You know the drill. Continuing the binge-watch. Here be spoilers.

“Child of the Moon”:

Well, this answers one of the big questions I had going into season two: Will Red start transforming again now that the curse is broken?

Yes. Yes, she will.

It’s not a welcome revelation for Red herself, though. She’s terrified she’s going to lose control and hurt someone.

Meanwhile, King George is determined to continue his quest for vengeance against Prince Charming in Storybrook, and when a local man is gruesomely killed, he’s quick to exploit the suspicion against Red as a tool to discredit Charming.

In the past and in another world, Red encounters a clan of werewolves led by her long-lost mother, who teach her how to understand and control the wolf within her.

I really like Red. She’s one of the show’s more interesting characters, torn between her beast nature and her humanity, and the actress puts on a great performance in this episode.

Unfortunately, I also found both stories very predictable. It was blindingly obvious that King George was going to try to frame Red even before the body showed up, and Red finding a home among fellow lycanthropes was clearly too good to be true.

On the plus side, the twist at the very end was definitely not something I saw coming. The connection between Aurora and Henry raises all kinds of interesting possibilities.

Also, Granny is awesome.

Overall rating: 7.5/10

“Into the Deep”:

A connection between worlds has been found in Henry and Aurora’s dreams, and Emma’s party hopes to use to gain the information needed to defeat Cora from Rumpelstiltskin.

Cora isn’t going to make that easy, though. She attacks the party and abducts Aurora. Meanwhile, Henry’s continued efforts to make contact put his life in danger. Groups in both worlds are forced to take increasingly desperate efforts to maintain contact.

If memory serves, this is the first episode of the series without any flashbacks, and while I tend to enjoy the flashbacks, it is a nice change of pace. It makes for a very tight and exciting episode. It’s got the feeling of building tension that you usually only see near the very end of a season, but we’re still not even halfway through. Very good.

“Into the Deep” also makes good use of the cast, with strong performances once again from Snow, Regina, and Henry.

Really my only complaint is that it once again shows both Emma and Charming to be complete and utter schmucks.

Overall rating: 8/10

“Queen of Hearts”:

All jail and no magic makes Rumpelstiltskin a dull mage…

With Aurora’s unwilling aid, Cora is able to defeat Emma and Snow’s company, paving the way for her to go to Storybrook. Knowing a portal will open soon, Regina and Rumpel plan to destroy it to prevent Cora’s arrival, even if it risks killing Emma and Snow. And the flashbacks illuminate the origins of Cora and Hook’s partnership.

There’s enough sword fights, magic, and excitement to make this a solid episode, though it doesn’t quite live up to the expectations set by “Into the Deep,” and a few things bug me about it.

I’m a bit sad Mulan and Aurora didn’t come through to Storybrook. They might show up again, but this undoubtedly means they’ll be on the backburner for the time being. I’d be perfectly happy to never see Aurora again, but Mulan was pretty cool. I want to see her get more time in the spotlight.

I’m also not sure how I feel about Emma gaining the power to shoot out Harry Potter love rays. On the one hand, it makes sense to give her some continued relevance as a saviour, since that’s her whole reason for existing. On the other hand, Emma is really boring, and I don’t want her becoming any more ubiquitous than she already is. And I don’t know, but random love lasers just feels a little tacky.

Overall rating: 7.3/10

“The Cricket Game”:

Regina continues to be one of the most interesting parts of this series. After the enormous amount of effort and skill they poured into making her utterly unlikable, making the viewer feel sympathy for her should be all but impossible, but here they are pulling it off.

When one of Storybrook’s residents turns up dead, all the evidence points to Regina… maybe a little too obviously. But of course, no one is willing to believe she’s not guilty, and after all she’s done, it’s hard to blame them.

Only Emma thinks something might be up, and she actually tries to prove Regina’s innocence, but the evidence seems absolute.

Along the way, we once again see that Emma does, in fact, have magic, which I’m still not thrilled about. More magic is always good, but it would have been more interesting if it had happened to anyone else.

On the whole, this episode split evenly between Emma and Regina, and therefore split between awesomeness and mediocrity. Thankfully, Regina is just a bit more interesting than Emma is tedious.

Also, I am once again struck by how much Emma and Regina are a potential goldmine for slash fic writers. They’re even sort of raising a kid together. It writes itself!

For that matter, Aurora and Mulan could also prove to be quite the shipper goldmine.

Really this entire show just seems like a playground for femslash writers.

Overall rating: 7.4/10

“The Outsider”:

This episode could pretty much be summed up as “forty minutes of Belle being awesome.”

In Storybrook, Hook enacts his plan of revenge against Rumpelstiltskin, hoping to use Belle to get to him. But Belle’s tougher than she looks, and Hook may have bought more than he bargained for.

In the Enchanted Forest’s past, Belle is seized by an urge for adventure and heads off to help defeat a legendary monster. Along the way, she joins forces with Mulan, but Belle’s books prove a mightier weapon than Mulan’s sword.

I have trouble thinking of much to say about this episode beyond the fact that Belle is awesome. It’s always gratifying when a character who doesn’t seem especially tough or heroic proves themselves the equal of the greats.

