Emily Mortimer and Jeff Daniels in ‘The Newsroom’ (Photo: Melissa Moseley / HBO)
The Newsroom will soon be wrapping up its three-season run on HBO with the final episode scheduled for December 14, 2014. Created by Aaron Sorkin, The Newsroom stars Jeff Daniels (currently on screen in a very different role in Dumb and Dumber To), Dev Patel, and Emily Mortimer. The final show that will send off the series will feature a surprising death and is directed by Alan Poul from a script by Aaron Sorkin.
Episode #24: “Oh Shenandoah”
Debut: SUNDAY, DEC. 7 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: Dec. 7 (11:00 p.m., 1:00 a.m.), 9 (12:30 a.m.), 10 (10:00 p.m.), 11 (8:00 p.m.), 12 (11:00 p.m.) and 13 (12:45 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Dec. 8 (9:00 p.m.), 10 (2:20 a.m.) and 13 (3:30 p.m.)
Incarcerated for contempt, Will (Jeff Daniels) refuses to reveal the name of Neal’s (Dev Patel) government source. Appearing to embrace Pruit’s (B.J. Novak) mandate to capture younger viewers, Charlie (Sam Waterston) orders a reluctant Don (Thomas Sadoski) to track down principals in a sexual-abuse case at an elite college. Sloan (Olivia Munn) voices her objection to a new digital site built by Neal’s replacement, Bree (Jon Bass). Stranded in a Moscow airport, Jim (John Gallagher, Jr.) and Maggie (Alison Pill) look to land seats for a Cuban-bound plane, hoping to interview one of its high-profile passengers.
Written by Aaron Sorkin; directed by Paul Lieberstein.
Episode #25: “What Kind of Day Has It Been” (series finale)
Debut: SUNDAY, DEC. 14 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: Dec. 14 (11:05 p.m., 1:15 a.m.), 16 (12:30 a.m.), 17 (10:00 p.m.), 18 (8:00 p.m.), 19 (11:00 p.m.) and 20 (10:30 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Dec. 15 (9:00 p.m.), 17 (1:30 a.m.) and 20 (4:00 p.m.)
A sudden death leads Will and Mac (Emily Mortimer) to ponder the milestones that transformed the newsroom, and look ahead towards ACN’s uncertain future. Maggie lands a field-producer interview in Washington; Neal’s digital site is shut down for repairs; Leona (Jane Fonda) offers sage advice to Pruit.
Written by Aaron Sorkin; directed by Alan Poul.
The prequel to The Conjuring has conjured up big bucks at the box office. New Line Cinema reports that Annabelle has raked in over $250 million worldwide and is still performing well in theaters weeks after its initial release. The film’s $250 million total makes it the biggest-grossing horror movie of the year.
2013’s The Conjuring was made on a budget of $20 million-ish (Annabelle had a lower budget) and grossed $318 million worldwide during its theatrical run.
Directed by John R. Leonetti and produced by The Conjuring director James Wan, the R-rated Annabelle focused on the backstory of the creepy doll that freaked out The Conjuring viewers.
“Annabelle has continued to entertain audiences who love the horror genre. Congratulations to our partners at New Line and the talented filmmakers and cast who made this film such a far-reaching fan favorite,” said Dan Fellman, President, Domestic Distribution at Warner Bros Pictures.
Annabelle was written by Gary Dauberman and stars Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, Alfre Woodard, Kerry O’Malley, Brian Howe, Tony Amendola, and Eric Ladin.
The Annabelle Plot:
John Form has found the perfect gift for his expectant wife, Mia — a beautiful, rare vintage doll in a pure white wedding dress. But Mia’s delight with Annabelle doesn’t last long. On one horrific night, their home is invaded by members of a satanic cult, who violently attack the couple. Spilled blood and terror are not all they leave behind. The cultists have conjured an entity so malevolent that nothing they did will compare to the sinister conduit to the damned that is now…Annabelle.
The Duff looks like a mix of Mean Girls and She’s All That, and even the trailer feels like a throwback to the ’90s. Coming out in 2015, The Duff stars Mae Whitman, Skyler Samuels, Biana Santos, and Robbie Amell, along with support in the adult roles from Ken Jeong, Romany Malco, and Alison Janney. Josh Cagan adapted Kody Keplinger’s novel for the screen and Ari Sandel directed this ‘ugly’ girl wants a makeover movie.
The Plot:
Bianca (Mae Whitman) is a content high school senior whose world is shattered when she learns the student body knows her as ‘The DUFF’ (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) to her prettier, more popular friends (Skyler Samuels & Bianca Santos). Now, despite the words of caution from her favorite teacher (Ken Jeong), she puts aside the potential distraction of her crush, Toby (Nick Eversman), and enlists Wesley (Robbie Amell), a slick but charming jock, to help reinvent herself. To save her senior year from turning into a total disaster, Bianca must find the confidence to overthrow the school’s ruthless label maker Madison (Bella Thorne) and remind everyone that no matter what people look or act like, we are all someone’s DUFF.
