Article first published as ONCE UPON A TIME Review Season 4 Episode 6 Family Business on Seat42F.
Tonight’s
installment of ABC’s ONCE UPON A TIME, “Family Business,” starts well
enough, but quickly goes downhill by the halfway point. As everyone
searches for the elusive Snow Queen (Elizabeth Mitchell), we see some of
Belle’s (Emilie de Ravin) backstory, which sparks behavior in her that
is not at all in keeping with her character. The Snow Queen’s mission,
too, is revealed, but again, doesn’t quite make sense.
Let’s
start with Belle. Introduced as a match to the animated version, Belle
is a sweet woman who believes in the goodness of people above all else.
“Family Business” finds her desperate to remember her mother’s (Frances
O’Connor, Mr. Selfridge) death. This mission takes her to Arendelle and
an encounter with Anna (Elizabeth Lail), Oaken (Darcey Johnson), and
Grand Pabbie (John Rhys-Davies). Then, the Snow Queen shows up and Belle
puts her memory before Anna’s life, allowing the Snow Queen to capture
Anna.
One might argue that this
experience is what makes Belle so good. Maybe this one mistake is why
she learned her lesson and went straight, becoming hero-like, if not a
full-blown hero. That would actually make sense. Except, in present day
Storybrooke Belle lies to Elsa (Georgina Haig) and Rumple (Robert
Carlyle) about knowing Anna. This is not something our Belle, who holds
Rumple to a very high standard, would do. Then, she compounds her sins
by using the dagger to control Rumple, again, breaking character
completely.
Now, bad Belle is a
device that moves the story along. Because of her, we find out the Snow
Queen’s purpose. But that doesn’t excuse poor storytelling. There are
any number of ways the same information could be conveyed without
ruining arguably the show’s purest character, and that makes “Family
Business” a huge disappointment.
The
Snow Queen’s end game is also not befitting the character. In this
episode, we learn the Snow Queen’s desire is to have the residents of
Storybrooke turn on themselves and kill each other off until only she,
Elsa, and Emma (Jennifer Morrison) are left alive. She thinks Elsa and
Emma could then replace her departed sisters and the three could be a
family. Yet, the Snow Queen sees in the flashback story that just
wanting a family doesn’t make it so. How can she possibly believe that
Elsa and Emma will want to be with her after everyone else dies? Even if
the three are alone together, the girls would likely turn on their
elder.
The dark magic introduced in
ONCE UPON A TIME, the Snow Queen’s malicious mirror and the Sorcerer’s
hat, are solid parts of a good story. I like them both and think they
could be well used in the narration. Instead, making them part of this
ill-begotten twist, they are tainted and probably won’t end up being
what they should be. They present danger, but ignore the obvious threats
they possess.
I’m confused about the
prophecy surrounding Emma. The Snow Queen found Emma a long time ago
and is dropping hints to remind Emma of this, presumably so Emma will
remember how much she liked the Snow Queen and they can be a family
again. But why take the memories away at all? And why didn’t the Snow
Queen keep Emma when she had her? Why come back now? It just doesn’t
seem like these pieces will come together satisfactorily.
We’re
also left to wonder about Anna. Is she in Storybrooke? Is she back in
Arendelle, still locked in the dungeon? What happened to Elsa in the
meantime? This is too many questions posed for a story that has robbed
me of my confidence in a comprehensive ending.
“Family
Business” is not without its good parts. Regina (Lana Parrilla) telling
Robin (Sean Maguire) she may not be able to save Marian (Christie
Laing) is a rich scene, full of interesting pathos. Hook (Colin
O’Donoghue) joking that everyone in Storybrooke is related is funny and
right on the money. But these small gems aren’t enough to save this dud
of an episode. ONCE UPON A TIME is not doing well with its exposition or
the structure of its arcs, and those are to very important, vital
elements of the show.
ONCE UPON A TIME airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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