I use to be a true believer in Once Upon A Time. I would tune in every week to see what was happening in Storybrook and what new villains are coming up, but sadly, like the creators previous project Lost, it has gone off the rails. It has ruined so many great heroes, giving them ridiculous flaws. Then made some of the greatest villains like Hook and Malificent, and made them wimpish. 

During the first season, the Curse saga, the story-lines were brilliant and the characters likable. It followed an intricate and, albeit, sometimes confusing plot, but in the end, we loved the stories of all the characters. The confusion was brought to an end with the epic season finale. The Queen of Hearts saga, saw a beloved character make a tough choice, but in my opinion, the right one. However, the implications of it were she had made the wrong one. I still enjoyed the series though I thought it was off base a little bit. 

Then the Neverland saga happened. It brought everything that was great about the show: villains, heroes, and great plots to a screeching halt. The whiplash from how terrible it was made my neck hurt. Everyone was related to everyone and the plot was so dense, there was no hope of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. They somewhat redeemed it at the finale, but the following season, the Wicked Witch saga, was not much better than that. In fact, they killed off Neal, one of the best characters on the show. Though less boring than Neverland, it continued the trend of confusing the heroes and the villains which would be a disaster later in the show. At the time, the short-lived spin-off Once Upon A Time In Wonderland was way better.

The Frozen saga somewhat redeemed the series. Though they started to make the heroic characters less, well, heroic, it still had a great plot and even made me like one of my least favorite characters: Regina. However, the second half of that season, the Queens of Darkness saga, saw an end to everything I loved about the series. The villains were no longer villains and the heroes were even less heroic. They went back and forth so much, I lost track of who to root for. Not only that, the whole “writer who changes the fate of the characters” was one of the worst subplots in TV history. Again, however, the finale gave me a little hope for Once Upon A Time.  It also introduced the love story of Emma and Hook, who have absolutely, no chemistry. Their dialogue, scenes together, and even their kissing scenes look so forced. Thank you Hook fans for giving us a lousy love story. 

Then came part one of The Black Swan saga. Boo! They had ruined Peter Pan, Hook, Malificent, Rapunzel, and now: King Arthur. The Arthurian legend was one of my favorites growing up, but they changed Arthur to a sniveling fool who is nothing but a common thug playing at king. Emma turning evil did not really bother me, but they pressed the stupid Hook love story. I felt so betrayed. This time, the midseason finale did not save the series. It ended in total ruin and with a cliffhanger I don’t care how it ends. When it ends where I don’t care, I give up. 

The Emma/Hook relationship, the lack of good villains, the growing awkwardness of the heroes, and now the journey into the Underworld, yeesh. All of these things are reasons to give up on a once great series. Now, I have heard rumors that Neal will return. If he does, I will give it one more half-season to redeem itself. However, if that is not the case, Once Upon A Time will be a The End. If you don’t believe how much I loved the show, check out my review of Season 1. 

That is my opinion and I welcome yours! Comment in the section below if you think there’s still hope or if you agree with me. Don’t forget to hit subscribe on the side menu for more great articles.