When 'Once Upon a Time' first started it was highly addictive and made the most of a truly great and creative premise. Really loved the idea of turning familiar fairy tales on their heads and putting own interpretations on them and the show early on clearly had clearly had a ball. Watched it without fail every time it came on and it was often a highlight of the week. Which was why it was sad when it ran out of ideas and lost its magic in the later seasons.
Season 4 had a lot to live up after Season 3 being as impressive as it was. At this early stage of the season, one can see a lot of promise, some may argue that it is capitalising on 'Frozen's' success but there is much more to the season than that. This promise was apparent from the get go, with a great season opener in "A Tale of Two Sisters". "White Out" and "Rocky Road" were good if not as good and "The Apprentice" and "Breaking Glass" were very good.
After a dip in quality with "Family Business", Season 4 and 'Once Upon a Time' overall show themselves to be back on form with "The Snow Queen", the best episode for me since "A Tale of Two Sisters". It's like the Snow Queen herself, underneath the icy exterior and demeanour is a very emotional and surprisingly complex heart. So far Season 4 has shown that the show is doing far more than capitalising on 'Frozen's' success or being a marketing ploy like it could have been.
Found in "Family Business" that Belle's development and the character herself took steps backwards. They are an improvement in "The Snow Queen", but she is still not very interesting compared to the most focused on characters and some of her dialogue is weak again.
However, there is so much to like about "The Snow Queen" and there is not an awful lot wrong. It has a good deal of momentum, the characters are still interesting and true to character, not behaving idiotically, it doesn't feel like filler, it has entertainment value, nice character moments that mean a lot and a lot of heart.
Especially good in "The Snow Queen" are the characterisation of The Snow Queen and her back-story. Already she is proving herself to be a complex character and much more than a standard villain that she easily could have been, and her back-story is heart-wrenching, makes sense, is crystal clear without being simplistic and makes her a character to sympathise with as well as getting chills by.
Regina's character continues to have complexity and nuance, her deepening relationship with Robin is both intriguing and entertaining and Emma is not passive and generally is getting stronger all the time.
All the performances are delightful, particularly from Jennifer Morrison, who (as well as the character of Emma) has come on a lot, Lana Parrilla, a highlight of the show from the get go and doesn't disappoint, and most notably a remarkably nuanced Elizabeth Mitchell. A lot happens but it doesn't feel over-stuffed or underdone.
Furthermore, "The Snow Queen" is a very handsomely mounted episode visually, the settings and costumes are both colourful and atmospheric, not too dark or garish and never cookie cutter. It is photographed beautifully too. The music is haunting, ethereal and cleverly used with a memorable theme tune.
Writing has the right balance of humour, pathos, mystery and intrigue, no corn or cheesiness here. This aspect has come on such a long way since when 'Once Upon a Time' first started, much more complexity and nuance.
Overall, great. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Season 4 had a lot to live up after Season 3 being as impressive as it was. At this early stage of the season, one can see a lot of promise, some may argue that it is capitalising on 'Frozen's' success but there is much more to the season than that. This promise was apparent from the get go, with a great season opener in "A Tale of Two Sisters". "White Out" and "Rocky Road" were good if not as good and "The Apprentice" and "Breaking Glass" were very good.
After a dip in quality with "Family Business", Season 4 and 'Once Upon a Time' overall show themselves to be back on form with "The Snow Queen", the best episode for me since "A Tale of Two Sisters". It's like the Snow Queen herself, underneath the icy exterior and demeanour is a very emotional and surprisingly complex heart. So far Season 4 has shown that the show is doing far more than capitalising on 'Frozen's' success or being a marketing ploy like it could have been.
Found in "Family Business" that Belle's development and the character herself took steps backwards. They are an improvement in "The Snow Queen", but she is still not very interesting compared to the most focused on characters and some of her dialogue is weak again.
However, there is so much to like about "The Snow Queen" and there is not an awful lot wrong. It has a good deal of momentum, the characters are still interesting and true to character, not behaving idiotically, it doesn't feel like filler, it has entertainment value, nice character moments that mean a lot and a lot of heart.
Especially good in "The Snow Queen" are the characterisation of The Snow Queen and her back-story. Already she is proving herself to be a complex character and much more than a standard villain that she easily could have been, and her back-story is heart-wrenching, makes sense, is crystal clear without being simplistic and makes her a character to sympathise with as well as getting chills by.
Regina's character continues to have complexity and nuance, her deepening relationship with Robin is both intriguing and entertaining and Emma is not passive and generally is getting stronger all the time.
All the performances are delightful, particularly from Jennifer Morrison, who (as well as the character of Emma) has come on a lot, Lana Parrilla, a highlight of the show from the get go and doesn't disappoint, and most notably a remarkably nuanced Elizabeth Mitchell. A lot happens but it doesn't feel over-stuffed or underdone.
Furthermore, "The Snow Queen" is a very handsomely mounted episode visually, the settings and costumes are both colourful and atmospheric, not too dark or garish and never cookie cutter. It is photographed beautifully too. The music is haunting, ethereal and cleverly used with a memorable theme tune.
Writing has the right balance of humour, pathos, mystery and intrigue, no corn or cheesiness here. This aspect has come on such a long way since when 'Once Upon a Time' first started, much more complexity and nuance.
Overall, great. 9/10 Bethany Cox
