The Walking Dead

Okay, so I know when I first made this blog, I mentioned that I would center it on Once Upon a Time and Downton Abbey, but recently, I got into a new show that is also on Sunday nights, so I think it deserves a shout-out. The Walking Dead. On from  9 to 10 PM on AMC, this show is one of the best I have ever seen. Apart from the genius storyline, the show has some of the best makeup and special effects I have ever seen on TV. It makes you feel like you are right in the middle of the action with great camera angles and amazing filming in general.

Every single week, The Walking Dead delivers. It follows a group of people, lead by a former Sheriff's Deputy, Rick Grimes, trying to survive what we would call a zombie apocalypse. Accompanying Rick are a rag-tag group of survivors. Glenn and Maggie are a married couple who are both great fighters. Carol is a woman who knows that sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the greater good. Tyresse is a generally gentle man who realizes that sometimes violence is necessary. Sasha and Bob are another couple on the show. Abraham protects Eugene, a man who supposedly knows the cure for the apocalypse. Rick's only family consists of his daughter (we think), Judith, and his son, Carl. Finally, there's Daryl. Daryl is like the new Chuck Norris. He's an amazing killer who takes out dozens of walkers with his crossbow. However, he's a lot more than that. We see many sides of Daryl through his relationships with different people of the show, and he is a definite viewer favorite.  

Andrew Lincoln (the actor who plays Rick) and a "walker"

The premise of the show is that a disease caused people when they died to come back to life. However, the only part of their brain that worked was the one to run their movements. They have no recollection of the people they knew before they "turned." When they come back to life, the people are called "walkers". If you get bit by a walker, you turn by the end of the day. The only way to kill these creatures is to stop their brain function by shooting them, stabbing them, or bashing them in the
head. Because of this, the show tends to be very graphic and hard to watch at some points.

The walkers aren't the only things that Rick and his group need to watch for. Sometimes the people can be worse. The survivors started out with a policy to not kill humans. Soon they had to rethink that. The characters in TWD are locked in a constant struggle to maintain their morality but still stay alive. I think one of the reasons why the show is so popular is because some of the problems they face are just heightened versions of the problems we face every day. 

Captain Swan

Finally, after long weeks, months, years of watching the show, the writers have finally given thousands of fans hope for Captain Swan (the relationship between Hook and Emma). For the sake of this post (and my heart) I'm going to refrain from talking too much about Hook's deal with Rumple  and just focus on the matter at hand (pun intended). Emma asked Hook out on a date!

Hook was just playing darts in Granny's minding his own business and taking out all of his frustrations on that green, red, and black dart board when Emma came strolling right up to him and asked him out. The scene couldn't be more cliche. Hook immediately missed the dart board and joked about the fact that he wasn't the one doing the asking before accepting. There was only one condition, he was the one to plan it. Emma had a condition as well - she wouldn't "pillage and plunder" on the first date. Way to go Emma, sticking to your values even when you are staring at the hottest man to ever come into your life!

That night, Hook showed up at the Charmings' door. Of course, Snow whipped out the camera like a proud mamma. Emma was, according to Hook, "stunning", but the real surprise came from the Captain himself. He had given up his pirate outfit and swapped it for a much more modern look that made him 1000x more attractive, if that's even possible. But wait, there's more! He handed Emma a single red rose (so romantic) with his left hand...wait....his left hand?! That's right ladies and gentlemen, Hook was hook-less. He managed to get Rumpelstiltskin to restore his hand. The only one who didn't seem too happy about Killian's new hand was Charming. The protective father was afraid what Killian could do with the added use of a second hand.

