ONCE UPON A TIME: ViewerVision

Once Upon A Time was an adventurous fantasy-drama series created by Lost writers Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis. It was loosely based on multiple fairy tales, legends and historical literary works, all of which were brought to reality. The show began with a young boy Henry Mills (Jared S. Gilmore) bringing her birth mother, a bails-bonds person named Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) to an unfamiliar town in Maine called Storybrooke after her 28th birthday. A place where time stands still and its inhabitants were ripped away from homes, separated from families and robbed of their memories by a powerful dark curse enacted by the Evil Queen, Regina (Lana Parilla). A couple of the victims the curse affected, included Emma's parents Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas). It's up to Henry and the rest of the family to make Emma believe in magic, fulfill her legacy as the saviour, and fight off the ultimate darkness that awaits everybody. Here are seven questions regarding commonly thought opinions from the general audience about Once Upon A Time:

1. Was the seventh season necessary?

There was no ignoring the uncertainty surrounding the idea of a soft reboot. Nearly everybody was questioning it, especially after having grown accustomed to the original line-up for approximately six years. But when I come to think about it, a giant makeover seemed like the only option that would satisfy all parties. It allowed for choice and recognised extremely loyal 'Oncers' like myself, who weren't quite ready to say goodbye to the series as a whole just yet. During the airing of the sixth season, people began gathering a sense of staleness. A few of the highly-respected characters started to look complete, and any extra branches of development were only seen to both overcomplicate things and have these particular characters losing their value. There was also some fear within the fandom regarding a potential shortage of good story ideas. With so many amazing twists and turns having already come into play, it left some of us worried about what more could be implemented without the show becoming monotonous. Season six while an improvement from the predecessor, was like a perfectly cooked turkey at risk of being overcooked. It made the idea of a reboot look unavoidable. The need for something fresh and reinvigorating, was stronger than ever before.

Season seven had its flaws and I am not going to shy away from mentioning them here. The story started off quite bland and slow-paced to the point where you just wanted to fall asleep or do something else. A couple of the new characters appeared far too weak to carry the show forward and remained that way throughout the whole journey. The entire season had little to no breathing space as it was overcrowded with one too many minor characters, each with their own story to tell. This led to not only the rushing of certain storylines, but the growing sense of starvation. The thought of not seeing much happen that we were supposed to, especially the details and events within the new Enchanted Forest. The reboot could only ever make big cracks in the wall, never entirely breaking through. There were however a handful of positives to come out of these twenty-two episodes. While new fairy tales were explored, other ones that have been visited previously were made more relevant (e.g. Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Alice In Wonderland). Certain characters like Alice/Tilly (Rose Reynolds) made themselves a joy to follow. This season took further steps to try and recapture some of the original magic from the very first. Most importantly it avoided being predictable, pushing people to put more effort into their thoughts and theories about the brain-teasing series of events. It was a collection of slightly darker fantasy stories with an everlasting supply of mystery. Exactly my kind of entertainment.

Truth be told, the only thing that really set the seventh season apart from the six before it was the overall appearance. It was just a new setting, with some new faces sharing new stories. Basically it was a test to see how many of us fans were able to both approve and live with such changes. Other than that, there was nothing much else that separated it from the rest. Personally, it still felt like the show I fell in love with from the very beginning. Though having been a long way off from the commercial success of the earlier seasons, the temporary new-looking Once Upon A Time still managed to keep its magic touch. Season seven continued to focus on the warm, welcoming values of love, hope and belief. Two of the biggest characters in Regina and Rumple (Robert Carlyle) were still involved in most of what took place. Spells and curses remained major driving forces in delivering brand new tales. It reinterpreted the show's most famous storyline and added to the development of Henry Mills, the one character that seemed the most incomplete from the original lot. I'm not stopping anyone of you from wanting nothing to do with the short-lasting transition into a different story book. Hate it. Share your problems with it. Pretend that it never existed.  But there's one thing that you'll never be able to achieve. That is diminish its importance to the series as a whole. The final season of my favourite show may have failed in some areas, but it certainly succeeded in others.

2. Was killing Robin off the right decision?

For those who had shipped Regina and Robin (Sean Maguire), the answer may seem obvious. For me, not so much. There is no denying Robin's death having become one of the more controversial moments within the series. The decision was something I personally found to have been rather interesting. It left me questioning as to what plans the creators had up their sleeves and whether these plans would be effective enough in tackling any consequences that came from the decision. I saw it as the ultimate test. The test that was to determine Robin's impact on the show both internally and externally. The test that would see how much the character meant to us. The test that aimed to identify whether there would come a change of direction in the main storyline. In regards to the loss, emotions ran and will continue to run differently in each and every one of us. But I thought I'd dig a little deeper into this character with both an emotional and logical perspective. How did I see this take on Robin?

Whenever I hear the name Robin Hood, I think of a brave archer/swordsman and his merry men. I'm continuously led to his common purpose of stealing from cruel, wealthy tyrants and giving to those in need. While these are briefly touched on for this show's version of the heroic outlaw, the connections never seemed strong enough. Robin was just one of those characters that couldn't ever live up to his name. Rarely did he shoot arrows or serve his purpose. Yes, most characters on Once Upon A Time were taken from older stories and reshaped to look unique. But many of them were changed into something I could understand. With Robin, it was different. As time passed, I slowly began to lose sight of who he was and where he sat in the show. What was worse about this was that it sucked the life out of his entire character, making him less of himself and more of an extension to somebody else (that being Regina). This leads me to the only upsetting thing about Robin's demise.

