Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-24589671-20150309010651/@comment-25926288-20150311121532

I think it's a bit more about how they claim to have everything planned out, but they probably mean in a general sense, since they need certain rights for stuff. They also implied that they prefer plot and action moments over nice, simple, and clam character moments. I actually enjoy the more action-oriented pace. I can handle minor continuity problems since you usually can explain it away. But some things are brought up to our attention and then dropped and some suffer the wrath of "bold storytelling". At times it seems as if they write according to a guideline but don't carry the same level of writing, which is understandable since there are many writers.

For example, the character of Neal/Baelfire. I loved young Baelfire, and didn't really liked Neal whatsoever. But we know he is a key point to most of the plot's narrative. Without him, none of this would have happened. He was also a key point in Emma's story. He also served as a part in the romance of Emma. Then, he died in a random, un-hyped episode. "For bold storytelling" I watch Game of thrones and read the some of books, when a character dies it isn't spontaneous, sometimes foreshadowed but definitely effective, but minor to the overall scheme of the plot. When Neal died, Rumple lost his purpose, Emma lost a romantic interest, Hook had no competition, Henry loses a chance to have a father, "since two mothers don't need him" yet they are replacing that void of a father figure with Hook or Robin. Neal also could have died at anytime prior. He could have died in the season two cliffhanger. Died in the midseason finale of three (which is one of the best episodes). Died in the whole time travel flux, or because Rumple chose power over him again and this time leading to his unintentional death.

But other than that, I think they have two much to balance out and things simply fall off the scale and never seen again. To many characters to balance, to many plot devices and magical macguffins to keep track of, an overpowered magic system, borderline deus ex machine. They introduce new characters when there is no need to introduce so many when you can have someone else fulfill that role. Plus, some twist they drove into the ground, "Surprise relative", "Not really dead", family problems. I won't even get into the twist of morality the characters and show seems to display. Love it anyway!