Once Upon a Time 1.7: "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter"

Well...I suppose it is about time I finally talked about the fall finale of Once Upon a Time, since the show returns with new episodes 1/8/12. I've put off long enough (*cue the dramatic sighs*) talking about episode seven, also known as "The Episode That Shall Not Be Named" or "The Episode That Shall Forever Live in Infamy" or my personal favorite "The Episode That Ripped Ruth's Heart Out, Stomped On It, and Left Her Emotionally Eviscerated." At the end of episode six, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) made the shocking discovery that Sheriff Graham (Jamie Dornan) was sleeping with Regina (Lana Parrilla) -- girl, I was shocked, appalled, and disgusted too. Little did I suspect when their dalliances first came to light that Graham would become so rattled when his secret was out. From the beginning of the show he has presented a cool, collected, and compassionate demeanor -- definitely his own man, if you will -- extraordinarily comfortable in his own skin -- and with that read on his character I suspected that it would take a lot to get him to care what someone else thinks -- make sense?

My theory is that all of the above regarding Graham's character is true, especially as this episode reveals his Fairy Tale Land backstory. And that makes sense, since Emma's arrival in Storybrooke is "cracking" the curse's stranglehold on the town and its residents -- and if Graham was a headstrong loner in Fairy Tale Land, it follows that the disruptions Emma's presence is causing will impact him in a major way. While it was no surprise given my speculation as to Graham's fairy tale counterpart since episode one, it was still highly gratifying to have the show finally and officially confirm that Graham was the Huntsman of Snow White's legend -- the man tasked by the Evil Queen with killing Snow. But unlike the Huntsman of tradition, this one is no longtime lackey of the Evil Queen. Stupid to agree to accept the job? ABSOLUTELY. But this Huntsman is a loner -- raised by wolves, he has more of an affinity for the wild creatures he knows so well than other humans. Some would call him heartless, but as his interaction with Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) proves, he has more of a heart than perhaps he even realized -- and his decision to grant Snow mercy results in horrific repercussions, costing him his freedom, his free will, his feelings -- the very essence of what makes him an individual, what makes him human.

A couple of quick points about the Fairy Tale Land scenes in this episode -- I thought it was very interesting that we glimpsed Snow White's father's funeral. At that point in Snow's life, she was actually close to her stepmother the Queen, apparently unaware that the Queen is playing her, seeking revenge for an as-yet-unnamed wrong. (Though seriously, after this episode I could care less what Snow did to the Queen, nothing justifies how far she's gone off the rails with her heart collecting fetish.) Regarding the Queen's plot, it was nice to see the Magic Mirror (Giancarlo Esposito) again, even though it is pretty apparent he was always in the Queen's camp.

For as much as this episode ripped my heart out (ironic considering Graham's fate, HA), it was just pure awesome and amazing from start to finish -- and that's the way to go, if you're going to pull a shocking twist like this in only episode seven of a new series. It helps me cope. :) Dornan's acting was just superb in this episode -- so, so good it just kills me that there is a good chance we'll never see Graham again, if Dornan's post-episode interview is to be believed. I loved how Graham's revelations about his true self sort of "snowball" as the hour progresses, and as crazy as most would find his dreams/memories, there's apparently so much truth in them that he can't deny their veracity. I mean how adorable is it for Henry (Jared Gilmore) that he finally gets an adult seeking information about his storybook theory -- I loved that scene of the two of them together, especially Henry's indignation at Graham's confession that he kissed Emma. *wink*

I would love some theories on what exactly Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle) was doing in the woods when Graham stumbles across him, the first time he chases his wolf-guide into the woods. I totally do not buy his gardening story. I mean seriously, who gardens in a suit wearing what looks like a butcher's apron??? Anyways, speaking of Graham's wolf (first seen, if you remember, when Emma tried to leave Storybrooke and crashed her car) -- do you think we'll see him again? It just KILLS me that this wolf has been in Storybrooke, sort of Graham's guardian angel, if you will, and then Regina does the UNTHINKABLE. GRR!!

Earlier in this episode, Mary Margaret calls out Emma for putting up walls around her heart, for refusing to let herself get close to anyone, particularly Graham. I love how Morrison played Emma's reaction to what by anyone's standards would have been off the rails behavior. And when she realizes that despite Graham's crazy talk something is happening, something is clicking within him that allows him to stand up to Regina's manipulations, you can see her start to melt -- and that makes his death all the more tragic.

