This Episode KILLED Once Upon a Time!

For this series, we’ll be looking at the most infamous episodes of television that damaged their show’s reputation.
Full List: #Top10EpisodesThatKilledTVShows
#tvshows #episodes #worst #walkingdead #sherlock #dexter #homeland

[@MsKitkat5321]

The last season is what killed the show. The penultimate season should have concluded the entire show.

[@kmaaty]

I hated the last season, everything else was perfecr

[@curtyeomans8446]

Na, I knew people who watched the show every week for several seasons but started bouncing in seasons 4 and 5 because it started to lean too heavily into Disney. A friend of mine quit when the show went to the underworld from Hercules in the second half of Season 5. That was a bridge too far for her, especially when they gave Hades his blue flame hair and the CGI for it looked God awful

[@appigreen1559]

a lot of people quit at the half of season 5 because it is difficult to follow the entire plot (old characters coming back, old plot that you have forgotten, and so on). season 7 is one of my favourites

[@jamestolbert1856]

I hated season 7! I like the idea of the realms being together like Disneyland but looking back now, they should’ve remain separate

[@curtyeomans8446]

@@appigreen1559 I thought it was hilarious how they got to the end of the series finale and were like “Oh sh**, we forgot to reveal the identity of Lily’s dad like we teased THREE YEARS AGO,” so they just quickly threw in a line and revealed it to be the most preposterous choice possible (Zorro can turn into a dragon?!?)

[@Half_Blood_Hufflepuff]

I think it's weird that they never really change their outfits the whole time. Like I'm sure someone in Storybrooke is about Elsa's size, she doesn't have to wear that dress every episode

[@Donovan_oryx924]

Merchandise.

[@aliceblack1565]

Plus she literally made her dress out of ice. She could have made another one.

[@vikkidonn]

Yeah I was done the minute they started adding in modern characters. Because the explaination for them not being in storybrooke from the start was piss poor as far as I’m concerned. There was still enough classic fairytales Disney or not that could have been explored before bringing in properties only a couple years old.

[@arielmartin3841]

I heard it was bc it came out shortly after the movie did so if they wanted to use them they had to have them in clothing from the movie

[@Half_Blood_Hufflepuff]

@@arielmartin3841 well no matter what the reason is it really hurts the immersion

[@pinkiebee2903]

they went a little too "Disney" with Anna and Elsa they shouldn't have made their costumes like straight out of the movie might have hit different

[@sagekiessling2608]

I see your point but I actually thought Anna's dress was quite good. It, to me, didn't look costume-y and looked quite different from everyone else since she was from a different land.

[@HannahFaith08]

This episode was awesome I don't understand how it killed it. I loved that season.

[@ranisyah.r6054]

what name the movie

[@Asalnemati-ix4ru]

​@@ranisyah.r6054once upon a time

[@stunod05]

this

[@Taralyn83]

Same!

[@TigerVids531]

Probably because its ripped off from a movie not a book

[@MidnightL2008]

I actually loved the Frozen story arc! I loved how well they got Emma and Elsa to relate to each other and the cast chemistry!

[@katelyntaylor7384]

I would have liked this arc so much more if they had given less focus to Anna and more to Emma's relationship with the Snow Queen. We get so little of Emma's past. I wanted more information, or for that connection between the two to actually impact how they interact (maybe have Emma in the role Snow took with Regina in flashbacks, saying I know you were good, you can be good again) (maybe the Snow Queen rubbing salt in the wound with the Charmings by sharing details of what teenage Emma was like, a glimpse at what the Charmings know they can't get back) or something. It was such an interesting idea, and would have allowed them to show more of what Emma was like, but no.

[@bismashariq-sz4ov]

which season was that

[@katelyntaylor7384]

​@@bismashariq-sz4ov Season 4A

[@selinarahaman6489]

I only hated the last season where Emma was gone

[@kmaaty]

Me, too! I loved all episodes and seasons except for the last season

[@okiegirlsrock5103]

Didn't seem right with Emma gone....just really bummed me out. OUAT IS MY FAVVVVVVVV TV SHOW. ❤❤❤

[@cmm5542]

Yeah, that was too bad. Rumple, Regina and Hook are my fave characters, so I did enjoy the last season, but it just didn't jell plotwise 🤷‍♀️

[@MegaManDBZX]

Three things we don’t talk about. Fight Club, Bruno, and the last season of OUAT.

