TV Show Review: Once Upon a Time - Season 5

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Amazing characters still entertaining with fun stories

Cons: One episode’s storyline that I didn’t like

The Bottom Line:

Camelot, Hades

Settings for character growth

And magic action

“It Seems You Brought a Hook to a Sword Fight.”

As much as I do enjoy fairytales (I am a Disnerd, after all), I don’t think I would have ever expected to be as hooked on Once Upon a Time as I am.  This show continues to entertain me.  Each episodes flies by all too quickly, and I can’t wait to find out what will happen next to the characters I love.  That continued for season 5.

If you are new to the show, I don’t recommend you start here.  This is one of the many serialized shows on TV these days, and to fully appreciate all that happens in season 5, you need the background on the characters and their relationships.  They are complicated, which is frankly one of the things I love most about the show.

As with the previous two seasons, this season really breaks down into two arcs.  In the fall, we get one story with a resolution and a cliffhanger that sets up the spring episodes.  Even better, all these episodes aired on back to back Sunday nights with only one or two breaks in the scheduling, allowing the viewers to truly get lost in the story since we know that there will be more next week.

This season opens moments after season 4 ended.  Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison), who originally came to town as the fairytale character’s savior from a curse, has turned to darkness.  Very specifically, she has become The Dark One after this ancient darkness left Mr. Gold, aka Rumpelstiltskin, (Robert Carlyle).  She is struggling with the power, however, trying to keep from succumbing to the evil, and her family and friends are going to help her.  They think they can defeat the darkness once and for all by going to Camelot.  However, when they return home weeks later, no one has any memory of what happened during their time away and Emma has embraced being the Dark One.

The back half of the season find the gang heading down to Hades to try to rescue one of their own and bring him back to Storybrooke.  While down there, they meet many people, friend and foe, who have unfinished business.  Can they help these people move on?  Or will they get trapped down there by Hades (Greg Germann) instead?

I know, I know, I haven’t talked as much about the individual characters in my plot teasers as I usually do in a TV show review.  Believe me, everyone is still here and involved in the story.  Regina (Lana Parrilla) tries to help Emma avoid becoming evil while dealing with the weird relationship between herself, Robin Hood (Sean Maguire), and her half-sister Zelena (Rebecca Mader), aka the Wicked Witch of the West.  David (Josh Dallas) develops a bromance with King Arthur (guest star Liam Garrigan) much to the dismay of his wife Mary Margaret, aka Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin).  Gold, meanwhile, tries to deal with being human again, and it’s not an easy transition for him and his wife Belle (Emilie de Ravin).  And Henry (Jared S. Gilmore) develops his first serious crush.  We also get to meet Merida (guest star Amy Manson) and get an update on Ruby (Meghan Ory) and Mulan (Jamie Chung) as well as return to Oz before the season is over.

Why this show continues to enthrall me is the way they build the characters.  These are complex people who have grown and changed as the seasons have gone along.  When this show is working well, we have a story, but that story is showing us things about the characters and allowing them to be better developed.  It’s again why I will tell you to watch the show from the beginning.  It’s well worth it.

Not to mention that our time in Hades allows us to see quite a few people again.  The second half of the season opened with the 100th episode of the show, and the writers did a fantastic job of using that to bring back some characters we loved (or loved to hate).  Plus the flashback that episode filled in a gap in the storyline from the season 1 flashbacks.  Not that I would have complained if we’d never gotten that answer, but I was thrilled to see them address it.

Yes, we still get flashbacks in each episode.  Sometimes, they focus on the new characters, like Merida or King Arthur.  Sometimes, they tell us a bit more about our main characters.  And sometimes, they fill in the missing time for the characters from their time in Camelot.  (And yes, I was ready to roll my eyes at the characters having their memories erased again when the characters did it for me.  I had to laugh at that.)

While quite obviously I love the characters, I’m not trying to take away from the plot at all.  Each episode is jam packed with storylines, twists, and surprises, and they are over all too quickly.  The writers are still doing a great job of telling a story that is compelling and entertaining.  The fact that they have created such rich characters to play with only makes it better.

