. This storyline most certainly in a way reminds me of season one's storyline of David being caught between his love for Mary Margaret, and his need to honor what he falsely remembers to be his love for Kathryn. Another storyline I didn't much care for the idea of because of the whole love triangle debacle. But I appreciate the parallel, nonetheless. And I can appreciate Robin's code of honor. And yes... I feel badly for Marian too, because she's been brought into this world against her will, and she seems sweet. So, I feel badly for her because she is caught in an unknown world, where her husband's love is now divided between her and the woman, who until now... she has seen to be a villain who nearly killed her, and who had succeeded in killing her in the original timeline before Emma changed the past during hers and Hook's time travel adventure. Now... I absolutely love the moment between Belle and Gold, as Gold uses his power to change their clothes to Belle's golden gown and his long blue suit coat with gold trim, as they dance to the music that is the love theme for Disney's, Beauty and the Beast. So beautiful and so romantic. It's perfect!! And yet... This moment is sadly tainted for me as well. Because Gold is still up to his not so good ways. Ugh!!! :) Unfortunately, Gold discovers a round box inside a large mansion, which Belle states has come over into Storybrooke in the latest curse cast by Snow. And we later see that this hat contains a magical wizard's hat, which he uses his dagger to summon from the box. The dagger which he had promised his son never to use again now that he's gotten his revenge against Zelena. Such a liar. We even saw Rumple switch the daggers back so that Belle would no longer be carrying the fake one. However, as we see in this ending... Gold has immediately taken his real dagger for himself once again to summon the Sorcerer's hat from the magical box. Will he ever change? In regards to the hat... It is the Sorcerer's hat worn by Mickey Mouse, who plays the Sorcerer's Apprentice in one of the dance sequences within Disney's, Fantasia from 1940. And if you listen closely to the slow music playing within the background while Gold is starring down at the hat and box, it's the music from this sequence in Fantasia playing out. It's wonderful! Also... I love the end scene between Emma and Regina, when Emma comes to Regina's office to apologize and in order to assure her that Regina will find her happiness because as the Savior, it's her duty to return everyone's happy endings, including Regina's too. This scene is indeed another nod to Frozen, as it shows Emma standing in the light, while Regina is sitting on the floor crying in the dark. In Frozen, this is the exact scene played out between Anna and Elsa, when Anna comes to ask her sister if she wants to build a snowman at the end of the song, "Do You Want to Build a Snowman", just after their parents died. Elsa is sitting on the floor in the dark crying upon learning about her parents' death, while Anna is standing outside of the door where there's light. I really love this moment, and the nod to Frozen. :) And lastly... I really love the overall opening scene between Anna's and Elsa's parents just before they die in the shipwreck, as we know they did in Frozen as well. I love the set up for all that's to come within this arc, and the mystery that is brought about through Anna's mother, who is seen writing a message to their daughters about something she feels they have to know in case they don't survive. And then she places the message inside a bottle and casts it into the ocean, with enough faith that it will eventually find its way to their daughters. It's so sad seeing the parents die while they hold onto one another, but what a great opening! Overall... I really enjoy this episode so much! I like that Anna is on a mission to find out the truth behind why their parents really left home on the mission when they were killed, and I love that Elsa has wound up in Storybrooke in the present day thanks to the urn she was once contained in being pulled through the time portal Emma and Killian passed through to return home from the past. An urn that was once in Rumplestiltskin's possession. There's so much goodness to come!!! Thank you again, so much, Reds!!! I can't wait for more Once Upon a Time season four from you!! :) Sincerely, Heidi

Heidi Elizabeth Marcum