Even though I knew that Regina is wholly aware of the curse, I was still bowled over by her entrance into the crypt that led to her heart cache in Fairy Tale Land. That moment was a fantastic reveal. And even though I knew she was the Evil Queen -- the evil denoting BAD, obviously -- I was completely shocked by just how wicked she really is. The idea of acquiring hearts and all that implies, of turning individuals like the Huntsman/Graham into slaves, robbing them of emotion, the ability to feel, to follow their own heart -- oh it gave me chills. The moment before Regina crushes Graham's heart, when he and Emma finally kiss, was beautifully played (right down to the single tear tracking down his face as he thanks Emma for helping him remember his true self), giving Morrison a chance to deliver some of her finest acting thus far in the show. Her hope, quickly transitioning to horror when Graham collapses is the first time I've really and truly connected with her emotionally.

For as devasting as Graham's death was (and trust me on this, I was yelling at the television), this episode was brilliant. I'm looking forward to seeing where Once takes us next! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode -- and feel free to give me hope and theories on how Graham as Graham (not the Huntsman robbed of his heart) may pull a fast one and return. Because I can happily live in denial that he's gone for good. :)

Once Upon a Time 1.6: "The Shepherd"

Obviously I am two episodes behind on Once Upon a Time, which is really unfortunate when episode seven was such a gut-wrenching game-changer. But rest assured, once I work through the seven stages of grief (at least twice), I will have plenty -- PLENTY -- to say about Sheriff Graham. :)

Episode six of Once was full of the things I love about this show, mainly Josh Dallas being completely adorable as Prince Charming/David. And we got the added bonus of there being TWO Princes in Fairy Tale Land! The writers played the HIDDEN TWIN BROTHER CARD!! And they BOTH fight really well with swords so no worries there! I really wasn't expecting the twin brother card, but hey, whatevs -- since the flashback to Charming's origins in Fairy Tale Land pre-dates his meeting with Snow White, the discovery that the Prince we've gotten to now over the previous five weeks is a substitute, a stand-in, adds some fascinating layers to his character. Prince 1.0 was "procured" for a childless king by Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle) and raised to become a leader of men, a dragon slayer -- and also a bit on the cocky side, since in an "audition" for King Midas (Alex Zahara) he turns his back on a warrior who is not dead yet (having a Monty Python moment!) and gets knifed. HANDILY ENOUGH the dead prince had a twin brother, who is a little bit David-esque with the shepherding thing and the noble spirit, etc., who becomes Prince 2.0 and the Charming we've all come to know and love since the beginning of the show.

Now I love, LOVE how Prince 2.0 gets roped into killing Midas's dragon and with no history of fighting or swordplay in his background rescues his men earning their admiration and loyalty and kills the flippin' dragon (which was pretty cool -- I am really hoping that whenever this show does the Sleeping Beauty story they have Maleficent transform into a dragon, because who doesn't want to see that? I thought so...). So Prince 2.0 a.k.a. the rise of the noble shepherd dovetails with David attempting to adjust to his post-coma life. Henry (Jared Gilmore) posits a fascinating theory about why David is so drawn to Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin) -- because he apparently entered the Storybrooke in a coma, the curse wasn't able to fabricate a fake real-world life. Really makes sense, and makes his longing for Mary Margaret absolutely heartbreaking to see, because you know they are so close to rediscovering their happy ending -- but seeing as this is only episode six of season one, well heck that can't happen yet. Grrr. :P

I'm really interested to see how David's story plays out in Storybrooke, and if it is revealed that he's actually married to the snotty blonde princess character Prince 2.0 was blackmailed into getting engaged to in Fairy Tale Land. I loved the revelation that the ring the Prince was so insistent about retrieving from Snow White in episode three was from his poor birth mother, who gifted it to him with the promise that true love follows it -- yes, I am a sap -- loved that insight, though! Said snotty blonde was strangely enough transformed into emotional and needy Kathryn (Anastasia Griffith), who attempts to befriend Regina (Lana Parrilla). Now it has been well established that the consequence of the curse on Regina's life was that she is incapable of love, but time after time we see scenes where she is almost desperate to prove she has it, she feels it -- or so it seems. Her fanatical attempts to control Henry, and then her "softness" when Kathryn thanks her (little does K. know!) seem to me to reveal chinks in her armor. But of course, especially given the events in episode seven, I'm pretty convinced that Regina is too far gone and deserves every disaster Emma (Jennifer Morrison) can heap on her head. (Yes, Regina, I don't CARE what Snow did to you I AM BITTER, woman! You crossed the wrong viewer! *wink* :P)

Back to the episode at hand...I'd love to hear your thoughts on Regina vs. Mr. Gold. Half the time I think they are in league with each other, while the other half of the time I'm convinced that Mr. Gold would undermine Regina at any moment. Regina basically sends David into Mr. Gold's pawn shop, where a spinning windmill seems to hypnotize him, "awakening" his fake Storybrooke memories. On the one hand this is a very effective way of prolonging the David/Mary Margaret separation, but on the other hand it opens the door to both characters -- true loves -- engaging in intimate relationships with others out of frustration/bitterness/what have you...and the idea of that, well I just have to say it leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. Thankfully this is a show that really does show a lot of restraint on-screen, but I suppose it is a mark of how much I like this show and these characters that this aspect of the twists and turns on-screen bugs me. Apparently Mary's rebound relationship will involve Dr. Whale (David Anders) -- any thoughts on who his fairy tale counterpart is?

