Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-27060727-20170222030619/@comment-31564770-20170506173950

When I first heard the musical ep was a thing I was actually a bit scared. I know full well that musical episodes can very easily go south and become super cheesy. All in all, when it comes to stuff like this, I'm a skeptic. However, that all changed when I heard TQS/LDSAC when they released it on twitter earlier this week. I was expecting the EQ singing to be unbearably weird, but even though there was some weirdness to it I thoroughly enjoyed that song. I might even make it my ringtone. The rock aspect of it actually worked well with her character, as did the lyrics. It all combined to match the EQ perfectly. If I had to use three phrases to describe it, I'd go with "gets right to the point" "doesn't mess around" and "such a blunt instrument." The EQ, as well, is by her nature a very emotional person who has her goals and will stop at nothing to achieve them. She doesn't play games. The only reasons she's hired assassins to go after Snow is because with the huntsman she knew that if she went and straight up murdered her herself the kingdom would revolt. Of course, when the huntsman failed, she threw diplomacy out the window and used fear tactics to suppress her people while she went on a rampage after Snow. And of course, the second assassin in the Count of Monte Cristo was only because she physically couldn't do it herself because of Rumple's spell. Basically, this song matched her perfectly in that just like its singer the song is quite emotional and doesn't mess around. So, I enjoyed it. There's also the added bonus of when is it not fun to watch the EQ terrorizing people while singing a rock song against her will? I also enjoyed Zelena's song, because Wicked is one of my favorite musicals of all time and you can definitely hear the influence from that in there. It's very cleverly done so that there isn't any doubt that it's reminiscent of Wicked yet it's also Zelena's own thing. Also, that line about "What they call green with envy, I just call looking good" is classic Zelena. It's quite well done. The other two songs I enjoyed were Emma's Theme, because it's really cool that it's set to Emma's song from the entire show and because Jennifer is a great singer. And of course, I adore A Happy Beginning because it's just so symbolic of the show overall. It's that moment where everyone outright acknowledges what the whole show is about: there will never be a happy ending, because there's always evil out there, but by banding together they can overcome anything and still be happy. I think probably the best set of lyrics from the song, both in terms of symbolism and in terms of cool creative lyrics, is "If we're facing endless night/ take my hand and join the fight/ past the clouds we'll find the stars/ a happy beginning now is ours" because they're saying no matter what darkness comes at us we'll stand strong together and break through the darkness to find the light again. It's just awesome. Plus I think that overall it's just a high quality song. The other thing I like is how all of the main cast is tacking stuff onto each other at the beginning. It both makes for a cool effect and builds the sense that they're all united. My one complaint is that I was actually able to make a game out of "Can you catch Regina's solo line" because you won't know it's her unless you really really look for it. That line I'm talking about, btw, is "Let villains cast their curses." The only reason I knew it was her is because I looked at the lyrics on the wiki beforehand. Nobody else I've shown it to has gotten it. It just doesn't sound like her at all.

Anyways, that's me raving over those four songs, now onto the two I don't like. Hook's song is objectively good in terms of singing etc, but it isn't anywhere near as catchy as the others in my opinion. That's really the only reason I don't like it. Now onto the one I really hate: Powerful Magic. I get that if you're doing a song with Snow and Charming, you gotta do some Disney in there, but I mean come on! Opening with a bird singing? Really? REALLY? The whole thing is unbearably sugary sweet in my opinion. I'm listening to it for the first time and my reaction is the same as the EQ watching Granny sing in her mirror. That is to say, (wince, grimace, wince) MY EARS ARE BLEEDING MAKE IT STOP. Nothing against those who do enjoy it, I just personally don't care for it.