Fairy Interesting: OUAT - Good Form

3.5 "Good Form"

In this week's episode Hook tricks David into saving himself while Emma, Snow, and Regina work together to find a way to get a message to Henry. Regina embraces her evil, employing it to do good and preserve Emma's purity. Meanwhile Henry is drawn into the world of the Lost Boys and Pan flits around plotting, taunting, and being generally creepy and twisted. In flashbacks we learn the truth of how Hook first came to Neverland and the honorable reasons he took up pillaging and plundering the seas.

The big theme of the episode was the importance of family and what lengths people will go through to protect them.

David could learn some things from Hook - his noble urge to protect Snow and Emma would not have been appreciated and they aren't going to be happy at all when they discover he can't leave Neverland. AND WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?! I don't want David stuck there forever. No. Though being stuck on Neverland is better than dying I suppose.

Emma says she's willing to do anything to save Henry. At first I was really scared about them listening to Regina because her plans haven't had a very good track record recently. Or ever. And I suppose there is still plenty of time for this heartless Lost Boy plan to blow up in their faces. But I also really love the idea that she can be evil and snarky and embrace that as useful instead of trying to pretend that she's nice and reformed or completely and purely evil. I like the balance they're finding in her character this semester.

In Hook's flashback, which was by the way not even close to enough information, we see that he is willing to do anything to save and then avenge his brother. (And that he looks pretty dashing in a uniform) The shock of learning that the king you thought was so noble is planning on mass poisonings is quite a blow. But Hook's drastic turn around is driven by the loss of his brother. Although he is disillusioned before, when Liam dies, Killian (how much do I love his name!) turns against everything he's stood for, rewriting the definition of "good form" to be almost unrecognizable.

Hook faces a number of challenges related to family in the present as well, but all connected to Emma's family rather than his own. His attraction to Emma leads him to save David from his ridiculous noble tendencies. And it works. Saving David leads to the first concrete romantic connection between them, but Emma is still so broken over the loss of Neal that there is no way she is going to be ready to move forward any time soon. Then with Pan's reveal of Neal's arrival in Neverland Hook is faced with a decision. Does he prove himself the honorable man of good form that he wants Emma to see him as and effectively destroy his chances with her? Or does he keep the secret to himself with the very real possibility that Emma will find out at some point anyway and feel betrayed by Hook's selfish behavior which will prove he is the pirate and brigand David pegged him as?

Henry, meanwhile, is losing sight and hope of his family. The look on his face after hurting the Lost Boy and being told he doesn't need to apologize was so un-Henry. The magic mirror (ha) arrives just in time, but rather than sticking it in his pocket he throws it away and I'm a bit scared who will find it.

Pan is still my absolute favorite part of this season so far. I love the complete creepiness and twisted mind tricks. And I really want to know more about how Hook went back to Neverland and ended up WORKING for Pan. This permanent youth has quite the reach of influence!

Side note - was anyone else thinking how sad it was that the last Pegasus sacrificed itself for nothing?
And Hook and Regina tied once again for favorite line of the episode.
I loved when Hook said to David, "There were two of you? I can barely stomach one." and followed that up with "That you were stubborn? Yes, I gathered that rather quickly."
And Regina's statement about Emma that "She didn't. I did. That's what I'm here for. One happy family."
Also, when David and Snow are kissing and she says she wants another good sleeping curse - her dead pan delivery of these lines just adds so much humor.
Oh, and how could I forget Hook's Princess Bride reference telling Emma "As you wish." Brilliant.

And of course this episode we finally got the iconic line: Second star to the right and straight on til morning. Which I have been waiting for since the first episode.

The main question we are left with at the end is who is in the other box next to Neal. My first thought was Rumple, but I'm not sure because that seems a bit too obvious. But it looks like we might be taking a detour before we find out more. I'm equally scared and excited to see what they do with the Little Mermaid story line next week.