Katey Sagal as Gemma Teller in ‘Sons of Anarchy’ (Photo by Prashant Gupta / FX)
The wild ride that began in 2008 when FX’s Sons of Anarchy debuted is heading into the final stretch, with just three episodes left of the final season. Thus far, it’s been Bobby’s death which has been the most gut-wrenching, but SoA fans have got to believe there will be other SAMCRO members (or family members) joining Bobby before the final credits roll.
Heading into this home stretch, the lovely Katey Sagal took part in a conference call to discuss – without giving away any spoilers – Gemma’s journey over the course of seven seasons. Sagal did her best to answer questions regarding Gemma’s motivation as well as what fans can expect as he head toward that final episode in early December while carefully avoiding anything that migh give away too much.
Katey Sagal Sons of Anarchy Interview:
Gemma has shown a full range of good and bad, but at what point do you think she really crossed the line beyond any hope of redemption, or do you think that she hasn’t crossed that line? She does act believe she’s trying to do what’s best for her family and protect them.
Katey Sagal: “I think what we’re seeing now is her own conscience finally grabbing her. I still think, though, she believes that her momentary rageful act at the end of Season six, killing Tara, was not premeditated and was not something that…she really did believe that Tara had turned the entire club in and her son, and it was the downfall of her entire existence. At that moment it was just sort of a perfect storm. Not that she doesn’t realize the heinous nature of it, but I do believe that what’s happening now is that in times before, she was able to compartmentalize and almost rationalize. I think this one was just too much for her.”
What were some of the biggest high points that you can look back on and what were some of the challenges you had to go through as an actress?
Katey Sagal: It’s constantly challenging, which as an actor you only hope for, so I felt every season brought a new set of things that I’ve never done before and needed exploring. It was that kind of job where week to week, episode to episode, there was always a little something that I felt like this will be great. I guess the overall challenge of it was playing somebody that was so very different from myself. Her maternal instincts are similar to mine, but her ways and means of doing things were something very foreign to me. I don’t live in an outlaw world and I don’t carry a gun and I don’t do those things.”
And the high points were numerous, so it’s difficult to zero in on. That’s a hard question. I’m about to rewatch the whole thing.”
Do you feel you’ve already mentally moved on to what’s coming next for you? Have you and Kurt Sutter gone through a little bit of a mourning period at home now that everything is wrapped up?
Katey Sagal: “It’s been interesting. We’ve all sort of known the end was coming, but I don’t think any of us really acknowledged it till the last couple of weeks. We’d have moments on set where people would tear up and we’d say good-bye to one director, but the work really requires you to be pretty much where you are. It’s complicated to keep everything in place in your brain and your character and where you are, so that pulled focused.
I think Kurt and I are just…part of us are in denial and we have lots of other stuff in life, so it takes the onus off it. I’m sure at some point we’ll probably crash from it all and we’ll recognize it. But I think overwhelmingly we’re both so grateful that it’s seven years and it’s been such a great experience, so I don’t know that you get too sad really. Things happen. I think it’s ending at the perfect time, I really do.”
I really enjoy the scenes where you’re just sitting there talking to the ghost of Tara. Can you talk about doing those and why do you think they’re so important for Gemma?
Katey Sagal: “I think it’s very indicative of her unraveling. They’re super easy to do, because I felt very close to Maggie [Siff] who played Tara, and so it’s easy for me, and Gemma felt very close to Tara, ultimately. I think that they had such an intricate relationship, but also very mother/daughter, so I think that I just can put her there very easily and speak to her. And it just speaks to Gemma’s own – as the season goes on – her remorseful moments get stronger and start to eek out and the walls start closing in, but I think that it keeps her connected. It’s like I keep reiterating it wasn’t intentional what happened. It really wasn’t and so it kind of shows her just continuing to connect.
To me it’s interesting, too, that she believes that it speaks to what she believed happens after we die. Clearly, she thinks she’s being heard, I would think.”
The guys got to keep their cuts and their motorcycles, so what keepsakes did you get from the show?
Katey Sagal: “The thing I really wanted and I did get was in the pilot Gemma wore a brown leather coat down to her knees, and I wanted that coat. That was the first piece of clothing that we had made for her, so that’s my keepsake. That’s my cut.”
The dynamic between Gemma and Wendy this season is really interesting because we’ve seen a multitude of highs and lows between Gemma and Wendy, from Gemma trying to get Wendy to kill herself, in the beginning, to suddenly realizing maybe Tara wasn’t the best option and she should go with Wendy and put her in that position of being in charge of the boys. The last episode when Jax asks Wendy to move in, we see this look in Gemma’s eyes and on her face that was just priceless. Was she finally realizing that all these efforts to be the main influence in Jax’s life has completely backfired at this point?
Katey Sagal: “No, I thought those looks were a little bit [indicating] she was despondent. I think that she has allied with Wendy. Gemma is smart. She needed to have someone to help her out with those boys. Wendy has proven herself, she did leave rehab early, but she allied with her on the whole Juice of it all and Wendy didn’t throw her under the bus. She kept the secret. She tested her all season and I think the thing with the boys and Jax, I think Wendy was giving her empathy. […]I think that Wendy loves the boys in a similar way to how Gemma does. Abel is her real child. I think the journey for Wendy is so not what she’d expected and all of a sudden like she’s in the boys’ lives; she’s accepted by Jax. I think Wendy has sort of a grateful thing about her, and I think Gemma is aligned with Wendy at this point.”
