Although it doesn't reach the compelling story in the previous episode and some of the dialog isn't as fresh this time around, The Shepard is a nice episode and it does explore Charming's back-story really well and goes back to develop David, Charming's modern counterpart.

The story is good, the dialog is decent, and the script is solid. The acting is also great, especially from Charming/David you feel the situation that he's been going through. His interactions with the other characters is spot on, too. And that's about it.

Overall, not excellent, but a really good episode with a nice back- story for the prince. Review for next episode, coming soon!

When 'Once Upon a Time' first started it was highly addictive and made the most of a truly great and creative premise. Really loved the idea of turning familiar fairy tales on their heads and putting own interpretations on them and the show early on clearly had clearly had a ball. Watched it without fail every time it came on and it was often a highlight of the week. Which was why it was sad when it ran out of ideas and lost its magic in the later seasons.

Up to this point (six episodes in), even for such an early point of the show, all the episodes have ranged from very good to wonderful. "The Shepherd" is no exception, quality may have dipped a little from the wonderful previous episode "That Still Small Voice" but this is still a very charming episode and demonstrative of 'Once Upon a Time' continuing to grow all the time.

Maybe "The Shepherd" doesn't have the freshest of dialogue in a 'Once Upon a Time' episode and Charming may not be among the most interesting of characters at this very early point in the show, but neither of these are faults actually. My only complaint with "The Shepherd" is the less than special visual effects, in particular the green screen which is obvious and looked cheap for my tastes.

Otherwise, everything else is great. Snow and Charming and their modern counterparts are interesting and likable, and Charming's back-story is told compellingly with a lot of charm and emotion. Particularly standing out here are Charming's very well done fight with the dragon, the portrayal of Mary Margaret's moral dilemma that she faces which had a great deal of heart to heart-wrenching effect and the remarkably complex female characterisation (particularly Mary Margaret).

Visual effects apart, "The Shepherd" is a very handsomely mounted episode, with settings and costumes that are both colourful and atmospheric, not too dark or garish and never cookie-cutter. It is photographed beautifully and there were some make-up that suited the characters perfectly. The music is haunting, ethereal and cleverly used with a memorable main theme.

In "The Shepherd", the writing is the best and most consistent it's been up to this point, it's humorous and engaging and doesn't have any cheesy or as many clichéd moments. The story establishes the concept and intertwines and mirrors the real and fantasy worlds very well and does a great job making one care for Snow and Charming and really feeling their chemistry together, already strong but brought up a notch.

Josh Dallas gives some of his best acting of the series and Ginnifer Goodwin is immensely appealing. Robert Carlyle continues to steal scenes.

To conclude, charming. 9/10 Bethany Cox