THE GIFTED Is Special

Article first published as TV Review: THE GIFTED on Seat42F.

With the glut of superhero programming, do we need another series featuring people with powers? DC is dominating on the CW, less so on FOX, while Marvel has solid offerings on Netflix and inferior ones on ABC. The newest entry, THE GIFTED, is the second X-Men show in a year (technically Marvel via the comics, but not part of Marvel Studios), and proves that mutants still have something interesting and fresh to say. It’s not as trippy and unique as Legion, FX’s X-Men program, but it is still very worthwhile.

THE GIFTED is centered on the Strucker family. Patriarch Reed (Stephen Moyer, True Blood) helps capture mutants, though he insists only those who have broken the law. But when his own children, Lauren (Natalie Alyn Lind, The Goldbergs) and Andy (Percy Hynes White, The Grand Seduction), violently exhibit abilities, he doesn’t hesitate to join with wife Kate (Amy Acker, Person of Interest) in taking the clan on the run.

Separately, we meet a group of mutants in hiding led by Lorna Dane / Polaris (Emma Dumont, Bunheads). The daughter of Magneto, she has stepped up when both the X-Men and the Brotherhood disappeared. (Where they went is a mystery.) She is joined by Marcos Diaz / Eclipse (Sean Teale, Reign), John Proudstar / Thunderbird (Blair Redford, Satisfaction), and Clarice Fong / Blink (Jamie Chung, Once Upon a Time) in helping others who manifest more-than-human traits stay ahead of the evil Sentinel Service that pursues them, personified in Jace Turner (Coby Bell, The Game).

THE GIFTED is very ambitious, but it also has a lot going for it. By stating up front that the X-Men and the Brotherhood are gone, viewers won’t be waiting for the more-famous characters like Professor X, Cyclops, Magneto, Wolverine, and the rest to show up. It’s clear that this cast are our heroes, and that’s how it’ll likely stay. The X-Men film franchise has always been shaky on continuity, so THE GIFTED isn’t tied to anything else going on in other mediums, designed to stand on its own. Without the restrictions of movies and super familiar personalities to adhere to (some will know these characters, but not nearly as many as who know the X-Men themselves), it has the freedom to do something different.

Some are likening this show’s premise to an Underground Railroad situation. The mutants are a persecuted class, fleeing from people who fear or hate them. They have to operate in secret, and move a lot to stay ahead of those who would do them harm. Most haven’t actually done anything wrong, attacked for who they are, not their actions. The diverse cast modernizes the story, but the parallels are still obvious.

THE GIFTED is also a family show. We see the pain and suffering of parents Reed and Kate, and their love and dedication to their children. Reed, especially, is expected to question if he should be protecting Andy and Lauren, but he doesn’t. His job as their father wins out over his profession. But without powers himself, is he up to the task of protecting them? Will he have to learn to accept that his kids can keep him safe more than the other way around? And what is his role in the family then? Kate is less developed in the pilot, but I assume she will face similar issues.

This series is smartly written, well-acted, and with pleasing special effects, among the best the usually-lazy broadcast networks have to offer, feeling more like cable programming. It embraces the comic book world it hails from, but isn’t defined by it, making a dark drama full of social commentary that stands on its own. I didn’t expect such a high quality from creator Matt Nix, formerly of Burn Notice, but he has definitely grown into his role as a respected showrunner, and I’m excited to see where he takes things from here.

THE GIFTED premieres Monday, October 2^nd at 9PM ET on FOX.

I Don't BELIEVE

Article first published as BELIEVE Review on Seat42F.

NBC’s new drama BELIEVE, previewing this week, is the story of a man named Tate (Jack McLaughlin, Crash), who looks a bit like the white, European version of Jesus, assigned to protect a young girl named Bo (Johnny Sequoyah, Unicorns), who acts like Jesus. It’s like the short-lived FOX show Touch, but with more action and less scientific grounding.

