"Once Upon A Time" Episode 2 - The Thing You Love The Most

   So, I'm a week late posting this recap for Episode 2 of "Once Upon A Time" because life got in the way as usual.  In other words, the only day I wasn't scheduled to work last week was Monday, when I'm at college from 9am to 9:30pm.  I don't have a middle class anymore though, so I figured that I would knock it out right now while I could. 

Recap:

The first thing that we see is the miracle of the clock.  Of course they have to show MM/Snow's reaction, Emma's, Jiminy Shrink's, Ruby/Red's, and Henry's.  Then it shows Evil Mayor looking at the book of fairy tales, disgustedly at her picture.  She then goes to Henry and they get into an arguement about whether or not she's the Evil Queen.  Henry tells her that the clock has started and she sports a frowny face.  Going outside for a closer look, Jiminy Shrink tells her how great it is the clock has restarted.  Of course, she says looking like she wants to pull a rifle on that disobedient timepiece.  Evil Mayor goes to the B&B to threaten Emma some more and try to coerce her to leave town.  E is totally badass and refuses to bend.  Then we flash back to the FT world, and get a recap of the Evil Queen's threat to the Prince and Snow.  Only this time we get to see what happens afterward, when she poofs out of that Mother.  She's talking to some really old butler guy who is asking her why this is necessary.  Robo-Queen says Snow must pay, it's as simple as that.  Creepy magic mirror talks to her some and she decides to go get back some horrible curse she gave away, because she desperately needs it to follow through with the threat.  Turns out the friend she gave it to is none other than Maleficent!!!

Apparently you can spot evil every time - just look for some serious hair don'ts!

They bitch about their respective annoyances - i.e. Snow White and Sleeping Beauty and then EQ asks for the curse back.  Maleficent says no and they have a seriously bad-ass magic fight.  She asks EQ why she needs it and tells her she really shouldn't use it cause it's serious magic with consequences and a void will be left in her soul.  EQ takes it from her anyways just cause she can.  Next thing you know its the Congress of Evil and she's promising evil FT characters that they can get everything they ever wanted if they'll help her with the ritual.  She then threatens bodily harm to coerce them into it for sure.  Something that looks like a ginormous dust cloud blows up after she sacrifices her childhood pony's heart.  Turns out it didn't work.  Sucks to be Evil Queen.  One of the little dwarves laughs in her face and boo-yah!  Turned to stone and is now a garden gnome in Evil Mayor's garden!!!  EM is picking apples and newspaper guy comes to her and says that there wasn't much worth finding on Emma - at least not enough to destroy her.  If he wants to keep his job at "The Mirror" he'll do better.  Emma is at the diner and has conversation with hot Sheriff about what Mayor is up to.  Henry is there in another booth.  She walks him to school and they talk about a plan of attack.  Emma starts to eat an apple EM gave her but Henry freaks out.  He gives her the last pages from the book that talk about Emma and tells her that he needs her to keep them from EM so she doesn't find out who Emma is. 

Father/Daughter portrait - how sweet! :)

MM/Snow and Emma have a conversation about why she decided to stay for Henry.  Turns out Emma thinks he's a little off his nut. MM/Snow warns Emma not to destroy Henry's imagination/coping mechanism with her skepticism.  Emma gets that broody frowny face that it genetic.  She decides to go see Jiminy Shrink to find out more about Henry.  JS gives her Henry's file and then when she leaves he calls Evil Mayor!!!  Turns out it was a set-up and EM blackmailed him into it.  Now she's going to make him lie to Sheriff Hottie and get Emma arrested for burglary!!!  And just that happens!  EM goes to gleefully tell Henry that Emma was arrested and how disturbed she is.  MM/Snow asks if it's important cause they're in the middle of a lesson.  EM totally shuts her down.  Henry tells EM that he knows it's her fault and he doesn't believe her.  That is either one very shrewd or very deranged child peeps!  Mugshot time!!!  Is it just me or does this seem to last forever?  Sheriff Hottie totally just wants extra pictures for later.  Henry shows up with MM/Snow who bails out Emma!!!  I love MM/Snow, she's just such an awesome person.  Of course the next natural segue is for Emma to be chopping off part of the Mayor's beloved apple tree.