When people were upset about the death, how much of it was because they liked the character of Robin Hood? Most comments I've seen on social media were more often mentioning one's love for 'Outlaw Queen' and how Regina deserved to be truly happy for once. These people weren't wrong as I kind of felt the same way. It wasn't me so much losing Robin Hood that hurt, but rather Regina losing him. As you may already know if you are a regular visitor to this blog, Regina is my absolute favourite character in the series. My love for her is almost to the point where I practically feel the exact same emotions she does. There was no escaping the need to sympathise for her and completely understand her pain from that moment onward. If you ask me, all of this painted a pretty conclusive picture. Robin was nothing but a plot device with one of the most flavourless personalities in the show. No disrespect intended against either Maguire or those that shipped 'Outlaw Queen'. I just wasn't as fussed about the couple and didn't see Robin having much significance.

3. Did Rumplestiltskin truly change for the better?

The journey of Rumple's character was that of a rocky one. Since the resurrection in the second half of season three, the writing team had struggled to properly define his road to redemption. When we thought things were looking well, he'd next be seen sliding all the way back to square one. As a result the evolution process came off as far too slow, nearly to the point where it looked as if it completely stopped. It brought out the impatience from fans, with some losing all faith and wanting Rumple to ultimately be punished for failing to kill off his unpleasant habits. I too felt frustrated at times with Rumple's pessimism and hesitance to change. It left me thinking his actions in the season six finale were too sudden, almost as if they seemed out of character. Consider this another reason for the importance of season seven. It gave the show-runners the chance to rectify Rumple and cover some of his developmental blemishes. This character never lost any of his wit, knowledge or intimidating qualities, but we got to recognise a new side to him. There was a sense of frailty gathered. One that allowed for guilt and regret to hit him harder. One that had him showing greater care for his surroundings. And the fact he befriended and gave up his heart to save one of his oldest adversaries in Captain Hook (Colin O'Donoghue)(albeit a different version of him), says a lot about his turnaround. If you happen to be one of those people that refused to watch the reboot and complained about Rumple's progression in the series, than the egg would truly be on your face.

4. What did Regina's happy ending look like?

This wasn't necessarily a question thrown around everywhere but one many of us would've instead occasionally asked ourselves. Regina was arguably the most popular and most loved character in the series and underwent one of the biggest transformations seen in fictional works nowadays. It was an endearing face and entertaining personality changing from classic Disney villain to a hero of her own making. Surely she wasn't going to get a happy ending as ordinary as most others. Thankfully it didn't, but it still surprised me. It managed to somehow be both straightforward and unforeseen. Regina's happiness was something that stared at us straight in the face the whole time, and we couldn't see it. It was simply uniting everybody as 'The Good Queen' after separating them as 'The Evil Queen'. It was thinking there was no end to happiness after long believing the book closed early for a self-proclaimed lost cause. Long story short, it was basically the polar opposite of who she once was. Doesn't sound overly complex or intriguing, but having followed the whole story and seeing the finale for what it was the answer was worth waiting for. Of course Regina herself doesn't like calling it a 'happy ending'. So how about a 'second chance', and one used to good effect. This is where we have to to hand it to Adam, Eddy and the entire writing crew. For the exact answer to this question, us viewers were simply encouraged to hop on the ride from start to finish.

5. Why was the story of Lily's father discarded?

Within the final minutes of the season four finale, Lily (Agnes Bruckner) revealed to Emma that the necklace she kept on her for many years was a piece of the egg she hatched from and one of the very few clues to her father's identity. In search of further answers, she sought permission to hang around in Storybrooke which Emma was quick to grant. That was it! The very last appearance of Lilith Page in Once Upon A Time. Why was that the case? Well from a number of sources, I recalled news of Bruckner having been in the very early stages of pregnancy around the time after filming. Having already dealt with one pregnant actress in Ginnifer Goodwin and on the verge of writing for another in Emilie de Ravin, Horowitz and Kitsis probably weren't wanting to deal with anyone else. So much to the displeasure of many viewers, they decided to shelve the story completely. For myself it was fairly frustrating, having believed the search for Lily's dad was going to have some sort of significance moving forward. I guess it wasn't to be.

But after having watched the entire series I can finally relax... well sort of. In the very last episode of the show, it would be Regina who closes the door on the long-unanswered mystery whilst unknowingly on the way to her coronation. Daddy dragon would be none other than the Spanish, sword-wielding, masked vigilante named Zorro. It was rather surprising to hear and having seen a few reactions, I witnessed mouths drop to the news. One would think at first that it doesn't make sense, but in a universe where Maleficent (Kristin Bauer van Straten) shares a heart, the Evil Queen and Wicked Witch (Rebecca Mader) are sisters and Peter Pan (Robbie Kay) is the father of Rumplestiltskin, anything seems possible. In interviews released after the airing of the series finale, Adam and Eddy went on to explain that the name-drop was planned for quite some time after being a popular question asked among the Once Upon A Time community. Adam confirmed that regardless of what changes were made to the final product, the answer was always going be fitted in. How thoughtful! It can be said that they were hounded too much to ignore it. Then again they tried seeking rights to use Zorro, only to end up unsuccessful. Sounds to me like the two never forgot that storyline. The resolution might not have been fantastic, but it was better than nothing.

