Secrets, love and heartbreak are rife as the Snow Queen brews up an icy storm on this week’s Once Upon A Time

On this past week’s action-packed episode of Once Upon a Time, it’s all about magic and matters of the heart! Marian feels an icy chill as the newly revealed Snow Queen curses her and Regina may be her only hope. But with them both desiring the affections of the same man, will she be able to rise above their differences to help save her? As Emma and Charming search for clues to dispel the misplaced blame put on (new BFF) Elsa, they discover a familiar face (well, to some of us anyway) rummaging in Robin’s camp. When Hook and Elsa ignore instructions to stay safe and hidden, they run headfirst into danger and Hook’s life hangs in the balance. Back in Arendelle we see Elsa and Kristoff face off against an egotistical Hans, who’s plotting to take over the kingdom. And we discover that the Snow Queen has more mysterious connections than we would have expected. Meanwhile, Rumplestiltskin (as usual) is all knowing and hiding secrets – but how much longer can he conceal the truth? With even more questions asked than we get answered this week, we’ve got lots to discuss – so let’s get right into it!

An Act of True Love

Kicking off the episode, we see Robin (Sean Maguire), his (newly returned-from-the-dead-from-the-past-who-even-knows) wife Marian (Christie Lang) and their son, the personification of cuteness himself, little Roland (Raphael Alejandro) grabbing some ice cream - we can’t help but smile and ‘aww’ seeing the overjoyed look on his adorable dimpled cheeks. But smiles don’t last long as an outwardly friendly looking Snow Queen (Elizabeth Mitchell) serves up Marian a welcome treat with an icy twist. It’s not until later during the town meeting when her hair becomes streaked with white and she collapses under duress from the curse, that she starts being frozen from the inside out - and Regina’s (Lana Parrilla) called to the rescue. Parrilla’s performance as the heartbroken yet tenacious Regina is absolutely breathtaking. Robin and Regina are a huge fan favorite couple and so we’re sure our hearts weren’t the only ones to break a little when she had to watch Robin attempt (an albeit failed) true love’s kiss on another woman. The subtly broken look behind her eyes, perfectly conveying just exactly how much she’s hurting, without any verbal admission of it, shows just how brilliant Parrilla is.

“There’s a reason that kiss didn’t work and it’s not what everyone thinks. I’m in love with someone else.” – Robin Hood

But things weren’t all bad for Robin and Regina this week with Robin’s admission of love for her (oops, sorry Marian). While Maguire’s delivery of impeccably crafted lines (props to writers David H. Goodman and Jerome Schwartz) is certainly commendable it’s, again, Parrilla who steals the scene. The way her face completely lights up and that glimmer of hope in response to his remark, turned what could otherwise have been cringe-worthy spectacle into a heart-warming moment, making us all swoon. It’s funny – Regina’s goal at moment is to find the writer of the Storybook and make him rewrite her as a hero, rather than a villain. But without even noticing, it’s herself that’s making her happy ending more of a possibility. Selflessly choosing to rip out and preserve Marian’s heart to save her, where maybe even a season ago she would have just let her die, shows incredible character progression (though it would be nice if she could take responsibility for some of her past actions). It’s these little interwoven details that make the shows producers, Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, absolute masterminds.

Snow Queens and Sass

Speaking of villains, the Snow Queen’s the new big baddie on the block and we’re loving her! From her quick-witted dialogue to the shop keeper façade hiding her powerful magic, she captured our interest from the moment she appeared on our screens. In the flashback sequence we see her emerge (nice going, Hans!) from the same urn that Elsa was kept captive in, only for it be revealed that she’s Anna and Elsa’s aunt (we totally called it) – or so she says! We’re not sure if we trust her yet, I mean, we don’t even have the slightest clue what she’s up to or what she wants so who knows if she’s telling the truth. And that’s the not even the most bizarre connection she may have – it appears she may somehow know our beloved savior, Emma (Jennifer Morrison)! This story line just keeps getting more and more confusing. Hopefully we’ll get some answers soon or our heads may just implode from both anticipation and confusion. Regardless of any complexities, Elizabeth Mitchell’s performance had us on the edge of our seats for the entire hour. The way she switches between the sweet, kindly, innocent woman to the ruthless, meticulous villain, ready to take out Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) just to prove a point to Elsa, is masterful and an art form that anyone can appreciate. We can’t get enough of Mitchell’s on our screens and hopefully soon we’ll discover more about her weird and wonderful connections to Storybrooke – primarily, why is she here?

