'Once Upon a Time' was highly addictive when it first started and made the most of a truly great and creative premise. The idea of turning fairy tales on their heads was a fascinating one and putting own interpretations on them and the show early on clearly had a ball. Watched it without fail everytime it came on. It did run out of ideas and lost its magic in the later seasons (especially Season 7, though the inconsistency started with the second half of the Underworld arc of the second half of Season 5).
The first three episodes of Season 6 were very good to great. Was intrigued but also mixed on "Strange Cases", which had a lot of great things, while having some serious misgivings, otherwise other than "I'll Be Your Mirror" the rest of the first half of the sixth season disappointed. It seemed like the show had run out of ideas and was losing magic with a lot of predictability, repetition and recycling old ideas without putting enough of a fresh spin on it. "Tougher than the Rest" fared better and the season became fresher than what came before it, "Murder Most Foul" continues this.
A few drawbacks here, though not as seriously as most episodes of the first half of Season 6. Some of the writing is on the campy and corny side, though the melodrama is significantly less and generally this aspect has improved.
While coming over as clearer structurally, and not trying to do as much as most of the previous episodes of the season, "Murder Most Foul" still is occasionally rushed and could have done a little less with the two main subplots being done well individually but feeling a little too much of two different episodes.
However there are a lot of good things here in "Murder Most Foul". Have very rarely had fault with the production values, except with the hit and miss special effects. Don't have a problem here, it's beautifully shot and the production and costume design are both handsome and atmospheric without being drab or garish. The music is used cleverly and fits well, with the right amount of the haunting and the ethereal.
"Murder Most Foul" does a much better job at story advancing than most of the previous episodes of Season 6, with things continuing to get a move on and the odd answer, complete with revelations that one doesn't expect, including a big one that still has my head whirling with shock and slight confusion. The chemistry between Hook and David has intrigue and intensity while Regina and Robin generally avoids being too soapy. While not as poignant as in "Tougher than the Rest", seeing Pinocchio is always a pleasure.
Characterisation is better here, some progression rather than going backwards and going round in circles. Cannot get enough of Regina or Rumpelstiltskin, while David is up to this point of the season is by far at his most interesting. Some may not like the sassier and darker side to Robin, finding him out of character (which he is for obvious reasons that won't be spoiled), personally like that he has more personality since he returned than in Season 5 especially. The writing has its camp and soapy moments, but is actually better than the writing in most of the post-"Strange Cases" episodes because it is far outweighed by the funny, thought-provoking and emotional moments.
Performances are fine, will always continue to love Lana Parrilla and Robert Carlyle and the necessary swagger and intensity can be found in the performances of Colin O'Donoghue and Josh Dallas, the latter giving some of his better acting of the latter seasons.
Summarising, good if not great. 7/10 Bethany Cox
