Once upon a time series seven

Having been a massive fan of Once upon a time I was unsure what this series would bring. 

A new series brings new talent, new idols and in this case even more stories retold in completely different ways. 

I can't say I loved it all for that would be a lie. I found certain characters and storylines hard to stick. A few of the newer additions'. didn't get enough screen time. Some were unfairly killed off with us knowing very little about them. 

If an eight-season had been commissioned these stories may have possibly been explored further. People have probably written their own theories on these things I've never eight ed, but it would be intriguing to read other points of view. 

Watching back I noticed the odd plot hole here and there, again something that could have been fixed given an eight-season. I am sceptical about having it return for the seventh without some of the characters I had grown to love.  Being a die-hard Captain Swan shipper I felt very happy on how the previous season had ended. 

My biggest issue with Eddy & Adam adding a new season was also down to captain Swan if Colin was supposedly in it then where was Emma? Were they separated? they'd be on such a journey that the possibility of them being apart made me nervous as to know what Hook's story could possibly be. 

I've never been sure why it got so much hate, especially after release. 

 I for one found thoroughly enjoyable. There were a few once arcs I struggled to get into and I will admit parts I didn't like as much but as a whole, it's one of my favourite seasons. 

 Eddy and Adam always have a really clever way of being able to shake up fairytales. In a way that really appeals to a modern-day audience.  

Upon first meeting Regina, it is not only clear she is a power-crazy mayor but that she is also enjoying the perks of being in charge. She's pretty well off with a reasonably large office & house. Whereas what we see with Jacinda is a struggling single mother who has little power over her situation struggling to battle Bills whilst taking care of her daughter. 

Another big difference is season seven's cursed world. We don't see anyone really tackling hardships in season one yet in season seven we have all these relatable complex characters with real-world problems. It's not just Jacinda but older Henry's cursed memories are of a fire that killed his wife & child who he is subconsciously grieving for. 

 Tilly gives us a story of a drugged-up, mentally ill street girl. Who's cursed backstory seems to reflect that of many homeless people suffering from poor mental health or addiction. 

One thing that becomes apparent 

 in both Tilly and Alice is that they experience deep-rooted self-esteem issues. Alice's from being locked up in a tower for many years, then upon escaping feeling lost and all alone.

 Whereas Tilly's are from living on the streets. It’s never disclosed why Tilly believes she ended up there. She never mentions memories of her cursed parents or a family. Which is one thing I wish we got to find out especially as no one seems to notice her? Despite her everyday presence.

Being the guardian means Alice's magic is stronger than the rest, being the second person we know of to wake up and realise the truth. As the episodes progress it seems Tilly has never been affected by the curse. Victoria Bellfrey must know her magic is more powerful as she puts her on medication to stop her remembering who she really is. 

It takes a while to see friendships formed in season one but with this, we are made aware of how close Sabina and Tiana are. This feels important because it shows how crucial friendship is especially in the hardest of times. 

 Tiana's completely different backstory was so refreshing. I loved how she went out to be saved by the prince, Giving him his happy ending, prior to gaining hers. 

Alice also saves herself, by wishing for an escape out of her tower she manages to subconsciously conjure up a troll and save herself. 

Jacinda also had some really good real lifelines about self-empowerment and the whole idea of allowing yourself to save yourself rather than waiting around for someone else to do it. 

I personally believe we should be allowed into the circulation of modern fairytales.

This season concentrated on very few love stories,  the big one being Jacinda and Henry along with Robyn & Alice, with other hinted relationships hinted that didn't lead to anything. 

Once was always excellent at acknowledging the importance of family and friendship. 

being a massive Hook fan already I grew to really love Rogers, his relationship with Tilly felt so real. And was absolutely adorable and one of my favourite parts of the whole season. It gets even better as you begin to join the dots to discover who they really are to each other. Roger's cursed self believes he once had a daughter so he finds comfort in taking the poor homeless girl under his wing. Even at one point offering her accommodation so she is safe. 

As time goes on Rogers becomes one of the few people Tilly feels sees, believes and has full faith in her.

Rogers appears to be Tilly's friend before becoming Roger's. He uses her street knowledge to help him out with various cases but at times his aims seem to be to manipulate her & use her as a weapon rather than a friend. 

Whilst lying partly unconscious in hospital after being shot by Tilly, then shown Belle's chipped cup, Weaver has a vision of him and Belle bringing him back to reality.

I never really shipped Rumbelle however I did love Belle as a character and found her death episode a really hard watch.

Weaver needed something to make him want to fight in order for a story to build up around him. So moving forward it was probably the best way to go in terms of giving him a decent backstory. 

Belle was the one to finally set him free, Having spent many years trying to rid himself of the dagger. 

Detective Weaver is all about discovering the truth very much like Rumple, he is suspicious of everything and everyone.

Usually choosing to work with wrong intentions or those of a vulnerable nature. Whether this is intentional or not I'm not exactly sure. Although he is seen manipulating a lot of them in order to gather evidence. 

