‘Once Upon a Time’ season 5: Should Red, Leroy, Archie get further moments to shine?

Once -We all know that “Once Upon a Time” loves to introduce new characters and give you as broad of a sense of the fairy-tale spectrum as they possibly can. In the end, it’s hard to really blame them for their efforts here, since they know that every character has their own fan base, and their goal here is ultimately to bring in as many fans as possible.

With that being said, is the show doing enough to support its longtime characters in the process? We wouldn’t blame you if you felt like certain people are being ignored, and that’s something we hope will be resolved in the years ahead. Since we don’t unfortunately know for sure that it will, for the sake of this article let’s map out who we believe are five characters who need more time in the spotlight moving forward.

Leroy – Remember his love story in season 1, and the explanation for why he became Grumpy? That’s been pretty much ignored ever since. We know that Amy Acker is busy these days, but couldn’t she return as Astrid / Nova if “Person of Interest” finishes in time?

Red – We know that Meghan Ory will be coming back later this season, and who knows? Maybe she becomes the Mulan love interest so many have been looking forward to seeing.

Archie – Our favorite therapist and Pongo were at one point major parts of the show earlier in its run, and it’s unfortunate that we have moved away from that. For one, we love Raphael Sbarge; also, there are plenty of people on this show in need of therapy.

Dr. Whale – It’s a similar situation to Astrid with Dr. Whale, given that David Anders has a role on “iZombie” that keeps him busy. With that said, both this show and “Once Upon a Time” film in Vancouver … and he has appeared here once before.

Sidney Glass – For one, we love Giancarlo Esposito and went him on as much as possible. Also, doesn’t anyone else remember his love for Regina? We know he’s at least returning for the 100th episode…

As for an honorable mention, what about Maleficent? We spent so much time on her daughter last season only for her to be a non-entity in season 5.

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