Luffy Reacts - Once Upon a Time S2E20 - The Evil Queen
Added 2021-04-30 03:51:31 +0000 UTCStreamable link: https://streamable.com/hh6awc
Comments
Like you, I also hate that no one believes Emma about Tamara. Not just because we (as the audience) know that she's right, but also because I detest the "you're just being silly/jealous" cliche in general. A lead is a lead! A line of questioning is a line of questioning! All theories are valid! I really really really hate when concerns are brushed off so easily because they "might" be influenced by personal feelings. Even if they are, SO WHAT? Wouldn't you rather humor Emma and then know for certain? I'll definitely have something to say about it during my reaction to the finale.
Luffyiscool
2021-04-30 12:11:18 +0000 UTCTwo videos in two days? It must be the End Times.
Atticus Omundson
2021-04-30 11:37:19 +0000 UTCThe Evil Queen- Thank you so much for another fun reaction, Luffy!!! :) Hook is definitely back, which I absolutely love!!! And boy is he angry upon discovering that Rumplestiltskin is still alive. And after swearing revenge for the last two hundred years... of course he's angry. And I love, love, love that Hook continues to call Rumplestiltskin/Gold the Crocodile too. :) So... this pretty episode is good overall, although it certainly has its weaknesses too. And a lot of it has to do with Regina both in the backstory and in Storybrooke too. Her naivety towards how everyone feels towards her in both storylines just seems so off, which brings me back to my previous thoughts on how the writers don't seem to know how to write her character very well this second half of the season. I understand why Regina struggles so much with not feeling accepted when she wants to be so desperately. However, I hate that she's in so much denial that she can't see that even killing an entire village makes her evil. Her naivety really does just bother me a bit. It's definitely interesting to see her perspective towards how others see her in comparison to how she sees herself, especially because she's so blinded in her hate of Snow White that she can only see Snow to be the evil one. But wow... How can you not see that killing an entire village is evil? I've seen a number of shows and movies where villains believe themselves to be acting out of righteousness or for the good of others when they're really not. And this has spread throughout real life history as well, such as back in the crusades when men of God and warriors have killed innocent people believing to be doing God's will. But back to Regina... while she is evil and has done so many horrendous things, I still really love her character so much! Lana Parrilla is phenomenal as the Evil Queen, and the Evil Queen is a phenomenal villain too. :) Next... While I really don't like Greg/Owen and Tamara at all, I do like and appreciate how they both manage to outsmart Regina with Hook's help, and I like the idea of seeing them form an alliance with Hook by throwing his failure to kill Rumple in his face in order to get him on their side. I don't like Greg's and Tamara's characters as a whole, but they are at least smart enough in this episode to use Hook to lure Regina into a trap. I just wish this plan throughout this episode was executed better than it was. This storyline, especially in regards to Greg and Tamara is a bit weaker than a number of others throughout this season. Hook as always is phenomenal, but he also isn't in this episode as much as I wish he would have been, and things are not explained at all. As for Hook's storyline, which is easily my favorite storyline throughout this episode... I truly do believe that Hook is genuine in wanting to side with Regina once they start working together, until Regina of course betrays him like Hook of course suspected she would even before she pushes him off the cliff in the mines to face off against what's left of Maleficent in her mummified form. If Regina hadn't have betrayed him, I absolutely believe Hook would have eventually turned against Greg and Tamara, and helped Regina gain back her magic by removing the cuff for her. Unfortunately for us, we'll never know. But as far as whose side Hook is on... he is always on his own side, and he will work with whoever can help him the most until he sees a different path. Because everyone does continue to betray him. And I feel bad for him because of it in spite of him still being a villain. In regards to Maleficent... Maleficent is dead because Emma killed her back in season one's finale... A Land Without Magic. However, like Regina explains to Hook in this episode and to Emma back in season one's finale, she cursed Maleficent so that her soul would remain trapped in whatever form she happened to be in. In Storybrooke, Maleficent was once alive and trapped in the form of a dragon until she was killed, because she was in the form of a dragon when the curse fell over her. And in this episode, it's revealed she has now become cursed as a mummified beast as her ashes reform into this creature that Hook fights once he lands in the very spot where Emma had killed her. I hope this makes sense. If you recall in my comments under last episode's reaction... I mentioned that Colin O'Donoghue (Hook) had broken his leg during the filming of a previous episode. This is why Hook is seen limping throughout this episode, especially after Regina pushes him off the cliff to stand against Maleficent. Such dedication to his acting, and I love Colin O'Donoghue all the more for seeing such strength and will to keep acting through his pain. As for my overall favorite moment in this episode... I love the scene when Hook talks to Regina about his belief that their lust for revenge, should they finally succeed in gaining it, will be the end of their lives because they will have no purpose to live any longer. It's so sad for him that he is so blinded by his pain and his lust for revenge, that he feels all he's meant to do with his life is to try to kill an immortal being that can't seem to be killed despite all of his efforts, and then that he expects to die in doing so. That he has no life past getting his revenge when there's so much he could do beyond seeking his revenge. It's tragic really. However, this shows a much deeper side to Hook and I really love it! And then sadly, Regina has to make the pain we see in his eyes in that moment worse, by rubbing it in that she still has Henry to live for once she gains her revenge against Snow White and everyone else by destroying all of Storybrooke and everyone in it with her fail safe, when Hook will have no one should he actually survive. I just really love this moment between these