ONCE UPON A TIME Faces A New "Witch"

Article first published as ONCE UPON A TIME Review Season 3 Episode 13 Witch Hunt on Seat42F.

This week’s episode of ABC’s ONCE UPON A TIME, “Witch Hunt,” immediately rips away some of the mystique surrounding what we assume is this half-season’s big bad: the Wicked Witch (Rebecca Mader). We start getting clues about her early in the episode, learning she can circumvent Regina’s (Lana Parrilla) blood magic, so by the time that the Wicked Witch drops her bombshell – that she is Regina’s sister, or more accurately, half sister – it’s not that big a surprise. But that doesn’t lessen the tension between the two and the excitement for fans.

It shouldn’t be shocking that the Wicked Witch is related, anyway, because of ONCE UPON A TIME’s penchant for making all of the major characters kin. Last fall’s villain was Rumplestiltskin’s father, and the vast majority of the full-time players are connected by blood or marriage. This latest development just branches the family tree out a little bit further.

Of course, Regina isn’t the Wicked Witch’s only bond to our cast. She, too, was trained in the magical arts by Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle), and is supremely jealous of the roles both Rumple and her and Regina’s mother, Cora, played in Regina’s life. The Wicked Witch is the abandoned sister, the one left to her own resources in a far-off land, and she wants revenge.

This is the set up for a delicious war. Regina has been slowly turning good, working with our heroes, and that’s a welcome thing. But it’s also nice to see Parrilla play the darker side of the rich character, and by bringing in someone she can do battle with while not losing her positive status, exercising her great powers of destruction once more, they should give us one heck of a spring season.

The Wicked Witch has her own secrets. She has a resurrected, and one again crazy, Rumple locked in her storm cellar (where else?). Her flying monkeys are like werewolves, able to turn Storybrooke residents into more of their kind, a fate that befalls Little John (Jason Burkart) and possibly some dwarves. And the witch seems to know something about the baby in Snow’s (Ginnifer Goodwin), which she takes far too great an interest in. All of these things make her very dangerous, largely because of what the rest of the characters haven’t figured out about her yet. Viewers now know who she is, but Regina and the others, their memories of the past year and earlier encounters with the witch wiped, do not.

Besides Regina and her sister’s first conversation in the Enchanted Forest, Regina has many other shining moments in “Witch Hunt.” We see her meet Henry (Jared Gilmore) again, as painful as that is for her, since he doesn’t remember her, and just how depressed she was right after losing Henry, which I guess it now feels like again for her. She and Emma team up to try to figure out who is behind the latest curse, strengthening their partnership even more than we’ve seen before. Plus, sparks are beginning to fly between Regina and Robin Hood (Sean Maguire) when they bond over their children in fairy tale land, a foretold love many are anxious to see blossom.

I’m excited for Regina to have such a large arc in the coming weeks. Parrilla is an amazing performer, quite possibly my favorite on this series, and she captures the subtleties and layers of the Evil Queen in ways that can only be described as magical. There are so many sides to Regina, often overlapping, and Parrilla balances them all with great skill. More Regina can only be good for the series.

It’s also going to be neat to see Rumple in his new old state. Rumple’s story arc had really come full circle and he had a very natural ending in his death last fall. Yet, Carlyle is too valuable an asset for ONCE UPON A TIME to lose. “Witch Hunt” shows us how the writers will solve that, resetting his role, at least for now, allowing him to explore more deeply the parts of him that had been taken away. Cool.

The biggest question hanging unanswered right now, more immediate than figuring out the Wicked Witch’s game plan, is where is Neal (Michael-Raymond James)? The other characters assume he’s become a monkey, but that seems far too simple. One may wonder if his disappearance is connected to Rumple’s reappearance, as that would make more sense.

“Witch Hunt” does well in the larger stories, as mentioned above, but also excels in the little moments. It’s great to see Ruby (Meghan Ory, who has been starring in the new show Intelligence), Archie (Raphael Sbarge), Dr. Whale (David Anders), and others again who have been missing for most of this season so far. The bits where both Snow and David (Josh Dallas) are curious to hear more about what’s been going on with Emma’s love life are cute. Not to mention, everyone seeming to already know much about Oz, including how to possibly kill the Wicked Witch, which surely won’t actually work, is fun.

Basically, “Witch Hunt” is a terrific installment, moving the tale along quite briskly, providing ample opportunity to showcase Parrilla’s massive talents, and even nailing the referential dialogue. It’s near perfect, as far as hours go, not that I’d expect anything less from an episode written by Jane Espenson, as this one is.

