Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25926288-20160516005939/@comment-28162607-20160519081050

As I got very sidetracked the last time, I'll try to restate my beefs with this episode:

-Snow blaming herself for "helping bring the EQ into the world." I know it's Snow's personality-hell I would be prone to doing that-but it was the fact that no one denied it. Snow did not birth the EQ, she was an innocent victim manipulated by Cora. If anyone brought the EQ into the world, the blame should fall on Cora, Rumple and Regina, not Snow.

-The EQ being separated from Regina. My problem with this is that any blame for Regina's past actions (or anyone the EQ hurts this season) will now fall on the EQ not her (despite the fact that Regina and the EQ are the same person). I know, wait until season 6, but I still have low expectations. That and you can't just erase all the dark parts of yourself to avoid dealing with (well-deserved) karma. If you have to physically remove and kill you bad parts to make sure you aren't tempted by them well what does that say about you?

-Emma being Regina's punching bag. Emma had just got her boyfriend back after losing him twice and Regina threatened him again. Regina stood in front of the woman who was a former Dark One and told her she doesn't understand darkness (she does Regina but obviously no pain compares to yours). And then there was unfairly criticising her ability to find people-"I won't hold my breath"-completely rude and uncalled for. Why Regina felt the need to belittle Emma's talent is beyond me.

-And on that point, Regina's "I keep suffering." Know who else suffers? Emma Swan, who in the past six weeks alone became the Dark One and lost her boyfriend twice. Killian Jones, who (unwillingly) became the Dark One, died, was tortured and mauled and lost his brother and girlfriend and found out that his ex was currently residing in eternal torment. Snow, who was disowned, hunted like an animal and terrorised and yet she never stopped doing good just because she was suffering. Yet did either of them sit and say "Well why should I do good, I keep suffering?" No they didn't. It's called life, Regina, suck it up.

-Henry criticising Emma. "You thought she was going to go all Evil Queen again." "I'm sorry I should have trusted Regina." Given Regina's past history, it was completely reasonabe for Emma not to trust her.

-Henry's "I want to destroy magic" quest. You would think he'd have learned by now that magic is not the problem it's the person using it.

-The Captain Swan kiss. I know how much of a big thing it was for Emma to be able to say 'I love you', walls down and not when they are in imminent danger. But after 20 episodes of the going through metaphorical and literal hell, I would have expected a "Let's go home" and a shot of them moving into their new house at least.

-It felt more like the beginning of season six than the end of season 5. While they could have been neatly tying up Camelot (seriously where was Guinevere. Is she still cursed), freeing the Lost Souls and actually acknowledging and talking about Emma and Killian's trauma, they simply got in with the season 6 plot to leave it on a cliffhanger.