How do you feel about the legacy that Sons of Anarchy has left on the world of television?
Katey Sagal: “I think Sons, it’s an entertainment show and I always look at what I do and what the service entertainment is that it is just that. It’s service, so you’re providing something for people. The fact that people had become so engaged and so invested in the story and the characters, that’s done something for them. I think that’s its own legacy is that it has become a successful way for people to be entertained. And so I think, too, that it’s sort of in that wave of everybody talks about of cable dramas – it’s sort of like the little independent film world now in television.
I think that Sons has helped to open all those doors just as The Shield did, so I would imagine that it will be in the wave of those shows, the Mad Men and those kinds of shows that have come around at this time. I think ‘legacy’ is such a big word. Really our job is to entertain and I think we’ve done that.”
Katey Sagal as Gemma Teller in ‘Sons of Anarchy’ (Photo by James Minchin / FX)
Without giving away any spoilers, what do you think of the speculation of what’s going to happen with Gemma? Also, what advice would Gemma give to her younger self?
Katey Sagal: “What advice would she give to her younger self? That’s so interesting. I don’t know, because I’ve always thought of Gemma as somebody who doesn’t reflect back. She is in forward motion. She doesn’t sit around and think. I don’t think she has a lot of regrets. At this point in her life, she probably does, but I don’t think that’s been her MO. I think she’s more a reactor; she just moves forward, so I’m not sure what she’d tell her younger self. It might have been about the John Teller of it all if I speculated about that. Maybe she would speak to herself a little bit more about forgiveness. She’s been on sort of this underlying spiritual quest all these seven years actually, so maybe some of that would have come to her in her younger years.
In terms of what happens with her next, I don’t know a lot of the speculation. I read some things. I don’t read a lot, but I’m sure some people want her dead and I’m sure some people want her to live forever, so I can’t really speak to where it’s going. You’re going to have to watch.”
Do you think fans will be satisfied with the ending and how did you feel filming it?
Katey Sagal: “You’ll be really satisfied with the ending. I think Kurt has even spoken about this, but he was trying to approach it like another episode, like the story keeps going. But I think it’s very satisfying and it was very satisfying filming it – and I will say that for Charlie and myself. Both of us sort of felt [that way]. You’ll have to talk to Charlie, but he liked it, too. It was satisfying for all involved. That’s what I’ll say.”
Gemma almost killed Juice earlier this season, but is there anyone on the show aside from Jax and her grandkids who you think Gemma would never be able to kill no matter what?
Katey Sagal: “No, I think she would kill anybody. I do. At the end of the day if it was to protect her grandchildren, her son, or herself, I think she would kill anybody.”
What will you personally miss most about being involved with the show?
Katey Sagal: “I’ll miss so many things. It was a great working environment. I’ll miss the people. That’s what you really connect to and I’ll miss the writing. I’ve been in television a long time and you don’t find great parts that readily and you don’t find great writing that readily. It’s been just a great creative experience to be able to have both of those things, and it’s a colorful bunch of people to work with, so going to work was never boring. I will miss them all terribly.”
Can you talk about how Kurt created the role for you and what you thought when you first saw the role of Gemma?
Katey Sagal: “My husband was working on an idea about an outlaw motorcycle club and he came to me and said that he wanted me to be in it and he was writing me a part. I had no idea what it was, but I liked the idea of that world. I knew him to be a really excellent writer, so I was excited about that. And then we had to go get approval and he had to write the script and the network had to sign off, so it wasn’t just a slam dunk, but it was really that’s kind of how it happened.
FX has been incredibly creatively supportive. I know they all wear suits, but they never feel like a bunch of suits to me and they just really stood by what they’ve always said that they’re about, which is that they stand by the creator and that they are there to support the vision of who they’re putting their trust and faith and money in. That’s what I’ve observed them to do. They’ve really nurtured Kurt along the way, and it’s just been a very compatible relationship, I would say. And then the same with us as actors, I’ve never felt anything but supported by the FX network.”
Gemma to me is one of the strongest and toughest female characters on TV. How has it been for you to embody a female character that is so powerful?
Katey Sagal: “That’s been great. That’s been absolutely great and I like to think that that is a contribution to why we have such a strong female following, even though I know we have beautiful men around us. But I would like to think that even though not her actions per se, but her strong stand is something that I think is really awesome to see. I think you’re seeing it more and more on television and I think it’s there.”
Can you discuss Peter Weller as a director and how he works and what he brings to the table compared to the other series’ directors?
Katey Sagal: “For me, I love to work with directors that are also actors. They have a certain way of speaking that we just relate to, and Peter definitely comes at it from that standpoint. He’s a really interesting guy. If you’ve ever talked to Peter very much, he’s certainly a Renaissance man and knows a lot of things about a lot of things. Each director has their own sort of way of doing things and with Peter, you can really talk about the emotional landscape of where you are at that given time and it’s great.”
