There’s something for everyone. There are games and rock operas. And Outlaw Queen shippers activate chakras.

Michael’s “Always… no, no… never… forget to check your references.”

The Who’s Tommy “Smash the Mirror”

You don’t answer my call

With even a nod or a wink

But you gaze at your own reflection, all that

You don’t seem to see me

But I think you can see yourself

How does the mirror affect you? Can you hear me

Or do I surmise?

That you fear me

Can you feel my temper

Rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise

Rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise Do you see or hear or

Do I smash the mirror?

Do you hear of fear or

Do I smash the mirror?

Star Wars

Frozen

“For the First Time in Forever”

I wanna stuff some chocolate in my face

Elsa orders a coronation worthy dessert table to welcome her sister home.

“Let it go!”

While they reconnoiter the dusty room in the East Wing, we’re reminded that the past, well, “It’s in the past.”

Anna’s manacles attached to the floor in the dungeon are similar to the ones that held Elsa in Frozen, though they don’t entirely enclose her hands.

Speaking of hands…

Elsa’s wearing her gloves from the movie, and they’re Ingrid’s from last episode. The gloves haven’t been part of the Arendelle scenes before, but they feature in Storybrooke in the deleted scene ABC released; so their prominence makes a little more sense in that context.

While Anna and Elsa are sneaking around, plotting to trap the Snow Queen, the elder sister halts in reverie before the painting of their parents. The music that plays in the background draws heavily from “Let it Go.” Knowing what she now knows about their intentions in Misthaven, Elsa has to come to terms with that. The music is a nice touch.

After Anna’s captured Elsa in the urn, she snaps out of her trolden funk with a classic, “Wait… What?”

And at the end Emma creates an Aurora…

The Magic Kingdom

…that morphs into fireworks.

Enchanted

A D isney-esque princess travels through a portal from fairyland into the big city.

Both Ingrid and Giselle enter in full fancy dress.

Tron

It’s 1982, and this foam rubber and computer animated classic is in the theaters. Hopefully Ingrid chose to chill with one of the most fascinating movies of the decade before setting up her foster home.

Kingdom Hearts

Okay, I suppose I have to admit that this might be a bit of a stretch.

There’s plenty of portal fiction to draw from with homeless doors sitting in lonely landscapes. The Dark Tower and The Chronicles of Narnia both come easily to mind.

But the darkness of the cave and the absurdity of the door’s colors and patterns, despite being kind of Arenedellian seem like an intentional and intentionally cartoony reference. And the conceit of the game, a mash up of all the company’s trademarks adventuring together really makes it seem like this is what they were pointing to.

Fantasia

Every instance of the hat technically counts, but we got a very good look at the colors going on inside it and stretching out from it. I gotta say it looks a lot like some of the frames from “Night On Bald Mountain.” I wonder if we’ll see Chernabog.

Back in our post about “Family Business,” I made a quip about the cat with the hat, referring to Rumple. I even wondered if something like, “A lot of good tricks. / I will show them to you. / Your mother / Will not mind at all if I do.” could be teased out, but it felt like I was going to far. But, but, but:

“My tricks are not bad,” said The Cat in the Hat.

Paradise Lost

One of the Charming parents is in dark grey at all times now. And they keep letting their judgement be clouded by rationalization and negativity.

This evil from good theme is so deeply interwoven by now that it’s getting difficult to tease out individual threads. Mary Margaret blurred the line between grace and indecency during her pep talk with Regina. Robin’s code is nowhere to be found. Henry ended up injured for trying to help. Rumple’s using an artifact that was only attainable via an act of goodwill for the most dire of purposes. Hook’s love for Emma has been subverted. And the Arendelle parallel was the perversion of Anna’s (apparently not so) indomitable optimism.

Marvel Comics

Regina and Henry read Wolverine and Hulk comics while they avoid talking about Emma.

Once Upon a Time

Henry was first seen reading Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk in 1×09 “True North”

Page XXIII of (which might also be a Lost reference) of the Once Upon a Time book depicts the scene from 3×03 “Quite a Common Fairy” where Regina walks away from true love.

The shard of mirror Ingrid uses to cast Shattered Sight on Anna is exactly the same shape as the piece she was missing in 4×05 “Breaking Glass”

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland

Will: “She’s really something, all right. If evil queens are your type. Which I get.”

Erin’s Happy Shipper Moments

Outlaw Queen

This is the best Outlaw Queen episode ever.

Regina’s getting her shoes on. Robin walks in half dressed. Robin: “That was the best…sleep…I’ve had in a very long time. How would you like to come back to my camp and let me cook you breakfast?” She remains all dour about their chances to find a happy ending. He finally makes her smile. Robin: “There’s that satisfying but elusive smile I think about every time I close my eyes.” Regina: “I should have listened to that stupid fairy.”

Regina’s getting her shoes on. Robin walks in half dressed. Robin: “That was the best…sleep…I’ve had in a very long time. How would you like to come back to my camp and let me cook you breakfast?” She remains all dour about their chances to find a happy ending. He finally makes her smile. Robin: “There’s that satisfying but elusive smile I think about every time I close my eyes.” Regina: “I should have listened to that stupid fairy.” She shows the book to Robin, a sign of trust. Her admittance of failure a sign of vulnerability. They do it again on outlaw logic.

Robin goes to Will for help. Will’s answer: Under the magical clocktower? “A libe’ry.” Wherein Robin magically finds alternate page XXIII in his satchel, depicting the meeting that Tinkerbell attempted to make happen but that Regina walked away from.

Robin shows her the new page and she starts to believe what Mary Margaret said, that she just has to believe grace is there for her if she makes good decisions rather than evil ones. Robin: “I take it as a sign. Hope.”

Captain Swan

I can’t help but be a little perturbed that Robin and Regina got to have the sex (twice!) before Hook and Emma even got to second base.

Hook spends much of the first part of the episode looking very, very worried. Until, of course, he realizes that she’s going to use the hat, and has “trusted the crocodile.” Nice moment: he calls himself Killian on her voice mail.

Hook, desperate to save Emma, finally comes clean on her voice mail. “I wanted to be a better man for you, Swan. But I failed… I hope you never forgive because that means you’ll have got this in time to save yourself.”

Hook, desperate to save Emma, finally comes clean on her voice mail. “I wanted to be a better man for you, Swan. But I failed… I hope you never forgive because that means you’ll have got this in time to save yourself.” Gold: “Don’t worry. You’ll get over her. Just like you did Mila. That only took how many centuries?”

Hook gets his heart ripped out by Rumple. Afterwards, he runs in to find Emma, the look of concern and the knowledge of his own corruption and demise all over his face and actions. Emma, being the lukewarm fish she is, pulls away from his kiss. Emma: “Easy tiger, we’ve got company. I didn’t realize you were such a fan of my magic.” Hook: “Why would you say that, Swan? I’m a fan of every part of you.” Emma: “If you look at me any harder, you’re going to drill a hole in my head.”

Unfortunately, no one is ever going to notice that Hook has his heart ripped out, because it becomes ever clearer that there is a love imbalance in the Captain Swan pairing. Hook has far more attention and care for Emma than vice versa. For instance, after Hook and Emma are reunited at the end of the episode, she fails to notice that he doesn’t leave the house with them to be together and enjoy the fireworks. The least the writers could have to done was tag it with some line about him needing to use the “head” or something.

Emma/Elsa = Ice Swan?

Ingrid: “They really are quite wonderful together…”

Elsa saves Emma from giving up her powers, being the one who understands her and is willing to risk her life to save her. Their hands touching make the “true love’s kiss” light show and cures Emma of her overclocked power. There are fireworks.

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