The whole thing starts with a horrific car crash in which Bo loses her parents, murdered post-wreck by an evil assassin named Moore (Sienna Guillory, Luther). Before you worry too much that this will scar Bo for life, we soon learn these are foster parents who have only had Bo for two weeks, and are the latest in a string of guardians that haven’t lasted for the girl. Now, she needs a new protector.

Enter Tate, an inmate sitting on death row. But Winter (Delroy Lindo, The Chicago Code) is coming, and soon Tate is busted out of the pokey. The audience is told he’s innocent, and Winter has complete faith that Tate is the one to look after Bo, despite Tate’s grumblings to the contrary. Soon, BELIEVE has put together a buddy cop duo who are separated by gender and age.

Lest you wonder why Winter chose Tate, it’s a question answered by the end of the pilot, and it does make sense. This is good, because much of the other things that happen do not. Why, for instance, is Tate able to sneak into a hospital undetected, leaping off a gurney in front of many people, and still able to make his way, unmolested, through the halls? And why is Moore able to enter that same building at the same time, also able to move more freely than is believable? Does everyone in this hospital have blinders on?

Of course, this being an hour-long drama on NBC, a character study is not enough, so the writers, led by series co-creator Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity) and producer J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Person of Interest), among others, build a whole mythology around the players. Bo has supernatural powers, which are barely glimpsed in the pilot. Winter leads a group to protect her, including the jealous Channing (Jamie Chung, Once Upon a Time), who wants to know why she can’t be Bo’s guardian. The villains are headed up by Winter’s former partner, Skouras (Kyle MacLachlan, Portlandia, Desperate Housewives), although why Winter and Skouras had a falling out and ended up on opposite sides of the battle is unknown.

It is fine to have a plot structure such as the one above if it is layered and complex. BELIEVE is not. We know immediately who to trust and who Bo should run from, and there’s little original about the relationships or the set up. It’s an interesting concept taken in too-familiar directions, leeching out any originality to make a bland product.

To make matters even worse, it’s clear BELIEVE will have a procedural component, with Bo taking a quick break from the adventures in the “Pilot” to help a doctor (Rami Malek, The Pacific) find his confidence and purpose. Isn’t it enough to have a great story without forcing in a formula that will repeat from week to week?

It’s these hallmarks of a broadcast network series that drag BELIEVE down. I fully believe the concept could succeed on a cable network that rewards freshness. Instead, it is on one of the Big Four, so the ideas have to be smashed into existing molds. It’s frustrating to watch many shows per year ruined because of such constraints, and BELIEVE seems destined to be yet another victim of the system. Given the minds behind the project, it didn’t have to be this way.

BELIEVE premieres Monday at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.

"Common" Installment of ONCE UPON A TIME

Article first published as ONCE UPON A TIME Recap Season 3 Episode 3 Quite a Common Fairy on Seat42F.

This week’s episode of ABC’s ONCE UPON A TIME is called “Quite a Common Fairy.” The Operation: Save Henry team in Neverland search for Tinker Bell (Rose McIver, The Lovely Bones), hoping she can help them gain access to where Henry (Jared Gilmore) is being held. Unfortunately, Regina (Lana Parrilla) has a past with Tinker Bell, and that may make the fairy pretty unmotivated to help.

ONCE UPON A TIME frequently takes license in putting its own spin on the traditional telling of a familiar tale. However, I am not sure how Tinker Bell fits into the current understanding. She is in the Enchanted Forest realm when the Blue Fairy (Keegan Connor Tracy) takes away her powers and wings, then is seen as a normal human in Neverland. So has Tinker Bell never been a fairy in Neverland? Or, is the Enchanted Forest the second chance the Blue Fairy spoke of, and Tinker Bell was a fairy in Neverland earlier before screwing up somehow? Maybe by trusting Pan (Robbie Kay) when she shouldn’t have? We know Tinker Bell has a complex to save those who have gone bad, based on this episode. This definitely begs further exploration, even if Tinker Bell is not a major character, only putting in her first appearance here.

