Amph ABC's "Once Upon a Time"

It's a convoluted mess of plot lines that needs catch up episodes to set things straight. If they had less than 22 episodes things would be better, I've tried to follow along but there's just so many balls in the air its insane. BUT if you try to enjoy it and don't question too much you might like it.

 

I was hoping maybe it was my computer connection because I didn't watch it on tv, but this saddens me if you noticed it too. It was really distracting with how horrible the effects were. Like you said, if it was just a couple times during the episode I don't think I'd notice, but it really took away from the characters, imo.

 

The Wonderland spinoff.... ouch. It felt like it needed another complete hour for the pilot so it wouldn't have been such a jumbled rushed mess.

 

Best part of last week's episode

 

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If Regina turns out to be Nala I'm going to be mad. Regina means lion queen. Her soul mate in this episode had a lion tattoo. Now I'm worried.

 

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That would be interesting. But then Robin Hood would have to become a king somehow. Also his character is pretty boring so I'm unsure. Hopefully it's just being misleading.

 

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He fought for Richard the Lionheart in the crusades, per legend, so I'm pretty sure that's where the lion tattoo comes in.

I halfway expected for someone to start clapping to prove they believed in Tinkerbell again.

But don't mind me; I'm over here in the corner crying with Mulan. (Though props to Disney, since I wasn't sure if they would even go there).

 

As an aside to the Wonderland Spinoff, did anybody else recognize the guy travelling with Alice as Tom from BBC's Being Human or was that just me?

 

I thought Mulan's scene with Aurora was particularly well done. She was quite cardboard-like most of the time until then although given her honorable warrior ideals I guess she would be rather controlled most of the time.

 

I'm trying to pitch an episode idea to ABC/Horowitz-Kitsis for this season... provided that they're not all pre-filmed.

Basically, David/Prince Charming gets separated from the pack, being slowed by the poison and all. He stumbles across a middle-aged man in the Neverland jungle, who turns out to be Christopher Robin of Winnie-the-Pooh fame. Christopher Robin tells David that he knows of a cure for his wound, but he must travel to the Hundred Acre Wood to retrieve a bear's tooth, a tiger's claw, and an owl's feather. He hands David a small brown leather pouch to shake the ingredients and create the antidote. The only way to reach the Hundred Acre Wood from Neverland is through a portal in a hole in the island's tallest tree, which only opens for a few minutes upon sunset every night. David finds the tree, enters the portal, and finds himself in a child's room with various stuffed animals strewn about. He finds a stuffed Tigger in a corner, and when David touches it, the stuffed animal transforms into a real, live tiger. David runs out of the clubhouse in terror, only to find that the other stuffed animals transformed into their real-life counterparts. The Hundred Acre Wood isn't nearly as pleasant as the original Disney version, as it is filled with creepy, twisty trees and spooky sounds. David battles the animals and ultimately retrieves the ingredients for the antidote, but after he cures himself he realizes he's stranded in the Hundred Acre Wood with no way to get back to Neverland or Storybrooke.

Here's the kicker. Christopher Robin was the first person to discover Neverland, and is actually Peter Pan's father.

 

Actually, an interesting question is raised from this episode:

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Assuming the Blue Fairy knew that the Pixie Dust would work -- and lead Regina to her true love... why was she against it, other than it would totally negate Rumple's plan? Wouldn't, presumably, Regina finding true love -- especially when she was theoretically still at the crossroads -- make her not become the Regina we came to know?

 

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I think that had to do with the hope/believing argument. Blue fairy has always seemed like a bit more of a tough love kind of person, she's not as youthful as Tink. She probably assumed there was a risk taking factor in to doing it, also she'd have to get over herself and help someone who she thinks is evil and unworthy. Mature characters tend to not have such an easy time forgiving and helping those who've wronged them or others and have a harder time seeing past that to the end goal.

 

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I really enjoyed last night's episode. I've been kinda meh on most of this season so far, but Neal was amazing last night. I've not really cared for that character and I'm not sure what it was but wow he really made me believe during the episode.

 

I will make one comment on this show as a whole. I was and am a great fan of the X-Men franchise. Its principal villain is a literal Holocaust survivor. He often features in arcs opposing giant, killer robots that indiscriminately slaughter people for a question of genetics. Despite doing everything they can to explicitly and implicitly invoke the destructive power of racism, he is still in his best moments given a significantly less sympathetic portrayal than even the "worst" of the villains on this program. Think about that a moment.

 

Yeah I did and I don't think there's a point to that.

 

Oh god it's not horrible like Heroes is it?

 

Pan looks like he could be a young Malcolm McDowell

 

If you mean it doesn't really serve as criticism or praise, sure. But I think it certainly says something about the show's approach to both morality and its characters that a murdered lover or battlefield cowardice are treated as more justifiable motivations for evil than is what is commonly counted among the worst atrocities in all of human history.

 

We forgave Darth Vader.

 

I think you're comparing two completely separate things that have no reason to be compared.

 

No, the Force forgave Darth Vader... that's the whole point. There were novels written about how people still thought of Darth Vader as the boogeyman, how Leia didn't want to have kids in case they ended up like him, etc. But the morality and afterlife in that universe are clearly defined as being arbitrated by The Force, not us.

J-w's point is one that often comes up online -- that Regina, the Evil Queen, tended to have the Regina Pity Party season (Season 2) which... was fairly poorly received in most online circles. That Snow White, with killing Cora, was somehow equated as "the same" as Regina is... odd.

Now, having said that, the difference is that Regina is one of the most compelling actresses on the show -- and no one compares with Robert Carlyle at all -- so trying to build the show around the redemption of the Evil (capital-"E") characters from the Fairytale Land makes a good amount of sense. However, they actually have to make it look like actual redemption (which they appear to be trying with Rumple this season) as opposed to Regina's... poor... attempt at redemption last season.

 

Okay yeah you've both lost me. I have no idea what either of you are talking about. I mean, I understand your points of what you're literally saying but I'm not understanding the relevancy to anything. I feel like I missed a conversation. Or maybe it's because I have so many people on ignore now that I have no idea what is going on anymore.

 

Am I on ignore, or shall I try and explain?

 

Lol you're not on ignore.

 

As far as I can see Wocky's post came out of nowhere.