What are you most excited for fans to see from the final three episodes?
Katey Sagal: “The conclusion, I’m excited for them to see the conclusion. I feel like this season overall has been so strong in the character department. It’s not that there’s not action, there’s a lot of action, but there’s also a lot of character-to-character conversation and slower beats. And I think the whole season just has a more fluid approach, so I’ve really enjoyed watching this year and I think that all of the characters have been serviced really well. I just think it’ll be really great for fans. I don’t think they will be disappointed at all.”
Kurt talked a little bit about how he’s known since the beginning of the season that he wanted Abel to be the one to tell Gemma’s secret. Can you talk about why you think that was so important and what it means for Gemma to have Abel, who she’d been trying to protect, be the one to ultimately undo her?
Katey Sagal: “I suppose, how can she do anything but forgive him really? It’s out of the mouths of babes and I wonder sometimes if Gemma really thought she could get away with all of this. I don’t know. It’s really an interesting question. I don’t think that she has animosity towards her grandson whatsoever. You have to watch. you’ll have to see some more. I don’t want to talk too much about that.”
What was it like for you not only playing Gemma over the course of the seven seasons, but sitting back and watching it as a fan because she’s gone through everything from an assault to killing her daughter-in-law. What was that like for you?
Katey Sagal: “It’s fantastic. It was fantastic as an actor and it was super fun to watch and that’s what I love to watch myself all the time. I definitely had my critical moments, but this was something I really wanted. I’ve worked in television for so many years in comedy and I really, really wanted to do more dramatic work because I never even think I’m funny. I always thought I’m supposed to be in a drama, so it’s been very satisfying for me to push myself and go places I haven’t gone. It’s been great. It’s been absolutely great. That’s what you want.”
As far as the fans go, there are two schools of thoughts at this point. A larger contingent of the fans definitely want to see Gemma be punished, and some people want her to pay for her crimes or sins or what have you with her life. There’s another subset of fans that almost think it would be a more fitting punishment if she’s forced to live with the fallout from everything that she had done. From your perspective, what do you think would be the more fitting punishment for Gemma?
Katey Sagal: “I’d say that is a tough call. That’s a really tough call, because I don’t know given where she’s at now, I don’t know. This is what’s interesting about denial. You know how you read in the news and like you’ll see some, like that one guy they arrested in Santa Monica. He was a mob guy and had been hiding for 40 years. He killed a bunch of people and there he is living in Santa Monica and he’s fine and then they arrested him. So you wonder what the psychology is of somebody that’s really done heinous things how far can we hide that from ourselves and would Gemma actually be able to.
I don’t know. I don’t know. It’s gone so far. To me it seems like either way is horrible, so you will see the way it all pans out. But, it’s a tough call. It’s a tough call, but people do do heinous things and continue to have lives. Yes, they do.”
Kurt is developing another show for FX called The Bastard Executioner. Have you heard anything about possibly being involved in that project with him?
Katey Sagal: “Yes, yes, I’m going to be in it. We don’t know in what capacity yet, because he’s now working on it, but that is where we’re going, yes. I will definitely be involved in it.”
Do you think she’s struggling more because ultimately she’s feeling that facing her son and seeing his reaction to knowing what she did is what’s driving her to this level of remorse, or do you think she’s really feeling that loss of Tara? Do you think she misses having Tara there ultimately and she’s finally realizing what she’s done just as a person?
Katey Sagal: “I think it’s all of that and I think it’s all of the war that she has seen now come about. Bobby was killed. The lie has snowballed. No good has come from it and I think that even Gemma, who’s able to rationalize and compartmentalize things, I think even she cannot avoid the fact that her action has caused all this. If her and Juice hadn’t told the story about the Chinese, none of this would have gone down. It’s gone down big, so there’s remorse on so many levels.
If Gemma had come clean at the beginning to Jax and just told the truth, what do you think his reaction would have been?
Katey Sagal: “I don’t know. I’d like to think maybe this all could have been avoided, the war could have been avoided. I don’t know. I think that all those decisions were made, maybe I think ultimately Gemma might be afraid of Jax a little bit. It always gets back to Gemma [believing] she needs to stick around, because she’s afraid if she’s not around, everything will fall apart with the kids, with Jax. So I’m not sure what would have happened.”
Do you think that that love that she feels for Nero and that he feels for her has changed Gemma for the better?
Katey Sagal: “Yes, I think that he’s a different kind of outlaw. He’s not as hard around the edges as Clay Morrow and not as sort of wimpy as John Teller ended up being, so I think that she had deep love for Nero. I think there’s a lot of regret about where that’s going to go with Nero given that he’s moving away and we don’t know what’s going to happen with her. I think she’s kind of bittersweet about that whole thing.”
Ready to get into the holiday spirit? If so, Idina Menzel and Michael Bublé will help you get there by combining forces to deliver the holiday classic, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” The duet is off of Menzel’s Holiday Wishes album which was released on October 14, 2014 and which also features the classic wintery holiday songs “Do You Hear What I Hear?,” “Silent Night,” and “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
Unfortunately for fans of Bublé and Menzel, the “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” video doesn’t feature the two singers and instead has two cute kids dancing and lip-syncing.
