When 'Once Upon a Time' first started it was highly addictive and made the most of a truly great and creative premise. Really loved the idea of turning familiar fairy tales on their heads and putting own interpretations on them and the show early on clearly had clearly had a ball. Watched it without fail every time it came on and it was often a highlight of the week. Which was why it was sad when it ran out of ideas and lost its magic in the later seasons.
Of a mostly solid first season "Heart of Darkness" is among the best episodes. It has a tense and continually absorbing story, especially in Storybrooke, while the fantasy flashbacks as one would expect are riveting and imaginative. A somewhat dark episode but also one with a lot of charm and heart.
Would have liked to have seen more of Snow White and Charming's chemistry. Love the two characters together, which very quickly became one of the show's most interesting character interactions, and feel the characters deserve better than only a couple of scenes together. Occasionally there is a little corniness.
However, visually "Heart of Darkness" is a very handsomely mounted episode, settings and costumes that are both colourful and atmospheric, not too dark or garish and never cookie-cutter. The effects are also above average, not exceptional but not bad. It is photographed beautifully and there is some make-up that suited the characters perfectly. The music is haunting, ethereal and cleverly used with a memorable main theme.
Regarding the writing, "Heart of Darkness" shows that it really has come on a long way. There is far less corn and instead the humour, emotional and romantic elements and the balance between them are getting stronger. Mary Margaret's admission is a standout of particularly smart writing.
The acting is very well done. Ginnifer Goodwin continues to charm and Lana Parrilla and especially Robert Carlyle relish their juicy roles.
On the whole, great episode and one of Season 1's best. 9/10 Bethany Cox
