Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair...

A three-week hiatus on "Once Upon a Time" hasn't hurt so much in years. Which, if you're keeping score, is a GOOD sign. Season 7's choice to reboot nearly everything has paid off, and the show has gone back to it's roots.

Seriously, gang, I cannot say enough good things about this season of the show. I'm going to try in my comments below, but suffice to say, I've been extremely pleased with how much better the show has gotten. If you gave up on it several seasons ago (or even earlier this season), I highly recommend that you come back. Jump on in with 7.1. and give it a couple episodes to warm up. Like cocoa, OUAT Is best served hot (with cinnamon!)

The following contains spoilers through episode 7.8, "Pretty in Blue."

Photo: ABC

So much happened in last week's two-parter that I almost don't know where to begin! One of the biggest and most controversial twists in years is the revelation of the origins of Hook's daughter.
I don't want to wade into that controversy since a lot of ink has already been spilled about it. Needless to say, it changed up the game quite a bit. 

At first I was pretty psyched to see a new version of Rapunzel. At this point, she is the only major Disney Princess (other than Pocohantas) to not get a full multi-episode arc. My first thought, when Hook climbed the tower, was "OMG is Rapunzel the mom of Hook's kid? He does seem like a good 'Flynn Rider'...and this would fit with the original origins of the tale..." 

But 'Rapunzel' herself seemed...lackluster. Given how closely the show adhered to the characters of Elsa and Anna, I was surprised to see a Rapunzel lacking so much of her characteristic spunk. That is, according to the Disney movie, which the show seemed to be following visually at least. 

And then things got fishy, and Nathan and I looked at each other and went "OH NO. SHE'S THE WITCH!!!!" 

I thought maybe we'd get baby Alice nine months later. NOPE. OUAT has gone the quick baby route before, and they did it again. We've heard how evil Gothel is, but now we SEE it. 

We also see Hook setting aside everything about his life in order to raise his daughter. Which. Oh my. Right in the feels. 

Back in Hyperion Heights, these revelations result in an entirely different set of feelings. Eloise Gardener is revealed not to be Hook's daughter, but the Mother...Gothel...whom Ivy has now unleashed upon the world.

OH BOY.

IVY.

As you may remember from my initial write-up on the premiere, neither Nathan nor I were impressed by Lady Tremaine. "She doesn't have the charisma that Regina had" said Nathan. We doubted the show could carry the same oomph without a villain of the Regina caliber.

And then came the Ivy twist. Which I cannot believe I didn't see coming because --come on -- they cast Adelaide Kane in the role! She may be a "mini-Regina" but she is far more than "Regina-lite". With the eerie Gothel on her side, the two are a force to be reckoned with, both in villainy AND charisma. 

Also sheer joy to watch is Alice/Tilly, who was excellent cast and characterized. She's a quirky Alice of Wonderland (and other places) that OUAT ought to have had from the start. The only thing that makes her better is actually having her as Hook's daughter. OUAT is, at it's core, a show about family, after all. Normally I hate Wonderland, particularly the design that OUAT has used for it in the past. This rendition was more my style and not a pain on the eyes to watch. 

Speaking of which, we've got the Charmings 2.0 in Henry's little band, and they are also warming up. Regina awakened is the best--and who wants to bet that the person they are going to see is Zelena? 

Jacinda is growing on me a little bit. It helps when she is not the focus of the show. LOVE her intereactions with Tiana (I cannot remember her Hyperion Heights name so she's just gonna be Tiana for now). Remember how I was afraid they wouldn't include Tiana's cooking skills? How happy I was to have those fears removed! And we finally have a new guy character with the (GREAT) Lando-esque introduction of Jack/Nick. (I spotted 3 Star Wars references in 7.8, did you?)

What else? Well, Weaver's place in all of this is still the murkiest of the bunch, but I have a hunch that we'll be finding out more soon. 

I am QUITE happy that there is a NEW curse this season. The poisoned heart bit is a nice mix of old tropes and new twists. Right now the question is "who is Regina protecting from the poisoned heart curse?" In a land without magic, the curse clearly has no effect, but if Jacinda and Henry share true loves kiss, that protection will disappear. 

My money is on Jacinda. After all, Season 6's intro, Lucy and Henry were together. We've seen via Hook and Alice that the poisoned heart works for parents and kids too, so if Henry or Lucy were the poisoned person, they wouldn't be together in 6. However, if Jacinda were poisoned, it makes sense that she would have disappeared so that neither Henry or Lucy would touch her. (Or, possible, that the two ran off on a mission to find a cure for it). 

1 comment:

Melanie said...

I had thought the curse was on both Henry and Jacinda but the curse on just one person would work as well. Just having the curse on Jacinda world answer my question of how can Henry’s heart be cursed if it is protected.