10 Things I Love About Cabin in the Woods by Joss Whedon

I don't do Halloween. Not really. We never did trick-or-treating as kids in my family (never really felt like I missed anything). I enjoy dressing up, and for the first time I'm in my own place where I had to think about getting candy for trick-or-treaters coming to my door!

I also don't really do horror movies. I was one of those people who had nightmares after watching something most people would consider innocuous. So I didn't see my first real thriller/horror movie until I was in my 20's. True story.

But I've been slowly working my way into them. I still prefer thrillers to horror movies and I'm not a big fan of really gory movies. But the short series Harper's Island hooked me on a good psychological horror and when I heard that Joss Whedon was putting out a horror movie, I knew I had to go see it in the theatres, so I dragged Jenn N. along with me. And I loved it. I love the way that Whedon both paid homage to horror movie tropes and yet also made fun of them. It's a fascinating movie to me. And since Friday is Halloween, I thought that it would be fun to do a 10 Things post about one of the only horror movies I've seen :)

1. The humor: Yes, it's a horror movie, but true to Whedon form it's filled with little tongue-in-cheek moments (the elevators killed me) that make it more than that too.
2. The cast: Come on. Fran Kranz and Chris Hemsworth?! And Kristen Connolly does a great job. Plus small parts for Amy Acker and Tom Lenk. What more can I say?
3. The unexpected: I'm assuming that most horror movies thrive on the unexpected. I don't have a lot of things to compare it to, but I get the feeling this is a different kind of unexpected. And it was all the perfect kind of unexpected.
4. Which leads me to the ending. I won't go into detail, but if you haven't seen much of Whedon's work the ending might throw you a bit. When the movie was over I was grinning like an idiot because it was just such a Joss Whedon ending. And the 2 couples who were sitting in front of us were gaping at the screen and one of them suddenly yelled, "What was that?!" and I started giggling.
5. The memories; And I know this isn't directly related to the movie, but I will always remember this particular movie-going experience. Somehow on that night I managed to leave my driver's license at home - something I have never done before or since. But when I got up to buy my ticket, the girl behind the counter, (who was almost young enough to be my daughter) (that's a slight exaggeration, but not by much) ASKS FOR MY ID to prove that I'm over 18 and can watch an R rated movie. I, of course, do not have my ID. I blink at the ticketeer (what are they called?) as I dig through my purse and confess I don't have it on me. She hesitates. Hesitates. And I said, look, I'm over 30. I appreciate the compliment, but please don't tell me that you're going to ban me from going into this movie because I don't have my ID. And she sold me the ticket. And I was laughing so much because this is the only time in my entire life that I have ever been ID'd for anything. Ever. And it was also the only time I have ever not had my ID on me. Ever. So. Lesson: Never assume that the 18 year old behind the counter will accept that you're old enough to go into an R rated movie without your license as proof. :)
6. Fran Kranz: Seriously. I love this guy so much. And his character is so bizarre. And I just loved his performance.
7. It has Everything: It's a horror movie and a monster movie and it has zombies and it has aliens and it has government conspiracies and it has mermaids and it has ... basically anything you can possibly imagine is here. Yet somehow it works.
8. The Menagerie: Even though so much of this is basically just throw-away footage, each of the monsters is pretty fully realized in some way. Super creative.
9. The Opening: Maybe I should have started with this, but the beginning of the movie cracked me up so much with the weird guys in suits and then BAM the title just blasted in your face.
10. The Conceit: I really liked the fact that we, as the audience, know the whole time that this thing is rigged. That there is more to this than a creepy cabin in the woods. And I also like that, at the same time, we learn about the full nature of this creepiness along with the characters caught in the cabin in the woods. Not quite sure how you can know and not know at the same time, but in this movie you can.

So there you have it! Happy viewing!

Laydown Lowdown

Halloween is just a few days away and there are lots of treats and frightful new reads this week.

Anne Rice returns to the "Vampire Chronicles," after more than a decade with "Prince Lestat."

