Once Upon A Time 1.14

‘You’ve got your reasons for being here, i’ve got mine’

From the start, this episode of Once Upon A Time appeared to be the episode in which the concept went too far –the sickly sweet fairies and Dwarves hatching from eggs? Really? Yet despite such flaws the audience’s enchantment with Once Upon A Time continues.

This week’s episode focused on ‘Dreamy’, the dwarf (Lee Arenberg), seemingly a subsidiary character, meaning that from the outset this episode seemed to be just a filler for continuing the series. Arenberg did a brilliant job of portraying the character in both worlds and the storyline allowed him to show a wide range of emotions – we disliked him as the ungrateful labourer to start with, before sympathising with him as the Blue Fairy was scuppering his plans for an adventurous journey with Astrid. Having the dwarf and Snow White work together was a master stroke, providing an interesting storyline whilst showing the problems each character was facing individually and giving the link between Snow White and her dwarfs which has seemingly been lacking.

The sickly sweet nature of both Astrid and Nova (Amy Acker) was one area where this episode faulted. Although the character was played fittingly by the actress, the over the top sweet nature of the fairy gradually became more and more irritating, especially in the fairytale world. The fairies’ costumes divulged from the stereotypical fairy apparel by being more frilly, bright and revealing but worked well in the warped worlds the programme is set in.

However, the producers also worked their magic by making the dwarf’s story a footing for the exploration and development of the storyline between Snow White and Prince Charming - the plot we are all eager to see. Kathryn’s (Anastasia Griffith) disappearance was the thread that ensured this episode did not just an also-ran episode. The confusion of David (Josh Dallas) and Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin) over the mystery as well as Emma’s (Jennifer Morrison) investigation was gripping  and the closing scenes made sure that the audience would be tuning in once again next week.

Aired 1/07/12 Channel 5