Luffy Reacts - Once Upon a Time S4E08&09 - Smash The Mirror
Added 2024-12-31 16:24:19 +0000 UTCStreamable link: https://streamable.com/bw7uk9
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Smash the Mirror Part Two- Thank you so very much once more for your reaction for another episode that I absolutely consider to be among my favorites within this season, Luffy!! The Snow Queen isn't known to be one of the best villains among us fans. And she's not a favorite villain for me either. However, I do really love her overall character!! I just love the eeriness she emits. And I really love the dynamic between her and Gold as well. Both actors and their characters play off of one another very well! In regards to why Gold doesn't pull the Snow Queen into his hat to gain her power... It's because they have an understanding between one another. And because Gold has made a deal with her that protects her from him turning against her, as much as a part of him wishes he could take her power for himself. And you know that Gold always honors his end of the deals he makes. And as for the ribbons and why they suddenly have magical properties... Back in the previous episode, titled... The Snow Queen, Rumplestiltskin asks Ingrid and her sisters for all three of their ribbons in trade for the magical gloves and the urn to help Ingrid keep her magic contained, then Ingrid asks him why he wants them. Rumple answers, "Sometimes... With enough love, ordinary objects can come to possess their own special kind of magic." And this is exactly what has happened with the ribbons. Back then... The ribbons remained only symbols of love the three sisters shared for one another. And now... Upon Emma learning to believe in herself at last thanks to Elsa, Ingrid has finally been able to magic the three ribbons around each one of their wrists, as their bond and belief in themselves along with Ingrid's on belief within herself and in them, as well as the sisterly love that the ribbons symbolize as the ribbons become imbued by new magic just like Rumple claimed they could one day. I hope this makes sense. As for my favorite scenes... I absolutely love, love, love the scene between Hook and Rumplestiltskin, first when Killian runs towards the mansion to try to save Emma from being sucked into the hat, only for Gold to appear before him to stop him as he binds Killian to the gate in order to keep him from interfering. And second... I love the moment after Gold sees that Emma has changed her mind to go through with giving up her magic, when Killian mocks him for his failure and while Gold is disappointed, he reveals to Killian that losing Emma wasn't a complete loss. Unfortunately for Killian, the revelation the Snow Queen reveals to Gold back in the end of the previous episode, titled... The Snow Queen, when she whispers it into his ear, is that Gold needs the heart of someone who knew him before he became the Dark One, and Gold cruelly and forcefully rips out Killian's heart, becoming in total control over Killian so that Killian is now the Dark One's puppet. Killian must obey every command Gold gives to him so long as he remains in possession of his heart, and tragically, Killian has no choice in the matter. We are so focused on Regina's need and desire to find the storybook's Author and her fear that she will never gain her happy ending because she was once a villain... That we forget that Killian was also once a villain too. And from the pain and fear we see in his eyes and on his face all throughout these two episodes, we can see that he is afraid of this just as much as Regina is. And this ties into this season's overall theme that villains may not get their happy endings because this Author may have deemed it so... so, so beautifully. What does this story arc mean for Killian too? I absolutely love it!!! :) Both actors play these scenes so amazingly well! And what a reveal!! It's so phenomenal. I love each of their facial expressions, from the extreme glee and total pleasure Gold feels upon hurting his oldest enemy in one of the worst ways possible, to Killian's pain, despair, and self loathing we see on Killian's face and in his eyes once again. Absolutely marvelous!! :) I absolutely feel so badly for Killian. Because he has truly changed. He's not only a hero now, but more than this... Killian is a good man with a good heart. He always has been. He just lost himself long ago, having buried the good in him down so deeply inside himself in order to try to shut out his pain from the loss of his brother, and to be able to seek out his revenge against Rumplestiltskin. And he truly and very deeply loves Emma. Killian fights for her every day, and he loves every part of her just like he tells Emma in another very sad, yet beautiful moment between them later on within this episode, which I will come back to momentarily... If there is anyone who has encouraged Emma to be her true self, magic and all... It's Killian. Just like we've seen him do all throughout season three and even throughout season two as well. Killian loves Emma, and his love for her is truly beautiful. Back under your reaction for Smash the Mirror Part One... I mentioned that Gold possibly left the map that allows for Killian to find Emma, out on the