Ghost Adventures 14.3 "Samaritan Cult House" Commentary

Looking back at the GA Route 666 post I wrote last year, (see link below) there were many things there that manifested at the Samaritan Cult House investigation and lockdown.  Such as the three figures Zak saw in the basement through his mind's eye.  At the Concordia cemetery, Billy saw three robed figures in the graveyard, with a sense of ominous purpose. 

Jay said here how this was on the pentagram they came up with back on Route 666 also.  Not to mention Billy sitting by the 666 to conduct the paranormal puck session at the Samaritan Cult House.

Remember the investigation at the De Soto Hotel and the fan being thrown in the basement falling, being pushed, the poltergeist activity.  The same as at the house here with the wooden board.

Let's not forget Jay losing his temper in the Route 666 investigation too and how we've never seen that before. Jay seems to be a 'target' or being targeted since then on.  As well as after he performed the non-Satanic ritual at Goatman Bridge.  Jay also bought up the pentagram passing through Oklahoma reference.  When Darren was using the Ouija board and the letter 'J' came up I immediately thought it would spell out Jay, but that wasn't to happen until later.  Also I tweeted Jay when the ep was being aired in the US and asked his most memorable moment.  Of course that wasn't being insensitive of me, not having seen the ep until the next day!  I just felt I had to tweet that and ask for some reason.  As I later tweeted and told Jay.  It really becomes very personal when family is named and almost used by negative forces as a means of instilling fear and control.  The more it attempts to reel in others unconnected to the paranormal.

The dowsing cards in the basement, as if the figures Zak saw were leading him there, the cards referring to Jay with his initials, once again unknown entities having it all neatly packaged up for themselves, all of this seemed a foreboding in many ways, even before the lockdown began.

As for the barcode suppose many will steer away from those self checkouts at the supermarket when it says, 'suspicious item in bagging area.'  Just a little joke to break the monotony. But then many could say the same about the vampires on the phone reference too, preached by cult leader, Linda Greene, you know I didn't even want to say her name, forget about the 'Zozo' demon being mentioned!  (As I also wonder why I write this during 'devil's hour'?!)  I mean come on do vampires even need phones for communication or other purposes?  Flying is much easier.  Zak not mentioning this vampire aspect on the show.
As Zak asked, "how could a woman think she could dispel negativity when she was the epitome of it?..."  That being the crux of the question, the same way she could control the masses in the Cult itself being one possible answer.  And why people signed up to join to begin with.  It wasn't about logic or reality.

As well as Zak thinking he could get Darren to use the occult and her evil to conjure up evil in her own dimension.  Which however, sadly backfired on Jay.  Seems Greene was still reaching out and doling out her control from the other side, not wanting to let go of her evil ways even after death.

This GA ep was also trending in the UK on the Sunday morning, again at devil's hour and the ep wasn't even aired here.

Anyway just a few allusions to be mentioned in relation to the Route 666 ep.

Linda Greene was married five times and her fifth husband was Allen Ross, she killed him and her friend, Julia Williams helped bury his body.  She was charged with accessory after the fact.  Linda's fourth husband Denis Greene reported what she had done to the police, she maintained he killed Allen.  Apparently two psychics were involved,both said he was alive in Dallas somewhere and the other one said he'd been hit on his head with something and suffered some form of trauma.  He had been shot twice in the head.  The police found his DB where Denis said it would be.  Greene believed she was 'Christ' and that she gave her soul to save others!  She died in 2002 at the age of 50, from liver failure which people put down to her excessive drinking.  Not to mention how many people will now steer clear of soy milk, phones, barcodes, videos, even!  Seriously how can anyone be duped by such nonsense?!

As for the building being a jail, the Black Jail built in 1892, housed some famous inmates such as the Dalton Gang and Bill Doolan.  There indeed was a prisoner named James Phillips who died of heart failure after he was due to be hanged in 1907.  The jail also had no insulation thus explaining the prevalence of black mould, in the Summer, the prisoners suffered from dehydration and in Winter from flu and respiratory diseases.

Link for the Route 666 ep.

http://mila255.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/ghost-adventures-route-666-halloween.html

Once Upon A Time 6.16 "Mother's Little Helper" Review

                                               
Emma (Jennifer Morrison)gets fooled by Gideon (Giles Matthey) so what's new, as he says she must help him, but she doesn't demand Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) to be returned first before she helps him out in the other realm against the Black Fairy (Jamie Murray).  Noooo that'd be too easy.  Instead she goes along with him even though he tried to kill her and then she also tells Rumples (Robert Carlyle) and Belle (Emilie de Ravin) about what he's done, but they don't do much of anything, except for Belle pleading with Emma not to kill him cos he's a good boy, he's just been led dark by his grandmother, whom he has to call mother!  Ugh.  Then we have more flashbacks of how he became a coward when he didn't help his friend, Roderick after he was dragged off by her into the 'mines for you laddie!'  ha.  That's why she needs child labour, to mine the magic dust for her.  I mean you've heard of pixie dust but this was a little over the top.

