Tag Archives: fantasy

October 23, 2016 – Once Upon Aladdin, Walking Dead Reveal & NJ’s Dolores’s Kitchen Gets Warmed

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What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

Once Upon a Time

In the capital of Agribah, the market is busy and Jafar pushes people around. He corrals three guys, telling them that the Sultan doesn’t tolerate thieves and neither does he. He zaps them and poof! they turn into rats in a cloud of red smoke. Maybe dusty rose is closer.

Jasmine comes to Aladdin’s rug shop. She’s there to hire him. He wonder if she shouldn’t be in a palace, but she’s unhappy there. She wants Aladdin to help her defeat Jafar. He’s not interested, but she tells him look in his pocket. He finds a royal scarab as payment. When he tries to give it back, she screams, “thief!” and he says he’ll help just to shut her up. She wants him to steal a weapon called the Diamond in the Rough.

Emma’s visions are still haunting her. She and Archie walk through the forest. They find the Oracle, but she keels over dead. So much for her part. A girl runs past them. Emma runs after her and the girl falls. It’s Shireen.

Emma and David talk to Shireen. Emma asks what her story is and says maybe they can help. Shireen explains that she’s really Princess Jasmine, but says she didn’t kill the Oracle and doesn’t know who did. The Oracle was helping her find Aladdin. She says he was special and the Savior.

The Evil Queen shows up at Archie’s office. She wants to talk about Emma. She says Hyde told her that the Oracle gave Emma visions of her future, and Archie realizes the Evil Queen is the one who killed the Oracle. She asks him to team up for old time’s sake. He tells her no way, and she turns herself into his clone. She says if he won’t help, she’ll ask Emma herself.

Zelena tends to her baby, and finds Archie  in her kitchen tied up. He wants her to untie him, but she says her sister must have her reasons. He tries using psychology to trick her into setting him free, but it doesn’t work.

The Evil Queen sees Emma, who sees her as Archie. “Archie” says they have more to explore, but Emma says the plans have changed. She says Aladdin is another Savior and she has to help find him. She drives off in her yellow VW bug.

In the old world, Jasmine takes Aladdin to the Cave of Wonders. She says he’ll learn everything he needs from there. He jokes around, but she tells him it’s serious. Rather than living a life of comfort, she wants to save the world. He says she can’t blame Jafar for everything though. It’s been bad for a while, and only when her own family was persecuted did she get involved. He tells her that she’s selfish. He juggles an apple and gives it to her, making her smile.

They approach the cave. The closed entrance stumps Aladdin she wonders how hard a little breaking and entering can be for a thief. He says “Open Sezme!.” Nothing happens. But then the door slowly opens. He says, after her.

The Storybrooke group gathers at Emma’s place. David says they’re not giving up on finding Aladdin, but it doesn’t look good. The Evil Queen as Archie enters. He says Emma has a secret, encouraging her to tell her family. Emma says she’s been having visions of what she thinks is her future. She says all of the Saviors died, but she thought if she found Aladdin alive, he could help her avoid her fate. As they argue, Archie leaves and turns back to the Evil Queen outside.

Emma says Regina isn’t there in the vision. Regina wonders if she’s dead or if she’s the hooded figure. She says they’ll find another way to track down Aladdin and tells them meet in her vault in an hour. Jasmine wonders if Aladdin is dead.

The Cave of Wonders definitely is. Lots of gold and treasure and a booby trapped rough diamond. Aladdin sees a gold monkey and uses it as a weight so he can take the diamond. It turns to dust in his hands and the cave starts to shake. He covers Jasmine. When it’s over, she says he’s magic. He asks if she knew that would happen, and she says she suspected. The actual gem wasn’t the Diamond in the Rough; he is. He can challenge Jafar and defeat him and be the Savior of Agribah.

In today’s Storybrooke, Jasmine is sitting in Henry’s room and he tells her that she can play his X-Box or whatever helps. She feels like she’s intruding, but he says he knows it’s hard on her. She says the worst part is knowing that being a Savior is a death sentence, and back in Agribah, she’s the one who encouraged Aladdin. Henry says he did the same thing with his mother, but maybe Hyde is wrong. Jasmine hopes so, for both their sakes.

Snow says Emma should have been honest. Emma says she didn’t lie, she was just scared. David gets a message from Leroy. He had an appointment with Archie, but Archie never showed.

The Evil Queen pops into Zelena’s place and says thanks for watching Archie. She tells Zelena to come with her and let Archie babysit. She says Zelena’s little sister is going to make everything better.

Zelena and the Evil Queen go to the spa and gossip. The Evil Queen asks if this isn’t what Zelena always wanted, a family that supports her? She says the rest want Zelena to squelch her gifts. She says she lied to Henry for years, but she never gave him a chance to accept the real her. She tells Zelena that she’s strong, powerful, and wicked, and that her daughter might turn out as wonderfully wicked as she is.

Regina concocts a potion. It’s a locator spell. She says there’s one thing Aladdin didn’t steal – his magic. If he’s alive, it’s still with him. She tells Emma to drink it and they’ll go find him.

Back in the day, Aladdin asks why Jasmine didn’t tell him, but she says he wouldn’t have believed her. She says that the scarab was a gift to her family for freeing the kingdom from darkness. Now it’s his. Even if he doesn’t believe in himself, she believes in him. She leaves Aladdin in the cave.

Jafar appears, asking how it feels to be a Savior. He asks if Aladdin wants to see what happens, and produces an Oracle bird that looks an awful lot like a cardinal. The bird’s eyes glow and Aladdin sees death. Jafar says that death is the fate of all Saviors, but there’s a way to alter his destiny. He shows Aladdin a pair of gold shears that can sever the ties. He’ll live a long, prosperous, happy life, paid for by the treasures in the cave, and no longer be Savior. Jafar asks if prince doesn’t sound more appealing than dead Savior.

