Once Upon a Time: The Price (5x02)

Another very solid installment! This season is really, really awesome so far. The strongest stuff we've had out of this show in quite some time, maybe since the first season, even. Let's jump right in.

Cons:

There were a few disingenuous character moments here and there. Mostly, they were minor, but I do feel I have to say something. I thought Zelena's presence in this episode was awkward and contrived, especially when Regina had her pose as a serving wench during the stay in Camelot. Come on. Really? It's one thing to see a defeated enemy, it's another to turn a formerly formidable foe into comic relief.

I watched this episode with a friend of mine, and the two of us were rather giggly about the continual talk of "Merlin's prophecy." It sort of felt like Arthur had been given a very specific prophecy that mapped out exactly what was supposed to happen. That's a little silly. This show never does a very good job of determining the rules of magic. Merlin is obviously very powerful - so who trapped him in the tree? Oh well. Probably not the right thing to be focusing on, but it did annoy me a bit.

Pros:

The plot was very concise and well-contained. This show has had some problems with sprawling and overly complex plots before, but this one avoided those pitfalls. In Camelot, we watch as Emma and her family are welcomed in. A ball is thrown in their honor. Regina lies and says she is the Savior and can rescue Merlin. She does this so Emma won't have to use Dark Magic to free Merlin, and thus risk losing herself more to the Darkness. Unfortunately, at the ball, Percival (one of Arthur's knights) learns that Regina is the Evil Queen. He attacks. Robin intervenes and is gravely injured. David kills Percival, but the damage has been done. Regina asks Emma to save Robin. Emma does, although she finds it difficult to use her Dark Magic without succumbing to it. She learns from the Rumple inside her head that Regina will have to pay the price for the magic that saved Robin's life.

In Storybrooke, we see the ramifications of Robin's brush with death. A Fury shows up to take Robin's life. Regina tries to save him. She offers her life instead, but manages to be spared - thanks to Mary Margaret, David, Leroy, and Arthur. The five of them are attacked by the Fury, but none are killed, and Robin is spared. Hook, meanwhile, tries to save Emma by giving her True Love's Kiss, but it doesn't work. Emma has embraced the Darkness. She doesn't want to be saved.

All of this stuff was fantastic. It's a simple plot, with cause and effect, and yet we still get to see the complexities of several characters, both old and new. I particularly liked the way this episode focused on Regina's journey to self-worth. In Camelot, she's convinced that her inability to dance will make everybody see her as a fool. Nobody will believe she is the Savior if she can't even comport herself properly at a ball! David teaches her to dance, which was an oddly sweet moment, and Regina picks it up fast. Later, in Storybrooke, Emma tells Regina that nobody will ever trust her to save the town. Regina has to get over these insecurities to gain the support of the town. In the end, she realizes that at least some people believe in her. Leroy even says that she's the only one that can save them all. Aww!

I love Jennifer Morrison, and everything that's going on with Emma as the Dark One. She has embraced the Darkness, and feels hurt that her family doesn't believe she's still her. She doesn't feel like she needs to be saved. This is who she is now. At the end of the episode, we see that Emma has brought the stone with Excalibur in it to Storybrooke. The Rumple in Emma's head tells her that if she unites the sword with the dagger, she can finally expel light from the world for good, and get away from the influence of her family and loved ones trying to save her. I love this idea - Emma is the Big Bad, but the main thing that she's trying to do is prevent her loved ones from getting her back. They want the exact opposite, of course.

One of my favorite things about this episode was the relationship between Belle and Hook. They've certainly had a tumultuous relationship, but now they're bonded by one very specific thing: they have both loved Dark Ones. This is a really interesting dynamic, and I love that they addressed it here. Belle is still hoping that Rumple will wake from his coma - she carries around an enchanted rose, whose petals represent Rumple's remaining life. This is a nice nod to the movie, with a uniquely Once Upon a Time-ish twist to it.

Henry has his first crush! A girl named Violet. I was prepared to find this really painful, given poor Mr. Jared Gilmore's acting ability, but I actually thought it came across okay! Very cute. And Violet is one of the citizens of Camelot who ends up back in Storybrooke, so we'll get to see more of this little relationship develop! Henry brags about saving everybody when they were trapped in an alternate dimension, and shows off his iPod. Adorable.

Captain Swan! Ahhh! they kissed twice. In Storybrooke, Hook tries to awaken Emma with a True Love's Kiss, but Emma wants none of it. She was just looking forward to some sexy times with her pirate paramour. She wants to drag Hook back to the Darkness he once belonged to. Just as Regina needs to be the Savior now, Hook has got to resist going back to being a villain, if he wants any chance of getting Emma back. The other kiss happened back in Camelot. Just after Emma saves Robin, she kisses Hook, to ground herself and remind herself that she can resist the Darkness. That's fantastic. I loved how worried Hook was about Emma. He was constantly trying to protect her.

The ball was awesome - mostly for the really pretty dresses everybody was wearing. Emma and Regina looked especially beautiful. A ball is always a fun way to get a large group of people together in an ensemble show like this. I like Arthur and Guinevere, too, although we still don't have much information about them.

Gosh, this review sort of got away from me, didn't it? I think I'll stop there. I'm so excited to find out what price Emma has to pay to unite Excalibur with the Dark One's dagger. And of course more Hook and Belle bonding over their love of the Dark Ones. And more Camelot. There's pretty much nothing I'm not excited about right now, and that makes for a promising start to the season!

8.5/10