It’s pretty cool that Tinker Bell is tied into the existing fairy world, though. Viewers have gotten to know the Blue Fairy fairly well, and we’ve seen her interact with others of her species. It makes since for Neverland’s famous fairy to not only be running in that social circle, but also to not quite fit in, given her isolation and separation from the group. This is very well handled.

Tinker Bell wants a home. She has been abandoned by many, and not found her place. Snow and Charming (Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas, who recently got engaged off screen) offer her this in exchange for her help. It’s kind of fun to see the pair take in yet another stray, but it seems to be their specialty, and it certainly wouldn’t hurt to have a fairy or ex-fairy on their side. I just wonder how the Blue Fairy would react if Tinker Bell goes to Storybrooke…

Once more, we’re treated to a backstory of how Regina makes wrong choices. Tinker Bell, seeking to save Regina’s soul, tries to provide Regina with the key to happiness, leading Regina to a man she could be content with. Regina decides against approaching the man, choosing the wrong path yet again, though she doesn’t fully realize it until, late in “Quite a Common Fairy,” Tinker Bell points out Regina is selfish by depriving the man of his happy ending, too.

There’s a lot to dissect in this sequence. For one thing, Regina doesn’t often think about others. However, clearly that has changed, as Tink’s last words about being selfish wound her. Regina also has found happiness in raising Henry, even naming her mission in Neverland as Henry would, which is why she is able to throw herself at Tink’s mercy, risking her own heart and life to try to save Henry. She has changed.

It is revealed that the man Tink leads Regina to is none other than Robin Hood (Sean Maguire). Now, Robin already has had love and has a son, Roland (Raphael Alejandro). Maid Marion doesn’t seem to be currently around (maybe I missed that explanation?), but does this mean that, despite the trouble Robin goes through for Marion, they aren’t destined to be one another’s soul mates? Might Regina really belong in this relationship? At least she’d finally have a son to dote on who might appreciate her.

Those who make ONCE UPON A TIME have promised more of Robin Hood in the back half of the season, so I wonder if this is the direction the show will take. Season three seems awfully early to redeem Regina and let her find a happy ending, and yet, after how far she’s come and all she’s been through, it’s hard not to root for her to find her man and child. Maybe this season could be the end of Regina’s story, which would be sad, but it would be a very satisfying exit for her.

Speaking of being with the wrong person, Mulan (Jamie Chung) is ready to confess her love to Princess Aurora (Sarah Bolger), only to stop short when she finds out Aurora is pregnant. So Mulan joins Robin’s band of Merry Men instead.

Unfortunately, this probably won’t be resolved anytime soon. With Neal (Michael Raymond-James) making his way to Neverland, only recurring characters, no main ones, are left in the Enchanted Forest. ONCE UPON A TIME tends to only follow those guest stars when the central cast is around, so we probably won’t see any more development with them this fall.

With all of these new people introduced, there could be room for a few characters to exit the story, and the cast to be expanded again. Fairy tales are all about a finite journey with a happy ending.  What if we’re nearing the conclusion for more than just Regina? Might ONCE consider moving the story in completely different directions with new protagonists? It’s an interesting concept to ponder, though one that seems unlikely to occur.

“Quite a Common Fairy” does an excellent job of really developing more minor players, not serving too many of the main ones very much, but still an enjoyable hour. It isn’t perfect, with Mulan’s plan seeming too neat both before and after it is enacted, and the CGI still a few years away from being truly great on a television budget. But it mostly works, and I’m very interested to see the things that happen in other installments because of occurrences in this episode, of which there should be plenty.

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

ONCE UPON A TIME Has "Heart"

Article first published as ONCE UPON A TIME Recap Season 3 Episode 1 The Heart of the Truest Believer on Seat42F.

