Once Upon a Time- Season 2, Episode 19

Lacey- Finally. Is there anything more annoying than hiatuses during the season?



The episode started out with a dream sequence. Ugh. Does anyone like those?!! Ever?!! Okay, we liked them in LOST sometimes, because they teased clues. We like prophetic and meaningful dreams. The "Oh what just happened, aw it was just a dream" fakeout needs to go the way of VHS tapes.

Belle's hair is red now, even though Rumpy described her as still having brown hair. They change it so much, trying to find something that will look as good as the blonde did in her last show. What she has now is pretty close to the hair color Ern is trying out.

We're glad the show is giving us more time with pre-in love Belle and Rumpy. The Beauty and the Beast story needed more fleshing out. We feel like we were the only ones, but we felt that was rushed.

Emma is offered a chance to live in a fairy tale world, away from the boredom of this one (not to mention her legal record). Um, we'd be glad to take your place, Ems.

Meanwhile, Regina convinces Belle that she's an awesome pool player named Lacey who does her hair up really cute and hangs out at a bar called "The Rabbit Hole." Gold is scandalized, telling the bartender that Belle would never hang out at this bar. It's funny. Gold likes Belle moral.

Belle in the flashbacks isn't the timid and submissive kind of innocent that guys usually like. She stands up to Gold because of her goodness, saving some thief from more torture and certain death. We like that. Belle's the strong, brave kind of sweet we can tolerate.

Gold misses the woman he loves, not the curse version, so now he has to make "Lacey" fall in love with him to restore her memories. Gold gets David to help him woo Lacey. David fumbles the ball by getting Gold to ask Lacey out way too quickly, before any flirting commenced. Come on, Charming! You can't just rush right into it like that! It works though, because this is TV.

While on the date, Lacey says something Belle once said, and this makes Rumpy so happy it's adorable.

Three-fourths of the way into the episode, we find out that the thief Belle saved in the flashback was none other than Robin Hood. It's always nice to see the show finding creative ways to weave all the classic stories together, but Robin Hood's story is an awesome one that the show didn't do justice. It was a just a way for Belle and Rumpy to grow closer.

Rumpy spares Robin Hood for Belle, and it's all sweet and predictable. She rewards Rumpy with a hug. In the present, Lacey ditches Rumpy on the date to go out back and make out with the old Sheriff of Nottingham, who was a real creep/potential rapist back in Sherwood Forrest. Gross, Lacey. Just when we started to like you.

Rumpy follows the sheriff and beats him up. Of course, Lacey sees him do it and realizes that Rumpy is the power-hungry bully she'd always heard he was. She likes it. While Belle was attracted to Rumpy's good side, Lacey loves the darkness. Uh ohhhh.

Other bad things are happening: Regina finds the magic bean crop meant to take the Charming family back to their world. Also, Tamara and Greg/Owen have brought Hook back to Storybrooke. Should be fun!

We loved the scene where Rumpy showed Belle is library. That was pulled straight from the Disney movie, but who doesn't love that scene?

Episode grade: B+