This episode ends with Emma making the shocking discovering that Sheriff Graham (Jamie Dornan) is sleeping with Regina -- Graham made the discovery a million times worse by lying about it (stupid man!). I loved how it took this unwelcome bit of knowledge to reveal Emma's feelings for the handsome Sheriff...and her reaction to really get him looking sick about the state of his "love" life. (It is really, really hard to confine my thoughts to episode six...but I'M TRYING TO BE GOOD!!)

Hopefully I'm not going to jinx myself by typing this, but I'm going to try and have an episode seven post up BY THE END OF THIS WEEK. :)

Once Upon a Time 1.5: "That Still Small Voice"

So, I've been trying to get a blog written about the fifth episode of Once Upon a Time all week, and good grief has it not cooperated with me. *sigh* Which is odd, since I really enjoyed this episode -- so let's try something novel and make this (relatively) short and sweet, shall we?

That Still Small Voice devoted itself primarily to revealing Jiminy Cricket's (Raphael Sbarge) backstory, before he became Henry's therapist and Dr. Hopper in Storybrooke. I was particularly curious about what makes the fairy tale world's most famous conscience tick, since I have been rather frustrated by his (seemingly) blind acquiesence to Regina's every whim concerning Henry's treatment. Jiminy as MAJOR parent issues. As a child he was trained to be a grifter and pickpocket, roles he reluctantly played for his controlling parents. Constantly beaten down, it is this unsavory aspect of Jiminy's past that the curse has brought forth in Storybrooke -- he knows what is right, but he lacks the courage and self-confidence to act on his conscience. So while Jiminy grows up with a completely weird fascination with crickets and understandable parent issues, I was still rather shocked that his attempt to "fix" his life involved making a deal with Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle). OF COURSE this is going to backfire, as Jiminy's scummy parents pawn off the potion on an kind and unsuspecting couple and it turns them into FREAKY WOODEN PUPPETS! Guilt-ridden, Jiminy wants nothing more than to make things right for the couple's now-orphaned son (a young Gepetto! parents = puppets -- explains a lot!), so he agrees (practically begs, really) to turn into a cricket and serve as Gepetto's friend and conscience through life. This is a friendship that has translated to Storybrooke, as a now adult Gepetto (Marco in Storybrooke, played by Tony Amendola) is Dr. Hopper's closest friend.

Having made the commitment to live right in Fairy Tale Land, Dr. Hopper has to find the courage to do the whole thing all over again in Storybrooke. After Emma (Jennifer Morrison) clips on the deputy's badge, making a literal commitment to the town, there's a collapse at an old mine. It seems Emma has the curse quaking, literally. Regina (Lana Parrilla) wants to bulldoze the area, but Henry (Jared Gilmore) rightly suspects that the land is hiding a fairy tale-related secret. In a rage Regina commits the cruelest act against Henry yet -- promising to ruin Dr. Hopper if he doesn't crush Henry's "delusions," she blackmails the therapist into altering treatment to meet her whims. People, that ticked me off probably more than anything Regina's done thus far -- Henry holds a special place in my heart and it just tears me up when he gets upset on-screen. This Gilmore kid is GOOD. *wink* Henry determines to prove Dr. Hopper wrong and enters the mine -- and horrified by the danger he's put Henry in, Dr. Hopper follows and the two are caught in a cave-in, where they can have some serious therapy time and talk out their issues.

Couple of things -- one, Dr. Hopper's dog is named PONGO. This just confirms what I've thought from the beginning, that Once is just a live-action Disney show. I fully expect to see Timon and Pumbaa from The Lion King at some point (crazier things could happen, right?). Two, Regina's idea to dynamite the mine open was the DUMBEST IDEA EVER. Clearly no one in Fairy Tale Land had the necessary skills to translate into a decent real-world mining engineer/explosives expert. But it did drive home an aspect of her character that I'd forgotten about -- the cost casting this curse brought to her own life. Regina CAN'T love Henry -- she's incapable of loving anyone. So all of her grabbiness and worry about Henry are control issues, a show she puts on to mask the void in her life that she's incapable of making real, meaingful connections with those closest to her.

I think the thing I love most about Henry (besides the fact that Gilmore is one of the most adorable and talented child actors to grace the screen in I don't know HOW long) is his faith and never-say-die attitude. Even though he has yet to win someone over to his belief in the curse and everyone's secret identities, he refuses to give up on his belief in something more. He's that reminder of what it's like to be a child and to believe anything and everything is possible -- something that is lost to some degree or other en route to adulthood. Henry's belief in possibilities and his ability to forgive are not just endearing qualitites but an illustration, I think, of walking out a life of faith. By the end of this episode I had a lot of respect for Dr. Hopper, not only because he actually listens to Henry, but for how he stands up to Regina, daring to suggest that she might lose custody of her son someday. That, my friends, was an awesome moment.

