Once Upon a Time REACTION - S02E22 - And Straight On 'til Morning

Yay!!! Another season has come and gone, and boy... what a fantastic season it was. I really love it. Thank you so much for all of your many fabulous reactions, Atticus!!! I have enjoyed them all so far very much! Of course... my favorite moments within this finale, as you surely know me by know... must include Hook because he's my all time favorite character, and they do. And if I had to pick one moment, or two that parallel with one another, it's the moment in Granny's Diner as the heroes decide to do what's right to save Regina and all of Storybrooke, until Hook suddenly snatches the bean. However, Emma quickly grabs hold of him before he can walk away as she states, "You and I... we understand each other. Look out for yourself and you never get hurt. Right?" She then goes on to tell him, "So... you can join us, and be a part of something, or you can do what you do best and be alone." Hook then appears to give in as he hands Emma the pouch she and the others contain the bean, as he states back, "You're quite passionate, Swan." As everyone leaves the diner, they then go on to talk about Henry's father and Hook learns that his father is Neal, or as he knows Neal... Baelfire. Later, after Henry is kidnapped by Greg and Tamara, Emma and Regina are desperate to save Henry and just when they fear all hope is lost, Hook returns in his ship after having a change of heart. And Emma asks him "I thought you didn't care about anyone but yourself.", to which Hook responds, "Perhaps, I just needed reminding that I could." This bond between Hook and Emma reveal an deeper understanding between them and I absolutely love them both so much!!! But we'll get back to the ending of this finale... First, Greg and Tamara ignite Regina's self destruct failsafe as they strike the blue diamond using one of the dwarfs' axes, and the countdown to Storybrooke being destroyed has begun. Sadly, Emma has to tell Henry about his father's death, while David and Mary Margaret must tell Gold that his son was shot just before falling through a portal, as everyone assumes that Neal is now dead. The emotion shown on Gold's face is heartbreaking and that Robert Carlyle's acting in this moment is top notch and beautiful. And unfortunately for the heroes, Gold refuses to step in to help them save the town, as he has accepted death is his fate upon having failed to save his son and that death is the price he deserves to pay, as Neal died in punishment from him having brought magic to Storybrooke. All magic comes with a price. This was a very powerful and emotional scene for sure and I really like it a lot. However, the heroes refuse to give up, and even Hook isn't prepared to give up either, so he goes to the heroes believing that together they can try to stop the self destruct. I love the moment when David immediately swings around and punches Hook square in the jaw to pay him back for Hook striking David over the head with the crowbar so he can steal back his hook shown in The Queen is Dead. It's brilliant. Next... I love that the dwarfs enter Gold's shop to take back some of the things that are theirs, including the stein that belongs to Sneezy so that they can use it and the potion which Blue made up to bring Sneezy back to his true self before the failsafe kills them all. But I especially love when Grumpy turns back to Gold and gives him another vial containing the potion so that Gold can turn Lacey back into Belle, as Grumpy states he had asked Blue for another vial so he can help Belle to repay her for once helping him long ago. I love how he pleads with Gold saying, "Please don't let her die as Lacey." Very touching. And then... Hook and David go off to find Greg and Tamara to get back the magic beans they stole so they can use one in hope of sending the failsafe through another portal to save them, in their first plan. They get into a fight, and Greg and Tamara escape, but Hook manages to grab hold of one of the beans after the vial Greg held containing them broke open on the ground. After the diner scene, Hook walks away from them while Emma, Henry, Mary Margaret, and David return to the mine where Regina is using all of her magic and strength to hold off the diamond's power for as long as she can, fully prepared to die to save everyone else, mainly so that Henry won't be alone and so that he will truly see her as a hero and not as the Evil Queen. It's quite beautiful and we can see just how far Regina really has come throughout the season, despite everything that happened between her, Mary Margaret, and Cora. However, the heroes arrive and reveal to Regina their plan, only to find that Hook stole back the magic bean despite Emma's words to him inside Granny's. And for a brief moment, everyone is preparing to say goodbye as they hold one another in their last moments together. And Emma at last calls her parents Mom and Dad, not David and Mary Margaret. I