Once Upon A Time "The Return" Review

People need a little magic in their lives. The world of Westeros in Game of Thrones is a miserable place full of war and violence and not a single soul believes in the magic that once existed. Storybrooke is mostly a miserable small town. Characters are quick to ostracize one of the town's more saintly women in Mary Margaret; Characters are trapped in dead relationships; or characters are unable to be with who they're meant to be with because their memories have been wiped away by a curse. The weather is always shitty in Storybrooke. Grey clouds cover the sky during day. Random showers fall upon their heads. Fairy Tale Land is vibrant. The colors are alive. Nature is alive. Characters are happy. Sure, not everyone is happy. There are wars, broken relationships, abandoned children, shattered people and unhappiness. At least some of the characters smile once in awhile. Plus, a little thing called magic exists there; it's the kind of magic where a simple kiss can transform someone completely. A lost man with a hobby for merciless killings can be redeemed by a small bean and a hole into another realm, a place where he won't be corrupted by his own power. A world without magic leaves people hopeless--that's the power of the curse.

"The Return" is the nineteenth episode of the season. Only three episodes remain. The shape of the season hasn't formed very well. There have been digressions and tangents. The story should lead to Emma taking an active role in bringing magic back to Storybrooke or some other such action. This episode ruminated on magic and its power. Rumplestiltskin and his son earned the spotlight. The events of "The Return" took place some time after Rumple took power from Brad Douriff. His son, Balefire, does not like his transformed father. Rumple gave into temptation after being humiliated and embarrassed for much of his life. Balefire just wanted his father to be the way he remembered him, before he turned men into snails and crushed them for giving his boy a scrape on the knee. Bale sought a blue fairy to help him solve his problem. Rumple promised his son to do whatever he needed when his son found the cure to the darkness; however, when the hour came and the bean created a hole for them exit into a world without magic, he chose his darkness over his son and then watched his son disappear into the ground.

The A story was well-done. Rumplestiltskin's been all over the place this season: a tortured lover one week, a disgraced father the next, and then a weak and evil man torn between his power and his son. Robert Carlyle must enjoy acting out these many facets of the character, and the writers must love writing the role. Jane Espenson gushes over Rumple more on her Twitter feed than every other character on the show. Once Upon A Time never surprises me; but a surprise isn't need to tell a successful story. Regina and Gold's exchange about the origins of the curse were vague enough to leave some speculation about why Gold created it. I'm a sucker for stories between parents and their children, so the reveal that Rumple/Gold created the curse to find his son again, to sacrifice his power for a world without any magic for his son, was touching and moving and effective. In Storybrooke, Mr. Gold thought August was his son, returned to him to kill him. August just played him and tried to use Mr. Gold for his power, his magic, to cure him of an incurable illness. The scene allowed Mr. Gold to work through personal issues, allowed him to repent and feel reunited and at one with his son. August's deception didn't sit well Mr. Gold. In an instant, we saw how magic doesn't make the monster--Mr. Gold wanted to stab August but contented himself with the knowledge that he would die anyway in a world without magic. Some people are just monstrous.

The rest of the episode consisted of the same old crap. The return of Kathryn led to essentially nothing. It's well known that Regina and Gold conspired together to frame Mary. Regina's pissed that Gold threw a curveball. Emma wanted to zero in on her. Regina was a step ahead of her when she enlisted Sidney to take the fall. Earlier, Sidney and Emma had a conversation which ended with Emma feeling pity for him. His actions stem from an unrequited love for Regina. At least Emma made the decision to fight for her son instead of meekly submit to the orders of the town mayor. Emma's been bossed around and bullied by Regina for too long. I liked her moment of triumph when she declared to fight for custody of her son. Things changed around Emma in Storybrooke, but now she's actively part of a quite significant change. It's a nice step.

David and Mary were the worst part of the episode yet. Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin are fine actors but they have as much chemistry as a hyena and a lion in a tango class. The problem with star crossed lovers, fated lovers if you will, is that the writing can't be anything short of bipolar. No middle ground exists for their emotions--it's all high or it's all low. Everything is low between them presently. Understandably, Mary is hurt that David thought of her the possible killer of his fiancée. David feels remorseful because his former fiancée is alive. The actors were too overwrought in their performances. Goodwin's line, "That's what make it so sad" is probably my least favorite delivery of the 2011-2012 TV season. The writing also annoys me. The line practically concussed the audience to beat the message over their heads that David and Mary are meant to be together, and their inability to get it right is what makes it so sad. The writing's always been the problem with the relationship. Again, it's the bipolar quality of the relationship.

Overall, "The Return" is a solid episode of Once Upon a Time. The A story stood out. The season still seems directionless with just three episodes left. So we'll see what kind of nonsense is left in season 1.

Jane Espenson wrote the episode. Paul Edwards directed it.

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