I have watched this scene too many times to count, I wouldn’t be surprised if I wear my iPad out with all the rewatching I’ve done.

From a romantic standpoint this scene had everything for me.

SETTING - What a jaw-dropping backdrop for such a pivotal moment. The rugged New Mexico landscape was as pretty as the people (well almost) and the emotion. Clear blue sky. The rich umber tones of the land. Bright, hopeful sun shining down on them. That’s some breath-taking wind-swept beauty right there, what a place to be “their’s.”

CINEMATOGRAPHY - Jeanine said that the director, Shiri Appleby, had them kissing on the side of that cliff for two hours while drones circled, presumably getting the kiss from every angle. BLESS HER. If you haven’t watched it in awhile, check from how many different sweeping vantage points we see them standing on the side of that cliff losing themselves in each other. It’s all achingly exquisite.

WARDROBE- Max the alien was in blue the color of the sky, Liz the human was in the color of the earth. Not only did they both perfectly complimented their surroundings, the symbolism of earth and sky coming together was a grand nod to the significance of the moment. Also Max and Liz might have spent the night not sleeping in a tacky motel, but they are both as fresh as a daisy in this scene. Guarded Liz is gone, moping Max is gone, it’s as if spending this unexpected time together in Texas soothed both of their souls and put them in the right frame of mind for the momentous turn their relationship takes in this scene.

ACTING - Jeanine and Nathan are always great, but they out did themselves in this scene. A few highlights, when Max is proving that he truly gets her you can tell from Jeanine’s expression that he’s taken Liz’s breath away. She’s stunned and moved and disarmed and Jeanine conveys all of that without words or really moving. When Liz kisses him, Nathan’s raised eyebrows of surprise are a thing of beauty. A split second on screen but that one expression tells the viewer that Max had zero expectations. He was okay with pouring his heart out to her and not even getting a verbal response and it’s an important character moment. Then after the kiss when Liz asks if it was worth the wait, Nathan turns Max back into a 17-year-old teen living out his dream with one simple “yes.” His tone and demeanor are newly soft and playful in a way adult Max has never been before. Fantastic.

THE SPEECH - Prior to the scene it might have felt like Max had more work to do before Liz would be ready, but after the speech he delivers who wouldn’t kiss the daylights out of him? Before seeing it, I probably would have not thought a man cataloguing a woman’s faults was the most romantic thing ever. It was. She needed to know that he sees her, that he knows her, that he knows that fundamentally at her core she’s someone who wants to be perfect so that she’s easy to love. It had to be stunning for her, Im sure no one in her life has ever got her at that level. He knows she’s not perfect and he loves easily, he believes in her without evidence, he has faith in her. My heart.

Agreed! From the video I saw she was perfect. She gave a very eloquent, thoughtful (as always) answer about being happy that the fans took something positive away from it or that it helped in some way, but she didn’t validate the actual projection as canon or anything like that. A hard needle to thread and she did it. 

I have more asks on this, under the cut...

That’s cool. I hadn’t heard that about him wearing David’s engagement ring. That’s a neat little nod to the character and storyline.

This is just guess work on my part. I would think if he was serious about getting a pilot he would have gone to LA during pilot season, but there are a few weeks left where casting might still take place so it’s not too late.

Who knows?

Hypocrisy is nothing new in those circles. However, I doubt it made any of them too happy to hear her say that. 

Or to hear her say that if Rumple could do one thing for Regina, it would be to bring back Robin.