Sandbox / Broken Base Once Upon A Time

When you have a fandom as passionate and divided as the fandom of Once Upon a Time, you naturally start to see many things splintering the fanbase.

Base Breaking Characters

• Regina. Her lovers and haters are perhaps the most extreme in the fanbase. She's seen as either the best character or the worst, well developed or static, badass or pathetic, funny or annoying, redeemable or irredeemable, etc., etc. Things have only gotten more intense on both sides as the show has gone on. The fact that the 100th episode is going to be a Regina-centric does not help at all.
  • Her nearly thirty years of repeatedly raping Graham before murdering him never going addressed is one of the most polarizing issues in the fandom.
  • Her massive amount of focus and screentime (eclipsing even Emma's) in 4B lead to many of her haters dubbing that half-season "Once Upon a Regina." The fact that its plot was disorganized and weak, beyond being an absurd plot to start with, did not help her.
  • The Season 5 finale either fixes many of the issues people had with Regina, or they only served to highlight and increase them, with Regina literally splitting apart from the Evil Queen being considered either a fantastic Author's Saving Throw or the biggest Writer Cop Out to make Regina avoid responsibility for her actions ever. How Season 6 resolved this plot development did not help.
• Neal and especially his relationship with Emma. While much of the hate is shipping related, some dislike him because of his actions in the backstory (such as agreeing to August's plan to let Emma go to jail), which, some feel, weren't properly acknowledged enough in late Season Two. It was, however, acknowledged some in early Season Three. Emma admits that the memories are too painful to the point that her darkest secret is her guilt over feeling that it might be better if Neal hadn't been found alive. To Neal's credit, his reaction to learning this was admirable. When she apologized for the secret, he immediately told her that after the way he treated her, she had no reason to feel guilty.
• Belle was an Ensemble Dark Horse during season one... yet became much more controversial in season two, particularly due to an Amnesiac Lover storyline that didn't really go anywhere, and a few fans turned their backs on her and the Rumbelle ship, although it's still very popular.
  • The Rumbelle shippers also have some mixed feelings about the end of Season 3 Huzzah! They get married. Bad news: In the episode prior, Rumple was dishonest to Belle about giving up evil, gave her a fake copy of his control dagger, and used the real one to murder a de-powered, imprisoned, and defenseless Zelena. He made Belle his unknowing alibi and accomplice in murder.
  • As of Season 5, more and more people have abandoned ship, with Gold going back to his power-hungry ways yet again and Belle coming back to him, blissfully unaware that he had made himself an even more powerful Dark One than ever before.
  • And then the hat drops (caution, huge spoilers for season 5b). She casts a sleeping curse on herself to protect herself and her baby, knowing full well that Rumple won't be able to wake her up, because she doesn't love him anymore; he's broken her heart one too many times.
• Some viewers like Zelena, seeing her as the new 'Evil Queen.' Some can't stand her, seeing her attempts to erase Regina from existence and cast the Dark Curse herself as simply behaving like a bratty child having a tantrum (which other viewers find makes her like Regina.) Not to mention the Replacement Scrappy / Tough Act to Follow factor since she comes right on the heels of the widely-loved Peter Pan.
  • To elaborate, she is basically a bratty child whining about how Regina's life was better than hers so she wanted to use time travel to hijack it, sacrificing an adorable baby and the lives of beloved characters in the process. But she was also one of the few characters who got things done, with numerous well-crafted plans that actually worked and never completely gave up on her wild ambitions or her villainous pluck, though most of it seemed undone as she was relatively easy to defeat. And then she came back like a true Magnificent Bitch (stress the "bitch" part) in Season 4, taking thunder away from Cruella, Ursula, and Maleficent the villains who were hyped to be the Big Bads of season 4, especially Maleficent, the fan favorite whom the fans actually wanted to see more of.
• Hook:
  • From the get-go, some fans liked him and thought he was a great, sexy, morally ambiguous addition. Others thought he was a blatant Jack Sparrow expy and was forced upon the fans as an attempt to artificially create an Ensemble Dark Horse. The promotion to main character before even appearing since he was Adored by the Network did nothing to assuage those issues.