Don't worry Daddy Charming, Emma and Hook just went on the most old-school date ever - a romantic dinner at an Italian restaurant. There was a lot of hand holding, flirting, and long looks into

each other's eyes, but our dashing rapscallion kept it PG. However, I don't think I have ever seen the two happier. Except for a brush with the bandit in town, they were all-smiles the whole time. For Emma, that's almost unheard of. They seemed to have a great time and just really enjoyed being with each other. When Killian dropped Emma off at her house, it was obvious she didn't want to say good bye quite yet. However, as she pointed out, she lived with two obsessive parents, a baby, and an Ice Queen. I guess they'll just have to wait until next time. Next time? Yup, Killian asked Emma to go out again, and she accepted with the best kiss we've seen so far in the show.

Based on the preview for this week, it looks like fans are going to have to wait a little while until we get to see a second Captain Swan date, but we can wait!

Catching Up

So I've been a little bit behind on pretty much everything recently. Sadly I've missed posting on three whole episodes of Once Upon a Time. I think the best plan of action is to break up all of my thoughts into two posts. The first (this one) will contain general reactions from the last three episodes. The second post will be all about the relationship between Emma and Hook since they have taken some big steps recently.

When I last left you, Elsa had made a giant snowman in fear that attacked the inhabitants of Storybrooke. Since then, she has come a long way. In three episodes, Elsa went from being a borderline villain to being an honorary member of the Charming family. (Something Hook hasn't achieved even after two seasons). Elsa and Emma had a bonding moment when they were trapped in an ice cave and Emma almost died. After just a half a day together, Emma and Elsa found out that they were very similar - they both had very powerful magic but didn't know how to control it. Also, both women put up walls (some more physical than others) to keep themselves from being hurt. Once they made this realization, Emma and Elsa became the best of friends, and Emma offered to help find Anna. However, as is usual in the show, things were not happy for long.

Episode Three introduced us to the person who appears to be the new villain for at least the first half of season four. So far, we have found out that this mysterious Snow Queen is a) Elsa and Anna's aunt (time to whip out the family trees), b) targeting Emma for some reason, and c) somehow affiliated with Rumple.This unfamiliar woman who ran an ice cream shop in Storybrooke (with the really clever name "Any Given Sundae") "poisoned" Marian. During Snow's first, somewhat unsuccessful meeting as mayor, Marian collapsed and started to freeze over. Naturally, Robin Hood ran to the only logical person to ask for help with his wife's condition - his ex-girlfriend/true love Regina, revealing in the process that he is still in love with her. Even though she is still hurt that Robin ended their relationship so abruptly, she consented to help him. This shows just how far our former Evil Queen has come.

Regina also had other problems she needed to deal with. She and Henry are working on a new mission to rewrite the story book, Operation Mongoose. Honestly, the fact that Henry picked "mongoose" as the name for their mission is adorable. In season one, Henry's mission to get Emma to remember was called Operation Cobra. Mongoose are known to eat snakes, and this might show how his relationship with Regina is much closer than his relationship with Emma.

Emma and Regina aren't the only mothers in this story though. Snow now has to juggle a tiny baby and the responsibilities of mayor. After an improptu therapy session on the sidewalk with Archie, it seems like she will finally be able to give up a little bit of the parenting duties and let David help out. David is also worried about his daughter, however. After she asked Killian out on a date, he acted very protective. In a way, this is the first time he's let his daughter go out on a date, and he was just doing what every father does.

Hook, Hook, Hook. The man just cannot seem to keep out of trouble. I mean it was expected that trying to blackmail the Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin, would eventually backfire, but I didn't want it to happen so soon. After having his hand reattached by Rumple, Killian started to slip back into his old pirate ways. The pirate reacted violently towards a new person in Storybrooke, a bandit who we know to be named Will Scarlet*. After an incident when he punched the thief in the face he made a deal with Rumple to take the hand off which would hopefully revert him to his old self. However, he could have never guessed that the price might take everything he loved away from him. Rumple roped Killian into helping him absorb the sorcerer's apprentice into a magical hat that would retain all of his magic. Then, Rumple altered security tapes to make it look like Killian was the only one there. With his leverage gone, Hook is going to have to do everything Rumple wants from him with no complaints. That can't be good for his new relationship with Emma. :(

Personally, the flashbacks in the show that take place in the Enchanted Forest are not nearly as good as the drama in Storybrooke.  However, they explain a lot about what's going on. So far we have seen Elsa and Kristoff fighting against Hans and his brothers with the help of the Snow Queen. Also, we watched how Anna came into possession of the box containing the sorcerer's hat.