While all of this was going on, Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin) and David a.k.a. John Doe (Josh Dallas) are all flirty and adorable, completely oblivious to the fact that their flippin' GRANDSON is stuck in a cave-in. David is completely irrisistable, and to Mary Margaret's credit she does a better job than most withstanding his considerable charms ("you're the only thing here that feels real" -- yes, I did turn into a puddle, I confess). I love how even thought Mary and David don't know why they're drawn to each other, the curse was incapable of negating the connection between them -- true love conquers all indeed! But this brings up an interesting point -- do you think that David is actually married to Kathryn (Anastasia Griffith), the blonde snob from Fairy Tale Land? Or is the marriage a fiction of the curse? I also thought it was interesting that Emma counsels Mary against getting involved with a married man -- the way she said it made me wonder if Henry was the product of her own affair with a married man, and that's why his father wasn't in the picture when she gave birth -- thoughts?

A friend of mine sent me this link on Facebook that lists some important takeaway points from a recent Entertainment Weekly article on Once. Please check out the post when you get a chance -- the two points that probably intrigue me the most are that Henry's father is important & when we meet him we might not realize his identity, and that Sheriff Graham (Jamie Dornan) is pivotal to the story. Yes,  my friends, my darling Sheriff is PIVOTAL TO THE STORY. This goes a long way towards restoring my faith in his possible redemption after last week's sleeping with the enemy revelation. *whew* Oh, and before I forget -- the episode recap on the show's website confirms what I suspected -- the piece of glass Regina tosses into the mine lands on Snow White's coffin!

Once Upon a Time 1.4: "The Price of Gold"

The Price of Gold was Once Upon a Time's most controversial episode yet! (Okay it could just be me, the last scene had me almost throwing something through the television.) But more on that in a bit. :) This episode introduces a real power player from Fairy Tale Land -- Cinderella (Jessy Schram). Fair disclosure: I have a very decided bias towards the "princess stories" when it comes to ranking fairy tales -- Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Snow White are "the big three," if you will. To the show's credit the writers throw a major twist in Cinderella's story -- instead of being sent to the ball by a beloved fairy godmother, Cinderella makes a deal with the devil -- literally. After Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle) basically blows up the fairy godmother, in her desperation to escape her life of drudgery Cinderella promises him anything if only he'll work magic in her favor.

Interestingly enough Rumplestiltskin actually tries to talk Cinderella out of this -- he reiterates one of the show's major themes -- that all magic comes with a price, the implication being that the price is too dear to pay. But Cinderella persists and foolishly signs a veritable "blank check" -- she'll give Rumplestiltskin whatever he wants, whenever he requests it. As the previews for this episode hinted, Rumplestiltskin demands her unborn child. This raises the question of whether or not the show will ever tell the "traditional" Rumplestiltskin story, where he teaches the maid to spin straw into gold in exchange for her baby -- demanding too many unborn kids is apt to get a little weird, no?

Back in Storybrooke, I LOVED how Cinderella's story translated into Ashley's, the single, pregnant maid desperate to better her life so she can provide for the child no one thinks she can handle -- the child her Fairy Tale father-in-law arranged to "give" to Mr. Gold. And given as how I've always thought the Prince (Tim Phillipps) -- in the Disney film, anyway -- never had much of a personality, seeing that in Storybrooke he allows his father to talk him out of stepping up and caring for his unborn child wasn't too much of a stretch. Considering Emma's (Jennifer Morrison) own past as regards children, it was a given that Ashley's plight and doubts were going to hit home with her. The impact Ashley has on Emma was a most welcome one, as it gave Morrison her best opportunity to date to show some real emotional investment in Storybrooke and its world. (But seriously, yes Emma really was stupid enough to give Mr. Gold another blank check promise... *sigh*)

As Henry (Jared Gilmore) points out, Emma is the only one who can come and go from Storybrooke at will because she wasn't cursed in Fairy Tale Land. I really liked how this hour played with this idea that Emma is transforming who she is and who she wants to be now that she's met Henry. It seems likely, given her strong response to Ashley's doubts regarding motherhood, that perhaps she was convinced that she "had" to give up her child for adoption -- and she's been running ever since, with no desire to put down permanent roots until Henry started to weave his way into her heart. Gilmore's performance is one of the best parts of the show -- Henry is precocious and earnest and funny and sarcastic in turn -- and really like his relationship with Emma. I'm DYING to know what code name he was going to give her -- I'm thinking it is a clue as to what her Fairy Tale identity would be. Thoughts?