counter for Killian to find. However, I suspect that Gold actually did so for this reason... I suspect he foresaw that Killian would come to his shop seeking help to find Emma, or even knew that Killian would figure out his plans for Emma and would confront him to try to stop him, as he does later at the mansion. And so, I believe that Gold most likely leaves the marked map out for Killian to find purposefully so that he could draw Killian to the mansion as well, since he has plans to rip out Killian's heart because it's the final ingredient needed to cleave himself from the dagger. And upon Killian's arrival, the perfect opportunity for Gold to rip out his heart is given to him. Gold always has reasons for doing everything he does. I love it! :) Another of my favorite moments... I very much love the moment towards the end, when Killian enters the mansion at last and shows such relief upon seeing that Emma really is okay, as he rushes up to her and pulls her into his arms. Killian loves Emma so much and Killian's expressions and his emotions prove this. I love how he kisses her in spite of Elsa still being there, and I love how Killian tells Emma that he loves every part of her when she's surprised by why he's so happy she chose not to get rid of her magic. So beautiful. And then... I also absolutely love the expressions we see slightly from both Killian and Emma, yet the emotions that are never really expressed or spoken of except through their facial expressions. Clearly, Killian is ashamed of himself, not only for keeping the truth from Emma in spite of having tried to confess it to her, but also for getting himself into the position where Gold was able to rip out his heart and to take control over him. Killian struggles so deeply with self loathing. And in this moment, it's clear Emma senses something's wrong with Killian because of how deeply he kisses her and the pain she sees in his eyes. He's overcompensating by kissing her so desperately, knowing in his mind that he loves her, and yet he can't quite feel his love for her as much as he does with his heart in his chest. So tragic! And this time, Killian can't tell her the truth because Gold has complete control over him because he controls his heart. So sad and yet so, so beautiful. This story arc between Killian and Gold is my favorite within this season's Frozen arc, and throughout all of season four as well!! I just absolutely love it in its entirety!! :) Now... I really love the overall backstory between Ingrid, Elsa, and Anna, as well as Kristoff too. Sadly, Kristoff isn't in these two episodes much, but I love every bit of what we see with him. Especially when Kristoff comes into the dining room to protect Anna upon seeing the Snow Queen threatening her. But to backtrack a little... I love how Ingrid outsmarts Anna and Elsa despite wanting to see them beat the Snow Queen. I love how Ingrid shares the story of the King from the book, titled... The Trolden Glass, about how the King curses his kingdom so they would suffer as he did upon the loss of his daughter. Which is taken from the Snow Queen's story. I love also how she finishes, as she casts the Spell of Shattered Sight over Anna after she explains it would take too much power and too many years to be able to cast the spell over all of Arendelle. And this eventually leads ties into the very ending in Storybrooke when the Snow Queen finally gains all she needs to cast the Spell of Shattered Sight over everyone in Storybrooke as well, which she's succeeded in doing upon seeing her cause the mirror to shatter. And this is why this two part episode is titled... Smash the Mirror Part One and Smash the Mirror Part Two. And then... We see that once the spell wears off from Anna, after Elsa refuses to hurt her sister despite the spell forcing Anna to pull Elsa into the urn because of her unspoken rage she has suppressed from her lonely days seen throughout Disney's Frozen, that the Snow Queen freezes all of Arendelle in rage upon losing not only Elsa because Elsa was stronger in her love for Anna than she hoped, but also because Rumplestiltskin appears and magics the urn with Elsa still inside away from her. I love how Arendelle becomes frozen all over again and I love how Rumple seeks to make a deal with Ingrid. The urn and Elsa, for the Sorcerer's hat. These scenes reveal why Anna is still missing and why Elsa could only hear her sister's heartbeat from Bo Peep's crook. Because Anna is still alive, yet frozen and therefore not technically breathing. And this scene reveals how Rumple comes into possession of the urn with Elsa still trapped inside, as was revealed back in season three's finale... There's No Place Like Home. It also reveals how Elsa has no memories of Ingrid or her time spent with her because Ingrid steals her memories with one of the purple stones she appears to have collected from the Rock Trolls, and how the box containing the Sorcerer's hat came to find its way back at the Sorcerer's mansion like we saw back in season four's premiere... A Tale of Two Sisters, as we see that Ingrid chooses then to make a deal with the Apprentice and the Sorcerer instead of with Rumplestiltskin, in exchange for a doorway to finding her third sister... Emma. Brilliant!! I enjoy