It's been a long time in coming, but we finally have an official poster for Once Upon A Time that features none other than our favorite pirate captain! I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for that to happen, and while the flaming apple is a bit weird, I do suppose it fits with the underworld theme that's prominent in the second half of Season 5.
All in all, the story here is that Hook sacrificed himself for Emma and for Storybrooke, but in reality Gold just sort of screwed him over and now Emma, along with half the town apparently, is on a mission to get him back. It's funny because usually when a character dies on a show, they tend to stay dead. That's not always the case on Once, especially with all the flashbacks, but it seems that even after 300 years, Hook will still be making his way back to the world of the living, or at least that's the hope.
The first episode introduced us to the entire new arc for this second half, including a new realm: The Underworld. The red was an interesting choice, although the fact that it's literally just another Storybrooke is sort of weird. It is nice to see characters we haven't seen in a while, and to be introduced to some new ones as well. It seems many of the former inhabitants of Storybrooke have made quite the little home down there.
Oh, and I should probably say something about it being the 100th episode of the show, which is a huge milestone for something like this! While I wasn't entirely impressed with this particular episode (the writing of Regina's birthday to fit the occasion seemed a bit forced to me), I think we should definitely still be celebrating. After all, Once Upon a Time was a show that no one expected to last the first season. In fact, most expected it to be canceled early on. And yet, something worked, and now it's one of the biggest shows on TV with a huge fanbase, myself included. The fact that there's been way more than 100 Sunday nights since I watched that first episode back in 2011 is a little terrifying, but it's still a cause for some cake!
Cardboard Colin and I celebrated simply by watching with our friends, like we're so used to doing, and live tweeting the episode! You can follow our cardboard friend on Twitter if you haven't already!
Let me know what you thought of the Mid-Season Premiere of Once Upon A Time!
Just a note that if you've yet to watch the first episode of Once Upon A Time Season 5, there will likely be spoilers ahead!
In an odd turn of events, the 1000th day of Everyday Disney actually landed on another important day in my life: the Season 5 premiere of my favorite TV Show, Once Upon A Time. To be honest, I was kind of distracted during the episode itself, but that's what happens when you live tweet on two twitter accounts, are fangirling, and trying to actually watch the episode and make connections. Luckily, I've somehow managed to determine a few favorite moments from the premiere:
While I may have missed this spectacular shot while watching live (I happened to be sending the below tweet, which ended up being favorited by Liam (Arthur) himself, so I guess it isn't a total loss, I rewatched the scene this afternoon in the only 5 minute break I've really had all day, and I have to say that it makes WAY more sense now why my friends all went "Woahhhhh" last night. I'm honestly curious to see how this all connects, but in my opinion, it's one of the most clever integrations of another story line ever on this show. I was a bit cautious as to Camelot coming on and how they would fit with everything that's happened, but the dagger being part of Excalibur absolutely restored my faith in this new Arc.
Aside from the fact that this was clearly a CaptainSwan moment, this speech from Hook was beautifully written, and took me right back to the Season 3 premiere where Emma gave a similar speech to the people now there for her as they attempted to save Henry. Even better? This time it was a former villain turned hero giving the speech to a hero turning into a villain. As backwards as that sounds, this moment for Emma was so important. For the first time in her life, here is this person really willing to stand up for her and fight for her no matter how terrible she fears she will become. Killian isn't afraid of her, and he's not going to give up on her, and that's exactly what Emma Swan needs.
So maybe the above moment is included simply because I missed it in the episode and needed to make up for that fact by having it forever repeating on my blog. Bonus for you though! Enjoy your wink from Hook!
Sneezy dressed up as Emma was definitely a highlight of the episode for me. I love Gabe (Sneezy), and he's a wonderful person, so to see him get a hilarious moment in the spotlight was great. The fact that he was turned to stone by the new Dark One, on the other hand, was not. I may have screamed out "NOOOO" longer than was probably acceptable.
