BOOM! OUAT's Jennifer Morrison Speaks - and fans hopefully listen

Jennifer Morrison - aka Emma Swan in ABC's hit TV Show Once Upon A Time - saw some heated discussion thrown her way earlier today for comments she made about a character on the show. It was in answer to a question about Neal Cassidy (Emma's first true love, played my Michael Raymond-James, who was killed off the show in the second half of the season), and it had Nealfire/Swanfire fans upset.

Fans have been upset for months now with the death of the character - arguing that it happened only to open the door and allow Captain Hook to "win the girl". The creators, writers, and actors have all been "confronted" by fans on twitter demanding answers, demanding Neal be brought back. Certain actors have been vilified for the characters they play, or for what they have or have not said in response to the character death.

The "other side" of the fan wars have been no better, antagonizing and creating rumors. It's gotten ugly. It's gotten bitter. It's definitely made ME wish I hadn't gotten so into the social media version of the fandom (all I wanted to do was follow the actors! what was I thinking?!). As someone who likes both Neal and Hook it's been hard to keep my sanity much less hold my "virtual tongue" on the matter.

Morrison got a lot of heat today with her comments in Monte Carlo saying that Neal and Emma would've had a hard time being the ultimate true love - but that it probably would've happened had he lived. But that Emma would've had a huge hill to climb with the betrayals. It's the multiple of betrayal that had most people at least questioning her statement as most (including me) could only think of one - when he left her at August's request and let her go to jail (nevermind that, that last part was August, not Neal). I was amazed by the hate that was spewed at the actress almost immediately.

Having not been paying attention to her Monte Carlo trip (I normally don't follow the cast around while they go off and do the interview circuit... and I'm really not interested now while I'm still bummed MRJ will not be joining them this year *tear*) I really had no idea what was going on when I logged onto twitter this afternoon. But once I got caught up I had to just roll my eyes. We're taking all of this far too seriously, folks. It's a TV show.

Yes, Neal is a fantastic character. Michael Raymond-James gave such heart and warmth to him that I can't help but really connect with the character (it took time, but OMG... I'm obsessed). But this is not a true life or death situation. This is not the end of the world. MRJ has survived - he's got himself a project that he's excited about (declaring on twitter that "#This1feelsspecial"). And while yes I GET THAT IT IS SAD and FRUSTRATING and something that makes us ANGRY (I have felt all of these emotions more than once since Quiet Minds airred), it is NOT THE TRAVESTY WE'VE MADE IT OUT TO BE.

Was it bad writing - I've contested that it was not the best writing. That it was too soon - too close to the last time Neal "died". However, the way it was written was well done. Neal has been very well respected in the episodes after Quiet Minds as well. This was not to placate the fans - not entirely. It was to give MRJ and Neal the send off he deserved. I hope that this is not the end for him - flashbacks, for me, would be enough if nothing else. Yes, there is a lot of Neal's story that should have been shared. Does it make sense to leave it open ended - this fangirl says no. But others have said that it is. Who am I, as a biased fan, to judge that?

Morrison took to her facebook page to set the record straight, and I'm glad she did. SHE DID NOT OWE ME OR ANYONE an explanation. And while I agree that she probably shouldn't have acknowledged the poor behavior of a few fans, I am glad for my own peace of mind that she did. I have wanted to know how the actors felt about losing MRJ (we've seen some of the "non regular/primary" actors voice their love), and I wanted to know what she meant by the multiple betrayals.

Her explanation is one that I totally understand and get. I typically don't see the "broken" scene where Neal grimaces and then we don't see him again until it's revealed as who he is to the story (first as Emma's lover/the reason she went to jail/Henry's father... and then in a later episode as Baelfire) as a betrayal. But it's obvious that Emma/JMo does. And she knows better than I do. In fact Emma lets him know that it hurt - and that's when he apologizes to her. Saying he wanted to love her, but he was afraid that she'd never forgive him.

Emma will ALWAYS love Neal, always has. But she has to move on for the sake of his memory - she PROMISED him that she would. That it's going too fast is irrelevant - this show moves too fast between emotions and always has. I get that it's icky that she's falling for the guy who at one time was "having relations" with Neal's mother, and I agree. I'm not a CaptainSwan shipper (nor am I a SwanFire shipper, though if I HAD to choose I'd lean more to SwanFire), but I have thought since season 2 that he'd end up being a love interest. In fact in Season 2 I was pulling for Hook, not Neal, to win her heart. It wasn't until we saw Neal fight for Henry and Emma that I started to better like his character.

Ultimately I have to agree with the last part of JMo's statement:

"All that being said, I wish Neal was still alive. I love working with Micheal Raymond James, and I believe that he is such a special part of ONCE UPON A TIME. It was a huge loss for me personally and for Emma when his character died." -- Jennifer Morrison

It sums it up so well... and I've always thought that she was affected by it personally. Her scene with Rumple in the finale where she is crying "I loved him, I wanted to save him. He died a hero, you can't take that away from him," I felt was just too raw and real for her to be acting (I am not a fan of her acting style in general. She normally leaves me cold. But not in that scene).