Couple of other things -- I loved the fact that we got to see Cinderella and her prince interact with Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) in Fairy Tale Land. As a kid I used to wonder what it would be like if -- as seemed logical -- they all inhabited the same world. *wink* Kudos to Charming for showing himself to be a prince among princes -- I wasn't terribly impressed with Cinderella's prince, but to his credit he did come through in Storybrooke, which was sweet. :) And I also liked Ruby's (Meghan Ory) friendship with Ashley, as it added some welcome and much-needed depth to what to date has been a pretty shallow character.

And now onto the ISSUE I mentioned at the beginning of this post -- Regina (Lana Parrilla) and the Sheriff (Jamie Dornan) ARE HAVING AN AFFAIR??? WHAT THE HECK???? Does this completely blow my personally beloved theory that Sheriff Graham is the Queen's huntsman out of the water -- because I like to think that the huntsman who spared Snow White wouldn't be shacking up with the Evil Queen (blech!!). I DON'T WANT GRAHAM TO BE EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do he and the mayor have this thing going on because his memory's been wiped by the curse??? (I realize I'm grasping at straws here...) It's not that I'm entirely sold on him as a romantic possibility for Emma, either -- though he's all flirty and "will you come work for me blah blah blah" and now I learn he's sleeping with the enemy? NOT COOL, no not AT ALL.

*sigh*

This Sheriff development is very upsetting, people, very upsetting...

Off to go sulk now... *wink* Throw me some hope in the comments! :)

just because...

...I just found this picture. So of course I had to share. :)

Once Upon a Time 1.3: "Snow Falls"

I rather feel like I'm going out on a limb here, but what the heck -- Snow Falls is my favorite episode of Once Upon a Time yet. In the interest of full disclosure, it's highly possible I rank this episode so highly because I am a romantic sap. This episode just worked for me on all levels, plus it gave me the first real hope I've had since the show began that it could continue a successful season(s?) run beyond what initally felt like a six hour or so miniseries-length premise.

This episode reveals how Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) met, and to the show's everlasting credit I was really and truly pleasantly surprised by the set up. In Fairy Tale Land the Prince was on the verge of proposing marriage to a snotty blonde (Anastasia Griffith), part of a distasteful but necessary political alliance. Their coach is robbed and a pouch of jewels stolen -- most importantly his mother's ring. Shockingly the thief turns out to be Snow White, who is apparently living a rather Robin Hood-esque existence in the woods as the Queen's (Lana Parrilla) most wanted. To say that sparks fly when the two meet would be an understatement -- and the Prince is anything but "charming" (I really liked how Snow bestowed that moniker on him just to irritate him!), and Snow is far from the ladylike princess of legend.

Cut to the real world for a moment -- in Storybrooke we see just how much Mary Margaret wants a happy ending (even if, thanks to the curse, she doesn't fully believe in the possibility) as she ends a disastrous first date with a local doctor. Henry (Jared Gilmore) takes a particular interest in Mary Margaret's happiness (as any good grandson should, right? LOL). He theorizes that if she reads Snow White and Prince Charming's story to the John Doe in the hospital, he'll remember who Mary really is and wake from his years-long coma. Emma (Jennifer Morrison) convinces Mary Margaret to play along, sure Henry's plan will backfire. When John Doe responds to Mary's voice by grasping her hand, both Mary and Emma's shock is very well played -- one gets the feeling they are startign to suspect there's much more going on than they are willing to admit to.

As an actress, Goodwin is doing an extraordinarily good job of conveying Snow/Mary Margaret's emotions with simply a look. Snow is confident and self-sufficient, but not wholly unsusceptible to the Prince's presence -- and Mary Margaret just breaks my heart with her palpable longing to know and be known, to connect with that special someone. I loved how the simple act of John Doe grasping her hand drove Mary to find him when he wanders into the woods -- she's connected with him and though she doesn't fully understand why she's compelled to act. The way this episode played with the idea that these soul mates have an undeniable connection across time and space (sorry to delve into Doctor Who territory there for a sec -- HA!) was incredibly romantic. I am a diehard romantic, but the use of the "you found/saved me" lines (not to mention Mary employing the kiss story beat to wake John, in a nice reversal of the legend) in Fairy Tale Land and Storybrooke just killed me with their poignancy, especially since John Doe is completely out of the Storybrooke loop. Goodwin and Dallas have tremendous on-screen chemistry and look forward to seeing how their story plays out over the season.

While the John Doe wake-and-rescue storyline plays out in Storybrooke, we're treated to a lovely look at the Prince and Snow's adversarial introduction. When its played like this hour gives us, the whole "I like you but I'll die before admitting it" convention never gets old. First, when the Queen's huntsmen catch Snow while she's enroute with the Prince to retrieve his ring, he saves her -- once again revealing that the man has some mad fight skills, and for all I may find the occasional CGI shot in Fairy Tale Land lacking, the Prince's sword-wielding heroics are a WIN EVERY TIME. EVERY SINGLE TIME, PEOPLE! (I'm developing quite the thing for my man Josh Dallas, aren't I? HA!) Note to the writers -- any time the Prince fights an episode automatically gains tons of bonus points.

