Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25926288-20160414154159/@comment-5106672-20160429162423

I think overall this arc has recaptured the spirit of S1, which basically was: go around town, meet people, help them out, discover some connection, get a piece of the puzzle to see the whole picture and solve the mystery. The only differences, which go to 5B's detriments, are:


 * We had a whole season back in S1, so there was actually time to cover everything except little mysteries the writers were saving for later.


 * Most of the characters had no idea what the final goal was (Emma, Snowing), but the story gently pushed them in that direction so we, the audience, knew where they were winding up; now, we, the audience, have no idea of what's supposed to be going to happen either.


 * While the goal was in sight, we didn't expect the Curse to be already broken in the S1 finale (at least, most of us didn't… I guess); so, we had no problems with things unfolding slowly, while now we know everything must be clear and done by the end of the season, possibly even before the season finale because we've learned that's the set up for the next arc rather than a proper closure for the current one. Thus, we're worrying there will be no time to do everything properly.


 * We're also coming from the fast-paced contrivity of the past few arcs, so we're used to things rushing off and this arc seems uneventful by comparison, even though it allows for many great character moments that, personally, I missed sorely.

With this said, yes, there is some weak writing every now and then: we don't see why living in the Underworld is such an issue that people would want to leave and go on or come back. As I mentioned, the show is not making a clear point for the audience either, so we don't know what they're building up to (which is frustrating, but not necessarily bad: in the last three arcs, the pay off wasn't what it was cracked up to be; this one may surprise us). And we're plagued by ineluctable production issues that make no sense in-universe (Snow's solo escape without a useless Robin, an endangered baby and a pregnant Belle, for one).

But overall, this arc is enjoyable and I think it is not only an improvement compared to the last three arcs, but also a sign the show has realised what made it work better early on and is taking it back.