Of course, I’m giving the actors their share of the credit for the rich characters.  They take the material the writers give them and bring it to life perfectly.  This is clearly as case where the actors and writers are on the same page, and the result for us is magical.

The only thing I didn’t care for in this season was a much publicized lesbian storyline.  Honestly, the show didn’t need it.  But, at least in this season, it was kept to one episode, so it is easy to ignore it and enjoy the rest of the brilliance that is this season.

There are 23 episodes in season 5, and they are all included in this set in their native wide screen and full surround.  Extras include a look at bringing Merida to life for the show, the fate of a minor supporting character left up in the air at the end of the season (I’m being vague on purpose), a look at the 100^th episode, and the usual audio commentaries, gag reel, and deleted scenes.

The final two hours set up the upcoming season, and I am excited about the possibilities with what they’ve done.  Not only do I think it will be fascinating from a plot standpoint, but the potential for theme and character development are brilliant.  I can’t wait to see what they do with it all.

So if you aren’t up to date on this wonderful show, you’ve got time to catch up.  And if you are already a fan of Once Upon a Time, you’ll be glad to you picked up season 5 so you can revisit these characters any time you want.

Season 5 episodes:

1. The Dark Swan

2. The Price

3. Siege Perilous

4. The Broken Kingdom

5. Dreamcatcher

6. The Bear and the Bow

7. Nimue

8. Birth

9. The Bear King

10. Broken Heart

11. Swan Song

12. Souls of the Departed

13. Labor of Love

14. Devil’s Due

15. The Brothers Jones

16. Our Decay

17. Her Handsome Hero

18. Ruby Slippers

19. Sisters

20. Firebird

21. Last Rites

22. Only You

23. An Untold Story

Book Review: The Stolen Chapters by James Riley (Story Thieves #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Delightfully fun, fast paced, and twisty

Cons: Only if you haven’t read the first book

The Bottom Line:

Missing memories

And race to rescue a friend

Keep pages turning

What Happened in the Stolen Chapters?

As a lifelong reader, I knew there was no way I wouldn’t love The Story Thieves, and I was right.  The premise was just that much fun. Yet somehow, I didn’t manage to read the sequel, The Stolen Chapters, until now.  Never fear, this sequel is just as much fun as the first one.

Now, if you haven’t read these books yet, you really don’t want to jump in here.  Author James Riley has created a wonderful world, and you’ll miss out on discovering the surprises and set up he’s done in the first book.  In fact, this book assumes you already know the premise of the series and spoils a few events from book one.

You see, the premise involves Owen and Bethany.  Bethany is half fictitious, and she can jump in and out of stories.  Owen is a reader and is thrilled to be able to visit some of his favorite stories.  In the first book, they wind up becoming friends with Kiel, the star of his own series of magical adventures.

As this book opens, Owen and Kiel wake up in the library.  They have no memory of the last few weeks and Kiel doesn’t have his magic wand or his magic book.  A man with a mask shows up, announces that he has Bethany trapped, and it is up to the two of them to free her.  They have just over two hours to do it or they will never see her again.  Oh, and then he sets the library on fire and announces he’s called the police with a tip that they are the prime suspects.

Owen and Kiel immediately disagree with what to do – do they trust the police or not?  Where is Bethany?  And what happened during the time wiped from their memories?

The book actually starts with chapter 10, but don’t worry, as the characters regain their memories, those first 9 chapters fill in for us.  As far as spoilers go, I’ve just told you what happens in chapter 10.  Yes, the book starts that quickly, and things never slow down until we reach the end.  There are twists and surprises along the way, and the pages fly by all too quickly.

While there are obviously three main characters, this book is really Owen’s story.  He gets some great character growth here, and I enjoyed seeing it.  Not to say that the rest of the cast isn’t strong.  In fact, since we gets portions of the story from Owen, Bethany, and Kiel’s points of view, we get to know all three of them very well.

