When I first heard about the new series that centers around fairytale characters who’ve been banished to our realm and can’t remember who they are, I had a hard time mustering up any interest. Then a few episodes in, a friend suggested I give it a try.
After the first three episodes I am pretty impressed. There is a lot more complexity to the story and the characters than your typical fairytale story. It feeds the viewer the past timeline when things went wrong in the fairytale realm along with the current action in our realm. I don’t usually like “flashback” storylines but the characters in both storylines are three-dimensional and intriguing and the storylines feed into one another well.
The twist that makes this show work for me is Emma, daughter of Snow and Charming, who was hidden away from the witch Queen who placed the curse. She and her son are the only ones who have continued to grow and age in our realm. The others are trapped in the town of Storybrook, never aging and doomed to be kept apart from all they loved. Emma didn’t know her history and she thought she’d been abandoned by her family. She grew up rough and gave her child up for adoption when she ended up pregnant. The show starts with the son (now 10) coming to find her. He has been living in Storybrook (brought there by one of the Queen’s accomplices), living as the Queen’s adopted son. The son is the one who has figured everything out and he brings back Emma to set things right. These two characters bring some gritty realism to the odd set of fairytale characters.
Emma takes a chain saw to the Mayor/Queen’s apple tree. Gotta love her!
The Queen is also very well-developed. In our realm she is the all-powerful Mayor of Storybrook and by casting the spell to make everyone unhappy she has trapped herself in the same curse. She is evil – no doubt – but she is also tragically sad.
Once Upon a Time airs Sunday nights on ABC and is available on hulu.com.
Smart Girls love SciFi 
Charles will have to find out the scoop on this from you as I have not watched Television since 9/14.
Sorry typed on my phone, it renamed you as Charles. 😦
LOL – I don’t mind being Charles. 😉
I really like it, too! Ginnifer Goodwin never really did anything for me, but I find her delightful in this. Emma is my favorite, of course, tough and independent but compassionate and understanding. <3!
And funny. Can’t forget that!
I haven’t heard about this show. Do you think it’d be something I’d be interested in watching? I can’t say I’m a huge fan of fairytales.
It might not be your favorite show of the year, but you’d definitely like it. Really good characterization. And the fairytale stuff in more fantasy lit than Disney. Snow is a rough and tumble girl on the run. She meets Charming when she is stealing from him. But the real story is in the real world part of the show.
I agree. I enjoy this show too.
My wife and I have also been very sruprised at how much fun the program has been. As you note, not the best show ever, but it is definately a high spot in one of the dreariest years of Sci-Fi and Fantasy programming.
I’m a fan! Emma’s my favorite character so far, although Snow’s back story made me like her more. My least favorite character (so far) is the son, possibly because of the acting. I don’t find the child who’s playing the part to be engaging or believable at all. And the relationship between him and the Mayor/Queen isn’t believable either. (For that, I blame the writers.)
I’m enjoying this one. All of the cast is great, except as Toni points out, the boy. He seems too adult at times. Loved Snow’s backstory!
I like Henry, not for the actor or the way the role is written but for the interaction with Emma. It would be a much less enjoyable show for me with his character.