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

INTELLIGENCE Not Dumb

Article first published as INTELLIGENCE Review on Seat42F.

INTELLIGENCE premieres tonight. Sort of like a more serious version of NBC’s Chuck, the series stars Josh Holloway (Lost) as Gabriel Vaughn, an elite soldier who is implanted with a technologically advanced computer chip. This gives Gabriel access to the systems of U.S. government intelligence, as well as allows him to envision 3D environments where he can figure out a case, like an interactive puzzle.

I really, really liked Chuck and don’t feel like it needs a remake, so recently having gone off the air. Luckily, INTELLIGENCE isn’t exactly the same story. Chuck is humorous and cheeky, while INTELLIGENCE takes a darker tack, with situations that feel much more dangerous, and main characters doing jobs that feel a bit more realistic. INTELLIGENCE has more special effects, which are fantastic, by the way. Yet, it lacks the charm that made Chuck so good.

Counting against the show, it is on CBS, which means that, most likely, INTELLIGENCE will be a procedural. Cases-of-the-week are boring, delivering us the same installments over and over again. The “Pilot” isn’t a simple adventure, easily solved, and there are hints at longer arcs in the initial hour, so I hope it will be at least as serial as Person of Interest, which stretches itself a bit, though doesn’t leave the formula behind as much as, say, The Good Wife. Still, there is hope that this could be a special program, eventually, if it is developed correctly.

Holloway is understated as Gabriel. While he did the cocky, brash thing well on Lost, and that is what is called for here again, he tones it back a smidgen, setting the role apart from his previous. I do wish he had a bit more attitude, though, as that could make him pop a bit more.

In the “Pilot,” Gabriel is assigned a protector, Secret Service Agent Riley Neil (Meghan Ory, Once Upon A Time). Apparently, she’s like a female version of him, super smart and super tough, able to keep tabs on her reckless charge, while protecting him from the trouble that he gets himself into.

Riley and Gabriel are a familiar type of pairing. One male, one female, both straight and good looking. They are similar in their abilities and resolve, like other crime-solving duos on television, and have a chemistry that is entertaining and appealing. Viewers will likely tune in or not on the strength of these leads and their interactions together. Holloway and Ory don’t really do anything groundbreaking with the parts, but they serve their purpose well enough.

What’s different in INTELLIGENCE than in other similar shows is that there is no romance set up between Riley and Gabriel, at least not yet. Gabriel is married, and although his wife may be dead or a traitor, he hopes for the best, and that makes him unavailable at this time. That means there isn’t a flirty relationship set up yet, and if the series seeks to avoid being compared to every other show in the genre, let’s hope it stays that way. I like the way they relate to one another as it stands now.

I also like that the main cast of INTELLIGENCE isn’t just a group of people solving the cases assigned. Marg Helgenberger (CSI) does star as Lillian Strand, Riley and Gabriel’s boss, but the other two main characters, Shenendoah Cassidy (John Billingsley, Star Trek: Enterprise) and Nelson Cassidy (P.J. Byrne, The Legend of Korra), worked on a specific project, are not part of a predictable team. Shenendoah developed the chip, then was dismissed from the agency. Nelson is his son, jealous of the attention and affection Shenendoah has for Gabriel.

It’s this unique cast of players, not familiar stereotypes, that give me the best hope for INTELLIGENCE in the long run. The plot of the “Pilot” is fantastic, unto itself, with some great twists, but that’s just set up; it isn’t a true measure of how the series will do over the course of several years. With this ensemble, though, it may just be something to keep an eye on.

INTELLIGENCE premieres tonight at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

Blu-ray Review: 'Once Upon A Time The Complete Second Season'

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Once Upon A Time The Complete Second Season' on Blogcritics.

ABC’s Once Upon a Time, despite a rough start, has quickly become one of network television’s best shows. The Complete Second Season, now available on Blu-ray and DVD, is a great example of the series’ strength, with some of the best episodes to date, and the addition of some intriguing new characters and plots.

As season two opens with “Broken,” the curse has been lifted and everyone in Storybrooke knows they are characters from the Enchanted Forest, though they retain the memories of their time spent in our world. Dealing with these duel identities and finding a way forward, while keeping in mind of the past, is a major push in the second season. With the secrets and mysteries of the first year blown wide open, it’s a reset, and also a source of momentum for the story.

This finding oneself theme is most evident in the villainous characters. We see Regina’s (Lana Parrilla) tragic introduction to magic in “We Are Both,” and she struggles to regain her lost soul in the present, with her love for Henry (Jared S. Gilmore) serving as a life preserver. She backslides throughout other installments, but always finds herself again. She has a long journey ahead of her, but there are hints that she might overcome her flaws.

