Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-25926288-20160723221446/@comment-26443838-20160725021114

CoolDudeAl wrote: NickyHelp wrote:

Eskaver wrote:

Hmcooper4 wrote: Ok, just my opinion, but I see no reason that this should be the final season. While the live ratings do not look all that great, it's not just Once that suffers from that. Once still is one of the top rated shows on Sunday's, and generally owns its timeslot. That counts for something with TV Execs, particularly on a night that is light in viewership across the board.

Although, i would be afraid that, should the writers take the kitchen sink approach, the show might very well 'jump the shark' and doom itself to termination. Which, let's face it, is what ABC likes to do, particularly since it was an ABC show that originated the phrase.

So, I guess the villain that we really need to be worried about is sitting in the writers room. It's the villainous Red Herring! XD Took the show on many a shark jump.

I was very hyped, then quickly cynical about the season because time after time somehow they squander what they have a go about a weird way to lose any potential that they previously had. Take the last time they had multiple villains.

4b had Rumple, the returning Zelena, Mal, Ursula, and Cruella with her author friend Isaac. (6 has Rumple, the returning Evil Queen, Hyde, Jafar, and possibly more). Rumple was spastic with a plan that changed more than a kids' cartoon villain. Ursula was quikly axed. Cruella was nice, Mal was useful (in her own words). Zelena was chewing up the scenery. But it was far too much in a short time span.

6 seems to also have "untold stories". That worked well in season 1. But let's take a slightly newer season that told "untold stories" about our main cast aka 4b/5b. Remember that time when we'd get a secret in Snow and David's lives. Ended up with some character assassination. Oh, what about when Neal was on some magic destroying quest? Never heard of that. Now, now, we do have to remember how much we wanted Hook's backstory? Oh, shucks, Liam is a mass murderer too!

If the vilain isn't particularly episodic or background, they seem to be lost in the shuffle. Pan in 5b was never present and could just been axed or introduced later rather than disappearing for several episodes only to come back to die (again). So far, filmingwise, that might be Hyde (getting the Arthur treatment aka locked up, then randomly back later). What character assasination for the Charmings? There was none. If you are referring to the Lily incident, that does not count. Remember? She lived. And the culprit was the Charmings, it was Isaac Heller. Only he chose to act through them. As revealed, he set them up on the path to hurt Lily and her mom without them realizing. It was all his act. And that's what villains were known to do, act through somebody else to do their dirty work. And I hope this season Lily will now know that Isaac was to blame and not the Charmings (and so should Emma). And if so, I would enjoy seeing Snow berate them both for blaming and spiting the wrong person and misjudging her. They might feel guilty. That would be an untold story for them. Here's hoping. They have confirmed Snow and Charming acted of their own free will in Lily's incident. It was The Apprentice that Isaac manipulated. I disagree with calling what Snow and Charming did as character assasination for a different reason. I simply don't think showing Snow and Charming as these perfect hero characters is accurate. Snow and Charming both have flaws, and I like them showing that sometimes the flaws win. Isaac was still the villain in that drama. The Apprentice knew well enough that he was the one to blame and that act was his (even though not physically). And for your information the Apprentice was not the only one manipulated and set up in the first place. Snow revealed in the final ep of S4, and I quote and reveal: "Years ago, you set us on a path to hurt Maleficent and Lily." That clued and proved that he manipulated them as well. It counts. It was all his work in the first place.

The Charmings didn't know what they were doing. They were so focused on trying to save their future baby and by the time they realized, it was too late. Isaac was the one to blame. Those flaws did not make them villains in the first place, they were on the right track but not for evil. They clearly never wanted this to happen. They're off the hook.

Emma on the other hand chose her act on Hurting Henry and Violet by herself, without a villain tricking or acting through her.