There is a lot to like in this episode, and a lot to be annoyed by. So...2a in a nutshell, more or less, from what I remember.
Emma shooting the gun in Ogre territory is such an amazing bit of plot needed stupidity. I mean, Emma was just told, like, an hours ago, that Ogres track by sound, so she...pointlessly shoots her gun in the air to stop a situation that had already been resolved? I like Emma being in the magical world and being out of her element, but there being out of your element, and theres being stupid. They could have easily had her firing her gun for an actual reason to get them to the Ogre right, without having to make her look like such a dumbass.
On the other hand, I really love watching Emma and Snow bonding, and Emma seeing that not only is her mom a total badass, but her parents really did love and want her, and were trying to do right by her the whole time. The scene in the nursery is really a series favorite for me, it just hits you right in the gut that this family was town apart, and now they've lost out on all these milestones and moments, all because of this petty curse
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Of course, that gets messed up later, buts a whole different clusterfuck. And Regina, of course, never bothers to apologize for taking Emma from her family, depriving her of her parents for 28 years, and Snow and Charming never got to raise her the way they so wanted to.
I also like the stuff with Mulan and Aurora more than I think I did the first time around. Maybe because they grew on me a lot as the show went on, but I have a lot more sympathy for Aurora now, and she and Mulan are a fun addition to Snow and Emma's princess quest. This is the stuff this show needs to have more of, characters from different stories all coming together to have adventures, sometimes clashing, sometimes working together. And I do like a lot of Emma being stuck in the EF. Like Emma being all "fee fi fo fum" and Snow is just "thats giants, not ogres" all nonchalant, while Emma is just in full on "seriously?!" all the time.
I like the guy who played Lancelot quite a bit. He had a real dignity about him, and the hints about Camelot showed a lot of promise.
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Mush of which didnt really happen when we actually got to Camelot later. Also, interesting, Lancelot prays in thanks to God when he finds the water, which sounds right for someone from Camelot, but when we got there, with the exception of that never explained Holy Grail, they never mentioned God or Judaeo Christian mythology once. Because I guess that might have given Camelot some flavor and been true to the course, and we cant have that! I guess they were too far into All Hail Regina and Retcons everywhere to remember what they already seemed to be setting up. Also nice to remember that Cora coldly murdered Lancelot, and she got to go off to heaven after she made peace with her daughters, without any real remorse from her other evil acts. Because the afterlife/cosmology in the Once verse is seriously messed up.
Wow, they actually made me feel bad for Regina for a second when Henry stood her up! Even with Regina being...Regina, I did feel bad for her when she was all excited to meet up with Henry, and he was just manipulating her. Guess he takes after his adopted grandma/mom a bit here and there. I do like him and Charming bonding in this episode, and him getting Jefferson to reunite with Grace. That was a nice little subplot, and its great to see a supporting character actually get some closure. Well, as much as anyone other than A&Es favorites get.
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