So, people, are you watching
ONCE UPON A TIME? Weaving magic with enchanting imagination it really is one of the best new shows that
have appeared on TV in recent years. Suitable both for adults and for kids (it's safe for watching with the little ones since its storytelling inspires goodness, imagination and creativity) the show is also one of the biggest visual treats that have ever graced small screens with almost stunningly intricate details both in special effects, character building and in sets, make up and costumes which are all mesmerizing, innovative, well conceived and absolutely spellbinding (the details in the sets never cease to amaze me in each and every scene both in the reality world and in the fairy tale one, you just want to watch each episode again just to see all the lovely details in sets & costumes you might've missed the 1st time).
Even the performances and the casting itself match the brilliance of this beautiful show which brings back hope that horrors, crime procedurals and violent films and shows aren't the only thing we have to offer to new generations: all of the actors are extremely likeable and convincing from
Jennifer Morrison who brings a well balanced mix of warmth,
strength and humour to her character of Emma Swan, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, who are both wonderfully portrayed by sweet
Ginnifer Goodwin and adorably kind
Josh Dallas,
to
Lana Parrilla who is flawless and natural as the Evil Queen and the mayor of Storyville and even her voice matches the role in the most convincing of ways.
Jamie Dornan as the sheriff is trustworthy and seductive,
Robert Carlyle as Rumpelstiltskin is both joyful and scary to watch, and little
Jared Gilmore is truly adorable and perfectly chosen, a truly brilliant kid actor unlike those talentless brats we are bombarded with from HARRY PLOPPER movies. So, all of you who trusted HOLLYWOOD SPY and started watching and loving MERLIN, LEGEND OF THE SEEKER, GAME OF THRONES, THE TUDORS, BEING HUMAN, trust me on this one too, you won't be disappointed :)
ONCE UPON A TIME STORY
The main hero is Emma Swan (
Jennifer Morrison) who 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 will change. Henry (
Jared Gilmore) is 10 years old now and in desperate need of Emma's help. Henry believes that Emma actually comes from an alternate world... and is Prince Charming (
Josh Dallas) and Snow White's (
Ginnifer Goodwin) missing daughter. According to his book of fairytales, they sent her away to protect her from the Evil Queen's (
Lana Parilla) curse, which
trapped the fairytale world forever, frozen in time. 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 - including the Evil Queen who is now Henry's foster mother. 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 TIDBITS
The show is produced by the creators of LOST and TRON LEGACY.
Since the first episode
ONCE UPON A TIME has had amazing ratings and has become the breakout broadcast drama hit in season 2011/2012. Almost each new episode brings some new famous fairy tale characters who appear in the story in most charming of ways, so beside
Snow White, Prince Charming, Mirror and
Evil Queen, there were also
Cinderella, the Seven Dwarves, Red Riding Hood and even
Gepetto from Pinoccio who was kind of a James Bond's Q gadget expert in the pilot episode.
ONCE UPON A TIME was already nominated for best show at
Satellite Award and
People's Choice Awards even though it's still in the middle of its first season.
Since the first episode ONCE UPON A TIME has had amazing ratings and has become the breakout broadcast drama hit in season 2011/2012. Almost each new episode brings some new famous fairy tale characters who appear in the story in most charming of ways, so beside Snow White, Prince Charming, Mirror and Evil Queen, there were also Cinderella, the Seven Dwarves, Red Riding Hood and even Gepetto from Pinoccio who was kind of a James Bond's Q gadget expert in the pilot episode. ONCE UPON A TIME was already nominated for best show at Satellite Award and People's Choice Awards even though it's still in the middle of its first season.
your articles are always so well written, with perfect pictures to accompany the story! keep it up
ReplyDeleteThanks, it means a lot to me to hear that :) since I write all my posts and choose pictures myself, which includes the design for the whole site too. Thanks, again
DeleteStill have yet to watch it, as always wait until the dvd set is out and they say there is a season two, so at least if I get hooked I don't have to watch a single season show and then poof no more.
ReplyDeletethis one will certainly have another season!
DeleteLove all these photos. It really is a gorgeous show. I'm a couple episodes behind, thanks for the reminder to play catch up! :)
ReplyDeleteI AM mad at who they killed off already though... I liked him :(
I'm also a bit behind, I will finish episode 8 tonight, and I've no idea whom they've killed, I guess I will find out tonight... they've never killed anyone else before... Is it Rumpelstiltskin?
DeleteNOPE! You'll just have to see if you haven't yet o_O
DeleteI've seen it last night, that evil bi... killed our sheriff :((((
DeleteDez, I had no intention of watching this show. Now I will at least catch an episode. Pretty pictures always work on me!
ReplyDeleteglad to hear that, Libby, an angel gets its wings whenever I inspire someone to watch something :))))
DeleteI really enjoy this show. I started watching it and Grimm. I like them both a lot. LOVE HULU!
ReplyDeleteit is brilliant isn't it?
DeleteThis is the first time in 4 years that I wished I'd kept my tellybox! I'll have to see if I can't find a feed for it somewhere until it comes out on DVD, Amazon, or Netflix. It looks fantastic.
