OUAT: Come Back

Last time on “Once:” Gold sent a message to Belle by aging a fairy. She realized he was going to use the dust on her to accelerate her pregnancy and force her to give birth so he could cut their son from his fate. Because, you know, the accelerated pregnancy plot worked so well last season with Zelena.

Emma and Hook promised to help Belle. After talking with her son in the dream world, she showed them a book that had squid ink. Hook and Emma used it to freeze Gold and they tried to get the shearers. But Emma was knocked back by her vision. While Hook was helping her, Gold got free and went to find Belle.

Belle pleaded with Gold not to use the dust on her and then stood her ground, telling him that if he used it, he would lose her forever. She asked him if he was willing to chance that. He left without dosing her with the dust.

Later, though, Belle has some tea and soon finds her pregnancy accelerated until she is in labor. Emma and Hook take her to the fairies, who put up a forcefield that manages to keep Gold away from her until she gives birth. In the dream world, her son told Belle that she knew what she had to do to keep him safe and Belle gave the boy, named Gideon, to Blue for safekeeping. She made Blue his fairy godmother and Blue took Gideon far away. Belle told Gold she would never forgive him and he vowed to find their son.

In flashbacks, Rumpelstiltskin stole a baby and had Belle take care of him. He revealed he was going to use the baby for something and that it was no doubt dangerous. Belle worked to figure out what it was, falling into Rumple’s trap when she deciphered an incantation to summon the Black Fairy for him. He took the incantation, took the baby and locked her up so she couldn’t stop him. Blue rescued her and revealed that the Black Fairy used to protect children but now she kidnaps and tortures them. She sent Belle to stop Rumple.

Rumple summoned the Black Fairy and stunned her with squid ink. He revealed that she was his mother but she abandoned him. She said she had to make choices for power and then flew off when the ink wore off. Belle rescued the baby and returned him to his parents.

In other news, Jasmine decided to use the Genie lamp but there was no genie. Aladdin put on the shackles and became the new genie of the lamp in order to help her. Queenie was sent to kill Zelena but Regina intervened. She and Rumple then fought, leading Queenie to be the one to dose Belle. So now she’s on Rumple’s hit list.

Uh oh.

It’s late at night but Hook, Emma and Regina walk toward the vault. Hooks asks if she has something that can destroy the sword and Regina replies they don’t want to destroy the sword. They want to analyze it. He doesn’t understand since it’s supposed to kill Emma. Emma reminds him that the person wielding it is supposed to kill her. So if they can figure out anything from the sword, they want to do that first. Then they can worry about destroying things, Regina tells him.

(Excuse me while my Outlaw Queen heart explodes)

OUAT: Bye, Bye Baby

Last time on “Once:” Snow and David adjusted to life under the new sleeping curse. They took turns under it and it seemed Baby Neal didn’t get any sleep with his parents doing split shifts. It eventually took its toll on them and they grew weary of living apart while still sharing the same space.

Belle teamed up with Zelena in order to protect her unborn son, asking her to send her to another realm to get away from her husband. Zelena was willing but needed the Apprentice’s wand to do so. So they asked Aladdin to get it for them. He agreed.

Emma and Regina tried to trap Queenie in the land behind the mirror but she flipped the script and captured them instead. Hook caught onto it early but Queenie knocked him out and continued masquerading as Regina around Henry.

Henry was already nervous because Snow was throwing a dance at school and Violet had been distant lately. It didn’t help that he realized Queenie was masquerading as his mom and he had to go help her at the same time. Violet helped him escape as he went to the vault. Queenie met him there, revealing Emma and Regina were trapped with the Dragon. She turned him into a real dragon and told Henry he had to crush the Dragon’s heart to save him. He broke the mirror instead and a shot of flames helped free Regina and Emma. Hook showed up to help and Queenie left, defeated for now.

Aladdin got the wand for Zelena and stole the genie’s lamp to see if he and Jasmine could get help from it to save Agrabah.

Zelena almost sent Belle away but Gold interfered, putting a tracking device on his wife and insisting it was out of love. Zelena scoffed at that and when he tried to choke her, Gold suffered a heart attack. It seemed that thanks to what she did for him in New York back in Season 4, if he tried to kill her, he’ll die. He left, angrier than before.

So when Queenie showed up to commiserate with him, he asked her to kill Zelena.

One of the sisters runs through a basement of some sort before she is stopped by Gold. She tells him that the Mother Superior will stop him but he insists none of them can stop him now. With a flick of his hand, he ties her to a pole.

Queenie shows up, asking him what his deal is with the fairies. He doesn’t really answer, instead asking her what she’s doing there. She says she thought they were a team and he reminds her if that was so, she would’ve killed Zelena already. Queenie doesn’t think he really expects her to kill her flesh and blood but he does. He says it’s the only thing standing between them and a fresh start together. Queenie still looks torn and asks about Belle. He says he realizes she’ll never accept him for who he really is and that it’s over between them.

He then turns back to the fairy and says he’s going to use her to send a message. Gold tosses some dust on her and she ages before our eyes. Queenie pretends to be shocked while Gold just stands there and smugs.

(Sr. Granny)

Christmas Cookies

Successful business woman has lost the Christmas spirit when she is sent to make a deal with the owner of a wildly popular cookie factory known for their Christmas goodies. And of course, the owner is cute and single. Whatever will happen?

I told you. These things are formulaic. But with the right characters and actors, it can still seem fresh.

Does this one? Let’s find out!

Upstate…somewhere…is a little town called Cookie Jar. It is home to Aunt Sally’s Christmas Cookies, a little factory that makes delicious cookies and treats only at Christmas. People flock to the town, which lives for Christmas, and enjoy the cookies.

Meanwhile, Hannah (Jill Wagner) had lost that Christmas feeling. She’s not a complete Scrooge but she’s just not into the holiday. Especially when her boyfriend Gavin (Jim Thorburn) keeps pushing for her to attend his law firm’s Christmas Eve party. She says it was stuffy the year before and just not something she’s interested in. He asks her to consider going for his sake and she promises to think about it.

The next day, Hannah meets up with her sister Kelly (Chelsey Reist) for lunch…I guess. They don’t really do much eating. Kelly pushes her sister about whether or not Gavin proposed but Hannah doesn’t seem keen to the idea. They then notice a story on the news that involves Hannah’s company, Whole Foods. Rumor is that the company is going to buy Aunt Sally’s and Kelly remembers their trips to Cookie Jar as children. She says Hannah should run that account but Hannah says she can’t just go and demand it from her boss. She then heads back to work after promising Kelly to help make Christmas cookies.

OUAT: Through the Looking Glass

Last time on “Once:” The Evil Queen threatened to destroy Storybrooke with water from the River of Lost Souls if Snow and David didn’t give her their shared heart so she could finally crush it. Blue discovered a magical sapling that could stop the Queen, so Regina and the Charmings went to locate it.

Meanwhile, Regina sent Zelena to discover the Queenie and Gold making out. She then told Belle about it and the golden shearers, so Belle rightly laid into her estranged husband. It put Zelena on Gold’s bad side.

In the Enchanted Forest, David had the cutest dog ever. He was a sheep dog who was an excellent tracker and name Wilby. Nothing happened to him except for the fact he was never seen again. Boo.
David was going to sell his farm when he met up with a guy called the Woodcutter. Woodcutter knocked David out to use Wilby to sniff out Snow, who was trying to flee. David tried to save her from the Woodcutter’s rolling shed and the two managed to take down the Woodcutter. She then gave David her money to save his farm and decided to become a bandit. When they touched, they created the magical sapling.

In Storybrooke, they found the sapling but Queenie destroyed it. Realizing the sapling was theirs, they surrendered to her with the belief that they always find their way back to each other. Queenie took their hearts but decided not to crush them. Instead, she returned them and Snow immediately fell under a sleeping curse. Queenie sent her away but David found her easily. He kissed her but once she awoke, he fell under the curse. Regina revealed that Queenie cursed their hearts, so that when one was awake, the other would be asleep.

Poor Snowing.

(Kind of a sweet gig right now for Josh Dallas)

A Wish for Christmas

This week we look at one of this year’s new offerings. Once again, it stars Lacey Chabert, who is easily turning into Hallmark’s darling. I’m not complaining though because Gretchen Weiners deserves all the work.

So grab a cup of hot chocolate, don your gay apparel and beware of SPOILERS!

Sara (Lacey Chabert) works at a marketing firm as a junior web designer. When we meet her, she is bringing coffee in for some coworkers and is ignored by everyone around her as she holds open the door and then is pushed away from the elevator. She is forced to wait for the next one but is able to meet up with her friend Molly (Andrea Brooks, who was Charlotte in Once Upon a Time’s second episode this season). Molly asks Sara if she can help her with a project and though Sara protests that she has a lot of work, Molly gets her to agree.

One of their coworkers, Brian (Eduard Witzke) joins them and thanks Sara for bringing in coffee. As the elevator opens again, their boss Peter (Paul Greene) enters. He is on his phone and talks about Christmas not happening. The other three pretend not to listen in but all three fail. Peter gets off the phone and asks Brian to work Christmas. Brian agrees and then Paul asks Sara about the present she’s holding. She says it’s for the Secret Santa at the office party later before blathering on about how much she loves Christmas. It gets awkward fast and everyone looks happy to get off when the doors open.

OUAT: How I Met Your Mother Before I Met Your Mother

Last time on “Once:” The Evil Queen decided to turn Henry against Hook, playing on her son’s teenage annoyance with the pirate’s attempts at bonding with him. She revealed that he didn’t get rid of the shearers like Emma asked and he confronted Hook at the harbor. At that point, a submarine appeared and sailors took the two hostage. Onboard, Hook revealed it was the Nautilus and he had a connection to its captain.

Of course, it wasn’t good.

Captain Nemo once abducted Hook and offered him a chance to change his life, to join his crew and finally have a family. Hook resisted but was dragged by Nemo onto a mission to retrieve a treasure chest. Inside was a key to what Nemo called “the Mysterious Island,” a place where they could make a home and no one would ever die again. Hook was tempted until he recognized a knife that belonged to Nemo’s first mate. It turned out he was Hook’s long lost brother, Liam II, who Hook had left an orphan when he killed their father. And Liam II wanted revenge. Nemo tried to stop him and Liam II accidentally stabbed him, vowing more revenge on Hook when he bailed.

So now Liam II wanted to kill Hook but Henry was able to save him. Together, they got rid of the golden shearers and then took Liam II to the hospital. Turned out Captain Nemo wasn’t dead and the hospital staff was able to save him. He was reunited with Liam II and things looked up for the Jones brothers. Things were better between Henry and Hook and Emma forgave Hook for not destroying the shearers.

Meanwhile, Emma spent time with Aladdin and convinced him to stop running. So he went to Jasmine and asked her to tell him about Agrabah. She told him that it just disappeared while she was on a diplomatic mission.

Belle also had her first ultrasound and a heart-to-heart with Snow about how she was going to handle Rumple’s role in their child’s life going forward. She decided to drop off a picture of the ultrasound, thankfully not going inside. She was spared watching Rumple and the Evil Queen making out after she got him the shearers so he could potentially use them on his son.

Father of the year, right there.

It is night in Storybrooke and all is quiet in the loft. Snow and Charming are sound asleep and Snow rolls closer to her husband as a shadow passes over her. She then opens her eyes to find she is a forest. Sitting up, she looks around until she spots the Queen. Queenie approaches, saying a sleeping Snow was always her favorite Snow.

(Some quality face time)

A Boyfriend for Christmas

Our Christmas celebration continues with another Hallmark gem. Santa makes a promise and, though it takes some time, he keeps it. But will romance really blossom or is it doomed?

All I want for Christmas is SPOILERS!

Timeless: The Alamo, 1836

Last time on “Timeless:” Concerned that Flynn and Anthony stole the core of a nuclear bomb, the team tracked them down to a warehouse. However, they jumped before Wyatt and his fellow soldiers could capture them. Everyone is concerned to learn Flynn went to Nazi Germany, afraid he would sell them the nuclear bomb before the Americans developed theirs.

After killing a Nazi soldier who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, our heroes spotted a rocket and feared it would be nuclear powered. They hoped to find help at a place that may have been a place for Allied spies to meet. It appeared to be a dead end until Sean Maguire ordered them outside. He revealed himself to be Ian Fleming and Wyatt totally fanboyed out as they accepted his help. Ian helped them figure out where the bomb might be and agreed to help them look over the bomb, all the while flirting with Lucy. Despite being a Bond fan, Wyatt seemed to draw the line at his idol flirting with her.

The bomb did not have nuclear capabilities but they found Flynn working with the Nazis. Wyatt tried to shoot him but Lucy and Rufus stopped him because Werner von Braun, the father of the American rocket program, could get caught in the crossfire. They explained his importance to Wyatt and Lucy told Ian that there are orders to bring Werner to the Allies. He was not thrilled due to the Blitz but agreed to sneak them into a party where they could snatch Werner.

Wyatt talked Lucy through a panic attack, where they got more personal with each other. He assured her that she was just facing the hump and he knew she would get over it. At the party, she also got to know Ian a bit better and he continued to flirt with her—much to Wyatt’s annoyance.

While trying to get to Werner, Lucy and Ian were intercepted by Flynn and the Nazis. They took the two in as spies while Flynn tried to Werner to the Soviets. Wyatt and Rufus set off the bomb as a distraction before going to save Lucy. Together with Ian and Werner, they escaped the Nazis.

After seeing Werner delivered to the Allies and saying goodbye to Ian, the heroes returned to the present to learn they were now characters in a Bond book and movie that didn’t exist before. Lucy gave Agent Christopher demands in exchange for her to continue working and Rufus refused to keep recording the missions. But Rittenhouse scared him right good.

We open on March 5, 1836. A man writes a stirring letter, full of patriotic ideals and yet begging for support. He signs it William Barret Travis and says he is at the Alamo. The cold open ends with him standing on the fort’s wall, looking out at Santa Anna’s forces.

Once Upon a Holiday

This one is a bit of a twist on the “A Princess for Christmas” formula. The woman is already a princess and the man is a regular American. So it’s already a step up then some of the others, but is that all it has going for it? Let’s find out.

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in SPOILERS!

OUAT: Many Fathoms Below

Last time on “Once:” We entered a whole new world…except not really because Agrabah and Aladdin were touched on in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. But the producers like to pretend that didn’t happen, apparently, so it’s a whole new world!

Anyway, Aladdin was recruited by Jasmine in order to find the Diamond in the Rough. She said it would allow her to defeat Jafar and save the kingdom. They journeyed to the Cave of Wonders and when they were caught in a cave in, Aladdin discovered he had magical powers. Jasmine then revealed he was the real Diamond in the Rough, the Savior predicted to save Agrabah. He was upset she tricked him and she gave him some time to think about it.

Jafar showed up and showed him that only death awaited Saviors. He offered Aladdin a chance to avoid it—golden shearers that would sever him from his magic. Leaving them with Aladdin, Jafar assumed he would use them.

Except he didn’t. Aladdin flew in on a magic carpet, saved Jasmine and destroyed Jafar’s staff. It freed the Sultan and stopped Jafar…for now. He wasn’t completely defeated and so Aladdin made it his mission to stop him. He asked Jasmine to come with him but despite the fact they cared greatly for each other, she knew her place was in the palace so she could help their people. They parted and as he walked away, a satchel appeared on Aladdin’s shoulder. In it were the golden shearers and a note for Jafar that basically said: “Just in case.”

In Storybrooke, Emma and Archie found the Oracle dead and Shirin nearby. At the station, she revealed she was Jasmine and she found the Oracle, who was helping her find Aladdin. When Jasmine revealed he was a Savior too, they got very intrigued. Emma made it her mission to find Aladdin, just to prove not all Saviors died.

Meanwhile, the Evil Queen kidnapped Archie and impersonated him to find out about Emma’s vision since the Oracle wouldn’t tell her. She then tricked Emma into telling her family and then took Zelena out for a spa day to celebrate.

Her family rallied around Emma and they found a way to track Aladdin. When it appeared he was dead, she and Henry had an emotional scene. Aladdin then revealed himself as well as the fact he used the shearers. He gave them to Emma and then reunited with Jasmine.

Emma chose to not use the shearers and asked Hook to toss them to the bottom of the sea. Except he didn’t.

And that’s what you missed on Glee.

Hook storms around the deck of the Jolly Roger as it sails through a foggy night and a timestamp that tells us this is during the First Curse. He yells that Mr. Smee wouldn’t have stood for how they were working and yells that for being the fastest ship, the Jolly Roger has the slowest crew. One man yells back that they are tired and Hook demands he step forward. A man of Middle Eastern descent does so and Hook realizes he is a stowaway. He demands to know who the man is and he just replies that he is no one.

(He's a rather bold No One)

Someone yells that there’s a narwhale and of course everyone rushes to see it because narwhale. However, Hook realizes it’s bigger than a narwhale and glowing. He yells that it’s a sea monster and starts shouting orders. The stowaway says that it’s not a narwhale or a monster but a ship…his ship. He says he’s trying to save Hook’s life and then knocks him out.

Timeless: Nazi Germany, 1944

Last time on “Timeless:” Jiya was able to track the Giant Eye to Las Vegas in 1962. Our heroes traveled in the Baby Eye, afraid Flynn might try to assassinate Kennedy a year earlier.

Instead, Flynn kidnapped Kennedy’s lover, Judith Campbell. Lucy explained that she was an important player in Camelot, serving as a go-between for the president and the head of the mob family he was working with to take down Fidel Castro. She, Wyatt and Rufus rescued her from Flynn, who was blackmailing Judith, but she escaped when serving as bait for the team so they could capture Flynn.

Wyatt tried to send a telegram to be delivered to his wife, hoping to keep her alive, having a heart-to-heart with Lucy. Rufus discovered his friend Anthony isn’t Flynn’s prisoner but he still doesn’t think he’s a willing participant. Anthony gave him the clue as to why Flynn was in Las Vegas—the atomic bombs being tested miles outside of town.

Indeed, Judith paid a visit to a general and stole his keys to a bunker on the test site. Flynn and Anthony stole the radioactive core of the atom bomb, heading back to the Giant Eye. The heroes pursued them and it resulted in a shootout. Judith ran to safety with Lucy while Rufus tried to reason with Anthony. When he gave him the briefcase, Wyatt stopped firing, allowing Flynn and Anthony to get away. However, Rufus discovered he had been tricked and that the bad guys still had the core of the atom bomb.

Back in the present, Wyatt’s wife was still dead and Lucy decided to leave her really understanding fiancé.

And, of course, they all wondered what Flynn wanted with a nuclear weapon.

We open in Germany in 1944. People gather at a party in a castle as a Nazi talks about Hitler, winning the war, the Third Reich…you know, what you’d expect Nazis to talk about. He motions for everyone to look out a window and they watch as a rocket soars into the sky. They applaud and continue partying.

OUAT: High Adventure

Last time on “Once:” The Evil Queen and Mr. Hyde teamed up, making an enemy of Rumpelstiltskin, who cut his hair following Belle’s rejection. Fearing for Belle and his unborn child, he trapped her on the Jolly Roger and insisted it was for her own good.

Suuuure.

Meanwhile, Hyde and the Evil Queen crashed Jekyll and Frankenstein’s lab to destroy the serum that could defeat them. They thought they had saved some but Rumple forced Regina to use it on his dagger. He then tried to defeat Hyde but it turns out it was a harmless potion. Hyde used the dagger to control Rumple.

We also learned more about Jekyll and Hyde. Jekyll wanted to separate the “evil” parts from his patients, to help them with their maladies. His friend Mary tried to get him into the Academy of Sciences but her father rejected Jekyll. So Rumple helped him with his potion and thus Hyde was born.

