Loved it? Hated it? What did you think of Rocky Road?

[superhippie2000]

What did you think?

[Aries83]

I gave it an 8.

After watching White Out, I figured the Snow Queen had to be a relative of Elsa's, I just didn't know whose sister she would be (the father or the mother's). So, no surprise there, although I think Elizabeth Mitchell is doing a great job so far.

The only storyline I didn't like was Mary Margaret's. Once again, she's stuck with a cooing baby and it's just not interesting.

I'm really curious about where they're going with the Snow Queen's storyline. When she saw Emma, she clearly recognized her, plus Emma's comment that she was already in this world before Elsa was brought there.

It's anybody's guess how her and Emma's paths crossed. I don't have any ideas.

Also, I thought the mention of Frederick (and Emma's cluelessness as to who he was) was funny. The continuity would be right, because (as far as I remember), she never crossed paths with him (only Kathryn).

[DigificWriter]

My review (cross-posted):
I missed the very beginning of the episode, so I didn't get to see the context of Marian, Robin, and Roland visiting the Any Given Sundae shop (which is a really cool name, if I do say so myself), but Elizabeth Mitchell's Snow Queen was being way too nice to be on the level, something that was confirmed when she did some hocus-pocus to Marian's ice cream cone. I do wish we'd gotten an explanation as to why Marian specifically became the SQ's target beyond "she was almost a victim of Elsa's snow monster", but that's neither here nor there.

I don't know about anyone else, but I like this whole "Momma Mayor" story they're pursuing with Snow. It's an interesting new dynamic for the character, and one that lets Ginnifer Goodwin be part of the show while she juggles real-life motherhood.

I love Regina and Henry's dynamic, particularly now that Regina's actively trying to overcome her sociopathic tendencies, and the whole "Operation Mongoose" thing was a nice subtle nod to the tension that's cropped up between her and Emma (as was pointed out by somebody on TVLine.Com).

I'm also digging the way the writers are playing out this whole Regina/Robin storyline, and really don't see the 'ick' factor in it that some people do. I'm also intrigued to see what's going to happen once the Snow Queen's spell is broken and Regina returns Marian's heart to her body.

The writers are starting to break through the walls of resistance I have to the whole Emma/Hook relationship, and I'm actually interested for the first time in where it's going to go. I liked that Emma admitted to Hook that she's been avoiding him out of fear, because it's a nice way to call back her history with men and tie back in with her fear of abandonment.

I wasn't expecting the writers to create a familial connection between Elsa and Elizabeth Mitchell's Snow Queen, although I'm not 100% convinced that she was telling Elsa the truth (primarily because of comments Adam and Eddy made where they were adamant that they weren't going to create a familial relationship between the sisters and anyone in Storybrooke), and I also wasn't expecting her to have been trapped in that Urn before Elsa was. I do want to know exactly what her connections to both Rumple and Emma are, but my guess on the Emma front right now is that the way in which she knows who Emma is has something to do with Emma being the Savior and with her (Emma's) post-adoption backstory (since we know we're going to be seeing more of said backstory this season).

As someone who really enjoyed Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, I've been eagerly awaiting Will Scarlett's arrival, but do wish we didn't have to keep waiting to find out why he's back and what happened between him and Anastasia. I really liked his interactions with Emma and Charming, and I love that he stole the till from the Any Given Sundae shop.

I liked the interactions between Hook and Elsa; yes, Elsa barely knows both Emma and Hook, but I found it very believable that she'd pick up on the romantic tension between the two characters, particularly since she sees a kindred spirit in Emma.

Elsa and Kristoff have a very interesting - and fun - relationship; there's clearly still some tension there, but I liked that she called him her friend. I do kind of wish she would've tried to put up more of a fight against Hans after he put a sword to Kristoff's neck, but can understand why she was being reticent and ended up doing what he wanted in handing over the Urn.

I was kind of hoping we'd see more of Hans and his brothers, but did like that the writers literally put him on ice because it made for a nice way to demonstrate the Snow Queen's powers and how they differ from Elsa's in strength.

The Once writers continue to keep knocking things out of the park week after week, and I'm really intrigued as to what's going to happen next.

