My Christmas Prince: My Christmas Meh

Hallmark Channel may be the most well known for Christmas movies but they are not alone. Lifetime often runs Christmas movies throughout December as do some other channels. Even Netflix got in on the game this year! They’ve also repeated Hallmark’s tried-and-true girl-becomes-princess for Christmas plots. Lifetime’s offering is My Christmas Prince.


How does it hold up compared to Hallmark? Let’s take a look!

These are my Christmas SPOILERS!

A Gift to Remember: A Movie Not to Forget

Time for another Hallmark movie! Like “A Song for Christmas,” this is part of 2017’s batch of movies. And it’s not a “A Princess for Christmas” knock off! It’s a quirky girl meets guy she thinks she can’t have but starts to fall in love anyway movie. Does it work?


Let’s find out!

As always, SPOILERS!

OUAT: Beware the Coven

Last time on “Once:” Victoria convinced Rumple to let her out of prison and promised him information on the Guardian. She was determined to bring her daughter Anastasia back to life as Drizella and Gothel followed her, determined to find her as well. Rogers broke into Rumple’s evidence locker and realized he was keeping files on everyone in Hyperion Heights, growing more suspicious of the man. 

Victoria relinquished all custody claims to Lucy, which Jacinda had validated by Nick. He kissed her but she pushed him away, saying she just wanted to parent with him. Unbeknownst to them, the kiss was recorded and Victoria planned to use it for nefarious reasons as she took Lucy from ballet and told her the truth about fairy tales—and her own story. 

Besides being Lady Tremaine, Victoria was also Rapunzel! She stole some vegetables to feed her family but was caught by Gothel. Rapunzel made a deal so her family could have a better life—but she ended up trapped in a tower. After her hair grew long enough, Rapunzel finally escaped and was reunited with her family. Only her husband Marcus, believing her dead, had married Ella’s mother, Cecilia. 

Rapunzel was given a job in Marcus and Cecilia’s household and allowed to live in a cottage on the property. She tried to reconnect with her daughters but while Anastasia welcomed her back, Drizella clearly preferred Cecilia over her. And she was getting mixed signals from Marcus, who seemed to love her but also Cecilia. Gothel showed up and gave her a mushroom that would get rid of Cecilia for her, allowing Rapunzel to take her happiness back. Rapunzel refused to use it but Gothel left it behind for her…just in case. 

After Drizella once again rejected Rapunzel and prefers Cecilia, Rapunzel used the poison on Cecilia. It poisoned her heart and drove her to Wonderland. Marcus returned and took Rapunzel back as his wife, the two taking in Ella and raising her with their girls. One day, though, the girls were building a snowman on an ice-covered lake when Anastasia and Ella fell through some ice. Marcus dove in but only managed to rescue Ella. 

Rapunzel found Anastasia, barely clinging to life, and brought her to Gothel. She begged Gothel to save her daughter and Gothel locked in Anastasia’s last breath to keep her from dying. But then Gothel insisted that Anastasia needed to go into the tower and this time, Rapunzel won’t be able to break anyone out. She revealed that she was testing people to find someone who was entirely selfless, trying to find a special person. Rapunzel failed when she ultimately poisoned Cecilia but maybe Anastasia will pass. Rapunzel stole Gothel’s magic and trapped her in the tower, vowing to find a way on her own to rescue Anastasia. 

Victoria took Lucy to see Anastasia in the hospital, showed her the video of Jacinda and Nick kissing and told her that happy endings weren’t real. She traumatized the poor girl into giving up her belief and shedding a tear, which Victoria collected as Lucy ran away. 

Rogers confronted Rumple, who admitted that he had been played by Victoria. He promised to work with Rogers—just as long as he helped him find Lucy, who was missing. Lucy, though, showed up at home and Jacinda noticed how brokenhearted she was. But before Lucy could tell her why she was so upset, she collapsed as Victoria used her tear to wake Anastasia up. 

Drizella watched the reunion before walking away, looking heartbroken yet determined. 

We open as doctors rush Lucy through the hospital. Jacinda runs by the gurney’s side, holding onto her daughter’s hand. She assures Lucy that she’s there as Lucy lies there, hooked up to oxygen. 
A flashback takes us back to the Enchanted Forest. Henry introduces his newborn daughter to Wish!Hook, Tiana and Jack and they all congratulate him. Jack teases him about being a father and Henry asks where his mother is. Drizella shows up, saying that Regina got caught up with something but is unharmed. Henry warns her to stay away from his daughter but she’s not there to hurt Lucy. 

(The proud papa!)

She’s there to deliver a prophecy—a curse will come on Lucy’s eighth birthday, one that will end their lives as they know it. Wish!Hook says she needs to check the prophecy again because she overlooked the part where they defeat her and Henry tells her to look down. Drizella does so and realizes she’s standing on a rune that’s glowing. It slowly turns her into stone and she realizes it’s blood magic. She asks how they did that and Lady Tremaine shows up for some reason, saying she contributed some of her blood because she can’t let Drizella cast the curse. Before her face turns to stone, Drizella vows that she will come back and that the curse will be cast—no matter what. 

(Don't Blink)

OUAT: What a Tangled Web

Get the pun? If not, hopefully you will by the end of the recap.

Last time on “Once:” Alice believed she had found a cure for the curse that separated her from her father—Wish!Hook. However, it didn’t and Hook ended up injured. She ran away to Wonderland, pursued by Ella and Henry. Henry realized Ella was familiar with Wonderland and she revealed that her mother ran away to Wonderland, abandoning her father. Ella hoped to find her mother and get answers, entering the infinite maze to do so.

Ella found Alice as well as her mother’s locket. Alice knew Ella’s mother, Cecilia, and revealed that her mother ran away to Wonderland because she was poisoned the same way Wish!Hook was. She had to stay away from the people she loved and was looking for a cure. Unfortunately, she was killed when the Jabberwocky attacked. Ella thanked her for telling her that and seemed to make peace with the fact that her mother hadn’t just abandoned them for no reason.

Alice revealed a pretty sorceress tricked her into thinking she was cured and Ella realized it was Drizella. Meanwhile, Drizella tried to poison Henry’s heart with the same curse but Ella got there just in time to save him thanks to her Magical Lockets of True Love. She finally gave into her feelings for Henry and they shared a Big Damn Kiss, complete with 360 camera work.

They returned to camp to assure Wish!Hook that Alice was fine and that she hoped they would be reunited one day. Regina noticed they were holding hands and wished them the best. Tiana then revealed that someone claiming to be friends with Henry showed up. He introduced the man as Jack, one of his first friends in the Enchanted Forest, and Jack joined the rebellion.