Of course Gideon is a coward, he still is in many ways since he was forced to grow up without his mother, but also in a land where time works differently, probably why the Black Fairy hasn't aged! She finds her key is missing and tasks Gideon with finding out who stole it.  Of course this leads him to find Roderick again whom he thought was dead.  Apologizing to him for not helping, well it's too little too late and he asks Gideon to help them in their fight against the Black Fairy.  Gideon wanting to destroy her (in another use of Regina's fave word by another character!)  He tells Gideon about her orb which will help them.  He finds the orb, but she finds them and she turns Roderick into a bug and squashes him like the bug that he was in her eyes!  Spoiling her boot in the process.  Then she takes Gideon's heart, a la Regina and this is why he's so dark.

Back in Storybrooke, Gideon takes Emma to the sorcerer's house and she falls for it without caution or a second thought just cos he gives her the sword back as a gesture of trust and here he lets her do the spell but she conjures the giant spider through the portal, which begins weaving its web and if that wasn't enough starts firing web pellets at them too.  She is pushed into the web by him (well we've all seen Lord of the Rings etc by now) and is helpless.  She does manage to break her hands free, but not for long as she's caught out by the web of deceit.  Which is what all these was to begin with anyway. No the spider wasn't Charlotte either, or she could've defeated it easily!  Ha.  As she loses consciousness, Gideon uses the sword to create a portal, but Rumples turns up with his powers and his dagger and saves Emma from the spider, as well as shrinking it to size, whereupon Emma squishes it.  Just when Gideon thinks nothing else could go wrong, in walks the Black Fairy who was able to squeeze through the portal and get here!  Well bully for Rumples!

Elsewhere Hook turns up at the tavern in a bid to get home and offers jewels from Agrabah to Blackbeard (Charles Mesure) who isn't buying the tiny gems!  They play cards and he gambles the Jolly Roger if he wins and Blackbeard will give him a magic bean.  Of course Blackbeard cheats after Hook's exposition about having to get back to the woman that he loves, the same woman, however he can't.  Blackbeard cheats and sees hook tricked him since the ship is back at Storybrooke.  So they jump through the portal together and end up in Neverland.  See Hook can't go back and will always end up somewhere else in a cheesy version of The Time Tunnel!  Ha.  They're chased by the Lost Boys who have gotten even rougher without Pan around and Blackbeard steals the boat after knocking Hook out, see as useless as Emma at times.

Regina (Lana Parilla) tries to break the sleeping curse but it's tougher than it looks, whereas all the other ones were easy to remove.  She asks Henry (Jared S Gilmore) to get some ingredients from Emma's shed, like tongue of newt and not eye and as Henry writes them down he ends up in a trance writing down symbols instead.  She takes him to the author, Issac (Patrick Fischler) who will only spill once he gets a sports car and a free trip to New York, one way.  He doesn't get a sports car, but a car and he tells her Henry will become like this so she should leave here too.  He tells her the answer's in the book and Henry sees it's the final chapter but he doesn't tell him the ending.  Just that Emma will fight the biggest battle and the outcome won't be good for anyone.

Just can't get into these episodes which just seem tagged on stories adding things onto what we already know, I mean Gideon told us about Roderick and not saving him, so this ep we had to see it visually.  Emma as the Saviour always too trusting and she doesn't tell anyone where she's going or what she's doing, when we know she'll always end up needing help.  Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) was being very un-Snow-like agreeing that it's okay for Emma to kill Gideon if he comes after her a third time.  Well this time she'll be facing the Black Fairy.  Clearly Rumples is not prepared for unexpected arrival and dearie you're 'dearie' needs more practice!!  Haven't quite mastered it like Rumples.  Also with Hook ending back up with the Lost Boys, do they still really need guidance and don't they want to get back to their homes.

Supernatural 12.16 "Ladies Drink Free" Comments

                                                
Supernatural's werewolf ep, a story that's been done before but this one was meant to have a twist, with the girl in the hospital, Hayden (Abby Ross) being killed by Mick (Adam Fergus) cos Men of Letters: ridding every monster off the face of the earth one at a time.  But also keeping that from the Winchesters in not telling Deano (Jensen Ackles) that the girl, Magda (Paoloma Kwiatkowski) they saved in 12.4 American Nightmare, was actually killed by Mr Ketch -Up (David Haydn-Jones) (yeh Dean needing a ketch up here on what's gone on in the past with them not to be trusted) hope we get a conclusion to the Men of Letters: Brit Chapter pretty soon, but they're so widespread that they'll always be around.  I mean kill one and another will take their place, as we know.

