Operation Mongoose - Episode Roundtable

Operation Mongoose went full throttle. Did the two-hour finale live up to your expectations?

Gareth: With doing the TV Fanatic roundtable and all the other editorial responsibilities, I’ve just not had as much time to be a part of the site roundtables this season. However I wanted to contribute to this discussion because, for me personally, this was one of the best episodes of OUAT since Season One. It had everything that a Oncer could wish for. Action and romance, a well thought out, developed storyline which flowed beautifully and an epic twist at the end.  Bringing Jared Gilmore back to the forefront gave it a classic Season One feel. I didn’t realize just how much I had missed Jared having such an active role. He really came into his own in this episode! I have grumbled about certain storylines this season. Some worked for me, some didn’t. But this episode really shone as a classic example of what makes OUAT such compulsive viewing. When it’s really good, it’s magic!

Teresa: It not only lived up to them, it blew them out into the hemisphere, through the solar system and into multiple dimensions.  The writers still have it! They really do! I guess, for reasons we’ll never know (and I don’t really want to know!), there was a something that led to treading water for a year, and then they let it all loose in the last two hours of the season. But OMG, thanks be to the Great Wide Universe those shackles were thrown off and Operation Mongoose was green-lit!  The finale just rocked it. I was cheering, crying, on the edge of my seat in a good way. Magic is back!

Lori: And more! It was a wild ride, from start to finish, and reminded me of the passion and power of the Season 1 finale. I was left exhilarated, and satisfied yet wanting more! I think it was strong enough that the magic of the finale will sustain me through the summer, however, especially because there is so much for us to research and talk about!

Ashley: Yes, very much so! I was excited to see everything go topsy turvy as we’ve all be speculating about this since season 4B began. It was fun to see the different takes on the new stories and I enjoyed the fact that they weren’t straight up switches, that the flip flops made sense in respect to the various character’s happy endings and goals. Rumple got the adoring family he wanted while Hook was a coward, Zelena took over Regina’s life, while Robin Hood was stripped of his happy end with Regina despite nothing really changing for the thief. It was all incredibly well done and a joy to watch.

Joanne: I thought it was a fantastic episode!  I loved seeing the characters flip-flop roles and take on different personalities.  It must have been fun for the actors to step into each other's shoes.

Zach: What a finale! This episode surpassed my expectations and is now battling with "A Land Without Magic" for best finale and favorite episode. It had so many great parallels to previous episodes including the "Pilot," "Snow Falls," and "Going Home," with an ending that packed quite a wollop with the 1-2-3 punch of Gold's cleansed heart, the reveal of the Sorcerer's name and a Dark turn for the town Swan. The Regal Con crowd and I yelled at the screen several times while we were watching! What a fun and exciting two hours of television.

Diane: Absolutely! I thought it was a riveting episode that opened up fascinating possibilities for Season 5, and I loved the role reversals that allowed us to see the dark or weaker sides of many characters, adding a richness to what we believed we knew about them. Everything about this episode took me by surprise, the costumes and graphics were fantastic, and I enjoyed the way the writers played with our notions of these fairy tale characters and turned them inside out. I have to say, it is now one of my all-time favorite episodes.

Mauri: Yes, it lived up to and past my expectations! I was at the edge of my seat and screaming at the TV through out the finale.

Sam: Yes!  Operation Mongoose has been one of my favorite arcs ever and the finale really delivered plenty of adventure and answers.  I have been speculating about the origin of Henry's book since Season One.

Laura: It was the best episode in a LONG time. It had a “Classic Season One” feel to it that's been sadly missing for a while now. I really enjoyed it.                                                                  

Amy: And more! I loved this finale. The music was stunning, the throwbacks and mirrors to dialog from way back seasons was just perfect. It was such fun to see most characters in a whole new light. And Isaac…. Oh my goodness, he is a devious rat but SO MUCH fun to watch! The scene with the cosplayers in his audience and he says “No Spoilers”…. I’d bet cash that Adam & Eddy put that little fun bit in J Adam is famous on twitter for saying “No Spoilers.” Ahhh, too much to say, too much to say! It was ALL amazing. 

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