So, thank you, Jen for giving clarification even though you didn't need to. Hopefully as MRJ begins work on Sons of Liberty he will keep us updated on the progress, and production of OUAT will resume and people will calm down and remember - that even though these are wonderful stories... they are just that, stories (sorry, Jefferson). The people playing these parts are not out to get each other, that they are human just as we the fans are. Let's give them some respect, and the benefit of the doubt... and let's all try to get along.

30 Days of OUAT - Day 30: Favorite Season Finale

 Day 30 - Favorite Season Finale

I'm going to miss gushing about OUAT every day on here. Though there are other Once themed Memes I could do (I assume there are since I've seen one for Swanfire... maybe there's one that's JUST Neal? That'd be fun ha ha). Still, like all good things, there must be an end - or at least a hiatus (which is a very very very bad word in the world of OUAT).

My favorite Season Finale is still season 1's. Season 1 just had a lot of heart and a good beginning, middle, and end. Season 2 was all over the map and the finale felt more like an epilogue to me. Season 3 had two finales, the mid season, and the 2 hour movie (which was a whole lot of CaptainSwan messing up while SwanFire kept Emma going... which was a nice picture and all... but all it did was make me sad all over again once MRJ's final scene - and most likely final episode - came up. It's all about the tumblers).

Season 1's finale has Emma rushing her son to the hospital after he collapses from taking a bite of the apple turnover that his adoptive mother gave to Emma for her trip home. Emma is willing to leave Storybrooke to once again give Henry his best chance as she believes she's fueling his crazy ideas of everyone being fairytale characters. Henry takes the turnover to prove to her that he's not crazy. It's what finally gets Emma to realize it's all true. She beats the snot out of Regina and then the two of them go to get the thing that will save Henry.

Only Gold steals it from them, and they get a call from the hospital saying they need to come right away. By the time they reach the hospital Henry has died. Emma goes in to say goodbye and gives her son a tearful kiss on his forehead. The "twu love" rainbow airburst breaks forth and Henry awakens... as does the town. Now they know who they are.

And it cliffhangs right at the best part. They've found each other, and Gold has poured his "twu luv" potion into the well that restores all. A purple cloud falls over the town and... then we had to wait for Season 2 (which would open with a mystery man walking through NYC till he gets home and a dove delivers a postcard that says "Storybrooke, Maine" on the front and "Broken" written on the back... it's Neal, and August has kept his promise to let him know when Emma's done her job).



And, that's a wrap. I'm sure I'll be revisiting OUAT on the blog soon... but I think next up is Disneyland related... and hopefully MRJ will finally play nice and break radio silence with his new project. I WANNA KNOW! ha ha...

Only 120ish days till Season 4? I think?

30 Days of OUAT - Day 29: Favorite Season Premiere

Day 29 - Favorite Season Premiere

I gotta go with the Pilot episode. It opens SO well, I mean from the intro to Prince Charming racing down the road towards finding his true love to awaken her with true love's kiss. Everything seems so much like what we know of the story... and then all hell breaks loose.

Season 2's premiere was nice, but at the same time the whole "Mystery Man" portion (aka Michael Raymond-James walking through NYC before coming home, losing his ipod, and getting a postcard with the word "broken") was just really annoying. Don't get me wrong, as an MRJ fangirl (now) I love seeing him, but it made NO SENSE! Especially since we don't see him again for several episodes and it just didn't seem to fit within the rest of the story (and I'm STILL not sure it does)!

Season 3's was somewhat of a let down (actually all of 3a feels that way), even though - once again - an MRJ fangirl gets some quality stuff out of the character of Neal (much more so than in Season 2's opener). There was just too much going on with Neal in the EF, Henry with Greg and Tamara finding out who they were taking orders from, and then the rescue party on the Jolly Roger (and all of the secondary characters back in Storybrooke). It was all just too convoluted.

But the Pilot episode had a beginning, middle, end... and a purpose. A real one, not just a "let's get back into this and introduce the new characters" kinda thing. Only thing that'd make it better is having MRJ in it, but we couldn't know who Neal was until Season 2... it wouldn't have fit the storyline... wouldn't have given us enough angst. We needed to work up to finding Baelfire... and besides we wouldn't have August trying to fool Rumple without us not knowing who Bae really was.

I had to get a few fangirl gush moments in, so sue me. Ha ha.

30 Days of OUAT - Day 20: Favorite Scene

 
Day 20 - Favorite Scene

Um, well... I have been sharing my favorites throughout the course of the meme... so... I guess I'll pick one of my favorites I haven't yet shared. And it's another scene from Manhattan (definitely one of my favorite episodes EVER), it comes right after Neal finds out he's a father. Rumple informs Neal that the deal with Emma was for her to get Neal to talk to Rumple. Neal tells him he's got three minutes... and then this scene happens. This is where two of OUAT's best actors shine. Robert and Michael had a great "father son" chemistry about them and it showed from the first episode they were in.

The scene is so... sad. It's where Neal gets to have a little bit of say into not only how he views his father, but what his father did to him. Yes, at the time of the episode's airing, we knew very little of what Bae went through with his father. We'd seen the young boy deal with the pain of his father turning to darkness and that his father let him go through the portal alone - but we didn't know the extent of the pain he suffered afterwards. We don't even know how long Nealfire's been away/alone (for the record it's over 200 years, way to go Papa Rumple).