6. Why was the 2.0 version of Cinderella so despised?

One of the most common reasons for fans' disapproval of the seventh season lied in the entirety of Jacinda Vidrio (Dania Ramirez), otherwise known as Cinderella 2.0. It wasn't hard to find complaints about the character as they were scattered throughout different social media platforms. A series of comments cited such issues including a bland personality and a lack of chemistry with other characters. A few even went so as far to offend such people as Ramirez and the casting director responsible for handing down the role. The official Facebook page for Once Upon A Time was flooded with these comments as they topped almost every post. It was one of the first times I ever came to discover an intense distaste for a certain character outside of the story. Certain people had threatened to boycott the show because of the particular character while others already admitted to doing so for the exact same reason. While a few other cast members like Gabrielle Anwar were too victims of heavy criticism, it was Ramirez who would cop the most flak for somewhat failing to find her place in the show.

While I will agree on the easily discernible disconnection between Jacinda and the rest of her surroundings, I don't see it as bad as what it is made out to be. It's nothing that ever really pushed me away. In fact, I didn't mind the actress and found the criticism to be extremely harsh and disrespectful. If it were about me, I'd be pretty depressed. Given my non-existent acting experience I tend to believe that I am not in any position to judge other people's efforts in the particular field, regardless of how much better I think I could do. I acknowledge the different types of actors and different ranges of acting ability. It's kind of unfair to lay down high expectations on people given who they are. I notice this a lot with child actors/actresses. They more often than not get scrutinised for their performances due to their younger, undeveloped minds and larger scopes for learning and improvement. It was evident in this show during the early years with Jared S. Gilmore and most recently with Alison Fernandez. There are times we have to focus more on what the actors are given to work with, from the cast and set they share to the dialogue written for them. Sure Ramirez isn't a fantastic actress, and I think she herself would admit that. But I see there being a reason for her casting and believe it's more than her Hispanic background.

7. Why were there so many characters whose stories were ignored?

Once Upon A Time made itself to be one of those ensemble shows. It forced itself to deliver a type of balance and consistency, whilst regularly shifting the focus properly onto different cast members. This wasn't an easy thing for the crew to do, as a lot had stood against them. One of many issues for them was obviously trying to maintain cast members. This has often dictated what stories are told and when they were told. We already know that Bruckner was going to be a mother which saw the 'Lily's father' storyline put into storage, but what about some of the other departed actors and actresses. Jamie Dornan left early and landed one of the biggest roles in the film industry. Sebastian Stan moved to the silver screen to star in blockbuster films. Meghan Ory and Michael Raymond-James had departed the show in favour of other interests. A few people may have been let go for the show to meet budget requirements. Some may have been in high demand with tight schedules. Sometimes it's not just the cast members that can be difficult to deal with, but the stories and material as well. The creators had to go through the proper channels to gain rights for some of the material they wanted to use. Most times they were successful given the strong affiliation with the Walt Disney Company, but once in a while they weren't. I couldn't possibly ask for too much as it seemed like both Adam and Eddy set the bar fairly high, trying to meet it to the best of their ability. While this series wasn't perfect with its handling of stories, I see myself to be one of the more lenient viewers. So those shelved plans and long-forgotten characters... I can forgive the guys for that.

Travis "TJ" James

ONCE UPON A TIME: The Question Marks

Have you ever watched any of your favourite shows and asked questions about what happened, only to never get the answers you were looking for in return? Have you ever had those moments whilst watching your shows when you felt the need to apply logic and wanted to know how something was the case? Were there ever times during the show, when you simply thought 'Huh?'. If you are a huge fan of Once Upon A Time, than surely you should be no stranger to these ideas. Take it from me, a proud and loyal 'Oncer' who is awfully familiar with them. This series will forever be an absolute favourite of mine, but when I see problems within it I'm not afraid to speak up about them. Unaddressed plot inconsistencies can be found anywhere and everywhere, but Once Upon A Time is home to quite a few significant ones. They can come in the form of characters, events or even plot items and are often discomforting because of lacking the relevant background information. I thought I'd pick ten of this show's plot inconsistencies that have either left me or anyone else permanently confused.

Let's dive right in:


1. 'Prince Thomas! Where Have You Been?'

