OUAT 3.4 - "Nasty Habits"

Mhmmm

Spoilers

Was it just me or was this episode a bit of a letdown? It seemed to just recover territory we've been over before... more than once. The actor who plays young Bae is quickly growing too old to pass as younger than the Bae who went through the portal, so hopefully this is the last time he'll appear in the Enchanted Forest (although I'm sure we'll get more Neverland Bae - hope so, at least!).

We know all about his relationship with his father, and this episode doesn't really give us anything new, other than *surprise* Peter Pan's history with Rumple and Bae goes back further than we guessed. And he's also the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Well. Actually that bit was the best part of the episode. It set up a nice backstory for Peter, and gave us a clue as to what is wrong with the magic of Neverland.

The other highlight of the episode was - briefly - seeing Neal and Rumple working together. It's nice seeing how competent Neal really is and definitely wonderful to see how determined he is to be a good father.

As much as I like Belle, her vision scenes are another redundancy. We've seen these conversations before. I know they're trying to keep her in the show because she's such a fan favorite character, but fans are going to get bored fast with her saying a variation on the same lines every time we see her onscreen.

Hook is growing on me, and I'm looking forwards to getting more about his backstory next week. Not so excited to see Henry falling under Pan's spell... the last scene was incredibly creepy.

Like many other fans, I don't believe "undoing" necessarily means "death" and really was hoping that Neal would point this out. There's also plenty of ways that someone other than Henry could be "the boy" in question. It could very well also be Peter.

Not nearly enough Emma in this episode. *sigh* her one decent scene was great though. Same goes for Regina. She only got about two lines, but they were real zingers.

Flowers, Words and the Internet

I'm feeling a little less stressed about wedding stuff today. My mom and I visited a florist on Thursday and contrary to our expectations, she gave us very reasonable pricing. Which is a huge relief because if the quote had been any higher we would have had to go the route of buying flowers in bulk and making our own arrangements, which would have been doable but added a lot of stress to the wedding week. And we're all about keeping stress down, because of how much it impacts my health.

I also think I have the centerpieces figured out! They will be some work, but I can start them any time and they'll be very elegant and economical. What are they? You'll have to wait for the wedding pictures to see... (I promise I'll share some).

We're also in the process of figuring out our photographer and cupcake maker. Hopefully none of that gets too complicated...!!!

Meanwhile today, being Friday, is another writing day for me. "The Mermaid and the Unicorn" is currently at just under 35,000 words... lets see how many I can write today! I had a bit of a drive from my doctor's over to the coffee shop where my writing trio is meeting this week and had plenty of time to think about different characters in this book. My main girl is one of those people who is an extremely good person - so writing her to fit this image but still be realistic, relateable and interesting is a challenge... but a really good challenge that is growing me as a writer.

I'm so thankful for the internet. Being able to look things up on the internet like the average temperature of Paris in February, or a map of the Louvre is invaluable. Okay, to get a map of the Louvre in English I had to turn to my sister who was there two years ago, but otherwise the internet is quite helpful. I've also found "Stuff Parisians Like" to be a good (but very tongue in cheek!) peek into what contemporary Parisian life is like and what cultural expectations might be different from American ones, or even the rest of France.

I've been pinning some (spoiler free) inspirational images and helpful links over at my M&U Pinterest Board. If you're curious to see what this book holds besides mermaids, nuns and a unicorn, you might want to check it out!

OUAT 3.3 - "Quite a Common Fairy"

Hi. Let's talk Tinker Bell. Or rather, the fairy called Tinker Bell that appeared in this episode, but didn't have a whole lot other than looks in common with Disney's iconic pixie.

Spoilers Ahoy.

Don't misunderstand me, I really liked this episode (which I'll discuss at further length below). I'm just continuing to be annoyed by the show's decision to portray every single Neverland resident completely opposite to their canon selves. Pan is evil, Hook is selfish but sexy and working with the good guys, Tinker Bell is non-sassy looking for the best and genuinely wanting to help bring true love...

It's like we went through a looking glass to a reverse world. All I can say is, they had better have a really good explanation for why our world has such a different concept of what these characters are like, otherwise I'm going to remain extremely ticked. (I'll still be slightly annoyed, but at least it'll make sense, rather than just seeming like willy-nilly writing, since all of the Enchanted Forest characters are reasonably close in personality to the characters we've all grown up with).

But what are the good points of this episode? Some really wonderful Regina stuff. Her backstory never fails to bring some new riches, and in addition to seeing once again my favorite of her dresses, we also got to see her make another move towards redemption. She acknowledged that she made the wrong choice so many years ago, and her words of wisdom to Tink seem less like manipulation and more like truth than we've heard from Regina in a long time.

We also know that there is a true love waiting for her, if they ever end up in the same world again... who would have guessed it was Robin Hood? (well other than seeing his familiar haircut in the tavern and knowing right away). Unusual, but full of potential!

And can we gush over how adorable Roland was? I love that they're giving Robin a chance to be a father (although alas, Marian!!!), and I have a lot of hope for future adventures with his Merry Men and Mulan! Even though it's at the cost of Mulan's heart breaking. Hopefully at some point we'll get to see Aurora and Phillip return with their baby in tow.

Right now, however, I am most interested in seeing the reunion between Emma, Neal and Henry, plus of course more Rumplestiltskin scenes, and a look at what is going on back in Storybrooke!

Keeping up, Numbers, and DISHES

Life just doesn't get any less busy.

I seriously meant to keep up with blogging about all of the shows this year - and I still will do a lot of reviews, but I just have to accept with so much good TV around, I may not be able to write about every single episode of every show I love.

