I really really really love this latest episode (The Bear King)! I am really enjoying Merida's story arc! Admittedly, I have not watched Brave and so I don't know how much of it is based on that (I do know the getup is pretty much the same), but I find her character interesting and refreshing.
But more than that this episode marks the return of Mulan and Red!
Finallllllly! During Mulan's first appearances, I didn't find her interesting to watch, but now there's finally more action on her part! And it's so great to see Red back!!! When I saw the wolf the first time, I thought it could've been her but dismissed it thinking she was still being invisible in Storybrooke. So shocked and pleasantly surprised to see her back! I don't know how they're going to fit her and Mulan into this whole thing now (though probably they'll just appear in a couple more episodes this season), especially since there's also the Merida-Arthur subplot now (which I love!).
I don't remember Mulan having met a wolf before (like I said, I didn't pay much attention to her before
), so how did she quickly know the wolf was human? Also, she could sense Zelena & Arthur arriving when Merida found the sword of her father's killer. Either she has really good senses and just happens to know about the wolves, or she has been exposed to magic too. Plus, she apparently can go to other realms, which, again, may have been shown in a previous season but I just can't remember.