Let's go all the way back to the fourth episode of the very first season, 'The Price of Gold'. It was the introduction of Cinderella (Jessy Schram) and her story from slave to princess. Like most tales, this one was moulded to become something entirely owned by Once Upon A Time. It saw the pretty face choose the darkest of paths as an act of desperation to escape unpleasant servitude. But like all deals with the devil that was Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle), her decision came with a hefty price; her firstborn. It was a fresh and fascinating turn of events. But one thing remained untouched. When Ella broke the deal by deceiving Rumple into thinking she was having twins, her husband Prince Thomas (Tim Phillipps) not long after disappeared whilst leaving to fetch water from the well. An upset Ella demanded answers, only to be told by Rumple that he had no clue other than knowing the laws of magic still applied and that Thomas would only return once the initial contract was fulfilled. However, the first dark curse saw Thomas as a factory worker named Sean who was seen supposedly living with his overbearing idiot of a father. Although cursed like the rest, he seemed to be safe and in one piece. He and Ashley/Ella ended up getting engaged, living happily with their kid and sticking together when other trouble came knocking on the door. But Thomas' time between the disappearance and the first dark curse stayed a story untold. You'd wonder if Ella would've ever raised the question to him after the curse was broken. What happened? We could've at least been handed a brief explanation.


2. 'It's A Long Story'

Long story. I haven't counted exactly how many time these two words have been used throughout the series. But one thing I do know is that they have definitely been used an awful lot, particularly in scenes when reason seemed required. Recently viewing different clips and extracts from each of the seven seasons online, I found myself picking up how common the 'long story' answer was mentioned. On some occasions it was used well for comical effect, but other times had seen it only making things appear more nonsensical. Sometimes, you just wanted answers, but all you'd ever get was this. While necessarily shifting the attention to more important matters, this was a cheap attempt by the crew to take the easy way out and avoid explaining the difficulties surrounding their choices. Here are three notable examples of the 'long story' problem I stumbled across during my revisit of the numerous clips:

1. Much to Snow White's (Ginnifer Goodwin) incredulity, Lancelot (Sinqua Walls) stepped out from the castle's shadows only to warn her about the corrupted King Arthur (Liam Garrigan). Us viewers for a while were left with the idea that he died many years ago, with Cora (Barbara Hershey) stating that she killed him. All of a sudden in this scene we had ourselves asking 'How is this possible?', only to be given the cold shoulder by the writing team. It was just another one of those 'I'm alive because I am and I survived because I did' moments.
2. I'm not going to talk much about this one now, as I'm going to be digging a little bit deeper into it later. It's in regards to Ariel's (JoAnna García Swisher) encounter with Jasmine (Karen David) in the season six episode 'A Wondrous Place'.
3. This one wasn't so bad, but it did seem rather pointless. When Merlin (Elliot Knight) and the gang broke into the dungeon to free Lancelot, they too found Merida locked in the opposing cell. It's no surprise that the two magic words would be used as an answer to how she ended up where she was. But not much longer after that, she would answer the question properly whilst walking with Belle (Emilie de Ravin). What was initially labelled as a long story, was nothing but a brief sketch. All she could've said to begin with was 'I was chasing a whisp for answers to save my brothers when I got caught by Arthur's henchmen and was thrown in the dungeon'. Not hard at all. It could even be argued that we already knew the answer before it was given to us. In this case, the use of the 'Long story' answer was practically a waste of someone's breath.


3. 'So Merida, What Did You Have In Store For Arthur?'

Merida: Arthur! You have no idea what's coming for you!

We have no idea either. As a matter of fact, we never did have an idea. Were we suppose to believe that Merida (Amy Manson) and her personal vendetta against King Arthur were going to play a huge role? If so, it all fell extremely short of expectations. All she was left doing was guard duty for Arthur's imprisonment in Storybrooke and assigning others the role while she made herself busy. Surely she had something more torturous in mind for Arthur other than being a babysitter for his jail cell. After all, he did kill her father for a piece of metal. That last line of 'The Bear King' could just about be one of the most pointless ways the writers closed an episode, especially since Merida was never given the responsibility of determining Arthur's fate. Unless of course we heard something among the lines of 'I will call upon the God of the Underworld, have him set up his return to the living and come around to snap your neck'. Sound ridiculous and far-fetched, but at least it would have made that final line more meaningful. Unfortunately in the end, the writers didn't handle a half of Merida's story very well.


4. 'Make Up Your Mind Peter Pan!'

Pan: I never forgot about You! Why do you think I call myself Peter Pan?!
Rumple: Don't think for a moment that I believe it's because you care for me.
Pan: But I do.

Let's see here! This man loved Fiona (Jaime Murray) more than his son. He would blame his son for his love's misjudgment and give him a horrid name. He constantly lied to his child's face and would later abandon him when he was needed most. On top of that came taunts and the successful attempt to turn Rumple's son against him. And who could forget him having referred to a young and innocent Rumple as a 'pink, naked, squirming, little larva'. Wow! It seems like he really loathed his own kid. But apparently that wasn't the case. Even after all this, Malcolm (Stephen Lord) as Peter Pan (Robbie Kay) still claimed he cared for Rumple, held onto hope that Rumple would forgive him for everything he did and that they could start fresh. So he both loved and didn't love his own son! Yeah, I have a hard time believing that! He was basically asking for the life he fought so hard to get rid of. The magic Pan lived on must've have really warped his brain. Either that or, he was continuing to be that conniving little bastard most saw him as. For me, nothing was making sense here. But there was one thing Malcolm definitely did get right. He was never cut out to be a father.


