According to Regina, a blackened heart will only get worse as it begins to destroy itself from the inside out. I suppose she would know.

"Welcome to Storybrooke" was one of the odder episodes in the series, as all the characters were in a dark place and no one seemed to know what came next. I wasn't crazy about the time jumps, yet they did give us a glimpse of what the first days in Storybrooke were like at the beginning of the curse.

Storybrooke past… Regina's first weeks in Storybrooke weren't exactly what she expected. She was looking for her own happy ending but when every man and woman in the town acquiesced to her wishes, she found it very unsatisfying. 

Although I wasn't a fan of the Groundhog's Day aspect of the story, it did offer some very entertaining moments, such as Ruby and Granny's argument outside of the diner. Remember back in Once Upon a Time Season 1 when Ruby wore those incredibly tight, skimpy outfits?  

Granny's Once Upon a Time quote was perfect when she told Ruby…

When I put over easy on the menu I was talking about the eggs. | permalink

Granny always did have the sharpest tongue in Storybrooke.

Then there was the reappearance of the much mourned Sheriff Graham. It's always great to see a handsome man back in town, even if we had to go back in time to get it. 

But what the heck was up with Regina talking to his heart? Are those things like glowing walkie talkies?

Owen was great when Regina told him he was sitting in her seat. He looked at her as though she had lost her mind. Somebody had definitely been a queen for far too long if she was bullying a little kid for a chair.  

It had been so long since anyone had given Regina a gift without expecting anything in return that the gesture when straight to her heart. Unfortunately, hers was so twisted by loneliness that her reaction was to imprison the boy's father in order to keep Owen in Storybrooke.

My question was: after she let Owen go, why didn't Regina let the father go too? If they couldn't find Storybrooke again once they left, what was the point of holding him?

Storybrooke's present…  I would have thought that Cora's death would make things better in Storybrooke. If anything, I believe they've gotten worse.

Regina was obsessed with vengeance and Mary Margaret was consumed with guilt and, as usual, poor Henry got caught in the middle. 

I did love it when Emma looked at Neal as though he were an idiot when he completely missed that Henry was making a run for it. At least the kid gets it honestly. The ability to run must be in his genes.

Henry had a good plan. He just couldn't execute it quickly enough. And how sad was it that he had to convince Regina that an empty heart spell would never lead to true happiness?

Later, Mary Margaret looked so desolate as she showed up on Regina's doorstep. She just wanted it all to be over but Regina wasn't about to make it that easy. Just when I thought she was going to lock Mary Margaret's heart away, she saw the black mark in the center.

Has she truly become Mary Margaret now? Can we call her Snow White if she's no longer pure as snow? And will the blackness continue to take over her heart?

Just when I was wondering why the heck Greg was even still in town, I figured it out.  And then the big reveal confirmed my suspicions. Greg was Owen, still searching for his father, decades later.

Is Kurt still alive? Will Mary Margaret's dark side destroy her own family? Will Rumple choose sides are continue to play both ends? What was your take on this unique Once Upon a Time?

C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.