Wishing On A Star: What We Want To Happen

[retrograde]

I am 99.9% sure they won't go there, but I think I would enjoy the Frozen storyline far more if Emma and Henry had seen the film during the year in New York. Disney films do exist in the Once universe, so it isn't at all implausible, and I feel they could mine a lot of humor from the situation, as well as tip their hat to the criticisms and absurdity of it all. If the first thing Emma said after meeting Elsa was, "Are you kidding? That film just came out!" I would be willing to forgive a lot.

[KingOfHearts]

I am 99.9% sure they won't go there, but I think I would enjoy the Frozen storyline far more if Emma and Henry had seen the film during the year in New York. 

 

If they don't, I'll be mad. :)

 

They sort of did that with the Wizard of Oz. Regina made a Lollipop Guild joke, and the other characters only knew of Oz's existence from the movie/books. I loved when Neal mentioned Disney's Mulan to Mulan. I hope we get stronger jokes about Frozen!

Edited June 27, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[retrograde]

In my headcannon, they keep making references to "Let it Go" and Elsa has zero idea what they're talking about because, of course, there wasn't any actual singing in the "real" story.

[KingOfHearts]

Or they want Elsa to sing it, and she's doesn't sing. Haha.

 

Elsa: "Why do all these people keep asking if I want to build a snowman? Who the hell is Olaf?!"

 

or...

 

Emma: "Wait... you're Elsa? You're not going to sing another rendition Let It Go are you?"

Edited June 27, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

I still think it would be funny to see Emma, Snow and Charming break into "Someday My Prince Will Come" and "I'm Wishing/One Song".  Jennifer Morrison has said before that all three of them sing.  So a musical episode would be hilarious.

[kili]

Since Emma's chosen alias was Princess Leia and Adam & Eddie have refered to Hook as Hans Solo, I really want the line "I've got a bad feeling about this" to appear sometime next season (preferably by either Emma or Hook).

[KingOfHearts]

Since we have Frankenstein and the Werewolf, Dracula would be a nice character to see. Red, Whale and him can have the best Halloween party ever. They don't even need costumes!

[Shanna Marie]

After watching one of the Pirates movies and reading a novel that was an homage to The Prisoner of Zenda, I have one big wish for the upcoming season (well, all seasons):

 

I want some big-time swashbuckling. Yeah, there was the one fight between Hook and the guards in the finale, but I want some big-time, all-out swinging from drapes and chandeliers, sword-fighting with witty dialogue stuff. I don't care whether it's Hook, David or Emma (or Robin Hood, if he actually finds his real personality) in the present, flashbacks of Prince Charming, flashbacks of pirate Jones/Hook or naval officer Lt. Jones (though I think he'd be too proper for the witty dialogue and swinging from chandeliers bit), flashbacks of Robin Hood actually getting his Erroll Flynn on, or what. I just want some swashes to be buckled rather thoroughly.

 

On a somewhat related note, it occurred to me that a flashback of the Jewel of the Realm going up against a pirate ship and young Lt. Jones being very disapproving of pirates would be highly amusing. Him not indulging in the witty dialogue during swordplay and sneaky tactics could be contrasted against the way present-day Hook would fight. It could even be used in the context of Hook winning back the Jolly Roger from other pirates because I think even good-guy Hook would still swashbuckle with flair. He can be an anti-pirate good-guy without being so prim about it.

[KingOfHearts]

I'd like to see Long John Silver as a villain or even father to Hook. He's a very complex character, with much more intelligence than Blackbeard. He's not just a stereotypical pirate. Plus it would be nice to see Treasure Island.

[Shanna Marie]

If they ever let themselves pause from the Crisis/Villain of the Half Season and allow some character moments, Belle needs to discover Amazon. So many books ...

 

And then they could also do some acclimatizing for Hook, who doesn't have Storybrooke memories. Henry could teach him about our world, or teach him to use the Internet. Of course, everyone would be worried about what he'd use the Internet for, then discover he was just reading Wikipedia and tracking down all the references.

[Curio]

And then they could also do some acclimatizing for Hook, who doesn't have Storybrooke memories. Henry could teach him about our world, or teach him to use the Internet.

 

I now desperately need a scene of Hook taking a half hour to type out one sentence using only his index finger and hook, because of course an amateur computer user like him would be a chicken pecker on the keyboard.

[Shanna Marie]

I now desperately need a scene of Hook taking a half hour to type out one sentence using only his index finger and hook, because of course an amateur computer user like him would be a chicken pecker on the keyboard.

Typing with a hook would probably be unwieldy, but definitely index-finger pecking. Really, we need some more fish-out-of-water stuff for him as he tries to get used to this world now that he knows he's likely here for the duration. Even if they find a way home, he's probably going to do everything he can to stay with Emma, and this is her world. I'd love to see a few things like they've done with Ichabod on Sleepy Hollow, like his very formal voice mail messages that are phrased as though he's writing a letter. But Ichabod is snobbish about the differences, with that "we did it better in my day and I don't want to change" attitude, while I think Hook would be a lot more receptive to adjusting to this new place and taking full advantage of it. I noticed that in season two, whenever he was found lurking in the library, he was holding an open book, so maybe he's already been doing some research. I can see him not wanting to show ignorance or weakness to Emma, but I can imagine him getting Henry to teach him stuff like how to use a phone and computer so he can surprise Emma with how up-to-date he is. We need a scene of Henry taking Hook shopping for a cell phone and then helping him set it up, then Emma getting her first phone call from Hook. When she expresses surprise that he has a phone, he could respond, "I find this much more effective than semaphore for communicating at a distance." There's still room for him to be shocked and dismayed by things in our world, but he already seems to be trying to adapt or at least not to show much surprise or dismay.

[Curio]

Really, we need some more fish-out-of-water stuff for him as he tries to get used to this world now that he knows he's likely here for the duration.

 

I totally agree, Shanna Marie. I haven't seen Sleepy Hollow, but from what little clips I've seen here and there, it seems like they do a pretty decent job of throwing in a little comedy into their supernatural plots. For as cheesy as Once Upon a Time is, I still feel like they can sometimes take themselves too seriously (because, plot!). I feel like Colin has proved himself to be a fairly comedic actor on top of pulling off the dramatic scenes, it would be fun to see him do some more fish-out-of-water stuff or physical comedy to brighten the mood. I appreciate the little bones the writers throw out occasionally, like the bologna and GPS references, but they could do so much more!

 

Actually, I think my wish for Season 4 is just for more comedy sprinkled in with the drama in general. This show works at its best when it balances the melodrama, mystery/plot, and comedy equally.

[Shanna Marie]

Actually, I think my wish for Season 4 is just for more comedy sprinkled in with the drama in general. This show works at its best when it balances the melodrama, mystery/plot, and comedy equally.

Definitely a wish for more comedy. It's fun when the show realizes how ludicrous the situation is, and even more fun when the characters themselves are aware of how crazy their lives are -- like the wonderful Emma line where she was telling Henry what happened and said something along the lines of "Captain Hook and Rumplestiltskin had a fight, but Dr. Frankenstein says everyone's going to be okay. And I can't believe I just said that." (Paraphrasing off the top of my head.) All the cast is good with the funny when the script takes a moment to lighten up. Emma was having issues with the idea that Snow White and Prince Charming are her parents. How's she going to feel about dating Captain Hook? The fish-out-of-water stuff can be subtle, like Belle being amazed at the idea of serving tea over ice, but it helps create the world. So, yeah, more funny woven in with the drama, and everyone getting to be funny, not just Regina throwing out zingers.

[stealinghome]

So, yeah, more funny woven in with the drama, and everyone getting to be funny, not just Regina throwing out zingers.

I'm throwing out that I also often don't find Regina's one-liners to be all that funny. Like the "you people use pinecones for money" line--I didn't think that was funny, I thought that was really stupid. imo they've hit a place with Regina where they're trying too hard to make every other line a Super Funny Bitchy Zinger instead of letting it flow naturally. The best Regina zingers are ones that come naturally based on the conversation and the events--like when she said that Granny's was serving "blackened sole" to Snow, or she told Red to "go take yourself for a walk." Those were funny, largely because they weren't out-of-nowhere contrived. But Regina randomly being an uberbitch isn't that funny anymore. Rumpel's humor has fared better, partially because it's so sardonic and partially because they still use it more sparingly, but even he has moments where it's a little OTT.

 

So yes, more humor, and more spreading it all around evenly. One thing I will say is that the characters on this show have a wide range of senses of humor--Regina is the Bitchy One-Liner Lady, Rumpel's got the much drier but still punchy (and sometimes manic) humor, Emma's just got that cynical "...REALLY?" reflex mixed with a dash of wide-eyed wonder, Charming has dad humor with an edge of sarcasm, Snow is never so funny as when she's not trying to be funny (like her "I don't think a sleeping curse would be good for the baby" line). I wish they used each character's unique sense of humor more.

 

Also, ITA that the show in general takes itself way too seriously. I think that's part of why S1 was so charming and felt so whimsical--Adam and Eddie hadn't yet convinced themselves that they were writing this generation's Shakespeare. My parents watched the 3B recap special and were dumbfounded at how seriously Adam and Eddie seemed to take the show and themselves--like, not like they should treat it as a joke or anything, but even they could tell that Adam and Eddie seem to have delusions of grandeur when it comes to Once.

[Rumsy4]

I am so over Regina's insulting one-liners about everybody. I don't find them remotely funny anymore. 

[Shanna Marie]

I'm throwing out that I also often don't find Regina's one-liners to be all that funny. Like the "you people use pinecones for money" line--I didn't think that was funny, I thought that was really stupid.

Especially because she seems to be largely responsible for them having to live in the woods, since she was the queen and had them on "wanted" posters. So she's ridiculing them for something she made happen. "Ha, ha, I made you have to live in the woods" isn't that funny or clever.

 

Snow actually used to have more of an edge. She could be fun and snarky in the S1 flashbacks and was fun and snarky during most of the Team Princess adventure. Then her heart got darkened, and apparently that mostly deleted her sense of humor.

[SilverShadow]

I'd really like to see more of the heroic recurring characters with a bit of that massive multipalyer fairytale crossover feel from season 1, rather than rotating focus based around a villain. I really want to see a massive team up against a force, or even just interactions. I want Thanksgiving with absolutely everyone at Granny's with maximum awkward and silly and mushy.

 

If I can't have everyone I'll settle for Ariel and Eric, and an actual resolution to their story.

[ParadoxLost]

I wish circumstances would change enough that Rumple and Regina stop aligning themselves on the side of the Charmings.  Its a show killer.  Its kills all drama and suspense by making the antagonist a guest star.  They aren't going to win and frankly with villains on their side, it strains credibility with the revolving door of villians last half a season.

 

Let Regina go back to hating and wanting to destroy everyone because Emma brought Marian to the future and Robin can't get over it and dumps her.

 

Have Rumple start collecting debts.  It would be nice to have a couple one offs like in season 1 where people owe Rumple something and have to do favors for him.  Just break up the monotony of the half season arcs.

[Camera One]

Let Regina go back to hating and wanting to destroy everyone because Emma brought Marian to the future and Robin can't get over it and dumps her.

Have Rumple start collecting debts. It would be nice to have a couple one offs like in season 1 where people owe Rumple something and have to do favors for him. Just break up the monotony of the half season arcs.

For me, it's a case of "you can't go back". If they're going to keep Rumple and Regina on, they can't continue to be the villains. That was already tiresome by the end of Season 1. Three seasons of a villain targeting the same protagonists over and over again doesn't work, especially when they insist on bringing back magic where Regina and Rumple have all the power and could wipe out everyone else whenever they want. Unless that were different, that scenario wouldn't be very fun to watch for me.

[ParadoxLost]

For me, it's a case of "you can't go back". If they're going to keep Rumple and Regina on, they can't continue to be the villains. That was already tiresome by the end of Season 1. Three seasons of a villain targeting the same protagonists over and over again doesn't work, especially when they insist on bringing back magic where Regina and Rumple have all the power and could wipe out everyone else whenever they want. Unless that were different, that scenario wouldn't be very fun to watch for me.

 

I do actually agree with this.  The fundamental problem I have is that I can't think of a way to fix that all the characters are generally on the same side.  Its boring.  I'm dreading next season following the pattern of last season.  I hated the Wicked arc with the exception of the Charming/Emma and Charming/Hook beats.  I wish for more character development and dread the continual introduction of nemesis to drive plot. 

 

I wish the focus on the new villain was balanced better with the large cast of regulars.

Edited July 16, 2014 by ParadoxLost

[KingOfHearts]

I wish they would have kept Zelena and done more than scenery chewing with her. Their original intentions were to make her like the Evil Queen to give Regina a look in the mirror (or magic mirror, rather) and see just how evil she was. If Zelena had been kept alive, Regina's redemption arc would have more hope at this point. I'm not sure how to explain this, but teaching Zelena to be "good" would have actually taught Regina how to be good herself. 

 

I hope Zelena's still alive via her pendant. One clue is her "ashes" disappeared in magic after Rumple made her shatter, much like her melting masquerade in Oz. Then there's Glinda's line about the pendant, saying, "in many ways, it now IS your life". 

 

Whenever characters have something potentially interesting to add to the plot, they seemed to get killed off. I wish this would stop happening.

Edited July 16, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[stealinghome]

I agree that at this point, the show can't really go back to having Regina and Rumpel be full-on antagonists--but I still think that there was plenty of mileage left in both as villains at the end of S1, and that the show really shot itself in the foot by rushing to put them on the side of the Charmings in S2. It wouldn't seem nearly so repetitive if S2 really had been Charmings vs. Regina vs. Rumpel, and S3 had been the first time that all three groups really worked together. I know I, personally, couldn't wait to see the Charmings, Regina, and Rumpel duke it out in S2 (oh, how I was disappointed).

 

I also, though, don't think that the idea of everyone being on the same side is inherently boring. It's been boring in execution because the writers have given the Charmings a collective lobotomy where Regina and Rumpel are concerned and haven't explored any of the drama rife in the setup of three groups that hate each other having to work together and grudgingly coming to like each other. Instead, they just have everyone blankly say "we are family...we are family" like zombies and don't explore the most interesting aspect of hero/villain team-ups--you know, the part where they have to navigate the actual teaming up.

Edited July 16, 2014 by stealinghome

[KingOfHearts]

 

Instead, they just have everyone blankly say "we are family...we are family" like zombies and don't explore the most interesting aspect of hero/villain team-ups--you know, the part where they have to navigate the actual teaming up.

 

Part of the problem is that the protagonists and antagonists are so polarized. You're either the lightest hero or the darkest villain - there's no in-between. In S1, the heroes weren't so "perfect", especially as their cursed selves. But in S3, the heroes are typical heroes and the villains (namely Rumple, and Regina) are practically forced to be redeemed- and not only redeemed, but full heroes. The other villains (Pan/Zelena) are just your stereotypical antagonists with lots of "muahahaing" to boot. Like any trite cliche Disney movie, they both die.

 

I thought Once was about breaking paradigms and how we knew fairy tale heroes and villains, but they seem to be doing less and less of that. I hope this show gets more gray characters like Jefferson or S2 Hook.

Edited July 16, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

The problem for me is not that the characters aren't gray enough. The characters are gray but in different ways. Regina and Rumple are "gray" in the moral sense. Though instead of gray, it might be better to describe them as black and white, Jekyll and Hyde style. Both got a so-called "redemption periods" in each half of Season 3 but they were very poorly paced and rushed in forcing them into a climax where they become the hero. That just felt very unnatural and forced. It was done better for Rumple in 3A than Regina in 3B. But still, in Rumple's case, his son died as his "punishment" which is a warped sense of justice and ultimately contrived since we knew they weren't going to kill off Rumple. While Regina got every reward in the book within the space of 3 episodes (got Henry to remember her, got validated by Henry's love, executed the True Love's kiss, got accepted into the "family" with minimal objections, got a man to fall in love with her and accessed the most powerful White magic, all the while still blaming Snow for what she did).

Meanwhile, Snow, Emma and Charming are gray not really in the moral sense, which is okay to me. They are gray in that they have insecurities and genuine issues they are dealing with (which would be interesting to see), yet these are all ignored, and then they get the giant leap from conflict to everything is A-ok and perfect, usually in the finale and only in the finale.

And then, there is the problem of how the story is structured in each half season... the protagonists are stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, and then in one episode they get lucky and by fluke they defeat and kill the villain. And by "they", it's Regina and Rumple who wins, often with very little help from Snow, Charming and Emma where these three good guys just do whatever Regina or Rumple suggest.

So my wishes for the fourth season are:

1. Appropriately paced redemption for Regina and Rumple so it's a gradual and believable journey, not flip-flopping like a beached whale, where pity for them isn't force-fed into us through moral relativism (making excuses for the bad guy by dragging the good guys through the mud).

2. Creating a story where the "good guys" aren't stupid and reactionary for 5-6 episodes at a time, where they are not constantly being duped, so we can see a series of significant and progressive victories with the protagonists showing intelligence, leading to a big climax.

3. Writing a climax where EVERYONE plays an important role, where you don't look back and realize the first half of the season were pointless character actions which served no actual purpose.

4. Giving balanced screentime to everyone, including Emma, Snow and Charming, and not skipping over their emotional journeys, and not the usual pattern of nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing yay everyone is happy.

5. Being more intricate and detail-oriented with universe building, paying attention to how daily life/customs in the different realms functions, and how magic works, so "the rules" are consistent and not out-of-nowhere.

6. Making actual use of the rich mythology and supporting and minor cast, so Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest feels more like a community. Maybe reading the source material for inspiration.

7. Balancing the powers of good and evil so it's an even match, where the villains have an actual handicap, so it's not gloat gloat gloat gloat gloat gloat gloat gloat dead.

8. Slowing down so characters can have actual meaningful conversations instead of plot plot plot, and not neglecting family over romance. Stop writing for the couples only.

9. Making sure the gimmick of the half-season serves the protagonists and not the other way around. All the protagonists, not just the two favorite protagonists. Yes, Peter Pan was instrumental to Rumple's past, but to everyone else, he was just some random evil person and didn't impact them emotionally. Ditto for Zelena for everyone except Regina (even to Rumple... it's not like seeing Zelena made him reflect on how he treated her in the past).

10. Having a proper thought-session AFTER plotting out the season, in terms of the implications of what was written: how do the different characters come off by doing what they do, and was that how they were *supposed* to come off? (so characters don't come off as jerk-like or insensitive or unloving, if that wasn't actually the intention).

Of course, the likelihood they will do even one of the above is about the chance that the Blue Fairy will appear in the window if you wished on a star.

Edited July 16, 2014 by Camera One

[Shanna Marie]

7. Balancing the powers of good and evil so it's an even match, where the villains have an actual handicap, so it's not gloat gloat gloat gloat gloat gloat gloat gloat dead.

I would add to this that balancing good and evil would be helped if they're both allowed to play by the same rules -- if it's bad for the good guys to do, it's also bad for the bad guys. If the bad guys are allowed to get angry or defend themselves, then the good guys are, too. If the good guys have to apologize for something, the bad guys do, too.

 

They need to get past this idea that "heroes don't kill" because sometimes they have to in order to defend others. They were allowed to do this in season one. It was only when Henry became the moral compass of everyone that suddenly the good guys had to lie down and let the bad guys or even dark gray guys tromp all over them -- and yet the many murders done for not-so-good reasons by the bad guys don't count at all. They also need to get past that "but they're family!" thing. Blood isn't everything, and sharing some DNA doesn't mean you have to let someone get away with murder.

 

Sometimes I feel like this series sends screwier moral messages than Game of Thrones, which is relentlessly amoral.

[Rumsy4]

 

Sometimes I feel like this series sends screwier moral messages than Game of Thrones, which is relentlessly amoral.

 

Because at least in GoT no one's trying to sugarcoat crappy morality as the ultimate good.

 

It really is my wish for this season that the writers stop making the good guys keep apologizing to the bad guys over stupid things.

[Shanna Marie]

It really is my wish for this season that the writers stop making the good guys keep apologizing to the bad guys over stupid things.

I would like to declare a moratorium on good-guy apologies until the (former) bad guys apologize for something. Snow shouldn't so much as say "Oops, sorry, excuse me" if she bumps into Regina until Regina has apologized for murdering Snow's father, stealing her castle and kingdom, outlawing her, trying multiple times to kill her, burning her at the stake, casting the curse that separated Snow from her daughter or framing her for murder. I'd be willing to take just one because it would be more than we've had so far.

[ParadoxLost]

I would like to declare a moratorium on good-guy apologies until the (former) bad guys apologize for something. Snow shouldn't so much as say "Oops, sorry, excuse me" if she bumps into Regina until Regina has apologized for murdering Snow's father, stealing her castle and kingdom, outlawing her, trying multiple times to kill her, burning her at the stake, casting the curse that separated Snow from her daughter or framing her for murder. I'd be willing to take just one because it would be more than we've had so far.

 

Its going to be interesting how they'll manage to twist the Marian thing into Robin/Marian apologizing to Regina for Marian escaping and finding her family again before Regina could execute her.  I take it back, as I typed that I realized I can envision exactly how its going to happen and it won't be interesting.

 

I find this thread tough because I can never figure out what to wish for.  Everything I can think of fits in the category of I wish they had taken a different direction at some point in the past but its too late to go back and wish it were otherwise.

 

I guess I wish the could find a way to go back and make a character or a portion of the characters outsiders or a fish out of water.  This is why I don't like Storybrooke.  Its not modern enough but also not enchanted enough.  Everyone is too comfortable. 

 

I want Emma dealing with the Enchanted Forest for longer than an episode.  And I mean the civilization and trappings of being Princess Emma and 100% magic and fairy tales all the time.  Not another Neverland where she is dropped in the woods and not really encountering anything outside of a typical day in Storybrooke.  I think this is partly why I like the finale so much.  Hook and Emma were dropped in another timeline and had to deal.

 

Or send some of the fairy tale characters on a longer trip to a city.  I wish the fairy tale characters hadn't retained so much knowledge of their cursed selves.  But just bringing magic out of the city limits of Storybrooke could create something interesting.

 

This one has been said a lot but, I'd love a foster sibling or parent to show up in Storybrooke and force Emma's old life and new life to clash.

 

I just wish for some character based drama.  I guess I agree with @stealinghome, there should be drama in these people trying to work together.

 

But still, I wish Storybrooke wasn't such a sleepy little town inbetween villains trying to destroy it and all its residents.

[retrograde]

EXT. STORYBROOKE MAIN STREET. DAY.

