6x07--Heartless

1. How do you feel about the new curse placed on Snow and Charming?

Mauri: I like the twist on the curse, but in the episode "Best Laid Plans"--when Maleficent cast a sleeping spell on the town of Storybrooke--you saw that Snow, David, and Henry were immune to it and were unaffected by it. Rumple even said to Regina and the Queens of Darkness in Mary Margaret's apartment that people that had been under a Sleeping Curse were immune to the effects of Sleeping spells and curses. So, the Evil Queen's plan shouldn't have worked in this episode. Since Belle fell asleep under Maleficent's sleeping spell and it was just a spell and not the curse, Belle having pricked her finger in the Underworld would still work, but now she should be immune to all Sleeping spells and curses.

Teresa: As has been said by my colleague Joanne.....Ladyhawke! Long live the 80's! This could be fun. But as has also been stated all over the place, why can't Emma, Baby Neal, Henry, or numerous friends fill in to break the curse?

Amy: I do like the very "Ladyhawke" twist. I couldn't recall what it reminded me of until Sam mentioned it and then it was like, "yessssssssss"! I'm intrigued with how this will be solved but I like the idea of Snow and Charming having a very front burner story. I had thought they were immune to sleeping curses, but who knows, maybe this one is cherry flavored and therefore different? 

Sam: I think it's a great twist.  As Mauri points out, there is a continuity problem with past sleeping curses, but maybe Regina did something different this time.  In a way it's like she's using their True Love against them.  Perhaps she's invented a new kind of sleeping curse?  Yes, immediately made me think of Ladyhawke, one of my favorite old movies.   

Mia: I'm a bit torn with the new curse that is placed on Snow and Charming. On one hand, they have always told us that the power of true love can break any curse, so it's crazy to me that when they share true love's kiss, it just makes the other fall asleep. On the other hand, I'm very intrigued that there is a new curse and that Once Upon a Time is switching it up a bit. Hopefully it can be broken with true love tied into it somehow.
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2. Do you think Charming having killed the woodcutter will have any repercussions for his future?

Sam: Hopefully, there are always repercussions for killing someone!  I did not think much of it at the time, but I've heard some speculation that could make this a very important moment for Charming.

Mauri: Judging by the dog's reaction to the scent of the coffee cup and the woodcutter, I'd have to say that the Woodcutter is definitely someone the family dog recognized, and I think it will have a very profound affect on David's psyche later.

Teresa: Ohhhh yessss. This one is coming back to haunt him. How ironic if it turns out that his father's murderer--the person he is seeking--is himself!

Amy: Heck yeah! I am 100% sure that the woodcutter was Charming's wayward father. I think it might cause a crisis of heart for him, wherein when he finds out the truth he questions if he's really a "good" guy after all. 

Mia: I don't think Charming will have any repercussions for killing the woodcutter all those years ago. It really was just an act of self defense. Especially since the woodcutter locked Snow up and was going to hand her over to Regina where Snow would then be killed, and then went after Charming. Charming was just fighting for his (and Snow's) lives.

3. Is Gold using the shears on his son his true plan? Could he just be playing with the EQ's emotions for another purpose?

Mauri: No. I don't think Rumple plans to use the shears on his son. I think he plans to use them on himself to cut his ties from the Dark One curse. I also think he is distracting EQ by giving into her infatuation with him and feeding her misinformation.

 Teresa: I sure hope that the theory he is planning on using the shears to cut himself from the Dark One Curse is his true plan and he is tricking the EQ. Hence the horrendous, vomit-inducing things he's doing with her is him proving-- as he said last season--that a man will do anything to save his family. Otherwise.....OMG.......how depressing. How disturbing and unkind to Rumbelle and "Beauty and the Beast" fans who have suffered enough. How wrong. And how destructive to Once Upon A Time!

Mia: I personally think that Gold is just playing along with the Evil Queen's emotions. If he really wanted to be with Regina, we would've seen him make a move seasons ago. I think he's just being manipulative, trying to get what he wants. I'm still going with that theory where Gold is going to use the shears on himself rather than his son, which would be a major step in his character development.

Amy: If anything, I think we've learned that Rumple is unpredictable. I think he's debating sheering himself off from his darkside but I just don't know if he can do it. I would like to take this moment to voice my grossed-out-edness when he smooches the Evil Queen though. Side note, yeah yeah, he's definitely not her dad, but for a long time there was sort of a "is he?" question about it and he's just been a mentor for so long. Maybe I'm getting that yuck-o vibe off that...lol. 

4. Will Zelena finally realize that she's picked a losing team?

Mauri: I think Zelena will realize she picked a losing side eventually. Hopefully her realization will come too late and Rumple can get revenge on her and get rid of the Evil Queen at the same time.

Amy: I love Zelena. I like her sassy one liners and great wit when she's Wicked. I do think that she's only playing along though. Little peanut Robin is her priority and I think she's going to show later on that she's been good at heart. That spa day though, OMG, how fabulous was that??