In Agribah, Jasmine finds her father. She wants to get him somewhere safe; a great battle is coming. She says Jafar has torn the kingdom apart, but she’s found a Savior to defeat him. Jafar appears and says that sounds like treason. She tells Jafar a Savior is coming. He says her Savior had a heart for gold rather than a heart of gold, and the only thing between Aladdin and the throne is her. Jafar puts Jasmine inside of a huge hourglass. The sand begins to pile up around her.

Aladdin swoops in on a flying carpet and tells Jafar not to be so sure. He breaks the glass, releasing Jasmine, who is about to be covered in sand. Jafar says Aladdin has never had to pay a price for anything, but someday he will, and he’ll know this was no victory.

Jasmine thought Aladdin abandoned them, but he says she changed his mind. The king wonders who Aladdin is. Aladdin says he’s returning something she lost and gives her the scarab. She wants him to keep it as a remembrance that a friend believes in him.

The Storybrooke gang walks through the forest. Emma feels a quake and steers Henry in another direction. They go underground, and Regina says they’re under the cemetery in a forgotten crypt. Jasmine says Emma must have made a mistake. She looks around in the dark with a flashlight and sees the scarab. She says Emma is right: he’s there. Regina asks if she’s sure it’s Aladdin, and she says yes. I’m not. Henry asks what this means, but Emma doesn’t know. She needs to be alone.

Emma has her vision. Henry interrupts. He says he’s sorry and it’s all his fault. He says if he’d never knocked on her door and dragged her to Storybrooke in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened. He forced her to be Savior. Emma says now she has actual magic in her life – him – and she has a family now. She tells him not to worry about the end of the story, just enjoy the middle of the journey together. They hug. Aladdin appears. He tells Emma from one Savior to another, it’s no fun.

In Agribah, Aladdin and Jasmine walk through the market. Her father wants Aladdin to have his pick of the royal treasures, but he says he doesn’t want that. Jasmine asks what he does want. He says just to be Savior. He asks Jasmine to go away with him; he wants to show her the world. She says she can’t; there’s much work to be done in the kingdom. She says it’s not good-by. He’ll defeat Jafar and he knows where to find her.

Aladdin finds the shears in his bag along with a note from Jafar – for a rainy day, or coming storm, or when the Savior’s burden becomes too much.

Aladdin tells Emma that he used them and ran to the Enchanted Forest to hide. Emma realizes he planted the scarab at the crypt. He never intended to reveal himself, but after hearing Emma and Henry, he couldn’t do it. Henry says he has to go to Jasmine. Aladdin says he doesn’t want to see the look in her eyes when she realizes he’s just a common thief. Emma doesn’t think that will happen.

Jasmine sits on a park bench and looks at the scarab. Aladdin approaches. They embrace. She thought he was dead and he thought he’d never see her again. He asks now what. She says now he needs to help her. Agribah is in terrible danger and needs the Savior. He’s like, um….

The Evil Queen and Zelena get back. Archie asks if they’re going to torture and kill him. Zelena tells him not to be ridiculous; she has to show her daughter who her mommy is. She turns Archie into a cricket and puts him in a cage above the baby’s crib. OMG – he’s so cute!

The group gathers. Emma says she doesn’t want to use the shears. Aladdin didn’t trust the people he loved, and that’s why he failed. If her magic comes with a price, they’ll pay it. David says they can protect her and the town. Hook says he’s with her, and she apologizes for not trusting him. She says no more secrets and gives him the shears so they don’t fall into the wrong hands. Emma tells Hook to get rid of them.

Emma watches as Hook goes out in a rowboat. He comes back and says they’re ten thousand leagues under the sea. She thanks him. He promises that she’ll have her heart’s desire. She leaves him on the dock. We see he still has the shears. Bad Hook.

Next time, Hook travels 20,000 leagues under the sea.

The Walking Dead

All right, let’s get it over with. I don’t even care anymore. Unless it’s Daryl.

Rick says he’s going to kill Negan. Good luck with that. Negan asks him to speak up. Rick says not today or tomorrow, but he’s going to kill him. Negan asks right hand man Simon what he has, and Simon says a hatchet. He plays with Rick a little and asks for the ax.

Negan shows Rick the ax. He puts it in his belt. He drags Rick off. He says maybe Rick will be back and they can turn the people inside out who are left. We see a bloody pulp. So who died? Are they going to stretch this out even more? I’m annoyed already and it’s only four minutes into the show.

Negan kicks Rick’s ass around the RV and then suggests they go for a ride. The trailer won’t start and he calls it a piece of sh*t. He laughs about Rick saying he’s going to kill him, and asks if Rick saw what he just did. I didn’t. He says Rick’s best bet is to get him in the back of the head with the ax, but when Rick picks it up, Negan is faster. He tells Rick to drop it and pounds him when he does. He tells Rick not to make him get up again, like he’s dad on a Sunday car ride. He says that dawn is braking and it’s a brand new day. He wants Rick to think about what happened, and what could still happen. He starts to drive.

Negan drives into a zombie who splatters all over the windshield. We see flashes of Rosita, Sasha and Glenn. Negan stops the van. He says Rick is his, and the people back there are his, and Lucille is his. Okay. I get it. Everything is his. He opens the door and throws out the ax, telling Rick to go get it. He threatens Rick with Lucille and says get his ax. Negan finally tosses Rick out the door. The zombies surround Rick, but he fights them off.