ABC’s ONCE UPON A TIME returns for a third go-round with “The Heart of the Truest Believer.” Six people are on the Jolly Roger, come to Neverland to find the missing Henry (Jared Gilmore). But when they get there, they discover Neverland is not quite what they expect. This goes double for the duo that kidnapped Henry, soon learning the Home Office hasn’t been entirely truthful with them.

The Home Office is, apparently, Peter Pan (Robbie Kay) and the Lost Boys. Pan needs “The Heart of the Truest Believer” for some unknown purpose, and for anyone who has ever watched even a little bit ONCE UPON A TIME, you will know immediately that said heart belongs to Henry. Henry has always held the faith that fairy tales are true and good win will, even when others falter. Now the question is, can Henry keep his heart in his chest, and what does Pan want with it?

The twist in “The Heart of the Truest Believer” is a pretty predictable one. Given the nature of the Neverland jungle and the ease at which the boys move around in it, I assumed immediately that the “turned” lost boy was none other than Pan. I wasn’t sure about his motives, but it makes sense that Pan would want to confirm Henry really is whom Pan is seeking before doing anything more to the boy.

I’m surprised to see Greg (Ethan Embry) and Tamara (Sonequa Martin-Green) meet their fates so swiftly. True, Martin-Green has a full-time gig on The Walking Dead, but considering that the pair were the villains for much of season two, one expects there to be more to their tale than being cut down by boys in the woods. However, ONCE UPON A TIME is moving into a new chapter, so I suppose it’s appropriate that the bad guys are new, too. Plus, I like the way this episode ties into last year and makes the viewer rethink things seen previously.

Actually, the Lost Boys don’t straight up kill Tamara; she hangs around just long enough for Rumple (Robert Carlyle), who has magically left the Jolly Roger, to find her and extract a little information. This is the cruel side of Rumple, returned in full force. We see that Rumple is determined to save Henry at the end of last season, willing to sacrifice himself, but apparently he doesn’t mind dipping back into his old bag of tricks to do, as reformed as her might have seemed.

Neverland seems the perfect place for Rumple, extremely well versed as he is in all things magic. Neverland is bursting at the seams with magic, much more so than the Enchanted Forrest, so it makes sense that the character who flourished with the element should have better command of it than the others. This prompts Rumple to ditch them, whether that’s because he thinks they’ll slow him down or he just doesn’t care about them, he’s at home here.

But Rumple has a weakness, too, and that’s his family. An old straw doll is enough to stop him in his tracks and bring him to tears. We don’t know why, as “The Heart of the Truest Believer” breaks format and abstains from doing a full flashback story, but assumedly we’ll get to that soon enough, and Rumple has been to Neverland before.

Of course, this weakness leads Rumple to dabble in blood magic, which provides a way for Neal (Michael Raymond-James), stuck in the Enchanted Forrest with Mulan (Jamie Chung) and Robin Hood (Sean Maguire, recast from Robin’s previous appearance), to locate Emma. He’ll need more help than just them, and Aurora (Sarah Bloger) and Phillip (Julian Morris), to reunite with his loved ones.

I like very much that Neal’s assistance comes in the form of familiar faces. These characters were seen quite a bit early last season, then disappeared. ONCE UPON A TIME does have quite a few people to serve, but it’s satisfying that it’s beginning to reuse those that haven’t been fully explored, rather than just continuing to add new ones all the time. The quartet Neal gets involved with deserve the screen time, and I look forward to seeing how they can help him next, as well as to how long they will stick around this time.

The more help Neal can bring with the better, as Neverland is full of dangers, a reflection of the erratic children who run the land, left to their own devices without guidance or structure, which Emma, Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin), Charming (Josh Dallas), Hook (Colin O’Donoghue), and Regina (Lana Parrilla) soon find out. They are beset by mermaids and drive them off, only to be further threatened by their hostage (Natasha Wilson) with a rough storm. It’s too bad Rumple leaves them, as they could sure use his help!

It’s really cool how the storm is mirroring the discord within this group, feeding off of them and ramping up their hostility at the same time. It may be an obvious metaphor, but it’s an effective one, making for a tense scene.

