User Reviews

Wasn't "Nick Branson" already established to be Jack the "Giantkiller"?

Season 7 was not an unwatchable season, but it was a frustrating one, considering it was a final season and for a show that was very good to brilliant at its best, and easily 'Once Upon a Time's' worst. There were a few above average episodes ("Is This Henry Mills" and "Leaving Storybrooke" being the best) and a few very disappointing episodes ("Hyperion Heights" and "A Taste of the Heights" faring worst, "Homecoming" also could have been much better), but most were either lacklustre or average.

While not a terrible episode, "Breadcrumbs" should have been much better than it was and for me it's one of the season's worst episodes and a 'Once Upon a Time' low point. Having pretty much all of Season 7's problems and there were many of them. After an improvement with the still very flawed "Sisterhood", the season is back to the disappointing quality that the episodes between "The Eighth Witch" and "Sisterhood" had. That period was in itself a return to the season's rocky start, until "Beauty" started a brief redeeming five-episode period.

"Breadcrumbs", like all the show's episodes, looks good. Nice wondrous atmosphere created, captured beautifully in the photography. The music appeals to the ears and fits well. Tilly is a very compelling and likeable character, the only character of the episode to be nailed. Two character relationships are also effectively done, that between her and Rogers and the other between her and Margot.

Rose Reynolds is as good as Tilly as she was as Alice in "The Girl in the Tower". Tiera Skovbye has grown from strength to strength and it was great to see Colin O'Donoghue's compassionate side (he being the reason why the flashbacks aren't completely disposable). Robert Carlyle does well with what he has, though he deserved better and Zelena's role at the end generates some suspense. The acting is not bad at all on the whole all things considered.

On the other hand, the past story/fairy tale flashback is saved only by the production values and O'Donoghue. Way too soapy and far too much of a disjoint to everything going on in the present story. The present story may have been over-stuffed and rushed (like most episodes of Season 7), but at least there was much less of an irrelevent and out of place sensation that was all over the flashback. Everything with Henry and Jacinda has gotten really tiresome and has so little to it, have never liked Jacinda to put it lightly and Henry has been poorly used this season. Henry and Nick's storyline is flat, lacks tension and Nick is too sketchy to make enough impression yet.

Again, there is too much going on in the present day story and the episode tries to cram in such a lot in a short space of time. Making the storytelling too rushed and jumpy, too much of it doesn't make enough sense due to being skimmed over and the different subplots don't connect with each other. Blackbeard feels out of place, what relevance did he have to anything going on in the present day scenes, and the mystery really needs to start progressing properly.

In summary, lacklustre and one of the season's and show's worst episodes. 4/10