The 2011 fall TV season included two freshmen series that featured fairy tales characters.
NBC has the supernatural procedural Grimm, which showcases how the monsters in our childhood stories can be... well, literal monsters.
ABC, on the other hand, introduced us to Once Upon a Time.
The former focuses on the creatures and mythology featured in the stories written by the Brothers Grimm, while the latter utilizes the more wide ranging characters from the Disney (ABC's parent company) arsenal of fairy tale films. While both provide much cause for TV fanfare and yield the eventual comparison, they feature different types of storytelling.
And Once Upon a Time tells one heck of a story.
After Prince Charming gave Snow White the true love's kiss that broke the sleeping curse, the two set off to pursue their happy ending. Unfortunately, the Evil Queen is determined to take away Snow White's happiness, threatening to unleash a curse to do so. With all of the fairy tale world unable to find a way to counter the curse, Snow White seeks counsel with the powerful magician Rumplestiltskin, giving the name of her unborn child as a price. While Rumplestiltskin can offer no way to stop the curse, he tells them that the curse will one day be broken by Snow White's daughter. They task Gepetto to create a magical wardrobe that will transport Snow White and the baby to another world that will be unaffected by the curse until the day that their world can be saved. The Evil Queen unleashes the curse, as Snow White prematurely gives birth before they can enter the wardrobe. In the ensuing chaos, Prince Charming is able to place the baby in the wardrobe before the curse finally engulfs them all. Twenty eight years later, bail bonds collector Emma Swan celebrates her birthday alone when she opens the door to find Henry Mills, who claims to be the son she gave away for adoption years ago. Furthermore, Henry, who carries a book containing fairy tales, tells her a crazy story about how all of the fairy tale characters are stuck in a Maine town called Storybrooke with no memory of their former lives, and that Emma is the only one who can break the curse to save them.
The narrative of the TV series is told in two parts,with every episode featuring the story of one or more characters in Storybrooke that is paralleled by their story in the fairy tale world. While the dual storytelling is a twist in itself, the stories in the fairy tale world themselves are different from what you have read or watched as a kid. Twists involving the background story of Gepetto and Jiminy the Cricket, the connection between Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, why Grumpy is called Grumpy, and how the Mad Hatter became mad are just some of what you would get to witness as an audience of Once Upon a Time. In Storybrooke, everyone is connected with their shared fate, even if they don't know about it. In the fairy tale world, you get to see how different characters interact with one another, especially in stories that feature characters with a connection with Snow White.
While it's fun to see the characters and their stories overlap with one another, as well as try to figure out which Storybrooke character is the equivalent of which fairy tale character, there was a risk that the story twists can lose its novelty. Admittedly, I thought I was going to drop Once Upon a Time somewhere around the 6th episode, and was about ready to say that it was just okay, except for a few notable acting exceptions. I figured it was the show's period of growing pains and decided to stick it out until the halfway mark.
Thank the fairy tale heavens I did.
It was around the episode 9 and 10 mark when my interest was revived because the stranger appeared in town. It was episode 12 that solidified my love for the fantasy series, as well as my fangirl love for Robert Carlyle. These episodes marked the turning point for Once Upon a Time, with the writers finally hitting the mark on creating background fairy tale stories that have become more interesting, and in defining the overarching season plot that would become more compelling with each episode, whether the events occur in Storybrooke or in the fairy tale world.
While the show is helped along by the great guest appearances of Kristin Bauer von Straten as Maleficent, Emma Caulfield as the Blind Witch, Amy Acker as the fairy-in-the-making Nova, Richard Schiff as King Leopold and Emilie de Ravin as Belle, it does pretty well on its own in the acting department. Jennifer Morrison, Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas were pretty good as Emma Swan, Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard and Prince Charming/David Nolan, respectively. Lana Parrilla is especially devious as Storybrooke mayor and Henry's adoptive mother Regina Mills, and diabolical as the Evil Queen.
And of course, there's Robert Carlyle, who was one of the reasons why I watched Once Upon a Time in the first place and the main reason why I watched beyond the show's first few episodes. His performance as the creepy Mr. Gold in Storybrooke and the power hungry Rumplestiltskin in the fairy tale world is the most compelling in the series. While Regina/Evil Queen is evidently manipulative, there's a layered quality to the villainy of Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin. There are many moments when you are left wondering about his motives. While his appearance and actions demand that you hate him, there are rare moments of humanity that make you want to root for him. And episode 12, aptly titled "Skin Deep" is one giant, in your face example, when you find yourself rooting (and squee-ing) for Rumplestiltskin to find a happy ending more than the central Prince Charming and Snow White love story.
Once Upon a Time is not the first to attempt to show us a different side to the fairy tales that we grew up with. It's not the first to try to show audiences that princesses don't always have to be saved and can sometimes even do the saving with a sword in hand. Nor is it the first to showcase characters from different fairy tales in a single storyline.
But there are only few that come close to the successfully woven tapestry of fantasy, mystery and exceptional storytelling that is the first season of Once Upon a Time.
Happy viewing, dearies!!Labels: ABC, Drama, Fantasy, Must-Watch, Once Upon a Time, TV, TV Series