Emma is the one that saves the day. In all of this, Emma has remained the most neutral, and she is able to do that because she exits outside of the Enchanted Forrest web of relationships, not having lived in that place. Emma and Charming want to be her parents, and so love her as mothers and fathers do, but not having grown up with them, Emma is hesitant to let them in, still holding onto anger towards them. Emma saves Regina so Regina respects her, but they feud over Henry, so they won’t be buddies anytime soon. And Hook takes a fancy to Emma, even giving her Neal’s sword, but Emma isn’t about to hop into bed with a known scalawag.

When Emma jumps in the ocean, though, they all work together to save her. I think they realize that Emma is their best chance at getting what they want, whether it’s family or sex or a way to get back to one’s world. Emma is a powerful force, as is Henry, and they are driving factors in this show.

The one flashback we do see is Emma (Jennifer Morrison) giving birth to Henry. It’s telling that this moment is chosen, as the episode is not about Emma’s relationship with Henry. I believe this means Henry’s origin story and how he came to Storybrooke, as well as what his destiny is, it vital to the plot this fall.

“The Heart of the Truest Believer” isn’t just an exciting story and the beginning of fresh plots in a new world; it’s also reestablishing the role both Emma and Henry play in the show, as leads. It reorders the relationships, Emma taking command over the other four on the ship. It reminds us of what the show is about and why it works in the first place. In short, it’s pretty much the best season premiere one could ask for from the show.

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

Once Upon a Time tugs at our hearts

ABC's Once Upon a Time ended its fall run this week with "Queen of Hearts." The various plots that have been playing out for the past few months all converge and mostly end, avoiding a dramatic, violent showdown (though we get a small taste of such a thing), instead playing more to the emotional depth of the characters. It's also an episode heavy on revelation, making it a tasty treat that should tide fans over until January.

The biggest message to come out of "Queen of Hearts" is the power of true love. Emma (Jennifer Morrison) discovers her name written in magic ink in a cell, which enables her and her friends to escape after being locked up. Cora (Barbara Hershey) learns that she cannot remove Emma's heart. Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle) admits he has nothing to do with, and doesn't even know the full extent of, Emma's power. It feels like a bit of a Harry Potter rip off, but clearly true love is the most powerful force in Once Upon a Time, and it will make sure, as Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) asserts, that good will always triumph over evil.

This means that Emma's focus in the series should not lessen as the show goes on. She already plays out her role as the savior last year, and her family relations to several other main characters mean that she won't be going anywhere. But now that magic has returned, and the fairy tale and real worlds begin to intermingle, one might think that Emma's lack of experience with the former would handicap her. Instead, she will still likely be the best hope everyone has of surviving, given this new development.

And survive, they must. Cora and Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) are temporarily defeated in the fairy tale realm, but by the end of the episode, they are sailing into the harbor of Storybrooke on Hook's ship. This does feel a little liked a cheat. So much effort is exhausted to thwart them, and yet, off screen, they suddenly manage to achieve their goal anyway. However, there is still a battle to wage, so the excitement will not lack concerning them when the show returns.

Cora and Hook's emergence in Storybrooke points to signs that Once Upon a Time may not visit the fairy tale world for awhile, other than in the frequent flashbacks. True, Mulan (Jamie Chung) and Aurora (Sarah Bolger) are still there and have a new quest to embark on, but they are not main characters, despite what it has seemed like this fall, so it is likely that we will see very little, if any, of their mission. Instead, the bad guys have broken into our world, so that is probably where most of the action will stay.

Emma has huge talents that we are just beginning to glimpse, but she cannot stop Cora and Hook alone. She merely holds them off so that she and Snow can make their escape before, and now that things will be deteriorating, she will need all the help that she can get. The problem is, most of the talents of good guys on the show are limited, standing little chance against great mahic, so her best bets for helpful allies are Rumplestiltskin and Regina (Lana Parrilla), whose allegiances are circumspect.

