Once Upon a Time Season 7: What's Working 

Having opted to leave Storybrooke behind and reunite with grown son Henry for an adventure, the formerly Evil Queen is lighter and brighter than ever before, exhibiting an extra spring in her step. So badass is she, we’ll forgive her getting duped by Drizzy.

As fun was it was to see Regina rocking denim and a wavy ‘do, Roni was a bit passive at the start. But now that Regina has awoken and is plotting best she can against Drizella — all while trying to do right by an oblivious Henry — she is exciting to watch in this unfamiliar underdog scenario.

His grand adventure with Belle, as their final decades together sped by toward a bittersweet end, was no less than magic. Since then, however, we’ve only had a glimse of him in the other realm (teaching Regina a rather obvious lesson about trust).

In and of himself,  Weaver was an engaging mystery man to meet, a shady yet resourceful Seattle police detective. Now that Rumple has awoken, every encounter and line reading takes on a new, delicious meaning — perhaps never more so than when he “played dumb” with Roni/Regina.

Hook’s adventures at Henry and Regina’s side in the other realm. And while we may be projecting our affinity for the real deal onto his doppelganger, he’s proving to be a helping… hand… in his own right.

It’s one thing, as the previous slide noted, to find entertainment value in what is basically a photocopy of a beloved antihero. To muster up suffiicent “root for” value in his cursed, still-amnesic self, though, is a really tall order. Not helping matters: Detective Rogers and his quest for “lost” Eloise has been one sad trombone of a tale.

‘s two sticky wickets for this “requel” season was to account for the absence of longtime characters such as Belle. To the show’s credit, Rumbelle’s

-lifting, long life together (beautifully chronciled in Episode 4) did the couple justice, while Belle’s ultimate fate jump-started the engine for Rumple’s mission moving forward.

All summer long, people wondered/worried/kvetched/trolled: “How can Emma and Hook have a happy ending if leading lady Jennifer Morrison isn’t a part of Season 7?!?!?” Amazingly, and though it took some doing, the show managed to have its cake and eat it too, by revealing that CaptainSwan (and their baby-to-be!) are, have no fear, in love and well in Storybrooke, and we are instead following Wish Hook’s story.

As a phsyical match, Andrew J. West is perfect as a grown Henry, no doubt. But the character’s “puppy love” pursuit of “true love” Jacinda in Hyperion Heights is

a page-turner, and only seems to acquire any heat when Ivy lobs wrenches into the works. Also, his “music buff” trait (which we vaaaaaguely remember from his Storybrooke youth) has been woven into story/dialogue perhaps once too often.

The spunky warrior princess has proven to be unpredictable, though her actual storyline in the other realm still craves a solid direction.

We “get” that there is an irony to the aformentioned warrior princess being so down on her luck and downtrodden in Hyperion Heights. But the Lucy/custody arc already feels endless/repetitive, and her clashes with Ivy never crackle.

now that 1) we have been led to beleve she cast the new curse and as such 2) she has the upper hand with “awake” Regina.

Tilly perhaps has the edge here, especially when matching wits with Weaver — her taunting him about the “masks” they wear is one of the season’s very best scenes. Alice has been a bit uneven in the other realm, toggling between sassy (in her first encounter with Henry) and sappy (her squealing “Papa!” to Wish Hook was a weird, girly turn).

Tiana is a plucky princess every bit Ella’s equal, while her Hyperion Heights persona boasts a highly attractive mix of fun and feisty; she seems like a real person, and someone we’d want to be friends/open a food truck with.

Her twisted endeavor to resuscitate daughter Anastasia, and the means by which she will go to do it, makes for a fierce foil. We need more of her, frankly.

…especially now that we know that Drizella is the true puppet master at hand. (To be fair, it was near impossible to follow in Mayor Regina Mills’ footsteps as the resident undercover witch.)

We would look past the highly distracting hairpiece (OK, that was probably a lie) if we had

inkling about her own end game, by playing Drizella against Tremaine. But through Episode 8, at least, it’s been hard to care.

Whereas young Henry was earnest and sweet, his daughter, now on her own “Operation Cobra,” has thus far been a less active, less pitiable hero.

Perhaps Season 7’s biggest hurdle has been to make us root for Henry’s very own instance of True Love, if only because outside of Lucy’s insistence that they are

, there has been little evidence of actual chemistry. Whereas….

…their true selives in the other realm are extremely charming (no pun intended). In fact, Episode 8’s near-kiss was perhaps their most electric moment yet. (Plus: Ella smiles in this realm!)

I’m sure that on paper it all ostensibly tracks, but the progression of time for Henry vs. Rumbelle vs. Gideon vs. Hyperion Heights (where it’s a good decade later than Storybrooke but is only 2017…?) is an

Season 7 has introduced Ella, a new Alice, Lady Tremaine, Drizella, Tiana, a “Rapunzel,” Gothel, plus Zelena and her grown daughter Robin are on the way… and then there’s just this one Jack fella? (Who looks to be cannon fodder?) Doesn’t ABC viewership skew heavily female?

Storybrooke had a look and a feel, a distinct personality in its quaintness. And while it was a brilliant decision to relocate Season 7 to (a neighborhood within) a real city, I almost wish they had gone full-tilt in that direction. Hyperion Heights instead feels like it encompasses two to three generic city blocks.