‘Once Upon a Time’ Review: ‘Good Form’ Leads to a Pirate’s Life for Killian

Is it just us or was last night’s Once Upon a Time one of the best episodes ever? It was definitely the highlight of season three so far and leaps and bounds better than the dull hour we got last week (sorry, Rumple). “Good Form” dove into the story of how Killian Jones went from Navy officer to pirate and gave us so many new reasons to fall in love with him (like we needed more, but they’re still appreciated).

But it wasn’t just the past where Hook got to show off his best form; in the present, he managed to save a stubborn prince and get the girl, even if it was only for a fleeting moment (yeah right; we’re all calling ‘liar’ on this ‘one time only’ thing, Emma).  Of course it wasn’t all good news as Peter Pan found a way to be the worst (again). Before we get into all of the Killian goodness, let’s talk about the other big moment from the episode.

Emma, Regina and Snow decided they were going to capture a Lost Boy to get a message to Henry because Emma didn’t want her son to lose hope like Neal did back in the day. Unfortunately, the Lost Boy wasn’t in the mood to cooperate because he liked Neverland and didn’t even mind the cut on his face that he’d gotten from the receiving end of Henry’s imaginary sword (side note: why doesn’t magic exist? How cool would it be to turn objects into things you need at a moment’s notice?).

Regina, being the BAMF that she is, opted for Plan B, which was to yank his heart out and use that to control him. Snow objected, but Emma literally held her mother back and apologized as Regina did the dirty work because neither of them was letting any chances to rescue Henry pass. Snow was upset, but given some of her own misdeeds, she didn’t judge too harshly and Regina’s plan worked. Lost Boy gave a magic mirror to Henry and his two moms and Grandma Snow (“I’m here too!” had us cracking up) assured him that they were coming to save the day (Is it just us or did Henry not seem as excited as he should have?). When Pan got close, Henry tossed aside the mirror so he wouldn’t find it (or maybe because he didn’t want to chat anymore).

Now, let’s get back to Hook. In present day Neverland, he convinced Charming to set out on a journey to find a sextant that would lead them off the island. Charming was succumbing to the poison fast so he had very dramatic goodbyes with his wife and daughter and told Hook that he wanted him to tell them that he died on the journey so he could die a hero and not a liar or something (we’re still not clear what difference it made). Charming continued to taunt Hook and call him names (probably because he saw the way Hook was dreamily staring at Emma all the time. He’s got it so bad) as they made the trek.

Pan was waiting for Hook when he reached the top of the cliff and offered him a deal: he’d give him and Emma passage off the island as long as Hook killed Charming. Naturally, Charming heard the conversation and started calling Hook even more names (why so mean, Prince?). But then Hook revealed the real reason he’d brought him up there: it wasn’t to find a map; Hook wanted him to drink from the magic falls that would cure his poison (aw!). Of course there was one tiny catch: the magic would cure him, but Charming would never be able to leave Neverland. He was good with that because he could still save his family. Charming was surprised Hook had gone through the trouble, but the pirate pointed out that he hadn’t done it for him (duh, remember the looks?).

How did Hook know about the magic water? That’s where the flashbacks come into play. Way back when, Killian and his brother, Captain Liam Jones, were sent on a mission to go to Neverland and find a plant that was supposed to cure all injuries. But when they arrive and show the drawing of the plant to Peter Pan, he tells them that it’s poison. Killian is upset, but Liam insists that their king would never betray them. To prove it, he stabs himself with the plant and dies instantly (um, why did it take Charming days?). That’s when Peter returns and tells him about the water fall, but Killian and Liam ignore the part where he tells them not to leave the island.

As soon as they return home, Liam dies. Killian is devastated and blames the king for sending them on the mission in the first place. He gets the crew riled up, renames the ship the Jolly Roger and insists from here on out, they’re going to live the pirate’s life instead of serving a king who would betray them. How awesome was every single thing about this moment? We’ve all known all along that Hook was not the hardened pirate criminal that everyone likes to act like he is, but now that we know the full backstory and everything that led him to that point? He’s the best. That’s all there is to it and we’re not accepting any arguments to the contrary (fine, you can leave them if you have them, but good luck changing our minds).

Hook and Charming return to the ladies and after Charming grosses everyone out by getting a little too passionate with Snow, he tells them that Hook saved his life; once again leaving out the part where he’s been dying more or less since they arrived in Neverland (how much time do you think has passed? It’s always dark). Everyone shares some rum, except Regina because she ‘doesn’t do rum’ and then Emma privately thanks Hook for saving her father’s life. Hook wants more than a verbal thank you and after some light bantering, Emma goes in for the kiss.

There are not enough adjectives in the English language to properly express our feelings on how hot the kiss was or how much fun the flirting was or how much we enjoyed the looks on their faces afterward. It was everything. The scene was everything. The moment was everything. The kiss was everything. Hook’s “As you wish” was everything (Princess Bride references, FTW!). EVERYTHING. Everything about it was everything that’s good in the fictional television world ever. EVERYTHING.

And of course Peter Pan had to come along and make things more complicated because he is the worst (Seriously, we know some people like him, but we are over him and his smug face and his stupid games). Pan dropped the bomb on Hook’s lap that Neal was alive and in Neverland and then he left it up to him whether or not he was an honorable enough man to tell Emma the truth and risk losing her (we hate you, Pan). Then, he proceeded to tell his Lost Boys to hang Neal’s makeshift cage next to the other one…um…who is in that one?!?!

We loved everything about this episode. Fans have waited a long time (okay, it hasn’t been that long, but it feels long in fangirl/boy time) to learn Hook’s backstory and the show definitely delivered. We’ve waited even longer for the Captain Swan kiss and even though most fans have been watching it on repeat since the clip was released early last week, it was still everything we hoped for and then some. We’re very curious what choice Hook will make. We hope he’ll tell Emma the truth because it is the right thing to do and then once Neal is back with the group, we hope Emma will remember just how much that kiss affected her because this story is far from over.

Did you love the episode as much as we did? Which moments were your favorites? Do you love Hook even more now? Should he tell Emma the truth? Who is in the other cage? And how excited are you for Ariel next week? Hit the comments and share your thoughts with us!