Then there’s the humor.  There are so many moments that made me smile or laugh.  Not to mention just how meta this entire book gets.  Trust me, just go with the flow and enjoy it.  I mean, how can you not enjoy it when Owen complains to himself about flashbacks in a story just as he is about to get a flashback that fills in one of those missing chapters for us?  And for fans of older series detective books, there is a fantastic joke/cameo in this book that I absolutely loved.

And if the flashbacks worry you at all, it is obvious when they happen and they never slow things down.  We, and the characters, need that information to fill in completely what is happening, so it’s great when it happens.

The books are aimed at middle graders, but any fan of fun, well written books will be glad they picked them up.

So don’t wait any longer.  Pick up The Stolen Chapters today and enjoy a wild trip through the fictional world.

You'll want to jump into the rest of the Story Thieves series in order.

This review is part of this week's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday.

Movie Review: Garage Sale Mystery - Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Another intriguing mystery

Cons: Usual Hallmark cheese

The Bottom Line:

Cellar hides body

Sets Jenn on trail of killer

Light, enjoyable

“When Did Family Dinner Become Murder 101?”

Who would have ever thought that bargain hunting could be so deadly?  Guilty Until Proven Innocent is now the fifth Garage Sale Mystery starring Lori Loughlin as garage sale expert Jennifer Shannon, and it’s a fun movie.

Jennifer, along with her best friend Dani (Sarah Strange), owns Rags to Riches, where they sell what they find at yard sales to make money.  At least hopefully make some money.  Right now, the shop has been struggling financially, but they just need a couple of high value items to turn things around.

Those items could come from Jennifer’s college friend Sandra (Kirsten Robek) who shows up offering the inventory of her store located about twenty minutes away.  Sandra is moving out of the area to live with her current fiancée and doesn’t want to take things with her, so she is willing to take a percentage of anything they sell as her payment.  That includes the items in the barn on her farm, but while Jennifer is exploring, she discovers the body of Sandra’s former fiancée Michael in a hidden cellar.  Michael vanished two years ago, only leaving behind a note that he had found someone else.  Now the police are looking into the murder and are certain that Sandra is the killer.  Can Jennifer find the truth and free her friend?

Unlike many of the books I read, Jennifer is a married woman with two kids.  And now, with the fifth movie in the series, recasting for the supporting members of the Shannon family is now complete.  After being written out of the previous movie, her teenage son Logan is back, but this time played by Connor Stanhope.  While the new actor did a fine job, I missed the old actor and the chemistry he had with Lori as her son.  Then again, it might have helped if Logan and Jennifer had more scenes together; Logan did have a sub-plot but he was mostly on his own for it.  Fortunately, Steve Bacic as husband Jason and Eva Bourne as older daughter Hannah are back, although there is no mention of Hannah’s love life at all, which was a pretty major sub-plot in the previous movie.

Of course, the acting overall continues to be good but not great.  There is that certain level of cheese in the writing that spills over into the acting in these movies, but I’m okay with that.  Know what you are getting into before you sit down, and you’ll be fine.

The mystery itself is intriguing.  I did figure out where things were going a little early, but watching how Jennifer actually pieced my hunch together with solid evidence was still entertaining.  We get two sub-plots as well, one involving a job offer for Dani and the one I mentioned earlier involving Logan and two of his friends.  Both left me cheering for the outcome, although I’m not completely sure I approve of some of Logan’s actions along the way.

Overall, Guilty Until Proven Innocent proves to be another entertaining mystery.  It’s light, but it’s fun, and if that’s what you are looking for, you will be richly rewarded.

This movie is part of the Garage Sale Mysteries Collection Two DVD Set.

August 13th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Of course, in additional to all this, there was Olympics.  Lots and lots of Olympics.  They need to stop having coverage until midnight for my sack.

Rush Hour – Someone we know being held hostage is a fairly common storyline, but it’s always fun to see how it twists.  I didn’t think they did quite enough with the twists until the last quarter of the episode, but it was still enjoyable over all.

