Tag: Once upon a Time

My top television shows of 2017 on Local Networks: Cheers to the CW!

Greetings TV Fans!  For today, I am going to be listing my top favorite television shows that aired in 2017 on local networks.  While some shows near the top of my list were no surprise for me, there were others that were a pleasant revelation, providing just the right amount of entertainment.  There were also some shows that I used to enjoy a lot which fell short this past year and are in need of something earth-shattering to happen in 2018 to get them back to the top of the pack.  While I haven’t gotten a chance to view all shows that aired new episodes in 2017, I did get to more than I initially anticipated.  Please feel free to include some of your favorites below as well.  Once again, I will be breaking the shows into 3 categories:  the best of the best, honorable mentions, and shows that have lost some steam.  Please note some spoilers are ahead.

The Best of the Best of television shows airing on local networks for 2017 in no particular order are:

Riverdale

Supernatural

The 100

The Mick

Prison Break Revival

The CW network had some real contenders for 2017 and proved that they are not just a network holding on to a few fan favorites to survive.  It is no secret that Supernatural has been the longest running show on their network, but I was pleased to see so much content in the episodes airing in 2017.  Sam and Dean continued to keep fans hooked with their charm and humor while dealing with the British Men of Letters and understanding why their mother is back from the dead.  The boys encountered new enemies and dealt with their own inner demons along the way, reminding us that they can be just as vulnerable as we are deep down.  The 100 proved to have another addicting season, which has been the perfect mid-season show in my opinion.  Clark and the others left us with a cliff-hanger, where they end up going back into space because the world is no longer habitable.  Will they survive?  Seems likely since we should have another season premiering soon, but all bets are off.  The most pleasant introduction for me on the CW was Riverdale, based on the Archie comic series.  While the series has just the right amount of bubble gum pop providing fans with a nostalgic feel from the comic series, it takes on a life of its own.  Riverdale gives fans the perfect blend of romance and mystery, providing more depth for some of our beloved characters.  Fox also had some great shows airing in 2017, including The Mick and Prison Break Revival.  Kaitlin Olson proved that she can be a starring lady for sure, stepping out from the shadow of her stars on It’s Always Sunny to provide fans with a raw and edgy new comedy balanced with some family values in-between.  Since I am a big fan of Prison Break, I was excited to see the revival air this year, providing fans with a solution to the ending that left so many of us wondering what went wrong.  Michael and Lincoln were back with a new prison to escape from, bringing some new and old friends along for the ride.  The series still had that same amount of edge-of-your-seat action that hooked us initially, allowing us to root for the brothers once again.

Honorable mentions for television shows airing on local networks for 2017 in no particular order:

Grimm

Hawaii Five-0

Once Upon a Time

Modern Family

Grimm aired its last season in 2017 which was actually entertaining and brought everything full circle for fans.  While the series had lost some of its edge from earlier seasons, this last one proved that it would not go out without a fight.  While one fairy-tale show came to an end, Once Upon a Time started fresh introducing some new characters and story-lines along the way.  While some of our favorite characters are no longer around, it made sense to give the show a fresh chance.  Some of the newcomers have actually been quite entertaining, working nicely with fan-favorites, Regina and Hook.  Will they be able to keep the momentum going?  Time will tell.  Hawaii Five-0 and Modern Family are shows that I consistently watch that gave us just the right amount of consistent entertainment to satisfy fans.  While both shows have been on the air for a while now, they are still giving viewers what they are looking for, but may need to refresh every once in a while.

Television shows airing on local networks for 2017 that are running out of steam in no particular order are:

Arrow

Elementary

Lethal Weapon

I have watched all of the episodes from the three shows above and was somewhat disappointed overall in the seasons from 2017.  While Lethal Weapon started out promising, it has not had the same punch it initially gave us when it premiered.  Perhaps the show has run its course, but I am confident it still has a spark left to give us the action and laughs we enjoyed originally.  Elementary had very low ratings in 2017 and fans are still waiting for a new season.  While it looks like this may happen, it will have to be something so over-the-top and different to bring fans back.  Arrow has been slipping with each new year which is very disappointing for me.  While the CW has had some great success with its super-hero shows, Arrow keeps slipping and forcing story-lines.  I am still rooting for Oliver Queen, but perhaps we need to shake things up and keep a character that has been killed off actually dead.   I will keep watching, but Arrow is losing steam for sure.  Let’s make it a great 2018 for shows everywhere and hope these shows ignite a spark that will keep viewers coming back for more and more.