Meanwhile, Hyperion Heights reeled over Victoria’s arrest. Henry recorded some footage of Drizella for his podcast and she asked if he would want to make videos with Belfrey Industries’ backing. Regina stepped in and warned Drizella away from her son but Drizella was feeling pretty in control, revealing that Eloise Gardiner was Mother Gothel. Regina certainly knew who she was and how dangerous she was.

Gothel, meanwhile, checked in with Officer Rogers and brought him a cake. Regina later threw it out when she found out Gothel made it and she encouraged Rogers to give Tilly a second chance. It certainly gave Rogers something to think about it and he later made a standing appointment with Tilly to play chess with her each week.

Lucy was put into a foster home and Sabine convinced Jacinda to enlist the help of Lucy’s bio-dad (at least according to the curse)—Nick, who is just a cursed Jack. He has become a lawyer and he agreed to help her get their daughter back, though he was probably also flirting with her—even taking her to a fancy restaurant. He met Henry and the two bonded immediately, though it was dampened on Henry’s side when he learned who Nick was. But he had to admit he was a good man and tried to get Lucy to bond with her father. She was having none of it, convinced Nick was the “Kathryn.”

Meanwhile, Regina met with Rumple and told him that she was awake. She told him that Gothel was around and that they both knew they couldn’t let her continue to be free. Rumple, though, played dumb and pretended he wasn’t awake. So Regina said she would get help from somewhere else.

Henry continued to work on the food truck but when he saw Jacinda and Nick coming back from a date, he left after giving her the keys. She chased after him and explained that she felt something for him but she needed to focus on Lucy. She confessed that she didn’t lose Lucy—she signed her parental rights over to Victoria, believing it was for the best. Now she was scared that Lucy will hate her for it. Henry reassured her that it wouldn’t happen and encouraged her to tell that to Nick so he could help her. He then said that maybe it wasn’t a good time for them to start anything and they parted ways.

He then went and drank his feelings, horrifying Regina when she found him at her bar. It only grew as he railed against love, especially since it wasn’t going to work out with Jacinda. She took the bottles from him and said that she needed to go to San Francisco to enlist the help of someone who hates Victoria Belfrey…but hates her more. She invited Henry to come along with her to get a change of scenery and he agreed, saying he had the perfect playlist for their car ride.

Jacinda and Nick got Lucy returned to her custody and Lucy happily returned home to her mother. Jacinda apologized for giving her up but promised that she would always fight for her going forward. Lucy forgave her and told her she believed in her. Jacinda then introduced Lucy formally to Nick, though she wasn’t too thrilled about that. After, Jacinda went to Roni’s to give Henry a mix tape but was told he went to San Francisco with Roni. She left, disappointed.

Drizella and Gothel continued to work together. Gothel asked Drizella to find Anastasia’s body so they could get to her magic. Drizella finally found her in one of Victoria’s other properties but when they opened the coffin, it was empty and so their search continued.

We open in the middle of a storm as a team of horses race through the night, leading a carriage. A clocked figure guides them as two small children rest in the back, caring for a sick man. The carriage comes to a stop by a gate and the man asks the driver why they have stopped, addressing the person as “Rapunzel.” We see Rapunzel in the front seat—and this time it is her, the woman whose appearance Mother Gothel stole in order to seduce Wish!Hook. She explains that she found some food for them and he apologizes that she must care for them. Rapunzel assures him—Marcus—that things will get better and all the dreams they have for their family will come true. She then tells her daughters to stay with their father and assures them that the lanterns will connect them—they will see hers and she’ll see theirs. She promises that family always finds a way to stay together before heading into the garden beyond the gate.

(It's Rapunzel--the real one!)

A Song for Christmas: A Review for Christmas

Tis the season! Hallmark Christmas movie season, that is! They started right before Halloween and I’ve already seen “A Princess for Christmas” three times…in the same week. I think I’ve also seen “Love at the Thanksgiving Parade” twice as well.

Of course, there’s a new crop of movies this year as well. I doubt I’ll review them all, but I thought I would at least try to review this one. So, grab your guitar and light your Christmas tree…oh…and beware of…

SPOILERS!

OUAT: Tainted Love

Last time on “Once:” Rogers asked Tilly to help him find Eloise Gardiner. She met up with him again and told him that Eloise had been living on the street and going by Rain until she was killed in a car accident a couple years earlier. Rogers was shattered and almost fell off the wagon, having gone sober after being drunk on the job when Eloise was kidnapped (which is why he took her disappearance so hard). He realized that the painting Tilly had given as proof that Rain was Eloise was only made recently and knew exactly what was going on.

He stormed the evidence room and confronted Rumple, demanding to know why he made Tilly lie. Rumple told him he was trying to protect Rogers from himself, but couldn’t explain why just yet. Rogers pretty much told him to go to hell and then stormed over to Victoria’s office, getting Drizella to give him access to the GPS on her mother’s car so he could track her down.

Rogers stormed into a warehouse owned by Victoria. He found her there as she had discovered that Drizella was awake and working with the Witch. She hid the Witch but Rogers freed her, saying she was Eloise.

dun dun DUN!

Victoria was arrested while Tilly apologized for lying. Rogers told her he was disappointed in her before heading to the hospital with the Witch. Drizella gloated over her mother’s demise while Lucy had to go into foster care, leaving Jacinda vowing to get her daughter back. It was the main reason why she decided not to pursue a relationship with Henry, encouraged by Regina—who still needed to keep them from sharing True Love’s Kiss.

Our flashbacks took us to the Wish!Realm as well as the Enchanted Forest. Hook prepared his crew to leave with the Queen’s curse but she showed up to reveal that Snow and Charming took her magic, so she couldn’t cast the curse. She asked Hook to go retrieve a flower from a tower so she could use its magic to restore her own. Then they can go get his revenge on the Crocodile. Hook agreed and took Smee with him.

They found the tower and Hook scaled up it, climbing into the window. He met Rapunzel, who explained she was trapped there by a witch’s curse and told him where to get the magical flower. He promised to return so she could use it to escape and she was surprised he would do that. But Hook’s “save a damsel” side had been triggered and he was taken with her.

Hook and Smee went to the garden and Hook sang a sea shanty to find the flower but only managed to start a fight with a giant garden gnome. As Smee acted as bait, Hook started to sing a lullaby which did activate the flower. He grabbed it and it defeated the gnome. Hook ordered Smee to go back to port while he went to rescue Rapunzel. Smee warned him to be careful before heading out.

Returning to the tower, Hook gave Rapunzel the flower. She showed her gratitude by kissing him and then the camera panned away to indicate sexy times.

