Once Upon A Time 2.22 "And Straight On 'Til Morning" Review

                                             
Henry (Jared S Gilmore) is on the swing, isn't he too old for that and clearly school's out, or he doesn't bother going anymore, with Granny (Beverley Elliott) keeping guard as Gold (Robert Carlyle) shows up and has yet another one of his flashes, he makes the rope break so Henry will end up on one of the rocks.  He tells the others he lost Bae but he can still watch his grandson.  As Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Charming (Josh Dallas) break the news to him about Bae being shot by Tamara (Sonequa Martin-Green).  You'd have thought being the Dark One, he would have wanted to avenge Bae but no such luck there.  He lets his son go for a second time really.  He showed more passion when he was after Milah and Hook (Colin O'Donoghue).

Hook is with Tamara and Greg (Ethan Embry) as they set off the Failsafe to destroy Storybrooke, needing one of the dwarf's pick axes to do so.  Hook resigns himself to dying too to set their plans in motion, at least on the surface.  Regina (Lana Parrilla) wakes and finds the device has been activated, saying goodbye to Henry cos she knows she's never coming back, which is what Emma (Jennifer Morrison) tells her.  Regina is more resigned to the fact that it's better to be alive even if Henry will be alone in Storybrooke since he was born in this world.

Snow and Charming think they can find the beans and get everyone to safety.  Hook tells them what they plan to do and has a change of mind, he doesn't want to die.  The folk of the two are more willing for Snow and Charming to lead them as they have done so in the past and Archie (Raphael Sbarge) leads them on to agree to this.  Grumpy (Lee Arenberg) comes to the store to find Sneezy's (Gabe Khouth) beer mug and he tells him it's not stealing if it belongs to them.  Also the Blue Fairy has found a formula to make him remember.  She needed Pinocchio's hair for the final ingredient.  Grumpy gives a vial to Gold for Belle (Emilie de Ravin) so she won't have to die as Lacey.  She made him remember who he was once and he wants to help her now.

Gold mends the cup and gets Belle to drink from it, after she uses Bae's robe to mop up the spilt whiskey.  So they find each other, okay that's Snow and Charming's line but works for others too.  She's sorry he lost Bae.  He's sorry he brought her back to this but he needs her.  Charming and Hook arrive at the cannery, for the amount of time Tamara and Greg have been here, you wouldn't think they'd have brought so much with them and files too, in this day and age of technology and computers.  SO clearly whoever is behind the Home Office is not that big on technology again suggesting it goes back centuries, at least.

Charming says he's doing this for his family but Hook says he's doing this to save himself and that's motivation enough.  They fight and Hook manages to get his hands on a magic bean which is all they need. Tamara and Greg run and Hook doesn't let Charming go after them.  Only for Hook to take the magic bean even after Emma's speech of not being alone and he will be here.

Hook recalls rescuing Bae (Dylan Schmid) and finding out whose son he really is as the Lost Boys come on board to search for him.  'He' wants him.  Hook teaches Bae to sail the ship (which is why he knew how to sail it in when they brought it back to Storybrooke with Gold dying.)  Bae finds out Hook's father abandoned him too just like his own and also finds Milah's picture as he threatens him with a sword, as the Lost Boys take him this time.  Suppose Hook mentioning the mermaids was a reference to the Little Mermaid (wonder if he came to Bae's rescue.)

When they arrive at the mine, Emma finds Hook tricked them and took the bean, yes Emma don't bother checking the pouch when he gave it to you.  She thinks she can help Regina stop the Failsafe and together they do that, but Henry is taken by Greg and Tamara.

He says he doesn't want Bae but rather Peter Pan is in  search of Henry as we're shown his picture, that's why Tamara and Greg took him and jumped through the portal with him.  So there must be some connection involved with Wendy here.  Hook sails away but returns cos he wants to do the right thing and save the town, which he's told has already been done.  He can take them through the portal on his ship.  Gold wants Belle to stay and cloak the town cos the others will come and he doesn't think he'll be back. Cos Henry is his undoing but he's his grandson.  Well about that, there are plenty of boys involved and the Seer didn't exactly mention Henry by name, we've also got Peter Pan, the other Lost Boys, as well as Bae who ends up in the Enchanted Forest and is found by Aurora (Sarah Bolger) Phillip (Julian Morris) and Mulan.  Thought that was poetic justice for Bae to end up there now since he was away from it all those years and even wanted to leave it, not wanting anything to do with magic.

What with Gold showing some remorse and shedding tears over Bae and Regina crying cos she won't see Henry and it was all her fault, we finally get to see the villains show some compassion after being associated with evil for so long.  Especially since Hook comes to his senses and finds he no longer wants revenge on Gold, so they can use his ship.  Gold uses his globe once again and Hook tells him they're heading to Neverland in search of Henry.  SO everyone together on one ship.

