Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A | 157 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT PANoply
By Cindy McLennan | Season 3 | Episode 7 | Aired on 11.10.2013
Neal is onto Hook's game. You can tell because he immediately plays along. "Honestly, it probably slipped her mind. We're kind of focused on getting our son back." That's entirely true, and yet it's still a blow to Hook's ego. There's just so much bubbling under the surface. I love it. I wasn't necessarily tingling with anticipation over this triangle, but this short scene has changed things. Hook's voice and expression are earnest and respectful of the gravity of Henry's situation. "Of course."
Emma returns and feels the tension swirling around her, so she asks if everything is all right. Neal lies that it couldn't be better, so Emma hands over his "star map." Neal says it's not a star map, but rather a Shadow trap. Hook says, "A coconut. Are you daft?" Neal: "You came to Neverland on a pirate ship through a portal, but you draw the line at a magical coconut." Ha. I feel like the writers just spanked us, in case we were ready to object. Hook agrees with me and says, "Ah, fair enough. What's our next stop on this mission?" When Neal answers, "Dark Hollow," Emma says, "Oh, really? Why couldn't it be called something like Sunshine Valley or Rainbow Cove." I feel ya, girl. Hook explains that Dark Hollow is exactly what it sounds like -- the darkest spot on the island. "Any light that makes its way in is snuffed out by the shadows that call it home." The darkest spot on this island? Is there anything blacker than black. Dear me. Neverland had already triggered my S.A.D. I've got to look into getting one of those phototherapy lamps. I suppose it's too much of a stretch to write that off on my taxes. We cut to...
Storybrooke. Gold's Shop. True to her Disney iteration's form, Ariel is impressed with Gold's collection. She marvels over a corkscrew, and then is thrilled to find an anchor-imprinted button, and says Eric had one just like it. She shares a little of her story with Belle, but politely leaves Regina's role as spoiler out of the story. Belle remembers Hologram Rumpy said the strength of their love would lead her to the hidden object, so she picks up the chipped cup, and takes it to the cabinet where he used to keep it. When she sets chip down on his saucer, magic streams out and down to the floor, where it reveals a previously cloaked trap door. Belle opens it to find Pandora's box. She explains to Ariel that she knows what it is, thanks to her books. Great touch, Show. Who wrote this episode? Let me rewind a second... oh, that's taking too long. I'm going to trust IMDB, which reports...nothing. Damn it. Let me Google this. Dark Hollow was written by Kalinda Vazquez and Andrew Chambliss and directed by Guy Ferland. I remember seeing Chambliss's name in the opening credits. Good form, team. Now get someone on the crew to update IMDB.com.