In the morning, Hook was surprised to learn that Rapunzel had a baby overnight. Rapunzel then revealed she was the Witch, Mother Gothel, and had used a glamor spell to trick him into sleeping with him. She said she needed someone of her bloodline to leave in the tower so she could escape, leaving behind their daughter in her place. Hook was more appalled at that rather than the fact he had been raped by deception, much like Robin was by Zelena. Once again, that was brushed over but I’m not going to start that again.

Hook went back to the port and gave the flower to the Evil Queen while also turning the Jolly Roger to Smee. He said he needed to stay behind because something more important came up. The Evil Queen asked what was more important than revenge and the answer was his daughter, who Hook named after his mother—Alice.

We open with a sword fight between Ella and Henry. It seems she is getting the upper hand, though he is holding his own. She teases him, saying she thought he was taught by a pirate. He replies he was but Hook didn’t cheat as much as did. She counters with the fact that the royal guards won’t fight fair either. They end up entangled in each other’s arms and share a moment before Ella ends it. Henry apologizes and Ella says it’s complicated. Before she can elaborate, she freezes and whispers that they are not alone.

(Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!)

OUAT: Are We Really Doing This $#!* Again?

Last time on “Once:” Roni was still reeling from discovering the picture of her and Henry from another life while Henry was worried that the pictures Ivy posted of him and her from Halloween had cooled Jacinda to him. Lucy, meanwhile, was excited to know about the picture and realized that Roni was Regina, Henry’s adoptive mother and the Evil Queen. Roni was less than thrilled to be an Evil Queen but Lucy ran off to find a way to prove it to her.

Roni revealed that she had tried to adopt and came close to having a baby boy of her own before the adoption agency decided she wasn’t mother material. Henry told her that she was like a mother to him and she pushed him to help Jacinda fix up her food truck. She decided to go help Lucy, hoping that if they play along she’ll then realize that the stories were just fairy tales and leave them alone.

Lucy had been hoping for the storybook to appear in her closet but Roni took her to see Rumple instead, asking him to see if a woman named Regina Mills ever adopted a son in Boston. He asked what he would get in return and she promised to owe him a favor. They had a deal. Rumple quickly delivered, giving Roni Regina’s adoption application. She compared the handwriting and realized it matched.

Meanwhile, Rogers got some advice from Tilly about his case. She advised him to look at the pieces he already had and he would see he had more clues than he thought. It pushed Rogers to find the man from the previous episode but he dead. Oops.

In the Enchanted Forest, Regina was feeling a bit useless since Henry seemed to be able to take care of himself and had found a kickass almost girlfriend to watch his back. So she took a walk in the woods and rescued Drizella from the Audrey II. Drizella admitted she has magic but was never allowed to learn to use it. She wanted it so she could get out of her life with her controlling mother who was forcing her to marry a prince. Regina definitely could relate so she offered to teach Drizella herself.

Rumple reappeared and told Regina about his life with Belle and his goals. She wished him luck and he warned her to be careful, saying there was probably a reason Lady Tremaine was letting Drizella learn magic. Regina thought of Cora and realized he was probably right. So she used her mirror to allow Drizella to see Lady Tremaine. They learned Lady Tremaine was preparing to take Drizella’s heart out to bring back her dead daughter, Anastasia. Regina promised to protect Drizella but drew the line at killing Lady Tremaine. So Drizella ran off.

Regina followed her and watched in horror as Drizella killed her fiance in order to darken her heart. She then told her mother that she was going to cast the Dark Curse so that Lady Tremaine was sent to a place where she would suffer. Regina promised to stop Drizella and told her that heroes always break curses. Drizella vowed to make hers unbreakable and poofed away.

Later, Regina confided in Henry that she felt foolish for telling Drizella about the Dark Curse. She also admitted that she felt useless since he didn’t need her. Henry assured her that no matter how old he got and whoever he befriended, he was always going to need his mother. She loved him and he loved her. That was that.

Back in Hyperion Heights, Drizella paid Roni a visit and gave her a drink. It contained a magical potion that woke Regina back up, restoring all her memories. She lashed out at Drizella but realized she didn’t have her magic. Drizella also reminded her about what would happen if the curse is broken—namely, everyone Regina loves would suffer. So she had to keep Henry and Jacinda from falling in love. It broke Regina’s heart, especially at the end when she’s so close to her son—who thinks he was an orphan raised in the system—and can’t tell him the truth.

Poor Regina.

We open in the Wish Realm, where Hook wanders through a marketplace. He grabs a silver pot and bangs it, waking up his drunk crew. He orders them to get the Jolly Roger ready because they were going on a trip. Smee asks him where they are going and Hook tells him that the Evil Queen is going to cast a curse that will take them from this land. And then he can get revenge on the Crocodile.


The Evil Queen tells him to put a pin on those plans. He asks why she’s not casting her curse and she reveals that Snow White and Charming have stolen her magic. Smee marvels at the fact that the Evil Queen was defeated and she tries to choke him before remembering she doesn’t have any magic. He asks how he’s supposed to get his revenge now and she says that she needs a ship to get her away from that land before Snow and Charming find her. In exchanged, she’ll give him a map to a tower in a distant land that contains magic that will destroy anybody—including his crocodile. He asks what the price is and she says that a powerful witch guards the tower so he’ll have to go it without her magic. He agrees to the exchange and takes the map from her.

(Welcome back, Your Majesty)

OUAT: Mother and Child

Last time on “Once:” Victoria grew desperate to break Lucy’s belief and the witch advised her to pluck it out by the roots. So Victoria jacked up the rent in hopes that it would force Sabine out, leaving Jacinda and Lucy alone.

Sabine, though, decided to take a risk and took advantage of Louie being out of town. She and Jacinda took over Mr. Cluck’s kitchen, making Sabine’s famous beignets and selling them as a one-day only type deal. People lined up and kept buying them, making the women hopeful as Lucy paid them a visit. She gave Sabine her new logo—a firefly.

Victoria found out about the beignet business and sent Wreck-It Ralph to destroy Mr. Cluck’s. Despite the fact that they were doing well, both Jacinda and Sabine took it as a sign that their dreams were not meant to be, they fought and Sabine started to move out—despite Lucy’s pleas not to.


However, Jacinda stopped Sabine and apologized. She revealed she had bought them a food truck so they could go into business for themselves and all was well.

Meanwhile, Rogers interrogated a guy who had a tattoo that matched a drawing the missing girl he’s been trying to find had drawn. The guy didn’t give him any information but toward the end of the episode, we saw him make a call to someone and warn that person that someone was on the trail of Eloise, the missing girl.

