Top 10 Best & Top 5 Worst Once Upon A Time Season 3 Episodes!

When it comes to seasons in OUAT, normally there would be the amazing episodes or the ones which are just filler. For Season 3, this was possibly the best season I've seen of them so far! The character development was a thousand times better than season 2, there were less plots or new characters which felt unecessary and the main characters became much more interesting. Heck, the ones on the worst list are just OK and there are 10 in the best list because there are so many I love! If I didn't include one, they were good but didn't stand out to me compared to those on the best list!
Best
10) Dark Hollow! After 7 episodes of not seeing Storybrooke due to the Neverland plot, this episode felt very refreshing as we saw beloved characters left behind like Belle, Archie & Granny just to name a few. I also loved how Belle contributed much to the plot & we got to see a sweet & memorable friendship between her & Ariel. The return of the Darling brothers was also greatly done & I felt they were much more interesting than Greg & Tamara in terms of people working for the Home Office & I loved seeing Wendy again after her appearance in 2x21. Yes, the love triangle was stupid between Emma/Hook/Neal, but at least Emma called them out which was the right thing to do. Overall, a great episode with great writing, better pacing & acting!

9) The Heart of the Truest Believer. The first season 3 episode was personally an enjoyable one for me. It immediately established it was going back to the season 1 formula of character development & it was very refreshing as season 2 had so many plot points & barely any character development. I also loved the funny moments as we got to see everyone at loggerheads after everything they've been through, as well as Rumple's rather sexy black leather outfit (to me anyway haha!). Overall, an amazing episode to start off the Neverland arc & season 3!

8) Bleeding Through. What I loved about this one is that we got to see some character development in the relationship between Mary Margaret and Regina, and if felt so nice to see them. Rose McGowan returning as Young Cora was great as she of course does a great performance as we get to see what happened between her & Snow White's father & Princess Eva, as well as revealing who Zelena's father was, which by the way, I'm glad they didn't make some huge reveal! Yes, that Rumple/Zelena make out scene was very disturbing to watch, but it showed Rumple's brain is a dangerous weapon as he manipulated her feelings for him! Overall, a well paced, written & interesting episode to watch taking a paranormal side!

7) Think Lovely Thoughts. I love this episode for seeing more of Rumple's backstory (as a very cute child) with his father as we finally saw how much of an ass he really was! Robert's performance was of course, amazing as Rumple (well, it always is, no surprise there!) Stephen Lord's performance as Malcolm was great & heavily reminded me of Rumple with the mannerisms as well Marilyn Manson being very creepy as the Shadow. This episode made me understand why Rumple feared Pan (his own father) so much & actually made loads of things in past episodes make sense like Rumple not wanting to go through the portal in 1x19! With episodes like this, it's probably best to think lovely thoughts to yourself so you don't have to be stuck in Neverland!

6) Quiet Minds! This episode would be the final one for Neal Cassidy as unfortunately, he would be the series regular to pass away. But, despite that, I can't hate this episode. The emotional stakes & acting was amazing, especially from Jennifer, Michael, Robert & Emilie. I loved the addition of Lumiere as Henri Lubatti does a great performance reminiscent of Jerry Orbach and I loved his creative design. It felt nice to see Belle & Neal be in the spotlight after so long & I love how Belle contributed much to the plot & that she used her smarts to her advantage. Yes, I still thought Mary Margaret was an idiot with the whole Zelena thing, but that was only for 2 minutes & she found out later on. Overall, one of the saddest & most emotional episodes from the show!

5) Snow Drifts/There's No Place Like Home. I decided to count these as one since they treat it like a TV movie & it's hard to separate them as 2 different episodes as the plot is so tight-knitted together. What I loved most was the emotional stakes and character development from Emma as she finally embraces her family & home in Storybrooke through a fairy tale time travel adventure which makes her realize how much she really loves her parents. I loved seeing FTL Rumple again in action after so long, the overall tone was action packed yet. And my OTP finally got married which was the icing on the cake for me after an amazing season! Overall, a great finale with amazing writing, action, romance, humour, emotional stakes & I can't wait to see Storybrooke get frozen in season 4!

4) Ariel. After Adam and Eddy finally decided to add the red head mermaid into the show, the pay off is amazing! The tone really reminded me of a fairy tale like in season 1, both in visuals & writing as we got to see a fun crossover with The Little Mermaid & Snow White. I thoroughly enjoyed Joanna Garcia's performance as Ariel as she brought a sweet side to her as well as unselfish. Yes, the romance between her & Eric is rushed like the movie but hey! She's a teen! I think that justifies itself! Lana's acting as Ursula was also fun to watch & I loved the emotional scenes in Neverland as everyone revealed secrets in order to save Neal, also starting the arc on Mary Margaret wanting another baby leading into 3B. Overall, an amazingly written episode as The Little Mermaid finally becomes a part of OUAT's world!

