Once Upon a Time 2.22: And Straight On 'Til Morning

As a big cataclysmic finale, ‘And Straight on Till Morning’ was underwhelming, but the lack of action was made up for with where this episode brought the characters. Certain arcs came fill circle, while new ones were created to fuel next season. If only there were more dragons...

Once Upon a Time 2.21: Second Star to the Right

A common complaint about this show lately is the characters’ sudden bout of stupidity. It’s something that makes it hard to not only feel for them, but to believe in the story, particularly when the answer to their question is almost always right in front of them. This episode rectified that, at least in Emma’s case, but it still had a few flaws.

Once Upon a Time 2.20: The Evil Queen

A lot of the flashbacks this season have been paralleled by the respective character polarising it in present day Storybrooke. Belle losing herself was contrasted by her finding her identity when she set out on her own in the Enchanted Forest. More recently, August succumbing to temptation in Thailand was negated by his act of bravery in the present. In ‘The Evil Queen’, Regina’s past encounters fell in line with her current ones. It’s something that strengthens the actions in both instances, but one thing that concerns me is what this might mean for her character’s journey this season.

Once Upon a Time 2.19: Lacey

Rumple and Bell’s relationship is so dependent on the fact that Belle can see a side of him that nobody else can; the real him. As a person Belle has always been able to see who a person really is which is something that carries a lot of weight in a world that’s filled with magic and so many falsities. ‘Lacey’ took the foundations of Belle’s character and the idea of her and Rumple, and turned on its ass, which is exciting but also a little scary.

Once Upon a Time 2.18: Selfless, Brave and True

One of the greatest things about season two is how ambitious it’s been in pulling us out of the confines of Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest. Sometimes these ventures turn out really well (Henry and Emma take New York) and sometimes they’re a stinking pile of fairy poop (Frankenstein). This one lands somewhere in the middle.

Once Upon a Time 2.17: Welcome to Storybrooke

"You had a whole curse worth of vengeance, and what did it get you?" That’s one thing I’ve always wondered; how much satisfaction vengeance brings those who try so hard to get it. Is it a nice feeling, knowing that those who persecuted or hurt you are feeling the same pain you felt? Or is it something that never really appeases you, only bringing more emptiness and loss? When it comes to Regina I think that latter seems to apply, at least most of the time. She’s spent years trying to tear Snow White down, but how much has that really brought her?

Once Upon a Time 2.16: The Miller's Daughter

This episode went to the root of so many causes, but it also birthed some new ones. Vengeance, retribution, forgiveness and redemption all played a part here. Whether it was Cora’s decision to pursue her quest for power, Snow’s struggle with the anger she feels for Regina’s mother or Rumple’s last attempt to make the ones he loves remember the man he once was, there was a sense that the show was closing one door and opening a new one.

Once Upon a Time 2.15: The Queen is Dead

What happens when light turns dark? We’ve known since the word go that Snow was as pure as they come. She always did what’s best for the ones she loved, always placed her friends’ needs ahead of her own, and always saw the good in people. But what makes her do these things? How did she learn to be this paragon of good? That’s what this episode was all about.

Once Upon a Time 2.14: Manhattan

Almost everything that happened in this episode was inevitable. As truths came pouring out, so did sudden shifts in perspectives, as characters realised that the people they loved may not be who they say they are. Amidst all of this, those hiding secrets had to have known what was going to happen once they were exposed. Isn’t that always the way; lying doesn’t hurt you, it hurts those around you.

Once Upon a Time 2.13: Tiny

I like that Once Upon a Time isn’t not all about the big stuff, all the time. I like that it takes time to flesh out its characters, and not bombard us with as much craziness as we can tolerate. I like that it specialises in those special moments in between. I even like the tacky CGI! What I don’t like is when the show fails to decipher between the necessary, and the unnecessary.

Once Upon a Time 2.12: In the Name of the Brother

Mid-way through season one we learned that the Enchanted Forest wasn’t all there was to this story. There were other worlds, like Wonderland, that weren’t affected by the curse in the same way that Snow and Charming’s kingdom was. Back in October we were introduced to the show’s biggest stretch of its narrative boundaries; a black and white universe where we can find people like Frankenstein. ‘In the Name of the Brother’ was our first full taste of what that world was like, and even though it felt odd at first, there were certain parts of it that I liked.