I love the way the show takes a very adversarial Snow White and Prince James/Charming and plays with the fairy tale ideal of love at first sight. In Fairy Tale Land, Snow and the Prince each take a turn saving each other's life. The first time, when the Prince stops the Queen's men from killing Snow, Goodwin lets her dawning attraction slowly blossom on Snow's face, only to have it crushed by the Prince's response of "let's get my stupid ring!" was so, so well-played. And when Snow later saves the Prince, the realization that there's something between them, something they don't understand but can't deny, is nicely reflected in their real world counterparts -- heart-breakingly so because John Doe is just awakening from a years-long coma. Making the Prince's erstwhile fiancee his real world wife is a terrific way of throwing a wrench in the Snow/Prince reunion. At this point I think it is possible they're not even really married -- but Mary Margaret's powerful reaction to "losing" John Doe just when they've "found" each other KILLED me, so it'll be interesting to see how the show navigates the snobby blond chick obstacle.

A few quick notes -- I liked having the Queen/Regina in the background for a change. I'm rather torn, though, on just how much Regina knows -- is she fully aware that her curse is dictating events in Storybrooke, or did the curse wipe her memory (as I suspected last week) and she's operating on some preset playbook? Regarding Sheriff Graham (Jamie Dornan), another favorite guy, this episode leaves me more convinced than ever that his fairy tale identity is that of the huntsman who spares Snow White. He's at the beck and call of Regina but doesn't seem entirely at ease with her orders -- thoughts? It was a hilarious touch seeing two of the seven dwarves -- Grumpy/Leroy (Lee Arenberg) and Sleepy/Walter (Faustino Di Bauda) -- make brief appearances as hospital security guards. And Gilmore as Henry is in a fair way to delivering one of my favorite child actor performances. I love his earnestness, his pure faith in the fairy tales and this never say die attitude he has to his whole situation.

So fellow Once fans, chime in with your thoughts as I'd love to discuss this episode! :)

Once Upon a Time 1.2: "The Thing You Love Most"

While I enjoyed this past Sunday night's Once Upon a Time episode, the show still has a long way to go if it is going to convince me that it can be viable and engaging television beyond ten episodes or so (because this still really, really "feels" like a miniseries). The second episode, aptly entitled "The Thing You Love Most," explored that concept in both real-world Storybrooke as Regina a.k.a. the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla) attempts to permanently oust Emma (Jennifer Morrison) from her son Henry's (Jared Gilmore) life. In Fairy Tale Land, we're treated to a lengthy flashback detailing how the Evil Queen cast the curse, and in doing so what it cost her (though we're still in the dark as to how exactly Snow White earned her emnity).

Since I am a HUGE Sleeping Beauty fan, I was completely geeked out by the appearance of Maleficent (Kristin Bauer). I liked the idea that these "evil queens" traded curses in their attempts to wreak havoc on their enemies -- the Evil Queen's crack about Maleficent's sleeping curse being broken by a lousy kiss was pretty funny. I found myself somewhat surprised by what the Evil Queen had -- or perhaps I should say, was willing -- to sacrifice in order to cast this curse to end all curses and wreck Snow's happiness. (Note to ABC: the smoke monster thing is still unbearably stupid looking!) I'm eager to learn what exactly Snow did to cross the Queen, because murdering her father (Tony Perez) elevates the Queen's perceived wrong much higher than the traditional "who is the fairest in the land" story beat.

Interestingly enough, I am getting the impression that Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle) isn't so much in league with the Queen, as I half suspected after the premiere, but merely out for his own personal gain. I am fascinated by the idea that Rumplestiltskin is somehow impervious to the Queen's curse -- and that she is apparently blind to the fact that he's playing her. She seems to savvy for that, but everyone has an Achilles' heel, hmm? Is Rumplestiltskin somehow calling the shots? Interesting possibilities...

The real-world action in Storybrooke was this episode's strongest aspect. I was rather surprised to learn that Regina apparently has no clear memory of her true identity as Fairy Tale Land's Evil Queen -- though I suspect her "true" personality is going to become more apparent week after week as Emma's arrival set time on the move again. Little details, like the fact that Regina is obsessed with apples -- even going so far as to offer a basket to Emma -- are nice ways of incorporating key aspects of the traditional stories in the modern day.

