ONCE UPON A TIME: Ranking The Seasons

Once Upon A Time wasn't just a show simply recreating Disney and literature. It was much more than that. It was a show that had seen nearly everything you'd expect from it. It gave birth to its own universe and accompanied it with meaning. It was stories reshaping and merging to become their own. It was hundreds of characters both original and inspired, played by one of the most diverse casts created for television. While this series had its ups and downs, I saw it as being rather consistent with its approach. Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis were all about raising challenges and producing an endless amount of surprises. Places to see, mysteries to solve and twists and turns around every corner. Once Upon A Time lasted seven seasons. Each season brought something different to admire, as they touched on different material. Here I plan to briefly touch on all seven, exploring what I like and didn't like about each one. I rank them and rate them out of ten. But here, there will be no bias. As much as my favourite show has elated me more than some, I won't be afraid to spot a defect. I've mentioned once before on this blog (The TeeVee In Me) that Once Upon A Time is by no means a perfect show and that's still the case. If anything it has quite a reputation for seeming illogical and confusing audiences, similar to that of Lost. Nevertheless I still love it for what it is. Let the ranking begin!

7. Season 5

Rating: 4 / 10

I wouldn't say 5A was downright terrible, but it certainly was the lowest and weakest point of the series. Whilst home to an adaption of one of the few tales I long anticipated, it couldn't manage to impress me. Some of the subplots had little to no relevance with the main storyline. The character of King Arthur (Liam Garrigan) was practically one to forget and many iffy choices were made such as the hurry to remove Merlin (Elliot Knight), a character that looked to have heaps of unexplored potential. But the biggest issue lied within the main storyline itself as the laziness continued to settle in. 5A portrayed itself as somewhat picky in terms of its communication, with its drama and tense storytelling only ever wanting to reach a selective few. The relationship between Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) was made the number one focus, not only as a way of pandering to specific categories of the audience but separating them from the rest of the fandom via vastly different content. Most of this content primarily teasing these particular viewers and triggering a variety of emotional responses out of them. On top of that, Emma as the Dark One failed to fire on all cylinders. Prematurely labelled as a fearsome villain before walking into the season, the 'Dark Swan' didn't end up as dark as many wished for her to be. Instead she was an decent representation of coldness, distance and the harsh truth. But I do have to praise Morrison on the conveyance as she herself confirmed to have studied hard in search of an ideal presentation prior to filming. There are a few things to respect 5A for though. A younger-looking and fresher-faced Merlin. A seemingly inescapable exploration into the origin of the Dark One powers. And I can't go without mentioning that twist with the Dark One dagger being the tip of Excalibur. Sheer brilliance! Other than that, most of 5A is a thumbs down.

The second half of season five although an improvement from the first half, still fell extremely short of what was expected. While I will commend the creators and writers for providing a reunion with the deceased whilst also sharing a couple of stories involving them, I still for some reason felt a dullness from these episodes. They were overflown with drama from external plots, leading to a slight loss of aim within the arc. The level of energy seemed severely low and every twist came off too small to evoke a significant level of surprise. The villain in Hades (Greg Germann), despite being played by a great actor failed to deliver as he was a little too imitative of some of the show's previously constructed models. Much so that it made him appear rather unconvincing and uninspiring. And a couple of characters such as Peter Pan (Robbie Kay) were made to be quite irrelevant given their roles throughout this arc. Besides the occasional powerful scene, 5B never really captured me in ways I initially thought it would. Though there is one thing I do need to personally thank Adam and Eddy for. I for quite some time, believed that I'd never witness an interaction between Zelena (Rebecca Mader) and her birth mother Cora (Barbara Hershey) since one of them was dead. An idea such as this made way for a long-awaited scene between the two, which did grab my full attention. Perhaps I should've known better, since Once Upon A Time was after all a show revolving around 'magic'.