5. Maleficent: Protector Of Magic Potions

Remember that time when Charming (Josh Dallas) was given a magic potion in a case to store inside a fire-breathing dragon? How about that time when her daughter Emma (Jennifer Morrison) was sent to retrieve it many years later? Both memorable scenes from the same season finale. Well how about the time in between them? If you found yourself having watched the second half of season four, then this should be no stranger. A certain number of flashbacks that involved Maleficent took place within the events of the season one finale. Such moments included her working with Cruella (Victoria Smurfit) and Ursula (Merrin Dungey) and having her unborn child taken from under her wings. Why do I look towards these flashbacks you ask? Well it is all for one significant reason, and that was the fact that she was still carrying the magic potion placed inside her. The strange thing is that there was no proper mention of this throughout the 'Heroes and Villians' arc. Was Maleficent aware? Did she ever fell something was off about herself? You'd assume the answers were no and no, which wouldn't be a surprise. It's yet another bothersome sidestep in story logic. You place four walls around the idea of 'magic', but how far apart are they from each other?


6. That Frame Job!

Hook: 'If that's him (Dr. Hopper), then who did you kill?'
Cora: 'How do I know? It's my first day in town.'
Hook: 'You disguised the body to look like him. If death wasn't punishment enough. Marvellous work!'
Cora: 'Thank you.'

Recall this scene? It was from the tenth episode of season two, 'The Cricket Game' and followed an attempt by Regina's mother Cora to have the residents of Storybrooke continue standing against her daughter. Most would have accepted the series of events for what they were, but little do they know they have brushed aside one of the show's biggest mysteries. One that lacked so much sense, that it could leave one's head spinning. It was in fact, the entire frame job. There was one time I thought I'd search for the answers to the lingering questions, thinking that I possibly missed them whilst watching the season. That was when I would come to discover one of the strangest confirmations by a crew member from the show. The whole frame situation, was intended to remain without many details. Fans were never to know the whole story about how it came into play. Ironic for me to get irritated by this a little, given the fact that I'm the sort of person that loves mysteries. But this moment seems to hit me harder than most others. You may think it's just because of never knowing who this Archie (Raphael Sbarge) copy was, but there's actually a little more to it.

Here are a couple of confusing points I picked up from the episode. Pongo recognised that Regina wasn't who she was (as she was secretly Cora) when she visited Archie's office, but for some unknown reason he couldn't recognise same thing with fake Archie. Perhaps the relationship between man and dog was too strong on this occasion. Then again, dogs are quite clever and can usually pick up something wrong fairly quickly. Another thing that was difficult to wrap my head around was the entire setup of the frame job. We were to assume Cora grabbed the closest Storybrooke resident within reach and used them as a puppet for her plan to get closer to Regina. But how about the specifics? Unfortunately, you can't have them. I don't have them either. Why is that you ask? Well it's because they were never given. That's a fair bit of grey area if you ask me. Other than disguising the mystery victim, there is no telling what else was said and done by Cora to have them behave like regular everyday Archie. As previously mentioned, magic is often said to have its limitations in this show. Most of what took place in 'The Cricket Game' however, doesn't exactly account for that bold message.


7. 'Tiny' By Name, 'Tiny' By Presence

From the business side of things, it's understandable as to why this character wasn't to be seen beyond the second season. Jorge Garcia was one of a few small-screen actors in high demand. Either that or he was probably looking for more screen time elsewhere. Or that he wasn't required much to begin with, who knows. Regardless, Anton the Giant was nothing more than a flash on the screen from the story side of things. There had been a number of characters to arrive in Storybrooke and hang around, only to never be seen again later down the track. This one however, was one of the few to irk me a little more than others. True, one could question his relevance and place in the series moving forward. But it would've been nice to find out what he had been up to or what else he did other than trying to grow one or two beans in the space of a few years. Anton was mentioned more often than he was seen. It was a shame because I did enjoy Garcia being a part of the family. Guess his role on Hawaii Five-0 was too good of an opportunity to give up. I can't blame him for that.


8. 'Won't Somebody Break The News To Gideon?'

I don't think there's any need to question the whereabouts of Gideon (Giles Matthey). He would most likely still be living and studying at Elphame Academy. What I do have a problem with however, was how father and son spent their final moments together. The last exchange of words between the two having focused on Rumple's answer to achieving a reunion with Belle in the afterlife. That's it! To his own son, Rumple spoke of the guardian and how he aims to move onward into the unknown. No words of his progress along the way. No proper goodbyes if anything happened to go pear-shaped. It was just the chase for mortality and then the ultimate sacrifice. No mention of his own son within his last minutes or anything. From what we were given, Gideon was not only left unsure of his father's fate but was treated like he never even existed. Sure he had his own life and family to begin in another realm, but it would've seemed fitting for the only child of 'Rumbelle' to have found out the news and deliver his short side of the story. Any confirmation would've at least sufficed.


9. 'Nice Necklace! Where Did You Get It?'

Deus ex machina at its finest right here. For a long while the red-haired mermaid was supposedly without a voice after it was taken from her by the Evil Queen, or so we were left to believe. Much to everybody's convenience Ariel would return in the fifteenth episode of season six entitled 'A Wondrous Place', this time with a brand new and unfamiliar piece of fine jewellery. A necklace that would not only allow her legs anytime she pleased, but restore her voice. How she happened to find such a rare and valuable gift, we'll never know? In fact, we don't know if it even was rare and valuable. Did she find it or was it borrowed from somebody else? How did she lose it prior to dealing with Regina and Rumple at Neverland? Surely if it was hers, she'd have been keeping it close to her chest (pun intended) and wouldn't have ever worried much about having some bracelet giving her legs. Seemed to have wasted a few of Regina's seconds over that. This was one of the biggest disadvantages of doing a series constructed from scattered time. Once Upon A Time saw a lot of continuity errors come into play and this was one of many to leave us puzzled.


