Review: Once Upon a Time 3x09 "Save Henry"

Original air date: Dec. 1, 2013

On one hand, okay I think we all pretty much saw most of this episode coming.  On the other hand, oh man next week is going to be fun.

When we left off with the show two weeks ago, Pan had just convinced Henry to give up his heart.  Even with his super awesome new heart Pan isn't all fixed quite yet he still needs some time to recharge.  So he runs away to his Thinking Tree in the Pixie Woods.  Instead of an extensive battle that could have spanned multiple episodes, Regina shrugged, claimed “NO REGRETS!” and ripped out Henry’s heart from Pan’s chest.  Done and done.  With the heart and Pandora’s Box everyone jumps aboard the Jolly Roger and set sail for home. 

Personally, I thought they should have left Rumple in the box for a little bit longer but that’s fine.  They needed the box empty for when they later trapped Pan (Pan in Pandora’s Box… clever) as he gave one last desperate attempt for Henry’s heart.  There was a bit of a struggle and eye glowing and BAM BODY SWITCH EPISODE NEXT WEEK!

So to be honest, I wasn’t a big fan of this episode.  While I was ready for the field trip to Neverland to be over, this still felt pretty anticlimactic.  The flashbacks with Regina and Henry were endearing and say what you will about Regina she loves Henry.  She chose Henry over her need to protect her revenge curse.  Other than that, I’m just looking forward to next week’s episode because Pan wreaking havoc in Henry’s body is bound to be good times.

Favorite bits of the episode?

• Storybrooke.  Anytime we get a glimpse of Storybrooke, I’m reminded how much I actually miss the town.  Over the course of the show I’ve grown rather fond of it.  So I’m looking forward that we’re headed back there.
• Tinkerbell starting to believe in herself.  She may still have some magic afterall.
• “As you wish, Milady.” More Hook could have improved this episode, if you ask me.
• Emma realizing she has lots of people who love her.  She is not a lost girl anymore, she has a family.
• The excitement on the Lost Boys’ faces when they heard that they were going to have a home.

In conclusion: I waited two weeks for a new episode but I’m more interested in next week’s episode.  This was a wrap-up episode at heart and there’s not much more to say about it to be honest.