Charming punching Hook cos he owes him and then threatening to use the gun on him if he doesn't spill (the beans - ha.) As for Tamara and Greg wanting Henry now and taking him to 'Him', it's like something thought of at the last minute.  Cos Henry's been around here  along time and no one thought of it.  SO they came here to rid their world of magic and yet used the magic bean to open a portal to escape, using magic, very clever! To end up in another magical world!  Oh can we just ensure we don't have to see them two next season.  Let's have Peter Pan get rid of them and feed them to the mermaids. Those mermaids must be pretty dark, aren't they meant to be sirens and not mermaids, which aren't really equated with being evil.

Thought Charming took that bean from Hook at the cannery, yet Emma let Hook swipe it back.  Also how could they have taken Henry when he was with Snow and Charming, not very clever losing him like that.  But how long can they keep evil away from Gold and Regina next season and will they go back to it.  Also how long will Hook try and help before being sucked up again by his own selfishness. Why couldn't the Blue Fairy protect Storybrooke? Or help with the Failsafe even if Regina made it.

Scandal 2.10 "One for the Dog" Review

                                        
Huck (Guillermo Diaz) is held at the Pentagon which CIA, NSA, FBI, Homeland Security guy tells David (Joshua Malina) is not American soil and gets a speech on patriotism from him after David tells him what he's doing is a violation of civil liberties and the law.  Like anyone's listening.  Huck is tortured, water boarded, beaten and still won't talk.

Elsewhere someone signs Fitz's (Tony Goldwyn) name to be reinstated as President and Olivia (Kerry Washington) has been distant with Edison (Norm Lewis).  She can't talk about Huck or her work and there needs to be a Chinese wall between them if they are to see each other.  He tells her they haven't had sex in over a week, (is that all, ha) and she tells him they can right now.  Edison also remarks on being saved by  the bell when her doorbell rings.  Edison is getting his mail at her place, it's a letter which mentions the President is awake and wants reinstatement.  Olivia rushes to the hospital but finds this isn't the case, Mellie (Bellamy Young) signed the letter and sent it out.  Does she really need reminding about it being treason and domestic terrorism.

Verna (Debra Mooney) admits she got Huck arrested but thinks Hollis (Gregg Henry) was the one who hired the assassin.  They have their table session, minus Hollis and Verna tells them Hollis has a second phone he keeps in his desk and was heard to be talking on there, she believes to the assassin.  Meanwhile, Harrison (Columbus Short) and Abby (Darby Stanchfield) talk to a woman 'friend' of Hollis's, Harrison tries to pick her up whilst Abby steals her keycard and breaks into Hollis's office to steal his phone, or rather the number he dials.  Hollis tells Langston (Kate Burton) he doesn't believe the President is awake and even with the press breaking the news and Cyrus (Jeff Perry) saying his office needs to be vacated, Langston wants to speak with Fitz.  Of course you know by the end of the ep all will be well and Fitz will be awake, which has nothing to do with Olivia actually resting her head on him.

Huck hears about Fitz and will only speak to his torturers  if he can talk to the people behind the glass.  He tells them if he's awake then his life is still in danger.  David tells Olivia he knows where Huck is and she comes up with a plan to have the President moved to Camp David for his safety and quick recovery. Knowing Hollis will call the number and get Becky (Susan Pourfar) to take another shot.  OH what they'd just wheel him out so someone can take pot shots for a second time, and doesn't that hospital have an underground garage?  Huck is released and he calls the number.  Becky is arrested and she tells him her real name is Kate, which Huck really isn't interested in and doesn't tell her his real name.

Huck is released into Olivia's custody.  James (Dan Bucatinsky) quits his job and he and Cyrus get their daughter from the hospital.  Quinn (Katie Lowes) knows Hollis killed her boyfriend and set her up and she wants to know why Olivia didn't turn Hollis into the FBI.  Just then the phone rings, as Olivia agrees to talk to her and she hears Fitz on the other end.  Right so whilst Mellie is being grilled by Langston about graphology and the 'T's being crossed by a right handed persona and not left, that Mellie signed the letter, Olivia is the first person he speaks with after Cyrus.

David's boss telling him about wearing the white hat but he's in the real world and this is how things are done. Again gotta ask about Olivia's white hat which hasn't been on in quite some time.   Also she and Edison are over which clearly shouldn't have begun in the first place since they were not right for each other, was probably just a way for Olivia to 'move on' from Fitz after their break-up in the restaurant.  Especially since he was also willing to"prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.  And guess what, I make the law..."
Olivia: "Goodbye Edison."

Though Mellie was a tad premature and hasty in sending in  the reinstatement papers, guess she didn't want to lose her First Lady position, it did give Hollis a chance to get out the assassin again and thus inadvertently get Huck released.  Huck saying he'll shoot Becky five times, one for the dog! Hence the title.

The Mentalist: Red John Seven Suspects Reviewed

                                                    
At the end of season 5 we were left with a list of seven suspects which Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) had narrowed down and coincidentally or not, these seven were also the ones on Red John's list he presented to Patrick too.  Have you made up your mind yet?  There's quite a lot to go on, maybe some of the following might help you, then again it might not.  It's an area any fan will and does get bogged down in!

Patrick Jane's list of seven suspects who all seem to sport the Red John cap/mantle in some form or another.

1 Bret Stiles: (Malcolm McDowell)                  
                                                              
Charismatic cult leader of the Visualize cult.  He can get anything done and get anyone to do it too.  Patrick and he have a kind of uneasy truce since they first met and Bret has been a suspect in some CBI investigations.  A lot of law enforcement agencies are after his head.  He was instrumental in the 'release' or re-appearance at least of Kristina Frye (Leslie Hope) when she was kidnapped, allegedly by Red John after she mentioned him on TV in the same way that Patty did and his family was killed by him. (The Blood on His Hands).

Kristina was a suspected Red John for many but seems this direction wasn't pursued and writer and producer Bruno Heller chose to keep Red John firmly a man.  Anyway, Bret has intimated on numerous occasions that he does have knowledge of Red John and whether that extends to being true or not has never really been proved conclusively.  He does seem to have the 'inside' on him and could be one of his accomplices.  Then again as in the past we've seen how most of Red John's accomplices/acolytes etc all end up, usually being killed, so the question is if he's really so close to Red John why was he never taken care of? Some may answer that with the reply cos Bret is Red John.

In which case why would he be so helpful towards Patrick even telling him he couldn't help when he wanted to get Lorelei (Emmanuelle Chiriqui) out of prison, trying to ensure Patrick didn't do the same.  Did he have insider knowledge that if she got out, she would, either, a) reveal something about Red John and overplay her hand, which she did when she told Patty he has shaken hands with Red John.  Or b) Patrick having feelings for her may get her to reveal other things about RJ.  However in His Thoughts Were Red Thoughts, Patrick did sort of play Bret when he was accused of murder and Patrick pursued the line of enquiry which would clear him of any wrongdoing.  (He has gotten away with other crimes in the past).  With Patrick admitting he did that so Bret would owe him a favour.

Suppose it could boil down to Brett just being a criminal mastermind.

2 Gale Bertram: (Michael Gaston) 
                                                      
He insisted on keeping Patrick around when the entire team were suspended.  Patrick even had Bertram wrapped around his little finger when he got the entire team reinstated in 4.2 Little Red Book.   Gale really doesn't know how to handle Patrick and so needs Lisbon around. Patrick also helped him to win at poker, so does he really not have much of a poker face, or was that all just for show.

There are many facets to Bertram.  He is Director of the CBI and what more powerful position can there be. He doesn't get on that well with Patrick, seeing as it was Virgil Minnelli (Gregory Itzin) who really wanted Patrick around as he could be so helpful to them.  In the third season he was also seen as the possible CBI mole which again Patrick proved to be Craig O'Laughlin (Eric Winter) Van Pelt's (Amanda Righetti) fiance. (Still want to know what happened with Van Pelt's necklace O'Laughlin gave her, considering we thought there was a bug inside it.)

It seems the media and media pressure is the only controlling factor that Patrick and Lisbon have against him since he's interested in protecting his image and that of the CBI.  In Red Sky At Night, Patrick tells Lisbon he has a feeling about Betram, whether or not this is related to RJ or just cos he's a stickler for maintaining a public image is hard to say.  He is one for quoting poems and specifically William Blake as in 3.16 Red Queen he quotes, "and when thy little heart doth wake, then the dreadful night shall break" from 'Cradle Song.'  Although LaRoche (Pruitt Taylor Vince) is the one who actually claims this as being by Blake.  RJ of course was into the The Tyger poem.  Todd Johnson (Josh Braaten) also said the title of the poem when he was dying.

SO appears it's not the poem, but apparently the poet who appears to have a significance to Red John for some reason. Anyway RJ must be as adept in reading people, or cold reading as Patrick is.

3 Ray Haffner  (Reed Diamond)
                                                    
hasn't been around that much on our screens at least, though he has been behind the scenes so wonder how much of an RJ suspect he could be.  He has admitted he is a member of Visualize to Lisbon (Robin Tunney) and to my knowledge she hasn't told Patrick about this.  To stick my neck out, for some reason he seems to be my number one suspect.  Okay now I've said that, or worst still written it down in writing, it probably won't be him.  Ray is a supervisory agent at CBI so is/was in a good position to know everything that's going on there and even to follow Patrick in his RJ investigation.  He also was Patrick's 'boss' in season 4.2 ep  and Patrick 'used' him to get the team back together  and we were first introduced to Ray in Little Red Book.

