Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25926288-20161003005933/@comment-24674051-20161003175115

Regarding Bashful, I thought Archie referred to him as his '4 o'clock appointment', or something to that effect. However, Archie revealing anything about Bashful would be breaking Confidentiality, and that is something that I think Archie would avoid unless threatened. So I'll have to rewatch.

Now, as for my thoughts for the episode in general...

Interesting Episode last night. The entire story felt well crafted, and much better than much of what we’ve seen in the past couple of seasons. Hopefully they can continue with this feel. The flashback was, I thought, better than some of the previous ones. Regina’s introduction to the Count did not feel contrived like some of the other backstories, though it was amazing that they still managed to get a Rumple relationship to the backstory character, and also tied him to the means that the character was able to escape to the LoUS.

The good:

 Regina was looking for a way to defeat Snow and Charming in the EF after her ability to harm them had been removed, showing both character and plot consistency. Emma taking the counseling sessions seriously. Her first session was very realistic, with Emma storming out of the session. But then she comes back after another incident of the hand tremors. Also, in the 3 main storylines, there was actual honesty and character interaction. Emma was honest (at least with Archie) about what was going on, which bodes well for being able to deal with the situation. Regina was immediate with opening up to Snow and Charming as soon as she understood the situation with the Count. And Killian was, I thought, very honest (and sincerely remorseful) in his conversation with Belle. So, while there might be a still a little bit of truth concealment, the characters all grew just a little. Henry’s insight at the end. While still a bit cheesy on the delivery, it was insightful in the comparison between what we saw in season 1 and what we might be seeing in season 6, and how they are going to need to proceed in resolving the untold stories. Regina’s handling of the Count at the end. At no point did she resort to darkness (despite what the EQ wanted her to believe). She tried to reason with the Count. She tried to physically stop him without harming him (and we got to see Regina as a reasonably well-trained sword fighter, which was a bonus). And when all else failed and the Count was ready to complete his quest by killing a defenseless Snow and Charming, she did what needed to be done. Regina took a page straight out of David’s book, so if you are going to call Regina dark for what happened on the Dock, then David is equally as dark. The Count was an interesting character with a quick development into the confliction that would be appropriate for him. And rather than keep that story going, they (rightfully, in my opinion) made him a One and Done (He can work out his issues with Cruella or Arthur). And the realization by Henry that the story ended wrong is an interesting take that maybe they will make mistakes getting the stories to play out. 

The Bad

 Ok, I was seriously creeped out by the EQ making a play for Rumple. I never saw that kind of desire in Regina in the EF, and definitely did not see it in SB. That was a play that came out of the blue. Fortunately, based on Gold’s response, I think he was just as creeped out as I was.</li> EQ the all-knowing. Regina did not have all knowledge in the EF. So how is it she comes off knowing things?. Like her implication to David about his father?</li> Regina making it so Rumple could not hurt the count. Nice try, but the reason that the charm worked when Rumple helped Snow is that Regina attacked Snow with an enchanted blade (or at least that is how I understood what happened). The Count never tried to hurt Rumple, so how was Regina able to pull off turning the tables?</li> EQ trying to use the ploy of Regina stopping/killing the Count to show Regina that she was still dark. That plot trick did not with Emma (The Queens of Darkness, anyone?), so why should it work with Regina now?</li> </ul>

Stray observations:

 The “lucky charm” that Regina got from Rumple. Just the fact that Rumple had that bauble in his shop means that there must be some importance, and that it relates to David’s dad means that maybe things are not as they seem (How the EQ knows about this is another matter entirely). Clever way, in my opinion, of putting that pawn on the board without distracting from main story.</li> Glad to see that Henry did retain possession of “Once Upon a Time, Part II” book. There’s hope that the writers will develop his character.</li> Belle having a real interaction with someone, and Killian in particular. And, I’m glad they dealt with the elephant in the room regarding potential ulterior motives for Killian providing assistance as a means to get back at Rumple. They did not deny an awareness of those motives, but by addressing them, they made it clear that (in my opinion) those motives were not the driving force behind Killian’s offer of assistance.</li> The characters in Granny’s. It is definitely clear that we will be getting the 3 Musketeers at some point, as well as something from Victorian England. I did not recognize some of the other characters, but the Musketeers were very obvious. I’m excited to see how they will fit in. And just a bit of thinking, that could be quite a swashbuckling story, and we may get to see all of the trained sword fighters in town participate (well, at least David, Killian, Regina, Snow, and Emma, though getting Thomas and Philip involved would be nice as well, though I am not holding my breath for the latter).</li> Zelena? Her place in the stories is still unclear? She is clearly not Team Regina, but I get the sense she is not entirely Team EQ either. They need to find something to bring her into one of the main story lines, even if it does happen with Team EQ. That would be better than sitting on the sidelines (though I can’t fault them for having Zelena take time to actually care for her baby).</li> Line of the night does go to Zelena, though. I don’t remember the exact quote, but her reference to “…Riding around in those infernal contraptions, when you can just poof where you want to go”. That observation, at least for Emma, Regina, and Gold, is spot on, and Zelena has clearly decided she’s not getting her driver’s license.</li> </ul>