Jacob Reviews….The first half of the second season of Once Upon A Time

By: Jacob Elyachar

Once Upon A Time’s first half of its sophomore season ended on a happy note as Emma and Snow returned home to their family and friends after being away in the remains of the Enchanted Forest.    Unfortunately, their reunion maybe cut short as Regina’s wicked mother: Cora and Captain Hook escaped the remains of the Enchanted Forest and headed towards Storybrooke.

The first half of the hit ABC drama presented viewers with several huge twists, new characters and brought magic into the real world.

Highlights:

 

• Regina’s Road of Redemption:  Regina spent most of the first two episodes trying to reclaim her magic and terrorizing the town.   However, realizing that she was turning into her mother, the Evil Queen began a long road to redemption that started with giving Charming custody of Henry and saying goodbye to a monstrous reincarnation of her true love: Daniel.    Her final step towards in her redemption quest was saving Snow and Emma from the fatal death trap that she and Mr. Gold conjured just in case Cora entered Storybrooke.

 

•  Rumple’s Revenge: Earlier this season, viewers learned how Rumpelstiltskin became a single father.  It was after his wife, Milah, who never loved him abandoned their family to live with Captain Hook.   Years later, Rumple met up with them as the Dark One and got his revenge against his wife and Hook by ripping Milah’s heart out and taking Hook’s hand.  This act shows that Rumple is still the best villain on the show.

 

• Whale is Frankenstein: Many fans were divided when they learned that the womanizing and arrogant Dr. Whale was revealed to be Dr. Victor Frankenstein in the show’s Halloween episode.   “The Doctor” ended with the homage to the classic 1930s Universal Horror Film where viewers saw the birth of the Frankenstein Monster.

 

•  Snow takes charge: When Snow and Emma arrived in the remains of the Enchanted Forest, viewers got to see a tougher side of Snow White as she dealt with protecting her reunited daughter from the Enchanted Forest’s remaining threats: Cora, the ogres and the devilish Captain Hook.

 

Low points:

• Missing characters: For the first time in the show’s history, several of the major players including Regina, Snow and Emma were missing during one or two more episodes during the first half of the season.  While it was not a big deal, there was one person’s absence that had several fans concerned…

• Where’s Pinocchio? Pinocchio made his appearance known only twice throughout this season so far: once after waking up and leaving Granny’s Inn and appearing to Neal, Emma’s ex-boyfriend and Henry’s father, to convince him to leave Emma alone that she can fulfill her destiny and break Regina’s curse in Storybrooke.

Final thoughts and grade: Overall, this show continues to enchant viewers through its stories, impressive special effects and superb acting from a great ensemble.  I hope Once Upon A Time continues to deliver quality episodes during the second half of the season. A-

 

Previews:

• Old rivalries to re-ignite as Rumple and Hook collide while Regina is not letting Henry leave with Emma without a fight.

•  The welcome wagon may or may not be friendly towards Emma’s ex: Neal Cassidy when he eventually arrives in Storybrooke.

• Creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis stated that fans should expect to see Aladdin, Ariel and Jafar to make appearances in the second half of the season in a July article of TV Guide.

• How will the Charming family protect Henry from Cora?

To catch the preview of the January 6^th episode of Once Upon A Time, click here: http://youtu.be/nRWpMpFXFH8

All of these videos are properties of Kitsis/Horowitz Productions & ABC Studios.