Absolutely "Lovely" ONCE UPON A TIME

Article first published as ONCE UPON A TIME Recap Season 3 Episode 8 Think Lovely Thoughts on Seat42F.

This week’s ONCE UPON A TIME encourages viewers to “Think Lovely Thoughts,” even as the characters on screen struggle to do so. Peter Pan (Robbie Kay) brings Henry (Jared S. Gilmore) to his endgame as Henry’s family rushes to save him. Interspersed with this, we learn Rumple’s (Robert Carlyle) connection to Neverland’s baddie, giving us a glimpse at the Dark One’s childhood.

As much back story as ONCE UPON A TIME routinely presents, it’s rare that we get an extended look at one of the characters in their youth, unless it relates to another character’s adult life (such as Snow in Regina’s flashbacks or Bae and Cora in Rumple’s). Yet, “Think Lovely Thoughts” takes us back to when Rumple was a wee lad (played by Wyatt Oleff), probably the earliest moment, chronologically speaking, the show has done so far.

It seems that being a bad dad runs in Rumple’s family. Not only did he choose magic over Bae, and Bae grew up to be Neal (Michael Raymond-James), who unintentionally left his own son, but Rumple’s father, Colin (Stephen Lord, Shamless), chose his own selfish pursuits over Rumple. Who can blame Colin for being a scoundrel, because, after all, his own father sold him to a blacksmith, and so he had no role model to look up to?

Well, most people, it turns out, as Colin has no regrets about his misdeeds, which is the key difference between a good person and a bad person. In fact (SPOILER ALERT!) Colin is actually Peter Pan, magically restored to youth so that he can stay in Neverland, and who is now willing to sacrifice the life of his great grandson in order to maintain this existence. Talk about a terrible family tree!

“Think Lovely Thoughts” actually puts Rumple in a positive light. Despite his father’s emotional abuse, Rumple had two (literal) spinster aunts (Stargate franchise actresses Lindsay Collins and Glynis Davies) who tried to teach him right from wrong. That’s probably why, unlike Colin, Rumple regrets the screw-ups he makes as a father, and spends his life trying to correct them. The cycle has been broken, whether Neal is ready to admit that or not.

It’s natural that the others are skeptical of Rumple’s nobility, given some of the things he has done in the past. Neal makes Rumple hand over Pandora’s Box, not trusting Rumple to do right by Henry, only to come around by the end of the hour after Rumple proves himself. This could definitely be the start of a new chapter for the men in the family.

That is, if things can work out. As “Think Lovely Thoughts” ends, Rumple is trapped in Pandora’s Box and Henry is dead, and while I doubt very much that either issue is permanent, there is a long way to go to fix the mess ONCE UPON A TIME leaves our cast in.

Henry’s actions, resulting in his death, are born of naivety. Pan lies to Henry, and even after Neal, Emma (Jennifer Morrison), and Regina (Lana Parrilla) join their voices to try to convince Henry of this, Henry doesn’t believe them. Perhaps it’s because he’s from a family of heroes, and just wants to live up to the reputation. Or it could be because Henry knows these three, his parents, would lie to protect their son, and so may not be trusted in this situation. Whatever reason, he makes the wrong choice, tricked by a devilish imp into losing his heart, and thus, his life.

Seeing Regina, Emma, and Neal come together is touching, and that’s why I’m not worried about Henry. Regina and Emma have great magical power, and will stop at nothing to protect their boy. Neal is determined and strong. If they remain united, and we have every reason to believe that they would, they will succeed… eventually.

The weird part about “Think Lovely Thoughts” is why the “Save Henry” group, finally united after many episodes of fragmentation, splits up in this episode. Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) and Tink (Rose McIver) I kind of understand because someone needs to protect Wendy (Freya Tingley) and keep an eye on the Lost Boys, but surely Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Charming’s (Josh Dallas) hunt for a cure can wait. Charming’s life is in no immediate danger, and if Rumple traps Pan in the box, as intended, there’ll be plenty of time to finish this later. Why would they set off on their own without knowing that their grandson is safe?

