Once Upon a Time 2.09: Queen of Hearts

The first thing that struck me about Queen of Hearts was how un-surprising it actually was. None of the twists were too unexpected; the episode went the direction I thought it would and ended exactly the way I predicted. But even so, I still thought it was just as fun as the past few episodes before it, and I think that’s down to me being able to forgive the show for putting intelligent writing and characterisation ahead of cheap thrills.

Even an idiot could have seen what the deal was with that piece of parchment Emma and co. found. Emma was on a hot streak of being a “not idiot” for so long, I guess she was overdue a blonde moment or two. Kudos to Snow for figuring it out in the end, though! Even bigger kudos to Aurora and Mulan who stuck by their new companions, and sacrificed a lot to help Snow and Emma get back to their loved ones, just as they should have done.

The reunion went exactly as it should have, too. Emma saw Henry again (loved that part), Snow woke Charming with true love’s kiss, and Regina was left in the cold. Well, I was kind of hoping that she might have been given a pity invite to join the cheese brigade for dinner, but I guess she’s not there yet. Rumplestiltskin might have stalled her growth for a while, too. Judging by her misty expression, I think she finally understands that the road to redemption is a long one; can she stay the course?

Cora and Hook’s determination did exactly the trick to bring them to Storybrooke, just as we all knew it would. One thing I didn’t know, and it’s one thing that changes Cora’s motivations for finding her daughter again, was that she is doing it all for Regina’s sake, or at least her own twisted version of her daughter’s best interests.

So, as a mid-season finale, Queen of Hearts did its job to a T. There was excitement, maybe not too many shocks, some great character moments, and it all finished on a really exciting note. Now that Cora and Hook are finally top-side, what kind of havoc will they wreak? Something tells me Regina and Rumple will be the first people to know.

8/10

Plus

Another thing we didn’t know; Cora was responsible for one part of the Enchanted Forest avoiding the curse.

One thing we did know, or at least guess: Cora is the Queen of Hearts. How she became that after Regina banished her we still don’t know.

Aurora and Mulan are going to try and save Philip, but without Snow and Emma around to keep their story a part of the show’s central narrative, will we care enough to follow them through that journey?

Emma has some magic inside of her, which was what stopped Cora from taking her heart. What other untapped magical abilities does she have?

How amazing was Emma knocking Hook out?!

He Said, She Said

Emma: “I’m the saviour, and I’m not doing much saving, am I?”

Regina: “Your grip on my heart is just too strong, and for what I need to do, you can’t have any weakness.”

Also posted at Billie Doux.