The Good, the Bad, and the Magical

In the past few weeks of OUaT, so much has happened! I have so many thoughts and reactions to what has happened so far, that I'm not sure it will all fit into one post, but I'm sure as heck going to try. Each character has become more personal over the last few weeks. The more time they spend in Storybrooke, the easier it is for me to understand them and see some of myself in them. Being in Storybrooke also leads to some of them making some big mistakes that may change their lives forever.

Emma Swan has been one of my favorite characters since I began to watch the show. Recently, I have begun to feel like I can relate to her more and more. In the past few episodes, Emma has been struggling with feeling like she doesn't fit in.  Having magic when the rest of her family is "normal" (I hate that word!), takes a big tole on her. Also, she feels as though her parents view her differently because of it. In the past, we have always seen a rough exterior to Emma. This season, she began to let her guard down a little bit. Her family and friends' reactions to her situation with the magic might cause her to put those walls right back up, and I'm afraid we might see her revert back to square one.

Mary Margret and David have taken a step back in the show since their son, Neal was born. Not only do Snow and Charming have a baby in the show, but Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas (the actors who play them and are married in real life), have a new baby. The writers might be shortening their roles in the show for both reasons. However, the moments that they are on the show are significant. Just a few weeks ago, Snow and Charming were acting like loving parents towards Emma. Since they have seen her magic blossom, they have treated her differently. It is understandable that Snow is protective of her baby, but Emma is her child as well, and I feel as though she could have handled situations much better. David really hasn't changed too much. He has always seemed to treat Emma the same, no matter what, and I think he is a more accepting person in general. Watching the most recent episode and seeing the look of disappointment and hurt in Emma's eyes really made me annoyed at Mary Margaret in particular, but it is understandable that she would act that way because she is a "new" mother.

The Snow Queen is one of my favorite villains so far. Instead of just using magic to mess with things, she is playing mind games with the people of Storybrooke. In some way or another, she has influenced their actions without actually using magic. Also, I find her back story with Emma to be very interesting, and I am excited to see what will happen with that. She is one of the most creative characters that the writers have thought up in my opinion, and even though she endangers some of my favorite relationships in the show, I cannot help but find her pretty awesome.

Elsa has become a good friend to Emma. They are really perfect for each other as friends, and are the only ones who can truly understand the other. I'm not a huge fan of Elsa, but I really have no good reason not to like her. Something about her seems just a little off to me, and I cannot put my finger on it. However, I cannot deny that she brings a lot to the show and gets along well with the characters. 

Hook, like Snow and Charming, has taken a step back in the past few episodes. Since his and Emma's date, we haven't seen much of him. Any time he has been on the screen, though, I am always happy. Emma's relationship with Hook up until the end of last episode seemed to have been solidified. They were treating each other more like newlyweds then two people who had just gone on their first date. Also, Hook offers some comic relief to the show. His constant one-liners and mumbles under his breath always make me and the characters in the show smile. Hook still remains one of my favorite characters, and I don't think that will ever change. However, he seemed to be in some kind of peril in the preview for this week, so all I can say is that the writers better not kill him of or there will be a horde of furious fangirls at their doors (including me)!

 Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold seems to be back to his old ways. I was really excited to see the change in him when he married Belle, but the honeymoon effect has worn off, and he has slipped back into being a very shady character. Rather than do things for the greater good of Storybrooke and his family, Rumpel is always trying to get something out of it. Even his relationship with Belle seems to be under extreme stress. Last episode, he was treating her more as an annoying servant than a wife. It is really upsetting to see a character who had come so far revert so drastically.

Regina and Robin are the final two characters that I really feel need to be mentioned. Their relationship has been confusing for them over the past few episodes. While Regina was saying that he needed to forget about her, the hurt in her eyes was obvious. She has really come so far, and deserves the best. Luckily, Robin agrees. After struggling between love and duty, love finally won out for him, and he decided that Regina was the one for him. This gave us the second-best kiss of the season (behind the Captain Swan one after their date, of course), and made me jump for joy. I really hope that they can work everything out and Regina will receive the happy ending that is so rightfully hers.

 Tune in this Sunday to find out what happens to Emma, why Rumple is so fond of the Snow Queen, and why Hook was telling someone "Don't do this!"