the scene between Rumplestiltskin and Ingrid just after the Snow Queen freezes all of Arendelle, when Rumple steals Elsa inside the urn from her in hope of making a deal with her for the box containing the Sorcerer's hat. I like how Rumple mocks Ingrid, and teases about liking Anna frozen because this way, she's less mouthy. Very funny. And now, as for the present day storyline... I absolutely love it all as well. I especially love the scene near the end between Robin and Regina, as he reveals to Regina Page 23 from the book that could have been in the book had Regina only made the decision to enter inside the tavern that night when Tinker Bell told her about her True Love. But because Regina ran away instead, a new Page 23 took its place, for reasons yet to be revealed. So beautiful. I also really love the scene between Regina and Mary Margaret as well, as Mary Margaret encourages Regina to continue to have hope and how Regina mocks Mary Margaret about having a quarter for every time she says the word, "hope". I love their conversation. Next... I enjoy the beginning scene between Emma and Ingrid as well, as Ingrid pleads with Emma not to trust Gold has her best interests at heart, while still trapped by the urn's remnants by projecting a form of herself made from her snowy magic. I absolutely love the scene between Emma and Elsa inside the Sorcerer's mansion, as Elsa helps Emma find her strength to believe in herself as much as she needs to believe in her loved ones' love for her. And I love how doing so allows Emma to gain back complete control over her magic because she's no longer afraid of it or of hurting them. Very powerful moment for sure. And I love Elsa's and Emma's relationship. They are absolutely sisters. Now... I really enjoy the moment between Emma and Gold inside the mansion as well. I love how Gold manipulates Emma so perfectly, by telling her the complete truth about his deception in order to convince her she is doing the right thing. He makes himself appear to mean well and to want to help Emma, when in truth he's only seeking out her power as a real villain does. He's so good at being so evil. It's amazing. It's sad to us because we know he's also lying to Belle, who is unaware that he's up to no good. But Belle also isn't completely blind to his deception any longer. Her moment in front of the Snow Queen's Mirror inside her lair put the doubts inside her head too. I love the happy moment between the Charming family and Elsa, when Emma shows her loved ones that she's okay again, as they celebrate with fireworks in the sky above them. Sadly, Killian is unable to join them since he has been forced to enter the library in order to bring the hat back to Gold. I really wish he could have been with them, standing by Emma's side. But everyone's smiles within this moment are quite beautiful and heartwarming. It's just so sad that Emma or anyone else didn't even notice Killian was no longer with them. :) And lastly... Gold sadly erases Killian's message to Emma from her phone so that she won't ever hear it, which really made me mad, because I would have loved to see Emma's reaction to his beautiful goodbye message to her, and I would have loved for her to learn the truth behind Gold's intentions for her through Killian, even though she most likely would have been very angry with him. However, I think she would have been even more concerned for Killian too. But even though Emma doesn't hear Killian's message to her, it takes nothing away from his words to her left within the message at the end of Smash the Mirror Part One. Overall... Such sensational and fabulous episodes, so thank you so much again for watching these phenomenal and beautiful episodes I love so much, Luffy! And together too! I can't wait for your next reactions for more Once Upon a Time!! So beautiful!! Thank you again! Until then, dear friend... Sincerely, Heidi
Heidi Elizabeth Marcum
2024-12-31 20:55:28 +0000 UTCSmash the Mirror Part One- Thank you so very much for another fantastic episode for Once Upon a Time, Luffy!! I absolutely love this episode!! It's not quite as strong as Part Two, but it's still so very good, and I really love it, nonetheless! :) And first, in regards to the abrupt ending to this episode... It only ends this way because this is a two part episode. If it was just a regular, one part episode, I think it probably would have ended a little differently. Or maybe it would have ended with the amazing scene between Gold and the Snow Queen towards the ending of this episode, which I absolutely love! This scene between Gold and Ingrid is one of my favorite scenes throughout this episode! As frustrating as both of them are, or as frustrating as they both can be, this scene is just absolutely amazing!! And so brilliantly acted by both Robert Carlyle and Elizabeth Mitchell (the Snow Queen). Gold often has moments within numerous episodes where he circles around a character he might be trying to outsmart of defeat for his own personal gain. So, seeing him circle around Ingrid in this moment within this episode, isn't anything out of character for him. We don't really think much of it, until Gold reveals that he has just entrapped Ingrid moments later. We very quickly come to see that Gold has