Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: B+ | 3 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT An Apple A Day
By Cindy McLennan | Season 1 | Episode 21 | Aired on 05.06.2012
Storybrooke. Regina is gazing out at her tree when Jefferson arrives. He knows she knows he watches over Paige/Grace. Regina wants Jefferson's help. She figures he knows that if she's dead, he'll never get back to Grace. She says she has a way for them to both get what they want. He refuses the drink she pours him, so Regina walks over and retrieves his hat box. The hat is still inside. He says he can't make it work in Storybrooke. Nobody can -- not without magic. Regina says she has some left, hopefully enough for one last journey. She wants to return to their land, where she says there exists a solution to her problem. Oh, so it's the apple. See, I'm a little bored now, at least with discussing this, because now I know how 98 percent of this episode will play out.
Anyhow, Jefferson knows that Emma is the problem to which Regina refers. Jefferson is all Team Emma because if she breaks the curse, he will be reunited with Grace, and yet somehow Regina manages to manipulate him. I guess being poor really bugged him because a reminder of that, a little talk of family and a flimsily worded "guarantee" that she will give Jefferson and Grace a fresh start is all it takes to make him agree to help Regina, even though he clearly doesn't trust her. Should we write this off to his insanity or to the writing? What to do? What to do? Commercial.
Enchanted Forest, Night. After hearing Red howl, Snow and Co. begin their siege on George's castle. They shoot flaming arrows because it looks cool on TV, regardless of the fact that it seems likely to... I don't know... say, warn their opponents that they're on the way. Grumpy: "I miss Stealthy." Me too, man. Me too.
Up in the sky, Blue and a host of colorful jelly fish fairies, each with their own bag of fairy dust (and hey, yeah, I thought one bag was supposed to be a year's supply, too) lend air support. Oh, I guess the flaming arrow was a signal to the fairies. Seeing how they're magical beings who can be summoned, I still think there could have been a more discreet (albeit it not as cool looking) way to sound the battle cry. Blue tells her minions, "We're a go. Fairies, attack." I'm working that phrase into my everyday life this summer. You've got to have goals. That's mine.
The fairies swarm toward their target, buzzing every bit as loudly as a million bees. Meanwhile, Snow is the first to scale the castle wall. Two dwarfs follow only after she's gotten to the top, even though there are three ropes (attached to grappling hooks). I guess this is so Snow gets to be all badass and face off against a guard herself, which suddenly makes me okay with this approach. Snow disables the first guard. When second comes charging at her, he's saved by Grumpy who buries his pickaxe into the assailant's back. Snow and Grumpy exchange a look and then rush off. The entire company of heroes has made it to the roof and follows along.