However as said this plot was done before, let's find a cure for Claire (Kathryn Love Newton) cos she's one of Jody's children now and she won't be too happy about losing her, especially since she's been lying to her about hunting, instead of hunting for unis, just as Sam (Jared Padalecki) was at uni and came into the hunting 'game' cos of Dean and his search for Dad.  Also Jo (Alona Tal) did the same going behind Mommy Ellen's (Samantha Ferris) back and hunting when she was abducted by HH Holmes in season 2.6 No Exit.  (Yeah the Supernatural eps and title just roll off the tongue for me, it's my useless memory stores everything ha!)  My sister said I should go on Mastermind and choose Supernatural as my selected topic!  Ha.  Then embarrass myself when the mind loses the plot and can't answer a damn thing!!

No mention of Sam and Madison (Emmanuelle Vaugier) from season 2 Heart either and how she had to be shot by a silver bullet to be free of her transformation, no hope of her being saved even if she was one of Sam's loves. Not even considered and Dean being the one who wanted to do it for Sam but Sam insisted he should end it for her.  In that respects they were in a sense on the same path/wavelength as the Men of Letters, killing the only option available.  Claire went through the same motions as Madison in wanting to be killed and begs for Mick to do this, bit of course Dean already warned him off doing this.  Dad had a cure for werewolf-ism in his journal where he believed that if the werewolf who turned the Vic could be killed, then this would save them.  However this was a failure and didn't work.

Here it was find the one who turned her and there may be a cure.  Going back to 6.5 Live Free or Twihard ep where Dean was bitten by a vampire and was in danger of becoming one himself, especially if he drank human blood and turned someone.  However Dean actually ingested blood and wasn't actually bitten.  Again same storyline here (yes we remember, at least most of us do!) Secondly there was a cure for this vampirism, find the one who turned him too, so nothing different to this werewolf storyline.  That's how they chanced upon the Alpha (Rick Worthy) vampire too.

(Going off by one's lonesome only leads to being saved by Sam and Dean, as mentioned see Jo et al.) Here Claire did the same when she walked away from Sam, come on Jody would've found out sooner or later she was hunting and not for unis, they always do.  Seems new writers should've come up with something at least a little different to what's gone before and with a bit of different exposition.  Perhaps the title should've read Ladies Write Better eps!  ha.  Sorry I know the experiences of Garth as werewolf were already shown but Claire shouldn't have gotten off so easily and then what does she do, carry on hunting, which was to be expected.  In many ways trying to make her the epitome mirror image of Sam.  He wanted to be stop hunting, then continued and now it's his life's blood (no pun!)  There is more to life than hunting yes and she'd have plenty of time for this later.

As you have guessed not too enamoured with Claire!  Was waiting for a Cas (Misha Collins) appearance, but also no!  Since Claire was Jimmy's daughter and he would've had a vested interest in seeing her safe.  But he's got devil spawn to hunt!

Once Upon A Time 6.15 "A Wondrous Place" Review

                                       
Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) tries to get back to Emma (Jennifer Morrison) as the Nautilus is pulled through some sort of a vortex portal but stops short of going anywhere since they're out of Kraken blood to fire the engines!  Should've called Captain Jack Sparrow, he's had ample practise wrestling the Kraken!! ha.  Just as all hope is lost Hook decides he's going to harpoon one.  However he doesn't count on Jasmine (Karen David) and Aladdin (Deniz Akdeniz) getting in the way.  As Jasmine wishes for Agrabah to be revealed to her since she needs to help her people.  They spent all this time searching and couldn't find it until now.  A ring drops out of her coat pocket as she turns away from kissing Aladdin.  As well as a boat turning up so they set sail.  Pretty soon they chance upon a Kraken and Hook too who had to save them.  See another hero for Jasmine to add to her collection.

Interspersed with flashbacks to when Jasmine saved Ariel (JoAnna Garcia) from a stroppy stall keeper and helped her search for Prince Eric (Gil McKinney).  However it's actually Jafar (Oded Fehr) in disguise.  Who once again wants Jasmine to marry him or he'll destroy her city.  Er, which he already tried in the previous flashback when he turned one of her suitors into a wooden stick using red magic powder.  Must've been red chili then!  Ha.  Later she agrees to tell Jafar she will marry him, but he said she was a fool as he just wanted to destroy the city and he didn't even want her!  He shrinks it into the ring she has with her now.  Jafar being given Regina's use of her fave word, 'destroy' here!