I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post some of your favorite television shows from 2017 that aired on local networks below.  Happy viewing and the countdown to 2018 is here!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

Ranking the top 5 moments from “Once Upon a Time” season 7 episode 10 winter finale: You just need to believe

After watching ABC’s Once Upon a Time season 7 episode 10 last night, I am wondering if every curse can really be broken.  True love’s kiss or belief in the impossible is not always enough.  Rather, sacrifices need to be made for the greater good.  But can our favorite characters from OUAT make these difficult choices?  Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch yet.  In last night’s episode, we learn about the moments leading up to the curse and how it was cast.  The power of the coven of 8 is introduced and an old friend is back to help.  Meanwhile, Rumpel enlists the help of Anastasia, Robin and Alice are revealed to be in love, and poor Lucy is still in a coma.  My top 5 moments from Once Upon a Time season 7 episode 10 are:

5

Zelena is back.

When Regina took Henry to San Francisco to enlist some help, fans were excited because we knew Zelena would be the one she goes to.  In Zelena’s new life, she is an exercise peddling instructor and even tells her class to fly like monkeys.  Zelena is hesitant about stepping out of her new life.  Regina uses MacCutcheon whiskey to bring back her memories.  Lost fans will be pleased once again with this Easter egg as Charles Widmore’s liquor of choice is getting quite a bit of screen time this season.  When Zelena remembers who she is, she confides to her sister that she is about to get married and enjoys her new life, complicating her choice.  Zelena ultimately decides to help her sister, but it is clear that she will want to return to the simple life she has come to know and love here in San Francisco.

4

Rumpel tries to help Anastasia unleash her magic.

Rumpel is convinced that Anastasia is the guardian and this will ultimately help him achieve his own destiny.  However, he recognizes that Ana is the only one who can save Lucy right now.  He lays out several knives on the table in front of her and explains that “all you have to do is tell me which one of these has magic.”  Lost fans will recall a similar conversation when Richard Alpert goes to visit John Locke as a child and lays out several items on a table and asks “which one of these items belongs to you already?” Whether this was intentional or just familiar, this scene allowed us to see exactly what Ana is capable of.  It is clear that she is overflowing with magic and is unsure how to control it all.  Will her powers be used for good or evil? 

3

Gothel proves to be a worthy foe.

Ana’s childish innocence gets in the way later when Drizella tries to trick her into giving away her magic.  However, Gothel double crosses her and gives Ana all of Drizella’s power, hoping to unleash the full force of the coven of 8.  The symbol of the coven of 8 has been surfacing all over the place, but it is clear that unleashing their dark magic will be a threat to our favorite OUAT characters.  Regina and Zelena are powerful witches, but can they defeat an entire coven?  Who else will be joining?  Once again, Gothel proves to be a worthy opponent and leaves viewers wondering what else she has in store for everyone.

2

Regina is the one who unleashed the curse.

When Regina and the others confront Gothel and Drizella, they prove they are going to fight for what they believe in and keep the curse from happening.  Regina challenges them asking, “You want a witch fight?  Happy to oblige!”  However, Drizella and Gothel anticipate this and capture Henry, poisoning him in the process.  The only cure for him is a land without magic.  To Regina’s horror, she realizes that she is left with the impossible choice of letting her son die or casting the curse herself to save him.  The good in Regina and the unconditional love she has for her son are weaknesses that Drizella and Gothel were counting on.  The other characters completely understand her decision and cling to each other, hoping that they can find each other again once the curse takes place.

1

“Every curse can be broken.  You just need to believe.”

Henry immediately leaves San Francisco when he learns that Lucy is in a coma.  He rushes to Jacinda’s side to comfort her.  When he is left alone with Lucy, he reads to her from his “Once Upon a Time” book and knows exactly which passage to start with.  His love for Lucy is clearly one of a father’s, even though he doesn’t realize it yet.  He will do anything to help her and even tells her that he will believe that he is her father in another world if she will just wake up.  He kisses her on the forehead but true love’s kiss is not enough here.  Lucy’s own beliefs had been shattered previously, preventing this magic from waking her up.  Regina later reveals that if the curse is broken, Henry will die, but if it remains, Lucy will be its victim.  Once again, this leaves Regina with an impossible choice.  How will she be able to choose between her son and her granddaughter?  Is there another way around this?  We will have to wait until new episodes return to find out, but if anyone can unearth a way, it’s Regina.

