Is ONCE UPON A TIME "Broken"?

Article originally published as ONCE UPON A TIME Review "The Broken Kingdom" on Seat42F.

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

Tonight’s ONCE UPON A TIME, “The Broken Kingdom,” is very Camelot-heavy. Viewers get the story behind the Arthur / Guinevere / Lancelot love triangle, and the search for the dagger during the missing weeks in Camelot. While it does put our main characters’ arcs on hold, it is an enjoyable installment with some intriguing story.

We already know Arthur (Liam Garrigan) is a villain prior to this hour, but that portrait flies directly in the face of the legend. “The Broken Kingdom” helps connect the disparate pieces. We see how insecure and obsessed Arthur gets. He cannot be happy without the full sword from the stone, but it has always remained out of reach. Feeling incomplete without it, he neglects his kingdom, his best friend, even his marriage, in order to pursue what he thinks is his destiny. He doesn’t see himself as evil; his narrow-vision just fools everyone, including himself, about what he’s doing.

Similarly, we already know Lancelot (Sinqua Walls) is noble, but how does that square with coveting his best friend’s wife? “The Broken Kingdom” adequately answers that as well, showing how Lancelot and Guinevere (Joana Metrass) grow closer as they try to save Arthur. Then, Arthur casts a spell on Guinevere that shuts down the true love between the pair in order to maintain an illusion.

Illusion is a key component of ONCE UPON A TIME this year. In the present day, which is not shown this week until the very end, everyone’s memories are gone, and the characters can only believe what they see. In the past, magic often disguises the truth, from the aforementioned stories, to Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin) and David (Josh Dallas) being cursed as well, made to trust Arthur when they shouldn’t. At least they see through Arthur’s plan to distract David with a title and a seat at the round table early in the installment.

In the B story of “The Broken Kingdom,” Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) tries to break Emma (Jennifer Morrison) of her own delusions. No, not the fact that Henry (Jared Gilmore) is too young to love; that bit just results in a fun scene. But Hook tries to help Emma remember the love they share and access the good parts of her brain. This succeeds in dispelling the hallucinations of Rumple (Robert Carlyle) that Emma has, if only temporarily.

In all of this, true love seems to be the most likely answer to break all the spells, as has been the case in the past. A true love’s kiss might bring Lancelot and Guinevere together and break Arthur’s hold on them. It might help Mary Margaret and David and the others get their memories back. And it just might save Emma from herself, even if love never quite manages to save Rumple when he is the Dark One.

The question remaining is, how does Merida (Amy Manson) fit in? Seen early this season, she re-appears in Arthur’s dungeon, when Lancelot is locked up with her, as well as in the present day when Dark Swan gives her a forced mission. Right now she is the X factor that could sway the outcomes of many a storyline. Without knowing why she’s involved or what she will do, there’s no telling what role she may play throughout this fall season.

Some fans of ONCE UPON A TIME get frustrated when the focus shifts to guest characters, away from the core cast. I understand that attitude, and for those viewers, “The Broken Kingdom” will likely be a disappointment, with Merida’s likely key part only heightening that. Personally, I am just glad for a mostly plot-hole-free hour and some promising teases of what is to come. I like this one.

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

"Perilous" ONCE UPON A TIME

Article originally published as ONCE UPON A TIME Review "Siege Perilous" on Seat42F.

ONCE UPON A TIME - "Siege Perilous" (ABC/Jack Rowand) JENNIFER MORRISON, MICHAEL COLEMAN

This week’s ONCE UPON A TIME, “Siege Perilous,” finds several characters dealing with sneaky types. David (Josh Dallas) bonds with Arthur (Liam Garrigan) while on a quest, but is the bromance mutual? Emma (Jennifer Morrison) seeks to reignite her relationship with Hook (Colin O’Donoghue), but he’s reluctant to get involved with the Dark One. And Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle) finds himself facing the darkness once inside of him.

You can tell Jane Espenson wrote this episode because even where the larger arcs don’t quite make sense, she makes it work by getting into the complexity of the characters. I often complain about ONCE UPON A TIME failing to follow through or taking short cuts with stories, and some of that is present in “Siege Perilous.” But Jane, always talented and with an extraordinary strong grasp of the players, seems to reign it in the craziness, remarkably managing to make some of the weak spots gel, and deliver an overall enjoyable episode. Any flaws present are likely not her fault, and the solid performances absolve the cast of wrong-doing, as well.

The story in which David accepts not only a seat at Arthur’s Round Table, but the primary seat, for the knight of purest heart, could easily be hokey. After all, David is a hero who has been through a lot and should see through such a blatant ploy. And the fact that Lancelot (Sinqua Walls), whose rumors of death have been greatly exaggerated, tells Snow Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin) the truth means that Arthur won’t trick the couple for long, making the ploy meaningless.

However, the way “Siege Perilous” approaches things is to play up David’s best qualities and show he he longs to be something more than just a charming face. This David is insecure as to who he is, so Arthur nudges him perfectly in order to manipulate his emotions. Arthur presents himself as a like-minded individual to David from a similar background, so David assumes Arthur is like him and immediately trusts the king.