And that's the part of the scene that I love most. After Neal lets Rumple have his 3 minutes, Neal shuts him down. He confesses that there hasn't been a day that's not gone by that he doesn't relive the haunting memory of his father letting him go. Of backing out of the deal. Of not being enough for his father... that his father would choose the safety of magic and a dagger over his own son. A son, who we later find out, who then goes through a multitude of losses and disappointments... only to end up making similar choices to that of his father.

Perhaps one of the reasons in the last few months that I've become such a staunch Nealfire fan is because I understand betrayal like he experienced. No, I was never dropped through a portral... my mother never ran off with a pirate... and that pirate never gave me over the Peter Pan's goons... But I do know what it's like to have people that you've loved, looked up to, respected... TRUSTED instinctively... not just "Back out of a deal" but completely misuse my trust and in a way fail me. I dealt with that for most of last year, having my parents use me to save the other sibling - when I not only had nothing to do with what caused the situation, but it also tanked my reputation within the community. It was devastating. I can safely say that reconciliation and rebuilding has been happening, but it's an up and down process. So perhaps that's why the entire Neal Cassidy arc not only speaks to me - but that I understand the entirety of it.

Still, I would love to have the guts to confront some of the darker parts of what happened the way he does... I need to get me some good writers and set the scene I suppose. But, to me, Neal not only has every right to be angry with his father - but he has the right to accept or reject him. He has the right to work out the demons how he sees fit. He has the right to ultimately forgive the man and tell him to let go (okay, yeah, I've now jumped back/forward to Quiet Minds again... dang).

I am a true believer in second chances - in all forms... and perhaps that's what Neal was supposed to get and didn't (though really... maybe that poster was not referring to Emma at all, but to Neal's forgiveness of his father).

Anyway, here's my "favorite" (today anyway) scene:


Can I also just whine for a moment - I know he just made the announcement on twitter like 4 days ago, but I really really really want to know what is next for Michael - I think 4 days is "soon-ish"! I want details! (And, seriously, if it isn't that he's going to be a regular on a great show... then I'm not sure I'll be any happier ha ha)

30 Days of OUAT - Day 19: Favorite Relationship

 Day 19 - Favorite Relationship

I'm going to cheat (Aimee said I could) and choose an "off camera" relationship that is probably one of the best bromances of all time. Michael Raymond-James and Colin O'Donoghue have to be the most adorable bffs OUAT has. While their characters on the show had a "love-hate" relationship, it seems the pair are actually quite fond of each other. They definitely fed off of one another during interviews - highly entertaining - and some of the stories they told on each other makes them sound like lifelong friends, not two dudes who found themselves newbies of the cast two years ago.

I have to say one the main reasons I love both of the characters and the actors is how they've interacted with each other and their castmates on social media (mainly Twitter). The OUAT cast seems to be very tight knit, which I think has really helped this show stay with fans. They're accessible, they're freaking hilarious, and we all eat it up!

One of the major reasons I'm so bummed about Neal's death on the show - which means MRJ is leaving - is we have seen less and less of the "Mikey Ray & Colin" moments on twitter. Pictures, banter... and then the interviews at Comic-Con and Good Morning America.

And the fan wars, oh the fan wars, why can't we all just be friends. Without this show, most of us wouldn't even know who these two are. So be thankful for Once Upon A Time and Adam & Eddie... and Michael, and Colin... and all of the cast. They've created magic and a lifelong fandom!

***Warning - MRJ likes to drop the F-bomb. I think he says it twice in this interview... maybe three times. You've been warned.***

Their friendship is what I think drove the part in Quiet Minds (there I go bringing that darn episode up again... I will forever obsess over it) where Hook and Neal have closure to their past. It would seem SO out of place if Neal wasn't the goner. I'm not sure if Hook knew what was coming - I'm still not convinced Hook wasn't aware that Neal sacrificed himself for his father and to get Hook the message to get Emma - or if we're just seeing Colin and Mike in this scene. In some ways their faces both tell that they know what's coming in this scene and later in the episode. And I can't help but believe that the scene was written with the two very much in mind. It just seems like it's a great way to give both actors that "farewell" moment. It was a touching scene that had a few winks to their past episodes (the jello reference is from a deleted hook scene from season 2), as well as a few winks to how they saw each other's characters. Just a great couple of minutes of television.




Because it's late and I'm lazy I'll just post photos of the "honorable mentions" of relationships I am a fan of in the actual show.

Emma & Charming - DADDY'S GIRL!

The most tragic, IMO, relationship.
Neal doesn't get back to his son, they don't
have the relationship they so desperately
need and crave. It's just WRONG!

How can anyone not love the story of
Rumpelstiltskin and Baelfire? It's so sad,
but in the end they come together and
reconcile and it's beautiful... and sad...
and it's just not fair!

