Poll: What did you think of 2×14 “Manhattan”?


Wow — I think that was my favorite episode yet. What are your first reactions?

21 responses to “Poll: What did you think of 2×14 “Manhattan”?

  1. The tv went out!!! Due to snow, high winds and I missed it! PLEASE tell me what happened!!

    • Oh, no! It was an amazing episode. We learned the answers to many mysteries — What was in the box that August showed to Neal, why Rumpelstiltskin became a coward, why his wife turned against him, and how he got his limp. We saw Henry meet his father for the first time. And we saw Rumpelstiltskin seem to vow to kill Henry! Plus there was a LOST-like moment where we learned that there are no coincidences and everything happens for a reason.

  2. So do tell, lol. What was in the box, why does Rump want to kill Henry (euw) and why does Emma say no! at the end? I know Bae is Neal, read it on another forum, but I don’t get how the hell he is Peter Pan? I have no tv but have internet-go figure-at least it will be on ABC in the morning (but I don’t feel like waiting)

  3. I just put up a recap. Check it out for more details about the episode.

    Neal is not Peter Pan!! LOL. Not sure where you got that from, but he is just Baelfire. That’s enough for one person!

    Rumple wants to kill Henry because a seer told him, back in his FairyTaleLand days, that a young boy would lead him to his son, but with a price — the boy would be his undoing.

    See the recap for more.

  4. Thanks Terri, you rock. And you took some stress away for me, lol. I can’t wait to see it tomorrow and I will wonder now with everyone else I guess how August knew Neal was Bae. (And I’m REALLY glad he isn’t Peter Pan-to weird, but that Is what I get for trusting Face book LOL) Night.

  5. Just when I thought Rumple’s character arc is approaching some sort of redemption, his desire to hang on to power remains. His great flaw. But then again, what would the series be without the back and forth tension and power struggle between the characters.

  6. I can’t even believe it. Worried. Sad. But so amazed that the writers put this together so skillfully. At least it seems like Henry and Neal were getting along.

  7. Hey Terri,
    After all that last night with my damn satellite dish, I thought the episode was just eh this morning. I didn’t like the Seer/eye thing. Way to Horus for me. I will say though I never liked Neal either, but after this episode I do. You can really see that he went through it since landing in our world. He looks so tired. I have to wonder how he survived-a 14 year old in NYC with no money and knowing no one. I hope that situation is addressed well sometime. I loved how he was with Henry and I think Rump’s undoing is going to be having to see Bae and Henry become close while Bae does not forgive Rump. Even though I wish Bae would forgive Rump and I hope so Henry forgives Emma and they all turn against psycho Regina and her horrid mother because their family is not going to have any peace until those mean women are thrown into another realm away from them forever. I so want to see them happy (and actually have a peaceful Thanksgiving dinner, LOL).

  8. Didn’t like the fact that Henry compared Emma to Regina. I know he’s just a kid but surely he’s old enough to realize that Regina’s lies originated from a dark and evil place whereas Emma’s came from her own hurt as well as her concern for him. From the day she met Henry(really from the day he was born) Emma has only wanted to do what was best for him. She hasn’t always made the best choices but she never had her parents to set an example and is still learning how to be a parent herself. I think Henry needs to be reminded(enter Archie or Snow or Charming) of all that his mom has been dealing with and perhaps then he can cut her some slack. Bottom line—Emma’s love for Henry is selfless; Regina’s is selfish. The kid needs to get over himself.

  9. Lisa-I think you are being a bit hard on Henry. I have had a life situation just like his, so I understand him. Kids who grow up in closed adoption are very insecure, especially about lies and about their natural family situation. They are also understandably mistrusting and Henry truly needed to trust his mother who gave him away. The problem isn’t Henry, it is Henry’s age. He doesn’t understand the problems and betrayal’s between adults on a romantic level, which of course he can’t yet. I agree with you about Regina-I abhore her and I feel sorry for Nealfire when he finds out she adopted HIS kid. It’s gonna get ugly. There are so many adoptive mothers like Regina, who only care about themselves while at the same time not respecting the adopted child’s feelings at all. Regina doesn’t love Henry and this thing with the charmings is nothing but another completion she needs to WIN. I also think she just wanted Henry to love her to make up for Daniel being gone and not being able to love her anymore. I think Regina is really narrassictic or became that way after she cracked. All and all NOT mother material lol. Henry needs his natural family to talk it all out and forgive each other and become close. It is time they had some fun and began to get to know and cherish each other. I think that is one reason why Henry wanted to find Emma to..not just to break the curse.

  10. And that would be competition not completion, lol.

  11. During RumpelGold’s conversation with Henry, RumpleGold told Henry –paraphrasing/condensing — that the future is certain but how you get to the end point and what happens along the way is never what you expect.
    Certainly Rumpel knows he will be ‘undone’. At first, Rumpel thought he could kill Henry and escape fate. Of course, at the time he said that, he didn’t know that a boy named Henry would be Bae’s son, etc, etc. — A testament to Rumpel’s words of wisdom about things never being what you expect.
    Now Rumpel has to formulate a plan B of sorts. He’s not going to kill Henry. He knows he will lose Bae for sure. That would be his undoing. I also think he knows, at some level, no matter what he does, his fate is inescapable.
    Some things that are in the back of my mind:
    1. How deep was Rumple and Cora’s relationship? How much trust was there in the beginning? Cora knew details about the curse. She knew about the 28 year thing. She also knew of a savior. How did she get all that info? (Remembering the episode when she plunged a big staff in the ground to protect a certain corner of the land during Regina’s curse)
    2. Why is RumpelGold still hobbling? He’s healed himself before. Maybe he thinks he looks more distinguished with a cane? If the argument is that he crossed the town line and all things that were done by magic are undone, then how does that explain his cane and limp in Storybrooke?
    Also, if that is an argument, at a minimum, I fully expect Dr. Whale’s arm to fall off once he crosses. LOL
    3. I’m going to throw the “protection spell” card again. Surely Rumpel has formed a protection spell against Cora and Regina (the one he used to protect Charming and Snow in FTL against Regina). Can Cora do that too?
    If so, it’s all a draw. There can be no winner….that is of course unless they get somebody else to do their dirty work. They should have never put that in the story. It was an easy way out. Now the show has to reverse engineer their decision to fix that major flaw…..like maybe it’s extremely hard to make that kind of spell without a massive amounts of super rare ingredients or something?
    This episode was awesome. Superbly written and tied together well. Wonderfully done and acted!!
    Lisa — I understand your emotions when Henry compared Emma to Regina. Wow, for 11 years old, he should know that was over the top.
    I also understand Mandy when she talks about Henry’s insecurities in the closed adoption system. (I too was adopted..but it wasn’t a closed adoption) Still…sheeeesh…to compare Emma to the Evil queen is a little much.

    Very much enjoyed reading all of your posts. Many good observations and arguments.

