Excellent hour. Once Upon A Time continues its splendid sophomore season with yet another captivating episode.
I thought I had grown tired of Rumpelstiltskin but apparently that was not the case. Robert Carlyle knocked this hour out of the park as he did a superb job of balancing the character’s cowardly past with his satisfyingly sinister transformation. It was quite fulfilling to see him gain vengeance against his wife and her lover who was brilliantly revealed to be none other than Captain Hook. And if that wasn’t enough, I loved the ending with Hook forming a partnership of evil with Cora. The show really needed some full-on antagonists and suffice to say, things are going to get explosive from here on out with these two villains hellbent on revenge.
I do have one major complaint though; I seriously detest Emilie De Raven. The role of Belle really should have gone to a more seasoned actress with better acting chops. Honestly Raven bores me to tears as she has zero charisma and plays every scene in a monotonous manner. It’s a shame really because the character has a lot of potential. Maybe she’ll improve but I’m not holding my breath.
Finally, I’m loving the added emphasis on Ruby this year. Here’s hoping she gets even more focus in the coming episodes (particularly her wolf-y tendencies).
Conclusion
Although Raven’s performance brought it down quite a bit, I still enjoyed this hour immesnly.
Nad Rating
B+
i agree with u i'm really liking ouat a lot better this season it has more action
Belle annoys me too, maybe because she's my favorite disney princess and I think she was seriously miscast. Inno did they have to go and give her a british accent? BELLE IS FRENCH! Hello! Don't get me wrong, I did like the story line – but there was something off which I think you pointed out to me. She's pretty and all, but she was a miscast. Why is she the one to be brought back from the cast of Lost (FYI – I disliked her character on Lost as well, and I think I blocked out her ending for that reason).
Great episode though!
Glad to see I'm not the only one who's really annoyed by Ravin as people really seem to love her online. The accent, the blank-eyed stare, she's atrocious! She really was the weakest link on Lost! But yes, even she couldn't stop this hour from being excellent!