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Once Upon A Time: Birth and The Bear King

                                                                              [Courtesy of ABC/Disney]

So, this week we were treated to not one, but two episodes of Once Upon A Time. Both of these episodes were not linked in anyway though, which I was a bit disappointed in, but still we got to see two great episodes so what more can we ask for? I have taken my top five moments from the first episode, Birth and my top four moments from The Bear King. SPOILER warning for those who aren’t caught up.

Birth:
This one was definitely my favourite of the two as it was nice to get some answers about Camelot, everything seemed to tie up quite nicely and it had me looking forward to more. I really liked the ending and it has sort of confirmed what I believed all along, she really isn't the Dark Swan, really!

5. Merlin is Tempered

                                                                      [Courtesy of ABC/Disney] 

So in the last episode we find out that Merlin (Elliot Knight) was tempered to Excalibur and is being controlled by Arthur (Liam Garrigan). Merlin appears in Granny’s and tells Emma (Jennifer Morrison) why he disappeared. He tells Emma that Arthur has her family and if she wants to save them she will have to give up the spark and the dagger. I also can’t stop wondering why Arthur would run at the sheer mention of Nimue, is he that scared of a sort of dead Dark One? Hook ends up getting cut by Excalibur, but Emma quickly helps heal the small cut.

4. Regret

                                                                     [Courtesy of ABC/Disney]

In Storybrooke Emma saves Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) from Arthur, he believes that she is still in there and will do anything he can to help her. The others don’t believe him so he goes to visit Gold (Robert Carlyle) and there is a hilarious moment when Belle (Emilie de Ravin) nearly shoots him with a crossbow, she’s not letting anyone take Gold again. Hook asks Gold if he knows information about Emma, but he only knows that look in her eye and tells Hook that Emma has done something she regrets and that she stole his squid ink. In Camelot, three weeks previously Emma is trying to light the spark. Rumple appears to tell her she is having trouble as she isn’t willing to let go of the darkness but Henry (Jared S. Gilmore) comes outside and tries to cheer her up by telling her about Hooks plans to find them a house.

3. Mystical Pregnancy

                                                                      [Courtesy of ABC/Disney]

So Zelena (Rebecca Mader) is only meant to be a few months pregnant but the Dark Swan speeds up her pregnancy, everyone believes she is after the baby. Hook is jumping off buildings to get Emma’s attention during this, but instead ends up with a sleeping potion and is chained up. Dr Whale/Frankenstein (David Anders) is delivering the baby; turns out he’s had a bit of a hair change. In Camelot though Emma manages to help Merlin regain some control, although it nearly costs Mary-Margaret’s (Ginnifer Goodwin) life. Emma still can’t light the spark and Regina (Lana Parrilla) takes some desperate measures to find out why, even using the dagger.

2. It’s a Girl!

                                                                    [Courtesy of ABC/Disney]             

So Zelena has a baby girl, and how happy does Robin (Sean Maguire) look? Regina is not so happy but I suppose if my sister was that vindictive we would all have similar feelings. But turns out that Emma was actually after Zelena and not the baby after all so yeah! Turns out she wants to transfer all her dark magic to Zelena, that’s why she needed to speed up her pregnancy. When Hook wakes up in the basement Zelena is there, he takes Regina’s magical cuff off using the magic from his hook. Zelena runs but Hook stays as he is adamant to find out what happened in Camelot and goes searching for the squid ink.

1. The Dark Ones
                                                                   [Courtesy of ABC/Disney]

So this all came out of nowhere, Hook threw the squid ink on Emma which freezes her in place and makes her answer truthfully. Zelena that appears and stabs Hook in the chest, but nothing happens, she then uses the dreamcatcher to show Hooks memories. Back in Camelot as Emma was forging the broken blades it turned out that the little cut Hook received before reappears as a cut from excalibre cannot be saved. Emma will not let him die, even though those around her (Regina, and her short memory) feel that saving Hook would be a bad idea. She then takes Excalibur and Hook into a field of pink roses, and even though he is adamant, she saves him by turning him into another dark one.

So my thoughts on this episode are what? That twist happening at the end was just classic OUAT, I had thoughts that Regina had gone properly dark in this episode but I never thought that they would actually create another Dark One. Hook hates the Dark One with a passion so no wonder he is pissed, but I really don’t think he will hurt Emma.

The Bear King:
                                                                     [Courtesy of ABC/Disney]

Yes I may have been a bit annoyed after turning on this episode expecting for more of the same from the last episode, but I did enjoy this episode just not as much. This is why I will make this list my top four moments.

4. DunBroch

                                                                     [Courtesy of ABC/Disney]

So two years before the events of Camelot, The Bear King; Fergus (Glenn Keogh) goes to visit the wee witch (Lily Knight) who previously turned Queen Elinor (Caroline Morahan) into a bear. He asks for a help from the Southern invaders and she gives him a magical crown. When Arthur and Zelena flee the scene they go to DunBroch in search for this magical object. The wee witchy woman reappears seconds before Merida (Amy Manson) is about to be crowned, and tells them about Fergus and the helm and gives Merida twenty-four hours to return the helm, or else she will turn the whole kingdom into bears.

3. Mulan is BACK!

                                                                      [Courtesy of ABC/Disney]

So two years prior Mulan (Jamie Chung) was hired to help train Merida. Merida goes to find Mulan in the hope that she will help her. Mulan is not the person we used to know, she is working for the highest bidder, all down to the poor broken heart she received by Aurora (Sarah Bolger). How terrible of her. Merida pays her to help and she goes on the stipulation that she cannot ask her what happened. But eventually when Merida quits the quest, we begin to see glimmers of the old Mulan.

2. RUBY IS BACK!

                                                                      [Courtesy of ABC/Disney]

So Mulan goes to find the witch and instead finds her wolf, which turns out to be Ruby (Meghan Ory). We also have an entire explanation for her absence, she went to the enchanted forest after baby Neal was born in the hopes of finding more of her own kind. But she hasn’t had much luck finding anyone and was tied up by the witch after she went to her for some help. Ruby is back with a bang, throwing sleeping powder in Zelena’s face, tracking down the helmet. I hope this means she is back for some time. I think there’s also just too much chemistry between her and Mulan for them not to reappear, maybe back in Storybrooke?

1. Queen Merida!

                                                                       [Courtesy of ABC/Disney]

So Merida goes through a really tough time in this episode, her memory of her father has been tainted by this helmet business. She even offers MacIntosh (Paul Telfer) the crown; as long as he finds this helmet before the entire kingdom becomes bears. They track down the knight that killed her father, which turns out to be Arthur and in another great twist King Fergus didn’t use it. The men fought for him, not for his crown. When all is said and done, she refuses to give the witch her helm back, instead telling her she means to destroy it. To our surprise turns out that’s what the witch wanted, Fergus asked her to help assure that his line won’t end, and this is the way she did it. Her magic really isn’t direct is it?

If the episode had aired on its own I think it would have held up, but I think I was more disappointed with it as I thought it would continue with the story. Is my fault for forgetting the announcement that Merida, Mulan and Ruby have their own episode. I really enjoyed all the performances in this episode, although is Elinor not a bit young to play Merida’s mother? I love that Ruby and Mulan are back and am interested to see where they end up. Will Ruby get back to Storybrooke? Hopefully!

Check out the next episode promo below -



So what did you think about both of these episodes? Leave a comment below. If you enjoyed this post then please feel free to check out my other posts below.


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