Fairy Interesting: OUAT "The Crocodile"

My dad (who likes to pretend that he doesn't really care about this show, but yells at the characters pretty much every episode) hadn't seen last week's episode, so we rewatched it right before viewing tonight's episode.

Watching it the second time brought up a couple of points that made this episode better for me.

1. If Cora is Lancelot, then who else in the camp knows the truth? Cora was with Emma and Snow from the moment they arrived in the camp, but someone sent the guards to go get Emma and Snow claiming that Lancelot wanted to see them. So who was it? Who else is an evil spy?

2. Why would Regina let David Charming know about her vault? It sounds very unlike her to just let her secrets out in the open. It's one thing for Henry to tell someone about it; a completely different one to allow Charming to actually walk right into the vault.

All right. On to tonight's episode!

2.4 "The Crocodile"

In Storybrooke Rumple and Belle fight. Again. Belle learns the joys of iced tea and pancakes and gets a job as the town librarian. And is reunited with her father. After he kidnaps her and shortly before he decides to send her down the river. Almost literally. The search continues for fairy dust, David takes over as sheriff, and Ruby is everyone's favorite confidante (how much do I love her this season btw!). Rumple has to face his inability to connect in relationships and goes to David Charming, of all people, for advice.

Meanwhile in flashback Fairy World we see Rumple's relationship with his wife crumble, his obsession of reclaiming her from the evil Captain James who has supposedly kidnapped her, and see her betrayal twist him even further into the "Dark One" he claims to be. And we learn that magic beans can also act as magic portals. Good to know when you're trying to bring mom and grandma back from Alterna Fairy World.

Finally, in the tiniest glimpse of Alterna Fairy World Cora and good old Captain Hook look like they're up to something.

A decided lack of Snow, Emma, and Regina tonight. I hope these threads start to come together better because right now I feel like there's almost too much going on and we're losing touch with the main characters. But we'll see how it goes :)

I really like Emily de Ravin and I like Belle, but I am really not digging the Rumple/Belle connection anymore. I don't know. I guess it just feels played out. And how many times can Rumple repent and then regress before it gets old? Oh wait, it already did.

And while we're on the subject of Rumple - um, so he is Rumplestiltskin AND the Beast AND the crocodile AND the evil fairy (remember Cinderella)?! What's next? The Big Bad Wolf. Oh, no. Wait, that's Red Riding Hood. But of course we haven't met the three little pig's wolf yet, so I guess it's still a possibility.

Okay. Enough cynicism for one post :)

On a totally differen't note: I LOVE BELLE'S ROOM. Can I please have it? My entire life I have wanted a room with a bay window like that.

Was anyone else confused with the switch from Rumple's far past (pre-"Dark One" [and really? Dark One? Ahem.]) to his closer past (post-Dark One)? Maybe I got distracted, but I was a little thrown off by that transition.

So we know where Regina learned the whole ripping the heart from the chest and crushing it to dust thing now.

Smee! I was laughing when his floppy red hat appeared.

Belle's father also seriously needs to take a chill pill. I understand that he doesn't want her with Rumple, but to throw Belle out into the world all by herself with no memory of any of the people she knows and loves? After she's been locked up for who knows how many years? In what universe does this even make a SHRED of sense? I wanted to jump in and shake him! It will be interesting to see if he is able to reconcile himself at all with his daughter after that stunt.

Normally I'm thrilled to see another Rumple episode, but I wasn't really feeling this one. Maybe it's just my mood. I'm sorry but Rumple's wife is pretty much a jerk to leave her son that way.

Though I am super excited to see Cora and Hook working together.

So I am assuming that the island refuge is Never Land, which would explain why it was unaffected by the magic, since Never Land plays by different rules? Or was Hook on the refuge island looking over at Never Land, which he lost? Does this mean that there is no Peter Pan? Or will we get to meet him someday?