Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25926288-20160307020620/@comment-24674051-20160307183814

All I have to say is "Wow!". After the mess they made of the Winter Finale (and it wasn't quite as bad as I remembered upon rewatch), they roll this gem out. There were definite moments of pure fun, and then there were some really emotional moments. Plus they FINALLY tied up one of the questions we've been asking for a while, which is how Henry, Sr, ended up in Cora's vault back in season 1.

The Good:


 * Right off the bat, the scene with Neal. He's NOT in the underworld but evidently in a better place where he belongs. His concern for his family before he gets down to business. That one scene wrapped up Neal nicely.


 * Underworld Granny's - The Blind Witch was light, and somewhat likeable.  I hope they do a little bit more with Emma Caulfield, it would appear her talents were underused in her first appearance in season 1.  Also, James appearance in the cafe was just funny, and showed a continuity of his character (as a complete D-Bag)


 * Regina and Daddy reunion - Ok, that whole storyline was emotional. They spent the right amount of time finishing that story, complete with the Forgiveness from Daddy, and the brief (and satisfactory) meeting of the Henrys. And, as mentioned previously, they filled in the last piece of the puzzle regarding how Henry Sr ended up in Cora's vault in Wonderland.


 * Hades - The brief appearance and introduction to Hades at the end of the episode left no doubt that he will be the primary antagonist. Anybody else (like Cora) probably just have some sort of Deal with the Devil, and are collateral damage.


 * Set up for the entire SB gang to be the saviors of the Underworld. This definitly has a Season 1 feel to it, as it looks like they may be finding people from their past that have unfinished business, and helping them move on, in a series of single episodes, while having the Operation:Firebird subplot interweaving throughout. And it puts the whole gang (and it looks like Regina in particular) square in the crosshairs of Hades, who apparantly does not like souls moving on from his Realm.


 * the unity of the Nevengers. David had his brief moment of clarity when he expressed what I think everyone was thinking, in that they were all going to stay and help emma. With the sole exception of Gold, this has to be the most complete show of solidarity among all the members.

The Could have been better (I honestly did not see anything that was truly bad)


 * Cora and Regina - their meeting and development seemed to be rushed. But since I don't think this is the last we'll see of Cora (I mean, Regina needs to remove the Miller's daughter rags from her Mom now), I'll let it slide.


 * Rumple and Pan - see comment above. The meeting between Rumple and Pan seemed very rushed. Again, I think we'll see more of Pan, so I'll reserve final judgement until the completion of the arc.


 * and on Rumple in General, I was not impressed with how he is being an even bigger self-centered jerk than he was in Neverland. Although, again, there may be reasons that will become apparant later.

Funniest Moments


 * Just about any time Regina spoke. She had some of the best lines.  Even her opening "I don't think we're in Maine anymore", which was an obvious call out to Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, was well delivered.


 * James walking in and laying one on an unsuspecting Snow. Well delivered. (and I'm sure Josh had no comlaints about delivering that scene).


 * Jiminy jumping out of Snow's blouse. (Though, honestly, what WAS he doing in there in the first place? Awkward).


 * Hades knocking Cora down a few rungs on the Social Ladder. That whole conversation.

Overall, it was a very effective setup for the rest of the Arc (particularly if they stick with the more Season 1 feel to the episodes).

And the Promo, "we need Snow White", coming from Regina no less. It's about time they elevated Snow back to her former BA self. I'm excited.

Question: Is Hades desire to keep the souls in the Underworld, rather than letting them move on, against what his mission should be (which is letting them actually resolve their business and move on)? If that is the case, I can see that causing a big conflict among the Gods, and that in turn may allow Once to bring in other Greek Deities, to put Hades back in his place.