That ending, though… My poor aching feels.

I really hope Hook dies a gruesome, painful death at some point. Hopefully sooner rather than later. What a horrid, disgusting excuse for a person. I mean, Regina and Rumpel have done some awful stuff, and Cora is just pure evil, but Hook is vile. Can they lock him in a room with Red during the next full moon? Or maybe let Grumpy use him as a pick sharpener?

Overall rating: 7.8/10

“In the Name of the Brother”:

When we saw no more mention of Wale’s true identity as Dr. Frankenstein, I assumed the writers realized it was a bad idea and decided to drop that story.

So much for that.

Following the car accident that laid up Hook, the driver — a stranger to Storybrook — is at death’s door. There’s some debate over weather they should let him die to save Storybrook’s secrecy, but of course Charming and Snow won’t have it, so it falls to Wale/Frankenstein to save him.

But our dear Victor is in a bad way, and before he can save anyone, someone needs to save him.

Meanwhile, Cora attempts to restore ties with Regina and Rumpel, with a disturbing level of success.

All my previous complaints about the inclusion of Frankenstein still stand. It still feels out of place, and it’s still ignoring the whole point of the story of Frankenstein. Regina falling for Cora’s manipulations was also terribly disappointing, I’m sad about how things have turned out for Belle and Rumpel, and I’m not terribly enthused about them adding the need to keep Storybrook secret to all the other problems.

Oh, and Hook is still drawing breath, albeit with difficulty.

This was not only a boring episode, but one which gives me significant doubts about the quality of the series for at least the near future.

Overall rating: 4.9/10 Probably the worst episode of the series to date, and a great disappointment considering the mostly high quality of the second season so far.

* * *

I just Googled “Once Upon a Time Emma and Regina.” Yeah, wow.

I’m pressing on with my binge watch of Once Upon a Time, moving on to the second season. You know the drill: spoilers incoming.

“Broken” (season premiere):

The season kicks off with a very eventful episode that does an admirable job of providing a satisfying conclusion to last season’s cliffhanger and beginning new arcs.

The curse has been broken in Storybrook, and the residents have regained their memories and their true selves. Tearful reunions abound, and it’s a great resolution to the events of the first season — very emotionally satisfying.

But then that begs a new question: Why are they still in Storybrook? Regina claims their old world has been destroyed outright, but who’s trusting Regina?

Meanwhile, Rumpelstiltskin is out for revenge, despite Belle’s objections. He’s determined to make Regina suffer for what she did to Belle, but Henry — and by extension the rest of his newly reunited family — won’t allow Regina to become the victim of vigilante justice, magical or otherwise.

In the fantasy realm, we’re introduced to several new characters: Sleeping Beauty (who is quite unpleasant), Mulan (who I already like), and Philip (Sleeping Beauty’s prince). They’re struggling to escape the wrath of a terrible wraith… but all is not as it seems.

The twist for the fantasy side of things was really great, I have to say. Excellent way to play on the expectations of the viewer.

I also like how the return of magic to Storybrook means we can now enjoy fantasy elements in all aspects of the story. That raises a lot of interesting possibilities, and it’s bound to change the show for the better. We’re already seeing it in this episode.

My one complaint is that everyone is being rather unnecessarily harsh on old Rumpel. I grant he’s not the most likable fellow, but really the only bad thing he’s done in recent memory is seek revenge on Regina, and while I can understand disagreeing with his methods, the fact is pretty much everyone can agree Regina needs some comeuppance. Is it really such a big deal if Rumpel is a little overzealous?

A few questions also linger now that the curse is broken. Will Red transform come the full moon? She doesn’t have her hood. And what happened to Pinocchio? Can he be saved by the return of magic, or is his fate sealed?

Overall rating: 8/10

“We Are Both”:

Trapped and desperate, the people of Storybrook are in chaos. They look to Prince Charming for leadership, but he’s too distracted by his quest to find Emma and Snow.

Meanwhile, Regina is on her own quest to reclaim the things most precious to her: magic, and Henry. And in true Regina fashion, she’ll stop at nothing to achieve these goals.

On the fantasy end of things, we’re back to flashbacks as we learn how Regina first embarked on the path to becoming a magician. Of course, it all comes back to Rumpelstiltskin.

Regina was really the star of this episode. It struck me how thorough a job the writers have done to make her utterly unlikable. I like how she just lies about everything all the time, even when she doesn’t have a particularly good reason to. It shows how deeply corrupt she is.

It was also interesting to see how she’s betrayed everything she ever believed in, how she’s become that which she once despised. And yet despite all that, there is still an echo of the person she once was.

Regina can be a very interesting character when the writers aren’t just playing her as cartoonishly evil without nuance.

Charming’s side of the story was less compelling — again, I see where Emma gets it from — but it was nice to see him acknowledge and overcome his shortcomings, and I am enjoying how his relationship with Henry is shaping up.

Overall rating: 7.7/10

“Lady of the Lake”:

This another episode I’ve seen before, though for whatever reason I had almost no recollection of it. I think by this point Once Upon a Time’s mythology has become so complex that you can’t just jump in.

