Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-25926288-20160723221446/@comment-25926288-20160724215712

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).