  12. Riles, I think Henry was just talking about lying in general when he compared Emma to Regina. I’m sure he knows there is a big difference between his mom and the evil queen. But I also think that Henry always saw Emma as the savior in many ways, and he NEEDED to trust her and she failed him. Although she did it to protect him, and I think that was wrong, he has a right to know the truth because the truth is initially about himself and his life. And like he said, he could handle it. Kids really are coddled to much, which is seen by them as an insult. Poor Henry just has been disappointed by everyone. Regina, Emma and the modern world as he suffered from being placed in closed adoption, which I know first hand is a form of hell. I think because he is only 11 he has had trouble dealing with all he has been forced to endure. But in the end and as he gets older he will understand why Emma lied to him about his dad, even though again, that was wrong. And I’m very sure if Henry had to choose between Regina and Emma, well of course he is going to choose his true mother (Emma)(because face it everyone Regina is nothing but the babysitter from hell, LOL). Concerning your other questions I think Rump could beat Cora at every turn because he taught her magick and maybe he didn’t teach her everything, so he could protect himself. I also don’t think he could kill Henry because he is his grandson and part of Nealfire. Perhaps that is what the seer meant to by his undoing, because Rump is now in between a rock and a hard place. He can’t use murder as a way out anymore. It may also mean that if he doesn’t give up magick he is going to finally lose everyone he loves. And he may be forced to stay in our world and give up all his power the way Bae wanted him to in the first place. I’m glad to you had an open adoption-I’m not saying it is better cause there is still pain involved for a lot of adoptees in open, but you are lucky you were spared closed. I wouldn’t wish closed adoption on my worst enemies. Okay..maybe one or two, lol. I like the points you made in your comment about the show. Great points.

  13. I want to say to because I didn’t before, that I really, really hope Nealfire goes back to Storybrooke. They HAVE to do that! The intensity is then going to be amazing and damn.. miserable victims of dysfunctional families love company! (Moi, lol :) Give me some balm for my wounds OUAT! Bring it on.(Although I think most people when they watch this show think, and I thought my family was bad….)

  14. **SPOILER ALERT**
    Yikes, I saw the previews for the next show(s) at the end of the show. I had to pause the DVR several times to see what was in Coras hand. They flashed that so fast. Cora had the dagger, Rumpel was dying, Baelfire was looking for a way to save him. SnowMary was confronting Regina telling her that her mother doesn’t care about her, only power.
    Now we have to wait for the Oscars…..

  15. Yeah I know Riles huh? They can’t kill Rump off…because no one is going to watch this show anymore. maybe the Blue Fairy can heal Rump because Hook does stab him with something and it probably is his dagger. Or maybe they just want us to think it is his dagger, maybe it is Hook’s hook lol. I really wonder where they are going to go with this show and if all or any of them stay in Storybrooke. I mean they can only drag out this Regina, Cora, Hook thing for so long and now that the curse is broken and Rump found Bae, they only problems left are getting Bae to makeup with Rump and The Charmings to get Regina out of Henry’s life which after awhile will be nothing but a big yawn.

  16. Oh wait I forgot about poor Belle and that psycho from PA. Eh, yeah but I can’t imagine those problems taking up a whole season without making everyone zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

  17. This episode was awesome. I love the Neil and Emma relationship. I did not like Henry’s comparison of Emma and Regina either. I think he was just mad and said that in the moment. Henry will want to make up for lost time with his dad, and I think Henry will talk Neil into giving Rump a chance (before its too late). It looks like Rump gets stabbed by Hook’s hook in the next episode and Neil is interested in saving Rump so there must be some progress with their relationship. Mila is an awful character. In the beginning of the episode she was all dramatic ‘please don’t go to war, you don’t have to prove yourself, bla bla’ and then when Rump realizes she is right and does what it takes to be with his family, she hates him. She is stupid. My question is – if Rumple set up the adoption with Henry (to bring Emma to SB so she could end the curse), wouldn’t he already know that Neil is the father? It seems as though it was a big surprise for everyone. Now what will the curious patient do? He has to be from fairytale land or something… he was texting ‘Her’ what can that name hint to?

  18. “She is stupid”
    Lmao :)

  19. Two things…
    One: I don’t think Rumple will be able to kill Henry as easily as he thought…since the boy is “more than he appears” – he’s Rumple’s blood!
    And two…
    Bae could very well be both Peter Pan and just Baelfire. He knows how to steer Hook’s ship. He said that how he knows Hook is a long story, but he’d be “about a thousand years old” otherwise…Peter Pan was the boy who never grew up, and that line of Bael’s just started to make a lot more sense, didn’t it? And that makes Hook and Rumple’s past a little more twisted, too…Rumple was closer to Bae than he ever suspected,,?

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