We see a flash of Abe. Rick fights off more zombies. We see an Aaron flash back and more zombies. Abe again, and more zombies. Maggie, and more zombies. Rick climbs to the top of the van and a zombie pulls at him. A flash of Daryl. Rick gets to the roof. He stands up and looks out. There are lots of small fires everywhere and tons of zombies wandering around. A Michonne flash back. Rick sees a zombie hanging from a bridge and falls to his knees. A Carl flash back. Negan says they thought they were all going to grow old together and have Sunday dinner, but now it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.

Rick flashes back to when Negan first appeared. Negan does that eenie, meenie, minie, mo thing. We move on to the my mother told me part, and I’m thinking this is taking forever. Rick sweats and shakes. It’s Abe. After the first wallop, Abe tells Negan to suck his nuts. Alrighty then.

Negan keeps pounding on Abe long after he’s dead. What’s the point? Especially since it just looked like he was hitting the ground. (Wattup wit dat, editing department?) Negan flings Lucille around, getting blood everywhere. He shoves the bat in Rosita’s face and asks if they were together. He says it sucks, but there was a reason. He took it for the team, so take a look. Daryl jumps up and punches him and a bunch of guys take Daryl down. Negan laughs. He says that’s a no-no and won’t fly here. A guy asks if Negan wants Daryl dead, and points his crossbow at him. Negan says no, he doesn’t die until they’ve tried everything. Guess he wants to keep Daryl around because he’s feisty.

Negan says this isn’t how it works. (That’s not how any of this works!) The first one is free. He doesn’t know what kind of lying a-holes they’ve been dealing with, but he’s a man of his word and first impressions are important. He needs them to know him. (Get to know me!) He whacks Glenn with Lucille. I guess the first one wasn’t free? Glenn tells Maggie he’ll find her. Negan asks if Glenn is trying to speak and we see Glenn’s eyeball practically hanging out. Negan says he’s truly sorry, but he did say no exceptions and beats Glenn some more. The focus is on how distraught Maggie is, but we hear the bat keep hitting. Lots of blood flies, and Negan says he’s just getting started. He says Lucille is a vampire bat. Rick looks spacey, and Negan asks if the joke was that bad. It was pretty stupid.

Back in the present, Negan tells Rick that the rest of them don’t have to die, and get him his ax. Because he’s really Joan Crawford. He says it’s Rick’s last chance and starts shooting through the RV roof. Rick jumps onto the hanging zombie. The others grab at his feet. Hanging zombie’s neck stretches until Rick reaches the ground. Negan shoots at the zombies and tells Rick the clock is ticking. Rick climbs over the zombie pile and finds the ax. He ends up next to a head that’s trying to bite.

As Rick kills each zombie, he sees each character getting hit by Lucille. Did this happen or is that just his motivation? Negan shoots the zombies remaining around Rick, and Rick gets back in the RV. Negan holds out his hand and Rick gives him the ax. Road trip!

Rick is understandably tired and starts to nod out. The RV stops. Negan says, “We’re here, prick,” and I laugh. Is he going to call him that now? Negan says it must be hard, since Rick has been King Sh*t for so long. Losing two of his own in front of his boy is screwed up. He wipes the ax blade on Rick’s jacket, saying tht Rick was probably addicted to being in charge, but now that’s over. He says Rick can still lead a nice productive life, producing for Negan. He gives Rick the ax and says he thinks Rick is going to need it.

When they get back, Rick tumbles out of the RV. Negan asks Rick if he knows what that trip was about. Um…power trip? He wanted Rick to look at him differently, and he wants Rick to understand. He says that Rick is still looking at him like he sh*t in his scrambled eggs, and it’s not going to work. He asks if he should give Rick another chance and Rick says yes. Negan says what he does next determines if his crap day becomes everyone else’s crap day or just another crap day. He tells his men to put guns at the back of everyone’s heads.

Negan tells Carl to come to him. I can’t imagine they’d take Carl away from the teens and tweens and 16 Magazine. He asks if Carl is a lefty. He isn’t and Negan ties Carl’s right arm with a belt like he would for a shot. He tells him to get down next to Rick. He asks Simon for a pen and draws a line on Carl’s forearm. Rick asks what he’s doing, and Negan says he ain’t doin’ sh*t, which is apparently his favorite word. He wants Rick to cut Carl’s arm off at the line. Michonne says he doesn’t have to do this; they understand. Negan says she might, but he’s not sure that Rick does. He gives Rick instructions, saying they have a great doctor and Carl will be fine. Probably. It needs to happen now or he’ll kill Carl. Rick says do it to him instead, but Negan says it’s the only way. Joan Negan tells him to pick up the ax. He says not making a decision is making a big decision, and Rick will see everyone die. He asks if Rick is going to make him count. Rick gets embarrassingly weepy and Negan slaps him, telling him this is it. Carl tells him just do it. He raises the ax and Negan stops him, saying Rick answers to him and provides to him and belongs to him, right? Rick says right, and Negan says that’s the look he wanted to see. Ooh, it’s like an Abraham sacrificing his son thing. Except Negan is a lot meaner than God.

Negan says all of us together did it, and even the dead guys get the spirit award today. He says it was a productive day, and he hopes for all their sakes that they get it now and understand how things work. Things have changed. Whatever they had going for them is over now. He tells Dwight to load Daryl up and they toss him in the van. Negan says he has guts; he’s not a little bitch like some people. He asks if Rick still wants to try something. If he does, he’ll cut pieces off of Daryl and put him on Rick’s doorstep or better yet he’ll have Rick do it.

Negan tells them, welcome to a brand new beginning. He leaves the truck so they can get stuff for him. He’ll be back in a week.

Negan and his men leave. Rick’s group sits staring into space, some crying, some just stunned. I guess they don’t have to worry about Glenn and Abe turning into walkers, since their heads were smashed to pulps. They sit quietly. Maggie gets up. Rick tells her to sit, but she says no. He says they need to get her to Hilltop, and she says they need to fight them. Rick says they have Daryl and they have an army; they would die, all of them. Maggie tells him to go home and take everyone. They need to go to Alexandria. She says they were out there for her and Rick says they still are.

Maggie says she needs them to go back. She can’t have them out there. Michonne says they’re not letting her go; it’s not going to help. Sasha says she’ll take her. She’ll get her there and keep her safe. Maggie is not looking too good. Maggie says she needs to do this, but Aaron says they need to help her. Rick begs her to let them help. He says Glenn was their family too. Maggie breaks down crying. She hugs Carl. They lift the bodies – or what’s left of them. There’s a crane shot of Maggie between the two blood spots.

We see everyone around a table with Glenn holding a little boy.

Rick picks up the ax. He goes in the RV, closes the door, and starts it up. He stares at a single zombie. It screeches at them as they drive away. He sees it fall to its knees. Rick’s eyes are fearful.

Next time, Negan takes over.

Seriously annoying and distracting were the several commercials featuring zombies that made me think the show was back on.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Melissa and Joe #2 go to Teresa’s house with Chinese food. Milania complains about Teresa being boring and daddy being more fun. Joe asks if Teresa has talked to Joe #1 yet, but she hasn’t. Milania says she’s going to have grey hair by the time her father gets back.

Milania rides the ATV and Joe #2 stops her from riding so fast. He tells her she doesn’t want her dad to come home to her in the hospital. Melissa asks Teresa if she’s going to Dolores’s kitchen warming party. Teresa isn’t thrilled that Jacqueline will be there, but wants to be supportive. They talk about the transition Teresa is going through with Joe #1 going into the clink.

Siggy and Dolores talk to a party planner about Dolores’s party. Really? Siggy is proud of Dolores for getting her gym going and not having ex-husband Frank pay for everything. They talk about Teresa and Melissa being with Jacqueline in the same room, and hope that no one clashes.

Melissa talks to Derek about the fashion show. Her partner isn’t going to be there, so it’s just her and two employees. She demonstrates a runway walk.

Jacqueline is hoarse. Probably from yelling at people. We can only hope she gets full blown laryngitis. She and Chris talk about who’s going to be at the party. Jacqueline says she’s not ready to talk to Teresa and Melissa, and Chris says he’s staying out of it. Wise move.

It’s party time! Siggy and kids arrive first. Dolores says renovating the house has helped her move forward with her life. Siggy asks if Dolores is nervous about Teresa and Jacqueline being together, but she says no, and expects them to act like big girls. Has she seen this show before? She expects a lot. Dolores’s mom shows up. Everyone is very impressed. It’s definitely a beautiful kitchen. Even more impressive is that Dolores’s grandmother is 102 years old. Siggy asks for her secret, but she says if she told, it wouldn’t be a secret anymore. Dolores explains the Jacqueline/Teresa fight to her. I’m sure it’s just what she wants to hear about, especially being on borrowed time.

On the way over, Joe #2 asks what Melissa is going to say to Jacqueline. She says she has nothing to say and didn’t deserve to be screamed at. Joe says she deserves an apology. She calls Teresa, but Teresa says she’s not going to make it. The girls are missing Joe #1 and he’s going to call tonight, so she wants to be there.

Creepy Kim D arrives. Siggy makes a point of introducing son Josh, saying he came out of her “cookie.” Why? Why would you say something like that? Dolores brings a statue of the Virgin Mary into the room, hoping that the Blessed Mother will watch after everyone. I laugh because it reminds me of my aunt and her statue of St. Anthony. He’s the patron saint of lost things, and if she prayed to him and still couldn’t find something, she’d turn his face to the wall. When Melissa gets there, she says she sees the trouble makers are there already and heads for the kitchen. The most sickening thing is that Jacqueline is wearing a shirt that says Nama’ Stay Away From Me, obviously geared to bug Teresa. There is something wrong with this woman.

Melissa tells Dolores that Teresa won’t be coming. Dolores understands and is going to send her a text. The Wakhili gang comes in. In his interview, Joe #2 says their issues are minor and he’s going to be nice. He goes over to say hello and none of them are that friendly, but Jacqueline is totally icy. Rich makes rude remarks about having a foursome with Rosie.

Dolores is a little annoyed about Jacqueline’s shirt. I’d make her go home and change. Since she can’t start trouble with Teresa not there, Jacqueline wants to leave. Chris approaches Joe #2 and says Jacqueline feels like she wasn’t given the opportunity to give her side of the story about Vermont. Chris thinks Joe should have called him. Joe says he respects that Chris sticks up for his wife, and he does the same, but when they’re wrong you should say so. He says Jacqueline went buck wild on Melissa. Chris says she defended herself, and Joe wonders if hey were at the same party. I think Chris should take a look at the shirt his wife is wearing and justify that. And why is this dude even involving the two of them?

Chris says Jacqueline deserves more love than she got. All she got was a smack in the face. Joe #2 points out how cold Jacqueline was when he said hello. He says frankly he thinks they were both wrong. He mentions the fashion show, but Chris is like, you didn’t come to our popcorn event and Jacqueline is still feeling sensitive. He adds they should get together soon, just to confuse things more. Sensitive Jacqueline starts beeping the car horn.

Dolores makes a toast thanking everyone for coming.

Siggy takes her mom for a hair makeover. She feels badly about her mom saying they don’t spend enough time together. Afterwards, they’re going to lunch. She wants to see her mother enjoy her life more. She tells her mother that they’re coming every week from now on. She wants her to know how valuable she is.

Milania helps Teresa with Joe #1‘s chores. She keeps comparing how Teresa does things to how Joe does them. Teresa asks what she misses and if there’s anything she can do to make it better. Milania says no one can replace him and Teresa is embarrassing.

Siggy takes her mother to lunch. She says she doesn’t like the fact that her mother doesn’t take enough time for herself. She says sometimes she feels sad being with her. Her mom says that she appreciates the time she has, especially since she missed them so much when she lived in Israel.

Dolores is having a ladies’ night at the gym. Teresa is teaching a yoga class, and Siggy is coming to talk about her book, Write Your Own Fairy Tale.

Jacqueline is feeling worse. Chris thinks she should see a doctor. Chris tells her about the conversation with Joe. She writes on a pad that no freaking way is she going to the fashion show.

Dolores leaves a message for Jacqueline. She says she’s not expecting her to come to ladies’ night, but she’s helped in the past, and Dolores wants her to know she’s appreciated. Robyn shows up, which surprises Dolores a little. She tells Robyn that she has no problem with her, except for her not getting along with Jacqueline. Robyn says she has no reason not to get along with Dolores. Teresa says too bad; she wants nothing to do with Jacqueline anymore.

Melissa is anxious about the fashion show. She says there’s so much going on and she can’t figure out how it will all come together. Joe calls her into the bathroom to help with shaving his back. She tries to convince him that she’s in the middle of something right now.

Teresa’s class begins. She explains she’s getting her certification and teaches several poses. In her interview, Teresa says she love the way yoga makes her feel, and that it’s good for both your body and mind. Afterward, the girls all have a health food version of a martini, some kind of smoothie concoction.

Siggy discusses having the life of your dreams. Dolores thanks everyone for comeing she says as women they all have something to share and have to stick together. In her interview, she says she feels like she’s back.

Teresa makes breakfast. Milania says if her egg sandwich isn’t like dad’s, she’s throwing it out. Teresa tries to talk to her, but she doesn’t want to discuss her father. Gabriela doesn’t understand why they have to talk about it and says it’s fine. In her interview, Teresa says they’re trying to find the new normal.

Melissa gets ready for the fashion show. She wants to prove to Joe that she’s not just bringing in crumbs. It’s time for a run through and Melissa is still adding last minute outfits. Joe #2 has to get the kids ready, and wonders what the blip happened to his life. A question I often ask myself.

On the way to the fashions show, Dolores and Siggy discuss who’s coming or not. Dolores says Jacqueline is accusing her of saying she was a no-show at the gym event and whined because her name wasn’t on the flyer. It escalated into an argument that Dolores ended with an F-U. Dolores says she’s heard nothing except Jacqueline badmouthing her. She says Jacqueline has alienated herself and she’s not gong to be a whipping post. Siggy thinks Jacqueline is paranoid and insecure. Who is the common denominator in all of these arguments, people?

Next time, the finale – Melissa’s fashion show happens, Teresa might need to sell the house, Jacqueline alienates herself further, and Siggy invites Jacqueline over. It doesn’t look like it ends well.

October 16, 2016 – Once’s Jekyll & Hyde Finish Their Story & NJ’s Joe #1 Starts His Sentence

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What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

Once Upon a Time

I gotta say, Hyde and the Evil Queen make a handsome couple.

Gold fiddles with some kind of magnifying mirror and comes out with a haircut. The Evil Queen is waiting and she’s impressed at how well he’s cleaned up. Hyde has come with her and says Gold can change the outside, but what’s inside is still there. Gold tells Hyde to get lost, but Hyde wants a cameo necklace that’s in Gold’s shop. Hyde isn’t offering anything in return, and Gold strangles him without touching him, but he and the Queen just laugh, the Evil Queen telling him that he can’t kill Hyde. Gold let’s go and Hyde sees the necklace. He says it has meaning to him. He’s going to take it and Gold is going to let him. He says the stories are going to play themselves out, whether Gold likes it or not, and it’s likely not. Gold tells the Evil Queen that she promised not to touch Belle. She says yes, she has a deal with him, but Hyde says he doesn’t.

David cooks a massive breakfast for Emma. He says once Hook moves in with her, they won’t see her as much, but she says she’ll still come for breakfast. Regina comes by with Jekyll. She says Hyde has escaped and when Jekyll woke up, he found a cameo that belonged to someone he cared deeply about.

Back in the day, Jekyll’s friend, Mary, adjusts his tie. She tells him her father is going to be impressed with his research. Jekyll tells her that he’s working on a serum that can separate a man’s personality in two, separating his good nature from the beast inside, so he can be in control. He wants Mary’s father to grant him membership to the science academy, but when her father drops by, he says Jekyll’s work is too dangerous. He and Mary leave and Jekyll smashes stuff.

Rumpelstiltskin pops in and says he’s there to help Jekyll. He has a vested interest in his work. He says that what Jekyll sees as strength might actually be weakness. Jekyll says something about particles that he can’t get to do whatever, and Rumpel tosses some magic around, fixing it. He asks Jekyll how far he’ll go to get what he wants. Jekyll swallows the serum.

Hook gives Belle a conch shell. He tells her it’s mermaid magic. If she needs help, she’s to call into it and he’ll hear her. Gold pops in and says he’s there to protect them both. Belle says they only need protection from him. He tells them that Hyde is on the warpath, but Belle doesn’t understand why he’s interested in them, and wants Gold to go away. Gold says he’ll go, but casts a protection spell on the boat. Belle can’t leave because of it and gets pretty annoyed.

Snow brings Henry to school. Jasmine is wandering the halls, lost. She introduces herself as Shireen, and Snow realizes that she’s her class assistant. Jasmine tells her that she’s from the group of Untold Story people. Snow talks about how she decided to become a teacher again.

Jekyll is at an impasse with the serum. Emma asks Regina if she’ll talk to Hyde. She and David are going to hunt down Hyde and the Evil Queen. Jekyll asks Grumpy to bring back a sandwich which makes Grumpy grumpier, since he’s not an errand boy.

In the past, Hyde looks at himself, not recognizing his reflection. Rumpel tells him he’s parts of a man and comes up with the name Hyde. Hyde goes to a ball at Mary’s house and introduces himself to her father, saying that he’s a friend of Jekyll’s. Mary says Jekyll has never mentioned him and Hyde says Jekyll has definitely mentioned her. Mary’s father speaks to Hyde alone, telling him if he’s there to plead Jekyll’s case, he’s not letting him into the academy. Hyde tells him that he and Jekyll heard all about his new lab assistant, and alludes that she’s more than an assistant.

Grumpy brings Jekyll’s sandwich back. He wants to go back to his real job of being the wall between chaos and calm. Regina comes in and knocks Grumpy out with some magic. Hyde is with her and says they were led to him by the cameo, which has a beckoning spell on it. He tells Jekyll that they’re going to see what the monster he made can really do.

Snow is teaching Newton’s third law of motion, that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. She asks for volunteers to solve the equation on the board, but there are no takers. This seems real.

Regina goes to Gold’s shop He says he’s seen the Evil Queen, but wasn’t interested in what she had to offer. Regina tells him that Jekyll has a serum that can stop Hyde, but they need his help.

In the old days, Jekyll wakes up with a headache, and Rumpel shows him his invite into the academy. Rumpel tells him he has to snag Mary before another suitor does, and tells him to let Hyde do the talking. Jekyll asks what he wants, and Rumpel says he needs the serum. He wants to make sure it works though and tells him to let Mr Hyde out to play.

Regina and Gold go to Jekyll’s lab. Everything is destroyed. Jekyll tells Regina that Gold doesn’t care about their cause, and Gold says Hyde is Jekyll, except smarter and stronger. Jekyll produces a vial of the serum, which he’d hidden. Regina takes it. Gold reaches for it, but she tells him to work his magic from a distance. Suddenly, he grabs Jekyll’s heart. Gold tells Regina that he did make a deal with the Evil Queen because of Belle. He takes out the magic dagger and pours the serum on the blade. He says Regina can no more fight the darkness than he can, and disappears, poof! in a cloud of red smoke. Well, actually it’s sort of magenta.

Snow goes through her student’s papers and says the students don’t remember anything she taught them. Jasmine says she was gone a while. She tells Snow that once her kingdom needed a princess and perished for lack of one. She says that for the students to reach their potential, she needs to embrace who she is, Snow White.

Jekyll visits the Jolly Roger. He tells Hook and Belle that Gold took the serum and has a deal with the Evil Queen. Hook leaves to help. Belle tells Jekyll that she’s sorry about Gold. He says nothing can bring back Mary, the girl he loved until Hyde destroyed the love.

Way back when, Hyde sees Mary walking in the woods at night, which strikes me as really odd. Mary says he left her curious, and asks if he’s known Jekyll long. He says their entire lives, and he’s here on Jekyll’s behalf. Jekyll has feelings for her. She says she likes him, but can’t be with him that way – she needs someone with passion and who can give in to desire. She thinks he understands. She says she saw the way other people looked at him; they were afraid, but she saw a man unencumbered by fear and social obligation. She asks how he does that, and he says he doesn’t know, maybe he was just made that way. They kiss. A few times. A lot.

In the same woods in the present, Emma asks David if he’s okay with her and Hook. He says at first he was against it, but if she’s happy, he’s happy. Hyde approaches them and Emma zaps him, but he ducks. He flattens David and runs. Gold enters the picture and stabs him with the dagger. He asks if this is how Hyde imagined his story playing out. Hyde says yes, and pulls the dagger out. He also pulls out the vial of serum. Gold realizes that Hyde switched the vials. Hyde wants to show Gold the end of his story and watch him suffer. He holds up the dagger and tells Gold he wants to go to Belle. They both disappear, poof! in a two-person capacity cloud of magenta smoke.

Snow takes the kids outside. She nails their assignments to a tree. She tells them that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. She shoots an arrow into the papers to demonstrate. She asks if they’d like to try.

Hyde and Gold go to the Jolly Roger. Gold says Hyde won’t have the vial forever, but Hyde says he’s not harming Belle, and he isn’t the monster Gold needs to worry about.

In old Storybrooke, Jekyll wakes up next to Mary. She asks how he got there and where’s Hyde? He says he sent Hyde to talk to her and she brought him here? She says it’s none of his business and where is he? Jekyll says he is Hyde. She’s like forget it, you’re crazy. He tries to convince her and they struggle, and she falls out the window to her death. He quickly drinks the serum. Way to go. Now Hyde will be in trouble, not him. The people below see Hyde in the window. Mary’s father and another guy enter the room and Hyde runs.

Belle tells Jekyll that she’s sorry about what Hyde did to Mary. He says if she’d been strong enough to resist Hyde, she’d have been his. Belle pretends to get sugar for the tea and picks up the shell. Jekyll grabs her hand, she drops it, and it breaks. She stabs him with a piece of it and he chases her up to the deck. She calls to Gold to lift the spell, but he can’t. Hyde says here comes the real villain.