6. Season 4

Rating: 5.5 / 10

I can't help but get the feeling most didn't like the fourth season, simply because it involved the story of Frozen. We're all well aware of that film's success and many of us were probably sick and tired of the excessive promotion and merchandise it brought about. A few others (especially male viewers) perhaps just found it to be too 'girly' and any focus placed on it by Once Upon A Time would have them feeling neglected by the writing team. As for me, I beg to differ. One of the greatest strengths season four offered to its fans, was the important values of love, trust and family. In regards to each, we were shown their prominence and how they affected most characters. From the strength of sisterhood to the desperate measures of seeking virtue, these values were stretched and twisted for us to even catch a glimpse of the trouble they could deliver. Both arcs had us asking the question of whether good and evil were as clear as they seemed. They had us wondering what defined a hero or villain. They had us reconsidering the position of most pieces on the board. Season four made both depth and uncertainty vital components.

The first half wasn't as bad as many made it out to be. It heavily centered itself around emotion and the power of love and care for others. Not particularly a story that delivers on energy but one that had plenty of characters taking significant steps in development. In spite of all this, it was a satisfactory route taken. I did however find more interest surrounding part two. This was when some of the show's key areas were deconstructed and rebuilt for clarity. Such topics like heroes, villains and good versus evil were merely demonstrated through our favourite characters for the first three or so seasons. 4B would not only do this but provide explanations, both on what took place and of the topics themselves in general. Emma's potential for darkness was one of those subjects that seemed to stare me plainly in the face and I could never notice it. What made me enjoy it even more was how it brought out the darkness from Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Charming (Josh Dallas). It told me that nothing could remain completely innocent or be made of pure light. 4B was also visually appealing and flavoursome with villains such as the unique Cruella De Vil (Victoria Smurfit) and basic yet attractive stories such as the two-part role-switching season finale. However season four was when the show started to become sloppy. It juggled too much, shifting storylines more often than it should have and rushing people in and out the door.

5. Season 6

Rating: 6.5 / 10

The penultimate season of Once Upon A Time was the last of the main storyline. Adam and Eddy indicated how they wanted it to connect more with the first season than the few that followed it. They decided on a 22-episode story that would try hard to regularly revisit the show's roots and inform all viewers of how far many of our favourite characters have come since the first time we saw them. Regina was to face against the queen she used to be and apply what she had learned along the way in order to defeat her. Emma would figure out how she'd accomplish her role as the saviour through understanding the history of saviours. Rumple (Robert Carlyle) would come to understand how severe the prices of magic were when bad decisions were made. For these ideas alone, season six can appear quite powerful. Adding to this would be a variety of inviting qualities which include a threatening villain in the Black Fairy (Jaime Murray) and a long-awaited musical episode featuring eight original songs performed by some of our favourite cast members (Once Upon A Time: The Songs In My Heart).

This season however, didn't come without its weaknesses. One problem I had was with the entire chain of events. It was made too wide for my liking. The story wasn't neat and compacted like the first season, but instead stretched to cover 22 episodes as good as it possibly could. We are walking into episode one, where the heroes were dealing with the likes Of Jekyll (Hank Harris) and Hyde (Sam Witwer) with an Evil Queen on the loose. Next thing we know it's the season finale, and it's the heroes up against the Black Fairy as the saviour fights the final battle. Just by reading this, you'd be thinking how they got from point A to point B. I often saw this as the reason for some of the content not being handled very well. There might have been a possibility for me to appreciate Jekyll and Hyde more if they were around for a bit longer. Not only that, the Black Fairy looked like a villain that could hang around for the entire season rather than enter Storybrooke halfway through the story. Another issue I had was how I slowly began to notice a few of the characters losing purpose. Zelena was still getting pushed aside. Snow and Charming were just about overcooked. And Rumple became more frustrating than ever before as his relationship with Belle (Emilie de Ravin) continued looking as if it wasn't making any progress or undergoing any repairs. Nonetheless, season six was a step up from the previous two seasons and was a satisfactory wrap-up to the main storyline.

4. Season 2

Rating: 7 / 10

Walking into season two, I just didn't know what to expect. In fact I don't think anybody did. The saviour arrived, learnt of the existence of magic and broke the dark curse. What was next? That was something we just had to find out for ourselves. But even after having seen it all, I myself still occasionally struggle to determine its overall meaning. Unlike the other seasons which revolved around a group of specified narratives, season two appeared much foggier and never seemed to clarify what its messages truly were. I suppose that's why I see it being one of the weakest periods of the show. Perceptively, it's a season quite easy to forget. Not so much for the quality of storytelling, but more so for the lack of power in the delivery of the plot. Nothing in particular really stood out for me. Either that or there were too many moments trying to take each other on. Even the jaw-dropping moments couldn't seem to compete with those from the other six seasons. I felt as if this was a time when the show was fighting a battle against itself, hence the confusion.

