Magic is coming
I remember the day ABC’s Once Upon A Time was recommended to me. I was sitting in McLaughlin library with group members, working on a presentation that was due the following day. As with most group work, course material soon dissolved as the topic of conversation, and was replaced by recommendations of shows to start watching. At the time I was in between shows, and was looking for something new to watch. One of the group members said Once Upon A Time was the best show on television. “Watch it,” she said. “You will love it.” I was intrigued by her excitement, and so I began to watch.
Once Upon A Time is in many ways a sequel to all the fairy tales you read and heard as a child. Most of these stories ended with a ‘happily ever after,’ but, the show tells a different version. As an act of revenge against Snow White (played by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) for overcoming the plan of to kill Snow White and becoming the fairest in the land, the Evil Queen Regina (Lana Parilla) unleashes a powerful curse upon the land of fairy tales. Not only does this curse wipe clean everybody’s memories, but it also transports all characters, from Cinderella to Pinocchio, into a land without magic: our own planet Earth.
Before the curse is unleashed however, Snow White and Prince Charming are able to transport their only infant daughter, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) to our world ahead of the curse, under the belief that she will one day save them all.
In the pilot episode Emma is well into her twenties, living in Boston, and working as a bail-bonds person/bounty hunter with no memory of being the daughter of Snow White, or the fact that she is from another dimension. It is hinted that she has somewhat of a troubled past. She comes home one day to find her birth son, Henry Mills (Jared Gilmore), who she had given up for adoption many years ago. He begs her to return with him to his home in a small Maine town called Storybrooke, claiming that she is the chosen one, destined to break a curse cast by an evil queen and save all the fairy tale characters who have forgotten their true identities. Believing him to just be a troubled child, she ends up taking him home. After developing a close bond with him, she decides to stay in Storybrooke.
The show revolves around Emma as she builds a relationship with her son, while slowly discovering her true heritage and destiny. This is done through the multiple encounters with the fairy tale characters living in Storybrooke, under the assumption that they are all normal people. The only one aware of the town’s true past is the mayor, Regina Mills, who is Henry’s adoptive mother – and the evil queen. She serves as the primary antagonist for the show, and often clashes with Emma over varying issues.
Once Upon A Time has two seasons completed, with the third currently airing on Sundays. It draws in millions of viewers with every episode and is currently one of ABC’s most popular shows. However, this show is not Overview approved.
I have watched every episode of this show aired to date. Not because I enjoy it, but because I am a mutant who feeds on TV show. I have this deep motivation to complete a series that I cannot control, but I can save your time and advise you to spend it elsewhere when it comes to this fairy tale.
Generally speaking (and based on the show’s viewership) it is not an entirely bad show. However, it does speak to a certain family-friendly demographic. University students who are looking for mature themes and complex storylines they will not find fulfillment here. Instead, they will find childish ideas of romance, uneventful confrontation, drama between characters, and predictable storylines. A few surprises and plot twists are present, but not enough to hold an audience that does not have a love for fairytales.
Those of you with a strong admiration of fairy tales and love for that nostalgic feeling of being told a bedtime story, you may actually enjoy Once Upon A Time. To everyone else, I promise you there are other shows that are better worth your time in these pre-final exams stressful days.