Jekyll comes up and says it’s he chance he needed to make the Dark One pay. Gold says Belle has nothing to do with this, and Hyde says neither did Mary. Hook appears and struggles with Jekyll, who meets his end by getting impailed on a fishhook. Hyde says the story isn’t over yet, and starts to command Gold to do something, but keels over. He and Jekyll die in tandem. Gold says there was one final twist.

Regina says now they know the serum works Gold says Hyde destroyed it The only way to destroy one’s doppleganger is to kill the original Regina says the way to take out the Evil Queen….and Gold finsihes is to kill her.

Emma sees Regina on the dock and asks if she’s okay. She says to get rid of the Evil Queen, she has to die. They thought Hyde was the evil one, but the capacity for evil was the same in Jekyll. She says Emma trusted her to keep her family safe in Camelot, and she needs to trust her if it comes to this.

Gold approaches Belle. He says he wanted to make a fresh start, but she doesn’t want to hear it. She says he destroyed two lives instead of one, and what could be worth all this destruction?

In olden times, Hyde packs his bags, and Rumpel says things just started to get interesting. He says the news is everywhere. Hyde says he didn’t kill Mary; it was Jekyll. Rumpel asks how he could be so weak, and says it’s all a failure; his experiment has been a waste. Rumpel tells Hyde that he should kill him now, but instead he’ll have to share a life with the weakness inside him. Hyde asks why he did this. and Rumpel says his reasons are just that, his.

Belle asks Gold why he did this. He says it was all about her. He sought Jekyll out when Belle became the maid in his castle. He thought his feelings for her would make him weak.. but the experiment was a failure. He took the necklace and sent Jekyll to the Land of Untold Stories. Belle asks what would have happened if Hook hadn’t come along? She tells Gold that it costs to much to be with him. She says he cut his hair for him, not her, because he’s tired of looking at the man in the mirror. I know that song is now playing in your head too. Belle says she’ll always see him for who he really is. Ouch.

Gold says she doesn’t think she needs him, but she will. The child she’s carrying is his, and if she wants what’s best for him, she’ll come back. He says necessity will convince her.

Snow has something for Jasmine. She gives her an apple, telling her it’s a teacher tradition. It’s a Snow White tradition too, so I’d be careful. She asks if the princess from Jasmine’s kingdom ever fixed things. Jasmine says she came from the Land of Untold Stories, but she doen’s think so. Snow says ir still could happen.

Jasmine walks thorugh the woods and meets the Oracle. Jasmine says they have no idea who she really is and asks the Oracle if there’s evidence he’s there. She says she didn’t come all this way not to find Aladdin. The Oracle promises they’ll find him.

Next time, answers for Emma lie within Aladdin’s story.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

I still say Dolores should keep her nose to herself regarding whether Chris goes to Joe #1‘s going away party. Who would take advice from her anyway? Unless it’s about how to leech off of your ex-husband.

Teresa and Joe #1 take the girls to a cupcake making class. Joe demonstrates how to ice them, since it’s similar to stucco work. Teresa is trying to make memories for him to think back on after he’s gone. Milania gives Joe a cupcake for his next birthday, since they won’t be together. That’s really touching and sweet. In her interview, Teresa says she’s doing everything in her power to make sure he girls aren’t scarred for life. The other girls give Joe cupcakes, and Milania sings happy birthday, smushing a cupcake in his face. He smushes her back and they take selfies. Joe talks to Gia about looking out for the others when he’s in the clink, and not dating anyone. Ever. He says he’ll be home before they can blink. They have a group hug.

Jacqueline goes baby shopping with Ashlee. Ashlee is consulting a mid-wife, and Jacqueline thinks she’s nuts for wanting a natural birth. Jacqueline says her phone is blowing up. Ashlee says she got a text from Melissa. Jacqueline wishes she hadn’t reacted to Teresa the way she did. Ashlee says Teresa has a lot going on, and Jacqueline says they made choices that had consequences. She tells Ashlee that  it’s not easy to be a mom. We flash back to turbulent times with Ashlee. Jacqueline gets weepy in her interview.

Siggy gathers the family together, including her parents. Siggy says she feels like she and the kids are drifting. After the trip to Vermont, she wants to communicate better. In her interview, she talks about moving to Israel in high school and how she ended up coming back to America and living with friends of the family. She doesn’t want her kids to run from her and be separated like she was from her parents.

Her mother says she knows Siggy is busy with her job and kids, but when they come to visit, she doesn’t even give them ten minutes. Siggy apologizes. Josh thinks it’s interesting that Siggy yells at him for the same things her own mother is upset about.

Melissa and Joe #2 get ready to go to Joe #1‘s party. Joe points out that while Teresa is having a bad week, Jacqueline is having a good one with a new baby coming. He wonders what’s going on in Joe #1‘ head. He says it’s almost like a funeral, and wonders what to say. Melissa says you can’t make this sh*t up, which is why we watch reality TV. In the car, Joe tells the kids not to go crazy, and to stay inside the restaurant.

Jacqueline and Chris go bowling with Richie and Kathy. Rosie and her girlfriend, Laura, join them. Even the worst of them is better than I am. Chris talks about Joe #1‘s party and how Dolores discouraged him from going. He says if anyone said something stupid about Jacqueline, there would be a problem, so he just sent a text. Hmm…I guess I can see his point. Why set yourself up for a fight?

Joe #2 asks Melissa if Jacqueline is coming to her fashion show, but she doesn’t know. She talks about not being invited to the popcorn event. Melissa says if Jacqueline wants to be an a-hole, it’s not important; getting through the next few days is important.