30 Days of OUAT - Day 17: Favorite Cliffhanger

Day 17 - Favorite Cliffhanger

Once Upon A Time is King of the Cliffhanger. I have a love hate relationship with it because of the cliffhangers. This show gets my creative brain going in overdrive (probably part of the reason why I can't "let go" of Neal's death. There are SO MANY plot/loopholes that could bring him back. So many quotes that suggest that it's a possibility or the thought... and then so many that suggest that nope, he's gone for good. But I can't shut off that creative side of me!)

With Season 3 we got two mini seasons in one. And the mid-season finale (episode 11, "Going Home") was by far the best. It actually felt like a series finale. It was so sad and yet hopeful at the same time. I haven't rewatched season 3 much - just the clips on youtube over and over and over again... (stinkin' Neal... I was not this obsessed with OUAT until he up and died. Thanks a lot MRJ!) I mean, they wrapped up the Neverland arc, saved Henry, Rumple finally releases his cowardess and reconciles with his son professing his love for Belle... it was a great "happy ending moment"... until Peter Pan enacts a reboot of the dark curse and Regina is forced to stop it. But to stop it, she has to let go of the thing she loves most - her son, Henry.

The reset will send all of Storybrooke back to the Enchanted Forest - all fairytale characters must go. Yep, even the two that were not part of the original curse (Emma & Neal)... knowing that that would leave Henry alone, Regina can save Emma from that fate... but there's a catch - they will not remember their family and friends from Storybrooke. They won't remember Neal coming back with them (FOR them). They will have good memories of Henry always being with Emma, but none of the Charmings... or Regina... or... well... Hook. They'll have never known that the odd little town ever existed or that they were once part of it. That it was once home.

After Emma accepts the inevitable, and a round of quickly said goodbyes (with Emma clearly being more upset about saying goodbye to the pirate than to her first love) Emma and Henry get into the yellow bug and drive across the town line with their family and friends watching. As they cross the town and everyone disappears as do the memories, Regina counteracts the curse. A purple haze falls over the town destroying everything in its path - including Henry's book.

The last seconds of the episode the EF is filled with its (formerly) missing characters, and then we see Emma and Henry in their NYC apartment. Happy, healthy, and a whole year has passed. A knock at the door and some weirdo in leather is at the door saying he knows Emma, that he knows she doesn't remember him, but her family is in trouble... and he goes in for a kiss, and she knees him in his misters. And then we had to wait through an insanely long hiatus for the creators to rip our hearts out slowly and crush them throughout the second half of the third season.

The obvious was that there was a way to get back to the land without magic from the EF... but how? And why was it Hook that left the EF to come get Emma?! We got most of our questions answered by the time Season 3b ended last night (great two hour season finale... though there were some major timeline issues... and a lot of plot/loopholes left open for people to get their hopes up for a future resurrection).

30 Days of OUAT - Day 16: Saddest Moment

Day 16: Saddest Moment

I can't think of a sadder one. Neal Cassidy's death is without doubt the saddest moment in the show's run. For me it probably always will be. It's far more emotional than when Emma is arrested for stealing watches (because Neal left her, and August called in a tip. jerks.), it's more emotional than Snow and Charming letting their daughter go through the wardrobe... the list goes on and on. None of those affected me like the episode Quiet Minds. Ironically, until Quiet Minds, I was pretty indifferent to Neal's story. I liked him as a father, and he had a great set of lines, but as far as feeling sorry for him or anything, nope. He was "the jerk that abandoned" (his words!) Emma (and Henry).

It wasn't the surprise that it should've been - the creators spoiled it weeks in advance "warning" fans that someone was going to die when the show returned from the mid-season hiatus. They gave those of us who are rabid "over-analyzers" tons of time to work it out and figure out who was most likely to go (they gave us a very short list of possibilities). It really came down to either Neal or Belle, and of the two Belle is more popular. She's never betrayed the one she loves. So even before Quiet Minds airred I was 85% sure that it would be Neal. I was just hoping they weren't going to go for the obvious. As much as I was indifferent to the character, there was still ton of potential storyline - and there's the whole father element that I totally buy into no matter who the character is. Be it Nealfire and Rumple or Henry and Nealfire.

If you weren't convinced it was going to be him, the promo for the episode should've definitely tipped you off. It was clearly Neal Cassidy falling to the ground in pain. I played the denial card as I just couldn't believe they would be THAT blatant. And even if you were still holding out hope - by the time the scene with Neal and Hook came around you should have had NO confusion. I'm still not sure that Hook didn't know that it was Neal who warned him about the danger coming and that Emma was needed. It would at least explain why Hook looked SO SAD when he talked with Neal in the hospital. I'm of the belief that Hook knew the entire time what Neal's fate was/would be. If not, then we're seeing Colin in that scene being super bummed that his buddy on the show was leaving (most likely a combination of both scenarios ha ha).

When Hook gave Neal the hug in the hospital I knew without a doubt that Neal was toast. I may have even said some words I shouldn't have. I hate when a show makes it obvious. They should've just been up front about it. "Hey, MRJ fans, he's leaving the show. We're killing him off. Thanks for watching!" Because, really, judging by the blogs and social media posts from that night - Michael has a ton of fans that did not see it coming even with all of the signs. And that's sad. It's also sad that he's not on our TV every Sunday night, he's a fantastic actor and while he's definitely been noticed by the business they never keep him around long (he's chosen for this type of role way too much).