  • Some fans liked Hook's season 3 storyline. Some wanted him to stay a villain. Others thought it was too rushed. Others thought it dragged. Some wanted a different romance or no romance. Opinions of him are generally all over the place now.
  • In season 4, Hook retains his Base-Breaking Character status, maintaining the fanbase he already has while not doing much to win over the people who already didn't like him. He gets his happy ending with Emma while Rumple and Regina get theirs switched away from them at the last minute (although granted, Regina's prospects go up shortly afterward, and Rumple failing to get his happy ending can hardly be called a bad thing at this point given what his idea of a happy ending actually was).
  • As of season 5, he's only become more polarizing of a character, especially during the Dark Hook story. Right now, the fandom has been split into two camps regarding Hook. The first camp consisting of his fans and Captain Swan shippers believe that right now, Hook is only going through a rough patch with Emma which he'll overcome and he's still one of the best characters in the show. The second camp, consisting of people who never liked Hook to begin with and/or people who have turned on him this season, is of the mindset that Hook is a useless Jerkass who never adds anything to the story and needs to be killed off so Emma can move on to a better love interest. It also didn't help matters that the Dark Hook story pretty much got to eclipse both the Camelot story arc and the Dark Emma redemption story. And considering how Hook (or at least his soul) is going to be the major focus of the second half of season 5, criticisms of the show turning into "Once Upon A Hook" have only intensified. And that is to say nothing of his literal Deus ex Machina return to life at the end of that arc, at the exact same time Robin Hood becomes Deader than Dead, which overjoyed his fans and infuriated his haters.
  • While most of the shipping on the show is Serious Business with the fandom, the Hook/Emma ship seems to be one people either love or hate, with no middle ground. The people who love it absolutely adore it, while the people who hate it really, really hate it. Neal fans and Swan Thief shippers in particular hate it since Hook pretty much ran off with Neal's mom in the past, sold Neal himself out to the Lost Boys, and then got to start a relationship with Emma, the woman Neal loved and had a child with, thus making Hook come off as the ultimate Karma Houdini in their eyes. Recently, the ship has also earned the extreme ire of Outlaw Queen fans, since Hook was resurrected and got back together with Emma while Robin Hood was killed off and Regina is left all alone once more, galvanizing the Hook and Captain Swan haters to protest the state of the show, claiming that the writers are willing to sacrifice just about anyone and any pairing just to make Captain Swan look good.
  • In the sixth season, the writers don't even seem to be trying to placate the Captain Swan haters to get them to at least tolerate the pairing. It's revealed that Hook murdered David's father and Emma's grandfather in the past when he was still a villain. Unsurprisingly, this has made both the Hook and/or Captain Swan haters even more disgusted, declaring that there's so much baggage and toxicity to the pairing, especially with regards to all the stuff Hook has done in the past, and that Hook can never be trusted due to him always keeping secrets from Emma. His fans, on the other hand, have defended Hook, citing that him killing Emma's grandfather happened back in the past when he was still a vengeful pirate and that since then, Hook has shown remorse for his actions and tried his best to change for the better.
• Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold: Just like Regina and Hook the character has split the fandom into people who love him for being a villain with potential to change and those who despise him for his past sins and feel he does not deserve redemption or forgiveness. As the series has progressed the writers have gone back and forth in making Rumpelstiltskin a villain and hero, which has intensified fans' opinions of him.
  • Rumpelstiltskin's storyline in first half of season 4 has become this. Some are finding his return to villainy to be fun to watch, since he was generally a great villain. Others are disappointed at all his character development from last season seemingly being stripped. His motives this time around are less noble- he has a chance to cleave himself from the dagger, and he has no problem sacrificing Hook, Emma, the fairies, or anyone who has ever slighted him in any way to do it. Especially since Hook and Regina have finally made the full switch from villain to hero. Its ending, complete with a huge Rumbelle break-up, just made it worse. Rumpel teaming up with the Queens of Darkness; Maleficent, Cruella, and Ursula so they can attack Storybrooke made it worse still.
