Once Upon a Time . . . I Had a Blog

CAUTION: This post contains spoilers about ABC's Once Upon a Time

Well, hello there. Yes. I know. I haven't blogged in months. But I had a birthday . . . I got a new job . . . life happens.

Anyway, I thought I'd start up my blog again with a post about yet another fandom of mine. As you may remember I am a huge fan of most things British, but I do have an occasional American obsession as well. Tonight was the season premiere of my ultimate guilty pleasure: ABC's Once Upon a Time. This was the start of the 3rd season which picked up with Emma, Snow White, Prince Charming, Regina (aka the Evil Queen), Captain Hook (aka Captain Attractive), and--my personal favorite--Rumpelstiltskin sailing off to Neverland to save Henry. I gotta be honest, I didn't have the highest of hopes for this season after last season.

The second season was either a hit or miss for me. There were great additions like Hook, and exciting plot twists with the return of Baelfire/Neal and Cora. And then there were the ridiculous misfires, such as Dr. Whale being revealed as Dr. Frankenstein and August transforming back into a 10-year-old boy after being illogically tasered by Tamara. I mean seriously, could a wooden man conduct an electric current? I don't think so. And don't even get me started on Lacey. *Cringe* Then there was evil Tamara and her annoying boyfriend, Greg, who randomly show up to fight their "cause" to rid the world of magic. And there I was sitting there like, "Who are these muggles?" Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Greg turns out to be Owen, the young boy Regina tried to trick into staying with her after capturing--and eventually killing--his father. But still.

I think the main issue I had with season 2 was that there was just too much going on. The main characters were usually separated, dealing with their own individual problems while new characters were added (like Aurora, Mulan, and Tiny) that ended up taking time away from the characters we were most interested in. What gave me hope in the season finale was that the main characters now had to work together in order to go after Henry.

All I can say about the 3rd season premiere is WOA. It was just non-stop awesomeness, wrapped in adrenaline, filled with "Did-that-just-happen?" moments. I also loved the sassy one-liners from Regina and Hook. This probably sounds terrible, but the most satisfying moment for me would have to be the fate of Greg and Tamara. Right before the show started, I vocally wished that the Lost Boys, or Rumpelstiltskin, or someone would take care of them. And, what do you know? Greg's shadow is torn from his body and cast into oblivion, while Tamara is shot, then healed, then has her heart ripped out and crushed by Rumpelstiltskin. Did I mention that Rumpelstiltskin is my favorite?

 

My reaction when Rumpelstiltskin killed Tamara.

Also, I think the evil take on Peter Pan will make for an interesting villain. Initially, I didn't like the idea of a bad Pan, but then again I never really liked the original Pan either. He was a bit of an arrogant, sexist, and obnoxious little punk when you think about it.

Of course, like always, this episode raised some new questions and left us wondering what's going to happen next. For instance, why does Pan need Henry's heart? Does the heart of the "truest believer" contain the most powerful magic? And what was the deal with that doll that the lost boy gave to Rumpelstiltskin? Was it Bae's or was it something entirely different? I'm thinking the latter since the lost boy mentioned it was something Rumpelstiltskin hadn't thought about in years. *Sigh* Just when we thought Rumpelstiltskin's plot line couldn't get anymore complicated. Also, based on the promo for next week's episode, I'm interested to see Belle's involvement in Neverland. I assumed she would only be in Storybrooke, but let's hope for some Rumbelle action.

Overall, I am EXTREMELY pleased with season 3 so far. It's only the first episode, but it is definitely off to a better start than it was last season. Let's hope Once Upon a Time will live up to its beginnings and have some happily ever afters already.