What I’m Watching: Once Upon a Time

Once Upon a Time: Season 1, Episode 8 “Desperate Souls” (C+)

The theme of this show seems to be that everyone has redeeming qualities, and no one is immune to evil. The origin story of Rumplestiltskin finds him as a kindly, loving father, so attached to his son that he doesn’t want to let him go off to die for the kingdom. Brad Dourif was a perfect choice to play the evil magician who passed along his unfortunate powers to Rumplestiltskin. In the real world, it seems that Mr. Gold is unable to even keep any of the friends he has, betraying Regina so that he can extract some evil favor out of newly elected sheriff Emma someday. The logic behind his prompting her to run and then allowing her to win by showing the town that she can stand up to him was a bit of a stretch, and I’m not sure how much of the rules of the fairy tale world actually apply in Storybrooke. Henry’s concern that good can’t beat evil because evil plays dirty is founded in truth, and this episode was all about showcasing Regina as just about the most evil person that ever lived. Her immediate reference to her ankle pain after Emma dragged her out of the fire was over-the-top, and the real kicker was mouthing the words being delivered by Sidney during the debate. This show is entertaining, but it’s so sad to see that this is what Giancarlo Esposito chose to do after “Breaking Bad.” I suppose you can’t always find terrific parts.