Patrick chose to 'mock' him frequently when he took him along for questioning at the gym, making Ray get Cho (Tim Kang) to spy on Patrick.  Was this a ruse to show he was unable to deal with Patrick himself, or did he just think Patrick would open up to Cho more since they've been together for four years.  A display of cunning on the part of RJ.  Then again it makes you wonder if he does have the intelligence to remotely come close to being Red John.

Ray however returned in Red Barn where he tries to recruit Lisbon into a private security company and lets her know he is a member of Visualize since he was a teen and how he was problematic as a teen and the Cult helped him.  He isn't pleased the killer of the Visualize member, Holly, isn't charged with murder but manslaughter.  Lisbon comes out and asks him if he was at Ellison Farm and she thinks he's guilty of the other two murders.  Ray doesn't reply which makes us even more suspicious of him.  Doesn't this reinforce how Visualize must have a connection to Red John, either through its members, some of them or Bret Stiles. But we haven't seen how much he's in favour with Bret, yet if he is Red John then it would show how Bret is so knowledgeable and how Visualize and Bret would have come to RJ, I mean, Ray's help as a teen.  Thus holding them in high regard and why Bret hasn't been silenced by him.

I agree with Lisbon that he was around at the time the Smiley face was drawn on the barn and clearly he could have been responsible for those two murders showing he had 'teen' troubles at that time. For a cult to be the only one to have been able to help him must show how disturbed he really was.  Also Ray is the only one who has been so closely associated with the red barn and the appearance of the Smiley face at such an early time.  As for his timing with asking Lisbon to come into the security firm with him, that was kind of, well, off.  I mean he could have asked her that when she was suspended and he was 'temporarily' in charge. She would have been more conducive to the idea of it.  Maybe he saw it as a chance to get her away from Patrick now when he asks her, or the fact Red John was on the hunt for a new lover.  Trying to entice Lisbon away from Patty cos it's something Red John would do.  If he can keep an eye on her, she's less likely to be trouble for him.  Would RJ really want to rid himself of Lisbon?  Though he wanted her head in the season 4 finale when Patrick went rogue. (The Crimson Hat).

4 Reede Smith: (Drew Powell)
                                                  
Don't know how much of a suspect Reede Smith could be since he only has made a guest appearance and hasn't been shown to be involved in much.  He is an FBI agent and is Gabe Mancini's (Ivan Sergei) partner.  We first saw him in 5.1 The Crimson Ticket.  The spotlight probably falls on him cos his name is an anagram for "red is me and theme is red."  Though this seems to be highly convoluted, since we haven't seen much involvement with him and Patrick.  A suitable case for a red herring perhaps.

5  Robert Kirkland: (Kevin Corrigan)
                                                           
first graced our screens in Red Dawn.  Having FBI connections with Alexa Schultz but that's only to be expected if he's Homeland Security (mentioned in If It Bleeds It Leads when he tells this to Lisbon.)  However his first meeting with Patrick wasn't in the normal sense as he shook hands with him in the corridor, with Patty asking, "do I know you."
Kirkland: "No, but I know you."  Which Patrick didn't deem strange or unusual, infact (I know it came towards the end of the ep) but Patrick didn't even give a second thought to it.  Suppose he would have after Lorelei's revelation of the handshake.  Usually Patrick isn't so complacent about such things.

Kirkland is interested in Red John and also Lorelei but he doesn't admit why he's here, seeing as Homeland Security wouldn't be involved in such cases.  We're meant to be suspicious of him for many reasons, including how he was with Alexa in the limo whilst she was on the phone to Minelli.  (Wonder why he wasn't listed as a suspect since I know many thought of him as a possible RJ - especially with his being so high up in the CBI.)

Kirkland's on the case in Red Sails in the Sunset and believes Patrick helped Lorelei escape, until they find his abandoned car.  In There Will be Blood, he makes another appearance, once again honing in on Lorelei but again we don't know why he's so interested in her.  Is it that RJ was unable to keep her in check like he was bale to with his other acolytes, but more importantly Homeland Security and specifically Kirkland is given carte blanche in the investigation.  Allowing him to get as much info as possible. Declaring Jason Lennon's house to be under his jurisdiction, again why?

Behind the Red Curtain is where Kirkland is meant to have shown his true colours (is that the colour red?) well he killed Lennon and lied to Patrick that he didn't say anything, but even if he asked Lennon if he knew him, that could be for any other purpose or case he's investigating.  Remember Homeland Security's remit are terrorist and national security cases.  Lennon's reply he doesn't know Kirkland and him asking that question was similar to Patrick asking if he knows Kirkland when they first shook hands.  SO there could be nothing in it.  Where would either one of them have known Kirkland from?