I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Once Upon a Time below.  Happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

Ranking the top 5 moments from “Once Upon a Time” season 7 episode 9: Step-mother role reversal

As the snow begins to trickle down here in New York, I am anxious for a relaxing day of TV watching.  How about you?  After watching ABC’s Once Upon a Time season 7 episode 9 last night, I am wondering just how many sleeping curses need to occur before someone finds a way of preventing this from happening in the first place.  Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch yet.  In last night’s episode, we learn quite a lot about Lady Tremaine’s back-story, while Regina and Henry are still off in San Francisco.  Jacinda is thrilled to have Lucy back in her life, but lets her emotions get the best of her when she falls onto Nick’s lips.  Meanwhile, Ivy/Drizella continues to try to thwart her mother’s plan, while Rumpel reveals to Hook the reason behind his recent actions.  My top 5 moments from Once Upon a Time season 7 episode 9 are:

5

Lady Tremaine is revealed to be Rapunzel.  After we learned that Alice is Hook’s daughter, I wasn’t sure there would be any more surprises so soon, but Rapunzel’s story has been re-written quite a bit in the process.  While I was very interested to find out more about Lady Tremaine and how she came to be this way, this revelation seemed slightly forced, however.  In the Rapunzel fairy-tale, we don’t know very much about her other than that she was a baby paying for the mistakes of her parents who stole from the witch’s garden.  Her identity is stifled by her circumstances, being trapped in a tower waiting for someone to rescue her.  I did enjoy the twist of Rapunzel taking matters into her own hands to save herself, rather than waiting for a prince to appear to save the day.  I am just not so sure that this connection between Lady Tremaine and Rapunzel is that convincing but I’m willing to keep an open mind.

4

Lady Tremaine makes a deal with Rumpel.  Lady Tremaine lays all of her cards on the table and seeks out assistance from our favorite schemer, Rumpel.  Rumpel doesn’t bother keeping up with appearances here, calling Lady Tremaine out as “Rapunzel” and agreeing to help her with Anastasia because Lady Tremaine has information on the guardian.  We know that Rumpel is focused completely on finding his way back to Belle and the guardian is the key, but at what cost?

3

Hook does some investigating.  Hook is tired of getting the run around and takes matters into his own hands to find out the truth.  He shows off some Nancy Drew-like skills when he pulls the fire alarm so that the locked door will open.  Hook finds files that Rumpel has on everyone, pulling at his curiosity even further.  When he confronts Rumpel to get to the bottom of this, Rumpel reveals that everything he is doing is to try and find his wife.  Hook empathizes with this and puts differences aside to help him find Lucy but to no avail.

2

Step-mother role reversal.  While I was slightly disappointed that Lady Tremaine was Rapunzel, I thought it was very clever to switch up the roles to have Ella’s mother be the other woman stepping into her family’s lives to replace her.  Traditionally, Lady Tremaine has always been very jealous of Cinderella because she had her father’s love and in this version, this jealousy is still very present but stemming from something else.  Rapunzel gives into revenge and temptation and does send Ella’s mother away with black magic, but her husband still cares very much for his wife’s daughter, Ella.  When Ella and Anastasia are playing on the ice, it tragically breaks and her husband can only save one.  To Rapunzel’s horror, he saves Ella, but she is not to give up just yet.  She tricks Gothel and promises Anastasia that she will find a way to be with her again.  While Rapunzel makes it clear how important family is, this idea becomes distorted when she puts her family above the well-being of others and the greater good, refusing to apologize for it.

1

Lady Tremaine destroys Lucy’s innocence to free Anastasia.  Lucy is thrilled to be reunited with her mother and when Lady Tremaine gives her back her fairy-tale book, it appears that she is trying to make amends.  However, she demonstrates her wickedness by showing Lucy the video of Jacinda and Nick kissing, destroying Lucy’s idea of a perfect family with her, Jacinda, and Henry.  Lucy’s belief is shattered at this point, leaving her questioning everything.  When a tear is released, this is the key to waking up Anastasia.  However, once Anastasia wakes up, Lucy immediately falls asleep taking her place.  Hopefully it’s up to Regina, Henry, and Zelena to return and save the day.  But are they are a match for the ruthlessness of Lady Tremaine? 

I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Once Upon a Time below.  Happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

“Once Upon a Time” Ranking the top 5 moments from Season 7 episode 7: Who is in San Francisco?

ABC’s Once upon a Time, season 7 episode 7, is filled with surprises and unexpected twists and turns.  After watching the two hour episode last night, it left me with even more questions.  Please note that spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch yet.  It looks like Hook may find his happy ending after all with an unexpected bond that not even a poison heart can break.  Speaking of hearts, Regina/Roni may not have left hers in San Francisco, so who is she going after for help?  My top five moments from Once upon a Time, season 7 episode 7 are:

5) Henry & Ella/Jacinda get trapped together in a net.  This scene was pure magic for me and actually showed me the spark between these two which has been blaringly missing from the prior episodes.  It brought me back to when Prince Charming caught Snow White in a net, bringing together these destined soul mates in an adorable meet cute.  It also reminded me of ABC’s Lost, when Jack and Kate get stuck in a net together much like Henry and Ella. It was a nice way for the writers to give fans a sense of nostalgia and ignite a much needed connection between Henry and Ella/Jacinda.