The Nautilus takes on water and Nemo (Faran Tahir) is ready to sink with it, but Hook, who's designing a harpoon decides they can't but must fight to keep the vessel afloat.  Jasmine wishes for them to get to a nearby island instead.  Nemo must return to his vessel as Captain and help his crew. Once again Liam (Nick Eversman) and Hook don't get to spend any time together, well why doesn't he visit more! And they happen upon Ariel's hut again, after she found Eric and came here.  They recognize her trap.  Jasmine is told she needs to fight for herself but she's not alone now and Aladdin also asked Hook for romantic advice, if Jasmine said anything about him.  Look Hook's got his own problems in that department without having to advise!  Anyway Jasmine thinks Jafar will help them now but he's no longer a genie and when she wishes for him, he breaks free of his cuffs!  Knocking the others out, Jasmine uses the red powder on him and turns him into a wooden stick now.  Which Hook leaves in the market place.  She thinks she can get Agrabah back with true love's kiss, well more with love and as she kisses Aladdin, the city appears.  Ariel asking for the ring!
Ariel tells Hook someone might be able to get him back home.  So why couldn't she swim back with him?  She gives him a piece of her oyster shell which is a horn, similar to what Hook has on his ship.

In Storybrooke Regina (Lana Parilla) wants a girl's night out and Emma needs to vent,  So Emma's told Charming (Josh Dallas) about Hook and his father, Reggie says he should go back to sleep and let Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) come with them.  After only just waking up.  Regina's working on the sleeping curse but for now she wants to party at the new pub, Aesop's Table!!  Really what a name for a pub.  Obviously they had no qualms about checking out that dump of a dive!  Regina calls Emma there in the guise of an emergency and they drink.  Emma later spills all to the bartender, as you do and leaves her tears on a tissue at the bar!  Agh magic tears, can't believe she'd do something so stupid and man who leaves their dirty rags in public places!  Yuk!

Emma's packed Hook's belongings away including his rum!  But Henry (Jared S Gilmore) hasn't take them back to the shed!  So she does it herself when she hears the oyster, she can't reply to him but she hears what Hook says and that he loves her and he's trying to get back to her but didn't want to leave. Warning her about Gideon (Giles Matthey) but is too late, cos the bartender turns up who's really Gideon.  He wants her to do what he can't, kill the Black Fairy.

I'm a little peeved with Once delving so much into the past just to come up with a new or continuing plotline which isn't very interesting at all.  Here they bring back Jafar and wow, turn him into a stick. But he was taken care of in Once Upon A Time In Wonderland.  Hmm was the ep title an allusion to that show?  On top of that Jasmine didn't even ,wasn't even, hero material at all.  Talk about indecisive and not being able to say no to Jafar.  Or be able to stand up to him and this was a potential leader.  Not to mention her fears were just another manifestation of Emma and her own doubts about being the Saviour and being able to help people, especially her family.

Yeh Regina you made Emma go to that pub!  But Emma didn't think it ironic Aesop would whip up a a sob story about an artist not being able to be with the woman he loved.  Exactly like her.  I mean the fables had morals and she's just drinking when they could've had a perfectly decent booze night at Regina's!

Once Upon A Time 6.14 "Page 23" Review

                                              
Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) still wrestles with his conscience about telling Emma (Jennifer Morrison) the truth and Nemo (Faran Thair) finds him at the docks.  He tells Hook he needs to either tell her or suffer the guilt which can't be as hard, but still would be than actually not telling her.  He might get forgiveness which is easier to live with.  As he sees the past events in his dreamcatcher. Emma catches him trying to burn it and burn his memories along with it.  She finds out what he did and he admits he was ashamed and he already hurt his family and he didn't want to do the same to hers.  Not being able to sit across the table from them and conceal what he'd done.  Emma would've preferred to know cos as she said before she doesn't want any secrets between them.  Easier said than done.  She returns him the ring until he decides what he wants to do.  Emma having already told Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and the others about the ring too and being engaged.

The Evil Queen tells Robin (Sean Maguire) about herself and Regina (Lana Parilla) and he finds she too has a double like him.  Well, yes but far worse.  He wants to get out of here and head to New York and he thinks she should do the same.   However she kidnaps him and uses him in her plan to get revenge on Regina once and for all.  Also taking Henry's (Jared S Gilmore) quill pen so he can't write her into a happy ending or worse still, an ending befitting a villain.  He doesn't know what he wanted to write but he wants the pen back.  But she gives him a message for Regina instead.  Regina wants to tell them about the Queen and she's decided on what she's go to do but  Zelena (Rebecca Mader) notices the ring on Emma's finger detracting from Regina, who is truly happy for Emma. Yeah hugs and kisses all round.  The message is a page from the book depicting Regina and Robin's happy ending.

