NEW OTP – Henry and Jacinda/Cinderella aka GlassBeliever.

New favorite character – I utterly love Cinderella/Jacinda.

She is so badass. Like in present day she stood up to her jerk boss. She was so close to crying and giving in but she stayed true to herself and that took tremendous strength. What showed even more strength was when she swallowed her pride and went back at the end. She did it because it was the right thing to do for her daughter, because family is more important. Honestly I couldn’t love her anymore than I do.

Henry and Jacinda have so much chemistry! He was totally disarmed and dumbstruck. I know that’s party because ‘oooh pretty girl’ but I think it’s also that he’s come to expect certain things. There are storylines and they follow certain paths and Jacinda defies expectations. She is totally her own person and to borrow from Belle – nobody chooses her fate. So like his grandfather before him, he just can’t help but fall in love with this amazing woman.

I liked Regina/Roni playing matchmaker by giving the ‘two kids’ a drink and it was funny at the irony of Henry saying to Regina “imagine if I walked in and said I was your son” because duh 🙂

Anyway to go back to Jacinda and Henry. They continue the fine tradition of true love couples. Like Henry’s parents there was some grand theft auto as Emma stole Neal’s ‘stolen car’. Like Henry’s grandparents there was hitting over the head and racing off as Snow hit David with a rock and stole his horse.

Henry and Jacinda just fit together. When they meet Henry is full of hope and speaks against revenge (from experience with his family he knows it never ends well) and it’s a good twist to the ‘classic tale’. Like I said it defies expectations. Henry also didn’t hesitate to throw himself into battle. David fought against the black knights to save Snow even though she’d just robbed him. Jumping in waving a sword in defense of his true love – even though they only just met – is a fine tradition of true love.

Also, he didn’t hesitate to stay and lose that chance to go home, again continuing in the fine tradition of “I will always find you” when it comes to true love. David and Snow, Rumple and Belle, Emma and Neal always found one another. I just love it!

I love that Henry named the operation – Operation Glass Slipper – as that’s such a Henry thing to do. I love that they have a flower which belongs to them. Henry went to take some to where he thought the graves were *sniff* and when hope came to Hyperion Heights the same flower bloomed in the garden by the wishing well – where what was lost will be returned.

I really, really love that Henry had the swan keychain that Neal gave Emma. That has jumped realms before and as Belle said that’s because it’s tied to true love – it’s a talisman. So Henry has something of his parents with him.

I also thought it was cool that over one of the typewriters in Henry’s room there was an elephant – as elephants ‘never forget’ which is like a joke about the curse taking his memories.

David admitted his cursed-self was weak and hurt his true love. Just like Henry hurt Jacinda by caving to her step-mother. Nice to see Henry is still a terrible liar, he never was good at that heh.

Ok other random observations? They cut bits from Regina and Henry’s interaction at the start that we saw in the preview. I guess they needed to make it shorter for time purposes. I’m still surprised Regina didn’t say something sappy like ‘you are unique’ about why Henry is the only him. Alternatively he’s the author and there’s to be no self-inserts here haha.

There were lots of callbacks like Regina/Roni saying “juice bar” which always makes me smile as I remember her quip about a “monthly juice cleanse” being what keeps her young. Victoria Belfrey said to Henry about “that hole you are trying to fill” which sort of ties back to all the “hole in your heart” stuff there was.

I liked that Alice went to tell Rumple/Weaver about there being a new guy in town. He is always the first to know and seeing him waterboarding a guy was pretty much in character. He’s always been an ‘ends justifies the means’ type of guy and I like that morally grey stance to him. It goes with my opinion that villains make the best heroes because they will do whatever it takes, they will get it done because there’s no line they won’t cross.

More parallels like Emma had a drink and then wound up at the police station so she couldn’t leave. The same thing happened to Henry only rather than an accident his car disappeared on him. Jacinda and Lucy try to leave and the car fails – couldn’t cross the town line in Storybrooke either.

Anyway, what else? Victoria Belfrey’s accent amuses me. I saw the actress in Burn Notice so it kinda throws me as she sounds so different. I liked her stance on magic – “Magic isn’t power because magic can be taken but fear lasts forever” – as it’s very different from the tactic previous villains have taken where it’s all been about getting the baddest spells or a powerful wand etc.

I also liked the suggestion that Rumple is looking out for Henry – Rumplestiltskin knows everyone – but Alice is shifty. I don’t trust her. While I believe it’s in character for Rumple to look out for Henry and also for him to be cryptic – “When it’s not your story bad things happen” – I just can’t help but shake the feeling that Alice has her own agenda and that maybe Rumple wasn’t involved at all.

Oh and I really liked Regina/Roni’s voiceover, where she drew a line in the sand. Go Regina!

Awesome quotes….

“When someone needs help I help them.” – Henry

“I had a wife and kid that I love more than anything and they died in a fire.” – Henry

“No story is perfect it just needs to start.” – Lucy

“The first step to a new beginning is imagining one is even possible” – Regina

“Regret is not really my thing.” – Regina