10. 'Blue! Why You So Shady?'

Pretty much everyone had picked up something off about the Blue Fairy (Keegan Connor Tracy). Even the actress herself has acknowledged it. Most had their suspicions about the character and didn't find her to be as light or as good as she was made to be. And given how she represented almost all of the fairies, it raised questions about her kind. While bearers of light magic, I had found fairies in this show to always represent neutrality. They were sprites that greatly believed in the laws speaking for everything and felt they had no place in impacting any series of events. Quite ironic don't you think? Little did the leader of them all know that she was doing exactly the opposite. When it came to both action and reason, Blue lacked any clear direction. She was too cryptic with her approach to dealing with others. When called for assistance, she'd lay down a reminder of the boundaries before providing the vaguest of solutions. She quashed a couple's true love for legality. She forged the weapon that was used to determine the saviour's fate. And you could say that it was because of Blue, we saw the birth of a villainous family. Sure she probably never meant for any of this to be the case, but the shadiness and doubts that surrounded her never looked to fade.

Travis "TJ" James

ONCE UPON A TIME: The Songs In My Heart

You could say there is a returning trend. We have seen a few shows including The Flash, Supergirl and most recently Riverdale, dive into the world of music to showcase the talent of their cast. My favourite series was no different, having taken its own approach during its run. After long-lasting speculation surrounding a potential musical episode, Once Upon A Time creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis had finally decided to proceed with the idea during the production of the sixth season. It was an opportunity for everybody to see some of their favourite characters break out into song. The episode would be titled 'The Song in your Heart' and be released not long after my birthday. I considered it a present to me and one I was anticipating prior to release. Strange I felt that way, especially since I wasn't entirely for the idea of musical episodes as I found them to be quite cheesy. And after viewing The Flash and Supergirl musical crossover episode 'Duet', I couldn't help but gather how much it reeked of desperation (even by reading the synopsis). But for some reason, Once Upon A Time always seemed to be quite fitting for a musical episode of its own. I guess the strong association with Disney, magic and fairy tales gave the series some leeway.

Before the first airing of 'The Song In Your Heart', the sixth season of the hit television show about fairy tale characters was proving to be a small but impressive resurgence. Once Upon A Time was paying homage to its history, not only sharing a similar structure to that of the very first season but also its story-telling and minor characters. In particular, the second half would be a beautiful reminder of what made fans love the show in the first place. It connected the final pieces of the puzzle together while also revealing a side to some of the characters we had not seen before. In what I like to consider as a severely underrated and underappreciated recipe of the entire series (that being the sixth season), the idea of a musical episode would only be the spice that could either improve or ruin the taste of the final product. And fortunately enough for the cast and crew that put it together, it would without a doubt avoid the latter.

Once's musical episode delivered the goods. Like all things warm and fuzzy on the show from love to hope, the motivation for characters singing and dancing was none other than a wish made by Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) looking to the night sky. A wish that was to see her future daughter find happiness away from the dark curse. Next thing you know, it's all about the inhabitants of both the Enchanted Forest and the Land of Oz hitting notes and belting out powerful tunes. These songs came in different shapes and sizes. One song inspired belief while another expressed anger. One touched base with the series as a whole while another denoted the beauty of musicals in general. Two would be merged to take us on a trip down memory lane with one of the show's most unforgettable storylines. One of these even had the power to become an anthem for the small screen. In fact, I might as well sink deeper into the discussing of this fine work of art that is 'The Song in your Heart' and study each song more closely. However, I don't think I need to rate them. It would be hard for me to do so anyway, as they were all well composed by talented crew members (Alan Zachary, Michael Weiner and Mark Isham) and brilliantly performed by the cast.

Powerful Magic

Ginnifer Goodwin & Josh Dallas

Could you get anymore Disney than this? I don't think you can. I'm not saying this as if I disapprove because I most certainly don't. If anything I loved the strong tie-ins and found them to be quite imperative. The whistling bird, the waking princess, the energetic prince, etc. It's an uncommon but brilliant representation of a royal, fairy tale couple. The song stood for itself, with a happy and upbeat sound to match its positive message and it was a message we were all awfully familiar with. The power of 'true love'. And who better to sing a song about this than these two. Not only did they have a relationship onscreen but off-screen as well, which made the performance seem all the more easy for them to deliver. Just when you think this was enough to satisfy you, the voices! My golly the voices! I never heard them coming, especially that one proudly owned by Josh Dallas. Caught me by surprise. Then again, I probably was to expect surprises since I had no idea of the theatre experience these two had growing up. And I did remember reading somewhere online about both having mentioned of their willingness to perform in a musical episode such as this one. Overall this number was a perfect start and had me 'ever more hopeful for what lied in store'.