So was a strange love triangle. For Jekyll loved Mary but she only saw him as a friend. But she did love Hyde, who reciprocated. When Jekyll learned of this, he grew angry and ended up backing a frightened Mary out of a window, where she fell to her death. He changed into Hyde and fled. Rumple found him and angry that Hyde still felt love, banished him to the Land of Untold Stories.

Why did Rumple care? Because he had hoped to use the serum to remove the weakness inside him—AKA his emotions and ability to feel love. Yet now Jekyll and Hyde want revenge against him, with Jekyll going after Belle. She fights him off and Hook finishes him, which also kills Hyde. Regina is horrified to learn she’ll have to die to kill the Evil Queen.

Belle, meanwhile, was rightfully pissed at Rumple and she insisted they were through. Rumple insisted she would need to come back to him one day to keep her and their son safe. It was just plain wrong.

I’m so sorry, Rumbelle fans. You all deserve so much better.

Oh! And Snow got a new TA who is really Princess Jasmine.

We open in Agrabah. Or rather, the capital of Agrabah. But let’s just call it Agrabah, okay? Anyway, we zoom through a bazaar as guards gather up several people accused of stealing. Aladdin slinks through the crowd, stealing as Jafar delivers a speech about how bad things have gotten. He then uses his magic to turn the thieves into rats. You know, street rats. Everyone gasps in horror.

(Agrabah)

Snow Bride

Our Christmas in July celebration continues with another Hallmark classic. And this one starring Jill Taylor!

So, grab your wedding dress and watch out for SPOILERS!

Timeless: Las Vegas 1962

Last time on ‘Timeless:’ Lucy was rightly freaking out about her sister being wiped from existence but Agent Christopher didn’t particularly care. All she cared about was the fact that Flynn had taken the Mothership to before Lincoln was supposed to be assassinated.

Flynn worked with John Wilkes Booth and his fellow conspirators, giving them modern weapons to make sure their full plan was carried out. Meanwhile, Lucy befriended Robert Lincoln while Rufus came face-to-face with the optimism African-Americans felt at the end of the war. Poor Wyatt got shot by Flynn.

Rufus and Wyatt also contemplated the idea about changing history, about saving Lincoln once Lucy revealed she had been invited to the play by Robert Lincoln. Lucy, though, insisted that they needed to keep it the same. After losing her sister, she didn’t want to risk changing the present any more than they already had.

They managed to save Vice President Johnson, Secretary Seward and General Grant but even though Lucy called out to warn the president at the last minute, Flynn shot Lincoln and fled the theater. Lincoln died and as they returned to the present, Lucy realized how much harder it was to live through history rather than study it.

Back in the present, Wyatt got proper medical treatment while Jiya revealed to Lucy how the Hindenburg had changed her present. It ended with her realizing that the man she had thought was her father…wasn’t her father after all. She returned home to her own engagement party and when she tried to confront her mother, Carole refused to talk to her.

And then Lucy met the man she was engaged to when he came up and kissed her.

Lucy flips through a photo album documenting her life with her fiance. And who has those anymore? I mean, I’m sure there are some people, but wouldn’t that mostly be on social media? Anyway, he comes out in nothing but a towel (hot damn) and notices she looking at a picture of them on her beach. He reminds her that’s when they got engaged and then reveals he found her ring in the bathroom. After putting it on, he starts kissing her but Lucy is still awkward about it. She is very relieved when her phone rings. Agent Christopher asks her what’s important about September 1962 but nothing comes to Lucy’s mind. She’s ordered to figure it out on her way over.

Wyatt is looking at an article about his deceased wife when he gets the call to come in.

Nostalgia Nook: Halloweentown III

I know, I know. I kinda let the Nostalgia Nooks die. Mostly because I didn’t really have the time to write them and I ran out of interest, honestly. But I wanted to stick to posting about the Halloweentown franchise to celebrate Halloween, so here I am!

Hop on your broomstick and avoid the SPOILERS!

Marnie Cromwell (Kimberly J. Brown) has a plan to bridge Halloweentown and the mortal world: an exchange program! She talks to the Halloweentown council about letting some students from Halloweentown come learn at her high school in the mortal realm. The council, though, is a bit apprehensive due to legends of the Knights of the Iron Dagger—a group dedicated to destroying everything magical. Marnie assures them that the plan will work and in the process, bets all the Cromwell magic. So if it fails, her entire family loses their magic.

Uh oh.

Marnie starts to have doubts but her grandmother, Aggie (Debbie Reynolds), assures her that everything will be okay.

OUAT: Facade

 Last time on “Once”: We revisited Cinderella and learned more about Ashley and her stepsisters. Well, mostly her stepsister Clorinda. Clorinda was awful to pretty much everybody, but especially Ella. She was even the one to dub her “Cinderella” after burning a dress that once belonged to Ella’s mother. It led Ella to discover a key to the Land of Untold Stories but she chose not to use it to escape her sad life.

At the ball, she met Snow and danced with the prince. But her stepmother taunted her, making her misinterpret a moment between Thomas and Clorinda. Heartbroken, Ella fled the ball and was ready to go to the Land of Untold Stories when Clorinda stopped her. She told Ella the prince loved her and Clorinda loved his footman, Jacob. She was running off with him. Knowing her stepmother, Ella gave Clorinda the key to use.

Lady Tremaine continued to use her mind tricks and manipulation on Ella, getting her to reveal where Clorinda went before breaking Ella’s shoe. But Thomas and Snow tracked her down. He knew it was her and proposed. She accepted before going to stop her stepmother but it was not to be. Lady Tremaine used the key, dragging Clorinda into the Land of Untold Stories in order to keep her from marrying Jacob.

In Storybrooke, Ashley asked to see the list of refugees in order to see if she could help. Later, Thomas reported her missing to Emma and explained she found Clorinda’s name on the list. He believed she was going after her stepsister. Emma, Hook and Henry tracked her down and she explained she was trying to right a wrong. She ran off as the Evil Queen came out to taunt Emma for her trembling hand and failing magic. She then sent the trio to the town line.

Ashley found Clorinda at a farm and it seemed she was going to get her revenge on Ashley for ruining her life. Lady Tremaine too, until she revealed Jacob owned the farm. Clorinda turned on her mother, who tried to shoot Jacob. Ashley took the bullet as Emma, Hook and Henry showed up. With Henry’s encouragement, she was able to heal Ashley.

As Emma decided to keep living and not worry so much about her visions, she asked Hook to move in and he agreed. Snow and Charming decided to find out what normal in post-curse Storybrooke is, with Snow deciding to go back to teaching. Regina worked with Jekyll to find a way to destroy their other halves while Rumple tried to connect with Belle.

dun dun dun!

Rumple works on a watch in his shop but grows frustrated. He stares at the scissors in his hand before disappearing behind the curtain. When he emerges, he has short hair! Yes, Rumple decided to give himself a makeover.