Evils keeps Robin tied up until Regina shows up for their showdown.  Then sends him away with a spell.  During this there are flashbacks to that same village again when Regina was hunting Snow, who was always not within her reach.  Her father tried to stop her but she wasn't listening to anyone and was hell bent on destroying Snow and anyone who got in her way and nothing could help.  Not even Tinkerbell (Rose McIver). Yes Regina's fave word, "destroy" uttered five times in this ep alone!! He tells Regina he can help her and he says he's got her mother's spell book.  Instead of a portal leading to darkness it's one of light and she senses Tinkerbell was at work here.  He shows her Cupid's arrow and it can help the person she loves.  Well that was only Daniel then and it won't exactly lead her to him.  Regina had a thang for these outdoorsy types didn't she.  First a stable hand and then a thief, not that there's anything wrong with a stable hand.  Her heart wanted what her heart wanted.

Instead she uses the spell book for a spell of her own since the lines between love and hate are so close.  She conjures up a spell which will lead her to the very thing she hates.  She follows the arrow to her wardrobe and the mirror inside shows her the very thing she hates is herself.  She breaks the mirror.  No wonder she had untold bad luck and this was her comeuppance for sparing Tinkerbell's life, who told her she'd find true love with the tattooed man at the tavern.

Regina and the Evils Queen go head to head with swords in her office and finally Regina gets the better of her.  Regina takes her heart and says she knows what she has to do, once again she sees her reflection in the mirror shards on the floor.  She takes her own heart and combines it with love before putting it back in both their bodies, respectively.  The Evil Queen is no more and apologizes for wrecking her furniture.  She sent Robin back to where he would be happy.  Regina calls quits on their battle and Evils decides she needs a fresh start which Henry will write for her.

She apologizes to Snow and everyone for the spell and Regina has information from her in trying to break the sleeping curse.  As Henry writes her away to somewhere she can be happy, still referring to her as the Evil Queen.  As well as well as calling her mother, twice and he's never done that before. Snow and Zelena aren't too happy about Evils being allowed just to vanish somewhere.
She ends up at that tavern again where Robin buys her a drink.  Seems sad that she got Regina's happy ending with Robin even if she was her 'double' in the sense of being a part of her.  Regina left alone once more, especially after Emma got her happy ending again with Hook - almost and she didn't bear any grudges against her.

Hook tells Nemo he's not going with him and will be sticking around after Snow talks to him about the engagement and is so happy for her.  Emma deserves happiness and she also tells him about the Evil Queen being vanquished by Regina.  As they get on the Nautilus, Gideon (Giles Matthey) appears and submerges the vessel since he can't them around, viz Hook, for what he's got in mind. Yeah as if Emma needs Hook around now to help her.  Should've known he'd be around since he was mentioned this episode.  Still up to his no good tricks again even after Rumples told him last ep he didn't want to be dark like him.

Turns out that page was mostly about Evils and Robin, at least it appeared to be, or maybe just Regina giving away her happy ending since she couldn't have it with her real Robin and being selfless.  As for Page 23, thought we were back in Alias territory again what with their Page 47 ep title!  ha.

Once Upon A Time 6.13 "Ill-Boding Patterns" Review

                                             
Another flashback to the Ogre Wars and another perspective on how this was fought and won, only it just leads back to the same thing over and over: Rumples (Robert Carlyle) and Bae (Brandon Spink). This time Beowulf (the ugly mug! ha.) thinks they can defeat them cos he's got a sword and talks the men into fighting the Ogres.  He does that but many are killed until he faces another ogre who knocks him out and goes for the kill, but he's saved by Rumples: The Dark One, who else. Emphasis on Dark One cos that's the theme running through the entire episode again.  Rumples used his magic to kill the ogres, all of them and instead of being hailed a hero at the tavern, Beowulf (Torstein Bjorkland) spoils his moment and fifteen minutes of fame by saying he used magic. Obviously Beowulf wanted to be the one to take the glory, but duh loser!  Bae is disappointed since he asked Rumples not to use magic.  However he returns home next day with mud on his face having been put through the ringer by the baker's son.
Only Ogre we liked was Milo Ventimiglia in Gotham!! ha.