two fantastic villains!!! :) Now... after Regina pushes Hook off the cliff to face Maleficent, she walks over to what we see again to be Snow White's glass coffin, which was shown to be within the bottom of the mines back in season one's episode, That Still Small Voice. And at last we find out the purpose for Regina having hidden it down within the mines where it wouldn't be found... because Snow's coffin is where Regina has hidden the small blue jewel that is her fail safe with the power to destroy all of Storybrooke. However, before she can do anything with it, she returns to the library only to discover Hook is still alive as he's standing in front of her, having beat her back up somehow... in a way that is never explained aside from that Greg and Tamara somehow having helped him escape from Maleficent. It's too bad because I would have loved to know how Hook got away from her. And now... Regina has been taken captive herself by Greg and Tamara. I honestly love watching Hook's facial expressions throughout this scene any time they show him, whether he's in the forefront, or in the background. He's certainly thinking carefully over every conceivable option. Next... I do enjoy the backstory in the Enchanted Forest with Regina, Snow White, and Rumplestiltskin, as Regina at last accepts and declares herself to be the Evil Queen. I love the smile she always makes in powerful moments like this. It's perfect and so evil. This is my other favorite scene throughout this episode too. However, like I said above, I don't like how naïve Regina is so naïve to believe that she's really so innocent after all she's done to try to capture Snow even before she slaughters the villagers, and that Snow is so evil. I'll get back to this in a moment... Rumplestiltskin is hilarious and fun like always... when he comes to Regina bragging about the villainess she's become. And then, she asks Rumple to first teach her a cloaking spell, but when he states that it can't be taught so quickly, she then asks him if he can cast the spell on her so she can go out unseen among the villages to find Snow White. In doing so, she learns exactly what her people think of her... that they hate and ridicule her, while they love and adore Snow White. To be honest... I feel that it is a little strange that Regina is so blinded by her hate for Snow, that she doesn't understand why her people hate her so much and why they can't see Snow White to be the villain she sees her as. However, it's true that the deep hatred someone has for another like Regina feels towards Snow, can certainly twist your sight and believe so much so that you can't see straight. Hook feels this way towards Rumplestiltskin. The key difference between Hook and Regina as villains... is that Hook never sees himself as anything more than the villain he is. He isn't blinded to the fact that he is a villain. He knows it with every fiber of his being, which only continues to be more apparent as his character is developed further along. And I love that in spite of his confidence and bravado that he hides behind, you can also see a sense of sadness within him because of who he's become. Absolutely phenomenal!! :) But back to the story... Regina attempts to confront a few of her Black Guards once she's cloaked, so the guards don't actually recognize her, just as no one else does. Everyone only sees her as a crazy woman trying to mock the Queen. The guards then arrest Regina and nearly behead her, until none other than Snow White herself appears in time to save her. I really love seeing Snow care for this woman she believes to be only an innocent peasant woman, as she treats Regina's wound she receives in the fight against the guards, as well as her fever. Snow cares for Regina in a course of two days, while she talks about her hope that Regina will one day come to be the woman who once saved her from her runaway horse years ago. These scenes between them are really beautiful and for a moment... Regina even feels Snow's kindness in her words and thinks that they might have a chance to become a family again despite everything that's happened between them. And I actually really like this, despite it seeming almost unbelievable after seeing how deep Regina's hatred for Snow really goes for so long now. Unfortunately, Snow then discovers the bodies of the villagers Regina killed for them harboring Snow. And Snow is livid and takes back everything she said about Regina possibly changing to be a better woman again. Then, Regina let's slip that she is somehow really Regina and Snow threatens to kill her. However, she can't go through with it because she doesn't have the heart to do so. And Regina runs back to Rumplestiltskin's castle to the Dark One, because she's still trapped under Rumple's cloaking spell. And Rumple shows up again at last and continues to mock her before he finally undoes his magic to make her herself again. I really love their interactions together. Oh... and yes, I really love how Rumple's side of the deal he makes with Regina is that he demands Regina cut off her ties with King George, which like you recognized... is the reason for George needing to seek out a new alliance with King Midas... Princess Abigail's father, which leads to George seeking out Charming upon his son's death so that he can unite his kingdom with Midas' kingdom through their children's marriage. All because Rumple wants Charming and Snow to come together. So brilliant! As for the Storybrooke storyline between Emma, Henry, David, Mary Margaret, Regina, and Neal... I like the dilemma with everyone wanting or not wanting to return home to the Enchanted Forest. However, I really hate the moment between Regina and Henry when she tells him about killing everyone using her fail safe, because it's obvious what Henry's reaction would be upon hearing that his mother wants to kill everyone else he loves and she should know that. But c'est la vie. She then erases his memory of their conversation too. It's sad. Poor Henry. Trouble is definitely coming up for the final two episodes. And lastly... I don't really like the scenes between Emma, Henry, and Neal as they're investigating Tamara either. Parts of them are funny. But I hate how no one aside from Henry believes in Emma's suspicions of Tamara. I understand why Emma is suspicious of Tamara and I like it, but the moment Neal comes in, the scene between them is just awkward and weird. I don't care much for it. Overall... I enjoy this episode a lot in spite of its flaws, and I'm so excited for you to watch all that's to come!!! Thank you again, Luffy!!! Until next time... Sincerely, Heidi
Heidi Elizabeth Marcum
2021-04-30 05:37:58 +0000 UTC