[@DavidTLomax]

@@MegaManDBZX that and Doctor who past 12 doctor. Bruno who is bruno

[@loribeynon]

nah this arc was awesome from start to finish

[@rex12359]

Absolutely agreed

[@vem9583]

Me when I lie

[@animerick]

Once Upon a Time is better live action Disney then anything Disney has done. Elsa, Anna and Kristoff were cast perfectly and their costumes were out of the movie

[@stubbornfilly]

I liked it, but I also liked Frozen. And I liked the twist with the snow Queen and Emma.

[@christophermichaelclarence6003]

I like how the character développent of Elsa in Once Upon Time.

[@stubbornfilly]

@@christophermichaelclarence6003 me too

[@christophermichaelclarence6003]

@@stubbornfilly I really love how Anna is portrayed in that serie as well. Both of the sisters are exactly the same from the Disney movie Frozen. This is by far my favorite arc

[@TheRanker77]

My only question is how did this show have a more accurate Anna and Elsa than Disneyland-

[@Megladon00]

I Know Right! Like..... I use to think that they were the voice actors.

[@mysterygirl6305]

It was arguably the last good arc. Season 5 had some good episodes here and there. But overall the quality did start to drop. The last season was especially awful minus the Alice story which was awesome. If the last season just build on that it could have gone somewhere. But it was such a mess without most of the main cast.

[@christophermichaelclarence6003]

I'd say the best arc from Season 3 of Once Upon Time. Not to mention we get to see the Snow Queen

[@katherine52244]

I loved the Frozen story arc. I think it was exactly what the show needed. I especially loved watched Elsa and Emma bond over their magic and working together.

[@milaalt1141]

I didn't like it because I felt like it derailed the whole show just for Elsa and Anna. This was not Once Upon a Frozen. Yes, some characters, like Hook, became important, but most characters had a few episodes to tell their stories. Elsa and Anna had a whole season.

[@sweeety969]

I had lost faith a bit by then but that was when it became clear they were just dragging it out for money. The half season arcs were cancer. The underdevelopment of pre-existing characters and plotlines was what needed to be addressed, we didn't need Elsa when last we heard of Cinderella she was a stay at home mom to a toddler...like what is she gonna do with her life? Just keep churning out babies? What about Mulan? Ruby? Etc

[@helRAEzzzer]

Elsa is from Hans Christian Anderson's "Snow Queen." I can see why the season annoyed people for being so Disney-fied, but that cliffhanger introducing her didn't even have her in the same dress and set her up as a villain like the fairytale. Her intro scene, I feel, fit in fine with previous things in OUAT. While I adored her arch and the creative merge of the fairytale and the Disney story that is, supposedly, based on it, I can understand why so many people were annoyed with it, but I will never understand the criticisms of the cliff hanger intro she got.

[@curtyeomans8446]

They weren’t allowed to make Elsa more like the snow queen from the story though. Disney put a condition in place that the show couldn’t change the Frozen characters at all and they could not ignore the events of the film either. They were allowed however to bring in an aunt who could be the snow queen as long as the Frozen characters were ultimately left unharmed and back to their original status quo, and sent back to their land at the end of the Frozen arc

[@DeadpoolLuca25]

Me still waiting for Anna's wedding

[@Megladon00]

Lol, same.

[@Chloe_00123]

😂😂

[@DeadpoolLuca25]

I haven't watched this show for months. I forgot what my comment means, so I'm rewatching the show I'm currently on S2 E16

[@wlas4146]

I have to two theories for why Rumple would want Cinderella’s baby: 1) As he gained the power of foresight, he knew he needed to make this deal in order to get a deal out of Emma so he can see his son one day 2) He planned on using the baby to lure his mother, the Black Fairy, to know why she abandoned him

[@mkg2124]

Tbh I really liked this arch. I think the friendship that Elsa and Emma built was so sweet.

[@eternalbookwyrm9481]

I loved the whole series, beginning to end!!!

[@greysiperez4652]

Even season 7?