The townspeople come knocking on Rumple's door begging for his help cos the Grendel is after them and they sent Beowulf after it a week ago.  Rumples and Bae head there but Bae makes Rumples promise he won't use his magic and can fight it like a man.  Cos he recalls how he didn't need crutches at one time.  Rumples give him the dagger so he doesn't see it as a temptation.  At the cave, Rumples finds the Grendel's horn and knows it's a trap.  Beowulf wanting to play hero again.  He wants to kill Rumples and he tells Bae to run.  However Rumples is threatened by him and Bae uses the dagger to summon the Dark One and make him obey.  Rumples wants to tell the villagers the truth but no one will listen to him.  He walks away when he's trying to strange Beowulf and Bae commands him to kill Beowulf.  Therein reinforcing Bae's dark side and his loss of soul.

Presently in Storybrooke, Rumples tries to save Gideon (Giles Matthey) from doing the same since he won't be any use against the Black Fairy even if he kills Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and becomes the Saviour.  Rumples ties him up in the clocktower and tells him Bae's story.  He won't let him do     the same as his first born son did.  Trying to give him memory potion in his tea to make him forget about the Black fairy (as he did with Bae).  However that won't work on him as Gideon tells Rumples.  He shows him Belle's (Emilie de Ravin) favourite book, Her Handsome Hero and he tried to be that and wants to be that to save his people.  You see Rumples found him breaking into the Sheriff's office to retrieve the broken sword, silly place to keep it, which will help Gideon.  He tells Rumples how he hid the book Belle gave him and used to read it every night.  It kept him going until the Black Fairy found it.  He wanted to save a boy there and he found his cell door open but didn't have the courage to help.

Gideon wants to change that now and commands Rumples with the dagger to tell him who forged the sword.  Of course it had to be the Blue Fairy (Keegan Connor Tracy) Gideon's fairy godmother.  He needs to take her blood and magic so the sword will be forged again.  She apologizes for not being able to help against the Black Fairy cos she was too powerful.  Rumples stops him from losing his soul and taking the blood of an innocent so he does it himself.  Later promising Belle that he will stop Gideon and will wake up the Blue Fairy and return her magic to her.  She's overjoyed that he thought of someone else and wouldn't let their son turn dark.  But isn't he that already as he keeps talking about killing no matter of they're innocent or not.  Thought Rumples would tell him he's got another way to help against the Black Fairy and what happened to their time travelling portals now so they could all go back and help Gideon.

Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) drinks some more, oops better watch out for the pot belly ha!  And wallows some more as he tells Archie (Rapheal Sbarge) he's got a secret and he's the only one who knows about it.  If he told Emma she won't see him in the same way.  Archie tells him to keep it then but Hook says he's broken and has to own up.  He tries to tell Emma after not eating his burgers and chips!  But she thinks he wants to propose and accepts when she forces him to do it.  Cheap shot considering he wasn't ready to propose yet but she kinda forces his hand (in marriage!  Ha.  Sorry). So there goes his confession and so much for Emma saying she doesn't want any walls or secrets between them

Okay next story.  Robin (Sean Maguire) tells Zelena (Rebecca Mader) to whip up a magic potion to break the protection spell so he can leave this forsaken hamlet.  He knows she'll want to do the same.  She tries to do it but Regina (Lana Parilla) turns up at the sign.  She tried to change him and was wrong, Zelena being familiar with that.  She can't make him the Robin she knew, who had scruples after all, this one, well once a thief, always a thief.  Regina tells them the spell won't work cos if she could have done it, she would've removed the spell herself.  Of course it doesn't and Zelena was taking the serpent Evil Queen along with her too.  She later apologies to Regina and returns the serpent's cage, only it's empty.  Regina regretting she removed her evil self and wanting to take her back inside her body.  However the serpent's gone.  As the Evil Queen bites Robin as he still has some magic left in him and that's all she needed.  Cue her return when hopefully things should hot up again cos quite frankly, a lot of this season just appears to be repetition.

Once Upon A Time 6.12 "Murder Most Foul" Review

                                                   
Well this one was an eye-opener especially the end of the episode but if you really looked all the clues were always there with David (Josh Dallas) trying, determined to find who actually murdered his father, Robert (David Cubbit).  The flashback showing how they had to give away one of the twins at the behest and temptation of Rumples (Robert Carlyle) when they fall ill and need medicine. Only they could keep the one boy and Rumples chose James as the one who would be Prince James. They didn't even change his name when he became of regal lineage.  Later he finds that James has been kidnapped as King George (Alan Dale) enters the tavern where their worthless father is drinking, as usual, even the bar keep telling him he should go home and save the money for his family: cos family is everything.