(Robert Carlyle was filming Trainspotting 2 over the summer so the show decided to accommodate his new do).

(He looks so dejected)

Tis the Season!

I know, I know. It's not even Halloween yet. You know who doesn't care?

Hallmark! 

They've started their Christmas movies, which will now run straight through to after the New Year. So if you're ready to skip Halloween as well, tune in! 

Starting next week, I'll be posting recaps of some of Hallmark's movies. So stay tuned for that! 

Ho ho ho! 

Timeless: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

Last time on “Timeless:” We met Wyatt, a soldier; Lucy, a history and anthropology expert; and Rufus, a coder. They are enlisted to help retrieve a time machine that’s been stolen by escaped convict Garcia Flynn. He goes back to the Hindenburg and prevents it from exploding as it landed in New Jersey so that he could blow it up while it’s returning to Europe—with several high ranking Americans onboard. With the help of ace reporter Kate Drummond, they are able to thwart his plan though the Hindenburg still blows up hours after it originally did. Flynn gets away, Kate unfortunately dies though from a gunshot wound not a flaming dirigible crashing onto her like in the cold open, and our heroes return to the present. However, Lucy learns that the change made to history has serious repercussions for her—her mother is no longer dying, she’s apparently engaged and her sister, Allison, no longer exists.

Uh oh.

We open in Ford’s Theater, where a production of “Our American Cousin” is being performed. John Wilkes Booth downs some alcohol at a bar before entering the theater, where Lincoln’s body guard is also drinking. The bartender asks Booth when they’ll see him on stage next and he replies that it will be soon. He heads over to Ford’s Theater and makes his way up to the box where Abraham Lincoln sits with Mary, enjoying the show. The Civil War is over and though he faces the difficult task of Reconstruction, he’s going to enjoy himself. But John Wilkes Booth shoots him in the head before leaping to the stage as everyone gasps in horror. He stands on an injured leg, shouts “Sic semper tyrannis,” pretty much says the South will rise again and then makes a run for it.

In the present, Lucy’s mother is trying to get answers from her daughter. Lucy, though, says she has to go. Carol Preston is concerned and wants to know why her daughter keeps asking for someone named Amy. Lucy lies, claiming Amy is a friend from work who needs her help. This satisfies Carol and she lets Lucy leave, reminding her not to forget about tomorrow night. Lucy pretends she has a clue about it and promises she won’t.

Lucy returns to the warehouse and asks Wyatt and Rufus if anything in their lives changed and Rufus reveals his dinner with Jiya bombed but that’s nothing new. She says her sister has been erased and Agent Christopher is like “What are you talking about? You never had a sister named Allison.” Lucy holds up a locket and shows a picture of Allison. Mason is amazed that she has something from the time before history was changed but Agent Christopher snaps him out of it. She is focused on the fact that Flynn is trying to destroy American history and tells them that he’s gone to April 14, 1865. Lucy points out that it’s the day Lincoln is assassinated as they head out to get ready.

OUAT: Sympathy, Tenderness

Last time on “Once:” Snow and David found themselves the target of the famous Count of Monte Cristo when he arrived from the Land of Untold Stories. Turned out Regina hired him to kill them back in the Enchanted Forest and he was determined to follow through. She tried to call him off but he refused to back down, saying he had to see it through to the end.

She asked Emma to take her parents somewhere safe and the Charmings were alarmed to see her taking them to the town line. But the barrier was still up and Emma’s car crashed into it. Regina realized it was the same spell she had on the town line back during Curse #1 and said the only way to cast it was to use ingredients from her vault, sealed with blood magic. She asked Zelena about it but she denied having anything to do with it. Pissed off at the accusation, Zelena peaced out.

In the Enchanted Forest, Regina hired the Count to kill Snow and Charming for her because Rumple put a protection spell on them, preventing her from killing them directly. He agreed in order to get the names of everyone who wronged him but had a change of heart after meeting them…and their handmaiden, Charlotte. When it seemed Charlotte was going to be a victim, he decided not to go through with it. Rumple, though, poisoned her anyway and sent the Count into the Land of Untold Stories with her.

Now, though, the Evil Queen taunted Regina and then revealed she had the Count’s heart, controlling him, after Regina was forced to kill him to save the Charmings. The Evil Queen told them that everyone has an untold story—even them—and soon they will tear themselves apart while she sits back and watches. This unnerved Regina but Snow and Emma assured her that they will defeat the Queen.

Meanwhile, the Queen aligned herself with Zelena, got something off Rumple, who was still stinging over the fact Belle left him and was rooming with Hook, and then the Queen used what she took off Rumple to torment Charming about his father.

Deep breaths!

Regina leads Snow and Charming down the hospital hallway where she meets up with Nurse Ratchet. The nurse hands Regina a tray and she says they are going to bribe Hyde with her lasagna for some information. But when she opens the door, she’s shocked to find out that someone redecorated it and gave Hyde a steak dinner with wine. She realizes the queen beat them to it and he says that the price of his information has gone up. He holds out his handcuffs but no one moves to remove them. Hyde sighs and taunts the queen, saying she was going to have to stay one step ahead of herself now.

(Fancy digs. The Evil Queen is snazzy interior decorator)

Timeless: The Hindenburg

I’ll be honest—I tuned into this show because back during the summer, it was announced that Sean Maguire would be a guest star on one of the episodes. When I checked out the premise, though, I realized that it appealed to my inner history nerd and my Whovian side. After watching it, I’m definitely hooked even beyond Sean’s appearance.

Let’s take a look at the first episode, hmm?

We open the day the Hindenburg lands in New Jersey. As a crowd watches and the people aboard eagerly await landing, we see the ground workers pulling the ropes to bring the dirigible to ground. A soldier approaches a woman with a camera, asking her if she’s ever seen anything so big. She makes a quip about men being impressed with size before turning back to the Hindenburg.

A worker in the Hindenburg touches something that sparks, igniting the hydrogen in the dirigible. It goes up in flames as people try to escape and fall out. As it comes down, the woman with the camera tries to outrun it but ends up caught in the inferno as we hear those famous words—“Oh the humanity!”

We cut to a university at night. Abigail Spencer, whom my longtime readers (do I even have any?) will remember as Blah-Blah from “How I Met Your Mother,” is teaching a class and talking about LBJ’s dick. I’m not even kidding. She ends the class when she sees David Sutcliffe come in and gets a bad feeling.

Outside, they are arguing as he says he had to cancel her tenure meeting. She asks why and he starts to mention something about the board thinking…but then she cuts him off so we don’t know why the board doesn’t want to consider her for tenure. Abigail—whose character name is Lucy—points out that her mother built up that department, it’s her legacy and Lucy’s destiny so David Sutcliffe could give her tenure but doesn’t want to. She then storms off.

