The ABC fantasy series has plenty of faults, but I keep tuning in. Here's why I haven't canceled my season pass.
I've thought about giving up on Once Upon a Time with every misstep the show has taken — and believe me, there have been many. But somehow I've continued to watch, past all the plot holes and shark-jumping and yes, terrible CGI. Assuming it's not actual fairy dust, what is it about ABC's fairy-tale drama that has me watching every week?
Image by ABC
It's mostly for the villains.
As is usually the case with genre shows, the bad guys are far more interesting than the heroes. Regina was kind of a dud throughout the first season — probably because Once Upon a Time couldn't decide if it wanted to humanize her or not — but Cora and Captain Hook have been exceptional additions to Season 2. (Cora appeared in Season 1, but only in flashbacks.)
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I mean, Barbara Hershey alone.
She's absurd and over-the-top, and it's just the best. Cora is kind of like Hershey's awful mother character from Black Swan, without any hint of restraint. And unlike so many of the morally ambiguous characters on this show, I'm pretty sure we're not supposed to sympathize with Cora at all. Naturally, that makes her my favorite.
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Which is not to say Colin O'Donoghue isn't great, too.
I'm just going to be honest: my interest here is a little more surface-level. (He's really, really hot.) But eye candy is nice! In fact, it's a completely legitimate reason to continue watching a show you're not always that into. Who needs plot when pretty people are parading around in fancy costumes?
Image by ABC
