Only two episodes in, and "Once Upon a Time" has already demonstrated an ability to play with the sheer absurdity of fairy tales in the real world, dig into the complexities of previously one-dimensional villains (a la Gregory Macquire's "Wicked"), and get into some real human drama. If you like gritty dramas, this show is not for you. You'd probably be better off watching this fall's other fairytale show "Grimm," a well done effort in standout cop procedural fare. But if you find shows like "Pushing Daisies" more to your taste, then you'll probably love this concept.
The premise is this: the Evil Queen from Snow White has had it, so she curses the entire fairytale world into Maine because what could be more torturous? Oh, but the characters don't remember being fairytale characters, and they're all frozen in time. Luckily, Snow White and Prince Charming's baby was smuggled out and escaped the curse, so she's grown up into the damaged but ultimately likable Emma Swan (no relation to Bella). On her 28th birthday, Emma's stagnant existence is completely altered by the arrival of the son she gave up ten years ago, who drags her to Storybrooke, Maine so that she can break the curse. Little Henry is the only one who knows about the curse - apart from his Mommy Mayor Dearest, none other than the Evil Queen herself. What unfolds next is a drama about parents, abandonment, the meaning of motherhood, and ultimately a story about hope.
The first two episodes have been charming and serviceable; I believe the story can only go up from here. What will catch your eye is the heavily stylized filming of the fairytale world flashbacks, probably formatted for 3D television. It's a very lush visual experience if you can suspend disbelief, but if you can't then watching this show will probably be unpleasant anyway.
Definitely room to grow for the series as a whole, but so far so very good!
The premise is this: the Evil Queen from Snow White has had it, so she curses the entire fairytale world into Maine because what could be more torturous? Oh, but the characters don't remember being fairytale characters, and they're all frozen in time. Luckily, Snow White and Prince Charming's baby was smuggled out and escaped the curse, so she's grown up into the damaged but ultimately likable Emma Swan (no relation to Bella). On her 28th birthday, Emma's stagnant existence is completely altered by the arrival of the son she gave up ten years ago, who drags her to Storybrooke, Maine so that she can break the curse. Little Henry is the only one who knows about the curse - apart from his Mommy Mayor Dearest, none other than the Evil Queen herself. What unfolds next is a drama about parents, abandonment, the meaning of motherhood, and ultimately a story about hope.
The first two episodes have been charming and serviceable; I believe the story can only go up from here. What will catch your eye is the heavily stylized filming of the fairytale world flashbacks, probably formatted for 3D television. It's a very lush visual experience if you can suspend disbelief, but if you can't then watching this show will probably be unpleasant anyway.
Definitely room to grow for the series as a whole, but so far so very good!
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