a brilliant reason for circling her in this moment. And that he has outsmarted the Snow Queen in order to keep her from thwarting his plans for Emma by entrapping her within a circle of the remnants of the urn that had been destroyed by Elsa back in this season's premiere episode, titled... A Tale of Two Sisters, upon her arrival in Storybrooke. I absolutely seeing how Gold does this! It is absolutely brilliant! And I love his entire explanation for how he goes about collecting the remnants of the urn he had found inside Zelena's barn too. I love watching these two villains face off against one another, and seeing just how unafraid they are of the other. I just absolutely love their power struggle and how they both threaten one another like they've done since the beginning, in spite of the appearance that they aren't threatened by the other. Now, the real question is... Which of these villains will come out on top? As for another of my favorite moments, which is actually my very favorite moment throughout this episode... Of course, it involves Killian, and you know it's partly because he's my favorite character and because I believe Colin O'Donoghue is just phenomenal as Captain Hook!! But there's so much more to it than this too. I absolutely love the moment when Killian calls Emma the second time from within Gold's shop and confesses everything to her, even if it is over the phone. In this very moment, Killian doesn't believe he will find Emma, or Gold in time to save her himself. He has no idea where to even continue looking and he has no form of magic to find either one of them. So, he leaves Emma this beautiful and heartbreaking message to her in hope that she will listen to it before she follows through with her plan to rid herself of her magic with Gold's supposed help. However, this is when Killian sees the map left out on top of one of the shop's countertops a few seconds later, that he quickly discovers where Emma might be heading upon Gold leaving the map behind, allowing him to see the area Gold had circled to guide Emma there. And while it's never explained, or my theory remains unproven... I suspect that Gold leaves the map out on his counter on purpose for Killian to find, knowing Killian would quickly figure out his true intentions for Emma, given that Killian knows of the Sorcerer's hat and that he has plans to collect people with magic inside the hat, knowing that Killian would come to see him. Why? You'll see. :) I absolutely love the emotion Killian shows as he's leaving Emma this heartfelt message. Especially in the moment he admits the truth about having lied to her and how he hopes she will never forgive him, because it will mean that she will hear this message in time to save herself. Killian pours his heart out, and oh... the pain and tears in his eyes! He's so broken and I can't help but feel so heartbroken for him. This kind of emotional moment is when Colin O'Donoghue shines. He acts this scene and all throughout both of these episodes so phenomenally, and I just love him so, so much!!! I'm sure you must be tired of me repeating myself over how much I love Killian. I just can't help it! But this moment is just very powerful and emotional. And that's why I love it so much!! And while Killian hasn't told Emma yet that he loves her through these three little words, this moment proves once again to us as this show's viewers that he does love Emma very deeply. :) Now, to back up a little... I enjoy the beginning scene between Ingrid and the Apprentice. I like how they talk about the Sorcerer, who may very well be Merlin. Merlin is known from all the Arthurian legends to be the most powerful of any Sorcerer to have ever lived. So, it's right that anyone should suspect him to be this Sorcerer whom the Apprentice speaks for. Plus... The Apprentice is a character that comes from Disney's, animated movie... Fantasia. As are the Sorcerer's magical hat and his magic walking broomstick. And in Fantasia, Merlin speaks to his Apprentice... Mickey Mouse. So, it would make sense that this Sorcerer whom the Apprentice keeps speaking of, is Merlin. I also love how Ingrid is completely unthreatened by the Apprentice when he firmly presses his sword's blade against her throat. She doesn't scare easily. At least not anymore. Not since she remained trapped within the urn for thirty or so years. And I like how the Apprentice eventually comes to give into Ingrid's demands to help her find a new magical sister, because he knows just how important the magical hat really is. But in doing so... The Apprentice also leaves her with a warning. That her request will take time and patience. As for the scene between Emma and Henry... While a part of me wishes that it had been Killian who finds her early on in the woods, it does makes sense that Henry would find her first instead, given that he knows his mother, probably better than anyone including Killian and her parents. At least in certain ways. I like how Henry pleads with her to come home and to believe that no one is afraid of her. That he's unafraid of her. Maybe he does try to force her too much... yes. But he's worried about her. And unfortunately... Emma loses control of her powers again, causing her to unintentionally hurt her son. And