‘Once Upon a Time’ season 6, episode 2 review: The Evil Queen and the Count of Monte Cristo
Sunday night’s episode of “Once Upon a Time” was in many ways all about the idea of a “fresh start.” Can you really leave all of your past behind? It’s clear and understandable that many would want to, but with temptations and with ghosts that continue to come back to haunt you, it’s starting to feel increasingly clear that this will not come easy.
For Regina, it’s about a million times harder given that the Evil Queen is now officially back, and is enjoying her time strutting around town and manipulating the heck out of people. Lana Parrilla is RELISHING this, and we gotta say that this is a heck of a lot of fun to watch. She’s slightly different than the Evil Queen before in that she’s completely uninhibited and has no problem doing anything she can to destroy everyone’s lives. Also, she apparently has a thing for Rumple in this form. Who knew?
What made this story all the more challenging for Regina was the return of the Count of Monte Cristo from the Land of Untold Stories, and he is a man who was desperate to do one thing and one thing only: Kill Snow White and Charming, and fulfill the last bit of a deal that was made all the way back before the curse. What happened instead was that Regina was forced to kill him, bringing a certain part of darkness into her heart.
Elsewhere in this episode, we had Emma talking about the premonition to Archie (it’s nice she has someone to talk to), Henry tried to convince us that “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” was one of the greatest sequels of all time (no dice on that, buddy), and Belle is looking for a new place to live. Zelena received a gift from the Evil Queen as a reward for not telling anyone that she was in town.
Ultimately, we’re glad that we’re sticking around Storybrooke this season, that the show has a procedural edge, and that the Evil Queen is in full force. This is a heck of a lot of entertainment, and it’s much more the show we originally loved on ABC. Grade: B+.
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