As the first official footage any of us saw of Season 5, I remember sitting in the D23 Expo OUAT Panel room with my hand over my mouth as we watched this scene. Even last night, as I watched it again, I had the same reaction. I've never been quiet about the fact that I'm a huge fan of Colin O'Donoghue, but if you don't recognize how spectauclar his acting is in this scene, then I think you need to get your eyes checked. He so perfectly portrays the underlying hurt beneath the hard exterior we've come to expect from Hook. And yet, bits of it slip out: his lashing out at Robin, his stunned silence before he ventures to the dagger, and not even the pure want for Emma to return, but the need for her to return. It's a theme we continue to see throughout the episode, and I'm so thankful for the writing for his character so far this season. We all knew Hook would be central to Emma's Dark Storyline, but his pursuit to find his Swan is brilliant on paper, and even more spectacular when O'Donoghue brings it to life. Well done, Sir!
Of course, I think a huge moment for all of us was the conclusion of the episode, where the Dark Swan finally appeared. There's definitely a lot left to be revealed this season, and I'm excited to see it all unwravel before our eyes. What did they do to Emma that caused her to curse them all back to Storybrooke? Where's Arthur? What happened in the last six weeks? What happens next? WE ALL NEED TO KNOW THE ANSWERS! On a side note, let's take a moment to appreicate two things: the OUAT Costume Department and Jennifer Morrison's acting. So much of the acting in this episode was so well done, and while I know I just ended with the Colin O'Donoghue praise, I think we need to think about just how different this is from the Emma we've seen in the last four seasons. In a matter of seconds, Morrison managed to send a shiver up my spine, and I had already prepared myself. Truth be told, I'm so ready to see where Dark Swan goes next, and I, as always, eagerly await the next episode.
Other honorable mentions:
- The Wookiee Gag Mention. Just yes Hook.
- CHIEF! As an English Major who actually really enjoyed reading Cuckoo's Nest in High School, the references to the novel whenever they enter the basement of the hospital astonish me. Cheif's presense will forever be my favorite reference in all of Once Upon A Time!
- Zelena's storyline is sure to get interesting as we move forward, that's for sure. I definitely found compassion for her in this episode I haven't felt in some time, and I have to applaud Bex for her acting as well!
- Pretty much everything Merida related! The poor brothers! Hopefully we'll find them!
- King Arthur. Just King Arthur. I knew weeks before the premiere that he would be on my favorite character list, and while he only spoke a few words, I'm definitely loving Liam in the role!
And finally, as usual, I DisneyBounded for the episode! Not surprisingly, my premiere outfit was inspired by Dark Swan, and I'm excited to share some of the other DisneyBounds I have coming up later this season!
If you watched the premiere, share your comments below! This Oncer would love to hear them!
Yes, I do LOVE Once Upon A Time, and Yes, I AM trying to get everyone I know to watch it because I want it to continue for a very long time (or at least for like...Season 5...but let's get through Season 4 first). So of course I'm trying to catch one of my close friends up on the entire series. It started several months ago, when we began at the beginning of the show and slowly made our way through seasons one and two. Back then she swore she would never like Captain Hook or ship CaptainSwan like I do, but it seems those days are over.
Now we're over halfway through Season 3, and she's been going crazy. I regularly check the #CaptainSwan tag on Instagram, and I generally know most of the spoilers for the upcomming season, although I'm trying to be better about it this time (it's not working). All else aside, I'm a huge CS shipper. No doubt about it.
What I didn't expect was for a front row seat for the "This is what Lizzie looks like when freaking out" show.
My friends are always teasing me about how much I am addicted to this show, but we've previously discussed why that is. About how in reality this show is like my constant and I need it to survive and it gives me something to look forward to each and every week and so on and so forth. And when we watched the season finale, my friends debating videoing me just so I could see what I look like when I freak out.
Turns out we don't need that at all, because my friend is going to show me anyways, only it won't be her pretending to be me. No, she's freaking out all on her own. Megan and I, both of whom are caught up on the show and have been patiently waiting for Season 4 for the past however many days, are kind of evil though. When she wants to watch Once we spend as much time as possible doing random crap just to make the "hiatus" for her longer, which is generally only a day or two. But boy is it going to be a good time when we get to the end of Season 3 and she still has to wait at least a little bit of the hiatus that's left until Season 4.
My biggest accomplishment here though is the simple fact that I got one of my friends super addicted to Once Upon a Time, just like I am. And it really is entertaining to watch her flail around because she ships CaptainSwan so much. It's a new experience for me since I'm generally the one doing the flailing and freaking out. Some of it is real, most of it is acting, but one thing is for sure: it's seriously entertaining.
Hello to my faithful blog readers, if there's any of you out there. I actually have no idea how any people read this, other than my general stats on views to the site in general, but whether you're just finding me or have been here for a while, just silently lurking, welcome.
I figured that after about two weeks of silence I should let you guys know that I am indeed still alive, I'm just super busy. Finals this semester is paired with the 2 Hour Season Finale of Once Upon A Time, meaning that I'm freaking out for just about every reason possible. I'm half on a social media hiatus, which will go into full effect on Sunday evening, since I won't be watching the season finale until Monday since my friends and I all have a Monday morning final to study for. Will I probably go insane? Yeah, but somehow I'll make it through the two hours which I'll spend in the library or music building, and then retreat back to my dorm room to will away the hours until I can see it.
This need for the finale is not being helped by my final research paper in Classic and Contemporary Fairy Tales, since I'm writing mine on the element of hope within fairy tales, specifically in the respect that it is necessary to keep fairy tales relevant in newer adaptations such as, you guessed it, Once Upon A Time. It's like a mix of a psychological and cultural analysis of fairy tales, and I'm actually quite excited to dig in and write it...if I can ever get myself to start. I guess I don't really want to write it because that means that the semester, and freshman year, is almost over, and I'm just not ready for that yet. I feel like I just got here and now I'm almost done with my first year! Crazy!
Anyways, I also have a bunch of music stuff going on, which is always a joy, and once I finish my paper, I've got reading and studying to do for just about every class before finals next week. In other words, the next 6 days should just be a real joy. But hey, finals. That's a thing. And, since I promised it, here's some Once inspired finals motivation:
Now, after the last episode especially I'm really not a Rumple fan, but I had to share these anyways, even if I do prefer this one:
Yeah, that one along with the "Not Studying? Bad Form" one might just be on my desk, although everything's going to have to move in a couple of days when we take our lofts down (NOO!) In general though, yes, I am still in the land of the living, and don't worry, I've got a document on Google full of my upcoming blog posts, once I get around to actually writing them. Every day I've missed WILL be made up (and considering that after finals I'm spending three days watching movies with Megan, I think there'll be plenty to talk about). Plus, I've got another Disney trip coming up soon, and there's still a few days left of freshman year...which is plenty of time for new and random Disney references (like one I'm working on today...which will most likely end up being a blog post on one day or another).
Until then, note that I'm not on Instagram save for a few minutes on Sunday night to post my Disneybound for the finale (which I'm actually wearing on Monday). I'm also off of Tumblr for the week, and come Sunday night I'll be on NO SOCIAL MEDIA (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, Google, Instagram, etc.) for a period of about 18 hours. Don't worry, you'll know when I'm back. Oh yes, you'll know.
Good luck to everyone in my situation, also facing the cruelty of finals, and may the force be with you!
Since I'm writing an entire paper on Fairy Tales, and specifically on Once Upon a Time and probably a good portion of Disney as well, I took it upon myself to read a behind the scenes book on the show, just to get in the heads of the creators and the actors that bring it to life. Honestly it really did help me, and I bookmarked several pages just with information that I could use, but there was one part of the book that really pointed something out to me.
In the interview with the actor who plays Rumplestiltskin, Robert Carlyle, he mentioned that he loves the show partly because it's a family show. Now, if you watched the "Wicked is Coming" special back before the start of the second half of the season, you'll remember that Jennifer Morrison said the same thing, and I don't know about you, but everyone I was with ended up laughing at that one. But it's a valid point. As action packed and serious as Once Upon a Time is at some points, it IS a family show. The themes can be applied to so many people, and can teach you so much about life in general.
But that's not what caught my attention. In that same interview, Robert Carlyle said that it's interesting because he realized that Once is on during the time slot that used to be filled with The Wonderful World of Disney. This kind of shocked me, because when I thought about that, he's RIGHT. Once IS on during the time that used to be filled with Wonderful World of Disney, and that was just a weird thing to think about for me.
If you don't remember Wonderful World of Disney, that's alright. It's been a number of years (over 10 actually) since the show went off the air, but the way I remember it is specifically through Little House on the Prairie. Now everyone knows that I LOVE and ADORE that show (I've seen every episode), and it was actually through the Wonderful World of Disney that I got hooked on it. Meaning that ultimately, The Wonderful World of Disney has played a very important part in my life.
