Once Upon a Time Enter the Dragon (2011–2018) Online

To my surprise, this episode is an improvement over the previous episode while not nearly as excellent. Let's just say the pacing did drag itself a bit too fast, but that's the only nitpick I have. Everything else did work for the most part.

The story sets the events from the previous episode and connects it here perfectly. Emma and Regina's attempt to find out the secret plot of Ursula, Cruella, and Maleficent, and Maleficent and Regina trying to capture Pinocchio while Rumpelstiltskin is also planning something for him, and Snow White and Charming trying to tell Emma the secret about Maleficent; all of those situations are beyond shocking.

It also has some good moments including the interacting moments between Regina and Maleficent as the two feel they have a lot in common (both people who had everything they loved taken away from them) and the two fighting against Leopold and his soldiers in an action sequence when Maleficent turns into a CGI dragon (which is decent, to say the least).

Overall, Enter the Dragon is another great episode and a good way to set up the next episode. Recommended!

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.

Season 4 had a lot to live up after Season 3 being as impressive as it was. At this early stage of the season, one can see a lot of promise, some may argue that it is capitalising on 'Frozen's' success but there is much more to the season than that. This promise was apparent from the get go, with a great season opener in "A Tale of Two Sisters". As far as the previous Season 4 episodes go, they were all decent to brilliant with the only small dip being "Family Business" and the best being the "Smash the Mirror" two parter.

"Enter the Dragon" for me is another great episode from Season 4 and of the show, if not quite one of the best. My only quibble with the episode is that for my tastes Maleficent's dragon form could have been more intimidating, there was a sense of being held back by budget.

Love though that 'Once Upon a Time' has returned to its roots, while showing how far it has come on since it began while showing too what the show is all about.

Credit is due for the character and plot progression as well as some shocking revelations that one doesn't expect at all. The absorbing writing for Regina and Maleficent, making them more than standard characters and ones with moral ambiguities, and the dynamite interaction between them carry "Enter the Dragon" brilliantly. Rumplestiltskin steals scenes.

All the acting is strong. Lana Parrilla and Robert Carlyle, particularly the former, are splendid and Jennifer Morrison has grown so much. Kristin Bauer van Straten is a chillingly imperious Maleficent.

Furthermore, "Enter the Dragon" 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 theme tune.

Writing has the right balance of humour, pathos, mystery and intrigue, or corn or cheesiness here. This aspect has come on such a long way since when 'Once Upon a Time' first started, much more complexity and nuance.

Overall, another great episode. 9/10 Bethany Cox