Almost Human: Favorite Scenes: "Are You Receiving"

"Whattya got?"

               Last week I pointed out my favorite scenes from "Skin" and this week I'll tell you my favorite scenes from "Are You Receiving". 

"Charged at full capacity."

           I want to start off with the first car scene in the episode. John and Dorian start out snappy. Fingers in coffees, greek salads, and driving to work in peace. John doesn't know how to say thank you properly but luckily Dorian doesn't need to hear an actual thank you. This scene will have more significance later on. For now the scene was just a good laugh. 

"You're not alone..."

           John isn't always the hard hearted lone ranger when it comes to saving lives. I love it when John allows himself to be vulnerable, considering his ex girlfriend sleeper spy should have completely shattered his confidence in opening up to others. One of the hostages, Page, was losing her grip because of her fear, but John soothed her with a story from his childhood. His dad would take him ice fishing but one time John fell through and thought he was going to drown. Yet his dad pulled him out of the water and that's when John knew everything was going to be okay. Dorian smiled, surprised again that John isn't just a morose bad hair cut and badge number. 

"Is that thing clean?" "Of course it is?"

         Another scene where John comforts Page is when he's trying to quick fix Dorian. Fifty shades of purple hahahaha. As John looked for something to patch up Dorian's head we got to hear his middle name was Reginald after Elton John. From John's attitude we know that "Reginald" is not something he likes to talk about. Who doesn't have an embarrassing middle name? It was John's comforting personal family stories that helped Page keep it together for so long, even though she disobeyed John's protests for her to stay in hiding. Page's sister needed her but she did a very brave thing by placing her phone in the phone pile so John could still be kept in form of what was happening.

"No you can't come with me, stop giving me that pouty face."

           Dorian was built for dangerous situations but that doesn't mean John would ever allow his android to put himself in harms way; at least not with out back up. 

John: "You can't do this alone."
Dorian: "I have to."
John: "Then I'm coming with you."
Dorian: "You can't..."

Dorian isn't alone because John is with him.

         I was touched. John displays such loyalty to his partner even though Dorian is made up of only electrical wires and metal, John doesn't want Dorian to go on this suicide mission. So once Dorian was heading up to the 25th floor, John did some quick thinking. He wore the face maker in order to catch the robbers off guard and so save Dorian's life heroically at the last minute.

That's right, we're the baddest cops around, son.

          The ending scene, John invites Dorian for a celebration in a job well done, even though Dorian doesn't eat. John wants someone to celebrate this proud moment with and he can't think of anyone but his partner to do so. Then in the car, Dorian opens up about his own fears about dying. Essentially he felt the way John did when he was drowning in that icy cold water. John says, "Dead is dead." It doesn't matter if Dorian is a machine or not, John would mourn his partner anyway. Besides, no MX could match Dorian's humor with his choice of song: "Betty & the Jets" by Elton John. 

          Next week I'll be looking at my favorite scenes from "The Bends". 

         

The Originals: Elijah Cuts Ties Is Klaus On His Own?

            At the end of "The Big Uneasy", Elijah finally reached his breaking point with his egotistical, emotionally screwed up little brother for the last time. Klaus's back door deal with the werewolves was the last straw for Elijah. So Elijah said NO MORE! From now on when Elijah wants something he's going to take it; woe to the one who stands in his way. Basically Elijah is done putting his life on hold to clean up Klaus's messes who doesn't even appreciate Elijah's sacrifices. So does this mean Elijah will go after Hayley? Will he still help Klaus?

Elijah is done putting his life on hold

           Can I just say, "Finally!"? Elijah decides to stop setting aside his desires for the sake of Klaus's "redemption" and follow his own passions. I blogged a while back on whether or not Elijah would ever find his own happiness. Wishes do come true but I don't know if Elijah will completely abandon Klaus. Klaus is the father of Hayley's child and he wants to be a part of that baby's life. Klaus mentioned some fears that if Hayley and Elijah were together then his daughter would see Elijah more as a father than her actual father. I get that but all Klaus has to do is grow up and start thinking of others and not be so self centered. 

