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Hmmm arc rankings:
1. S1- obviously the best
2. S3A- Best finale, best villain
3. S5B- Best character moments, old characters, great villain, cool CGI
4. S4A- I actually liked the frozen story line. It meshed well with the OUAT universe.
5. S2A (1-16)- Lots of great episodes in here. The only reason it’s this low is because of the many duds during this time. This was a studs and duds era for OUAT.
6. S3B- Wicked Witch was cool. But the finale left something to be desired, and it took forever to reveal Zelena’s motives.
7. S2B (17-22)- Couple clunks here but I enjoyed Tamara and Greg more than most. And I liked the welcome to storybrooke episode a lot and the transition to Pan and Neverland. And the Dragon!
8. S5A- Started out as the most promising, but then fell on it’s face in the final two episodes. The switch to make it all about Hook and not Emma was frustrating and it contradicted everything Emma said in the premiere in granny’s when she basically threatened everyone. Merlin was great though and I actually didn’t hate Merida and Arthur.
9. S4B- I actually liked the finale, but other then Cruella, this arc was a disaster. Regina flipping cars with the Queens for fun and mayhem, Ursula not being the Ursula we were lead to believe, and Maleficent being rather boring, oh and the unfinished Lily stuff and the whole muddled darkness with Snow and Charming and what actually is inside Emma. So much potential with the author and three iconic villains, but the writing just didn’t live up to the hype. Maybe I’ll have to re-watch it, because there were parts I really liked that could help get this arc out of last place, but for now, it’s where it stands.
[adrotate group="5"]Honestly this show “Jumped the Shark” for me when they brought in Elsa / Frozen characters in Season 4. I loved seasons 1-3 so much…I just keep watching hoping it will get good again… but this might be it for me. They wrote the first three seasons centered around this curse that Rumple cast to find his son, who turned out to be Henry’s dad/Emma’s true love… then they killed him! When Emma and Hook went back in time at the end of Season 3B and encountered Rumple… I thought it would tie back in to saving Baelfire/Neal, but nope. The plot has never made any sense to me since the death of Neal. The whole point / the whole premise of the show is gone. If you watch any of the episodes from season 1 – 3 compared to seasons 4-6… the quality has taken a nose dive. I might sit season 6 out… it’s just too frustrating to watch.
Honestly this show “Jumped the Shark” for me when they brought in Elsa / Frozen characters in Season 4. I loved seasons 1-3 so much…I just keep watching hoping it will get good again… but this might be it for me. They wrote the first three seasons centered around this curse that Rumple cast to find his son, who turned out to be Henry’s dad/Emma’s true love… then they killed him! When Emma and Hook went back in time at the end of Season 3B and encountered Rumple… I thought it would tie back in to saving Baelfire/Neal, but nope. The plot has never made any sense to me since the death of Neal. The whole point / the whole premise of the show is gone. If you watch any of the episodes from season 1 – 3 compared to seasons 4-6… the quality has taken a nose dive. I might sit season 6 out… it’s just too frustrating to watch.
Ahh not the whole jump the shark thing again. It certainly had it’s flaws, and they did it for the ratings, but I actually thought the way they incorporated frozen was quite good. And although the show has certainly changed, there are still episodes that are on par or even better than episodes in seasons 1-3. Or at least, that’s what I think. If anything, the story now usually suffers the most when it is simply plot driven and not character driven. But when they take the time to develop the original cast (Regina and Emma’s chat in Neal’s apt in the 5b finale), the show is still quite good.
Honestly this show “Jumped the Shark” for me when they brought in Elsa / Frozen characters in Season 4. I loved seasons 1-3 so much…I just keep watching hoping it will get good again… but this might be it for me. They wrote the first three seasons centered around this curse that Rumple cast to find his son, who turned out to be Henry’s dad/Emma’s true love… then they killed him! When Emma and Hook went back in time at the end of Season 3B and encountered Rumple… I thought it would tie back in to saving Baelfire/Neal, but nope. The plot has never made any sense to me since the death of Neal. The whole point / the whole premise of the show is gone. If you watch any of the episodes from season 1 – 3 compared to seasons 4-6… the quality has taken a nose dive. I might sit season 6 out… it’s just too frustrating to watch.
100% agree with everything written here.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
1) What was your favorite episode of S5B?
–Her Handsome Hero (Belle centrics almost always win for me, but also, it seemed–for one episode–to add some depth to her character, something that’s been sorely lacking in many episodes where things tend to just reset these days.)2) What was your least favorite episode of S5B?
