Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-6252544-20130915230131/@comment-6195464-20131111203659

I can't speak for anyone else, but personally, I'm not saying I dislike OuaT because of the characters... I'm just disappointed in the show right now because they're putting so much of an emphasis on the relationships and not enough on the actual storyline and as far as my opinion goes, it's hurting the series (I've read numerous comments and have had several conversations with people saying the show no longer interests them). The scene last night in Dark Hollow could have been so much better and much more intriguing, but instead, they chose to focus on Neal and Hook fighting over a lighter, to impress Emma... We've spent so much time this season wading through triangles, on again/off again relationships and unrequited love stories that the story itself is suffering...

I realize OuaT focuses alot on love... on the power of it. But in the earlier episodes, there was much more depth to the characters and their relationships. Now, people "fall in love" instantaneously, without actual cause, and bounce between "true loves" like Pinball machines. It just seems like everything important is being rushed, to make room for these loony relationships and for me, it doesn't work. I would much rather have seen Ariel and Eric's love story drawn out of a series of episodes, than forced down our throats in roughly twenty minutes. I mean, come on... even in the Disney movie, Eric had to spend the day with Ariel before he started developing feelings for her. On Once, he danced with her... and suddenly he's inviting her to travel the world with him? 0_O That feels forced and rushed, even for a Fairytale. I wouldn't even have minded the whole Aurora/Mulan thing if it didn't feel like it happened overnight.

This is coming from a girl who won't read anything that doesn't have some semblance of romance in it... but Once is turning into a Soap Opera... and so much of it feels like catering to shipping fanbases, rather than something that actually fits into the story.