DigificWriter

^ Agreed.

That part of the story also reminds me of the demonic law firm Wolfram and Hart from ANGEL and the way they'd use people to accomplish their goals.

Meliana

Yes, and as an audience you have you have to adjust your thinking, that the bad guys have been usurped by someone worse. Of course the real danger for Henry was in whether he would lose himself, to the whisperings of Peter Pan. In a way that is scarier than than anything.

obisgirl

Updated on Enchanted 4: Elliott Knight (Merlin) and Emilie will be attending. Already confirmed guests: Raphael, Robbie and Lana.

Meliana

Thanks for the news.

DigificWriter

I've noted this in the past elsewhere, but even early on in a rewatch, the brilliance and creativity of OUaT's Showrunners and writing staff is honestly breathtaking to think about because they always knew in broad strokes where they were headed and what story beats they absolutely needed c
to hit in order to get there, while also being flexible enough to let other ideas organically fill in the spaces around their big-picture plans.

Season Two's second-half story arc and the story arc for the first half of Season 3 are a perfect example of this.

They knew by the time that they started writing The Outsider and the entire second half of Season 2 that they were in fact going to be able to use other Peter Pan-related characters besides Hook and that they wanted to subvert people's expectations by making their version of Peter Pan himself a bad guy, and so every narrative choice they made from that point forward, especially the prophecy about a young boy leading Rumple to Bae and yet being his (Rumple's) undoing, was deliberate setup for things to come, and once you know what's going to happen, it all comes together pretty flawlessly.

Meliana

I quite agree. I think the fact they had had time to plan out so much of the long term ideas and knew where they were going made a huge difference in terms of their writing style. And yes in terms of flexibility the fact that they couldn't get permission to use the Hook character straight away didn't put them off, and they could bring him in using plot ideas which enhance the journey Emma is on, and the direction they wish to go as well.

I agree that making Peter Pan a bad guy was inspired, but also making him Rumple's father was amazing too.

DigificWriter

I really couldn't stand Hook the first time I watched the series and it took a long time to get over that dislike, but as I've been rewatching, I've kind of just gradually and unconsciously accepted the character, which has allowed me to see just how early the writers set up his redemption and romance with Emma.

The same thing has also happened with Regina, and it's yet another example of why the show was as successful as it was.

Meliana

Yes those early threads were all there at the beginning. I do admire the foresight involved in the writing.

DigificWriter

Given my ability to appreciate Hook this time around, I have a feeling that the back half of Season 5 is going to land a lot different for me once I get there, which I'm honestly kind of excited about.

Meliana

It's nice to be able to see something with a fresh perspective, I hope it works out that way for you, for sure

obisgirl

Other guests: Jared and Karen

The digital event will start in a few days, March 26 and the in-person event will be in May 21-22, 2022.

Meliana

Thanks for the news.

obisgirl

Meliana

It sounds like it's going to be a great event.

DigificWriter

I don't know why I never realized this until now, but you could very easily rename episodes 9 through 11 of Season 3 "Save Henry (Part 1 of 3)", " The New Neverland (Part 2 of 3)", and "Going Home (Part 3 of 3)", Star Trek style, because they really are one big contiguous story.

Also, I was re-reading the plot synopsis for the end of Going Home and realized that, although the specific details are different, the cliffhanger the writers used gets repeated structurally almost beat-for-beat at the end of Season 6's finale, The Final Battle, which, as a writer, makes me appreciate the show even more.