That's how a bitch gets even - minus the stupid expression.

EM and Emma trade verbal threats some more, with Emma threatening to cut down the rest of the tree if she comes after her again.  Then she walks off cause she is just that awesome.  Meanwhile, Evil Queen is bitching to Old Butler Dude that the curse didn't work.  He yet again tries to talk her out of it but she decides to go ask the person who gave her the curse in the first place what she did wrong.  That means a trip to the castle dungeon to see Rumpy!  EQ asks why the curse didn't work and Rumpy says that he'll tell her for a price.  That it's her fault, the curse is still good.  She agrees that in the new world he'll be rich and she'll give him whatever he wants as long as he says 'please.'  Of course, this is extremely dumb of her but she thinks he won't remember.  Bish please!  He tells her that her sacrifice was insulting and that she has to kill the thing she loves the most to enact the curse.  Also, he lets slip how upset and worried Snow and the Prince are about her curse; that their baby is the only thing that can stop her. Rumpy also warns her of the void it will leave inside of her.  EQ is willing because she is desperate to make Snow pay.  Emma returns to Granny's B&B only to be evicted.  Of course the EM is behind it.  She can't keep Emma in jail so she'll try to get rid of her other ways.  Hottie Sheriff comes to see EM who is trying to do damage control in her garden.  She wants him to arrest Emma, but he tells her that even though he will, to think of what her constant attacks will do to Henry. 

How is she not tapping that???

Emma is walking down the street, when EM calls her and pretends to be trying to make peace.  Emma finds her car looking like it's gonna be towed.  She agrees to meet EM at her office to talk about Henry.  They talk about the therapy and Emma reveals that she thinks it's seriously unhealthy that Henry thinks everyone's from a fairy tale.  She even uses the word 'crazy' and of course Henry overhears because he comes to EM's office every day at that time.  Just another form of sabotage.  You are not taking my son that easily, Blondie!  Evil Queen is having yet another gabfest with Old Guy Butler.  OMG!  It's her Father!  He's what is most important to her and therefore what she'd have to sacrifice.  Daddy tells her that she just needs to let it go, that she can be happy again if she gives up the power and revenge.  She looks like she might actually be considering starting over with Daddy.  But then she gives him a big sad-eyed hug and stabs him in the gut!!! 

Patricide, the surest way to cut all family ties AND make someone look like a bug-eyed fish, all at the same time!

Emma goes to see MM/Snow and it seems like she might just split and run cause of the problem with Henry.  Turns out that her, Emma and Henry all drink cocoa with cinnamon!  They must be related y'all!  NOT!  That is such a dumb set-up for biological similarity!  MM/Snow convinces Emma to stay and fight to make Henry's life better, to look out for him.  The deep discussion makes them all happyfaced.  Henry is with Jiminy Shrink yet again and looks all dejected and completely crushed.  Emma shows up asking for a second chance.  Turns out it was supposedly all a plot to stop EM from suspecting that they know the truth!!!  Just to make sure the EM doesn't get the pages Emma burns them!  And she promises to stay to help Henry.  They have a touching Mother/Son moment. 

This is the only picture without evidence of Emma's inability to have a normal facial expression!

Evil Congress meets again minus the stone dwarf.  Second time is a charm and the curse is set in motion!  Wow, that thing would give a person some serious asthma!  EQ visits her Daddy's grave and it turns out his name was Henry!!!  So there is our confirmation that she definitely remembers everything!  Mr. Gold comes to see EM.  She wants him to get rid of Emma for her.  She is gloating about having separated Henry from her.  Oh snap, Goldy just saw them walking down the street!  Turns out Goldy owns lots of shiny stuff.  EM threatens said shiny stuff.  He tells her to move out of his way and let him leave.  She refuses but then he gleefully says 'please' and she does so against her will with a gobsmacked expression.  I guess EM isn't the only one who remembers everything!!!  A lot of serious stuff went down in the third episode, which has Prince and Snow's origin story and some badass stuff involving John Doe/Prince waking up because of MM/Snow.  I will have a full report up for y'all within the next few days.  Until then, welcome to Storybrooke!