mathildia:

So, like, the thing about A&E and the writing on OUAT is that the plotting is incredibly bad, the timelines and motivations make no sense. 

HOWEVER they have written several very compelling complex parent child relationships. Of course, Regal Believer, Swan Believer, Snow and Emma, but also Knight Rook and the relationship between Zelena and Robin. Professional writers would love to have written relationships like some of those. They are rare and not everyone can do it.  So, what they should do, I think, is move away from high concept genre drama and write a multi generation family drama. It might be good.