However he goes in search of his son and finds him in a place called Pleasure Island which explained the Ferris wheel in the opening creds, so it was a kind of rougher Coney Island!  Ha.  After Rumples tells him where he is for a price: the hair on his head, well a strand, which he didn't really want after all.  But remarks on how big things grow from little ones.  Obviously he must've known what was going to happen.  Anyway here he chances upon a very wooden Pinocchio (who got around a lot!) and lies about knowing James, thus his nose grows.  He finds James and tries to take him home when he finds he ran away and he didn't want to become a knight.  However he's side tracked at the docks where the King offers to pay handsomely for the boy again.  However their father puts his foot down this time only to be taken away and ordered to be killed.

The kicker, that'll come later.  As presently David is determined to find the truth about his father as he sees him appearing as a ghost; meaning he needs to lay him to rest.  He asks Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) to help him as a pirate he'll know the best way.  Hook tries to talk him out of it cos vengeance is bad and all that.  After getting his own talk with Archie (Raphael Sbarge) who tells him he has to be honest with Emma (Jennifer Morrison) as he shows him the ring he wants to give her. Also that he should tell David how he feels about him not liking Hook and accepting him as part of the family.  Cos Hook is more than a pirate.  David convinces him to give him the shed keys so he can work magic and locate his father.  Hook reluctantly agrees and Emma turns up some gear. Where she's taking Henry.  Okay how does one forget the life jackets.

Hook must distract her and he tells her he's emotional after speaking with Archie who said no more secrets.  They kiss as David leaves.  The spell shows the location which Hook names as Pleasure Island: a horrible place.  Again he finds he needs to talk David out of it but again David reinforces Hook's pirate ways and he doesn't need a talk from a pirate.  He realizes who murdered his father and it turns out to be the King who's locked up.  Thought he died.  Anyway he confronts him and says even if he ordered the killing, he didn't actually do it.  Hook shuts him away in the cell and again stops David from making the biggest mistake in his life.  Take it from someone who's been there in more ways than one.

Another flashback shows how his father is tied to the carriage by some thugs who've been paid to kill him and make it look like an accident after he'd been boozing.  Cue Hook who doesn't save him but runs him through with his own sword.  Cos hey it's only a pirate's way and that's what Hook did in his past.  No surprises there or shock, he did kill his own father too so killing a stranger wasn't difficult. Seems Hook hasn't got his redemption at all or forgiveness cos that doesn't excuse what he did.  He didn't even appear remorseful.  Even after David's father's ghost vanishes as Hook tells him he did the right thing, cos his father did that too and tried to make amends by finding James.  Hook also asking David for Emma's hand in marriage.  David saying Hook has changed, well maybe not even if he is 200 years old, he'll still have that pirate in him, no matter how hard he tries to change.  He even didn't show the book pages and kept them, the ones August (Eion Bailey) gave him about Pleasure Island, August's read them himself, he did write them too.

Regina (Lana Parilla) tries to bond with Robin (Sean Maguire) which proves uneventful since he's not happy where he is or so he says.  He spots the Sheriff  (Wil Travel) after making his getaway through the window and tries to kill him, even if he isn't the same person in Storybrooke.  Regina having shown him the book.  She stops him by using her magic and takes him to the Crypt where he talks of her collecting hearts and not being good.  But she's changed and she hides away a powerful box from him.  Also telling him about his children and his daughter.  As Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) told her this isn't her Robin even if she needs to find that out for herself, she shouldn't have brought him back. She was right as Robin steals her box.  Once a thief...just like the parallel story here; once a pirate...

Regina also finds she has no chemistry when she kisses Robin and they don't feel anything.  She was wrong about him and needs to find out why he really came.  Some sort of ulterior motive obviously. Also have to remember that Robin is a different version and is from a wish.  He won't be the same and is he really working with someone else.  Thought of Gideon here for some reason.  As for Hook he has a lot of explaining to do and the truth will out eventually about him, and there's no excuse that he didn't know who David's father was when he killed him. The apple doesn't seem to fall far from the tree in this show and Hook says David will be adding to the family by welcoming him into the fold of the black sheep.  Sorry sounds like a pun there with David being a shepherd!  Did Hook use his hook to break free of the handcuffs as I said he should! ha

Once Upon A Time 6.11 "Tougher Than The Rest" Review

                                               
Flashback to Minneapolis 1990 where little Emma sits with fairytale book pages that she's burning, when a teen approaches her and talks of The Ugly Duckling.  She feels she has no hope and won't find happiness but he tells her of the story and how the duckling became a swan cos he never gave up believing he could do it.  It was his fate.  The teem obviously being August.  He convinces her to go to the police where she adopts the last name of Swan.