Over in Mystery/Thriller you'll find the latest Clive Cussler novel, "Havana Storm," along with "Ho-Ho Homicide," by Kaitlyn Dunnett, "The Handsome Man's Deluxe Case," by Alexander McCall Smith, and  "The Final Silence," by Stuart Neville.

Run through Romance for "All Broke Down," by Cara Carmack, "The Hexed," by Heather Graham, "Wyoming Strong," by Diana Palmer, "Archangel's Shadow," by Nalini Singh and "Captivated," a novella compilation featuring "Letting Go," by Megan Hart and "Seize the Night," by Tiffany Reisz.

Stride by Science Fiction/Fantasy for "The Peripheral," by William Gibson, "The World of Ice and Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones," by George R.R. Martin, and "The Slow Legend of Silent Things," by Patrick Rothfuss.

Frolic through Young Adult for "In the Afterlight," by Alexandra Bracken, "Atlantia," by Ally Condie, "Catalyst," by S.J. Kincaid, and "Blue Lily, Lily Blue," by Maggie Stiefvater.

Will any of these books make your "to-read" list?  Share with us!  Happy reading and remember to support your bookstores whenever possible. 

Once Upon a Time - Breaking Glass

4.05 "Breaking Glass"

So tonight... I don't even know. Dairy Queen manages to lure Elsa away with an outrageously transparent deception and then doesn't even get upset when she escapes... Emma tries to make up with Regina. Hook bonds with Henry (which might have been the best part of the episode...if we'd actually gotten to see it). Snow and David go for a walk, Snow catches Will of Hearts and then lets him go. Sidney escapes from Regina's clutches. And Emma remembers something from her past as we mainly get more questions and no real answers.

My sister and I were talking about this season of Once and she said, "It's gotten so ridiculous, but it's like a train crash: I can't look away."

I was really hoping that this episode would be ... well, something. I don't understand how they have now managed to fill 2 whole episodes with fluff. There has been no real content. But I have no plans to stop watching because surely something has to happen next week. And that last little tag with a tiny itty bitty reveal of something (not an answer, but you know, something) about the Dairy Queen's past has me so confused I have to hope that they have some sort of plan to pull all of these bizarre threads together.

I also just realized that they never returned to the mob that was forming to hunt down Elsa. Are Granny and Leroy still wandering the streets waving torches and pitchforks? Or did they all just slowly drift away and go back home?

And with all of the interesting stuff with Regina lately, her dialogue was so wooden tonight. Ugh.

Okay, well let me start with the end. Even though I felt like Emma's whole flashback didn't reveal anything about her we didn't know, it was obviously set up so she would get out the camera and discover the bizarre connection to the Dairy Queen. (though I do have one question about that - the camera had to have been stolen from Lili's family and you can hear DQ say "put that down; it's evidence" so how on earth did Emma end up with in in her treasure box?)

DQ met Elsa and then ended up in the US where she became Emma's foster mother and then she went to Storeybrooke to (and here's the part that just knocks me out) have "a family that loves her." Because we haven't heard that before like last season with the Wicked Witch or with any of our other family-challenged characters *sigh*

ANYHOO I really wanted to see more with Will of Hearts (and btw, I thought that the exchange between him and Snow was the most interesting either of them has been all season). I liked him in the few episodes of OUaTiW I saw, but he seems pointless and undefined here.

Did anyone else find it odd that David somehow managed to disappear in the 2 seconds it took Snow to turn around and notice the very loud and obvious man digging in the middle of the field?

I was going to ask how the Knave of Hearts could possibly also be Will Scarlet, one of the merry men, but then I remembered that this is a show where Rumplestiltskin is also the crocodile and I swallow my question.

A couple of wardrobe notes: While I really like the recreation of Elsa's dress, that cloak looked like a bad Halloween knock off.

And, I don't know why, but I really thought Regina was rocking the 90's Monica Geller look. The high-waisted jeans, the over-sized blazer over the white t-shirt. Oh yeah.

I'm not entirely sure of the point of luring Elsa into the woods that way, just to lock her up, leave her alone, and then laugh when she shows up. Is DQ trying to help Elsa gain control so they can be best buddies? Locking her up and pretending to kill her sister might not be the best way to go about that...