But, I digress.

The Saddest Moment is the scene where Neal dies. He asks Emma to split him from his father to keep the town, and especially Emma & Henry, safe. Neal is able to say goodbye to his father, with the final reconciliation taking place with Neal's last breath. Emma, too, gets a sense of closure with Neal telling her to go and be happy and "find Tallahassee" even if it's without him. Earlier in the episode he tells her he wants her to be happy no matter who she's with, and that he would always love her. Emma begs Neal to hold on, that he needs to see Henry (doing a 180 from when she talked to him in the hospital saying that with Henry not having his memories it would be better if Neal didn't see him). And that is what is most tragic about Neal's death. It was pretty clear that Neal and Emma would not get back together. That there was a love there, but the trust was most likely forever broken... (and I'm not a big swanfire shipper... it's a nice idea, but it wasn't playing out that way.)

The saddest, most tragic thing (aside from no more Mikey Ray on Sunday Nights ha ha) was that Neal couldn't make good on his promise to his son of seeing him again. That Henry is forever without his father - oh, he has father figures in his life, but that's not the same. Yes, Neal was in Henry's life for the equivalent of only a couple of weeks, but they WERE bonding and they did have a connection. And that will most likely play some sort of role into Henry's psyche. There's only so much that Hook and Emma can tell him of who Nealfire was... and who's to say Grandfather Rumple is going to be all that willing to have a relationship with the only thing he has left of Baelfire? Especially since Henry is also supposed to be his undoing. Season 4, I hope, will not erase Neal's memory - and hopefully we get answers.

And, yes, I'm one of those holding out hope that there is a way to bring Neal back. I don't believe that the creators have that option out on the table, but I know there are enough loopholes that it'd be possible if they suddenly wanted/needed to bring it about. At the very least I want flashbacks. Grief can't be so easily overcome, though Emma already grieved for Neal when he "died" at the end of Season 2. Probably the biggest travesty of the writing of Neal's death (the only one from a writer standpoint IMO) is that it happened so soon after the last time he died. This is also why I don't believe Nealfire fans will get their wish of Neal coming back. The man's been dead in one way or another 3 times so far. He comes back and it'll be seen as a poor writing choice. And it won't hold to MRJ's wanting to "tell bold stories".

I've been watching this scene on youtube for the last few days knowing that this prompt was coming up, and I love catching more and more with each viewing. As sad as it makes me (seriously my heart still drops each time, MRJ was flawless. Jen's voice cracking when it did... ugh!) there's just so much that is said through visual cues and nuance. We do truly see both Neal and Baelfire in his final moments, and we do see the love that's shared between "Swanfire". When Emma pleads with Neal, to argue with him about it being too late, he once again goes into the protector mode from all those years ago telling her it is going to be okay. That he'll be watching her and Henry "from somewhere". And you can see that he's not totally okay with it himself, he has his own tears. He's not afraid to die, he's made his peace with that, but he's watching the woman he loves in pain... and he's lost his son without seeing him again to say goodbye.

But, I think Rumple says what all of us Nealfire fans truly feel (then and still)...

"No. I don't want to let you go."

And we won't fully let go. We can't. As much as Neal's plea of "I need you to," is what he wants (and what we need), We can't let go. Because it's too soon. Because it's too raw... because the trio of actors played that scene out far too well (DARN THEM!). So, obviously, I have a ways to go until I'm "over it." I accept it - I don't disagree that it was a bold choice, or even ultimately the "right" way to end the character arc. I may disagree as to when it needed to happen (middle of season 4 would've been much better), but I don't think that it's the death nell of the show.


I am not one of those fans that believes that Neal died just to make it easier for creators to push the "CaptainSwan" shipping. That had been hinted as far back as Season 2, well before they had decided Neal was going to die. I think the deciding factor was their getting the rights to the Wizard or Oz, and Rebecca coming on board to play the Wicked Witch. This question of "why did they kill Neal" was answered in last weeks episode. Rumple needed a reason to betray Belle's trust, and the only person who trumps the love of his life is his son. They needed a catalyst to "kill off" Zelena (I'm not convinced she's dead) and Neal was the only viable option. It sucks, but from a storytelling/writing perspective I see why and where they were going.

As I said earlier, however, the timing was wrong. They just "killed him off" at the end of season two and brought him back in Season 3, only to have him die once again. It was "too soon a killing" (again from a storytelling/writing perspective). That's really the only major fault I can find within their timeline. This episode was one of the best (if not the best) written in the show's history, the pacing was the best they've had in a long time. I know I've said before that Neal's final arc should've been two episodes - and I still believe that - but as quick as it was, the pacing worked. I'm not sure I could handle a two part farewell anyway. Ha ha.

I know people are saying that Neal was very out of character in this episode, but I really don't see it. This is not the first time Neal's willing to get back to Emma and Henry by any means necessary. In the Season 3 opener he's willing to go into his father's castle to find a way to get back - using "blood magic". No, it wasn't dark magic, but he was pretty determined and wasn't completely against the idea. I mean, he ends up using Robin Hood's son as bait to get Pan's shadow to appear!

