Yes, a lot more time went by in the first season. By the time the curse broke, Emma had been in the town for nearly a year. Henry was 10 when we first met him. Now he is 11.
I thought the same thing about the flashbacks- they complimented the present day stories much better last season. When we were introduced to new characters, we saw them in both the past and the present, usually in relation to one of the main characters. It was like here is this new person, and now we will show you who they used to be and what their role was before. Now they often leave us wondering why they are telling this other story- and the flashbacks are often shorter and less complete stories.
One thing I loved about “The Miller’s Daughter” is that the past and present felt connected again. I loved the juxtaposition of Rumple teaching magic first to Cora then later to Emma.
Yes, there have been many great episodes this season- don’t get me wrong! I love that we got more backstory on Emma and that we finally met Henry’s father/ Rumple’s son. I do want the story to keep moving forward and the characters to continue to evolve. I’m so curious as to where the next season will take us!