 

Honestly, that’s the only problem I have with this episode. The special effects, especially the hourglass in Skull Island and the creepy shadow (voiced by rocker Marilyn Manson), are fantastic. Lord is perfect as both Rumple’s dad and the earlier version of Pan, with just enough foreshadowing to make the twist ending conceivable, but not enough that it’s obvious from the start. Rumple’s back story is well thought out, and his relationship with Pan makes sense now. And, as stated above, I love the bits with Henry’s parents.

There are still three hours to go in this fall run. Even if ONCE UPON A TIME spends an hour back in Storybrooke, tying up loose ends and setting up the spring story, that leaves two more installments to complete the Neverland tale. I’ve loved this larger-scale adventure with a finite, approaching ending, and look forward to how it will all wrap up.

ONCE UPON A TIME airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

"Dark Hollow" Dark Spot for ONCE UPON A TIME

Article first published as ONCE UPON A TIME Review Season 3 Episode 7 Dark Hollow on Seat42F.

ABC’s ONCE UPON A TIME finally returns to Storybrooke this week in “Dark Hollow.” Ariel (Joanna Garcia Swisher) fulfills her mission of getting a message to Belle (Emilie de Ravin), and together they find the object Rumple (Robert Carlyle) needs to defeat Peter Pan, literally Pandora’s Box (how cool is it going to be when that opens!). But getting the box back to Neverland proves not so easy when a couple of guys from the Home Office seek to destroy it.

It’s pretty predictable that the two boys who have broken into Storybrooke are John (Matt Kane, Switched at Birth) and Michael (James Immekus, Boxboarders!), especially once you see one is taller and wears glasses. But that doesn’t stop one from wondering what they are doing there, and what control Peter Pan (Robbie Kay) has over them. He’s evil, and we’ve seen that the Darlings are sweet, or at least they were as children. Plus, Michael and John have grown up, so they clearly didn’t stay in Neverland as Lost Boys all these years, making one assume they aren’t totally loyal to the Big Bad.

Of course, Pan has something to hold over them. It turns out to be Wendy (Freya Tingley), still a child after a century, who Pan then uses to manipulate Henry (Jared Gilmore). One definitely feels sorry for the Darling family, just more pawns in Pan’s twisted games. If anything, the revelation that Pan has abducted Wendy and kept her for so long, controlling her brothers with threats, only makes him seem more evil.

Unfortunately, the plot to stop Pan is growing stale. The parts of “Dark Hollow” that are set in Neverland break down into petty squabbling, losing the focus of the story. It’s a good thing Belle and Ariel’s little adventure is such fun, and the dwarves get some great, humorous lines, or else this installment would have little to no redeeming qualities.

Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) is still upset with Charming (Josh Dallas) at keeping his poisoning and inability to leave Neverland a secret from her. This is understandable, it really is, but three seasons in, tension between Snow and Charming feels so old, not that it was ever any good in the first place. They have had enough issues, and unlike some couple’s bickering, which can be entertaining, theirs just seems whiny and dumb. They’re both noble and heroic, so even when they enact misdeeds, they’re for the right reasons. Just move past it already!

The Emma (Jennifer Morrison) / Neal (Michael Raymond-James) / Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) love triangle is no better. Hook accidentally lets it slip to Neal that he kissed Emma, assuming Emma has already told Neal, and then Neal and Hook argue, leaving them vulnerable to attack by Pan’s shadow and friends. Emma is done with both of them for the present because her focus is her son, not her love life, exactly as it should be. The guys eventually agree, but it’s too little, too late.

Look, there’s a way to do this triangle right that could be really cool. Hook is someone who seems worthy of love, at least right now, and obviously Neal and Emma still have some unresolved feelings from their sordid past. Plus, Neal and Hook have a past relationship that could come into play. However, a boy has been captured by a really, really bad dude. This drama needs to wait, and by not doing so, it drags the episode down.

