#I kinda wanna rewatch it but it felt like it undid a lot of what made the first ones good so I have mixed feels

[luciferfemme]

nvm watching Hellraiser 3 also like

he's such a bastard but this is like

this vibe feels so butch as a gender you know? And he's wearing cowboy boots which I think really sells it. like 12/10 asshole but the look is also 12/10

[once-upon-a-ouat]

OUAT Rewatch 1x19 “The Return”

OUAT has returned with another great episode. Don’t believe me? Head under the cut to find out what’s the deal of this episode and why it is so good.

The flashbacks fleshed out Rumple’s character even more (how is that even possible?). We saw how much and how quickly power had corrupted him. His total disregard for Baelfire’s pleas was just horrifying. And he killed a mute woman in oder to keep his secret. It showed very well that even despite his newly-gained power, he was still a coward, which played a major part a bit later on in the story. I, personally, loved the implication that the deal he made with Bae was the first one and it was what started his tradition of making deals. And all the deals he made subsequently were supposed to help him fix the consequences of that first deal he broke. I loved how he made it a rule not to break a deal ever again but he still used all the loop holes he could find. He also tried to do that with Bae but he was having none of it. The tragedy of that portal scene is even bigger when you know Rumple’s whole story. I love how OUAT’s characters always follow in the steps of their parents even though they’re completely different people. And I loved that we finally got to see why Rumple needed the Curse so much.

Bae was just adorable in this episode. It can’t have been easy for him to watch his father get consumed by his powers, but he still didn’t give up on him. His determination to find a way to rid Rumple of his powers and his readiness to leave everything behind if it meant he could be with his papa showed the strength of his love for Rumple. So the scene with the portal was really heartbreaking. And his lines showed very well how betrayed he felt so that we can understand him the next time we see him as Neal. “You are the part of him that keeps him human.” While that was true initially, after Rumple lost Bae, his desire to find him only made him fall deeper into darkness and lose more and more of his humanity.

I kinda liked Blue in this episode. That is not to say that she didn’t annoy me a bit because she did. “Because there is good magic and dark magic, and I’m on the right side.” Confident, aren’t you? I can think of a few instances when you were a major bitch but okay. I want to know why she didn’t deny when Rumple asked if he could get to Bae with a curse. Can’t fairies lie or did she just not want to do it? If it’s the latter, well then, good job, Blue. If you had told a little white lie, maybe none of this would’ve happened. I loved the offended look on her face when Rumple tried to hit her though. Why did they feel the need to give her the name ‘Rheul Gorm’ if they never used it again? Did that serve any purpose (because I don’t think it did)?

Morraine was a nice addition to the story. It was good to see her back. Safe and sound nonetheless. Thanks to Rumple (I have a feeling he put an end to the war because he wanted to show everyone that he wasn’t a coward anymore which the episode undid quickly). I liked the fact that she wasn’t afraid of him and believed that Baelfire would protect her from his father if necessary. She didn’t think Rumple was that big of a monster and it was nice to see a different point of view.

I absolutely loved Gold in this episode. His suspiciousness was awesome to witness. I loved the fact that he asked Emma for her opinion on August (and the little genuine moment at the beginning of their conversation). He trusted her judgment when it came to people. But it still wasn’t enough to calm his suspicious mind. Gold picking a lock is another thing I didn’t know I needed in my life but I can’t live without now. His expression when he saw the drawing of the dagger though. I think Emma should’ve taken him on a stakeout (he’s a lot more patient than Regina).

His chat with Mother Superior was awesome (I loved the mutual dislike between them). “And I don’t have to not double you rent.” Gold, you’re a dick and I love you. It was a power move on the writers’ part to make Blue a part of both Rumple and Pinocchio’s stories. That way they could lead us (and Rumple) on and make us believe August was actually Baelfire.

I loved that even when he went to Archie to seek help, Gold was still controlling the situation. “Honesty has never been the best color on me” though. I feel like he’s scared of letting people see him as who he really is because they’d be turned away which was why he kept lying and that was what turned them away. It was really sad that he thought his son might want to kill him. “Perhaps I’m just seeing what I wanna see.” You have no idea how right you are.

Gold’s apology melted my heart and the realization that he was deceived broke it. But damn, he physically overpowered August so easily. Gold doesn’t strike you as the physically strong type but he’s proven more than once that his devious mind is not the only thing you should be afraid of. It’s as if his anger gives him strength (and suddenly Gold is Hulk; well, a much finer version of Hulk but Hulk nonetheless). He managed to rein in his emotions though and made the best of the situation.

Gold’s conversation with Regina was very amusing. I love how he keeps driving her towards her defeat and gradually weakens her. First, Emma became sheriff and Regina lost control of the police force. And now Emma was out for Regina’s head and Regina also had to sacrifice Sidney if she wanted to walk out of the mess clean. “You and I, we’ve been in this. Together. From the start” means much more when you’ve watched 2x02.