while the cut left behind on the back of his head may appear small, it's most likely meant to be worse than it looks. Plus... He would probably have a heck of a headache from the impact. But sadly... Henry finally just leaves Emma once again like she asks of him to do so that she won't hurt him again. In regards to Emma losing control of her magic... It's like I mentioned before in my comments under your reaction for the previous episode, titled... The Snow Queen. Ingrid merely gets so deep inside Emma's head, just like Gold does to Killian back in this season's fourth episode, titled... The Apprentice, and I really love the parallels between their storylines within these two episodes! But back to why Emma is continuing to lose control... It's not because she becomes jealous of her brother, but because she's been reminded that she had to grow up all alone, causing Emma to completely begin to doubt herself and lose faith in her strength as the Savior. She's become distrusting that anyone could ever fully love her completely for exactly who she is with or without her magic. Which is why she's so quick to be afraid that her parents really do fear her more than they've ever admitted before. Ingrid is most definitely very clever because she knows all too well the right things to say and do in order to convince Emma that her loved ones fear her, while she does not. And what's worse... To a small degree, Ingrid is right. Emma's parents did fear Emma's magic upon seeing her boil the milk in the bottle when she becomes upset in the beginning, then again upon learning Emma broke the hole through the side of the station, and especially upon seeing her lose complete control of her magic, which nearly causes a lamppost to fall on Hook, until David pushes him out of the way and is hurt when it strikes him instead. Even though their sudden fear is purely instinct and not really any fault of theirs. Sadly, things only become worse when she sees she has hurt her father and nearly hurts the man she is falling in love with, and especially when Mary Margaret immediately cries out her name with fear of her in her eyes, even if it is only seen for a split second. By this point, the Snow Queen has gotten so deep inside Emma's head, that she can't any longer control her own powers, making her lose complete control. Like magic works for anyone who possesses it... Emma's magic is connected to her emotions. So, because she feels so out of control right now, so is her magic. I hope all of this helps you to understand further what's happening with her. I also like the mother/son moment later between Regina and Henry as well, when she encourages her son to believe he has more power within him even though he doesn't have magic, because he not only is the Heart of the Truest Believer, but because he is the one who brought their family all together and has helped make it possible for each of the three curses to have been broken. Plus... She reminds him that heroes always win. I also like how Regina doesn't push him into talking to her about what's bothering him, until she senses he's ready to, while biding her time by reading comic books with her son too. So cute! :) Next... I like the scene between Emma and the Snow Queen in the woods as well. I like how Ingrid tries to convince Emma to listen to her as she offers her what is actually really good advice, even if she does so with the hope of bringing Emma over onto her side. That the only way her fear will end is by embracing who she really is. Sounds like good advice. As for the continued storyline between Regina and Robin having an affair while Marian is still frozen... I do absolutely love Regina and Robin together. Absolutely. I just really hate that once again... We have two more characters having an affair, because I cannot stand affair storylines, and I most certainly do not condone affairs whether they are fictional, or real. Regina and Robin being together is wrong and while their scenes together both in The Snow Queen and in this episode are adorable... I still wish the writers had written their story just a little differently, so that they could be together without there being a repeat of David's and Mary Margaret's overarching storyline throughout season one, when David and Mary Margare were having an affair while Kathryn was suffering in silence. I wish Robin could have held onto his conviction and moral core. But with all this being said... I really love how Regina shares with Robin her story about Tinker Bell's help in finding her True Love, and how her fate is decided by the Author who wrote her as the Evil Queen in all of her stories within Henry's storybook. Which leads me to my thoughts on Robin enlisting Will to help him find more answers about the Author... I really like these scenes between these two thieves. And it makes sense that he would ask for Will's help, because Robin knows that Will has lived in Storybrooke far longer than he has, and if there's anyone who might know of anything... it would be Will. Since he is after all a thief and known for being highly observant. And I love how Will takes Robin to the library so they can begin searching for answers there. The moment Will attempts to break in again is hilarious, especially when