ONCE UPON A TIME has always been a bit uneven. I guess it’s understandable that, after a string of terrific installments, there’s bound to be a dud. It’s still disappointing, though, because they were doing so well lately that I’d forgotten about many of their flaws, which come barreling back in “Dark Hollow.”

I would never argue that the series should ditch character stuff in favor of action. That’s what should have happened in this hour, but overall, I really love when the players change and wrestle with quandaries. Seeing Regina (Lana Parrilla) keep her bargain with Ariel is a wonderful moment for “Dark Hollow,” something Regina would not have done only a short time ago. But there’s a time and a place for everything, and by giving us the worst of the personal stuff at the worst possible time, “Dark Hollow” is largely a failure.

ONCE UPON A TIME airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Once Upon a Time Takes The "Second Star to the Right"

Article first published as ONCE UPON A TIME Review Season 2 Episode 21 Second Star to the Right on Seat42F.

Grade: 98%

ABC’s ONCE UPON A TIME begins its two-part sophomore finale this week with “Second Star to the Right.” A young Bae (Dylan Schmid) falls through the portal in fairytale land and ends up in London, England. There, he meets the Darling family, who take him in, give him a bed and food, and treat him as one of their own. But when a mysterious shadow threatens the family, Bae must sacrifice himself to keep magic from destroying their home, like it did his.

The flashback events of “Second Star to the Right” pick up just after we see Rumple (Robert Carlyle) lose Bae through the portal in a previous episode, but thank goodness there is then a six month time jump, since Schmid has definitely aged a bit. He has also grown into a fine young performer, who does a terrific job in this installment.

London itself look good, and ONCE UPON A TIME strikes the perfect balance between making sure it seems like the plot is set in the real world, but including the trademark Peter Pan elements that make the tale so familiar, such as the striking image of Big Ben, the large bedroom window, Nana the dog, the beautiful house, Michael’s (Benjamin Cook) teddy bear, and John’s (William Ainschough) glasses and umbrella.

Yet, there’s also something very sinister that one may not perceive in the classic tale. Peter’s shadow is a scary CGI creation that looks more demonic than playful. And after a visit to Neverland, Wendy (Freya Tingley, Hemlock Grove) remembers it as a sad prison for lost boys, rather than the magical place to have an adventure. This actually makes sense in the context of the larger story, even as it differs drastically from the animated Disney version.

It must be incredibly hard for Bae to give himself up for Wendy and the rest of the Darlings. As noble as he is, he has already lost so much. It’s understandable he would want to keep them from suffering as he has, but to give up the good life he has just fallen into would be so, so difficult. Bae is a hero, through and through, and just as he will eventually, as an adult, give up the love of his life for her own good, he turns his back on a comfortable existence for others now.

I’m a little disappointed we won’t see any of the traditional telling of Peter Pan, with the fun side of Neverland readily apparent before the darkness sets in. And I do want to know where Tinkerbell may be hiding. But the ending, where Bae escapes the shadow and ends up on the deck of Hook’s (Colin O’Donoghue) ship, the Jolly Roger, is an intriguing set up for the last hour of the season.

In Storybrooke, adult Bae (Michael Raymond-James) is faced with yet another unhappy situation. He may have his son, Henry (Jared S. Gilmore), around now, and doesn’t intend to lose him, but he has yet to connect with his own dad, Gold, who is flitting around with bad influence Lacey (Emilie de Ravin), whom encourages Gold to be a bully and get rid of Henry. To make matters worse, Emma (Jennifer Morrison), whom Bae sees as a jealous ex, doesn’t seem to be letting go of her suspicions about Bae’s current fiancé, Tamara (Sonequa Martin-Green).

I’m kind of glad that Tamara is evil, as this clears the way for Bae and Emma to be together now, instead of having to wait around for closure and healing. It’s true, Bae may need some time to get over being betrayed by the woman he loves, finding out his entire relationship is a lie. But it will be easier on him than if she is innocent.