Secondly, Neal does make rash decisions where family is concerned. Not always, but this IS the guy who sent Emma to prison because Pinocchio told him to (actually Neal didn't know about that until AFTER it happened, but still). This is the guy who watched his father give up his cowardly ways to save his family and sacrifice himself. Neal may not like what the dark magic did to his family, to his father, but at the same time he needed a loophole (much like his fans are now clinging to the hope of a loophole).

Third, the argument that he wouldn't give up on Emma and his relationship so easily - he already was starting to the "year prior" when crap hit the fan with Pan in Storybrooke. Neal even acknowledged in the hospital that he knew he couldn't come barging back into Emma's life. In season 2 it wasn't Neal who sought Emma out or even pursued her. The only time he "fought for" Emma was when it was Hook who was flirting. (Hook, btw, did think that Neal should have the first shot... when Emma blew off Neal that made it fair game.) Ultimately he wants Emma safe and happy - if that means all he is, is the guy who shares custody of their son, that's what he'll be. He's willing to put Emma before himself - which is a 180 in some ways (or at least in Emma's eyes) from what he was 11 years ago when he left her.

Was it an "easy" choice for the creators? Only they truly know. Did they mistreat Michael Raymond-James in some way? I would argue no, but again we will never know. Fans should take the actor at his word - even if what [little] he's said on the subject seems like a lot of "toeing the line". Both sides acknowledge that they discussed and agreed to this ending for Neal. I'm not saying it was the way MRJ wanted it to end, but ultimately he's made his peace with it - and was on board with it. To suggest anything else - at this point - is to suggest he's a liar... and I know his fans don't mean to come off that way (or at least I hope they don't).

Maybe once this season is over and his contract with OUAT is up he can "break radio silence" and answer those questions that folks have. Maybe. But to vilify the shows creators over it seems a little extreme. Remember, without Adam Horowitz and Eddie Kitsis, we would not have Neal Cassidy. Most of us wouldn't have a clue as to who Michael Raymond-James is (okay, unless you were into True Blood... or Terriers - which I am addicted to, and wish it'd made it). I'm not saying they did him favors (he's a bloody gifted actor who deserves a series that won't kill him off after 20 or so episodes), I'm just saying we wouldn't have had this awesome character without them. They've done things right and ultimately Once Upon A Time is still a great show. It's never been perfect, it's never been on par with the "best shows of all time", but it's a great fantasy show. Great twists. So I'm sticking with it - even with the "lovesick pirate".

And, who knows, maybe the "rumors" that MRJ denied are really true and we'll see him finally get his big break. I have hope and can keep dreaming. :)

30 Days of OUAT - Day 15: Funniest Moment

Day 15 - Funniest Moment

There aren't many scenes that don't come off corny when they try to be funny, but if Colin O'Donoghue is involved it normally works. I love the wit that Captain Hook has - some are using it against him these days, and that's a shame. He's really well written. And Colin's perfect in the role.

My favorite funny exchange is one of many from the second half of season 3. Not that there are a ton of funny moments (there aren't it's been a blood bath and so much darkness and emotion... but I'll leave that whine to tomorrow's prompt).

Anyway, my favorite moment is from the second episode of the second half of the third season. Emma has her memories back, has come back to Storybrooke (care of Hook getting her to drink a potion so her memories are restored and warns her of her family being in danger - which at this point in the story we don't know who sent Hook the message and potion, but it's much later revealed to be Neal's doing). They're trying to find out who is behind the curse and what they want when they begin to piece together the clues... and they can only come up with one conclusion: the Wicked Witch of the West.

This is where the fun part is as this show is only as funny as the characters that mock it. Emma questions her being real, and Hook points out that Emma is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. The way that Hook says it - the tone - is what sends me into giggles because it's SO TRUE! Why Emma is ever surprised or questions the fairlytale aspect of something at this point in the game is mind boggling.



It's the mocking of the show within the show that I love. Neal also has a few zingers that I still have to wonder if A&E wrote or if it wasn't something snarky the actor came up with. Ha ha. If it wasn't for the bits of humor, I think this show would make me nuts. Especially with the whole Zelena arc they did. I really really really hope the finale is lighthearted without being overly sappy with the CaptainSwan stuff.

30 Days of OUAT - Day 13: Favorite Name

Day 13 - Favorite Name

The Stranger of Season 1, played by Eion Bailey (hot!), has to have the best name on the show. We don't learn it for a while - Emma tries, but he's pretty coy and won't give in. But he finally gives her "August W. Booth". When she laughs about him using W he tells her it's for "Wayne". August Wayne is such a great name (I may or may not have it on my list of future child's names ha ha). There's definitely hidden meaning with why the writers chose to give him his name - from the OUAT Wiki page: "Wayne Booth was a literary critic who coined the term "unreliable narrator". An "unreliable narrator" is a narrator, usually in fiction, whose credibility is severely compromised and therefore cannot be trusted on the validity of their story."

