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"Darkness on the Edge of Town"
Episode Review
What a vast improvement over last fall! I know it's early, but I enjoyed these new characters and storylines more than any of the Frozen characters combined. "Darkness on the Edge of Town" played up all the things I was hoping it would. We had excitement and surprise story twists, but there was still time for characters moments, as well as good zingers.
Let me just start out by saying, the NYC section was the highlight of the episode - I absolutely loved it. I mean, Rumple hanging out in homeless clothes and eating Ramen in Ursula's fish-filled apartment? Or how about Cruella getting kicked out of her mansion when her elderly rich husband is courted off to jail? And my personal favorite - going around a fast food drive-through in Cruella's over-the-top car. Once is fantastic when it plays with itself, and this episode, particularly the NYC scenes, did it to the ultimate. It's nice to take a break from heart-stopping drama sometimes and just laugh at the possibilities. I love it when it seems like the writers are having fun.
Storybrooke and its characters seem to be getting back to normal after Frozen's exit. It was nice to just see some character moments, something sorely lacking since September. The scene between Hook and Belle was nice, and I loved that Hook pointed out to Belle that despite his faults, Rumple really does love her. With all the cards stacked against him, it was nice to have something good pointed out about him. I also enjoyed Emma and Regina working together, further pushing them toward being friends instead of just allies. I enjoyed Regina's sassy lines, bringing us back to her old self and not so dewy-eyed as last fall. Lana Parrilla really can deliver sarcasm, and I laughed out loud at her lines. It felt like the old days, with Mary Margaret teaching, Regina in her mayor's office, and Emma donning her sheriff's badge.
The backstory was a good one, seamlessly weaving into our previous stories. Unlike the ones we've been seeing, this one actually made sense, showing us the beginning of the Dark Curse. It was almost reminiscent of an Agatha Christie mystery with everyone being summoned, and Rumple tricking the ladies was an unexpected twist. Surprisingly I found Cruella the most entertaining. She delivers her disdain for her surroundings like a pro, and I especially loved the green smoke from her mouth, an interesting nugget from the original movie. The three women and Rumple seem to have good chemistry, and I hope that the other two women can be as edgy as Cruella has been.
This episode also briefly introduced us to Chernabog, a villain from Disney's Fantasia. But though I was happy to see him touched upon, I think the writers made a smart move to have him vanquished relatively easily. Having him stick around as a threat with the Queens of Darkness already coming would have been too much. It also paved the way for the ladies to earn some trust to get into town, a new way of getting one's revenge. We also got some clues about the storybook - it's author and the sorcerer are two very different people. Whether it's a man or a woman we have yet to find out.
Robert Carlyle gave a fantastic performance as usual, showing us his wide range of abilities. From the glittering evil Dark One to the down-on-his-luck houseguest, we really got to see him perform some good material. His talking about his happy ending and nearly giving up on it was heartbreakingly portrayed, making us wonder exactly what his happy ending is, Is he going to try to get back to Belle? I hope so! It was great to see him back as the cunny and crafty Dark One, from watching him use just the right words to persuade Ursula and Cruella into helping him to emailing Belle and using the monster to let them into town. Also the ending twist with Emma's heart was interesting, as well as seeing Snow and Charming have some history with the Queens. I'm looking forward to seeing them more this season, as they've been missed.
A great start! I'm really looking forward to the next episode, which means the writers definitely did something right. I give this episode an 9/10. What did you think?