Angie Tribecca – I have no idea who was who was who in that final scene, but I really don’t care.  It was fun all the way around, and it will be interesting to see where they go from here.  Back to individual stories?  Or will they try another longer arc?  Either way, can’t wait until season 3.

Dead of Summer – With everything that has been happening, why would you keep quiet about what happened in the water?  Do you really think it is over?  And what did the sheriff mean?  Has someone else been committing murders?  Or is it this Satanist group?  I certainly felt sorry for the deputy in this one.

Scream – If you are stabbed with something, never pull it out until medical help is there.  Never!  The killer set things up perfectly to get Emma and Audrey arrested.  How they will get out of it is the big question.  I’m guessing Eli isn’t the killer since they’ve set it up to look like he is.  Although I’m hard pressed to think of anyone who isn’t an obvious suspect at this point.

Suits – What they have to go through to get Kevin to trust Mike when he shouldn’t be trusting Mike at all.  This is going to get very dicey very quickly I have a feeling.  Meanwhile, I knew Rachel would wind up working with Jessica on this case.  I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out, too.

Girl Meets World – There were things I would have liked better about that episode, especially the promise that “I’ll walk with you as long as you’ll have me.”  But the fact that Shawn got married?  I love it!  I really do hope that this makes Maya trust a little more.  And yes, I did catch the couple of parallels with Corey and Topanga’s wedding.  I’d forgotten that Feeny was marrying them, so that was a very fun surprise when he popped out.

Book Review: Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist by Dorothy Gilman (Mrs. Pollifax #13)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Story, characters, take on late 1990’s world relations

Cons: Mrs. Pollifax not as instrumental in climax as I would like

The Bottom Line:

A Jordan mission

Gets complicated quickly

More Pollifax fun

Mrs. Pollifax Hunts for a Manuscript

One of the things I had always appreciated about the Mrs. Pollifax series is the fact that, as the years passed, the series stayed up to date with the world political climate of the time.  That’s rather important for a spy series written over the course of 35 years.  I most appreciated that when I got to read Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist.  When I originally read it in 2001, it was only a few years old, and I loved the added feel of realism that gave the book.

If you aren’t familiar with the series, you really do need to meet Mrs. Pollifax.  She’s a grandmother, widow, garden club member – and part time CIA agent.  From 1966 to 2001, she traveled the globe on assignment for Carstairs, doing the impossible on a regular basis.  These are light for the spy genre, but utterly fun.  (And yes, I might have borrowed the name Carstairs from these books.  That’s how much I love them.)

Mrs. Pollifax’s old friend Farrell walks into the CIA and asks to borrow Mrs. Pollifax.  He’s heading to Jordan on a freelance assignment and needs her as part of his cover as a tourist.  He’s going over there to get the manuscript for the final work that Iraqi author Dib Assen produced before he was killed in prison.  With the understanding the Farrell will share the manuscript with the CIA, Carstairs gladly agrees, and Mrs. Pollifax is only too eager for another adventure.

Since Mrs. Pollifax and Farrell are taking a flight last minute, they don’t get seats together, and Mrs. Pollifax finds her seatmate a complete bore.  Her opinion of him changes when she lands however, and strange things start to happen.  Will these events complicate picking up the manuscript?

Life under Saddam Hussein in Iraq in the 1990’s.  How much more topical could you get?  Yet, as usual, this book does a great job of giving us a compelling story and characters with the mystery as a backdrop to the action.  Still, I found rereading this book almost 20 years later to be very interesting in light of what has happened since.  It is a good reminder of just what we were dealing with in Iraq at the time.  (And that is as political as I am going to get.)

Sadly, I must say I did have a complaint with the plot.  It starts strongly with plenty of things happening that Mrs. Pollifax must figure out.  However, as we near the end, Mrs. Pollifax seems more reactionary then instrumental in the solution to almost everything.  Oh, it’s been set up well before hand, but I enjoyed the earlier books where Mrs. Pollifax had everything figured out and resolved before anyone else did.  But that’s a minor complaint since, as always, the book is so much fun to read.

