Once Upon a Time returned last night for its second season with “Broken.” Read what Hypable writer Selina has to say about Mulan and Aurora, the dementors, Rumbelle and more!

Wow. Just wow. After a hiatus that felt like a lifetime (or 28 years, heheh), Once Upon a Time is back, and what a way to return! All summer long we’ve been hashtagging #MagicIsComing, and now, magic is finally here.

Sure, the episode wasn’t perfect. “Broken” not only served as an introduction to a new chapter of the Once Upon a Time story, but also as a reminder that yes, this show is still a little too predictable, and hella cheesy. And yes, the word “hella” is hella warranted in this case.

I’ll start with a little negative to get the commenter-ball rolling: Rumbelle. I’m sorry, but I still only half buy the whole thing. I say half, because I’d be a bigger monster than Rumpelstiltskin if I didn’t appreciate Beauty and the Beast brought to life, and the idea that Rumpelstiltskin would fall for Belle. But that’s as far as it goes, to the idea, and the actual scenes between them continue to make me cringe. Their reunion in the season 1 finale was the biggest disappointment of the episode for me, because it could have been so good, but I just don’t buy that they have true love. I don’t know if it’s the actors, the dialogue, or if it’s just that Robert Carlyle is such a convincing bad guy that I now don’t believe a word he says. Either way, it’s off-putting, and I hate that I don’t love this part of the show as much as other people do.

But let’s move on to the good stuff! I really just want to talk about Mulan and Aurora. Because come on, as if this show wasn’t already spilling over with powerful women, the writers go and throw these two at us! I was especially impressed with Sarah Bolger as Aurora; I thought the character had a real authenticity and a sense of depth that I can’t wait to see explored more. While the fact that they were both in love with Phillip was hardly surprising, I think that it could lead to some really interesting conflicts relating to the exact definition and boundaries of “true love” when Phillip inevitably returns (come on, he had a promo). Because who’s to say you can’t be in true love with more than one person? Or that just because one person true-loves another, that other can’t true-love someone else? That’d be a neat twist.

Of course, the real twist (even if we saw it coming a mile off) was that the fairytale story was happening at the same time as the one in Storybrooke. And although I thought the reveal could have been done a bit more dramatically, I love this new story. Not only will we see Emma in fairytale land and get a sense of who she might have been, but she’ll be forced to bond with her mother, and to experience Snow White as we know and love her! Plus, the girl power awesomeness is just off the charts with Snow, Emma, Mulan and Aurora all in one place! Now we only need Regina and Red to jump through a portal and we’ll be all set – or maybe just Amelia Pond. She could be a fairytale character, right?

While I loved how this storyline opened up the possibility for new adventures (and conveniently separated Snow and Charming), I did think the wraith plot device was a little contrived. Especially because, as many people have noted, it’s hardly an original idea (not that Once is known for its originality, I suppose). A lot of classic stories have wraith-like figures, but I don’t think it was a far jump for a lot of fans to assume that Emma would whip out her wand and banish it with a well-aimed “Expecto Patronum” at any moment. They even used the same cheesy soul-sucking effect as in Prisoner of Azkaban! But, hey, details. I assume we’re not done with the wraith storyline, considering that Phillip’s soul is imprisoned with them and that Regina presumably is still marked, but after the Maleficent-dragon Emma had to defeat last time, I thought it was a little too mini-boss-like for this particular dungeon.

As I said though, it’s going to allow for some spectacular new storylines. Not only for the female Ninja Turtle quartet in fairytale land (or some more appropriate foursome reference), but also for the Storybrooke characters. I still desperately want to see David bond with his daughter, but Henry will do for now, and hopefully Red will step up and help take care of him, too. I always liked the idea of Charming and Red as friends.

What Regina will do next remains to be seen, but considering how gung-ho Emma was about protecting her for Henry’s sake, we can only hope that she’ll actually try to get Emma and Snow back now – although I highly doubt it. Rumpel’s motives also remain a mystery to me, and Belle’s presence will most likely not make any kind of difference in that regard. Hopefully we’ll see her interacting with the other characters soon!

Finally, let’s talk about some of the new mysteries raised this week: most importantly, Michael Raymond-James. The original cast announcement was intentionally shrouded in secrecy, and while he might be the Jack they were casting, that still leaves a lot of questions. Is he Henry’s father? Is he Baelfire? Is he Peter Pan? Is he all of the above plus three or four other fairytale characters? Probably. But what role he’ll play and who sent him that note remains to be seen!

As does the identity of Doctor Whale – and I don’t even know if I can venture a guess about that one. The writers have very carefully made his personality very indistinct, making him neither good nor truly bad, and for all we know he could be someone new, or an inanimate object or animal. My guess is he probably has nothing to do with Pinocchio, though. All we know is that he doesn’t consider Charming his prince, which suggests that he either is royalty himself or someone with a very strong allegiance to another regent. Perhaps he is another figure from Arthurian legend like Lancelot, or the Sheriff of Nottingham? Guesses are welcome! And I kind of hope they wait a while to reveal it, because I like that nobody seems to have an overwhelmingly popular or seemingly obvious theory about his identity.

Next week is “We Are Both,” and we’ll learn more about how Regina met Rumpelstiltskin and was introduced to magic! That’s great and all, but I really just want to see Snow give Emma archery training as they hang out with Aurora and Mulan in the forest. Is that so wrong?

Now it’s your turn! What did you think about the episode? Do you agree/disagree with my thoughts?

Sound off in the comments!

And if you want more Hypable analysis of the Once Upon a Time season 2 premiere, check out Onceable, our dedicated podcast about the show!