[@PhoenixPlays669]

@@greysiperez4652yup

[@paulbrown9328]

@@greysiperez4652season 7 is one of the stronger seasons. It’s a good throwback to season one and a good finale.

[@greysiperez4652]

Eventually, I too learned to like it. I still think the show peaked by the end of Season 3.

[@paulbrown9328]

@@greysiperez4652 I’d have to rewatch but I think season 1 and 7 are my favorite all around. After season 1 they didn’t give much focus or episodes to side characters to me until season 7. Even though it was basically a whole new set of actors and characters it gave light to all the characters they introduced throughout the whole season. Granted it’s understandable a lot of characters get left behind when there’s so many to juggle after season 1 but, that’s why I think the other seasons were worse because most of them felt to cluttered. Season seven fixed that with a half reboot and a full circle back to season 1 where Henry is the main character and he is now in Emma’s position from season 1. They also fixed rumples character in season 7 I hated his character most of the time after season 3. I wish season 7 rumple translated to season 4,5,6 where he was shady but his intentions and decisions were for all the characters he grew towards. Season 3 has the best character development for most of the characters, good villains and satisfying finales so I see why it’s majority of people fav. It’s definitely the best well written all around, the other seasons outside those 1/3/7 for me have some amazing moments and cool characters but are pretty average tv.

[@iconicminajz2625]

This video isn't accurate, it didn't kill it, I loved this story line!

[@hiymecorp.258]

The Elsa cliffhanger was so hype wym!

[@jessedellross3245]

Both actresses did a great job and the casting was perfect. They both looked like Elsa and Anna. The problem imo is that they didn’t take advantage of a golden opportunity: make Elsa a villain. My god how cool would that have been!!!! Elsa was turned evil for some reason and anna stands against her. Or she was always a villian and anna the rightful queen. The story practically writes itself!!!!!!!!! But nope, shes just bland and forgettable just like this arc was bland and forgettable

[@lisasophiekaps]

The thing is that the whole Disney movie that they clearly took the two from is based around how the sisterly love saved them in the end. Had they run with the original “Snow Queen” fairytale that would have been a different story, but not doing that but taking the Disney characters is what set that specific storyline idea up for failure imo. Making them turn against each other would have completely undone the idea of the movie.

[@alexandraharden5872]

Honestly everything after the middle of Season 3 was a bit of a mess, the Elsa arc was better then later seasons but first two seasons were the best.

[@sweeety969]

It's when they started doing half-season to season-long arcs about other characters, or set in other universes that the story started to stagnate. This show is supposed to be cartoon princesses and other characters in reality, and instead..yeah.

[@loveandwar007]

The latter half of Season 2 was awful, but the Neverland arc in Season 3 was where the show peaked

[@silverhunter8460]

I was seated!! If i would choose something that killed OUAT, it's the second half of Season 5. Going to hell to save Hook... or the whole season 7.

[@MidnightL2008]

Agreed! It was Season 5B and 6A that were the worst IMO. I wasn’t a fan of the underworld or Land of Unfinished Stories storylines

[@4rtsyval]

not true, i remember how excited everyone was for the elsa cliffhanger!! it looked very cool! & while the plotline ended up being a bit wacky, it wasn't bad. but it WAS too much disney. but it didn't kill ouat, S5 killed it.

[@Nmagg1776]

I enjoyed the arc allot now they did not kill it and honestly as soon as Emma left the Emma left the show then it died

[@khloiotaku6073]

What doesnt help is the outfit. It just looks like cosplay. Most every other outfit for the fairytale people look really good and almost natural to them since its not really the 'Disney' versions we know. Do you know what I mean? They should've taken creative liberties with the dress and outfits of the Frozen characters to make it look less like a cosplay, you know? What works in animation doesnt always translate well to live action.

[@Riskofrain527]

Season 4 was when the show went downhill a little, but not because frozen was added.

[@prismspheres]

season had potential, just was way too disney and lacked relation to a lot of the characters. i wish emma and elsa's bond was developed more tbh

[@ajwillustratorauthor]

That arc was great. The Underworld arc was the beginning of the end.

[@476233]

This😜😊

[@AmethystOcean98]

I loved the Frozen arc. It was the Queens of Evil arc that came after this that was lame. Under utilizing the villainesses and regressing Gold's character by miles. But the Frozen arc was solid. We had great moments of tension for Emma and her and Hook were starting a relationship. Paired with the Elsa/Anna sisters parallel with Emma and Regina. Not to mention Elsa and Emma being like sisters in a way. It was pretty great.

[@CheshireCat037]

Now that I think about they really did under utilize the villains in 4B. I wish they gave us more backstory on Maleficent and Ursula. I think they did good on Cruella’s backstory, the episode “Sympathy for De Vil” always gives me chills. It showed both how she became a villain and some of the things that she did, with Maleficent and Ursula we didn’t get much insider info on them other than Ursula getting her tentacles and Maleficent losing her kid. With Ursula we were shown how she started her villainous path but not the path itself, like what has she done to be considered a villain? And with Maleficent we’ve been told that she’s done terrible stuff but why? In one episode when Regina meets Maleficent for the first time she tells her about Daniel and Maleficent says, “You lost someone too?” Who did Maleficent lose? Why is she this evil dragon lady? The writers could have given us info on how she started on her path to villainy but they didn’t.

[@476233]

While I do think they were undercut, I did like 4B. I think it really went off the cliff with the dark swan and underworld plots.

[@lh9591]

The thing is all the other fairy tales were twists on either the Disney or original sources. Elsa and Anna were literally just a continuation of frozen. The subsequent episodes were also continuity ish of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen. Every other story was a mash up. Rumple with Snow White and Beauty and the Beast. It was unique.

[@mag-narwhal]

I don't think the Elsa Ark was bad at all, although I didn't like the Cliffhanger it made elsa seem violent the way she just randomly shot ice around.

[@WriterDreams44]

I only hated it because they didn't even try to alter it. The entire thing was cardboard cut out of the animated film and the only good thing was the actors of Anna and Kristoff. They did good but I really wish they had adapted not copied.

[@michealanderson8832]

I loved the Frozen/Snow Queen arc.

[@mariadean3786]

Sorry but for me the episode that really ruined things was when the charmings were both under the sleeping curse and the flash back plot revealed they both woke up earlier and sacrificed getting to Emma so everyone else could wake up. That created so many plot holes and didn't make any sense. So that's my episode that nearly killed the show. Loved everything else though 😁

[@aranhahumanabr]

Elsa was awesome!

[@tafaribryant6137]

Season 7 when it went to shit

[@elysej87]

I love it! As someone else said before I do wish they would have focused more on Elsa instead of Anna but still I loved how they tied all the different characters together!

[@user-rx9nr8dm8p]

this was one of the best seasons actually..... I really enjoyed how they expanded on Anna and Elsa's story to give them an aunt and I loved the way that she was a villain but her story and Redemption were so powerful and relatable.. the rest of the show after this season wss where stuff got boring.

[@tessareea]

TBH, OUAT did a better Frozen sequel than Frozen 2

[@Megladon00]

Yeah.

[@loveandwar007]

THIS. Thank you.

[@lemya8120]

They were perfectly cast

[@paige4480]

this season was one of the best

[@H0neybee_]

And that girl makes such a great anna

[@Just.thinking.6789]

Literally one of my fav series

[@LadyDragonbane]

I felt the inclusion of Elsa and Anna was financially and unnecessary BUT Ingrid/Snow Queen made up for it in my book.

[@matthiassneyers2627]

The Arc was amazing. I loved the actress who played anna, she nailed it.

[@entertainer1987]

Having 'Frozen' on the show actually looked good on paper. The film was actually loosely based on the fairy tale 'The Snow Queen' by Hans Christian Andersen. However, the story for the show felt forced and not well-written.

[@oceankuhn7215]

I loved it when they brought them in. The actress palying Anna really emboded her and The Elsa actress was good as well. And Kristoff was eas good as well. Better than Emma. I dont understand some people.

[@jenkzkh]

Season 7 killed it

[@ceciliaslepmet4840]

The show started to go horribly wrong in s4 when they turned the best character into a cartoonish villain just so they wouldn't address the trauma of what he went through in s3b (havin his son died in his arms then being caged like an animal, abused and forced to do horrible things by an horrible and cruel witch)

[@Anonymous-uw4sr]

He was always a villain though?