Similarly, Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle) wants to be a better person for Belle (Emilie de Ravin), as well as for his son, Bae (Michael Raymond-James), who re-enters the tale in a big way mid-year. This is not an easy road for Gold, as the hold the Dark One and magic have over him is strong. Dangers prompt him to keep his power close, and test his mettle. Like Regina, he is no where near redemption, but that path is open to him.

To replace these two, as Once Upon a Time must have bad guys, we get Cora (Barbara Hershey), a.k.a. The Queen of Hearts, and Captain Hook (Colin O’Donoghue), the former of which is truly evil, and the latter perhaps just misguided, but with some sort of honor code. Later, Tamara (Sonequa Martin-Green, The Walking Dead) and Owen (Ethan Embry), intruders from the world at large, serve a similar dynamic. These four characters illustrate the show’s ability to have both black-and-white roles that serve a purpose, and layered ones that seem realistic, similar to the fairy tale-real world settings. It’s quite impressive.

Once Upon a Time does occasionally suffer from a sprawling cast, especially when Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) are stranded in the Enchanted Forest, dividing the viewers’ attention in too many places at once, but it does strive to keep the core people at its center. To that end, Archie (Raphael Sbarge) and August (Eion Bailey) are demoted to recurring status at the start of year two. They are still present, but don’t necessarily need their own plots very often, pushed back into the larger fabric of the many villagers, some important, some less so, that make the world feel complete.

I would argue Red (Meghan Ory) also belongs in this secondary group, though she is promoted to main character for this season, and may not return at all next year. Belle is a similar situation, yet there have been hints that an increased role might be in store for her, so her upgrade is welcome, if she is well-used in the future. The third new central player, Hook, is not only pivotal often throughout these twenty-two episodes, but a compelling player who fans have rallied behind, so it makes sense to retain him.

Among the stand-out episodes in The Complete Second Season are: “Tallahassee,” in which we meet Tiny (Jorge Garcia, Lost), a kind giant, and see Neal and Emma’s back story; “Child of the Moon,” which reveals the true Red; “The Cricket Game,” in which it appears Archie has been murdered; “In the Name of the Brother,” a story that adds Frankenstein mythology to the universe; “Manhattan,” which brings several central players in New York City; “The Miller’s Daughter,” where Snow battles darkness; “Welcome to Storybrooke,” in which a stranger comes to town in Storybrooke’s first days; and the two-hour finale “Second Star to the Right; And Straight On ’til Morning,” where the town’s very existence is threatened, thieves attempt to take magic out of this place, and the core cast bands together for a hero’s journey into season three.

The special features on Once Upon a Time The Complete Second Season are pretty great. Of the deleted scenes, a couple are wonderful character moments that should not be missed. The blooper reel is genuinely funny. There are several insightful commentaries, including one with the great writer Jane Espenson which is only included on the Blu-ray version. Also exclusive to the Blu-ray is an explanation of Henry’s family tree, which has gotten quite twisted over the years. Plus, there are five minutes with O’Donoghue which should please many female friends.

The best inclusion is a twelve-minute episode of “Good Morning Storybrooke.” Hosted by The League‘s Paul Scheer and Community‘s Yvette Nicole Brown, as fictional characters, it is a parody-like morning show set in the world of the show. While sometimes a little hokey, and not always quite in keeping with the established mythology (a note to Ariel, who isn’t in Storybrooke? Red acting nervous? Gold being too salesman-y?), it does feature many of the supporting ensemble, and is highly entertaining. Plus, there is a fantastic Lost reference, and we finally get to see Grumpy (Lee Arenberg) and Nova (Amy Acker) reconnect!

Lastly, there’s an unnecessary “Girl Power” featurette celebrating the strong women on the show for, um, I guess, people who don’t pay attention, since Once Upon a Time has never made any secret of featuring powerful females. But there may be some very young women out there who appreciate it.

Besides the couple of exclusive features, checking out the Blu-ray version is necessary because of the type of production this is. While not all of the CGI sets look spectacular in HD, the physical places, which are highly detailed, really do. Not to mention the rich costumes and great magic bits, which deserve to be examined closely, as do the amazing emotions that dance across many a face. There is a beautiful, sweeping soundtrack, so to get the crystal clear audio and visual presentation, high definition is a must.

Overall, this is a terrific release, one that will satisfy fans who crave a little more from their extras, and a superb season with some really exciting, moving stories. Once Upon a Time The Complete Second Season is available now.