I can’t believe that the writers managed to make August even more mysterious by giving us more clues as to who he is. His claims that he’s not a liar fell short here. The writers once again reinforced the idea that desperation causes us to make the biggest mistakes. August and Gold were essentially the two sides of the same coin. They were both desperate to be reunited with the ones they loved and that caused them to make mistakes. The “I was gonna make the Savior believe but that woman... “ part though. You know it’s true but it sounds horrible. Also, if he had kept his promise and taken care of her, maybe he wouldn’t have to go through all that trouble now. And can they all, please, stop using Henry. I would really appreciate that.

I absolutely loved the scene between Sidney and Emma. I liked how Emma approached the situation and tried to get him on her side. The moment when she realized why he was helping Regina was so awesome. Emma’s face was just the best. I feel like she was thinking “Not you too”. Mary Margaret already got into a big mess due to her feelings, and now Sidney was making the same mistake. Also, I hate to break it to the Swan Queen shippers, but her expression was practically screaming “How can you fall in love with someone so sick?”. It was an understandable reaction because Emma hasn’t seen Regina do anything besides ruin people’s lives (it makes me wonder what Sidney saw into Regina though). The scene also showed the contrast between Emma and Regina’s characters even though Regina wasn’t physically present (a parallel of Cora in the last episode). Emma was trying to help Sidney and get him out of trouble while Regina was only dragging him in deeper.

Emma’s chat with Gold was awesome. She was onto him but he brushed it off as if she couldn’t be farther from the truth. I loved the way she described August, and the way she ended the conversation. I also loved how she got rid of David. It was power move after power move on her part in that scene.

Talking about David, too little, too late, my dude. I am not as annoyed with him as I was in the previous episodes but I absolutely support Mary Margaret in her decision. I loved how fierce she was in that scene. She heard him out but didn’t take crap. I loved how strong she was because it can’t have been easy for her but she did it anyway. We can see how much impact the whole experience had on her and that she came out of it a little jaded, a little rougher around the edges, but also a lot stronger and with more self-esteem than before (that “It didn’t feel like that yesterday” in response to Emma’s “You have a lot of friends” though; Mary Margaret, I love you). I also loved the fact that she took into account Leroy’s words, reflected on them and accepted them as her own truth. It was awesome to see how her character has developed during those last five episodes.

Kathryn is just the sweetest, kindest human being that ever walked this earth. I was practically squealing during her scene with David because it was the cutest thing ever.

Archie was awesome in this episode even though he didn’t get that big of a part. I wish he had told Gold why everyone asked about the rent but it would’ve been a little redundant storywise.

Favorite scene: Gold and August’s ‘reconciliation’. I loved Gold’s honesty in that scene. He knew he had been in the wrong but he showed how much he regretted his choice. I loved how August couldn’t look at him. Gold interpreted it as him still being angry that he abandoned him but I think August felt guilty for using Gold’s love for his son. It made August much more likable given his course of actions. And you could tell how much he wanted to be reunited with his own father.

Least favorite scene: The last one. Regina was just the worst in that scene. Poor Sidney! I can’t help but wonder how she convinced him to take the blame. This scene really canceled out all the sympathy you could’ve felt for Regina during her scene with Gold. But I also can’t really sympathize with Emma here. She’s all out for blood which isn’t the Emma we’ve seen throughout the season. Emma was the person we were supposed to look up to. She did the right thing no matter how hard it was (think 1x08) and I feel like this scene unraveled that a little bit. And that “I’m gonna start playing an entirely different game” sounded more like “I’m gonna stoop to your level because there’s no other way to beat you” (which was exactly what she didn’t want to do). I do realize that even the best people can lose their footing when pushed (and Regina did push with all she had) but I still don’t like it. That scene made me sick to my stomach. By the way, Regina’s face in that scene is the one thing I liked because Emma just threatened to take away the thing she loved most, but her mask didn’t crack even for a second. Here we saw how well she’s mastered the theatrics she was only beginning to get into in the flashbacks of the last episode.

Favorite line:

Archie: Are you here for the rent?

Gold: Why does everyone ask that?

Maybe because that’s the only reason why you initiate interactions with people? I love how much that tells us about Gold’s cursed persona. We didn’t get to see much of him while he was under the Curse and this was a great way to give us a peek without actually doing it. They established his relationship with the entire town with just one line (that built off of two others but still).

Least favorite line: “You tried to take away someone that I love. And now... I’m gonna take away someone that you love. I’m taking my son back.” - Emma to Regina

It sounded like she was doing this as revenge and I’m sorry but I can’t support that. I love how Henry is very suddenly her son now. Newsflash, Emma, if you hadn’t given him up, you wouldn’t have to take him back now. Regina might not have been the best mother (they didn’t show any interactions of her and Henry during that specific period of time that made Emma flip out though and I feel like they should have) but she was still Henry’s mother which Emma seemed to discard completely in that scene and I just hated that.

This review was a real struggle. Why is it so much harder to pinpoint what you liked than what you didn’t? You know you liked it, you have so many thoughts about it, but you can’t put them into coherent sentences (btw, I’m sorry if this review is messy (I mean, messier than my other ones)). What I loved about this episode is that it found the perfect balance between telling its own story while also moving the main plot forward. Robert Carlyle left me speechless once again with his acting. Rumple’s character development was awesome and the mystery around August got even bigger (how did they do that?). Next time we’ll finally find out the true identity of this stranger though.