  • 5A made both fans and non-fans more frustrated with Gold's character. The fans who dislike Gold felt the Darkness corrupting effect was an Ass Pull that was dragging Emma's character and later Hook's character down to justify giving him another shot at redemption he had already blown thanks to his actions in the previous season (this is a opinion Regina and Hook share in universe). Emma turning Gold into a hero in only a couple of episodes made things worse, as they felt it was too easy for Gold to change and that the characters were easily forgiving him without him really earning it. The Rumple/Rumbelle fans argued that the Darkness/Dark One corrupting effect had been established way back in season 1 (they cite Rumple being shown as a relatively good man in his pre-Dark One days) and felt the writers dragged Gold's character down in the fourth season by erasing all his redeeming qualities and playing up his worse qualities to make him a more generic villain that nearly destroyed the Rumbelle relationship for good right after they got married. They argued the events of the fifth season were necessary to put Gold's character back on track and noted that the characters, Belle included, hadn't forgotten or fully forgiven him for his actions last season, which at least set the character up for having to work hard to earn his redemption/happy ending. As noted above the end of 5A had Gold become the Dark One again and lie to Belle about it. The haters believe he is the only irredeemable character who only truly loves himself. The lovers claim the writers are reducing Gold to a plot device who can can go from good to evil at the flip of a switch, unlike Regina and Hook, who while having minor setbacks every season stay committed to their changes for their loved ones and a genuine desire to be better people.
  • 5B didn't make things any better. Either Rumple's full self-awareness about himself and all of his flaws, including his inability to change, plus his motivations revolving around his wife and unborn child, has made the character better than he has been in a long time, or it only highlights how much he's worn out his welcome and should just be Killed Off for Real already, with little middle ground.
  • As of season 6 the divide has worsened further. Half the fandom believe Rumple's more controlling and bullying attempts to win Belle and their unborn son over is in character and the writers have finally exposed Rumple's "love" for what it is toxic and selfish. The other half reject this portrayal since despite his many mistakes and faults Rumple's love for his family has always been presented as genuine. He has even expressed being able to put Belle's happiness above his own when it counts. Needless to say the middle ground has disappeared.
• Anna is also this, since it's revealed that it was she who inspired Charming to become a hero, she outwitted Rumplestiltskin in a flashback, played a big part in shaping Belle's character too, and ends up saving the day at the end of the arc instead of Emma and Elsa.
• Ingrid the Snow Queen. Nobody can deny that Elizabeth Mitchell gave a powerful, wonderfully nuanced performance and that the character nicely contrasted Zelena, having a totally different villainous motivation that was equally as interesting and twisted. That said, since the show had adopted its two-story-arcs-per-season format the previous year, it had featured two incredibly hammy, dynamic villains that were an absolute joy to watch as they chowed down on the scenery, and Ingrid simply did not fall into that category. Some viewers, especially those who were fans of Zelena, didn't think Ingrid was quite up to villain snuff. Those less fond of Zelena (a Base-Breaking Character herself, see above) sang the praises of Ingrid, and a lot of viewers simply enjoyed both performances for what they were.
• The announcement that Cruella DeVil was going to show up in the second half of Season 4. Some think she'll be a great addition, others don't because 101 Dalmatians isn't a fantasy story and she is way out of place in a high fantasy show. The fandom changed its tune when it was quickly established that Cruella had magic powers of her own, and her backstory episode that explained her whole character caused there to be very few detractors left afterward, with Cruella becoming one of the most popular characters to come out of that season and thus returning in a major recurring role in the second half of Season 5.
• Merida. A large amount of fans despised her for taking up too much time away from the core characters - getting three episodes revolving around her backstory, one of which put the revelation that Hook was also a Dark One on hold. Also there are some who feel she just doesn't fit in with the show. However she does have a good portion who feel the show greatly improved her from her movie and that she was a good Plucky Girl in contrast to the super powered heroines that made up the rest of the cast. Others don't like the way the character is written but feel that Amy Manson's performance saves her.
• Hades. He is seen as either one of the best Big Bads the show has ever had, with Greg Germann's performance being very fun and charismatic, or as one of the least interesting villains on the show, with Germann's low-key demeanor and constant whispering being a weaker performance when compared to James Woods' Disney version.

Broken Base

• In general, the strongest fault lines in the fandom are which of the villans' (Regina, Rumple, Hook, Zelena) redemption plots you believe in, whether all, none, or some combination thereof. This will almost always determine which corner of the fandom you hang in, which ships you ship (ie, someone who does not believe Rumple's redemption likely does not ship Rumbelle); coupled with how seriously you take the show overall varying from a Guilty Pleasure to a fun romp to Serious Business.
• The Regina fans versus the Rumplestiltskin fans. This is lampshaded in the audio commentary of Skin Deep, in which Jane Espenson says that having two villains makes things richer, but also makes viewers try to shoehorn one of them in the function of "actual villain" and the other in "other hero". This has lessened greatly in Season 3, however, now that the two characters are no longer out to get each other.
• The revelation that Henry's father, Neal Cassidy, is Baelfire, Rumple's son. Some fans really did not want this twist. Actually, everything having to do with the character of Neal in general breaks the base.
• Snow murdering Cora, particularly the way she did it. There's the camp that thinks she had no choice and that Cora (and Regina) really had it coming since they would murder them without a second thought. After choosing to take the box with her instead of cleanly finishing the job, Snow would probably never have escaped that tomb alive if she tried to crush or control Cora's heart because Regina would have killed her, and there was no way she could reach Cora herself without Cora noticing. And keeping Rumpelstiltskin alive is arguably the best strategy against Regina. Then there's the camp that thinks saving Rumplestiltskin who has a much bigger nuisance potential and barely hesitated in putting their lives in jeopardy before was a piss poor excuse, that using Regina to murder her own mother was beyond cruel, and that if she wanted to do the right thing, all she had to do was crush the heart herself... or, if she could let go of her vengeful feelings, just put it back in Cora without cursing the candle, which might have prompted a Heel–Face Turn from Cora.
• A minor one with Mulan: while most of the fandom is on board with Mulan being attracted to women (specifically, in love with Aurora), there is some debate on whether this means she's bisexual or a lesbian, due to the ambiguous nature of her feelings for Philip. Each of these require different interpretations of her arc in Season 2: was she in love with Philip and protecting Aurora based on her vow to him, which developed into having feelings for Aurora or was Philip more like a brother to her and Aurora simply jumped to conclusions, given that Mulan never confirmed loving Philip, and was really in love with Aurora all along while Aurora didn't know love when she saw it?
• The Neverland arc of Season 3: is it brilliant, boring, or a roller coaster of both?
  • By that same token, the second arc of Season 3 featuring the Wicked Witch of the West is either an improvement over the Neverland arc, a drastic step down from the Neverland arc, or of the same quality (high or low) as the Neverland arc.
• After including the characters mentioned above, the show goes one step further by featuring a real historical figure, ie Blackbeard, as a resident of the Enchanted Forest, though it could be argued that he's the legendary version from exaggerated tales told about the real person rather than the man himself.
• Bringing in Elsa from Disney's Frozen before the movie is even a year old. Some think it's awesome, others find it a despicable cash grab / marketing ploy due to the movie and character's popularity and a sign of the show jumping the shark. Ironically, Word of God says that this isn't the case at all and in many ways the opposite: THEY had the idea to incorporate Elsa into the show and had to get Disney's permission for it, rather than Disney forcing a marketing-based mandate on them.
• Bringing in time travel. "Snow Falls" is a fan favorite. Some fans were unhappy with the alterations to it.
• Rumple's arc in season 4, as throws away his chance at happy ending for power. Some fans see it as an asspull, while other think it is perfectly in character given his major trait of being a power-addict. Belle banishes from Storybrooke when he finds out, causing some to cheer You Go, Girl! and other to villify her for not giving him another chance.
• A lot of people aren't pleased with the reveal that Marian has been Dead All Along and is impersonated by Zelena, feeling that it's an excuse to have Robin be with Regina without the guilt of the recently brought back to life mother of his son holding him back, as well as the whole thing seems rather flimsy in explanation but on the other hand, some fans are just happy to have Zelena back on their screens.
  • This was exacerbated by the news that Rebecca Mader had been upgraded to regular cast member status for Season 5. With the character's return already controversial, many fans are now just plain confused about how much more there can possibly be left to do with them to justify this.
• Casting a thin actress for Ursula, based off the extremely large Disney Villain (modeled after rotund drag queen Divine), didn't sit well with some viewers. Especially since she'd already been voiced by Yvette Nicole-Brown, who would have fit perfectly.