Much of that fun comes from the characters.  Mrs. Pollifax is a pure delight with her fascination for the world around her and the new cultures she is experiencing.  I’ve always loved Farrell, and it’s great to see him pop up again (although he does utter the one series continuity error in the book).  We get plenty of scenes with Carstairs and Bishop back in Langley as well, which I love.  And the new characters?  They are classic Mrs. Pollifax characters that are quirky, fascinating, and completely lovable.

Speaking of classic Mrs. Pollifax, there’s also the humor.  No, I wouldn’t consider the book a comedy or spoof, but there are times when characters utter a line that is very funny and breaks the tension.  That just adds to the charm of the story.

Of course, the problem with a contemporary, topical book like this is that it does become dated.  20 years after it was released, that has certainly happened to Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist.  But the story and characters and timeless.  So transport yourself back to the late 1990’s and enjoy another adventure with old friends.

Haven't met Mrs. Pollifax?  Missing a few of her adventures?  Here are the Mrs. Pollifax books in order.

This review is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.

August 12's Book Beginnings and Friday 56

Welcome to this week's Book Beginnings, Book Beginning, and Friday 56.  Otherwise known as the indecisive edition.  I was trying to decide between two books to feature this week, and I just couldn't do it.  However, one of them didn't have a very good 56, so I'll just featuring the first line.

And the book I'm just featuring the first line from is a middle grade novel, The Stolen Chapters, the second Story Thieves book by James Riley.

                                                                    


This is a book that features real characters jumping in and out of books.  How can a reader not love it?  I certainly have been enjoying this series.  I'll be reviewing this one on Sunday.

And what was the opening line I loved so much?  I'm glad you asked.

Someone was trying to steal Owen's life, and there was nothing Owen could do about it.

Now isn't that a beginning that grabs your attention?

Moving on to the second book for the week, and another book I loved.  This book is Terror in Taffeta by Marla Cooper.

This is a delightfully fun cozy mystery debut featuring a destination wedding planner.  I'll be reviewing it next Thursday as part of a blog tour.

So here's how the book begins:

The sea-foam green bridesmaids' dresses had been a mistake.  Not for the obvious reason - that sea-foam green bridesmaids' dresses are almost always a mistake - but because they added a sickly tinge to Nicole Abernathy's three very hung over bridesmaids.

Now let's jump ahead to page 56.  Kelsey, our main character, has just learned that the police have arrested Zoe Abernathy, sister of the bride and maid of honor, for murder.  She's talking to Zoe's family and says:

"I can't believe they think she did this.  What I don't understand - and if you can talk one at a time that would be super helpful - is why?"
Unsurprisingly, Mrs. Abernathy was the first to jump in.  "They wouldn't tell us!  Can you imagine?"
Actually, I found it pretty easy to imagine, but Mrs. Abernathy wasn't used to dealing with people who didn't have to do her bidding.

I hope this gives you a feel for just how much fun this book is.  I can't recommend it highly enough.  Come back for the review on Thursday.

Silk Stalkings Winner

I've just pulled the second winner for the month.  The book is Silk Stalkings, and the winner is...

...Debbie!

I've just sent you an e-mail, Debbie, so be sure to watch for it so I can connect you with your prize.

Book Review: Clock and Dagger by Julianne Holmes (Clock Shop Mysteries #2)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Wonderful characters, great mystery

Cons: A little slow to start

The Bottom Line:

Party ends in death

Opens creative story

Time flies as you read

The Last Thing Ruth Has Time for is a Murder

Last year, I enjoyed the first book in the Clock Shop Mysteries by Julianne Holmes, so I was looking forward to revisiting the characters in Clock and Dagger, the second in the series.  My patience was rewarded since this book was just as much fun as the first.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is going to be very busy for Ruth Clagen this year.  Not only is she getting ready to reopen the clock shop she inherited from her grandfather, Cog & Sprocket, but the downtown merchants of Orchard, Massachusetts, are launching a discount program with a huge open house on the final Tuesday of December.  Since this program was Ruth’s idea, she is heavily involved in the party.

Despite some hiccups and run ins with her neighbor, bookstore owner Beckett Green, the open house goes off without a hitch.  That is until Ruth discovers a dead body as things are winding down.  A pocket watch next to the body catches Ruth’s interest.  Why was it there?  What could it mean?

The book opens as Ruth is preparing for the party.  This gives us a change to remeet the series regulars and set a few things in motion for the plot.  However, I did feel like this part was a little slow.  Once the murder happened, things definitely picked up, although one sub-plot continued to annoy me.

But these are minor complaints overall because I really did enjoy the book.

Let’s start with the fact that the murder victim wasn’t who I expected it to be at all.  You’ll notice I was very careful not to give that away.  That was just the first of many surprises in the plot that kept me turning the pages.  The climax was very suspenseful and perfectly logical.

One thing this series does well is capture life in a small town, complete with small town politics.  That adds a wonderful component to the book here I loved watching unfold.

It also showcases the great relationships that develop in a small town.  I love these characters and the friendships that they all have and it was wonderful to see them all again.  I especially love Ruth’s relationship with Caroline, her step-grandmother, which only grows here.  It adds a great touch to this series.  Naturally, we meet some new characters here, and they are strong as well.

So if you are looking for a creative and cozy series, it’s time to check this one out.  Clock and Dagger will please fans of the first and leave you counting the second until we can revisit these friends.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Giveaway!

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of this book to give away.  Because it is a physical book, the contest is limited to residence of the US.

Just leave me a comment with your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you if you win.  I will pick the winner next Thursday, August 18th, so please leave your comment before 12:01AM Pacific Time on 8/18.  You will have until midnight on 8/23 to get back to me, or I will choose a new winner on 8/24.

Ornament Review: Gold Miniature Keepsake Ornament Tree - 2016 Hallmark Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: A great stand shrunk for mini ornaments

Cons: All cons shrunk as well

The Bottom Line:

The mini set needs

A mini stand all its own

Perfect size display

Honey, I Shrunk the Display Stand

Hallmark has my number.  I am already collecting two copies of their current 12 Days of Christmas series, one for my trees and one for a separate display stand.  And, despite my plans to resist their new mini 12 Days of Christmas continuity set, I gave in after about 2 minutes.  Naturally, that means I started with the new display stand.

In 2013, Hallmark released a stand to display 12 ornaments, mostly tied in to their current 12 Days of Christmas series.  This new display stand looks just like it, only shrunk in size.  It has the same gold color and the same leaves and branches and hooks designed to hold 12 ornaments.  However, instead of coming in 3 pieces, this one just comes in one piece.  It’s 17 inches tall and is just perfect for 12 miniature ornaments like the 12 Little Days of Christmas ornaments that Hallmark will be releasing this year.

It’s no surprise to me that I like this stand.  I like the original, so what’s not to like?  It might have been fun if they’d done something different, but since the idea is to tie this mini set into the full size series, it makes sense that they didn’t.

And the size is absolutely perfect.  While Hallmark has only released the first set of three ornaments to the public, stores have this out with a display of all 12 ornaments in the set.  They are so cute hanging on this display.  Since they are all white and gold, the stand ties in perfectly with them.  And none of them hit the branches around them.

Since it comes in one piece and doesn’t come in a box, it does require more thought when you go to pack it up each year.  Yep, I’m going to need more boxes for this, and maybe some packing paper or bubble wrap so it doesn’t accidentally poke anything when in storage.  But that’s a small price to pay.

The truth is, I don’t need any of the Hallmark ornaments I buy, but I sure do enjoy them.  This stand is going to get a lot of use since the 12 Little Days set is so cute, and I will be sure I have them out each year.

Once you have the stand, you'll want the 12 Little Days of Christmas ornaments.

Original Price: $29.95

Grilling the Subject Winner

I've got lots of winners this month, so let's get to the first one.  The book is Grilling the Subject, and the winner is...

...Wendy K!

I've sent you an e-mail to verify your address, so please get back to me so we can connect you with your prize.