Elijah will avenge the harm done to Hayley

            Now will Elijah go after Hayley? At the end of "The Big UnEasy", Elijah spies on Hayley sitting around the camp fire with her wolf pack and saw how happy she was. Apparently Elijah's desire is for Hayley to be happy. Even in his desires Elijah is noble. Yet I don't think that means the end of Haylijah. Hayley is proving that she can not only be a leader but she's practically a queen. There can only be one Alpha Wolf and it seems to me Jackson cares more about the wolves and believes in his "destiny" in restoring his pack to their rightful place. I expect Hayley will have some issues with her so called betrothed later on when it comes to the werewolves' place in New Orleans society. Hayley does love her pack but I believe she'll be a mother first, a wolf-queen second. Whether or not Hayley will go along with her dead parents' plan to marry Jackson and unite the Crescent Pack, she's not over Elijah whatever their relationship. I saw that Hayley and Elijah had an instant connection, which may threaten Jackson in some way. So expect him to try and turn Hayley completely to his side.

Careful if this 1 agrees with you, she wants something

             As for Klaus, he's wounded right now. Klaus never got to know his real father so he feels like helping his father's descendants will be like getting to know him, albeit indirectly. Just another way to find out who he really is. Klaus never felt that he owned the name Mikaelson so it would make sense that he would seek out his original roots. Yet showing favoritism to the werewolves will not end well. Klaus has a loose hold on the throne and doesn't realize that the French Quarter is a ticking time bomb. So many cultures, faiths, and species to watch out for. The French Quarter is a place where natural enemies are forced to cohabit with each other and when you help one you have to compensate the others or else these guys will start a gang war. Elijah's idea of a peaceful city would definitely benefit Klaus's child (given that the witches want the child dead and the werewolves see the child as some messiah). 

Always and Forever....

                I think Klaus will decide that Elijah's plan for a peaceful New Orleans will be in his best interest for his child's sake. After all you want your child to grow up in a safe neighborhood. Even though Elijah basically told Klaus that he's on his own, that baby connects them. Elijah is dedicated to family and he may or may not have given up on his brother but his niece will still be his concern. And Klaus said so himself that the only thing he cares about is his child. So in the end I think the brothers will reconcile for the sake of the baby.

Almost Human: Favorite Scenes: "Skin"

A case with Sexbots? The perks of being a cop

          Last week I told you my favorite scenes from the Almost Human "Pilot" and this week I'll tell you about my favorite scenes from the second episode "Skin". As we all know, the airing of the episodes was out of order but I'm doing it in that order so I can go straight down the list.

          "Skin" was a great follow up to the Pilot episode. Sexbots, DNA bombs, harvesting skin Albanians Oh my! 

Team Tiny Giraffe!

         The scene where John needs to get this little kid, Victor, to tell him who kidnapped his mother so they could find the other missing girls. Dorian nonchalantly said, "He's not good with kids... or cats." At first, John tries a little too hard to get Victor to open up. For the first part, Victor showed little interest in what John had to say until he spotted the giraffe on John's desk. Here we see John let himself be a little vulnerable; deciding that being a hard boiled cop was not going to work on this kid. Once John let his guard down and coaxed Victor into talking, he was able to get the information they needed. Then that last line Victor said, "When is my mom coming?" John may project a hard exterior but beneath that exterior is a tender heart. He really hates to give news that someone's loved one is dead; telling it to a kid is even harder. Still John gave Victor a small bravo for telling him his story.

"You go first."

        That scene leads into another favorite scene of mine, Dorian may seem reserved and intelligent but there are times when he takes on a naiveté of a child. Dorian never thought of what he would have to tell a child when someone they love dies. John here calmly explains that you would tell them that they person who died went to a better place. Dorian didn't understand the point of that, but John said there was no real point since we don't know where we go when we die. It's supposed to comfort people. We live in a cruel, unforgiving world so telling yourself or someone else that the person they loved went to a place better than this one is like giving them a silver lining. Even if you don't believe the silver lining is there it still helps lessen the pain of losing someone. We also learn that John's old partner who died in the raid had a son but that John never told the boy the comforting line. Of course he was in a coma, but like I said, John has a sensitive soul and hates having to tell someone that a loved one isn't coming home. 

