Once Upon a Time: Sisterhood (7x15)

So... goodbye Ivy and Anastasia I guess?

Cons:

I wonder if the actress had a conflict or something. All I know was that Drizella's exit this week felt very strange and rushed. Especially given the mess she left behind for everybody else. Regina was still pissed off, but she let Ivy go without argument. So the sisters could be together or whatever. But Drizella cast the curse! Drizella poisoned Henry! And now she's leaving them to clean up after that mess without her. Seems unfair. Also, I didn't really get how Anastasia could forgive Drizella for her actions in this episode. She goes from wanting to make amends, to wanting to give her over to Facilier, back to wanting to make amends, and it was just a little bit confusing as to why anybody should believe a word Drizella says. I guess maybe I'm just bummed because of missed opportunities. I wanted to see Ivy with Jacinda at least once more. Or another scene with Henry? She was a cool character, and this felt like a less-than-seamless way for her to depart the show.

Okay. So. Nick, AKA Jack, is the one killing the witches? I guess I'm glad to finally know the truth about this, but the buildup does NOT work. We saw in one tiny, brief scene that Henry and Jack were friends in the wish realm, but there was not nearly enough development to make this twist effective. Was I supposed to feel betrayed or shocked? Especially given the fact that Nick hasn't been around at all. He was just brought in for this episode so we could all be reminded of who the heck he is, so that the betrayal could hit harder. Boooooring.

Pros:

I think I may be coming around to this whole Facilier idea. He and Regina are kind of... charming. And I like the idea that Facilier continues to manipulate everybody, but his motivations might actually be kind of sweet. He wants to give magic to Regina so she can save Henry. He wants to reunite sisters. Do I believe him 100%? Well... no. But I do believe that he cares for Regina, which is something!

As I mentioned, Nick kind of bothered me in this episode because he was so clearly there just so we could be surprised by the "twist" in the end. But I did sort of like the bro scenes with Henry, Rogers, and Nick. It's so cute that "Nook" and Henry were really close in the other world. There are so many friendships and relationships I'm excited to see once everybody is awake. I like the idea that Henry has not one, but two different Hooks in his life who have his back!

And Jacinda and Henry are still pretty darn adorable. Their little game with tossing the token into the cup was the perfect kind of whimsical that I needed from them. And poor little Lucy trying to cheer Henry up by manipulating his friends into hanging out with him... that's pretty darn sweet.

I liked the backstory with Gretel and Drizella, and was so bummed out by the way it ended up. I thought the two actresses had great chemistry, and their final fight was just the right mix of tragic and tense.

I think that's all for this one. Sorry it's short! Bottom line is, I'm not thrilled with Drizella's exit, but there were enough good moments in this episode to balance everything out.

7.5/10