"The Price" of Watching ONCE UPON A TIME

Article first published as ONCE UPON A TIME Review "The Price" on Seat42F.

ONCE UPON A TIME - "The Price" (ABC/Jack Rowand) JOSH DALLAS, GINNIFER GOODWIN

This week’s installment of ONCE UPON A TIME is entitled “The Price.” An evil creature is unleashed upon Storybrooke, coming to collect an unpaid price from magic used. Because only Emma (Jennifer Morrison) has memory of the past six weeks, only she knows why it’s here. She says it’s Regina (Lana Parrilla) who has drawn it to the hamlet. Can Regina step up and be the hero that the town needs?

I’d be lying if I said I weren’t enjoying the role reversal of Emma and Regina. Regina has long been my favorite character, and to see her trying to be the Savior while Emma descends into darkness is great. But I feel like “The Price” is a bit too on-the-nose in portraying this. The situation is too perfect, and because Robin Hood (Sean Maguire) is the life threatened, Regina doesn’t even have to be all that selfless to save him, already being in love with him. It would have been much more powerful to see Regina struggle to step up or do the unexpected for someone she doesn’t care as much about.

That being said, it’s satisfying that the town begins to back up Regina. Many do not believe she has it in her to be the Savior, Leroy (Lee Arenberg) chief among them. And Leroy is one who ends up supporting her and believing in her later. I am sure Regina can be a hero, though not entirely sure she can be the Savior. But I like that Regina has shown enough goodness that others are standing up and paying attention.

On the other hand, I am not entirely convinced Emma is as evil as she seems. She definitely has some darkness in her; the scene where she and the Dark One (Robert Carlyle) look at Excalibur shows she’s still trying to grab power. Yet, she isn’t actively trying to hurt anyone. Rumple, as the Dark One, didn’t always act malevolently. Often, he stayed at home and was just selfish. Emma is displaying the same characteristics, and it leaves me wondering why everyone is so bent on destroying the Dark One. Sure, they want Emma back, but it’s not like the Dark One seeks to kill everyone and destroy the town or anything.

There is the curse, though. Dopey steps across the town line and becomes wrapped up in a tree. Why has Emma cast this curse? What is her purpose? Why did she bring the Camelot group back with her? These are the unanswered questions that will give great insight into this year’s plot when they are revealed.

In Camelot, we see Percival (Andrew Jenkins) try to kill Regina, knowing she was the Evil Queen. He is stopped, David (Josh Dallas) slaying him, and that is when Emma uses deep magic to save Robin Hood at the request of Regina, spurring the creature who is in Storybrooke. (Albeit six weeks late, no? Did it get lost on the way?)

What confuses me is why Arthur (Liam Garrigan) and Guinevere (Joana Metrass) don’t raise a finger to defend their knight. True, these strangers in their midst have come as Merlin’s prophecy said they would, and the king and queen expect something to happen because of them. But why aren’t they more upset that one of their Round Table has been killed? Why does no one in the kingdom, people that know less about the prophecy, demand justice that the interlopers have killed one of their own? Doesn’t anyone seek to know why he attacked? Is the prophecy so clear and so important that and so widely known that the kingdom would allow friends to die in order to not stand in its way? I have serious doubts it will prove to clear this up.

“The Price” is a worrying hour. On the whole, it’s very enjoyable, with some great dialogue and performances. Yet, the holes I’m poking, while not entirely being exposed as flaws yet until we have more information, point to an uneven, non-cohesive story. ONCE UPON A TIME often falls into this trap, starting out strong and then losing steam along the way. It’s a little too early in the fall to be seeing these stumbles, and it makes me worry that season five will not pay off as it should.

At least we get to see Henry (Jared Gilmore) fall for young Violet (Olivia Steele-Falconer, Red Riding Hood) not once, but twice! That softens the blow of the underlying flaws of the hour.

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

"Dark" ONCE UPON A TIME

Article originally published as ONCE UPON A TIME Review The Dark Swan on Seat42F.

ONCE UPON A TIME - "The Dark Swan" JENNIFER MORRISON, ROBERT CARLYLE

ONCE UPON A TIME, there was an uneven series that lured its fans into false senses of security with excellent season openers and an occasional good run, but constantly disappointed in the end. This ABC drama returned for a fifth season tonight, and while the opener, “The Dark Swan,” is pretty promising, I don’t hold out high hopes that it will be able to maintain such quality, especially as there are worrying signs present.

