Fables? What do you mean you wish we had gone with Willingham?
by Corinne Sudberg, Reporter
In times of depression, people look to stories to give them hope and a sense that they can get by. Sure, they can be dark and melancholy sometimes, but other times they can be humorous and full of wonder. ABC is hoping to find just that right combination with an enchanting yet bleak story of a group of people who have lost their way and are trying to find their own fairytale ending. This is Once Upon a Time.
Beware of spoilers!
Created by two members of the production team behind Lost, Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, “Once Upon a Time” starts off with a similar mystery. We meet Emma Swan, a 28 year old bail bonds collector. Though rather successful in her career, her personal life seems empty and lonely by comparison. Her wish quickly comes true as soon meets Henry, her son she gave up for adoption 10 years ago and who reveals a terrible catastrophe that only she can fix. It turns out she is the child of Snow White & Prince Charming. Though she thought she was abandoned by her parents, she was merely teleported to a safer location while her home was being engulfed by a horrible curse. It seems now anyone who was ever a fairy tale character has forgotten who they truly are and have become human in this strange town called Storybooke. Emma finds this all implausible and questions why she must be bothered with all these strange characters. However, drawn by the boy’s persistence and determination for her aid, Emma ventures into town. It seems she is accepting what destiny awaits her, but will it be enough to bring a happy ending to all these characters from the Enchanted Woods?
Everyone cast in this film is an explosion of personality! There’s not one character you don’t want to know more about. As the story develops, you slowly realize some of the fairy tale counterparts the cast represents. The idea of these characters starting a brand new existence makes us wonder if their original personalities still shine through or if they’re completely adapted to something brand new! Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan is a wonderful female protagonist full of spunk, resilience and just feels identifiable; she’s just a little weirded out by all the various personalities she meets. She shows she isn’t any princess meant to be pushed around, but a fighter ready to draw her blade when it calls for it; always on guard. Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen, despite having cast the curse, might have been affected with a new form as well, but it’s too early to tell if she is also aware of her surroundings or merely just playing a role in her new dominion. Adopted mother of Henry, she is very stern on him, but only because she believes it’s best for him to understand how harsh the world can be. The Evil enchantress becomes mild, yet mysterious mayor who maybe hiding more than she knows for this town. Other characters are Ginnifer Goodwin playing the kind, elegant, and yet much tougher than expected Snow White, Joshua Dallas as the daring, brave Prince Charming (every fairy tale needs one of those), Jared Gilmore as the curious, determined, almost Macaulay Culkin-esque Henry, and Robert Carlyle as the creepy, sinister Rumplestiltskin.
Like any fairy tale, the show is full of wit, charm, ups and downs. As silly as it is when you say the concept out loud, the show is engaging enough that you want to see what the fates of all these characters are. It quickly turns from dark one second to whimsical the next, keeping you on your toes. Despite it having a similar theme with the popular comic, Fables, the stories are unique enough to not cause much quarrel. It definitely feels at times like you are watching a Disney film such as Enchanted with the combination of subtitle humor and gritty backgrounds. Granted some scenes with the Fairy Tale world were a bit corny in how certain things were portrayed (badly executed effects for the blue fairy floating around). Granted, it’s hard to sell so many different fairy tales living in this one world, but the scenery is gorgeous and you do get a sense traveling into the Middle Ages. A lot of the pilot seemed to rely on humor from visual gags, facial features, subtle references from fairy tales in general, and of course in their characters’ personalities. Despite not knowing who they are, many of the characters seem to have kept the traits that made them memorable as fairy tale characters. It’s hard to bring yourself to hate any of these characters and you hope they’re explored further in the series.
The pilot episode has intrigued me enough to give the series a try when it airs. The story I’m a little unsure of, but the characters are what will make me stick around. Perhaps I’m soft hearted for these tales especially since I grew up with Disney fairy tales, but I think this show came at a perfect time. I can say when I watched it, I didn’t have a care for anything else other than what would be the fate these fables (no relation). In a time of depression, I think this show will help lift our spirits just a bit and who knows maybe go so far as to become something extraordinary. The show will premiere October 23rd with 12 episodes to go on. Let’s hope it makes enough of an impression to stretch out more of this wondrous quest!
ComicsOnline gives Once Upon a Time – “Pilot” a 3 out of 5 mystical apples.
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