Rumple just wants to find his son. He can't leave Storybrooke, so he's stalled in this desire, but he has no particular loyalty to anyone else here, save Belle (Emilie de Ravin). He helps in "Queen of Hearts" and the events leading up to it because of his soft spot for a boy, Henry (Jared Gilmore), who may remind him a bit of his own child, and because he really doesn't want Cora coming to this world, as she could get in his way. If he can run away and avoid confrontation, he likely will, just as he is coldly willing to sacrifice Emma and Snow in this episode if it will keep Cora from crossing over.

Regina is a bit more of an enigma. She desperately wants to be good again, at least in Henry's eyes. But no matter what she does, she isn't figuring as an important person in his life. She absorbs Rumple's deadly spell so that Snow and Emma can get home, which could cost her something that hasn't been revealed yet, given her looks of pain. And yet, after a quick hug and word of praise, Henry runs off with Emma again. How hard would it have been to invite Regina to come along with them, considering how much she played a role in their safe return? By excluding her, they risk alienating Regina, leaving her vulnerable to Cora's influence. If Regina sides with her mother, Storybrooke could really be in trouble.

Much praise has to be given to Parrilla, who can definitely be argued to be this season's MVP, much as Carlyle dominated last year. She plays the layers of complexity that make up Regina expertly, balancing all of the facets of her personality so, so well. She makes us care about someone who started off the series as the most villainous member of the world, and her vulnerabilities as a mother, no matter who Henry's flesh and blood are, make her someone to root for. Even if Regina trends dark again, I hope that Parrilla is given the opportunity to make her a hero in the end.

The "Duh!" moment in "Queen of Hearts" is when Cora is revealed to be the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland. Given her penchant for stealing the blood pumping organ from people, this is something I should have seen coming from a mile away. And yet, like many of Once Upon a Time's great twists, I somehow did not put the pieces together until the last moment. It's touches like this, the seeds planted months, even a year, beforehand, that prove that this show has some of the best writing on television. Other awesome callback bits in "Queen of Hearts" include a return to the lake, Rumple's use of the fairy wand, seeing Cora create the dome that saved part of fairy tale world, and the logic leap many viewers are making that Rumple planned very well in advance, allowing himself to get captured before the curse.

Once Upon a Time will return in January on ABC.

Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!

Article first posted on TheTVKing

Once Upon a Time anything but "Broken

Grade: 92%

The fairy tale is nowhere close to being over as ABC”s ONCE UPON A TIME returns last night with “Broken.” The curse has been broken, indeed, and magic has returned, in limited form, to Storybrooke. Yet, their land is destroyed, according to Regina (Lana Parrilla), so they remain stuck in the real world. How can they get their home back, or will they try to build a new one here?

“Broken” shows us many familiar faces to remind us of who all is in Storybrooke, but mostly sticks to the core group of characters for the central story (This, somewhat regrettably, though it won’t likely affect the size of his role,  as he never did make it into the inner circle, no longer includes Jiminy (Raphael Sbarge). It’s hard to complain about getting a glimpse of these beloved characters, and, considering their small part, they could easily have been dropped from this episode, which would make the world feel sadly smaller.

Most are out for Regina’s head, of course, since she is the face of their misery. But Henry (Jared Gilmore) maintains a little sympathy for the woman that raised him and convinces Emma (Jennifer Morrison) to protect Regina. It’s kind of hard to fathom why a kid who believes his mother is secretly an evil queen for so long doesn’t want to see her hurt. But the relationship between parents and children can be complicated. And although Henry does provide a possible salvation for Regina, she is really going to have to work hard to regain his affection after the events of “Broken.” Not that they are her fault.

See, Rumple (Robert Carlyle) promises Belle (Emilie de Ravin, upgraded to series regular), that he won’t kill Regina, so to get around this, he unleashes a wraith on her. Emma springs to the rescue, aided by her parents, Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Charming (Josh Dallas). They save Regina, but Snow and Emma fall through a portal after the wraith, leaving Charming alone to care for Henry.