As “The Dark Swan” begins, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) finds herself in the Enchanted Forest, haunted by the Dark One (Robert Carlyle) inside of her. She struggles to resist, remembering that, as a child (Mckenna Grace, The Young and the Restless), she was warned not to pull the sword from the stone. Since she will soon be in Camelot, this is wise advice to keep in mind. Oh, and she has a run in with wild, brave (hehe) red-head Merida (Amy Manson, Atlantis).

I really like the way Emma is handled in this episode. I was worried she’d immediately go evil, but instead, she really tries to keep herself in check with Merida, which wouldn’t be easy for the best of people. Emma may very well embrace her role as the Dark One, as the end of the hour indicates, but at least we know the Emma fans love is inside somewhere, doing her best to keep the power at bay.

Quick side note, why does ONCE UPON A TIME do another time jump and memory wipe? They’ve done it before, and I feel like they’re repeating themselves by doing it again. I understand it’s a hook meant to keep viewers coming back, but it has to organically fit in the story for it to not come across as a cheap stunt. It does not gel all that well in “The Dark Swan.”

Emma’s internal struggle raises an interesting point as it pertains to Rumple, the previous Dark One. Rumple manages to be good and redeem himself prior to his death in season three, but then reverts to a villain when he is brought back. If the Dark One’s hold is so strong that it cannot be overcome, how did Rumple manage to stay a hero for so long? And why didn’t ONCE UPON A TIME show us his warring as he fell back into old patterns?

An arc for Rumple similar to what Emma is going through now would have made the entire show make more sense and stave off some of the negative reviews I’d written in the past. The writers should take the opportunity no to bring this up, and even if it’s too late to entirely make up for that past mistake, it would still help a bit with the overall impression of the series.

Of course, the rest of our people will not let Emma sweat this out on her own. It’s a bit convoluted how it all comes about, but the eventual take away is that Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) allows Zelena (Rebecca Mader) to open a portal (and then she is recaptured), which Regina (Lana Parrilla) redirects to Emma. Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin), David (Josh Dallas), Henry (Jared Gilmore), Robin (Sean Maguire), and a surprising number of recurring players, including Granny (Beverly Elliott) and Leroy (Lee Arenberg), hitch a ride with our core cast in Granny’s diner on a twister.

The way the heroes get to the Enchanted Forest is fun and clever, though one wonders if it’s all not just a bit too much. Was it really necessary to bring the whole diner and get it operational again? I’m also super excited to see the dwarves and others come along, as Leroy rightly points out that they’ve been left out of the loop for far too long, but will they be well-used? And it’s weird they bring a baby with them, isn’t it?

I’m excited about Emma’s arc, a meatier role for supporting players, and the inclusion of King Arthur (Liam Garrigan, The Pillars of the Earth) and his realm. I’m worried about the amount of characters drawn unnecessarily into the primary arcs and that ONCE UPON A TIME has a track record of good starts that they can’t maintain. This doesn’t stop “The Dark Swan” from being a mostly enjoyable hour, but does not necessarily bode well for upcoming installments.

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

ONCE UPON A TIME "Operation" Successful

Article originally written for Seat42F.

ABC’s ONCE UPON A TIME two-hour season finale is titled “Operation Mongoose,” but it could have shared Game of Thrones’ title this week, “Kill the Boy.” That’s because, with everyone else trapped in an upside-down version of the Enchanted Forest, Henry (Jared Gilmore) alone remains to save the day. The man in his way, Isaac (Patrick Fischler), doesn’t seem willing to commit murder directly, but wastes no time sending others after Henry when they both enter the fictional world.

“Operation Mongoose” is the best episode of ONCE UPON A TIME in quite some time, with rich, emotional pay-off and a lot of fun chances to see actors approach characters differently. Ginnifer Goodwin plays such a terrific villain and the story possibilities in this world are so ripe I find myself wishing this had played out over five or six hours, not two. It’s great, but kind of a squandered opportunity. Though, it’s nice the show doesn’t use yet another True Love’s Kiss to fix everything.

Henry gets to step up as never before, though! This kid not only drives a car and functions without parental units, but goes to a land he isn’t familiar with and battles evil, including wielding a sword against Rumple himself. Henry has been annoying at times in the past, and most fans of ONCE UPON A TIME don’t want to see a kid save the day. What Henry becomes here, though, is a full-fledged member of the cast, pulling his weight, and it’s awesome.

By the end of the hour, Henry proves himself again when he breaks the pen. He is the next Author, but rather than allow himself to be tempted to misuse the power, as Isaac does, Henry ensures he can only do what he’s supposed to do. It’s an impressive decision for the young man to make, but one would expect no less of him.

“Operation Mongoose” finally gives some explanation as to why Rumple’s (Robert Carlyle) heroic sacrifice mid-way through season three did not stick. The Dark One consumes any light taking root and eliminates it. The fact that Rumple manages to be good at all proves there is a very strong lightness within him, which I guess makes sense, being the opposite of the strong darkness we see. If only ONCE UPON A TIME had committed to this explanation earlier and showed Rumple fighting and losing the struggle to be good, the story would have been satisfying. Instead, the revelation comes too little, too late, even if there’s the opportunity to see Rumple have his happy ending next season, Belle (Emilie de Ravin) still being in love with him.

Speaking of happy endings, it turns out the whole rule that villains can’t get them is bull. At first, that seems a cop out, but upon further examination, it makes sense. Some characters are operating under false assumptions or incomplete information. Isaac sure isn’t reliable, so what he says can’t be trusted. Rumple looks for an outside source to blame for losing Belle, not realizing it is the Dark One that is costing him his love. The episode ends with Robin (Sean Maguire) and Regina (Lana Parrilla) right where they should be, so that proves the falsehood.

But is Emma a hero or a villain? Growing up in the real world, she has defied either to a certain extent. “Operation Mongoose” tests that by making Emma the new Dark One. Now, this woman who has untold power she’s only beginning to tap into is the most evil person in Storybrooke. It’s a great set up, since it will probably take everyone banding together to stop someone as dangerous as Emma, especially without hurting her. It will be interesting to see how Merlin plays into this, too.

ONCE UPON A TIME is far from a perfect show. It has good runs and bad ones. Ending a bad run with a good finale, though, is better than ending a good one with a bad, as the show does last year, and it makes me a little more optimistic for season five. The plot it teases is certainly tantalizing enough, and I’m excited about the series in a way I haven’t been in awhile. There are still glaring mistakes in “Operation Mongoose,” from Emma and Henry just standing there watching Hook die, to Robin’s hesitance at the altar ending in wedding bells and then immediately rushing to Regina’s side. But overall, I’m satisfied with this ending.

Oh, and based on Isaac’s flashback, it looks like Walt Disney was the Author just previous to him, which is kind of fun. Combined with a Wookie-like prison escape and a Jack Sparrow mention, “Operation Mongoose” has plenty of delightful references.

ONCE UPON A TIME will return next fall on ABC.

ONCE UPON A TIME Needs a "Mother"

Article originally written for Seat42F.

More than one “Mother” makes a tough decision in this week’s ONCE UPON A TIME on ABC. The story has reached a pivotal moment for several characters. The lines of good and evil have been blurred, but now some players must pick a side, either going back to who they were or moving in a new direction. Do any of the bad guys really have the power to sabotage anything else?

In flashback, we see Cora (Barbara Hershey) return to apologize to Regina (Lana Parrilla) for killing her one true love. But instead of tracking down Robin Hood (Sean Maguire), Cora tries to pass off the Sheriff of Nottingham (Wil Traval) as her daughter’s destiny. Regina sees through it, makes herself barren when she thinks her mother’s plot involves taking control of Regina’s yet-to-be-conceived child, and banishes Cora forever.

I’m not really sure Regina and Cora are well served in “Mother” based on where they were at the time this plot takes place. Cora is truly evil in past installments, and this Cora seems sincerely repentant. This Regina is in the height of her days as the Evil Queen, and seems way too eager to give up what she has achieved for true love. It just doesn’t gel in the continuity.

The present Regina has a much more satisfying story. She considers having Isaac (Patrick Fischler), the Author, write Zelena (Rebecca Mader) out of the storybook entirely. But when Zelena brings up Cora, Regina realizes that part of being a hero is not taking petty revenge on one’s enemies, and she decides to drop the scheme, showing her growth. Unfortunately, Isaac is not at all consistent, first raving about how much he loves Regina’s shades of grey, then immediately fleeing back to Gold’s (Robert Carlyle) side when Regina does the right thing. Also, Regina seems to have achieved her happy ending without the Author’s intervention, which was supposed to be impossible, no?

Gold himself is nearly dead at this point, something that also doesn’t really add up with who he was, especially given his redemption arc in the early seasons, and the fact that we’ve never seen anyone die of a black heart before, no matter how evil they are, even ones much more so than Gold. But I guess we need to suspend disbelief here and hopefully the ending of the season will make sense for ONCE UPON A TIME, at least in the context of recent episodes, though I’m not very optimistic about it.

Speaking of uneven characters, Maleficent (Kristin Bauer van Straten) bypasses a redemption arc entirely, so happy to have her daughter, Lily (Agnes Bruckner), back that she abandons all thoughts of revenge. Even when Lily doesn’t seem to share Maleficent’s vision, Maleficent stays tame and reasonable, ready to be there when Lily does calm down and decide to give a family a try. This is moving, sure, but oh so ridiculous for a villain.

