For the past half-season of Once Upon a Time, it’s become clear that Regina’s been appointed the center point of the series for all the right reasons. She’s smart, she’s capable, and moreover, she’s the most interesting she’s ever been by far. Of all the people in Storybrooke, it’s Regina whose had to make the hardest decision and walking the tightrope between good and evil’s arguably the most interesting of them thus far. But as Enter The Dragon tells us, a girl’s gotta have fun sometimes.
For Once Upon a Time, “fun” is a rather limited word to exploit as far as a troop magic users can muster. It was deathly amusing to watch Regina’s girls night out with her mutually evil Queens (or whoever Cruella de Ville qualifies as) and as the premise of an undercover assignment, a doubly effective one. While I can’t say a burned out car and playing chicken on the train tracks is particularly imaginative for a troop of magic users, the female cast members seem to really be enjoying themselves and it’s hard not to appreciate the fun of Maleficent’s slinky Dick Tracy trench coat.
Lana Parrilla’s a joy to watch – as a hero and or a villainess and here, she alternate between the two awesomely. As far as Regina’s come in a few seasons time, it’s easy to say she’s become as integral to the show as much as Rumplestiltskin, and that’s more evident here than ever. Her flashback with Rumple this week was really nothing special, but it must take skill bouncing back and forth between timelines, as well as de-aging Regina for these flashbacks every half-season.
Among our fab four, Maleficent’s probably taken center stage so far, and while I’m interested to see what they do with Cruella and Ursula, they’ve done admirably balancing the show’s primary “theme” cast. Kristin Bauer van Straten’s dug her nails into the role splendidly, and while I didn’t know that I needed to see her mope around so much this episode, it’s refreshing to know there’s a way to telling stories about these guest characters and not completely push Storybrooke aside.
While the flashbacks to the Enchanted Forest sometimes come across as a square peg trying to fit in a circle-shaped hole, this one fed into the current plot nicely. If Maleficent’s the (dragon) muscle of the group, then Regina’s clearly de-facto leader, or just plain motivational speaker. I guess girls in black need to stick together, but as a team within the larger “Team Evil,” Regina and Maleficent mesh more than Elsa and the Snow Queen.
As far as Rumple’s been concerned, he’s probably the embodiment of cold feet. In the time that the show’s put Robert Carlyle’s on hiatus, it’s a wonder what Rumple can really do after being so much of a one-man show this entire series. Belle hates him, everyone else’s afraid of him, and I’m still disappointed on what they hadn’t done with him and his grandson. It seems like the series is content with Regina as being the redeemed character and I’m almost afraid Rumple’s all too comfortable being the straight-up villain. Nevertheless, he’s surprised when I’ve least expected it before, and I hope that his surprise “scene” with Belle this episode disproved a whole lot about any lack of agency he might have this season.
Meanwhile, it’s this lingering story-arc of “The Author” that’s proven most illusive and so far, we haven’t gotten anymore clues about it beyond Henry staring at his storybook uncomfortably close close-up. We know our villains want their happy endings rewritten, and at the expense of reducing it to a glorified Wikipedia page, I’d rather they get it over with one way or another. Given the episode’s finale, it seems like the show makers are well aware of that and the surprise reappearance of a formerly wooden boy/man should please more than a few fans.
While I wonder what Emma’s going to do with more than her fair share of scruffy, leather-clad ex-boyfriends, I’m even more intrigued on just how far Regina’s going to go with Rumple and company. The series just took a very interesting direction and a show-changer’s been long overdue. Don’t blow it, Once Upon a Time.
Once Upon a Time airs Sunday nights at 8/7 Central on ABC. Catch all the latest episodes at ABC.com and all the latest reviews here at BagoGames.
Once Upon a Time: 'Enter The Dragon'
Pros
- Regina Taking Center Stage
- Rumple's Slippery Scheming
- A Surprise Shake-Up to the Status Quo
Cons
- We're Still Waiting On This 'Author' Arc
- Maleficent's Bland Flashback
[…] after her cheer-me-up sob story with Regina, Bauer van Straten’s Maleficent still hasn’t rubbed me the same way as her villainous […]