One Direction

Once Upon a Time

Season 1 episode 9 -   “True North”

Once upon a time I may or may not have named my recap after a popular boy band to lead a stray fan to my blog.

It’s like I created something that I knew people couldn’t resist to lead them into a situation completely different to what they were expecting.

It’s to say if you will and I shall: You build a candy house; the children will come, eat it, than push you into an oven.

But in this case it’s One Direction fans.

Don’t worry my sister’s mad at me about this too.

If you were expecting a tribute to the to the boy band I am very sorry, but you should stay anyway because this will be fun.

Its complicated emotion drama and desserts and what could be better than that.

Butter:

We return to Storybrooke, the realm of forgotten identities and familial disasters to witness the trails of two young children, who just couldn’t seem to escape having Regina ruin their lives in one way or another.

Ava Zimmer (Karley Scott Collins) and Nicolas Zimmer (Quinn Lord) like our other storybook friends get dealt a rough hand in our reality. With their mother gone and their father’s whereabouts unknown, the troubled twosome have had to resort to stealing from the world’s sleepiest cashier to survive. That is before they get busted by the new Sheriff’s son.

Sheriff Swan who never knew her that her parents were magically trapped in a cursed town and therefore was shipped from home to home, instantly identifies with the siblings whose fate with to be sent to separate foster homes in Boston seems sealed. Especially after all of Regina’s nudging, and the lack of parental commitment from their father Michael (Nicholas Lea)  who had not even been aware of their existence.

Whether Regina was fighting to have the Zimmer children sent away to spite Emma or because she was still angry at them from rejecting her once upon time (see Gravy below) she eventually got her way with a defeated Emma accepting her Sheriff duties to drive the children all the way to Boston herself.

That Emma is very lucky that all the majority of villains in Storybrooke all have amnesia or she would never have time for trips like this.

But wait, what was this, the car broke down. Was this the mystically magical curse’s way to stop the lonely police woman and her passengers from leaving Storybrooke or was it some cunning trickery on Emma’s part?

If you guessed cunning trickery, you are correct. You see, Ava and Nicolas’s father as we saw earlier owed a tow truck and upon looking at his children for the first time decides to give being a family ago.

Who doesn’t love a happy ending?

Gravy:

Regina that’s who, of happy endings she is not a fan. Except maybe her own, but even that is not without its blonde haired loop holes.

In the Fairy Tale plain of existence, Ava and Nicholas’s fabled counterparts turned out to be none other than Hansel and Gretel. 

One fine day they are just hanging out in the enchanted forest (they don’t call it that but it totally is) with their dad, the Woodcutter when said father suddenly vanishes and they are confronted by the evil Queen who is wearing the most spectacular outfit an evil Queen could possibly travel in.

It seems that the evil Queen needs a set of little children to go into a candy house, not touch anything and bring her back a satchel with an unknown trinket inside, all while avoiding an evil blind witch. Piece of cake, right?

Turns out, it’s not as easy as you may think. I know!Though it might have been easier if Hansel had followed Gretel‘s lead, to not eat anything in the forbidden gingerbread house. Didn’t he learn anything from Aladdin; you don’t touch anything in the Cave of Wonders.

In truth I am kind of glad he did, because it leads to an excellent piece of guest star selection.

It’s Emma Caulfield, aka Anya from Buffy the Vampire Slayer as the blind witch. Yes! I approve. Well done people who cast OUAT.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of my all-time favourite Television shows and to see any of its alumni again causes me to want and do the snoopy dance.

Unfortunately as happens with most villains, the heroes prevail and she gets trapped in an oven and set on fire by the evil Queen with a fire ball sent through a magic mirror.

Farewell Anya, it was nice knowing you. Hopefully you will show up somewhere in Storybrooke if you’re not entirely dead. You’ll like it. From my knowledge, nowhere near a hell mouth.

The Queen, whose prize was far more valuable than the children she continually sent into the witch’s lair, finally gets the weapon she’ll use against her powerful enemy. An apple. See what they did there?

Is it kind of hilarious that the whole quest at this point turned into a public service announcement for healthy eating?

Eat the cookie house get eaten by an evil witch. Find an apple an evil Queen will offer you presents.

The Queen who was impressed by the children’s success offers up everything a little kid could probably dream of and more, but the bond of family is stronger.

Regina who as always takes rejection like a pro sends the children off to the enchanted forest to follow the compass their father gave them, the one that would always point in the direction of their family, to search for the man they think abandoned them forever? I hope they had the foresight to pack a lot of extra breadcrumbs.

I know he didn’t abandon him, you know he didn’t abandon them, but Regina does. Ending up, trying to keep the family away from each other in both worlds. That is what makes her evil.

Plus you know all the other stuff she’s done.

One thing so you know what makes you beautiful:

-          -Emma and Mary Margaret have some very nice mother and daughter moments this episode. Particularly with Emma finally revealing who Henry thinks his grandma really is and Mary Margaret having a moment of possible recollection over Emma’s baby blanket.

-         - On her hunt for Ava and Nicolas’s father Emma had Mr Gold trace the origin of the siblings compass and who would have thought, Mr Gold knew exactly which card the dad’s name was on. The catch. The card was blank- what does this mean? I have a theory, but it could be bunnies?

-        -  Emma spun Henry a nice little tale about his birth dad didn’t she? Very neat, very tidy, very inspiring and I dare say just a little bit fairy tale.

-         - As the episode came to a close and Emma and Henry shared a moment, the sounds of a motorcycle hummed through the town of Storybrooke as a stranger drove into town. But outsiders don’t come into Storybrooke. I guess they do now.

Now bringing hot guys on motorcycles will not appease the sadness I still feel over the loss of Graham but if this is how you want to play it so be.

Ok, that’s it for “True North” until next episode which was written by another Buffy graduate, the very talented Jane Espenson, who brought us such as episodes as when band candy caused Buffy’s mum and Giles to behave like teenagers and  the time Buffy fought a robot, so I’m excited