I'm still cracking up over Emma's epic magic casting stance and the way she ran over to the tree to blast the monster the first time and then ran right back to Regina. HA. HAHA.

I did love that Hook felt comfortable enough to ask if he could see Emma's box of memories.
And that Emma actually let him.
Big stride forward for her. Big.

And I appreciated the snapshot of Emma and Neal - a reminder that, yes, he had a big part in her life and will always be a part of her past.

And finally,
That freeze frame of the Dairy Queen was hysterically awful. I have to wonder if that happened by accident and it was so hilarious they just decided to leave it. I mean it doesn't even really look like her! HAHAHA!

So what did you think about tonight's episode? Am I being too harsh? Please! Give me more to like!

What I'm Reading Now: October Edition

I had so much fun last month doing a quick review of my current books I may turn this into a monthly feature! So right now here's what I'm reading:

On my Nook: I'm actually not reading a book right now - I've been catching up on my Entertainment Weekly reading since I was about 10 weeks behind. This is one of the few magazines that I read. Since I'm not working in a book store anymore I like the way this gives me a recap of the current media and entertainment stuff going on.

On audio in my car: The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown. I've been wanting to read this since I saw it at the book store and I found it in audio at my local library. I am thoroughly enjoying it, though I find the plural 3rd person narration to be very odd at times. This contemporary novel is about three sisters, daughters of a Shakespeare professor and scholar, who all return home in various levels of personal failure to deal with their mother's breast cancer diagnosis and the complications threaded through their lives. The characters really shouldn't be likable, yet I find them compelling and interesting. I'm curious to see how it will all play out.

On my phone: Caught in the Middle by Regina Jennings. I grew up reading historical Christian fiction so there's a bit of nostalgia in this choice. I am annoyed with the cover as I don't feel like it actually fits the book to this point, but I am enjoying it overall. Anne escaped from her life by donning men's clothes and becoming a buffalo hunter after she shot her husband to save a neighbor. She's closed her heart and her life to anyone who might hurt her again. But when she finds herself in custody of a baby and an old friend's brother comes to her rescue, Anne finds her heart slowly opening to the possibility of love again.

In print: Venom by Fiona Paul. I suddenly realized that I needed to read this month's book club book before Sunday! So I dove in and I won't say more because, of course, we'll be doing a post about this eventually. But I will say that so far I'm finding it quite intriguing.

On TV: Gilmore Girls finally came to Netflix and after pretty much everyone I know raved about this series I had to dive in. Oh. My. Werd. This show is filled with awesomesauce. I love everything about it and I know I'll be doing a 10 Things post about it. But go. Watch it. Now. :)

Laydown Lowdown

 Happy Tuesday! Here's to another great week full of great reads.

John Grisham's latest legal thriller, "Gray Mountain," is available today.  "The Nightengale Before Christmas," by Donna Andrews,  "Burned," by Valerie Plame, "The Pierced Heart," by Lynn Shepherd, and "Sometimes the Wolf," by Urban Waite are also available in Mystery/Thriller.

Over in Young Adult, you can pick up "Stone Cold Touch," by Jennifer L. Armentrout, "This is Your Afterlife," by Vanessa Barneveld,  "The Sorcerer's Heir," by Cinda Williams Chima, "Follow Me Through the Darkness," by Danielle Ellison, and  "7 Clues to Winning You," by Kristin Walker.

Head over to Science Fiction/Fantasy to search for "The Abyss Beyond Dreams," by Peter F. Hamilton, "Seventh Grave and No Body," by Darynda Jones, and "Fish Tales," by Sheri S. Tepper.

Romance fans will have to hang on another week as there are no new releases in the genre today.

Will any of these books make your "to-read" list?  Share with us!  Happy Reading and remember to support your local bookstore whenever possible.

Once Upon a Time - The Apprentice

4.04 "The Apprentice"

So tonight  nothing happened. Gold is the same, Hook is the same, Emma doesn't find anything out about the dairy queen. Elsa doesn't do anything but make strange comments about Emma's dress (which isn't really much less fabric then her own...?). Henry and Regina don't make many headway. The Knave of Hearts doesn't do much of anything. Anna doesn't do anything and goes back home. And Snow and Charming are parents sending their daughter off to prom.