All of which makes Arthur a great villain, especially scary as he forces a loyal aide to drink poison. ONCE UPON A TIME hasn’t really targeted David for quite awhile, and by making him the one easily fooled by Arthur, it sets David up to be the hero of the season. I think he can rise to the occasion, and Arthur is a worthy adversary, clearly smart and capable. I’m not sure what is behind Arthur’s motivations, but at least it feels surprising and interesting to have David go up against him. And how about that scene with David in the truck? Pretty cool, eh?

The other bad guy this season is Emma, of course. She tries to pretend she’s not all bad towards Hook. Rumple’s affections for Belle (Emilie de Ravin) always shone through when he was the dark one, so it’s believable that Emma would still want the former pirate.

One might wonder why Hook doesn’t go for Dark One Emma, given his villainous past. The only reason he seems to change is for Emma, so why not change back when she turns? The thing is, though, Hook fell for Savior Emma, not Dark Emma. He knows Savior Emma is in there somewhere and considers her in need of a rescue. In that context, it makes sense for Hook to resist this woman.

The plot in which Emma intends to make Gold pure enough to pull the sword from the stone is very intriguing. Gold has been a poorly-handled character for awhile now, but the removal of the Dark One gives him a chance for a complete reset. For him to become a hero now would not be earned, as it was before his character was ruined, but it could still be a rich way to play him. If nothing else, Belle will finally get the man she deserves, but might she loose interest a bit if Rumple is back to being a coward without an edge?

I am impressed by the way things fall into place in “Siege Perilous.” As I’ve said, I think it would be super easy for certain elements, such as Arthur’s reveal, to not make sense and feel cheap. Yet, in this script, they work, and I came away feeling pretty good about this installment.

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

DVD Review: ‘Teen Wolf – Season 3, Part 1′

Article first published as DVD Review: ‘Teen Wolf – Season 3, Part 1′ on Blogcritics.

MTV’s Teen Wolf is back! Before the network can even air the entire third season, the first 12 episodes have come to DVD in a three-disc set. With a handful of special features, this is a relatively sparse release for the purpose of getting the most recent installments into the hands of the fans as quickly as possible. Or maybe, cynically, it’s just to make more money.

I’m rarely a fan of the partial season release. Sometimes, it can seem justified, such as when Battlestar Galactica took a year-long hiatus mid-season, since there was a huge break before new episodes. But Glee, Royal Pains and Doctor Who have been known to rush partial seasons out when the hiatus is short, and that usually seems like it comes from a place of greed. Teen Wolf is in this latter category, having gone off the air in August and slated to return in January. However, MTV is bad about changing their TV listings constantly, making reruns hard to find and record, so perhaps this will help some people who missed some episodes.

The third season kicks off roughly four months after season two. Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) and his friends are now juniors. It’s not an easy start to the year, as Scott and Allison (Crystal Reed), whose family has given up werewolf-hunting, are still broken up, making for some awkward moments. Lydia (Holland Roden) and Jackson (Colton Haynes, who is now on Arrow instead) are also split, but Jackson has moved to London, which makes things for Lydia a little bit easier. With Jackson gone, Lydia has some free time on her hands, and Stiles (Dylan O’Brien) is only too happy to fill it playing detective with her.

But fans know that Teen Wolf not about tame puppy love. There’s fresh danger afoot in town, as a gang of Alphas led by Deucalion (Gideon Emery) wants Derek (Tyler Hoechlin) to join them, and just to make sure there’s no going back, they plan on slaughtering the rest of Derek’s current pack. To start, they take Boyd (Sinqua Walls) and Erica (Gage Golightly) captive, and things spiral out of control from there.

Even worse, a Darach (basically an evil Druid) is also hanging around, and they aren’t the most non-murderous people on the block. Meaning, lives are in danger when a Darach is near. If only Scott and the others could figure out who the Darach is, they might be able to put a stop to the terrible deeds being committed.

It all ties together as allegiances shift, secrets are revealed, and relationships are changed. Teen Wolf does a good job of connecting dots, even quite a bit down the road, letting an important bit come out at just the right moment. It’s a skill others of its peers have also figured out, so it’s not alone in this regard, but it provides the draw that keeps viewers coming back week after week.

Well, that, and the body count. Teen Wolf has not shied away from getting rid of characters when the story calls for it, or even sometimes just to pump up the excitement level, and Season 3, Part 1 is certainly no exception to that. With the monster population dense and human sacrifice part of rituals being performed, quite a few people die over these twelve episodes, making for higher stakes danger and plenty of scares. Good thing the show boasts a large recurring cast!

As far as extras go, there are deleted scenes, a gag reel, another shirtless montage for the female (or guys who like guys) fans, and a single featurette entitled “Back to the Pack.” The latter is a TV special that aired prior to season three in which the cast discusses the first two years and previews what’s coming up in the third. It may have been beneficial to watch back in June, but if you plan on viewing it with this DVD, I recommend watching it before the included episodes.

Teen Wolf Season 3, Part 1 is available now.