“Once Upon A Time” kicked off its third season Sunday on ABC. The first episode picks up where season two left off, with just as much action and drama that’s typical of the show.
Emma, Snow White, Charming, Regina, Captain Hook and Rumplestiltskin are aboard the Jolly Roger, Hook’s ship, venturing to Neverland to save Henry from Peter Pan. Rumplestiltskin ends up ditching the other five, preferring to find Pan himself. Henry wanders through Neverland and discovers a boy trying to escape from Peter Pan.
However, at the end, we uncover the truth: Henry has been traveling the entire time with Peter Pan, who ends up taking Henry captive with the help of the Lost Boys.
Last season ended with Neal/Baelfire falling through a portal after Tamara shot him. We discover he was transported to the Enchanted Forest, where Mulan, Aurora and Prince Phillip rescue him.
Toward the end of the episode, we finally see Neal embracing magic and he’s actually quite good. Being that he is Rumplestiltskin’s son, fans would have been very disappointed if he was inept.
One of the most interesting parts of the episode was seeing how the show portrayed Peter Pan. Both directors mentioned that he would be unlike what many people are used to. Pan is going to be an extremely dark and twisted character. It will be fascinating to see his character develop more into the season.
If there is one thing the creators of “OUAT” do well, it is putting spins on familiar characters and making the audience think twice about them. Fans got a glimpse of just how creepy Pan is and for a young boy, he definitely is scary.
The love triangle between Emma, Hook and Neal heats up this episode as well. For those who forgot, Emma and Neal are the parents of Henry. Neal first appeared in the second season, reuniting with Emma after 11 years.
Fans will remember at the end of last season, Emma thinks Neal is dead. So when Emma and Hook travel together on the Jolly Roger, things definitely intensify, delivering one of the best lines of the night when Hook states: “I quite fancy you from time to time when you’re not yelling at me.”
The dynamics of the show this season are actually really creative and interesting as well. For the last two seasons, Regina (the Evil Queen) has always been the one that went up against Emma, Snow and Charming. Mix in several other villains like Hook and Rumpelstiltskin; it always seems to be good versus evil. However, now they are all forced to put aside their differences and work together. Emma states that all of them have their strengths that will help find and save Henry.
While the majority of the premiere was extremely well-thought-out and action packed, there still are flaws. Emma has always acted as the mediator between Charming, Snow and Regina.
When Snow and Regina started punching each other, which quickly follows with Charming attacking Hook, poor Emma desperately tries to get them to stop.
Her attempts fail and result in her jumping off the ship to get everyone’s attention. Even though it works, it seems like it is just a little girl’s attempts to get attention from mommy and daddy. And when Snow punches Regina, it’s a bit weird as well.
All in all, this premiere is a solid way to start off the season. It gives the audience enough insight into what will come but leaves many cliffhangers, which in turn keeps fan interested.
The hour-long premiere seems far too short and it seems like the credits begin rolling too soon. The first episode of the third season of “OUAT” definitely hooks the audience and keeps the show’s usual drama, leaving fans excited and anxious for the next episode.
SAMMIE JANIK