–Last Rites. It was stupid to kill Robin, and then bring back Hook via Deus Ex. It’s angered and saddened the fandom with no positive results, no more love for Hook than he already had, and no character development for anyone but Regina (who, granted, is doing fun things with it). Stupider was the missed opportunity to really explore the Zeus/Hades relationship and actually give Robin some plot before killing him off.3) What did you think of Hades and the Underworld?
–Hades was brilliant (though the blue hair didn’t quite fit). I enjoyed every moment of him on screen. The writers failed to give him consistent motives, though, and that weakened the arc. They also missed some major opportunities to show why Gold didn’t like being there and compel Regina to deal with her past head-on–yes, she dealt with her parents, and that was awesome, but Peasant #917’s presence there on her account was barely nodded to. Also, more time with Pan would have been good–it felt like we didn’t get enough of his story in the Underworld, nor was Gold given any further motive to do him in completely. That took away from their farewell in Storybrooke, where Gold’s killing Pan had a beautifully ambiguous effect–now it was just hatred. Some hint as to how things had played off in the Underworld before would have helped make the final death more impactful.4) What was your favorite and least favorite moment?
–The most magical moment I think was actually when the coins from the fountain started raining on the Charmings. So I’m going with that for favorite.
–Least favorite was Belle putting herself under the sleeping curse, because while I understood she needed maternity leave, it felt like they’d undone all the character growth of the previous episode and sacrificed the opportunity for Belle and Gold to work together to save their child, as well as the chance for Belle to get any closure on anything this season. But big second-least for killing Robin pointlessly and then bringing back Hook equally pointlessly (no, I didn’t want Hook to go away, but it hurts the story and the fandom the way it played out so far).5) We had a lot of old favorite (and least favorite) characters return this arc; which character did you most like seeing? Who do you wish we saw?
–Cora by far stole the show whenever she was on.
–So glad we got to see more of Moe and more of Gaston.
–Wish we could have had time to really explore Pan a bit more. He came off flat, especially with most of his previous story so long ago.6) Thing you’re most looking forward to in S6?
–The Rumbelle plot arc could be AMAZING (or awful, you never can tell with those two…the actors know how to pull off almost anything, but the writers seem clueless anymore as to how to write them).
–Also more of the steampunky Island of Forgotten Characters. They actually brought it into the show and I’m still giggling.7) Overall grade and final thoughts on S5B?
–I give it a B. There were missed opportunities, and some awful dropped storylines, and a bit of character assassination, but overall…they managed at moments to recapture parts of the show I fell in love with, and they at least made some effort to get continuity with past events (if not magical rules consistency, which they seem to have dropped altogether). Belle had some powerful, beautiful moments, forgotten as she was half the time, and Rumbelle will always make my heart melt (he had Pandora’s box all tucked up in the passenger seat on his overcoat!). To get an A, they would have needed a better reason to bring Hook back than “just because” and actual closure to the Camelot storyline.Keeper of Belle's Gold magic, sand dollar, cloaks, purple FTL outfit, spell scroll, library key, copy of Romeo and Juliet, and cry-muffling pillow, Rumple's doll, overcoat, and strength, and The Timeline. My spreadsheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6r8CySCCWd9R0RUNm4xR3RhMEU/view?usp=sharing
Ahh not the whole jump the shark thing again. It certainly had it’s flaws, and they did it for the ratings, but I actually thought the way they incorporated frozen was quite good. And although the show has certainly changed, there are still episodes that are on par or even better than episodes in seasons 1-3. Or at least, that’s what I think. If anything, the story now usually suffers the most when it is simply plot driven and not character driven. But when they take the time to develop the original cast (Regina and Emma’s chat in Neal’s apt in the 5b finale), the show is still quite good.
I agree to an extent. I don’t think the show has jumped the shark yet (at the very least 5B has pulled it back from that point). I also agree about the show being better when it’s more character driven and focusses on the original cast and fleshes them out more instead of being completely plot driven.
I have to disagree about Frozen. It was too new to fit into the show seamlessly which made it seem like a cash grab. The fact that the Disney movies are in the show’s continuity (Neal telling Mulan about a movie being made about her) throws the timeline because either Emma had just met the newest Disney Princess who’s movie was barely a year old, or Emma is about to see a 100% accurate retelling of her new friend’s life. Basically Once was going: For Elsa’s backstory, see Frozen.