Not the type of Spa the brochure said it would be

         The next scene that I love has some comedy to it, which has Dorian be the kid (being honest without thought of consequence) and John having to defend himself but being too embarrassed to reason. Whenever John and Dorian are in the car and are having a conversation, neither can leave (unless John decides to push another android out of the car on the busy highway). First it starts out deep with Dorian contemplating death. He wondered if he "died" then who would remember him. Although Dorian is a synthetic, John will speak to him as if he were human because sometimes you forget that Dorian doesn't pump blood. John said, "You're a cop the people you help will remember you whatever your name is." John doesn't believe a synthetic like the MXs could ever be anything other than a walking talking computer, but Dorian is someone you can connect with and because of his synthetic soul he has a huge amount of empathy that makes him less machine. 

Go out the same way you came in: scantily dressed.

       Right after John and Dorian have their deep conversation, Dorian immediately tells John that his dating profile has been getting responses. John becomes defensive saying he doesn't need help meeting women. Then comes the scene FOX wanted to cut but glad they didn't: Dorian scanned John's testicles to see that they were at capacity. John is all backed up and needs relief. Dorian's innocence can be trying but after a short awkward silence, John gives in and asks about what the women looked like. Part of any bromance is sharing with your best friend about your dream girl. John described his ideal woman then Dorian pointed out in amusement that John had just described Detective Valerie Stahl. Valerie calls and John goes from being a cool steely guy to an awkward teenager talking to his crush. Of course, Dorian teases him a bit. Big scene starting out deep then becoming outrageous, followed by some light teasing to show that the bromance is still in tack. 

Hope it's not a long ride up...

         The last scene I loved was when both John and Dorian come to grips with some of their fears. Dorian didn't know how to handle talking about death. He took John's advice when the sexbot, Vanessa was set to be destroyed. She asked where she was going (having no concept or idea about death) and Dorian answered that she was going to a better place and that he will remember her. Later on Dorian will face handling death but right now he has a grip on how to provide comfort to people facing the end or who have suffered loss. Then we cut to John who visits his human partner's family; perhaps for the first time in 2 years. Maybe John thought his partner's family would hate and blame him for his death just as John hates and blames himself, but instead Pellum's wife is very happy to see him and John tells the son about his father so he could remember him; so Pellum's memory would be kept alive.

         A lot of great scenes of brotherhood and dealing with death. I may have more favorite scenes from other episodes as I go on with these blogs. 

      

     

Revolution: The Battle For Miles's Soul

       You know when you break up with someone, say you're over them, but then you suddenly see them with someone else and you get all hot and bothered? Well Bass wants his ex, Miles, back. Rachel and Bass are like gasoline and a match: always expect a flaming inferno.

Let's ride into hell together...

      Whenever they're in the same room it's nothing but acid words and eyes shooting daggers. When either Bass or Rachel gets their way, the other sulks and complains. Now these two have something else to fight over: Miles Matheson's soul. It seems to me that Miles is giving off this vibe that gets him into toxic relationships with people. First it was Rachel. They were sneaking around Ben and then after the Blackout Miles physically and emotionally abused Rachel so she would tell him about the Power going off. Rachel also has done terrible things in order to survive or get revenge on Monroe. That desire lead to the death of thousands of people in Atlanta and Philadelphia.

Monroe is always ready to shoot

         Then there's Sebastian Monroe. Bass is as Miles put it bluntly "a black hole" that one struggles to get out of. He has killed many people while being a despotic dictator who spiraled into paranoid madness that destroyed many lives. Bass has this intense fixation on Miles because after his whole family was wiped away in a single moment, Miles pulled him from the edge of a cliff that he almost stepped off. Miles and Bass have been through a lot even before the Blackout. They served in the marines together and always had each other's backs. When one went into the flaming inferno the other followed. However, Bass took his loyalty to Miles too far. He went from the loyal Old Yeller to the Old Yeller with rabies. Miles tried to put Bass down, but he couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger. They may bicker, fight, and spit fire at each other but Bass believes that he can get his "brother" back. But Rachel's an obstacle.