4) Mother Gothel proves she is a villain to watch.  I was excited to see the introduction of Rapunzel into the world of OUAT, only to find out that it was the witch, Gothel in disguise.  She plays on Hook’s weakness who is a fool for love, only to use him to give birth to a magical child with her blood so that she may leave the tower.  When Hook/Detective Rogers frees her as Eloise Gardner, she reveals that Ivy/Drizella and Lady Tremaine may not be the main villains we thought they were.  Gothel is done hiding in the shadows and is about to show the world what she is capable of.

3) Jacinda and Lucy are re-united.  I was so sympathetic with Jacinda when Lucy was taken away from her and she revealed her own insecurities as a mother when she admits that she waived her parental rights and let Lucy go with her grandmother voluntarily.  A new romantic interest is introduced into the mix as well when Lucy’s father, Nick/Jack, comes back into their lives to help with the case.  While Jacinda claims she has no feelings for Nick, it makes us wonder if this is another threat to the bond between her and Henry.  Jacinda does ultimately get Lucy back and Lucy accepts her mother with open arms.

2) Hook’s daughter is revealed to be…Alice!  The introduction of Hook’s child was a surprise for me but I thought it gave him a real chance to be selfless and to raise his baby after she was abandoned by her mother, Gothel.  I thought it was especially touching when he sang her a lullaby, revealing his own need to have some form of connection in the world.  Alice’s story was already very interesting to me, different from the other versions of Alice who were introduced previously on Once Upon a Time.  This gives Alice a new purpose and hope for Hook to find his own happily ever after.

1) Who is in San Francisco? The episode ends with Regina/Roni going off to San Francisco to get some help to take down the villains and wake everyone up.  After Rumpel rejects her proposal to team up and continues on as if he does not remember who he is, Regina/Roni realizes that she will need to recruit help from somewhere else.  So who is in San Francisco?  I am banking on Zelena but we will have to wait and see.

I hope you enjoyed and please feel free to post your comments and theories below.  OUAT may be on a break for the next few weeks, but let’s keep the theories coming!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

“Once Upon a Time” Season 7 episode 6 review: Ivy/Drizella vs Regina…who will wind up on top?

Happy Saturday TV viewers!  I thoroughly enjoyed the flashbacks in ABC’s Once Upon a Time, season 7, episode 6 last night and am looking forward to the blossoming rivalry between Ivy/Drizella and Regina.  Please note that spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch yet.  While I found Lady Tremaine to be a true villain right down to her core, there was something about her that was lacking and uninspiring.  Sure she’s got the look and knows how to talk down to others while keeping her head held high with disdain, but do we really care enough about her as a formidable foe?

For me, the introduction of Ivy/Drizella as the true villain waiting in the wings was an excellent move by the writers.  For one, she has a fabulous sense of style.  Her pairings are to die for and she is polished and smart, which makes her very capable of out-maneuvering her opponents.  Her harmless posts showing her and Henry drinking together were pure genius.  The flashback showing Regina trying to mentor her really resonated with me.  It shows the full transformation of Regina as a character.  The evil queen recognized so much of her former self in Drizella and wanted to help her channel her anger and use her power for good.  Of course this backfires, creating a very dangerous opponent.  But I’m not so worried.  Regina may have embraced her good side, but she is a fiery and strong woman and will do anything to protect her son.

It was also interesting to see how much of an impact a mother can have on a child.  Ivy/Drizella’s quest for revenge is completely driven by her mother’s lack of care and interest in her, similar to Regina as well.  While these mothers had a damaging impact on their children, mothers can also be a source of unbelievable goodness and strength.  Jacinda has been doing all she can to be able to provide for her daughter, Lucy and Regina’s love for Henry is resilient.  Their unconditional love makes them a true match for Ivy/Drizella and Lady Tremaine.  But where will Rumpel fit in to all of this?  I thoroughly enjoyed Regina handing over a bottle of MacCutcheon’s whiskey to him, a Lost easter egg.  It was also very clever how Ivy/Drizella insisted on pouring herself a glass from the top shelf, using the very same fictional brand.  It reminded me very much of Charles Widmore lecturing Desmond Hume that he was not worth a swallow of this whiskey in Lost.  Desmond was able to prove Charles wrong and I am certain Regina will do the same.  Are you?

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl