I was thinking the same thing. Others may not know it, but Emma would know Oz folklore. Looks like something of the kind happens next week.
And now we know why the curse was recast (because only Emma can defeat Zelena)
Brian
I just noticed this week that there is a flower shop in Storybrooke called ‘Game of Thorns’.
I think we saw Grumpy in the diner this episode, but didn’t most of the dwarves, a few episodes back, get turned into flying monkeys because they crossed the line/left Storybrooke’s city limits? As well as a few other townspeople?
So, um, yeah. The scene in the boathouse. Sure, our gang was being attacked by four monsters, had to defend themselves, but not a single line about the transformed innocents they had to kill?
Just watched it on DVR after putting it off for a few days.
Wow, they sure laid it on thick with the deus ex machinas. Snow and Charming share one heart; Henry touches a book and revives his memories; Regina kisses Henry and everybody regains their memories.
Oh, and time travel magic doesn’t work, but Storybrook is hundreds of years in the future from the time of the Enchanted Forest.
I have some other complaints, but rather than gripe about this season, I’ll post a suggestion. Next season should take a break from Storybrook. Spend a full season in the Enchanted Forest or some other realm.
What gives you that idea? It’s an alternate/parallel world. It’s not the future or the past.
What makes me sure is things like cars in modern day Storybrook vs horse and carriages in past times Enchanted Forest. The enchanted forest’s lack of electricity, and everything else modern. Also, the fairy tails that these people inspired are very old. People in this world know about them and have been passing them down for generations.
Nobody - I don’t think that’s what the writers intend, though. They definitely show dimensional portals between worlds, and the Mad Hatter’s hat can get you through different portals to different worlds/universes. If I were to guess, I’d say the fairy tales were stories told by people who came through portals to ours and brought stories of the worlds they saw.
StG
Yeah, you guys are probably right.
A little surprised Emma lost her powers and they’re still gone. Although I have a feeling that the portal that was opened was a time traveling portal, so maybe she’ll get them back.
Also, looks like they’ve set up drama between Gold and Bell once she finds out he killed Zelena. Unless I’m right, it is a time portal, and they reverse Neil’s death, maybe by making it so that Zelena was never born or enacted her plan. Of course this will draw out the soap-opera love triangle between Emma, Hook, and Neil. That seriously needs to end.
Something from the previews for next week:
They said we will find out a new land, so far they have visited Wonderland, Oz, Peter Pan land (sorry, my mind isn’t too sharp to come up with the actual name right now), the Enchanted Forest. So what else could they visit? What about he lands of Gulliver’s Travels?
On the other hand, in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland,
Alice started out in the 1870s when the Knave and the White Rabbit arrived to bring her back to Wonderland. In the penultimate (IIRC) episode, she and the Knave traveled through a portal to present-day Storybrook. Then they returned to Wonderland, and in the final episode, returned to 19th century England.
Either time-travel was involved, or else Storybrook and Alice’s England are on two different parallel Earths.
Also, Dr. Frankenstein’s lab as also from an alternate earth apparently.
It’s just a matter of time before the Sleestack make an appearance.
One of my flaws is not knowing when to drop something. I’ll make one last argument for the curse involving time travel.
Baelfire uses a magic bean to open a portal to a land without magic. He arrives in 19th century London. He’s still in the same time as the Enchanted Forest, just a different location. After a few months he ends up in Neverland for somewhere over 100 years. He hitches a ride on Pan’s shadow back to the land without magic, somewhere in America around 1990 I think. In 2000 he meets Emma.
Leroy/Grumpy talks about being homesick, even though in Storybrooke they enjoy things like penicillin.
And finally.
When August (Pinocchio) pretends to be Neil, Mr. Gold Says, “I know it’s little consolation, but I just want you to know that ever since you left, ever since you crossed the barriers of time and space, in every waking moment I’ve been looking for you.”
While they were under the original curse, did they not live the same days over and over again for 28 years? Isn’t that the explanation for why Emma is the same age as, if not older than, her parents? And why Regina got bored and adopted Henry?
Maybe it’s a Doctor Who thing, you just can’t travel back along your own timeline.
Yup, and Pan was going to recast the curse and stop time again. Hmmm…Shouldn’t Storybrooke time have been frozen again when the curse was recast? Also, when the series started, why did Emma go to 2011 Storybrooke? If the spell stopped time and Storybrooke was around 28 years she should have stumbled to 1980’s Storybrooke. Oh well, can’t let continuity stand in the way of a plotline. 
She had a hole in her heart, but I guess 28 years of stagnation will do that to you.
Excellent. That’s probably it.
Was that Elsa from Frozen?
Poor Regina - every time she finds love something bad happens. Unless there is someone else with the tattoo.
Brian
Oh yes it was! As much as I love Frozen, and Elsa in particular, I do not like that she looks like a potential evil character. Normally I would have faith in the creators to do that storyline the right way but these are the same folks from Lost.
That’s just unfair. Regina needs to be happy too damnit!
This was a surprisingly entertaining finale. I fully expected someone else to get trapped/separated somewhere but it was nice to see some actually happiness in a finale. For now this is still an enjoyable fluffy show. Its a nice way to start the week. I was kind of hoping for a full season in the Enchanted Forest but that probably won’t happen any time soon.
I am unreasonably annoyed that they are using a character from such a recent movie.
Nothing unreasonable about it. It definitely feels too soon.