TV GUIDE: Ask Matt: TV Musicals, Revenge, Homeland, Once Upon a Time, Parenthood, More
Oct 30, 2012
by Matt Roush
Send your questions and comments to askmatt@tvguidemagazine.com and follow on Twitter!
... Question: As an avid reader of your column, your opinion on things, even shows I don't watch, I find useful and interesting. I'm curious to know if you think Once Upon a Time is treading dangerous waters in terms of over-casting this year. Last season you wouldn't be able to find an episode without Jennifer Morrison, Ginnifer Goodwin or even Lana Parrilla. This season all were missing from one and only appeared during the last minute in another. While I still find the show enjoyable, it still seems odd to not have those actors appear at all. Do you think too many characters are appearing in Storybrooke and can it hurt the show if core actors continue to be MIA? — Jeffrey
Matt Roush: I'm not sure the problem is too many characters as much as an overly fragmented narrative, with some episodes split between what's happening in Storybrooke, the back story of characters in Fairy Tale Land, and the current exploits of Snow, Emma and whoever in the post-curse fantasy land. Jumping around so much within an hour can leave even a fan unsatisfied, which is why the recent episode that focused entirely on Rumplestiltskin's encounter with the soon-to-be Captain Hook was one of my favorites — in part because it didn't keep shuffling as much between the worlds (ignoring Snow and Emma altogether for a week) and because Hook is so far the best and most vividly played new character of the season. (The less we see of the vapid Princess Aurora, and even the surprisingly wan Mulan, the better.) As mentioned in the discussion about Revenge, I'm all for a show expanding its world from season to season, and Once Upon a Time is especially well suited for that, with a wondrous gallery of fictional legends to choose from. I liked this week's riff on Dr. Frankenstein more than I expected, including the homage to James Whale (who directed the classic Universal Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein movies) in the naming of the Storybrooke doctor. But getting back to your question, I agree it's a risk if they separate some of these core characters from the meat of the rest of the show for too long a time...
Once Upon A Time airs Sunday at 8/7C on ABC.
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