Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25896389-20151130073929/@comment-40195878-20190720005739

FAVORITES:

1) Favorite character of all time is hands-down Rumplestiltskin. The show handled him the best of all the villains, making him into a complex and interesting guy who drives the whole plot. Robert Carlyle's acting for both "beast"-Rumple and Mr. Gold also just works.

2) Tie between the Wicked Witch and the Evil Queen 2a) I love Zelena's arc of trying to prove herself while overcoming abandonment issues -- something that seems very toned-down for other orphans like Henry, Gideon, and even Emma. In S3 in particular, when Zelean's at her most desperate & power-hungry, Mader's acting is (probably deliberately) slightly over the edge, making you question the character's mental stability. 2b) On the other hand...Regina's sass and Lana Parilla's acting is amazing. And their sisterly bond onscreen (after they stop trying to kill each other) is perfection.

3) Belle. My favorite Disney princess, and originally my favorite character in Once, too. Considering she was pretty far-removed from the main action (Snow and Charming) in the Enchanted Forest, she made quite a few friends who helped her out later (Ariel, Robin Hood, and Grumpy/Dreamy, to name a few). I also love her reluctant alliances with Zelena and Regina -- and her friendship with Hook, which totally paid off when he saved her life in S6.

But her relationship with Rumple is too wishy-washy and detracts from the character. I'm not saying she should be a doormat when Rumple screws up (it's her anti-doormatness that makes her a good match for Rumple), but she should've stood by him and helped him work through stuff, instead of just walking out on him. (FYI: I'm still a Rumbelle shipper).

4) Cora. Love that woman. While I do think the leap from "kill the king" to "tear out my own heart so it doesn't interfere with my power-hungriness" was a bit forced, I just love the ambition she shows, and ultimately realizing as she dies that, "Wow, I really didn't have to do all that to find happiness." It's bittersweet. (Disclaimer: Haven't watched OUAT in Wonderland).

LEAST FAVORITES:

1) King Arthur. I loved the King Arthur legends as a kid and was excited to see what they'd do in Camelot during the Dark Swan arc. But there was so much potential, and instead they made the guy a villain who worked with the fricking Wicked Witch of the West. I think they were trying to do the inverse of what they did with the villains -- villainizing a hero instead of humanizing a villain -- but...nope.

2) Henry. *sobs* I know he was vital to the first two seasons even happening but...but...aaahh.

3) Maleficent. How, how, how do you manage to ruin the character of arguably the most interesting villain in Disney history? She's so...not evil.

4) Prince Charming. Except for the scenes that establish his relationship with Snow White (mainly in S1), I really can't with this guy.