"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 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 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.

"Kansas" Not Home for ONCE UPON A TIME

Article originally written for Seat42F.

This week’s ONCE UPON A TIME, the last installment for the ABC series before the two-hour series finale next week, we see more Zelena (Rebecca Mader) backstory, including her encounter with a certain little girl in a gingham dress. In Storybrooke, Zelena sees her plan come to fruition, only to be stopped by something wholly unexpected – Regina the Hero (Lana Parrilla).

For those who have been hoping for a full Wizard of Oz telling, “Kansas” dashes those hopes once and for all. Young Dorothy Gale (Matreya Scarrwener) is brought to the marvelous land in a tornado, but doesn’t crush any witches, nor meet any scarecrows or tin woodsmen. Instead, she is found by Glinda (Sunny Mabrey) and the sisterhood of witches, then declines to join them because she just wants to go home.

Zelena has only recently accepted membership herself, finding a way to start over and losing her green pallor in their acceptance of her. But once Dorothy is on the scene, Zelena grows jealous of all the attention the girl earns, which turns her right back into wicked again. Doesn’t this thin skin and quick change prove that Zelena never got better in the first place, having just had a good day or two?

Actually, the whole Oz part of the story feels meandering, seemingly developed just to explain how Zelena’s power has been contained in the necklace and the manner in which Glinda is banished. Other than that, it treads water, showing our villain teased with a moment of happiness, then going right back to her old self. The prophecy mentioned is confusing and doesn’t really come to pass. It’s all just messy and unnecessary, those plot devices not needing a full episode to reveal.

The Storybrook parts of the episode are, overall, much better. Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) goes into labor, and the troops rally around her. But all it takes is Zelena nearly drowning Hook (Colin O’Donoghue), forcing Emma (Jennifer Morrison) to give him mouth-to-mouth, to drain Emma’s magic, the only thing that has a chance to stop her. Or so nearly everyone thinks.

 

Zelena easily slices through all the protections Charming (Josh Dallas) has arranged, and that makes sense, given what we know of her. Still, it’s heartening to see Robin Hood (Sean Maguire) and his men, Belle (Emilie de Ravine), Regina, and Charming try to stop her. At least they don’t go down without a fight, showing their noble spirits, even if Zelena gets the baby anyway.

At this low point, Zelena enacting her spell and the townspeople having no clear path to stop her, a hero is born. After spending three years on a redemption journey, Henry (Jared Gilmore) is confident his adopted mother has the light magic inside of her needed to defeat Zelena. With Robin Hood and Emma echoing Henry’s sentiment, Regina decides to give it a try, setting off with her now-friends to defeat Zelena.

Regina is my favorite character, and “Kansas” is a triumphant moment for her. It’s a culmination of everything she’s been through, her earned reward. Henry has been the catalyst in making her good, but she has to believe in herself to finish the process. There are still hints of the Evil Queen, Parrilla not abandoning the character she’s created, but her giving Zelena a second chance proves her transformation has taken hold.

I will say, Zelena is knocked out too easily. Is she really so surprised that Regina can summon one burst of light magic that she just gives up? Her story isn’t over, a surprise twist reuniting her ashes (after Rumple kills her) and her power, definitely setting up further battles in the season finale. But had this not occurred, as awesome as Regina’s scene is, it would be a bit of a letdown as a closing for Zelena.

ONCE UPON A TIME has done this before, and will likely do it again. I don’t know if it’s because it lacks the budget for a truly epic confrontation, or just the writing oomph, but it tends to peter out when it should double down on the action. A real fight, Regina and Zelena going at it full force, would be a welcome climax. This is satisfying, but barely so.

Thankfully, besides Regina’s success, there are also other wonderful character moments, the type ONCE UPON A TIME should have more of. Regina and Rumple’s (Robert Carlyle) exchange is terrific, as is Regina and Zelena’s conversation in the cell, and the moment Rumple comes to kill Zelena. Rumple and Belle have a very happy reuniting, complete with a proposal of marriage. And Henry catches up with Archie (Raphael Sbarge) in a rare, welcome, quiet scene.

It is sad to see Rumple backslide, having had his equivalent of a Regina moment in the mid-season finale, finally finding the good in himself. Yet, it’s understandable because Zelena kills Rumple’s son. That would be enough to force any person to re-evaluate themselves. The only regret here is in the way that Rumple plays Belle, which can only hurt their relationship. With fans of the couple never getting enough sweetness, this betrayal, which threatens to split them long-term, is quite painful.

The other weird thing about “Kansas” is Emma talking about going home. Yes, she’s lost her power, which does not return with Zelena’s defeat (though that could be because Zelena hasn’t been done away with permanently yet), but her family is in Storybrooke, and everyone is so happy to be together again. How can she even think about leaving? This actually seems forced, with Emma’s desire to stay away having been snuffed out previously, and there’s no reason for it to come back now.

Also, how come we only see Little John (Jason Burkart) alone of the monkeys restored to human form? Where are Aurora and Phillip and Walsh? Were they the monkeys our heroes callously and uncharacteristically killed at the docks last week? We need more story here. If they are dead, we need to see guilt and regret from the protagonists. If they are alive, we need to know who has been killed and see guilt and regret.

