...Once Upon A Time, a television show proved it could pull audience numbers without explicit sex and violence. Of course, it turned out to be a fairytale.
The initial marketing for ABC's new series Once Upon A Time, left me confused, more than anything else. Not bored, excited, or intrigued... just not quite sure exactly what reaction the network was trying to evoke?
Here's the basic premise. Fairytale characters have been dragged from their home (by an evil witch's curse, no less) and dumped in a small American town. (Didn't see that coming, did ya?) Also, the curse has induced a form of amnesia, a bit, a la Sleeping Beauty en masse, in a sense. Good times.
Early trailers left me slightly baffled. I couldn't wrap my head around the show's potential audience. The network kept pushing 'from the writers of Lost', but seriously, people who love that stupid island show don't seem like the types to get excited over Snow White. (Can you tell I'm not a fan of the plane crash crew? Me and about five others. Kind of like that chick in Unforgettable, except there may be more people with hyperthymesia than non-Lost watchers).
Another stumbling block was the slightly naff visual feel in the fairytale realm. I watched the first episode, cringing at the costuming and makeup in Ye Other Place. To be frank, it was a tad tacky. Fairytale costuming is a hit and miss field.
Kind of like traditional pretty-pink-and-crafts decor so popular at bed and breakfasts. Some innkeepers bring a hint of busy grandeur to the intensely layered style. At the other end of the spectrum is the frightening Cheshire Cat from Gilmore Girls. Overwhelming, clashing and a tad cringeworthy.
This is how I felt during the first episode of Once Upon A Time. Like everyone had gone to the same cheap dress up store (for a fancy dress party that would probably involve free keggers) and scored a bulk discount.
And YET. Despite a handful of eyesore moments, I was unexpectedly intrigued. So I kept watching. By the third episode, I was completely enthralled... enchanted, even! (Gotta work in a few fairytale puns, it's mandatory).
Once Upon A Time is one of the most fascinating television offerings of 2011.
What's brilliant is that we, the audience, have a preconceived idea of what the characters should be like. I mean, who doesn't know Cinderella's story? Or Snow White's? But, as it turns out, we've been reading neat press releases after the fact. Now we get to see what the character's lives were really like in the fairytale realm, courtesy of some very clever flashbacks interspersed throughout the present narrative.
The truth is, being a princess protagonist isn't quite what it's cracked up to be. (Who'd a'thought it?)
In a way, it's almost as if three incarnations of each character have to be reconciled. a) Our fairytale idea, b) what their old life was actually like, and c) their current existence. It's utterly riveting watching all these elements blend and weave together.
The story starts twenty eight years after our fairytale friends were banished. No one has aged because no time has passed, thanks to the curse. The clueless residents of Storybrooke are living one long, everlasting loop. (Yes, a cute exaggeration of small town syndrome).
In a city far (far) away, a child named Henry shows up on Emma Swan's doorstep (on her birthday no less. Love the symbolism). In the vein of The Emperor's New Clothes, Henry is the only character aware of what the evil queen has done. He wants Emma to come back to Storybrooke with him, so she can break the curse.*
*This kind of character resonates with young audiences. Yes, the insightful youth surrounded by clueless adults may seem slightly precocious (to older viewers), but it appeals strongly to sympathetic youngsters.
I know, I know, many a blogger has complained about the use of the archetypical evil stepmother. (Or in this case, the adopted mother). But it's a dominating fairytale persona. Here, the evil queen is such-a-bitch. Major sociopath. I'm literally scared of her every time she walks on screen (whatever the reality). You're just never sure what she's going to try and pull off next...
In this world, the evil queen is both Henry's adoptive mother, and Mayor of Storybrooke. When she crosses paths with Emma Swan, SPARKS FLY. She wants Emma out of her town. The irony is, Emma's more than willing to go. Henry makes her uncomfortable (since she doesn't seem to handle complex emotions too well), and the whole rediscovered son thing (an apparently delusional one, at that) is proving pretty overwhelming. Emma tries to head off, but it turns out fate has other ideas.
Basically, Emma is the ultimate reluctant hero. She's fantastic. Actress Jennifer Morrison does a brilliant job of managing to convey just how conflicted Emma feels. The character ends up staying in town primarily to make sure Henry's okay.
The pivotal scene where I knew I'd love this show? The evil queen/Mayor gives Emma a basket of red apples from her personal tree (and we all know how badly that can end). Henry implores Emma not to eat them. Later, when her nemesis continues upping the pressure, Emma doesn't crumble and leave town. Instead, she heads over to the Mayor's place and takes out her precious apple tree with a chainsaw.
Bet you don't remember THAT bit from the story books, huh?
Perhaps this is so affecting because even though Snow White and Cinderella display a lot of sass (via flashbacks), Emma Swan is something else altogether. She's the embodiment of a more modern attitude, something the archetypical queen hasn't come up against before, which promises for a lot of interesting scripting.
And of course, there's no overlooking Ginnifer Goodwin, who plays both Snow White and the school teacher Mary Margaret Blanchard. She absolutely shines in both roles.
To be honest, I love all the modern interpretations of fairytale characters. Part of the charm is figuring out exactly which fairytale character the town's residents were in the other realm. (A little like that game where people put a celebrity's name on their head?).
Red Riding Hood is no sweet little miss. Rumpelstiltskin, played by the ever talented Robert Carlyle, got the best of the deal, transforming into the modern incarnation of corporate greed. (Basically, he's the one percent in Storybrooke).
The princes in this series are not my type at all. They look weak and kind of goofy. At first I was a bit baffled. Surely the casting department could have opted for more seterotypical choices? Some tall, dark and handsome types, like Ian Somerhalder over on The Vampire Diaries? Then I realised- this show is about the women. They're the strength here, and the focus, which is an interesting slant.
(Also, after the pilot, the fairytale scenes get a whole lot slicker, visually, which is a relief).
It's really hard to encompass just how appealing this program is. The whole concept is strange and unexpected. The mysteries are so involved. The characters are constantly diverting- even if their real world lives have (technically) been both transient, and extended.
It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a show that doesn't have a patina of grittiness. Somehow, there's so much intensity here, even without the overt expressions. There's no in-your-face violence or sex, but it is implied. Best of all, there's a lot of focus on the kind of themes fairytales excel at... sacrifice, love, compassion, honour and integrity.
The truth is, storytelling, the kind you find in fairytales, is about good narrative. That's why they've endure through the centuries. Once Upon A Time takes this adage seriously, and pays homage to its original inspiration with clever, intricately woven tales each week that leave us waiting with baited breath for the next instalment of the story.
Frankly- I hope they all end up living Happily Ever After... in The End, I mean.
Many, many seasons from now.
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