Once Upon A Time‘s fifth season has gone surprisingly well so far. It’s not surprising in the sense that I didn’t like the show before (I did, and still do), but it’s surprising in the way that it seems to have recaptured some of the early season magic (pun intended) that made viewers fall in love with it in the first place. It’s departure from the formula is really keeping people guessing and finding creative angles to explore. I, for one, am totally on board. “Dreamcatcher” was a smart episode that mostly put puzzle pieces together…and added a few more.
This week on Once Upon A Time: In present time, Henry goes on a mission with Emma’s help, all to impress a girl. Merida tries to make a hero out of Rumpelstiltskin. Regina, Robin, Hook and Belle break into Emma’s house and find Excalibur. Henry goes on a date in two timelines, with extremely different outcomes. In the Camelot past, Regina and Emma succeed in freeing Merlin.
I didn’t even realize how much had happened in this episode until I just wrote it out there. It was pretty obvious that this was a plot driven episode, but (like with the rest of the season) there is some really great character work going on as well. I was really impressed with how the plot seemed to organically open up the character work, and none of it felt forced. The inclusion of Henry was a particular piece that I found well put together, as sometimes his inclusion can feel forced.
I’ve felt this way all season, but I cannot get enough of Dark Emma. I think Jennifer Morrison is doing a fantastic job of putting the darkness into an already existing character. It would be really easy for her to imitate what Robert Carlyle has laid out for her as the previous Dark One, but instead she’s presenting an extremely interesting creation unique to her character. I’m still really enjoying getting to watch her flex some of those acting muscles we haven’t previously seen from her on this show.
There were a few other arcs in “Dreamcatcher” that I found more compelling than the rest. I thought Rumpelstiltskin’s beginning journey to hero-land was interesting. In his initial encounters with Merida, he embodied “pre-Dark One” Rumple, but what followed showed just how far the character has come in these last few seasons. Robert Carlyle has always been one of (if not THE) most interesting characters on the show, and this new arc is only deepening my interest. I also thought Henry’s arc was extremely compelling, if not groundbreaking.
It’s not often that I am surprised by a particular plot twist. However, “Dreamcatcher” got me good. I was sitting and wondering how Henry’s romances were going so completely different in the two timelines. As soon as I saw Emma approach the girl in her barn, I knew. From time to time in my reviews, I throw up kudos when I’m caught off guard (honestly, it doesn’t happen often). To me, it’s a sign of great writing, and it keeps me interested.
Overall, this was a solid character episode with some really interesting developments. I’m continually excited to see how things play out.
What did you guys think of “Dreamcatcher”? Did you enjoy it? Let us know in the comments!
[Photo credit: Jack Rowand/ABC]
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