Besides Regina, Rumple is another soul that must be saved. While Regina has Henry as a motivation, Rumple has his Belle back. Initially, that is not enough to get him to change his ways. But her continued presence can only be beneficial to him. Will she help him find a way to not be the Dark One anymore? That may or may not happen. She will, however, likely to influence his actions to be a little less evil.

Not that ONCE UPON A TIME is going to make its villains all warm and cuddly. Both Regina and Rumple still have a sharp edge to them, and it will not be rounded out anytime soon. Plus, with creatures like the wraith, new dangers will be introduced. Have no fear; ONCE UPON A TIME will not fall into a “happy ever after” anytime soon which, will satisfying, would also be boring.

The relationships between Snow, Charming, Emma, and Henry are very awkward in “Broken.” Technically, Snow and Charming are Emma’s parents, even though they appear to be the same age, and it feels odd for Henry to think of a couple so young as his grandparents. Also, Emma feels abandoned, as anyone would, by her parents, since they left her alone all these years. Yes, it was to save everyone, but there are still those emotional issues that would come from being set adrift, no matter what the intentions behind it. This makes all of these interactions seem odd.

Oddness is not a complaint, however. Given the very strange circumstances, it would be far worse if the characters quickly hugged and all was right in the world. There are a lot of unresolved feelings, and even if the feelings may not be completely logical, emotions seldom are. This uneasiness is natural and right, lending an authenticity to the characters.

As mentioned, magic is back in the real world, but it’s unclear exactly what that means. Rumple has some, certainly, but Regina is unhappy to discover that she does not. That is, until Emma touches her. All of the sudden, Regina can do things again. Is Emma the key? Will each person she touches get some power? Yet, not every storybook character had powers. The rules of this are completely murky at this point, but at least it feels like the writers have a handle on it, even if they aren’t going to share that with us yet. Bottom line, Emma remains the key, her importance no less after breaking the curse.

 

The only thing that really bugs me in “Broken” is that the storybook names and real world names are used interchangeable. Presumably, the characters remember both lives now, so they see each other both ways. But it’s weird to here Mary Margaret called Snow in Storybrooke, and then called Mary Margaret again a few minutes later. Are they forever stuck with two identities now? Can we not settle on one moniker per person? Even if they get to decide which it is, and some pick names from each world, it would be preferable to the current situation.

We still don’t know who Dr. Whale (David Anders) is in the fantasy world, a mystery alluded to in “Broken,” but not explored. This tease only makes me want to know more.

And what of the mysterious man (Michael Raymond-James, Terriers, True Blood) who lives in the big city, but gets a note from a pigeon? Is he Rumple’s son? If so, did he know about the curse, and was he working to break it? Or is he the March Hare, since he has a Hatter sign in his apartment? Is it possible that some of the storybook characters did not dwell in Storybrooke? How did the curse and its breaking affect them? Is this man on his way to Maine? Who sent the note? A wonderful mystery to kick off the new season.

Viewers also get another storybook story. Sleeping Beauty (Sarah Bolger, The Tudors) is awoken by Prince Phillip (Julian Morris, Pretty Little Liars). But before they can ride off together, a wraith attacks Phillip. Even with Mulan (Jamie Chung, Samurai Girl) there for support, the women can’t save Phillip from losing his soul.

Far more interesting, though, is the revelation that a small corner of the fantasy world survived Regina’s destruction, and time stopped for twenty-eight years then restarted, same as the clock in Maine, they are aware of this, and have banded together to…, well, who knows? Snow and Emma are thrust into this place, so through them, viewers will get a chance to see what the other consequences of Regina’s spell are. How cool!

“Broken” is a terrific return for ONCE UPON A TIME, furthering the arcs beautifully, while providing enough new mystery to keep the story magical. New episodes air Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.