Morrison and Gilmore have a wonderful mother/son relational chemistry -- how Emma is drawn to her son, despite the fact that they just met, is a great indicator of warmth in her tough-as-nails bail bonds woman personality, and speaks to her hunger for a sense of belonging, of family and community. In the context of Storybrooke I haven't been able to buy for one moment that Regina has actual, genuine maternal feelings for her adopted son. I'm open to being convinced -- but her hunger to keep his attention on her smacks more of desperation and manipulation than it does familial feeling. The revelation that Mr. Gold (Rumplestiltskin) "brought" Emma's son to Storybrooke, and that Regina named the child Henry, after her murdered father, suggests that the dire prophecy Maleficent spoke in regards to the curse has come true. In order to exact her revenge on Snow White, by unleashing the dark curse the Evil Queen has ripped open a void inside her -- a void for affection and familial love, the latter of which she destroyed with her father's death -- that cannot be filled even in Storybrooke, where her real-world alter-ego isn't even fully aware of the reason for the gaping emptiness inside.

While Emma has a long way to go before she's able to accept Henry's fairy tale claims, I like the fact that right now, she's playing along, if you will, because she realizes its more important to validate Henry than give him a "reality check." I love how Morrison is showing us how Henry's suggestions are impacting Emma's view of the people she encounters -- particularly when it comes to Mary Margaret/Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin). So far, the connection Mary and Emma feel, that sense of "knowing" each other but not knowing why is being played relatively well on-screen (I confess I did like the cinnamon on hot chocolate cue). I can sympathize with Emma's incredulity; after all, it would be hard to wrap your head around the idea that you were somehow the same age as your mother. *wink*

A few more quick notes -- loved meeting the Queen's Mirror (Giancarlo Esposito), and discovering that his real-world counterpart is the editor of a gossipy newspaper. I continue to be disturbed by the idea that Jiminy Cricket (Raphael Sbarge) is a psychiatrist, and for all his seeming concern about Henry is willing to compromise his patient files on Regina's word. And could Sheriff Graham (Jamie Dornan) be any more adorable?? If he turns out to be in the Evil Queen's camp I will be crushed. His final conversation with Regina seems to suggest that he believes in Emma's innocence, and doubt's Regina's motives, so hopefully he'll stand up for that at some point.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on how Once Upon a Time is progressing. I'm enjoying it thus far, but I'm not completely sold on the future of the show long-term. However, it is rather fun to see how familiar fairy tale characters appear in Storybrooke, and how Regina and Emma are awakening to the enmity between them that is apparently Emma's birthright. As long as future episodes feature a lot of Sheriff Graham and Prince Charming comes back, I'll be happy. *wink*

Once Upon a Time 1.1: "Pilot"

ABC's Once Upon a Time was one of the most hotly anticipated (or perhaps I should say well-advertised?) shows of the new fall season that finally debuted this past Sunday. I've mentioned many times here how much I adore fairy tales, traditional and reimagined, and Once seemed guaranteed to suit my tastes. Needless to say, despite some reservations -- or perhaps I should say questions? -- about how the high concept of this show will play out, I thoroughly enjoyed the premiere. So let's talk. :)

Fairy Tale Land is a place renowned for its happy endings, and as the show opens we get to witness one of the most famous play out -- Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) awakening Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) with true love's kiss. Their happily ever after is tarnished by the promise of the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla), who threatens that she will destroy the happy endings of every person who stands in her way. Cut to the "real world" where Emma Swann (Jennifer Morrison), a tough-as-nails bail bondswoman catching a client on what just happens to be her birthday. She's a loner, and while later blowing out a birthday candle on her celebratory cupcake (NICELY staged scene!), a young boy shows up on her doorstep. The boy is Henry (Jared Gilmore), who turns out to be the baby she'd given up for adoption ten years ago. Henry begs Emma to return with him to his hometown of Storybrooke, Maine. Much to Emma's chagrin, Henry is convinced that every story in his precious book of fairy tales is true, and that only Emma can help the citizens of Storybrooke remember who they truly are -- denizens of of Fairy Tale Land who were robbed of their happy endings by his evil adoptive mother Regina, the town mayor.

This episode introduces several of the main fairy tale characters and their real-world counterparts, as the narrative cuts between Emma and Henry's present and "flashback" scenes revealing how the Evil Queen's curse came to be. For the most part I absolutely loved the look of this show, in particular the Fairy Tale Land scenes -- the colors, the "richness" of the fabrics and set pieces were a visual feast! There is some dicey CGI in the Fairy Tale Land exterior scenes that just screamed "fake," which was unfortunate, but for the most part everything worked beautifully setting up the difference between the real world and the fairy tale one. (I just have to say, though, the Queen's curse was a friggin' SMOKE MONSTER?? Really? That was INCREDIBLY lame and looked just terrible on-screen. Bah...)

I loved Goodwin and Dallas as Snow White and Prince Charming -- Goodwin's looks fit the character perfectly, and she's capable of expressing this wide-eyed sincerity that just seems to scream "Snow White" to me, while Dallas -- well I'd be hard-pressed to ask for a more dashing Prince. :) Their heartbreak over having to sacrifice twenty-eight years together, until their daughter can break the Queen's curse -- or so Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle) promises -- is played out with a heart-rending, sense of the epic that lends the concept of this show a cinematic flair. And the Prince's dramatic swordfight while holding his baby daughter was EPIC. Absolutely loved it.