While uneven, the amazing bits in “Kansas” do make this an enjoyable episode of ONCE UPON A TIME. I look forward to next week’s wrap up, with cautious optimism that it will be handled without so many flaws.

ONCE UPON A TIME is "A Curious Thing"

Article originally written for Seat42F.

This week’s ONCE UPON A TIME on ABC, titled “A Curious Thing,” is the Big Reveal episode in which we find out who enacted the latest Dark Curse to bring everyone back to Storybrooke and why. It’s also the hour in which the curse is lifted and a mini-showdown with the villain is had. So it’s action-packed and full of plot twists.

It makes sense to start in the Enchant Forest during the missing year when talking about “A Curious Thing.” Our heroes know that Zelena (Rebecca Mader) wants Snow’s (Ginnifer Goodwin) baby for her end game and are clueless about how to stop her. After learning from Belle (Emilie de Ravine) that Rumple (Robert Carlyle) has been resurrected, they break into Rumple’s castle to see if he can help them. Rumple is nuts, though, so his words seem like ramblings.

There is just enough sanity leaking through from Rumple to provide a clue as to who might be able to offer assistance – Glinda the Good (Sunny Mabrey, The Client List). Snow, Charming (Josh Dallas), and Regina (Lana Parrilla) set off to find her at once. Glinda, however, can’t defeat Zelena, telling them that they need someone who is very powerful, full of light magic. Meaning they need Emma (Jennifer Morrison).

Unfortunately, the only way to get Emma back is to enact a new Dark Curse. Regina can’t do it, as Henry (Jared S. Gilmore) is whom she loves most and he isn’t in the realm. So the task falls to Snow, who must kill Charming, her true love. He willingly sacrifices himself for their baby, but before the curse can sweep over the land, Zelena shows up and drops in a potion that will wipe all of their memories (she herself has a brew to protect her own mind). Thus, we have the Storybrooke of these most recent episodes.

Of course Emma is the Savior again. She is always the one needed, a baby born of pure love. Emma is always the key to everything in ONCE UPON A TIME, so it’s not a big surprise that her family needs her again to save the day.

It is troubling, though, that Snow has it in herself to cast the Dark Curse. After all, she’s supposed to be the truly good person, and while she’s flirted with darkness in the past, it has never suited her. Still, the way the writers carefully handle the situation, making it all about love, not evil, protects Snow’s character as it unfolds.

Is it a little too easy that Snow can have Regina split her heart so that Charming can live? Yes. It seems more like the type of plot twist invented after the fact. Having written themselves into a corner, the scribes come up with this clever contrivance to keep the story going as they have it. It works, but it’s also slightly disappointing, a little bit too easy. Though, to be fair, with only three hours left, ONCE UPON A TIME doesn’t have time to stretch out Charming’s peril.

In Storybrooke, Emma, Snow, Charming, and Regina come to the conclusion that Henry’s memories must be revived to break the curse and restore everyone else’s. For some reason, only Snow can find the magic storybook, looking in a place Emma just searched. That bit is weird, but “A Curious Thing” doesn’t have time to delve into it, racing to get the book into Henry’s hands.

Meanwhile, Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) and Smee (Christopher Gauthier) are trying to spirit Henry out of town because Zelena has vowed to kill the boy if Hook doesn’t kiss Emma and take away her powers. Zelena and her monkeys act to prevent the escape, but only Emma showing up and using her magic can drive off the Wicked Witch… for now.

Hopefully Emma will get over being mad at Hook. While Hook should have told her what is going on, at least he does his best to protect her son, proving he’s a noble man, which, funnily enough, confuses Smee. And while no one trusts Hook because they didn’t send him to find Emma and he insists they did, it will have to come out that Neal (Michael Raymond-James) is behind that development eventually.

Does it bother anyone else that, during the battle, the good guys are killing flying monkeys left and right? These are their friends, like Little John, Aurora (Sarah Bolger), Phillip (Julian Morris), and others! Our heroes know that Zelena curses people into being monkeys. Shouldn’t they be attempting less lethal means in the hopes that once Zelena is defeated her victims can be restored?

Henry is super confused by the monkeys’ appearance, but touching the story book restores his mind. Soon after, Regina plants True Love’s Kiss on his forehead, and everyone remembers everything. Again, this all seems just a little too easy, but given the pacing of “A Curious Thing” and how little time is left in the season, it’s necessary to move past it. I’d rather they go a little fast that too slow right at this juncture.

It’s great that Regina is the one who kisses Henry and breaks the curse. This only reinforces her redemption arc. In fact, everything about Regina in this hour, including what is going on in the past, screams that she’s a good guy now. She’s put her evil ways behind her and is happily in love with Robin Hood (Sean Maguire). Might this be enough to make her magic light, combining with Emma to defeat Zelena?

There have been more interesting character-driven episodes of ONCE UPON A TIME, but in terms of moving along the current story, “A Curious Thing” is a solid hour, full of revelations and run-ins. It’s exciting enough to get past a couple of little gripes about a too-easy solution, and overall, I really enjoyed it.

ONCE UPON A TIME only has two weeks left in its third season. Tune in Sundays at 8 p.m. ET for the conclusion.