[@ceciliaslepmet4840]

​@@Anonymous-uw4sr no

[@Anonymous-uw4sr]

@@ceciliaslepmet4840 He became evil early

[@d0miniquevilhena]

no, King Arthur arc that killed that show. boring as hell

[@leah_og]

I really liked frozen when I was younger, but they should have changed up the dresses a bit, I mean the actors did a good job but it felt kinda like cosplay, same goes with Meridas appearance. Still I love the show, just felt a bit weird😅

[@appigreen1559]

as a lot of people in the comments said, the 4A is one of the most loved arc 😂 so you are wrong

[@SweetaAzizi]

This girl does not look like Elsa, this girl is not acceptable, but Elsa is attractive😂

[@Firellius]

The story of the Snow Queen was actually pretty solid. Kinda swerved the Frozen cash-in a bit by steering it back to its folklore roots.

[@eruannacalathiel3990]

Seriously this episode was great. It didn't ruin once upon a time

[@jalen.0609]

tbh i liked this whole storyline since emma and elsa had a lot in common. I think it started going downhill in season 7… whenever i rewatch the series i leave that season out and skip to the last 2 episodes bc it was just boring

[@alpha-sama]

I agree. Season 4 started a trend of introducing a new villain every half a season which made the structure very predictable and started heavily resetting the characters. I won't say seasons 4-7 were completely trash but the show would've been better as a whole if they ended at season 3 (without Robin's fake wife coming back or Elsa appearing).

[@inkheart151]

The frozen arc didn’t KILL OUAT, but it WAS the start of its downfall. Because it was evident they couldn’t think of other fairytales to add to the mix. (Like, oh I don’t know…Princess and the pea, Princess and the frog, donkey skin, the white cat, etc). Instead of coming up with more cohesive story arcs, (the snow Queen was actually really good and I think tied into frozen decently, so I can’t complain too much there), but it started the revival of characters, repeating plot lines, plot holes, miscast characters, and deconstructing character arcs for the sake of drama. So…I would honestly say that the “pregnant zelena”/Camelot arc was where everything started going wrong. “Nimuae will help you” my foot!!!

[@bearhow4876]

As cool as it was seeing the frozen characters, this is definitely where it fell apart for me. However, the actresses they got to play. Anna and Elsa were perfect.

[@ZyliceLiddell]

S7 ‘killed’ it.

[@TonySolis99]

But the the first episode of season 4 brought in so many new viewers so Frozen did ABC a favor by widening their audience.

[@Quinn_Schuh]

This was my favorite arc in the series- also one of the only ones I remember.

[@itsabelletime]

I actually really liked this season and storyline

[@kleine.5438]

I loved the Frozen season of once upon a Time

[@amayawynn1999]

This season was my favorite of ouat. One their was the Villan arc and two we saw more of emma past

[@puppiesgacha2948]

Eh I think it died when they started jumping back and forth to the afterlife. That added so much random lore and felt like it ruined and undid a main plot point. It made it so there were a lot of plotholes when there werent really before. And it all seemed to just happen for the sake of the fans ships

[@personafanatic4597]

i hated it not because of the frozen angle but the fate of Neal and WHO LET THE NARCOLEPTIC DWARF DRIVE????? seriously none of the dwarves thought maaaayyyybe sleepy was a bad choice to operate a vehicle?????!

[@sagekiessling2608]

I actually really liked the Frozen arc. The second half of the season though is when everything started to go down hill. It got convoluted with bringing Maleficent back from "the dead" adding Ursula, but not the one we knew before who was kinda like an old Goddess. Cruella did bring something to the season because we hadn't seen a different, better version of her and her story was actually quite good. Every season after that definitely had good episodes/concepts but weren't really done very well. On the bright side, the costumes/clothes 👌💯😘

[@xelvriaa]

Last season literally shoved the show in a blender and turned it into one confusing show of a smoothie

[@Gingerm0nster]

Honestly I think the writers were doing their best with what the higher-ups wanted. Disney is big on “Brand Integrity” and vertical integration so I’m not surprised OUAT had to start drifting closer to their most iconic IP, even though they were doing a good job paving their own way in seasons 1-3. I will say this about the forced-Frozen arc; they got good actors. It really felt like Elsa and Anna hopped out of a cartoon and in to the real world.