Season 1 August is a very likable guy. We feel for him when he tells the story of why he didn't hold up his end of the deal and protect Emma. Who can blame a kid for wanting to leave a not so great foster situation for a supposedly better life. He couldn't take baby Emma, but he figured she'd be safe within the system. We also find that the self proclaimed writer is really a grown up Pinocchio, who is convinced he's turning back to wood.

Season 1 also finds Emma and August flirting a bit, and I will admit that the only "ship" I've ever truly accepted/supported was "Wooden Swan". Emma and Season 1 August were adorable, and I truly believe that August felt something for the girl he once (twice) promised to look after.

However, it's the Season 2 August that we find out he hasn't been such a good boy and why he is really desperate for Emma to break the curse: he's turning to wood because he did not remain "selfless, brave, and true". In a flashback scene in "Tallahassee" when he runs into Neal Cassidy (who is on his way to sell off the watches he stole and Emma helped recover) he admits that this world has so many temptations and he's not good at saying no, that he isn't built that way. This is where things turn sour for Neal and Emma's relationship because August breaks them apart by revealing to Neal that he knows who he really is (Baelfire) and tells him of Emma's true destiny. August convinces Neal that Emma needs to have her heart broken in order to fulfill her destiny and find her family (home, which is - essentially - what Neal wants for her. Home).

Neal argues but eventually relents and heads for Canada - while August turns Emma into the authorities. When they meet up sometime later in Vancouver, August tells Neal of Emma's fate and Neal flips out saying that Emma is taking the fall for him. August refuses to tell Neal which facility Emma's in, and reminds Neal that the deal was he stay away from her. Neal gives August the keys to the Yellow Bug (which Emma keeps all the way to present) as well as the money he got for the watches (minus what it cost to get a valid VIN number to make the Bug legit). August tells Neal that Emma doesn't need money for what she needs to do, but Neal wants to try and at least make some of what he's done right.

Unfortunately, Neal is trusting the wrong guy (should've gone with your gut, Buddy. August does a crap job as "guardian angel") and August ends up pocketing the cash and goes jetsetting. He mails the keys to the car from Phuket, and Emma gets them the day she finds out she's pregnant. So then folks end up hating both August and Neal for destroying Emma's happiness and all that jazz. I feel for Nealfire. He made a stupid decision based on trusting Pinocchio ("you sent me to prison because PINOCCHIO told you to?!") who is known for his lies (I mean, really, Neal, you saw the movie Mulan... you didn't watch the one about the puppet?!).

So while I LOVE August I also HATE him. Ha ha. But his name is still the best one in all of Once Upon A Time.



Oh, when August was adorable and awesome... stupid back story coming full circle.

30 Days of OUAT - Day 11: Favorite Storybrooke Female

Day 11: Favorite Storybrooke Female

Ashley Boyd, who we find out is Cinderella back in the Enchanted Forest, is one of the most adorable characters on the show. I don't know why we don't see more of Ashley and Sean in the later seasons as their story was interesting and I think they could be important to the show as the story moves on even if they are just "extra" characters and not the major plot. But I digress.

Ashley was brought in to appeal to the back story of Emma and Henry. How Emma was pregnant and gave up a child at a very early age. Ashley is also a "teen in trouble" and has promised her baby to Mr. Gold (Rumpelstiltskin). Why Gold needs a baby really has to do with the fact that Cinderella promised her firstborn to Rumpelstiltskin way back when she was just an abused shut in dreaming of a better life. Rumple kills her fairy godmother in order to manipulate the situation (in classic Rumple fashion of course). Magic always comes with a price, and she agrees. Because she's young and naive.

We first meet her as an extremely pregnant girl who is overwhelmed by the burden of being a single mom who has agreed to give up her baby for adoption. The plan was cooked up by the baby daddy's father who has split the couple up because he has big plans for his son and being a young father is not in that plan. Ashley has a job as a housekeeper at Granny's and we meet her when Emma goes into the laundry room to clean her shirt that she's spilled coffee on. Ashley is there and has managed to ruin a load of laundry, turning the sheets pink. She confides in Emma that she's afraid and that she knows what people are saying. Emma tells her to forget what they're saying and prove them wrong. Emma gives up a little bit of her story (not much, we really won't learn all of what went on with Emma leading up to Henry's birth until Season 2 when we meet Henry's biological father - oh, look what I did there! ha ha!) and it inspires the young mom.

She ends up taking off to keep the baby, after ransacking Gold's shop to try and get the contract away from him. Gold hires Emma to "recover his property" that was stolen, but does not tell Emma what that is. She figures it out and decides that she'll have Ashley's back if she wants to keep the baby because no one should tell the girl what to do in this situation. Ashley wants the baby and Emma ends up owing Gold a favor (which he collects on in Manhattan when he sends her off to chase down his son - NEAL). Emma also goes and tells Sean about Ashley and the baby and how he needs to man up and not let Daddy be the deciding factor (oh the irony. if she only knew the real reason for her taking the fall and being abandoned by her first love, right?). Sean (Prince Thomas in the EF) steps up and comes to his princess and the family is reunited.

