Article first published as ONCE UPON A TIME Review Season 3 Episode 12 New York City Serenade on Seat42F.
*WARNING: The following contains light spoilers for the mid-season premiere of ONCE UPON A TIME. I
tease a number of scenes and plots, necessary because this episode is
so different from where we last left the tale, but I refrain from giving
away any big twists or surprises.
ABC’s ONCE UPON A TIME is doing things a
little differently this year, presenting two mini-seasons instead of a
full year’s worth of episodes in a single arc. The fall run took our
heroes to Neverland as they sought to defeat the cruel Peter Pan. Now,
this weekend, the second half begins with “New York Serenade,” bringing
with it a new villain, a new curse, and a new mystery.
“New York City Serenade” jumps back and
forth between two settings. One year ago, the residents of Storybrooke
returned to the Enchanted Forest. There they encounter Aurora (Sarah
Bolger) and Phillip (Julian Morris), then set off to find their castle.
Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Regina (Lana Parrilla) have decided to
team up for the good of the realm, but an unexpected attack and a
powerful shield spell present challenges they didn’t expect.
One year later, in New York, Hook (Colin
O’Donoghue) arrives to convince Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) that the
life she is living, happy with her son, Henry (Jared Gilmore), and
doting boyfriend of eight months, Walsh (Christopher Gorham, Covert
Affairs), isn’t real. Emma is resistant at first, having no memories of
her time in Storybrooke or among the fairy tale people, but a trip to
Neal’s (Michael Raymond-James) apartment and a blue potion are Hook’s
plan to fix that.
It seems like every episode of ONCE UPON
A TIME named after a place just happens to be good. “Tallahassee” and
“Manhattan” certainly delivered, as does this newest installment.
Coincidence? Perhaps.
ONCE UPON A TIME often divides itself
between flashbacks and the present day. Given the structure of “New York
City Serenade,” it seems like the flashbacks in the back half of this
third season may only go back a few months at a time. We are left pretty
much clueless as to what transpires between the events shown in this
hour and Emma’s current situation, even though whatever transpired seems
to be very important.
Now, I don’t think that means ONCE UPON A
TIME will abandon the longer-ago timeframes completely. But like the
series Lost, which shares some writers, showing the past prior to the
beginning of the series only works for so long before it needs
supplemented with something else. “New York City Serenade” is ONCE UPON A
TIME’s Oceanic Six moment, and like those plane wreck survivors, Emma
and Henry have to go back. Or, at least, Hook will try to convince them
to.
I’m not saying “New York City Serenade”
copies Lost, though. The story may even be considered the opposite, with
some of the Lost obstacles removed in a single hour, and other,
different challenges facing the characters. But I digress.
We do get some really great moments in
both realms this week. In the Enchanted Forest, Regina and Snow have a
really cool scene in which Regina is considering her path, whether to
try to cope with the pain of loss, as most people do, or follow her
mother’s evil path. There’s another terrific, similar bit involving Hook
and Charming (Josh Dallas). Belle (Emilie de Ravin) and Neal share
their thoughts about the departed Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle, who
does not appear this week, but remains on the cast list). And, what may
be best of all, is the part in which Regina, Snow, and the others
encounter Robin Hood (Sean Maguire) and his Merry Men, a sequence
sparking with chemistry and fantastic dialogue.
There are equally memorable moments in
New York between Henry and Emma and between Emma and Walsh. Emma and
Henry in their current state, thinking they’ve always been together,
have an enhanced relationship based on what was already established for
them, making for a neat bond. Walsh, on the other hand, is easily
accepted by Henry and he knows and loves Emma, despite her flaws. Emma
is fond of him, too. If you’re wondering what kind of guy Emma and Henry
could let into their family in such a short time, Walsh is exactly who
you’d pick.
Of course, this being ONCE UPON A TIME,
there are some really surprising developments, especially late in the
hour. All is not as it seems in either setting, and viewers will be left
with far more questions than answers. Suffice it to say, the writers
have taken advantage of the two-story season and have cooked up
something really cool and different for this second arc, serving the
characters we love, but not repeating themselves in any way.
This episode is not perfect. Jiminy
Cricket has resorted to chirping, presumably because Raphael Sbarge, the
actor who plays him, wasn’t available. I also wonder how Emma and Henry
can have such a fully furnished and decorated apartment one year after
they “lost everything in a fire.” But these are minor gripes, and no
glaring missteps stick out.
In short, “New York City Serenade” is an
enjoyable, exciting episode that makes a fine return for ONCE UPON A TIME. The series airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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