Once Upon a Time 2.11: The Outsider

When Belle was first introduced, I figured she’d remain this fundamental piece of Rumple’s journey, only a footnote in Once Upon a Time’s history, but once the second season started I saw how hard the writers were trying to paint her as a great character in her own right. The Crocodile saw her step out on her own for the first time, and find her identity in Storybrooke, but in The Outsider, we saw not only the great person she was becoming, but the altruistic woman she was once before, and ended up becoming again. 

Once Upon a Time 2.10: The Cricket Game

Rehabilitation is commonly referred to as a journey, not a destination. It takes time, and a lot of it. It also takes patience and understanding not just from you, but from those around you. What Regina lacks most is a solid support system. Here we saw that come into play as lack of trust and naturally a few external forces, threw Regina’s recovery off course.

Once Upon a Time 2.09: Queen of Hearts

The first thing that struck me about Queen of Hearts was how un-surprising it actually was. None of the twists were too unexpected; the episode went the direction I thought it would and ended exactly the way I predicted. But even so, I still thought it was just as fun as the past few episodes before it, and I think that’s down to me being able to forgive the show for putting intelligent writing and characterisation ahead of cheap thrills.

Once Upon a Time 2.08: Into the Deep

Once Upon a Time has prided itself on being a character driven show. If the past 6 weeks of flashbacks and dialogue heavy drama have taught us anything, it’s that. You’ve got to wonder if it’s only possible for the writers to bring something so character centric in those weeks where action and mythology take a backseat. But here we are, and already this season there’s been two examples that have shot those fears down. Broken, aside from being a scintillating breakneck premiere, was also filled with those lovely reunions, and personal revelations, and now we’ve got Into the Deep. It wasn’t an episode that was perfect in every sense, but there were moments of gold here and there.

Once Upon a Time 2.07: Child of the Moon

I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m constantly on edge about this season’s pattern of picking up and dropping arcs week in week out. As a viewer it can be seriously frustrating to tune in expecting to see your favourite characters back on screen, only for a show to drop them in favour of a completely different story line. Still, I never really stay mad at this show for long; it somehow manages to make every week worthwhile by keeping its major arcs moving without ever really needing to give them undue attention.  It can be garish to not see certain faces at first, but if what we’re seeing in front of us is exciting enough, why should we even care?

Once Upon a Time 2.06: Tallahassee

Emma's been one of the show's biggest enignmas since the start. Now we finally get a glimpse into her past, a past littered with all the betrayals and harshness that you'd expect. It's an insight that's arrived at exactly the right time and neglected arcs aside, the show is continuing to strive this season, even if it's CGI is the sloppiest I've ever seen.

Once Upon a Time 2.05: The Doctor

While the Crocodile was riddled with character inconsistencies and a weak sense of foresight, The Doctor managed what last week’s episode couldn’t. It was all about bringing characters forward, and moving on from the past. Even its story arcs felt like they were all about progressing towards something bigger. There was no middling character development, and side plots being left in the cold; a perfect example of how strong this season’s narrative has been so far.

Once Upon a Time 2.04: The Crocodile

When the curse was broken, and half of Storbrooke remembered the wrongs that Regina and Rumple had brought upon them, both characters immediately hit a turning point. Regina and Rumple had to either make a change, or turn back down the road they came. Since the first season built up their villainy so heavily, and the flashbacks mostly focused on each of their journeys towards these dark places, there wasn’t any other direction to go but up. Regina made the decision to do what’s best for Henry, we saw that much when she let him go, and Rumple decided to do what’s best for Belle, but is there any truth to his sacrifice?

Once Upon a Time 2.03: Lady of the Lake

Three episodes in and there’s no signs of this season slowing down. One thing that Once has to combat this year though, is combining all these duelling stories without making the entire episode seem disharmonized.  As far as this episode goes, there wasn’t a hint of discord throughout, but with such a killer pace, the show is definitely going to run that risk.