At best, I like to think Once Upon A Time here focused a lot on adaption and the importance of accepting change. Emma was left adjusting to the life she thought was surreal. Regina was given the chance to look at the positives change could bring. Rumple spent time finding and reconciling with his son, believing the effort and regret would have Baelfire (Michael Raymond-James) see differently. Most characters were seen attempting to build something new out of something old. It was nice seeing a sort of new beginning come into play for each character. Other things I loved were Cora playing a bigger role, as it allowed for more appearances from Hershey. I thoroughly enjoyed the tension and long-going conflict created between Rumple and Hook, as it sparked many shocking twists like Rumple's near-death experience and Belle's loss of memory. And the idea of a potential war between fairy tale characters and regular outsiders (although this never really came to pass), was something I did now and then anticipate. But as I already mentioned, these good ideas couldn't ever break the walls and it was possibly due to the way they were told. Some of the material itself also ended up looking deficient. Love triangles, ongoing custody wars, Greg (Ethan Embry) and Tamara (Sonequa Martin-Green), etc. There were just some things in season two that weren't compelling enough to stand on their own legs.

3. Season 7

Rating: 7.5 / 10

No Emma? No Hook? No Snow, Charming or Belle? No worries! This may seem as an unpopular opinion, but I saw the soft reboot to have been both important and refreshing. Despite its distance from the original storyline, season seven was still able to touch base with the elements that captured my attention from the very beginning. It placed focus on the one regular character I felt whose story was still incomplete. It dived into the truth of fairy tales and the fact that many reiterations of the most familiar ones have seen the light of day. This being a good thing as it had allowed Adam and Eddie the chance to give certain fairy tale characters a bigger role in the series, especially those who many of us believed at first would have had such a thing to begin with (e.g. Cinderella, Rapunzel, Alice). The seventh season also took a couple of fan-favourites and portrayed them in a manner us viewers were long waiting for, in particular Rumplestiltskin who went on to remind each and every viewer how distant he was from the beast he used to be. And just when you initially thought the story was obvious at first glance, the writers continuously found ways to further deepen and sophisticate the entire series of events.

This isn't by any means an attempt of mine to tease those who weren't a fan of the short-lasting new direction chosen by Once Upon A Time. I just genuinely enjoyed the majority of the last season, for the numerous twists and turns it provided. I place emphasis on 'the majority' as I'm not going to pretend that this season was absolutely perfect. The fact is that it never was. Within the first handful of episodes, the stories traveled so slow to the point where they had the show itself looking interminable. I myself sensed that boredom for a short while as I tried to settle in with the makeover. Although ultimately earning my respect for their desirable qualities, the new cast did take a fair whack of time adjusting to. Thankfully the season picked itself up and got better along the way. Another problem I suppose plenty of people had with this final crop of episodes was how it carried one too many stories and was forced to gradually rush a lot of characters out the door as the end was nearing. Perhaps the creators expected at least another run to space out the contents. Then again, they were only planning on six seasons and any significant changes were bound to have as much of a negative impact as they would with a positive one. 

More or less, the last season of Once Upon A Time was similar to that of the first. It revisited the Dark Curse and cursed personas. It retouched on the relationship between a separated child and birth parent. It took place in a new fictional town that although lacked the iconic features Steveston offered, had a couple of memorable places (e.g. Roni's Bar and the police station). And the new, unfamiliar faces had their turn being the seeds that surely sprouted with their own intriguing characteristics. All of this had begged the question why number seven didn't come into its own. Why did it not become the start of a brand new spin-off? Well I found the answer to be rather obvious. What would you have named this spin-off? I can't honestly think of an attractive title for this idea. The name 'Once Upon A Time' sounded broad and very imaginative. Simply taking that away is like taking the magic out of this season. Besides, it still involved a few of our favourite people in Regina, Rumple and Hook (albeit a different version of him). Henry was still Henry, just older and played by a talented man in Andrew J. West. And some of the core ideas were still intact. Magic, curses, fairy tales. All on the exact same network. Unless there were intentions for it to be a spin-off, I don't see the fuss in the reboot sharing the same room with the preceding six. If anything, I saw it as something necessary. After viewing all of it, I felt more at ease with how it closed the curtains. The happy ending we were given was clearer and prettier than the one of season six.

