The season ended as a Purple Smoke Monster washed over Storybrooke. Emma finally believed after a LOST-sideways-style 'awakening.' In theory, I should be head-over-heels for Once Upon a Time, a show that seemingly tries to capture the LOST fan's heart; however, I used to talk to an avid fan of Once Upon a Time, who never watched a minute of LOST, and she adores the show. I watched and re-watched and re-watched LOST but Once Upon a Time drives me up a wall. There clearly is a disconnect between myself and the show. Nothing about the show surprises me. The use of magic seems lazy, a product of the writers being devoid of ideas, rather than an inspired storytelling choice. There were two or three scenes in which Storybrooke characters identified their fairy tale counterparts. The scenes showcased self-aware dialogue about how it's CRAZY that Emma just talked to Rumple and the Evil Queen, and how she CARES about what they had to see and how what they say is even vital to the character's goal of saving her son; and the self-aware dialogue is supposed to be a meta-take on the audience and how the audience can't believe that they care about a scene in which fairy tale characters interact with normal human beings; it's like what Kitsis and Horowtiz said in a Variety interview about the insanity of people caring about a scene which depicts a flying cricket, dwarf and Snow White. I know people really care about the show and nod their head during these scenes. In gauging the reactions on twitter, I'm in the minority but, hey, I'm not going to sugarcoat my feelings about Once Upon a Time.
I never trusted the cast members’ praise for the finale because I never trust any cast member promoting their show. "A Land Without Magic" begins terribly. The requisite freak-out about Henry is on-going. Regina resembles an actual human being rather than a cartoonish evil robot. Soon, Emma dumps things out of Henry's bed onto a bed and touches the fairy tale book. Flashes of the fairy tale world hit her. Suddenly, she believes. I loved the sideways world in LOST. Even more so, I loved the 'awakenings' in "The End." I looked like Jack Shepherd during the flashbacks in "A Tale of Two Cities" during "The End." The episode hit me hard and where it hurts. Emma's flashes being a cause of her belief is ultimately a disappointing choice for the show. The device works entirely different in LOST compared to Once Upon a Time. Emma shouldn't have experienced the world because experience doesn't equate to belief. Believing in something is hard and a struggle. LOST masterfully depicted the struggle to believe in something in the Locke and Jack characters. Emma believes because she needs to believe. When she goes to August and sees him wooden and admits to her belief, I thought she should've said, "I know" instead, because knowing isn't the same as believing, and believing isn't something isn't about knowing something, etc.
Anyway, Emma believing in the fairy tale is supposed to be the biggest moment in the season. The flashes allow her to become an active player in the show finally. For 21 episodes, she couldn't actually do anything. Emma immediately gets her father's sword and a whole load of exposition about what she needs to do to save her son. Soon, she's fighting a dragon. Emma defeats the dragon and recovers the last drops of the true love potion. The expository scene with Emma, Rumple, and Regina, directed Emma to the true love potion because Gold told her the potion would save her son's life. Henry, of course, is comatose because of magic apple turnover. It reminded me of a South Park episode in which one of the boys is simply asleep but it's treated with such gravity (and it also reminded me of an old comedy story I wrote with a friend. Our S1 finale had a character was also asleep and we treated it as a grave matter.).
Emma's adventure to save her son's life is paralleled by Charming's adventure to save Snow's life. The huntsman frees Charming from the queen's custody for betraying their agreement (remember how the huntsman gave his heart to save Snow's). Both battled dragons. Charming dropped true love's potion in the dragon. Rumple wanted a safe place for the potion in case he needed to use it on a rainy day. The rainy day came. Emma retrieved it. Rumple inevitably betrayed her. Henry's heart stopped as the betrayal happened. Both were told they were too late when they returned and/or caught up to the seven dwarves. True love's kiss saved Henry and Snow. Both times, true love's kiss lifted the curse. Happy endings are only temporary though.
Charming and Snow culminated a tiresome journey towards true love in the fairy tale world and in Storybrooke. Snow pitched her idea to handle Charming's problems with the queen and King George by taking the kingdom back for the good people of fairy tale world. Charming smiled. David tried to force Mary's hand by telling her he'd move to Boston if she didn't give him a reason to stay. Mary sadly drove off, unwilling to give him a reason, too hurt by what's transpired between them, but then the curse lifted. Snow and Charming passionately kissed.
Emma and Henry's 'I love you' scene played over a swell of music meant to tug at the heart strings. My heart's not made of stone, and I admit to briefly becoming a victim of the emotionally manipulative scene. Emma's been characterized as an emotionally distant person. I don't remember Emma ever telling Henry that she loved him. The scene was written as a culmination of their relationship. I didn't think it was necessary. She showed her love for her son through her actions, which is great storytelling. Anyway, the happy ending didn't last. Rumple went to a magic well (well the magic well's with a magical source are back. Yes, magic wells happened in LOST. Come on, Kitsis and Horowitz; make this your own show. I know Lindelof was fairy godfather and all, but make it your own. Stop going, for a lack of a better phrase, back to that LOST well). Belle told Rumple she loved him on the way. I still find their relationship problematic mostly because it was developed in a shit way. Whatever though, Rumple brought magic back to Storybrooke, because a land without magic is a land Rumple wants no part of. Purple smoke monster swept across the land as a wicked smirk broke out of Regina.
Emma wondered why the curse didn't immediately return everyone to the fairy tale world. Henry thought something went wrong. We'll need to wait until the second season to learn about this mystery, to learn how Charming and Snow took back the kingdom, and to learn what Rumple plans on doing with the magic. Rumple says magic is power. Magic is also boring. Few shows pull off magic successfully. Not even Buffy could avoid pratfalls caused by the use of magic. I thought "A Land Without Magic" was cheapened by the shortcut to Emma's heroism. The rest of the episode suffered from that scene onwards. Again, nothing surprises me about the show. Henry's death would've never lasted because it occurred during the second-to-last act (but it was well-acted by Jennifer Morrison and Lena Parilla). The final act left plenty of time for recovery. I then waited patiently for the other shoe to drop after the curse was lifted.
So, in sum, Once Upon a Time had a very problematic first season, which continued in "A Land Without Magic." Anyone who commented on my reviews during the season wanted me to stop writing about it immediately, insulted me, and even wished death upon me. Of course, I thank and appreciate anyone who commented on my reviews. Perhaps I'll oblige the people who would wish this negative Ned to stop writing about the show; perhaps not though. It is a long summer, and I might soften on the show. We will see.
Other Thoughts:
-August presumably turned into a real boy again upon the lifted curse. I suppose it's a mystery with an answer in the second season.
-So, Damon Lindelof is the fairy godfather, Horowitz? I'd like more info on this, particularly about how involved he was. I know he helped develop the concept and turn it into a series. I've never criticized Lindelof. He's one of my absolute favorite screenwriters working today. I'll criticize him for OUAT though. But even the greatest writers are capable of misfiring.
-Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz wrote the episode. Dean White directed it.
THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK
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