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.
"Bleeding Through" is another one of Season 3's best, and like the previous episodes after the mid-season finale "Going Home" (that episode being one of the show's most special) it has been great that the second half of Season 3 has not been affected at all by the hiatus after the mid-season finale. There are instances where the less focused on ideas and characters are not as interesting as the more prominent story lines and characters, but this is very minor and only indicative that the main story is so good.
Regina is fantastically written here with some of the episode's best lines, and her relationship with Mary Margaret has moved on from the standard and repetitive it at times was before. Really loved seeing Young Cora again, having made such an impression in Season 2's "The Miller's Daughter" and "Bleeding Through" has not lost what made the character interesting and progresses her even more.
Am continuing to love the character of Zelena, who made a very big impression when she was first introduced, she is a very interesting and well written character. Peter Pan left very big shoes to fill as the villain of the first half of the season, Zelena fills them pretty brilliantly. The flashbacks are illuminating and compelling to watch, with nothing being padded out or confused, really advancing the characters.
Something that the episode overall does a very good job in, there is a good deal of progression here and new ideas introduced with great potential. Love the character relationships.
Have no qualms with the acting. Rebecca Mader, Rose McGowan and especially Lana Parrilla have the meatiest material and it shows in their acting.
Furthermore, "Bleeding Through" is a very handsomely mounted episode visually, the settings and costumes are both colourful and atmospheric, not too dark or garish and never cookie-cutter. It is photographed beautifully too. The music is haunting, ethereal and cleverly used with a memorable main theme.
Writing has the right balance of humour, pathos, mystery and intrigue.
Overall, excellent and one of the season's best. 9/10 Bethany Cox
