We’ve now finished the final installment prior to the winter finale of Once Upon A Time, and things have never looked bleaker for the heroes. Though it started off slow, “Changelings” had a lot to like within its credits, and set up what looks to be an interesting, exciting story for the winter finale next week.
This week on Once Upon A Time: Rumple tries to speed up Belle’s pregnancy, but the Evil Queen’s intervention is what really does the trick. Regina stops The Evil Queen from killing Zelena. Emma and Hook try to help Belle save her child from Rumplestiltskin. Snow helps Jasmine and Aladdin with their genie lamp. In the flashbacks, Rumplestiltskin uses a stolen child to summon the Black Fairy, to whom he has a special connection.
Admittedly, this episode started out not so great. The flashbacks were clunky and they felt like silliness, and the present day stuff seemed to drag out the Rumbelle relationship drama that has plagued several seasons of this great show. Regina and Zelena didn’t seem to add much of value to the episode, either, and Snow White, Jasmine, and Aladdin were just setting up for next week’s episode. BUT. I’m always willing to admit when I’ve judged something too soon, and that’s exactly what I had done when I divided my attention between “Changelings” and other things. There were a few times that I actually stopped what I was doing and watched, which shows how commanding this show is when the dramatic stakes are there.
All of the stories improved as the show went on, but the highlight of the entire episode, by far, was Emilie De Ravin’s work as Belle. De Ravin can be startlingly underused on this show at times, falling backward into an angel on Rumplestiltksin’s shoulder. Having been a fan of De Ravin’s since her work in Remember Me, I was well aware of her dramatic abilities. In this episode, she really let it shine. Sometimes, there can be an emotional disconnect on Once Upon A Time, particularly when it comes to the emotions dealing with children. But De Ravin killed every scene. The emotion she conveyed when seeing her son in her dreams, dealing with Rumple, and worst of all (spoilers) letting her son go with the Blue Fairy so that he could have a chance at a happy life. De Ravin was a commanding presence in every scene, her emotions resonating with the audience in a way that’s at best uncommon on genre television.
Belle made every one of her scenes compelling, but the most surprising part of tonight’s episode was the reveal of Rumplestiltskin’s mother, The Black Fairy. The notorious woman who conceived a child with Peter Pan and then abandoned him was a magical being whose heart was blackened. I’m sure that this woman will come into play later, and be involved in more than just Rumple’s abandonment issues, seeing as Season 6 is more of a long game. Still, this was surprising, but a welcome one, as we continue to explore one of the more mysterious characters on TV today.
Here are a few other thoughts:
- Does anyone else get the impression that Belle’s son in the visions is not what he seems/up to something? I’ve never felt quite right about those interactions.
- Regina can never forgive Zelena? Really? I feel like that’s a stretch. I’ll believe it when I see it.
- I’m officially tired of waiting to find out who the prophesied “savior-killer” is. Let’s get on with it, folks!
So even though the episode started out a bit slow and clunky, I had totally forgotten about that by the time Emilie De Ravin got done with her scenes. Seeing some of the best acting work on Once after several seasons will definitely draw you in and keep your attention.
What did you guys think? Did you enjoy the episode? Let us know!
Once Upon A Time’s Winter Finale airs Sunday, December 4th at 8/7c on ABC
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