Ivy discovered her mother had a secret room at the top of the building and she called Henry to give him the dirt. Concerned about Henry’s relationship with Ivy, Roni intercepted one of Ivy’s texts and went to meet her in Henry’s stead. Ivy brought Roni up to the secret room where Roni found a picture that shocked her. She later showed it to Henry, apologizing for interfering. It was a shot of Regina and younger Henry in Storybrooke. Roni said she didn’t know where it was taken, insisted she never dressed like how she was in the picture and didn’t know the young boy. Henry informed her it was him and they were both shocked and confused.

Now onto the Enchanted Forest plot…

With the king raising taxes again, Eudora and Tiana were forced to auction off their things. It was something Drizella was happy to taunt Tiana for, insulting the quality of the items on display except for a medal. Tiana took it, saying her father’s medal wasn’t supposed to be there. She then bemoaned their situation to her mother, who said that times were tough and they needed a prince to save them. Tiana decided to go find said prince.

Tiana sought out Dr. Facilier, finding him in a tent city filled with peasants who beg her to help them. He chased them off and told Tiana that she would find her prince at the sign of the red crow. She thought he was full of it until she followed some crows to a pub called the Red Crow. Entering it, she was accosted by a drunk but a prince named Marius saved her. They flirted a bit and Tiana hoped she had found her people’s hero.

She took Marius back to her palace and showed him the medal her father won, telling him how her father went from cook to prince. Marius asked to see her again but she caught him stealing the medal. He admitted that Facilier made him do it because he was holding Marius’ true love hostage. He said he wasn’t a prince but a cursed man with the only way to break the curse being True Love’s Kiss. Tiana took the medal back and kicked him out.

Eudora then apologized to her daughter for shielding her from what was going on in the kingdom and for not recognizing that what they needed was in Tiana already. She told her daughter that she was her father’s legacy and pinned the medal on her. Tiana then went back to Facilier, giving him the medal and asking for the frog. The ruby in the medal restored his magic and he refused to give back the frog. Despite his magic, Tiana got the upper hand and took the frog. Facilier disappeared, promising that they would cross paths again.

Tiana returned the frog to Prince Marius. She explained that she was going to lead a rebellion to take the kingdom back and said that she would be honored to have him and his lady love join her. But he said that there was something else he hadn’t told her. He kissed the frog…and turned into one himself. Tiana watched them hop away, happy for them.

Ivy returned to the secret room and encountered the Witch. It soon became clear that they knew each other as the Witch asked if Roni and Henry trusted Ivy now. She believed they were starting to and the Witch praised her for her plan, like making Victoria think she was in charge. Ivy revealed she was in charge and that she was awake as she asks the Witch to call her Drizella.

dun dun DUN!

Roni and Henry are still puzzled over the picture she found in the last episode. He says that it looks like they were photoshopped into a scene from his book, saying that he’s the boy who believes in fairy tales and she is his mother—the Evil Queen. Roni doesn’t take that name well and goes to retrieve her trusty old bat from behind the bar to go after Victoria, who she is convinced is having a go at them. Henry calms her down and says they need to investigate further before they storm the Bastille Victoria’s office.

(It's Roni's bat!)

Jacinda then comes in and tells Roni that she and Sabine bought a food truck. But it needs a lot of work. She’s sold her tools and is hoping Roni has some she can borrow. Roni says that the bar is falling apart so of course she has tools, handing her a red tool box. Jacinda thanks her and Henry offers to help, saying he’s handy around engines for a writer. She shuts him down with a brisk no before leaving Roni’s. Henry wonders what happened and Roni says that if she were the Evil Queen, she could look in her magic mirror and tell him. All she can do, though, is offer him booze.

Good enough.

OUAT: I’m Almost There

Last time on “Once:” We said goodbye to Belle in an emotional episode. First, though, the Hyperion Heights plot.

It was Halloween and Ivy was forced to take Lucy trick or treating since Victoria didn’t want Jacinda near the girl after the community garden revolt. Lucy wanted to go see a haunted house but Ivy was too focused on herself to really care. So Lucy snuck off, leaving a panicked Ivy behind.

Meanwhile, Roni encouraged Henry to try to find love again and to ask Jacinda out. He went to her job to do that but Ivy burst in looking for Lucy. He offered to help look for her so Jacinda didn’t lose her job and she thanked him. After hours of looking, Ivy had a heart-to-heart with Henry where he encouraged her to take a chance and push back against her mother. They then realized where Lucy was and went to get her.

Ivy reunited mother and daughter, saying they could go trick or treating for the remaining hour and that she would handle her mother. Henry chickened out when he had his opening to ask Jacinda out and left, heading to Roni’s. Ivy met up with them and they shared some Halloween drinks.

Weaver visited Tilly to see if she had any information but all she had was riddles about masks and puzzles. She then accosted Victoria in her car and so Victoria ordered Weaver to not only make sure Tilly took his pills but was locked up. He was reluctant to lose his best informant but Victoria essentially blackmailed him into doing it.

Tilly, though, insisted that the pills made her small and foggy, that it was Victoria’s way of keeping her from remembering. From putting all the puzzle pieces together. She forced Weaver into coming with her so she could remind him who he really was as he wanted to get dirt on Victoria to essentially blackmail her right back. Tilly brought him to a storage container filled with a lot of things, including Chip. When Weaver tried to leave, she took his gun and insisted that he needed to remember who he was. She called him Rumpelstiltskin…and then shot him.

He came to in the hospital with Rogers by his side. Rogers assured Weaver that Tilly was back on her medication and Weaver ordered him to put that it was a masked robber who shot him in the report. Rogers agreed and went out to comfort a distressed Tilly, playing a game of chess with her.

Now, we leave Hyperion Heights for a moment to head back to Storybrooke, where Belle and Rumple were celebrating Gideon’s first birthday. All was quiet in the little hamlet but Belle was focused on getting everything ready in case a disaster struck. Rumple assured her that everything was fine and then gave her a book, saying it was a scrapbook for their adventures. After years of giving up her dreams for him, he was going to make sure she got to live them.

Rumple, Belle and Gideon left Storybrooke and went on a grand adventure throughout the realms. Rumple wanted to rid himself of the dagger so he could live a mortal life with Belle, but his plan didn’t work. So she promised that they would find a way and they returned to his manor. Adult Gideon went off to school while Belle found a prophecy that told them to go to a place where time stands still. Rumple knew where it was and took her there, where they had to wait for the sun to set.

Since it would take a long time for the sun to set, they built a little house and decorated it. They spent their days there, happy. Belle, though, grew older and older until she collapsed one day. She revealed that the prophecy meant that she needed to die and that he needed to believe in that their love would transcend death. Then he would find the guardian, the person destined to take the dagger and the darkness from him. They shared one more sweet moment and then Belle died.

