Contributor: Edmund B.
As the season finale of “Once Upon A Time” swirled around me, I kept being reminded of Paint-by-Numbers. Those simulations of creativity that, if slavishly followed, may produce a copy of a masterpiece, but one devoid of the original’s style, verve, and soul. The show hit major plot points, paid off long-simmering threads, but too much of it left me cold and unsatisfied.
From the top, my discontent flowed from having Emma’s conversion happen just because it had to, not through any explicable reason or machination. She just picks up the book, and BOOM?! My jaw would have hit the floor, if it hadn’t been so tightly clenched in disbelief. The device might have worked for someone who had actually lived the events, Snow, for instance, but with Emma, it just came off as a contrived convenience.
There’s been such a point made about the little remnants of magic left in this world. Couldn’t August have bound in some shard he’d tracked down during that extensive repair job? Showing all that work, just to insert an incomplete story, never made sense to me. (I’ve said enough previously about August/Pinocchio, so I’ll avoid the obvious joke about his appearance finally matching his storyline.)
On top of the conversion, Emma and Regina’s confrontation was far less epic than it should have been. I didn’t buy Regina caving in and admitting all so quickly. I expected her, at least initially, to put the blame on Emma for not eating the turnover like she was supposed to. Her relationship to Henry has been played so much as a power struggle between her and Emma, that her anguish at his plight didn’t ring true. While well played by both actors, it again felt contrived, a quick fix to get them to the McGuffin, Rumplestitskin’s vial of true love.
Just to finish off my annoyances, I didn’t appreciate the return of dumb Emma, tossing the egg to Mr. Gold. Also, the use of deus ex Hatter to sink Henry (I think, not completely clear on that one) and free Belle. In fact, his arc has been so disjointed, I’d nominate the Hatter as the poster child of characters concocted for plot conveniences.
The subsequent reunion of Belle and Mr. Gold also underwhelmed. It felt odd that her appearance didn’t cause him even a momentary hesitation. What need does he have of the vial, if his true love has returned? Instead, he just drags her along to what he was going to do anyway. I suppose it speaks to his commitment that her return doesn’t dissuade him. But it still diminished the emotional impact of a much-anticipated moment.
As you may have noticed, all of my quibbles fall on the Storybrooke side. The fairy-tale side, bringing Snow and Charming full circle to the kiss from the pilot, was much more satisfying. The all-too-brief glimpses of Graham, sparring with Rumplestiltskin in the Infinite Forest, the then-and-now duels with Malificent were all well done. While it may have been a little too quick at the end, I did like the contrast between utterly ineffective real-world gun and instantly on-target magic sword.
Given what I’ve already said, it may be surprising to hear I had no problem with Henry’s revival. Sure, it was telegraphed, but that’s because it was actually set up by the constant references to True Love’s Kiss. They even reprised Snow’s revival, just to hammer it home. That’s the difference between a plot point that’s earned versus one of convenience. There was just too much of the latter for me to give this finale a ringing endorsement.
All fairy tales show the battle of good and evil. This finale also showcased good and bad, and overall, the good did triumph, just not as completely as it could have. I’m very glad they did break the curse now, and left us with a complete mystery for next season. What will be revealed when the fog rolls back? Is the curse restored, as the clock returning to 8:15 could imply? Is Storybrooke intact, but with magic now in the air? Mr. Gold still needs to find his son. Will his rash act have helped, or hindered that quest? There is much to ponder as we wait for season two. And that, in the end, is a good thing.
Acting: 2/2
Writing: 1/2
Directing: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Total: 7/10
(Season 1 Final Average: 7.2)