9 out of 10 snowflakes.
__________________

[Aries83]

I do want to know exactly what her connections to both Rumple and Emma are, but my guess on the Emma front right now is that the way in which she knows who Emma is has something to do with Emma being the Savior and with her (Emma's) post-adoption backstory (since we know we're going to be seeing more of said backstory this season).

The thought she might know Emma from foster care crossed my mind last week, but then I thought that was a little reaching, but: Maybe that's right. She did make the comment that the Snow Queen was already in our world before Elsa was brought to Storybrooke in ours, so I think it's possible that the Snow Queen made a deal with Rumple to escape the original Curse if it meant being put in Emma's vicinity in our world after it hit.

Otherwise, the only timeline in which the two meeting would make sense would've been during her and Henry's time in NYC during the mindwipe, but that can't be it either: Emma remembered being with Walsh during that time, so if she had met the Snow Queen, she wouldn't have been clueless when they met in the forest in this episode.

So, my theory is that: She was Emma's social worker during her time in foster care. Or, she was one of her foster mothers.

[DigificWriter]

^ Personally, I think ADOPTIVE MOTHER is more likely than foster mother (especially after some comments Elizabeth Mitchell just made, cryptic though they were), but we'll see.

[Aries83]

^^^ That could be right. They've shown that Emma yearned to be adopted in past episodes.

[DigificWriter]

They've shown that Emma yearned to be adopted in past episodes.

It's more accurate to say that they've shown that Emma yearned to be adopted * AGAIN * in past episodes.

She'd had an adoptive family (that's how she got her last name of Swan), but they gave her back when she was 3.

[Aries83]

It's more accurate to say that they've shown that Emma yearned to be adopted * AGAIN * in past episodes.

She'd had an adoptive family (that's how she got her last name of Swan), but they gave her back when she was 3.

Yes, I remember, but: I don't think a 3 year old is going to remember their first adoption.

I was merely stating that, in the past, they've shown her disappointment at not being adopted and still waiting for a home (I think it was in Episode 21 of last season).

[DigificWriter]

I don't think a 3 year old is going to remember their first adoption.

I disagree. Emma would've been old enough when her adoptive family gave her back to remember them and to have developed a deep-set connection to them.

The fact that she had a family who gave her away is one of the primary reasons she has the abandonment issues that she does, and is also a big reason why she looked so sad and forlorn in that flashback scene we saw at the end of last season.

[Resistance84]

Enjoyed it, of course, and am intrigued by the Emma/SQ connection.

Is the SQ a villainess, though? Or is she just reacting to how others ostracize people who are different?

[DigificWriter]

A clarification about my above statements: re Emma's adoption: I said above that her adoptive family nullified the adoption when she was 3, but I'd somehow gotten things mixed up in my head because they ADOPTED her when she was 3 and then later gave her away when they had a child of their own.

As an aside, it's a minor miracle that Emma's not more messed up than she is given those circumstances (I've seen what can happen IRL to somebody who experiences what Emma experienced).

[spotteddog]

I really enjoyed "Rocky Road". Lots of new revelations, and some real surprises. I never expected that Marian would be "saved from death" in that way. And I was happy to see a "glimmer of hope" for Regina with regard to her relationship w/Robin. Next week looks very cool as well.

I don't think the Snow Queen is a villainess, at least in her own mind. Clearly SQ has had terrible experiences with "normal people" in her past, and she now would just as soon destroy all the "normals".

[Lois_Lane_Fan]

So, Robin’s feelings for Regina are greater than his feelings for Marian? Maybe this means that Regina will finally get her happy ending with Robin at some point. I don’t see him staying in a loveless marriage as a good thing for either him or Marian, so I do hope that he and Marian end things if/when she’s saved.

Speaking of Robin Hood/Marian, given that they seem to be playing a big role in this season, I do hope that we get to see some more flashbacks centered on the two of them at some point. I’d really like to see what the "Once Upon a Time" writers do with the legend of Robin Hood, and that story has been largely unexplored thus far on the show.

I wonder when Belle will discover Rumplestiltskin’s lie to her. I love the two of them as a couple, but I have a feeling that there are problems ahead for them.

Hook and Emma as a couple wasn’t a pairing that I initially liked that much, but I’m beginning to warm up to the pirate. I look forward to more development on that front.