Michael Bay produces the sci-fi action thriller Project Almanac (formerly known as Welcome to Yesterday) coming to theaters on January 30, 2015 and showing off a new trailer and poster. The time-traveling film centers around high school friends who find a photo that leads them to believe going back in time is possible. But once they figure out how, their use of the time-traveling device puts everyone in danger.
Directed by Dean Israelite, Project Almanac stars Jonny Weston, Sofia Black-D’Elia, Sam Lerner, Allen Evangelista, and Ginny Gardner.
Elizabeth Lail and Georgina Haig in ‘Once Upon a Time’ (Photo by Jack Rowand / ABC)
ABC aired a two-hour Once Upon a Time on November 16, 2014 and with all that was revealed, it did in fact warrant a special two-hour block. Titled “Smash the Mirror,” season four’s eighth episode continued to examine the Snow Queen’s obsession with finding replacement sisters to fill the void left by her now long-gone sisters Helga and Gerda. “Smash the Mirror” also found Emma (Jennifer Morrison) attempting to keep her family at a distance because she’s unable to control her powers.
Meanwhile, romance continued to blossom again for Regina (Lana Parrilla) and Robin (Sean Maguire), both of whom continue to feel guilty about Marion yet are unable to put their relationship behind them and move on.
For those who need a refresher course on what happened to who and why, here’s a detailed recap of “Smash the Mirror:”
The deck’s stacked in Ingrid’s favor: Ingrid (Elizabeth Mitchell) freezes the gold box containing the Sorcerer’s hat and then hides it in a cave. Following that, she pays a visit to the Sorcerer’s Apprentice who refuses to help her. She demands an audience with the Sorcerer but is told no. However, Ingrid has an ace up her sleeve and tells the apprentice to make a deal with her or never see the hat again. In exchange for turning over the hat, Ingrid wants true happiness in the form of two new sisters born with magic, like her. She’s told by the apprentice that it could take time and she says she’s fine with waiting as long as it takes.
Emma issues a warning: Henry (Jared Gilmore) finds Emma hidden in the woods but she warns him away because she can’t control her powers. He won’t listen and a jolt from Emma’s hands results in a wound on his neck. Emma’s completely freaked out and sends him away with another jolt of her power. The Snow Queen then shows up (her timing is always perfect) and tells Emma she knows exactly how she feels. Emma races away in her car and refuses to accept Ingrid’s offer of help.
Two little love birds sitting in a tree: Robin and Regina are in a disheveled state following a night spent together! They’re obviously in love and both look incredibly happy, and Regina reminisces about how she should have listened to Tinker Bell when the “stupid fairy” told her decades ago she was destined to be with Robin. Regina whips out the storybook and shows it to Robin for the first time, and he says it’s all about the past.
“You’re not the evil queen anymore,” says Robin, but Regina says the author believes she’s not meant to have a happy ending. She tells him about her search for the author and, thankfully, he wants to help. She says no, and that they can not let another wild night of happiness happen between them. He decides the way to fix that is by never leaving the room!
The search continues: Hook (Colin O’Donoghue), Elsa (Georgina Haig), David (Josh Dallas), and Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin) are frustrated because they can’t find Emma. They’re also exhausted and need to regroup, and David suggests they get some rest. Henry arrives and explains what happened, leaving everyone with the impression that anyone close to Emma will just set her off. Hook suggests they send one of the dwarves she despises, but Elsa says she will ultimately realize she needs the people she loves close by.
Back in Arendelle…: Elsa’s setting up a feast for Anna (Elizabeth Lail) and Ingrid arrives and informs her that Anna’s withholding secrets and that she thinks both Ingrid and Elsa are monsters. Ingrid confesses that it was Elsa’s mom who put her in the urn and she was hoping Anna would be different but it didn’t turn out that way. Ingrid’s locked Anna away in the dungeon to be dealt with however Elsa sees fit.
Emma turns to an unlikely ally: At Rumple’s shop, all the appliances and toys are acting on their own and it’s because Emma’s there. Rumple (Robert Carlyle) knows everyone is searching for her, but Emma tells him she needs help and thinks he’s her best option. She hurt Henry and needs to have her powers stopped. Rumple shows her an ancient spell that would take away all of her magic forever and she, without even stopping to think, tells him to do it. He’s fine with her decision but says that it would destroy everything within a city block because magic doesn’t go away quietly. He arranges to meet her at sundown in an abandoned building, and they both promise not to tell anyone.
And the Oscar goes to…: Elsa marches down to the dungeon and Anna looks happy and relieved to see her. Anna says Ingrid’s lying about everything, but now Elsa is siding with Ingrid because Anna did in fact keep the hat which could strip her of all of her magic powers. She tells the guards to leave which they immediately do. Once they’re gone she reveals that it’s all a ruse. She does believe Anna and is not on Ingrid’s side. She gives Anna back her snowflake necklace and Anna assures Elsa she’ll never take it off again. Elsa says she has a plan to get rid of Ingrid that involves trapping her in the urn, and Anna says she’ll help search the castle for where it could be hidden.
