OUAT: Hook To Return To Storybrooke?

Can't keep true love down... 

                  Wow! Hook being a Dark One was a wild twist! Then OUAT had to break my heart by killing another of Emma's loves. Heroes can save the day but they can't seem to hold onto personal relationships but then there was hope. Emma is last seen with her family walking into hell (literally) to get her love back. I loved how in the end Emma said, "I will always find you" a line her parents always say to one another when the other is lost signifying their undying love and bond. Does that mean Hook is Emma's true love?

We all look for one's whose demons play well with ours

           People have wondered if true love's kiss is so powerful then why didn't Hook's kisses work in the beginning? Could have been because before Emma wasn't sure of the romance herself. She had feelings for Hook but she wasn't sure of herself or she was just a "glass half empty" girl. The second attempt was that Hook was already a Dark One and didn't know it. So true their kisses haven't broken any spells yet but that doesn't mean Emma is going to give up on Hook so easily. Now she's 100% committed to her love for Killian and has proven that she will sacrifice whatever it takes to save him overcoming any obstacle even death (just like her parents). It does seem like Emma's love story is imitating Snow White and Charming's. Emma and Hook started out as enemies then slowly they fell in love with each other and seem to want to save each other in epic ways. 

Remember the good times

           Emma's plan is to share a heart with Killian like Snow White and David. But will that work? I'm sure once Hook learns how Gold tricked everyone (again) he'll want to come back with Emma. It's only fair since his noble sacrifice was for nothing. But that doesn't mean Death will let go of the pirate without some condition or obstacle that Emma will have to over come. Also sharing a heart is a big step for Emma. She loved Neal but Hook captured Emma's whole heart or half of one in this case. I think Killian would accept having part of Emma's heart if it meant they can be together, not as Dark Ones but as a real couple. 

True Love Conquers All... Even Death

           I have a hard time believing that Killian Jones is just gone. It seems unfair and doesn't fit with the show's theme of never giving up and love conquering all. Killian and Emma seem meant to be with the same flaws but being the other's anchor to keep them on track. Emma doesn't seem whole without her pirate nor he without her.

The Originals: Klamille Over?

The streets of New Orleans will run red

                 After 2 and a half seasons of "will they-might they", Cami and Klaus finally get together. However, once again crazy Aurora finds a way to ruin everything as after their heavy make out session, she sneaks in (some how without all these supernaturals who supposedly have super sensitive hearing noticing) and slits poor Cami's throat leaving Klaus to wake to find her dead in his arms covered in her blood. We last see Klaus crying in grief but is this really the end of Klamille?

Where's mistletoe when you need it?

           It seems unfair to kill off Cami just as she and Klaus were about to start off on a relationship. On the one hand Cami is a good influence on the tyrannical Wolf King and would have made him a better father and all around better person. On the other hand though... strictly from a writer's point of view... Klaus as a tame beast would have been too perfect and to be honest kind of boring. Don't get me wrong, there would have definitely been conflicts given that old bloody habits die hard, but Joseph Morgan and Julie Plec agree that a tame Klaus is not a Klaus at all. That doesn't mean Klaus won't do everything in his power to bring Cami back. This is a show where many of our characters cheat death constantly. Maybe Vincent could help unless Aurora or Tristan decide to black mail him. But this leaves open which human would take Cami's place.

You got it all wrong, copper!

        Julie Plec explained that like Matt was the only human (keeping someone team human was essential as somebody had to be the voice of the innocents) Cami was the only human in New Orleans to represent the human citizens in the community. Which means perhaps instead of a therapist a cop will become the new human representative. Detective Kinney had a hard initiation into the supernatural world of New Orleans but Klaus helped him beat Lucien's compulsion. Having a detective could help our characters better to help keep an eye on their rivals. Also if Cami doesn't come back, Kinney may like to help to get revenge (if he's so inclined). But is also opens up for conflict as Kinney will want to up hold the law so it may become an internal struggle for him as well as an external struggle for the Originals. 

Merry Christmas, loves

         Although I'm a Klaroline fan I liked Klamille while it lasted. I foresee Klaus going on a rampage of grief as he usually does when he's in emotional pain. Aurora, Tristan, and Lucien awoke the beast and he'll make them suffer.

The Magicians: Magic Is Addictive

Hogwarts, eat your heart out!

               Think of Harry Potter and Narnia all grown up but more emo and dark. Still hurting from the Dominion cancelation but I'm really looking forward to this show. Based on the best selling novels "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman, the series centers around Brakebills University, a secret school located in up state New York, specializing in magic. Even the production value is fantastic! In our world it's grey and drab while at Brakebills there's a flood of color, rosy and full of life enforcing the contrast on how our characters view the 2 worlds. 

Safe inside a book

           I already like Quentin Coldwater. He's a character I can relate to. In reviews I've read so far (and from watching the Pilot) I see that Quentin is not only trying to leave his childhood behind but he's also a kid who doesn't fit in anywhere. In the beginning we see Quentin talking to a psychiatrist, taking antidepressants, sitting alone at the party then just going to his room to escape it all and read a book he cherished in grade school. Quentin doesn't feel like he belongs so he's awkward and shy not wanting to rock the boat or any attention at all. Even his best friend, Julia seems to be leaving him behind, telling him to grow up until they both get invited to Brakebills University to see if they have potential in the art of magic. Quentin gets in but Julia is rejected. 

