- Title: Once Upon a Time – A Pirate’s Life
- wiki: link
Emma (Jennifer Morrison) returns for flashbacks of Henry‘s (Andrew J. West) adventures in an episode that gives us two different Captain Hooks (Colin O’Donoghue) and reveals the one trapped in Hyperion Heights may not be the one viewers have gotten to know over the show’s previous seasons. Meanwhile, back in the real world, Rogers (O’Donoghue) is tested by his partner as Henry’s appearances make Victoria Belfry (Gabrielle Anwar) increasingly uncomfortable.
By the end of the episode the new rebooted version of the show has most of its pieces in place. Despite not believing Lucy (Alison Fernandez), Henry has become invested in helping to stop Victoria’s schemes. The Cinderella (Dania Ramirez)/Henry storyline still doesn’t quite work, but the show is beginning to sell me on Henry and Jacinda (Ramirez). Rumpelstiltskin‘s (Robert Carlyle) turn, always looking after his own interests, is a nice touch as well. The (short) return of Emma is a nice touch, even if it feels a bit wasted for an average episode. However, it does open the door a bit to the possibility of bringing back other characters as well as suggest that Storybrooke still exists, even if Henry can’t remember it.
I must rate Once Upon A Time A Pirate’s Life as 3.00 stars out of 5.00. Although better than the dry Hyperion Heights of the week prior, but still far below what I would expect from OUAT. Lady Tremaine is doing her level best to make something of this, but Henry and Cinderella are dragging the show down. I personally want to send these two Machinist Mates (i.e. Master Morons) to the idiot realm of Agrabah to be with Aladdin and Jasmine where they can play millennial games for all eternity. We need more of The Dark One to take command of show. I liked how Rumple made it clear to Victoria Belfrey that she has no sway upon him what-so-ever, which is the premise of what being the Dark One is all about. Two Hooks, a pregnant Emma, and a stale Roni/Regina, and this show is going nowhere fast. OUAT does not need a reboot, it simply needs to get the writers in gear and out of the way to allow the characters to do what they do best. And that is make the different realms and the various stories of OUAT come alive and make us all believe.