 

EMMA and HOOK walk down the street. YOUNG PINOCCHIO walks past. EMMA gives an awkward wave and smile. HOOK looks at her quizzically.

 

EMMA

We used to have a... thing. Err... never mind.

 

HOOK looks appalled. 

[KAOS Agent]

My wish is that the show stop showing events from the POV of the villain. The show likes to be all subversive and oh the villains have feelings too and there's two sides to every story, except they refuse to show the full perspective from other side because we can't feel bad for the villain when we see the absolute utter devastation they have wrought on their victims. We know what happened, but it's all tell and no show in terms of the consequences for the victims. Instead we get treated to an endless parade of tears and sad faces when whatever evil thing they've done doesn't go as well as they'd hoped or someone isn't grateful enough when they act like a decent human being.

[Shanna Marie]

The show likes to be all subversive and oh the villains have feelings too and there's two sides to every story, except they refuse to show the full perspective from other side because we can't feel bad for the villain when we see the absolute utter devastation they have wrought on their victims.

That's not even subversive anymore. We're far beyond the "he wears a black hat and is bad, and that's all you need to know" era. These days, it's almost more subversive to show the good guys not having to be perfect at all times. If these guys wanted to show that there are two sides to every story and villainy is a matter of perspective, then they shouldn't have stacked the deck so badly. But when you make Regina's issue with Snow go back to something Snow innocently did as a child with the best of intentions and Regina's actions not be focused on the person who actually wronged her but on someone who was essentially a bystander, and when you make Regina take her revenge out on the whole freaking kingdom (and a few people from other worlds), then it's hard to play the "two sides to every story" game. It kind of worked with Rumple because we could see that he had a strong motive for what he was doing and he wasn't deliberately targeting anyone, but then you have to look at the swath of destruction he cut in order to see his son again and he loses a lot of sympathy points (plus Neal loses a lot of sympathy for not being utterly horrified of what his father did to so many people in his name). I guess Hook also somewhat fits because he had a very valid gripe with Rumple and was mostly focused on getting to Rumple, so if Rumple hadn't been an established character and if Hook's vendetta hadn't put him in opposition to the established good guys, he could easily have been the hero of his own story, so it was a matter of perspective.

 

I guess I'm okay with the villains having a reason for what they're doing so long as the show isn't making excuses for what they're doing. Yes, villains need motivation, but sometimes their motivations are flat-out wrong and sometimes they do wrong to others that is totally unjustified, no matter how good their motivations (like a lot of the stuff Hook did). And then there's the totally out of proportion stuff, like Regina and Rumple, where they'd wipe out a kingdom to deal with one little issue.

 

Really, most of the villains on this series need to read the Evil Overlord List. As do the writers. That would be my wish.

[Camera One]

That's not even subversive anymore. We're far beyond the "he wears a black hat and is bad, and that's all you need to know" era. These days, it's almost more subversive to show the good guys not having to be perfect at all times.

It's not subversive, since it's completely predictable. They do show the good guys not being perfect. In fact the good guys are supposedly the reason why most of the bad guys went bad. With Cora and Zelena, it all started with Leopold not standing by her and Eva being a vengeful mean girl. And we know with Regina, it all started with some 10 year old girl revealing a secret, and then wronging Regina again by killing a mass-murdering mommy who wanted to kill everyone. With Rumple, his own kindness towards a beggar completely backfired. With Rumple's father, it came down to the old women who irresponsibly gave a powerful weapon (magic bean) to a young boy who ended up giving it to his father.

I wish they would stop doing that, but it's never going to happen since it's no doubt what they are actually most proud about and most excited to write.

Edited July 17, 2014 by Camera One

[Shanna Marie]

They do show the good guys not being perfect. In fact the good guys are supposedly the reason why most of the bad guys went bad.

What I meant was that they act like these things make the good guys less than good, almost as bad as the bad guys -- or, really, there's no actual difference between the "bad" guys and the "good" guys. There's Emma's lament about "I thought our family was the good guys" because Eva busted Cora and there's Snow's dark blot on her heart, while meanwhile Regina can do light magic and has True Love's Kiss. They seem to be equating the good guys' human flaws with the bad guys' deliberate acts of evil rather than showing that you can be flawed and still be good. One little screw-up, and the good guys are just as bad as the bad guys, and maybe worse because they judge the bad guys for being bad.

[MedievalGirl]

I would like to see how the meta of the various realms works. Do our storytellers create them or are the realms the muse to our storytellers. The original dark curse had to have messed up someone's uber plan. 
A truth and reconciliation committee would go a long way toward balancing things out in Storybrook. I can see Archie or Belle suggesting one and it could even fail. There might be some interesting fairybacks. 
I'd like to see lines at the beginning and endings of scenes that show real life stuff is going on. Emma and Henry getting back from a shopping trip. There were a lot of nice character and plot driven moments at the pharmacy in season one. A throwaway line about Henry being too big to be watched by Granny (but maybe Red would be okay (because TEENAGER)). 

[Camera One]

I wish we saw Zelena riding a bicycle, maybe to that "standoff" on Main Street. This show is such a joke that they might as well go full out.

Edited July 17, 2014 by Camera One

[angelwoody]

I wish we saw Zelena riding a bicycle, maybe to that "standoff" on Main Street. This show is such a joke that they might as well go full out.

It always really irritated me that they bothered to have her use a broom at all.  If you can "POOF!" yourself anywhere, why bother with the broom?  It seemed like a stupid character affectation just to work in an iconic moment.   

[KAOS Agent]

 

The original dark curse had to have messed up someone's uber plan.

 

Now that would be a fun motive for a future villain. Like Regina screwed up someone else's uber evil plans and now they're out to complete their plan, but also now after Regina for screwing it all up in the first place. At the very least it would be a better motive than Regina's mother's cousin's brother-in-law's uncle is jealous of her or whatever.

Edited July 17, 2014 by KAOS Agent

[KingOfHearts]

I want to see Regina get cursed memories. She's one of the few people, along with Hook, who doesn't have "We are Both" going on. Then her cursed personality is the sweetest person ever, and the complete opposite of how she usually is. Then it's a question of leaving her as good or giving her memories back. If she has enough time to develop her cursed self... imagine how she'd feel to find out who she truly is.

 

Cursing her memories should have been Zelena's last laugh. There would be some crazy comic relief and ironies right there. She could be full-out Disney Princess.

 

Cursed Name: Wilma.

Edited July 17, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[angelwoody]

I want a Storybrook mystery that isn't necessarily caused by the new super-villain-with-tragic-backstory-of-the-half-season.  

 

Eureka used to do those kinds of things really well - nestling regular old mysteries in with and alongside their bigger science and technology related arcs.  Give the regulars all a chance to participate and let someone unexpected be the cause and someone else unexpected be the one who figures it out.  

 

And/ or a quest for something.  Love a good quest!

Edited July 17, 2014 by angelwoody

[Shanna Marie]

I want to see Regina get cursed memories. She's one of the few people, along with Hook, who doesn't have "We are Both" going on.

I've wondered about that. Obviously, she never lost her memories of her real identity, but did she get some kind of "life in the modern world" memory download so that she knew how to drive, how to use phones, etc? Maybe "Regina Mills, Mayor" was her Storybrooke identity, and she has fake memories of growing up there, but they just always existed alongside her real memories that she knew were real. But I would dearly love for there to be a version of the curse in which she has a Storybrooke identity and doesn't remember her real self. I could imagine Emma rushing to town (being left out of the curse reversal again), eager to see everyone, only to find it's like the first curse and no one knows who they are and doesn't recognize her. She heads straight to Regina and demands "What did you do?" only to have Regina act like she has no idea what she's talking about. The real clue that something's up is when Regina doesn't recognize Henry. I suppose this could be the same curse that results in the scenario I came up with back at TWOP in which Hook's cursed identity is the shy, nerdy guy who's afraid of his own shadow and can't even bring himself to invite a woman to join him for coffee. Emma would utterly terrify him.

 

I want a Storybrook mystery that isn't necessarily caused by the new super-villain-with-tragic-backstory-of-the-half-season.

That would fit with what I was saying in the All Seasons thread about how much I found myself enjoying "Tiny," even though it's actually kind of a one-off. I realized that a big part of my enjoyment was that there was no real "villain" of the episode. It was just about the community dealing with a crisis. That's the downside of these half-season arcs with a guest villain -- it doesn't leave much room for one-off episodes about the town and the people who live there. Since they're stuck in this one town, it's hard to fit "crisis of the week" stories into an arc because they look silly if they stop dealing with this One Huge Crisis to get sidetracked on something else, but the One Huge Crisis tends to get dragged out while not giving them time to breathe.

[Last Time Lord]

I want Henry to get a girlfriend, and for them to start trying to plan a full extravagant wedding because "it's true love" with Emma and the girl's parents trying to convince them that 13/14 is way too young to get married.

I'm picturing something similar to this:

Emma: You can't get married.

Henry: It's true love!

Emma: You're thirteen!

Henry: Romeo and Juliet were fourteen

Emma: Kid, I don't think you could have picked a worse example to try to convince me.

[Curio]

I think the #1 thing I really, really, really (have I emphasized that enough?) in Season 4 is a flashback to Hook's magical bean adventure. Of all the flashbacks they could have shown us from the missing year, that adventure was the one that had the most potential to be incredibly exciting to watch. Was showing Zelena's sob story for the third time really more necessary than seeing one of the main characters outrun a curse, go on a mission to retrieve a rare item that would save the main protagonist, bring her back to Storybrooke, and basically be the impetus for everything that happened in 3B? But no, all that adventure amounted to a quick CliffsNotes recap by Hook for like 10 seconds. Who did Hook trade with to get the magic bean? How did he even know where to look for a magic bean? Where is the Jolly Roger now? Is the person he traded with going to be important in the future? I'd love to be able to actually see this episode play out on screen, but knowing the writers, these issues will either get resolved in conversation or just get completely dropped because they missed their opportunity to air it during Season 3 when it mattered the most.

[KingOfHearts]

I wish to see Cruella DeVil raid Regina's secret EQ wardrobe room.

[ParadoxLost]

I wish to see Cruella DeVil raid Regina's secret EQ wardrobe room.

 

Introduce Cruella DeVil and the puppies are human, like Gus, and then we've got Silence of the Lambs.  It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.

 

I was trying to figure out who the next villain could be one day.  This one totally didn't work for a Disney owned network.

[Camera One]

Introduce Cruella DeVil and the puppies are human, like Gus, and then we've got Silence of the Lambs.

 

They've already covered human flaying, and the person being flayed feels he owes the flayer a great debt.  A very warped version of "Silence of the Lambs".

Edited August 5, 2014 by Camera One

[Rumsy4]

They've already covered human flaying, and the person being flayed feels he owes the flayer a great debt.  A very warped version of "Silence of the Lambs".

 

Hey--the Flayed also thinks that mass murder is bold and audacious, and risks his son's life to pay a debt. ;-)

[ShadowFacts]

Hey--the Flayed also thinks that mass murder is bold and audacious, and risks his son's life to pay a debt. ;-)

 

He really is quite the masochist with poor judgment, isn't he?  Maybe he and Regina are soulmate material after all.  I have been resisting, but now maybe I'll ship.

[Shanna Marie]

I probably should have made my wishes a week or so ago when it was my birthday, but since it's highly unlikely that a bunch of TV writers would grant my birthday wishes, I'll make them now anyway:

 

Mostly, I want some Storybrooke stories. I want to see how this town works now that it's populated with fairy tale people who know they're fairy tale people. How many of them are embracing their new identities and the new opportunities they might have? How many are trying to cling to their old ways? Are they okay with essentially still having a queen, since it doesn't sound like there's ever been a real election for mayor, or might someone wonder why they aren't having elections? What do the Storybooke people do for fun? Have they gotten into any fun things from our world, or are they bringing their own leisure activities over? I've been seeing all the pictures of Josh and Colin attending sporting events and amusing myself by saying that Prince Charming and Captain Hook are hanging out at soccer games, but what would David and Hook do for a guys' night out? David has fake memories of our world, but Hook doesn't. What would these two think of sporting events? Does the Storybrooke high school have sports teams? Frederick seemed to be a gym teacher or coach, but during the curse it wasn't like they could have played teams from other schools.

 

Unfortunately, it's really hard to work in this kind of story in the half-season arc format because when the half season is a week or so spent frantically defending themselves from the latest villain, they don't have time for leisure or worrying about city government or deciding between their Storybrooke careers and their Enchanted Forest careers. So I guess wish number two would be a slower build on the next half season's villain (4B) -- like maybe someone who's been there all along (Maleficent! Maleficent!) who's just starting to rise and stir, so we, the audience, see her starting to act but the townspeople think they finally have a chance to go about their normal lives. For a few episodes, then, we could have a scene or two of what Maleficent is currently doing in Storybrooke, some action-packed flashbacks about Maleficent and her past with Aurora and Philip, her friendship with Regina and whatever went on between her and Hook (since he recognized her), and then some fun scenes of normal life in Storybrooke, which would take on added tension because we'd know it's the calm before the storm.

[KingOfHearts]

That's what I miss about S1 - the slower pacing. You got to see the little things everyone does, and even the secondary characters got legitimate stories. I, myself, am not a fan of the half-season format. The reason they're doing it though is probably so they can have enough productive time to not need rerun weeks. You could maybe have a lesser threat for the half-season, then have a greater threat encompassing the whole season in a more subtle way. We could get some of the slower character moments in the first-half, then in the latter part of the second-half, get into the nitty gritty plot stuff. For the winter finale, just have a smaller victory like a blow to the villain instead of a full defeat. That's what I wish they'd do.