Once Upon a Time: The Eighth Witch (7x10)

This may be my favorite episode of the season, and it a weird way that's pissing me off - we got so many things in this installment that I wanted more of! Let's get started.

Cons:

So, the flashback scenes take us up to the moment that the curse was cast, bringing us full circle. We start with Lucy's birth, and then we see that on her eighth birthday is when all this crap went down. I loved all of these scenes, but there's a problem - why did we not get to see more of this? The last time we spent time with Ella and Henry in the magical land, they were just getting started on their romance. Now they're settled into their lives and they have a kid? There are some touching moments between Hook and various other characters, we see Rumple helping people out in unexpected ways, Zelena shows up with an adult daughter Robin, Jack is there for some reason, and all of these things are so fascinating and fun... but it feels like I missed a chapter. I wanted to see more of all of these characters! I want to know what their lives are like in this land. Do they have a house? Are they still part of a rebellion to take down Lady Tremaine? I don't know! It's like someone hit fast-forward!

The fact that Mother Gothel was double-timing Drizella is excellent, of course. I did have one complaint, though - Anastasia is awake, and there's a moment where she reacts in horror that Drizella is working with Gothel, only to end up being part of Gothel's plan herself. I'm confused - does Anastasia even know who Gothel is? Why? When would they have met?

Pros:

Okay okay okay let's start with the big exciting thing - guess who's in love? Alice and Robin! We even get a big, dramatic kiss between the ladies! It's adorable, and so strangely unexpected, to have Zelena and Robin's daughter end up with Wish!Hook's daughter. And I'm not saying this relationship has officially solved homophobia or anything, but I love the fact that a TV show on ABC, a Disney-owned company, and one that uses a lot of Disney imagery and licensed characters, is putting in a queer relationship. And unlike with Red and Dorothy, which was also great, this one seems like it has staying power - there's a conflict that needs to be solved, because they've been separated by the curse, so hopefully we get to see a reunion in our future.

Rumple being all scaly and crocodile-looking, but then actually being helpful and on the side of the heroes, was really fun. He gives Hook a white elephant figurine that will tether him to Alice when the curse is cast - that way, even though they will lose their memories, their new personas will still be father and daughter. However, later in the episode, Ella laments what she's going to do when the curse is cast - Lucy is just a kid. How can she care for her if she can't even remember her? Hook, whose own daughter is at the very least a grown woman, gives the white elephant to Ella. I loved this moment, but it was actually one of the ones that made me angry at the pacing of this season as a whole. What sort of relationship does Hook have with Ella and Henry? Are they close friends? Why has Hook stuck around with them all this time, now that he's found his daughter? I want that story to be told!

Also, this episode has the return of Zelena! I was really pleased to see her. She's a character that I didn't necessarily think I would miss, but when I saw her I got a big smile on my face. Her cursed persona is a hippie who teaches a spin class, and it's so funny to see Zelena lean in to this complacent, somewhat unpleasant life. She's always wanted to belong, and she feels like she does. However, she agrees to help Regina save the day, and heads back to Hyperion Heights with her. Regina and Zelena are such a surprisingly effective pair. I can't think of many other television shows with such a nuanced, well-explored relationship between sisters.

Last week, we saw Lucy fall into a deep sleep. There's a very emotional scene where Henry reads to Lucy out of his book, and gets to the part where Emma wakes Henry up with True Love's Kiss. He tells Lucy that he believes her, that he's her father in some other world - he wants to rescue her so badly that he'd do anything, including believe. He kisses her forehead, but it doesn't work. The trick is, Lucy has lost her belief, so it doesn't work. I want to complain about this just a little bit, because of course I think the explanation for Lucy losing her belief is a little flimsy. But setting that aside, I'm really pleased with the scene in the hospital. I'm not sure how well-developed Lucy is as a character, but Henry was never that well-developed in the earlier seasons of this show, either. The point is what Lucy, as a character, symbolizes for everybody else. It was nice that the obvious answer didn't work. True Love's Kiss has failed.

The most heartbreaking scene is the actual enacting of the curse, during the flashback. Drizella has poisoned Henry so that he will die unless he's taken to a land without magic. The curse must be cast by someone who has crushed the heart of the thing she loves most, so that means Regina has to enact the curse herself. If she doesn't, Henry dies. Great acting from everybody in this moment. For Regina to be forced to do such dark magic is really hard to watch, and Henry looked so weak and sad as he lay there dying. It really felt like the Henry that I've watched over these last seven seasons, and I really, really, don't want to see him die.

This episode also introduces what I assume will be the central conflict for the rest of the season - a coven of eight witches who want to take over everything. Mother Gothel is the mastermind here. I like this idea, as Once Upon a Time has always had great success with its fun and creative female characters. I can't wait to see how Drizella, Anastasia, and Rapunzel/Belfrey all fit in to the evil plans moving forward.

One final note: Regina and Zelena realize, to their horror, that Lucy will die if they don't do something to stop it. How can they help? Well, with magic, of course. But that means breaking the curse, and if they do that, Henry will die. It looks like Regina will have to make a choice between saving Lucy and saving Henry. That is heartbreaking and terrible and I'm actually super pumped to see how that shakes out. I guess I'll have to wait until March to learn what happens next!

9.5/10