Contributor: Edmund B.
Written by Christine Boylan and Jane Espenson
Directed by David M. Barrett
Emma Swan’s checkered past, and Henry’s paternity, have been hinted at throughout “Once Upon A Time’”s run. In “Tallahassee”, we get some of the answers, and, no, Henry’s dad wasn’t a fireman. (Although he may have been a Terrier in a past life.) Michael Raymond-James returns after his brief appearance in the season-opening teaser, and falls straight into a “meet cute” with Emma, Grand Theft Auto-style.
All those memories come flooding back after prodding from Hook, because flirting always helps pass the time while you’re climbing a magic beanstalk. I have been a little hesitant about this louche, roguish take on Hook. However, a little digging reveals he’s actually closer to the J.M. Barrie characterization from the books, where he’s the handsomest man in the room. Colin O’Donoghue has made him into a believable opportunist, who will back whichever side serves his needs. With Emma’s penchant for bad boys confirmed by the flashback, I anticipate him creating more complications and shifts of loyalty on their way back to Storybrooke. Especially if Neal Cassady gets back on the road and meets them there.
Having him take that famous Kerouac name, combined with sharing a similar aimlessness and rootlessness with Emma, still points to him being Baelfire, for me, anyway. The timelines don’t seem to mesh, but there is more than enough room for some magicy, airy-fairy (that’s fairy tale land for timey-whimey) shenanigans to sort that out. Plus, Henry being Gold’s grandson is too good a twist to let go of.
But the biggest clue was also the part that annoyed me the most: August’s deus ex puppet crashing into the plot. They’d established Emma and Neal as a low-rent, petty larceny version of Bonnie and Clyde, more intent on stealing candy (the Apollo bar from “Lost”, again) than doing any real harm. We knew it had to end, and the seeds were already planted for Emma to take the fall. August and his magically persuasive trunk felt like an attempt to introduce mystery that just fell flat. It needed a sign of prior connection or recognition to make Neal’s immediate acquiesance plausible. Plus, August really cemented his rep from last season as the worst guardian angel ever.
Of course, the biggest “Lost” reference is at the top of the beanstalk. Jorge Garcia’s Giant almost gets overshadowed by some of the worst CGI the show has trotted out. The dragon had issues last season, but they were masked by cutaways and lots of medium to long shots. Here, the live actors have to be up close to large, virtual objects, and the mismatches are glaring. Once the ambush, courtesy of Mulan’s poppy powder, is out of the way, at least we can focus on the byplay again.
The search for the compass feels a little snarky and lackadaisical. But given the huge area to cover, it’s obvious early on the Giant will have to give it up voluntarily. With Jorge Garcia in the role, it’s no surprise he winds up as a gentle Giant. Being the last of his kind after a great war, which also reminds us the victors write the history, I’m surprised they didn’t give him a screwdriver to play with.
The princesses waiting at the base of the beanstalk finally find a way to give Aurora something to do beyond moping. She and Snow bond over their shared experiences with the sleeping curse. And her nightmare meshes with Henry’s and may provide some clues to them finally getting back. This episode is an improvement over “The Doctor” (any thing less would have brought thoughts of a merciful cancellation), but I’m tiring of the setup phase. It’s time to start bringing the pieces back together, and getting back to some all-out good vs evil conflict.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Directing: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Total Score: 7/10
