Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25926288-20171007005904/@comment-28011742-20171007150653

I have mixed feelings about this episode. There were some good moments, like the cursed versions of the characters, and some bad moments, like the whole Alice-in-the-cave scene. I liked seeing Hook and Regina and the rest, and it was definitely interesting to see the mirrorings of the pilot episode. There did seem to be a lot of characters and backstory to cover, and I am a little worried that the writers won't be able to handle it, but for that we'll just have to wait and see.

I'm not crazy about a few of the characters. I didn't really like Alice, but that's mostly just my love for "Once Upon A Time In Wonderland" talking. Lucy was definitely a sweet character, but I personally think it's stretching belief that she's either Henry or Cinderella's child---she doesn't really look like either of them. Cinderella is interesting, and I have no real qualms with her, but I am disappointed that they used that story when there were so many possibilities. Sure, it's familiar, and has an easy villain set-up, but how much more interesting would it be to have a lesser known fairytale princess? Or one that was completely made up? It would also solve a problem that's annoying me---Henry "inserting" himself into the story. If his love interest was lesser known, it wouldn't be as much of a problem, and if she were a completely new character it would raise more interesting dilemmas then him having to insert himself in there. Her being Cinderella is still an interesting story, but compared to the route they could've taken, it's a little disappointing.

For a pilot episode, it wasn't too bad, but I hope the season gets a little better by the next few episodes.