I have been putting a lot more time into my business, with my new desk and commission process making it a lot easier to stay on top of things. I also have a new assistant that I've been training in.

Then there has been writing happening - I've been trying to get about 2000 words a week, and it is working so far. Got to get "The Mermaid and the Unicorn" into your hands ASAP!

I love our dishes! So does Nathan!

And of course there's also the wedding. I've been getting back RSVP cards which has been really fun... I keep track of everything in a spreadsheet which has made life a lot easier. We even got something more momentous this week... our first wedding gifts! Plates and bowls (Pier 1 Imports) that we had a lot of fun unwrapping. We both are really happy with the pattern we picked. Italian country is my favorite kitchen/dining room design, and I feel that these plates really fall into that aesthetic.

We're also hunting down a photographer, and this week my mother and I meet with the florist. Then I'm trying to find the right shade of guava lace to add to the bridesmaid dresses... fun and intense all at once.

94 days seems so long when I think of how badly I just want to be married. But it seems pretty short when I consider how much there is still to do to prepare for the wedding!!!

Agents of SHIELD - 1.3

Well, it got better.

Actually, it got a lot better. Most of my concerns from last were answered. Though the show still has some work to do, it drastically improved on all counts - character, plot, dialogue, humor, and Marvel-tie in.

Spoilers to follow.

I found Skye intriguing this time around. I actually liked Ward. Fitz and Simmons made me laugh. The opening sequence was pretty epic. The moral question was - well, a moral question that we can all consider even in a non-superhuman world. And Dr. Franklin Hall had the type of origin story I like best - conscientious person tries to do something great that turns disastrous... and although I had to learn this later on tumblr, Graviton is a comic canon villain, so we are finally getting some more solid tie-ins with the familiar Marvel Universe.

And Malta. I love Malta! They went to Malta!

"It used to be muscle memory." I'm pretty sure Coulson is a robot now. I liked that theory back when the fans were throwing it around as a way Coulson could be saved, and I love it now that the show seems to be backing up. Of course it could be a big switcheroo, but either way it should be interesting.

And who is Skye really working for? This episode had solid evidence for both sides...

Juggling

I sometimes feel like I'm not getting enough done. Not sewing enough. Not writing fast enough. Not doing enough blog posts. Not spending enough time with friends. Not getting the photographer for the wedding and the centerpieces and the programs and the music and -

And then I stop and think - wow, I've got a lot of balls up in the air. And you know what? I'm keeping them afloat. Maybe not as high and fast as I'd like, but I'd rather have all the balls than give one up. And being able to juggle even one ball successfully was a major feat for me two years ago. To be able to manage a business, a book, a family, a fiance and a wedding now and not go insane and not be sick all the time is the most insane blessing and testament of God's blessings.

I'm able to do more of the sewing for my business now and not delegate so much. I just got "The Mermaid and the Unicorn" up to 100 pages/31,000 words. The invitations are out, and the appointment with the florist is on the calendar. I may not get to see as many of my friends as often as I'd like, but I try. Right now I'm prioritizing family and fiance, knowing that it will be easier to have time for friends after Nathan and I are not living 30 minutes apart and sacrificing all that driving time just to be able to see each other. (I'm not complaining, just explaining).

So I tell myself not to stress. God has never let me fall without catching me. Everything I've been through has built me into who I am and every trial that comes will be further refining fire.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

I'm going to be honest with you. I'm not sold on this show yet. So if you absolutely adored it... you may want to skip this blog post altogether. Maybe check back next week and see if I've given it a higher rating yet...

I mean if it wasn't for Coulson I don't even know if I'd keep watching. but Coulson is so wonderfully wonderful - he's just awesome. I have to get my Coulson fix.

The other characters? They're... far more meh than anything I've come to expect from the mind of Whedon, which makes me wonder just how much he's really involved with this show. Fitz and Simmons are one dimensional squabbling comedy right now, Agent Ward is stiff and boring, Skye is cocky and annoying, and Agent May... okay Agent May is pretty cool. Not Coulson cool but close. I want to know more about her.

And that's what's sad. We're two episodes in and we know almost nothing about anyone. When you consider how much we knew about everyone in the first episode of Firefly - or even by episode two of Dollhouse... it's sad. Last night's episode was so action heavy, they didn't leave time for character. It wasn't just not Whedon quality, it wasn't even well-written/plotted/characterized television.

But no one is talking about this because they're in love with the cameo at the end. And it was an awesome cameo.

SPOILERS LURK BELOW

I mean. Nick Fury saves everything. His 45 second appearance may be all that gets the show good ratings next week, because if it wasn't there, I think a lot of viewers would not be intrigued enough to continue on. The only interesting things at this point are "what REALLY happened to Coulson", and "What is Agent' May's backstory." Skye's apparent infiltration motive would be more interesting if we actually loved or hated her at this point... and while some people do, she's honestly not that well developed at all. And she should be. For a show of this profile with everything it has behind it... it's sad. And this week's mysterious object was a not-even-glorified MacGuffin. For a show whose selling point is their connection to the Marvel Universe, they're going to have to actually do something awesome with the sci-fi stuff (and NOT just more cool gadgets) if they can't get the characters up to par, or this show is going to be dead in the water.

"Once Upon a Time" (for comparison) may not have had a perfect first season, but they had an intriguing plot and I, at least, cared about every character shown on screen in the first episode and continued to do so (except for when Snow and Charming just got stupid but whatever). 

I'm not giving up. I said I'd give it six episodes before passing judgement and I'll keep watching. But this was a pretty disappointing episode apart from the ALL HAIL THE GLORIOUS CAMEO. Hopefully next week will be less action intense and more plot and character heavy and make me care about somebody besides Coulson and May.