“Once Upon a Time” season seven premiered on Oct. 6, but it would be more accurate to call it the beginning of a whole new show. Taking place several years into the future, the show focuses on new storylines and characters, while still retaining some elements (and only three characters) of the original show.

The reboot focuses on a grown Henry Mills (Andrew J. West), who is now living in a cursed Seattle neighborhood. He’s sought out by his daughter, Lucy (Alison Fernandez), who he doesn’t remember, with the hopes of restoring memories of their family.

Most of the original cast is gone, but Lana Parrilla (Evil Queen), Colin O’Donoghue (Captain Hook) and Robert Carlyle (Rumpelstiltskin) return for the new season to continue their storylines.

The episode mixed the old and the new, and it was also a mix of good and bad parts.

On the good side, the show retains similar themes. Most importantly, the writers are still telling a story about hope. Regina Mills, formerly the Evil Queen, remains a hopeful person, and hasn’t lost all of that now that she’s cursed again.

The new characters are also impressive. Cinderella, or Jacinda (Dania Ramirez), is fierce and fights to keep custody of her daughter. Her stepmother, Lady Tremaine (Gabrielle Anwar) is the new villain, and seems complex. Adult Henry has an added layer of depth and tragedy. They also introduced new mysteries, such as what would happen if Henry were to interfere in someone’s story. Apparently, there will be consequences.

The episode wasn’t perfect, however. Lucy is a good character, but she isn’t as impressive as ten-year-old Henry was. Lucy seems bold, but when we first met Henry, he was clever and strategic. Second of all, the old characters that returned haven’t actually done much. Each character’s presence feels more like a cameo than an actual fleshed-out character. Keep in mind, however, that this is only the first episode, and it is more important to establish the new characters than to talk about the old.

The premiere was impressive enough to compel me to watch the next episode. The characters are enticing and the mysteries will keep me coming back. However, I doubt that season seven will be replacing season one in my heart anytime soon.

Show: “Once Upon A Time”

Network: ABC

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars