I thought this looked pretty stupid when I first heard about it back in the fall. I watched Grimm for a half dozen episodes instead, since it looked like the better of the two (and I mistakenly thought they had nearly identical storylines, wow how wrong I was!). But I stopped watching Grimm because it got pretty run of the mill boring.
Last week I saw the first long trailer for Snow White and the Huntsman and thought it looked fantastic. Based on that, my brother suggest I watch Once Upon a Time, and I was hooked after the first episode. I was really worried that they wouldn't be able to sustain the show through a whole season, I was convinced it would never be renewed, but wow, what a great show! And it was picked up for another season!
I just finished Episode 12, written by Jane Espenson, and it was one of the better hours of television I've seen in a couple years. It recycled common themes and fairy tale plots, but it was just done so WELL, with such great acting.
The writers are doing an outstanding job of moving between the two worlds, and they really have me on edge with trying to figure out who knows what. I think the actors are great, and some of them, like Emma and Henry, have great chemistry on screen. I'm hoping next season we start to get more bleed through between the worlds.
I recommend this to anyone. It's nowhere near as lame as the premise sounded, and WAY better than Grimm. It's also making me really excited for the totally unrelated but still badass looking Snow White and the Huntsman.
Posted by rollainm (Member # 8318) on :
Heh. I also went with Grimm instead. I'm still watching (more out of sheer curiosity at this point), but I'd really like to get into Once Upon a Time - you know what, I'm watching the pilot now.
Posted by rollainm (Member # 8318) on :
Oh wow. Yeah, I think I'm hooked. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up throughout the week.
Posted by Strider (Member # 1807) on :
I watched the first few episodes but wasn't hooked and stopped watching. I liked the show, but it just wasn't enough to get me to devote what little tv time I have to it. I'd like to come back to it when I have more time.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I think it had one of the best pilots I've seen in a LONG time. I rarely get sucked in that much from a pilot, especially with so much that gets canceled, I hate being disappointed.
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
I watch both Grimm and Once. They are very different. I like Once quite a bit and would be even more enthusiastic if they weren't quite so blatant with the Disneyfication. The show feels like it is tugging at the roots of fairytale and then jars you wth the dwarves singing "Hi ho".
Posted by JonHecht (Member # 9712) on :
Once is a great show. It's unfortunate, then, that the only good actor on it is Jennifer Morrison. The young boy is also alright and will get better as he ages.
The acting doesn't seem so bad until later episodes when better acting is called for.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by kmbboots: I watch both Grimm and Once. They are very different. I like Once quite a bit and would be even more enthusiastic if they weren't quite so blatant with the Disneyfication. The show feels like it is tugging at the roots of fairytale and then jars you wth the dwarves singing "Hi ho".
I think the Disneyfied elements are more wink wink than they are anything else.
I mean, the little stuff like the whistling, and the one Hi Ho reference (they never actually sing, that I can remember) and what not are I think meant more for smirks than anything, especially when you consider that other than that, they've turned every Disney version of these tails entirely on their heads.
Jon -
Really? No love for Carlyle as Rumpelstiltskin at the very least?
Posted by Armoth (Member # 4752) on :
I'm really afraid it will turn into Lost.
TOO much Character development and not enough moving forward with the overall story.
I love Rumpelstiltskin and I even love Regina/the Queen - although, at times, she can be a little 2 dimensional.
****Spoilers*******
I was most disappointed with the relationship between Marry Margaret and David. I think it was very out of character and I'm not sure what it's trying to teach us.
I need some sort of general theme for what is happening in our world and what happened in the fairy tale world. So far I've just been confused by the many who seem to make it work (Cinderella, Red, Grumpy), and those who drop the ball (Genie, Snow/Charming, etc.)
Posted by ambyr (Member # 7616) on :
I like the concept of Once Upon a Time, but the dialogue is just. so. bad. I don't blame the actors for their woodeness; some of the things they're called upon to say defy all reason.
I keep watching, hoping it will improve, but I doubt I'll make it past the first season.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
quote:I like Once quite a bit and would be even more enthusiastic if they weren't quite so blatant with the Disneyfication.
The Disneyfication ruins it for me. I know what fairy tales are supposed to be, and while I don't mind the original deviation, the second removal destroys it completely, IMO.
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn:
quote:Originally posted by kmbboots: I watch both Grimm and Once. They are very different. I like Once quite a bit and would be even more enthusiastic if they weren't quite so blatant with the Disneyfication. The show feels like it is tugging at the roots of fairytale and then jars you wth the dwarves singing "Hi ho".
I think the Disneyfied elements are more wink wink than they are anything else.
I mean, the little stuff like the whistling, and the one Hi Ho reference (they never actually sing, that I can remember) and what not are I think meant more for smirks than anything, especially when you consider that other than that, they've turned every Disney version of these tails entirely on their heads.
I agree about the winking. The problem is that the winking takes me out of the story. The chipped cup was especially egregious.
Posted by Aros (Member # 4873) on :
Jon: Jennifer Morrison is a better actor than Ginnifer Goodwin? Are you sure that you've watched this show? Goodwin shined on Big Love, and she's doing an even better job in Once.
Posted by JonHecht (Member # 9712) on :
I think that I've realized the problem--it's what Ambyr said about the dialogue.
Morrison is the only character who does not have a Fairy Tale counterpart and so she doesn't have to read those horrible lines. Lyr was right about Carlyle, though. He is the only one whose lines in that world are not ridiculous.
Posted by adenam (Member # 11902) on :
Armoth, I actually stopped watching because of the way Mary Margaret and David's relationship turned out.
I also found it annoying that the backstory kept changing.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by kmbboots:
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn:
quote:Originally posted by kmbboots: I watch both Grimm and Once. They are very different. I like Once quite a bit and would be even more enthusiastic if they weren't quite so blatant with the Disneyfication. The show feels like it is tugging at the roots of fairytale and then jars you wth the dwarves singing "Hi ho".
I think the Disneyfied elements are more wink wink than they are anything else.
I mean, the little stuff like the whistling, and the one Hi Ho reference (they never actually sing, that I can remember) and what not are I think meant more for smirks than anything, especially when you consider that other than that, they've turned every Disney version of these tails entirely on their heads.
I agree about the winking. The problem is that the winking takes me out of the story. The chipped cup was especially egregious.
To each his own, I suppose, but it seems a little silly to throw out what they did with Belle because of a chipped cup. That episode especially was awesome, and they did a fantastic job of working Rumpelstiltskin into the role of Beast, and working his character flaws into how that story turned out. It was about Love vs. Power, his self-image, his fears, and total lack of self-confidence, to show that he really does have humanity beneath a rather evil exterior.
Throwing away all that was good in that episode over a chipped cup seems a little odd to me. But that's just me.
Posted by Jeff C. (Member # 12496) on :
Did you guys watch the most recent episode about the Mad Hatter? It was quite possibly the best episode so far (the Mad Hatter is played by the same guy who played Bucky in Captain America). Really well done television.
This is the main reason I get excited about Mondays now. I know it comes on Sunday night, but I'm in bed by 9, so I just watch it on Hulu the day after. As sad as it sounds, I look forward to it now every week.
I'm slightly frustrated, though, because I've recommended it to several people but no one will watch it because they think it sounds so stupid. I try to explain how awesome it is, but I usually just get a few smirks and eye-rolls. People are so close-minded. They have absolutely no problem watching a reality show about a bunch of idiots that can't get along and their pet Snookie, but suggest a show with actual acting and storylines and suddenly you're the one with bad taste.
Oh well.
Posted by JonHecht (Member # 9712) on :
I just watched the latest episode. I agree that it is probably the best that the show has produced.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I thought it was great. My brother texted me right after it ended to tell me he thought it was the best yet, and really likes how they used the hate to connect all the different worlds together. It really means they can go almost anywhere. Emma really had me going for a bit there too.
SPOILER
I feel like the biggest question I had at the start was how much Mr. Gold and Regina really knew. Were they just playing the part, or were they conscious of the fact that there were two worlds. Ever since the scene where they laid the cards on the table (and MAN how awesome was that scene?) my main question has been when will things really start to click into place for Emma? And man they had me going there for a bit in Mad Hatter. I thought she was starting to turn a bit, and then at the end where we don't know what happened to him (I'm assuming he fell through the hat and made it home somehow? Or maybe went off to get reinforcements), maybe THAT got her going a bit. But I have to wonder just how much proof she'll need before she begins to believe.
Evidence is already mounting. Too many odd coincidences have happened for someone to not start wondering if maybe, just MAYBE, there's something more to it. I hope we get that moment before the end of the season.
I continue to be impressed with how they blend the fairy tale backstories together with the present. And also, how much do you totally want to buy that fairy tale book of Henry's?
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn:
quote:Originally posted by kmbboots:
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn:
quote:Originally posted by kmbboots: I watch both Grimm and Once. They are very different. I like Once quite a bit and would be even more enthusiastic if they weren't quite so blatant with the Disneyfication. The show feels like it is tugging at the roots of fairytale and then jars you wth the dwarves singing "Hi ho".
I think the Disneyfied elements are more wink wink than they are anything else.
I mean, the little stuff like the whistling, and the one Hi Ho reference (they never actually sing, that I can remember) and what not are I think meant more for smirks than anything, especially when you consider that other than that, they've turned every Disney version of these tails entirely on their heads.
