Intro
Okay, I was really excited about this and got it done tonight... so I'm posting it. This won't be a normal occurrence. Enjoy!
SPOILER WARNING
If you have not seen all of Once Upon a Time, including the Third Season opener, please leave the blog and return later. There are bound to be spoilers, I just can't help myself.
Once Upon a Time - "The Heart of the Truest Believer" - Review
Characters:
- Emma Swan - Played by Jennifer Morrison. Daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White. Birth Mother of Henry Mills. Product of True Love. "The Savior."
- Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold - Played by Robert Carlyle. Father of Baelfire. Mentor of Regina Mills. The Dark One.
- Regina Mills - Played by Lana Parrilla. Mother of Henry Mills. Step-Mother of Snow White. The Evil Queen.
- Prince Charming/David Nolan - Played by Josh Dallas. Father of Emma Swan. Husband of Snow White.
- Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard - Played by Ginnifer Goodwin. Mother of Emma Swan. Wife of Prince Charming. Step-Daughter of Regina Mills.
- Henry Mills - Played by Jared Gilmore. Son of Emma Swan, Baelfire, and Regina Mills. The Truest Believer.
- Captain Killian "Hook" Jones - Played by Colin O'Donoghue. Pirate.
- Neal Cassady/Baelfire - Played by Michael Raymond-James. Son of Rumplestiltskin. Father of Henry Mills.
- Greg Mendel/Owen Flynn - Played by Ethan Embry. Kidnapped Henry for Peter Pan. Deceased.
- Tamara - Played by Sonequa Martin-Green. Neal's Fiancee. Kidnapped Henry for Peter Pan. Deceased.
- Mulan - Played by Jamie Chung. Companion/Body-Guard of Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip. Currently following Neal around.
- Princess Aurora - Played by Sarah Bolger. Former Sleeping Curse victim.
- Prince Phillip - Played by Julian Morris. Aurora's prince. Miraculously returned to Aurora and Mulan.
- Robin Hood - Played by Sean Maguire. Found squatting in Rumpelstiltskin's castle.
- Peter Pan - Played by Robbie Kay. Big Bad of Wonderland.
Review:
First and foremost, "The Heart of the Truest Believer" was a departure from the usual Once Upon a Time. this episode took place entirely in the present, rather than intercutting with flashbacks. It. Was. Awesome. Don't get me wrong, I love the flashbacks as much as the next person, but I thought having a storyline that didn't rely on past information was pretty darn cool.
First story-thread to talk about: Rumplestiltskin. His return to Dark One form this episode was awesome. I, for one, was glad to see he'd changed outfits. His Dark One outfit is much better for tromping around Neverland than the Mr. Gold suit. I'm extremely glad Rumple killed Tamara. There was no reason for her to be kept alive. My favorite bit with Rumple was the annoyed look on his face when he did the hand-gesture-thing he does. It made me laugh. Of course, like most everyone else, I'm wondering what the deal is with the doll. See my Theories section for what I think is up with it.
Off to Henry's story-thread. I was pleasantly surprised how much I didn't hate him this episode. I liked that he gave Greg and Tamara lots of lip about their dumb plan and not asking questions. I like that he referenced both his moms, rather than just Regina or just Emma. I really hope I don't end up hating Henry again, because I feel like it's not a good thing to hate him. I also really liked the Peter Pan reveal. I had a very small inkling he actually was Pan when he pointed to the clearing he and Henry should land in, but other than that, I was fooled.
As for the not-crew of the Jolly Roger, I totally called the storm being caused by their arguing as soon as ther mermaid told them they'd kill themselves. It reminded by of the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode "Hearths Warming Eve." The horrible winter in the fable there was caused by ponies arguing instead of getting along, just like this storm was, only not as cold. Everyone was pretty much themselves here. I did wonder why Regina didn't jump into the mermaid fight earlier, but that's just me thinking she should have brought the awesome earlier. Speaking of which, I liked the mermaids. The bio-luminescence was a nice addition.
Last, but certainly not least, The Enchanted Forest made its return with Neal, Aurora, Mulan, and Phillip. Ah, Phillip... why are you back and how? I'm not happy that's just being glossed over. I was, however, quite happy with Mulan. It's clear she learned something from being around Snow, Emma, and Aurora. I thinks she and Neal make a good team, and just a team, mind you. I liked that Neal was uncomfortable telling the trio that his father is Rumplestiltskin. It made me chuckle. I also really enjoyed the "Blood Magic" and the return of Robin Hood... though he'd now played by a different guy. And uh... yeah... the Mulan movie references were... there. That'll appease some people. I didn't like it as much as Neal apparently did.
