Once Upon a Time REACTION - S03E05 - Good Form

I love. love, love this episode so much!!! Like I said in my comments for the last episode, Good Form is one of my absolute favorite episodes from season three, and easily among my favorites throughout the entire series. I love how season two's episode, The Crocodile... showed us how Hook became Captain Hook upon Rumplestiltskin cutting off Killian's hand to punish him and in the attempt to steal the magic bean from him. And if that moment wasn't phenomenal enough... Good Form reveals to us how Killian Jones became a pirate to begin with as well. Absolutely fabulous and I loved every moment with Hook within this episode. :) But let's backtrack a little... My favorite storyline within this episode of course is Hook's, as he works to save David's life despite David's refusal to accept Hook's help. I also absolutely love Hook's backstory as we see how he comes to be a pirate. Any storyline centered around Hook of course is usually my favorite within any episode of course, if not always. But these storylines within Good Form really stand out to me because while we've already begun to see the good in Hook before, these storylines allow us to see a different side of him and to see that there's so much more to his character, than any movie or story about Captain Hook has ever allowed us to see before. And of course while I don't condone Hook's actions in becoming a pirate and a villain, I can absolutely see and understand why he's done all he has in his past since becoming a pirate. Now... Hook's present day storyline begins with him trying to share a moment with Emma, in hope of revealing a little more about himself with her so that she will hopefully begin to see him as more than just a pirate. I like this moment when Hook tries to share with her that he too knows how it feels to lose hope as Emma discovered Neal had back when he too lived in Neverland. Some people who watch this episode might see Hook in this moment as someone who is trying to get Emma to feel sorry for him. But I see it as a moment where Hook is trying to create a connection with Emma that they've never really had before. Hook wants her to see him as something other than just a pirate and a villain. He wishes for her to see the good in him... a man of honor, and the side of him that was long ago forgotten, even by himself. Unfortunately for Hook, David overhears their conversation before Emma pushes him away, as David is also harsh towards Hook as well when he warns him to stay away from Emma. Yes... David and Emma are both quite harsh towards Hook through most of this episode until the ending, and it's definitely uncalled for. But then again, to everyone Hook is still a villain and a pirate. Plus... they know his story from the books and movies. So of course no one trusts him and to be fair to them... Hook has to prove he's worthy of their trust and as far as they all know, until the ending, he really hasn't done so aside from offering them his ship and services to help them to save Henry. And David is also being an overprotective father too, and he sees Hook as a man unworthy of his daughter's affections. So while David's treatment of Hook throughout most of this major storyline is uncalled for, I can understand it to some degree as well. Now... I don't really understand why David continues to lie about him getting wounded and poisoned by the dreamshade. But I like how his fear to tell his wife and daughter the truth also leads to a great storyline between him and Hook, and such fun banter back and forth between them throughout the episode. And I really love their scenes together. I love it when David tells Hook to join him in search for more firewood, and I love how it leads to an argument where Hook is urging David to tell Emma and Mary Margaret the truth about him dying, as well as him offering David a chance to save him. It also leads to David trying to punch Hook as they get into an argument that results in David overexerting himself to the point of him passing out because of the poison. Then... when David wakes up, Hook has come up with a scheme to save David's life without him knowing the truth behind his deception about knowing where they can find a sextant that will help them to find a way out of Neverland. I love this and I love how Hook takes it upon himself to save David for Emma, and Mary Margaret too, because David is foolish and stubborn enough to believe he's being noble in sacrificing himself for the others. I love how this false quest leads Hook and David on Hook's true mission to save David from the dreamshade. I also love the first scene between Hook and Pan up on Dead Man's Peak. This is the first time we really get a moment that shows the rivalry between these two characters from their original story and the movies... Disney's Peter Pan, Hook with Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams, Peter Pan with Jeremy Sumpter, Pan with Hugh Jackman and Garrett Hedlund, etc... all that have stemmed from J.M. Barrie's, Peter Pan. And like you, I absolutely love the role reversal with Pan being a villain, while Hook is slowly becoming a hero... or at least as he's trying to be. This scene on the peak between Hook and Pan is brilliant, and I absolutely love the acting between both Colin O'Donoghue and Robbie Kay. They both play their roles phenomenally, in a way that no one else could accomplish for a show as phenomenal as Once Upon a Time. I love how Pan offers Hook a deal to try to bring him back to the side of him Pan believes is all Hook is. I love how Pan likes to taunt and play games with Hook to lure him over to his side, by offering him a way off the island along with Emma, tempting Hook by helping him to win Emma's heart. Thankfully, Hook refuses to accept any kind of deal from Pan upon seeing right through his lies and deceptions, although unfortunately for Hook, he also refuses to accept Pan's deal which David happened to overhear, and David once again continues to be cruel towards Hook. I love the moment between Hook and David once they finally reach the top of the peak where the dreamshade plants originate from, as David admits to having overheard Pan offer Hook a deal, believing that Hook had brought him there to kill him. And once again, David attempts to punch Hook after threatening to push him into the dreamshade, only giving Hook the opportunity to punch him out instead. However, knowing that David had very little time left, and that Emma would never see him as a man of honor if he allowed David to die, Hook risks his life and cuts his way through the dreamshade to reach the waters that will save David's life and heal him from the poison. And once he succeeds, Hook brings the waters back for David and warns him of the consequences that will come from David drinking from the magical spring. A warning that Pan never explained fully to Killian within the past storyline when Killian gave his brother Liam the waters to save his life as well. This brings me to the backstory... I love that this