Magic is a drug & Julia's hopelessly addicted

         Interesting characters with unique personalities. Julia is an interesting case. I consider her the "Susan" (from C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia) of the cast, someone in a hurry to grow up, focused, a know-at-all but she's a perfectionist so she's very shaken when she finds she's rejected from a school of magic. She neglects her friends and wallows in misery. She even cut herself so the forgetting spell wouldn't work. That's pretty extreme! Magic is her drug and she's in withdrawal making her open to dark unsavory influences. There was that scary moment in the club bathroom where she's half naked tied to a radiator then jumps up and sparks literally start flying. Julia gets accepted into a sort of street school of magic.

Try this magical cocktail. Now where's that eye of newt...

         Quentin quickly makes new friends with the chill Eliot Waugh and feisty Margo Hanson who show him the ropes of Brakebills. But appearances may be deceiving, they could become Quentin's adversaries later on as the mystery of the school unfolds. And unfortunately Quentin may have made a few bad first impressions with his intense room mate William "Penny" Adiyodi who can read people's thoughts (though it's sometimes more of a burden). Then there's the A-Student magician legacy Alice Quinn who's bold and serious (unnerving Quentin quickly) about finding out what happened to her brother at Brakebills who died there mysteriously. I know it's too early but I'm shipping Quentin and Alice. They just seem cute together and look like they would get along very well once they penetrate each other's hard shells. 

Don't you hate magical scars?

          All the while Quentin is having visions foretelling doom. With a Hermione as your spirit guide who speaks in riddles it's hard to see what's coming. Quentin struggles with listening to his premonitions that tell him to dig deeper into Brakebills secrets while trying not to get kicked out of the only place he feels like he belongs. At the end of the Pilot some scary monster (known as The Beast) wearing a suit, who's face is obscured by many moths freezes time and starts killing professors then he turns his hungry eyes to Quentin. 

The magic's inside you...

         I'm anxious to see what happens next and how the series does next year. Quentin's already a favorite for me. He's the embodiment of every shy, antisocial in the world where there doesn't seem to be a place we quite fit in but we know there's something inside us that sets us apart from the rest. A power that we pour into art and creativity and there's nothing more creative or more of an art than magic.

The belly of the Beast... is where someone is going to end up

The Man In The High Castle: A Dark, Twisted World That You'll Dive Into

             WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS. 

          Now that I gave a disclaimer I can get to raving about Amazon's recent masterpiece The Man In The High Castle! Alternate history is a fun subject. The "What If" is irresistible! Now what would have happened if the Axis powers won World War II? The answer: very scary.

       Best Parts:

              1. Many of the characters were fantastic (not so much Joe Blake and Juliana Craine but we'll get to them later). With actors like Rufus Sewell and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa you can't go wrong. Characters such as the Nazi officer John Smith and Kempeitai Inspector Kido were absolutely terrifying but there were moments when you saw them as human beings. John finds out that his son is diagnosed with a genetic disorder that would paralyze him. Given the law that the crippled and mentally disabled are to be equalized (the Nazis called it "mercy killings") John has to decide on whether or not to "spare" his son the pain of living in a wheel chair or to "mercy kill" him. Apparently John's older brother had the same issue. Seeing Smith grapple with this makes me forget that he's a Nazi and close to the end I found myself hoping he wouldn't die when Reinhardt took him out into the woods. Underneath the fascist is a man who is devoted to his family.

           Kido took a while but close to the end you saw that he was a man of honor who was ready to sacrifice anything to protect the Pacific States. At first when he said he wasn't a monster I scoffed. I still think he's a despicable guy but he's that way for a reason. Every group needs a designated ass hole as they say. I still wanted Kido to go through with his suicide but I felt kinda bad for the guy nevertheless. 

         2. The mystery of the films that show an alternate universe, the reveal of who the Man in the High Castle is, and Tagomi's transportation to our timeline were mind blowing. That and the setting with seeing how society is run on both sides of the divided United States. Every detail was well thought out and the darkness of the show really resonated with that "maybe" hanging heavy on your mind. Would the United States had turned into that oppressive world? Maybe. Most likely. Things could have gone differently in the War in which the Nazis win and take over the world. So much death and destruction (after the Germans dropped their H-Bomb on Washington D.C.) is a scary thought. 

     
          3. The ending was the best part. It took me a few minutes to process because it was so unbelievable. Hitler is the Man in the High Castle. He's a man in a high castle but also when you think about it it's genius. When you have everyone looking for the same thing either way you get what you want. 

   
        Low Points

            1. Perhaps my only complaint is Joe Blake and Juliana Craine. Together these characters have wonderful chemistry. I sense Juliana has more of a spark with Joe than she does with Frank (though Frank is a pretty engaging character). Almost like Joe and Juliana are meant to be together but they keep missing their chance. On their own however, Joe and Juliana are pretty bland characters. I just couldn't get into their individual journeys they seemed to blend in with the wall. 

        Seeing as I have little to complain about this show I'd say it has lived up to the hype. I'm already praying for a season 2 so that this exciting journey may continue.