Once Upon A Time “Rocky Road” 

For an icy treat, stop by Any Given Sundae for a delicious curse cream cone. Poor Marion seems to be having a rough time settling into Storybrooke — first a jumbo snow monster, now an ice curse from the Snow Queen. Her timing couldn’t be worse, of course. She is affected right in the middle of the meeting where Snow White is trying to convince the townsfolk that Elsa and her ice wall are no threat. But these people have been through too much to believe that anyone with magic that strong isn’t out to hurt them. It will take a lot to convince them; hopefully the appearance of the Snow Queen will get Elsa out of the hot seat.

Emma is feeling insecure about her abilities to deal with the icy issues the town is facing, as Regina has pointed out that she is zero for two in her attempts so far. Still, she is putting on a good show of being in charge and clearly her emotions are strong enough to supercharge her magic when she needs it. Much like Elsa, she would have benefited from practice in her youth to learn control. Is it too late for her to learn? Only time will tell.

The Snow Queen, as far as we can tell, has lied with every word she has spoken so far, with the possible exception of her being Elsa’s estranged aunt. Her lies may hold grains of truth though. She alleges that Anna is the one who trapped Elsa in the ancient urn and it seems a likely possibility that her own sister is the one who put her there as well. Elsa’s mother had a deep-seated fear of her magic and now it appears we know why. The Snow Queen looks to be a very interesting character for the season. We see her doing evil things, but without any obvious reason, without any apparent personal malice. Other villains had a specific agenda, but with the Snow Queen in just seems like she’s there to enjoy herself, whatever form that may take. Her history promises to be an interesting tale and I look forward to learning the truth behind the past events in Arendelle.

As Regina and Henry embark on “Operation Mongoose,” it’s hard to know if this is a good thing or a future problem for Emma to solve. Henry will certainly do everything in his power to keep Regina on the straight and narrow, but will she be able to control her anger at the injustice of the story book long enough to bring about the change she so desires? This is an interesting tack to take, with the history of these fairy tales set so far back in our own history. How will they find the writer? Will it do any good? It seems like a long shot, but if anyone can do it, surely Regina can.

Moment of Goodness: Emma’s secret truth

Emma’s love life has been a real roller-coaster ride and it’s hard to watch her push Hook away like she has been doing lately. When she confesses her true feelings to him – that every man she ever loved has been killed – it feels like a landmark moment of clarity for them both. It comes across beautifully, too. Like when truth is spoken, time stands still. The empty street, the quiet night; like life is holding its breath waiting for them to process the gravity of her hidden truth.

Once Upon a Time airs Sundays at 8/7c on ABC.