The Queen Sings

Lana Parrilla, Giancarlo Esposito, Lee Arenberg, Tony Amendola & Beverley Elliott

If there was anyway for a few of the minor bunch to have their turn in the spotlight, there was no ignoring it. It was a bloody good thing too, because there were some great voices being heard. The number begins with Regina (Lana Parrilla) as the Evil Queen storming into the main room of her tower, singing of her frustration with the wish and its absurdity to the magic mirror (Giancarlo Esposito). She is shown its impact and is somewhat pushed to boiling point. 'The Queen Sings' wasn't just a short introduction into the dark side of the musical wish. It too was an indication of just how powerful the wish was. We got to see it make its way throughout the Enchanted Forest, affecting some of our favourite recurring characters including the likes of Grumpy (Lee Arenberg), Geppetto (Tony Amendola) and Granny (Beverley Elliott). Each were given roughly eight seconds to impress audiences with their singing talent. A couple of the snippets were even able to connect to their origins, with the dwarfs and Geppetto snippets in a way paying tribute to Walt Disney's first two animated feature-films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio. There might be little to no consistency in the music of the entire section due to the different sounding snippets bundled together, but that never mattered. This part did all it was required to do and there was no asking for anything else.

Love Doesn't Stand A Chance

Lana Parrilla

With the previous song having explored the classic, traditional qualities of Disney villain music, there was more preference for Regina's solo to stand out in a significantly different way. To have Lana Parrilla go where no Disney villain had gone before. 'Love Doesn't Stand A Chance' was a rock number not only meeting Parrilla's comfort zone, but allowing her character to wreak havoc on those she loathes. In the style of a Hannah Montanna and with the aggression of a Lady Gaga, the Evil Queen sings and dances her way around to each of the Charmings' supporters, leaving them frozen with fear as she invades their space and destroys their property. This was the song that best had its singer truly standing on their own legs. It was like a machine turned onto maximum power. Regina's vexation broke through with ease by forceful language and tone. When you thought it couldn't get heavier, it continued to do so towards the very end. From the key change to the high level of energy exerted. Even the use of the word 'bitch' packed a punch. 'Love Doesn't Stand A Chance' was the song of no limits. For us, it was just sit and enjoy Regina take charge.

Revenge Is Gonna Be Mine

Colin O'Donoghue, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas & more

A pirate's song this was, and sung with a pirate's attitude may I add. 'Revenge Is Gonna Be Mine' was deemed a favourite by the majority of fans. Captain Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) had his solid, thunderous and single-minded pre-curse personality answered for in true pirate fashion. The language was rightly vigorous and the song itself was another way of saying 'Stuff the hierarchy! Stuff gold and jewels! I want what I want and I only care for what I want'. Strangely enough, there isn't much else I can say about this one. Reason being that it approached everything with precision. It perfectly described the character of Hook. It defined who he was. It retouched on his aim. It made good use of his men. It had swords, it had drinks and it even made use the seaman's chant 'yo-ho-ho'. The whole scene made 'a pirate's life' seem so fun and carefree. It somehow left me wanting myself to get the taste of being such a thing. Plus the song was another opportunity for O'Donoghue to re-explore his strength in music, especially after deciding to leave his band in favour of focusing on this series. 'Revenge Is Gonna Be Mine' easily made itself at home within the episode and didn't ever feel out of place. 

Wicked Always Wins

Rebecca Mader

Snow’s wish proves strong enough to even reach the realm of Oz, resulting in Zelena (Rebecca Mader) letting out her frustration through this powerful ballad whilst terrorising munchkins. 'Wicked Always Wins' had proven to be another favourite among most viewers, myself included. However, this is the one song in the episode that didn't completely match its atmosphere. Despite the lyrics centering around Zelena's envy and villainy, the music itself was never able to further emphasise it. Rather than sound like a 'wicked' tune, it gave off beauty and warmth. From a logical perspective, this song wasn't supposed to work. But somehow in some way, you could say that this number 'defied gravity'. It's almost impossible to resist its charm. If I were to guess, I'd say that 'Wicked Always Wins' was a sign of appreciation for the Wicked musical. The song took some of the best qualities from the Broadway production and put them to good use. And like the rest, Mader didn't disappoint with the voice. As a matter of fact, she too had me dumbfounded with her ability to sing. I suspect it was probably due to her intense passion for television work, that anything else she did was likely to come as a surprise to me. Finally, those three magic words that were tied to this take on the Wicked Witch just sunk in beautifully with the fandom and this song was partly responsible. In my eyes, wicked does always win.

Charmings vs. Evil Queen

Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas & Lana Parrilla

It isn't Once Upon A Time without another showdown between the Charmings and the Evil Queen. This time it came in the form of another musical number. One that merged two of the earlier songs and added a few new lines. While not the most memorable scene from the episode, it still remained a much appreciated gift. The joyous uplifting 'Powerful Magic' pinned against the rage-filled 'Love Doesn't Stand A Chance' worked a treat. The keys and chords of both songs helped continue with distinguishing the separate sides of good and evil. And the changes brought upon them allowed the two to meet in the middle whilst building up to a nice level of pressure and suspense. These three magnificent people stick to their roles and never lose touch of them during the unusual encounter. It all still felt like the Once Upon A Time of the early days. Although 'Charmings vs. Evil Queen' doesn't entirely stand on its own feet, it was a nice throwback to the classic, long-lasting battle between the aforementioned characters. A great view of the roots of the series.