loved this. However, Emma suddenly remembers she too has magic within her and steps up in front of Regina as she states that together they might be powerful enough to stop the diamond's power and together they emit their powers against it. Together, they save everyone and it's so brilliant seeing Emma and Regina working together to save everyone, and not against one another as they've been doing since the start of season one. Amazing and brava!!! I love it!! Unfortunately, Greg and Tamara interfere once again, and they kidnap Henry in the brief moment that everyone is knocked back from the power of the diamond as it's contained. And they drag him towards the ocean, where they use the last of the beans to open a portal to where they believe is the so called "home office", unsuspecting that where they are truly heading is Neverland... as Hook reveals to the heroes and Gold now all aboard the Jolly Roger as they prepare to sail after Henry to save him, thanks to Hook coming back to offer his ship and his services to help them save Henry. Hook then throws the bean, once he and Gold... don't come to so much to a reconciliation, but more but more of an understanding that saving Henry is more important than their two hundred year old battle and hate towards one another, then together heroes and villains travel through the portal on their way to Neverland. I also love the tender moment between Gold and Belle as he sys goodbye to her after asking her to stay behind to put up the cloaking spell around the town so that no more outsiders can ever get in. I love the kiss they share and the beautiful acting by both Robert Carlyle and Emilie De Ravin once again. Rumple and Belle are amazing with one another. As for the backstory... I love the overall backstory between Hook and Baelfire. I love how Hook learns the truth about Bae being Rumplestiltskin's son and claims to Smee and his crew that he plans to use him in his revenge against the Dark One, but that he truly wishes to help Bae and to make him a part of his own family. I love that Hook tells Bae how his own father had long ago abandoned him when he was a small boy too, and that for a brief time, Hook and Bae bond. Unfortunately, Baelfire later finds Hook's drawing of Milah and Bae becomes fiercely angry with him and tries to kill Hook upon knowing that he's the pirate his father had spoken of, who he had been told had kidnapped and murdered his mother. My heart broke when Hook pleads with Bae to understand that he fell in love with her and that it was really his own father who murdered her by ripping out her heart and crushing it in front of him. And Hook continues to plead with him, asking Bae to stay with him aboard the Jolly Roger so they can be a family like Milah would have wanted for them, as he states Bae would remain under his protection that he can change... all for him. Hook is willing to truly give up his lust for revenge for Baelfire's sake and then... Hook is heartbroken when Bae refuses. And because he does, Hook then reverts back to his selfish self and hands Bae over to the Lost Boys, or as Hook calls them, the Lost Ones so that they can deliver him to Peter Pan. However, when the boys return to the island with Bae as their prisoner, another boy is waiting on shore for them and the leader of them asks if Bae is the boy Pan is looking for. As the boy opens up a parchment of a drawing of the boy Pan is seeking, the boy shakes his head no and shows the leader the picture, only to reveal a drawing of Henry... two hundred years before the present day events in Storybrooke and long before Henry is even born. Whoa... two heavy cliffhangers to end this season's finale. Oh... and I also love the moment at Granny's Diner, when Archie speaks up bravely to encourage everyone to follow David and Mary Margaret's plan to save Regina and their town, believing wholeheartedly that their leaders and friends are doing the right thing. I love Archie. And everyone stands behind David and Mary Margaret, even before Emma does. Brilliant! And lastly... of course Neal is found to be still alive, somewhere on a beach where much to my surprise... he is found by Aurora, Mulan, and Prince Phillip who Aurora an Mulan had clearly saved, after we last saw the two women talking within Rumple's old cell in the Enchanted Forest about going off to find his soul that had been taken by the wraith that killed him... so they could save him. It was interesting to see them again, though I felt a bit disappointed that Neal survived. I still haven't grown to like him much at all. Plus... his survival feels cliché too. But... there is more to his story, of course. Overall... I really love this season, especially upon it bringing in my favorite character... Captain Hook who is phenomenal, as is the actor who plays him in every way... Colin O'Donoghue. I cannot wait for you to begin season three!!! It's going to be an amazing ride! Thank you again, so much!!!

Heidi Elizabeth Marcum