episode shows us how Hook first came to Neverland along with his brother, and how he meets Pan for the first time. I also love learning that Hook was once a Lieutenant (or Leftenant ) within the Royal Navy from his Kingdom, and that his brother Liam was a Captain. It's so different to see Hook shown to be someone who was once happy and living what appeared to be somewhat of a carefree life before he ever became a pirate, a villain, and Captain Hook. And again, we see a different side to his character, which I absolutely love. And then... we learn the reasons for Killian and Liam coming to Neverland, upon orders from their King to collect dreamshade for him under the lie that dreamshade has the power to heal and that they will be able to use it to save all sailors from the risk of death at sea, unbeknownst to them that dreamshade is really poison. I love seeing Killian's and Liam's first meeting with Pan, as Pan reveals the true nature of the dreamshade and taunts them by saying how ruthless their King must be. Sadly, Liam refuses to believe Pan could be right, but I love that Killian is wary of Pan's warning and that despite Liam's urging to trust in him, that Killian senses that Pan had spoken the truth. I love the moment between Killian and Liam, when Killian refuses to take the dreamshade for their King, saying that while he will fight against their enemies, he will fight them fairly without cruelly poisoning them to wipe out an entire race of people as the King wants from them. I love that Killian sees through their King's deceit and refuses to follow him any longer. However, Liam doesn't believe their King could possibly be so ruthless, so he foolishly chooses to prove to Killian that the dreamshade isn't poison, and sadly learns the hard way just how wrong he is, and that Pan was right all along. Unfortunately, Liam is near death and Killian must make a deal with Pan to save his life, without understanding the full consequences of doing so. Killian uses the waters from the spring to save Liam and then calls out to Pan to give the boy whatever it was Pan might want in exchange for his help in saving Liam. However, Pan never shows back up to them. This leads me to believe that Pan probably never appears to them again to collect, with the belief that he will see Killian again one day and will be able to use Liam's death to his own advantage, and I love their encounters together. I also believe Killian would have searched for Pan as long as he could in order to repay him, as a man of honor would have done. Sadly, the brothers Jones never find Pan again and therefore, Killian and Liam leave the island, and in doing so, Liam dies because we learn that the waters contain the magic that heals, yet that no one once they drink from them can ever leave Neverland. This brings us back to the moment between Hook and David in the present day after Hook gives David the waters and warns him of the true consequences. I love how David looks at Hook in surprise by all Hook's done to save him, then accepts his help at last as he drinks the waters. And I love how David then asks Hook why he risked so much to help him, when he believed there wasn't anything in him doing so for him in return, to which Hook winks at him as he cheekily answers, "I didn't do it for you, mate.", meaning that he saved David's life for Emma. Love it! I absolutely love Hook's cheekiness. :) In the end of the backstory... we see Killian taking up his brother's rank as Captain, and how he swears to avenge Liam's death by taking down and destroying everything their ruthless King loves, as he becomes the pirate we know him to be even before he becomes Captain Hook. We also learn that the Jolly Roger was once known as the Jewel of the Realm under Liam's command, which I also love. I love the ferocity in Killian's voice and in his eyes as he proclaims himself and his crew pirates, and as they vow to destroy the King. What a phenomenal scene!! :) Now... I also really enjoy the scenes between Emma, Mary Margaret, Regina as they work to get a message to Henry so that he will know they've come for him. I like how they trap one of the Lost Boys in hope to convince him to help them by getting a message to Henry. Unfortunately, Emma is forced to allow Regina to rip out the boy's heart so they can force him to help them. The moment between Emma and Mary Margaret when Emma has to hold her mother back while Regina does so is very sad, but despite it being a bit evil, I still really like this moment. I also really like the moment between them and Henry, when Henry finally sees the truth that they have in fact come for him. As you said... it's a very powerful moment. As for my favorite moment within this episode... I absolutely love the ending as David gives Hook credit for saving his life, despite him continuing to lie to his wife and daughter about the true circumstances as to how Hook saved him. I love that David asks for his flask to drink to Hook, as both Mary Margaret and Emma do the same, while Regina simply states. "I don't do rum" and steps away. Very funny. But this brings us to the moment shared between Hook and Emma, as Emma thanks him for saving her father's life. I love how Hook then admits he couldn't allow her father to die, then changes his demeanor as he smugly attempts to gain a kiss from Emma in gratitude. I love their banter in this moment... and then that kiss!!! What a beautiful moment, as Emma suddenly pulls him into a kiss after Killian goads her by saying she wouldn't be able to handle a kiss from him, to which she states the same thing and then goes on to try to prove it to him that she won't feel anything if she complies. Of course... they both feel the passion behind their kiss and Hook becomes even more smitten by Emma, while Emma denies she felt something as well as she tells him that their kiss was only a one time thing, then simply walks away from him after she demands he go get more firewood, to which he responds with a bow... "As you wish." Yes... this is a nod to The Princess Bride and I love it!!! What a beautiful moment between Killian and Emma, and it's hard to not want to see Emma choose Hook over Neal. This kiss they share in this episode is definitely why so many people are shippers of Captain Swan. And I wonder if you prefer to see Emma choose Hook over Neal as well, as I have wanted ever since they climbed the beanstalk together in season two's episode, Tallahassee. :) And lastly... I love the final scene between Hook and Pan again, as Pan returns to taunt Hook once more. I love how Pan speaks to Hook despite being cruel. This scene makes me love Pan that much more for being the villain he is. And I love that Pan then reveals to Hook that Neal is still alive and in Neverland, as he states... "Let's see the kind of man you truly are." Brilliant!!! Overall... what a phenomenal episode. Thank you so much for your reaction for it!!! The next few episodes are really good too, so I can't wait for more!! Thank you again! Until next time...

Heidi Elizabeth Marcum