2. Season 3

Rating: 8 / 10

Season three is considered a favourite amongst most viewers for some of its small yet somewhat appreciable elements. But little do many know when added up all together, the final product had found itself looking incredibly rough and asymmetrical. 3A in particular was home to quite a few attractive details within a fresh new location, most of which couldn't seek harmony or consistency with each other for the sake of the story's flow. Although I greatly admired the attention given to the relationships and work between the show's six supreme heads, nothing really struck me as to what took place between them. Everything from the emotional support to the personality clashes were far from unexpected and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. On top of that the overall level of drama soared far beyond the necessary boundaries, making Once Upon A Time look like another regular daytime soap opera. Certain characters like Snow and Charming were coming across as more artificial than usual with cheesy, overzealous acting. Finally the arc's villain Peter Pan while extremely convincing, ended up as one of the more overrated the show has presented. Surrounding him was an obscure aura and one too many mixed messages. However, credit where credit is due. 3A continued introducing classic material and owns some of the most fascinating twists. Not to mention the biggest climactic storyline conclusion, albeit one of questionable timing.

I personally found more solace with the second half and considered it to be the best minor story arc of the severed seasons. The attempt to recapture the magical atmosphere of season one was not completely successful, but it did at times get close. The similar format was an easy method in improving the depth and plasticity of many characters, as each were handed different roles and responsibilities to previously. Snow and Charming casting the curse, Hook and Emma installing belief, Regina breaking the curse and defeating the enemy. 3B was when I really started to catch a strong sight of Adam and Eddy's desired destination. I was beginning to know what they were aiming for. It would be evidently shown through Regina and her massive steps in character development. And although not incredibly intricate nor having any innovative rationale, the Wicked Witch Zelena strangely enough proved over time that a lot could be extracted from her. She was a simple yet compatible antagonist, full of ambition and the potential to offer great entertainment value. There's also no forgetting the two part season finale, which I consider to be some of the finest work from the creators. A highly emotional and nostalgic journey that substantially deepened my adoration for the character of Emma Swan.

1. Season 1

Rating: 9 / 10

I will never forget the first time I learned of this show through promos on the television. Magic, curses and fairy tales. Just a bunch of things that thousands of people grew up with as children. I remember mentioning about the promos to one of my closest friends and telling him how desperate I was to dive right into the series. What was even better was that he saw it the exact same way as I did, and it gave us something to enjoy talking about at lunch-break during school. The effort was surely worth it. Season one was an endless sea of mystery, complete with dozens of unforeseeable surprises. All of which were compacted in a simple yet enticing storyline. At a time where it was just getting started, Once Upon A Time showcased limitless potential through a magical universe with fairly strong connections to its seemingly accurate take of our reality. And what was great, was how it had people accepting both sides of the spectrum. Whilst acknowledging the magic shown before our very eyes, we as fans although slightly frustrated with Emma's long-lasting disbelief understood where it came from. When looking back on season one, it's hard to find anything despicable. Even the villains and most suspicious of characters were a joy to watch, for how well all of the cast sunk into their respective roles.

Even though the very first season of Once Upon A Time stood above the rest (at least in my eyes), that's not to say there was an immediate downfall afterwards. As a matter of fact, I loved how this show didn't tell me anything as to what was next after the curse was broken. The creators had broadened the show from that point onward, opening themselves to countless opportunities and digging deep into the ever-expanding world of Disney. Unfortunately the rest of the series in my opinion, just couldn't compare to the first twenty-two episodes. Season one was the pinnacle of the show, and not just from a commercial perspective. Adam and Eddy looked to have had everything perfectly planned from start to finish. The characters became easy to follow and despite their single-coloured personalities, were granted the time and space to reveal many more layers over the coming years. Most importantly it was mysteries galore, with those of most significance slowly followed by satisfying answers. As expected from most dramas, they allowed us the time in-between to theorise and work things out for ourselves. It was like putting together the pieces of a fun puzzle. I just loved it for how it challenged my cognition.


Travis "TJ" James