Board Thread:Character Discussion/@comment-11058666-20150819040345/@comment-24950802-20150822135728

As much as I have complained about season 4 and the character flaws presented all through it, it hadn't really dawned on me till just now, skimming through this thread, how much the season ruined so many of the show's core characters, to the point that none of them really stand out as my favorite anymore.
 * The attempt at making Snow and Charming more complex and human-like, less perfect, was downright retarded: stealing someone else's baby because your own baby has a 50% chance of growing up to be evil is profoundly stupid in so many ways I cannot even cope with that.
 * Emma's potential for darkness was largely idiotic and completely disregarded since the reason she went dark is a good reason anyway. Maybe we can appreciate the irony of it all, she was destined for darkness (and it had been foreshadowed, I suppose) but she still got there because of her pure, selfless heart. That's one way to appreciate it. The other way is to acknowledge how much of s4b was a complete wash since nothing that Emma did (killing Cruella, almost killing Lily) actually contributed or had anything to do with her current darkness.
 * Regina is a self-entitled bitch who constantly and consistently puts herself before others, when those others are people she's already screwed over in the past. Her screaming at Pinocchio when she's supposed to have a soft spot for children was the last straw. She deserves as much happiness as Isaac Heller deserves another arc.
 * Belle standing up for herself and others and kicking Rumple out was a good, character-defining stepping stone for her, but alas, prior to that, we had the dumbness of "Family Business". Her choosing her pet rock over Anna's life is not only unforgivable, it's plain stupid. Yet another attempt at making the good guys more complex that doesn't just border on idiocy, it steps over the line, lifts up its leg and marks its territory there.
 * Rumple fully embraced his villain side and that was actually good, I'd rather have him be a straight-up bad guy than seeing him do his usual one-step-forward-two-steps-backwards routine. That being said, he still managed to end the season saying that he thought he was doing what was best, which... No. Stop. Rumple, you're supposed to be smart. Stop saying you think what you do is what's best. I thought you were meant to acknowledge that it's not, you just didn't care that it wasn't. God...
 * Robin... I have ranted about Robin way too many times already, I cannot cope with this.
 * In Henry's case, my complaint is more on the actor's part. Back in seasons 1 and 2, I used to hate Jared Gilmore's performance simply because he was a kid and child actors are usually the worst. Now, I look back on those days with longing... His acting sucks so much ever since he hit puberty, it's so monochordic. He always sounds the same and is utterly unable to emote.
 * Zelena was Marian, okay? Let that sink in and try not to take it as a slap to the face. As fun as Zelena is and as nice as it is to have her back, this was just the wrong way to go about it, all for the sake of the twist.
 * Maleficent was so tame... Not only was the story they thought of to incorporate her back into the show so astonishingly stupid, the Mistress of All Evil was so washed down. She did, like, nothing.
 * Will bloody Scarlet, guys.

I'm sorry for repeating so many points, it does feel like I'm always saying the same things, whether it's stuff that I have said before myself, or that others have said. It's good to know, however, I'm not alone in acknowledging the show's many, many, MANY faults.

As Eskaver pointed out, the only character that hasn't actually been ruined was Hook. I'm fine with Hook. He's definitely not my favorite character, but I don't mind him at all. No complaints. All the other characters now feel like parodies of themselves.