Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-26235327-20151201010455/@comment-25926288-20151201015524

This season didn't change scope. It was just diverted with Frozen fever (pun!).

The shorter the rcs, the more characters added, the less even character development is given, the less quality plot points are given.

Merlin wasn't as muchas a let down, but Once ran into an issue.

Magic on Once is overpowered. There is largely no limit to what someone can do. When the new villain or magic user gets more powerful in each subsequent arc, you reach a max eventually.

Merlin was so powerful, yet the DO which has the same power, but corrupted seems like comparing Regina to the Red Queen, one's much more powerful via feats and there's no way you can say they are equally strong.

They had Merlin as almost all powerful sense anyone more powerful than the DO is god-tier, but Merlin was shown to not be as showy and intellectually controlling. MErlin seemed like he'd be outwitted my Rumple, Cora, Zelena, and even Regina (ok, not that far).

Merlin seemed like the force of fate in action, when truly they gave him all this power and knowledge and squandered it by doing nothing but being tossed around, tethered, and killed. He'd be much more impressive if he was still in a tree.