There are so many threads going on in this season that none of them are being handled particularly well. I like the idea of many of these story lines - I really do. But tonight's episode was so scattered with so many different storylines being followed that I was just really annoyed. Last week was scattered too, but at least something HAPPENED. There was action, intrigue, snappy one-liners. All things I found sadly lacking tonight :(

Even Emma and Killian's date, which had the potential to be super adorable and I was getting ready to be charmed with the brief bit of flirty flirty when she asked him out, was pretty dull and uneventful.

I did love how horribly Killian overshot when Emma asked him out. And I don't know if I buy the fact that there was nothing wrong with the hand. After all, as Rumple said, the Dark One lies. Who says he isn't still lying now? And another thing. The moments Killian "flips out" with his hand are still guided by a moral code. The first was in protecting Emma and the second was in trying to stop the knave from breaking in. Not just random acts of violence for no reason.

I did enjoy the little Lady and the Tramp moment at the restaurant.

As well as Emma's snarky, "What should I call you? Captain Hand?"

Honestly the highlight of the episode for me was David and Snow - especially David - reacting to Emma's date. That was hilarious and adorable.

I'm most confused about Anna. The whole grand adventure seems to have been utterly pointless to the plot (except for the forced encounter with David and this weird encounter with Rumple) and now she's back home with nothing much to show for it. But at least she and Kristoff are reunited. Even if his hair is ALL WRONG.

I also swear that if they use the word "monster" one more time I'm going to have to start a drinking game. And I don't drink.

Hehe. Henry going undercover at Gold's shop - this should be interesting. And I appreciated the music. But someone seriously needs to teach Henry how to sweep.

So not too many thoughts. I'm hoping the next episode has some more meat to it. And maybe gets some better focus.

What did you think? Did you like it? I'd love to hear your reaction!

Fairy Interesting: Once Upon a Time - Rocky Road

Here it is! My recap of episode 3.

4.03 "Rocky Road"

This week in Storeybrooke secrets and mysteries abound. Marian falls under an icy curse and Robin can't break it because of his secret. Emma is pushing Hook away (again) because of a secret fear. Rumple is lying once again (big surprise). Snow can't bear to put the baby down for even a second and is wearing herself out in the process. Elsa can't remember anything but is reunited briefly with her aunt (!?!). Will Scarlet aka the Knave of Hearts shows up just long enough to turn Emma in the right direction before disappearing. And for once, the only one who's being honest is...Regina? In flashbacks to Arendelle Elsa and Kristoff are slowly getting to know each other as they fend off an attack from Hans and his brothers. And we're left with a whole lot of unanswered questions.

So the dairy queen (Emma's line was one of my favorites this episode!) is Elsa's aunt. I'm just glad she wasn't a long lost sister who was bitter because her parents sent her away but then kept Elsa. But even with that reveal there are still so many questions surrounding Elsa and Anna (who I'm really upset we haven't seen more of) and Kristoff (and even Hans) that I'm not sure they're going to be able to juggle everything.

Speaking of Hans, I'm still not sold on the casting for Kristoff, though he's growing on me, but holy cow was Hans spot. on. I can't even believe how perfectly he was cast. And I'm glad he didn't just disappear. It makes total sense that he would come with his brothers to wreak some sort of revenge on Arendelle.

When Elsa picked up the urn and was trying to read it, I started banging my head because when will people learn you should never read strange writing on an obviously magical item. Fortunately Kristoff is not so stupid and he has the right idea when he "translates" it as "Dangerous urn Stay away!"


It really is his quippy-ness that is beginning to sell me on Kristoff. I loved that he had to correct Hans by noting that "technically she wouldn't be a widowed. W're not married yet, so- ow." And his ow was perfectly and hilariously underplayed.

Back to Storeybrooke.

As soon as they said "true love's kiss" I knew it wasn't going to work. Robin is noble and doing the right thing, but it's clear that he loves Regina and that this whole situation is painful for him. I was kind of hoping that the freezing spell would be a way to get rid of Marian, but that would be too quick and easy. Plus, how much more does it say about Regina that she's willing to risk everything she cares about to help the man she loves by saving his wife.

And the fact that she told Henry her plan (well, pretty much) about finding whoever wrote the book?! You could have knocked me over with a feather. I was totally waiting for her to lie. And I find it so interesting that she's the only one in this episode who didn't lie or connive when the entire episode was about people lying, going behind people's backs, and tricking people. What a great way to subtly show how much Regina has changed.

Side note: Regina was rocking the casual look this week. Loved it.

Speaking of changing (or rather NOT changing) oh Rumple.

I can't believe he switched out the dagger. Again! And lied to Belle. And whatever happened to the magic hat? And how does he know the dairy queen?
You know, it's funny. When Regina was being "good" and then "bad" and waffled between the two it drove me up the wall. But with Rumple somehow he pulls off the person who almost reforms and then just doesn't - can't - won't change. And I like him as a character anyway.

And I found the whole Will Scarlet thing to be a bit confusing. First off because it was such a brief interlude. I'm assuming he'll be coming back at some point. I also felt confused because I only saw the first 2 or 3 episodes of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (and it's still not on Netflix) so I didn't know the Knave was also Will. So I feel like I'm missing a lot. I'm assuming they're going to build it as though people haven't seen OUaTiW but it felt off to me, probably because I saw just enough of the other to recognize him. More answers here please. Though I do have to say that for a bit I thought he was working with the dairy queen and was going to lock Emma and David inside. Though I have to say I loved his line about two sheriffs not being fair.

Other than Emma's "dairy queen" line (which I'm still chuckling over), one of my favorite lines of the episode goes to Elsa when she asks Kristoff: "Why is it your compliments are so aggravating?"

Emma's remark, "I can't save a cat from a tree right now. It's like I'm the anti-savior" is in the running, too.

But first prize for funniest line comes from Hook (who else) with his rant about the cell phone: "It's a device for talking. I don't know. I press the Emma button and she answers usually... Why should I carry around this ridiculous thing if you're never there when I use it?"
I feel like the writers have been watching Sleepy Hollow!

Least favorite lines of the episode go once again to Grammy and Leroy. I hate the new writing for them. Leroy used to have the best lines. I loved him as a character. This season every time he opens his mouth I just want to slap him. He's caustic and abrasive in a way he wasn't before and I hope they cut it out.

Speaking of Granny and Leroy - there's another loose end. Last we saw them they were setting off in a mob to find and attack Elsa and then we never hear of it again. I just felt like there were so many loose threads this episode. In a not controlled way.

I'm still dying to figure out how the dairy queen got to Storeybrooke, how Elsa ended up in the urn - if Anna did it, there was a good reason. There is no way that she turned on Elsa. No. Way.

And... the rock trolls took Elsa's memories? But before she ended up in the urn? I'm really confused as to the timeline here. But I do like having new flashbacks to unravel the Arendelle story because we were really really really running out of material to mine in the Enchanted Forest.

And of course how can I end without a few words on Hook and Emma.

Elsa really gives Hook something to think about when she tells him, "I think your self-appreciation is blinding you to a simple fact: It's not about you. It's about her."
I mean, he knows Emma is going through things and is pushing him away, but I think he really did feel at times that it was because of him. When it really isn't. It's about her acceptance of who she is and her fear.

Well, this episode she didn't think - she just used her magic and saved people's lives. When she just reacts she's much stronger and more controlled. But even having saved Hook and David and stopped dairy queen temporarily, she still can't believe that she's actually strong enough to be the savior.

And of course she's afraid of losing Hook. "Because everyone I've ever been with is dead. Neal. Graham. Even Walsh. I lost everyone. I can't lose you too." She also lost her parents when she was young, lost Henry for much of his childhood, lost Neal before losing him again - she hasn't had the best luck in keeping friends or family. It's slowly coming together now, but it's still something she's facing. And her final admittance of this to Hook is a real breakthrough.