Never smile at a crocodile: Elsa comforts Henry and says Emma hurt him only because she was trying so hard not to hurt him. Regina barges in and wants to see Henry, and Mary Margaret tells her first she might want to finish buttoning up her shirt. Regina’s brought with her the locator spell they’re going to use, but Emma calls Mary Margaret and tells her it will all be over soon and that she has a way to fix everything.
Emma tells her mom that she’s getting rid of her magic forever, which immediately sends up warning flags to Hook. He’s worried and wants to know how it will happen. Pretending he left his phone in David’s truck, Hook leaves the room and dials up Emma. He leaves her a voice mail to call him ASAP or else it’s possible she’ll never make it out of this magic removal thing alive. After hanging up, he whispers he hopes she didn’t trust the crocodile.
The urn is found: Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff (Scott Michael Foster) go looking for the urn in the East Wing where Anna was forbidden as a child to explore. Elsa wonders what turned the sisters against Ingrid, and a frozen man leads Elsa and Anna to the discovery of the urn.
You just know they’re up to no good: Ingrid and Rumple meet and Ingrid wants to know why he’s there. They exchange barbs and Rumple tells her he’s about to take away Emma’s powers. Ingrid gets upset about that but soon turns furious when she discovers Rumple’s trapped her. He has the remnants of the urn and he’s used them to draw a circle around her made up of its dust. It’ll last long enough to get him whatever he wants, without having to betray everyone in Storybrooke. The only people he has to betray are Ingrid and Emma.
Tick-tock finally went the clock: Will Scarlet’s adding liquor to his coffee at the diner when Robin sits down opposite him. Robin tells Will (Michael Socha) that Regina needs to know who wrote the book. Will says he’s been in the town longer than Robin and knows a thing or two about its magical history. For 28 years the hands on the clock tower didn’t move; time stood still and then one day they did move. The clock tower’s where the magic first appeared. “Do you know what’s under that magical clock tower? A library,” says Will.
We love you just the way you are: Elsa and Anna are sneaking through the palace trying to keep away from Ingrid when all of a sudden Elsa stops and stares at the portrait of her parents. She wants to know if it’s true her parents wanted to take away her powers. Anna says they were only human and they made mistakes, and if they could see her today they would never ask her to give up a part of themselves. Anna doesn’t want her any other way.
Elsa’s a tad bit sneaky: Elsa secretly grabs the bottle with the locator potion along with Emma’s scarf. While David and Mary Margaret are reminiscing about everything they love about Emma and hoping she’s happy if she chooses not to keep her powers, Elsa sets out to find Emma using Regina’s magic potion.
A rare moment to bond: Regina and Henry sit on his bed, and Henry doesn’t want to talk about what happened with Emma. Regina magically takes away his injury. “It must be nice to have magic and be useful,” says Henry. He thinks he couldn’t help Emma because he’s ordinary. Regina tells him never to think he’s ordinary. Emma’s a hero and she’ll end up winning, says Regina.
Hook’s on the hunt: Hook goes looking for the Crocodile and sees Emma’s handprint burnt into a book at Rumple’s shop. Hook calls Emma again and leaves a message telling her that Rumple only wants to help her remove her powers so that he can have them, and that once he does he’ll pull her into the Sorcerer’s hat. Hook also tells Emma that Rumple’s been lying to everyone and that the dagger he gave Belle is a fake. Hook admits he knows this and that Rumple’s blackmailing him into helping him because he loves Emma so much and that he needed to be a better man for her. After leaving the message, Hook sees a map with ‘Manor’ circled.
It’s a hologram! From her prison, Ingrid watches Emma drive through the forest and smiles. Emma’s car is screwing up and suddenly the Snow Queen is standing in the middle of the road. Emma swerves, crashes, and knocks herself out.
Ingrid’s one step ahead…again: Elsa and Anna sneak around, with Anna set to hide out in the dungeon again with the urn. The plan is to send Ingrid down to the dungeon where Anna will act scared and then suddenly pull out the urn to capture Ingrid. After Elsa locks her in, the smoke turns into shackles, and then Ingrid shows up.
Back at the car crash: Emma comes to and Ingrid tells her to stay away from Rumple. Ingrid says not to trust him and that he’d kill her to get whatever it is he desires. Emma says she’s going anyway, and then discovers Ingrid’s not really there and it’s all an illusion. She’s even more determined to get to Rumple after that discovery.
Regina’s got a point: Mary Margaret and Regina discuss Henry, and Regina thanks her for warning her to button up before she went in to see him. Mary Margaret says she shouldn’t be ashamed to be with Robin, but then David shows up and Regina is furious neither is out looking for Emma and that both are fine with Emma losing her powers. Regina says her biggest regret is that she didn’t support Henry when he realized he was special. Mary Margaret and David agree with Regina and are ready to set out looking for her when they realize Elsa took the locator potion and is gone.
