Once Upon a Time
Season 5 Episodes 8: “Birth” & Episode 9: “The Bear King”
Directed by Eagle Egilsson (5.8) & Geofrey Hildrew (5.9)
Written by David H. Goodman & Jerome Schwartz (5.8) & Andrew Chambliss (5.9)
Created by Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz
Starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Josh Dallas, Emilie de Ravin, Colin O’Donoghue, Jared Gilmore, Robert Carlyle, Sean Maguire, Rebecca Mader
ABC
Air Date: Sunday, November 15th, 2015, 8:00pm

Last week on Once Upon A Time, we meet the original Dark One, Nimue, true love of Merlin (Elliot Knight). Unfortunately, he created that monster. Having drunk from the Holy Grail, he was infused with power and immortality. He and Nimue fell in love, and he wanted to give it all up for her. She was having none of that, wanting the power to avenge her village. In the end, in present-day Storybrooke, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) is successful at repairing Excalibur. Zelena (Rebecca Mader) pretends to help, but then joins Arthur’s (Liam Garrigan) crazy team. She is able to make the other half of Excalibur a sword that can command Merlin. Uh-oh.

Spoilers below.

Once Upon a Time
Season 5 Episode 6: “The Bear And The Bow”
Directed by Ralph Hemecker
Written by Andrew Chambliss, Tze Chun
Created by Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz
Starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Josh Dallas, Emilie de Ravin, Colin O’Donoghue, Jared Gilmore, Robert Carlyle, Sean Maguire, Rebecca Mader
ABC
Air Date: Sunday, November 1st, 2015, 8:00pm

Last week on Once Upon A Time, there were a few reveals. A long long time ago, The Dark One of that time killed Merlin’s (Elliot Knight) love, and turned him into a tree using his heartbreak tear. All this Emma (Jennifer Morrison) sees through her Dreamcatcher in flashback Camelot, alerting Regina (Lana Parilla), who decides to relive her Daniel/Cora heartbreak. Unfortunately (or fortunately) that break is too healed to be effective. Violet rejects Henry (Jared Gilmore), but we (and Henry and Robin and Regina) found out that Emma took Violet’s heart and made her do it, to capture a genuine tear from Henry. She did break the spell that was on her parents, so bad mother/good daughter. Merida (Amy Manson) is trying to teach Rumple (Robert Carlyle) to be brave so he can be the hero that pulls the sword from the stone.

Spoilers from tonight’s episode below.

Once Upon a Time
Season 5 Episode 2: “The Price”
Directed by Romeo Tirone
Written by Andrew Chambliss, Dana Horgan
Created by Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz
Starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Josh Dallas, Emilie de Ravin, Colin O’Donoghue, Jared Gilmore, Robert Carlyle, Sean Maguire, Rebecca Mader
ABC
Air Date: Sunday, October 4th, 2015, 8:00pm

Last week was the season 5 premiere of Once Upon A Time, and our Storybrooke residents have a new mystery to solve. They easily (kinda) trick Zelena (Rebecca Mader) into opening a portal to find Emma (Jennifer Morrison), The Dark One. Turns out, she’s in Camelot, seeking Merlin. She gets into a thing with Brave’s Merida (Amy Manson), but her people find her. But then, “Poof!” They are back in Storybrooke, it is 6 weeks later, and nobody remembers a thing. Nobody except, Emma Swan – full on Dark One.

Don’t proceed any further if you have not watched the episode. Spoilers!

Once Upon a Time
Season 4 Episode 20: “Lily”
Directed by Ralph Hemecker
Written by Andrew Chambliss, Dana Horgan
Created by Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz
Starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Josh Dallas, Emilie de Ravin, Colin O’Donoghue, Jared Gilmore, Robert Carlyle
ABC
Air Date: Sunday, April 26th, 2015, 8:00pm

Last week’s Once Upon A Time went into Cruela De Vil’s (Victoria Smurfit) history. At first we thought her a victim of her mother’s cruel imprisonment. We were fooled and so was the author. That was the twist I mentioned last week. The entire time we were completely taken in. That’s the way of fairy tales, no? The beautiful damsel with the terrible life is a victim of cruel yet uglier people. After giving her the power to control animals, he countered her cruelty by rendering her unable to take a life. Emma (Jennifer Morrison), not knowing that, was orchestrated into killing her, in order to save Henry. Regina (Lana Parilla) grabbed heart leverage in order to be able to save Robin (Sean Maguire) without Gold (Robert Carlyle) sending out a warning.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9: Library Edition, Vol. 1
Written by Joss Whedon, Andrew Chambliss, Jane Espenson, and Scott Allie
Illustrated by Georges Jeanty, Karl Moline, and Cliff Richards
Colored by Michelle Madsen
Cover by Steve Morris
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: January 14, 2015
Cover Price: $29.99

The classic slayer wit and charm returns in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9: Library Edition, Volume 1. After an epic, yet fairly disappointing story-arc in season 8, Joss Whedon, Andrew Chambliss, Georges Jeanty, and a small group of other talented writers and artists have recaptured the allure and excitement that made Buffy, well…Buffy!

Season 9 has been available for a while now — with season 10 already in the middle of its run — but if you haven’t had the chance to check it out yet, the Library Edition, Volume 1 is the perfect place to start. Collecting the first and second volumes of the ninth season, as well as a couple of one-shots, there is a plethora of scoobie mischief to take a stab at all at once.