Chris asks Rosie if she said good-by to Joe #1. She says no, and he brings up how Joe gave her the cold shoulder at Teresa’s book signing. Rosie says she’s more focused on her new relationship. Chris says watching her bowl, he can tell she’s no good with balls. BA-DUM-CHH!

In her interview, Teresa says she was afraid the party wouldn’t be happy, but once she got there, it was actually fun being with friends and family. There’s a mechanical bull. Joe and Teresa get on together and fall off pretty quickly. Siggy says they’ll get through it. In her interview, she says you’d have to be an empty shell of a person not to be affected by a father leaving his four daughters, whether you think he deserves it or not. Joe says everyone is trying to make him cry. After years of watching these people, I feel like the Giudices are like those annoying cousins you have to invite to Thanksgiving. You love them, but would rather love them from a distance. I think they got made examples of because they’re so-called celebrities, and did something a lot of people skate for. As ridiculous as I find them, it does make me sad that the family is being separated. They really seem to care about one another and the girls are pretty good kids.

Dolores meets Siggy for lunch. She wants to have everyone over to see her new kitchen. Siggy tells her about having the family over. She calls it an intervention. She says she realized that she didn’t see her family for eight years. She talks about how her mother said she’s not spending enough time with her, and how Josh called her on it. She’s thinking of taking a family trip to the Holocaust Museum. In her interview, she says the kids know the names of every popular song and sports stats, but not their history. Siggy says all the unnecessary fighting among the women is sad.

Melissa talks with Derek about social media. She tells him to post more outfits on Instagram. She wants eight to ten posts a day, and their Instagram has to jive with their site. She says a customer should be able to buy everything that’s posted on Instagram immediately. She tells him that every day they lose money, and she wants to make back what they’ve pumped into it. Derek says they’ll get it done. Yeah, after he talks to Radar Online.

Siggy takes the kids to the Holocaust Museum. Her sister, Iris, meets them, along with her parents and Iris’s daughter. Siggy’s father, Malachi, talks about their family fleeing to France and how the French surrendered, so they were stuck there. In her interview, Siggy hopes her kids have a better appreciation for their good lives. Malachi talks about going to Switzerland, but when the war was over, they got kicked out and went back to Belgium. He says he was lucky he didn’t end up on a train or in a camp. Josh says he feels like a nurtured Jappy kid. Malachi says it’s important for him to be able to remember them being close together, because one day they won’t be here. They have a group hug and sing Hava Nageela.

Teresa and Joe #1 sit outside. She wonders if their German Shepherd knows he’s leaving, since he’s been nuzzling Joe, and Joe thinks he does. She doesn’t know how it’s going to hit her. She says in 16 years she was never away from him and he says she just was. Ha-ha! She means being there without him. She says she’ll know how he felt, but thinks it’s going to be harder. They grew up together and we flash back to some old good times from home movies. She tells him how much she’s going to miss him. He just wants to get it over with. He says they made mistakes and they’re paying their debt, and as long as you mind your business and be humble you’ll be fine in jail. He tells Teresa you can either become a criminal or a better person, and he’s opting for the latter. She says she’ll give him rosary beads and suggests he celebrate with the other religions on their holidays. She puts a strawberry in her mouth and passes it to Joe in a kiss. He says they’ll get through this, which seems to be tonight’s running theme.

The paparazzi is everywhere. Joe #1 and Teresa come out, and she hugs him. This is making me sad. The girls are crying and Joe #2 doesn’t know what to say or do. He says it’s like you’re lost. Joe #1 says he’s not scared of too many things, but you can’t predict what’s going to happen, even in the next few minutes. Boy, does he have that one right. He says no one is mentally prepared for this, but it’s really happening. He’s going in

Siggy calls Teresa to let her know she’s there if Teresa needs anything. Teresa says it sucks right now, and probably will until she talks to him, but she’s going to take a nap before the girls get home. She’s emotionally exhausted. She thanks Siggy for reaching out.

Joe #2 is setting up a trampoline. Melissa asks the kids if they had fun riding the bull. She tells them how cute they were giving kisses to Uncle Joe. Melissa says she got a text from Teresa saying “love you,” and Joe asks if she feels better about the relationship. In her interview, Melissa says she couldn’t be happier that she’s the one Teresa is reaching out to. Joe talks about how even though you can fight with family members, you have to be there when they need you.

Dolores and Siggy visit Jacqueline. She’s doing the weirdest thing. She has these baby dolls and she’s smearing their diapers with chocolate. Are these party favors or something to practice with? Dolores asks about Joe #1 and how Jacqueline feels, since she’s been on an emotional roller coaster. Jacqueline says when she saw the pictures of them hugging, she lost it. Siggy says that even though there’s no relationship right now, Teresa and Jacqueline have a long history, and there will always be a bond. Jacqueline says she would be there for Teresa regardless. Siggy says it’s heartbreaking to watch the kids have to go through it a second time. She wonders if Teresa is coming to Dolores’s housewarming party, and Dolores says definitely. I still have no idea what’s up with the diapers.

Teresa talks to Joe #2 and Melissa on the phone. She talks about her father crying and how upsetting it was. Joe asks if she wants to get Chinese food and hang out tomorrow. She says it would be nice and that the girls will be sleeping with her tonight.

Sure enough, they all get in the bed, which is pretty big. Teresa asks if the girls want to say a prayer for daddy. Each of the girls takes a turn except for Gabriela. To be honest, I mix these kids up except for Gia, so I think that’s who opted out. Teresa adds a prayer and Milania tells her not to cry because she’ll cry. Audriana (I think) turns out the lights

Next time, Siggy’s housewarming happens, Melissa has a fashion show, and Dolores tells Jacqueline f-u. Wow.