The one subplot that does kind of work in “Mother” is when Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) helps Emma (Jennifer Morrison) forgive her parents. Even though Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin) has a completely unnecessary injury at the time and Emma directs her healing words only at her mother, ignoring David (Josh Dallas), who is standing right there, the way this turns out still works well for Emma, resetting her back on the right path.

ONCE UPON A TIME is so frustrating because I feel if the writers either concentrated a little bit on continuity or were allowed to do so (I really don’t know who exactly is to blame for the piece jumping all over the place) it could be very good again, as it once was. Yet, even in an episode like “Mother,” which seems to make sense in theory, there are way too many things that need fixed for it to be praised. I kind of hope Isaac resets everything entirely, wiping the slate clean so the show can start all over again, though I’m sure that’s not what will happen.

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

ONCE UPON A TIME Not as Fresh as a "Lily"

Article originally written for Seat42F.

This week’s episode of ABC’s ONCE UPON A TIME, entitled “Lily,” should be an exciting, awesome, come-together moment for the season. Instead, it is a mess, with plot holes galore and lots of things that don’t make sense. The problem with ONCE UPON A TIME, and this has been an issue for awhile, is that they come up great stories but fail to think them through. “Lily” is a prime example of that.

As the hour begins, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) embarks on a road trip to find her childhood friend, Lily (Agnes Bruckner, The Returned), who turns out to be Maleficent’s (Kristin Bauer van Straten) daughter (is this Disney Channel’s new Descendants series?). But Emma is really, really angry, the darkness that sprouted when she killed Cruella (Victoria Smurfit) taking root. So Regina (Lana Parrilla) offers to come along, helping Emma and picking up her in-danger love, Robin Hood (Sean Maguire), on the way home.

The thing is, Emma doesn’t have anything prompting the darkness within her to grow. The villains on the show go dark because they do something really bad, and keep making poor choices or pay a magical price. Emma kills Cruella through magic, sure, but to save Henry (Jared Gilmore), and then has no other tempting factors to drive her further onto the wrong side. If there were some sort of explanation offered, such as Emma doing bad breaks the spell that is supposed to keep her good and draws in all the bad she avoided earlier in life to make up for it, leeching it from Lily, who would turn good at the same time, that might be OK, but there isn’t.

Lily has a similar issue with darkness, always making bad choices. In flashback, young Lily (Nicole Munoz) finds young Emma (Abby Ross) again, but because she can’t stop lying and stealing, Emma sends her away. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Timothy Webber) tells Lily the truth behind why she can’t stop doing bad, darkness has been put within her magically, which makes more sense than what is happening to Emma. But then Lily never tracks Emma down again, despite living close to her in Massachusetts and the two being drawn together by fate? What? Really?

Emma finds grown-up Lily, who runs away and steals Emma’s car. But when Emma doesn’t shoot Lily, a very low bar of goodness, Lily goes along with Emma and Regina on the second leg of their journey quite cooperatively. No double-cross or trying to sneak ahead to kill Emma’s parents? No simmering anger at Emma for getting the good side of the magical deal? Why is Lily being so friendly?

Then, ONCE UPON A TIME gets to New York, where Robin at first doesn’t believe Regina, a woman he supposedly loves and trusts, then willingly expresses a desire to stay with Zelena (Rebecca Mader) just because she tricked him into impregnating her. Zelena is completely evil, and Robin’s just going to keep shacking up with her and expose his children, both the already-born one and the unborn, to her? Shouldn’t he be for capturing Zelena and then taking away the baby after its birth?

Worse than all of this, Belle (Emilie de Ravin) seems to have no clue that Regina has possession of her heart, something Belle agreed to, and then softens on Gold (Robert Carlyle) just because he gives it back. After Will (Michael Socha), not Gold, retrieves and brings the heart home, no less. We’re expected to believe that Gold saying he wants Belle to be happy is just going to turn her around, even after knowing all of the bad things he has been doing?

I love the friendship between Regina and Emma, and that part of “Lily” feels real to me. Emma has earned Regina sticking by her when she errs, even if Regina has shown reluctance to being buddies prior to “Lily.” But that is the only thing that feels right in the hour, everything else playing out with typical ONCE UPON A TIME disregard for established characters and arcs. It is extremely disappointing, especially as the program proved for awhile in the past that it could do much, much better.

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

ONCE UPON A TIME Beset By the "De Vil"

Article originally written for Seat42F.

