I’ve really appreciated the new direction that Once Upon A Time has taken so far in Season 6. They’ve been back to their roots in terms of storytelling, and most of the mysteries have actually been compelling, something that has not always been the case. The show works really well when they never forget even a piece of their backstory, and tonight they had a major payoff that served their show well.
This week on Once Upon A Time: In the flashbacks, Hook is taken aboard the Nautilus, to help Captain Nemo with a mission, and discovers someone from his past aboard the ship. The Evil Queen continues to unleash hell, this time by showing Henry that Hook didn’t get rid of the shears. While attempting to correct Hook’s mistake, he and Henry are taken aboard the Nautilus in present day. Charming, Snow, and Regina rescue Archie. Emma gives Aladdin a savior to savior pep talk. Belle gets her first ultrasound.
As I’ve been all season, I’m pleased with the way that this story was told. The flashbacks were effective, and directly relevant to present day. The Hook and Henry story was good in particular because you rarely get to see the two of them bond. Speaking as Henry, I think the coolest part about having Hook in your life would be getting into an occasional swashbuckling adventure, so this was probably best case scenario. This is also a show that doesn’t always use Henry well, but both Gilmore and O’Donoghue rose to the occasion in a well-told story.
Incorporating Hook’s half brother was a nice touch. I remembered that Hook had killed his father and had a half brother named Liam, but not until they reminded me. But tying up loose plot threads and reaching back into the show’s canon and mythology is a good way to tell a long-term story. I love the way that Once Upon A Time comes full circle when you least expect it.
The rest of the stories were a little unnecessary. I honestly think they could’ve told an entire story about Nemo, Liam, Hook, and Henry, using the Evil Queen to get it started and Emma at the end. They didn’t need the “Archie rescue” subplot until later, and I’m not sure they needed the Belle part at all. I understand the need to incorporate every character, but this episode didn’t need it.
Also, that ending was a bit of a mixed bag. I was so impressed when Hook and Henry ACTUALLY got rid of the shears. I was so impressed that they undid Hook’s dumb mistake so soon. He came clean to Emma and everything. It showed tremendous growth. And then the Evil Queen got them, and I was disappointed again. I mean seriously. They couldn’t have spent 5 minutes at the bottom of the ocean?
Here are a few extraneous thoughts:
- I like Aladdin and Jasmine (Still miss Galavant), but I do not yet give a rip about Agrabah.
- I would like to aggregate some loose ends for the show to tie up. Starting with Charming’s dad.
- I didn’t care for all of the subplots, but it was a nice touch that Nemo was the guy they found by the mines.
All in all, this was a step up from last week’s cheap bait-and-switch twist. Although I wish someone would just commit to the shears one way or the other. But don’t run with them.
What did you guys think? Did you enjoy the episode? Let us know in the comments!
Once Upon A Time airs Sundays at 8/7c on ABC
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