I personally don't think Kirkland is Red John, firstly he wouldn't need to go through the trouble of finding out what Patrick was hiding in his attic and wouldn't have sent his agents around to break in (Red Letter Day). Secondly with the revelation he was aware Lorelei told him about the handshake and that Patrick had narrowed down his list of suspects, he had the same information Patrick did.  Surely Kirkland couldn't have been so instrumental in narrowing down and compiling this same list.  I think Kirkland was put there for another purpose which we have yet to learn and is an ally for Patrick.

When Kirkland and Patrick met and shook hands, Lorelei was in prison, how would she then know of their meeting?  I know it sounds moot point. To bring Kirkland into play now as Red John would be an interesting theory since we are going to get the reveal in season 6 and another suspect for us, but he probably has other reasons for taking an interest. My gut feeling is it's not him.  Patrick wanted her out of prison so turned to Bret to break her out, who was the one arranging everything since he owed Patty.  She didn't suspect Patrick wanted her out and was the one behind her prison break.

What about Rosalind Harker (Alicia Witt) the blind woman and lover of Red John, she was left alive also and the one person who can recognize him by touch, even if she hasn't seen his face, it's as good as, and wasn't killed, but Lorelei was, even if what she told Patrick was seen as a betrayal by RJ.  It appears she would no longer be in his control particularly since she found out Red John killed her sister.

6. Sheriff Thomas McAllister:  (Xander Berkeley)
                                                       

His only appearance was in Red Tape and Silver Hair, though don't know if that title was meant to be some sort of RJ connection, McAllister having silver hair. He did seem to portray one of those 'homely' sheriffs without much nouse, or anything 'upstairs' since he didn't understand what Patrick did at the CBI.  Patrick also proceeded to win him six times in their game of Rock, paper scissors.  He also hasn't featured much in the show if at all, his next appearance will be in 6.3 Wedding In Red, which many have said will be when Van Pelt and Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) tie the knot.

Question to ask is whether someone who hasn't been on the show aside from one or two episodes is someone who would comfortably fit the profile of Red John.  Unless we are to think he has been around all the time watching Patrick, or getting others to do this for him.  A sheriff is able to slip away undetected and has the means to carry out nefarious actions, but what are his connections to the CBI?
Oh hang the profiling, need the BAU (Criminal Minds) to profile Red John! ha.

7 Brett Partridge: (Jack Plotnick)
                                                  
is forensics guy for the CBI and is meant to be a veritable expert on Red John crime scenes, yet he hasn't been shown at every single one of RJ's CS.  We first met him in the Pilot. Not much info on him, characterwise or otherwise and it's been said he has a mother somewhere.  Surely Red John couldn't have a 'mother complex' which makes him who and what he is?  That'd be too unoriginal, but could explain plenty in terms of why he kills and leaves behind his trademark Smiley faces.  Infact in the Pilot he says how he's impressed at the Smiley face at a CS which turns out not to have been left there by the real Red John.  So forensics guy why couldn't you work that out?  Strange in that he compliments RJ when he hasn't been involved in the case, trying to throw Patrick off the scent, or testing his mettle?

So if he's an expert how come he doesn't tell the difference between the real RJ scenes and those which were the work of a copycat.  Patrick hates him and he doesn't seem to have much time for Patrick either. There's an underlying animosity between them.  He's shifty and creepy, always wearing that white shirt and in Red Sky in the Morning is perturbed Patrick wants him to leave so he can get his job done. Analyzing the scene.  This was also where Brett fobs Patrick off when he tells him it's the work of a copycat and not RJ.

Patrick sees him as a "ghoul" and he's right about that.  He's a bit like those fiendish types from Scooby Doo and looks like someone who would be revealed under the mask by Valma as being the killer.   In Patrick's notes of RJ suspects in Black Cherry, Patrick notes: "CBI Forensics Department - Totally Macabre - handles Red John cases."  (Don't recall Patty shaking hands with him, but will have to watch that ep over.)

Showed up again in Red Lacquer Nail Polish and again had an altercation with Patrick when he spoke of spontaneous human combustion.  He's into books, Moby Dick, just as RJ is into William Blake and the Tyger poem. Patrick of course looked at the books on the table of the Vic.  One possible basis why he's considered to be RJ is his voice which we heard in season 2 finale Red Sky in the Morning when Patrick was tied up and he appeared to him wearing that stocking.  He could of course use a voice distorter as many of RJ's accomplices have done so.

Funnily enough and I don't think Bruno Heller was giving away any clues but in an interview on season 6 and Red John, he said, "up until now if you're comparing it to Moby Dick, which is one of the analogies I used to describe the length of the chase, next season [6] the whale has been sighted and they're in the small boats and chasing the whale."  Brett Partridge's book he mentioned.

