Once Upon A Time’s First Halloween Episode Broke The Show’s Biggest Rule And Changed The Series Forever

The first Halloween episode of Once Upon a Time was the fifth episode of season 2 titled “The Doctor”. It was one of the darkest episodes of the whole show and had a profound impact on later installments. The episode itself first aired on the 28th of October 2012, just three days before Halloween. Although it isn’t set at Halloween, it feels considerably darker than other episodes of the show. It shares aesthetics with other Halloween films, such as dark themes and colors, lots of lighting, and the first appearance of a zombie on the show. Once Upon a Time was definitely getting into the spooky spirit in a way that transformed the series.

As well as having a sinister atmosphere, the episode answered the question audiences had been speculating for over a year – the identity of Doctor Whale. Doctor Whale had been a topic of speculation since the show’s first season, but in this episode, he was finally revealed to be Doctor Victor Frankenstein. This reveal matched the Halloween aesthetic of the episode as it just added to the spooky atmosphere the episode was going for. Beyond being apt for a Halloween story, however, this big reveal changed the future of the show in the best possible way, breaking a previously sacrosanct rule of the series.

Doctor Whale Was Revealed To Be Dr. Frankenstein In OUAT’s “The Doctor” Episode

His Identity Had Been Kept A Secret Throughout The First Season

The most memorable part of “The Doctor” was the reveal that Doctor Whale is really Doctor Frankenstein. Everything about the episode built up to the big reveal of Doctor Whale’s identity. This was the first time he was seen as his true self before the curse and there were clues dotted around the episode as to who he was. It was interesting to see the dynamic between Rumpelstiltskin and Frankenstein arguing over the use of science and magic. It was the element of science used in the episode that made it spookier and stand out from normal episodes of the show.

Every episode of Once Upon a Time features some elements of magic, so its role in “The Doctor” was familiar territory for the show. However, when science was introduced as a form of power, it shook the dynamic of everything the show had taught until that point. Until this point, s cience was an alien force in Once Upon a Time‘s story. However, in “The Doctor”, science was introduced as a way to bring someone back to life on the show, highlighting its extraordinary potential. This challenged the rules of Once Upon A Time‘s universe and paved the way for new stories to be told.

Once Upon A Time’s Dr. Frankenstein Twist Changed The Show’s Rules Forever

It Allowed The Show To Break Away From Just Fairytales

The reveal of Doctor Whale’s identity as Victor Frankenstein was a massive shock in Once Upon a Time. Not just because it was supposed to be a big reveal, but because Victor Frankenstein was not a fairytale creation. Instead, he was just a normal literary character. This completely changed the rules of the show, as every character that was under the curse up until this episode was from a fairytale. The first season of the show focused on Snow White, Cinderella, Pinocchio, Red Riding Hood, all characters from children’s fairytales, but including other literary works opened the show to endless possibilities.

This could be because of the context of the original story, as the character is always surrounded by death.

It was such a brilliant decision by Once Upon a Time to break free of the realm of fairytales as it offered endless stories and characters that could appear on the show. It also allowed the show to shift the tone to something much darker. Doctor Frankenstein never had a proper Once Upon a Time ending, as he had less screen time in later seasons. This could be because of the context of the original story, as the character is always surrounded by death. However, while his story was ultimately unsatisfying, Frankenstein set a fantastic precedent for the rest of the series.

Other Non-Fantasy Works Once Upon A Time Adapted After Dr. Frankenstein’s Appearance

The Show Included Lots Of Literary Characters After Frankenstein

The introduction of Frankenstein in Once Upon a Time paved the way for more literary characters to be introduced into the show. Season 3 saw the introduction of Peter Pan and his lost boys as the main antagonists of the show, following the original work of J M Barrie, where Peter Pan was originally the main villain. The third season also introduced The Wicked Witch of the West and other Oz characters from L. Frank Baum’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In later seasons of the show, even Jekyll and Hyde appeared in a few episodes.

There were countless opportunities for the show to visit works of fairytale characters, literary characters, and even characters from mythology, such as Hades and Zeus. The decision to include Frankenstein in Once Upon A Time not only made for a brilliantly spooky Halloween themed episode, but it also opened up other directions for the show to take. This helped the show last for a long time while always feeling fresh and exciting, expanding the series’ universe and creating a more all-encompassing narrative.