In fairy tales, a lot happens between “Once upon a time” and “They lived happily ever after.” It is in between these two bookends where the conflicts, miseries, homicides and star-crossed lovers reside. Last year when I read that ABC would be premiering a new television series called Once Upon a Time, which was based on Grimm and other fairy tales, I was skeptical at best. Particularly because the series was airing on ABC (owned by Disney) and broadcast at an the early hour of 8:00 ET, I wondered whether the series would capture the dark moodiness of the original tales or even the intensity of the Disney animated features, which each managed to embody the essence of dark fantasy. (There is no more terrifying villain than Snow White's Evil Queen in the Disney version.)
Before the series went on the air last October, I’d had the opportunity to interview writer/producer Jane Espenson, asking her the question as well. She assured me that despite the Disney brand and early hour on Sunday evenings, there would be plenty of atmosphere and dark fantasy to please. And she was certainly right!
ABC has released season one on Blu-ray and DVD, and with all the extras, and the chance to re-watch the first 22 episodes with no commercials, the set is a must-have for series fans. Although the series isn’t flawless, the writing is consistently good, and often excellent. (Espenson’s Beauty and the Beast re-imagining “Skin Deep” comes immediately to mind.)
Part of the series brilliance is in the way the creators mash up familiar fairy tales characters, putting together in unlikely (or sometimes very likely) alliances, or pitting them against each other. The characters exist in two worlds in Once Upon a Time. Currently residing in Storybrooke, Maine, banished to our modern world 28 years earlier by a curse imposed by the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla), the characters are trapped not knowing their true identities, and powerless to reclaim them. Their back-stories are revealed to us in flashback, taking us to Fairy Tale Land, a world of realms where magic resides in the hands of the powerful. But as Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle) might say, “All magic comes with a price.”
But a rescuer, Emma (Jennifer Morrison), has come to Storybrooke, brought to the town by her son Henry (Jared Gilmore), abandoned at birth and given up for adoption to Regina, the town’s mayor (who’s really the Evil Queen). Problem is that Emma doesn’t believe (at all) in Henry’s claim that she is the long-lost daughter of Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas).
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Article comments
1 - Sherry
Nice review! I felt the same way when I first heard the premise - I didn't think it could work at all. It took me a few episodes, but I ended up really liking it.
I agree - Carlyle is awesome in this role. He's so good at being intimidating and then making you feel sorry for him!