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Once Upon a Time 1-16: Heart of Darkness

After last week’s dark episode and the title of this one, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It thought it might be very dark. And while it wasn’t happy go lucky and was more in keeping with the darker tone of this half of the season, I definitely enjoyed it.

Plus we finally got back to amnesia Snow White. That really helped me enjoy the episode because I am so invested in Snow/James because of all the complications they’ve put in their way that we aren’t expecting.

In fact, let’s start there. Our first look at Fairy Tale was of Snow White working around the dwarfs’ cottage and whistling “With a Smile and a Song” from the Disney movie. There’s a blue bird in the room, and Snow reaches out her hand. The bird flies over to her finger. And then Snow tries to crush it with her broom. And the bird flies around the room, she keeps whacking at it. It’s chirping is too cheerful for her. Grumpy comes in and leads her to an intervention with the other dwarfs and Jiminy Cricket. Turns out that without her memories of James, Snow has become a very different person – a bitter, angry, vindictive person. As the dwarfs try to convince her she has changed (she’s even making Happy sad by breaking his mug), she decides that the way to regain her happiness and the life in a palace she deserves as a princess is to kill the Queen.Read More »Once Upon a Time 1-16: Heart of Darkness

The River – The Experiment

At this late stage in the show, they’ve finally started filling out some of the characters. Here’s what we learned:

Kurt had a hot fiancé named Hana. She worked at the research facility. Also she has a magical sat phone: though it goes to voicemail after a couple of rings the first time he calls, the second time he calls, it rings for a while. Not that I’m pointing out plot holes.

Tess completely shut down when Dr. Cole went missing. Curled up on the couch with crazy hair. It’s not what I would have expected from her after what we’ve seen in the jungle—the never-give-up attitude.

Lincoln wasn’t always so morose—in fact, he had a girlfriend. The show opens with cell phone camera video of Lincoln finding out his dad is missing. I wish they’d have used more of this kind of thing—it seems more real than the glossy television-ready camera quality we’ve seen all season.

Lena was working at a sporting goods store before the expedition. That’s where she was when she fainted and had some kind of vision that Cole and his team were still alive.

Back to the Outpost. It’s been vacant for months, according to Cpt. Kurt. Inside the abandoned and ransacked buildings of the Outpost, there’s music playing. It’s sort of Klezmer-esque, and it’s played up to really disturbing effect. Actually, it might be the scariest thing on The River since those creepy dolls.

Once inside, the team decides to follow some bloody footprints, which lead them to Dr. Cole’s hat and a roomful of corpses … and flies. Ugh. Lincoln volunteers to go in there and make sure none of the bodies belong to Cole. (They don’t.)

As they continue their search of the Outpost, they find the body of a tribesman who is tattooed with the symbol from Lincoln’s necklace and Lena’s neck, and he’s floating in some kind of pickling liquid with some weird bone structures growing out of his back.

Just as they discover the body, Kurt shows up with Rabbit, the flirty cameraman who left Cole alone in the jungle. Today, Rabbit will be playing the part of XXX. She immediately tells they team that “they” are coming. And they’re hungry.

That’s when things go insane.
Read More »The River – The Experiment

Disney Announces “Heroes Work Here” Veteran Jobs Program

Touting the motto “Heroes Work Here. Employ excellence. Hire veterans” President and Chief Executive Officer Robert A. Iger announced a new company-wide initiative to hire, train and support returning veterans yesterday at The Walt Disney Company’s (NYSE: DIS) Annual Shareholder meeting in Kansas City. The Heroes Work Here program continues Disney’s long history of respect and appreciation for the U.S. Armed Forces by expanding the company’s commitment to recognize and honor the sacrifice and service of these men and women.

As part of the initiative, Disney will provide at least 1,000 jobs and career opportunities for returning U.S. veterans over the next three years, support military families and veterans during their transition into civilian life, and launch a national public awareness campaign to encourage all employers across the U.S. to hire veterans.

In addition to providing career opportunities for veterans, Disney will also invest in select non-profit organizations that provide training and other support services. Through the Disney VoluntEARS program, employees will also engage in service projects with veterans’ organizations in communities around the country. The public awareness campaign, featuring veterans currently employed in various businesses across The Walt Disney Company, will highlight their value, encourage companies to hire these highly skilled men and women, and direct them to the Joining Forces initiative for more information.

Mr. Iger debuted the first spot at the conference, which can be viewed below the jump:

Read More »Disney Announces “Heroes Work Here” Veteran Jobs Program

Once Upon a Time 1-15: Red-Handed

I never in a million years would have guessed where they were going with last night’s episode of Once Upon a Time. Well, okay, maybe I figured some of it out early on, but they still managed to throw some twists I wasn’t expecting. I think this was the darkest trip to Fairy Tale we’ve had yet.