I agree about the winking. The problem is that the winking takes me out of the story. The chipped cup was especially egregious.
To each his own, I suppose, but it seems a little silly to throw out what they did with Belle because of a chipped cup. That episode especially was awesome, and they did a fantastic job of working Rumpelstiltskin into the role of Beast, and working his character flaws into how that story turned out. It was about Love vs. Power, his self-image, his fears, and total lack of self-confidence, to show that he really does have humanity beneath a rather evil exterior.
Throwing away all that was good in that episode over a chipped cup seems a little odd to me. But that's just me.
Lyrhawn, to quote myself in this thread, "I like Once quite a bit and would be even more enthusiastic if they weren't quite so blatant with the Disneyfication." Pointing out what I consider a flaw in a show that I like is not the same as "throwing all that was good away". I like the show. I watch it every week. I would like it even more without the reminders that Disney owns ABC.
Posted by ambyr (Member # 7616) on :
quote:Originally posted by adenam: Armoth, I actually stopped watching because of the way Mary Margaret and David's relationship turned out.
I haven't stopped watching it because of this, but I do say a lot of words I can't post to Hatrack every time the two of them show up on screen together.
It's frustrating, because I thought in the show's early episodes they handled it well. People were being adult, were talking to each other. I had sympathy for David, trying to make his marriage work even though his feelings were for another woman. And I would have had kept having sympathy if he'd told Katherine the marriage wasn't working and left her for Mary Margaret. Sometimes relationships end. I like watching characters handle it maturely.
I don't like watching characters lie and sneak around and have the show tell me--through musical cues and the responses of the "good" characters--that it's "romantic." It isn't. Human, maybe, but not romantic. And David's continued refusal to own up to his errors (Mary Margaret at least seems a little more self-aware) has rapidly made him my least favorite character on television.
Posted by scholarette (Member # 11540) on :
I felt like Prince Charming in modern world isn't so charming. I don't see any appeal to him at all right now. He is careless and hurtful. Plus, he doesn't even stand by MM when she needs him. I keep hoping he'll redeem himself in some way, but no. I am liking red riding hood though.
Posted by Amilia (Member # 8912) on :
I started watching on you all's recommendation. Am not very far yet. Am loving the real world names.
So, before Emma came to town, time was stopped. People are the same age they were in Fairy Tale Land before they were transported to our world, even though it has been 28 years. Prince Charming has always been in a coma. Evil Queen has always been mayor. So, has Cinderella been 9 months pregnant for 28 years? Cause, sucks to be her.
Also, the kids we see in the background. Did they age? We know Henry aged, but he was born here. If they never aged, that could have been what tipped Henry off. Also why he doesn't have any friends.
Posted by Jeff C. (Member # 12496) on :
She's not pregnant. She had her baby in Fairy Tale Land and then sent the baby to the real world inside of a magical tree, which had been fashioned by Gippetto. The baby ended up appearing on the side of a freeway and sent to an orphanage. The baby was Emma.
The kids never age. They show Hansel and Grettle as the same age they were in Fairy Tale Land.
Posted by JonHecht (Member # 9712) on :
Emma is Snow White's daughter, not Cinderella's.
Posted by Amilia (Member # 8912) on :
No, that was Snow White. Cinderella (Ashley!!!) had her baby in the real world, very shortly after Emma's arrival in town. [Edit: err, what Jon said. That's what I get for starting a post, wandering off, and coming back to finish it.]
Good to know about the kids. Thanks!
Posted by Jeff C. (Member # 12496) on :
Oh I misread that. Posted by rollainm (Member # 8318) on :
Finally caught up! I'm absolutely loving this show. I'm actually a little sad now that I can no longer continue to watch at the accelerated pace I had been.
*MINOR & MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW*
Gold/Rumpelstiltskin is by far my favorite character - certainly the most complicated and well developed. I personally don't have a problem with the Disney references. One, they're necessary for ratings, and two, some of them are just downright welcome. I thought the chipped cup, for instance, was hilarious.
Like others have mentioned, the Snow/Charming bit is my least favorite part of the show, but I'm willing to deal with it, and my curiosity in how it will resolve is growing. I suspect their inevitable more or less permanent reunion will mark a significant turning point, though it probably won't be the Queen's undoing since that would be the end of the series.
So, as for the last episode...whose heart did they find??
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
SPOILERS
I have two guesses:
1. Twin sister (lame).
2. It IS her heart. Remember the queen can yank them out of people's chests but they continue to live and have a heart beat a la The Huntsman.
3. Somehow Regina fixed the DNA results.
But I'm not sure how they explain that away in Storybrooke.