Overall, I had a lot of fun watching "The Heart of the Truest Believer." I thought the intercutting of the stories worked well. I thought the CG was as good as it usually is. I had a slight problem with the slow-mo shot during the wave, but the rest of the episode was fine as far as that goes. Lastly, I'm very, very glad Greg and Tamara are dead and were killed in pretty short order. They were dumb and made me want to punch them. I can't wait for next week!
First story-thread to talk about: Rumplestiltskin. His return to Dark One form this episode was awesome. I, for one, was glad to see he'd changed outfits. His Dark One outfit is much better for tromping around Neverland than the Mr. Gold suit. I'm extremely glad Rumple killed Tamara. There was no reason for her to be kept alive. My favorite bit with Rumple was the annoyed look on his face when he did the hand-gesture-thing he does. It made me laugh. Of course, like most everyone else, I'm wondering what the deal is with the doll. See my Theories section for what I think is up with it.
Off to Henry's story-thread. I was pleasantly surprised how much I didn't hate him this episode. I liked that he gave Greg and Tamara lots of lip about their dumb plan and not asking questions. I like that he referenced both his moms, rather than just Regina or just Emma. I really hope I don't end up hating Henry again, because I feel like it's not a good thing to hate him. I also really liked the Peter Pan reveal. I had a very small inkling he actually was Pan when he pointed to the clearing he and Henry should land in, but other than that, I was fooled.
As for the not-crew of the Jolly Roger, I totally called the storm being caused by their arguing as soon as ther mermaid told them they'd kill themselves. It reminded by of the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode "Hearths Warming Eve." The horrible winter in the fable there was caused by ponies arguing instead of getting along, just like this storm was, only not as cold. Everyone was pretty much themselves here. I did wonder why Regina didn't jump into the mermaid fight earlier, but that's just me thinking she should have brought the awesome earlier. Speaking of which, I liked the mermaids. The bio-luminescence was a nice addition.
Last, but certainly not least, The Enchanted Forest made its return with Neal, Aurora, Mulan, and Phillip. Ah, Phillip... why are you back and how? I'm not happy that's just being glossed over. I was, however, quite happy with Mulan. It's clear she learned something from being around Snow, Emma, and Aurora. I thinks she and Neal make a good team, and just a team, mind you. I liked that Neal was uncomfortable telling the trio that his father is Rumplestiltskin. It made me chuckle. I also really enjoyed the "Blood Magic" and the return of Robin Hood... though he'd now played by a different guy. And uh... yeah... the Mulan movie references were... there. That'll appease some people. I didn't like it as much as Neal apparently did.
Overall, I had a lot of fun watching "The Heart of the Truest Believer." I thought the intercutting of the stories worked well. I thought the CG was as good as it usually is. I had a slight problem with the slow-mo shot during the wave, but the rest of the episode was fine as far as that goes. Lastly, I'm very, very glad Greg and Tamara are dead and were killed in pretty short order. They were dumb and made me want to punch them. I can't wait for next week!
Miscellaneous Notes:
- Liked the call-back to what Greg told Regina about "Happy Endings."
- The Shadow was a bit less scary this time around, despite the murdering Greg bit.
- I liked the mermaid.
- Regina got all the best lines.
- David is a moron. He teamed up with Hook, Regina, and Rumple before ever setting foot on Neverland.
Theories:
I think the doll Rumple cries over is Baelfire's... or some other unknown child's that he got attached to... or something.Extras:
DVMPE's Once Upon a Time Podcast - Though not the most knowledgeable of Once Upon a Time podcast hosts, these guys are enthusiastic about Once Upon a Time. This one's worth a listen. And no, I'm not a member of the DVMPE, I just like their podcasts.
Favorite Lines:
"You'll win her over with your rainbow kisses and unicorn stickers?" - Regina Mills
"I'll just bring up water and half her leg." - Regina Mills
Housekeeping
Tomorrow I'll post my Batman Beyond, Season 3 review... and then we'll be back on schedule for reviews.
Love ya, Jessie 
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