‘Once Upon A Time’ Season 2 DVD Review: Not Quite A Fantasy…

Once Upon A Time will be back with a brand new season on September 29th, but until then you can pick up the Season 2 DVD that is loaded with plenty of amazing extras to keep you satisfied for the next few weeks!

For those of you not familiar with Once Upon A Time it centers on two worlds – Storybrooke and then the Fairytale world. We flash back and forth between the two worlds – learning the backstories of well-known storybook characters that have been frozen in time in Storybrooke. They’ve been sent to “the worse possible place imaginable”… Our world… “reality” by the Evil Queen, and their only hope of being saved is from Snow White and Charming’s daughter, Emma Swan.

There were some fairly large changes that took place after an epic Season 1 finale… In Storybrooke, the Evil Queen’s spell was broken and with that came the knowledge of everyone’s true fairytale identities. With this huge development, a lot of fans were concerned about where Season 2 could go and how this pace could be continued – But Season 2 quickly taught us that even though the spell was broken – our characters can’t just return to their perfect lives and live happily ever after. Far from it actually, no one can leave Storybrooke.

In Season 2, more backstories were revealed and we did get to see travel between the two worlds. In fact when Season 2 starts out, Emma and Snow end up trapped in the fantasy world only to find out it’s anything but a fantasy – they’re in mortal danger. As the season progresses, Emma begins to learn more about herself and what she’s capable of – even a little bit about motherhood. Regina ( The Evil Queen ) continues to struggle with her promises to Henry. Prince Charming is now sheriff. Rumpelstiltskin…. well he had the best storylines of the season, and I can’t not mention Captain Hook – who may just be the most beautiful and charming man on television right now. I’d venture to say all female fans agree with me.

I made my love for Once widely known in Season 1. I thought it was a charming show with a unique concept. It was part Lost – part Disney movie – with a twist of darkness – though certainly toned down from the original fairytales that so many of the storylines in Once are based on.

But let’s be blunt, a number of fans lost interest in Once midway through Season 2. The story arches became convoluted and were seemingly going no where… Not to mention the characters that shouldn’t have been in the spotlight were featured far more than the characters who we actually wanted to see. That’s not to say the season was all bad – because there certainly some diamonds in the rough – “Crocodile,” “The Outsider,” and really anything that focused on Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin was amazing.

When it comes to extras, fans can look forward to a solid blooper real, deleted scenes, a couple of featurettes, a length version of “Welcome to Storybrooke” which was a parody morning talk show that was introduced at Comic-Con, and a few other special features to spark your interest.

Overall, if you’re a fan of Once Upon A Time, picking up the DVD is a given, but if you’re new the fantasy world of Storybrooke – you’re in the for a treat. While I stand by my statement that Season 2 isn’t as strong as Season 1, it’s still a show that continues to draw us in and bring us back to our youth with a deja-vu of The Wonderful World of Disney which aired in the same time slot during my childhood – and in the childhood of so many of our readers!

Grade: B-
Review By: Emma Loggins

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