Emma's Theme

Jennifer Morrison

This was arguably the most anticipated moment. The moment when Jennifer Morrison had her turn to shine bright. Most viewers saw failure far from her reach. In the end, they were right to see it that way. Morrison impressed and did not waste a single minute. I had never seen such an amazing character-defining performance as this one in my life. It was like the entire story of Emma Swan in just two minutes. The coldness of the intro along with the tears that streamed down her face were the beautiful representation of the pain she endured growing up. Next thing you know, the element of surprise steps in through a sudden build-up. Emma uses her newfound strength and realisation to shock the Black Fairy (Jaime Murray). The vocal power and high notes were absolutely incredible. I gathered so many feelings in a short space of time. Feelings of joy, sorrow, might, love and care. 'Emma's Theme' was always meant to be a song of toughness and resilience. That no matter how much of Emma's past weighed her down, the brightness of her future would always conquer. It was a prime example of how good she truly was. Other than the supposed cheesiness a few might get out of this, I honestly can't find anything else wrong with it. And whoever came up with the idea of using the show's actual theme and making it Emma's, I've got to hand it to them. That was nothing short of brilliant! Well done!

A Happy Beginning

Jennifer Morrison, Colin O,Donoughue, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas, Lana Parrilla, Rebecca Mader, Jared S. Gilmore & more

Remember when I said one of the songs had the power to become an anthem. This was that song. Even though I wasn't as invested in the Captain Swan ship, the wedding led to one of the best moments in the entire series. 'A Happy Beginning' just happens to be one of the many songs on my playlist that I keep having to replay. It's just so freakin' amazing. The unity and togetherness through the sharing of lines and harmony of voices. Even the idea of having Jared S. Gilmore deliver a line in the verse despite his claimed inability to sing, made itself feel required. The lyrics weren't just purely positive but inspiring and allowed for more cohesion within the fandom. This song did however evoke a bag of mixed emotions. It not only was a reminder of how far the show had come, but how close it was to reaching the end. But regardless of whether it was happiness or sadness that dominated the mind, the simple glamour and force of 'A Happy Beginning' had it soaring above the rest. And the chorus beautifully carries everything on its shoulders and sounds as if it will stand the test of time. It's been over a year and I am still singing this now, even with the show having just ended. That to me says it all. This song is undoubtedly, the best of the lot.

It is completely understandable why so many people have mixed thoughts when it comes to the idea of musical episodes in drama shows. Some might find them unnecessary in terms of the direction, while others just simply have a passionate distaste in musicals and anything related. I'm not going to lie. Despite my anticipation, there was no absence of scepticism. I wasn't too sure how this was going to work out. Adam and Eddie were probably thinking the same thing, especially given this idea was sort of derived from the suggestions made by certain viewers over the course of two or three years. Musical episodes for non-musical shows are naturally risky as they can very easily lose connection with the rest of the story. They can often come across as an 'out-of-nowhere' idea without any proper cause. Long story short, they end up or at most times are considered to be 'filler' episodes. A Once Upon A Time musical episode was always going to divide the fandom in half. There was no getting away from that. But I didn't see any reason why the show-runners couldn't take the risk. After all, they didn't have much time left, with cast members leaving and the soft reboot knocking on the door.

Out of the two musical episodes I watched (Once Upon A Time and The Flash) which one did I think was better? Time for me to get straight to the answer. While both episodes have left me super impressed, DC’s musical crossover event between The Flash and Supergirl is unable to hold a candle to Adam and Eddy’s stroke of genius. Once Upon a Time did not only seem like a more fitting series for such a direction, but the final result saw it receiving higher critical acclaim for its stronger connection to both the storyline and its audience. ‘The Song in Your Heart’ provided viewers with pure original music featuring a more powerful orchestral presence to support the episode’s atmosphere. Even for a combined cast with less experience in music and theatre, the crew were still able to work their way around the limitations of each performer from considering the vocal range to the suitable style of music. Compared to ‘Duet’, Once Upon a Time’s musical event was greater in both complexity and relevance, linking better with its content. It stuck by its history and did not focus too much on the business side of things, such as the actors and their singing experience.

In the end, all the hard work and planning paid off. The musical episode turned out to be a huge success. It wound back the clock in an unfamiliar but intriguing way, showing our favourite characters in nostalgic fashion while adding all the more flavour to them. The writers also managed to have 'The Song In Your Heart' keep in touch with the storyline. Outside of the episode, people bought the music. Certain songs were sung at conventions by both the actors and fans. Critics praised the final product, with one giving it the perfect score (and rightly so). And personally this would have to be my all-time favourite episode in the entire series (or at least one of my favourites). I just loved every minute of it. This is coming from somebody who has never been much of a fan of musicals. Once Upon A Time made itself one of the only exceptions. Don’t let the slight drop in ratings and viewership fool you into thinking this wasn't good. It was one of the strongest points during one of the weakest periods. 'The Song In Your Heart' is and will forever remain to me, a must-watch.

Travis "TJ" James