Things are getting quite complicated — though I’m not complaining. We’re now following three different plotlines spread across time and worlds.

In Storybrook, Henry continues to do everything he can to set things right in the world — be it through finding a way to reach Emma and Snow or reuniting Jefferson with his daughter — even if it puts himself at risk.

In the Enchanted Forest’s present day, Emma and Snow undertake a dangerous journey, accompanied by Mulan and Sleeping Beauty*, to find a way back to Storybrook. This plot mostly serves to remind us that Emma is a lunkhead and Sleeping Beauty is really quite nasty.

*(Her proper name is Aurora, apparently.)

But by far the most compelling story takes place in the Enchanted Forest’s past. The war with King George takes a heavy toll on Snow White and Prince Charming, as Charming’s mother is mortally wounded in a skirmish and Snow is captured and poisoned to ensure she will never have children.

Unlikely aid comes from the disgraced Sir Lancelot, who was serving King George as a mercenary but has a change of heart upon learning the depths of the king’s cruelty. They set off to find the same enchanted lake that Charming used to cure poor Frederick of Midas’s touch.

But of course, it’s not that easy. Only one of the women in Charming’s life can be cured.

This is plot is a great example of Once Upon a Time at its very best, full of action, adventure, magic, great characters, and heartfelt emotion. It’s only a shame that the rest of the episode isn’t quite as strong.

Also a bit of a shame that Lancelot is dead. He seemed pretty cool. Then again, if Cora’s anything like her daughter, she’s probably lying.

Overall rating: 8/10

“The Crocodile”:

It’s time for another Rumpelstiltskin-heavy episode — always a good thing — and this time the focus is on his relationships, and how they’ve failed.

In the past, he loses his wife to her own wanderlust. I gotta say, as wretched and pathetic as Rumpel was back then — and in many ways still is — I still gotta think he could have done better. His wife was a truly awful and selfish person.

This plot is also noteworthy for introducing us to another classic fairytale character: Captain Hook. In this case, Rumpel is the “crocodile” who took his hand.

In Storybrook, he is at risk of losing Belle to his own emotional cowardice. To make matters worse, her father is out to “save” her from Rumpel’s clutches. With kidnapping and horrible magical abuse, because being a parent is hard.

Maybe it’s just because I’m writing this after a particularly bad day, but there were a lot of characters in this episode that I wanted to push down the stairs.

That’s not a complaint, though. A good story sometimes needs people to hate, and a lot of my disdain for them comes from the fact that they hurt characters I genuinely care about, which also speaks highly of Once Upon a Time.

And really, anything with Rumpel and Belle is just gold… No pun intended.

Overall rating: 7.9/10

“The Doctor”:

With how much Once Upon a Time is throwing together disparate parts of fiction, I almost expected this episode to be a Doctor Who crossover.

The truth is only marginally less bizarre.

It’s also worth noting that this is the last of the episodes I’d seen before, though for whatever reason I had almost no memory of it.

The meatiest plot this time around deals with the Enchanted Forest’s past. A young Regina is desperate to find a way to bring Daniel back from the dead. At first, she seeks magical tutorship from Rumpelstiltskin, but when she learns not even magic can resurrect the dead, she turns to an even odder figure for help: Doctor Victor Frankenstein, brought to the land of magic through one of Jefferson’s portals.

In Storybrook, we see Regina making a surprisingly earnest attempt at reforming herself, and Dr. Wale — Frankenstein in truth — decides to repeat his attempt to resurrect Daniel, successfully this time. But when has trying to bring back the dead ever ended well?

I’m not sure I like the idea of bringing Dr. Frankenstein into the Once Upon a Time mythos. They’re already thrown together many disparate elements of fiction, and their whole multiverse touching the imaginations of people in our world theory explains it all quite well, but Frankenstein isn’t even close to being fantasy or a fairytale. It feels out of place.

I also don’t like that they went with the pop culture version of Frankenstein rather than being at all true to the original story. The whole point was that his creation became a monster not simply because he was a reanimated corpse, but because of the hatred and rejection that was heaped upon him from the very moment of his birth. I’m not even a particular fan of Frankenstein, but if you’re going to do something, do it right.

On the plus side, “The Doctor” featured another very strong performance from Regina. I really like that they seem to be working harder to present her as a nuanced person rather than a caricature of evil. More interesting that way.

Overall rating: 6.9/10

“Tallahassee”:

Just as episodes focusing on Regina or Rumpel are always cause for celebration, an Emma-heavy episode is never a good thing. That said, this isn’t a terrible episode. Just an unremarkable one.

The timeline gets even more muddled as we flash back to Emma’s life shortly before Henry’s birth. As one would expect, it doesn’t put her in the best light. Pinocchio’s cameo was interesting, at least.

In the fantasy realm, Emma and Hook climb a beanstalk to recover a magical compass from the last of the giants in the hopes it may lead them to Storybrook. A plot focused entirely on two of the characters I least like… Yeah, not the most exciting episode in the world.

The one thing I will say is that I really liked the backstory and history about the giants, their ability to travel between worlds, and their war with Jack and his forces. That was interesting — I want to know more about that.

Overall rating: 6.8/10