Side note: I love how adept Killian is with that hook. It can't be easy as an actor to become used to something like that and make it a part of you, but he does. I loved the way he just hooked Emma's arm to stop her - never afraid of hurting her. And she's never afraid of him hurting her. she doesn't flinch or move her arm away or act in any way like she's concerned or wary of the hook.

So a couple of tiny answers and a whole lot of new questions and mysteries. There are a lot of loose threads this season and I'm hoping the writers will be able to pull everything together and not lose sight of something important. *crosses fingers*

Laydown Lowdown

Books unlike cable are reliable.  As I'm writing this, I'm waiting for my cable box to reboot for the umpteenth time.  I'm contemplating tossing it out the window and just surviving on books for the rest of my life. I could do it except for my obsession with General Hospital.  Here are some great books to check out this week that don't require unreliable technology!

"War Dogs," by Greg Bear, "Of Bone and Thunder," by Chris Evans, "Fire in the Blood," by Erin M. Evans, and "Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen," by Garth Nix are all available in Science Fiction/Fantasy today.

You can find "Cover Him with Darkness," by Janine Ashbless and "Darling Beast," by Elizabeth Hoyt in Romance today.

"Water Walker," the latest thriller from Ted Dekker is available in Mystery/Thriller today.  You can also pick up "Saint Brigid's Bones: A Celtic Adventure," by Phillip Freeman, "Kansas Bleeds," by Melody Groves, " "Across the Cheyenne River," by John D. Nesbitt, and "The Scent of Death," by Andrew Taylor.

It may only be October but "My True Love Gave to Me," a Young Adult holiday short story collection edited by Stephanie Perkins lands in the genre today along with "Snow Like Ashes," by Sara Raasch.

Will any of these books make your "to-read" list? Share with us! Happy Reading and remember to support your local bookstores whenever possible.

Once Upon a Later Time

If you're popping in here to see my hilarious and thoughtful comments on the latest Once Upon a Time episode I'm afraid you're going to be temporarily disappointed. I had plans this evening (what?! How could anything be more important than Once Upon a Time?!) and I haven't seen the episode yet. And I'm not exactly sure when I'll get a chance because ABC seems to have started this week long embargo on their episodes (at least I hope it's only a week) soooooo.... long story short - stay tuned for further OUaT shenanigans because they'll be here as soon as I can manage it!

Laydown Lowdown

Leaves are falling and lots of great books are dropping in stores today! 

Stone Barrington is back in his latest caper, "Paris Match," by Stuart Woods.  Other new releases in Mystery/Thriller include "Deadline," by John Sanfor, "Truth Be Told," by Hank Phillippi Ryan, "The Murder Man," by Tony Parsons, "Malice," by Keigo Higashino, and "Dark Spines," by Matthew Dunn.

Science Fiction is nothing new to "X-Files" star Gillian Anderson and she's  teamed up with Jeff Rovin to pen "A Vision of Fire."   Other new releases in the genre include "The Lost Stars: Imperfect Sword," by Jack Campbell, "Poison Fruit," by Jacqueline Carey, Silverblind," by Tina Connolly, and "Closer to Home," by Mercedes Lackey are available in Science Fiction/Fantasy today.

Over in Romance you'll find "Undead and Unwarry," by Mary Janice Davidson, "Mr. Miracle," by Debbie Macomber, "Brood," by Chase Novak, "Immortal," by J.R. Ward, and "The Christmas Bouquet," by Sherryl Woods.

In Young Adult, you can pick up "Altered," by Gennifer Albin, "Emergent," by Rachel Cohn, "Endgame," by James Frey, "Black Ice," by Becca Fitzpatrick, and "Kiss Kill Vanish," by Jessica Martinez.

Will any of these books make your "to-read" list?  Share with us!  Happy reading and remember to support your local bookstores whenever possible.

Fairy Interesting: OUaT - White Out

4.02 "White Out"

Tonight in Storebrooke Elsa goes a little ice crazy, yet manages to bond with Emma over the trials of having magic you can't control. Snow learns a little bit about generators, Henry packs Regina a get-over-your-break-up basket, and Hook and Charming find the one thing that could make them see eye to eye: Emma's imminent death. Meanwhile back in the "long ago" past (which they randomly decided they needed to tell us) Anna teaches David how to sword fight and Bo Peep is revealed as a callous overlord.