He appears in Red John's Rules when Lorelei is found murdered, but does turn out to be revealed as one of the suspects on the list. Here he said that Lorelei's murder appears to be personal.  He is directly involved with the CBI and is in a position to know what's going on here.  Then again is he the right age to be Red John and does he really have the intelligence? Other than just showing up to annoy us and Patty further.

Brett shares his name with Bret Stiles albeit with a second 't'.  You can of course get some sort of a 'red' in Partridge as far as anagrams go.  Also in Red is the New Black,  Red John left behind the DB of a morgue attendant at Rosalind's house aft r he listened to her playing the piano. Considering Partridge is the forensics guy he could easily get away with killing him.

I would have loved Red John to have been a woman, nothing to do with equal rights and all that, but just cos Patrick's nemesis should have been a woman.  Then again some would argue he wouldn't be as effective or have all those lovers (well two that we know of.)

Anyway time for you to pick your suspect and firmly place down your bets (not really) as to the identity of Red John...

CSI:NY 9.6 "Lady in the Lake" Review

                                           
Adam (AJ Buckley) relays the story of how Flack (Eddie Cahill) arrested a murderer and he leaves Flack hanging in mid-air when he's chasing the suspect.  That was a nice touch having Flack hanging there like that and if you left your recording on pause, you could have left him there even longer! ha  Adam changes his mind and then continues, the suspect says he threw the gun in the Turtle Pond by the dock and Flack tells him he better be right cos he just pulled his hamstring jumping like that.  The pond which also resembles a lake in which Adam goes diving but finds nothing.  Mac (Gary Sinise) tells them to drain the entire pond and search it.  Adam finds a gun and so does Mac.  Jo (Sela Ward) finds a sequin slipper and a DB.

The girl is wearing a ballgown and so the girls, Karma (Alexis Apple) and Dee (Tayler Buck) call her a princess, well the castle overlooks her.  Jo rules out suicide cos of how she was dressed and it's not a mugging cos she's still wearing her earrings, so it's murder.  Mac adding this fairytale has an "unhappy ending."  She was tied down in the boat and drowned.  Adam finds a piece of shiny metal in the mud.  Funny how Lindsay (Anna Belknap) wasn't around to go searching in the mud and for a moment there I felt like she wouldn't be in the ep but no such luck!

Sid (Robert Joy) processes the Vic and finds COD was blunt force trauma.  Hawkes (Hill Harper) is able to get some prints and finds a match in the system to Ashley (Madeleine Hamer) a meth addict but she was clean now.  Hawkes narrowing down the murder weapon to Manhattan schist, but there's plenty of it about in New York.  Sid also says she ate an expensive meal of puffer fish on the Saturday so they need to find out where she was before her death.  Sid: "...her last meal was to die for."

Jo analyzes her clothes and finds a piece of flora in one of the sequins of her shoe.  Her dress is expensive but the tag was still on so she was going to return it, the rest of her clothes were from thrift.  Jo also manged to find a trace of blood on Ashley's dress, under her arm so it was still preserved since her antiperspirant had aluminium sulphate.  Jo tells Mac this means she was dragged along the ground, she ran the blood and it comes up a match to Joseph Skiver (Niko Nicotera).  Mac apologizes to Jo for his behaviour last week but she says it's all forgotten.  He also calls Christine but doesn't get her.

Adam is taken by the metallic object and finds space dust on it so tells the girls it's from an alien ship and he has made first contact.  They aren't that interested and are more interested in the princess story.  He tells Mac the same who isn't impressed, telling him next time he shouldn't come up empty and slaps him on the back of the head, hey no Gibbs' slaps NCIS here!  Flack finds Skiver at his place of work and shouts out "NYPD" then asks why that never seems to work.  Skiver is stopped by some men when he runs.  He tells him he's not packing which Flack says may be a first but he believes him.

Jo and Flack question him and the cut on his hand was from a vicious toucan, which they don't believe.  He's shocked to find Ashley is dead but he didn't kill her.  He loved her but she broke it off for some rich guy, but he was happy for her.  The blood must have transferred when he hugged her.  He doesn't know the name of the boyfriend.  Flack asks Jo if she believes him but she's not convinced by the toucan story, Flack does says they can be vicious since he knows a friend who works with them.  They're going back to the CS.

Jo uses Danny's (Carmine Giovinazzo) word of "boom." Danny: "Did she just use my word?"  Here they find the drag marks and  Hawkes finds a jewellery clasp.  Danny finds a torn piece of paper.  Flack tells Mac they were over 300 elite guests at the party but no one noticed Ashley or reported her missing.  Lindsay arrives (Agh!) finding a trace of blood on the ground and also a shoeprint.  She finds the shoe print belonged to a size 11, also the circular divets around he scene were from an umbrella, someone was standing and could be a possible witness.  The shoe prints have a stitching which is only made by one manufacturer and is an expensive pair of shoes.  They could only belong to someone who is 5' 11".  Danny fits together the pieces of the cheque and finds the amount is $50,000, also the signature ends in an 'ello' or 'ilo' and just then Flack calls to tell Mac the man Ashley was with, was a Matthew DiBello (Alex Ashbaugh) part of the Coronation Group.