Rumple and Gideon buried her. Gideon asked his father to let him take the dagger but Rumple was determined to find the Guardian. He took a portal, running into Alice just as Henry passed by on his motorcycle. And that was how Alice ended up in Rumple’s employ. But is she the guardian?

Back to Hyperion Heights to wrap up…Victoria visited Weaver to express her displeasure that he let Tilly go. He told her that Tilly wasn’t a threat and then said that she had no idea who she was messing with. He wasn’t going to be bullied by her and dropped a dearie, indicating that he was awake and knew who he really was. Victoria left and it’s unknown if she understood that. All that’s known is that she should watch her back.

Well, I think it’s safe to say things are going to get very interesting…

Victoria goes to visit the witch, bringing her some tea. She says she wants to apologize but the witch says that she’s finding it more difficult to break Lucy’s belief. Victoria concedes that and the witch tells her that Victoria sees belief as something easily removed but likens it to a weed. She tells her she needs to destroy its roots. Victoria then offers her some tea but the witch snaps that she wants her special tea, which Victoria offers to give her once she tells her what she wants to know—which one of Lucy’s roots does she start with?

(Someone needs a hair cut)

OUAT: How Does a Moment Last Forever?

Last time on “Once:” In Hyperion Heights, Roni, Rogers and Henry started working on their quest to uncover all of Victoria’s underhanded doings. Roni revealed that the new buildings commissioner got trashed at her bar and let it slip that he was meeting Victoria that day for something nefarious. Rogers decided to stake out where the man said he was going to meet Victoria and see if he could get some dirt from him.

With Lucy living at Victoria, she and Jacinda were exchanging letters by leaving them in the well in the community garden. Victoria, though, announced she owned the property now and was destroying it immediately. Jacinda vowed to stop her for Lucy’s sake and Roni gave her the idea to get a petition for an injunction.

Weaver got suspicious of Rogers when he ducked out of work, claiming a court date. He then followed Rogers when he staked out the spot where Victoria met the buildings commissioner, paying him off before they went their separate ways. Rogers then tracked down the commissioner and arrested him for taking the bribe. Weaver ultimately let him go, telling Rogers that the commissioner was now one of his informants on Victoria. Rogers wasn’t pleased.

Lucy was convinced that her step-grandmother had something hidden under Hyperion Heights like Regina had Snow’s coffin hidden under Storybrooke. She recruited Henry to explore the tunnels for whatever it was that Victoria didn’t want found, finding a piece of glass she was certain it was from one of her mother’s glass slippers. Henry told her she was stretching but Lucy ran off, determined to show it to her mother to make her remember.

However, she found her mother just as Jacinda fell prey to one of Victoria’s mind games. Jacinda burnt the petition in exchange for one of the condominiums she planned to build. When Jacinda tried to explain to Lucy that she did it for them so they could be together, Lucy said she didn’t want to be together like that and ran off. Jacinda went to Roni’s and Roni gave her a pep talk, encouraging her to stand up to the Victoria Belfreys of the world.

So Jacinda rallied the people to sign the petition again and to help tend to the garden. Lucy and Henry were proud of her and they managed to stop Victoria, going to celebrate with ice cream. Lucy gave him the glass shard in order to help him believe that she and her mother were his family and it almost worked…until he found his “family’s” graves in the local cemetery.

Now onto the Enchanted Forest plot…Cinderella was rescued by Tiana after she left the ball. Tiana revealed that Lady Tremaine killed Cinderella’s father because he tried to stop her from destroying the kingdom. She invited Cinderella to join her resistance movement and Cinderella agreed, leaving her shoe behind for Henry to find.

At the Resistance Camp. Tiana shared her plan to storm Lady Tremaine’s manor as they know she’s stockpiling dark magical items. She showed Cinderella a drawing and Cinderella lied that she didn’t know what it was when it was clear she did. Henry, Regina and Wish!Hook showed up and also joined the resistance.

That night, Cinderella snuck out and went to her stepmother’s house. Lady Tremaine admitted that she killed Cinderella’s father and that Cinderella knows why. Cinderella asked if she would ever make up for what she did and Lady Tremaine pretty much said no. But she said Cinderella could get her Henry’s heart so she could put it in the body of her daughter Anastasia in order to bring her back to life. And if she doesn’t, Lady Tremaine promises all her new friends will be destroyed.

Cinderella thought couldn’t take Henry’s heart and Regina stopped her before she could take someone else’s. Cinderella confessed that she played a role in what happened to Anastasia and Regina told her to forgive herself. Then she could really defeat Lady Tremaine. Cinderella took the advice, asked to be called Ella and warned Tiana that it would be a trap to go to Lady Tremaine’s manor. Everyone moved on and Ella was willing to get to know Henry more.

Back in Hyperion Heights, Victoria dug up what she needed—Anastasia’s coffin. She brought it to the very top of her tower and revealed she had a witch trapped up there. She wanted the witch to help her revive her daughter but the witch said they needed either Henry’s or Lucy’s heart first. She also taunted Victoria some and when the woman bit back, the witch warned that Victoria could get Anastasia back…but then she would have to deal with the witch.

Foreboding.

Look! It’s Storybrooke! And Granny’s courtyard! And Belle! Rumple takes a picture of her as she tends to Baby Gideon and she scolds him, saying she’s not ready yet. She says there’s so much to do as she rattles off who is bringing what. Rumple tells her to relax and reminds her it’s a first birthday party. He says that as long as everyone shows up and Gideon ends up with cake on his face, it’ll be a success. She says she’s just used to the chaos and that she guesses she needs to get unused to it. Rumple agrees that it’s been quiet the past year and remarks that he can’t remember the last time he used his dagger.

After some dialogue to remind everyone that he’s the beast to her beauty, Rumple gives Belle a gift. She opens it to find a scrapbook. He tells her it’s for their adventures, saying that she’s put up with him for a long time. Now, though, he wants to give her what she’s always wanted—to see the world. She thanks him and they share a kiss.

(Aww, Rumbelle)

OUAT: Fight the Power

Last time on “Once:” We said goodbye to Emma Swan, who revealed she was pregnant. That, along with saving Wish!Hook, was the extent of her farewell.

In the Enchanted Forest, Henry was captured by Lady Tremaine and called for help from Emma, Regina and Hook. Only Regina and Hook responded, with the latter being very evasive about where Emma was while the former hinted that he was keeping a Big Secret from Henry. Hook said Emma didn’t want him to tell Henry about the Big Secret and they were going to respect that.

Hook went into town to try to get information about Cinderella and ran into the overweight and drunken version of him from the Wish Realm. Wish!Hook was obsessed with finding Emma in hopes of finding the love he was denied and went as far as knocking Hook out. He then went to Lady Tremaine, who he knew, and got her to use the fairy godmother’s wand to make him young again and dressed like Hook so he could fool Emma.