I find it easiest to break the episode into the two settings, so I’m going to keep doing that, starting with Fairy Tale. We meet up with Red as she is flirting with Peter, her long time friend turned boyfriend through the window on Granny’s cottage. But it doesn’t last long because Granny insists that the cabin be locked up tight. A group of hunters even comes to the door talking about tracking and killing the wolf that terrorizes the village, but Granny says the best approach is to stay inside and wait out his time, two more days. Granny also insists that Red wear her famous red cloak because it repels wolves.Read More »Once Upon a Time 1-15: Red-Handed

ABC’s Revenge – Behind the Look

Jill Ohanneson, costume designer for ABC’s hit show Revenge, takes us with her for a day as she goes clothes shopping for the show! I love that sort of inside baseball about how our entertainment is made. I hope ABC and Disney continue to make… Read More »ABC’s Revenge – Behind the Look

The River: Season 1, Episode 6 – Doctor Emmet Cole

In this episode of our favorite found-footage program, the characters stand around and watch some found footage of their own! It’s flashbacks within flashbacks within a concept that’s coming apart at the seams.

Before the recap, let’s cut to the chase. There were two major revelations in this episode: first, Dr. Cole and Tess lost their first child, Alice. In the face of that loss, they began making Undiscovered Country, mostly just to keep their minds off their loss. To me, this speaks volumes about their characters.

The second major revelation also changes the way we look at one of the main characters: Lena set off the beacon that led the team into the jungle. She wanted Tess and Lincoln to take up the search again, to provide the resources necessary to find her own father. I’m beginning to wonder if she and Jonas deserve each other.

Read More »The River: Season 1, Episode 6 – Doctor Emmet Cole

Revenge 1.16: Scandal!

Editor: The tardiness of this post is my fault, not Estelle’s.

After last week’s fast-paced engagement/murder party and the fact that we have a whole month of March without any new episodes, I decided to switch things up a bit this week…

Ten things that happened on this week’s Revenge:

1. Declan is all of a sudden the smart one. I know, shocker. He’s dealing with the fact that Charlotte is starting to get super dependent on pills after finding out her real father is a criminal and her brother may be a murderer. Declan also catches on to the fact that Jack didn’t make it to Haiti because of “engine trouble” (unless that’s what Amanda is calling herself these days) and that he has a black hoodie a.k.a. “that creepy guy in the hoodie” (as Charlotte remembers him) before the two spotted Tyler’s body.

2. Daniel doesn’t remember anything about that night. Or so he says… he convinces Emily to take the dog for a walk (I think it was around midnight) so that he can dig through her floorboards and find out if Tyler was telling the truth. Was she playing him? His search comes up with nothing.

3. Courtney B. Vance (The Preacher’s Wife, Angela Bassett’s husband) is Daniel’s new lawyer. I I love Courtney B. Vance and he is one tough cookie. Mr. Brooks wants all the possible dirt he can get on Daniel. Emily tells him about Daniel’s horrendous car accident from the summer before, and Mr. Brooks is quick to corner Jack about Amanda’s whereabouts. Since Victoria loves to blame Amanda Clarke for just about everything she possibly can.

4. Emily and Daniel never got to open their engagement presents. Can you believe it? That psycho guy that held them at gunpoint was found murdered on the beach and they couldn’t find a spare moment? Crazy. Victoria is sure to bring over her gift to the couple as long as Emily promises not to open it. (Um, anyone else curious as to what it could be?) She also needs to know if Emily is going to stand by Daniel no matter what. Personally, I think Victoria was being genuine here or she has just mastered the subtle tear. (Favorite quip: perhaps your time in JD will become as asset in this situation. Awesome.)

5. Jack finds the receipt for Tyler’s ransom money in Amanda’s abandoned hoodie. He confides in Nolan, who tries to convince him to just forget Amanda. But Jack, and this is why we love him, is loyal and can’t do that. (I swear this whole thing is going to make him crazy.)

Read More »Revenge 1.16: Scandal!

Once Upon a Time 1-14: Dreamy

When it comes to fairy tales, the biggest question that has never been answered is, why is Grumpy grumpy? Okay, okay, so I’ve never really wondered that, but that’s what was explored on this week’s Once Upon a Time. We even got a cameo by a guest star from a couple episodes back and Amy Acker as a new character. Here’s hoping they can get her back as well.

The parallels between the Fairy Tale romance of Dreamy (aka Grumpy) and Nova the fairy and the Storybrooke relationship between Leroy and Sister Astrid were fun. Plus we also got an update on Katherine’s disappearance.

We’ve got lots of ground to cover, so let’s start in Fairy Tale.Read More »Once Upon a Time 1-14: Dreamy