But what does this say about Once? I mean, Robert Carlyle mentioned that it's like ABC has been trying to find a replacement for that time slot for years, with something that pretty much the whole family could watch. Now, I agree, there are certainly some moments on the show that aren't really child friendly, but for the most part, he's very much right. Since 2003 it's been on and off with that 8/7 PM Time slot, and now we're in our third season of Once with that time. That speaks wonders about this show, and about how successful and absolutely brilliant it is.
I know I talk about Once a lot, I do. But it's funny because my family used to watch Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights, and then it stopped and I was really, honestly, saddened by that. Now, in my first year of college, many of my closest friends and I all get together and watch Once together. It's the best hour of the week, because for that hour we don't have to worry about the homework that's waiting for us back in our dorm rooms, or the tests that are coming up or anything. It's just awesome, and it brings it right back to the Wonderful World of Disney, and a show that we can all enjoy.
Although sometimes I'm pretty sure I enjoy it a little too much.
Have a magical day!
(Note: This blog post was written on April 22 due to Easter).
So I've been looking forward to this episode for months. Since I found out that it was obviously going to be Hook centric because, well, it's called "The Jolly Roger." I knew that we would get some sort of flashback to the last year, and we would obviously be addressing Hook's feelings for Emma. But I never expected this. Not in a million years.
The episode started great, and gosh there were a lot of great moments, but I don't know if it's possible to want to, at the same time, punch Hook while also hugging him. Like seriously that's how I felt. He goes from one side to the other faster than you can say his name, but I guess it's because he's heartbroken. He says it flat out that he is. You know, when he
BASICALLY ADMITS PLAIN AND SIMPLE THAT HE LOVES EMMA SWAN.
Yeah, that time.
And Zelena. No. I want to strangle her. She seems to be from the deepest, darkest depths of hell and I want to MURDER HER. How dare she do that! No. NO NO NO NO NO. Just NO!
Poor Hook.
And so, here are screenshots. I apoligize in advance for the incredible amount of Hook this week, but I want to point out that while this episode was beautifully written, Colin's acting here was basically the definition of perfection. In fact, Megan and I are having a conversation right now about how if it weren't for Colin, this episode wouldn't be as good as it is. Because as much as you can be an actor, to bring all these emotions straight to the surface? That's hard. And he does such a wonderful job of it.
So maybe I went a bit overboard (no pun intended) on the screenshots. But can we just take a moment to appreciate once again how wonderful this episode is? Not wonderful in the way of "YAY!", wonderful in the aspect that it's one of the most beautifully written in all of the series. It most certainly ranks in my top five episodes, if not in the top three (gaining that third spot with only Good Form and Going Home above it). That is an honor right there.
Plus, sometimes I just have to include the hilarious stuff along with the emotional heartbreaking moments. My thoughts? Who doesn't love froyo? Hook and his spyglass HAHAHA (until the end). The Jolly Roger is obviously a metaphor for Emma. I'm proud of Hook for turning down that woman, and Smee...you disgusting man. Also, that time when Emma Swan was a literal 5 year old. Don't touch anything. Yeah right. That twirl Eric does with Ariel? Best one I've ever seen. And Charming, you are an idiot. That's the last time you spend the day with your grandson! Seriously, you know you just proved a pirate to be a better caretaker than you are. Granted, he was teaching Henry the art of cheating, but at least he wasn't risking lives. Mary Margaret's expression perfectly describes how all of us felt during that scene.
And finally, my #1 thought: I wonder what Adam and Eddy could be up to. Hmmm..Hook either has to A) Kiss Emma or B) Not Kiss Emma and everyone dies. Huh...why in the world are we setting up a plotline that involves these two kissing. I have no idea! (Actually I do...but I'll let you figure that one out yourselves). Next week, and the weeks to come, however, shall be mighty interesting.
If I can ever figure out how to fix my broken heart.
Tonight's Disneybound was inspired by our favorite pirate (or the man he really is rather): Killian Jones! This is by far, once again, one of my favorites up to this point. I am seriously in love with this one. Would I wear it in public regularly? Probably not, but for one day it was pretty fun!
Have a magical day...but before we go, here's a real gem I screenshotted but didn't share before:
