"Home" is the eighth episode of the ''

Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in the ...

'' spin-off series '' Once Upon a Time in Wonderland''. It also served as the series' winter finale.

Plot

As Alice plans to reunite with Cyrus at the Outlands, she also plans to get answers from the White Rabbit about his connection to the Red Queen, which involves the White Rabbit's family. Meanwhile, the discord between Jafar and the Red Queen reaches its breaking point. Will, with the wish Alice gave him, wishes to stop Alice's suffering. As a result, Cyrus is no longer a genie. Instead, Will is, and he finds himself trapped in the genie's bottle, even as the river carries it over a waterfall.

Production

Edward Kitsis Edward Lawrence Kitsis (born February 4, 1971) is an American television writer and producer, best known for his work with his writing partner Adam Horowitz on the popular ABC drama series ''Lost'' and ''Once Upon a Time''. Early life and educa ...

Adam Horowitz Adam Horowitz (born December 4, 1971) is an American screenwriter and producer. He is known for co-creating the ABC fairy tale drama series ''Once Upon a Time'' with his writing partner Edward Kitsis. Days after the show ended its seven-year r ...

and

Zack Estrin Zack Estrin (1970/1971 – September 23, 2022) was an American television producer and screenwriter. Estrin began his career as a writer and producer on ''Charmed'', ''Dawson's Creek'', and ''Tru Calling'', before serving as a co-executive prod ...

were the writers for the episode, while

Romeo Tirone Romeo Tirone is an American cinematographer and television director. He is best known for his work on the television series ''Dexter'', for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a One-Hour Series in ...

was its director.

Reception

Ratings

The episode was watched by 3.30 million American viewers, and received an 18-49 rating/share of 0.8/3, roughly the same total viewers number as the previous episode but down in the demo. The show placed fifth in its timeslot and fourteenth for the night.

Critical reception

Amy Ratcliffe of ''

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

'' gave the episode a 7.3 out of 10. She said "Overall, the winter finale hit some high notes but also managed to disappoint in a few areas, too. The Alice and Cyrus reunion deserved more pomp and circumstance, but the final twist with the Knave was surprising and sets up a fun arc for the back half of the season." Christine Orlando of ''TV Fanatic'' gave the episode a 4.5 out of 5, signaling positive reviews. Kylie Peters of ''

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...

'' gave the episode a mixed review, saying "The episode is infinitely mock-able. But despite making little sense, it’s worth a mention that it did hold my interest. That interest came partially from the effort to figure out wtf was going on and partially from laughing at it, but there was some genuine interest, too. I’ve come to care about some of the characters (mostly Knave), and some long-developing plot points came to the forefront. It’s not entirely bad as fluff entertainment. You just have to be okay with random plot developments and deus ex machina."

References

External links

* {{Once Upon a Time episodes 2013 American television episodes Once Upon a Time in Wonderland episodes