(This review may contain spoilers).
Season three of Once Upon a Time could almost be classed as two seasons in one. There’s a lot going on in this… and a lot of emotion involved with the characters.
One of my favourite things about this series is how the characters don’t come across as pure good or pure evil. From probably the end of season one, Regina has been my favourite character. Despite looking back in the past and seeing the bad she did then, it’s clear that, although she will do bad things if she sees the need, there’s a lot of good in her. There are a lot of moments where the change in her is obvious… and I especially love her relationship with Henry. It was really good to have the opportunity to see where it all started with her change of heart.
Peter Pan is… not a nice person. At all. I did like the opportunity to learn more of Rumpelstiltskin’s past, though, and I felt a lot of sympathy for him.
Belle and Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin are probably my favourite pairing in Once Upon a Time. There is another one… but to name the characters involved would give away spoilers. Suffice to say that I really enjoyed watching the dynamics between the different types of relationships.
One thing I didn’t really like was the love triangle involving Emma, Hook and Neal. There’s a lot that’s kind of creepy about it, especially given the past relationships between two of those characters in particular.
I had a lot of favourite moments in this series, but one of the most bittersweet elements was Mr. Gold and his son. Mr. Gold comes across like Regina… a villainous character who also has a lot of good that can be seen, not only by the viewers, but also by the other characters.
It was good to see many of the characters forced to work together, even the ones who might not be good at working with each other. The second half of the season is as intense as the first… and guaranteed to put a lot of viewers through the emotional wringer.
There are some nice special effects in the series, as well as the relationships between the characters. It’s easy to feel sympathy for Emma, but also identify with her as a strong character. Her love for Henry is strong… but then, so is Regina’s.
I was disappointed in the finale of this season, but I hope season four will make up for that.
Ink of Blood 