TV: Once Upon A Time

I am pretty strongly interested in fairy tales and all their mythos and enchanting, fantastical, and often downright spooky nature. Modern adaptations and reworkings of fairy tales and fairy tale tropes are more hit and miss for me. When I heard about the premise of this show (fairy tale characters cursed to live out new lives in a modern day town, unaware of their previous/true identities) I wasn't sure I would like it, but it sounded pretty interesting, so I gave it a shot. After watching the first episode, I still couldn't decide how I felt about it. I wondered if maybe it was a bit too fantasy-ish and sweet for the modern day component to really feel compelling, but I was still intrigued about what would unfurl in regard to plot and characters, so I kept watching. The second episode quickly had me fully invested.

I really like the way the parallel worlds of the fairy tale and the ordinary are explored throughout the series. We hop back between both in a fun way as the twin narratives are explored. It's a nice way to see some depth and development in the characters as they respond to events in different timelines and settings.

The cast is also pretty great. We have the adorable, sincere, and clever little boy, Henry (Jared S. Gilmore), the super earnest and sweet Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin), and her stern-yet-relatable Power Rangers villain stepmother (Lana Parilla). Oh, and Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle), who employs the most delightfully greasy and cunning demeanour. He's very fun.

Anyway, I have a strong urge to go eat a questionable apple. See ya.