I'm looking forward to seeing how Emma nails Sidney. One of the most frustrating things about this show is that people sort of go through the motions without ever being straight up, though that seems to be changing in recent episodes.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
I'm leaning towards #3.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
I'm bothered by the fact that Emma, who supposedly has this special ability to know when someone is lying to her, can't manage to figure out that she's being double crossed by both Sidney *and* Gold, and possibly also by August. I'm still fuzzy on the whole thing with his duplicating the book.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
SPOILER
I can't tell if he's just going to steal the book outright and try to sell it or what. Or if he wandered into town, found it, and is genuinely invested in proving it true. He's so damned suspicious that we're supposed to think he's up to something, but the fact that Regina doesn't know who he is makes me trust him a little. I think he's legit, though his coyness is a little annoying.
And yeah, Emma came right out and said she'd be swindled. I think she knows perfectly well that Gold isn't trustworthy. But every time she goes to him she is simply out of options. She's making exactly the sort of deals with him that others were in the fairy tale world. They're driven to desperation and KNOW it's a bad idea but do it anyway.
But she was outright fooled by Sidney. Maybe he's supposed to have special lying powers? She copped to the fact in the last episode that she'd been putting her trust in all the wrong people. I think it's because she's been second guessing herself lately.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
I didn't even give Grimm a chance, I am tired of police procedural shows/murder of the week, no matter what twist they bring into it.
This season has had the fewest amount of broadcast network dramas that I have found interesting. I think my wife and I are just down to Once and Good Wife. (Watching Awake on my own, she couldn't handle the family death element.)
Posted by Jeff C. (Member # 12496) on :
Did anyone watch the season finale? I thought it was pretty good.
SPOILERS
I'm so glad they finally let Emma see the truth. It's about time! The rest of the episode had some great moments, but honestly, watching Emma realize the truth was so rewarding as a viewer. Now I can stop yelling at her to stop being so ignorant.
FINALLY!
As for the last scene, Mr. Gold bringing magic into the world seems like it will have a lot of potential. I just hope they don't ruin the ending by having them cast a spell on Emma to suddenly 'forget' everything. That would be really lame.
Posted by scholarette (Member # 11540) on :
I was glad that they actually resolved the curse issue. I thought they were going to drag that out for a long time. The magic in the world does offer interesting possibilities for the future. Is pinochio going to be ok now? I don't remember if they showed him.
Posted by Amanecer (Member # 4068) on :
I've been watching this show every week and I love it. Jeff, I'll join you in being sad, I look forward to it every week too.
I also loved the season finale. I think they wrapped up every major plot line from this season except for Rumpelstiltskin's son and then they opened the door for a world of possibilities for next season. Like scholarette, my big fear for this show was that they could drag the curse out for forever. Woo hoo for writers who take risks! I can't wait for next season.
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
So...Tarzan, Pocahontas, and the hunchback next? Lions?
Posted by Jeff C. (Member # 12496) on :
Tonight they showed Mulan and a few others. I haven't watched the episode yet, so I'll reserve judgement, but I've no reason to think it won't be good.
The problem with showing Pocahontas is that she was actually a real person. The Disney movie of the same name is supposed to be somewhat accurate (even though it totally isn't at all), with the sequel following the "factual" story by having her go back to Europe. They left out the part about how she was 13, of course.
I think the hunchback character would make for a nice surprise. And Peter Pan, too, of course. In fact, now that I think about it, where is Pan anyway? You know it's only a matter of time before he shows up, but it seems like an obvious character to include, especially since the promos show Captain Hook.
Anyway, Doctor Whale still hasn't been named and he's shaping up to have more of a role. They chose an actor that I actually recognized for the role (he was Adam on Heroes, the immortal Caucasian samurai), so I'm expecting him to serve some kind of purpose soon (I hope). Who knows? Maybe he'll be Peter Pan?
Oh and before I forget...
IT'S BACK!!!!!
Posted by rollainm (Member # 8318) on :
Fantastic first episode! This will ease the pain of losing Amy Pond and no Doctor Who at all until Christmas.
Posted by Jeff C. (Member # 12496) on :
Just out of curiosity, what characters would you guys like to see pop up this season?
Posted by rollainm (Member # 8318) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jeff C.: Just out of curiosity, what characters would you guys like to see pop up this season?
Pumbaa Posted by Jeff C. (Member # 12496) on :
Man, I would rather see Scar. He'd be all evil and stuff. Muhahaha!
Also, since they're bring in Captain Hook, does that mean we'll see Peter Pan? I have to wonder about that because Peter Pan is sort of a whimsical character. It would be interesting to see a fleshed out and dark backstory for his character that is also in line with the universe they've established here.
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