In the wished for land, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Regina (Lana Parilla) need to find away to get back home and Robin (Sean Maguire) steals their jewellery and vanishes.  As Henry (Jared S Gilmore) approaches with guards in search of his mother and the Evil Queen.  They hide behind some driftwood and Emma then realizes she has an idea how she can get home: she thinks of August (Eion Bailey) who would be here too.  Yeah charming hey, think of a plank of wood and come up Pinocchio!!  He's still at his father's hut but his father has long since passed  As Regina goes off to find Robin.  Emma will realize it was August who convinced her to go to the police and he can't make the cupboard for her since there's no more magic left and he doesn't have magic.  But he has an idea what he can do.  As he takes Emma to the tree in the forest with his tools.  The chisel will help him carve it for her.  But before he can, Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) appears.  Aged, dishevelle, in need of personal hygiene and pot bellied!  Oh boy if ever there was anything or anyone so ugly (re the ugly duckling or ugly pirate ducky in this case) it was Hook!  ha.  He's here to rescue Emma, but more so he's after the reward her family's put up!

As they fight, the chisel breaks and Emma uses her magic to whisk him away to his ship.  Saying she'll have to cut down on his rum and dessert.  Not that we've seen Hook eating dessert, blame Granny's diner for that.  Maybe he binge ate ice cream for all the troubles and woes he went through. Or the implication the love of a good woman can keep your weight down!! ha.  Emma talks of the sword and how it is fated to kill her, but she won't give up her fate without a fight.  She convinces August to believe in himself and he manages to take the tree back to the hut and carve a portal for her.

Regina looks for Robin and ends up at that same tavern where she was told he was the love of her life and she should go for it, as she spies his tattoo again.  Everyone flees cos the Evil Queen has arrived and she tells him about himself and asks whether he's happy here.  Which he says he is and she leaves but he stops her.  Not for long since the Sheriff of Nottingham (Wil Travel) arrives, places a bracelet on her wrist preventing her from using magic and arrests them both.  As they sit in the dungeon carriage, she tells him about him and how in her other world he's actually dead.  He tells her he didn't have a chance with Marion cos she died before they could get together.  Rumples (Robert Carlyle) appears and gets them out but takes them to his castle dungeon too cos he found Belle's (Emilie de Ravin) bones!  Robin uses a nail from the bed to break out, that was too easy, wouldn't he have put some magic spell on the door.  She tells him how she lost him in her world and he shows her the feather, later at the hut.  The same one that Zelena was meant to give her but it got lost.  Though she doesn't tell him about his son and also his daughter, with another baby mama!  Her sister of all women!

Emma thinks Regina can take him with them cos he doesn't really have a happy life here.  He's Robin of Loxley: a thief who steals for himself and not to give to the poor and he agrees to go.  As they reach Storybrooke, Regina thinks Robin isn't coming since he takes a long time to get here.  Emma finds herself in her usual clothes and heads for town.  As Regina shows Robin the town and introduces it to him in her capacity as Mayor.

In the town square, Emma meets with Gideon (Giles Matthey) and they fight.  He needs to be the new Saviour to save his land from the Black Fairy.  But why can't they work together and why can't Emma help him.  Well as he said earlier to Belle and Rumples, he wants the power and he didn't have a good upbringing courtesy of the Black Fairy.  Rumples tries to reason with him cos he's been through all that, but it falls on deaf ears.  He even tells Gideon to hit him and take it out on him but he doesn't. Partly for being  a bad father, well he wasn't there for him.  Though he and Belle are equally at fault for that.  She could've kept him and raised him surrounded by her Friends.  Belle also pleads with Hook and Charming not to kill him until she's had a chance to reason with him as his mother.

However as they fight and the others turn up at the square, he freezes them all so they can't interfere and Emma's hand shakes again but she strikes up courage to fight him.  Saying if she's fated to die then it'll happen but not today and pushes him back, breaking the sword which he had gotten hold of. she picks up a piece and puts it to his neck, as Rumples pleads with her to not kill him.  However he vanishes saying he doesn't need his help.  Really so that's why he has to be the Saviour.  There's hugs and kisses with Emma and Charming (Josh Dallas) also telling Hook earlier that he won't wake up Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) until he has helped his family.

Belle is at the well and Rumples asks her if she's making a wish.  As they talk about their failings and how he failed Baelfire, as well as each other.  Gideon climbs the clock tower and destroys that window again!  Huh how many times will that happen.  As Belle makes a wish and throws the coin into the well.

Emma headed to August's where he's typing a story and she shows him the pages of the book, she kept the Ugly Duckling stories.  Seems time and again whenever she needs confidence and courage it's usually been August who's given her that, even in the land of the wish.  As well as when he first arrived in Storybrooke.  We now know (again) that he always knew her when she was little and gave her the courage and hope back then as well to do the right thing, always.