It’s surprising that “Second Star to the Right” has Bae and Emma confess their love for one another. Many series would stretch out such a relationship for years before allowing any culmination of happiness. Bae has only really been in the last part of this season, and is still not a main character. Yet, the couple has expressed their feelings, setting them up for a happy ending.

Except, Tamara shoots Bae, and then he falls through a portal into another world. I don’t think Bae is dead, no matter how dire it looks for him, as he is too pivotal a player in this saga. To see him taken out so easily and quickly, especially as vital as he is to a number of the central characters, just won’t do. It could be awhile before we see him again, but with luck ONCE UPON A TIME will keep his tale going, signing him on full-time next year, even if it takes part of, or all, the next season for Emma to find him again.

Emma is such a pessimist! She holds out no hope Bae has survived, telling her parents, Snow and Charming (Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas), that Bae is dead. Even for one who has had such a depressing life, as Emma has, to give up hope so quickly for the man she loves is not cool. Emma still has a ways to go before growing into a true hero, of course, but that is no excuse for declaring Bae dead immediately, and not even attempting to find him. This is disappointing.

The upside of Emma believing and telling others that Bae is dead is that this might finally shake Gold out of his misbehavior. Clearly, Bae’s angry words aren’t enough to make Gold realize that he’s on the wrong path, but perhaps losing his son again will. I don’t think Gold will just accept, without proof, Bae is dead, and could even be the instrument by which Bae is found again. But it might be enough for him to shake off hanging with the ill-tempered Lacey and try a different approach to get his lady love, and son, back, and will allow Henry to survive.

If not, we’re in quite a bit of trouble, as Lacey now knows that Gold can do magic, and she definitely does not have kind plans for the use of his power.

The final arc addressed in “Second Star to the Right” is Greg’s (Ethan Embry) torture of Regina (Lana Parrilla) as he searches for his long-missing father. What Greg does to Regina, no matter what she has done, makes him seem like the villain. He is cold and causes Regina great pain. In the end, this allows him to find his dad’s body (despite internet rumors, I do believe he is dead), but it also costs Greg whatever bit of a soul he has left.

Which means Greg is now extremely dangerous. And he has the tool to carry out his vengeance. He and Tamara have Regina’s trigger that can wipe out Storybrooke and everything in it, and thanks to their mysterious “home office” (next season’s story?), they know what it is. Destroying the town, including the magic and inhabitants within, is their plan anyway, and now they have a convenient way to do so. There is nothing to stop them from trying.

What might stop them from succeeding is a Regina / Snow / Charming team-up. Snow doesn’t make up for killing Regina’s mother, of course, and with all the bad blood between them, there likely never will be familial peace. Thankfully, though, at least one side sees the value of kinship, no matter what has happened, which allows Snow to save Regina from Greg. This provides some promise that they might find some common ground to work together and save everyone. It’s an unlikely and temporary alliance, but one that could prove crucial at the right moment.

“Second Star to the Right” is a wonderful, nearly (but not quite) flawless installment, and a great set up for the season finale. ONCE UPON A TIME’s second season (there will be a third) ends next Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Hemlock Grove is a Familiar Place

Article first published as HEMLOCK GROVE Review on Seat42F.

Grade: 83%

Netflix’s latest drama is called HEMLOCK GROVE. Based on the novel of the same name, HEMLOCK GROVE begins with kinky sex and the murder of a teenager, which are unrelated, I think, but make for a one-two punch with some serious drawing power. It’s important, in a television field crowded with horror and murder mystery entries, that the opening grab viewers. But many a series has had a great hook, then failed to deliver.

HEMLOCK GROVE, not even released yet, has already been beset upon by bad press. Many note that it fails to live up to Netflix’s last original series, House of Cards. Although, just about every series ever created would fail to live up to House of Cards, a brilliant drama, so by comparison, yes, HEMLOCK GROVE is not nearly as good.

Which doesn’t make it bad, necessarily.