Robin opens the door upon recognizing that the library's still open. Very funny. I like the dynamic between them. :) As for the backstory revealed so far between Elsa, Anna, Ingrid, and briefly Kristoff as well... I really enjoy the overall backstory. I like how Ingrid admits to Elsa the truth about Anna being locked down in the dungeons, yet lies about the circumstances of her having been locked up. However, I love when it's revealed that Elsa had played her aunt by pretending to believe everything she had told her about her sister trying to betray her. As for why Elsa and Anna are so untrusting of their own guards... I suspect it's because they fear that Ingrid might have influenced them all to stand with her, either through magic, or perhaps she may have simply paid them off to stand with her. I doubt it's because Ingrid would have become the rightful Queen of Arendelle upon her return, especially since no one can actually prove she is who she claims to be given that no one actually remembers her. I think it's simply because Ingrid is very conniving. Plus... Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff don't trust anyone so easily, especially since the events played out within Disney's, Frozen between them and Prince Hans. He did after all play on their trust and then betrayed them. So, I think this makes sense. Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff simply choose to trust in themselves and no one else. And yes... It is Prince Hans who is frozen within Ingrid's wardrobe where Anna finds the urn hidden as well. After the Snow Queen had frozen him back in this season's third episode... Rocky Road, when he had attempted to pull Elsa into the urn, unintentionally freeing her instead. As for the scenes between Killian, David, Mary Margaret, and Elsa, while they're all worried about trying to find Emma... I enjoy the scenes overall. I love the humor when Killian talks about going to get whichever dwarf Emma most despises so he can go talk with her upon them believing she doesn't want to talk with any of those she's closest to. I also love how Killian is silently and wearily concentrating on trying to find Emma by studying the maps of the woods, while listening to the conversations going on around him. And upon hearing Mary Margaret's end of Emma's call, Killian then leaves the Charmings' loft to try to call Emma, then to confront the Crocodile, knowing full well that Gold intends to use the Sorcerer's hat to steal Emma's magic, just like he witnessed Gold do to the Apprentice. You can really see his worry for Emma in his eyes and on his face. So sad. Oh... And it's hilarious how Killian once again is confused by what to call his cell phone upon calling it a talking phone, after which David halfheartedly teases him about it just being called a phone to which Killian then responds, "What an impractical name. Be back in two shakes." So funny!! :) Next... I really like David's and Mary Margaret's conversation about their daughter. It makes absolute sense with Mary Margaret being unsure if Emma destroying a part of herself is a good decision for their daughter to make because she is speaking from her heart and because her being the Savior means so much to who Emma has become, while David is more rational and logical by believing that Emma is right to make this decision because it would mean that the reasons for the Snow Queen wanting Emma would be taken away from her and therefore... Emma would be safe from the villainess' threat. I appreciate hearing both sides, and I can absolutely understand both sides. I also really love the scene inside Gold's shop between Gold and Emma as well. I love seeing Gold walk in to find that a number of the trinkets and items within his shop are moving and are being turned on by Emma's out of control magic. I love that Gold of course knows right away that it's all because Emma is trying to hide in his shop from everyone. But more so... I love how Emma asks Gold for his help to take away her magic so that she can be free from her burden and fear of hurting those she loves. And while Emma believes him when he tells her he can help her, of course Gold is lying. And unfortunately, because Emma is so desperate, she doesn't sense his lies. I love how Gold comes up with a story about having a very powerful spell that can take away her magic, but that it's so dangerous given that the powers he's taking away from her is Savior magic. What a clever way of drawing her to where she will be all alone, and where he will be able to steal her magic by pulling her into the Sorcerer's hat. Love it!! Oh, and in regards to Killian's role throughout this story arc... There's still a lot to come for him, that stems from the reawakened rivalry between Hook and Rumplestiltskin, that is especially brought out further from the events between them within the fourth episode... The Apprentice. And what's to come is fantastic!!! I can't wait!!! Thank you so much once again for your reaction, Luffy! I really enjoyed watching this episode again with you, and I absolutely enjoyed watching your reaction for it!! You're amazing, my dear friend!!! Sincerely, Heidi
Heidi Elizabeth Marcum
2024-12-31 20:40:03 +0000 UTCWho are you?
Atticus Omundson
2024-12-31 20:09:07 +0000 UTC