Likewise I was extremely impressed with Morrison's performance as Emma. Her past as a supposedly abandoned orphan, her upbringing grounded in the harsh reality of the foster care system, is going to make Henry's task to open her eyes to fairy tales-as-reality quite the tall order. Gilmore is absolutely ADORABLE as Henry. He has all the prepossession of a mini adult and all the hopefulness and simple faith of a child. It is an extraordinarily winsome combination, and its easy to see why Emma finds herself drawn  to him inspite of his outlandish claims. I really look forward to seeing how their relationship develops.

This episode also gives us brief introductions to fairy tale/real world Gepetto/Marco (Tony Amendola), dwarf Grumpy/Leroy (Lee Arenberg), "psychiatrist" Jiminy Cricket/Archie (Raphael Sbarge), and the delightfully cranky Granny (Beverly Elliott) and her granddaughter Ruby (Meghan Ory). Presumably the show plans to introduce more fairy tale characters from the legends -- perhaps specifically the Disney canon, given the dwarves' names? -- throughout the show's run. My concern, if that's the right word for it, is that the constant back-and-forth between real world Storybrooke and Fairy Tale Land, where we'll get the classic characters' backstories, will get old really fast. It is not a formula that suggests it will lend itself to forward momentum narritive-wise. I am, however, open to being persuaded otherwise. :)

Some of Storybrooke's residents are not so clearly identifiable -- the adorable Sheriff Graham (Jamie Dornan), for instance. Do you think he's the Queen's Huntsman -- and therefore I can cling to the hope that he's one of the good guys? Or, given that Emma sees a wolf on the road before she wrecks her car trying to leave town, do you think there's a chance Graham is the the Big Bad Wolf? This leads to another question -- does Rumplestiltskin, a.k.a. Mr. Gold in Storybrooke, recognize Emma because he's in league with the Evil Queen? And did the Evil Queen somehow "know" that Henry was Snow White's grandson? Or was did that just end up being a coincidence? SO MANY QUESTIONS! *wink*

So, if you watched Once Upon a Time, I'd love to hear your thoughts on its premiere. Was it everything you'd hoped, and what do you hope from future episodes? I'd love to discuss theories for how this Storybrooke mess is going to play out. :)

Once Upon a Time preview

I was thrilled to see a trailer debut today for ABC's own fairy-tale themed show coming this fall, entitled Once Upon a Time. It'll be interesting to compare this show with NBC's Grimm - while I'm intrigued by both, at this point I've got to say I'm leaning towards Once being guaranteed must-see TV for me.

Here's the press release about the show (from Daemon's TV):

Synopsis: From the inventive minds of “Lost” executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis comes a bold new imagining of the world, where fairy tales and the modern-day are about to collide.

And they all lived happily ever after – or so everyone was led to believe. Emma Swan knows how to take care of herself. She’s a 28-year-old bail bonds collector who’s been on her own ever since she was abandoned as a baby. But when the son she gave up years ago finds her, everything starts to change. Henry is now 10 years old and in desperate need of Emma’s help. He believes that Emma actually comes from an alternate world and is Snow White and Prince Charming’s missing daughter. According to his book of fairytales, they sent her away to protect her from the Evil Queen’s curse, which trapped the fairytale world forever, frozen in time, and brought them into our modern world. Of course Emma doesn’t believe a word, but when she brings Henry back to Storybrooke, she finds herself drawn to this unusual boy and his strange New England town. Concerned for Henry, she decides to stay for a while, but she soon suspects that Storybrooke is more than it seems. It’s a place where magic has been forgotten, but is still powerfully close… where fairytale characters are alive, even though they don’t remember who they once were. The epic battle for the future of all worlds is beginning, but for good to win, Emma will have to accept her destiny and fight like hell.

“Once Upon a Time” stars Ginnifer Goodwin (“Big Love”) as Snow White/Sister Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison (“House MD”) as Emma Swan, Robert Carlyle (“The Full Monty,” “Trainspotting,” “SGU Stargate Universe”) as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold, Lana Parrilla as Evil Queen/Regina, Jamie Dornan as Sheriff Graham, Jared Gilmore (“Mad Men”) as Henry, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/John Doe and Raphael Sbarge as Jiminy Cricket/Archie.

“Once Upon a Time” was written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, who are also executive producers, along with Steve Pearlman (ABC’s “V”). The pilot is directed and executive-produced by Mark Mylod (“Entourage”). “Once Upon a Time” is from ABC Studios.

And here's a trailer:



And  brief show clip (I assume from the premiere):



Thoughts? :)