Live-blogging:
— The episode opens in Storybrooke sometime after Regina left to find Henry since Robyn is already a teenager.
— Who is Robyn's Asian friend? We've never seen her before. Who are her parents? Instead of a new (nameless) character, they should have included someone we already know like a grown-up Alexandra.
— Glad to see they're keeping up with continuity regarding Zelena not having magic. I assume they'll tell us how she regained her magic eventually. It's odd seeing Zelena not letting her daughter dabble in magic when her adoptive father did the same thing to her.
— Robyn is already eighteen, apparently. The timeline is a mess and I've decided to stop trying to make sense of it.
— How does Zelena "pay the bills" exactly? What does she do for a living in Storybrooke? They never told us.
— We're in Ella's realm now at Tiana's Palace. Lucy is still an infant so it's eight years before the curse was cast. Last we saw baby Lucy, our heroes were still camping out in the Enchanted Forest. Now Tiana's the Queen and they're living large in her palace. How on earth did they manage to defeat Tremaine and the royals in such a short time frame? It couldn't have been more than a few months. Will they ever tell us how they were able to overthrow the royals?
— Ah, the self-opening portals make their appearance again. And to think Rumple had to orchestrate an entire Dark Curse to get to a different realm when all he had to do was wait for one to open by itself.
— Madame Leota appears in the title card!
— We're in Hyperion Heights now with Lucy still unconscious. It's nice to see that Regina and Zelena have finally put their issues behind them and are really embracing sisterhood.
— Why did Tremaine confess to her crimes? One would expect her to deny everything and tell Anastasia that Gothel is lying.
— Apparently, only Anastasia has magic in Hyperion Heights. Is it because she might be the Guardian?
— Gothel needs the Resurrection Amulet to revive her coven. Using said amulet comes with a "great price". I bet it needs to take a life in order to revive another.
— Mother Nature is an ancient pseudonym for Mother Gothel. Makes sense, since in episode 19 we'll learn that Gothel is a
wood nymph.
— Zelena: "Piss off, Nook!" (that's New Hook)
— Wish Hook: "I don't give a damn that you don't give a damn." Grade A dialogue, there.
— When did Gothel poison Wish Hook's heart and why? I hope they'll eventually fill in the blanks.
— I wonder if the blood test will reveal that Henry is Lucy's father.
— Ivy: "Where's a fairy godmother when you need one?" Tremaine killed her too!
— Gothel: "Choose now which mother knows best." I see what you did there.
— Robyn is such a brat. Not fond of her so far.
— Nice character scene between Tremaine and Drizella. It's heartbreaking how desperate Drizella is for her mother's love and approval. They need to go to therapy to work things through.
— I'm intrigued by Gothel's backstory. Who was the one who helped her thrive and does it have anything to do with her search for the Guardian?
— Henry consoling Jacinda was sweet.
— For a moment I thought Wish Hook and Zelena were about to kiss!
Glad that didn't happen.
— With the Resurrection Amulet you can resurrect a soul that has not fully surrendered to the other side. Can't they use that to revive Robin Hood? Regina deserves to end up with her soulmate instead of having some random character we'll never get to know well as her final love interest.
— "Roni's Bar" used to be "Kelly & Roni's Pub".
— I hate it when people act stupidly for plot's sake. Regina should have told Tremaine outright what the price was for using the amulet and not remain cryptic about it for no apparent reason.
— Did Tremaine really care for Lucy or did she just say that to make herself look good in Anastasia's eyes?
— Now Anastasia doesn't have magic either since it's been absorbed into the amulet.
— The Beyoncé references were jarring and cringeworthy.
— So, Zelena took her own daughter's magic. Even though Robyn gave it to her willingly, that just doesn't feel right.
— Tremaine was redeemed by sacrificing her life to save Drizella. Their reconciliation felt a little rushed and unearned though. They should have made them realize their mistakes and warm up to each other little by little in previous episodes to make it more believable.
— Why does Gothel want Lucy to be revived so badly? You'd expect her to use the amulet to resurrect a member of her coven instead of Lucy. What does she need Lucy for? Could Lucy turn out to be a witch or the Guardian?
— I'm hoping that Drizella and Anastasia will reconnect now.
— Totally called it about the blood test.
— Who could have poisoned the doctor and why did they cut a strand of her hair? Could it be Nick? He was conspicuously absent from Lucy's bedside. Could it be Dr. Facilier?
— That's a wrap!
), and it really doesn't feel the same. I miss Regina proper, not Ronie. She just seems so ... cliche ? Or I could even go so far as to say a non-entity. Henry is good, Ella is just dire, Tiana is fun. But it doesn't feel like Once. It doesn't work having it in such a modern setting; I know Storybrooke was in the modern world, but Maine was a lot more quaint, and almost lost in time. It clashes maybe too harshly against what I know Once to be. 