However, when Emma showed up and told Henry she was pregnant, Wish!Hook had second thoughts. He went back to get Hook and the two fight. In the process, Wish!Hook was stabbed. He told Hook that he couldn’t come between a father and his child since he was searching for a daughter taken from him by a powerful witch. He said he wanted to find love to break the curse she placed on him that prevented him from finding his daughter and asked Hook to find her. But he got Emma to heal Wish!Hook.

Regina admitted she missed Henry and he said he missed her too, so he invited her to stay to find the next part of her story. Emma suggested that Wish!Hook should also stay with Henry and so she said goodbye to her son before she and Hook went back to Storybrooke. So yes, that’s Wish!Hook in Hyperion Heights.

Now onto the Hyperion Heights plot…

Victoria decided to make it nearly impossible for Jacinda to see her daughter, including turning Lucy’s ballet recital in a charity function and making everyone pay $550 to see their kid. For some reason, this got absolutely no pushback except from Jacinda. Henry felt guilty and wanted to help but she wanted nothing to do with him. But he did make it up to her when he managed to get hired at the venue where the ballet was being performed and also hired Jacinda and Sabine so they could see the ballet.

Lucy was ecstatic. Victoria less so.

Victoria ordered Weaver and Rogers to get Henry away from Jacinda and Lucy, wanting them to get dirt on him. Rogers figured there was no ers was dirRogt but Weaver figured out that Henry had a daughter who was no longer around. But he decided to frame him by having Rogers drop Victoria’s bracelet in his pocket at the ballet, testing Rogers in the process. But Rogers didn’t and while Victoria was pissed, Weaver was impressed.

Rogers was obsessed with one of the characters in Henry’s book—Emma Swan. He told the detective that he made Emma up, that she was just his idea of the perfect mother. Rogers admitted that the drawing reminded him of a woman who saved his life when he was shot during an investigation—trying to find a missing girl. He never found her and he’s been obsessed with solving the case. He suspected that Victoria had something to do with it and he teamed up with Roni and Henry to take her down.

Will they succeed? Find out!

In the Enchanted Forest, Cinderella takes the motorcycle back to where she met Henry and calls out for him. But a guard finds her instead. He calls her a murderer and she tries to protest her innocence. He actually plays the “That’s what a murderer would say!” card and Cinderella kicks his ass. She manages to knock him out and tries to go for his sword but another guard catches her. Thankfully, someone knocks him out and helps Cinderella up. It’s Tiana!

(Hi, Tiana!)

OUAT: Exeunt Emma Swan

Last time on “Once:” A strange sense of deja vu.

Henry decided to leave home after graduating high school in order to find his own story since he was in any of the storybooks he found in the Sorcerer’s mansion. Regina had her concerns but let him go, watching as he used a magic bean to drive his motorcycle off into another realm. We next saw him all grown up and now played by Andrew J. West as he caused a carriage on the road to crash. He ran over to check on the rider, surprised to find it was a new version of Cinderella.

He roused her and she was rightly pissed off that he destroyed her carriage and made her horse run off. She said she was late for the ball and Henry offered to give her a ride on his motorcycle. She had some doubts but she got in, letting him show her how it worked. Henry then told her about her story at her request, about how she falls in love with the prince but has to leave him a sign to find her—her shoe. Cinderella laughed, saying that was ridiculous. And she didn’t believe in signs anyway. She did believe in punching Henry and stealing his motorcycle, though.

He was clearly in love with her before he even hit the ground.

Henry pursued Cinderella to the ball, dancing with her as he tried to get his knife back from her. She confessed that she was really there to kill the prince because he killed her father. Henry tried to convince her to come with him to his land, to get a second chance. But she chose to get her revenge, running off with the prince. Henry tried to stop her but he ended up tripping and meeting Alice, who said she was asked to watch over him by his grandfather. She warned him that bad things happen when someone interferes in a story that isn’t their own and told him to go home. Henry said he helps people and stormed back to the ballroom.

Cinderella was about to kill the prince but had a change of heart. Unfortunately for him, Lady Tremaine killed him because he rejected Drizella while his own brother seemed to favor her. She then framed Cinderella and Henry helped her escape, telling her to take his motorcycle and meet him where they first met so they could go to his realm together. An epic fight scene ensued as Cinderella made a break for it.

Henry returned to the spot where het met Cinderella but she wasn’t there. He figured she took the bike and went somewhere else just as his portal home opened. But when Henry spotted her shoe, he knew she wanted her to find her. So he allowed the portal to close up and announced that Operation Glass Slipper was a go.

All of this was intercut with scenes in our world, focused on a town in Seattle called Hyperion Heights. Unsuccessful but published author Henry was drawn there after a young girl name Lucy knocked on his door and told him that she was his daughter. She told him his family was trapped in a curse and they needed to break it. Henry told her curses weren’t real and he just made up everything in his book.

Lucy stole his laptop to force him to journey out to her neighborhood and it worked. There, he met Roni—Regina’s cursed identity who owns a bar—and Jacinda, Lucy’s mother and Cinderella’s cursed identity. She had a bad day, getting fired from her minimum wage job and then losing Lucy. Her stepmother, Victoria Belfrey—Lady Tremaine—then ordered that Lucy live with her full time and Jacinda ran off as Roni glared at Victoria.

Meanwhile, Henry’s presence was reported by Alice’s cursed self to Rumple’s cursed self, Weaver. He seemed to be a shady character in the neighborhood. Keep that in mind.

Henry discovered his car was stolen and he reported it missing, meeting Hook’s cursed self, Officer Rogers. Afterward, he had a tense confrontation with Lucy where he told her that she wasn’t his daughter because he lost his real wife and daughter in a fire. She couldn’t convince him that was just part of the curse and he left as Jacinda pulled up and told Lucy they needed to go.

Victoria enlisted Officer Rogers’ and Henry’s help to find Jacinda and Lucy. Henry told her of an island Jacinda confessed she wanted to live on and Officer Rogers picked up Lucy. Ivy—Drizella’s cursed counterpart—took the book away from her and gave it to Rogers. He spotted something inside it but pushed it aside. Afterwards, Jacinda gave it to Henry and walked away as he got his car back.

Officer Rogers got a promotion to detective and was partnered with Weaver—who was doing shady things earlier if you remember. Roni decided not to sell her bar to Victoria, deciding to stand up to the town bully. Jacinda got her job back and then went to toss a quarter into the well. As she did so, Rogers continued to stare at the page in the book that enticed him earlier—a picture of Emma—and Henry discovered that there is no cemetery where he thought his family was buried. He then went home and started writing as a flower bloomed in the garden.

We open in Storybrooke, years ago…according to the title card. Hook fights young Henry on the Jolly Roger, the two clashing swords all over its deck until Henry gets the upperhand. Emma praises him, saying he fights as well as his grandfather. Henry starts to reply and Hook is able to introduce him to floor. He gives Henry some advice but Henry just goes off to sulk, saying he’ll never be good enough.

(Teen angst ahoy!)

Emma asks what’s going on with him and Hook tells her that Henry is growing. She realizes he’s going to leave and Hook agrees, saying it’s time. Emma, though, is worried. She says she missed so much and doesn’t know if she’ll get a second chance. Hook assures her she will have the time. He then pulls out a little bottle from a chest and she asks if it’s rum. He says it’s something he picked up during his troubles, explaining you speak a message into it, say the name of whoever you want it to go to and then drop it in the water. It’s then taken to that person. Emma realizes he’s going to give to Henry so he can stay in touch and she thanks him. Hook assures her that Henry will be fine, that he was lucky to have a mother like her. And she says Henry is lucky to have a pirate like Hook. They hug as they watch a brooding Henry continue to brood.

(Ridiculously happy)

OUAT: A Brand New Beginning…

I’m not going to do a “Last time on Once” here. The season 6 finale wrapped up several storylines. That story is over. In many ways, Once Upon a Time is over and this is a brand new reiteration…that just so happens to be season 7. So we’re going to start fresh.

(Actually text from the start of the episode. Sounds familiar, no?)


We open in the familiar sight of Storybrooke before returning to 108 Mifflin Street (AKA the Mills’ household). Regina and Henry (still Jared Gilmore, in a guest starring role) leave. He has a backpack on as well as a leather jacket and appears to have finally caught up with Jared’s real age. Regina asks if he really has to go and says she always thought he’d go to college after graduating high school. Henry says that college is always going to be there but he needs to do this. He says that Operation Cobra is over—everyone has their happy endings—and Regina says that it’s all the more reason to stay. Henry replies that he’s the author and he’s written everyone’s stories, returning the book to the Sorcerer’s mansion. He says he discovered hundreds of other books (though that’s been discovered a few times since Season 4) and there are different versions of all the fairy tale characters, like a French Snow White. But he’s not in any of them. He wants to find his story and to do that, he needs to leave. Regina nods, hugging him.

(My Regal Believer heart!)

Henry pulls away and heads to a motorcycle, getting on it. I guess August gave him lessons? He puts on his helmet before pulling out a magic bean, tossing it ahead of him. A portal opens as Regina watches, concerned. She points out that it’s his only bean which means getting back…”Will be an adventure,” he finishes. He tells her he loves her and she echoes the sentiments. With one more smile, Henry takes off and drives his motorcycle into the portal.

(Bye, Henry!)

We then open in “Another Realm Some Years” later. The motorcycle roars down a road and we focus on Henry, now played by Andrew J. West and no longer wearing a helmet. As he continues down, he spots a small carriage coming toward him. The woman inside seems to be having trouble with her horse even before he gets spooked as Henry swerves to avoid hitting them. The carriage is overturned, throwing the woman to the ground amongst several flowers, and the horse runs off. Henry hops off his motorcycle to check on the woman. She is wearing a beautiful blue-purple ballgown but what draws Henry’s attention are her shoes. They are glass slippers and he gasps out: “Cinderella?”

(The shoes are pretty much a dead giveaway)

(I saw this episode at New York Comic Con and afterwards, the moderator asked Adam and Eddy what Henry’s motorcycle is running on. Their answer: Magic. Best guess is that Regina enchanted it). 

My Tale of Laptop Woes

I have had a stressful couple of weeks when it comes to technology. I swear, if my phone gets any funny ideas I'll either scream or cry.

Maybe both.

Our story starts a couple Sundays ago, when I went to see Hello, Dolly. I came home and booted up my laptop, doing some writing before I took my shower. When I returned, my computer had gone into sleep mode and because it was temperamental, I had to turn it back on. That's when I got to the problem.

My laptop asked to do a disk scan and I agreed. Everything seemed fine as it rebooted...but then the log in screen never appeared. Instead, all I saw was a black screen and my cursor. Clicking, alt ctrl delete and rebooting the computer didn't do anything. I couldn't log in at all. So I decided to switch to the laptop I had gotten for Christmas, a small one that also turned into a tablet so I could take it when I traveled, and let my other laptop rest for several hours.

When I got home Monday evening, I checked my laptop. Unfortunately, I got the same black screen and had to concede that my laptop had died on me. I asked my dad if there was a way to retrieve the items off my hard drive but he wasn't sure since I couldn't log into Windows. It seemed I lost a lot.

Yes, I was pretty close to tears and cursing myself out.

I sent the question about ways to retrieve items off my hard drive to the IT guy at work and he agreed to give a look. I brought it my laptop and he confirmed it was dead. He's still trying to retrieve something off my hard drive over a week later.

Anyway, so now the computer I got for travel is now my main laptop. It's fine. I just now need to get used to it. And since it's relatively new, I figured it wouldn't give me many problems.

Boy, was I wrong.

The following Sunday evening, I returned from dinner with my mother and aunt and booted up my laptop as I got ready to watch the Emmys. My computer flashed a blue screen that said "Recovery" and told me that there was an error in booting up. I needed to reinstall some files and drives. But I didn't have a disk to do that, so I had to contact Dell.

I was connected to a tech support guy, who guided me through some diagnostic tests. Once we confirmed it was not my hard drive (thank GOD!), he told me we would have to download Windows on an operable computer and then upload it to my laptop. Unfortunately, the USB drives I had were either too small (4 gig) or too big (64 gig), so I had to pick up either a 8 or 16 gig drive to continue. So I was still without a computer as Sunday went into Monday.

On Monday, I had training in Basking Ridge, NJ, so the route home took me right past my local Target. I made a stop there and was able to pick up a 16 gig USB drive. I got home and emailed the tech support guy, who said he would call me after 9 PM. He kept his word and we were soon downloading Windows.

It took five hours but everything was soon up and running again. I thanked him and he sent me to bed since it was almost 2 AM. So I was able to set everything back up the next day.

So I lost a few blog posts I was going to post and I now have to recreate. Hopefully, I'll get them up...soon.

Just wanted to give you all the head's up!

Albion: The Enchanted Stallion

So, remember a couple years ago when I looked into a few of Sean Maguire’s non-OUAT projects? I decided I was going to try to look into some other cast members’ other projects as well…and then I get distracted. But let’s jump start things with Jennifer Morrison and Albion: The Enchanted Stallion.

So saddle up and hang on for SPOILERS!

