Once Upon A Time, now having finished four episodes of an 11-episode first half of the season, has really begun to delve into its mythology. Last week, there was some doubt as to whether Lancelot was really alive and whether or not Arthur was really the antagonist, or untrustworthy. This wouldn’t be the first time that Once has put a twist on a story like that (see: Peter Pan), but either way, this week’s episode confirmed several of those things for us, and added some new interesting layers to all of it.
This week on Once Upon A Time: In flashbacks, Arthur sees from an early age that he is meant to pull Excalibur from the stone. As Arthur obsesses over finding the Dark One dagger, Lancelot and Guinevere set out on a quest of their own. In later flashbacks, David and Mary Margaret come to blows over whether or not to trust Arthur or Lancelot, but devise a strategy to figure it out. Hook tries to retain Emma’s trust as she wrestles with being the Dark One. In flashbacks AND present day, Merida resurfaces.
Well, I was hoping Merida wasn’t just a one-off. In fact, word on the street is that she, Mulan, and Ruby have some business later on in Season 5. I’m totally okay with that. Amy Manson is doing a wonderful job bringing Merida to life, and she’s one of the more compelling new characters Once has introduced in some time.
I noticed in “The Broken Kingdom” more than most how the non-linear storytelling that Once Upon A Time uses can be both advantageous and a detriment to the show as a whole. I thought “The Broken Kingdom” was a really good use of the non-linear format that Once has used throughout its run, which is totally fine. However, it seems to me that there could’ve been a more direct way of explaining what happened with Arthur, Lancelot, and Guinevere. I wanted to know, but not as badly as I wanted to know who we should trust. I liked the non-linear style, but I’m thinking linear might’ve worked better in this case. This is a minor quibble, as the storytelling medium worked to give me the information I, as a viewer, wanted: (spoilers!) Arthur is a bad guy, and he magicked Guinevere.
I really liked the way that David and Mary Margaret were portrayed in this episode. Arguably, their characters were used to push the Camelot plot through, but it was really well-acted and well-executed nonetheless. Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas are perfectly cast in these roles, and they’ve spent the last couple seasons in the background. When Snow and Charming fight, it really brings those “happy endings” down to earth a little bit. But, as they came together and tricked the Camelot trio (new band name?) into telling them who they should and shouldn’t trust, it was a wonderful illustration of marriage and its ups and downs. Love overcomes is a very prevalent theme on Once, and it’s fully on display in “The Broken Kingdom.”
Hands down, the best character arc in Season 5 has been Emma’s. She was barely in this episode, but the intermittent flashbacks of she and Hook tackling the voice in her head were some of the best the show has done. Jennifer Morrison has never done stronger work on the show, and Colin O’Donoghue is rising to the occasion. The use of flashback is really working to the Emma story’s advantage, because the contrast between “new Dark One” Emma and “embrace the darkness” Emma is so great; it makes the in-between that much more interesting. I’m also very interested in what happens with Merida and Emma in the Camelot timeline. Does that mean Lancelot is in Storybrooke, too?
All in all I found “The Broken Kingdom” to be a compelling story, even if the method was a little distracting. By and large, this season is the best Once Upon A Time has been in several years, and I’m excited to continue watching.
What did you guys think? Did you enjoy this episode? Let us know in the comments!
Once Upon A Time airs Sundays at 8/7c on ABC.
[Photo via ABC]
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This was such a great episode for sure. I am loving season 5 so much