At a giant warehouse, people continue to work the night shift as two men watch it from a van. Inside, an older gentleman tells a man named Rufus that it’s his turn to pick the tacos for taco night. He suggests Rufus take Jiya, one of their coworkers Rufus has been making eyes at, with him. Rufus grows nervous but agrees.

Then the two men storm the facility and start shooting. They demand everyone get down as they climb into the giant metallic CBS logo sitting in the middle of the warehouse (I seriously think CBS might have missed a big opportunity here). Before anyone can stop them, the CBS logo starts spinning before it disappears with a giant whoosh of air as everyone watches, shocked.

OUAT: Obsession

Last time on “Once:” A dirigible from the Land of Untold Stories crash-landed in Storybrooke and our heroes braced themselves for an influx of new people. Hyde kept smirking about the place, believing he owned it. Our heroes quickly put him in his place and he was given residence in Zelena’s old cell.

Speaking of Zelena, she moved in with Regina. And continued to show questionable parenting skills. She also lost the feather Roland gave her to give Regina. While she bottled up that rage, I didn’t. But after a talk with Snow, Regina finally had it out with her sister. Zelena gave it right back and then decided to move out.

Emma started to experience a tic with her hand as well as a terrifying vision of her fighting a hooded creature. Her family grew concerned and sent Archie to talk to her. She resisted, asking Hyde what he knew. He advised her to follow the bird. It lead her to a little girl that had been with Aladdin and Jafar in the cold open, who told her that she saw her own death—the hooded creature would run Emma through with a sword.

Of course, she decided not to tell her family.

Meanwhile, Rumple used some dust Hyde gave him to enter Belle’s dreams so he could wake her. Morpheus greeted him and brought him to where Belle was spending her dreams—in a replica of Dark One Manor. But Rumple needed to remind her of how much she loved him through recreating the Beauty and the Beast dance. It also reminded her of all the horrible things he had done to her so she rejected him. Morpheus praised her, revealing that he’s really their unborn child. He told her not to go back to Rumple and then used True Love’s Kiss to wake her. Belle peaced out of there while Rumple seethed.

As the people from the Land of Untold Stories came to Storybrooke, Regina and Snow had a heart-to-heart in which Regina decided to start a new story for herself. One without the Evil Queen. As she embraced that, a feather floated down. Of course, unbeknownst to her, the Evil Queen was already in town and buttering up Zelena.

Uh oh.

We open in the cemetery as the Evil Queen and Zelena head to Regina’s vault. Since Regina used blood magic to seal her vault, the Queen easily gets past the protection spells and heads inside. She raids Regina’s stash while Zelena asks why she’s there. The Queen says she needs Zelena’s help and is hoping that she won’t tell Regina that she’s back. Not yet. Zelena looks torn as the Queen appears set on getting her revenge on Regina for trying to get rid of her.

(Zelena isn't too sure about this)

OUAT: Letting Go

Last time on Once: THEY KILLED ROBIN!

(Nope, still not over that)

Henry decided to destroy magic, causing his mothers and grandfather to chase after him. He succeeded…just in time to learn most of his family was trapped in another world. They all had to work together with the Dragon to try to bring magic into the world and Henry recruited a bunch of New Yorkers to help. With their help, they were able to restore magic and open a portal to save the others.

Snow, David, Zelena and Hook needed to be rescued from the Land of Untold Stories. They had befriended Dr. Jekyll, who helped them break out of an asylum. But it also meant dealing with Mr. Hyde, who separated himself from Jekyll. The heroes saved Jekyll and he came with them to the Land Without Magic AKA our world.

Jekyll brought back the serum he used to separate Hyde from him. He gave it to Snow, who gave it to Regina to use. With Emma and Snow watching, Regina used it and separated the Evil Queen from herself. She took out the Queen’s heart and crushed it, killing it and ridding herself of her evil side.

Rumple traveled to the Land of Untold Stories and made a deal with Hyde to get Belle in the Box back. That deal? He gave Hyde Storybrooke for the people of the Land of Untold Stories to move into. The others discovered this when Hyde showed up to ruin the moment after Henry’s first kiss with Violet. Regina was pretty much “Not another idiot thinking he can take my town from me. When will they learn?”

Meanwhile, the Evil Queen materialized in the Dragon’s shop. Regina didn’t kill her and now, she’s out for revenge.

And that brings us to Season 6…

(Another shot of a rider on a horse)

The Return of Robin Hood

Last May, Once Upon a Time killed off Robin Hood in the penultimate episode of Season 5, "Last Rites." If you read my recap here, you would remember that I got very ranty about it.

My anger about it simmered all summer long. And I was not alone. Hoodies and Outlaw Queen fans were angry and upset. We let the producers, Adam and Eddy, know. Often. And loudly. Yet it seemed like our pleas and complaints fell on deaf ears. As multiple interviewers kept asking them about Robin, they kept insisting that he was dead and not coming back. We continued to complain but doubted we'd see any change.

Especially when Adam and Eddy made a comment before the season 6 premiere that they get about 3000 tweets every 2 seconds and still didn't seem affected by that. We were told "dead is dead."

Then came Tuesday, September 27th.

Entertainment Weekly posted an exclusive story online--Sean Maguire was returning as Robin Hood!

OUAT: Mad as a Hatter

Last time on “Once’s” first season: Emma booked Mary Margaret for suspicion regarding Kathryn’s murder. She protested her innocence even as the evidence piled up against her and Regina got involved. Gold apparently also can practice law so Mary Margaret hired him to be her lawyer while Emma set out to prove her friend was framed.

Henry tried to help her but grew moody when he realized everything continued to point to Mary Margaret—especially when a hunting knife was found hidden in her room. August gave him a pep talk, revealing he knew the truth about Storybrooke. Afterwards, Henry found his mother’s skeleton keys and proved that Regina could have gotten in to steal Mary Margaret’s jewelry box and plant the hunting knife.

Proving it, though, was going to be difficult. So she told Mary Margaret to hold on and then went to Gold to get his help. He agreed.

Meanwhile, David went to Dr. Hopper to try to unlock the mystery behind his blackouts. But his Enchanted Forest memories started to bleed through, unfortunately making him believe that Mary Margaret had meant to hurt Kathryn. When he went to talk to her, she sent him away—heartbroken that he wasn’t giving her the same support she had given him.

So where were his memories coming from? From when Snow had taken the potion to forget him—they also took away her ability to love and turned her into a sociopath. She snapped at the dwarfs and then decided to kill Regina, even going to Rumple for help. Charming found her and tried to use True Love’s Kiss but she knocked him out instead. She tied him up and told him that she valued actions over words.