The main aspect of the Frozen arc I disliked was Anna. She was annoying and I HATED the way the show made her the reason Charming and Belle are like they are. Charming wasn’t courageous because that is who he is as a person, he was only like that because he met Anna who inspired him. Belle was never brave, she was only like that because she met Anna who inspired her. The fact that the show tried to make Anna a part of some of the main cast’s backstories (Charming, Belle, Rumple) was very cliché and it made me dislike Anna more than I already did. Hook is preferable to Anna.
All magic comes with a price!
Keeper of FelixAs for rankings…S2 was when I became absolutely enthralled, though I was watching from the start…(FB recently gave me a memories from 2012 posting on how it was almost Once time…)
I liked the Frozen arc because I loved the portrayals of the characters.
And any arc where Belle isn’t entirely asleep is a good arc as far as I’m concerned.
Keeper of Belle's Gold magic, sand dollar, cloaks, purple FTL outfit, spell scroll, library key, copy of Romeo and Juliet, and cry-muffling pillow, Rumple's doll, overcoat, and strength, and The Timeline. My spreadsheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6r8CySCCWd9R0RUNm4xR3RhMEU/view?usp=sharing
1. What was your favorite episode of 5B?
For me is was “Sisters.” I know it had a retcon feel to it, but I thought it was a very creative way to bring Regina and Zelena together. I’m not sure I would have believed them trusting each other without that previous (albeit short) relationship. I also love Barbara Hershey as Cora, and as quick as her turnaround seemed, she sold it for me. I always love “twists” that fit into the original story organically, and this did in my opinion.
2. What was your least favorite episode of 5B?
“Ruby Slippers” – It wasn’t a well-developed story and was clearly made to appease fans without the writers having to work too hard.
3. What did you think of Hades and the Underworld?
I thought Greg’s portrayal of Hades was incredibly good. I, like may of you, definitely wish we had been given his origin backstory. Also, the portrayal of him “truly loving Zelena” complete with TLK was troubling to me since they seem to be indicating with RumBelle that true love is completely selfless. Otherwise I enjoyed what I saw. I thought the Underworld was a really fun opportunity to revisit dead characters, and for the most part liked who they chose to spotlight. Again, I was troubled by their portrayal of how one gets to the Better or Worse Place, but overall the Underworld was fun and compelling to me.
4.What was your favorite and least favorite moment?
Favorite: Either Regina reconciling with her father or with Zelena.
Least Favorite: Robin’s death is definitely up there. No need to explain.
5. We had a lot of old favorite (and least favorite) characters return this arc; which character did you most like seeing? Who do you wish we saw?
Cruella! I love how she differs from the other villains in that she was just born evil. Victoria Smurfit does an awesome job portraying her. I would have loved to have seen Graham like many of you I’m sure.
6. Thing you’re most looking forward to in S6?
I’m definitely looking forward to the show branching out beyond Disney and “fairy-tales” and seeing their twists on them. I liked when they brought in Frankenstein in S2 and I was disappointed they didn’t continue that trend.
7. Overall grade and final thoughts on S5B?
B- Overall I enjoyed this arc. Robin’s death and the lack of origin story for Hades brings it down from an A for me.</p>
Arc Ranking:
S1 (tied with S3A): Trying to figure out who was who and who knew what was just so much fun. They did a great job of showing the story, showing us that character motivations were more and more complex. Of all the arcs/seasons this still contains the most of my favorite episodes from the whole show. Even the “dud” episodes helped to build the world they were introducing.
S3A (tied with S1): Robbie Kay! Pan is still my favorite villain of the series. I loved the group being somewhere besides Storybrooke and the Pan being Rumple’s dad twist was awesome.
S2A (1-16): I loved Snow and Emma’s adventure in the Enchanted Forest and Cora’s arc was great to see – second favorite villain after Pan.
S5B: We got a great villain in Hades and some great closure for Regina, Zelena, Cora, and Henry Sr. However, we had Robin’s death and no backstory for him as promised and no origin story for Hades.
S4B: I enjoyed the QOD’s stories and seeing August again. However, we had been waiting for the author revelation since Season 1, and it just seemed like a bit of a letdown. He wasn’t a totally unexpected literary character, instead he was….a TV salesman…
S3B: This was where the plot started feeling recycled to me. They were cursed without memories back in Storybooke. Again. 3A had ended so strongly with bold writing choices and then….almost everything was undone an episode later. I did love the finale 2 episodes (tied with the Season 1 finale for my favorite) but it was pretty much unrelated to the rest of the arc.