ONCE UPON A TIME seeks to evoke “Sympathy for the De Vil” in this week’s installment on ABC. Through flashback, we see Cruella’s (Victoria Smurfit) evolution as a villain in yet another realm, and how she came by her powers. This unexpectedly influences the present, where Cruella has kidnapped Henry (Jared S. Gilmore), stalling Regina’s (Lana Parilla) attempt to go rescue Robin Hood, but furthering Gold’s (Robert Carlyle) mission to darken Emma’s (Jennifer Morrison) heart.

Cruella’s story mostly makes sense. Locked in the attic by her mother (Anna Galvin, Mr. Young), she is delighted to meet a young writer (Patrick Fischler) who just might be the one to set her free. What neither The Author nor viewers may see coming, though, is that Cruella is a demented villain, kept under control by her mother, who may seem harsh to us, but is actually protecting the world. This is realized too late, after The Author grants Cruella magic over the animals and Cruella slaughters her mother and her mother’s dogs.

What this does is paint Cruella as perhaps the least complicated bad guy on ONCE UPON A TIME. While others have turned dark because they’ve been unable to cope with outside events, many of them still having a chance at redemption, Cruella is nothing but a psychopath. Her whole mission is to get someone to kill The Author because, after the bad stuff went down, he removed her ability to kill anyone. She’s only slightly dangerous, but every bit unstable. This makes her an easy pawn for Gold to make use of Gold’s plan to turn Emma dark is an appropriately sneaky one that she doesn’t see coming. Letting Cruella kidnap Henry may be a risky move if Gold still cares about his grandson at all, an iffy prospect, but knowing Cruella can’t kill the boy surely brings him some comfort. When a child is involved, people tend to get irrational, and Emma will do anything she must to protect her son.

It’s too bad Emma separates from the others or she may have been fine. Her friendship with Regina in “Sympathy for the De Vil” has definitely progressed to a new, satisfying level. They are looking out for one another, and that’s even before they find out that Henry is in danger. Regina is the one most capable of pulling Emma back to the light, having earned her own goodness through much effort, and with Emma on the outs with her parents. This relationship must be protected.

Even Belle (Emilie de Ravin) trusts Regina these days, and considering Regina kept Belle locked up for years, that’s encouraging. Belle lets Regina take out her heart to distract Gold, which is putting a lot of faith in someone who hasn’t deserved it for very long. On the other hand, Belle has her own issues with Gold, and being allowed to mess with him and get a little emotional revenge may be enough to sway her to participate, concerns about Regina aside.

There are some glaring flaws in “Sympathy for the De Vil.” Maleficent (Kristin Bauer van Straten) has worked with Cruella enough to know her powers, so why does she so easily allow Cruella to control her? Emma should not be turning so dark after one justifiable act, as others in the show may gain a hint of darkness this way, but never flip completely, so it seems completely out of character for Emma to do so. And Gold’s explanation about his dying heart is weak, still ignoring the arc that previously redeemed him. But, overall, this hour is better than most recent ones.

Oh, was anyone else sad that we didn’t at least see Archie concerned about Pongo? ONCE UPON A TIME just never gets it quite right, does it?

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

ONCE UPON A TIME Finds "Heart" Amid Inconsistencies

Article first published as ONCE UPON A TIME Review Season 4 Episode 18 Heart of Gold on Seat42F.

As this week’s Once Upon A Time begins on ABC, Rumple (Robert Carlyle) finds The Author (Patrick Fischler) as he flees through the woods. This surely spells trouble for our heroes, but this installment, “Heart of Gold,” doesn’t deal with that. Instead, we see flashbacks to both the pre-Storybrooke time and New York City of nine weeks ago. Both periods contain some surprising revelations.

First, in the past we see Rumple send Robin Hood (Sean Maguire) to Oz to steal broken heart potion from the Wicked Witch (Rebecca Mader). Although Robin has already given up being a thief, he is in debt to the Sheriff of Nottingham (Will Traval) and needs the money Rumple is offering. Robin has promised his wife, Marian (Christie Laing), that he will support her, and without what Rumple is offering, he cannot fulfil that promise.

I could argue that Robin’s code is more than a little subjective, stealing when he feels it is justified, and not seemingly feeling any guilt about it. The fact that he lies to Will Scarlet (Michael Socha), whom he meets in Neverland and also promises potion to, proves that Robin’s perspective is a bit skewed. But I didn’t find these plot holes nearly so glaring, given that Robin is consistent with this in the near-present, and I like seeing more of these supporting characters.

Speaking of Will, he is in Oz looking to mend his own broken heart after the death of his sister. This presumably happens before he makes his way to Wonderland. I am still very, very eager to find out how he comes to Storybrooke after the events of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland and where the Queen of Hearts, his one true love, is, but “Heart of Gold” doesn’t answer that.

When Robin gets back to the Enchanted Forest, he re-commits himself to the outlaw life. This seems a little unnecessary and hokey. It does provide, though, an opportunity for Robin of Loxley to become Robin Hood, thus combining the two Sherwood myths. I’m not entirely satisfied with the way this plays out, but learning Robin gifts Will the potion, Will doesn’t steal it as I had assumed, is pleasant enough.

As mentioned, present day New York finds Robin with the same wavering morality as in fairytale land. Rumple has a heart attack in Neal’s old apartment, where Robin and his family are now living. Robin feels bad for Rumple, whose dark heart is failing him away from the magic that kept it going, and agrees to go after the same potion, which the Wicked Witch conveniently sent to the real world with The Wizard. Robin steals it and, after a Cowardly Lion-like escape through a window, thinks he cures Rumple.

That’s when the hour’s big shocker comes to ONCE UPON A TIME: Marian is really the Wicked Witch, whom replaced Robin’s love shortly before Emma (Jennifer Morrison) brought her to Storybrooke, and who didn’t really die in season three. It’s slightly sad that the real Marian is dead, but it’s also a bit of a relief to learn that no one else has a legitimate claim to Robin’s heart other than Regina (Lana Parrilla), who deserves a happy ending. The Wicked Witch can’t resist rubbing this in Regina’s face, er, ear, and this allows Rumple to hold Robin over Regina’s head.

Too bad Marian makes Robin delete Regina’s number from his phone, but he has plenty of other Storybrooke denizens in his contact list, so he should be able to go home. Get home, he must. Regina may be able to help him, either though teaming up with Rumple to turn Emma dark, or after defeating the bad guys, which is the outcome I hope for. Regina’s face at the end of “Heart of Gold” doesn’t reveal her decision, but since Robin is on the line, she will definitely have strong feelings about the choice.

Rumple’s more vulnerable scenes in “Heart of Gold” would be good if not for how much ONCE UPON A TIME has ruined his character. His ruminations feel unearned and cheap because he has turned his back on the redemption he earned without explanation. I feel like ONCE UPON A TIME is trying to explain away this glaring inconsistency, but it just doesn’t work.

“Herat of Gold” is one of the better episodes this season. I like all of the Robin and Will stuff, even when it drifts into goofy territory, and finding out the Wicked Witch never really went away is cool. Still, the show just isn’t as good as it once was, and this hour doesn’t plug the holes from previous weeks any more than any other has. ONCE UPON A TIME may one day get good again, but this is a weak attempt at that, even if it’s OK when taken on its own.

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

Is This the "Best" ONCE UPON A TIME Can Do?

Article originally written for Seat42F.

This week’s ONCE UPON A TIME is called “Best Laid Plans” because the characters in it don’t always get what they want, no matter how hard they try and how much thought goes into it beforehand. Whether it’s Regina (Lana Parrilla) trying to play the villains until she finds out their plan, or Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Charming (Josh Dallas) attempting to ensure their child ends up with a clean soul, things don’t go the way they think they will. It’s hard to control the outcome of anything in life.

In fairy tale land flashbacks, Snow and Charming ask The Apprentice (Timothy Webber) to help ensure their unborn daughter will be good. He tells them a vessel is needed to channel the darkness into, and they decide Maleficent’s egg is just the thing. By the time they realize there’s a baby within, not a monster, it’s too late, and baby, Cruella (Victoria Smurfit), and Ursula (Merrin Dungey) go tumbling into our world.

The whole magic spell in this episode makes no sense, a hole-ridden plot even more shaky than what ONCE UPON A TIME has been delivering on a regular basis lately. If Snow and Charming go to all of this trouble, then Emma (Jennifer Morrison) should be guaranteed to be a hero, right? The darkness has been removed from her. So why do Snow and Charming go to great lengths in the Storybrooke present to try to keep her that way? Why are they worried their fretting over what they did would ruin her as a child? It just doesn’t add up.

This backstory does explain how the female witches came to be on Earth, where Gold (Robert Carlyle) finds them earlier this season. However, when they meet back up with Maleficient a few episodes ago, there is no mention of their disappearance. Assuming they stay on Earth from this point until Gold finds them, why is that not a part of the story earlier in the season? Why doesn’t Maleficent ask what happened to them, or they volunteer what became of her baby, which Gold finally shows her in “Best Laid Plans?”