Taking her words to heart, Charming was freed and he jumped in front of the arrow to keep Snow from going dark. She’s surprised by how much he really does love her and True Love’s Kiss worked that time. But their reunion was short-lived as King George’s men hauled Charming away. Snow vowed to find him and got help from the dwarfs, who forgave her for her bad attitude.

After she found a key to her cell earlier, the episode ended with a shot of Mary Margaret’s empty cell.

Uh oh.

Mary Margaret runs through the forest and she stops, leaning against a tree as she tries to catch her breath. She looks determined and pauses only a moment before running again.

(She's determined to win the cross country meet)

OUAT: Snow White and the Bad Attitude

Last time on OUAT Season 1: It was a Ruby/Red centric episode! After a fight with Granny, Ruby quitted her job and moved out. She ended up staying with Mary Margaret and Emma. After witnessing Ruby answering the phones at the station, Emma decided to give her a job and let her help with the Kathryn Nolan case. Ruby was able to find an unconscious David, who Whale believed was having blackouts related to his coma, and then she located a box buried in the woods with truly horrifying contents. It made her re-evaluate her life and she returned to the diner, where Granny admitted she was harder on Ruby because she planned on turning the diner over to her one day. They then hugged it out.

In the Enchanted Forest, Red Riding Hood was chafing under her grandmother’s restrictions. She had fallen in love with her childhood friend, Peter, but Granny disapproved. And with a bloodthirsty wolf on the prowl, Granny refused to let her out often.

Red found Snow rifling through their henhouse and the two became fast friends. She confided about her feelings for Peter and then enlisted Snow to help her kill the wolf. As they tracked it, they determined the wolf was also human…and was Peter. So Red told him and offered to chain him up so he wouldn’t hurt anyone that night. Then they would run away together. It was a good plan except for one problem…

Peter wasn’t the wolf. Red was.

Granny and Snow arrived too late to save Peter but Snow took Red, running away with her to save her from the mob.

Emma informed David and Mary Margaret about what was in the box—a heart they believe to be Kathryn’s. David collapsed in shock that he could do something. Emma, though, said that the prints didn’t come back to him—they came back to Mary Margaret.

dun dun DUN!

We open in the Enchanted Forest. King George’s army chases Red and Charming as they ride across the snow covered fields. As they close in, Red decides to send Charming on ahead while she holds them off. She tells him to find Snow as she glances at the full moon over head. Red takes off her cape and charges at the soldiers, wolfing out.

(They're doomed)

OUAT: Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?

Last time on OUAT Season 1: Emma investigated Kathryn’s disappearance, with Sidney and then Regina encouraging her to arrest David. Her gut told her that David wasn’t involved but she took him in for questioning anyway.

Meanwhile, Miner’s Day approaches and Mary Margaret had difficulty getting volunteers since no one wanted to work with her. But Leroy ended up volunteering after meeting Sr. Astrid. When he overheard that Sr. Astrid made a mistake that could cost the sisters’ their convent, Leroy vowed to help her make up the money they needed to pay Gold their monthly rent. Mary Margaret thought he done lost his mind.

They failed to sell any candles but Leroy lied to Sr. Astrid. He then tried to sell his boat to raise the money but Gold salivated at the chance to evict the sisters. Sr. Astrid discovered Leroy’s deception and ran off, betrayed.

In the Enchanted Forest, we learnt that dwarfs are hatched from eggs fully grown. They then get their names from their magical pick axes. And Grumpy was originally called Dreamy. He met a fairy named Nova (Sr. Astrid) and they fell in love, making plans to run off. But Chieffy the Dwarf and Blue convinced Dreamy otherwise. So he broke Nova’s heart and turned into Grumpy.

After a pity party with Mary Margaret, Leroy found a way to sell all the candles—he caused a blackout. Sr. Astrid forgave Leroy and Mary Margaret got the town’s forgiveness. Now, she just had to worry about David.

We open in the Sheriff’s station as Emma talks with David. She shows him Kathryn’s phone records but he swears he never talked to Kathryn. He didn’t even make that call. Emma says she knows he’s telling the truth but she can’t explain the phone records. She lets him go home but advises him to get a lawyer.

(We were paying that much for phone service?)

Star Trek Beyond: To Boldly Go

I’ve reviewed the other ones, so I figured it was only fitting that I review the third movie in this trilogy.

Yes, it was sad to see Anton Yelchin after his untimely death in June. The world has been deprived of a great talent who had a promising career ahead of him. But his work as Chekov, especially in this film, will live on.

So let’s go beyond, where no SPOILERS have gone before!

OUAT: Even Dwarfs Have Dreams

Last time on Once Upon a Time’s first season: Kathryn told David that she had been accepted into law school in Boston. After talking with Mary Margaret, he agreed he was going to tell Kathryn about them and that he couldn’t go to Boston. He did tell her the latter but omitted the former. Regina told Kathryn about the affair, leading her to confront Mary Margaret in the school hallway. Mary Margaret was heartbroken to learn David lied to her and that she was now the town harlot. She decided to break it off with David.

Emma learned the name of the mysterious stranger—August. He invited her out for that drink, taking her to the wishing well. However, he didn’t tell her he took the storybook and did something weird with it. He let her find it in a storm drain and she returned it to Henry, both excited.

In the past, Charming made a break for it ahead of his marriage to Princess Couldn’t Care Less. George’s soldiers pursued but Charming got an assist from an unlikely ally—Princess Couldn’t Care Less herself! She revealed she was in love with one of her father’s soldiers, Frederick, but he was turned to gold while saving Midas. There was a way to turn him back and she asked Charming to go get water from Lake Nostos.

Charming did so, facing down a nymph along the way. She transformed herself into Snow White to trap him but he was able to fight back, saving himself from the fate that had befallen others who had tried to get the water. He returned with the water, allowing Abigail to free Frederick. They were reunited and Abigail wished Charming luck in finding Snow.

He found Red instead and the two rode away from King George’s army in hopes of finding Snow.
Kathryn decided to give David and Mary Margaret her blessing and left Storybrooke. Regina stole the letter she wrote David, though, and burned it.

At the same time, the gym teacher found Kathryn’s car off the road…and abandoned.

Uh oh.

We open above the clouds. The Blue Fairy sits there and watches as a fairy in pink crash lands on one of the clouds. She holds up a bag before popping up to reveal everyone’s favorite adorably quirky actress—Amy Acker! She’s playing Nova, who is a fairy who longs to be a fairy godmother. Blue laughs at this dream and says she needs to master delivering the fairy dust, their most precious commodity, before she can do anything else. Disappointed, Nova follows Blue as some fairy dust falls out of the bag and dances on the wind.

(Hi, Amy Acker!)