This show just gets better and better as the weeks go on. Tune in to ABC Sunday night at 8PM to find out what happens to our cast of characters.

*POSSIBLE SPOILER: Will Scarlet (played by Michael Socha) was a character on Once Wonderland, a spin-off that only lasted one season. Through this show, I know that Will is also the Knave of Hearts who was in love with the original Queen of Hearts, Anastasia. He also helped Alice find her true love and interacted with many of the characters in Wonderland. The writers might be integrating the two shows, but I really don't know.

A Little Background Information

WARNING: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR SEASONS 1, 2, AND 3 OF ONCE UPON A TIME, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

Since I am writing this blog primarily for my creative writing class, and most of my readers have never seen Once Upon a Time (abbreviated OUaT), I feel like it is important to explain a little bit of the premise of the show. Also, the characters in the show have the most complicated family tree I have ever seen.

The first thing you'll need to really understand the show, is to be familiar with the family tree. OUaT's family tree is insane. I've been watching the show for 3 seasons, and I still couldn't write it out. Luckily, some people on iFunny are much more obsessed than I am (if that is even possible) and took the time to do it for me. ----------------->
Ya, that's pretty complicated. To make things more complicated, most characters have two identities. The most important characters to remember are Snow White/Mary Margaret, Prince Charming/David, Emma, Henry, Captain Hook/Killian Jones, Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold, Belle, The Evil Queen/Regina, and Robin Hood.

Before I can really get into explaining the show, it's important to explain some "fangirl vocab".
To add to the fangirl vocab, there are also several ships I need to explain. In the show, there are probably close to 100 different pairings of people, but for the purpose of this blog, I'll only explain the ones that are already canon, and those that have a chance of being canon. Normally, when someone makes up a ship name, it includes a part of each of the two people's names. The first couple that has been around for the longest in the show is Snowing. Snow White/Mary Margaret and Prince Charming/David are true love. Therefore Emma, their daughter, is the product of true love. The second longest relationship is that of Rumpelstiltskin and Belle, Rumbelle. They were married in the last episode of season three, and have been together since season 1.

Now onto the ships that aren't so canon. Outlaw Queen, the couple that everyone wants to happen, but the writers don't want to let us see. Robin Hood and Regina were together for most of season 3. During the season finale, Emma brought back a mysterious stranger from the past who just so happened to be Robin Hood's wife (who he thought he was dead), Marian. Regina was just as heartbroken as the thousands of people watching, but we aren't giving up hope! Finally, on to my OTP, Captain Swan - Killian and Emma, the Captain and the Savior, the Pirate and the Hero. Recently, the writers have given Captain Swan shippers a lot of hope. In the season finale of season 3, it was revealed that he had given up the Jolly Roger (his most beloved possession) in order to find and save Emma. Through their travels together, she began to realize how much he really cares about her, and that she could potentially pursue a long-time relationship with him. Out of all of the ships in the show, it is my favorite, and I cannot wait to see what happens with their relationship.

Now that I've thoroughly explained the characters of the show, there is only one thing left - the premise of the show. OUaT takes place in modern day Maine in a small town called Storybrooke. Fairy tales are real. Characters have jumped off the pages of Henry's book of Fairy Tales and walk the streets of Storybrooke. Magic is real, but all magic comes with a price. However, there is one difference from a fairy tale - happy endings aren't guaranteed. If the characters of OUaT want to be happy, the are going to have to work week after week to make their dreams come true.

The Premiere: Episode 401

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FROM EPISODE 4O1 OF ABC'S ONCE UPON A TIME. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Finally! After waiting for over three months my patience was at last rewarded with the premiere of Once Upon a Time Season 4. Sadly, I have been super busy all week and had no time to post until today.  In the future, I'll try to post every Monday after an episode, and on Friday or Saturday nights to preview the next episode.

