- Title: Once Upon a Time – The Bear King
- wiki: link
As the show moves closer to its fall finale, Once Upon a Time takes a break from the Dark Swan storyline to travel to DunBroch and catch up with the adventures of young Queen Merida (Amy Manson) who faces new challenges when the Witch (Lily Knight) threatens to curse the entire kingdom if the enchanted helm she gave to the late King Fergus (Glenn Keogh) isn’t returned. Adding to the trouble is the fact that Zelena (Rebecca Mader) and Arthur (Liam Garrigan) have arrived in town looking for the same artifact looking for the power to stand up to Merlin and Emma Swan.
Given the huge reveal and cliffhanger of the previous episode, and the fact that this episode was paired with “Birth” to be broadcast on the same night, “The Bear King” feels like an awfully strange change of pace. That said, Manson has been one of the highlights of the season and her quest also allows for the return of a pair of fan favorite characters in Mulan (Jamie Chung) and Ruby (Meghan Ory) who will not only help the young queen find the helm and save the kingdom but also come to terms with the burdens of her rule. I hope the tease of further adventures of Mulan and Ruby means we will be seeing more of both characters in the second-half of the season.
