REVIEW: Once Upon a Time, S7 Ep 2 – A Pirate’s Life

The second episode of Once Upon a Time saw the brief return of the Savior as more is revealed about how Henry ended up on an adventure with Hook and Regina. Meanwhile, cursed Henry lingers longer in Hyperion Heights while Rogers and Weaver begin their tentative partnership.

As I said last week, Once Upon a Time has opened the season on a promising note. The new characters are compelling and we are still invested in the fates of the veterans left behind. This episode marked the only appearance by Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan after she announced she was leaving the show after season 6. Her appearance was short but memorable and also explained why she wasn’t involved in Henry’s adventures. It turns out she’s pregnant and it looks like she and Hook will finally have the chance to raise a family together, a happy ending if there ever was one.

Hook and Regina jump realms to help Henry as he tries to help Cinderella. And they all bump into the wish realm version of Hook – an old, overweight, conniving pirate. For a moment, he lapses into his villainous ways and, with the help of the wicked stepmother, he transforms into his young, handsome self. He is about to trade places with Storybrooke Hook when he remembers that he has a heart and a missing daughter. Since Once Upon a Time is all about complicated families, I’m fairly sure Hook’s daughter is someone familiar (my first guess is the new Alice, but we’ll see).

He decides to help Henry on his quest while Regina also stays to support her son since she hasn’t found her story yet. So this accounts for Hook and Regina’s being in Hyperion Heights with Henry. Rumple’s presence should not be too complicated to explain because, well, he’s Rumple.

Back in modern-day Seattle, Henry tries his best to make amends to Jacinda and finds a way for her to attend Lucy’s ballet recital. And as Tiana observes, he’s already on his way to falling in love with Jacinda. But she’s too focused (and rightly) on her daughter and will not be distracted.

Meanwhile, there was a moment when I thought that Rumple a.k.a. Detective Weaver would turn out to be the stereotypical corrupt copper, but it turns out that there’s more to him than meets the eye. Well, he’s Rumple so nothing can be taken for granted. He tested Rogers’ moral fiber and proves to be a more intriguing partner than we all first suspected. More will surely be revealed as the series progresses, but the pace it’s moving at right now is fine.

The end of the episode sees Rogers (wish realm Hook), Ronnie (Regina), and Henry joining forces to fight against the villain (the evil Stepmother). They may not be aware of their history but they already have great chemistry with each other. So far, so good on Once Upon a Time and I look forward to seeing more of the other familiar characters in this new and exciting mix.