• The Season 4 finale divided a lot of fans. Some loved it and claimed it saved the season for them. Others found it horribly written, badly acted and full of Narm.
• The Season 5A finale opted to cut out every tiniest bit of closure for the Camelot story, followed by the crew being extremely vague if there were plans to put some resolution into the season's second half, whether by putting the material already shot for the finale in there somewhere or making something new. Merida's actress in particular was quite upset and took to retweeting several angry fan comments about it. Luckily, the crew then had the decency to create a new closing story for it at the end of 5B.
• The implications that the long-awaited LGBT couple will be either Ruby and Mulan or Merida and Mulan. Fans of other LGBT ships, particularly Swan Queen, declared their pairing inadequate representation before the identity of the pairing had been confirmed.
  • And it ended up being Ruby and Dorothy. Some fans hated the rushed relationship in a single episode where they know each other barely a day before officially becoming True Loves. Especially upset were the fans hoping for Ruby and Mulan which they believed had been set up earlier in the season, accusing this pairing of giving the impression that the crew considered an interracial lesbian relationship to be a step too far.
  • Grating farther was the fact that, despite the writers' insistence that the LGBT couple would not be confined to a Very Special Episode, it involved two characters who weren't a part of the main plot—one of whom was introduced that very episode—and who haven't been seen since, and had pretty much nothing to do with the entire rest of the season. The very definition of a Very Special Episode. Many fans felt that this was inadequate after spending so much time on dozens of heterosexual couples over the past five seasons. Others felt that the aforementioned confirmation that Ruby and Dorothy were a true love couple made up for that and claimed the unsatisfied fans were merely unhappy the writers' hadn't gone with the pairing they wanted.
• Henry going with the group to the Underworld. A cut scene explains why (he said they don't bring him he'll find his own way anyway), however Emma and Regina (particularly Emma) have been bashed by some of the fanbase for "bad parenting" while other fans have merely shrugged it off given Henry's heroics in the 4B finale and the more practical point that Henry needs to be in the plot somehow.
• "Last Rites" proceeded to set the fans and haters of Captain Swan and Outlaw Queen at each others' throats after it killed Robin in a way with little hope of reversal and revived Hook. The fans and haters of Regina, Emma, Hook and Robin jump into this as well.
• The Season 6 plot of Regina and the Evil Queen being split into two. Some (especially fans of Regina and Lana Parilla) love it, while others despise it. Also, there are fans who felt the premise held potential, but has so far failed to live up with it, especially since the Evil Queen has been little more than a Troll rather than a serious menace. And then there was how it was resolved, which some found clever and heartwarming, but others found infuriating and a blatant case of a Karma Houdini.
• Bringing in characters from literature that is outside of Disney or fairy tales and fantasy for Season 6. Some people love the expanded story potential, others think it is a case of the writers running out of ideas. Some also do not like the fact that the show is branching out of the traditional fairy tale genre.
• Mr. Hyde's defeat in the Season 6 premiere, after many fans greatly enjoyed him in the Season 5 finale and were looking forward to him being the Big Bad. It's not as big as some others as he still gets to stick around in a Hannibal Lecter-esque role, but some still argue he should have been a more active villain.
  • And then those same fans exploded with rage when just three episodes later, Hyde is killed alongside Jekyll. Instead of the Big Bad, the character ended up being a Disc-One Final Boss to the Evil Queen. This is either a clever twist or a case of wasting a perfectly good character.
• The decision to give the Black Fairy a tragic backstory. Some would have preferred the True Final Boss of the storybook to be evil, while others are satisfied to see her character more fleshed out and think it helps differentiate her from Rumple's other parental villain, Peter Pan. There is the debate on rather said backstory actually fleshes out the villain or not. While everyone seems to agree that Black Fairy's origin is tragic there is dispute on if it added to her character or not. On one hand it did explain how the character became a villain, but on the other hand her plans in the present had nothing to do with her original goal and she still came off as Generic Doomsday Villain.
• Rumple and Belle getting back together in the Season 6 finale, especially considering that Rumple is still the Dark One. After how dysfunctional and even outright abusive the writers had previously made their relationship, many find it to be an Esoteric Happy Ending for Belle and feel that it makes Rumple a complete Karma Houdini given the fact that he lied to Belle and betrayed everyone not so long as an episode ago.