Matthew says he received a text from Ashley that she's in Kansas City on Sunday night and just then his mother, Krista (Kathleen York) arrives - the wicked stepmother or rather here, the wicked would-be mother-in-law.  Of course it's obvious she was behind it and finally Matthew consents to giving his DNA. The scratch on his palm was caused when he grabbed her wrist but he didn't kill her.  The blood on the ground matches his as does the blood on the clasp.  Flack and Danny approach their building when they see Skiver shoot Matthew.

Adam brings in Sid to ask about the piece of metal and says this could mean big movie rights, he wants Sid to invest and Sid tells him not to ask someone for investment who could fire him.  The signal from Ashley's missing phone is located and Jo and Adam find the phone in the rubbish truck, well Adam does after he goes truck dumpster diving!  See no Lindsay again to do the dirty work.  When they reach the SUV, Adam finds it's gone and Mac is gonna be angry.  Adam also suggests they could cross reference the route the truck took and could find the suspect's address.  How dumb was that and why leave the phone on too.  Leading the to DiBello.  Matthew is about to be taken in the helicopter, but it's Krista who they arrest.

She denies having anything to do with it and Jo tells Matthew he was there and was a witness.  He talks to his mother who finally tells him she didn't approve of Ashley, who was just a commoner.  He tells her she only got dressed up to impress her.  After Matthew and Ashley's argument, she followed them out an bribed her to leave, but she tore the cheque up.  She hit her and put her into the boat and Matthew was watching. He didn't realize until after they told him about Ashley.  Jo tells him she hopes her son will do the same for her, but also that he will show his principles and do the right thing.

Mac calls Christine again telling her something's wrong but he doesn't send the message.  He also tells Adam, "Mikael Gorbachev."  Adam finds the metallic piece was from a Russian spacecraft from 1988 and so a piece made it back to Earth.  Jo recalls the '80's had some good music and the song, "Be Happy."  Which is played at the end.  Adam finishes his story to the girls.

Some great on location filming features in the ep with the backdrop of Belvedere Castle in Central Park to add authenticity to the Cinderella story here.   Karma and Dee were happy to listen to the story and it was good to see Adam get some major airtime this season since it was to be the last, considering he only got one scene last episode and it wasn't even a speaking part.  Adam parked in a red zone without even realizing, he had that metal on the brain, ha!  But it was Adam to a tee getting into yet more scrapes and ones that will make Mac angry.  Though with Mac not being able to recall the word 'lab'when he speaks with the officer, it's a wonder he could recall Mikael Gorbachev and the space probe, Phobos 1.

Seems he's still not ready to tell anyone about his condition and will go it alone for as long as possible.  That scene with Flack and Danny just wasn't long enough and they didn't get much interaction either like they used to in the past.  At least that awful Lovato wasn't around either!  Also Hawkes gets to 'steal' Danny's "boom" too in Mac's office!

Once Upon A Time 2.21 "Second Star to the Right" Review

                                             
Looks like Hook has Regina all tied up where he wants her! ha

Regina (Lana Parrilla) tells Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) whatever they're paying him it's not enough and he is still on his mission to kill Rumples, believing they will help him, of course she tells him he can' trust them, but Hook won't listen.  Bae/Neal (Michael Raymond-James) dreams of ending up in London when he went through the portal and we even get to see Big Ben.   He ends up at the Darling's house after foraging for food and steals their bread.  Wendy (Freya Tingly) finds him and offers him as much as he wants.  She keeps him there and in her hidey hole in their room until he's caught one day by her parents.  Her mother wants him to stay with them as one of their own.  Well he could have been just about anyone!  That big house of theirs and the children all share the one room, even Wendy!  Oh their Brit accents!!

She tells Bae about the Shadow that comes every night and takes her flying but Bae tells her magic is bad, it destroys families, he won't let it destroy hers.  Wendy goes with the Shadow and returns since the Shadow is only after boys, he wants one of her brothers.  Explaining that's why it's called Neverland, cos no one comes back from there and at night, the children want their parents.  Bae won't let anything happen to them and sets a plan in motion by lighting the lamps and having pots and pans to fight it.

Neal wakes and Tamara (Sonequa Martin-Green) tells him she's going for a run.  He sees Gold (Robert Carlyle) from his window with Whale (David Anders) and he's about to hurt him cos he looked at Lacey (Emilie de Ravin) and he knows what his 'look' means.  Neal rescues him and tells Gold he hasn't changed at all.  Gold asks why he's still here, that'd be obvious, for Henry.  What was the point of Whale?