Bass wants his "brother" back

       I'm not a huge fan of Rachel's but even I can see how good she is for Miles in some ways. She's his conscience. When faced with the decision to murder the new Patriot cadets, Rachel was adamant that they not resort to murdering a bunch of kids who didn't know any better. Bass on the other hand was just as resolute in his solution to just kill the Manchurian Candidate Jr. Squad. Although murdering children sounds distasteful, those kids were all doomed. Once they had those numbers tattooed inside their eyelids there was no helping them unless you cut out their entire eye (lids and all). Still I see Rachel's point, how much evil will you do before you become the very enemy you are fighting.

Rachel is just as screwed up as Bass

        Miles had a chance to kill one of their prisoners as he ran away but he let the kid run. Miles has tried very hard to be a better person; to not be the monster he was before when he was running the Monroe Republic. So it wasn't all Rachel that stopped him from pulling the trigger. However, in Austin Miles sees the same kid he let live on the stage and had no choice but to kill him. Bass had mentioned earlier that he didn't believe Miles could be so merciful (or weak). In fact I've noticed that Bass hates to see his idol get all mushy. 

Has Miles taken a dark turn?

       I feel that Rachel and Bass are both wrong in one aspect of Miles's inner conflict: he's not a puppet; he won't be one person or the other just because Bass and Rachel say so. So far I see that Miles is having a very difficult inner struggle with himself. It doesn't matter what Bass or Rachel say to him, Miles will choose what to do because he decided to do it. Poor Miles is the kid in the middle between divorcing parents, the rope in Rachel and Monroe's little tug of war. I really don't know why Bass is bitching anyway about Miles and Rachel. He found his son to rule an empire with, Bass doesn't need Miles... or maybe Bass misses his "brother". 

Without Charlie then Miles is definitely doomed

       Personally I think Miles should break up with Rachel, tell Bass to go screw himself, and tell both of them to shut their mouths. The only good person in Miles's life right now is his niece, Charlie. She's his rock and she knows him well enough that she doesn't pester him about what he's thinking. Miles needs someone to talk to and give him a much needed inner journey of self discovery. Rachel and Monroe are very toxic people and whenever Miles is paired with one or the other, people start dying.

Almost Human: Favorite Scenes: "Pilot"

              Since Almost Human has been on hiatus I've decided to point out my favorite scenes of each episode starting with the Pilot. I won't do every episode in this blog post but do one each week.

           I do love the writing of this show. There are two scenes that I love as they coincide with each other. In the beginning where John was leading the raid on EnSyndicate, John ordered an MX to lead him into the fray where his human partner was in need of rescuing. The MX debated that it was illogical to risk many lives over one life. John just tells the MX to lead him in. In a later scene we see John in a similar situation where he had to rescue a police officer's life, but he didn't have to order Dorian to do anything. Dorian said, "I'll lead you in?" Despite an MX's protest, John turned to Dorian and said: "Let's go." 

          John said to Maldonado that he didn't want to be partnered with an android of any kind because they place logic over what we may call "a gut feeling". MX's run statistics and have no emotion whatsoever. The scene where Dorian bypassed the MX's despite their orders for him to halt because there was a "bomb" in the building, I saw that John was a little surprised. That small tiny moment was when John saw that Dorian was different; he follows his gut not his hard wired program. 

       Another scene I love is when John was very brutally interrogating one of the bank robbers and Dorian made sure to cover the room so no one would see. John didn't need to say anything (I doubt he cared) but we see a bit of how DRNs given their synthetic souls act differently than MXs. An MX wouldn't have been considerate like that. And even though John told Dorian to butt out, Dorian calmly pointed out that the suspect had shot himself in the leg, getting some real answers (or lies given what happens later). 

       Later John warns Dorian that if he told anyone what happened in that room he'd send him to the scrap yard. Yet Dorian shot back, "I will report something if I think it needs to be reported." There we see that this car scene also paralleled a previous scene where John pushed an MX out of his car because it was going to report his seizure and how he was seen in an area where black market medicine was practiced. Dorian shows that he is not an android driven by rules or stats or numbers but he runs on empathy. 

        Very good scenes. John & Dorian's partnership started out rocky but by the end of the episode it was cemented. Next week I'll point out my favorite scenes from "Skin".

New Shows I'm Buzzing About

       Among my favorite new shows: Almost Human and The Blacklist, I would like to add USA's Sirens to the list. All of these shows are on or were on their first season and while some new shows may not be renewed (and I pray I'm wrong) I still think they're worth talking about. 

An electric bromance for the ages

       I didn't get a chance to see FOX's Almost Human when it premiered it's two episodes but I did catch it the night after. The Pilot was phenomenal and the second episode "Skin" had me rolling in laughter and held me in awe over the story line of criminals kidnapping women to harvest their skin to put on their sex bots.

"Don't touch the green wire. I mean white wire! Uh-oh..."

        John Kennex is a police detective in the year 2048 where crime has gone up 400% (is that even possible?!). After leading a failed police raid on criminal organization EnSyndicate, John lost his leg, most of his memories, and spent almost 2 years in a coma. John is not a fan of synthetics but he requires an android as his partner. Instead of a cold, logical MX, John gets partnered with a DRN named Dorian. DRNs were built with "synthetic souls" making them behave more human, but like humans they reach their emotional limits (some even offed themselves because they couldn't handle the things they saw on the job). Together John and Dorian solve cases and try to keep the city safe. 

John's gun is super cool!

        The partnership between John and Dorian has explosive chemistry. They are in a way "broken" and their need for each other to stay on the police force turned from a forced partnership to a close friendship. There are quite a few laughs but also some tender moments with amazing, colorful characters. Joel Wyman has made Fringe a cult classic and while Almost Human has traces of his previous work it has completely twisted the cop procedural into an hour long action movie that I look forward to every week. This show is totally original while other cop procedurals go through the same motions. Almost Human is worth every second to watch.

       Sirens is a new show on USA, which as a network has done incredible work with shows that are unique with vibrant, well thought out characters and Sirens is no different. Yet instead of being an hour long this show runs 30 minutes, which I'm fine with. The show centers on three paramedics: Johnny, Hank, and Brian who live in Chicago and we get a look into their professional and personal lives. 

"Canadian sea otters are small, they're furry and they're running out of clams, Hank!"

          I never really thought about what paramedics did besides treating gun shot victims and women having babies in places not the hospital. Some of the calls these guys get are just hilarious! Even disembodied fingers don't seem so grim (still gross though). But what lightens the awful situations is the humor that just seems to happen so naturally among the three main characters: Johnny, his best friend Hank, and the new guy Brian. Together or apart these guys are dynamic and unique. What I'm grateful for is that Hank isn't the stereotypical gay guy we usually see on TV; someone effeminate and acts as a girl's sassy friend. Hank is more down to earth, snarky, and would rather have a beer and watch a game. And Johnny may like to project a sort of "man's man" persona but he just can't seem to let go of his dream girl, ex-girlfriend Theresa; both I may add who are in a sort of stalemate but despite Johnny's commitment issues and Theresa's "move in or move on" ultimatum, these guys just can't stay apart. 

"WHAT IS THAT?"

       It's not only homosexuals and heterosexuals portrayed on this show but we also see them expand the sexuality spectrum: asexuals, who are people who don't (or don't want to) have sex and this character is a girl on the paramedic team nicknamed Voodoo because of her love of blood and guts. I only recently found out about this new sexuality (or lack there of) in Psychology Today. Now Brian (who's awkward yet very sweet, which makes him very funny and adorable to watch) is apparently in a relationship with Voodoo and I'd be very interested in seeing how this non-sexual relationship plays out. 

"It's up there...it's really up there..."

         Making this show 30 minutes was a good call although it's not all comedy there are tender, real emotional moments too. My favorite scene in "Famous Last Words" was at the end when Johnny tries to reconnect with his estranged father and finds out that his dad was always there (with a long lens camera) and that his parents split because they just hated each other from the start. Even though Johnny's mom lied how she and his dad split up she still turns out to be a great mom dedicated to her son. 

"It moved!"

     My parents are divorced so I can relate but my mother is also a bipolar alcoholic who thinks everyone else has a problem but her, but that's off topic. Bottom line is: it's a great show and you'd be crazy to miss it.

               Finally, NBC's spy and conspiracy thriller, The Blacklist has sent waves through audiences. I didn't want to get into this show but I was suffering from writer's block and thought some TV entertainment would break the wall. The show had already aired 4 episodes so I made a marathon of it and I became dizzy with enthusiasm. The Blacklist is about the notorious Raymond Reddington, once a loyal patriot of the United States turned traitor making millions off of selling information and providing criminals with whatever they need. He's known as the criminal's concierge. Suddenly Reddington just gives himself up to the FBI and says he wants to become their CI but only if newbie Agent Elizabeth Keen is his handler.

Shhhhh Red has a secret to share with us....

         The Blacklist is a world of spy vs spy, nothing is what it seems, and all the gritty glamour the criminal underworld has to offer. It's a web of secrets and lies and each time we get an answer we just have even more questions. James Spader continues to amaze me. He portrays Reddington so well with his calm, sophisticated, courteous demeanor then switching to a cold, detached killer. And it always seems that Reddington knows more than he's telling; he's an enigma wrapped in a puzzle, inside a mystery box.

Light 'em up, Red!

        Then there's this big secret about a shadow government lurking behind the scenes. You really don't know who they got on their side; who's a puppet for them. Apparently they have people so scared that people are willing to die rather than divulge any secrets. And of course, Agent Keen's husband, Tom, has been revealed to be a sleeper agent for who knows who or for what purpose! Does he work for the shadow organization or is someone else in pulling Tom's strings (if Tom is his real name)? It's not just Reddington who is a tasty puzzle to solve but everyone is hiding some dirt from their past and each reveal makes your head spin. It's a heart stopper for sure and I look forward to every episode each week!

A criminal whose best accessory is his smile

        There are more new shows that I'm crazy about but these 3 I think deserve special attention. I hope to see more seasons in each show's future.

The 100: The Clarke & Bellamy Ship

         On the CW's latest series The 100, I've found a couple that I passionately ship: Bellamy & Clarke or Clarmy. They have intense chemistry that I find electric and while they may seem complete opposites they do have certain things in common.

I see sparks

         When first they met, Bellamy wasted no time in setting himself up as the Alpha Male. Bellamy believes that there should be no rules (except for his own) and that the 100 should be able to do whatever they want now since the society that rejected them doesn't deserve to be saved. While Clarke on the other hand believes that the 100 should be finding a way to survive this new Earth and help bring the Ark down so they can rebuild human society. 

Clarke doesn't think of danger when someone is in trouble

         First two episodes Clarke and Bellamy butt heads quite a bit. Bellamy is the "survival of the fittest" kind of person (instinct) while Clarke is the humanitarian who's first instinct is to help others before herself (the heart & soul). A part these two could go to war but together I think these opposite qualities would make them a perfect power couple. Bellamy would be the survival instinct who's strength and authority can protect their little society from the Grounders and get things they need to survive like food and water. Clarke would be the maternal instinct who's inner strength is to take care of the sick and dying, refusing to leave any man behind. 

Bellamy has the instincts of a big brother

      After episode 3 "Earth Kills" you start to see that Clarke and Bellamy are more alike than they'd care to admit. For the first time I think Bellamy saw that there was more to "Princess" Clarke than he first thought. Through out the episode both Clarke and Bellamy care for the youngest of the group, Charlotte. Clarke instantly takes a motherly approach on how Charlotte could conquer her nightmares. Bellamy takes a more direct approach: first by letting Charlotte hunt with him and then giving her advice on how to conquer her fears by saying "Screw you". We see that Bellamy isn't such a muscle head after all and he really does care about the kids in the 100. 

Bellamy is the Alpha Male here

      While we discovered Bellamy's soft side we took a look at Clarke's own hard side. When Adam was in intense agony from being in the toxic fog, he begged Bellamy to kill him. Although we all know that Bellamy tried to assassinate the Chancellor (another reason he doesn't want the Ark to get here) it was surprising that he would freeze up like this. I doubt that there was anything Clarke would have been able to do to help Adam (although I suspect when Bellamy saw Clarke he secretly hoped she would). Clarke instead thought the most merciful thing she could do was to end Adam's misery. She did what Bellamy could not, what he thought Clarke wouldn't be able to do with all her talk of mercy. When they got back to camp, Bellamy said, "Give Clarke whatever she needs." Bellamy would have let Jasper die but after what he saw Clarke do for Adam he realized that Clarke wasn't a soft hearted princess.

"I won't let go... or not..."

       Bellamy and Clarke want the same thing; it's just that they have different ways and views of doing it. I really hope the writers play with this ship in the future. I know that Finn is currently Clarke's love interest but people always had a thing for love triangles and getting Bellamy romantically involved with Clarke would make for an interesting story.

OUAT: The 2nd half is the best

            First half of the 3rd season of Once Upon A Time was insightful into Henry's weird twisted family tree, but not much more than that. Neverland was nice to visit but compared to the 2nd half of season 3, Peter Pan's lust for eternal youth is nothing compared to good old fashioned sibling rivalry. 

It's Wicked Witch vs Evil Queen

            The Wicked Witch of the West has come to Storybrooke and she's out for vengeance on who? Why none other than the reformed Evil Queen, Regina. Cora having an unwanted baby before Regina is the biggest twist of all! Especially since she is green! Did Cora hook up with a leprechaun or did she just eat a lot of green veggies? Rumple could be the father. That would be an even bigger twist! Is Zalina still vulnerable to water? Well it would be boring if she just melted into a puddle. Also how much longer do think it'll be before Zalina runs out of "wicked" puns?

I think we know 1 thing that happened during that missing year

         Another awesome aspect of the 2nd half of the season is that Mary Margaret is having another baby! As you know Ginnifer Goodwin and her Charming co-star Josh Dallas announced their engagement and are now expecting a baby as well so you'll see Mary Margaret's baby bump for a while. That aside I hope Mary Margaret and David have a little prince. It's not that I'm anti-feminist or anything I'm just tired of seeing characters paint their nurseries pink. My favorite color is blue and I think Emma looks like she would be a great big sister to a baby brother also it would be nice to even out the immediate Charming family in terms of gender. Or the Charmings could have fraternal twins. That would be cool. 

RIP Bael Fire

       Unfortunately we've had to say goodbye to Henry's dad, Neal. No there's no magical loop hole that will bring Neal back. Yet I think it was only a matter of time before Neal bit the big one. He was an extra character that was filling story space. Yet that doesn't mean I won't miss him. I liked Neal. Well I'm sure Hook will be a shoulder Emma can cry on. 

Love the Outlaw Queen!

        My favorite ship is CaptainSwan but my second favorite has to be OutlawQueen (i.e. Robin Hood x Regina). It's about time Regina got another shot at love. In the Enchanted Forest, Regina got all tragic Shakespearean suicide on us (BORING!). What happened to the Evil Queen who was throwing fire balls like they were baseballs? But thankfully Zalina gave Regina something to live for: destroying someone. Henry was the only man in Regina's life that she cared about but that left all her all Norman Bates mom-ish on us so giving her a ruggedly handsome, charming legendary outlaw like Robin Hood to occupy her was a perfect fit. 

I'm going to get this whiskey but pretend I'm going to kiss you

     On another note, Robin Hood's a single dad, giving Regina a pre started family. Regina was doing fine flirting with Robin over whiskey (as he checked out her backside) until Regina ran away once she saw Robin's lion tattoo (I guess in honor of Richard the Lionheart). That's the second time she ran out on him and it was to his face! I hope Regina will shed her fears and take a risk. Her mother isn't there to ruin things and Regina has grown a lot these past seasons. She's become a part of the Charming Family and after all everyone deserves a happy ending is they want it bad enough.

This is a very close shave

         I hope Rumple finds a way to get free of Zalina's hold over him. I wonder what Zalina wants with Snow White's baby? It can't be good. I can't wait to find out more!

It's not easy being green...