So last week's long awaited premier had its ups and downs. There were times when I was sitting on the edge of my seat, but there were others where I was honestly bored. However, Eddy and Adam (the writers) didn't disappoint when it came to the relationships on the show. As I had hoped, the episode addressed both the relationship between Robin and Regina, and the relationship between Hook and Emma. it also introduced the new characters from Frozen and showed Elsa in Storybrooke.

Before I get into the good parts of the show, let me get all of the bad news out of the way. To begin with, the Frozen story line was a little weak. In my opinion, the story is way too new. It feels as if the writers just jumped on to the Frozen bandwagon like everyone else. Right now, it's too early to see where they are going with it, but if it continues on the path it is headed down, it's going to be a long season. The acting while the characters were in Arendelle wasn't all that great, and just continuing the story started in the movie seems like a bit of a cop out from the same people who got rid of the perm and made Captain Hook look sexy with guy liner.

Another thing that really bothered me was the amount of CGI in the episode. There was a giant snowman running around Storybrooke for goodness' sake! I feel like the only thing that would be worse would be if they incorporated Bambi and had a CGI deer start talking to Henry one day! And then there was the rock troll. I didn't expect the writers to go so far as to include Kristoff's troll family, but I guess that just shows I know nothing. At least Sven is portrayed by something resembling an actual reindeer and I don't have to watch a cartoon talking to Kristoff all the time.

Now on to the good parts of the episode. To begin with, I almost started crying when Rumple knelt down by his son's grave to talk to him about the problems he was having with himself. After talking to Neal, he finally worked up the courage to switch out the fake dagger he had given Belle for the real one that could control him. Seconds later came their dance. With a snap of his fingers, Rumple changed both his and his new wife's attire to outfits with surprising resemblance to those in the original Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast. As they began to dance, the iconic theme song of the movie started in the background. Needless to say, I whipped out my cell phone and Snapchatted the moment with the caption "IT'S HAPPENING!". Even though Rumbelle isn't my favorite ship, I really enjoyed seeing all of their moments together.

Regina and Robin. For some reason, the poor woman just can't catch a break. The episode started with Robin trying to introduce the two women. Of course, Marian was a total witch, and called Regina all kinds of terrible things. Regina walked off without engaging in anything, thank goodness. However, Robin showed up later in the episode, but he wasn't their to kiss and make up. He was there to cry and break up. He explained to Regina that everything he had felt was real, but he had made a commitment to Marian to be her husband until "death do them part". You know what Mr. Hood? Death did part you so tell that woman to get her behind out of your life and leave you alone! I do have to admit though, I admire his commitment and the fact that he didn't keep leading Regina on. That's a sign of a good man (who should belong to Regina). Unfortunately, Regina won't give Robin up so easily. She enlisted the help of her old friend the Mirror to "get rid" of Marian and find the person who wrote the story.

Last but not least, Captain Swan. Emma seems to believe that she can just keep kissing the man who is madly in love with her and claim that it means nothing. Maybe it means nothing to her, but it sure as heck means something to him. In their first conversation of the season, Hook had some quality advice for Emma on how to live her life - one of many reasons why I like him so much. It seemed for
most of the episode that they were going to start all over at square one, until the end. Hook finally caught Emma alone. After making a sarcastic comment about watching Netflix together, Emma finally give Hook some hope. She tells him to "be patient," and kisses him yet again. This time however, I think she realizes that it isn't just a "one time thing."

The writers left a lot of unanswered questions that we hope will be answered. What happened to Elsa and Anna's parents? What is that hat that looks surprisingly like Micky Mouse's in Fantasia? Will Emma ever actually consider Hook her boyfriend? What will happen with Regina, Robin, and Marian? Who wrote the stories? Tune in to ABC tonight at 8 to find out!