HEMLOCK GROVE feels pretty familiar. It’s about a bunch of brooding teens and their equally mysterious parents living in a gloomy town. There are hints in the first episode of both a vampire and a werewolf, and one girl looks like something straight out of FX’s American Horror Story: Asylum. In fact, HEMLOCK GROVE seems to take inspiration from Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle, and The Killing, to name a few.

What it lacks in originality, it does attempt to make up for in pay-cable level content. You will see a topless girl in the first few minutes. The body of Brooke Bluebell (Lorenza Izzo), the character killed early in the pilot’s run, is pretty gory. There is a homosexual predator introduced who goes after girls far too young for her. These are things that HEMLOCK GROVE, being on Netflix, can use to set itself apart from the tamer fare.

I also think Netflix’s model of releasing all thirteen episodes of the first season at once will serve it well. This is the type of show that begs marathon viewing. Want to know who killed Brooke? Just keep watching. You don’t have to wait twelve weeks, with the puzzle slowly doled out forty minutes at a time. That immediacy should help retain viewers who are on fence after the first installment or two.

That being said, I don’t know that HEMLOCK GROVE has real staying power. I only have access to the beginning of the season, not the entire thing, so I can’t say for certain the impact of the complete picture. But, only a few hours after viewing the first episode, I am having trouble remembering very many of the characters’ names, and I’m not entirely sold on the premise, which isn’t completely apparent. The effects are good, and I remember moments, just not people. The cast is capable, but their roles aren’t well defined as unique personalities at this point, certainly no one really standing out right away. I will probably watch more. But I’m not super excited to get back to it, a I was with House of Cards.

At the start of the first episode, “Jellyfish in the Sky,” a Gypsy boy named Peter Rumancek (Landon Liboiron, Terra Nova, Degrassi: The Next Generation) comes to town with his mother, Lynda (Lili Taylor, Six Feet Under). Because they are new to the area, obviously they quickly become suspects in Brooke’s murder case. But they seem gentle enough. Also, they move into a deceased’s relative’s place, so they may have some connection to the locale.

The other major family introduced in “Jellyfish in the Sky” consists of Roman Godfrey (Bill Skarsgard), his mother, Olivia (Famke Janssen, X-Men), and his sister, Shelley. They are rich and not very nice, and we soon see that there is likely more to them than meets the eye. Olivia is accused of being some type of monster, and Shelley visually is one, providing the only really cheesy bit in the pilot, as Shelley shuffles around with her grotesque face covered up, presumably to save on effects, though I have trouble complaining about not seeing her face too often.

While the Godfreys appear evil and the Rumanceks seem good, it’s clear that it won’t be as simple as that. We do get more backstory on the Godfreys in the first episode, so of course we get to see the darker aspects of their clan, including what happened to Mr. Godfrey, and how they interact with remembers of their extended family. But we don’t know much about the Rumanceks, and they may have a gritty side, too, as we see that they aren’t above stealing.

Either way, these are the main characters, or the two boys are, at least, so it’s unlikely that one of them is the killer. Instead, we’ll eventually find out who they are and what their motivations might be. A description of the series says they end up working together to find the killer, which seems an odd pairing, but I’m sure that will explained as things unfold, and it could be interesting.

The guys are surrounded by many other strange characters, each of whom could possibly be the murderer, based on the little bits we see of them. There’s the weird girl next door, Christina (Freya Tingley), who fancies herself an investigator. Norman Godfrey (Dougray Scott, Desperate Housewives) is Roman’s uncle, who has had, or is having, an affair with Roman’s mom. The town sheriff is Tom Sworn (Aaron Douglas, Battlestar Galactica), whom we know nothing about. And surely there will be others in the coming episodes.

I feel like HEMLOCK GROVE distracts us with a large number of characters so that they have room to keep us guessing, which is a good thing, sort of. If only there were any clue that might help us begin that process in “Jellyfish in the Sky.” Or a character to connect to and get behind. As such, it should appeal fine to those who dig the other scary stuff on TV, but I doubt it will have a broad appeal or defy convention.

HEMLOCK GROVE’s thirteen episode first season will be available this Friday on Netflix.