 This, in my opinion, says an awful lot about how his cursed self shares characteristics of his true self. 

Despite all those happy years with Belle working and achieving becoming a better person deep down, when it comes to getting what he wants he's not afraid to do whatever it takes to achieve this. 

Regina's redemption story continues throughout this season you can even tell how Roni is a completely different person to Regina's once evil self. 

One example of this is when she begins to teach Drizilla how to control her magic. Hoping to stop her making the same mistakes she did. I think this is a really significant part of Regina's story and how far she has come as a person from where she started in season one. 

Drusilla is very much like young Regina, they are both clearly searching for some sort of acceptance that neither of them gets from their mother's. 

In order to gain this, they both seek the guidance of antiheroes. 

Gothel and Rumple exploit them both, in ways that make them feel wanted. Gothel even goes to extreme lengths to help Drizzella cast her curse, even enlisting a coven of witches to help. 

Gothel seems to have this way of finding children who feel neglected by their own mothers, stealing them and then proceeding to raise them as her own.

I found the whole witch-cult storyline a bit odd and at times hard to follow. Most villains seem likeable in one way or another much like the black Fairy, Gothel had no redeeming qualities at all making it hard for me to feel anything for her other than hatred which is possibly why I struggled as I'm not the best with emotional pain (which she caused a lot of) or violence. 

In saying that watching back "Flower child" I did feel sorry for her all she wanted was to fit in, she thought she had finally found some friends. Until they went off to kill her entire family in a wicked act of betrayal. I had completely forgotten about it until my re~watch but I wrote something similar a few months back which now I have remembered about I'm going to try to find and continue. 

Arriving home to a land disaster and destruction. A location where you grew up, have very fond memories of, now destroyed in an act of jealous cruelty is bound to make you feel hatred for that person or group of people. 

From experience, I know that pain either makes people bitter or it makes them better. I know so many people who struggle on a daily basis yet are lovely. Yet in support groups, you see so many bitter people I've noticed this with old people they seem to be the nicest people ever or extremely awful. 

Not sure if this connected to the past is a harder time to live in or not for some it most likely is. I'd like to think people are horrid for a reason. Whenever you watch prison documentaries most of them are also in there because they have acted upon instinct or tried to rebel against their awful situation. Some of them are plainly psychopaths but it proves that emotional pain can really take you one way or the other. 

Completely gone, off-topic there (so sorry about that) but back on the subject of Gothel, I speculate that if even one more of her family has survived maybe they could have worked it out together or she would have been stopped from injuring the innocent for a crime they did not commit. 

Still on the subject of the witches having Hansel & Gretel appear was a really interesting twist. I loved the whole Zelena element to that as well as the added addition of Ivy.

 Hansel's redemption plot was also very well thought out. You expect it to be a cult member causing all these deaths then suddenly out of the blue Zelena is targeted. 

One of my favourite forms of television is flashbacks as generally, they are really inventive, fun and a really clever way of adding more backstory. 

 Hansel & Gretel's flashbacks were some of my favourites as they deeply told their story. Although much like Hansel I wish we got to know more of Gretel's story.

I really wish that we were able to see more of Hansel/Jack before he was killed as I feel many more things could have been added to his story. The reinventing and becoming felt quite authentic as a lot of people seem to do that after experiencing trauma it also gave a whole other element to his story. 

One thing that did seem slightly off with this season and something  I've already briefly mentioned with plot holes is that we don't see Gideon in this new cursed realm. Even Margot who is off travelling has a cursed self who she believes to be true. So even if Gideon Is away presumably still studying, surely he would also have a cursed self? 

I've been trying for days to wrap this blog up, the last time I checked it was three pages long. Not surprising considering it has been in the process of being written since January. There are a few other things I want to mention though 

Starting off with 

DR. Facilier

and his voodoo this really added something new to the show.  I don't recall seeing any previous villains practice the art of voodoo. He was another character I wish we could have seen more of along with Prince Naveen. 

At the very start, I talked about how delighted I was that Hook and Emma got their happily ever after. I wasn't sure the true ending could top that. I got very emotional every time I sow an old character appear once more on my screen, especially when Robyn and Alice arrived back in StoryBrooke. Although I shipped outlaw queen, I wouldn't say I was a massive fan of them not like I was with CaptianSwan. Even, I got emotional when Robin's ghost appeared, Regina's story deserved a happy ending, the one she never seemed to get at the end of series six. Regina being crowned the good queen was the perfect ending note not only for her journey but the show's journey. 

It started with Regina and ended with her also. 

Questions I thought of after doing a rewatch:

Why does Lucy know they are under a curse? And how did Henry? Surely Regina and Ivy wouldn't want their curses to be broken. So they would not have created loopholes. Is it simply because they are children?. Then In saying that we see children in Storybrooke attending school with Henry who have no idea they are cursed. 

If anyone has any theories on this please message me to discuss them. I hope you have enjoyed this blog. Like I said it has taken since January to complete so I'm really hoping people read it & love it as much as I have loved writing it.