Tonight, the final episode of Once Upon a Time will air, and it's a very nostalgic thing for me. This show started the year I was a freshman in college, and I can still remember my excitement when I first saw the trailer for a show that would focus on retelling fairy tales. It was the sort of idea that I couldn't believe hadn't done before on TV, and yet I was so excited to see the creative stories that would come out of it.
Seven years later, I've watched every episode of this show as it's aired (and that's rare for me with most shows), and while there have been some seasons I've liked more than others, it's always been a show whose creativity and imagination inspire me.
Since it's finally coming to an end, I've decided to do a tribute to OUAT by sharing some of my top 3 favorite things about the show, (there will be some spoilers, but I'll warn you when they're coming).
TOP 3 CHARACTERS:
Snow White
While I like most of the characters on this show, Snow White was the one I really started watching the series for, and the main character I've most admired. Sure, she's done some questionable things (like an affair with Charming, while they were both cursed), and even murder, that one time. But she was generally kind and selfless, and incredibly resilient. She's the best version of Snow White there is - a princess who learned to fight, stand up for herself, and go after what she wants.
Archie Hopper/Jiminy Cricket
Of course one of my favorite characters would be the "conscience" of the show. Archie was more of an important character in the first few seasons, and after that he kind of faded away. But I loved his character every time he appeared in an episode. Archie was the voice of reason and kindness in the middle of all the chaos of Storybrooke, and his story was one of the first I fell in love with. Characters like this, with soft hearts and resilient optimism, always become my favorites. So it's no wonder Archie did, despite not being a part of the main cast.
Jasmine
Jasmine was even more of a minor character than Archie, yet the little we did see of her was enough to make her one of my favorite of all the princesses that appeared on this show. What I really liked about Jasmine was that once she came to terms with the fact that she was meant to save her nation, she didn't let anything distract her from that mission. A lot of other princesses got caught up in their own love stories, or the drama of their family, but Jasmine always had her priorities straight. She was one of the best political leaders on the show. And her story with Aladdin was pretty cute too, of course.
Honorable Mentions: The grown-up version of Henry Mills in season 7 (who is adorably sweet), Drizella (Regina 2.0, who I wish we could have seen more), and Sabine/Princess Tiana.
TOP 3 EPISODES
(From the top 3 seasons, since those are the ones I've been re-watching lately. Maybe someday soon when I re-watch the whole thing, I'll make a post about my favorites from the whole series):
Snow Falls
This is hands down my favorite episode in the entire series, and perhaps also the most iconic. It's basically the story of how Snow White and Prince Charming fell in love. From Snow robbing Charming's carriage, to the two of them trading insults and then saving each other's lives, this is probably one of the best told relationship starts I've seen on TV. And it all happened in one episode. If you've never seen OUAT and are wondering if you should, I recommend starting with this episode, because it really sets the tone for the first couple of seasons.
Lady of the Lake
The best episodes of OUAT tell a good story while also advancing character development. This one did that so well. Not only was the story with Charming's mom one of my favorites (and one of the saddest!), but we also get to see Emma start to process the reality of who her parents are here. From visiting Snow's old palace, to realizing her mom knows a lot more about surviving in the Enchanted Forest than she does, it's as if the reality of her parent's background finally starts to come together for Emma. And that sets her up to finally truly accept her parents as family later on in the season. (Also, there's a surprise important wedding in this episode).
Quite a Common Fairy
I love this episode because it's all about one of the major themes of OUAT: redemption. In this story, a fairy by the name of Tinkerbell (yes, that Tinkerbell) takes a chance on the Evil Queen, in attempt to help her find happiness and abandon her plot for revenge. Spoiler alert: it goes terribly wrong and Regina goes back to her original plan. Which also means that Tinkerbell loses her wings and pretty much gets cast out of being a fairy. I think some of OUAT's best moments are when they tell a story with a tragic ending and yet find a way to tie that back in to the main character's development. And that's exactly what this episode does.
Honorable Mentions (because choosing only 3 is impossible): Skin Deep (Belle and Rumple's origin story, which is one of my favorites) and There's No Place Like Home (which has everything from time travel to a blossoming relationship to surprising plot twists).
TOP 3 PLOT TWISTS
(Spoiler alert for all of these, of course)
Neal Being the Dark One's Son
I don't think anyone suspected this twist when Henry's father, Neal, was first introduced in season 2. It was such a great plot twist because it made Neal even more of an important character than he already was, and it brought Rumple into the core family in a way that's lasted throughout the series (and made his constant betrayal of them even more terrible...). When Neal died, his death was also more impactful because it touched everyone on the show, and changed the lives of both Emma and Rumple.
Peter Pan is Rumple's Father
Another twist no one saw coming because Pan was (seemingly) decades younger than Rumple. However, the show did a good job of explaining the history behind that. And it paralleled Rumple's story with his own son, Bae, quite nicely. I also had to add this in here because I think that out of all the villains on OUAT, Pan was the best. The actor who played him did an awesome job, and I have never looked at Peter Pan in any movie the same way because he was truly awful here.
Zelena Impersonates Marion
When Emma and Hook bring home a character from the past in an attempt to save her life, who could have predicted that she would have been the wife of Regina's new love interest? That plot twist was already great because it upped the stakes in Regina's redemption arc. But the fact that it was actually Zelena, Regina's sister, impersonating Marion to make her sister's life miserable was another twist no one saw coming. And then to top it off, she had a baby with Robin Hood... It was crazy and dramatic, but what makes it such an important twist in my view is that it challenged Regina's quest to become a better person, which was such an integral part of the show.
Honorable Mentions: Snow and Charming are caught in the same, alternating sleeping curse (season 6), and Roni/Regina wakes up from the curse but has to keep Henry from breaking it in order to save him (season 7).