Once Upon a Fangirl...: Breaking Glass

In this Halloween-ish themed episode, we get to see some of Emma's past as a teenager (played by Abby Ross) & meets Lily (played Nicole Munoz), another young runaway & they become best friends & partners in crime after they bond over their troubled pasts in the foster system, planning on squatting in an abandoned house together. However, that quickly goes wrong when it turned out Lily was lying to Emma & that she really had an (adopted) family that she hates, leading Emma to go back to the foster system & not taking up her offer to run away again thanks to her betrayal. In Storybrooke, Emma & Elsa decide to go to Regina to try & find out more about the Snow Queen after they come across a photo Sidney took of her & the Snow Queen arguing at the ice cream parlor which she has no recollection of, only for Elsa to walk off after apparently seeing Anna in the shadows, finally revealed to be a fake by the Snow Queen & she keeps Elsa chained up so she can't get to Emma & Regina. And Emma & Regina team up reluctantly on the latter's side to find the Snow Queen & Elsa, also revealing that Sidney had deceived Regina after everything she's done to him so they could die on the ice stairs Elsa had created. After defeating a monster created by the Snow Queen, it all turns out she was after the mirror Regina owned all along, as she needed a shard of it for her magic mirror which will apparently give her what she really wants: a family that will love her. Meanwhile, Mary Margaret & David go on a date together despite being worried about Neal (who's being babysat by Belle) & they end up on a search for Will after it turns out he escaped from jail & is looking for a map & rucksack he buried but can't find them. Mary Margaret quickly finds him & deduces David let him go so she would find him & decides to pardon him over what happened in the last episode, only to find out afterwards that he didn't. And in a shock twist, as Emma & Hook look through her personal belongings & watch the video from the camcorder she used with Lily as a kid, it turns out there's more footage showing her in another foster home, finally revealing that Sarah Fisher AKA the Snow Queen was her foster mother which she doesn't remember at all.
I freaking loved this episode! It felt so refreshing to see an episode focused on Emma & Regina's frenemy-ship & how they finally talk over everything that's happened & how much Emma admires Regina for everything she's done. The scenes between them were a good mix of funny & awesome & it nicely paralleled with the friendship between Young Emma & Lily. Speaking of the flashbacks, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Emma's childhood & her (rather quick) friendship with Lily was pretty believable partly thanks to the great acting from Abby Ross & Nicole Munoz. I even enjoyed seeing David & Mary Margaret with the latter finally getting a bit of her groove back despite being worried about baby Neal thanks to her good tracking skills & I loved her interactions with Will considering she herself was a theif back in her day! Oh yeah, and the Asgard reference was hilarious if you know more on Josh's filmography! Anyway, it was a relief to finally know more about the Snow Queen's plan (if not a bit cliched since every villain's plan has been family related) involving her mirror in some way, but that cliffhanger at the end with the video footage left me jaw dropped! I had a feeling she would be Emma's foster mother at one point, but the fact Emma didn't remember any of it & seeing her face in the footage was what shocked me the most about it! The only issues I really had was not seeing more of Belle babysitting Neal, but still, looked like she had no problem looking after him for an hour! Oh yeah, and Rumple wasn't in it either, so I'm guessing he was still busy with whatever he's planning to do with the hat while his wife was babysitting! And the flashbacks felt like they didn't really connect to the Storybrooke scenes (up until the end anyway) but that's just nitpicking since I still enjoyed them nonetheless! Overall with great pacing, acting (especially from Lana, Jennifer, Elizabeth, Abby & Nicole) & writing, it's nice to see Emma & Regina be in the spotlight this week & honestly, this is probably my favourite season 4 episode so far next to A Tale of Two Sisters!
As for next week's episode Family Business, I am beyond excited to see Belle get more screen time along with seeing her mother & connection to Anna & Elsa! And I get the feeling that she may find out about the dagger judging her interactions/trust issues with her husband over that bloody dagger, but yeah, she deserves to know sooner than later in my opinion! Still, can't wait for more Rumbelle, Belle FINALLY having a larger role & being more badass & for more on the Snow Queen & the sisters reuniting after Anna's awry adventure in the past!