3) Save Henry. What I love about this episode is that in a way, it's an apology to the bad implications OUAT previously had on the subject of adoption. It was amazing to see that Regina had always loved Henry despite all the terrible things she's done & had always wanted to be a good mother to him. This was also shown in the Neverland scenes as she's the one who manages to save both him & everyone from Pan...until the body switch loophole. I also loved seeing Emma bond with the lost boys as she was just like them once & finally seeing Neal & Rumple reunite & reconcile properly after everything. Lana Parrilla's acting was simply fantastic in both the flashbacks and Neverland scenes. Overall, this was a great way to end the Neverland arc before returning to Storybrooke!

2) A Curious Thing. This episode genuinely surprised me. I thought it was going to be a filler Snowing episode, but in reality, it was an emotional roller coaster. The Storybrooke scenes were action packed & fast paced filled with amazing development from Regina's part as well as Henry finally remembering everything after so long. I also loved Emma taking advantage of her powers . Might I also add that the visuals were also fantastic like the forest where Glinda was banished to & the castle when Snow, Charming & Regina cast the curse & it was nice to see more of mind boggled Rumple as well as Neal returning briefly. I think what I love most is that it made me appreciate Snowing again after 2 seasons of pointless & boring flashbacks. This one definitely showed love can be a curious thing!

1) Going Home. Was it really a surprise? After gushing over it in my review, I can safely say this is still my favourite one in season 3. The emotional stakes were very very high, the writing was the best I've seen of Adam & Eddy & I loved the character development, . The flashbacks were well done & I loved the way they took a new turn by doing vignettes instead of a cohesive plot. Rumple's role in it was perfect even if he had to die to save everyone (well, before he was revived in Quiet Minds) with Robert's performance being the best I've seen of him so far & seeing Regina grow from hating Emma in season 1 to giving her & Henry a good life was just amazing! The ending twist with the new timeline was a perfect way to start the next chapter for the second half of the season & overall, it easily could've been mistaken for a season finale! With episodes like this, it's no wonder OUAT feels like home to me!

Before we look at the worst list, let's take a look at the honourable mention!
Honourable Mention: Kansas! Why this is on the honourable mentions is because the Oz flashbacks being weak. It felt disappointing to barely see any of Oz after all the build up in 3B & Dorothy was in a way, wasted. Or at least her story since The Wizard of Oz is a classic. However, what keeps this episode from being on the worst list is the Storybrooke scenes. They were very well done, as they were action packed, with great emotions from Rumple & Belle's engagement/reunion, Regina defeating her sister with light magic & Mary Margaret finally giving birth after so long. As I said, the flashbacks may be weak, but not as weak as the ones on the worst list. Looks like this one shows Dorothy was better off staying in Kansas all along.

Worst
5) The Tower! This episode really could've been something great, but it disappointed me. However, there are a few good things like the dark themes, the visuals, seeing things from Charming's perspective & like I said the opening nightmare! But the main problem I have is the execution & Rapunzel's storyline & character being very very weak which really made the episode suffer for me. In fact, they slowed the Storybrooke scenes down, and honestly, the fear theme should've been saved for Frozen now that Elsa will be joining in season 4! Overall, a well intentioned yet poorly executed episode with bland flashbacks.

4) Good Form. This one I don't really think of when it comes to season 3. Yes, it may show more of Hook's backstory, but in a way, we knew his brother was going to die & become a pirate! Also, the CS pandering is really annoying & uneccesary, especially that kiss which pretty much served no purpose other than fanservice. And Rumple wasn't in it either so it already suffers as a result! I also didn't like that the David being poisoned plot was still dragging along & how he still didn't tell his wife the truth over it. Overall, I don't really care for it nor do I really think there's much to say positively. This pirate's life is not for me!

3) Lost Girl. This is the first case in the season where Snowing flashbacks can be pointless. Yes, they may have the theme of belief, but it didn't do much as we knew what was going to happen in that Snow wouldn't kill Regina & they slowed down the Neverland plot. The Neverland scenes were still good with Emma realizing her true self in an actually well executed & emotional scene, Rumple & the vision Belle as we get a glimpse of his bad relationship with his father & seeing everyone band together, but this one is just a skip it for me.

2) The New Neverland. This one shows the flaws of flashbacks which are completely useless and pointless. In this case, it's Snow & Charming's honeymoon as she tries to kill Regina by going to Medusa. See the problem? They have done the 'Snow trying to kill Regina' plot so many times & it's obvious they're not going to as they're both alive and well in Storybrooke & it's just pointless! There are some good things like the Storybrooke scenes & Jared & Robbie's performances as Pan & Henry in the body switch, but the flaws in this are much bigger compared to Lost Girl.

1) The Jolly Roger. I was going in with low expectations when first I heard about this episode & it gave me exactly what I thought I was going to get. Everything was jumbled up with too much going on at once & honestly, I just didn't care. The biggest issue I have is Hook's characterisation! They completely forgot what he did in S2 & make out CS as an epic love story when it's a one sided crush from (yes they're canon now so I better get used to it!) They only used Blackbeard to benefit his plot, Ariel was wasted & the CS pandering was intolerable! Even more than Good Form & that's saying a lot! However, there were a few good things like the scenes with Emma & Regina & seeing her be friendly with the Charmings! It's not Dreamy bad & I get CS fans enjoy it, but for me it's my worst season 3 episode.