Emma (Jennifer Morrison) Snow (Ginnifer Goodiwn) and Charming (Josh Dallas) break into Regina's office and find her gone.  The bean plant is still there but the beans are missing.  Emma finds the alarm was overridden, she has magic and Regina still resorts to using a conventional alarm system.  Gold can help them find her as Emma returns to search Tamara's room.  Neal still doesn't believe she is behind it but Emma finds sand in the room.  She runs in the woods so what's she doing bringing back sand.  They search for her on the beach and Emma tries to convince Neal he means nothing to her.  Wondering why he listened to August.  He says he was willing to go to jail for her and she tells him he found his Tallahassee with someone else.  Cue Tamara running on the beach and they tell her of Regina.  She feigns being concerned, anyone else would have probably asked what happened but she pretends.  Huh so fake!

Snow asks for a spell to find Regina since she's still feeling guilty about killing Cora and Charming reminds him he owes him.  He has Regina's tear and Snow asks what he's doing with that and how he has it (more for another ep).  He needs to put a tear from Snow's own eye in the bottle and it will lead her to Regina wherever she is.  Greg (Ethan Embury) tortures Regina and Tamara mentions the 'Home Office' meaning there are more of them and their aim is to rid magic from this world.  They also have Regina's failsafe but don't yet know what it is.  Greg wants to torture her until she reveals where his father is and Hook won't help until they help him with Rumples.  Of course that's not gonna happen.

Lacey tells Gold she heard everything they talked about and so everything is true.  He conjures up a necklace for her but he tells her he is immortal but that doesn't mean he can't be killed.  There's someone here who can do that but he can't deal with it cos it's complicated.  Snow has flashes of Regina being tortured and recalls the smell of sardines.  Emma realizes she's at the cannery.  Regina finally tells Greg his father is dead and is buried at the campsite.  Tamara sees them on the CCTV and the need to leave.  Emma is knocked out when they fight and she tells Neal she lied to him from the outset when she spilled coffee on him.  She throws a bean which opens a portal and Neal is shot.  Emma is saved from going in but Neal falls through, as they both say they love each other.

The Shadow comes for them but Bae steps in place of Michael (Benjamin Cook) and is taken.  As Big Ben can be seen showing 8.15 on the clock.  Significant for all sorts of reasons, such as time being stuck in Storybrooke.  Bae lights up a match and the Shadow drops him in the water, where he's picked up by Hook, that's Captain Hook of the Jolly Roger.  All that noise they were making in their room and no one heard them, not even outside.  London town does not become a ghost town at 8pm!

The Blue Fairy (Keegan Connor Tracy) works her magic on Regina who can't believe they rescued her especially since they were going to leave her behind.  She tells them of the failsafe and she was going to take Henry with her.  Snow distraught she was going to let them die.  Tamara finds out what the stone represents and that the Home Office wants them to go ahead with stage 2.  Which will probably mean destroying Storybrooke and taking Henry.  Speaking of, he missed all the excitement this episode, cos he was probably stuck in school.

SO meeting Wendy here was kind of an anti-climax, she wasn't that interesting though and seeing as she believes in magic would have made her listen to Bae about magic being no good, but she is still swept away by the moment and by the menacing Shadow.  If the Shadow only wants boys (hence the lost boys) why does it take Wendy with it and then let her return?  SO what's Hook's raison d'etre for being in Neverland, going for some pirate pillaging or was he trying to help the lost boys and lost souls at Neverland.  When we get to meet him here and Bae's first encounter with him, he doesn't seem at all menacing or villainous.

Ooh Home Office, doesn't it sound such an English name (okay we do have one in real life - dealing with home affairs etc) but what if this one was started by Wendy in London, would be such a Brit thing, one for keeping magic away from this world since Bae opened up her eyes to its destructive nature and then it just continued from there.  Of course there would never be just Greg and Tamara who would stumble upon knowing about magic, since he says he ranted as a boy and some people believed him.  Thus it doesn't appear to be such a new concept or organization.

Just how many portals is Bae going to fall through and this scene was similar to the one with Rumples when he wouldn't go through the portal with Bae to where there wasn't any magic.  Emma jumping the gun telling Charming he's dead, just cos he was shot and went through, she doesn't know where he is and what's happened to him.  He could end up in another magic land, isn't that the purpose behind the beans.  Of course we all recall Bae's line of "this wold wasn't my first stop," so what was that about?

As for Lacey/Belle wanting to live forever, well forever young, would Rumples even entertain the thought of that.  He doesn't really want another Regina on his hands especially since Lacey doesn't have a good bone in her body right now.  A little too much magic could be a dangerous thing and especially in the wrong hands!