Once Upon a Time: A Taste of the Heights (7x12)

Yay for a Tiana/Sabine episode!

Cons:

I will admit that I wish we'd stop dragging the curse along. I get that it's the whole point of this season's arc, but... I'm tired of the protagonist not knowing what's going on. It's what we did with Emma, but that was a bit different. We were coming into this new world with her. In Henry's case, we know that he's a part of this world, and his continued ignorance is wearing on my patience. The fact that Victoria Belfrey dies and so Lucy has nobody to corroborate her story... it's just frustrating and it feels like we're prolonging things unnecessarily.

Also... I liked the stuff with Sabine and Drew (Prince Naveen) but I was pretty disappointed to find out that Drew is working with Dr. Facilier. It seems like an unnecessary plot development. Don't we have enough going on at this point? What should we be focusing on? The coven of witches? Facilier? The curse? So much to wrap up, so little time...

Pros:

I'm a big fan of Regina and Zelena being close and sisterly. Their plan to try and suss out Dr. Facilier's motivations was pretty cute and clever, and that Def Leppard tattoo joke was absolutely hilarious. Also, I am actually such a fan of Regina and Facilier being a secret item. We don't know nearly enough about this yet to understand the full context, but giving Regina something to do is a great idea in my book. She's taken a bit of a back seat for the whole season, and I'm enjoying the idea of giving her an intriguing history with a villain. It reminds us that even though she's good now, she's no saint.

The Weaver and Rogers duo has never been all that interesting to me, but this week actually changed that a bit. The coven stuff is intriguing, even if I wish the pacing were a little quicker. The investigation, Rumple's growing bewilderment, Rogers' endearing ignorance of the truth... I don't know where this is all leading. Who's killing the witches, and why? Is it Facilier? I'm finding myself really curious and excited to learn more.

The scene between Zelena, Regina, and Rumple at the end was one of the highlights of the whole episode. It's fun to keep some people in the dark, but at the end of the day it's even more satisfying to have these characters who all know what's up conspire and plan together, despite their messy past and varying motivations. I always love a good Rumple and Regina team-up.

The backstory between Tiana and Naveen was lovely, as was the food truck story with Sabine and Drew. I like the way both of them reflected some fundamental truths in their strange relationship. There's a competitive edge, some light resentment, but then some selflessness and growing respect. I don't know how much time we'll have to really flesh out this relationship, but from what I saw in this episode, there's some really good material to build off of.

And then there's Henry and Jacinda being cute and normal and Lucy playing matchmaker... I think I needed more of this adorable beginning-of-relationship stuff with them in the wish realm, but I'll take it where I can get it. Henry's podcast "H-Town" is the funniest thing I've ever heard of, and I wonder to what extent the writers know what they're doing. But I like the idea of keeping Henry tied to his identity as the Author, even when he doesn't remember who he is. Lucy is just too precious, and it breaks my heart to see her struggling under the weight of her knowledge all alone. How long is she going to be able to keep Henry and Jacinda apart? Also, can Regina please fill Lucy in on the fact that some people are awake? I'm losing my mind, here!

I feel like this review is a bit uneven and sparse, but my interest in this show is likewise kind of shaky. It's not that I'm not enjoying myself, it's just that I'm never sure where my focus should be, and some parts of the show just can't hold my interest as much as I think they should. So... yeah. I enjoyed this episode. I'm excited for more Sabine, and to figure out what the heck is going on with these witches. But I'm also definitely ready for this to be the final chapter.

7.5/10