“You really think your powers are a match for mine?” - Snow Queen

And she’s not the only new character in town. Any ‘Once Upon A Time in Wonderland’ fans out there? Will Scarlet (Michael Socha) finally made his first, though brief, appearance on the show and did not disappoint - we could not control our laughter (whether at Will’s signature exclamation of ‘bloody hell!’ or Emma’s face plant to the floor)! The sass off between Will and Emma is hilarious and that’s definitely one dynamic we look forward to seeing more explored in future episodes. And we can’t help but wonder, will Storybrooke be able to cope with both Will and Hook’s smart mouths?

‘Obey Me, I’m The Queen’

Back in the past, with Anna off on her mission, Elsa and Kristoff (Scott Michael Foster) have ‘that idiot from the Southern Isles’, Hans (Tyler Jacob Moore), to deal with. If we’re honest, while we adore both Elsa and Kristoff, Hans was a character who we just did not like. Yes, we know, you’re not supposed to like him. He is the villain of this story, after all, but something about him just rubbed us the wrong way and so made this particular plotline more difficult to sit though. BUT something we did adore was the sibling like interactions between Elsa and Kristoff. Georgina Haig and Scott Michael Foster flawlessly captured the essence of that brother and sisterly relationship that many of us have experienced. And so watching the two of them grow fonder of one another as the episode progressed was more than enjoyable. The dialogue in these scenes was cleverly written with an almost comedic timing to it, making the flashbacks some of the most fun parts of the episode to watch.

“Why is it your compliments are so aggravating?” - Elsa
“Well, I start out that way but you’ll warm up to me.” - Kristoff

Love and Loss

Our stand out performance of the episode came from Jennifer Morrison in the final scenes between Emma and Hook. Emma and Hook’s relationship has been developed beautifully over the past couple of episodes (well, seasons actually) and this week is no exception. Last week we saw Hook fighting to save Emma’s life and this week the roles were reversed. Seeing that enormous blast of magic come from Emma and knock back the Snow Queen, when she saw Hook was in danger, was both exhilarating (because hell yeah, you go girl) and enthralling. We know her magic is stemmed from emotion, and so the fact that the most powerful magic we’ve seen her exhibit as of yet was in this instant, is a testament to the strength of their connection. But it was the final scene between them in the street that really got to us.

“Why do you keep pulling away from me?” - Hook

“Everyone I’ve even been with is dead… I lost everyone. I can’t lose you too.” - Emma

Morrison’s heart wrenching performance of a woman broken and scarred by a lifetime of loss, loneliness and neglect had us, fairly so, tearing up. Her tearful admission of fear of losing this man she so clearly feels.. something.. for, is executed so intricately that it gave us shivers. And O’Donoghue’s response - Hook’s features softening as he realized what she was admitting to him for the first time – exhibited once again his phenomenal acting abilities. Basically, if a person could have actual heart eyes, that’s what it would look like. These two actors have such incredible on screen chemistry – they bring every scene they’re in together to life and light up our screens. From the playful flirtatious banter between Hook and Emma to the hard-hitting emotional scenes, they never fail to deliver. And that kiss, well., what can we really say that everyone else hasn’t already though? Accompanied by a romantic backing track by the limitlessly talented Mark Isham and the far panned camera angle – it’s one we’re sure we’ll all be watching over and over again.

FINAL VERDICT

With several different stories being told simultaneously, this week’s episode could have been a complete jumbled disaster. However, all of the main plot lines had the same underlying theme – that of a lonely person feeling as though they have no one to trust or understand them. Whether it be Emma feeling as though she’s failing with her magic and her sheriff duties; Elsa pushing away Kristoff and Anna because they just don’t understand her; Regina hanging around on the outskirts believing she doesn’t deserve happiness; or even Rumplestiltskin lying to Belle and teetering on the fine line of addiction. All of these stories had one common tie and that, ultimately, was this episodes saving grace. Though still a little overwhelming, some more than memorable performances and relationship developments, pushed this episode to the forefront of our minds. And with so many questions left unanswered and great new character introductions, it certainly isn’t one to forget.

Questions, Comments, Concerns…

• Kristoff and Elsa make a fantastic team, as do Hook and Elsa.. and Emma and Elsa. I just love Elsa, okay?
• Loving Operation Mongoose!
• “”There is no problem that can’t be solved with a bit of ice cream.” - We agree! #OUAT”
• So excited Will Scarlet’s on the show, absolutely adored him in OUATIW.
• Even little Roland’s adorable dimples can’t compete with the cuteness that is Hook trying to use a phone - “I press the Emma button and she answers” SO CUTE!!
• Wonder how Killian knowing about Rumple’s fake dagger is going to play out?
• EMMA AND KILLIAN!! THAT KISS WAS MAGICAL!! (and I just want to hug Emma but I’m pretty sure he’s got it covered)
• But the main question we want answered: How does the Snow Queen know Emma?!