Once Upon a Time: Season 7 Spoilers/Speculation/Whatnot

Filming for Season 7 of "Once Upon a Time" has begun up in Canada and set watchers have started posting pictures. Adam Horowitz has started posting episode titles on his Twitter. The past two weekends have been filled with cons--first D23, Disney's big convention held every two years, and then San Diego Comic Con. All of this means that we're starting to get some ideas of what the new season will look like.

WARNING! SPOILERS WILL FOLLOW BELOW THE PICTURE AND THE CUT!

Disney Vacation Thoughts: Addendum

This is a continuation of my post here because I remembered I forgot about this on my commute home Thursday evening.

Disney needs to update their hotel rooms. And that surprises me. Usually Disney is on the forefront of the service industry so it’s weird to find them behind on this front. What are they behind on?

Technology.

Disney Vacation Thoughts Round Up

I went on a vacation to Walt Disney World last month and wanted to blog about a few things. There won’t be much rhyme or reason to how I put everything together, so please excuse it.

• It’s time to update the Carousel of Progress. I know people panic every time it’s closed, even just for standard refurbishment, but it’s time. Watching the final scene, it struck me how dated it is. Sarah’s laptop looks so old and clunky. Controlling household items with our voices is reality now and more advanced than the skit lets on. And daughter Trish mentions a car phone. No child is going to know what the heck a car phone is. And I’m pretty sure this was created at a time when car phones were giving way to cell phones, so I’m not sure why it was included in the first place. So, yes, it’s time for a change.
• (Also, it’s totally Sarah’s fault the turkey got burnt, not John’s. She’s the one who programmed the oven and didn’t know that it would respond to any numbers he said. That’s very inconvenient, isn’t it?)
• Can we get something that appeals to picky eaters on the menu? Something beyond rather spicy chicken nuggets, cheeseburgers and hamburgers? Maybe some good salads? Sans cheese or Caesar dressing? Just something that we can order without having to remove nearly everything else. Just…please think of the picky eaters. Please.
• Also a pastry wall in every hotel would be great. Like the one in Pop Century. I love that thing.
• Please work on the bus schedules. I mean, most wait times are pretty good. However, there were a few times where I was definitely waiting longer than 20 minutes for a bus. I waited close to 45 minutes for one to the Magic Kingdom because I had just missed an earlier one. My sister missed the park opening because there was such a long wait between Magic Kingdom buses from Riverside. So maybe see which parks take longer to get to from each hotel and add more buses as needed?
• Does the Frozen ride really deserve such a long wait? (The answer, in my opinion, is no).
• Disney Springs is a mall.
• More places to get milkshakes please. My old place no longer has the machine and I’m sad.
• Also, I think it's time to update the ending video of "The American Adventure." We need to take Lance Armstrong out. 

I think that’s it for now. Just a few suggestions from what was otherwise an enjoyable trip.

Anyone else have suggestions?

Pandora: A Whole New World

Confession time: I was not a big fan of the movie “Avatar,” James Cameron’s big spectacle several years ago. I found it overrated with it not really giving a fresh take on a plot I’ve seen before (one friend calls it “the live action Ferngully”). I believed it was more celebrated for the technology than anything else.

As a fangirl myself, I could understand why it had such a devoted following. It was a whole new world with a new mythology to explore. Pretty much a fan’s dream come true. I’m sure the fandom is still there, creating and expanding the universe. (Hi, Avatar fandom!)

Cameron himself plans two sequels, which keep getting pushed back. But he also partnered with Disney to bring his world, Pandora, to life in the Animal Kingdom. That debuted last month over Memorial Day weekend. Guests staying at a Walt Disney World hotel during the month of June were invited to spend time at Pandora during special hours (11 PM to 1 AM). I was such a guest and decided to go visit the new area my last night there.

And I’m glad I did.

More Time for Timeless

Last week was a crazy one. Jennifer Morrison announced she was leaving Once Upon a Time, it got renewed but most of the cast was joining Morrison in exiting. And amongst all of that, NBC cancelled Timeless.

So come Saturday, I desperately need Eurovision--even if I'm American. Four hours of Europe getting drunk off its ass while performing some weird pop songs? Sign me up!

As I got ready to tweet about the craziness, I saw some good news on my Twitter--Timeless had been uncancelled by NBC! This is an unorthodox move we don't often see from networks and usually not so soon after cancellation. (I'm thinking Jericho here). But Timeless' fanbase was pretty vocal. We kept the show trending on Twitter for almost twenty-four hours after cancellation. So NBC realized they made a big mistake.

Here's to more adventures with Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus. Hopefully we'll be able to find Amy, figure out what happened to Jessica and see if Wyatt and Lucy ever get together.

And I promise to try and finish my recaps of the first season.

Once Upon a Cast Shake Up

Once Upon a Time has officially been renewed for Season 7. As I said in this blog post, Season 7 will feature a "reboot" of the series. What that looks like will only start to be known after tonight's finale. But we do know it will be moving forward without a significant number of current cast members.

Actress Jennifer Morrison, who has played Emma Swan since the pilot, announced Monday morning that she will not be returning for Season 7. She made this in advance of the show's official renewal notice on Thursday, but it seemed that someone was going to announce her departure anyway. She said she wanted to spend more time with her friends and family as well as pursue other projects, all of which are perfectly valid. Morrison did confirm she'll return for one episode of Season 7, though she doesn't know if it will be the premiere or some other episode.

After it was announced that Once would come back for a seventh season, Rebecca Mader (Zelena) posted a message to her Instagram announcing that she was leaving after season six. In it, Mader stated that her departure was not her choice but rather a "creative" decision. The same was the true later when Emile de Ravin (Belle) confirmed that she was leaving as well.

Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis, the co-creators, also confirmed that Josh Dallas (Prince Charming), Ginnifer Goodwin (Snow White), and Jared Gilmore (Henry Mills) will also not be regulars anymore either. Nothing has been said about whether they chose to leave or if it was a creative decision on the show's part. Based on everything I've heard from within the fandom, I believe Dallas and Goodwin opted not to renew their contracts. And if the speculation that Andrew J. West is playing an older Henry is correct, then Gilmore was mostly not asked back.

So is anyone coming back? Yes, the show has confirmed that Lana Parrilla (Regina Mills), Colin O'Donoghue (Captain Hook) and Robert Carlyle (Rumpelstiltskin) will be returning for Season 7. What that means and how the show will now appear is yet to be seen. I know many fans are not happy over this development and I'm not sure how much the General Audience knows yet. I do believe ABC is taking a gamble on the reboot but it could pay out for all we know, bringing new life to the show and new fans. Or it could alienate an already dwindling audience while displeasing a very passionate fanbase.

As I said, everything waits to be seen.

In the meantime, vote for which character you will miss the most.