Saturday, June 13, 2015

30 Days of Television - Day 11

A show that disappointed you

Two years ago I became obsessed with the fairytale based show Once Upon A Time. A year ago I fell out of love with it. I wasn't planning on it, but it happens. Typically happens when a show does a major cast shake up (House MD when Chase, Cameron and Foreman "left" and were sidelined by 13 and crew... or CSI when Warrick and Grissom left... Law & Order SVU when Elliot left, etc.) I am not a fan of change.

However OUAT is weird because the catalyst that did me in was the death of a character I didn't realize I enjoyed as much as I did until after he was gone. We all know where I'm going with this - you can read my lamenting many times over (just look at the tags Neal Cassidy, or OUAT, and you'll see haha). Baelfire was a SIGNIFICANT character in the storyline - not just for Rumpelstiltskin but for the whole lot of characters. He wasn't just a love interest of Emma Swan, he wasn't just a throw away character... until they made him one.

For the fourth season they worked diligently to prove that statement wrong - basically by rewriting or completely negating/forgetting the very GOOD base they set in season 1. We're not just talking Neal Cassidy, we're talking Baelfire, the tragic boy in season 1 who just wanted his father to be good and not evil. Wanted to run away to the land without magic to save his father from himself. The kid who the original curse was created so that Rumple could get to him. THAT character.

The cheesy dialogue, over acting, and even the lack of continuity I was able to handle for two and a half seasons... but then by the end of season 3 it was starting to feel ridiculous. I really did try to muscle through it. After all, I am not a fan of just one character - and really wasn't a fan of Neal until he was gone (seriously the bird thing... gets me every time) - but the more it becomes a soap opera (as if the crappy Neal - Emma - Hook love triangle wasn't stupid enough... now we have Robin - Regina - Marian/Zelena) the less interested I am. Oh, and don't EVEN get me started with how Emma's now The Dark One.

I tried watching a few episodes and couldn't make it through even one. It sucks. I love the cast. The Frozen casting was perfect, looks wise. I just, yeah. The show is a mess. So disappointing.

And, honestly, even if they "fixed it" by somehow bringing Nealfire back? It wouldn't save the show in my mind.

No comments:

Post a Comment