Teresa: What Mauri said. And I'm OK if that is what ultimately redeems Zelena, even if it means her death. I love Bex and Zelena is Wickedly great.....but she is the one character that could die and not cause a real issue with the narrative towards Happily Ever After.

Mia: Yes, I believe Zelena will realize that she was being played. The Evil Queen isn't looking for a sisterly relationship, but rather someone to be Evil with. I still think that Zelena has come a long way and should focus on being a mother and rebuilding her relationship with Regina. Maybe she could even befriend other town members.

5.  In your opinion, will Rumple take up Belle's challenge to man up and win his son's love and respect?

Mauri: Rumple's already manned up in Season 3 with saving Henry, and in Season 5 when Merida taught him to be brave. I think Belle needs to listen to what he's saying more and actually pay attention to what he's doing. He's always been the Byronic hero in having given the villains the worst end of his deals and letting the heroes get the advantage out the deal.

Teresa: As Mauri said, it is strange that he has twice manned up but that wasn't good enough for the narrative or Belle as she is written. I think (hope?) that in this arc he will man up one more time (third time's the charm?) and it will stick. I am not keen on the possibility that a later episode or season will pull another "never mind" if he does step up.

Mia: I would love to see Rumple take on Belle's challenge. It would be something fresh. I'm so used to seeing him choosing the wrong decision and getting hit hard with repercussions each time. I want him to fix what he has with Belle, the correct way, as a gentleman would, and earn his son's love and genuine respect.

6. Favorite Moment?

Amy:  I love the flashback stuff. Seeing Snow and Charming before they were even really "introduced" was super cute. I missed them being forefront in a good storyline like this one. I just miss the 7 Dwarfs, then this would be complete.

Teresa: It may sound silly, but I'm a sucker for the dog. He was awesome! And Snowing. I have missed them, just missed them. They used to be the rock of OUAT and I hope this is a sign that they will become that again.

Mia: My favorite moments from this episode would have to be all of the Snow and Charming flashback scenes. I loved seeing an enchanted forest flashback. It was adorable how they trusted each other, without even knowing who the other person was. Ginnifer and Josh have such tangible chemistry. Any scene with them is a delight to watch

7. Favorite Quote

Mia: Killian: *On Emma being the product of Snow and Charming's True Love* "True love can break any curse, and so can you because that's what you're made of. You are the savior because you were born of their love. And they're in love today because you brought them together. You can overcome these visions. You can overcome anything. Now remember who you are. The product of true love."

Mia, Teresa: Snow White: "I don't feel so alone right now. Knowing you believe in me means I'm not alone."​

8. Anything Else?

Mia: I really enjoyed this episode. It was exciting and had me on the edge of my seat. I can't wait to see how Snow and Charming beat the new curse.

Teresa: This week’s episode got me thinking in a way I haven’t for some time. I don’t really know how exactly to articulate it except to say that I believe in Fairy Tales. I believe in Second Chances. I believe that Pixie Dust Never Lies. I believe in the redeeming message of "Beauty and the Beast”. I believe that a child conceived from The Marriage of The Beauty and the Beast can only be a tale of joy; a celebration. I believe that when somebody tries to tell you who you are or what you should do against your conscience, that you punch back and say, “No! This is who I am!” I believe that Charming will always find Snow. I believe that The Heart of the Truest Believer can make a stopped clock move. I believe in Hope. I believe in Love. But most importantly of all, I believe in Magic and Happy Endings. 

Happily Ever After is Real. 

That is what I believe.
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Lori: I have not caught up to this episode, unfortunately. I do not shape my Sunday nights around OUAT anymore. This saddens me to an extent, but I think it is an organic development based on the way the plotlines have played out. But I wanted to say something here because I have not participated in a Round Table in a while, and I'm sorry for it.

Don't get me wrong - I still love the show, but I feel that its "trouthe" - its integrity - has crumbled along the way. This is a show where fairy tale characters and themes mix with the real world, and at first, the real world became the better for it:

True love can break any curse...
I'll always find you...
All magic comes with a price...
No one decides my fate but me...
You just gotta punch back and say, No this is who I am...
HOPE. Love is hope. It fuels our dreams.

We saw how the fairy tale lessons could change not just Storybrooke and the characters as they lived in this world, but we could apply them to our world, our lives, We found relevance and strength, and yes, hope, that we could hold in our hearts as we went about our lives and to infuse some magic into the mundane. I've talked before about how OUAT played a big part in my writing again, and that is a huge feat of spellcasting, as far as I'm concerned!

BUT I think in trying to go back to the "roots" of the show, it has gone the opposite way - the "real world" is dragging down the fairy tale aspect. I have no other explanation for what happened to Robin Hood and what is happening to Rumple and Belle's relationship (with the EQ in the middle, I've been told), even for the storyline of the "doom" of the Savior. To me, it seems like the good magic has fizzled out mostly, leaving us with the same type of distillation that the EQ is in this season. That's not what I watched for.

Hope. I still have hope, and that will make me watch (even belatedly) until the very end. For I too believe that a show about fairy tales has to have some type of happy endings in order to maintain its integrity.