The first half of 'Once Upon a Time in Wonderland' was a mixed bag in my opinion (my overall opinion of the show too), with all the episodes being slightly above average to good. None were terrible. None were great as well. The second half was a lot better and showed significant growth from when 'Once Upon a Time in Wonderland' first started. So it was a shame that the show was discontinued when it was starting to hit its stride and become more settled, flaws and all.
"Heart of the Matter" is a great example of how much 'Once Upon a Time in Wonderland' grew over-time. Although "The Serpent" and "Bad Blood" did impress me, "Heart of the Matter" was to me the first great 'Once Upon a Time in Wonderland' episode and nearly as great as its parent show 'Once Upon a Time' (which was in its third season when this show aired). One character that made such a big impression in 'Once Upon a Time' is here and this is one of the Red Queen's better episodes too.
It was of no surprise that the special effects are still less than special. Jabberwocky still looks cheap, and it does slightly, but not completely, take away from a character that otherwise made such a big impression.
Otherwise, "Heart of the Matter" has so much to recommend. The rest of the production values are well crafted, with a lot of beauty and atmosphere. The music fits the tone of the show well and doesn't overbear. The opening credits hasn't lost its magic. "Heart of the Matter" contains some of 'Once Upon a Time in Wonderland's' best writing, nothing felt too cheesy here and tonally it's one of the more focused and equally balanced ones (something that some of the previous episodes struggled with). Knave's sassy wit and Cora/Queen of Heart's manipulation stand out.
A lot happens in the story but it doesn't feel like there was too much going on, which was a problem in some of the episodes of the show's first half. It also doesn't feel too padded or too bogged down by unnecessary content, while it's both entertaining and emotional narratively, a real emotional roller-coaster towards and at the end. "Heart of the Matter" was the episode where this reviewer connected the most to the characters (all this time, didn't happen before) without being manipulated to, even the ones that didn't do much for me before mostly (i.e. Red Queen). The best character here is Cora/Queen of Hearts, wonderfully scheming.
Performances are all good, performance of the episode going to Barbara Herschey clearly enjoying every minute of her screen time. Peta Sergeant intimidates as Jabberwocky and Emma Rigby gives her best performance since "Heart of Stone" easily, showing that she worked better as a conflicted character rather than the excessively pouting one-dimensional villain with a wider and more natural range of emotions.
Concluding, the first great episode. 9/10.
"Heart of the Matter" is a great example of how much 'Once Upon a Time in Wonderland' grew over-time. Although "The Serpent" and "Bad Blood" did impress me, "Heart of the Matter" was to me the first great 'Once Upon a Time in Wonderland' episode and nearly as great as its parent show 'Once Upon a Time' (which was in its third season when this show aired). One character that made such a big impression in 'Once Upon a Time' is here and this is one of the Red Queen's better episodes too.
It was of no surprise that the special effects are still less than special. Jabberwocky still looks cheap, and it does slightly, but not completely, take away from a character that otherwise made such a big impression.
Otherwise, "Heart of the Matter" has so much to recommend. The rest of the production values are well crafted, with a lot of beauty and atmosphere. The music fits the tone of the show well and doesn't overbear. The opening credits hasn't lost its magic. "Heart of the Matter" contains some of 'Once Upon a Time in Wonderland's' best writing, nothing felt too cheesy here and tonally it's one of the more focused and equally balanced ones (something that some of the previous episodes struggled with). Knave's sassy wit and Cora/Queen of Heart's manipulation stand out.
A lot happens in the story but it doesn't feel like there was too much going on, which was a problem in some of the episodes of the show's first half. It also doesn't feel too padded or too bogged down by unnecessary content, while it's both entertaining and emotional narratively, a real emotional roller-coaster towards and at the end. "Heart of the Matter" was the episode where this reviewer connected the most to the characters (all this time, didn't happen before) without being manipulated to, even the ones that didn't do much for me before mostly (i.e. Red Queen). The best character here is Cora/Queen of Hearts, wonderfully scheming.
Performances are all good, performance of the episode going to Barbara Herschey clearly enjoying every minute of her screen time. Peta Sergeant intimidates as Jabberwocky and Emma Rigby gives her best performance since "Heart of Stone" easily, showing that she worked better as a conflicted character rather than the excessively pouting one-dimensional villain with a wider and more natural range of emotions.
Concluding, the first great episode. 9/10.