[@Kaeladoescrochet]

On one hand I can see why this happened, Once Upon a Time was owned by ABC, which in turn is owned by Disney. As we all know Disney is a a money grabbing soulless creature so when frozen was doing so good they had to ride that success as much as possible. While this wasn’t the best season of the show it was followed up with arguably the best one. The last season is what killed the show, I still refuse to watch it.

[@LunaGrangerTheKat]

Meanwhile my sister started watching it with me and my mom JUST FOR THAT SEASON 🤣

[@chrissyrelates1016]

That season was the best season ever. Dont you dare come at them.

[@JasLamArr91]

Honestly this was what introduced me to Once Upon A Time. I didn't even watch Frozen or cared for it, but my Hulu account kept bringing up the Frozen season and I wondered how Frozen got a live action adaptation. So I watched Season 4 and then I decided I had to start from Season 1.

[@ElizaShakiraMassani]

Naaah don’t lie to the people it wasn’t frozen that killed OUAT.

[@UniLlama418]

Yea no that's not what killed the show. The last season did.

[@jjpowerrrr]

I remember watching it and thinking to myself how irrelevant and unneeded she was.

[@greggceballos2611]

I liked the Frozen Arc of OUAT because it gave a better explanation to why elsa has powers than giving a Pocahontas rip off story.

[@jayvansickle7607]

I actually enjoyed the Anna / Elsa inclusion. They looked great!

[@2a2n]

Tbh wasnt fond of Anna and Elsa but the arc got better when they introduced the REAL Snow Queen...kinda.

[@just3ev]

Im in love with Elizabeth Lail. (Anna’s actor.)

[@shadotarot]

Anna was awesome!The actress did an amazing job! So does the Snow Queen; she's a very good villain! But the rest of the Frozen cast feels unnecessary.

[@joshuadesautels]

The Frozen storyline was the reason I started watching Once Upon A Time.

[@scottdobson1542]

It's Ur opinion that this episode killed once upon a time it was about time they brought frozen into it somehow and what actually killed once upon a time is not ending it on the final battle and doing season 7

[@janacockram8398]

Elsa and Annas debut is my least favourite out of the fairytales that were introduced, but I wouldn't say it ruined the show. Although I don't like the fact that it took them up until season 6 to cover all the original Disney princesses (rounding off with jasmine.) They should've debuted Aladdin WAY before frozens stories.

[@facusmendoza1061]

Once Upon a Time must have been something before Elsa screwed up

[@mimstarkgaryen6182]

I LOVED this plot and I missed them when they left ❤

[@chrisbacon1275]

It would've been cool if they redesigned their dresses to be more "realistic" like those historically accurate renditions of disney princess dresses. They were based off of Norwegian culture, after all, so i wouldn't have to look so goofy next to everyone else

[@braddollahite]

I actually enjoyed the arc and how she was introduced. I thought it was time for the arc to be introduced as well. What killed the show was the last season.

[@user-rq4yh7tu7x]

It’s Elsa’s Fault She Bringing Here

[@waedidmyhandlechange]

If this killed it, explain every other season that followed.

[@rossjackson1009]

Snow queen was good 👍

[@jennifer_m.8613]

The series changed in season 5, I stopped watching then. The first season was the best, when they started adding in Disney characters and not sticking to classic fairy tales it got bad

[@kadraeallday5582]

Elsa could’ve wore anything but the dress at any point. God forbid they. Let her assimilate to living in a town. Not only that they refused to allow her or any of the characters to make another cameo appearance. Just mentions….really lame

[@mwhorsesandbarbiedolls]

This is my fav show and honestly this season wasn’t so bad once you ignore how cartoonish the costumes/characters in this season. But the snow queen is so good and her story is so interesting.

[@edwardherrera4707]

The snow queen idea was an original fairytale tho…

[@phoebe3575]

nah the frozen/snow queen storyline was one of my favourites, and i’m still so impressed with the casting for every frozen character ngl

[@chippythesmol4185]

I love the show the whole way through, the last season is the most iffy, but I love it just for the sole fact of rumples happy ending ❤