There are a few things I found confusing in this episode.

First, how did David and Kristoff know each other? I mean, I know we don't know a lot about Kristoff's past, but how on earth would he have gotten to the Enchanted Forest and back?

Second, if this happened so very long ago, then that means that it's been years and years and years since Anna left. So why is it only now that Elsa came looking? I know that time is a little wonky, but really. That's a big time gap for Elsa to have waited and now be so very frantic. I'm not getting that.

No David. Just no.

On to more important matters. Such as the fact that David should never ever ever ever ever have long hair. Ever.

So Henry was super cute in this episode with the whole basket and then banging on Regina's door. But it was painfully obvious that he has continued to grow while the character is still supposed to be fairly young. I really don't understand why they didn't use the abduction to Never Land or the trauma there to create some sort of "magical accident" where Henry was aged forward several years. Come on. This is a show where you could have pulled that off and they lost the perfect opportunity.

I loved Emma's explanation of Regina's reaction: "She's really upset over Robin Hood and all of the things that have happened over the past... well, forever."

Anna continues to be adorable, but I just found myself excruciatingly confused by the David/Kristoff connection and how David knew so much already and it really distracted me during the whole flashback scenes.

However, I adored evil Bo Peep. I think that's one of my favorite villain twists and I liked the way the actress played it and I was cracking up that she is now the town butcher. HA.

(I really wanted to insert a picture of Bo Peep here, but the internet has let me down. Problem of writing a post right away=lack of some pictures)

3 more annoying things to me
1: David's daddy drama. Because there isn't enough parent/child dysfunction on this show.
2: How easy it was in the end to get Emma out. I mean I get it, but I also felt like it was just too easy. And seriously, Emma should have been at risk of losing at least some fingers and toes and she got up way too easily for someone who was literally turning blue from the cold.
3: How obnoxious Leroy and Granny and whichever other dwarf that was. I mean Leroy and Granny are often brusque and occasionally border on rude, but they were out of control in their pounding on Snow. That whole thing felt completely out of character for both of them and completely contrived in order to provoke Snow's outburst.

Now Snow's outburst was absolutely hilarious, especially when she screamed, "Stop saying letters!"

But we could have gotten there (and it would have been even funnier imo) if Granny and Leroy had just been their normal selves.

Going back to Elsa, I kind of understand her wanting to keep everyone in the town. And I understand that she struggles to undo things, especially now that her faith in herself has been shaken by her mother's diary (time thing still bothering me, though). But I have to admit that when she says they need to find Anna or she'll freeze the whole town and everyone in it, my immediate thought was...

But when Emma was complaining about the cold did Elsa really have to say
"It's never bothered me"???
Ridiculous :)

So when Emma was trapped in the ice did no one think, hey we should get the seven dwarfs with their PICKAXES to come take a whack at this while we try to find Anna?

Look at how utterly relieved he is.
I can't even.

And last but not least I think that Killian was the most adorable he's ever been. Champagne and counting dates and the "world's largest ice bucket" and his ridiculously adorable worried face. I'm pretty sure he was tearing up while Charming was trying to convince Elsa she could save Emma. Augh. He has really grown as a character. And he had the perfect line of the night too.

"I wouldn't risk my life for someone I see as loot. Whatever we become it's up to her as much as it's up to me."

I'm sorry I'm not sorry for the
egregious amount of Killian in this post
But look at the way he looks at her

I was a diehard Neal/Emma fan, I really was. And I was SO ANGRY when they killed him off. But I gotta say that Killian is making it REALLY hard for me to stay angry or even remember that I ever shipped Neal/Emma because the Hook/Emma thing is really working.

Ahem.

So next week we have the Ice Queen. YAY! And, even though I'm not a huge Elizabeth Mitchell fan, I like the way she's playing this role (in the whole what 20 seconds we got to see her?). Excited to see where all of this goes.

So what do you think? Did you buy that Anna could teach David sword fighting in one day?