Later on after the baby is born and home and Ashley and Sean are together we see Ashley struggling to make it all work, and lament to Ruby, Emma, and Mary Margaret that she gets no time with Sean and that they want to get married but she doesn't see when they'll have the time or if Sean is even thinking that way for real. It's Valentine's Day and they decide to have a girls night. While out Ashley mentions that she thought Love was supposed to be different than what she has (aka she didn't think you had to work for it). Sean surprises her on his break from work and asks her to marry him. He sweeps her off her feet and... we only see her in a split second scene at the beginning of the spin off series "Once Upon A Time In Wonderland". Adam & Eddie, Cindy and Thomas aren't dead... bring them back! Let's see what they're up to now!




As to why Emma wasn't considered, I have 2 reasons. First I don't count her as a "storybrooke character" she transcends the EF and SB curses. She has never been cursed as she escaped it as a newborn. For this same reason I won't count Neal Cassidy as a Storybrooke character (he'd win with no problem ha ha). The second reason is, and I don't think this should shock anyone, is I'm not a big fan of Emma. I liked her in Season 1, but she's becoming incredibly frustrating in later seasons. The only time she's any good is when she's bantering with either Hook or Neal. I don't know if that's just how JMo works, or if it's the writing, or what it is. But something about her bugs me. I want to like her, and I love her storyline... it's just... unexplainable. Ha ha!

30 Days of OUAT - Day 7: Favorite Action/Intense Moment

Day 7 - Favorite Action/Intense Moment

So I've had a heck of a time deciding how to answer this one. There are so many intense moments, and the action moments I'm either saving or have already used (ones that I enjoyed anyway). I tried finding an action scene of Charming's that would work... but nada.

One of the ones that kept coming to mind, though, was the scene where Baelfire confronts Captain Hook on the Jolly Roger about his mother. Bae is rescued by Hook when he reaches Neverland (having given his life so that the Darling children would not be taken). Hook grows attached to the boy after finding out the boy's name - he's the son of his lost love... and his most hated enemy. Originally he planned to use the boy to find the Dark One's weakness, but soon realized revenge was not so important.

Problems arose when Bae finds a drawing of his mother on the Captain's Desk. He takes after Hook with his cutlass and Hook confesses that he is the man who stole Bae's mother. Bae has been told and believes that a pirate killed his mother, and Hook tells him the truth, that it was Bae's father Rumpelstiltskin who did the deed. Baelfire tells Hook he wants to go back to the Darlings, when Hook says that isn't possible, Bae demands to be let off the ship and that he'd fend for himself as he always has.

This sets up the explanation as to how Neal knows Hook and all about the ship sailing which we learn earlier in season 2. It also sets up perfectly how their relationship will work in Season 3... first with Neal holding on to grudges of the past... and then letting go and trusting the man in what would turn out to be his final moments. Yup, I'm still on that Neal kick. Probably always will be. Thank you, Michael Raymond-James... you've officially turned me into one of THOSE types of fans.

For most "Nealfire" fans, it seems these days they're out to hate on Hook. That's mainly due to the fact that the man is quickly winning Emma and Henry's heart and most Nealfire fans are very anti that relationship. While I don't really enjoy the idea of Bae's "stepfather" getting involved with Bae's "true love" I absolutely love the complicated relationship of "Nealfire" and Captain Hook. It's more than just rivals, it's more than just family. These two have a history that gives them a bond that is not only believable but advances the emotions of the story. Sure, when Hook goes off with the rest to save Henry he's doing it for Emma - but he's also doing it for the memory of Baelfire. When Emma reveals that Henry's father has died, Hook asks who his father is, and is shocked to learn it's "Baelfire". The revelation brings him back to the moment when he let Bae go, and gives him over to the Lost Boys. An utter betrayal that apparently haunts the man. He sets to make things right in memory of the boy he once looked after.

Fast forward to Neal making his way back to Neverland after being saved from death by a few characters in the Enchanted Forest and suddenly Hook's less sentimental. Now Neal is just Neal in the eyes of the pirate, and they spend most of their time fighting over who should get Emma. Things don't really get better when they get back to Storybrooke - though Hook does offer to step aside and "let" Neal have Emma for the "sake of the boy". Neal never truly gets a chance to take him up on that offer. Emma's too preoccupied with the fact that something feels "off" about Henry (she's right, he's really Pan trapped in Henry's body) and she's confused about her feelings on the two men. Then Regina has to save everyone from a reboot of the curse (thanks to Pan) and so began the long hiatus of the show while they filmed the second half of the season...

... and we all know where I'm going with this. Neal doesn't make it back (or does he?) to Storybrooke when yet another dark curse is cast. Emma, getting her memories back thanks to Hook, asks for several episodes where Neal is and worries he's been turned into a Flying Monkey (if he's alive at all). When Neal is found they rush him to the hospital where Hook and Neal have one final - and extremely touching - scene in which Hook finally acknowledges that Neal and Bae are the same person and that they spent far too long fighting over stupid things in the last year. Hook supposedly has no clue that Neal is a walking dead man at this point, but either he's not telling the whole story, or the writers just wanted to really make sure we knew Neal was toast. It was closure, and it was sweet... and it makes the flashbacks of Hook and Bae all that more tragic.