ReplyDeleteyou don't have a TV? How can you live without it? :))) But then again, I don't watch it much either, mostly music channels.
DeleteWhat a fantastic show. It is so addicting to watch. The characters and the way every plot detail is woven so intricately just keeps me riveted.
ReplyDeleteExcellent spotlight, my dear. :)
it is lovely and so very different from everything else today, so creative, imaginative and heartwarming... and beautiful to watch as well visually. They always surprise me with how they connect reality with fairy tale dimension.
DeleteYES, I DO WATCH IT!!!! Cause this is one of the best, not only of the new shows, but also one of the best ever!! Every episode is a delight, I love the correspondence between the "real life" person and their fairytale version, the costumes are stunning (especially the Evil Queen's dresses, OMG), and the story is never ridiculous, even though we're dealing with a fairytale and that it could have turned out to be just good enough for kids. But it's not!! I really hope the writers will remain so full of imagination =)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the spotlight!!
L.
I agree, Lucinda! It's is exactly what we missed on TV, something positive and warm in the world of crime and gangster shows.
DeleteAnd you are totally right about story never being ridiculous or childish even though it is focused on fairy tales.
I'm very picky when it comes to shows, and I watch maybe five shows per year, and this one really amazed me. Brought back hope that there might still be nice things in life around us and on TV.
Indeed! The show allows you to dream and escape real life in a good way!
DeleteAbout your comment on my blog, don't thank me, your blog is one of the most enjoyable ones I ever visited, and that's a pleasure to see we sometimes share same views on TV and cinema things ;) Let me instead thank YOU!
xx
L.
awww, a kiss for you :)
DeleteI Love "Once Upon a Time" and watch it every Sunday! A great new interpretation of the fairytale world for adults too. I agree with everything you say in your article Dezz. The sets and costumes are wonderful. Only thing is, I wish the Huntsman was still in the show (Jamie Dornan), I keep hoping they'll bring him back. Great to see Robert Carlyle every week too! Great character for him.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was heartbreaking when... that thing happened to him (let's not write spoilers here haha). But I don't think he will ever come back. But hey, every fairytale ends with "they lived happily ever after" right? ;P
DeleteExactly! Being a fairytale anything can happen ;)
Delete@Fabo
Deletethanks for popping over, darling :)
You mean they've kicked sheriff out of the show???? Oh, no, although Josh Dallas is my absolute fave I love me some Jamie Dornan too!
@Lucinda
DeleteLOL, the spoilers have already been written above. Is he out as sheriff too, or just as the Huntsman?
Rumplewho? Strange name, wouldn't you say, Dezzy? I'm a sucker for fairy tales, so sue me :)
ReplyDeleteit's as strange as Rapunzel is :)
Deletefairy tales characters are alive? sounds so much like Nicholas Jobe's book. If he could finally published his book, people will think he copied it from this series. Poor Nick.
ReplyDeleteI am curious with the show, fortunately it's American, I can find it easily here
it is an amazing show, Novia, very creative and beautiful.
DeleteI am going to watch the show later than everyone...you know,waiting for the DVD;)
DeleteI know this is out of the topic, I do hope you don't get too cold out there. I heard Serbia is having extreme winter.
ReplyDeleteit's minus 15 Celsius and even less during night :) and about half meter of snow here and two meters of snow in the mountains :) I'm in the city, but some villages in the south are cut off.
DeleteHey Dez, my friend Prairiegirl LOVES this show so I'm gonna try to catch up on this one at some point. I did see parts of one episode at the gym (sans dialog) and really liked what I saw. I quite like the combination of medieval time and modern day, what a novel idea.
ReplyDeletesend Prairiegirl to leave us a comment here then :) This show deserves all love in the world, such a lovely one, it really relaxes me when I watch two or three episodes Sunday evening. And it's not just the combination of old and modern, but the intricate and extremely clever way they accomplish that.
DeleteHey Dezzy, and yes, I am terribly guilty, I don't come to HS enough even though I adore you! I must thank Flixy for sending me this time. What an excellent post about an excellent show! This one really crept up on me slowly, tempted me more each week and now it's an absolute must-see, one of the best series ever. Story, locations, actors, scripts, music and the superb mix of totally believable fantasy and reality keep you mesmerized. I must watch the pilot one of these days. Thanks again for wonderful love you are giving Once Upon a Time ;-D
ReplyDeletethanks for dropping by, Prairie.
DeleteWhat fills my heart with warmth is when I look upon all of the above comments and see people's deep love for the show, it really is something special. Hope it will get second season. Pilot, or the first two episodes were the best actually. Very rich and lavish, the later episodes were more focused on smaller stories.
Glad you like the show as much as I do.
Of course we trusts you Dezzy; how could we not.
ReplyDeleteI've loved Grimm, and Being Human, and Merlin, but not Legend of the Seeker. The Seeker goes too far from the books. But this fairytale series look totally interesting. I've mised it mostly cuz my nose is usually in the blogs when its on.
But thanks for the great review; now I really do have to watch it.
.......dhole
ooh, I haven't seen GRIMM yet, but I should probably. Haven't heard the reaction after its premier, is it imaginative?
Delete