Once Upon a Fangirl...: New York City Serenade

Finally, after the longest hiatus ever, we are back! When we left off, Emma had no memories of the past few years in Storybrooke, and is living in New York with Henry, as she decided to keep him in her new set of memories...until Hook appears, telling her that her family are in trouble. Well, that's where we are now! While that's going on, we get to see what happened when the rest of the Storybrooke residents (except for Rumplestiltskin who's presumed to be dead) after the new curse took them back to the Enchanted Forest. What did I think of it? I loved it! I consider it more as a guide as to how the rest of the season will play out with the narrative structure, as well as the introduction of The Wicked Witch of the West (played by Lost alumni Rebecca Mader)! This episode felt like a season 1 episode, and I loved the focus on Emma's character with her new life with Henry while still keeping the same qualities as before! Hook was likeable and it didn't seem forced when he tried to convince her to listen to him about her real past and this time, he didn't have to make her like him or try to kiss her (and there was no CaptainSwan romance!). Although I wish we could've seen more of Emma's new life, it's still very refreshing seeing a glimpse of it and her life with Henry, including the reveal that he knew about Neal and he's still a pretty good kid being raised by her. The ending with Emma and her parents reuniting was easily my favourite, as now nobody remembers the past year in the Enchanted Forest, and the only way they know it happened is (SPOILER, but not really since everyone knew) Mary Margaret is pregnant!
The flashbacks were also enjoyable, and I loved the interaction between Regina and Snow in particular as they have finally passed the phase of wanting to kill each other and have found common grounds! This alone shows how much development has happened between them ever since Emma and Henry came into their lives, and how much Regina has changed from just being the Evil Queen. Her interaction with Robin Hood (her soulmate) was also rather funny to watch as it wasn't exactly love at first sight (then again, when HAS it ever been love at first sight for any of the main couples?) Belle's new storyline has also had a mention as she and Neal believe that they can find a way to get her true love Rumplestiltskin back as she smartly observed his dagger could be anywhere as we never saw it after he sacrificed himself! And her reunion with Robin Hood was also very sweet. If I did have something to critique, it would be that I think Emma getting her memories back was a bit too early in, and I wish we could've seen more of Zelena, as she was built up so much. Despite that, overall, this has been worth the wait and is a great way of starting up the new chapter in the show, and I can't wait to see more of my favourite characters back in Storybrooke!
So, how will Regina feel now that Henry doesn't remember her? Will Belle and Neal be able to bring Rumple back? Will the Wicked Witch of the West get her revenge? Well, you'll never know what happens in Once Upon A Time and we'll have to tune in next week with Witch Hunt!