Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25926288-20170313005929/@comment-24593235-20170313035606

I didn't care much for the episode, but I went into the episode with low expectations so I'm not too bothered. I'm glad Hook killed Robert because, while obvious from the trailer, it's still a cool revelation considering it was an unnecessary plot they dragged out for ten episodes.

The best bit had to be the additional Pinocchio backstory. I did like Pleasure Island, I'll give them that. And Jakob Davies returning to voice Pinocchio was nice. Also enjoyed the bit with Rumple in the Enchanted Forest of the past, helping Robert out because he secretly relates to what he's going through, and the scenes between Snow and Regina. It's nice to see them have moments where they just sit down as friends.

As for the cons...

I'm not a huge fan of David or Hook, so to have a whole episode devoted to them isn't ideal for me (similar to Hook and Henry in 6x06.) Josh Dallas put on a great performance in the asylum scene with Hook, but I still couldn't bring myself to care. I just don't care about David, and frankly I've found him annoying since 6x10 when he's started receiving focus.

Then there's Regina and Wish!Robin, which, I'm just not gonna get into. I don't ship Outlaw Queen, and I think Robin is detrimental to Regina's character. While it was nice to see Zelena back, that thirty second cameo did not do her justice after missing two episodes.

I don't think the episode was poorly written by any means. Jane Espenson and Jerome Schwartz are two of the show's better writers, but this just wasn't an episode for me. Too much David/Hook and Outlaw Queen focus, and absolutely nothing for Rumbelle and Gideon.