The camera zooms down below ground where a dwarf says a giant egg is about to hatch. Another dwarf doesn’t believe so, saying that the whole group isn’t due to hatch until that night. But the first dwarf says that one must be impatient.

As they watch, the egg is broken up. Leroy leans out, his beard long and his expression wide-eyed. He’s also smiling as he takes in his new world. The other two dwarfs welcome him to it.

(Welcome, Dwarf!)

OUAT: Bombshell

Last time on Once’s First Season: Gold repossessed florist Moe French’s van right before Valentine’s Day due to non-payment on a loan or whatever racket Gold is running. Moe got revenge by breaking in and stealing things from Gold’s house. One item in particular incensed Gold and he went after Moe despite Emma’s warnings not to. She rescued Moe from Gold, locking him up when he refused to explain why he was beating the man senseless.

In the Enchanted Forest, Moe was a duke named Maurice. He asked the Dark One for help in the Ogre Wars and Rumple’s price was Maurice’s daughter, Belle. She agreed to go be the Dark One’s servant to help her people. Over time, she and Rumple grew closer and she came to love him. He felt the same but feared it.

After killing her fiancé Gaston, Rumple tested Belle. He sent her out to the village, fully expecting her not to return. Belle met Regina, who told her about True Love’s Kiss. Eager, Belle returned home and used it on him. When he realized it, though, he flipped out and threw her in a cell. He then let her go, saying he loved his power more than her. Belle didn’t believe that but left.

Later, Regina went to Rumple and told him that Belle had died. She gloated before he threw her out of Dark One Manor.

Regina visited Gold in jail and gave him back his chipped teacup. She then got him to reveal that he has his memories and there was clear animosity between them. The episode ended with Regina going deep in the hospital to visit someone locked up—Belle.

We open in the Enchanted Forest. Princess Can’t Be Bothered is greeted by King George, arriving in No-Name Kingdom for her wedding to Prince “James.” She asks if everything’s alright and he assures her it is. He then turns to his knights and orders them to find “him.”

(She looks so beautiful and so bored)

“Him” is David, who is riding as hard as possible. The knights pursue him and he has to hide from them, pulling himself and his horse off the road. Confused, they turn back and David breaths out in relief…until he is knocked out.

(They'll never find me in this bright red cloak!)

OUAT: Something There...

Last time on Once’s 1st season: In the aftermath of the storm, Henry’s beloved playground was torn down. Suspicious of Regina’s motives, Emma teemed up with Sidney to find dirt on the mayor. They thought they caught her stealing money to build a mansion for herself in the middle of the woods…but Regina revealed it was really to build a new playground to replace the one that was destroyed. Emma looked ridiculous and Regina looked good, just like she wanted when she had Sidney set Emma up.

We learn that in the Enchanted Forest, Sidney was the genie in the lamp. King Leopold found him and brought him back to his palace. There, the Genie fell in love with the queen and saw how lonely she was, how she was often ignored for Snow White. Regina asked him to kill the king for her so they could be together and the Genie did so. She then revealed it was all a trick and when the Genie used the wish Leopold granted him to wish to be with her always, he got trapped in her mirror. So Sidney is both the Genie of the Lamp and the Magic Mirror!

After Emma’s stunt, Regina banned her from seeing Henry. And it was revealed that August stole the storybook, though not why.

Hmm…

We open in a new place in the Enchanted Forest as several people are gathered around a map. Ogres are invading and the situation looks dire for this town. A young brunette in a familiar gold dress hovers, listening as the men wonder if “he” will come as promised. She tries to assure one of the men, her father, as knocking interrupts their meeting.

(Gee, wonder who this is?)

As everyone tenses up, the doors open to reveal...no one. The Dark One then laughs, sitting in Maurice's seat. He says he’s come to help them as the lord grouses that he’s late. Rumple, though, still offers to give them help. And in return, he wants to keep Lord Maurice’s daughter. I’m sure you can already see where this is going, right?

(The beast?)

His daughter, Belle, steps up and volunteers to go. Lord Maurice and Gaston, her fiancé, are against it. She says this is how she will be able to help their people. Rumple tells her that it will be forever but she still agrees, making a deal with him.

As we all know by now, Rumple is the beast from Beauty and the Beast. Let’s check out the beginnings of Rumbelle, hmm?

The Nine Lives of Christmas

It’s that time of the year again! Yep, it’s time for Hallmark to reveal this year’s ornament and so the Hallmark Channel gets to bust out the Christmas movies for a week, even though we’re all floating in the pool right now.

But I’m going to post some things about the Hallmark Christmas movies to contribute to this week. So put on a Santa hat or reindeer antlers, put on some Christmas music and let’s pretend it’s December!

Ho ho ho SPOILERS!

Crown for Christmas: Hallmark’s Obligatory “Princess for Christmas” Movie

Seriously. Are they required to make one of these every Christmas season? They are going to run out of ways to do this plot.

As we enter Hallmark’s annual “Christmas in July” week, let’s take a look at 2015’s offering.

Watch out for SPOILERS!

Outlander: Dining with the Enemy

Last time on “Outlander:” Jamie found his days jam-packed as he tried to juggle ruining Prince Charles’ cause from the inside and being a prominent Parisian businessman. Claire, though, found herself growing bored of gossiping at Louise’s—even as she discovered that Mary Hawkins was Frank’s ancestor.

However, Claire found a purpose when Master Raymond told her about a hospital in need of help. Murtagh escorted her down there and though Mother Hildegard is a bit suspicious at first, Claire soon won her over. Jamie, though, was less than thrilled about his wife spending all hours at the hospital—especially when he needed her. The meeting between the Minister of Finance and Prince Charles didn’t go as he thought and Jamie learned that Charles had secured a good amount of funding for his cause. He stormed out of the house and went to the brothel.

There, he found a young boy stealing from the patrons. Jamie chased him down and offered him a job. The boy, now named Fergus, agreed and went home with the Frasers. Jamie explained to Claire that Fergus could steal letters from Charles’ supporters so they could learn who the prince’s funders were. She admitted it was a good idea.

One of the letters Fergus took led Jamie to seek the help of Mother Hildegard, a trained musician. He and Claire were then able to discern that the Duke of Sandringham was Prince Charles’ benefactor. And so they plotted to have a dinner, hoping to dissuade the duke and anyone else from supporting the Jacobite cause.

Let’s see how that dinner goes, hmm?

I still really like the credits. Will the French chorus be dropped, though, once they go back to Scotland? Hmm…

We open in Versailles, where Jamie is playing a chess game with Duveney. Claire watches her husband and the Minister asks if they’ve thought of any names. She admits that she was hoping to name the baby after her uncle, Lambert. Jamie shoots it down as too English. He suggests a name that has Claire crinkling her noise in disgust.

(The Frasers...debating baby names)