The magic of the mirror: Anna and Ingrid argue over whether Anna will turn on her sister. Ingrid describes the story of how the enchanted mirror came to be and then whips out a small portion of the mirror, which alarms Anna who’s worried Ingrid will cast the spell of Shattered Sight over the kingdom. But Ingrid has other plans…she only wants to cast it over Anna.
Mary Margaret and Regina have a heart-to-heart: Regina, Mary Margaret, David, and Henry search for Emma, find her car, and take off on foot. Regina and Mary Margaret have a little time to talk and Regina says she and Robin won’t work out. Regina says it’s easy for Mary Margaret to work things out because she’s a hero while Regina’s wishes are all crushed. Mary Margaret says Regina should have a chance to be redeemed and that it’s not all black and white. No one is either all good or all evil. “Free will be damned…it’s all in the book,” says Regina. But Mary Margaret says it’s all about choices and that if she stays the course, Regina can find happiness.
The Merry Men hit the books: Will tries to break into the library, but it’s actually unlocked and open. Once inside, Will and Robin search for clues about the book. Robin wants Regina to be happy, even if she thinks that’s impossible. Robin sees a note in his bag that wasn’t there before, and he thinks Regina needs to see it immediately. He calls her up and she leaves the search party to head to the library with Mary Margaret’s blessing.
The hat is primed and ready: Unfortunately, Emma arrives at the meeting place without listening to her voicemails. Rumple has the spell all prepared before she arrives, activating the hat and pointing it toward the door which Emma will stride through when she’s ready to get rid of her powers forever.
Rumple says he’s already cast the spell and all she has to do is step through the door. She tells him the Snow Queen said she shouldn’t do this because Rumple’s trying to hurt her. She asks if it’s safe and if she’ll be okay, and he says no magic is without risks. She just wants to stop hurting people and asks him what he would do if he were in her shoes. Without hesitation Rumple says he wouldn’t go in there for anything, but adds that he always makes the wrong decision.
Belle thinks he can change and Rumple thinks she’s wrong. He tells Emma she always does the right thing and she turns toward the door. She turns around and thanks him, and he walks away. She faces the door again. Inside the hat is ready to suck her in.
Hook and Rumple square off: Outside, Hook and Rumple tangle, with Hook yelling for Emma. “I’ll die fighting before I let you use that bloody hat on Emma!” Rumple gets the best of him physically and ties him to the fence, joking that he’s treating him to a front-row seat where they can both watch Emma use that hat on herself. Rumple also shows Hook Emma’s phone, so Hook’s well aware that Emma knows nothing about what’s going on. Rumple tells him he’ll get over Emma and that Hook will once again have a taste for vengeance after this is done. Rumple says he wishes he didn’t have to do it but he needs her powers. Hook begs him not to do it since she’s the mother to his grandson, but Rumple won’t listen. Meanwhile, Elsa arrives after following the locator spell.
Anna turns into a mean girl: Anna is free from the dungeon and totally changed. She sees Elsa’s banquet and isn’t impressed. She’s angry at Elsa and the sister bond has been shattered. She throws the snowflake pendant into the fire, breaking the bond. Ingrid shows up and Elsa knows Anna’s had a spell placed on her. Anna is furious with Elsa, but Ingrid says she won’t listen to her and Ingrid screams at Elsa to use her powers on her. Anna puts Elsa in the urn and Ingrid is about to strangle her when Kristoff bursts in. She freezes both Anna and Kristoff as well as the entire palace. Taking the urn with her, she looks over her frozen kingdom. She tells Anna inside the urn that they will find their third sister no matter how long it takes.
Elsa saves the day: Elsa bursts into the room and tells Emma she won’t let her do it. Elsa won’t give up on her and she knows everything she’s going through, but Emma’s convinced she needs to give up her powers. Elsa says she was wrong, it wasn’t just Anna’s love that saved her. She thought she was doomed because she landed in a strange town without Anna but she was able to get control of her powers without her. She didn’t know how she did it until today when it happened to Elsa.
It’s not only the love of their family that can save them, it’s inside themselves. “You have to love yourself, Emma, the good and the bad,” says Elsa. She tells her the magic is who she is and extends her hand. “It’s time to stop being afraid,” explains Elsa. Emma’s frightened of touching her but does so anyway, which places her powers under her own control!
Hearts are now in play: Outside, Rumple and Hook see that Emma didn’t go through with it. Rumple needs to fill the hat with power but there’s a secret ingredient he also needs. He needs the heart of someone who knew him before he was the Dark One and only one person fits that bill. Rumple grabs Hook’s heart and tells him he will do everything he says because he’s now his puppet. He’ll find someone with the magic he needs and then Rumple will kill Hook.
Once more to Arendelle: In Arendelle, Ingrid clutches the urn while Rumpelstiltskin inspects her frozen handiwork. Rumpelstiltskin wants the hat but Ingrid won’t give it up. The deal: an urn for a hat. Once she finds the hat, all she needs to do is say his three times and Rumpelstiltskin will come to her once she has the hat in her possession.
