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)