Lo and behold, Maleficent’s child is none other than Young Emma’s (Abby Ross) friend Lily. Is it just me, or does the coincidence seem too much? ONCE UPON A TIME already shows us how Emma and Lily meet, and it certainly seems like it’s purely by chance. Are we expected to believe there is fate involved, forcing them to come together? That’s not something the show has used before in a major way, especially knowing The Author (Patrick Fischler, Lost, Mad Men) is locked up by this point and can no longer manipulate the story.

Yep, we finally see The Author in “Best Laid Plans,” too. Or, more accurately, we see the last author. He’s the latest in a long line, but unlike his predecessors, he manipulates the story, rather than just observing and recording. Of course, somehow the book continues to be written after he is trapped in the page, as it records the events of the curse, which again, doesn’t make sense.

No amount of great little moments can make up for this gigantic plot holes. Regina and Henry (Jared Gilmore) have a terrific scene in which they communicate with a look, but that is overshadowed by what’s happening around them. Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) is deliciously jealous of Emma’s friendship with August (Eion Bailey), but it’s resolved too quickly. Gold talking to an unconscious Belle (Emilie de Ravin) would be moving, if his character hadn’t already been completely ruined, his redemptive qualities stripped away over the past year. Emma finding out her parents lied to her might be effective, if it weren’t couched in the nonsensical part of the story in which she could still somehow go bad. Ditto for Maleficent’s pain at losing her child to so-called “heroes.” I just don’t get why this show, which delivered half a season of greatness just over a year ago, could fall so far and not recover. It really bums me out.

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

"Poor" ONCE UPON A TIME

Article first published as ONCE UPON A TIME Review Season 4 Episode 16 Poor Unfortunate Soul on Seat42F.

ABC’s ONCE UPON A TIME focuses on yet another “Poor Unfortunate Soul” in this week’s episode. This time, it’s Ursula (Merrin Dungey) who is getting a bad rap based on past wrongs. Can our heroes use that to their advantage and peel her away from the other villains? Hopefully before Regina (Lana Parilla) and / or August (Eion Bailey) are lost to them forever?

The backstory between Ursula and Hook finally comes out. When Ursula is young (and played by The Following’s Tiffany Boone), she is promised help from Hook (Colin O’Donoghue). When her father, King Poseidon (Ernie Hudson, Ghostbusters, Oz), interferes in their deal, though, Hook also fails to hold up his end of the bargain. In a fit of rage, Ursula trades tail for tentacles and becomes the familiar evil monster. Of course, Hook makes up for his bad decision in the present, helping Ursula get her voice back, and the sea witch gives up her dastardly quest to return home with her dad.

I don’t know that I really buy this. This is the trade deal Hook is so ashamed of he can’t tell Emma (Jennifer Morrison)? Seems he is at least sort of in the right, even if he’s not noble. Ursula, while plagued by grief, gives up everything because her singing voice is gone, rather than fighting to get it back? Then, a long, long time later, she switches sides again just because she gets the voice back?

And how does Ursula get a happy ending with her father? She’s a villain, right? The rules that ONCE UPON A TIME establishes are that villains cannot have their happy endings. Yet, Ursula gets one, and Hook is having one with Emma right now. Regina would be near one had Robin (Sean Maguire) not been forced to leave, which had nothing to do with the story. This is all quite flimsy and doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.

That is, unless we find out all of Rumple’s (Robert Carlyle) character development, including his redemption arc from the first two and a half seasons, is magically taken away by the book because of the story rules, and the same happens for Ursula and Hook. That would fix a large number of the problems I and others have had with the last year, and help get ONCE UPON A TIME back on track. Though, there’s no evidence of that happening in “Poor Unfortunate Soul.”

Speaking of the bad guys, the witches and Rumple torture August for information, which they don’t get. However, Regina manages to get a message off to the good guys, who then come and rescue August. Because Rumple doesn’t trust Regina, this actually works in her favor, making sure she’s not around to blame for August’s escape. This is a clever twist.

Will August stay in the show? I don’t think Once Upon A Time will toss in a true Emma / Hook / August love triangle because Emma and Hook are already quite far down the romantic path, so what would August’s purpose be? Honestly, I don’t care; I’d just like to keep him around.

August reveals that the author is trapped inside the book, which makes him much harder for the villains to get to. I don’t know why Regina tells Rumple that Henry (Jared Gilmore) has the missing page, as she should do everything possible to keep from endangering her son, especially after seeing Rumple torture August. But for now, as long as Henry holds onto the page, the author will be safe and the villains won’t get their happy ending.