S2B (17-22): Seeing Storybrooke in flashback, Groundhog Day style was great. I could have gotten on board with GOAT and the science vs. magic storyline, but it never went anywhere. We were never told why Tamara hated magic and Pan’s drawing of Henry in 3×22 continues to be the most frustrating non-explanation we’ve gotten in the show.
S5A: This arc left so much to be desired for me. They spent the entire season before building up the mysterious and all-powerful “sorcerer” only to have him easily killed before the arc was even finished. While I thought the actress was great for Merida, we didn’t need two episodes of backstory for her. Also, memory wipe. Again.
S4A: Casting is almost always spot on in OUAT and Anna and Elsa were no exceptions. I throughly enjoyed Ingrid as a villain – her quiet, deranged mannerisms were a nice contrast from Pan and Zelena. However, this was my least favorite arc because I felt like it became OUAT incorporated into Frozen, rather than the other way around. Every episode’s flashback but 4×11 featured one of the new-to-the-arc characters. 3 or 4 of them didn’t feature any of the main characters in flashback at all. I didn’t mind the writers including the new Frozen, but they allowed it to take over the show.
1) What was your favorite episode of S5B?
A tie between Our Decay, Sisters, and Untold Stories.
2) What was your least favorite episode of S5B?
Brother Jones // Last Rites
3) What did you think of Hades and the Underworld?
I thought Greg Germann’s portrayal of Hades was, for the most part, fantastic. I wasn’t a fan of the ear popping/blue hair effect, and Hades could have used a more fleshed out back story. As it stood, I still have no idea who Hades really was or what motivated him. UB was alright, but the world building ended up being shoddy, as usual. OUAT would do so much better if they actually treated the world it’s set in as an actual character — which, as I recall, was the explicit premise of Lost, right?
4) What was your favorite and least favorite moment?
Favorite: Neal and Emma in the bug; some of the complex dialogues between Rumple/Belle; Regina/Emma; and Gold/Regina. Every time we got to see Barbara Hershey. Cruella.
Least favorite: Robin dying. Emma and Hook making out in front of Robin’s casket. Actually, increasingly, everything to do with Emma. I’m hoping they don’t reboot her character yet again in S6. Also, every time Rumple does something because Powerz and Evilz, and where an actual exploration of what (ought) to motivate the character is replaced by a facile retcon.
5) We had a lot of old favorite (and least favorite) characters return this arc; which character did you most like seeing?
Cora, Cruella, Ruby, the Blind Witch, Henry Sr, and of course Neal.
Who do you wish we saw?
Graham. Also, is King George still alive? (not that I want to see him, but he’s been in those mines an awful long time).
6) Thing you’re most looking forward to in S6?
More of an exploration of darkness/light. Hoping for the romance sub-genre which has dominated the show for a few seasons to recede into the background a bit and let some other themes breathe. EQ and maybe other characters’ evil sides becoming enfleshed and running amok. More than anything, I will breathe a sigh of relief once we move beyond Disney. I’ve never been a huge fan of Disney to begin with, probably because I didn’t really grow up with it, and so I don’t associate it as much with a sense of childhood nostalgia. Coming to it more as an adult, I can’t help but see the “darker” side of it — like the latent misogyny coupled with just plain old capitalist greed. So while S1 was this really intriguing reconceptualization of really famous fairytales, with many renditions (Disney one among many others), the subsequent focus on “Disney brand” products (Frozen, Brave) started feeling really opportunistic and narratively lazy, probably in part because copyright issues prevented the show runners from taking liberties with the plot. I know I’m probably in the minority here in terms of my distaste for Disney, but I am relieved that S6 might be moving away from it. I think if the set-up for S6 had been another Disney movie, I would’ve called it quits, but now I’m actually intrigued by what S6 might bring. Stevenson, Verne, Cervantes etc might all be really fun authors to explore, and both Stevenson and Verne were terrifically prolific writers, so there’s a ton of stuff. I would also love for them to stick with the “gothic horror” aesthetic for at least part of the season.
7) Overall grade and final thoughts on S5B?
As an overall arc, the writing didn’t hold together. Individual episodes had some really interesting and chewy themes, and some witty dialogues, but the overall narrative didn’t gel. The acting, though, was really really good, and sometimes just stellar. B-/C+?
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