Hook’s starting down a dark path: Hook rushes in and hugs Emma and tells her they’ll find another way to defeat the Snow Queen together. He’s relieved she’s fine and still has her powers and tells her to go outside to the worried people who will be glad to see her. He then goes into the room and picks up the gold box and hides it under his jacket.
Regina’s future is yet to be determined: At the library, Robin thumbs through the book. Regina wants to know what’s up and Robin tells her he’s been looking for clues. He actually found something…pages ripped from the book showing them kissing. It’s page 23 and yet there’s a page 23 intact in the book. Robin thinks that it means her future isn’t set and that it’s a sign there are other possibilities and other possible endings to her story. Her fate isn’t sealed.
This is about to get very, very scary: Ingrid’s entrapment ends and she waves her hand over the three yellow ribbons. She pulls up her sleeve and she’s now wearing one of them.
The deal closes In Arendelle in the past, Ingrid digs up the box and says Rumpelstiltskin twice before the Sorcerer’s Apprentice stops her before she says it a third time. The Sorcerer located a third magical sister who hasn’t been born yet, and Ingrid will need to be patient. If she delivers that hat to the Dark One, she’ll never have a happy ending. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice shows her a door that will lead her to her happy ending in a new land. He gives her a scroll and says when the time comes it will lead her to her third sister. Ingrid steps through the door and ends up in our world in 1982. She doesn’t seem confused, but it’s definitely a brave new world for her to explore.
Those yellow ribbons are bad news: Mary Margaret and David tell Emma not to change and they love her the way she is. She hugs Henry and tells them she can control her magic again. She’s even able to shoot off fireworks into the sky from her hands in celebration. Henry points out the yellow ribbon now circling her wrist and Elsa sees she has one too. Both women feel something inside is being harnessed and Emma has a pretty good idea of where it’s coming from.
A devastating turn of events: Rumple visits Ingrid and asks her if she had a hand in Emma deciding not to go through with the removal of her powers. She says she didn’t and that it was Elsa who saved her. Ingrid says all three have embraced their powers and they’re now all bonded. She’s able to harness the power of her sisters and says at this point she’s strong enough to even defeat Rumple. She warns Rumple not to underestimate her. She looks into the mirror, shatters it, and explodes it into the Shattered Sight spell.
The Bottom Line:
Well, that was sure one jam-packed episode, wasn’t it? There’s no better way to leave the audience on the edge of their seats than to put Hook in jeopardy, and “Smash the Mirror” definitely finds our favorite sexy pirate in peril. On the lighter side, how great was it to see Regina and Robin get back together and to hear Robin tell Regina she isn’t an evil person anymore? Emma also learned to accept herself, magic and all, with only Hook getting the short end of this stick in this episode.
“Smash the Mirror” was well-paced and didn’t include any ‘filler’ scenes. One of the season’s best, “Smash the Mirror” took the story in an unexpected direction that could shift the focus off of Arendelle and Anna for a while and onto Hook and Rumple. And as anyone who’s been reading my recaps knows, I’m all for any storyline that serves up more of Hook.
20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios have revealed the official trailer for the 3D animated comedy movie Peanuts (the teaser hit the web back in March). The new trailer features Woodstock and his family/friends decorating Snoopy’s dog house for Christmas. It also shows Snoopy battling the Red Baron and Charlie Brown getting picked on when he disrupts a movie.
Peanuts opens in theaters on November 6, 2015.
The Plot: In Peanuts, Snoopy, the world’s most lovable beagle – and flying ace! – embarks upon his greatest mission as he and his team take to the skies to pursue their arch-nemesis, while his best pal Charlie Brown begins his own epic quest back home.
Charlie Hunnam as Jax Teller in ‘Sons of Anarchy’ (Photo by Prashant Gupta / FX)
Episode 10 of FX’s Sons of Anarchy’s final season was a doozy, with the final jaw-dropping scene between Abel and Jax (Charlie Hunnam) a pivotal moment in the series as a whole. Will episode 11 be the one in which Jax finally confronts the murderer of his wife? With only a few episodes left to go in the series, the body count in “Suits of Woe” could include at least one key character. Which one? I’m betting it won’t be Gemma quite yet.
The Plot of “Suits of Woe:” The SOA organization bears down on SAMCRO and Jax comes face-to-face with an ugly truth.
So there’s a prophecy, a seventh son, Jeff Bridges doing an accent, and Julianne Moore in gorgeous lighting… The new international trailer for Seventh Son has arrived with more action, more dialogue, and more CG creatures than any previous trailer. Shot way back in 2012 and delayed a few times, Seventh Son will be heading to theaters on February 6, 2015 with Ben Barnes, Julianne Moore, Beau Bridges, and Djimon Hounsou in starring roles.
The Plot:
In a time of enchantments when legends and magic collide, the sole remaining warrior of a mystical order (Bridges) travels to find a prophesied hero born with incredible powers, the last Seventh Son (Barnes). Torn from his quiet life as a farmhand, the unlikely young hero embarks on a daring adventure with his battle-hardened mentor to vanquish a dark queen (Moore) and the army of supernatural assassins she has dispatched against their kingdom.