Yet, going directly for the author isn’t Rumple’s plan, anyway. He wants to turn Emma’s heart dark, since the bad guys can’t win as long as the Savior exists. Wouldn’t the Savior, by definition, have to be a Savior? How can she be swayed to the other side? Does that negate what she’s done? I don’t get this bit of logic, or lack thereof, either.

“Poor Unfortunate Soul” isn’t totally bad. A dream sequence Regina has involving Robin and the Evil Queen is cool, even if the writers then have Regina over-explain it to the audience. There are also some good lines and touching moments, including when Ariel (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) returns and saves Hook. The problem is, the story is so disjointed and poorly planned out that it’s hard to see how the show will twist itself into something even resembling a satisfying resolution. Not to mention, when did Elsa get the power to shrink ships and store them in bottles? ONCE UPON A TIME has been driving on the edge of a cliff, frequently teetering, but I think it’s finally gone off completely.

Once Upon A Time airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

ONCE UPON A TIME "Dragon" This Year

Article originally written for Seat42F.

ONCE UPON A TIME rarely fails to let fans down these days, and this week’s episode, “Enter the Dragon,” is no different. In the hour, Regina (Lana Parrilla) goes undercover with the Queens of Darkness, ditching her friends to do so. In flashback, we see her at the beginnings of her evil journey, hinting that her status as a spy may not last. Elsewhere, Rumple (Robert Carlyle) does one of his worst deeds yet, with absolutely no real remorse in sight.

The first thing the Queens do when Regina joins up with them is to test her, which has many flaws. They do this by parking on a train track and daring Regina not to save them. She waits until the last minute to do so, but in the end, she poofs them away. What did they want her to do? Save herself but not them? Die at the hands of the train? And why does Rumple tell them they may be able to trust her in the first place, having witnessed Regina’s growth arc before he is banished from town?

Despite Regina ‘failing’ the test by allowing them to live, Maleficent (Kristin Bauer van Straten) decides to give her a second chance. This may seem strange at first, until we see young Regina help Mal get her groove back during the semi-traditional unfolding of the Sleepy Beauty fairy tale. Mal is defeated when Regina finds her, Regina still in the early days of her magic training. Because of Regina, Mal is able to put Aurora (Sarah Bolger) to sleep and win the day. It’s no wonder the dragon feels some degree of sympathy towards Regina, Maleficent being the least obviously evil of the three new villains, and the most kindred to the current Regina.

Regina is told that the Queens are after The Author in hopes of changing the game, letting all the villains have happy endings at the expense of the heroes, whose lives are ruined. This seems evil for evil’s sake, not something worthy of Maleficent, who usually acts with defined purpose. So either they are lying about their plan, a real possibility, or, as in many other ONCE UPON A TIME plots, the motivations shown don’t make sense.

The one bright spot from this story is that August (Eion Bailey) returns! Formerly a main character, August was turned back into the boy Pinocchio (Jakob Davies) and has no memory of his former life. August knows things about The Author, so Rumple restores him from the child, whom Regina kidnaps. Setting aside that the Queens aren’t suspicious of how long Regina takes to nab the kid and that Rumple used to be redeemed, so should have restored August back when this first happened if he had the power to do so, it’s really good to see the character return to ONCE UPON A TIME.

The way Rumple has reverted makes me worry for Regina. Rumple is an excellent character, the show’s best, for two and a half season before being completely scrapped in the past year in favor of a flat bad guy. Not long before Rumple was ruined, Regina began her own redemption journey, which has been fantastic, making her the best deep, consistent part on the show. “Enter the Dragon” teases that she may lose that, and while she could go evil again in a convincing plot, it’s much more likely ONCE UPON A TIME would ruin her character if they choose to go that route, as they have done Rumple’s, negating what he previous did. I really, really like the Regina who has struggled for her happy ending, and I want to see that continue.

Rumple has the worst story, in “Enter the Dragon,” though, taking on Hook’s (Colin O’Donoghue) to trick Belle (Emilie de Ravine) into giving up the dagger that controls him. He then goes back to Belle to ask about her relationship with Will Scarlet (Michael Socha). This is cruel and stupid, and if Rumple ever really loved Belle, he wouldn’t do it.

In short, despite some wonderful acting from Parrilla and Bauer van Straten, “Enter the Dragon” is another disappointment in a long series of them. I don’t know why ONCE UPON A TIME went downhill so much after the near-perfect Neverland half-season, but it seems viewers should have taken the warning of the uneven first few episodes of the show and never got invested. Now, those of us who have put in the time are waiting around for it to end, teased by the occasional good hour, and hoping against hope the overwhelming problems will be fixed, which isn’t likely to be the case.

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